Association of simultaneously measured four-limb blood pressures with cardiovascular function: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Simultaneous measurement of four-limb blood pressures can improve the accuracy of cardiovascular disease diagnosis. This study aims to investigate the association of simultaneously measured four-limb blood pressures with cardiovascular function as the non-invasive diagnostic method of cardiovascular disease in primary care.

Methods: 229 subjects (62 males, mean age, 63.

[Correlation Between LDI-based Land Use Types and Water Quality in Sanshan Island of Taihu Lake National Wetland Park, Suzhou].

Sanshan island of Taihu Lake National Wetland Park in Suzhou was taken as a case study to explore the relationship between land use types and water quality under different spatial and temporal conditions.Firstly,principal component analysis was used to calculate the comprehensive index of water quality for a given sampling site.Secondly,landscape development intensity index (LDI),which can represent combined effects of land use types,was calculated based on GIS spatial analysis technology.

Adenylate cyclase A acting on PKA mediates induction of stalk formation by cyclic diguanylate at the Dictyostelium organizer.

Coordination of cell movement with cell differentiation is a major feat of embryonic development. The Dictyostelium stalk always forms at the organizing tip, by a mechanism that is not understood. We previously reported that cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP), synthesized by diguanylate cyclase A (DgcA), induces stalk formation.

Thiazole-Flanked Diketopyrrolopyrrole Polymeric Semiconductors for Ambipolar Field-Effect Transistors with Balanced Carrier Mobilities.

In this paper we report three thiazole-flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole-based donor-acceptor alternating copolymers as new ambipolar semiconductors and their field-effect transistor devices with balanced hole and electron mobilities. Nitrile groups are introduced into the polymer backbone, and the substituent effect on electronic structures is studied. Different side chains are also involved to tune the interdigitation of the polymers.

Anticrossing double Fano resonances generated in metallic/dielectric hybrid nanostructures using nonradiative anapole modes for enhanced nonlinear optical effects.

Third-harmonic generation with metallic or dielectric nanoparticles often suffer from, respectively, small modal volumes and weak near-field enhancements. This study propose and demonstrate that a metallic/dielectric hybrid nanostructure composed of a silver double rectangular nanoring and a silicon square nanoplate can be used to overcome these obstacles for enhanced third-harmonic generation. It is shown that the nonradiative anapole mode of the Si plate can be used as a localized source to excite the dark subradiant octupole mode of the Ag ring, and the mode hybridization leads to the formation of an antibonding and a bonding subradiant collective mode, thereby forming anticrossing double Fano resonances.

Realization of compact broadband optical diode in linear air-hole photonic crystal waveguide.

In this paper, we present a compact broadband design for reciprocal optical diode in linear two-dimensional air-hole photonic crystal waveguide. The forward even-to-odd mode conversion and backward blockade of even mode are achieved by introducing the functional region with 1.2a×2.

Surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease in China: a systematic review of two decades.

Background/aims: The past decades have seen increasing incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in China. This article aimed to summarize the current status and characteristics of surgical management for IBD in China.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Chinese databases from January 1, 1990 to July 1, 2014 for all relevant studies on the surgical treatment IBD in China.

Two-Dimensional Cobalt-/Nickel-Based Oxide Nanosheets for High-Performance Sodium and Lithium Storage.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are one of the most promising types of candidates for energy-storage applications due to confined thicknesses and high surface areas, which would play an essential role in enhanced reaction kinetics. Herein, a universal process that can be extended for scale up is developed to synthesise ultrathin cobalt-/nickel-based hydroxides and oxides. The sodium and lithium storage capabilities of Co O nanosheets are evaluated in detail.

Pharmacokinetic Properties of Intravenous Ibuprofen in Healthy Chinese Volunteers.

Background And Objectives: No pharmacokinetic data of intravenous ibuprofen were available in a Chinese population and the published information remained inadequate. The present study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of intravenous ibuprofen in healthy Chinese volunteers after single- and multiple-dose administration.

Methods: Twelve subjects received single doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg intravenous ibuprofen, respectively, and multiple doses of 400 mg intravenous ibuprofen, four times per day (every 6 h) till the morning of the sixth day in each study period.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase and isocitrate lyase in both tomato fruits and leaves, and in the flesh of peach and some other fruits.

In this study the occurrence of a number of enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis was investigated in both tomato fruits and leaves during their development and senescence and in some other fruits. The enzymes studied were phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) and glyoxysomal isocitrate lyase (ICL). PPDK was detected in the ripe flesh of tomato, and much smaller amounts were detected in the flesh of both peach and pepper, whereas it was not detected (not present or at very low abundance) in the other fruits which were investigated (apricot, aubergine, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, grape, plum, raspberry and red current).

Effects of l-carnitine and/or maize distillers dried grains with solubles in diets of gestating and lactating sows on the intestinal barrier functions of their offspring.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of l-carnitine and/or maize distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets of gestating and lactating sows on the intestinal barrier functions of their offspring. The experiment was designed as a 2×2 factorial with two dietary treatments (soyabean meal v. DDGS) and two l-carnitine levels (0 v.

Transposon-derived small RNA is responsible for modified function of WRKY45 locus.

Transposable elements (TEs) are an important source for generating small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in plants and animals. Although TE-siRNA-induced silencing of TEs by RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in the maintenance of genome integrity has been intensively studied, it is unknown whether this type of silencing occurs in suppressing endogenous non-TE genes during host-pathogen interactions. Here we show that a TE-siRNA, TE-siR815, causes opposite functions for the two alleles, WRKY45-1 and WRKY45-2, of the WRKY45 transcription factor in rice resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv.

Pharmacokinetics and Bioequivalence of Two Formulations of Febuxostat 40-Mg and 80-Mg Tablets: A Randomized, Open-Label, 4-Way Crossover Study in Healthy Chinese Male Volunteers.

Unlabelled: The present study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of febuxostat in healthy Chinese male volunteers and evaluate whether the two formulations of febuxostat 40-mg and 80-mg tablets are bioequivalent. A randomized, open-label, 4-way crossover study was conducted in healthy Chinese male volunteers under fasting conditions. 24 eligible subjects were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive a single dose of test or reference formulation of febuxostat 40-mg or 80-mg tablet.

Alternative interpretations for decreasing voltage with increasing charge in ferroelectric capacitors.

Recent claim on the direct observation of a negative capacitance (NC) effect from a single layer epitaxial Pb(Zr0.2,Ti0.8)O3 (PZT) thin film was carefully reexamined, and alternative interpretations that can explain the experimental results without invoking the NC effect are provided.

Polarization state-based refractive index sensing with plasmonic nanostructures.

Spectral-based methods are often used for label-free biosensing. However, practical implementations with plasmonic nanostructures suffer from a broad line width caused by strong radiative and nonradiative losses, and the sensing performance characterized by figure of merit is poor for these spectral-based methods. This study provides a polarization state-based method using plasmonic nanostructures to improve the sensing performance.

DNA-PKcs and PARP1 Bind to Unresected Stalled DNA Replication Forks Where They Recruit XRCC1 to Mediate Repair.

A series of critical pathways are responsible for the detection, signaling, and restart of replication forks that encounter blocks during S-phase progression. Small base lesions may obstruct replication fork progression and processing, but the link between repair of small lesions and replication forks is unclear. In this study, we investigated a hypothesized role for DNA-PK, an important enzyme in DNA repair, in cellular responses to DNA replication stress.

Combined olaparib and oxaliplatin inhibits tumor proliferation and induces G2/M arrest and γ-H2AX foci formation in colorectal cancer.

Background: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) has an important role in homologous recombination repair. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PARP1 inhibitor on oxaliplatin treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: A cell counting kit-8 assay was used to determine the sensitivity of CRC cells to olaparib and/or oxaliplatin.

High specific selectivity and Membrane-Active Mechanism of the synthetic centrosymmetric α-helical peptides with Gly-Gly pairs.

We used a template-assisted approach to develop synthetic antimicrobial peptides, which differ from naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides that can compromise host natural defenses. Previous researches have demonstrated that symmetrical distribution patterns of amino acids contribute to the antimicrobial activity of natural peptides. However, there is little research describing such design ideas for synthetic α-helical peptides.

XRCC2 as a predictive biomarker for radioresistance in locally advanced rectal cancer patients undergoing preoperative radiotherapy.

XRCC2 has been shown to increase the radioresistance of some cancers. Here, XRCC2 expression was investigated as a predictor of preoperative radiotherapy (PRT) treatment response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). XRCC2 was found to be overexpressed in rectal cancer tissues resected from patients who underwent surgery without PRT.

The Evolution of Aggregative Multicellularity and Cell-Cell Communication in the Dictyostelia.

Aggregative multicellularity, resulting in formation of a spore-bearing fruiting body, evolved at least six times independently amongst both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Amongst eukaryotes, this form of multicellularity is mainly studied in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. In this review, we summarise trends in the evolution of cell-type specialisation and behavioural complexity in the four major groups of Dictyostelia.

Enhanced Broadband Electromagnetic Absorption in Silicon Film with Photonic Crystal Surface and Random Gold Grooves Reflector.

We show a hybrid structure consisting of Si film with photonic crystal surface and random triangular gold grooves reflector at the bottom, which is capable of realizing efficient, broad-band, wide-angle optical absorption. It is numerically demonstrated that the enhanced absorption in a broad wavelength range (0.3-9.

Modified halloysite nanotubes and the alleviation of kidney damage induced by dietary zearalenone in swine.

The aims of this study were, first, to investigate the toxicity of zearalenone (ZEN) through the analysis of biochemical parameters, oxidative stress, pathological changes and inflammatory response in the kidney of gestation sows and offspring; and, second, to evaluate the efficacy of modified halloysite nanotubes (MHNTs) for the alleviation to the adverse effects induced by ZEN. This study focused on the period of organogenesis between days 35 and 70 of gestation, and treatments included (1) a control diet; (2) contaminated grain (50% control corn and 50% mouldy corn); and (3) contaminated grain (50% control corn and 50% mouldy corn) + 1% MHNTs. ZEN treatment significantly increased most of the biochemical parameters and inflammatory cytokines and degenerative changes in the kidney and induced oxidative damage in plasma, whereas the addition of MHNTs in combination with ZEN induced a re-establishment of the biochemical parameters, the plasma oxidative stress enzyme activities and the normal histology of the kidney.

Secreted Cyclic Di-GMP Induces Stalk Cell Differentiation in the Eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is currently recognized as the most widely used intracellular signal molecule in prokaryotes, but roles in eukaryotes were only recently discovered. In the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, c-di-GMP, produced by a prokaryote-type diguanylate cyclase, induces the differentiation of stalk cells, thereby enabling the formation of spore-bearing fruiting bodies. In this review, we summarize the currently known mechanisms that control the major life cycle transitions of Dictyostelium and focus particularly on the role of c-di-GMP in stalk formation.

Ultra-compact broadband mode converter and optical diode based on linear rod-type photonic crystal waveguide.

In this paper, we present extremely compact designs of both broadband mode converter and optical diode in linear rod-type photonic crystal (PhC) waveguide with functional region consisting of only 4 × 1 unit cells of perfect PhC. The dielectric distribution inside functional region are optimized by combining geometry projection method and method of moving asymptotes. Bidirectional mode converter realizes above 60% transmission efficiency within bandwidth 0.