Nonlinear structural behaviour of membrane-type LNG carrier cargo containment systems under impact pressure loads at −163 °C

This paper is a sequel to the paper dealing with quasi-static responses previously studied by the authors. The structural failure of membrane-type liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) cargo tank is an important issue in the construction of ultra-large an LNG carrier. However, quasi-static analysis to investigate the structural failure is difficult and tends to give conservative results. To compensate the weak points of the quasi-static analysis, a procedure for the dynamic analysis was developed to assess the structural failure using nonlinear finite element method. A nonlinear finite element method is employed to model metal membrane, insulation and surface contacts. Various element formulations are tested at different points along a corrugated surface to optimise the accuracy of the model with respect to computation time. Material properties used in the model are calibrated based on experimentally measured values at cryogenic conditions (−163 °C). The model is used to predict the structural failure under different impact pressure loads and loading patterns. It is concluded that the structural damage is less likely to occur under 30 bar

Wnt5a stimulates chemotactic migration and chemokine production in human neutrophils

Wnt5a is a ligand that activates the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways (??-catenin-independent pathways). Human neutrophils expressed several Wnt5a receptors, such as Frizzled 2, 5 and 8. Stimulation of human neutrophils with Wnt5a caused chemotactic migration and the production of two important chemokines, CXCL8 and CCL2. CCL2 production by Wnt5a was mediated by a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein-dependent pathway. Wnt5a also stimulated the phosphorylation of three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs: ERK, p38 MAPK and JNK) and Akt. Inhibition of ERK, p38 MAPK or JNK by specific inhibitors induced a dramatic reduction in Wnt5a-induced CCL2 production. Supernatant collected from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages induced neutrophil chemotaxis, which was significantly inhibited by anti-Wnt5a antibody. Our results suggested that Wnt5a may contribute to neutrophil recruitment, mediating the inflammation response.open4

Integrated analysis of global proteome, phosphoproteome, and glycoproteome enables complementary interpretation of disease-related protein networks

Multi-dimensional proteomic analyses provide different layers of protein information, including protein abundance and post-translational modifications. Here, we report an integrated analysis of protein expression, phosphorylation, and N-glycosylation by serial enrichments of phosphorylation and N-glycosylation (SEPG) from the same tissue samples. On average, the SEPG identified 142,106 unmodified peptides of 8,625 protein groups, 18,846 phosphopeptides (15,647 phosphosites), and 4,019 N-glycopeptides (2,634 N-glycosites) in tumor and adjacent normal tissues from three gastric cancer patients. The combined analysis of these data showed that the integrated analysis additively improved the coverages of gastric cancer-related protein networks; phosphoproteome and N-glycoproteome captured predominantly low abundant signal proteins, and membranous or secreted proteins, respectively, while global proteome provided abundances for general population of the proteome. Therefore, our results demonstrate that the SEPG can serve as an effective approach for multi-dimensional proteome analyses, and the holistic profiles of protein expression and PTMs enabled improved interpretation of disease-related networks by providing complementary information.11103Ysciescopu

Anthropometrics and fat mass, but not fat-free mass, are compromised in infants requiring parenteral nutrition after neonatal intestinal surgery

BACKGROUND: Children with intestinal failure (IF) receiving long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) have altered body composition (BC), but data on BC changes from start of PN onwards are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess growth and BC in infants after neonatal intestinal surgery necessitating PN and at risk for IF, and to explore associations with clinical parameters. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study in infants after intestinal surgery. IF was defined as PN-dependency for > 60 days. Standard deviation scores (SDS) for anthropometry were calculated until 6 months corrected age. In a subgroup, fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured with air-displacement plethysmography at 2- and 6-months corrected age. SDS for length-adjusted FM index and FFM index were calculated. Associations between cumulative amount of PN and BC parameters were analyzed with linear mixed-effect models. RESULTS: Ninety-five neonates were included (54% male, 35% born < 32 weeks). Thirty-nine infants (41%) had IF. Studied infants had compromised anthropometric parameters during follow-up. At 6 months corrected age, they remained smaller (median weight-for-age SDS -0.9 [interquartile range -1.5, 0.1], P < 0.001) than the normal population. In 57 infants, 93 BC measurements were performed. FM index SDS was lower than in healthy infants at 2- and 6-months corrected age (-0.9 [-1.6, -0.3], P < 0.001 and -0.7 [-1.3, 0.1], P = 0.001, respectively), but FFM index SDS did not differ. A higher cumulative amount of PN predicted higher FM index in female infants but lower FM index in male infants. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of infants receiving PN after intestinal surgery, compromised anthropometrics, decreased FM and adequate FFM were observed during the first 6 months. Male and female infants seemed to respond differently to PN when it comes to FM index. Continuing growth monitoring after 6 months of age is strongly recommended, while further research should explore the benefit of incorporating ongoing BC monitoring during follow-up.Clinical Trial Registration: Dutch Trial Register NTR6080, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/5892

Quality of life in patients with gastric cancer: translation and psychometric evaluation of the Iranian version of EORTC QLQ-STO22

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Disease and treatment related events, can adversely affect the quality of life of patients with cancer. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a gastric cancer specific health related quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-STO22) for Iranian patients suffering from gastric cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the English language version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 into Persian (Iranian language). Then, the questionnaire and the EORTC core quality of life instrument (QLQ-C30) were administered to a sample of patients with confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancer. All patients filled in questionnaires before and after one month of treatment. Patients were divided into two groups based on intension of treatment (curative vs. palliative). Reliability and validity of the module was tested by internal consistency and known group comparisons, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all, 105 patients were entered into the study. Cronbach's alpha for multi-item scales (to test reliability) ranged from 0.54 to 0.87. The questionnaire discriminated well between clinically distinct subgroups of patients both before and after treatment lending support to its convergent and clinical validity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, the Iranian version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 demonstrated a good reliability and clinical validity to support its use in combination with core questionnaire in outcome studies of gastric cancer in Iran. However, using the QLQ-STO22 in a wide range of Iranian patients with gastric cancer should allow further confirmation for its psychometric properties.</p

A rapid high-performance semi-automated tool to measure total kidney volume from MRI in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a high-performance, rapid semi-automated method (Sheffield TKV Tool) for measuring total kidney volume (TKV) from magnetic resonance images (MRI) in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). METHODS: TKV was initially measured in 61 patients with ADPKD using the Sheffield TKV Tool and its performance compared to manual segmentation and other published methods (ellipsoidal, mid-slice, MIROS). It was then validated using an external dataset of MRI scans from 65 patients with ADPKD. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients (mean age 45 ± 14 years, baseline eGFR 76 ± 32 ml/min/1.73 m2) with ADPKD had a wide range of TKV (258-3680 ml) measured manually. The Sheffield TKV Tool was highly accurate (mean volume error 0.5 ± 5.3% for right kidney, - 0.7 ± 5.5% for left kidney), reproducible (intra-operator variability - 0.2 ± 1.3%; inter-operator variability 1.1 ± 2.9%) and outperformed published methods. It took less than 6 min to execute and performed consistently with high accuracy in an external MRI dataset of T2-weighted sequences with TKV acquired using three different scanners and measured using a different segmentation methodology (mean volume error was 3.45 ± 3.96%, n = 65). CONCLUSIONS: The Sheffield TKV Tool is operator friendly, requiring minimal user interaction to rapidly, accurately and reproducibly measure TKV in this, the largest reported unselected European patient cohort with ADPKD. It is more accurate than estimating equations and its accuracy is maintained at larger kidney volumes than previously reported with other semi-automated methods. It is free to use, can run as an independent executable and will accelerate the application of TKV as a prognostic biomarker for ADPKD into clinical practice. KEY POINTS: • This new semi-automated method (Sheffield TKV Tool) to measure total kidney volume (TKV) will facilitate the routine clinical assessment of patients with ADPKD. • Measuring TKV manually is time consuming and laborious. • TKV is a prognostic indicator in ADPKD and the only imaging biomarker approved by the FDA and EMA

The clock genes Period 2 and Cryptochrome 2 differentially balance bone formation

Background: Clock genes and their protein products regulate circadian rhythms in mammals but have also been implicated in various physiological processes, including bone formation. Osteoblasts build new mineralized bone whereas osteoclasts degrade it thereby balancing bone formation. To evaluate the contribution of clock components in this process, we investigated mice mutant in clock genes for a bone volume phenotype. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found that Per2Brdm1 mutant mice as well as mice lacking Cry2-/- displayed significantly increased bone volume at 12 weeks of age, when bone turnover is high. Per2Brdm1 mutant mice showed alterations in parameters specific for osteoblasts whereas mice lacking Cry2-/- displayed changes in osteoclast specific parameters. Interestingly, inactivation of both Per2 and Cry2 genes leads to normal bone volume as observed in wild type animals. Importantly, osteoclast parameters affected due to the lack of Cry2, remained at the level seen in the Cry2-/- mutants despite the simultaneous inactivation of Per2. Conclusions/Significance: This indicates that Cry2 and Per2 affect distinct pathways in the regulation of bone volume with Cry2 influencing mostly the osteoclastic cellular component of bone and Per2 acting on osteoblast parameters

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3-mediated CD133 up-regulation contributes to promotion of hepatocellular carcinoma

published_or_final_versio

Aureusimines in Staphylococcus aureus Are Not Involved in Virulence

virulence. Surprisingly, most of the virulence genes affected by aureusimines form part of the regulon of the SaeRS two component system (TCS), raising the possibility that SaeRS might be directly or indirectly involved in the aureusimine-dependent signaling process. mutant was highly enriched in a mixed culture experiment.-mediated virulence factor production or contribute to staphylococcal virulence