Structural evolution of the Irtysh Shear Zone (northwestern China) and implications for the amalgamation of arc systems in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The NW-SE Irtysh Shear Zone is a major tectonic boundary in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), which supposedly records the amalgamation history between the pen-Siberian orogenic system and the Kazakhstan/south Mongolia orogenic system. However, the tectonic evolution of the Irtysh Shear Zone is not fully understood. Here we present new structural and geochronological data, which together with other constraints on the timing of deformation suggests that the Irtysh Shear Zone was subjected to three phases of deformation in the late Paleozoic. D-1 is locally recognized as folded foliations in low strain areas and as an internal fabric within garnet porphyroblasts. D-2 is represented by a shallowly dipping fabric and related similar to NW-SE stretching lineations oriented sub-parallel to the strike of the orogen. D2 foliations are folded by similar to NW-SE folds (F-3) that are bounded by a series of mylonite zones with evidence for sinistral/reverse kinematics. These fold and shear structures are kinematically compatible, and thus interpreted to result from a transpressional deformation phase (D-3). Two samples of mica schists yielded youngest detrital zircon peaks at similar to 322 Ma, placing a maximum constraint on the timing of D-1-D-3 deformation. A similar to NE-SW granitic dyke swarm (similar to 252 Ma) crosscuts D-3 fold structures and mylonitic fabrics in the central part of the shear zone, but is displaced by a mylonite zone that represents the southern boundary of the Irtysh Shear Zone. This observation indicates that the major phase of D-3 transpressional deformation took place prior to similar to 252 Ma, although later phases of reactivation in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic are likely. The late Paleozoic deformation (D-1-D-3 at similar to 322-252 Ma) overlaps in time with the collision between the Chinese Altai and the intra-oceanic arc system of the East Junggar. We therefore interpret that three episodes of late Paleozoic deformation represent orogenic thickening (D-1), collapse (D-2), and transpressional deformation (D3) during the convergence between the Chinese Altai and the East Junggar. On a larger scale, late Paleozoic sinistral shearing (D3), together with dextral shearing farther south, accommodated the eastward migration of internal segments of the western CAOB, possibly associated with the amalgamation of multiple arc systems and continental blocks during the late Paleozoic. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Melatonin Mediates Osteoblast Proliferation Through the STIM1/ORAI1 Pathway

Based on the positive correlation between bone mineral density and melatonin levels in blood, this study confirmed that melatonin supplementation prevents postmenopausal osteoporosis. We further confirmed that melatonin promotes an increase in intracellular calcium concentrations through the STIM1/ORAI1 pathway, thereby inducing the proliferation of osteoblasts.Introduction: Osteoporosis (OP) is a progressive, systemic bone disease that is one of the main causes of disability and death in elderly female patients. As an amine hormone produced by the human pineal gland, melatonin plays an important role in regulating bone metabolism. This study intends to investigate the relationship between melatonin levels in human blood and bone density and to suggest the efficacy of melatonin in treating osteoporosis by performing in vivo and in vitro experiments.Methods: We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine the serum melatonin levels in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and young women with a normal bone mass. The bone density, BV/TV, Tb.Th, Tb.Sp and other indicators of postmenopausal osteoporosis and mice with a normal bone mass were detected by measuring bone density and micro-CT. The intracellular calcium ion concentration was detected using fluorescence microscopy and a full-wavelength multifunctional microplate reader, and the expression of SOCE-related genes and STIM1/ORAI1 proteins was detected using PCR and WB.Results: This study confirmed that bone density positively correlates with the melatonin level in human blood. In the animal model, melatonin supplementation reverses postmenopausal osteoporosis. We explored the internal mechanism of melatonin treatment of osteoporosis. Melatonin promotes an increase in intracellular calcium ion concentrations through the STIM1/ORAI1 pathway to induce osteoblast proliferation.Conclusions: This study provides an important theoretical basis for the clinical application of melatonin in patients with osteoporosis and helps to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation of the Phase Behavior of T‑Shaped Ternary Amphiphiles Possessing Rodlike Mesogens

We employed dissipative particle dynamics simulations to explore the phase behavior of T-shaped ternary amphiphiles composed of rodlike cores connected by two incompatible end chains and side grafted segments. By fine-tuning the number of terminal and lateral beads, three phase diagrams for the model systems with different terminal chain lengths are constructed in terms of temperature and lateral chain length, which have some common features and mostly compare favorably with experimental studies with the exception a couple of new phases. It is worthwhile to highlight that the mixed cylindrical phase and the perforated layer phase, as the experimentally observed mesophases exclusive for facial amphiphilies, are found in simulations for the first time. Also, a novel gyroid structure is observed in series of T-shaped ternary amphiphiles for the first time. Furthermore, by evaluating the effective volume fraction of lateral chains, the phase sequence spanning from conventional smectic layer phase via perforated layer structures and polygonal cylindrical arrays to novel lamellar mesophase is established, which is not just qualitatively consistent with the related experimental findings but even the stability windows of some mesophases quantitatively correspond well to experimental results. The success of reproducing the in-plane ordering of rods in the lamellar phase as well as the generic phase diagram of such T-shaped ternary amphiphiles in great detail implies that our genetic model qualitatively captures many of the characteristics of the phase behavior of real T-shaped molecules and could serve as a satisfactory basis for further exploration of self-organization in other related soft matter systems

The correlation between the expression of AKR1C2 and clinical characteristic parameters in GC patients from TCGA.

The correlation between the expression of AKR1C2 and clinical characteristic parameters in GC patients from TCGA.</p

The top 25 genes positively related with AKR1C2 in GC.

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Oxidative stress: A common pathological state in a high-risk population for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is becoming a major concern in the field of public health. The process of bone loss is insidious and does not directly induce obvious symptoms. Complications indicate an irreversible decrease in bone mass. The high-risk populations of osteoporosis, including postmenopausal women, elderly men, diabetic patients and obese individuals need regular bone mineral density testing and appropriate preventive treatment. However, the primary changes in these populations are different, increasing the difficulty of effective treatment of osteoporosis. Determining the core pathogenesis of osteoporosis helps improve the efficiency and efficacy of treatment among these populations. Oxidative stress is a common pathological state secondary to estrogen deficiency, aging, hyperglycemia and hyperlipemia. In this review, we divided oxidative stress into the direct effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the reduction of antioxidant enzyme activity to discuss their roles in the development of osteoporosis. ROS initiated mitochondrial apoptotic signaling and suppressed osteogenic marker expression to weaken osteogenesis. MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways mediated the positive effect of ROS on osteoclast differentiation. Antioxidant enzymes not only eliminate the negative effects of ROS, but also directly participate in the regulation of bone metabolism. Additionally, we also described the roles of proinflammatory factors and HIF-1α under the pathophysiological changes of inflammation and hypoxia, which provided a supplement of oxidative stress-induced osteoporosis. In conclusion, our review showed that oxidative stress was a common pathological state in a high-risk population for osteoporosis. Targeted oxidative stress treatment would greatly optimize the therapeutic schedule of various osteoporosis treatments

The characteristics of three GEO datasets about gene expression profiling by array.

The characteristics of three GEO datasets about gene expression profiling by array.</p

The relationship between AKR1C2 expression and immune signatures in GC.

(A) The relationship between AKR1C2 expression and immunostimulators. (B) The top four immunostimulators that are positively associated with AKR1C2 expression. (C) The relationship between AKR1C2 expression and immunoinhibitors. (D) The top four immunoinhibitors that are negatively associated with AKR1C2 expression. (TIF)</p

The link between AKR1C2 expression and immune infiltration of GC.

(A) The correlation between AKR1C2 expression and 24 types of immune cells in TCGA database. (B) The scatterplot depicting the correlation between AKR1C2 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). (C) The TIMER database showing the relationship between AKR1C2 and B cell. (D-E) The heatmap and scatterplot showing the correlation between the AKR1C2 and VSIR.</p