796 research outputs found
Implications of lysyl oxidase-like protein 3 expression in the periodontium of diabetic rats
Objectives: Diabetes has been strongly associated with periodontal diseases. The periodontal ligament (PDL) has an abundant extracellular matrix (ECM). Lysyl oxidases (LOXs) are closely associated with various diseases caused by abnormal ECM functions, however, the role of LOXs in periodontal diseases induced by diabetes remains unclear. Methodology: In this study, 8-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty rats were used to establish a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model. After 9 and 16 weeks, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson’s trichrome, and immunohistochemical staining were performed. Results:After 9 weeks, loose collagen fibers were found in the interradicular area of the diabetic group, in opposition to the control group. There were no significant differences in LOX expression between the diabetic and control groups (p>0.05). However, after 16 weeks, the diabetic group presented a disordered arrangement of the PDL, showing decreased collagen content and significantly increased lysyl oxidase-like protein 3 (LOXL3) expression when compared with the control group (p<0.05). This suggests that LOXL3 plays a significant role in periodontal histopathological changes in diabetic rats. Conclusion:Our study showed elevated LOXL3 expression in the PDL of diabetic rats after 16 weeks, suggesting that LOXL3 may be involved in the occurrence and development of periodontal histopathological changes in diabetic rats. LOXL3 could be further used as an indicator for the early diagnosis of diabetic periodontitis in T2DM patients in clinical settings
Joint power and admission control for multi-pair massive MIMO AF relaying system
This paper investigates the joint power and admission control problem for a multi-pair massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) amplify-and-forward relaying system. Our aim is to minimize the total transmit power for users while maximizing the number of supported users by adopting the new linear programming deflation (NLPD) algorithm. Here, the removal strategy of the NLPD algorithm is compared with the deflation based joint user removal and power allocation (DPA) algorithm and the effect of the number of relay's antennas is also analyzed for this system. Monte-Carlo simulation results indicate that with thorough removal strategy, the NLPD algorithm can support more users than that of the DPA algorithm with almost equal average transmit powers allocated for each user-pair. In addition, although both of the algorithms can accommodate all user-pairs when the number of antennas is sufficiently large, while the computational complexity of the NLPD algorithm is at least one order of magnitude lower than that of the DPA algorithm
SDSS J013127.34032100.1: A newly discovered radio-loud quasar at with extremely high luminosity
Only very few z>5 quasars discovered to date are radio-loud, with a
radio-to-optical flux ratio (radio-loudness parameter) higher than 10. Here we
report the discovery of an optically luminous radio-loud quasar, SDSS
J013127.34-032100.1 (J0131-0321 in short), at z=5.18+-0.01 using the Lijiang
2.4m and Magellan telescopes. J0131-0321 has a spectral energy distribution
consistent with that of radio-loud quasars. With an i-band magnitude of 18.47
and radio flux density of 33 mJy, its radio-loudness parameter is ~100. The
optical and near-infrared spectra taken by Magellan enable us to estimate its
bolometric luminosity to be L_bol ~ 1.1E48 erg/s, approximately 4.5 times
greater than that of the most distant quasar known to date. The black hole mass
of J0131-0321 is estimated to be 2.7E9 solar masses, with an uncertainty up to
0.4 dex. Detailed physical properties of this high-redshift, radio-loud,
potentially super-Eddington quasar can be probed in the future with more
dedicated and intensive follow-up observations using multi-wavelength
facilities.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted to ApJ
Clearance of Free Silica in Rat Lungs by Spraying with Chinese Herbal Kombucha
The effects of spraying with kombucha and Chinese herbal kombucha were compared with treatments with tetrandrine in a rat silicosis model. Silica dust (50 mg) was injected into the lungs of rats, which were then treated with one of the experimental treatments for a month. The rats were then killed and the effects of the treatments were evaluated by examining the extent and severity of the histopathological lesions in the animals’ lungs, measuring their organ coefficients and lung collagen contents, determining the dry and wet weights of their lungs, and measuring the free silica content of the dried lungs. In addition, lavage was performed on whole lungs taken from selected rats, and the numbers and types of cells in the lavage fluid were counted. The most effective treatment in terms of the ability to reduce lung collagen content and minimize the formation of pulmonary histopathological lesions was tetrandrine treatment, followed by Chinese herbal kombucha and non-Chinese herbal kombucha. However, the lavage fluid cell counts indicated that tetrandrine treatment had severe adverse effects on macrophage viability. This effect was much less pronounced for the kombucha and Chinese herbal kombucha treatments. Moreover, the free silica levels in the lungs of animals treated with Chinese herbal kombucha were significantly lower than those for any other silica-exposed group. These preliminary results indicate that spraying with Chinese herbal kombucha preparations can effectively promote the discharge of silica dust from lung tissues. Chinese herbal kombucha inhalation may thus be a useful new treatment for silicosis and other pneumoconiosis diseases
The physical constraints on a new LoBAL QSO at z=4.82
Very few low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) QSOs have been found at
high redshifts to date. One high-redshift LoBAL QSO, J0122+1216, was recently
discovered at the Lijiang 2.4-m Telescope with an initial redshift
determination of 4.76. Aiming to investigate its physical properties, we
carried out follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR spectroscopy.
Near-IR spectra from UKIRT and P200 confirms that it is a LoBAL, with a new
redshift determination of based on the \mgii~ emission-line. The
new \mgii~ redshift determination reveals strong blueshifts and asymmetry of
the high-ionization emission lines. We estimated a black hole mass of and Eddington ratio of according to the
empirical \mgii-based single-epoch relation and bolometric correction factor.
It is possible that strong outflows are the result of an extreme quasar
environment driven by the high Eddington ratio. A lower limit on the outflowing
kinetic power () was derived from both emission and absorption
lines, indicating these outflows play a significant role in the feedback
process to regulate the growth of its black hole as well as host galaxy
evolution.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
- …