Dynamic changes of beta-amyloid protein deposition in hippocampus of female ovariectomized rats

BACKGROUND： To evaluate and summarize the effects of cerebral perfusion and vascular reserve on the treatment of SICAS. Recently, research on β-amyloid protein has focused on the regulatory effects of estrogen or phytoestrogen on its deposition. However, there have been only a few reports on dynamic changes of β -amyloid protein deposition in hippocampus of ovariectomized rats. OBJECTIVE： To measure β -amyloid protein deposition in the hippocampal formation of ovariectomized rats by using immunohistochemistry; to observe time-dependent dynamic changes. DESIGN： Randomized controlled animal study. SETTING： Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. MATERIALS： The experiment was carried out in the Central Laboratory of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from November 2005 to December 2006. Fifty healthy female Sprague Dawley （SD） rats, weighing （293 ± 10） g, were provided by the Animal Laboratory of Xiangya Medical College, Central South University. All rats had neither a childbearing history nor hepatic or renal disease, or skeletal deformity. β-amyloid protein immunohistochemical kit was provided by Wuhan Boster Company. The experiment was in accordance with animal ethics standards. METHODS： All rats were randomly divided into five groups, including normal control group （n = 10）, sham operation group （n = 10）, and ovariectomized group （n = 30）. After anesthesia in the ovariectomized group, the bilateral ovaries were separated and resected. The same volume of fat was resected in the sham operation group. Rats from the normal control group, however, did not receive any surgical treatments. Rats in the normal control group and sham operation group were sacrificed by anesthesia 7 weeks after surgery. Every ten rats from the ovariectomized group was respectively sacrificed at 7, 15, and 30 weeks after surgery. lmmunohistochemistry was used to detect β-amyloid protein deposition in hippocampal sections. Cell counting and gray value measurements served to record the dynamic changes in β-amyloid protein deposition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： （1） Morphological changes. （2） Positive cell counts from β -amyloid protein stainings and gray value measurements. RESULTS： All 50 rats were involved in the final analysis. （1） Morphological changes. β -amyloid-positive cells were detected in the hippocampus of all rats. Biebrich scarlet stained neurites with a swollen cytoplasm. A few β -amyloid-positive cells were observed in all groups 7 weeks after surgery, and plasma and neurites were slightly stained. By 15 weeks after surgery, a number of β -amyloid-positive cells were observed in the ovariectomized group, and plasma and neurites were also slightly stained. By 30 weeks after surgery, however, many β-amyloid-positive cells were observed in the ovariectomized group. These cells were partially aggregated and darkly stained. （2） Positive cell counts and gray value of β-amyloid protein in hippocampus. At 7 weeks after surgery, cell counts and gray value measurements were not significantly different in the ovariectomized group compared to the sham operation group and normal control group （P 〉 0.05）. Cell counts and gray value measurements were higher in the ovariectomized group by 15 weeks compared to those by 7 weeks in the normal control group, sham operation group and ovariectomized group （P 〈 0.05）. At 30 weeks after surgery, cell counts and gray value measurements were higher in the ovariectomized group compared to the normal control group. In addition, there were significant differences between sham operation group and ovariectomized group, at 7 and 15 weeks after operation （P 〈 0.05-0.01 ）. Cell counts and gray value measurements increased in all groups over time. CONCLUSION： Extended estrogen deficiency in rats can increase β-amyloid protein deposition in the hippocampus and the deposition increases over time.

Functional outcomes after home-based rehabilitation for heroin-induced spongiform leukoencephalopathy

A 22-year-old man with a 2-year history of heroin vapor inhalation developed spongiform leukoencephalopathy and underwent clinical and home-based rehabilitative treatments. Activities of daily living were measured using the Functional Independence Measure at discharge and at 6, 12, and 24 months after discharge. His neurological symptoms gradually disappeared with rehabilitative treatment, and the functional scale scores increased from 55 on admission to 105 at 24 months after discharge. These results suggest that home-based rehabilitation was effective in ameliorating the pathology and improving activities of daily living in this patient with heroin-induced spongiform leukoencephalopathy.

Exploring Generic Features in China-Africa Corporate Advertising:A Critical Genre Analysis

China-Africa corporate advertising is emerging as an example of the corporate advertising genre in response to the specific rhetorical context of China-Africa win-win cooperation.Drawing on Bhatia’s Critical Genre Analysis(2017),this study explores the text-internal and text-external generic features of China-Africa corporate advertising by analyzing 50 collected samples.The analysis of text-internal prominence shows that China-Africa corporate advertising is unique in its frequent use of win-win-oriented and sector-dependent technical lexicons to indicate the promotional intent.It is also found that move structures vary across different sub-types of ChinaAfrica corporate advertising.Text-externally,the findings reveal a mixture of different discourses within the discursive space of China-Africa corporate advertising.In addition,the results suggest that Chinese companies invest more rhetorical efforts in enhancing the China-Africa community than African counterparts who tend to perceive China-Africa cooperation as the main avenue to attract worldwide partnerships.The findings have some practical implications for discourse construction in the Belt and Road Initiative context and shed light on the evolving nature of advertising discourse,particularly in the China-Africa win-win business context.

具有电子调制平面异质结的金属有机骨架纳米片用于高电流密度全解水

设计基于界面工程的氧/氢析出反应(OER/HER)双功能电催化剂对在高电流密度下同时实现低过电位和稳定的水分解操作至关重要.本文中,我们报告了一种硼化策略以巧妙地定制固定在泡沫铁(IF)上的金属有机框架(MOF).硼原子诱导了Fe-MOF纳米片的结构重构,包括粗糙表面、氧空位以及结晶Fe-MOF和非晶Fe–B之间的面内异质结.面内异质结调节铁位点的d带中心以降低OER/HER能垒.优化的Fe–B/FeMOF/IF在10 m A cm^(-2)下驱动OER和全解水,分别仅需1.44和1.53 V.水分解系统在500 m A cm^(-2)下工作100小时以后的结构变化和性能衰减可忽略不计.该工作为异质结构界面的工程提供了启示,并促进了先进电催化剂的合理设计.

Personal and Social Voices in Written Discourse Revisited

For years, personal and social voices have been the issue of discussion on voice construction in written discourse(e.g., Elbow, 1999;Flowerdew, 2011;Hyland, 2002, 2010 a, 2012 b;Mauranen, 2013;Ramanathan & Atkinson, 1999;Tardy, 2005). However, there is a lack of an integrated examination of the dimensions which determine voice construction in writing from personal and social perspectives. This article re-examines the issue of voice construction through a critical review of previous literature on identity in written discourse. It is argued that there are five major dimensions for the construction of voice in written discourse. How writers appropriate their voice according to such five dimensions as genre, transition, culture, discipline and audience will be discussed. This paper lends further support to the view that voice in written discourse is both personal and social. As it is known, good writing expresses both personal and social voices. However, based on the dominant dimension(s), voice construction should be adjusted. Sometimes personal voice is boldly expressed;sometimes social voice is;and some other times the boundary between the two is unnoticeable. The study provides an integrated framework as well as pedagogical implications for the teaching of academic writing within L1 and L2 contexts.

Writer Identity Construction Revisited: Stance, Voice, Self, and Identity in Academic Written Discourse

Recent research on academic discourse has revealed the intersection of writing and writer identity construction. However, some terms that are being used in writer identity study are sometimes not only interchangeably used without making an explicit connection between them but also used in a way that may cause misunderstanding. The paper is intended to tease out four key terms, namely, stance, voice, self, and identity so that the respective role that each plays in academic written discourse can be differentiated on the one hand, and their interrelationship can be clarified on the other. It is hoped that such a panoramic picture can offer some pedagogical implications for academic writing teaching and research and provide some insights into the research on writer identity construction in academic written discourse as well.

Generic Variation & Private Intention: A MultiDimensional Exploration of Book Reviews and Prefaces

Based on Bhatia＇s multi-dimensional analytical framework for discourse analysis, we explore key issues involved in genres construction such as private intention, manipulation of generic value and interdiscursive strategies. Two prefaces and two book reviews by expert linguists were collected and analyzed at great length from both text-internal and text-external perspectives. Meanwhile, four professionals from relevant disciplines were interviewed for their insights into the issues investigated. Through examining textual features, covert interdiscursivity and narrative accounts of the professional writers, the following findings are generated. 1） Generic variation occurs within and between the two genres due to expert writers＇ intentional manipulation of generic value. 2） Interdiscursive strategies like ＂genre embedding＂, ＂genre bending＂ and ＂genre mixing＂ are exploited by expert writers to achieve their particular private intention. Specifically, preface genre can be presented, to some extent, as a research article mixed with some promotional flavor, and features of research article genre, promotional genre and introductory genre are found mixed in the review genre. 3） Representations of the preface and book review genres such as linguistic feature, move structure and interdiscursivity are ultimately affected by generic value, authors＇ private intention, professional practice and disciplinary culture. The findings have important implications for ESP/EAP writing practitioners and learners.

Chinese MA Student Writers’ Identity Construction in Citation Practices

Based on Burgess and Ivani?’s(2010) framework of the discoursal construction of writer identity, this paper explores the interaction between citation practices and identity construction in Chinese EFL learners’ MA thesis writing. A mixed approach of textual analysis and interviews was adopted to examine the citation features of MA theses and the identities Chinese EFL learners constructed through citation selection. It was found that students’ selection of citations reflects their linguistic identity, academic and disciplinary identity, as well as novice identity. Their citation practices project different discursive selves to readers. By adjusting the number and relevance of references, they intend to construct a knowledgeable and credible self. The use of ineffective citations and references not only projects an unfavorable impression on readers but reflects a lack of authorial identity. This study has significant implications for the teaching of academic English and the supervision of thesis writing.