FPGA implementation of 500-MHz high-count-rate high-time-resolution real-time digital neutron-gamma discrimination for fast liquid detectors

Fast neutron flux measurements with high count rates and high time resolution have important applications in equipment such as tokamaks.In this study,real-time neutron and gamma discrimination was implemented on a self-developed 500-Msps,12-bit digitizer,and the neutron and gamma spectra were calculated directly on an FPGA.A fast neutron flux measurement system with BC-501A and EJ-309 liquid scintillator detectors was developed and a fast neutron measurement experiment was successfully performed on the HL-2 M tokamak at the Southwestern Institute of Physics,China.The experimental results demonstrated that the system obtained the neutron and gamma spectra with a time accuracy of 1 ms.At count rates of up to 1 Mcps,the figure of merit was greater than 1.05 for energies between 50 keV and 2.8 MeV.

Feasibility Assessment of Fast Numerical Simulations for Real-Time Monitoring and Control of PEM Fuel Cells

Computational models that ensure accurate and fast responses to the variations in operating conditions,such as the cell tem-perature and relative humidity(RH),are essential monitoring tools for the real-time control of proton exchange membrane(PEM)fuel cells.To this end,fast cell-area-averaged numerical simulations are developed and verifi ed against the present experiments under various RH levels.The present simulations and measurements are found to agree well based on the cell voltage(polarization curve)and power density under variable RH conditions(RH=40%,RH=70%,and RH=100%),which verifi es the model accuracy in predicting PEM fuel cell performance.In addition,computationally feasible reduced-order models are found to deliver a fast output dataset to evaluate the charge/heat/mass transfer phenomena as well as water production and two-phase fl ow transport.Such fast and accurate evaluations of the overall fuel cell operation can be used to inform the real-time control systems that allow for the improved optimization of PEM fuel cell performance.

Real-time observation of integrin bending/unbending conformational changes on living cells

Introduction Integrins are a large family of adhesion molecules broadly expressed on the surface of a wide variety of cells as heterodimers. Binding of integrins to ligands provides not only mechanical anchorage for the cell to another cell or

Detection of influenza A virus RNA in birds by optimized Real-Time PCR system

Objective:To evaluate the use of Real-Time PCR system based on specific amplification of matrix protein gene fragment for influenza A virus RNA detection in cloacal swabs from wild birds.Methods:Sensitivity,specificity and reproducibility of analysis results were identified. Study of cloacal swabs from wild birds for influenza A virus presence was performed.Results: Reproducibility of low concentrations of virus detection in samples by Real-Time PCR was significantly higher than that of detection based on cytopathic effect of viruses grown on MDCK cell culture.Conclusions:Real-Time PCR system for influenza A virus RNA detection is developed and applied for virus surveillance study.

Changes of the Transcriptional Levels of Molecules Associated with Endogenous Antigen Processing and Presentation in Porcine Skin-derived Dendritic Cells Infected with PCV2 in vivo

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the changes of the transcriptional levels of molecules associated with endogenous antigen processing and presenta- tion in porcine skin-derived dendritic cells infected with PCV2 in vivo. [Method] Healthy 40-day-old Landrace piglets were infected with porcine circovirus type 2 （PCV2） and euthanized on the 34, 7rd, 14th, 21st and 35th d post inoculation （DPI）. The porcine skin-derived dendritic cells （DCs） were collected to analyze the transcrip- tional levels of molecules （LMP7, UBP, MHC-I, calreticulin） associated with endogenous antigen processing and presentation by using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR （real-time FQ-PCR）. [Result] The results showed that the level of LMP7 mR- NAs was reduced significantly on the 3DPI （P〈0.05）; the level of UBP mRNAs was consistently up-regulated, which increased significantly on the 21DPI and 35DPI （P〈 0.05）; the level of MHC-I mRNAs was significantly down-regulated on the 7DPI （P〈 0.05）; the level of calreticulin mRNAs was up-regulated slightly without significant dif- ference. [Conclusion] PCV2 can inhibit the endogenous antigen processing and presentation ability of porcine skin-derived DCs at early stages of infection.

CELL-DYN3500R血液分析仪出现部分细胞警示的血涂片分析

目的 探讨CELL -DYN35 0 0R血液分析仪出现的部分细胞警示。方法 选择血液分析仪屏幕上显示有NRBC、RRBC或NWBC警示的血标本直接涂片 ,瑞氏染色后检查是否出现NRBC及幼稚细胞。结果 警示NRBC、RRBC及NWBC时 ,显微镜检查出现NRBC的比例为 38.1% (15 9 417)、2 5 .6 % (2 2 86 )及 2 3.5 % (31 132 ) ,出现幼稚细胞的比例分别为 7.4% (31 417)、17.4% (2 2 86 )及 8.3% (11 132 )。结论 CELL -DYN35 0 0R警示NRBC、RRBC、NWBC时必须涂片检查予以确证 ,无任何警示时可以认可仪器的结果 ,无需涂片镜检。

Cell-Dyn3500R血液分析仪警示FWBC的意义

目的 探讨CELL -DYN 35 0 0 0R血液分析仪警示FWBC(易碎白细胞 )的意义。方法 分析 1999.12～ 2 0 0 0 .7期间在我院住院的、使用CELL -DYN 35 0 0R做过血液分析的 14 9例血液病及一些恶性肿瘤患者 ,记录FWBC的出现 ,并到病案室查出这些患者及同类疾病其他患者的有关情况。结果 在住院期间的数次血液分析当中 ,急性白血病患者 (治疗中 ) 10 0 %出现过FWBC警示 ,慢性白血病患者 (治疗中 )为 18.2 % ,未治疗的急性淋巴细胞白血病初诊患者为 77.8% ,恶性淋巴瘤 (治疗中 )为 18.2 % ,再生障碍性贫血患者为 81.8% ,肺癌、乳癌 (治疗中 )为 12 .1%。结论 CELL -DYN 35 0 0R血液分析仪警示FWBC可能表明患者的WBC稳定性较差 ,容易破碎。

CELL-DYN 3700血细胞分析仪的使用体会

CELL-DYN3700血细胞分析仪是美国Abbott公司1999年推出的全自动多参数血细胞分析仪。该仪器采用电阻法与激光技术相结合的原理，进行全血细胞计数（Complete Blood Cell Count，CBC）的同时，还可进行网织红细胞分析，为临床及科研提供白细胞系统15项，红细胞系统7项，血小板系统4项。网织红细胞系统3项等多项参数。

CELL-DYN3700全自动血细胞分析仪的性能评价

目的了解CELL-DYN3700全自动血细胞分析仪的主要性能，对其作初步评价。方法使用新鲜抗凝全血及质控品，对几项主要参数按ICSH推荐的血液分析仪评价方案作评价。结果全血样品的WBC、RBC、HGB、PLT、MCV的总重复性、精密度、携带污染率均在厂家允许的范围内，线性好，两种进样方式具有良好的相关性，白细胞五分类及网织红细胞分析与显微镜镜检结果具有可比性。结论CELL-DYN3700是一台性能优良的全自动血细胞分析仪，适于大中型医院使用。

Involvement of interstitial cells of Cajal in experimental severe acute pancreatitis in rats

AIM:To observe the changes in interstitial cells of Cajal(ICC) in rats with experimental severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).METHODS:A total of twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into two groups(n = 12),namely the sham(S) group and the SAP group;the SAP rat model was established by retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate(1.0 mL/kg) into the pancreatic duct.Twenty-four hours later intestinal motility was assessed by testing small intestinal propulsion rate,and then the rats were sacrificed.The pancreas and jejunum were resected and underwent routine pathologic examination.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect c-kit-positive cells in the jejunum.Expression of c-kit mRNA was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction,and the expression of c-kit protein was evaluated by Western blotting.Ultrastructure of ICC was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy.RESULTS:There was bleeding,necrosis and a largeamount of inflammatory cell infiltration in pancreatic tissue in the SAP group,while in jejunal tissue we observed a markedly denuded mucosal layer,loss of villous tissue and a slightly dilated muscular layer.The small intestinal propulsion rate was 68.66% ± 2.66% in the S group and 41.55% ± 3.85% in the SAP group.Compared with the S group,the rate of the SAP group decreased sharply.The density of c-kit-positive cells in the SAP group was significantly lower than in the S group;the respective mean densities were 88.47 ± 10.49 in the S group and 56.11 ± 7.09 in the SAP group.The levels of c-kit protein and mRNA were 0.36 ± 0.04 and 1.29 ± 0.91 in the SAP group,respectively,which were significantly lower than those in the S group(0.53 ± 0.06,0.64 ± 0.33,respectively).In the SAP group,ICC profiles showed the same change tendency,such as vacuolation of mitochondria,irregular vacuoles and loosened desmosome-like junctions.CONCLUSION:Decreased c-kit-positive cells and ultrastructural changes in ICC resulting from blockade of the c-kit signaling pathway are involved in the intestinal dysmotility associated with SAP.

Association between Bmi1 and clinicopathological status of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM： To investigate the clinicopathological roles of Bmil in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）.METHODS： Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining for Broil were performed in cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous paraffin-embedded esophageal specimens.RESULTS： The Bmil expression level was unaffected by gender and age. The level of Broil mRNA in ESCC was significantly higher than that in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues （2.181 ± 2.158 vs 0.931 ± 0.894, P = 0.0152）, and its over-expression was aggressively associated with lymph node metastasis （3.580 ± 2.487 vs 1.703 ± 0.758, P = 0.0003）, poorer cell differentiation （P = 0.0000） and advanced pathological stage （3.827± 2.673 vs 1.590 ± 0.735, P = 0.0001）. The patients were divided into high-expression and low-expression groups based on the median expression level of Bmi1 mRNA, and a shorter overall survival time in the former group was observed. Immunohistochemistry for Bmi1 oncoprotein showed diffusely positive, focally positive and negative expression in 44, 16 and 10 of 70 ESCC cases, respectively, compared with three, two and five of 10 adjacent non-cancerous cases （P = 0.027）. The positive rate of the oncoprotein in samples of histological grade Ⅲ was higher than that of grade Ⅱ（P = 0.031）, but its expression had no relation to the lymph node metastasis and pathological staging. In 70 ESCC samples, Bmi1 showed high intense expression in the cytoplasm and less or even no expression in the nucleus.CONCLUSION： Bmi1 was over-expressed in ESCC. Increased Bmi1 mRNA expression was significantly associated with ESCC progression, and the oncoprotein was largely distributed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells.

Expression of OCT4 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is significantly associated with poorer prognosis

AIM： To explore the expression pattern of OCT4 in hu- man esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its sig- nificance in diagnosis and prognosis.

Effects of processing pH stimulation on cooperative bioleaching of chalcopyrite concentrate by free and attached cells

In order to investigate the effects of processing pH stimulation on bioleaching of chalcopyrite by moderate thermophiles,copper leaching rates and the dynamics of microbial community structures of free and attached cells were monitored. The results indicated that when the processing pH values were respectively adjusted to 1.0 and 3.0 on day 14, both free and attached cells experienced an adaptive phase. Meanwhile, the copper leaching rates were 86.9% and 64.0%,respectively, as opposed to a copper leaching rate of 87.5% in the control group without pH stimulation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis suggested that pH stimulation imposed less impact on the attached organisms than on the free cells, indicating that the attached cells were more resistant to processing pH stimulation than the free cells. Furthermore, adjusting processing pH to 3.0 significantly disrupted both free and attached microbial communities, and the bioleaching system could not recover to the normal status as the control group.

Role of miR-124 in the regulation of retinoic acid-induced Neuro-2A cell differentiation

Retinoic acid can cause many types of cells,including mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2 A cells,to differentiate into neurons.However,it is still unknown whether microRNAs(miRNAs)play a role in this neuronal differentiation.To address this issue,real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were used to detect the expression of several differentiation-related miRNAs during the differentiation of retinoic acid-treated Neuro-2 A cells.The results revealed that miR-124 and miR-9 were upregulated,while miR-125 b was downregulated in retinoic acid-treated Neuro-2 A cells.To identify the miRNA that may play a key role,miR-124 expression was regulated by transfection of miRNA mimics or inhibitors.Morphological analysis results showed that inhibition of miR-124 expression reversed the effects of retinoic acid on neurite outgrowth.Moreover,miR-124 overexpression alone caused Neuro-2 A cells to differentiate into neurons,and its inhibitor could block this effect.These results suggest that miR-124 plays an important role in retinoic acid-induced differentiation of Neuro-2 A cells.

Novel esophageal squamous cell carcinoma bone metastatic clone isolated by scintigraphy, X ray and micro PET/CT

AIM: To establish a Chinese esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell line with high bone metastasis potency using 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) micro-pinhole scintigraphy, X ray and micro-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for exploring the mechanism of occurrence and development in esophageal cancer.

Dorsal root ganglion neurons promote proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Preliminary animal experiments have confirmed that sensory nerve fibers promote osteoblast differentiation, but motor nerve fibers have no promotion effect. Whether sensory neurons pro- mote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells remains unclear. No results at the cellular level have been reported. In this study, dorsal root ganglion neurons （sensory neurons） from Sprague-Dawley fetal rats were co-cultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transfected with green fluorescent protein 3 weeks after osteo- genic differentiation in vitro, while osteoblasts derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells served as the control group. The rat dorsal root ganglion neurons promoted the prolifera- tion of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived osteoblasts at B and 5 days of co-culture, as observed by fluorescence microscopy. The levels of mRNAs for osteogenic differentiation-re- lated factors （including alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin and bone morphogenetic protein 2） in the co-culture group were higher than those in the control group, as detected by real-time quantitative PCR. Our findings indicate that dorsal root ganglion neurons promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, which pro- vides a theoretical basis for in vitro experiments aimed at constructing tissue-engineered bone.

Serum miR-339-3p as a potential diagnostic marker for non-small cell lung cancer

Objective:MicroRNA(miRNA),a short noncoding RNA,is claimed to be a potential blood-based biomarker.We aimed to identify and evaluate miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:Profiles of 745 miRNAs were screened in the serum of 8 patients with NSCLC and 8 age-and sex-matched controls using TaqMan low-density arrays(TLDAs)and validated in 25 patients with NSCLC and 30 with other lung diseases(OLs)as well as in 19 healthy persons(HPs).The diagnostic performance of the candidate miRNAs was assessed in 117 cases of NSCLC and 113 OLs using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).Differences in miRNA expression between patients with NSCLC and controls were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test.The area under receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)was obtained based on the logistic regression model.Results:Ten miRNAs were found to be differentialy expressed between patients with NSCLC and controls,including miR-769,miR-339-3p,miR-339-5p,miR-519a,miR-1238,miR-99a#,miR-134,miR-604,miR-539,and miR-342.The expression of miR-339-3p was significantly higher in patients with NSCLC than in those with OLs(P<0.001)and HPs(P=0.020).ROC analysis revealed an miR-339-3p expression AUC of 0.616[95%confidence interval(CI):0.561–0.702].The diagnostic prediction was increased(AUC=0.706,95%CI:0.649–0.779)in the model combining miR-339-3p expression and other known risk factors(i.e.,age,smoking status,and drinking status).Conclusions:MiR-339-3p was significantly upregulated in patients with NSCLC compared with participants without cancer,suggesting a diagnostic prediction value for high-risk individuals.Therefore,miR-339-3p expression could be a potential blood-based biomarker for NSCLC.

Aression of TLR_9 in human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line A549

Objective:Being considered as a bridge between the innate immunity and acquired immunity,Toll-like receptors(TRLs) are very important innate immunity moleculars.Recent researchs on the innate immunity have focused on the relationship between TLRs and human tumor.This paper investgated the expression and significance of TLR9 in human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell(A549 cell) and human bronchial epithelial cell(HBE cell).Methods:After culturing A549 cell and HBE cell in vitro,the expression of TLR9 mRNA and protein in both cells were detected by immunocytochemistry,Real-time Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction(Real-time Quantitative PCR) and Western blot,respectively.Results:By immunocytochemistry staining,TLR9 was mainly expressed in both cells' cell membrane and endochylema as brown-yellow material.It showed that the expressions of TLR9 mRNA and protein in A549 cell were stronger than those in HBE cell(P < 0.01).Conclusion:The results suggest TLR9 might cause the progression of human pulmonary adenocarcinoma,and the mechanism needs to be further investgatied.

Identification of various cell culture models for the study of Zika virus

AIM To identify cell culture models supportive for Zika virus(ZIKV) replication.METHODS Various human and non-human cell lines were infected with a defined amount of ZIKV Polynesia strain. Cells were analyzed 48 h post infection for the amount of intracellular and extracellular viral genomes and infectious viral particles by quantitative real-time PCR and virus titration assay. The extent of replication was monitored by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis by using Env and NS1 specific antibodies. Innate immunity was assayed by luciferase reporter assay and immunofluorescence analysis.RESULTS All investigated cell lines except CHO cells supported infection, replication and release of ZIKV. While in infected A549 and Vero cells a pronounced cytopathic effect was observed COS7, 293 T and Huh7.5 cells were most resistant. Although the analyzed cell lines released comparable amounts of viral genomes to the supernatant significant differences were found for the number of infectious viral particles. The neuronal cell lines N29.1 and SH-SY5 Y released 100 times less infectious viral particles than Vero-, A549-or 293 T-cells. However there is no strict correlation between the amount of produced viral particles and the induction of an interferon response in the analyzed cell lines.CONCLUSION The investigated cell lines with their different tissue origins and diverging ZIKV susceptibility display a toolbox for ZIKV research.