Research on work zone vehicle queuing behavior based on cellular automata

A model is proposed to estimate the work zone queue length, and the cellular automata based on empirical data is used for model validation. This estimation model can be applied to work zone organization and management to improve work zone capacity and security. Relationship between the average queue length and the warning zone length can be found, and the appropriate warning zone length can be determined according to design flow. Moreover, the appropriate work zone lane-changing strategies under different design flows are found through the estimation model

Diaqua­bis(9-oxo-4,5-diaza­fluoren-3-olato-κ2 N 4,O 3)cadmium(II)

The title compound, [Cd(C11H5N2O2)2(H2O)2], is a mononuclear complex consisting of a CdII atom, two 3-hydr­oxy-4,5-diaza­fluoren-9-one ligands and two coordinated water mol­ecules. The CdII atom, lying on a twofold axis, displays a distorted octa­hedral coordintion. Adjacent mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.84 (1) Å], leading to a one-dimensional chain. Weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect the chains into a two-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Neurochemical Properties of the Synapses in the Pathways of Orofacial Nociceptive Reflexes

The brainstem premotor neurons of the facial nucleus (VII) and hypoglossal (XII) nucleus can integrate orofacial nociceptive input from the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vc) and coordinate orofacial nociceptive reflex (ONR) responses. However, the synaptoarchitectures of the ONR pathways are still unknown. In the current study, we examined the distribution of GABAergic premotor neurons in the brainstem local ONR pathways, their connections with the Vc projections joining the brainstem ONR pathways and the neurochemical properties of these connections. Retrograde tracer fluoro-gold (FG) was injected into the VII or XII, and anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) was injected into the Vc. Immunofluorescence histochemical labeling for inhibitory/excitatory neurotransmitters combined with BDA/FG tracing showed that GABAergic premotor neurons were mainly distributed bilaterally in the ponto-medullary reticular formation with an ipsilateral dominance. Some GABAergic premotor neurons made close appositions to the BDA-labeled fibers coming from the Vc, and these appostions were mainly distributed in the parvicellular reticular formation (PCRt), dorsal medullary reticular formation (MdD), and supratrigeminal nucleus (Vsup). We further examined the synaptic relationships between the Vc projecting fibers and premotor neurons in the VII or XII under the confocal laser-scanning microscope and electron microscope, and found that the BDA-labeled axonal terminals that made asymmetric synapses on premotor neurons showed vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2) like immunoreactivity. These results indicate that the GABAergic premotor neurons receive excitatory neurotransmission from the Vc and may contribute to modulating the generation of the tonic ONR

Biomarkers for Early Diagnostic of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Type-2 Diabetes Patients: A Multicentre, Retrospective, Nested Case–Control Study

AbstractBackgroundBoth type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are common age-associated disorders and T2DM patients show an increased risk to suffer from AD, however, there is currently no marker to identify who in T2DM populations will develop AD. Since glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, ApoE genotypes and olfactory function are involved in both T2DM and AD pathogenesis, we investigate whether alterations of these factors can identify cognitive impairment in T2DM patients.MethodsThe cognitive ability was evaluated using Minimum Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was diagnosed by Petersen's criteria. GSK-3β activity in platelet, ApoE genotypes in leucocytes and the olfactory function were detected by Western/dot blotting, the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) PCR and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) test, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of the biomarkers for MCI diagnosis were calculated by logistic regression. The diagnostic capability of the biomarkers was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses.FindingsWe recruited 694 T2DM patients from Jan. 2012 to May. 2015 in 5 hospitals (Wuhan), and 646 of them met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. 345 patients in 2 hospitals were assigned to the training set, and 301 patients in another 3 hospitals assigned to the validation set. Patients in each set were randomly divided into two groups: T2DM without MCI (termed T2DM-nMCI) or with MCI (termed T2DM-MCI). There were no significant differences for sex, T2DM years, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary disease, complications, insulin treatment, HbA1c, ApoE ε2, ApoE ε3, tGSK3β and pS9GSK3β between the two groups. Compared with the T2DM-nMCI group, T2DM-MCI group showed lower MMSE score with older age, ApoE ε4 allele, higher olfactory score and higher rGSK-3β (ratio of total GSK-3β to Ser9-phosphorylated GSK-3β) in the training set and the validation set. The OR values of age, ApoE ε4 gene, olfactory score and rGSK-3β were 1.09, 2.09, 1.51, 10.08 in the training set, and 1.06, 2.67, 1.47, 7.19 in the validation set, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of age, ApoE ε4 gene, olfactory score and rGSK-3β were 0.76, 0.72, 0.66, 0.79 in the training set, and 0.70, 0.68, 0.73, 0.79 in the validation set, respectively. These four combined biomarkers had the area under the curve (AUC) of 82% and 86%, diagnostic accuracy of 83% and 81% in the training set and the validation set, respectively.InterpretationAging, activation of peripheral circulating GSK-3β, expression of ApoE ε4 and increase of olfactory score are diagnostic for the mild cognitive impairment in T2DM patients, and combination of these biomarkers can improve the diagnostic accuracy

Genomewide association study of leprosy.

BACKGROUND: The narrow host range of Mycobacterium leprae and the fact that it is refractory to growth in culture has limited research on and the biologic understanding of leprosy. Host genetic factors are thought to influence susceptibility to infection as well as disease progression. METHODS: We performed a two-stage genomewide association study by genotyping 706 patients and 1225 controls using the Human610-Quad BeadChip (Illumina). We then tested three independent replication sets for an association between the presence of leprosy and 93 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were most strongly associated with the disease in the genomewide association study. Together, these replication sets comprised 3254 patients and 5955 controls. We also carried out tests of heterogeneity of the associations (or lack thereof) between these 93 SNPs and disease, stratified according to clinical subtype (multibacillary vs. paucibacillary). RESULTS: We observed a significant association (P<1.00x10(-10)) between SNPs in the genes CCDC122, C13orf31, NOD2, TNFSF15, HLA-DR, and RIPK2 and a trend toward an association (P=5.10x10(-5)) with a SNP in LRRK2. The associations between the SNPs in C13orf31, LRRK2, NOD2, and RIPK2 and multibacillary leprosy were stronger than the associations between these SNPs and paucibacillary leprosy. CONCLUSIONS: Variants of genes in the NOD2-mediated signaling pathway (which regulates the innate immune response) are associated with susceptibility to infection with M. leprae

The effect of JuanBiQiangGu granules in combination with methotrexate on joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint inflammation severely affects joint function and quality of life in patients and leads to joint deformities and limb disability. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of RA do not fully control the progression of joint inflammation and bone destruction and have notable adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine formula JuanBiQiangGu Granules (JBQG) are commonly used for the treatment of RA inflammation and delay of bone destruction, but has not been evaluated through high-quality clinical studies. There is a pressing need for well-designed, randomized, parallel, controlled clinical studies to evaluate the exact effect of JBQG on RA joint inflammation and improvement of patient quality of life.Methods: This is a randomized, parallel, controlled clinical study in which 144 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. The JBQG group received methotrexate 7.5 mg qw and JBQG granules 8 mg tid, while the MTX group received methotrexate 7.5 mg qw. The endpoint was 12 weeks after treatment. Relevant indices at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after treatment were observed and recorded, and DAS28-ESR, HAQ-DI, and Sharp scores were recorded for each patient. Blood samples were collected to test for CRP, ESR, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and INF-γ, and adverse reactions and liver and kidney function (AST, ALT, Cr, BUN) were recorded for safety assessment. After 12 weeks of treatment, the effect of JBQG granules on disease activity, improvement in bone damage, and patient quality of life scores and safety in RA patients were evaluated.Results: A total of 144 subjects completed treatment (71 in the JBQG group and 73 in the MTX group) and were included in the analysis. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the observed indicators (p &gt; 0.05). After treatment, 76.06% of patients in the JBQG group had DAS28-ESR levels below or equal to Low, including 45.07% in Remission and 5.63% in High, compared to 53.1% in the MTX group below or equal to Low, 12.33% in Remission, and 17.81% in High. CRP was significantly reduced (8.54 ± 5.87 vs. 11.86 ± 7.92, p &lt; 0.05, p = 0.005), ESR was significantly reduced (15.1 ± 6.11 vs. 21.96 ± 9.19, p &lt; 0.0001), TNF-α was significantly reduced (1.44 ± 0.83 vs. 1.85 ± 1.07, p &lt; 0.05, p = 0.011), IL-17 was significantly reduced (0.53 ± 0.33 vs. 0.71 ± 0.38, p &lt; 0.05, p = 0.004), and INF-γ was significantly reduced (3.2 ± 1.51 vs. 3.89 ± 1.77, p &lt; 0.05, p = 0.014). The median (IQR) OPG in the JBQG group was 2.54 (2.21–3.01), significantly higher than in the MTX group 2.06 (1.81–2.32), p &lt; 0.0001), and the median (IQR) β-CTX in the JBQG group was 0.4 (0.32–0.43), significantly lower than in the MTX group 0.55 (0.47–0.67), p &lt; 0.0001). The median (IQR) VSA scores were 2 (1–3), a decrease from 3 (2–4) in the MTX group (p &lt; 0.0001). The median (IQR) Sharp scores were 1 (1–2), a decrease from 2 (1–2) in the MTX group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05, p = 0.28). The median (IQR) HAQ-DI scores were 11 (8–16), significantly lower than in the MTX group 26 (16–30) (p &lt; 0.0001). The median (IQR) AST in the JBQG group was 16 (12–20), with a significant difference compared to the MTX group 19 (13–25) (p &lt; 0.01, p = 0.004); the median (IQR) ALT in the JBQG group was 14 (10–18), with a significant difference compared to the MTX group 16 (11–22.5) (p &lt; 0.05, p = 0.015). There were no statistically significant differences in Cr or BUN (p &gt; 0.05).Conclusion: JuanBiQiangGu Granules can be used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis, alleviate joint inflammation, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions to methotrexate, and has good safety.Clinical Trial Registration:http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/index.html; identifier: ChiCTR2100046373

Primary Culture of Choroid Plexuses from Neonate Rats Containing Progenitor Cells Capable of Differentiation

Background: The choroid plexuses, which could secrete a number of neurotrophins, have recently been used in transplantation in central nervous system diseases. Aims: To study the mechanism of nerve regeneration in the central nervous system by grafting choroid plexus tissues. Study Design: Animal experimentation. Methods: The choroid plexuses from the lateral ventricles of neonatal rats were cultured in adherent culture, and immunocytochemical methods were used to analyse the progenitor cells on days 2, 6, and 10 after seeding. Results: Expression of both nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein was observed in small cell aggregates on day 2 in primary culture. Most of the nestin-positive cells on day 6 were immunoreactive to glial fibrillary acidic protein antibody. No cells expressing nestin or glial fibrillary acidic protein were seen on day 10. Conclusion: These experimental results indicate that the choroid plexus contains a specific cell population – progenitor cells. Under in vitro experimental conditions, the progenitor cells differentiated into choroid plexus epithelial cells but did not form neurons or astrocytes