Spatiotemporal deformation characteristics of Outang landslide and identification of triggering factors using data mining

Since the impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR)in 2003,numerous slopes have experienced noticeable movement or destabilization owing to reservoir level changes and seasonal rainfall.One case is the Outang landslide,a large-scale and active landslide,on the south bank of the Yangtze River.The latest monitoring data and site investigations available are analyzed to establish spatial and temporal landslide deformation characteristics.Data mining technology,including the two-step clustering and Apriori algorithm,is then used to identify the dominant triggers of landslide movement.In the data mining process,the two-step clustering method clusters the candidate triggers and displacement rate into several groups,and the Apriori algorithm generates correlation criteria for the cause-and-effect.The analysis considers multiple locations of the landslide and incorporates two types of time scales:longterm deformation on a monthly basis and short-term deformation on a daily basis.This analysis shows that the deformations of the Outang landslide are driven by both rainfall and reservoir water while its deformation varies spatiotemporally mainly due to the difference in local responses to hydrological factors.The data mining results reveal different dominant triggering factors depending on the monitoring frequency:the monthly and bi-monthly cumulative rainfall control the monthly deformation,and the 10-d cumulative rainfall and the 5-d cumulative drop of water level in the reservoir dominate the daily deformation of the landslide.It is concluded that the spatiotemporal deformation pattern and data mining rules associated with precipitation and reservoir water level have the potential to be broadly implemented for improving landslide prevention and control in the dam reservoirs and other landslideprone areas.

Effects of regulating intestinal microbiota on anxiety symptoms: A systematic review

Background Anxiety symptoms are common in mental diseases and a variety of physical disorders, especially in disorders related to stress. More and more basic studies have indicated that gut microbiota can regulate brain function through the gut-brain axis, and dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota was related to anxiety. However, there is no specific evidence to support treatment of anxiety by regulating intestinal microbiota. Aims To find evidence sup porting improvement of anxiety symptoms by regulation of intestinal microbiota. Methods This systematic review of randomised controlled trials was searched based on the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, OVID, Web of Knowledge, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP databases and SinoMed. The retrieval time dated back to 25 July 2018. Then we screened research literatures based on established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality evaluation for each included study was done using the Cochrane risk of bias and the Jadad scale. Results A total of 3334 articles were retrieved and 21 studies were included which contained 1503 subjects. In the 21 studies, 15 chose probiotics as interventions to regulate intestinal microbiota and six chose non-probiotic ways such as adjusting daily diets. Probiotic supplements in seven studies contained only one kind of probiotic, two studies used a product that contained two kinds of probiotics and the supplements used in the other five studies included at least three kinds of probiotics. In the studies that used treatment as usual plus interventions regulating intestinal flora (IRIF) as interventions (five studies), only non-probiotic ways were effective (two studies), which means 40% of studies were effective;in the studies that used IRIF alone (16 studies, 11 studies used probiotic ways and 5 studies used non-probiotic ways), 56% of studies could improve anxiety symptoms, and 80% of studies that conducted the non-probiotic interventions were effective, while 45% of studies that used probiotic supplementations had positive effects on anxiety symptoms. Overall, 11 studies showed a positive effect on anxiety symptoms by regulating intestinal microbiota, which indicated 52% of the 21 studies were effective, and there were five studies that used probiotic supplements as interventions and six used non-probiotic interventions. In addition, it should be noted that six of seven studies showed that regulation of intestinal microbiota could treat anxiety symptoms, the rate of efficacy was 86%.Conclusions We find that more than half of the studies included showed it was positive to treat anxiety symptoms by regulation of intestinal microbiota. There are two kinds of interventions (probiotic and non-probiotic interventions) to regulate intestinal microbiota, and it should be highlighted that the non-probiotic interventions were more effective than the probiotic interventions. More studies are needed to clarify this conclusion since we still cannot run meta-analysis so far.

Adjuvant treatment for triple-negative breast cancer: a retrospective study of immunotherapy with autologous cytokine-induced killer cells in 294 patients

Objective: To examine the efficacy and safety of a sequential combination of chemotherapy and autologous cytokine-induced killer(CIK) cell treatment in triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC) patients.Methods: A total of 294 post-surgery TNBC patients participated in the research from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2015. After adjuvant chemotherapy, autologous CIK cells were introduced in 147 cases(CIK group), while adjuvant chemotherapy alone was used to treat the remaining 147 cases(control group). The major endpoints of the investigation were the disease-free survival(DFS) and overall survival(OS). Additionally, the side effects of the treatment were evaluated.Results: In the CIK group, the DFS and OS intervals of the patients were significantly longer than those of the control group(DFS:P = 0.047;OS: P = 0.007). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the TNM(tumor-node-metastasis) stage and adjuvant CIK treatment were independent prognostic factors for both DFS [hazard ratio(HR)= 0.520, 95% confidence interval(CI):0.271-0.998, P = 0.049;HR = 1.449, 95% CI:1.118-1.877, P = 0.005, respectively] and OS(HR=0.414, 95% CI:0.190-0.903, P = 0.027;HR= 1.581, 95% CI:1.204-2.077, P = 0.001, respectively) in patients with TNBC. Additionally, longer DFS and OS intervals were associated with increased number of CIK treatment cycles(DFS: P = 0.020;OS: P = 0.040). The majority of the patients who benefitted from CIK cell therapy were relatively early-stage TNBC patients.Conclusion: Chemotherapy in combination with adjuvant CIK could be used to lower the relapse and metastasis rate, thus effectively extending the survival time of TNBC patients, especially those at early stages.

Bilayer dissolving microneedle array containing 5-fluorouracil and triamcinolone with biphasic release profile for hypertrophic scar therapy

Hypertrophic scar(HS)is an undesirable skin abnormality following deep burns or operations.Although intralesional multi-injection with the suspension of triamcinolone acetonide(TA)and 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu)has exhibited great promise to HS treatment in clinical,the difference of metabolic behavior between TA and 5-Fu remarkably compromised the treatment efficacy.Besides,the traditional injection with great pain is highly dependent on the skill of the experts,which results in poor compliance.Herein,a bilayer dissolving microneedle(BMN)containing TA and 5-Fu(TA-5-Fu-BMN)with biphasic release profile was designed for HS therapy.Equipped with several micro-scale needle tips,the BMN could be self-pressed into the HS with uniform drug distribution and less pain.Both in vitro permeation and in vivo HS retention tests revealed that TA and 5-Fu could coexist in the scar tissue for a sufficient time period due to the well-designed biphasic release property.Subsequently,the rabbit ear HS model was established to assess therapeutic efficacy.The histological analysis showed that TA-5-Fu-BMN could significantly reduce abnormal fibroblast proliferation and collagen fiber deposition.It was also found that the value of scar elevation index was ameliorated to a basal level,together with the downregulation of mRNA and protein expression of Collagen I(Col I)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)after application of TA-5-Fu-BMN.In conclusion,the BMN with biphasic release profiles could serve as a potential strategy for HS treatment providing both convenient administrations as well as controlled drug release behavior.

High performance liquid chromatographic separation of eight drugs collected in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 on amylose ramification chiral stationary phase

The enantiomers separation of ei ght pharmaceutical racemates collected in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010(Ch.P2010),including nitrendipine,felodipine,omeprazole,praziquantel,sulpiride,clenbuterol hydrochloride,verapamil hydrochloride and chlorphenamine maleate,was performed on chiral stationary phase of amylose ramification by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)on Chiralpak AD-H column and Chiralpak AS-H column with the mobile phase consisted of isopropanol and n-hexane.The detection wavelength and the flow rate were set at 254 nm and 0.7 mL/min,respectively.The effects of proportion of organic additives,alcohol displacer and temperature on the separation were investigated.The results indicated that eight chiral drugs were separated on chiral stationary phase of amylase ramification in normal phase chroma tographic system.The chromatographic retention and resolution of enantiomers were adjusted by factors,including the changes of the concentration of alcohol displacer in mobile phase,organic alkaline modifier and column temperature.It was shown that the resolution was improved with reducing concentration of alcohol displacer.When the concentration of organic alkaline modifier was 0.2%,the resolution and the peak shape were fairly good.Most racemates mentioned above had the best resolution at column temperature of 25℃.The best temperature should be kept unchanged in the process of separation so as to obtain stable separation results.

GLTSCR1 coordinates alternative splicing and transcription elongation of ZO1 to regulate colorectal cancer progression

Alternative splicing(AS)and transcription elongation are vital biological processes,and their dysregulation causes multiple diseases,including tumors.However,the coregulatory mechanism of AS and transcription elongation in tumors remains unclear.This study demonstrates a novel AS pattern of tight junction protein 1(ZO1)regulated by the RNA polymerase II elongation rate in colorectal cancer(CRC).Glioma tumor suppressor candidate region gene 1(GLTSCR1)decreases the transcription elongation rate of ZO1 to provide a time window for binding of the splicing factor HuR to the specific motif in intron 22 of ZO1 and spliceosome recognition of the weak 3 and 5 splice sites in exon 23 to promote exon 23 inclusion.Since exon 23 inclusion in ZO1 suppresses migration and invasion of CRC cells,our findings suggest a novel potential therapeutic target for CRC.

High-entropy layered oxides nanosheets for highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO_(2)and application research

High-entropy oxides receive significant attention owing to their“four effects”.However,they still suffer from harsh construction conditions such as high temperature and high pressure and present a block-like structure.Herein,in this work,Ni-Mn-Cu-Co-Fe-Al high-entropy layered oxides(HELOs)with a layered nanosheet structure were constructed by a simple pathway of topological transformation under relatively low temperature(300℃)with six-membered Ni-Mn-Cu-Co-Fe-Al layered double hydroxides(LDHs)precursors,which exhibited an outstanding activity and excellent selectivity for CO_(2)photoelectroreduction(obtaining the highest carbon monoxide yield of 909.55μmol·g^(−1)·h^(−1)under−0.8 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE),which is almost twice that of pure electrocatalysis).In addition,the charging voltage of a photo-assisted Zn-CO_(2)battery with HELOs as electrode was reduced from 2.62 to 2.40 V;the discharging voltage of the battery was increased from 0.51 to 0.59 V with the assistance of illumination.The improvement of round-trip efficiency of the battery indicates that light played a positive role in both the charging and discharging processes.This study not only lays an important foundation for the development of high-entropy oxides but also expands their application in the field of photoelectrochemistry.

Photoexcited singlet enhanced oxygen reduction reaction with high selectivity on the photosensitizer/layered double hydroxides nanocomposite

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)plays a pivotal role in advanced electrochemical energy conversion devices.However,the ORR conversion efficiency is extremely limited.The major obstacles originate from the adsorption and activation of O_(2)on the electrode surface.A novel nanocomposite catalyst,photosensitizers(PS)meso-tetraphenylporphyrin iron(III)chloride(FePcCl)/NiCoFe-layered double hydroxides(NiCoFe-LDHs)is designed in this study.Herein,owing to excellent oxygen molecules activation ability and remarkable illumination absorption feature,FePcCl/NiCoFe-LDHs is employed to uncover the relationship between the intrinsic ORR activity and PS behaviour.Interestingly,the reaction mechanism of singlet 1O_(2)is proposed owing to the combination of electrochemical ORR catalysed via LDHs and PS.The boosted cathodic ORR properties exhibit singlet 1O_(2)dependent response arising from the synergistic effect to selectively produce active intermediates in alkaline medium.This work imparts the promising new mechanism about the high 4-electron ORR selectivity via material design,which will guide the development of photo-assisted energy conversion devices.

Sensitive detection of thyroid stimulating hormone by inkjet printed microchip with a double signal amplification strategy

An electrochemical immunosensor for sensitive detection of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH) has been developed by using an inkjet printed microchip and based on a double signal amplification strategy using magnetic beads(MBs), alkaline phosphatase(ALP) and p-aminophenyl phosphate(pAPP) reaction.Differential pulse voltammetry(DPV), cyclic voltammogram(CV) and amperometric i-t curve(i-t) were employed to characterize the immunosensor. High sensitivity and good selectivity were observed. The detection linear range was from 0.01 μIU/mL to 10 μIU/mL, in which the peak currents increased along with the concentration. The detection limit was 0.005 μIU/mL at S/N = 3. The immunosensor was also applied for TSH detection in human serum with recoveries from 98.0% to 101.8% and relative standard deviations from 1.3% to 3.1%, demonstrating potential value in clinical diagnosis.

In-situ monitoring of cell-secreted lactate by electrochemiluminescence sensing under biomimetic microfluidic confinement

Cell migration proceeds in 3D matrices in vivo,which can naturally switch to distinct phenotypes for bet-ter invasion in confined microenvironments.The studies of important metabolites under confinement are extremely meaningful for comprehensive insights into cancer metastasis.The integration of cell confine-ment device and analytical techniques is a key point for in-situ analysis of significant metabolites in vitro.Herein,an electrochemiluminescence(ECL)sensing platform was designed for in-situ monitoring of cell-secreted lactate in highly confined microenvironments.The 3-μm confiner was exactly fabricated via mi-crofabrication and microfluidics technique,and cells in high confinement and low adhesion tended to be round with contractile blebs on cell margins.Significantly,in-situ monitoring of lactate was successfully achieved on the ECL platform with the catalysis of lactate oxidase,in which the levels in different time intervals were acquired in the luminol-hydrogen peroxide system.Furthermore,the results were verified by the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)technology,which showed similar fluctuations with the ECL platform.This system offered an available avenue for metabolites analysis in highly confined microenvironments,which may advance deeper insights into metabolic mechanisms of cancer metastasis.

Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Potential Approach for Digital Pain Management in Patients with Psychotic Disorder

Dear Editor,Pain is a common and complex clinical problem which affects 28%-50%of the general population and is responsible for large health-related costs.People with chronic pain often develop nociceptive sensitization,having mood and anxiety disorders as comorbidities.Sustained pain may alter the processing of affective information in the brain,thereby inducing anxio-depressive disorders.