Differential Effects of Butyric Acid on Mouse Skin Tumorigenesis

We studied the effects of butyric acid (BA) on mouse skin tumorigenesis using chronicanimal bioassays. Topical application of BA immediately after each treatment with 12-0-te-t radecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promoter' inhi bi ted skint umors. The effect was depe n -dent on the dose of BA applied. BA showed no marked inhibitory effect on either skin tumorinitiation or complete tumorigenesis induced by dimet hyl benzant hracene (DMBA ). Si nce t u -mor promotion reportedly involves epigenetic events whereas tumor initiation or complete tu-morigenesis takes place through genetic pathways, it is Possible that BA exerts its antitumori-genic effects mainly by altering the epigenetic events responsible for tumor promotion. The re-sults of the study could further be used to study the mechanism of action and modification ofantitumorigenic effects of BA in combination with other substances

Differential effects of d,l-sotalol and d-sotalol on isoproterenol increased delayed rectifier outward potassium current in guinea pig myocytes

Objective Catecholamines antagonize the clinical efficacy of pure class Ⅲ antiarrhythmic agents in vivo. The antiarrhythmic agent d, l sotalol has β adrenergic blocking properties and class Ⅲ activity. However, its d isomer without β blockade has been shown to exert significant proarrhythmia. To determine the role of β adrenergic blocking properties of d, l sotalol on its antiarrhythmic effect, we compared the effects of d, l sotalol and d sotalol on delayed rectifier K + outward current in the presence of isoproterenol at different concentrations. Methods Time dependent delayed rectifier K + outward currents, I K (I Kr and I Ks ) and tail current (I K tail ) were measured in isolated guinea pig myocytes using the whole cell configuration of the patch clamp technique. Currents were measured in response to 300 ms depolarizing pulses from a holding potential of Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany (Yao XZ, Yannoulis NC, Kiehn J and Brachmann J) 40 mV in three experimental protocols [control, isoproterenol (10 9 -10 6 mol/L), and isoproterenol (10 9 -10 6 mol/L) plus either d, l sotalol (10 4 mol/L) or d sotalol (10 4 mol/L)]. I K tail currents were measured upon repolarization to 40 mV. Results Isoproterenol significantly inreased I K and I K tail in a concentration dependent manner. I K was significantly amplified in the presence of isoproterenol (10 9 -10 6 mol/L) plus d sotalol. At 10 8 mol/L isoproterenol, I K was increased by 92.3%±23.7% before and 54.3%±13.4% after d sotalol. In contrast, d, l sotalol strongly suppressed the effect of isoproterenol on I K, and compared to control, I K was decreased by 35.6%±8.1% at 10 8 mol/L isoproterenol. Conclusions The β adrenergic blocking property of d, l sotalol maintains delayed rectifier K + outward current block in the presence of isoproterenol in guinea pig myocytes. This may result in its supperior antiarrhythmic efficacy compared to d sotalol.

Nucleus-Nucleus Effects in Fully Differential Cross Sections for Energetic C6++He Collisions with Small Momentum Transfer

The modified Coulomb-Born approximation with and without the internuclear interaction （MCB-NN and MCB） is used to calculate the fully differential cross sections （FDCS） for the single ionization of helium by lOO MeV/amu C6＋ impact. The effects of the internuclear interaction on the FDCS are examined in geometries. The results are compared with experimental data and theoretical predictions from a three-body distorted-wave （3DW） model and a time-dependent close-coupling model. It is shown that the present MCB-NN results are in good agreement with the experiments in the scattering plane and the MCB results qualitatively reproduce the experimental structure outside the scattering plane. In particular, the MCB theory predicts the ＇double-peak＇ structure in the perpendicular plane.

A chaotic hierarchical encryption/watermark embedding scheme for multi-medical images based on row-column confusion and closed-loop bi-directional diffusion

Security during remote transmission has been an important concern for researchers in recent years.In this paper,a hierarchical encryption multi-image encryption scheme for people with different security levels is designed,and a multiimage encryption(MIE)algorithm with row and column confusion and closed-loop bi-directional diffusion is adopted in the paper.While ensuring secure communication of medical image information,people with different security levels have different levels of decryption keys,and differentiated visual effects can be obtained by using the strong sensitivity of chaotic keys.The highest security level can obtain decrypted images without watermarks,and at the same time,patient information and copyright attribution can be verified by obtaining watermark images.The experimental results show that the scheme is sufficiently secure as an MIE scheme with visualized differences and the encryption and decryption efficiency is significantly improved compared to other works.

Electroacupuncture pretreatment exhibits antidepressive effects by regulating hippocampal proteomics in rats with chronic restraint stress

The clinical effect of electroacupuncture on depression is widely recognized. However, the signal transduction pathways and target proteins involved remain unclear. In the present study, rat models of chronic restraint stress were used to explore the mechanism by which electroacupuncture alleviates depression. Rats were randomly divided into control, model, and electroacupuncture groups. Chronic restraint stress was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups by restraining rats for 28 days. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture pretreatment at Baihui（GV20） and Yintang（GV29） acupoints was performed daily（1 m A, 2 Hz, discontinuous wave, 20 minutes） prior to restraint for 28 days. Open field tests and body weight measurements were carried out to evaluate the depressive symptoms at specific time points. On day 28, the crossing number, rearing number, and body weights of the model group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Behavior test results indicated that rat models of depressive-like symptoms were successfully established by chronic restraint stress combined with solitary raising. On day 28, an isobaric tag for a relative and absolute quantitation-based quantitative proteomic approach was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins in hippocampal samples obtained from the model and electroacupuncture groups. The potential function of these differential proteins was predicted through the use of the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins（COG） database. Twenty-seven differential proteins（uncharacteristic proteins expected） were selected from the model and electroacupuncture groups. In addition to unknown protein functions, COG are mainly concentrated in general prediction function, mechanism of signal transduction, amino acid transport and metabolism groups. This suggests that electroacupuncture improved depressive-like symptoms by regulating differential proteins, and most of these related proteins exist in nerve cells.

Dynamics of Quantum State and Effective Hamiltonian with Vector Differential Form of Motion Method

Effective Hamiltonians in periodically driven systems have received widespread attention for realization of novel quantum phases, non-equilibrium phase transition, and Majorana mode. Recently, the study of effective Hamiltonian using various methods has gained great interest. We consider a vector differential equation of motion to derive the effective Hamiltonian for any periodically driven two-level system, and the dynamics of the spin vector are an evolution under the Bloch sphere. Here, we investigate the properties of this equation and show that a sudden change of the effective Hamiltonian is expected. Furthermore, we present several exact relations, whose expressions are independent of the different starting points. Moreover, we deduce the effective Hamiltonian from the high-frequency limit, which approximately equals the results in previous studies. Our results show that the vector differential equation of motion is not affected by a convergence problem, and thus, can be used to numerically investigate the effective models in any periodic modulating system. Finally, we anticipate that the proposed method can be applied to experimental platforms that require time-periodic modulation, such as ultracold atoms and optical lattices.

Identification of thermal effects involved in DSC experiment on Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys with high Cu:Mg ratio

Precipitation reactions in the differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） of an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy were identified by analyzing the results from hardness test,electrical conductivity test,and transmission electron microscope （TEM） examination.It is discovered that thermal effects can be identified through selected area electron diffraction and bright-field images.The reaction peaks around 171,231,and 276℃ can be attributed to a structural rearrangement of coherent zones,to the precipitation of Ω phases,and to the precipitation of Ω and θ＇ and possible combination with the transition of θ＇→θ,respectively.In addition,the hardness and electrical conductivity of the alloy change proportionately with the progression of reactions during the heating process.This phenomenon can be attributed to the evolution of the micro-structure.

Cooling rate effects on the structure and transformation behavior of Cu-Zn-Al shape memory alloys

Different fragments of a hot-rolled and homogenized Cu–Zn–Al shape memory alloy（SMA） were subjected to thermal cycling by means of a differential scanning calorimetric（DSC） device. During thermal cycling, heating was performed at the same constant rate of increasing temperature while cooling was carried out at different rates of decreasing temperature. For each cooling rate, the temperature decreased in the same thermal interval. During each cooling stage, an exothermic peak（maximum） was observed on the DSC thermogram. This peak was associated with forward martensitic transformation. The DSC thermograms were analyzed with PROTEUS software： the critical martensitic transformation start（Ms） and finish（Mf） temperatures were determined by means of integral and tangent methods, and the dissipated heat was evaluated by the area between the corresponding maximum plot and a sigmoid baseline. The effects of the increase in cooling rate, assessed from a calorimetric viewpoint, consisted in the augmentation of the exothermic peak and the delay of direct martensitic transformation. The latter had the tendency to move to lower critical transformation temperatures. The martensite plates changed in morphology by becoming more oriented and by an augmenting in surface relief, which corresponded with the increase in cooling rate as observed by scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and atomic force microscopy（AFM）.

Two-dimensional tetragonal ZnB: A nodalline semimetal with good transport properties

Nodal-line semimetals have become a research hot-spot due to their novel properties and great potential application in spin electronics. It is more challenging to find 2D nodal-line semimetals that can resist the spin–orbit coupling(SOC)effect. Here, we predict that 2D tetragonal Zn B is a nodal-line semimetal with great transport properties. There are two crossing bands centered on the S point at the Fermi surface without SOC, which are mainly composed of the pxy orbitals of Zn and B atoms and the pz orbitals of the B atom. Therefore, the system presents a nodal line centered on the S point in its Brillouin zone(BZ). And the nodal line is protected by the horizontal mirror symmetry M_(z). We further examine the robustness of a nodal line under biaxial strain by applying up to-4% in-plane compressive strain and 5% tensile strain on the Zn B monolayer, respectively. The transmission along the a direction is significantly stronger than that along the b direction in the conductive channel. The current in the a direction is as high as 26.63 μA at 0.8 V, and that in the b direction reaches 8.68 μA at 0.8 V. It is interesting that the transport characteristics of Zn B show the negative differential resistance(NDR) effect after 0.8 V along the a(b) direction. The results provide an ideal platform for research of fundamental physics of 2D nodal-line fermions and nanoscale spintronics, as well as the design of new quantum devices.

Tunneling field effect transistors based on in-plane and vertical layered phosphorus heterostructures

Tunneling field effect transistors（TFETs） based on two-dimensional materials are promising contenders to the traditional metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, mainly due to potential applications in low power devices. Here,we investigate the TFETs based on two different integration types： in-plane and vertical heterostructures composed of two kinds of layered phosphorous（β-P and δ-P） by ab initio quantum transport simulations. NDR effects have been observed in both in-plane and vertical heterostructures, and the effects become significant with the highest peak-to-valley ratio（PVR）when the intrinsic region length is near zero. Compared with the in-plane TFET based on β-P and δ-P, better performance with a higher on/off current ratio of - 10-6 and a steeper subthreshold swing（SS） of - 23 mV/dec is achieved in the vertical TFET. Such differences in the NDR effects, on/off current ratio and SS are attributed to the distinct interaction nature of theβ-P and δ-P layers in the in-plane and vertical heterostructures.

Gas-sensor property of single-molecule device:F_2 adsorbing effect

The single thiolated arylethynylene molecule with 9,10-dihydroanthracene core（denoted as TADHA） possesses pronounced negative differential conductance（NDC） behavior at lower bias regime. The adsorption effects of F2 molecule on the current and NDC behavior of TADHA molecular junctions are studied by applying non-equilibrium Green＇s formalism combined with density functional theory. The numerical results show that the F2 molecule adsorbed on the benzene ring of TADHA molecule near the electrode can dramatically suppresses the current of TADHA molecular junction. When the F2 molecule adsorbed on the conjugated segment of 9,10-dihydroanthracene core of TADHA molecule, an obviously asymmetric effect on the current curves induces the molecular system showing apparent rectifier behavior. However, the current especially the NDC behavior have been significantly enlarged when F2 addition reacted with triple bond of TADHA molecule.

Effects of arotinoid acid on induction of apoptosis and differentiation and telomerase activity and cell cycle in the HL 60 cell line

Objective To investigate the effects of arotinoid acid (Ro13 7410) on the morphological and functional alterations of leukemia HL 60 cell line and compared with those of RA Methods Differentiation of HL 60 cells was assessed by morphology and by NBT reduction Trypan blue exclusion was used to determine viability Apoptosis was assessed by changes in cell morphology and by measurement of fragmented DNA using the PCD assay kit Telomerase PCR ELISA kit tested telomerase activity The cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry Results Incubation of the HL 60 cells with 10 -6 10 -8 ?mol/L Ro13 7410 resulted in suppression of cell growth Apoptotic cells were detected following exposure to 10 -6 ?mol/LRo13 7410 for 3 hours by measurement of the “in situ” enzymatic labeling of DNA breaks with biotinylated dUTP Ultrastructural examination of Ro13 7410 treated samples showed cells with chromatin compaction and cytoplasm condensation and the presence of “apoptotic bodies” Cells induced into apoptosis were accompanied by Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400016, China (Liu XS, Lou LS, Zeng SR and Tang ZH) Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400046, China (Jiang JK, Zhang Y, Xu XG, Liu BZ, He YJ and Kang GF) increase of intracellular free Ca 2+ Percentage of HL 60 cells reduced NBT following incubation with Ro13 7410 was lower than with all trans retinoic acid (RA) (27% vas 85%) Telomerase PCR ELISA assay showed that HL 60 cells cultured in the absence of inducing agents had significant telomerase activity Telomerase activity declined gradually after 10 -6 ?mol/L Ro13 7410 treatment, and changes becoming evident at 1 day The inhibition of telomerase activity at day 5 of treatment with Ro13 7410 was less effective than with RA DNA flow cytofluorimetric analysis revealed that Ro13 7410 caused partial cell arrest in the G 2/M phase after a 2 day treatment and the percentage of cells arrested in the G 2/M phase increased after 4 days treatment With RA treated cells, a reduction in the percentage of cells in the G 2/M phase was observed after 2 day of treatment Conclusion Our study shows that Ro13 7410 suppresses HL 60 cells growth mainly via the induction of apoptosis and is less effective than RA in induction differentiation Ro13 7410 dramatically inhibits telomerase activity during the course of induction and results in G 2/M arrest within 2 days These findings suggest that Ro13 7410 is worthy of further study for its effects on leukemic cells

Combined effects of fluoride and arsenic exposure on proliferation,differentiation and beta-catenin expression in rat osteoblasts

<正>Objective To investigate the combined effects of fluoride(Na F)and arsenate(Na As O2)exposure on proliferation,differentiation and bata-catenin expression in SD rat osteoblasts.Methods Osteoblasts were isolated from calvarias of twelve SD rats born in 1~3 days and cul-

Thermal Conduction and Insulation Modification in Asphalt-Based Composites

The relationship between thermal conductivity and properties of mixing particles is required for quantitative study of heat transfer processes in asphalt-based materials. In this paper, we measured the e？ective ther- mal conductivity of asphalt-based materials with thermal conduction （graphite） and insulation （cenosphere） powders modification. By taking account of the particle shape, volume fraction, the thermal conductivity of filling particles and base asphalt, we present a new differential effective medium formula to predict the thermal conductivity modification in asphalt-based composite. Our theoretical predications are in good agreement with the experiment data. The new model can be applied for predicting the thermal properties of asphalt-based mixture, which is available for most of thermal modification in two-phase composites.

Altered white matter microarchitecture in Parkinson’s disease:a voxel-based meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies

This study aimed to define the most consistent white matter microarchitecture pattern in Parkinson’s disease(PD)reflected by fractional anisotropy(FA),addressing clinical profiles and methodology-related heterogeneity.Web-based publication databases were searched to conduct a meta-analysis of whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging studies comparing PD with healthy controls(HC)using the anisotropic effect size–signed differential mapping.A total of 808 patients with PD and 760 HC coming from 27 databases were finally included.Subgroup analyses were conducted considering heterogeneity with respect to medication status,disease stage,analysis methods,and the number of diffusion directions in acquisition.Compared with HC,patients with PD had decreased FA in the left middle cerebellar peduncle,corpus callosum(CC),left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus,and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus.Most of the main results remained unchanged in subgroup metaanalyses of medicated patients,early stage patients,voxel-based analysis,and acquisition with˂30 diffusion directions.The subgroup meta-analysis of medication-free patients showed FA decrease in the right olfactory cortex.The cerebellum and CC,associated with typical motor impairment,showed the most consistent FA decreases in PD.Medication status,analysis approaches,and the number of diffusion directions have an important impact on the findings,needing careful evaluation in future meta-analyses.

Voxel-based meta-analysis of grey matter changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Background:Voxel-based morphometry(VBM)using structural brain MRI has been widely used for the assessment of impairment in Alzheimer’s disease(AD),but previous studies in VBM studies on AD remain inconsistent.Objective:We conducted meta-analyses to integrate the reported studies to determine the consistent grey matter alterations in AD based on VBM method.Methods:The PubMed,ISI Web of Science,EMBASE and Medline database were searched for articles between 1995 and June 2014.Manual searches were also conducted,and authors of studies were contacted for additional data.Coordinates were extracted from clusters with significant grey matter difference between AD patients and healthy controls(HC).Meta-analysis was performed using a new improved voxel-based meta-analytic method,Effect Size Signed Differential Mapping(ES-SDM).Results:Thirty data-sets comprising 960 subjects with AD and 1195 HC met inclusion criteria.Grey matter volume(GMV)reduction at 334 coordinates in AD and no GMV increase were found in the current meta-analysis.Significant reductions in GMV were robustly localized in the limbic regions(left parahippocampl gyrus and left posterior cingulate gyrus).In addition,there were GM decreases in right fusiform gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus.The findings remain largely unchanged in the jackknife sensitivity analyses.Conclusions:Our meta-analysis clearly identified GMV atrophy in AD.These findings confirm that the most prominent and replicable structural abnormalities in AD are in the limbic regions and contributes to the understanding of pathophysiology underlying AD.

DIFFERENTIATION OF THE TRUE AND INTERVENTION INDUCED PSEUDO-MILKING EFFECT BY INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND

We have shown the value of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in the evaluation of myocardial bridging (MB). The purpose of the study was to elucidate the mechanism of inter-