Neutron Density Distributions of Neutron-Rich Nuclei Studied with the Isobaric Yield Ratio Difference

The isobaric yield ratio difference (IBD) between two reactions of similar experimental setups is found to be sensitive to nuclear density differences between projectiles. In this article, the IBD probe is used to study the density variation in neutron-rich $^{48}$Ca. By adjusting diffuseness in the neutron density distribution, three different neutron density distributions of $^{48}$Ca are obtained. The yields of fragments in the 80$A$ MeV $^{40, 48}$Ca + $^{12}$C reactions are calculated by using a modified statistical abrasion-ablation model. It is found that the IBD results obtained from the prefragments are sensitive to the density distribution of the projectile, while the IBD results from the final fragments are less sensitive to the density distribution of the projectile.Comment: 3 figure

Protein Kinase Cδ Suppresses Autophagy to Induce Kidney Cell Apoptosis in Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity

Nephrotoxicity is a major adverse effect in cisplatin chemotherapy, and renoprotective approaches are unavailable. Recent work unveiled a critical role of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) in cisplatin nephrotoxicity and further demonstrated that inhibition of PKCδ not only protects kidneys but enhances the chemotherapeutic effect of cisplatin in tumors; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that cisplatin induced rapid activation of autophagy in cultured kidney tubular cells and in the kidneys of injected mice. Cisplatin also induced the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p70S6 kinase downstream of mTOR, and serine/threonine-protein kinase ULK1, a component of the autophagy initiating complex. In vitro, pharmacologic inhibition of mTOR, directly or through inhibition of AKT, enhanced autophagy after cisplatin treatment. Notably, in both cells and kidneys, blockade of PKCδ suppressed the cisplatin-induced phosphorylation of AKT, mTOR, p70S6 kinase, and ULK1 resulting in upregulation of autophagy. Furthermore, constitutively active and inactive forms of PKCδ respectively enhanced and suppressed cisplatin-induced apoptosis in cultured cells. In mechanistic studies, we showed coimmunoprecipitation of PKCδ and AKT from lysates of cisplatin-treated cells and direct phosphorylation of AKT at serine-473 by PKCδin vitro Finally, administration of the PKCδ inhibitor rottlerin with cisplatin protected against cisplatin nephrotoxicity in wild-type mice, but not in renal autophagy-deficient mice. Together, these results reveal a pathway consisting of PKCδ, AKT, mTOR, and ULK1 that inhibits autophagy in cisplatin nephrotoxicity. PKCδ mediates cisplatin nephrotoxicity at least in part by suppressing autophagy, and accordingly, PKCδ inhibition protects kidneys by upregulating autophagy

Predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes of pregnant mothers with syphilis based on a logistic regression model: a retrospective study

ObjectiveMaternal syphilis could cause serious consequences. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for maternal syphilis in order to predict an individual's risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs).MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 768 pregnant women with syphilis. A questionnaire was completed and data analyzed. The data was divided into a training set and a testing set. Using logistic regression to establish predictive models in the training set, and its predictive performance was evaluated in the testing set. The probability of APOs occurrence is presented through a nomogram.ResultsCompared with the APOs group, pregnant women in the non-APOs group participated in a longer treatment course. Course, time of the first antenatal care, gestation week at syphilis diagnosis, and gestation age at delivery in weeks were independent predictors of APOs, and they were used to establish the nomogram.ConclusionsOur study investigated the impact of various characteristics of syphilis pregnant women on pregnancy outcomes and established a prediction model of APOs in Suzhou. The incidence of APOs can be reduced by controlling for these risk factors

Chloridobis(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)copper(II) tetra­kis­(nitrato-κ2 O,O′)(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)terbate(III)

The title complex salt, [CuCl(C12H8N2)2][Tb(NO3)4(C12H8N2)], consists of discrete [CuCl(phen))2]+ cations and [Tb(NO3)4(phen)]− anions (phen is 1,10-phenanthroline). The [CuCl(phen))2]+ cation contains a five-coordinate Cu2+ ion, ligated by two bidentate phen ligands and one Cl− ion, exhibiting a distorted CuN4Cl trigonal–bipyramidal geometry. In the [Tb(NO3)4(phen)]− anion, the Tb3+ ion is coordinated by one chelating phen ligand and four chelating nitrates, forming a distorted TbN2O8 bicapped dodeca­hedral configuration. The anions and cations are assembled into a three-dimensional network by weak C—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. There is also a significant π–π stacking inter­action, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.635 (2) Å

Oleanolic Acid and Ursolic Acid Improve Bone Properties and Calcium Balance and Modulate Vitamin D Metabolism in Aged Female Rats

Oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) are the major chemical constituents in Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL), a kidney-tonifying Chinese herb that is previously shown to improve bone properties and enhance calcium balance in aged female rats. The present study was designed to study if OA and UA act as the active ingredients in FLL to exert the positive effects on bone and mineral metabolism in aged rats. Aged (13-month-old) Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly assigned to four groups with oral administration of drug or vehicle treatment for 12 weeks: medium calcium diet (MCD, 0.6% calcium), high calcium diet (HCD, 1.2% calcium), MCD + FLL (700 mg/kg/day), MCD + OA (23.6 mg/kg/day) + UA (8.6 mg/kg/day). A group of mature (3-month-old) female rats fed with MCD was included as positive control. The results demonstrated that FLL and OA+UA increased bone mineral density and improved microarchitectural properties of aged female rats. The osteoprotective effects of FLL and OA+UA might be, at least in part, associated with their actions on enhancing calcium balance and suppressing age-induced secondary hyperparathyroidism in aged female rats. FLL and OA+UA also significantly induced renal CYP27B1 protein expression and OA+UA treatment decreased CYP24A1 mRNA and protein expressions in aged female rats. In addition, FLL and OA+UA significantly increased the promoter activity, mRNA and protein expressions of renal CYP27B1 in vitro in human proximal tubule HKC-8 cells. The present findings suggest that OA+UA can be regarded as the active ingredients of FLL and might be a potential drug candidate for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Numerical modelling of buried pipelines under DC stray current corrosion

Corrosion of buried pipelines caused by stray currents is becoming a serious industrial and environmental problem. It is therefore necessary to study corrosion mechanisms of buried pipelines under DC stray currents in order to propose effective anti-corrosion measures. Since measurement of the potential is one of important ways to identify stray current intensity, the COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to simulate stray current corrosion dynamics of buried pipelines. It was also used to calculate the distribution and intensity changes of electrolyte potential in the cathodic protected system by solving Laplace’s three-dimensional equation. The obtained results showed that increased applied voltage leads to more positive shift of a pipeline potential, resulting in acceleration of stray current corrosion. On the contrary, increased soil resistivity can retard the corrosion process. The protected pipeline with a sacrificial anode suffers less corrosion interference than unprotected pipeline. Two crossed arrangement of pipelines makes no difference in corrosion of protected pipeline, but affects greatly on unprotected pipeline

Multiparty quantum secret sharing with pure entangled states and decoy photons

We present a scheme for multiparty quantum secret sharing of a private key with pure entangled states and decoy photons. The boss, say Alice uses the decoy photons, which are randomly in one of the four nonorthogonal single-photon states, to prevent a potentially dishonest agent from eavesdropping freely. This scheme requires the parties of communication to have neither an ideal single-photon quantum source nor a maximally entangled one, which makes this scheme more convenient than others in a practical application. Moreover, it has the advantage of having high intrinsic efficiency for qubits and exchanging less classical information in principle.Comment: 5 pages, no figure