The effects of polydimethylsiloxane on transparent and hydrophobic waterborne polyurethane coatings containing polydimethylsiloxane.

The effects of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on phase separation, optical transmittance and surface properties including surface composition, morphology and wettability of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) containing PDMS were investigated. After the introduction of PDMS into the WPU backbone by polymerization, the large difference in the solubility parameter of the non-polar PDMS segment and the high-polar urethane segments promoted PDMS enrichment at the air-polymer interface and enhanced phase separation, resulting in rough structures. Accordingly, the combination of PDMS enrichment and the rough structures contributed to the high or superhydrophobic surfaces and the highest contact angle with water achieved was 156.

Association study of a functional copy number variation in the WWOX gene with risk of gliomas among Chinese people.

Gliomas represents more than 80% of all malignant brain tumors. However, the etiology still remains largely unknown. Human WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), which is located at 16q23.

BMI1 reprogrammes histone acetylation and enhances c-fos pathway via directly binding to Zmym3 in malignant myeloid progression.

The polycomb group BMI1 is proved to be crucial in malignant myeloid progression. However, the underlying mechanism of the action of BMI1 in myeloid malignant progression was not well characterized. In this study, we found that the patients of both myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myeloid leukaemia with BMI1 overexpression had a higher risk in malignant myeloid progression.

Responses of cutaneous mechanoreceptors within fingerpad to stimulus information for tactile softness sensation of materials.

Softness sensation is one of primitive tactile textures. While the psychophysical characteristics of softness sensation have been thoroughly studied, it is lack of a deep understanding of the underlying neuromechanical principles. On the stimulus-response processes of human fingerpad touching fabrics and the physiological properties of slowly adapting type I (SAIs) cutaneous mechanoreceptors within fingerpad, a fabric-skin-receptor coupling model was built and validated.

Optical tuning of dielectric properties of SrTiO3:Fe in the terahertz range.

Tuning of the dielectric permittivity spectra of iron-doped strontium titanate (SrTiO3:Fe) single crystals in an external optical field is investigated at room temperature by means of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Application of the optical field leads to an appreciable tuning of the permittivity, which reaches up to 3.8%.

Antidiabetic effect of total flavonoids from Sanguis draxonis in type 2 diabetic rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Sanguis draxonis (SD) is a kind of red resin obtained from the wood of Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S. C.

Emulsion electrospun nanofibers as substrates for cardiomyogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

The potential of cardiomyogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on emulsion electrospun scaffold containing poly(L-lactic acid)-co-poly-(ε-caprolactone), gelatin and vascular endothelial growth factor (PLCL/GV) was investigated in this study. The characterizations of the scaffold were carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope, water contact angle and porometer. The proliferation of hMSCs showed that 73.

Biocompatibility evaluation of emulsion electrospun nanofibers using osteoblasts for bone tissue engineering.

Emulsion electrospinning is an advanced technique to fabricate core-shell structured nanofibrous scaffolds, with great potential for drug encapsulation. Incorporation of dual factors hydroxyapatite (HA) and laminin, respectively, within the shell and core of nanofibers through emulsion electrospinning might be of advantageous in supporting the adhesion, proliferation, and maturation of cells instead of single factor-encapsulated nanofibers. We fabricated poly(L-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL)/hydroxyapaptite (PLCL/HA), PLCL/laminin (PLCL/Lam), and PLCL/hydroxyapatite/laminin (PLCL/HA/Lam) scaffolds with fiber diameter of 388 ± 35, 388 ± 81, and 379 ± 57 nm, respectively, by emulsion electrospinning.

Meta-analysis of clinical outcomes of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke: within 3 hours versus 3-4.5 hours.

Objective: This meta-analysis was to compare clinical outcomes of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) administered within 3 hours versus 3-4.5 hours after symptom onset.

Methods: We collected all interventional or observational studies that compared clinical outcomes of IV rtPA treatment within 3 hours and 3-4.

Differential requirements for Tombusvirus coat protein and P19 in plants following leaf versus root inoculation.

Traditional virus inoculation of plants involves mechanical rubbing of leaves, whereas in nature viruses like Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) are often infected via the roots. A method was adapted to compare leaf versus root inoculation of Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato with transcripts of wild-type TBSV (wtTBSV), a capsid (Tcp) replacement construct expressing GFP (T-GFP), or mutants not expressing the silencing suppressor P19 (TBSVΔp19). In leaves, T-GFP remained restricted to the cells immediately adjacent to the site of inoculation, unless Tcp was expressed in trans from a Potato virus X vector; while T-GFP inoculation of roots gave green fluorescence in upper tissues in the absence of Tcp.

Visible light driven water splitting in a molecular device with unprecedentedly high photocurrent density.

A molecular water oxidation catalyst (2) has been synthesized and immobilized together with a molecular photosensitizer (1) on nanostructured TiO2 particles on FTO conducting glass, forming a photoactive anode (TiO2(1+2)). By using the TiO2(1+2) as working electrode in a three-electrode photoelectrochemical cell (PEC), visible light driven water splitting has been successfully demonstrated in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8), with oxygen and hydrogen bubbles evolved respectively from the working electrode and counter electrode.

Rationale for developing new virus vectors to analyze gene function in grasses through virus-induced gene silencing.

The exploding availability of genome and EST-based sequences from grasses requires a technology that allows rapid functional analysis of the multitude of genes that these resources provide. There are several techniques available to determine a gene's function. For gene knockdown studies, silencing through RNAi is a powerful tool.

Multicenter clinical study for evaluation of efficacy and safety of transdermal fentanyl matrix patch in treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain in 474 chinese cancer patients.

Objective: Although a new matrix formulation fentanyl has been used throughout the world for cancer pain management, few data about its efficacy and clinical outcomes associated with its use in Chinese patients have been obtained. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the new system in Chinese patients with moderate to severe cancer pain.

Methods: A total of 474 patients with moderate to severe cancer pain were enrolled in this study and were treated with the new transdermal fentanyl matrix patch (TDF) up to 2 weeks.

Continuous-wave intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator with resonant wave output coupling.

We report herein the enhancement in both power and efficiency performance of a continuous-wave intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (ICSRO) by introducing finite resonant wave output coupling. While coupling out the resonant wave to useful output, the output coupling increases the SRO threshold properly thus suppresses the back-conversion under high pump power. Therefore, the down-conversion efficiency is maintained under high pump without having to raise the threshold by defocusing.

Functions of rice NAC transcriptional factors, ONAC122 and ONAC131, in defense responses against Magnaporthe grisea.

NAC (NAM/ATAF/CUC) transcription factors have important functions in regulating plant growth, development, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. Here, we characterized two rice pathogen-responsive NAC transcription factors, ONAC122 and ONAC131. We determined that these proteins localized to the nucleus when expressed ectopically and had transcriptional activation activities.

[Extraction and purification of acidic polysaccharide from Moerella iridescens].

Objective: To optimize extraction and purification methods of acidic polysaccharide from Moerella iridescens (MIAP).

Methods: With alkali extraction process and orthogonal experiment,the time consumption,temperature,pH value of the solution and alcohol concentration during the extraction were optimized. The crude products were deprived of protein,pigment and ion,then were purified with DEAE-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography and verified with Sephadex G-100 and cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis,and examined with infrared spectrum.

Expression of Clock genes in the pineal glands of newborn rats with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Clock genes are involved in circadian rhythm regulation, and surviving newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy may present with sleep-wake cycle reversal. This study aimed to determine the expression of the clock genes Clock and Bmal1, in the pineal gland of rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. Results showed that levels of Clock mRNA were not significantly changed within 48 hours after cerebral hypoxia and ischemia.

Antimicrobial and antifouling hydrogels formed in situ from polycarbonate and poly(ethylene glycol) via Michael addition.

A novel class of antimicrobial cationic polycarbonate/PEG hydrogels are designed and synthesized by Michael addition chemistry. These hydrogels demonstrate strong broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against various clinically isolated multidrug-resistant microbes. Moreover, they exhibit nonfouling properties and prevent the substrate from microbial adhesion.

[Value of CD8(+) T lymphocyte subgroups for the predication of pulmonary invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised critically ill patients].

Objective: To assess the predictive ability of CD8(+) T-cell counts and the expressions of CD28, CD38, HLA-DR on CD8(+) T cells in immunocompromised critically ill (ICCI) patients with pulmonary invasive fungal infections (PIFI).

Methods: The evolution of CD8(+) T-lymphocyte subgroups (CD8(+), CD8(+)CD28(+), CD8(+)CD38(+), CD8(+)HLA-DR(+)) were measured in the peripheral blood of 80 ICCI patients with pulmonary infection on day 1 (D1), 3 (D3) and 7 (D7) of intensive care unit (ICU) admission by quantitative flow cytometry. Forty immunocompetent, uninfected critically ill patients were analyzed as control subjects at the time of admission.

Antibacterial and antifouling catheter coatings using surface grafted PEG-b-cationic polycarbonate diblock copolymers.

Intravascular catheter-associated infections (CAIs), which are normally induced by microbial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, strategies to prevent CAIs are in great demand. In this study, a series of diblock copolymers of PEG and cationic polycarbonate with various compositions were synthesized by metal-free organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, and coated onto silicone rubber (a commonly used catheter material) at different concentrations via a reactive polydopamine coating.

Neuromechanical representation of fabric-evoked prickliness: a fiber-skin-neuron model.

Cutaneous Aδ nociceptors encode the material and geometrical features of fiber ends evoking prickliness sensation by generating neural spikes in response to indentation of human skin, however, understanding of the underlying neuromechanism of fabric-evoked prickliness is still far from clear. This work develops and validates a fiber-skin-neuron (mechanosensitive Aδ-nociceptors) model that combines an analytical model of fiber-skin indentation, a sigmoidal function of neuronal transduction, and a leaky integrate-and-fire model of neuronal dynamics. Firstly, the model is validated to be capable of capturing the typical neurphysiological features of cutaneous Aδ nociceptors and the psychophysical phenomenon.

Erlotinib in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

Erlotinib is a potent reversible HER1/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor with single-agent activity in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this article, we updated the evidence of erlotinib in treating advanced NSCLC by adding new results of RCTs published between January 2011 and May 2012 into a pooled analysis which had been published in 2011. Outcomes analyzed were objective response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events.

Aberrant CD200/CD200R1 expression and function in systemic lupus erythematosus contributes to abnormal T-cell responsiveness and dendritic cell activity.

Introduction: CD200 is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that can regulate the activation threshold of inflammatory immune responses, polarize cytokine production, and maintain immune homeostasis. We therefore evaluated the functional status of CD200/CD200 receptor 1 (CD200R1) interactions in subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Serum CD200 level was detected by ELISA.