The elasticity of tobacco demand in Australia

This paper examines the elasticity of demand of tobacco products in Australia from 2000 to 2011. The hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is inelastic. The alternate hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is elastic. The hypothesis implies that increasing tobacco tax decreases government tax revenue, while the opposite is true for a decrease in tobacco tax. This paper obtains data mainly from Australian Bureau of Statistics and Cancer Council Victoria. We find an increase in the excise rate and government revenue from tobacco products, therefore implying that the demand of tobacco products in Australia is inelastic. We find further support of this finding by examining factors such as the age and income structure of the population

Retinal oscillations carry visual information to cortex

Thalamic relay cells fire action potentials that transmit information from retina to cortex. The amount of information that spike trains encode is usually estimated from the precision of spike timing with respect to the stimulus. Sensory input, however, is only one factor that influences neural activity. For example, intrinsic dynamics, such as oscillations of networks of neurons, also modulate firing pattern. Here, we asked if retinal oscillations might help to convey information to neurons downstream. Specifically, we made whole-cell recordings from relay cells to reveal retinal inputs (EPSPs) and thalamic outputs (spikes) and analyzed these events with information theory. Our results show that thalamic spike trains operate as two multiplexed channels. One channel, which occupies a low frequency band (<30 Hz), is encoded by average firing rate with respect to the stimulus and carries information about local changes in the image over time. The other operates in the gamma frequency band (40-80 Hz) and is encoded by spike time relative to the retinal oscillations. Because these oscillations involve extensive areas of the retina, it is likely that the second channel transmits information about global features of the visual scene. At times, the second channel conveyed even more information than the first.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Frontiers in Systems Neuroscienc

Transdifferentiated Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells are a New Potential Cell Source for Endothelial Regeneration

Endothelial dysfunction is widely implicated in cardiovascular pathological changes and development of vascular disease. In view of the fact that the spontaneous endothelial cell (EC) regeneration is a slow and insufficient process, it is of great interest to explore alternative cell sources capable of generating functional ECs. Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) composes the majority of the vascular wall and retains phenotypic plasticity in response to various stimuli. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of the conversion of SMC into functional EC through the use of reprogramming factors. Human SMCs are first dedifferentiated for 4 days to achieve a vascular progenitor state expressing CD34, by introducing transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC. These SMC-derived progenitors are then differentiated along the endothelial lineage. The SMC-converted ECs exhibit typical endothelial markers expression and endothelial functions in vitro, in vivo and in disease model. Further comprehensive analysis indicates that mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition is requisite to initiate SMCs reprogramming into vascular progenitors and that members of the Notch signalling pathway regulate further differentiation of the progenitors into endothelial lineage. Together, we provide the first evidence of the feasibility of the conversion of human SMCs towards endothelial lineage through an intermediate vascular progenitor state induced by reprogramming.British Heart Foundation [RG/14/6/31144, RM/13/2/30158]; Oak Foundation; International Cooperation and Exchanges NSFC [81220108004]; China Scholarship CouncilSCI(E)ARTICLE

Non-Homogeneous Haze Removal via Artificial Scene Prior and Bidimensional Graph Reasoning

Due to the lack of natural scene and haze prior information, it is greatly challenging to completely remove the haze from single image without distorting its visual content. Fortunately, the real-world haze usually presents non-homogeneous distribution, which provides us with many valuable clues in partial well-preserved regions. In this paper, we propose a Non-Homogeneous Haze Removal Network (NHRN) via artificial scene prior and bidimensional graph reasoning. Firstly, we employ the gamma correction iteratively to simulate artificial multiple shots under different exposure conditions, whose haze degrees are different and enrich the underlying scene prior. Secondly, beyond utilizing the local neighboring relationship, we build a bidimensional graph reasoning module to conduct non-local filtering in the spatial and channel dimensions of feature maps, which models their long-range dependency and propagates the natural scene prior between the well-preserved nodes and the nodes contaminated by haze. We evaluate our method on different benchmark datasets. The results demonstrate that our method achieves superior performance over many state-of-the-art algorithms for both the single image dehazing and hazy image understanding tasks

RhoA/Rho Kinase Mediates Neuronal Death Through Regulating cPLA2 Activation

Activation of RhoA/Rho kinase leads to growth cone collapse and neurite retraction. Although RhoA/Rho kinase inhibition has been shown to improve axon regeneration, remyelination and functional recovery, its role in neuronal cell death remains unclear. To determine whether RhoA/Rho kinase played a role in neuronal death after injury, we investigated the relationship between RhoA/Rho kinase and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), a lipase that mediates inflammation and cell death, using an in vitro neuronal death model and an in vivo contusive spinal cord injury model performed at the 10th thoracic (T10) vertebral level. We found that co-administration of TNF-α and glutamate induced spinal neuron death, and activation of RhoA, Rho kinase and cPLA2. Inhibition of RhoA, Rho kinase and cPLA2 significantly reduced TNF-α/glutamate-induced cell death by 33, 52 and 43 %, respectively (p < 0.001). Inhibition of RhoA and Rho kinase also significantly downregulated cPLA2 activation by 66 and 60 %, respectively (p < 0.01). Furthermore, inhibition of RhoA and Rho kinase reduced the release of arachidonic acid, a downstream substrate of cPLA2. The immunofluorescence staining showed that ROCK1 or ROCK2, two isoforms of Rho kinase, was co-localized with cPLA2 in neuronal cytoplasm. Interestingly, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay showed that ROCK1 or ROCK2 bonded directly with cPLA2 and phospho-cPLA2. When the Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632 was applied in mice with T10 contusion injury, it significantly decreased cPLA2 activation and expression and reduced injury-induced apoptosis at and close to the lesion site. Taken together, our results reveal a novel mechanism of RhoA/Rho kinase-mediated neuronal death through regulating cPLA2 activation

Exploratory metabolomic analysis for characterizing the metabolic profile of the urinary bladder under estrogen deprivation

BackgroundEstrogen homeostasis is crucial for bladder function, and estrogen deprivation resulting from menopause, ovariectomy or ovarian dysfunction may lead to various bladder dysfunctions. However, the specific mechanisms are not fully understood.MethodsWe simulated estrogen deprivation using a rat ovariectomy model and supplemented estrogen through subcutaneous injections. The metabolic characteristics of bladder tissue were analyzed using non-targeted metabolomics, followed by bioinformatics analysis to preliminarily reveal the association between estrogen deprivation and bladder function.ResultsWe successfully established a rat model with estrogen deprivation and, through multivariate analysis and validation, identified several promising biomarkers represented by 3, 5-tetradecadiencarnitine, lysoPC (15:0), and cortisol. Furthermore, we explored estrogen deprivation-related metabolic changes in the bladder primarily characterized by amino acid metabolism imbalance.ConclusionThis study, for the first time, depicts the metabolic landscape of bladder resulting from estrogen deprivation, providing an important experimental basis for future research on bladder dysfunctions caused by menopause

Role of extrathyroidal TSHR expression in adipocyte differentiation and its association with obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity is known to be associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHR) is the receptor for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, or thyrotropin), the key regulator of thyroid functions. The expression of TSHR, once considered to be limited to thyrocytes, has been so far detected in many extrathyroidal tissues including liver and fat. Previous studies have shown that TSHR expression is upregulated when preadipocytes differentiate into mature adipocytes, suggestive of a possible role of TSHR in adipogenesis. However, it remains unclear whether TSHR expression in adipocytes is implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, TSHR expression in adipose tissues from both mice and human was analyzed, and its association with obesity was evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We here showed that TSHR expression was increased at both mRNA and protein levels when 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were induced to differentiate. Knockdown of TSHR blocked the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes as evaluated by Oil-red-O staining for lipid accumulation and by RT-PCR analyses of PPAR-γ and ALBP mRNA expression. We generated obesity mice (C57/BL6) by high-fat diet feeding and found that the TSHR protein expression in visceral adipose tissues from obesity mice was significantly higher in comparison with the non-obesity control mice (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Finally, the TSHR expression in adipose tissues was determined in 120 patients. The results showed that TSHR expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue is correlated with BMI (body mass index).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, these results suggested that TSHR is an important regulator of adipocyte differentiation. Dysregulated expression of TSHR in adipose tissues is associated with obesity, which may involve a mechanism of excess adipogenesis.</p

Local Crop Planting Systems Enhance Insecticide-Mediated Displacement of Two Invasive Leafminer Fly

Liriomyza sativae and L. trifolii are highly invasive leafminer pests of vegetable crops that have invaded southern China in recent years. Liriomyza sativae was the first of these species to invade China, but it is now being displaced by L. trifolii. The rate and extent of this displacement vary across southern China. In Hainan, monocultures of highly valuable cowpea are planted and treated extensively with insecticides in attempts to control leafminer damage. In Guangdong, cowpea fields are interspersed with other less valuable crops, such as towel gourd (Luffa cylindrica), which receive significantly fewer insecticide applications than cowpea. To determine how differences in cropping systems influence the Liriomyza species composition, we conducted field trials in 2011 and 2012 in Guangdong where both species were present. We replicated conditions in Hainan by planting cowpea monocultures that were isolated from other agricultural fields, and we replicated conditions in Guangdong by planting cowpea in a mixed crop environment with towel gourd planted in neighboring plots. We then compared leafminer populations in cowpea treated with the insecticide avermectin and untreated cowpea. We also monitored leafminer populations in the untreated towel gourd. Untreated cowpea and towel gourd had comparatively low proportions of L. trifolii, which remained relatively stable over the course of each season. Avermectin applications led to increases in the proportions of L. trifolii, and after three weekly applications populations were >95% L. trifolii in both crop systems. However, the rate of change and persistence of L. trifolii in the mixed crop system were less than in the monocrop. These results indicate that L. trifolii is much less susceptible to avermectin than is L. sativae. Further, L. sativae was able to persist in the untreated towel gourd, which probably enabled it to recolonize treated cowpea

Effects of Loading-Dose Statins Combined with PCSK9 Inhibitor Pre-Treatment before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on the Short-Term Prognosis in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Objective: This study was aimed at investigating the effects of preoperative treatment with a loading dose of statins combined with a PCSK9 inhibitor on coronary blood perfusion and short-term cardiovascular adverse events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Method: Sixty-five patients with STEMI who had visited the Shanxi Cardiovascular Disease Hospital between May 2018 and May 2021 were enrolled in the study. The enrolled patients had no history of oral statins or antiplatelet therapy. The patients were divided into a combined treatment group (loading dose of statins combined with PCSK9 inhibitors, 35 patients) and a routine treatment group (loading dose of statins only, 30 patients). The primary endpoints were thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) blood flow grading, corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC), and TIMI myocardial perfusion grading (TMPG), immediately after and 30 days after the operation. The secondary endpoint was a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization 30 days after the operation. Results: The combined treatment group had significantly lower CTFC (14.09±8.42 vs 26±12.42, P=0.04) and better TMPG (2.74±0.61 vs 2.5±0.73, P=0.04) than the routine treatment group immediately after the operation. Similarly, the combined treatment group had a significantly lower CTFC (16.29±7.39 vs 26.23±11.53, P=0.04) and significantly better TMPG (2.94±0.24 vs 2.76±0.43, P=0.01) than the routine treatment group 1 month after the operation. Conclusion: Preoperative treatment with a loading dose of high-intensity statins combined with PCSK9 inhibitors increased coronary blood flow and myocardial perfusion after emergency thrombus aspiration in patients with STEMI. However, the treatment did not significantly decrease the incidence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization

Health Services Utilization in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Large-Scale Online Survey

Timely access to essential health services is a concern as COVID-19 continues. This study aimed to investigate health services utilization during the first wave of the pandemic in China. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a self-administrated questionnaire in March 2020. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis. A total of 4744 respondents were included, with 52.00% reporting affected services utilization. Clinical testing (68.14%) and drug purchase (49.61%) were the most affected types. Higher education level, being married, chronic disease, frequently visiting a provincial medical institution, spending more time on pandemic-related information, perception of high-risk of infection, perception of large health impact of the pandemic, and anxiety/depression were significant predictors for reporting affected services utilization. For the 431 chronic disease respondents, 62.18% reported interruption, especially for drug purchase (58.58%). Affected health services utilization was reported during the first wave of the pandemic in China, especially for those with higher education level, chronic diseases, and COVID-19 related concerns. Enhancing primary healthcare, use of telehealth, extended prescription, and public communication were countermeasures undertaken by China during the rapid rise period. As COVID-19 progresses, the changing disease characteristics, adapted health system, along with enhanced public awareness/knowledge should be considered for the evolution of health services utilization, and further investigation is needed