Loss of behavioral stress response in blind cavefish reduces energy expenditure.

The stress response is essential for animal self-defense and survival. However, species may exhibit stress response variation depending on their specific environmental and selection pressures. Blind cavefish dwell in cave environments, which differ markedly in stressors and resource availability compared to surface aquatic environments. However, whether blind cavefish exhibit differences in stress response as an adaptation to their cave environments remains unclear. Here, we investigated differences in stress response in six closely related Triplophysa species, including three blind cavefish (T. longibarbata, T. jiarongensis, and T. rosa) and three normal-sighted river fish (T. nasobarbatula, T. dongsaiensis, and T. bleekeri). Results showed that blind cavefish exhibited a range of distinct behavioral responses compared to sighted river fish, including greater levels of activity, shorter duration of freezing, absence of erratic movements or thrashing behavior, and opposite behavioral trends over time. Furthermore, the cavefish species demonstrated attenuated increases in metabolic rate in response to stressors related to novel environments. Cave-dwelling T. rosa also exhibited lower basal hypothalamic-pituitary-inter-renal (HPI) axis-related gene expression levels and stress hormone concentrations compared to river-dwelling T. bleekeri. These results suggest that blind cavefish may have lost their behavioral stress response, potentially mediated by a reduction in basal activity of the HPI axis, thus enabling the conservation of energy by reducing unnecessary expenditure in energy-limited caves.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate alleviates galactose-induced aging impairment via gut-brain communication.

The study aimed to determine whether gut-brain communication could be modulated by epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in a mouse aging model that was established by daily injection of D-galactose (D-gal) for 10 weeks. Our results showed that EGCG could improve aging-associated changes by increasing the immune organ indexes, brain index, and learning and memory ability in vivo. EGCG-triggered aging prevention was associated with the reduction of lipid peroxidation and elevation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities in the brain. Concomitantly, treatment of D-gal-induced aging in mice with EGCG significantly reduced corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and corticosterone, suggesting that EGCG-exerted protection of the aging brain was involved in the inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Further data concerning intestinal function showed that EGCG could enhance fecal moisture in vitro and reduce the pH value of feces in aging mice when compared to the D-gal group, suggesting that EGCG played beneficial roles in the intestine of aging mice. Moreover, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the mediators of gut-brain communication, were significantly increased in the intestinal contents of aging mice by treatment with EGCG. Therefore, the tea polyphenol EGCG showing anti-aging properties was demonstrated to be implicated in modulating gut-brain communication by attenuating the HPA axis and enhancing the content of SCFAs.

O-Arm-Navigated, Robot-Assisted Versus Conventional CT Guided Radiofrequency Ablation in Treatment of Osteoid Osteoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Osteoid osteoma is a common benign bone tumor, and clinically there is severe local pain that typically worsens at night. The conventional CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was widely used in the treatment of osteoid osteoma (OO), which could result in some radiation-related and imprecise complications due to the overdose of radiation exposure. This study aimed to compare the surgical effect of robot-assisted RFA with O-arm navigation and conventional CT-guided RFA in the treatment of OO. Methods: Sixty-two patients who underwent robot-assisted RFA with O-arm navigation (Robot-RFA, n = 24) or CT-guided RFA (CT-RFA, n = 38) were included in this retrospective cohort study. The mean follow-up time was 23.3 months. The intra-operative data, primary technical success rate, visual analog scale (VAS), and post-operative complications were analyzed. Results: Primary technical success was obtained in 23 patients who had robot-assisted RFA, and 35 patients who had conventional CT-guided RFA. One patient in Robot-RFA group and three patients in CT-RFA group with pain recurrence received repeat-RFA and had a secondary success. Mean operation time and dose of radiation exposure were lower in Robot-RFA group than that in CT-RFA group. The Robot-RFA group took fewer K-wire adjustment times for each patient than the CT-RFA group. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean operation time, dose of radiation exposure, and K-wire adjustment times between the groups (p < 0.05). No complications associated with the procedure were reported in the two groups during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Robot-assisted RFA with O-arm navigation is a safer and more precise strategy in the treatment of osteoid osteoma with less operation time and radiation exposure compared with the conventional CT-guided radiofrequency ablation.

Serum exosomal miR-16-5p functions as a tumor inhibitor and a new biomarker for PD-L1 inhibitor-dependent immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma by regulating PD-L1 expression.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed at investigating whether serum exosomal miR-16-5p could be utilized as an immunotherapy biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients administered by programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, and to evaluate its functions in LUAD progression. METHODS: Sixty LUAD sufferers and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were covered in this work. We applied both IHC and WB to examine PD-L1 level in clinical tissue samples and utilized WB to quantify PD-L1 expression in LUAD cells and LUAD xenograft tissues, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), WB, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) were executed to confirm the exosomes isolated from serum specimens and cell culture media. To quantify of exosomal miR-16-5p level from serum and culture medium of cultured cell, qRT-PCR experiment was utilized. The connection between tissue PD-L1 level and serum exosomal miR-16-5p expression in PD-L1-positive sufferers administered by PD-L1 inhibitors was verified using Spearman correlation coefficient analysis. In addition, the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates among PD-L1 inhibitor managed sufferers were acquired through a follow-up visit. Finally, we used a group of assays, including 5-bromo-2'-dexoyuridine (BrdU) and colony formation test, wound healing experiment, flow cytometry, and nude mice xenograft experiment, to explore the functions of circulating exosomal miR-16-5p on LUAD cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration, as well as tumor development, respectively. RESULTS: PD-L1 expression was positively related to T stage (tumor size stage), and PD-L1 inhibitor treatment reduced the PD-L1 expression and mitigated T stage in PD-L1-positive LUAD sufferers. For PD-L1-positive LUAD sufferers, elevated PD-L1 expression or reduced serum exosomal miR-16-5p level were linked to longer PFS and OS upon PD-L1 inhibitor treatment. The number of exosomes in patient's serum was more than that in the serum of healthy individuals, and PD-L1 inhibitor treatment decreased the number of serum-derived exosomes in PD-L1-positive LUAD sufferers. Exosome-derived miR-16-5p was downregulated in patient's serum and cell culture medium, and this was negatively linked to tumor stage and PD-L1 expression. Meanwhile, PD-L1 inhibitor treatment could increase the serum exosomal miR-16-5p expression, and the expression change of serum exosomal miR-16-5p was diametrically related to PD-L1 after the treatment. Moreover, the overexpression of PD-L1 accelerated tumor growth and decreased the exosomal miR-16-5p content in cell culture media, while exosomal miR-16-5p overexpression in cell culture media inhibited tumor development by decreasing the PD-L1 expression. Exosomal miR-16-5p overexpression in cell culture media also depressed LUAD cell proliferation and migration, and stimulated cell apoptosis, especially in the cells which cultured in the mediums with PD-L1 inhibitor in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Serum exosomal miR-16-5p may be a latent tumor inhibitor and a new biomarker for PD-L1 inhibitor-dependent immunotherapy in LUAD by regulating the PD-L1 expression.

Finite-Time Synchronization of Complex-Valued Memristive-Based Neural Networks via Hybrid Control.

The finite-time synchronization problem is investigated for the master-slave complex-valued memristive neural networks in this article. A novel Lyapunov-function based finite-time stability criterion with impulsive effects is proposed and utilized to design the decentralized finite-time synchronization controller. Not only the settling time but also the attractive domain with respect to the impulsive gain and average impulsive interval, as well as initial values is derived according to the sufficient synchronization condition. Two examples are outlined to illustrate the validity of our hybrid control strategy.

Current Sensor Fault Reconstruction for PMSM Drives.

This paper deals with a current sensor fault reconstruction algorithm for the torque closed-loop drive system of an interior PMSM. First, sensor faults are equated to actuator ones by a new introduced state variable. Then, in αß coordinates, based on the motor model with active flux linkage, a current observer is constructed with a specific sliding mode equivalent control methodology to eliminate the effects of unknown disturbances, and the phase current sensor faults are reconstructed by means of an adaptive method. Finally, an αß axis current fault processing module is designed based on the reconstructed value. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experimental tests on the RT-LAB platform.

Current Sensor Fault Diagnosis Based on a Sliding Mode Observer for PMSM Driven Systems.

This paper proposes a current sensor fault detection method based on a sliding mode observer for the torque closed-loop control system of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors. First, a sliding mode observer based on the extended flux linkage is built to simplify the motor model, which effectively eliminates the phenomenon of salient poles and the dependence on the direct axis inductance parameter, and can also be used for real-time calculation of feedback torque. Then a sliding mode current observer is constructed in αß coordinates to generate the fault residuals of the phase current sensors. The method can accurately identify abrupt gain faults and slow-variation offset faults in real time in faulty sensors, and the generated residuals of the designed fault detection system are not affected by the unknown input, the structure of the observer, and the theoretical derivation and the stability proof process are concise and simple. The RT-LAB real-time simulation is used to build a simulation model of the hardware in the loop. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Novel cytotoxic chalcones from Litsea rubescens and Litsea pedunculata.

Two novel flavonoids with chalcone skeleton, together with seven known flavonoids, were isolated from the stem barks of Litsea rubescens and Litsea pedunculata. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectral methods including IR, UV, 1D and 2D NMR. The new chalcones were found to contain the rare epoxy or ethylidenedioxy group. This is the first report on the presence of chalcone in the plant genus Litsea. The cytotoxic potential of two new chalcones was evaluated in vitro against three human tumor cell lines. Both new chalcones displayed potent cytotoxic activities against myeloid leukaemia (HL-60) and epidermoid carcinoma (A431) cell lines and more active than cisplatin (DDP). Interestingly, compound 1 exhibited cytotoxic activity against HL-60 with IC(50) value 2.1-fold more sensitive to DDP.

[Application of Berlin questionnaire in the screening of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of Berlin questionnaire in screening obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) among Chinese. METHODS: A total of 302 cases with suspected OSAHS were referred to our sleep laboratory. The Berlin questionnaire scores and polysomnography (PSG) monitoring data were analyzed. According to the Berlin questionnaire score, the patients were divided into high and lower risk groups for OSAHS. In terms of the PSG monitoring results, the patients were classified into non-OSAHS, mild, moderate and severe OSAHS groups. The age, gender, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), body mass index, and the Berlin questionnaire (BQ) result were compared among the 4 groups. The correlation of Berlin questionnaire result with age, AHI, the lowest SpO2 (LSpO2) and microarousal index (MAI) were analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the Berlin questionnaire results among non-OSAHS and the other 3 groups (χ(2) = 13.961, 8.466, 42.156, P < 0.0083); and between the severe OSAHS and the other 2 groups (χ(2) = 9.439, 11.162, P < 0.0083). There was no statistical difference between the mild and moderate groups (P > 0.0083). The ratio of the high BQ risk patients had an increasing tendency as the severity of OSAHS was increased (χ(2) = 34.211, P < 0.01). The Berlin questionnaire results showed a positive correlation with age, AHI or MAI (r = 0.125, 0.346, 0.198, all P < 0.05, respectively) but a negative correlation with LSpO2 (r = -0.371, P < 0.01). The Berlin questionnaire results showed no correlation with gender (P > 0.05). The sensitivity and the specificity of the Berlin questionnaire in predicting sleep apnea were 0.71 and 0.72, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: With the moderate sensitivity and the specificity, the Berlin questionnaire has some value in screening patients with OSAHS. However, it is not correlated with the severity of OSAHS in Chinese patients. Thus Berlin questionnaire has limited value in the screening of OSAHS among Chinese.

Highly efficient gene transfer to solid tumors in vivo by tumor-selective replicating retrovirus vectors.

Tumor-selective replicating viruses are attractive tools for cancer gene therapy, but generally achieve only transitory tumor suppression. However, replicating retrovirus vectors (RRVs) can achieve highly efficient and tumor-selective transduction, as well as persistent expression of transgenes. We therefore developed RRVs that express the yeast cytosine deaminase (yCD) and herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK), which exhibit remarkably enhanced cytotoxicity after administration of the prodrugs 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) and ganciclovir (GCV) concomitant with the efficiency of their replicative spread, and tested their therapeutic effect in vitro and in vivo. In subcutaneous MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer xenograft models, RRV-mediated yCD and TK suicide gene therapy significantly suppressed tumor growth after prodrug administration. Notably, no systemic spread of the vector to extratumoral tissues was detected. Our results thus demonstrate that efficient, tumor-selective, and stable integration achieved by RRVs causes efficient cell killing upon prodrug administration, resulting in significant suppression of tumor growth.

A novel norditerpenoid alkaloid from Aconitum macrorhynchum.

A novel norditerpenoid alkaloid, macrorhynine C (1), together with three known compounds, was isolated from Aconitum macrorhynchum. The structure of the new alkaloid was elucidated on the basis of spectral analyses as (1alpha,6alpha,16beta)-3-hydroxy-8-acetyloxy-13-hydroxy-1,6,16-trimethoxy-4-(methoxymethyl)-19-ene-aconitan-14-yl 4-methoxybenzoate (1). The novel compound was found to contain the rare C(19) = N azomethine group. Compounds 2-4 were obtained from this species for the first time.

Study on immune function of dendritic cells in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the immune function of dendritic cells from both peripheral blood and operated tissues of esophageal carcinoma patients in order to find the relationship between the immune function of dendritic cells and the pathogenesis of esophageal carcinoma. METHODS: The expression of CD83, CD80, and CD86 on the surface of dendritic cells cultured from the peripheral blood of patients was detected compared with that from health donors using flow cytometry. The ability of dendritic cells to induce T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated by a liquid scintillation counter. The expression of CD80, CD86, CD83, and S-100 proteins was assessed in esophageal carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: Compared with those from healthy donors, dendritic cells cultured from the peripheral blood of patients expressed lower CD80 and CD86. Furthermore, the ability of dendritic cells in patients to induce T lymphocyte proliferation was significantly lower than that of the control group. Compared with the control group, the positive expression ratio and frequencies of CD80, CD86, and S-100 in esophageal carcinoma tissues were significantly down regulated. The expression of CD83 was up-regulated in the pericancerous tissues, but no expression was found in the cancerous nodules. CONCLUSION: The impaired immune function and the decreased number of dendritic cells cause pathogenesis and progression of esophageal carcinoma.

Event-related potentials P300 in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate event-related potentials (ERP) P(300) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) for early detection of the abnormalities in cognitive function and studying the related factors. METHODS: With the assistance of Nicolet Vinking IV equipment, ERP (P(300)) were tested in 30 type 2 diabetic patients and 30 healthy subjects matched for age, gender, and education background, and the the results were analyzed statistically. The relationships of each ERP parameter with glucose hemoglobin (GHb) and blood lipid levels and renal function were analyzed. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in P(300) latencies in the control group irrespective of the gender and education (P > 0.05), while the latencies were significantly prolonged (P < 0.01) and the amplitudes decreased (P < 0.05) in diabetic patients. It was found that P(300) correlated with glucose hemoglobin (GHb) and blood lipid levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ERP test is useful for early detection of cognition dysfunction in DM cases, helping to timely identify diabetic patients with potential dementia.