Protective effect of Danshensu against neurotoxicity induced by monosodium glutamate in adult mice and their offspring.

Excessive neuronal excitation by glutamate is a well-established cause of neurotoxicity, leading to severe impairment of brain function. Excitotoxicity is a key factor in numerous neurodegenerative conditions. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of Danshensu (DSS) against monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced neurotoxicity in adult mice and their offspring. We randomly divided one hundred 8-week-old Kunming mice (equal number of males and females) into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group was further subdivided into various treatment groups, including MSG gavage treatment, bwbw DSS treatment group 1 (bwbw DSS treatment group 2, a drug control group, and a normal control group (receiving an equal volume of physiological saline for ten consecutive days). Additionally, another one hundred healthy 8-week-old Kunming mice were similarly divided into groups and treated. These mice were paired randomly (one male and one female) and pregnant females were housed separately to obtain offspring. Subsequently, we conducted histological and behavioral analyses on adult mice and their offspring. MSG treatment induced significant cellular edema and hippocampal damage in both the treated mice and their offspring. However, varying doses of DSS effectively counteracted the neurotoxic effects of MSG, with no adverse impact on brain tissue structure or neural function in either adult mice or their offspring. Behavioral experiments further confirmed that DSS exerted a substantial protective effect against MSG-induced impairment of learning and memory in the treated adult mice and their offspring, in addition to mitigating central nervous system overexcitation and inhibiting exploratory behavior. In conclusion, DSS exerts significant protective effects against MSG-induced neurotoxicity in both adult mice and their offspring.

A versatile strategy to construct free-standing multi-furcated vessels and a complicated vascular network in heterogeneous porous scaffolds via combination of 3D printing and stimuli-responsive hydrogels.

Mimicking complex structures of natural blood vessels and constructing vascular networks in tissue engineering scaffolds are still challenging now. Herein we demonstrate a new and versatile strategy to fabricate free-standing multi-furcated vessels and complicated vascular networks in heterogeneous porous scaffolds by integrating stimuli-responsive hydrogels and 3D printing technology. Through the sol-gel transition of temperature-responsive gelatin and conversion between two physical crosslinking networks of pH-responsive chitosan (i.e., electrostatic network between protonated chitosan and sulfate ion, crystalline network of neutral chitosan), physiologically-stable gelatin/chitosan hydrogel tubes can be constructed. While stimuli-responsive hydrogels confer the formation mechanism of the hydrogel tube, 3D printing confers the feasibility to create a multi-furcated structure and interconnected network in various heterogeneous porous scaffolds. As a consequence, biomimetic multi-furcated vessels (MFVs) and heterogeneous porous scaffolds containing multi-furcated vessels (HPS-MFVs) can be constructed precisely. Our data further confirm that the artificial blood vessel (gelatin/chitosan hydrogel tube) shows good physiological stability, mechanical strength, semi-permeability, hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility and low in vivo inflammatory response. Co-culture of hepatocyte (L02 cells) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in HPS-MFVs indicates the successful construction of a liver model. We believe that our method offers a simple and easy-going way to achieve robust fabrication of free-standing multi-furcated blood vessels and prevascularization of porous scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

A Three-Dimensional-Printed Recyclable, Flexible, and Wearable Device for Visualized UV, Temperature, and Sweat pH Sensing.

Wearable devices are now recognized as a powerful tool to collect physiological and environmental information in a smart, noninvasive, and real-time manner. Despite the rapid progress of wearable devices especially wearable electronic devices, there are still several challenges that limit their further development, for example, a complicated electrical signal acquisition and processing process to eliminate the interference from the surrounding signals, bulky power supply, inevitable e-waste, and environmental pollution. Herein, we report a 3D-printed recyclable, flexible, and wearable device for visualized UV, temperature, and sweat pH sensing. Compared with wearable electronic devices, our visualized wearable device senses environmental (UV light, ambient temperature), biophysical (skin temperature), and biochemical (sweat pH) signals via stimuli-responsive color change, which does not require complicated electronic circuit design/assembly, time-consuming data processing and additional power source. In addition, this visualized wearable device is fabricated via a 3D support bath printing technology by printing UV-, temperature-, and sweat pH-sensing inks containing photochromic, thermochromic, and pH-chromic materials, respectively, into/onto sustainable starch solution, resulting in a multi-functional, recyclable, and flexible sensing device with high reproducibility. Our results reveal that UV light intensities under sunlight (0-2500 µW/cm2), ambient, and skin temperatures (0-38 °C) as well as sweat pH (4.0-7.0) can be successfully monitored.

Assembling Microgels via Dynamic Cross-Linking Reaction Improves Printability, Microporosity, Tissue-Adhesion, and Self-Healing of Microgel Bioink for Extrusion Bioprinting.

Extrusion bioprinting has been widely used to fabricate complicated and heterogeneous constructs for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Despite the remarkable progress acquired so far, the exploration of qualified bioinks is still challenging, mainly due to the conflicting requirements on the printability/shape-fidelity and cell viability. Herein, a new strategy is proposed to formulate a dynamic cross-linked microgel assembly (DC-MA) bioink, which can achieve both high printability/shape-fidelity and high cell viability by strengthening intermicrogel interactions through dynamic covalent bonds while still maintaining the relatively low mechanical modulus of microgels. As a proof-of-concept, microgels are prepared by cross-linking hyaluronic acid modified with methacrylate and phenylboric acid groups (HAMA-PBA) and methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) via droplet-based microfluidics, followed by assembling into DC-MA bioink with a dynamic cross-linker (dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid, HA-DA). As a result, 2D and 3D constructs with high shape-fidelity can be printed without post-treatment, and the encapsulated L929 cells exhibit high cell viability after extrusion. Moreover, the addition of the dynamic cross-linker (HA-DA) also improves the microporosity, tissue-adhesion, and self-healing of the DC-MA bioink, which is very beneficial for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications including wound healing. We believe the present work sheds a new light on designing new bioinks for extrusion bioprinting.

Dynamic Nanocomposite Microgel Assembly with Microporosity, Injectability, Tissue-Adhesion, and Sustained Drug Release Promotes Articular Cartilage Repair and Regeneration.

Owing to the lack of blood vessels, nerves, and lymph, articular cartilage defect is difficult to self-repair. Although several cartilage tissue engineering products have been authorized for clinical use, there are still some problems such as large surgical wounds, weak adhesion with the host tissue, and the limited source of autologous chondrocytes. In this paper, a novel dynamic nanocomposite microgel assembly with excellent microporosity, injectability, tissue-adhesion, and sustained kartogenin (KGN) release is reported. Specifically, KGN-loaded cyclodextrin nanoparticles are synthesized through nanoemulsification and incorporated into bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs)-laden microgels via droplet-based microfluidics and photo-crosslinking, which are then bottom-up assembled via dynamic crosslinking between dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid and phenylboronic acid groups on microgel surface. Results reveal that the microgel assembly can avoid the cell endocytosis of nanoparticles, ensure the high BMSC viability during the regular cell culture, cryopreservation and injection process, promote the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. In addition, animal expriment proves the newborn cartilages present the typical characteristics of articular cartilage. In brief, this microgel assembly not only offers convenience for clinical use (injectability, tissue adhesion) but also provides good microenvironments for chondrogenesis (controlled drug release, interconnected micropores), indicative of its promising application for cartilage repair and regeneration.

Microgel assembly: Fabrication, characteristics and application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Microgel assembly, a macroscopic aggregate formed by bottom-up assembly of microgels, is now emerging as prospective biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM). This mini-review first summarizes the fabrication strategies available for microgel assembly, including chemical reaction, physical reaction, cell-cell interaction and external driving force, then highlights its unique characteristics, such as microporosity, injectability and heterogeneity, and finally itemizes its applications in the fields of cell culture, tissue regeneration and biofabrication, especially 3D printing. The problems to be addressed for further applications of microgel assembly are also discussed.

Analysis of the Status and Tendency of R&D Input in the Field of Rare Diseases Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Background: Through collection and sorting of rare disease projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, an understanding was gained of the categories of projects funded by the foundation in the field of rare diseases, types of diseases, categories of disease systems, regional distribution, distribution of supporting institutions, and their dynamic changes, followed by an analysis of focuses and influences of relevant state policies. This will help improve the rare disease-relating policies of the state in supporting the key fields, thus promoting healthy and sustainable development in the field of rare diseases. Method: Through the website of inquiry of projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a retrieval was made concerning the projects funded by the foundation in the field of rare diseases during the period from 1986 to 2019, followed by descriptive analysis of fund input of rare disease projects, number of projects, temporal and regional distribution, and the analysis of the law of their dynamic changes. Result: As of the end of 2019, there were 57 rare diseases and 678 related projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, with accumulated total funding of ¥ 253,525,000. Among the categories of projects, the most-funded projects were general (¥ 150,145,000, 59.22%), followed by Youth Foundation projects (¥ 53,719,000, 21.19%) and key projects (¥ 15,870,000, 6.26%); among the categories of disease systems, the most funded disease system was the nervous system (¥ 93,186,000, 37.76%), followed by the respiratory system (¥ 35,444,000, 13.98%); the most funded diseases were multiple sclerosis (¥ 34,870,000, 13.75%), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (¥ 29,854,000, 11.78%), and retinitis pigmentosa (¥ 27,005,000, 10.65%); the most funded regions were East China (¥ 106,987,000, 42.20%) and North China (¥ 71,844,000, 28.34%), while the least funded region was Northwest China (¥ 7,295,000, 2.88%); among the supporting institutions, the most funded institutions were Peking University (¥ 24,720,000, 9.75%), and Sun Yat-sen University (¥ 14,505,000, 5.72%). Conclusion: With the promulgation of more policies on encouragement of innovation and accelerated approval procedures, etc., the National Natural Science Foundation of China has been increasing its funding to rare diseases, covering increasingly more categories of funded projects, more types of diseases, and wider regions. Nonetheless, the support for scientific research in China is still relatively weak. Therefore, it is proposed that the healthy and sustainable development in the course of rare diseases should be promoted through the improvement of relevant rare disease policies, encouragement of R&D of medicine for rare diseases, the establishment of special funds for rare diseases, acceleration of fund circulation, and combination of balanced development and preferential funding to key regions and major diseases.

The usage of enzyme replacement treatments, economic burden, and quality of life of patients with four lysosomal storage diseases in Shanghai, China.

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a group of rare diseases that cause progressive physical dysfunction and organ failure, which significantly affected patients' quality of life. The objective of this study was to explore the characteristics and usage of Enzyme Replacement Treatments (ERTs), which is the only specific therapy for LSDs, of patients with the four different LSDs (Gaucher, Fabry, Pompe disease and Mucopolysaccharidosis) in Shanghai, and then evaluate the economic burden and quality of life of these patients. A total of 31patients, involving 5, 14, 4 and 8 patients with Gaucher, Fabry, Pompe disease and Mucopolysaccharidosis, respectively, were included in analysis. The result showed that only five Gaucher disease (GD) patients in Shanghai used Imiglucerase in 2019, while the other 26 patients with the other three LSDs did not receive ERTs. The total health expenditure of GD patients was 2,273,000CNY on average mainly resulted by the high cost of Imiglucerase. The total health expenditure of the other 26 patients was 37,765CNY on average. Though the cost-sharing mechanism between basic medical insurance, charity fund and patients had been explored for Gaucher disease in Shanghai, the out-of-pocket part, which was 164,301 CNY, still laid a heavy economic burden on the patients and their families. The mean EQ-VAS score of GD patients was 76.4 ± 15.5, which was higher than that of the other three LSDs. It is recommended that the scope of drug reimbursement list and the reimbursement level should be further expanded and raised to help improve the living conditions of patients with LSDs.

3D printing of Cu-doped bioactive glass composite scaffolds promotes bone regeneration through activating the HIF-1α and TNF-α pathway of hUVECs.

The increasing insight into the molecular and cellular processes within the angiogenic cascade assists in enhancing the survival and integration of engineered bone constructs. Copper-doped bioactive glass (Cu-BG) is now a potential structural component of the novel scaffolds and implants used in orthopedic and dental repairs. However, it is difficult for BG, especially micro-nano particles, to be printed into scaffolds and still retain its biological activity and ability to biodegrade. Additionally, the mechanisms of the copper-stimulating autocrine and paracrine effects of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (hUVECs) during repair and regeneration of bone are not yet clear. Therefore, in this study, we created monodispersed micro-nano spherical Cu-BG particles with varying copper content through a sol-gel process. Through in vitro tests, we found that Cu-BG enhanced angiogenesis by activating the pro-inflammatory environment and the HIF-1α pathway of hUVECs. Furthermore, 2Cu-BG diluted extracts directly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro. Then, a new 3D-printed tyramine-modified gelatin/silk fibroin/copper-doped bioactive glass (Gel/SF/Cu-BG) scaffold for rat bone defects was constructed, and the mechanism of the profound angiogenesis effect regulated by copper was explored in vivo. Finally, we found that hydrogel containing 1 wt% 2Cu-BG effectively regulated the spatiotemporal coupling of vascularization and osteogenesis. Therefore, Cu-BG-containing scaffolds have great potential for a wide range of bone defect repairs.

Genome-wide association mapping for agronomic traits in an 8-way Upland cotton MAGIC population by SLAF-seq.

KEY MESSAGE: One sub-MAGIC population was genotyped using SLAF-seq, and QTLs and candidate genes for agronomic traits were identified in Upland cotton. The agronomic traits of Upland cotton have serious impacts on cotton production, as well as economic benefits. To discover the genetic basis of important agronomic traits in Upland cotton, a subset MAGIC (multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross) population containing 372 lines (SMLs) was selected from an 8-way MAGIC population with 960 lines. The 372 lines and 8 parents were phenotyped in six environments and deeply genotyped by SLAF-seq with 60,495 polymorphic SNPs. The genetic diversity indexes of all SNPs were 0.324 and 0.362 for the parents and MAGIC lines, respectively. The LD decay distance of the SMLs was 600 kb (r2 = 0.1). Genome-wide association mapping was performed using 60,495 SNPs and the phenotypic data of the SMLs, and 177 SNPs were identified to be significantly associated with 9 stable agronomic traits in multiple environments. The identified SNPs were divided into 117 QTLs (quantitative trait loci) by LD decay distance, explaining 5.44% to 31.64% of the phenotypic variation. Among the 117 QTLs, 3 QTLs were stable in multiple environments, and 11 QTL regions were proven to have pleiotropism associated with multiple traits. Within QTL regions, 154 genes were preferentially expressed in correlated tissues, and 8 genes with known functions were identified as priori candidate genes. Two genes, GhACT1 and GhGASL3, reported to have clear functions, were, respectively, located in qFE-A05-4 and qFE-D04-3, two stable QTLs for FE. This study revealed the genetic basis of important agronomic traits of Upland cotton, and the results will facilitate molecular breeding in cotton.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in China: Quality of life and medical care experience.

BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is considered to be the most common subset of CNS inflammatory demyelinating diseases in China. We aimed to systematically evaluate the impact of NMOSD on Chinese patients' quality of life (QoL), medical care experience, family wellness and social life. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed involving 210 mostly AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients from 25 provinces across China. An established survey instrument specific for NMOSD developed by The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 scale were implemented. Pearson or Spearman Correlation analysis was performed to define the significant determinants of QoL. RESULTS: More than 70% of the participants carried an initial diagnosis other than NMOSD, most of the patients were initially diagnosed with idiopathic optic neuritis (43.6%), multiple sclerosis (19.5%), gastrointestinal disorders (11.0%) and depression (10.0%). The average time elapsed between the first symptoms and accurate NMOSD diagnosis was 2.4 ± 4.9 years. Sixty-one percent of the participants reported NMOSD imposing a great negative impact on their life quality. NMOSD worsened both physical and emotional health (Short Form-36 physical health score: 37.9 ± 43.7, emotional health score: 44.8 ± 44.3). Visual impairment, pain, and bowel and bladder dysfunction were the greatest negative physical determinants of overall QoL. Worsened physical health was associated with diminished emotional health (r = 0.71, p < 0.001), and also with an interference in the ability to work (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Only a small portion (3.3%) of the patients exhibited psychological resilience (with poor physical health but very robust emotional health). NMOSD significantly influenced the decision to have children in the study cohort, especially in the younger generation (r = -0.476, p < 0.001). Non-specific oral immunosuppressants were the most common preventive treatments, and only 13.9% received rituximab treatment. More than half (55.7%) of the patients reported dissatisfaction with current treatment options. A large proportion (88.1%) of the participants reported health insurance insufficient to pay all disease-related costs. Both concerns about treatment and about financial burden contributed to diminished QoL. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation yields novel insights into the physical, emotional, and socioeconomic impact of NMOSD on Chinese patients, which may afford potentially modifiable aspects of personal or clinical care to improve the patients' QoL, as well as serve as baseline data to reflect how future standard treatments will change patients' life quality.

Characterization of Salmonella Resistome and Plasmidome in Pork Production System in Jiangsu, China.

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic Salmonella is a significant ongoing concern over the world. Several reports have investigated the prevalence of Salmonella infections in the farm animals in China; however, there is only limited knowledge about the Salmonella cross-contamination in the slaughterhouses. Moreover, the application of genomic approaches for understanding the cross-contamination in the food-animal slaughterhouses is still in its infancy in China. In the present study, we have isolated 105 Salmonella strains from pig carcasses and environment samples collected from four independent slaughterhouses in Jiangsu, China. All the Salmonella isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis for serovar predictions, multi-locus sequence types, antimicrobial resistance genes, and plasmid types by using the in-house Galaxy platform. The antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolates was determined using a minimal inhibitory concentration assay with 14 antimicrobials. We found that the predominant serovar and serogroup was S. Derby and O:4(B), with a prevalence of 41.9 and 55%, respectively. All the isolates were multidrug-resistant and the highest resistance was observed against antimicrobials tetracycline (95.4%) and trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (90.9%). Additionally, the colistin-resistant determinant mcr-1 gene was detected in five (4.8%) strains. Our study demonstrated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella strains isolated from pig slaughterhouses in China and suggested that the genomic platform can serve as routine surveillance along with the food-chain investigation.

Focusing on basic data and a model of healthcare security for rare diseases: The Multidisciplinary Expert Seminar on Healthcare Security for Rare Diseases in China was held in Beijing.

On August 10, 2019, the Multidisciplinary Expert Seminar on Healthcare Security for Rare Diseases in China was held in Beijing. The seminar was organized by the Shanghai Foundation for Rare Disease and Shanghai Health Development Research Center and advised by the China Alliance of Rare Diseases. Participants in this seminar included government officials, experts in clinical medicine, pharmacy, epidemiology, health economics, and law as well as representatives from rare disease patient organizations. The participating experts cited three key elements of healthcare security, including its concept, data, and mechanism, to solve the problem of health care security for patients with rare diseases at the national level. Collection of basic data and creation of a model of healthcare security for rare diseases were discussed. Data collection should be actively promoted. Creation of a special zone to ensure medical care for patients with rare diseases should be considered. Healthcare security should be classified, which means that basic medical insurance provides better care for rare diseases that respond to treatment, and channels should be established for rare diseases that respond poorly to treatment.

SSR-based association mapping of fiber quality in upland cotton using an eight-way MAGIC population.

The quality of fiber is significant in the upland cotton industry. As complex quantitative traits, fiber quality traits are worth studying at a genetic level. To investigate the genetic architecture of fiber quality traits, we conducted an association analysis using a multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population developed from eight parents and comprised of 960 lines. The reliable phenotypic data for six major fiber traits of the MAGIC population were collected from five environments in three locations. Phenotypic analysis showed that the MAGIC lines have a wider variation amplitude and coefficient than the founders. A total of 284 polymorphic SSR markers among eight parents screened from a high-density genetic map were used to genotype the MAGIC population. The MAGIC population showed abundant genetic variation and fast linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay (0.76 cM, r2 > 0.1), which revealed the advantages of high efficiency and power in QTL exploration. Association mapping via a mixed linear model identified 52 significant loci associated with six fiber quality traits; 14 of them were mapped in reported QTL regions with fiber-related or other agronomic traits. Nine markers demonstrated the pleiotropism that controls more than two fiber traits. Furthermore, two SSR markers, BNL1231 and BNL3452, were authenticated as hotspots that were mapped with multi-traits. In addition, we provided candidate regions and screened six candidate genes for identified loci according to the LD decay distance. Our results provide valuable QTL for further genetic mapping and will facilitate marker-based breeding for fiber quality in cotton.

Synthesis of ZnO/Si Hierarchical Nanowire Arrays for Photocatalyst Application.

ZnO/Si nanowire arrays with hierarchical architecture were synthesized by solution method with ZnO seed layer grown by atomic layer deposition and magnetron sputtering, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the as-grown tree-like arrays was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under ultraviolet light at ambient temperature. The comparison of morphology, crystal structure, optical properties, and photocatalysis efficiency of the two samples in different seeding processes was conducted. It was found that the ZnO/Si nanowire arrays presented a larger surface area with better crystalline and more uniform ZnO branches on the whole sidewall of Si backbones for the seed layer by atomic layer deposition, which gained a strong light absorption as high as 98% in the ultraviolet and visible range. The samples were proven to have a potential use in photocatalyst, but suffered from photodissolution and memory effect. The mechanism of the photocatalysis was analyzed, and the stability and recycling ability were also evaluated and enhanced.

Identification of QTL for Fiber Quality and Yield Traits Using Two Immortalized Backcross Populations in Upland Cotton.

Two immortalized backcross populations (DHBCF1s and JMBCF1s) were developed using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population crossed with the two parents DH962 and Jimian5 (as the males), respectively. The fiber quality and yield component traits of the two backcross populations were phenotyped at four environments (two locations, two years). One hundred seventy-eight quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected including 76 for fiber qualities and 102 for yield components, explaining 4.08-17.79% of the phenotypic variation (PV). Among the 178 QTL, 22 stable QTL were detected in more than one environment or population. A stable QTL, qFL-c10-1, was detected in the previous F2 population, a RIL population in 3 environments and the current two BCF1 populations in this study, explaining 5.79-37.09% of the PV. Additionally, 117 and 110 main-effect QTL (M-QTL) and 47 and 191 digenic epistatic QTL (E-QTL) were detected in the DHBCF1s and JMBCF1s populations, respectively. The effect of digenic epistasis played a more important role on lint percentage, fiber length and fiber strength. These results obtained in the present study provided more resources to obtain stable QTL, confirming the authenticity and reliability of the QTL for molecular marker-assisted selection breeding and QTL cloning.

Controllable synthesis of branched ZnO/Si nanowire arrays with hierarchical structure.

A rational approach for creating branched ZnO/Si nanowire arrays with hierarchical structure was developed based on a combination of three simple and cost-effective synthesis pathways. The crucial procedure included growth of crystalline Si nanowire arrays as backbones by chemical etching of Si substrates, deposition of ZnO thin film as a seed layer by magnetron sputtering, and fabrication of ZnO nanowire arrays as branches by hydrothermal growth. The successful synthesis of ZnO/Si heterogeneous nanostructures was confirmed by morphologic, structural, and optical characterizations. The roles of key experimental parameters, such as the etchant solution, the substrate direction, and the seed layer on the hierarchical nanostructure formation, were systematically investigated. It was demonstrated that an etchant solution with an appropriate redox potential of the oxidant was crucial for a moderate etching speed to achieve a well-aligned Si nanowire array with solid and round surface. Meanwhile, the presence of gravity gradient was a key issue for the growth of branched ZnO nanowire arrays. The substrate should be placed vertically or facedown in contrast to the solution surface during the hydrothermal growth. Otherwise, only the condensation of the ZnO nanoparticles took place in a form of film on the substrate surface. The seed layer played another important role in the growth of ZnO nanowire arrays, as it provided nucleation sites and determined the growing direction and density of the nanowire arrays for reducing the thermodynamic barrier. The results of this study might provide insight on the synthesis of hierarchical three-dimensional nanostructure materials and offer an approach for the development of complex devices and advanced applications.

Esforços legislativos para o cuidado de doenças raras na China: análise dos fundamentos jurídicos e chamada para um quadro regulatório / Legislative efforts for rare disease in China: analysis of the legal grounds and call for a regulatory framework Chenguang Wang

Desde os anos 1980, em resposta aos desafios trazidos pelas doenças raras, alguns países desenvolvidos vêm estabelecendo quadros regulatórios. Os países em desenvolvimento devem fazer o mesmo? Este artigo argumenta que a limitação de recursos de um país em desenvolvimento, embora seja um fator importante para se considerar cuidadosamente a distribuição dos gastos com saúde, não pode ser uma desculpa para negar a necessidade de uma regulamentação. O trabalho apresenta argumentos legais e políticos para o estabelecimento de tal regulação nos países em desenvolvimento. Também relata os recentes esforços legislativos para o cuidado das doenças raras por parte das autoridades locais chinesas, explica as razões para a adoção de uma nova definição de doenças raras e elabora os segmentos necessários dentro de um contexto integrado, racional e adequado à China para o cuidado dessas enfermidades.

Coexpression of Smad7 and UPA attenuates carbon tetrachloride-induced rat liver fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: There is a great need for developing novel therapies to treat liver fibrosis. Previous studies showed that both Smad7 and uPA were inhibitors of liver fibrosis. Therefore, we explored the therapeutic effects of combinational gene therapy with Smad7 and uPA on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. MATERIAL/METHODS: Smad7 and uPA genes were cloned into an adenovirus vector. To observe the therapeutic effects of coexpression of Smad7 and uPA genes, the recombinant adenovirus were delivered into CCL4-induced fibrosis models. Fibrillar collagen, hydroxyproline, α-SMA, TGF-ß1, MMP-13, TIMP-1, HGF and PCNA were detected to evaluate the fibrosis and to explore the mechanisms underlying the treatment with Smad7 and uPA. RESULTS: The results showed that single Smad7 or uPA adenovirus reduced CCL4 induced liver fibrosis significantly; while combination of Smad7 and uPA had more significant therapeutic effect on CCl4 induced liver fibrosis. Then the markers underlying the therapeutic effect of combination of Smad7 and uPA were also explored. Over-expression of Smad7 and uPA inhibited the expression of α-SMA and TGF- ß1 significantly. Combinational gene therapy also enhanced extracellular matrix degradation by increasing the expression of MMP-13, inhibiting TIMP-1 expression, and promoted hepatocyte proliferation, while single Smad7 or uPA only induced part of these changes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that combinational gene therapy with Smad7 and uPA inhibited CCl4-induced rat liver fibrosis by simultaneously targeting multiple pathogenic pathways.

[An epidemiologic study on functional constipation among adult communities in Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of functional constipation (FC) by using Rome III criteria in the local adult communities. METHODS: A stratified randomized and community-based study by multi-stage cluster sampling was employed. A household survey was conducted from April to May 2010. All of the participants were interviewed face-to-face by filling out the self-administered questionnaires which based on Rome III criteria for the diagnosis of FC. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS) and Athens insomnia scale (AIS) were carried out to evaluate the psychological characteristics and qualities of sleep. RESULTS: A total of 7648 subjects fulfilled the questionnaires, with the response rate as 90.0%. 211 patients met the Rome III criteria, including 90 males and 121 females. The adjusted prevalence rates of FC were 2.5% in males, 3.3% in females and with an overall rate as 2.9%. The ratio of men to women was 1:1.32, with significant difference between males and females (P=0.043). The most common group was in the 18-29 year-olds (χ2=37.359, P=0.000). FC patients were more likely to be detected in the group with normal BMI (χ2=16.087, P=0.002), having received high education (χ2=27.604, P=0.000), being intelectuals (χ2=6.922, P=0.031) and divorced (χ2=22.000, P=0.000) than in other groups. Multivariate analysis showed that excessive intake of high-fat food was significantly associated with the presence of FC (odds ratio as 1.253, P=0.000), whereas foods with high-fiber (odds ratio as 0.854, P=0.029) might serve as protective factors. Significant differences between FC groups and control groups were found in the incidence of anxiety (with odds ratio as 2.583, P=0.000) and insomnia (odds ratio as 2.443, P=0.000). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of FC in adult communities in Shanghai Songjiang district was not higher than that in other parts of the communities. Excessive intake of high-fat food, anxiety and insomnia might be risk factors for FC and foods with high-fiber contents might serve as protective factors.