Proteasome activator 28A: A clinical biomarker and pharmaceutical target in acute cerebral infarction therapy

Purpose: To determine the dynamic changes in serum levels of PA28α in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI), and to investigate its correlation with infarct size and neurological deficit of the disease. Methods: A total of 100 ACI patients and 100 healthy volunteers were recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University as case and control groups, respectively. Their serum levels of PA28α were determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The potential of PA28α in predicting the incidence of ACI was assessed by plotting ROC curves. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the risk factors of ACI. In addition, an ACI model in rats was established, and ACI rats were classified into 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 day subgroups based on the duration post-ACI. Rats in the sham group served as control. Results: Serum level of PA28α was significantly higher in ACI patients than in controls. Moreover, the serum level of PA28α at admission was positively correlated to the NIHSS score and infarct volume of ACI patients. The level of PA28α in ACI rats gradually increased post-ACI, reaching a peak on day 7. The number of apoptotic brain cells in ACI rats gradually decreased after ACI. In addition, PA28α level was negatively correlated to the number of apoptotic brain cells in ACI rats (R2 = 0.5148, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The serum level of PA28α is elevated in ACI patients, and is positively correlated to infarct volume and neurological deficit of the disease. The dynamic change in brain cell apoptosis post-ACI is negatively correlated to the serum level of PA28α. These findings may provide theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of ACI

A Skin Lipidomics Study Reveals the Therapeutic Effects of Tanshinones in a Rat Model of Acne

Tanshinone (TAN), a class of bioactive components in traditional Chinese medicinal plant Salvia miltiorrhiza, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, can enhance blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and promote wound healing. For these reasons it has been developed as a drug to treat acne. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of TAN in rats with oleic acid-induced acne and to explore its possible mechanisms of action through the identification of potential lipid biomarkers. In this study, a rat model of acne was established by applying 0.5 ml of 80% oleic acid to rats’ back skin. The potential metabolites and targets involved in the anti-acne effects of TAN were predicted using lipidomics. The results indicate that TAN has therapeutic efficacy for acne, as supported by the results of the histological analyses and biochemical index assays for interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, IL-β and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The orthogonal projection of latent structure discriminant analysis score was used to analyze the lipidomic profiles between control and acne rats. Ninety-six potential biomarkers were identified in the skin samples of the acne rats. These biomarkers were mainly related to glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism, and the regulation of their dysfunction is thought to be a possible therapeutic mechanism of action of TAN on acne

Prosedur penyelesaian pembiayaan bermasalah pada akad mudharabah dalam rangka meminimalisir resiko di BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia Magelang

Permasalah kehidupan perekonomian yang sulit, membuat masyarakat berinisiatif untuk membuka usaha sendiri. Mereka membutuhkan suatu bantuan berupa dana untuk memperlancar usahanya, maka BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia Magelang ikut untuk mengembangkan produknya yaitu pembiayaan mudharabah sesuai perkembangan dunia perbankan dalam target peningkatan keuntungan dan menyejahterakan masyarakat. Dengan diberikanya pembiayaan tersebut, terkadang muncul adanya pembiayaan bermasalah dikarenakan ada beberapa faktor diantaranya ketidakmampuan anggota untuk membayar tepat waktu atau jatuh tempo pembayaran diakibatkan karena usaha anggota yang kurang lancar dan lain sebagaianya. Tugas Akhir ini berjudul “ Prosedur Penyelesaian Pembiayaan Bermasalah pada Akad Mudharabah Dalam Rangka Meminimalisir Risiko” Berdasarkan judul tersebut dapat diambil rumusan masalah yaitu apa penyebab terjadinya pembiayaan bermasalah pada BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia Magelang dan bagaimana prosedur penyelesaian pembiayaaan bermasalah pada akad mudharabah di BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia Magelang. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian lapangan dimana sumber data yang digunakan berasal dari data primer dan sekunder yang diperoleh melalui metode wawancara dengan manajer, bagian pembiayaan dan dokumentasi. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif yang bertujuan untuk menggambarkan secara sistematis dan akurat mengenai objek penelitian. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa penyebab terjadinya pembiayaan bermasalah yaitu faktor internal meliputi kurang telitinya petugas BMT dalam menganalisi data calon anggota, kurang disiplinya dalam penagihan dan eksternal meliputi karakter anggota yang kurang baik, usahanya bangkrut dan terjadinya bencana alam yang tidak terduga. Adapun prosesdur yang digunakan BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia dalam menyelesaian pembiayaan bermasalah pada akad mudharabah dengan cara kekeluargaan atau musyawarah dengan anggota, penjadwalan kembali (rescheduling), persyaratan kembali (reconditioning), pengambilan jaminan (eksekusi), dan write off final. Di BMT Amanah Usaha Mulia dalam penyelesaian pembiayaan bermasalah jarang menngunakan jalur hukum, tetapi sering menggunakan cara kekeluargaan yang dianggap lebih efektif dan eksekusi jaminan apabila anggota tersebut sudah mengalami macet atau bermasalah

Production, characterization, and epitope mapping of a monoclonal antibody against genotype VII Newcastle disease virus V protein

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) V protein is crucial for viral interferon (IFN) antagonism and virulence, determining its host range restriction. However, little information is available on the B cell epitopes of V protein and the subcellular movement of V protein in the process of NDV infection. In this study, the monoclonal antibody (mAb) clone 3D7 against genotype VII NDV V protein was generated by immunizing mice with a purified recombinant His-tagged carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) region of V protein. Fine epitope mapping analysis and B-cell epitope prediction indicated that mAb 3D7 recognized a linear epitope 152RGPAELWK159, which is located in the V protein CTD region. Sequence alignment showed that the mAb clone 3D7-recognized epitope is highly conserved among Class II genotype VII NDV strains, but not among other genotypes, suggesting it could serve as a genetic marker to differentiate NDV genotypes. Furthermore, the movement of V protein during NDV replication in infected cells were determined by using this mAb. It was found that V protein localized around the nucleus during virus replication. The establishment of V protein-specific mAb and identification of its epitope extend our understanding of the antigenic characteristics of V protein and provide a basis for the development of epitope-based diagnostic assays

Postnatal Pancreatic Islet β Cell Function and Insulin Sensitivity at Different Stages of Lifetime in Rats Born with Intrauterine Growth Retardation

Epidemiological studies have linked intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) to the metabolic diseases, consisting of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity and coronary artery disease, during adult life. To determine the internal relationship between IUGR and islet β cell function and insulin sensitivity, we established the IUGR model by maternal nutrition restriction during mid- to late-gestation. Glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test(ITT) in vivo and glucose stimulated insulin secretion(GSIS) test in vitro were performed at different stages in IUGR and normal groups. Body weight, pancreas weight and pancreas/body weight of IUGR rats were much lower than those in normal group before 3 weeks of age. While the growth of IUGR rats accelerated after 3 weeks, pancreas weight and pancreas/body weight remained lower till 15 weeks of age. In the newborns, the fasting glucose and insulin levels of IUGR rats were both lower than those of controls, whereas glucose levels at 120 and 180 min after glucose load were significantly higher in IUGR group. Between 3 and 15 weeks of age, both the fasting glucose and insulin levels were elevated and the glucose tolerance was impaired with time in IUGR rats. At age 15 weeks, the area under curve of insulin(AUCi) after glucose load in IUGR rats elevated markedly. Meanwhile, the stimulating index of islets in IUGR group during GSIS test at age 15 weeks was significantly lower than that of controls. ITT showed no significant difference in two groups before 7 weeks of age. However, in 15-week-old IUGR rats, there was a markedly blunted glycemic response to insulin load compared with normal group. These findings demonstrate that IUGR rats had both impaired pancreatic development and deteriorated glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, which would be the internal causes why they were prone to develop type 2 diabetes

Resting-State Brain Organization Revealed by Functional Covariance Networks

BACKGROUND: Brain network studies using techniques of intrinsic connectivity network based on fMRI time series (TS-ICN) and structural covariance network (SCN) have mapped out functional and structural organization of human brain at respective time scales. However, there lacks a meso-time-scale network to bridge the ICN and SCN and get insights of brain functional organization. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We proposed a functional covariance network (FCN) method by measuring the covariance of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in BOLD signals across subjects, and compared the patterns of ALFF-FCNs with the TS-ICNs and SCNs by mapping the brain networks of default network, task-positive network and sensory networks. We demonstrated large overlap among FCNs, ICNs and SCNs and modular nature in FCNs and ICNs by using conjunctional analysis. Most interestingly, FCN analysis showed a network dichotomy consisting of anti-correlated high-level cognitive system and low-level perceptive system, which is a novel finding different from the ICN dichotomy consisting of the default-mode network and the task-positive network. CONCLUSION: The current study proposed an ALFF-FCN approach to measure the interregional correlation of brain activity responding to short periods of state, and revealed novel organization patterns of resting-state brain activity from an intermediate time scale

Metode za kontrolo pronicanja vode skozi pregrade iz valjanega betona z meritvami vodotesnosti in drenaž

The technologies for construction of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams have been considerably developed during recent years in China. At the time being, they have been successfully applied to the constructions of even extreme-high gravity dams and medium to high arch dams. There are a few of hundreds of RCC dams (RCCD) under design and/or construction in China. One of the main concerned technical problems according to the construction is about the understanding of the property of seepage in RCCDs and the relevant theory and methods for the control of the seepage. In order to overcome the problem, the senior author has been engaged in a wide study on the property and methods for control of seepage in RCCDs for more than 10 years. The property of seepage, measures for watertightness and drainage, optimal design and construction schemes for control of seepage in the dams have been essentially understood either in theory and practice. The results have been applied for the construction and the backanalysis of several dams. The paper describes the research findings in detail with respect to the theoretical fundament and their application for a high RCC gravity dam.Kitajska je v zadnjih nekaj letih močno razvila svojo tehnologijo izgradnje jezov iz valjanega betona (beton RCC). Trenutno se ta tehnologija uspešno uporablja pri izgradnji izredno visokih gravitacijskih jezov, pa tudi pri izgradnji srednje visokih in visokih ločnih jezov. Na Kitajskem trenutno projektirajo ali gradijo kakšnih sto jezov iz valjanega betona. Eden glavnih tehničnih problemov pri takšni gradnji je razumevanje pronicanja vode skozi valjani beton ter potreba po razvoju ustrezne teorije in metod za nadzor pronicanja. Prvi avtor tega članka zato že več kot deset let sodeluje v obsežni študiji o lastnostih valjanega betona in metodah za nadzor pronicanja. Študija podaja teoretične osnove ter rezultate terenskih raziskav o pronicanju vode, ukrepih za doseganje vodotesnosti, drenaži, optimalnem načrtovanju in nadzoru pronicanja. Rezultate te študije smo koristno uporabili pri izgradnji in pri povratnih analizah številnih jezov. Članek podrobno opisuje raziskovalne dosežke študije, teoretske osnove ter njihovo praktično uporabo pri visokih gravitacijskih jezovih iz valjanega betona

Optical coherence tomography evaluating the culprit coronary lesion

We present a case in which a 64-year-old man was suffering from accelerated angina for 1 week. Conventional coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound were unable to detect the culprit coronary lesion. However, optical coherence tomography (OCT) obtained superior images to detect a rupture with thin-cap fibroatheroma plaque in the proximal right coronary artery. The symptom of angina disappeared after one coronary stent covering the ruptured plaque. This case indicates that OCT is a new intravascular imaging modality that allows clear visualization of vulnerable plaques

Disturbance estimation and compensation for planar motors on the long-stroke stage of a wafer stage

This article presents a data-based method to estimate and compensate low-frequency disturbance in planar motors on the long-stroke stage of a wafer stage, which is a typical multiple-input multiple-output system. First, a data-based method is introduced to decouple the multiple-input multiple-output system into multi-single-input single-output system, which is crucial for the design of controller and the correction of disturbance estimation in the scanning direction. Second, dominant low-frequency disturbances in the long-stroke stage are analyzed. Third, estimation and compensation method under moving condition is proposed. The compensation method is based on three feedforward tables, and the tables are indexed by trajectory parameters, including velocity and position instead of time in the iterative learning control method. Finally, experiments are performed on the long-stroke stage of a wafer stage to verify the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the servo performance by reducing the tracking errors by nearly 1/2 in the forward direction and 1/3 in the backward direction and lowering error difference between the forward and backward directions from 5.1 to 1.2 µm