Endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood may serve as a biological marker to predict severe acute pancreatitis

AIM To investigate the significance of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in predicting severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS We recruited 71 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and excluded 11 of them; finally, cases of mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) (n = 30) and SAP (n = 30), and healthy volunteers (n = 20) were internalized to investigate levels of EPCs, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), fibrinogen (FIB) and white blood cells (WBC) in peripheral blood. RESULTS The levels of TNF-alpha, WBC, FIB and CRP were higher both in SAP and MAP cases than in healthy volunteers (P < 0.05, all). Interestingly, the level of EPCs was higher in SAP than MAP (1.63% +/- 1.47% vs 6.61% +/- 4.28%, P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the MAP cases and healthy volunteers (1.63% +/- 1.47% vs 0.55% +/- 0.54%, P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) showed that EPCs, TNF-alpha, CRP and FIB were significantly associated with SAP, especially EPCs and CRP were optimal predictive markers of SAP. When the cut-off point for EPCs and CRP were 2.26% and 5.94 mg/dL, the sensitivities were 90.0% and 73.3%, and the specificities were 83.3% and 96.7%. Although, CRP had the highest specificity, and EPCs had the highest sensitivity and highest area under the curve value (0.93). CONCLUSION Data suggest that EPCs may be a new biological marker in predicting SAP.

NQO1 dependent non-canonical necroptosis mediated by ROS and RIP1/RIP3 in parallel in glioma cancer cells

OBJECTIVE Glioblastomas(GBM) are the most malignant brain tumors in humans and have a very poor prognosis.New therapeutics are urgently needed.Here,we reported 2-methoxy-6-acetyl-7-methyljuglone(MAM)-induced cell death in U87 and U251 glioma cancer cells.METHODS Cells were cultured and treated with MAM,the cell viability was determined by MTT assay and LDH assay.Intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation was observed by DCF fluorescence.The protein expression was determined by Western blotting.RESULTS MAM induced glioma cancer cell death without caspase activation.The cell death induced by MAM was attenuated by the pharmacological or genetic blockage of necroptosis signaling,including RIP1 inhibitor necrostatin-1 s(Nec-1 s) and siRNA-mediated gene silencing of RIP1 and RIP3,but was unaffected by caspase inhibitor z-vad-fmk or necrosis inhibitor 2-(1 H-Indol-3-yl)-3-pentylamino-maleimide(IM54).MAM treated U87 and U251 glioma cancer cells induced RIP1/RIP3 complex formation,ROS level increased,ATP concentration decreased and loss of plasma membrane integrity,further confirmed this process was necroptosis.The essential role of ROS was confirmed by the protective effect of ROS scavenger NAC.Interestingly,MAM induced necroptosis both triggered by RIP1/RIP3 complex and ROS generation.Moreover,MAM induced necroptosis through cytosolic calcium(Ca2 +) accumulation and sustained c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK) activation.Both calcium chelator BAPTA-AM and JNK inhibitor SP600125 could attenuate cell death.Further,we found there exists a feedback loop between RIP1 and JNK activation.Finally,MAM induced necroptosis was inhibited by dicoumarol(a NQO1 inhibitor).Dicoumarol exposed glioma cancer cells were resistant to RIP1/RIP3 complex formation and ROS generation.MAM induced necroptosis was independent of MLKL.CONCLUSION MAM induced non-canonical necroptosis through the NQO1-dependent ROS and RIP1/RIP3 pathway.This study also provided new insights into the molecular regulation of necroptosis in human glioma cancer cells and a promising approach for GBM treatment.

High-energy picosecond single-pass multi-stage optical parametric generator and amplifier

We demonstrate a new management of multi-stage optical parametric generator(OPG)and amplifier(OPA)to obtain high-energy picosecond sources with high beam quality.The setup of multi-stage OPG-OPA requires mode-matching between the pump beam and the stable mode of the OPG-OPA.In a proof-of-principle experiment,the single-pass multi-stage OPG-OPA consists of three walk-off compensated KTP crystal pairs and two lenses,pumped by an 86 ps,1064 nm 10 kHz picosecond laser.The signal light at~1.77μm has an average output power of 502 mW with record energy up to 50.2μJ.The beam quality factor of the signal light can be improved toM^(2)_(x) ×M^(2)_(y)after filtering out about 40%signal power.To the best of our knowledge,it is the first picosecond single-pass multi-stage OPG-OPA pumped at kHz regime.

Weakly Stable Sets of NTU Game

In this paper, the definition of weak dominance is proposed for a NTU game and two new solution concepts of NTU games are introduced: the refined core and weakly stable set. The relationship is explored among the core, the weakly stable set and the refined core.

Differential Game Model of Resource Extraction with Continuous and Dynamic Updating

This paper is devoted to a new class of differential games with continuous and dynamic updating.The direct application of resource extraction in a case of dynamic and continuous updating is considered.It is proved that the optimal control(cooperative strategies)and feedback Nash equilibrium strategies uniformly converge to the corresponding strategies in the game model with continuous updating as the number of updating instants converges to infinity.Similar results are presented for an optimal trajectory(cooperative trajectory),equilibrium trajectory and corresponding payoffs.

Irrational-Behavior-Proof Conditions for Stochastic Games over Event Trees

In this paper,the irrational-behavior-proof conditions in a class of stochastic dynamic games over event trees are presented.Four kinds of irrational-behavior-proof conditions are proposed by the imputation distribution procedure,and their relationships are discussed.More specific properties for the general transformation of characteristic functions are developed,based on which,the irrational-behavior-proof conditions are proved to be true in a transformed cooperative game.

Preface: The Special Issue on Dynamic and Networking Games

Numerous game theory-based techniques to characterize agent behavior haveemerged in response to the swift advancements in technology,communications,indus-trial organization,economic integration,and international trade.There is a huge varietyof mathematical techniques used in game theory.The application of dynamic and net-working game techniques is the main topic of this special issue.Studying strategicinteractions between many decision-makers with dynamic and varied connections isthe focus of research in the game theory discipline of dynamic and networking games.This field of study examines how agents or people make choices in dynamic circum-stances and how those choices impact their overall outcomes and payoffs.

Identification and characterization of two morphologically distinct stem cell subpopulations from human urine samples

Urine-derived stem cells(USCs)have shown potentials for the treatment of skeletal and urological disorders.Based on published literature and our own data,USCs consist of heterogeneous populations of cells.In this paper,we identify and characterize two morphologically distinct subpopulations of USCs from human urine samples,named as spindle-shaped USCs(SS-USCs)and rice-shaped USCs(RS-USCs)respectively.The two subpopulations showed similar clone-forming efficiency,while SS-USCs featured faster proliferation,higher motility,and greater potential for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation,RS-USCs showed greater potential for chondrogenic differentiation.POU5F1 was strongly expressed in both subpopulations,but MYC was weakly expressed.Both subpopulations showed similar patterns of CD24,CD29,CD34,CD44,CD73,CD90 and CD105 expression,while a higher percentage of RS-USCs were positive for CD133.SS-USCs were positive for VIM,weakly positive for SLC12A1 and UMOD,and negative for KRT18,NPHS1,AQP1 and AQP2,indicating a renal mesenchyme origin;while RSUSCs are positive for VIM,partially positive for KRT18,NPHS1,AQP1,SLC12A1 and UMOD,and negative for AQP2,indicating a nephron tubule origin.The above results can facilitate understanding of the biological characteristics of subpopulations of USCs,and provide a basis for further research and applications of such cells.

High-energy,hundred-picosecond pulsed 266 nm mid-ultraviolet generation by a barium borate crystal

We present a high-energy,hundred-picosecond(ps)pulsed mid-ultraviolet solid-state laser at 266 nm by a direct second harmonic generation(SHG)in a barium borate(BaB_(2)O_(4),BBO)nonlinear crystal.The green pump source is a 710 mJ,330 ps pulsed laser at a wavelength of 532 nm with a repetition rate of 1 Hz.Under a green pump energy of 710 mJ,a maximum output energy of 253.3 mJ at 266 nm is achieved with 250 ps pulse duration resulting in a peak power of more than 1 GW,corresponding to an SHG conversion efficiency of 35.7%from 532 to 266 nm.The experimental data were well consistent with the theoretical prediction.To the best of our knowledge,this laser exhibits both the highest output energy and highest peak power ever achieved in a hundred-ps/ps regime at 266 nm for BBO-SHG.

High-power wavelength-tunable and power-ratio-controllable dual-wavelength operation at 1319 nm and 1338 nm in a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

We report the first demonstration on three types of 1.3 μm spectral region in a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. In order to dissipate the heat deposition effectively to obtain good beam quality, the Nd:YAG rod crystal with 1° cut-angle on end faces is side-pumped by the quasi-continuous-wave pulsed laser diode. A Suprasil etalon is well designed as the intracavity mode-selector to obtain wavelength-tunable single line or power-ratio-controllable dual line operation at1319 nm and 1338 nm. With the pump pulse width of 200 μs and pump power of 410 W, the acousto-optic Q-switched laser delivered a pulse width of 117 ns at 400 Hz repetition rate, and the M2factor was measured to be about 1.87. 1319 nm together with 1338 nm single-wavelength laser achieved an average output power of 47.6 W and 39.9 W with a linewidth of 0.48 nm and 0.32 nm, and a tunable range of 111.2 pm and108.6 pm, respectively. Among dual-wavelength oscillation, both lines can be tuned at almost equal intensity level with 45.7 W total output power, which is input into an LBO crystal to generate red light of 11.4 W for 659 nm,6.7 W for 664 nm, and 7.5 W for 669 nm. The 1.3 μm wavelength-selectable operation realized by using the same laser configuration may enhance the application in the fields of tunable lasers and THz frequency generation.

Mechanism Research of Chonglou as a Pain Killer by Network Pharmacology

Objective:The objective of this study is to screen the therapeutic targets of pain of traditional Chinese medicine Chonglou and explore the relevant mechanism by network pharmacology techniques and methods.Materials and Methods:The chemical components of Chonglou were collected according to chemistry database and related literature.SwissADME was used to collect the potential active ingredients from all the chemical components of Chonglou and SwissTarget Prediction was utilized to predict their targets.The genes related to pain were collected from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man databases.Joint genes were uploaded to the online string database for the analysis and the PPI network was constructed.The"Chonglou-active component-target-pain"network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.1 software,Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were performed for key target proteins.The top three active components with most targets in the network were docked with the target proteins by the molecular docking technique.Results:A total of nine potential active compounds of Chonglou,264 potential target genes,2385 targets of pain disorder,and 128 common targets for drug and disease were screened.One hundred and thirty-one GO items were identified by the GO enrichment analysis,and 23 related signaling pathways were identified by the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.Molecular-docking results show that pennogenin is the optimal butt ligand of PIK3 CA,STAT3,mitogen-activated protein kinase 14,and ADORA1.Conclusion:It is preliminarily revealed that Chonglou might treat pain through multiple targets,multiple biology processes and multiple pain-related signaling pathways,providing reference for the subsequent experimental research.

An Exploration in the Potential Substance Basis and Mechanism of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix on Analgesia Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Objective:The objective was to study the potential substance basis and action mechanism of Chuanxiong Rhizoma(CX)and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix(AD)on analgesia through network pharmacology and molecular docking.Materials and Methods:The active components and targets of CX and AD and pain-related genes were retrieved through Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP)and GeneCards database.Then,the co-action targets were found,protein–protein interaction network was constructed by the String database.The Cytoscape 3.7.1 was used to construct"CX-AD-active components-pain"network.Further enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)was carried out to predict its mechanism of action,the top four active components in the network were docked with the targets.Results:There are 26 compounds,45 targets in the network.Among them,(Z)-ligustilide and beta-sitosterol,respectively,have more potential targets in CX and AD,and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase(PTGS2),PTGS1 have more ligands.GO analysis shows that molecular functions of CX and AD mainly performed through the G protein-coupled amine receptor activity,adrenergic receptor activity,and catecholamine binding.KEGG analysis indicates that they could exert analgesic effect on the pathways of regulating neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,serotonergic synapse,and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway.Molecular docking results show that the active compounds are highly compatible with the structure of the protein receptor,and they interact through the hydrogen bond andπ–πbond between the ligand and the active site residues.Conclusions:Through network pharmacology and molecular docking,this study preliminarily revealed the main active components,targets,and potential regulation network of CX and AD,providing a reference for the subsequent experimental research.