The egg ribonuclease SjCP1412 accelerates liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma japonicum infection involving damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).

Schistosomiasis, a parasite infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum, often leads to egg granuloma and fibrosis due to the inflammatory reaction triggered by egg antigens released in the host liver. This study focuses on the role of the egg antigens CP1412 protein of S. japonicum (SjCP1412) with RNase activity in promoting liver fibrosis. In this study, the recombinant egg ribonuclease SjCP1412, which had RNase activity, was successfully prepared. By analysing the serum of the population, it has been proven that the anti-SjCP1412 IgG in the serum of patients with advanced schistosomiasis was moderately correlated with liver fibrosis, and SjCP1412 may be an important antigen associated with liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis. In vitro, the rSjCP1412 protein induced the human liver cancer cell line Hep G2 and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells apoptosis and necrosis and the release of proinflammatory damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). In mice infected with schistosomes, rSjCP1412 immunization or antibody neutralization of SjCP1412 activity significantly reduced cell apoptosis and necroptosis in liver tissue, thereby reducing inflammation and liver fibrosis. In summary, the SjCP1412 protein plays a crucial role in promoting liver fibrosis during schistosomiasis through mediating the liver cells apoptosis and necroptosis to release DAMPs inducing an inflammatory reaction. Blocking SjCP1412 activity could inhibit its proapoptotic and necrotic effects and alleviate hepatic fibrosis. These findings suggest that SjCP1412 may be served as a promising drug target for managing liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis japonica.

Efficacy of Multi-slice Spiral CT and Rapid On-site Evaluation in Diagnosis of Pulmonary Nodules.

Objective: This study aims to explore the efficacy of multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) and rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) in diagnosing pulmonary nodules, thereby providing more diagnostic information for clinical diagnosis, and improving the diagnostic efficiency of pulmonary nodules. Methods: With the means of a retrospective study, 103 patients with pulmonary nodules in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were analyzed. The included patients had no history of lung surgery, and had no cognitive, audio-visual, language communication and physical activity disorders, with visual lesions in bronchoscopy. All patients underwent MSCT scans and ROSE. In the process of cell puncture or tissue biopsy, cell fluid smears or tissue prints were directly used to make cytological specimens. In the operation site, real-time production, staining and real-time cell analysis were carried out to determine whether the material was qualified. The diagnostic efficacy of MSCT, ROSE, and the combination of the two for pulmonary nodules was analyzed. Results: Of the 103 patients, there were finally 68 cases diagnosed with solitary nodules (66.02%) and 35 cases with multiple nodules (33.98%), with 196 pulmonary nodules in total; 25 of them were peripheral lung cancer (24.27%) and 78 were benign nodules (75.73%); and based on the results of clinical diagnosis, they were divided into the malignant group and the benign group separately. Diagnosis of MSCT showed that the probabilities of calcification, spicular sign, lobulation sign, vacuolar sign, and spinous process in the malignant group were significantly higher than those in the benign group (P = .000). 30 positive cases and 73 negative cases were detected by MSCT, including 13 false positives and 8 false negatives. ROSE detected 29 positive cases and 74 negative cases, of which 5 positives were diagnosed as negatives, and the 9 negatives were diagnosed as positives. There were 28 positive cases and 75 negative cases detected by the combination of MSCT and ROSE, including 5 false positives and 2 false negatives. The combined diagnosis of MSCT and ROSE demonstrated an accuracy of 93.20%, sensitivity of 92.00%, specificity of 93.59%, positive predictive value of 82.14%, and negative predictive value of 97.33%. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of MSCT diagnosis were 79.61%, 68.00%, 83.33%, 56.67% and 89.04%, respectively. In ROSE diagnosis, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 86.41%, 80.00%, 88.46%, 68.97% and 93.24%. The combined diagnosis of MSCT and ROSE had a significantly higher diagnosis rate than the single diagnosis of MSCT and ROSE (P = .000). Through ROC analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) of combined diagnosis was overtly larger than that of single diagnosis of MSCT and ROSE (P = .000). The AUC of MSCT diagnosis and ROSE diagnosis were 0.757 (95%CI: 0.639-0.875) and 0.842 (95%CI: 0.742-0.943) respectively, and the AUC of the combined diagnosis of MSCT and ROSE was 0.928 (95%CI: 0.859-0.997). Conclusion: The combination of MSCT and ROSE contributes to the advances in the diagnostic efficacy for pulmonary nodules in order to reduce the damage caused by ineffective biopsy, which is of great clinically instructional value to the early diagnosis of this disease. This method is convenient to provide reasonable reference materials for the formulation of scientific clinical treatment plan and accurate judgment of prognosis, thereby promoting the good prognosis of patients.

Risk-factor model for postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean delivery: a retrospective study based on 3498 patients.

This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of patients with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after cesarean delivery (CD) and to develop a risk-factor model for PPH after CD. Patients were selected from seven affiliated medical institutions of Chongqing Medical University from January 1st, 2015, to January 1st, 2020. Continuous and categorical variables were obtained from the hospital's electronic medical record systems. Independent risk factors were identified by univariate analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and logistic regression. Furthermore, logistic, extreme gradient boosting, random forest, classification and regression trees, as well as an artificial neural network, were used to build the risk-factor model. A total of 701 PPH cases after CD and 2797 cases of CD without PPH met the inclusion criteria. Univariate analysis screened 28 differential indices. Multi-variable analysis screened 10 risk factors, including placenta previa, gestational age, prothrombin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen, anemia before delivery, placenta accreta, uterine atony, placental abruption and pregnancy with uterine fibroids. Areas under the curve by random forest for the training and test sets were 0.957 and 0.893, respectively. The F1 scores in the random forest training and test sets were 0.708. In conclusion, the risk factors for PPH after CD were identified, and a relatively stable risk-factor model was built.

Chlorogenic acid exerts antibacterial effects by affecting lipid metabolism and scavenging ROS in Streptococcus pyogenes.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), one of the most abundant polyphenols in the human diet, exhibits many biological properties, including antibacterial properties. Numerous studies have investigated the antibacterial effects of CGA, however, the molecular mechanisms governing its effects against Streptococcus pyogenes have not been fully elucidated. Streptococcus pyogenes is a Gram-positive pathogen that causes a wide range of human infections and postinfectious immune-mediated disorders. In this study, we used an isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic technique to investigate the underlying mode of action of CGA against S. pyogenes. KEGG and GO analyses indicated that CGA affected the expression of protein alterations involved in multiple pathways, downregulating the expression of ribosomal proteins, and upregulating the expression of proteins associated with fatty acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and propanoate metabolism, while activating the expression of oxidation-reduction-related proteins. Moreover, further cell-based experiments verified that CGA scavenges intracellular ROS in S. pyogenes. These results suggest that CGA may exert its antibacterial action through several actions, such as downregulating ribosomal subunits, affecting lipid metabolism, and scavenging intracellular ROS. The results of this study may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which CGA combats pathogens.

A correlation analysis of short-term imaging manifestations and long-term function using ROC curve after tibial fracture surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between short-term imaging techniques and long-term function using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve after tibia fracture surgery. METHODS: Seventy patients with tibia fracture admitted to our hospital were selected as the study subjects, and were divided into a < 60 years old group (n = 40) and a ≥ 60 years old group (n = 30), a removed internal fixation group (n = 26) and a retained internal fixation group (n = 44). The short-term imaging results, long-term function, the degree of pain, the range of ankle joint motion, and the subjective satisfaction of patient care were scored and compared among the four groups. The influencing factors of subjective satisfaction of patients were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There were marked differences in the scores of Jakim, Garland & Werley scoring system, and Kofoed's scale and subjective satisfaction between the < 60 years old group and the ≥ 60 years old group, and between the removed internal fixation group and the retained internal fixation group (P < 0.05), but there was no remarkable difference in visual analog scale (VAS) scores (P > 0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a correlation between the short-term imaging manifestations and the long-term function in tibia fracture patients, and the correlation was remarkable in patients aged < 60 years without internal fixation (P < 0.05). Logistic correlation analysis showed that Kofoed's scale scores were significantly correlated with patients' subjective satisfaction (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a correlation between early imaging and long-term function in tibia fracture patients, and the correlation was remarkable in patients aged < 60 years and without internal fixation. The range of joint motion and degree of pain are the primary influencing factors for evaluation of patients' subjective satisfaction.

An analysis of clinical values of MRI, CT and X-ray in differentiating benign and malignant bone metastases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical values of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and X-ray in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant bone metastases. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with bone metastases admitted to our hospital were selected as the study subjects. X-ray, CT and MRI examinations were performed, respectively. The pathological examination results were taken as the gold standard to analyze the lesion sites of metastatic tumors in 80 subjects. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of X-ray, CT and MRI examinations were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Among the 80 patients, 71 cases were diagnosed as malignant bone metastases and 9 cases as benign lesions according to pathological examination. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of X-ray, CT and MRI examinations were 63.38%, 33.33% and 60.00%, 84.51%, 66.67% and 82.50%, and 90.14%, 77.78% and 88.75%, respectively. MRI was superior to X-ray in the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of differential diagnosis of benign and malignant bone metastases (P < 0.05). MRI was superior to CT, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CT + MRI were significantly higher than those of any single detection method (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: MRI, CT and X-ray exhibit a good value in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant bone metastases. Overall, MRI is superior to CT and X-ray in the screening effects, and the combined detection methods are more satisfactory. It is recommended that CT should be used for primary screening, and CT + MRI should be implemented for a enhanced diagnosis.

Carbon emissions performance trend across Chinese cities: evidence from efficiency and convergence evaluation.

Improving carbon emissions performance in Chinese cities is a crucial way to promote China's sustainable development. Employing the super-efficiency SBM model, we first estimate the carbon emissions efficiency (CEE) of 262 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2016. Then we study and explain the club convergence of CEE combining Markov and spatial Markov models and Moran's I test method. The results show that CEE has improved, especially for the western and northeastern cities. The efficiency of the northwest cities is low, while those of the central and coastal cities are relatively high. Club convergence exists in China's urban CEE. Cities with high- and low-level efficiency have much higher convergence levels. There are significant spatial agglomeration and spillover effects in China's urban CEE, contributing to the club convergence. Our analysis suggests that "cross-border" cooperation and communication between cities in different clubs should be highly promoted. Cities in high-level efficiency clubs are encouraged to play its role in radiating the lower-level cities. And the Chinese government is encouraged to strengthen carbon emissions mitigation in low-level areas through combining the green "Belt and Road" construction with the establishment of a national carbon market.

Hypo-fractionation radiotherapy normalizes tumor vasculature in non-small cell lung cancer xenografts through the p-STAT3/HIF-1 alpha signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hypo-fractionation radiotherapy (HFRT) was considered to be an important treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the radiobiological effects of HFRT on NSCLC remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate specific biological effect of HFRT on tumor angiogenesis, compared with conventional radiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: The subcutaneous xenograft models and the dorsal skinfold window chamber (DSWC) models of nude mice bearing H460 and HCC827 NSCLC cells were irradiated with doses of 0 Gy (sham group), 22 Gy delivered into 11 fractions (CRT group) or 12 Gy delivered into 1 fraction (HFRT group). At certain time-points after irradiation, the volumes, hypoxic area, coverage rate of pericyte and micro-vessel density (MVD) of the subcutaneous xenograft models were detected, and the tumor vasculature was visualized in the DSMC model. The expressions of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (p-STAT3), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF-1α), CXCL12 and VEGFA were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the CRT groups, HFRT showed more-efficient tumor growth-suppression, accompanied by a HFRT-induced window-period, during which vasculature was normalized, tumor hypoxia was improved and MVD was decreased. Moreover, during the window-period, the signal levels of p-STAT3/HIF-1α pathway and the expressions of its downstream angiogenic factors (VEGFA and CXCL12) were inhibited by HFRT. CONCLUSION: Compared with CRT, HFRT induced tumor vasculature normalization by rendering the remaining vessels less tortuous and increasing pericyte coverage of tumor blood vessels, thereby ameliorating tumor hypoxia and enhancing the tumor-killing effect. Moreover, HFRT might exert the aforementioned effects through p-STAT3/HIF-1α signaling pathway.

Predicting cloud condensation nuclei number concentration based on conventional measurements of aerosol properties in the North China Plain.

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) play an important role in the formation and evolution of cloud droplets. However, the dataset of global CCN number concentration (NCCN) is still scarce due to the lack of direct CCN measurements, hindering an accurate evaluation of its climate effects. Alternative approaches to determine NCCN have thus been proposed to calculate NCCN based on measurements of other aerosol properties, such as particle number size distribution, bulk aerosol chemical composition and aerosol optical properties. To better understand the interaction between haze pollution and climate, we performed direct CCN measurements in the winter of 2018 at the Gucheng site, a typical polluted suburban site in North China Plain (NCP). The results show that the average CCN concentrations were 3.81 × 103 cm-3, 5.35 × 103 cm-3, 9.74 × 103 cm-3, 1.27 × 104 cm-3, 1.44 × 104 cm-3 at measured supersaturation levels of 0.114%, 0.148%, 0.273%, 0.492% and 0.864%, respectively. Based on these observational data, we have further investigated two methods of calculating NCCN from: (1) bulk aerosol chemical composition and particle number size distribution; (2) bulk aerosol chemical composition and aerosol optical properties. Our results showed that both methods could well reproduce the observed concentration (R2 > 0.88) and variability of NCCN with a 9% to 23% difference in the mean value. Further error analysis shows that the estimated NCCN tends to be underestimated by about 20% during the daytime while overestimated by <10% at night compared with the measured NCCN. These results provide quantitative instructions for the NCCN prediction based on conventional aerosol measurements in the NCP.

Effect of Optimized Concentrations of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Epidermal Growth Factor on Proliferation of Fibroblasts and Expression of Collagen: Related to Pelvic Floor Tissue Regeneration.

BACKGROUND: Fibroblasts were the main seed cells in the studies of tissue engineering of the pelvic floor ligament. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were widely studied but at various concentrations. This study aimed to optimize the concentrations of combined bFGF and EGF by evaluating their effects on proliferation and collagen secretion of fibroblasts. METHODS: Fibroblasts were differentiated from rat adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs). Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were used for cell identification. The growth factors were applied at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml as three groups: (1) bFGF alone, (2) EGF alone, and (3) bFGF mixed with EGF. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assays. Expression of Type I and III collagen (Col-I and Col-III) mRNAs was evaluated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software and GraphPad Prism using one-way analysis of variance and multiple t-test. RESULTS: ADSCs were successfully isolated from rat adipose tissue as identified by expression of typical surface markers CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD45 in flow cytometry. Fibroblasts induced from ADSC, compared with ADSCs, were with higher mRNA expression levels of Col I and Col III (F = 1.29, P = 0.0390). bFGF, EGF, and the mixture of bFGF with EGF can enhanced fibroblasts proliferation, and the concentration of 10 ng/ml of the mixture of bFGF with EGF displayed most effectively (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of Col-I and Col-III mRNAs in fibroblasts displayed significant increases in the 10 ng/ml bFGF combined with EGF group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The optimal concentration of both bFGF and EGF to promote cell proliferation and collagen expression in fibroblasts was 10 ng/ml at which fibroblasts grew faster and secreted more Type I and III collagens into the extracellular matrix, which might contribute to the stability of the pelvic floor microenvironment.

Transcriptomics and Functional Analysis of Graphene-Guided Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

OBJECTIVE: To explore graphene's effects on the gene expression profile of mesenchymal stem cells, and to reveal the mechanisms of graphene-guided osteogenic differentiation. METHODS: Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) were cultured on single-layer graphene-coated titanium disks or titanium disks in proliferation medium (control) or osteoinduction medium for 7 days before RNA extraction. After library construction and RNA sequencing, identification of differentially expressed genes was performed through Limma package of R platform, with a cut-off value of log fold change (logFC) > = |1|. Pathway and Gene ontology (GO) analyses were conducted on DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.8 (NIAID/NIH). Network analyses were performed by the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA). RESULTS: Signalling pathway analysis revealed the top five pathways - cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, neuroactive-ligand receptor interaction, calcium signalling pathway, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and cell adhesion molecules. GO analyses demonstrated significant changes on cell adhesion, calcium signalling, and epigenetic regulation. IPA network analyses demonstrated that inflammation-related pathways were influenced by graphene, while the downstream factors of histone H3 and H4 were also altered especially under the existence of osteoinduction medium. CONCLUSION: Graphene promotes osteogenic differentiation of hASCs mainly by influencing cell adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, inflammatory responses, and potentially influences histone H3 and H4 through epigenetic regulation.

Research of a new metal chelating carrier preparation and papain immobilization.

A new type of magnetic metal chelating carrier (PCMM-IDA-Cu2+) was prepared for the immobilization of papain, using chitosan as raw material, nano Fe3O4 as magnetic material, SiO2 as porogen, iminodiacetic acid (IDA) as a chelating ligand, and binding with transition metal ion (Cu2+). The resulting products were well characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The BBD (Box-Behnken Design) of RSM (Response Surface Methodology) was applied to analyze the optimum enzyme immobilization conditions. The results showed that the enzyme immobilization capacity was 94.18mg/g of PCMM-IDA-Cu2+, with 7.976U/mg of relative immobilized enzyme activity under the optimum conditions (pH6.73, 1.56mg enzyme/15.0mg carrier, 30.9°C), and the recovery of enzyme activity was reached 87.21%. Compared with the free papain, the immobilized papain displayed enhanced enzyme activity, superior enzymatic properties, good operational stability and reusability. It is worth mentioning that the novel carriers exhibited selectively biological adsorption capacity, and this technique is an alternative method for the immobilization of enzyme, making the process more efficient and economic.

Clinical features and prognostic factors of small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study in 148 patients.

To better understand the outcomes of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), we examined the clinical features and prognostic factors of SCLC in this study. A total of 148 patients who were diagnosed as having SCLC between January 2009 and December 2013 in Cancer Center of Union Hospital, Wuhan, China, were enrolled and their clinical features and prognostic factors were retrospectively analyzed. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were employed for analysis of prognostic factors. The 1- and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates were 59.7% and 25.7%, respectively, for limited disease (LD) patients whose median survival time (MST) was 16 months. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 29.5% and 5.3%, respectively, for extensive disease (ED) patients whose MST was 10 months. The univariate analysis and multivariate analysis revealed that age, tumor stage, serum CEA and Ki-67 antigen were significantly correlated to the outcomes of SCLC, and they were significant prognostic factors for SCLC.

[Distribution and Pollution Assessment of Nutrient and Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments from Lake Gehu in Southern Jiangsu Province, China].

This study investigated the horizontal distribution characteristics of nutrients and heavy metals (Zn, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd and Hg) in January, 2014, and assessed the potential ecological risk of Lake Gehu. It was found that the average contents of TN and TP were 2,207.94 and 708.62 mg · kg⁻¹ respectively. TN and TP contents of the sediments at the centre were significantly highei than those in the north, while the TN content in the south was also significantly higher than that in the north of Lake Gehu. The average contents of Zn, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, Hg were 766.59, 350.66, 307.98, 59.54, 122.67, 168.97, 2.34, 0.41 mg · kg⁻¹, respectively. The content of Cu at the centre was significantly higher than that in the north, and the Zn content at the centre was significantly greater than that in the south of Lake Gehu, however the difference in the content of other heavy metals at these three areas was not significant. Furthermore, the obvious correlation between elements and granularity was only found in the aspect of TP, Cu and Hg. The comprehensive pollution index (PI) indicated that the Lake Gehu was heavily polluted, especially the centre and south areas. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed that Cd, As and Hg had caused serious pollution in Lake Gehu while the other heavy metals only induced slight or medium pollution. According to the contribution of Cd, As and Hg to RI, it was concluded that the sediments in Lake Gehu were at a serious potential ecological risk.

A new flavane acid from the fruits of Illicium verum.

A new compound, illiciumflavane acid (1), along with 13 known compounds (2-14), were isolated from the fruits of Illicium verum Hook. F. Their structures were elucidated through various spectroscopic methods, including 1D NMR ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR), 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC and NOESY) and HRMS. The stereochemistry at the chiral centres was determined using CD spectrum as well as analyses of coupling constants and optical rotation data. Cytotoxicity evaluation of four compounds showed that illiciumflavane acid and (E)-1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethene exhibited potential against A549 activities with IC50 values of 4.63 µM and 9.17 µM, respectively.

[Effect of Raw Materials and Preparing Process on the Composition of Lime-Ash].

As the saying goes that "no ash, no glaze", lime-ash has been the core material widely used to prepare glaze in ancient China. Among all the lime-ashes, those made in Jingdezhen are the most influential and representative ones. Not only did lime-ash contribute greatly to the prosperity of porcelain making of Jingdezhen in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, but also it has a complicated, rigorous and a touch of "mysterious" in its preparation process, technical principle and glaze mechanism. Therefore, the research of the lime-ash has been an important subject in exploring the "secret" of ancient Chinese porcelain production by Chinese and foreign researchers. In this paper, four representative firewood and two lime stones as the raw materials were collected for the comparative studies, and three kinds of lime-ash with different smolder times were collected from one of the only two traditional lime-ash workshops in Shou'an town nearby Jingdezhen urban area. The chemical composition and phase composition of the raw materials and lime-ash with different smolder times made in Jingdezhen were discussed by testing with the Energy Dispersive X Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The results showed that Fe(2)O(3), MnO contents reaches 1.41% and 1.52% respectively, but the P(2)O(5) content is just 0.54% of Langqi grass which is lower than other firewood that is not only benefited to form the characteristic of "Green in the white" in Jingdezhen traditional glaze, but also is favor to enhance the transparency of glaze and promote the coloration of traditional under-glazed color painted porcelain, such as the blue and white porcelain. The CaO content of grey lime stone is lower than that of the black lime stone with MgO content of 35.79%.This could be the main reason why the craftsmen prefer to use black lime stone to prepare lime-ash. In addition, the EDXRF results show that the K(2)O, P(2)O(5), MnO and Fe(2)O(3) contents have increased as the time of smoldering increases. In the meanwhile, the calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) phase has also increased, but the calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2)) phase has decreased. The study helps Jingdezhen porcelain "look like jade" and is also good to avoid the "thickness" of glaze when there is a certain amount of Ca(OH)(2) in glaze. So it could be concluded that the unique raw materials and smolder technology of the lime-ash which have provided the technical support for the development of lime-ash glaze are the unique features of ancient Jingdezhen ash glaze.

[Community structure of macrozoobenthos and its relationship with environmental factors in Lake Gehu, Jiangsu, China.] / æ±Ÿè‹æ»†æ¹–å¤§åž‹åº•æ –åŠ¨ç‰©ç¾¤è½ç»“æž„åŠå ¶ä¸ŽçŽ¯å¢ƒå› å­çš„å ³ç³».

A survey on macrozoobenthos was conducted seasonally and 14 aquatic physicochemical parameters were monitored monthly to reveal the community characteristics of macrozoobenthos and their relationship with aquatic environmental factors at 20 sampling sites in the Lake Gehu from July 2013 to December 2014. A total of 25 macrozoobenthos species including 3 species (12% of total) of Mollusca, 12 species (48%) of Chironomidae, 4 species (16%) of Oligochaeta, 4 species (16%) of Crustacean were identified. The dominant species were Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Branchiuras owerbyi, Tanypus chinensis, and Propsilocerus taihuensis. Density and biomass of Chironomid larvae and Oligochata had significant spatial and seasonal changes. The state of aquatic environment was mainly affected by the nitrogen, phosphorus and water temperature in the Lake Gehu, and TN, NO3--N and DO changed significantly with space and season. The Spearman correlation analysis indicated that TN and NO3--N played a key role in the community structure characteristics of the macrozoobenthos in the Lake Gehu. The environmental variables could well explain the changes of main macrobenthic species.

[Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males with hepatitis B virus infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate sperm DNA integrity in male infertility patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS: This study included 90 infertile men with HBV infection (group A), 82 infertile men without HBV infection (group B) and 70 normal fertile men (group C). We detected sperm DNA integrity among the subjects, including DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and high DNA stainability (HDS), by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), and compared them among the three groups. RESULTS: DFI was higher in group A ([28.17 +/- 13.06]%) than in B ([26.64 +/- 9.79]%) and C ([15.67 +/- 4.73]%), significantly higher in A and B than in C (P < 0.05) but with no significant difference between A and B (P > 0.05). HDS was higher in group A ([10.83 +/- 5.601]%) than in B ([9.04 +/- 3.48]%) and C ([8.04-2.25]%), with significant difference between A and C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males is significantly different from that of normal fertile men, and infertility with HBV infection further impairs sperm DNA, which is manifested by abnormal sperm nuclear maturity.

[Optimization of time of artificial population schistosome infected Oncomelania hupensis snails].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the optimizational time of artificial population schistosome infected Oncomelania hupensis snails. METHODS: Under laboratory conditions, the snails were infected with the miracidia of Schistosoma japonicum for 2 h, 3 h and 4 h respectively, and the death rates and the infection rates of the snails, and the quantities of cercariae of each group were observed 60-120 d after the infection, and all the data observed were analyzed to get the optimizational time of artificial population schistosome infected snails. RESULTS: Of the 3 h group, the snail infection rate was the highest and the mortality was the lowest among the 3 groups (P<0.05). The average number of cercariae of the 3 h group was higher than that of the 2 h group (P<0.05), while there was no statistical difference between the 3 h group and the 4h group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Under laboratory conditions, the optimizational time is 3 h in artificial population schistosome infected O. hupensis snails.

Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males with hepatitis B virus infection / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate sperm DNA integrity in male infertility patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study included 90 infertile men with HBV infection (group A), 82 infertile men without HBV infection (group B) and 70 normal fertile men (group C). We detected sperm DNA integrity among the subjects, including DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and high DNA stainability (HDS), by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), and compared them among the three groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DFI was higher in group A ([28.17 +/- 13.06]%) than in B ([26.64 +/- 9.79]%) and C ([15.67 +/- 4.73]%), significantly higher in A and B than in C (P < 0.05) but with no significant difference between A and B (P > 0.05). HDS was higher in group A ([10.83 +/- 5.601]%) than in B ([9.04 +/- 3.48]%) and C ([8.04-2.25]%), with significant difference between A and C (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males is significantly different from that of normal fertile men, and infertility with HBV infection further impairs sperm DNA, which is manifested by abnormal sperm nuclear maturity.</p>