Isolated Hyperacute T-Waves in West Nile Encephalitis Indicating Atypical Variant of Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy

Several cardiac outcomes have been reported with West Nile-encephalitis;however, the underlying pathophysiology remains complex. We present a 42-year-old female, with multiple sclerosis, whose neurological symptoms and respiratory decline were finally explained by the diagnosis of West Nile-encephalitis. During her admission, the isolated peaked T-waves indicated the underlying stress-induced cardiomyopathy. The absence of all other causes of hyperacute T-waves, their subsequent resolution with the resolution of infection and improvement in wall motion abnormalities, further supported the association. This case highlights the importance of considering hyperacute T-waves in an approach towards the diagnosis of WNV-encephalitis related atypical variant of stress-induced cardiomyopathy.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STRESS-INDUCED TRANSFORMATION AND MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION IN Cu-BASED SMA

The mechanical behavior of shape memory alloys （SMAs） is closely related to the formation and evolution of its microstructures. Through theoretical analysis and experimental observations, it was found that the stress-induced martensitic transformation process of single crystal Cu-based SMA under uniaxial tension condition consisted of three periods： nucleation, mixed nucleation and growth, and merging due to growth. During the nucleation, the stress dropped rapidly and the number of interfaces increased very fast while the phase fraction increased slowly. In the second period, both the stress and the interface number changed slightly but the phase fraction increased dramatically. Finally, the stress and the phase fraction changed slowly while the number of interfaces decreased quickly. Moreover, it was found that the transformation could be of multi-stage： sharp stress drops at several strains and correspondingly, the nucleation and growth process occurred quasi-independently in several parts of the sample.

Nervous mechanisms of restraint water-immersion stress-induced gastric mucosal lesion

Stress-induced gastric mucosal lesion(SGML)is one of the most common visceral complications after trauma.Exploring the nervous mechanisms of SGML has become a research hotspot.Restraint water-immersion stress(RWIS)can induce GML and has been widely used to elucidate the nervous mechanisms of SGML.It is believed that RWIS-induced GML is mainly caused by the enhanced activity of vagal parasympathetic nerves.Many central nuclei,such as the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus,nucleus of the solitary tract,supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus,mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus,central nucleus of the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex,are involved in the formation of SGML in varying degrees.Neurotransmitters/neuromodulators,such as nitric oxide,hydrogen sulfide,vasoactive intestinal peptide,calcitonin gene-related peptide,substance P,enkephalin,5-hydroxytryptamine,acetylcholine,catecholamine,glutamate,γ-aminobutyric acid,oxytocin and arginine vasopressin,can participate in the regulation of stress.However,inconsistent and even contradictory results have been obtained regarding the actual roles of each nucleus in the nervous mechanism of RWIS-induced GML,such as the involvement of different nuclei with the time of RWIS,the different levels of involvement of the sub-regions of the same nucleus,and the diverse signalling molecules,remain to be further elucidated.

Proteomics of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus of rats with stress-induced gastric ulcer

BACKGROUND Stress-induced gastric ulcer(SGU) is one of the most common visceral complications after trauma. Restraint water-immersion stress(RWIS) can cause serious gastrointestinal dysfunction and has been widely used to study the pathogenesis of SGU to identify medications that can cure the disease. The mediodorsal thalamic nucleus(MD) is the centre integrating visceral and physical activity and contributes to SGU induced by RWIS. Hence, the role of the MD during RWIS needs to be studied.AIM To screen for differentially expressed proteins in the MD of the RWIS rats to further elucidate molecular mechanisms of SGU.METHODS Male Wistar rats were selected randomly and divided into two groups, namely, a control group and an RWIS group. Gastric mucosal lesions of the sacrificed rats were measured using the erosion index and the proteomic profiles of the MD were generated through isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation(iTRAQ) coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Additionally, iTRAQ results were verified by Western blot analysis.RESULTS A total of 2853 proteins were identified, and these included 65 dysregulated(31 upregulated and 34 downregulated) proteins(fold change ratio ≥ 1.2). Gene Ontology(GO) analysis showed that most of the upregulated proteins are primarily related to cell division, whereas most of the downregulated proteins are related to neuron morphogenesis and neurotransmitter regulation. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that the dysregulated proteins are mainly involved in the neurological disease signalling pathways. Furthermore, our results indicated that glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta might be related to the central mechanismthrough which RWIS gives rise to SGU.CONCLUSION Quantitative proteomic analysis elucidated the molecular targets associated with the production of SGU and provides insights into the role of the MD. The underlying molecular mechanisms need to be further dissected.

Influence of bedding structure on stress-induced elastic wave anisotropy in tight sandstones

To understand the evolution of stress-induced elastic wave anisotropy,three triaxial experiments were performed on sandstone specimens with bedding orientations parallel,perpendicular,and oblique to the maximum principal stress.P-wave velocities along 64 different directions on each specimen were monitored frequently to understand the anisotropy change at various stress levels by fitting Thomsen’s anisotropy equation.The results show that the elastic wave anisotropy is very sensitive to mechanical loading.Under hydrostatic loading,the magnitude of anisotropy is reduced in all three specimens.However,under deviatoric stress loading,the evolution of anisotropic characteristics(magnitude and orientation of the symmetry axis)is bedding orientation dependent.Anisotropy reversal occurs in specimens with bedding normal/oblique to the maximum principal stress.P-wave anisotropyε0 is linearly related to volumetric strain Sv and dilatancy,indicating that stress-induced redistribution of microcracks has a significant effect on P-wave velocity anisotropy.The closure of initial cracks and pores aligned in the bedding direction contributes to the decrease of the anisotropy.However,opening of new cracks,aligned in the maximum principal direction,accounts for the increase of the anisotropy.The experimental results provide some insights into the microstructural behavior under loading and provide an experimental basis for seismic data interpretation and parameter selection in engineering applications.

Stress-Induced Precipitation of Fineγ'-Phase and Thermodynamics Analysis

The microstructures of a single crystal Ni-base superalloy with [001] orientation were observed by means of TEM. Results showed that the fine γ’ particles were precipitated in the γ matrix channels during the tensile deformation of the alloy. Thermodynamics analysis indicated that the solubility of elements M(Al,Ta) within the γ matrix may be changed when the alloy was deformed by the external applied stress. The tensile stress reduced the solubility of elements Al and Ta so as to occur the over-saturation and agglomeration of them, which promoted the precipitation of fine γ’-phase in the γ matrix.

EFFECT OF STRESS-INDUCED REACTIONS ON MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND PROCESSABILITY OF PVC DURING PAN-MILLING

The effect of pan-milling on morphological structure,processability and properties of PVC was studied throughSEM,FTIR,granulometer,GPC and mechanical properties test in the hope of gaining ease in operation,needless ofplasticizers,a clean and efficient route for improving the processability of PVC through stress-induced reactions,fulfilling the idea of“plasticizing PVC by itself”.The experimental results show that during pan-milling at ambienttemperature,within 2-3 min,the microcrystalline structure of PVC becomes indistinct,the grain size of PVC is reducedfrom 130-160 μm to 1-50 μm the molecular weight of PVC is slightly decreased,the variation of molecular weightdistribution is indistinct,the plasticizing time and torque at balance drop a great deal from 71-132 s to 31-33 s and from18.2-22.1 Nm to 14.7-18.4 Nm,respectively,the processability of PVC is markedly improved,and the mechanicalproperties get enhanced too.

Studies on Genetic Transformation of Fresh-cut Chrysanthemum Using DREB1A Promoted by Stress-induced Promoter rd29A

In this study, DERB1A transcription factor and stress-induced promoter rd29A were isolated respectively and amplified from Arabidopsis thaliana, se- quenced and analyzed by DNAsis. In addition, the stress-induced promoter rd29A was utilized to construct the plant expression vector of DERB1A, which was transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Furthermore, the transgenic regeneration system of fresh-cut chrysanthemum from callus to plantlets was established successfully. On this basis, chrysanthemum leaf-disc explants were genetically transformed with Agrobacterium-mediated method. Two positive transgenie plantlets were obtained in vitro. Based on PCR detection, DREB1A transcription factor was integrated into chrysanthemum genome, which laid the foundation for breeding new transgenie cultivars of fresh-cut chrysanthemum with high comprehensive stress resistance, good cmalitv and high field.

Preparation and evaluation of silymarin nanosuspensions for protective effects on stress-induced liver injury

OBJECTIVE To fabricate Silymarin(SM) nanosuspensions(NSs) and evaluate their protective effect on stress-induced liver injury. METHODS SM nanosuspensions were tailored by combination of the anti-solvent precipitation and high pressure homogenization(HPH); the formulations were optimized by central composite design. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SM-NSs were also performed.RESULTS In light of the quadratic mathematical equations derived from the Design of Expert Software,the optimal formulation of SM-NSs consisted of PVP 0.34% and F188 0.36%. The morphology of NSs was found to be spherical with a diameter of about 150 nm using transmission electron microscope(TEM)observation. The pharmacokinetics experiment demonstrated that oral administration of SM-NSs significantly increased its bioavailability compared to the coarse powder(Cmax: 9.03 ± 2.39 mg · L^(-1);AUMC_(0→∞):3757.35±227.19 mg·L^(-1)·h; AUC_(0→∞):171.84±26.61 mg·L^(-1)·h). In pharmacodynamics,it was found that restraint stress produced oxidative effects and increased serum AST and ALT levels in mice,both of which were significantly inhibited by SM and SM-NSs; in addition,administration of SM-NSs showed more effective prevention against acute liver injury than SM coarse suspensions(r^2=0.986,0.984,P<0.05). CONCLUSION The results suggest that fabricated SM-NSs exert potent hepatoprotective effects and attenuate restraint stress-induced liver injury. The study provides an effective approach to improving the property of SM,which can be used for treatment of liver diseases.

Research on Stress-Induced Nucleation ofε-Martensite in Fe-17Mn-10Cr-5Si-4Ni Polycrystalline Alloy

The relation between stacking fault overlap and martensitic nucleation in Fe-17Mn-10Cr-5Si-4Ni alloy was studied.The arrayed structure of dislocations and characteristics ofε-martensite formation under stress were in-situ observed by TEM.The results reveal thatε-martensite nucleates at the top of stacking faults overlapped band,where the ordered arrayed structure of Shockley partial dislocations exists.External stress promotesε-martensitic nucleation ability because of accelerated ordering of Shockley partial dislocations in stacking faults overlapped band.

Mechanisms of Myocardial Stunning in Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy,in contrast to acute myocardial infarction,is a type of acute heart failure characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction.Cardiac imaging primarily reveals left ventricle myocardial stunning,81.7%of which is apical type.Emotional or psychological stress usually precedes the onset of stress-induced cardiomyopathy,which is increasingly being recognized as a unique neurogenic myocardial stunning disease.To distinguish between acute myocardial infarction and acute viral or auto-immune myocarditis,this review summarizes specific mechanisms of myocardial stunning in stress-induced cardiomyopathy,such as calcium disorders,metabolic alterations,anatomical and histological variations in different parts of the left ventricle,and microvascular dysfunction.

Stress-induced leakage current characteristics of PMOS fabricated by a new multi-deposition multi-annealing technique with full gate last process

In the process of high-k films fabrication, a novel multi deposition multi annealing （MDMA） technique is introduced to replace simple post deposition annealing. The leakage current decreases with the increase of the post deposition annealing （PDA） times. The equivalent oxide thickness （EOT） decreases when the annealing time（s） change from 1 to 2. Furthermore, the characteristics of SILC （stress-induced leakage current） for an ultra-thin SiO2/HfO2 gate dielectric stack are studied systematically. The increase of the PDA time（s） from 1 to 2 can decrease the defect and defect generation rate in the HK layer. However, increasing the PDA times to 4 and 7 may introduce too much oxygen, therefore the type of oxygen vacancy changes.

Surface Roughness of SiGe/Si(110) Formed by Stress-Induced Twins and the Solution to Produce Smooth Surface

Lattice-strained Si thin films grown onto SiGe(110)/Si(110) are attracting because of their potential to realize high-speed transistors. In this study we observe surface morphology of Si/SiGe/Si(110) using scanning electron microscopy and we also observe microstructure of the identical position using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. These results reveal that crossing of stress-induced twins causes remarkable surface roughness. We propose using vicinal substrate to avoid this phenomenon and our successive experimental results are shown in this paper.

Neurogenesis-enhancing effect of sodium ferulate and its role in repair following stress-induced neuronal damage

Ferulic acid (FA) is a ubiquitous phenolic acid of low toxicity, and sodium ferulate (SF) is its sodium salt. Our previous studies have revealed that FA shows neuroprotective effect and significant antidepressant- like effect. The aim of this study was to investigate its potential neurogenesis-enhancing effect and its role in repair following stress-induced neuronal damage. MTT assay was performed to measure the effect of SF on the growth of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells;morphological and immunocytochemical meth- ods were used for assessing its differentiation-induc- ing action. Chronic mild stress (CMS) tests were per- formed to establish rat model of depression. The histopathology of animal brains was studied to ana- lyze CMS-induced morphological changes and the effect of SF on the repair of CMS-induced brain in- jury. The expressions of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the proliferation of neural stem cell/neural progenitor cells were assessed in the hippocampi of chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depression-like model rats by immunohistochemistry and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)- incorporation assays, respectively. Our in vitro tests showed that SF promoted the proliferation of PC12 cells in the concentration range of 5 - 320 μM, and induced PC12 cells to differentiate to more mature cells with the morphological characteristics and mo- lecular marker of neuronal-like cells. In vivo tests showed that SF up-regulated the expressions of NGF and BDNF, and induced the proliferation of neural stem cell/neural progenitor cells in the hippocampi of CMS-induced depression-like model rats. This study provides evidences that SF shows neurogenesis-en- hancing effect, and its antidepressant-like effect of SF may be related directly and closely to its above-men- tioned effect.

Shear stress-induced delamination method for the mass production of Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx MXene nanosheets

MXene nanosheets are considered advantageous for functional materials,but current delamination methods to prepare MXene nanosheets have many limitations including high cost,small production scale,low efficiency,and deteriorated structure integrity of obtained nanosheets.Here,we propose a simple,efficient,and scalable shear stress-induced delamination(SSID)strategy to boost the production of single-/few-layered Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene nanosheets.Molecular dynamics simulation indicates that the pan mill-type grinding discs create a strong hydrodynamic flow field,which exerts gigantic shear stress to substantially delaminate the multilayered MXene stacks into homogeneously dispersed MXene nanosheets.Furthermore,shear stress generated from vigorous water flow has limited fragmentation effect,ensuring large lateral size and good structure integrity to the obtained MXene nanosheets as evidenced by the morphological and structural characterizations.Compared to conventional delamination methods,this novel SSID strategy exhibits great advantages in terms of efficiency,scalability and the properties of resultant MXene nanosheets,which opens up great opportunity for the scalable production and commercialization of high-performance MXene-based materials.

Awareness and prevalence of stress induced oral ulcers among clinical medical and dental students in university of Benin:a cross-sectional study

Background:Awareness of clinical medical and dental students towards stress induced oral ulcer,to determine the most prevalent stress induced oral ulcers among the study population,and the relationship between perceived stress level and prevalence of stress induced oral ulcer.Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study,involving clinical Medical and Dental students in College of Medical Sciences,University of Benin.Participants were in their 400,500,and 600 levels respectively with a sample size of 226 calculated using the Cochran formula for sample size determination.Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire.Results:Two hundred and twenty-six respondents were interviewed in this survey.The age of the participants varied from 21-30 years,with mean age of 25.5%.Majority of the respondents(66.4%)were aware of stress induced oral ulcer.The prevalence of stress induced oral ulcer in this study was 12.8% with recurrent aphthous ulcers accounting for a prevalence of 35.5% of all stress induced oral ulcers.Conclusion:Findings from this study shows about 66.4%of clinical Medical and Dental students were aware of stress induced oral ulcer.The prevalence of stress induced oral ulcer in this study was 12.8%and was seen more in males than females,with recurrent aphthous ulcer been the most prevalent stress induced oral ulcer among the study population with a prevalence of about 35.5%.

Intense exercise can cause excessive apoptosis and synapse plasticity damage in rat hippocampus through Ca2＋ overload and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis pathway

Background Intense exercise can cause injury and apoptosis, but few studies have reported its effect on the central nervous system （CNS）. The initial reason for hippocampus injury is the excitotoxicity of glutamate and calcium overload. Intracellular free Ca2＋ （[Ca2＋]i） overload may trigger the apoptosis pathway and neuron damage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intense exercise could cause hippocampus apoptosis and neuron damage and then to determine which pathway was activated by this apoptosis. Methods We used one bout of swimming exhaustion rats as models. Intracellular [Ca2~]i was measured to estimate the calcium overload by Fura-2/AM immediately after exhaustion; glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） and synaptophysin （SYP） immunofluorescence were performed for estimating astrocyte activation and synapse plasticity 24 hours after exhaustion. Apoptosis cells were displayed using dUTP nick end labelling （TUNEL） stain; endoplasmic reticulum （ER） stress-induced apoptosis pathway and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were synchronously detected by Western blotting. Results An increasing level of intracellular [Ca2＋]i （P 〈0.01） was found in the hippocampus immediately after exhaustion. GFAP and SYP immunofluorescence showed that the astrocytes are activated, and the synapse plasticity collapsed significantly 24 hours after exhaustion. TUNEL stain showed that the number of apoptosis cells were notably raised （P 〈0.01）; Western blotting of the apoptosis pathway showed increasing levels of caspase-3 cleavage （P 〈0.01）, Bax （P 〈0.01）, caspase-12 cleavage （P 〈0.01）, C/EBP-homologous protein （CHOP） （P 〈0.01）, and phospho-Junamino- terminal kinases （p-JNK; P 〈0.01） and decreasing level of Bcl-2 （P 〈0.01）. Our results proved that exhaustion can induce hippocampus injury and apoptosis by [Ca2＋]i overload, with collapsed synaptic plasticity as the injury pattern and ER stress-induced apoptosis as the activated pathway. Conclusion Intense exercise can cause excessive apoptosis and synapse plasticity damage in the hippocampus with [Ca2＋]i overload as the initial reason, and thus provides leads for therapeutic interventions in the brain health of athletes.

Estimation of the three-dimensional in situ stress field around a large deep underground cavern group near a valley

Understanding three-dimensional(3D)in situ stress field is of key importance for estimating the stability of large deep underground cavern groups near valleys.However,the complete 3D in situ stress fields around large deep underground cavern groups are difficult to determine based on in situ stress data from a limited number of measuring points due to the insufficient representativeness and unreliability of such measurements.In this study,an integrated approach for estimating the 3D in situ stress field around a large deep underground cavern group near a valley is developed based on incomplete in situ stress measurements and the stress-induced failures of tunnels excavated prior to the step excavation of the cavern group.This integrated approach is implemented via four interrelated and progressive basic steps,i.e.inference of the regional tectonic stress field direction,analyses of in situ stress characteristics and measurement reliability,regression-based in situ stress field analysis and reliability assessment,and modified in situ stress field analysis and reliability verification.The orientations and magnitudes of the 3D in situ stress field can be analyzed and obtained at a strategic level following these four basic steps.First,the tectonic stress field direction around the cavern group is deduced in accordance with the regional tectonic framework and verified using a regional crustal deformation velocity map.Second,the reliability of the in situ stress measurements is verified based on the locations and depths of stressinduced brittle failures in small tunnels(such as exploratory tunnels and pilot tunnels)within the excavation range of the cavern group.Third,considering the influences of the valley topography and major geological structures,the 3D in situ stress field is regressed using numerical simulation and multiple linear regression techniques based on the in situ stress measurements.Finally,the regressed in situ stress field is further modified and reverified based on the stress-induced brittle failures of small tunnels and the initial excavation of the cavern group.A case study of the Shuangjiangkou underground cavern group demonstrates that the proposed approach is reliable for estimating the 3D in situ stress fields of large deep underground cavern groups near valleys,thus contributing to the optimization of practical excavation and design of mitigating the instability of the surrounding rock masses during step excavations.

Pathological significance of tRNA-derived small RNAs in neurological disorders

Non-coding RNAs(ncRNAs) are a type of RNA that is not translated into proteins. Transfer RNAs(tRNAs), a type of ncRNA, are the second most abundant type of RNA in cells. Recent studies have shown that tRNAs can be cleaved into a heterogeneous population of ncRNAs with lengths of 18–40 nucleotides, known as tRNA-derived small RNAs(tsRNAs). There are two main types of tsRNA, based on their length and the number of cleavage sites that they contain: tRNA-derived fragments and tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs. These RNA species were first considered to be byproducts of tRNA random cleavage. However, mounting evidence has demonstrated their critical functional roles as regulatory factors in the pathophysiological processes of various diseases, including neurological diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms by which tsRNAs affect specific cellular processes are largely unknown. Therefore, this study comprehensively summarizes the following points:(1) The biogenetics of tsRNA, including their discovery, classification, formation, and the roles of key enzymes.(2) The main biological functions of tsRNA, including its miRNA-like roles in gene expression regulation, protein translation regulation, regulation of various cellular activities, immune mediation, and response to stress.(3) The potential mechanisms of pathophysiological changes in neurological diseases that are regulated by tsRNA, including neurodegeneration and neurotrauma.(4) The identification of the functional diversity of tsRNA may provide valuable information regarding the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of neurological disorders, thus providing a new reference for the clinical treatment of neurological diseases. Research into tsRNAs in neurological diseases also has the following challenges: potential function and mechanism studies, how to accurately quantify expression, and the exact relationship between tsRNA and miRNA. These challenges require future research efforts.

A cyclic UH model for sand

A simple cyclic elastoplastic constitutive model for sand is proposed based on the UH model for overconsolidated clay. The proposed model has the following features. First, in order to describe the stress-induced anisotropy in sand, a rotational hardening rule is introduced for the evolution of the yield surface axis with development of plastic deviatoric strain in the principal stress space. Second, the relationship between the rotational axis and stress-induced anisotropy is modeled by introducing the slope of rotational axis into the yield function. The fl atness of the yield surface can be determined by the slope of rotational axis. Finally, a revised unifi ed hardening parameter is proposed to incorporate the stress-induced anisotropy. The model capability in describing the cyclic response of sand is verifi ed by comparing the simulations with available test results.