Expression levels of apoptotic factors in a rat model of corticosteroid-induced femoral head necrosis

Purpose: To study the expression levels of apoptotic factors in corticosteroid-mediated femoral head necrosis (FHN) in rats. Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n = 60) bred adaptively for one week were randomly assigned to control and model groups (30 rats/group). A rat model of corticosteroid-induced femoral head necrosis was established. Then, 3 mL of blood drawn from the inferior vena cava of each rat was used for the assay of the expression levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteoclast differentiation factor (RANKL) in each group using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The caspase-3- and Bcl-2-+ve cells in each group were determined with immunohistochemical method. Results: Relative to control, serum OPG level of model group was significantly decreased, while the RANKL level was markedly raised (p < 0.05). The degree of empty lacunae in the model rats was markedly increased, relative to control. Caspase-3-+ve cells were more numerous in the model group than in control, while Bcl-2-positive cells were markedly decreased compared to control (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Apoptosis occurs in the rat model of femoral head necrosis. Glucocorticoids may regulate the apoptotic process by  upregulating caspase-3 and inhibiting Bcl-2. This provides a novel lead for FHN therapy. Keywords: Femoral head necrosis, Corticosteroid, Glucocorticoid, Apoptosi

Fast 3D Indoor Scene Synthesis by Learning Spatial Relation Priors of Objects

We present a framework for fast synthesizing indoor scenes, given a room geometry and a list of objects with learnt priors.Unlike existing data-driven solutions, which often learn priors by co-occurrence analysis and statistical model fitting, our methodmeasures the strengths of spatial relations by tests for complete spatial randomness (CSR), and learns discrete priors based onsamples with the ability to accurately represent exact layout patterns. With the learnt priors, our method achieves both acceleration andplausibility by partitioning the input objects into disjoint groups, followed by layout optimization using position-based dynamics (PBD)based on the Hausdorff metric. Experiments show that our framework is capable of measuring more reasonable relations amongobjects and simultaneously generating varied arrangements in seconds compared with the state-of-the-art works.</p

NH3-Sensing Mechanism Using Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor with AlO(OH) Film

In this study, AlO(OH) (boehmite) film was deposited onto a surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator using a combined sol-gel and spin-coating technology, and prepared and used as a sensitive layer for a high-performance ammonia sensor. The prepared AlO(OH) film has a mesoporous structure and a good affinity to NH3 (ammonia gas) molecules, and thus can selectively adsorb and react with NH3. When exposed to ammonia gases, the SAW sensor shows an initial positive response of the frequency shift, and then a slight decrease of the frequency responses. The sensing mechanism of the NH3 sensor is based on the competition between mass-loading and elastic-loading effects. The sensor operated at room temperature shows a positive response of 1540 Hz to 10 ppm NH3, with excellent sensitivity, selectivity and stability

STAT5 programs a distinct subset of GM-CSF-producing T helper cells that is essential for autoimmune neuroinflammation

T helper (TH)-cell subsets, such as TH1 and TH17, mediate inflammation in both peripheral tissues and central nervous system. Here we show that STAT5 is required for T helper-cell pathogenicity in autoimmune neuroinflammation but not in experimental colitis. Although STAT5 promotes regulatory T cell generation and immune suppression, loss of STAT5 in CD4+ T cells resulted in diminished development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Our results showed that loss of encephalitogenic activity of STAT5-deficient autoreactive CD4+ T cells was independent of IFN-γ or interleukin 17 (IL-17) production, but was due to the impaired expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a crucial mediator of T-cell pathogenicity. We further showed that IL-7-activated STAT5 promotes the generation of GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells, which were preferentially able to induce more severe EAE than TH17 or TH1 cells. Consistent with GM-CSF-producing cells being a distinct subset of TH cells, the differentiation program of these cells was distinct from that of TH17 or TH1 cells. We further found that IL-3 was secreted in a similar pattern as GM-CSF in this subset of TH cells. In conclusion, the IL-7-STAT5 axis promotes the generation of GM-CSF/IL-3-producing TH cells. These cells display a distinct transcriptional profile and may represent a novel subset of T helper cells which we designate as TH-GM

Highly porous Fe2O3-SiO2 layer for acoustic wave based H2S sensing: mass loading or elastic loading effects?

A highly porous Fe 2 O 3 -SiO 2 layer prepared using sol-gel and spin-coating methods was applied on the surface of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device for H 2 S sensing. SiO 2 in this sensing layer serves as a porous support for dispersing Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles, and Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles can effectively adsorb and react with H 2 S molecules. By changing the Fe/Si molar ratio in this Fe 2 O 3 -SiO 2 layer, its pore volume, pore distribution and H 2 S adsorption capacity can be adjusted, the contribution of mass loading effect and the elastic loading effect toward the frequency response of the sensor can be controlled, and the sensing performance of the sensor can be optimized. The optimized sensing response is -4.4 kHz toward 100 ppm H 2 S, with a good selectivity and reproducibility operated at room temperature (25 ℃)

Surface acoustic wave ammonia sensor based on SiO2-SnO2 composite film operated at room temperature

Sensitive thin film layers of SnO2, SiO2 and SiO2-SnO2 were deposited on a SAW resonator using sol-gel method and spin coating techniques. Their ammonia-sensing performance operated at room temperature was characterized and their sensing mechanisms were comprehensively studied. When exposed to ammonia, the sensors made of SnO2 and SiO2-SnO2 films exhibit positive frequency shifts, whereas the SiO2 film sensors exhibit a negative frequency shift. The positive frequency shift is related to the dehydration and condensation of hydroxyl groups, which make the films stiffer and lighter. The negative frequency shift is mainly caused by the increase of mass loading due to the adsorption of ammonia. The gas sensor based on SiO2-SnO2 film shows a positive frequency shift of 631 Hz when it is exposed to ammonia with a low concentration of 3 ppm, and it also shows good repeatability and stability, as well as a good selectivity to ammonia compared with gases of C6H14, C2H5OH, C3H6O, CO, H2, NO2, and CH4

Real-time monitoring of airborne molecular contamination on antireflection silica coatings using surface acoustic wave technology

Real time monitoring of contamination on antireflection (AR) silica coatings in high peak power laser systems (HPLs) is critically needed in order to avoid reductions of transmission and laser damage to optical surfaces. Herein we proposed to apply a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor to real-time monitor trace amounts of airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs) adsorbed on the AR silica coatings. The silica coating is found to be susceptible to AMCs because of its mesoporous structure, huge surface area and polar nature. The adsorbed AMCs caused the increased mass on the silica coating of the SAW sensor, which resulted in a significant increase of its frequency shift. The fabricated sensor showed a high sensitivity of ∼-490 mm2 ng−1Hz and an excellent linearity vs. the areal density of adsorbed AMCs since the frequency shift of the sensor is linearly related to the change of mass of the silica coating