Regulation of specific abnormal calcium signals in the hippocampal CA1 and primary cortex M1 alleviates the progression of temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy is a multifactorial neurological dysfunction syndrome that is refractory,resistant to antiepileptic drugs,and has a high recurrence rate.The pathogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy is complex and is not fully understood.Intracellular calcium dynamics have been implicated in temporal lobe epilepsy.However,the effect of fluctuating calcium activity in CA1 pyramidal neurons on temporal lobe epilepsy is unknown,and no longitudinal studies have investigated calcium activity in pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and primary motor cortex M1 of freely moving mice.In this study,we used a multichannel fiber photometry system to continuously record calcium signals in CA1 and M1 during the temporal lobe epilepsy process.We found that calcium signals varied according to the grade of temporal lobe epilepsy episodes.In particular,cortical spreading depression,which has recently been frequently used to represent the continuously and substantially increased calcium signals,was found to correspond to complex and severe behavioral characteristics of temporal lobe epilepsy ranging from gradeⅡto gradeⅤ.However,vigorous calcium oscillations and highly synchronized calcium signals in CA1 and M1 were strongly related to convulsive motor seizures.Chemogenetic inhibition of pyramidal neurons in CA1 significantly attenuated the amplitudes of the calcium signals corresponding to gradeⅠepisodes.In addition,the latency of cortical spreading depression was prolonged,and the above-mentioned abnormal calcium signals in CA1 and M1 were also significantly reduced.Intriguingly,it was possible to rescue the altered intracellular calcium dynamics.Via simultaneous analysis of calcium signals and epileptic behaviors,we found that the progression of temporal lobe epilepsy was alleviated when specific calcium signals were reduced,and that the end-point behaviors of temporal lobe epilepsy were improved.Our results indicate that the calcium dynamic between CA1 and M1 may reflect specific epileptic behaviors corresponding to different grades.Furthermore,the selective regulation of abnormal calcium signals in CA1 pyramidal neurons appears to effectively alleviate temporal lobe epilepsy,thereby providing a potential molecular mechanism for a new temporal lobe epilepsy diagnosis and treatment strategy.

Optimized tillage methods increase mechanically transplanted rice yield and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions

Biaxia lrotary tillage in dryland(DBRT)can complete biaxial rotary tillage with straw incorporation,secondary suppression,and ditching,and it has been previously studied in direct-seeded rice and wheat.However,the effects of DBRT on the mechanically transplanted rice yield and greenhouse gas emissions remain unclear.To evaluate the effects of DBRT on improving the food security of mechanically transplanted rice and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions,we conducted an experiment for two years with wheat straw incorporation.Three tillage methods were set up:DBRT,uniaxial rotary tillage in dryland and paddy(DPURT),and uniaxial rotary tillage in paddy(PURT).The results showed that compared with DPURT and PURT,DBRT increased the yield of machine-transplanted rice by 7.5-11.0%and 13.3-26.7%,respectively,while the seasonal cumulative CH_(4) emissions were reduced by 13.9-21.2%and 30.2-37.0%,respectively,and the seasonal cumulative N_(2)O emissions were increased by 13.5-28.6%and 50.0-73.1%,respectively.Consequently,DBRT reduced the global warming potential by 10.7-15.5%and 23.7-28.6%,respectively,andtheyield-scaledglobalwarmingpotentialby18.2-21.8%and36.4-39.3%,respectively,compared to DPURT and PURT.These results were mainly related to the fact that DBRT significantly reduced soil bulk density and increased soil redox potential(Eh).Therefore,implementing DBRT in machine-transplanted rice fields is feasible,which cannot only increase the rice yield,but also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

High-performance thermal interface materials enabled by vertical alignment of lightweight and soft graphene foams

High-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) are highly sought after for modern electronics. Two-dimensional (2D) materials as vertical aligned fillers can optimize the out-plane thermal conductivity (k ⊥), but their excessively high content or intrinsic rigidness deteriorate TIMs softness, leading to worsening for thermal contact resistance (R contact). In this study, 2D graphene materials are fabricated into lightweight and soft graphene foams (GFs) with high-orientation, acting as vertical filler frameworks to optimize the k ⊥ and R contact for vertical GF (VGF) TIMs. The VGF-TIM has a high k ⊥ of 47.9 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) at a low graphene content of 15.5 wt.%. Due to the softness and low filler contents of GFs, the VGF-TIM exhibits a low compressive module (4.2 MPa), demonstrating excellent compressibility. The resulting TIM exhibit a low contact resistance of 24.4 K·mm2·W^(−1), demonstrating 185.1% higher cooling efficiency in practical heat dissipating scenario compared to commercial advanced TIMs. This work provides guidelines for the design of advanced TIMs and their applications in thermal management.

Diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets with point-projection hard x-ray radiography

We present an application of short-pulse laser-generated hard x rays for the diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets. Coneinserted double shell targets were imploded through an indirect drive approach on the upgraded SG-II laser facility. Then, based on thepoint-projection hard x-ray radiography technique, time-resolved radiography of the double shell targets, including that of their near-peakcompression, were obtained. The backlighter source was created by the interactions of a high-intensity short pulsed laser with a metalmicrowire target. Images of the target near peak compression were obtained with an Au microwire. In addition, radiation hydrodynamicsimulations were performed, and the target evolution obtained agrees well with the experimental results. Using the radiographic images, arealdensities of the targets were evaluated.

Breeding and Cultivation Techniques of a New Spring Wheat Variety Kechun 140103

Kechun 140103 is a new spring wheat variety with high and stable yield bred by Keshan Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences.This paper summarizes the breeding process,characteristics,yield performance and cultivation techniques of Kechun 140103,in order to promote the popularization and application of the variety.

Overexpression of connective tissue growth factor WISP-1 in Chinese primary rectal cancer patients

AIM： To clarify the expression change of Wnt-induced secreted protein-1 （WISP-l） in human rectal cancer and to determine whether it is correlated with invasion and metastasis of human rectal cancer.METHODS： Eighty-six paired samples of rectal cancer and surgically resected distant normal rectal tissue were collected and allocated into cancer group and control group respectively. WISP-1 mRNA was detected by relative quantitative real-time RT-PCR and WISP-1 protein was examined by immunohistochemical staining.RESULTS： WISP-1 gene overexpression was found in 65% （56/86） primary rectal cancers, 2-30 times that of the level in normal matched rectal tissues （P = 0.001）. The mRNA expression level was correlated with Duke＇s staging, histological differentiation grade and lymph node status. The WISP-1 protein expression was in accordance with mRNA expression level. The positive degree of immunohistochemical staining in the cancer group （1.40±0.35） was different from that in control group （1.04± 0.08, P 〈 0.001）. Moreover, in cancer group the positive staining degree in high-level mRNA cancers （1.46 ±0.37, n = 56） was higher than that in low-level mRNA （1.28 ± 0.28, n = 30, P = 0.018）.CONCLUSION： Aberrant levels of WISP-1 expression may play a role in rectal tumorigenesis. WISP-1 may be used as a specific clinical diagnosis and prognosis marker in rectal cancer.

Effects of material of metallic frame on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures

The effects of metallic material on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures against vertical long-rod tungsten projectiles were studied by artillery-launched experiments and numerical simulation.Hybrid structures with rectangular cores in transverse orthogonal arrangement and slidefitting ceramic inserts of zirconia toughened alumina prisms were fabricated with titanium alloy TC4(Ti6 Al4 V),AISI 4340 steel and 7075 aluminum alloy panels,respectively.The results showed that the hybrid structure of Ti6A14V exhibited the highest penetration resistance,followed by that of 7075 aluminum alloy with the same area density.The penetration resistance of the hybrid structure of AISI4340 steel was the lowest.The underlying mechanisms showed that the metallic material of a ceramicmetal hybrid structure can directly affect its energy absorption from the impact projectile,which further affects its penetration resistance.Different metallic frames exhibited different failure characteristics,resulting in different constraint conditions or support conditions for ceramic prisms.The high penetration resistance of the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure was due to its stronger back support to ceramic prisms as compared with that of AISI 4340 steel hybrid structure,and better constraint condition for ceramic prisms by metallic webs as compared with that of 7075 aluminum alloy hybrid structure.The results of mass efficiency and thickness efficiency showed that the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure has advantages in reducing both the thickness and the mass of protective structure.In addition,because the ceramic-metal hybrid structures in the present work were heterogeneous,impact position has slight influence on their penetration resistances.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of 232 patients with poorly differentiated gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms

BACKGROUND Poorly differentiated gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms(PDGNENs)include gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma(NEC)and mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma,which are highly malignant and rare tumors,and their incidence has increased over the past few decades.However,the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients with PDGNENs have not been completely elucidated.AIM To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with PDGNENs.METHODS The data from seven centers in China from March 2007 to November 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS Among the 232 patients with PDGNENs,191(82.3%)were male,with an average age of 62.83±9.11 years.One hundred and thirteen(49.34%)of 229 patients had a stage III disease and 86(37.55%)had stage IV disease.Three(1.58%)of 190 patients had no clinical symptoms,while 187(98.42%)patients presented clinical symptoms.The tumors were mainly(89.17%)solitary and located in the upper third of the stomach(cardia and fundus of stomach:115/215,53.49%).Most lesions were ulcers(157/232,67.67%),with an average diameter of 4.66±2.77 cm.In terms of tumor invasion,the majority of tumors invaded the serosa(116/198,58.58%).The median survival time of the 232 patients was 13.50 mo(7,31 mo),and the overall 1-year,3-year,and 5-year survival rates were 49%,19%,and 5%,respectively.According to univariate analysis,tumor number,tumor diameter,gastric invasion status,American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC)stage,and distant metastasis status were prognostic factors for patients with PDGNENs.Multivariate analysis showed that tumor number,tumor diameter,AJCC stage,and distant metastasis status were independent prognostic factors for patients with PDGNENs.CONCLUSION The overall prognosis of patients with PDGNENs is poor.The outcomes of patients with a tumor diameter>5 cm,multiple tumors,and stage IV tumors are worse than those of other patients.

Combating acoustic heterogeneity in photoacoustic computed tomography:A review

Based on the energy conversion of light into sound,photoacoustic computed tomography(PACT)is an emerging biomedical imaging modality and has unique applications in a range of biomedical fields.In PACT,image formation relies on a process called acoustic inversion from received photoacoustic signals.While most PACT systems perform this inversion with a basic assumption that biological tissues are acoustically homogeneous,the community gradually rea-lizes that the intrinsic acoustic heterogeneity of tissues could pose distortions and artifacts to finally formed images.This paper surveys the most recent research progress on acoustic het-erogeneity correction in PACT.Four major strategies are reviewed in detail,including half-time or partial-time reconstruction,autofocus reconstruction by optimizing sound speed maps,joint reconstruction of optical absorption and sound speed maps,and ultrasound computed tomog-raphy(USCT)enhanced reconstruction.The correction of acoustic heterogeneity helps improve the imaging performance of PACT.

Advances in medical treatment for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms(PanNENs)are rare neoplasms with strong heterogeneity that have experienced an increasing incidence rate in recent years.For patients with locally advanced or distant metastatic PanNENs,systemic treatment options vary due to the different differentiations,grades and stages.The available options for systemic therapy include somatostatin analogs,molecularly targeted agents,cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents,immune checkpoint inhibitors,and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.In addition,the development of novel molecularly targeted agents is currently in progress.The sequence of selection between different chemotherapy regimens has been of great interest,and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is the major limitation in their clinical application.Novel agents and high-level clinical evidence continue to emerge in the field of antiangiogenic agents.Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is increasingly employed for the treatment of advanced neuroendocrine tumors,and greater therapeutic efficacy may be achieved by emerging radiolabeled peptides.Since immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapies for PanNENs appear to have limited antitumor activity,dual immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies or combinations of antiangiogenic therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been applied in the clinic to improve clinical efficacy.Combining the use of a variety of agents with different mechanisms of action provides new possibilities for clinical treatments.In the future,the study of systemic therapies will continue to focus on the screening of the optimal benefit population and the selection of the best treatment sequence strategy with the aim of truly achieving individualized precise treatment of PanNENs.

Analysis of electromagnetic pulses generation from laser coupling with polymer targets: Effect of metal content in target

Powerful lasers interacting with solid targets can generate intense electromagnetic pulses(EMPs).In this study,EMPs produced by a pulsed laser(1 ps,100 J)shooting at CH targets doped with different titanium(Ti)contents at the XG-III laser facility are measured and analyzed.The results demonstrate that the intensity of EMPs first increases with Ti doping content from 1%to 7%and then decreases.The electron spectra show that EMP emission is closely related to the hot electrons ejected from the target surface,which is confirmed by an analysis based on the target–holder–ground equivalent antenna model.The conclusions of this study provide a new approach to achieve tunable EMP radiation by adjusting the metal content of solid targets,and will also help in understanding the mechanism ofEMPgeneration and ejection of hot electrons during laser coupling with targets.

Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Photoacoustic(PA)imaging has been widely used in biomedical research and preclinical studies during the past two decades.It has also been explored for nondestructive testing and evaluation(NDT/E)and for industrial applications.This paper describes the basic principles of PA technology for NDT/E and its applications in recent years.PA technology for NDT/E includes the use of a modulated continuous-wave laser and a pulsed laser for PA wave excitation,PA-generated ultrasonic waves,and all-optical PA wave excitation and detection.PA technology for NDT/E has demonstrated broad applications,including the imaging of railway cracks and defects,the imaging of Li metal batteries,the measurements of the porosity and Young’s modulus,the detection of defects and damage in silicon wafers,and a visualization of underdrawings in paintings.

Spatial and temporal evolution of electromagnetic pulses generated at Shenguang-Ⅱseries laser facilities

The distribution and sources of EMPs produced at Shenguang-Ⅱ(SG-Ⅱ)series laser facilities are systematically investigated.The results indicate that the EMP amplitudes in the SG-Ⅱps PW laser are very strong,one order higher than those from the SG-Ⅱlaser facility.EMPs outside the target chamber decrease exponentially with the distance from the measuring points to the target chamber center at the two laser facilities.Moreover,EMPs can be remarkably reduced when the picosecond laser together with the nanosecond laser is incident to targets compared to the SG-Ⅱps PW laser alone.The resulting conclusions are expected to offer experimental supports for further effective EMPs shielding design and achievement in high-power laser facilities.

Correction to: Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Following publication of the original article[1],the authors identified an error in the article title.The first word ‘Review’ is added mistakenly by the typesetter.

Upgrading Paper-grade Softwood Kraft Pulp to Dissolving Pulp by Cold Caustic Extraction

Cold caustic extraction has potential applications in the production of dissolving-grade pulps due to its ability to selectively remove hemicellulose from lignocellulosic materials. In this study,we demonstrate the conversion of paper-grade kraft pulp into dissolving pulp by a single-stage cold caustic extraction. Under the extraction conditions of 12 wt% NaOH lye,11% pulp consistency,a temperature of 35℃,and 2 h,a paper-grade softwood kraft pulp was purified to high-grade dissolving pulp with 97. 1% α-cellulose content,1. 2% pentosane content,and narrowed molecular weight distribution. The resulting extraction filtrate was concentrated by nano-filtration to obtain the hemicellulose content of 59. 0 g / L,while the permeate was a clear Na OH solution with 10. 9 wt% concentration. A process configuration was also proposed,integrating this cold caustic extraction process with existing pulp and paper production and multi-purpose utilization of the extraction filtrate.

Novel mutations and sequence variants in exons 3-9 of human T Cell Factor-4 gene in sporadic rectal cancer patients stratified by microsatellite instability

AIM： To establish the role of human T Cell Factor-4 （hTCF-4） gene exons 3-9 mutation status in association with sporadic rectal cancer with microsatellite instability （MSI）. METHODS： Microsatellite markers were genotyped in 93 sporadic rectal cancer patients. Eleven cases were found to be high-frequency MSI （MSI-H）. Sequence analysis of the coding region of the exons 3-9 of hTCF-4 gene was carried out for the 11 MSI-H cases and 10 controls （5 microsatellite stability （MSS） cases and 5 cases with normal mucosa）. The sequencing and MSI identification were used. RESULTS： Several novel mutations and variants were revealed. In exon 4, one is a 4-position continuous alteration which caused amino acid change from Q131T and S132I （391insA, 392 G 〉 A, 393 A 〉 G and 395delC） and another nucleotide deletion （395delC） is present in MSI-H cases （5/10 and 4/10, respectively） but completely absent in the controls.CONCLUSION： Novel mutations in exon 4 of hTCF-4 gene were revealed in this study, which might be of importance in the pathogenesis of sporadic rectal cancer patients with MSI-H.

Suprasellar cistern tuberculoma presenting as unilateral ocular motility disorder and ptosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Intracranial tuberculoma is a rare and serious type of tuberculosis,which mostly occurs in the frontoparietal and cerebellar hemispheres,with predominance in the gray-white matter junction area,while tuberculomas only in the cistern are extremely rare with only a few reported cases in the literature.We describe a unique case of isolated tuberculoma in the suprasellar cistern,with only right ocular motility disorder and upper eyelid ptosis.CASE SUMMARY A 5-year-old boy without any medical history presented with right ocular motility disorder and upper eyelid ptosis one month ago.He had no history of fever,headache,vomiting,convulsions,or limb weakness.Neurological examination showed right third cranial nerve palsy with restrictions of eye movements and ptosis,pupil dilation and negative light reflex.Imaging suggested a spaceoccupying lesion in the suprasellar cistern with calcification and ring-enhancement.Moreover,no Mycobacterium tuberculosis was found in cerebrospinal fluid by polymerase chain reaction(PCR).The lesion was initially diagnosed as a tumor,while postoperative pathology combined with PCR indicated tuberculoma.The patient continued postoperative anti-tuberculosis treatment.At present,the patient's condition is stable and the symptoms are partially relieved compared with those before surgery.CONCLUSION This case confirmed that isolated intracranial tuberculoma can occur in the suprasellar cistern.Therefore,for space-occupying lesions in the suprasellar cistern,tuberculoma should be included in the differential diagnosis even if there is no history or indication of tuberculosis infection.

Influence of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate on the expression of connexin43 and gap junction intercellular communication of the bladder cancer cell lines BIU-87 in vitro

Objective： The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of （-）-epigallocatechin-3-gallate （EGCG, the major phytochemistry component in green tea） on the expression of connexin43 （Cx43） gene and detect the intercellular communication of the human bladder cancer cell lines BIU-87, and explore its possible mechanisms of prevention and cure for the bladder tumor. Methods： The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium and Annexin-V/PI double-labeled flow cytometry methods were used to observe the growth inhibitory rate （IR） and apoptosis rate （AR） of BlU-87 cells treated by EGCG at different concentrations （0, 5, 10 and 20 mg/L）, respectively. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and Western Blotting analysis were employed to detect the relative expression levels of the Cx43 mRNA and its protein. The scrape-loading fluorescence dye transfer method was used to assess the gap junction intercellular communication （GJIC） under fluorescence microscope. Results： EGCG at concentrations （10 and 20 mg/L） both could significantly inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of BIU-87 cells. The IR and AR were （15.67 ± 1.15）%, （18.33 ± 1.53）% and （42.00 ± 4.34）%, （27.33 ± 3.21）%, respectively. And compared with the control groups of 0 mg/L and 5 mg/L （P 〈 0.05）, EGCG could significantly up-regulate the expression of Cx43 mRNA and its protein and enhance the function of BIU-87 cells. The effects had the significant correlation with the dose-dependent of EGCG. Conclusion： EGCG （10, 20 mg/L） could effectively up-regulate Cx43 expression and enhance the GJIC of BlU-87 cells. The results may indicate the effects of EGCG inducing bladder tumor cells apoptosis and inhibiting its growth which provides the experimental evidence for further demonstrating the mechanism of chemical prevention and cure for the bladder tumor by EGCG.

Deactivation Analysis of SCR Denitrification Catalyst in a Glass Furnace

The causes of deactivation of SCR denitrification catalyst used in a glass furnace were studied by means of low temperature nitrogen adsorption and desorption characterization,X-ray fluorescence spectrometry analysis,and thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry-infrared characterization.The results show that the main causes of sample A inactivation were serious alkali/alkaline earth metal poisoning and As poisoning;sample B was weakly affected by alkali/alkaline earth metal poisoning,mainly by As poisoning and P poisoning.Severe micropore and mesoporous blockage occurred in the inactivated samples A and B,mainly due to tar adsorption and the deposition of large amounts of ammonium bisulfate and metal sulfate in the carrier.The tar and ammonium sulfate adsorbed in the catalyst can be effectively removed before being heated to 550℃.

β-C(sp^(3))−H chlorination of amide derivatives via photoinduced copper charge transfer catalysis

An atom economicβ-C(sp^(3))−H chlorination of amide derivatives has been developed.This mild protocol employs CuCl_(2) instead of palladium catalysts with atom-economic HCl as chlorine sources and enables the late-stage functionalization of medicine derivatives.Mechanism studies suggest a plausible visible light triggered ligand-to-metal charge transfer(LMCT)/1,4-hydrogen atom transfer(HAT)cascade.