Polyneuropathy as Novel Initial Manifestation in a Case of “Nonsecretory” POEMS Syndrome with Sjögren’s Syndrome

POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes) is a paraneoplastic syndrome driven by plasma cell dyscrasias. We report a patient with novel initial manifestation of polyneuropathy, which was considered due to Sjögren’s syndrome but with poor response to methylprednisolone (120 mg/d) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Further investigation by imaging tests and following biopsy eventually confirmed the diagnosis of POEMS syndrome secondary to solitary plasmocytoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of POEMS syndrome with Sjögren’s syndrome occurring in the absence of a peripheral monoclonal gammopathy, highlighting the diagnostic challenges posed by this disease and reviewing the diagnostic role of (18) F-FDG PET/CT in POEMS syndrome

A Multipopulation-Based Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm

Multipopulation is an effective optimization component often embedded into evolutionary algorithms to solve optimization problems. In this paper, a new multipopulation-based multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is proposed, which uses a unique cross-subpopulation migration process inspired by biological processes to share information between subpopulations. Then, a Markov model of the proposed multipopulation MOGA is derived, the first of its kind, which provides an exact mathematical model for each possible population occurring simultaneously with multiple objectives. Simulation results of two multiobjective test problems with multiple subpopulations justify the derived Markov model, and show that the proposed multipopulation method can improve the optimization ability of the MOGA. Also, the proposed multipopulation method is applied to other multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) for evaluating its performance against the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation multiobjective benchmarks. The experimental results show that a single-population MOEA can be extended to a multipopulation version, while obtaining better optimization performance

Equivalent Modeling of Bolted Connections under Transverse Load Using Iwan-Based Material Properties

The nonlinear characteristics of bolted connections are of significant importance for analyzing the mechanical performance of structures. The Iwan model is well-known and has been widely applied; its limitation is that it is not convenient for complex structures with multiple bolted connections. To simplify the modeling process, a material with the force-displacement characteristics of the Iwan model is proposed and applied to the bolted connection region, which can convert the nonlinearity of the bolted connection into the nonlinearity of the material. The constitutive relation of the proposed Iwan-based material is determined by the force-displacement equation of the bolted connection under load and the elastic-plastic hypothesis. The proposed Iwan-based material is implemented using the UMAT subroutine of ABAQUS, and the properties of the Iwan-based material are assigned to a solid finite element for an equivalent modeling of bolted connections. Through comparisons with the s imul ation results of the AIBE, the feasibility of the equivalent modeling method for the force-displacement relationship of the original Iwan model is verified, and through comparisons with the simulation results and experimental results of a detailed 3D FE model of the bolted connection, the universality of the equivalent modeling method is verified. The results show that the equivalent modeling method can well restore the statics characteristics of bolted structures under cyclic loading and can be applied to complex combined structures. The method is more convenient for establishing the finite element model of bolted connections and has more flexibility in adjusting parameters than traditional methods

Microscopic Estimation of Road Impedance by Decomposing Traffic Delay into Individual Road Segments: An Analytical Approach

Urban road dynamic impedance calculation is the important basis of dynamic traffic assignment and real-time traffic management and control scheme. The current impedance calculation is mostly based on BPR function, and the BPR function is derived from macroscopic statistical laws, in which the microscopic characteristics of traffic flow are insufficiently described. In order to more accurately express the change laws of traffic impedance at the microscopic level, a stochastic dynamic traffic assignment algorithm based on road impedance function is designed to analyze the time impedance of congested roads under random dynamic traffic assignment under different conditions of road network saturation. Compared with the current model, the comprehensiveness and portability are greatly improved. The results show that the impedance calculation error of this method is less than 10% when the load degree of the road is lower than 0.85, which proves that the method has good precision under unsaturated flow conditions

Effect of Autophagy Regulated by Sirt1/FoxO1 Pathway on the Release of Factors Promoting Thrombosis from Vascular Endothelial Cells

Factors promoting thrombosis such as von Willebrand factor (vWF) and P-selectin are essential for the development of atherosclerosis (AS) and arterial thrombosis. The processing, maturation and release of vWF are regulated by autophagy of vascular endothelial cells. The Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway is an important pathway to regulate autophagy of endothelial cells, therefore the Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway may be an important target for the prevention of thrombosis. We investigated the role of ox-LDL in the release of vWF and P-selectin and the expression of Sirt1 and FoxO1 by Western Blot, Flow Cytometry, ELISA, and tandem fluorescent mRFP-GFP-LC3. We found that vWF and P-selectin secretion increased and Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway was depressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) when treated with ox-LDL. Moreover, the expression of autophagy-related protein LC3-II/I and p62 increased. Then, we explored the relationship between autophagy regulated by the Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway and the secretion of vWF and P-selectin. We found that Sirt1/FoxO1, activated by the Sirt1 activators resveratrol (RSV) and SRT1720, decreased the secretion of vWF and P-selectin, which can be abolished by the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. The expression of Rab7 increased when Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway was activated, and the accumulation of p62 was decreased. Autophagy flux was inhibited by ox-LDL and Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway might enhance autophagy flux through the promotion of the Rab7 expression. Taken together, our data suggest that by enhancing autophagy flux and decreasing the release of vWF and P-selectin, the Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway may be a promising target to prevent AS and arterial thrombosis

Occurrence and distribution of several endocrine-disrupting chemicals in a chemical park: exploring the health risks of multiple pollutants

Triclosan (TCS), triclocarban (TCC), parabens, bisphenols (BPAs), tetrabromobisphenol A and its alternatives (TBBPAs), and phthalate esters (PAEs) are typical endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which have received increasing attention due to their potential adverse effects on ecological and human health. Human exposure to these EDCs is widespread. However, data regarding the distribution and related health risks of multiple EDCs in chemical parks are relatively scarce. In this study, 28 EDCs were determined in surface soil, sediment, and sludge samples collected from the Yangkou Chemical Industrial Park (Jiangsu, China). With the exception of TBBPAs, the distributions of Σ(TCS + TCC), Σ6parabens, Σ8BPAs, and Σ9PAEs in environmental media were as follows: sludge > sediment ≥ soil. No obvious differences were found regarding the concentrations of Σ9PAEs within the soil samples. Higher levels of Σ(TCS + TCC) (186 μg kg-1 dw) and Σ3TBBPAs (154 μg kg-1 dw) were found in the soil near a chemical manufacturer and the main sewage outlet of a wastewater treatment plant, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risks of EDCs from soil were estimated, and the risk levels were found to be a few orders of magnitude lower than the reported reference dose (RfD) values. The hazard indexes for all the samples were smaller than one, suggesting that the chemical industrial park posed a low risk to the workers. Additionally, the mass inventories of Σ(TCS + TCC), Σ6parabens, Σ8BPAs, Σ3TBBPAs, and Σ9PAEs were estimated to be 507, 90.6, 133, 20.7, and 1090 kg, respectively. These findings help to establish baseline concentrations for EDCs in soil, sediment, and sludge in a chemical industrial park

Physicochemical, Structural, and Biological Properties of Polysaccharides from Dandelion

The edible and medicinal perennial herb dandelion is known to have antitumor, antioxidant, and anticomplement properties. However, the structural characterization and biological effects of its polysaccharides are not well understood. Here, we aimed to extract and investigate a novel polysaccharide from dandelion. A water-soluble polysaccharide, PD1-1, was successfully obtained from dandelion through ultrasonic-assisted extraction and purification using diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)–Sepharose fast flow and Sephadex G-75 columns. The results showed that PD1-1 is an inulin-type polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 2.6 kDa and is composed of glucose (52.39%), and mannose (45.41%). Glycosidic linkage analysis demonstrated that PD1-1 contains terminal α-d-Man/Glcp-(1→ and →1)-β-d-Man/Glcf-(2→ glycosidic linkage conformations. A physicochemical analysis indicated that PD1-1 has a triple helix structure and exhibits important properties, including good swelling, water-holding, and oil-holding capacities. Furthermore, PD1-1 showed good antioxidant activities in DPPH and hydroxyl free radical scavenging abilities, with IC50 values of 0.23 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL, respectively, and good hypoglycemic activities in α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, with IC50 values of 0.53 mg/mL and 0.40 mg/mL, respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner. Results suggest that PD1-1 possesses efficacious antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties and has potential applications as a functional food ingredient