A new rhombohedral phase and its 48 variants inβtitanium alloy

A new rhombohedral phase(termed R′)in a solution-aging-treated titanium alloy(Ti-4.5Al-6.5Mo-2Cr-2Nb-1V-1Sn-1Zr,wt.%)was identified.Its accurate Bravais lattice parameters were determined by a novel unit cell reconstruction method based on conventional selected-area electron diffraction(SAED)technique.The orientation relationship between R'phase and BCC phase was revealed.The results show that the R′phase is found to have 48crystallographically equivalent variants,resulting in rather complicated SAED patterns with high-order reflections.A series of in-situ SAED patterns were taken along both low-and high-index zone axes,and all weak and strong reflections arising from the 48 variants were properly explained and directly assigned with self-consistent Miller indices,confirming the presence of the rhombohedral phase.Additionally,some criteria were also proposed for evaluating the indexed results,which together with the Bravais lattice reconstruction method shed light on the microstructure characterization of even unknown phases in other alloys.

Reconstructing in vivo spatially offset Raman spectroscopy of human skin tissue using a GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo platform

As one type of spatially offset Raman spectroscopy(SORS), inverse SORS is particularly suited to in vivo biomedical measurements due to its ring-shaped illumination scheme. To explain inhomogeneous Raman scattering during in vivo inverse SORS measurements, the light–tissue interactions when excitation and regenerated Raman photons propagate in skin tissue were studied using Monte Carlo simulation. An eight-layered skin model was first built based on the latest transmission parameters. Then, an open-source platform, Monte Carlo e Xtreme(MCX), was adapted to study the distribution of 785 nm excitation photons inside the model with an inverse spatially shifted annular beam. The excitation photons were converted to emission photons by an inverse distribution method based on excitation flux with spatial offsets Δs of 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm and 5 mm. The intrinsic Raman spectra from separated skin layers were measured by continuous linear scanning to improve the simulation accuracy. The obtained results explain why the spectral detection depth gradually increases with increasing spatial offset, and address how the intrinsic Raman spectrum from deep skin layers is distorted by the reabsorption and scattering of the superficial tissue constituents. Meanwhile, it is demonstrated that the spectral contribution from subcutaneous fat will be improved when the offset increases to 5 mm, and the highest detection efficiency for dermal layer spectral detection could be achieved when Δs = 2 mm. Reasonably good matching between the calculated spectrum and the measured in vivo inverse SORS was achieved, thus demonstrating great utility of our modeling method and an approach to help understand the clinical measurements.

Involvement of PPARs in the regulation of brain CYP2D by growth hormone

OBJECTIVE CYP2D is one of the most abundant subfamily of CYPs in the brain,especially in the cerebellum.Brain CYP2D is responsible for the metabolism of endogenous neurotransmitters such as tyramine and serotonin.Our previous studies have shown brain CYP2D can be regulated by exogenous and endogenous substances with tissue-specificity.The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cerebral CYP2D on the mice behavior and the regulatory mechanism of brain CYP2D by growth hormone.METHODS Mice received the stereotaxic injection with CYP2D inhibitor quinine in deep cerebellar nuclei of cerebellum.The animals were tested with rotarod apparatus,balance beam,water maze,elevated plus maze and open field.The changes in CYP2D22,PPARαand PPARγ in brain regions and liver were assayed in male growth hormone receptor knockout mice,SH-SY5 Y cells and HepG2 cells.RESULTS The inhibition of cerebellum CYP2D significantly affected the spatial learning and exploring ability of mice.Compared with WT mice,CYP2D expression was lower in brain regions from GHR(-/-)male mice;however,hepatic CYP2D level was similar.Pulsatile GH decreased PPARα m RNA level,and increased m RNA levels of CYP2D6 and PPARα in SH-SY5 Y cells.In HepG2 cells,pulsatile GH resulted in decreases in PPARα and PPARγ m RNA levels,but not CYP2D6.PPARα inhibitor induced CYP2D6 m RNA and protein by 1.32-fold and 1.43-fold in SH-SY5 Y cells.PPARγ inhibitor decreased CYP2D6 m RNA and protein by 74.76% and 40.93%.PPARα agonist decreased the level of CYP2D22 m RNA in liver and cerebellum,while PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone resulted in diametrically increases.The luciferase assay showed that PPARγ actived the CYP2D6 gene promoter while PPARα inhibited its function.Pulsatile GH declined the binding of PPARα with CYP2D6 promoter by 40%,promoted the binding of PPARγ with CYP2D6 promoter by approximate60%.The levels of brain and liver PPARα expression in male GHR(-/-)mice is obviously higher than those in WT mice.The level of PPARγ in male GHR(-/-)mice was decreased in the frontal cortex and hippocampus,while remained stable in the cerebellum and striatum;meanwhile,PPARγ was increased in the liver.CONCLUSION Brain CYP2D may be involved in learning and memory functions of central system.Masculine GH secretion altered the PPARs expression and the binding of PPARs to CYP2D promoter,leading to the elevated brain CYP2D in a tissue-specific manner.Growth hormone may specifically alter the metabolic and synthetic of important endogenous substances in the central nervous system(such as serotonin) through the specific regulation of brain CYP2D expression.

The Role of Chemokine Receptor CXCR7 in Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether CXCL12 and its receptor, CXCR7, play a role in lung cancer invasion and metastasis. METHODS Western blot and immunocytochemistry were used to detect CXCR7 protein expression in 8 lung cancer cell lines, EKVX, HOP62, HOP92, NCI-H23, NCI-H226, NCI- H322M, NCI-H446, and A549, and cell migration experiment was conducted to observe mobility of the lung cancer cells. The concentration of intracellular calcium in cytoplasm was measured under the fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS CXCR7 protein was positively expressed in the 8 lung cancer cell lines EKVX, HOP62, HOP92, NCI-H23, NCI-H226, NCI- H322M, NCI-H446, and A549. Following CXCL12 stimulation, obvious pseudopodia of lung cancer cells was observed under the microscope. The cell migration experiment showed that after incubation with CXCL12, the number of EKVX cells, which passed through the polycarbonate microporous filter membranes increased to a great extent. This phenomenon can be reversed by CXCR7-siRNA. After CXCL12 incubation, the intracellular Ca2＋ level in the EKVX cells was increased to a great extent. CONCLUSION Chemokine CXCL12 facilitates the migration of lung cancer cells by changing the concentration of intracellular Ca2＋. The CXCL12-CXCR7 axis may play an important role in lung cancer invasion and metastasis. It could be a potential target for lung cancer therapy and an effective way to prevent recurrence and metastasis of lung cancer.

Clinical features of severe pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan: a single center's observational study

Background An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in Wuhan,Hubei,China.People of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.No information on severe pediatric patients with COVID-19 has been reported.We aimed to describe the clinical features of severe pediatric patients with COVID-19.Methods We included eight severe or critically ill patients with COVID-19 who were treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),Wuhan Children's Hospital from January 24 to February 24.We collected information including demographic data,symptoms,imaging data,laboratory findings,treatments and clinical outcomes of the patients with severe COVID-19.Results The onset age of the eight patients ranged from 2 months to 15 years;six were boys.The most common symptoms were polypnea (8/8),followed by fever (6/8) and cough (6/8).Chest imaging showed multiple patch-like shadows in seven patients and ground-glass opacity in six.Laboratory findings revealed normal or increased whole blood counts (7/8),increased C-reactive protein,procalcitonin and lactate dehydrogenase (6/8),and abnormal liver function (4/8).Other findings included decreased CD16 + CD56 (4/8) and Th/Ts*(1/8),increased CD3 (2/8),CD4 (4/8) and CD8 (1/8),IL-6 (2/8),IL-10 (5/8) and IFN-γ (2/8).Treatment modalities were focused on symptomatic and respiratory support.Two critically ill patients underwent invasive mechanical ventilation.Up to February 24,2020,three patients remained under treatment in ICU,the other five recovered and were discharged home.Conclusions In this series of severe pediatric patients in Wuhan,polypnea was the most common symptom,followed by fever and cough.Common imaging changes included multiple patch-like shadows and ground-glass opacity;and a cytokine storm was found in these patients,which appeared more serious in critically ill patients.

Estrogen receptor a gene PvulI polymorphism and coronary artery disease： a meta-analysis of 21 studies

The association between the estrogen receptor a gene （ESR1） Pvull polymorphism （c.454-397T〉C） and coronary artery disease （CAD） is controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship. Data were collected from 21 studies encompassing 9926 CAD patients and 16710 controls. Odds ratios （ORs） with 95% confidence intervals （CIs） were used to assess the relationship between Pvull polymorphism and CAD. The poly- morphism in control populations in all studies followed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We found a significant association between ESR1 Pvull polymorphism and CAD risk in all subjects. When the data were stratified by region, a significant association between ESR1 Pvull polymorphism and CAD risk was observed in Asian populations but not in Western populations. The current study suggests that ESR1 Pvull polymorphism has an important role in CAD susceptibility.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants under 1 year of age in Wuhan City, China

Background The clinical characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 in children are different from those in adults.We aimed to describe the characteristics of infants under 1 year of age (excluding newborns) with COVID-19.Methods We retrospectively retrieved data of 36 infants with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan Children's Hospital from January 26 to March 22,2020.Clinical features,chest imaging findings,laboratory tests results,treatments and clinical outcomes were analyzed.Results The mean age of the infected infants was 6.43 months,with a range of 2-12 months.61.11% of the patients were males and 38.89% females.86.11% of the infants were infected due to family clustering.Cough (77.78%) and fever (47.22%) were the most common clinical manifestations.Chest CT scan revealed 61.11% bilateral pneumonia and 36.11% unilateral pneumonia.47.22% of the infants developed complications.Increased leucocytes,neutrophils,lymphocytes,and thrombocytes were observed in 11.11,8.33,36.11 and 44.44% of infants,respectively.Decreased leucocytes,neutrophils,thrombocyte and hemoglobin were observed in 8.33,19.44,2.78 and 36.11% of infants,respectively.Increased C-reactive protein,procalcitonin,lactate dehydrogenase,alanine aminotransferase,creatine kinase and D-dimer were observed in 19.44,67.74,47.22,19.44,22.22 and 20.69% of infants,respectively.Only one infant had a high level of creatinine.Co-infections with other respiratory pathogens were observed in 62.86% of infants.CD3 (20.69%),CD4 (68.97%),CD19 (31.03%) and Th/Ts (44.83%) were elevated;CD8 (6.9%) and CD16+CD56 (48.28%) was reduced.IL-4 (7.69%),IL-6 (19.23%),IL-10 (50%),TNF-α (11.54%) and IFN-γ (19.23%) were elevated.Up to March 22,97.22% of infants recovered,while a critical ill infant died.When the infant's condition deteriorates rapidly,lymphocytopenia was discovered.Meanwhile,C-reactive protein,D-dimer,alanine aminotransferase,creatine kinase,creatinine,IL-6 and IL-10 increased significantly.Conclusions In the cohort,we discovered that lymphocytosis,elevated CD4 and IL-10,and co-infections were common in infants with COVID-19,which were different from adults with COVID-19.Most infants with COVID-19 have mild clinical symptoms and good prognosis.