Results From Shanghai's (China) 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

Background: Internationally comparable evidence is important to advocate for young people's physical activity. The aim of this article is to present the inaugural Shanghai (China) Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

Methods: Since no national data are available, the working group developed the survey questionnaire and carried out the school surveys for students (n = 71,404), parents (n = 70,346), and school administrators and teachers (n = 1398).

Simultaneous Time-Dependent Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Metabolomics, and Proteomics Reveal Cancer Cell Death Mechanisms Associated with Gold Nanorod Photothermal Therapy.

In cancer plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT), plasmonic nanoparticles are used to convert light into localized heat, leading to cancer cell death. Among plasmonic nanoparticles, gold nanorods (AuNRs) with specific dimensions enabling them to absorb near-infrared laser light have been widely used. The detailed mechanism of PPTT therapy, however, still remains poorly understood.

Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin induce apoptosis in human glioma cells via ROS and Ca2+‑mediated mitochondrial pathway.

Human glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumor and one of the most invasive and aggressive tumors, which, even with treatments including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, often relapses and exhibits resistance to conventional treatment methods. Developing novel strategies to control human glioma is, therefore, an important research focus. The present study investigated the mechanism of apoptosis induction in U251 human glioma cells by capsaicin (Cap) and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC), the major pungent ingredients of red chili pepper, using the Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay, transmission electron microscopy analysis, flow cytometry analysis, laser scanning confocal microscope analysis and immunohistochemical staining.

Expression and Enzyme Activity Detection of a Sepiapterin Reductase Gene from Musca domestica Larva.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor for aromatic acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthase. Sepiapterin reductase (SPR) catalyzes the final steps of BH4 biosynthesis. Studies on SPR from several insects and other organisms have been reported.

Efficient streptavidin-functionalized nitrogen-doped graphene for the development of highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor.

In this work, an efficient and universal streptavidin-functionalized nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) was for the first time proposed and used to develop a highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of tumor markers. Transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectrum, static water contact measurement, and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the streptavidin-functionalized NG platform and immunosensor. The biofunctionalized NG showed excellent hydrophilicity, larger specific surface area, and high electrochemical activity.

Carbon wrapped hierarchical Li3V2(PO4)3 microspheres for high performance lithium ion batteries.

Nanomaterials are extensively studied in electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems because of their structural advantages. However, their volumetric energy density still needs improvement due to the high surface area, especially the carbon based nanocomposites. Constructing hierarchical micro-scaled materials from closely stacked subunits is proposed as an effective way to solve the problem.

Elevated Homocysteine Level Related to Poor Outcome After Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a well-known risk factor for ischemic stroke. However, whether HHcy can influence the treatment outcome of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients has yet to be fully determined. In this study, we investigated the relationship between serum homocysteine (Hcy) level and prognosis in AIS patients who received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment.

PD-L1 expression as a predictive biomarker for cytokine-induced killer cell immunotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell immunotherapy represents an effective treatment strategy for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the therapeutic benefits of CIK cell treatment can be influenced by differences in complex immune microenvironment between patients. Herein, we investigated the relationship between PD-L1 expression and survival benefits of CIK cell immunotherapy in HCC patients.

Effects of Hinge-region Natural Polymorphisms on Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Type 1 Protease Structure, Dynamics, and Drug Pressure Evolution.

Multidrug resistance to current Food and Drug Administration-approved HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitors drives the need to understand the fundamental mechanisms of how drug pressure-selected mutations, which are oftentimes natural polymorphisms, elicit their effect on enzyme function and resistance. Here, the impacts of the hinge-region natural polymorphism at residue 35, glutamate to aspartate (E35D), alone and in conjunction with residue 57, arginine to lysine (R57K), are characterized with the goal of understanding how altered salt bridge interactions between the hinge and flap regions are associated with changes in structure, motional dynamics, conformational sampling, kinetic parameters, and inhibitor affinity. The combined results reveal that the single E35D substitution leads to diminished salt bridge interactions between residues 35 and 57 and gives rise to the stabilization of open-like conformational states with overall increased backbone dynamics.

The antinociception of oxytocin on colonic hypersensitivity in rats was mediated by inhibition of mast cell degranulation via Ca(2+)-NOS pathway.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of oxytocin (OT) on visceral hypersensitivity/pain and mast cell degranulation and the underlying mechanisms. We found that oxytocin receptor (OTR) was expressed in colonic mast cells in humans and rats, as well as in human mast cell line-1 (HMC-1), rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-2H3) and mouse mastocytoma cell line (P815). OT decreased 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced visceral hypersensitivity, colonic mast cell degranulation and histamine release after mast cell degranulation in rats.

Measuring Airway Remodeling in Patients With Different COPD Staging Using Endobronchial Optical Coherence Tomography.

Background: Although FEV remains the gold standard for staging COPD, the association between airway remodeling and airflow limitation remains unclear. Endobronchial optical coherence tomography (EB-OCT) was performed to assess the association between disorders of large and medium to small airways and COPD staging. We also evaluated small airway architecture in heavy smokers with normal FEV (S) and healthy never-smokers.

BMP4 Cross-talks With Estrogen/ERα Signaling to Regulate Adiposity and Glucose Metabolism in Females.

Similar to estrogens, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) promotes the accumulation of more metabolically active subcutaneous fat and reduction of visceral fat. However, whether there is a cross-talk between BMP4 and estrogen signaling remained unknown. Herein, we found that BMP4 deficiency in white adipose tissue (WAT) increased the estrogen receptor α (ERα) level and its signaling, which prevented adult female mice from developing high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and insulin resistance; estrogens depletion up regulated BMP4 expression to overcome overt adiposity and impaired insulin sensitivity with aging, and failure of BMP4 regulation due to genetic knockout led to more fat gain in aged female mice.

TmcN is involved in ATP regulation of tautomycetin biosynthesis in Streptomyces griseochromogenes.

The regulatory mechanism of tautomycetin (TMC) biosynthesis remains largely unknown, although it has been of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Our previous study showed that intracellular adenosine triphosphate (inATP) level is negatively correlated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis in various Streptomyces spp. In this study, by exogenous treatment of ATP, we also found a negative correlation between TMC biosynthesis and inATP level in Streptomyces griseochromogenes (S.

Administration of probiotic mixture DM#1 ameliorated 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis and dysbiosis in rats.

Objective: The use of probiotics to alleviate chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis is supported by clinical consensus. However, no studies to date, to our knowledge, have systematically analyzed the effects of a probiotic mixture on chemotherapy-induced mucositis or assessed changes in the intestinal microbiota after probiotic treatment. The aim of this study was to report the effects of a probiotic mixture, DM#1, on intestinal mucositis and dysbiosis of rats treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

G protein-coupled estrogen receptor enhances melanogenesis via cAMP-protein kinase (PKA) by upregulating microphthalmia-related transcription factor-tyrosinase in melanoma.

Objective: This study investigated the role and mechanism of action of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in melanogenesis.

Methods: GPER expression was detected in the A375 human melanoma cell line and B16 mouse melanoma cell line. Cell proliferation, melanin content, tyrosinase (TYR) activity, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) level, and TYR and microphthalmia-related transcription factor (MITF) expression were measured.

Characterization of the indigenous microflora in raw and pasteurized buffalo milk during storage at refrigeration temperature by high-throughput sequencing.

The effect of refrigeration on bacterial communities within raw and pasteurized buffalo milk was studied using high-throughput sequencing. High-quality samples of raw buffalo milk were obtained from 3 dairy farms in the Guangxi province in southern China. Five liters of each milk sample were pasteurized (72°C; 15 s); and both raw and pasteurized milks were stored at refrigeration temperature (1-4°C) for various times with their microbial communities characterized using the Illumina Miseq platform (Novogene, Beijing, China).

Phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) regulates NLRP3 inflammasome in adipose tissue.

Activation of inflammation in white adipose tissue (WAT), includes infiltration/expansion of WAT macrophages, contributes pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. The inflammasome comprises an intracellular sensor (NLR), caspase-1 and the adaptor ASC. Inflammasome activation leads to maturation of caspase-1 and processing of IL1β, contributing to many metabolic disorders and directing adipocytes to a more insulin-resistant phenotype.

Aberrant functional brain connectome in people with antisocial personality disorder.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is characterised by a disregard for social obligations and callous unconcern for the feelings of others. Studies have demonstrated that ASPD is associated with abnormalities in brain regions and aberrant functional connectivity. In this paper, topological organisation was examined in resting-state fMRI data obtained from 32 ASPD patients and 32 non-ASPD controls.

Distinct Types of Feeding Related Neurons in Mouse Hypothalamus.

The last two decades of research provided evidence for a substantial heterogeneity among feeding-related neurons (FRNs) in the hypothalamus. However, it remains unclear how FRNs differ in their firing patterns during food intake. Here, we investigated the relationship between the activity of neurons in mouse hypothalamus and their feeding behavior.

A Fe-C coated long-period fiber grating sensor for corrosion-induced mass loss measurement.

This Letter reports a Fe-C coated long period fiber gratings sensor with a grating period of 387±0.1  μm for corrosion monitoring of low carbon steel in a 3.5 wt.

The Application of an Evidence-Based Clinical Nursing Path for Improving the Preoperative and Postoperative Quality of Care of Pediatric Retroperitoneal Neuroblastoma Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial at a Tertiary Medical Institution.

Background: A clinical nursing path (CNP) that encourages patients and their families to become actively involved in healthcare decision-making processes may improve outcomes of pediatric retroperitoneal neuroblastoma (NB) patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility and value of an evidence-based CNP provided to pediatric retroperitoneal NB patients undergoing resection surgery.

Methods: One hundred twenty NB cases were assigned to a control group or a CNP group.

Mitochondrial aerobic respiration is activated during hair follicle stem cell differentiation, and its dysfunction retards hair regeneration.

Background. Emerging research revealed the essential role of mitochondria in regulating stem/progenitor cell differentiation of neural progenitor cells, mesenchymal stem cells and other stem cells through reactive oxygen species (ROS), Notch or other signaling pathway. Inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis results in hair loss upon injury.

[Quality evaluation of American ginseng using UPLC coupled with multivariate analysis].

An ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)method combined with multivariate data analysis was developed to evaluate the quality of American ginseng by simultaneously determining the concentrations of six ginsenosides (Rg₁, Re, Rb₁, Rc, Ro and Rd)in the samples. For UPLC, acetonitrile with 0.01% formic acid and water with 0.

Patient, Physician and Organizational Influences on Variation in Antipsychotic Prescribing Behavior.

Background: Physicians face the choice of multiple ingredients when prescribing drugs in many therapeutic categories. For conditions with considerable patient heterogeneity in treatment response, customizing treatment to individual patient needs and preferences may improve outcomes.

Aims Of The Study: To assess variation in the diversity of antipsychotic prescribing for mental health conditions, a necessary although not sufficient condition for personalizing treatment.

Impact of viral infection on acute exacerbation of asthma in out-patient clinics: a prospective study.

Background: The prevalence of viral infection triggering asthma exacerbation and its impact on the symptoms and duration of exacerbation are unclear.

Methods: Asthma and healthy control subjects were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between February 2012 and February 2013. Nasal swabs were collected, and respiratory viruses were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).