N′-(3-Bromo-5-chloro-2-hydroxy­benzyl­idene)-4-hydr­oxybenzohydrazide

The mol­ecule of the title compound, C14H10BrClN2O3, is planar [dihedral angle between the aromatic rings = 3.0 (2)°] and shows a trans configuration with respect to the C=N double bond. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and an intramolecular O—H⋯N interaction also occurs

Dual-envelop-oriented moving horizon path tracking control for fully automated vehicles

A novel description of dual-envelop-oriented path tracking issue is presented for fully automated vehicles which considers shape of vehicle as inner-envelop (I-ENV) and feasible road region as outer-envelop (O-ENV). Then implicit linear model predictive control (MPC) approach is proposed to design moving horizon path tracking controller in order to solve the situations that may cause collision and run out of road in traditional path tracking method. The proposed MPC controller employed varied sample time and varied prediction horizon and could deal with modelling error effectively. In order to specify the effectiveness of the proposed dual-envelop-oriented moving horizon path tracking method, veDYNA-Simulink joint simulations in different running conditions are carried out. The results illustrate that the proposed path tracking scheme performs well in tracking the desired path, and could increase path tracking precision effectively

Fully Automated Detection of Corticospinal Tract Damage in Chronic Stroke Patients

Structural integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST) after stroke is closely linked to the degree of motor impairment. However, current methods for measurement of fractional atrophy (FA) of CST based on region of interest (ROI) are time-consuming and open to bias. Here, we used tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) together with a CST template with healthy volunteers to quantify structural integrity of CST automatically. Two groups of patients after ischemic stroke were enrolled, group 1 (10 patients, 7 men, and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) scores ⩽ 50) and group 2 (12 patients, 12 men, and FMA scores = 100). CST of FAipsi, FAcontra, and FAratio was compared between the two groups. Relative to group 2, FA was decreased in group 1 in the ipsilesional CST (P<0.01), as well as the FAratio (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two subgroups in the contralesional CST (P=0.23). Compared with contralesional CST, FA of ipsilesional CST decreased in group 1 (P<0.01). These results suggest that the automated method used in our study could detect a surrogate biomarker to quantify the CST after stroke, which would facilitate implementation of clinical practice

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contributes to the pain hypersensitivity following surgical incision in the rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The pathogenic role of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the incisional pain is poorly understood. The present study explores the role of the BDNF in the incision-induced pain hypersensitivity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A longitudinal incision was made in one plantar hind paw of isoflurane-anesthetized rats. Dorsal root ganglias (DRG) and spinal cords were removed at various postoperative times (1–72 h). Expression pattern of BDNF was determined by immunohistochemistry and double-labeling immunofluorescence. Lidocaine-induced blockade of sciatic nerve function was used to determine the importance of afferent nerve activity on BDNF expression in the DRG and spinal cord after incision. BDNF antibody was administered intrathecally (IT) or intraperitoneal (IP) to modulate the spinal BDNF or peripheral BDNF after incision.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After hind-paw incision, the BDNF was upregulated in the ipsilateral lumbar DRG and spinal cord whereas thoracic BDNF remained unchanged in response to incision. The upregulated BDNF was mainly expressed in the large-sized neurons in DRG and the neurons and the primary nerve terminals in the spinal cord. Sciatic nerve blockade prevented the increase of BDNF in the DRG and spinal cord. IT injection of BDNF antibody greatly inhibited the mechanical allodynia induced by incision whereas IP administration had only marginal effect.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study showed that incision induced the segmental upregulation of BDNF in the DRG and spinal cord through somatic afferent nerve transmission, and the upregulated BDNF contributed to the pain hypersensitivity induced by surgical incision.</p

5 GHz TMRT observations of 71 pulsars

We present integrated pulse profiles at 5~GHz for 71 pulsars, including eight millisecond pulsars (MSPs), obtained using the Shanghai Tian Ma Radio Telescope (TMRT). Mean flux densities and pulse widths are measured. For 19 normal pulsars and one MSP, these are the first detections at 5~GHz and for a further 19, including five MPSs, the profiles have a better signal-to-noise ratio than previous observations. Mean flux density spectra between 400~MHz and 9~GHz are presented for 27 pulsars and correlations of power-law spectral index are found with characteristic age, radio pseudo-luminosity and spin-down luminosity. Mode changing was detected in five pulsars. The separation between the main pulse and interpulse is shown to be frequency independent for six pulsars but a frequency dependence of the relative intensity of the main pulse and interpulse is found. The frequency dependence of component separations is investigated for 20 pulsars and three groups are found: in seven cases the separation between the outmost leading and trailing components decreases with frequency, roughly in agreement with radius-to-frequency mapping; in eleven cases the separation is nearly constant; in the remain two cases the separation between the outmost components increases with frequency. We obtain the correlations of pulse widths with pulsar period and estimate the core widths of 23 multi-component profiles and conal widths of 17 multi-component profiles at 5.0~GHz using Gaussian fitting and discuss the width-period relationship at 5~GHz compared with the results at at 1.0~GHz and 8.6~GHz.Comment: 46 pages, 14 figures, 8 Tables, accepted by Ap

Benzyl 3-(10-oxo-9,10-dihydrophenanthren-9-ylidene)dithiocarbazate

In the title compound, C22H16N2OS2, the phenanthrene ring is nearly perpendicular to the phenyl ring, making a dihedral angle of 87.2 (2)°. Intra­molecular N—H⋯O inter­actions are present. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules are linked through inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions. The crystal structure is also stabilized by C—H⋯π inter­actions and weak π–π contacts [centroid-centroid distance = 3.36 (6) Å]

Role of NLRP3 in the pathogenesis and treatment of gout arthritis

Gout arthritis (GA) is a common and curable type of inflammatory arthritis that has been attributed to a combination of genetic, environmental and metabolic factors. Chronic deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in articular and periarticular spaces as well as subsequent activation of innate immune system in the condition of persistent hyperuricemia are the core mechanisms of GA. As is well known, drugs for GA therapy primarily consists of rapidly acting anti-inflammatory agents and life-long uric acid lowering agents, and their therapeutic outcomes are far from satisfactory. Although MSU crystals in articular cartilage detected by arthrosonography or in synovial fluid found by polarization microscopy are conclusive proofs for GA, the exact molecular mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the course of GA still remains mysterious, severely restricting the early diagnosis and therapy of GA. On the one hand, the activation of Nod-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome requires nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-dependent transcriptional enhancement of NLRP3, precursor (pro)-caspase-1 and pro-IL-1β, as well as the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome complex and sustained release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-18 and caspase-1. On the other hand, NLRP3 inflammasome activated by MSU crystals is particularly relevant to the initiation and progression of GA, and thus may represent a prospective diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target. As a result, pharmacological inhibition of the assembly and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome may also be a promising avenue for GA therapy. Herein, we first introduced the functional role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and relevant biological mechanisms in GA based on currently available evidence. Then, we systematically reviewed therapeutic strategies for targeting NLRP3 by potentially effective agents such as natural products, novel compounds and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the treatment of MSU-induced GA mouse models. In conclusion, our present review may have significant implications for the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of GA