A “University-Community-Student” multi-profit model of service learning basing on mentoring program

There is a topic, that how to combine the function of social service with the task of developing manpower, being more and more concerned throughout higher education in mainland china. By means of consistent exploring, a team from Chinese Youth University for Political Sciences established a multi-profit model of service learning, which base on mentoring program. This model focus on inviting particular field where direct social service and education happens organically: institutions for higher education engage in community changes, which shown as promoting social inclusion, by grouping students and professors into practice; and students, by performance in one-to-one mentoring and cooperate-learning, subsequently comprehend the knowledge, achieve self-reflection and obtain in-depth recognition of society. This article indicated a finding that the migrant children, for who students mobilized, have affirmative impact especially in integrating into urban life. And the better qualitative relationship acquired between mentors and children, the more contribution would be on arising protective factors at the same time. Teachers and community workers, joining with students in the process of learning, facilitate further understanding on the problem of migrant population under circumstance of urbanization. And they experience together the inherent and external transform of migrant children. Nowadays, migrate population issue being emphasized on a social inclusion’s view while urbanization growing in intensity. We suggest that universities and colleges should utilize their advantage in human resource to promote wellbeing of migrant children. The mentoring based “university, community and student” multi-profit model of service learning, in a widespread field, should be introduced to a harmonious society

Effect of PGC-1α on Proliferation, Migration, and Transdifferentiation of Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by High Glucose

We assessed the role of PGC-1α (PPARγ coactivator-1 alpha) in glucose-induced proliferation, migration, and inflammatory gene expression of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We carried out phagocytosis studies to assess the role of PGC-1α in transdifferentiation of VSMCs by flow cytometry. We found that high glucose stimulated proliferation, migration and inflammatory gene expression of VSMCs, but overexpression of PGC-1α attenuated the effects of glucose. In addition, overexpression of PGC-1α decreased mRNA and protein level of VSMCs-related genes, and induced macrophage-related gene expression, as well as phagocytosis of VSMCs. Therefore, PGC-1α inhibited glucose-induced proliferation, migration and inflammatory gene expression of VSMCs, which are key features in the pathology of atherosclerosis. More importantly, PGC-1α transdifferentiated VSMCs to a macrophage-like state. Such transdifferentiation possibly increased the portion of VSMCs-derived foam cells in the plaque and favored plaque stability

Sirtuins and Insulin Resistance

The mammalian Sirtuins (SIRT1-7) are an evolutionarily conserved family of NAD+-dependent deacylase and mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase. Sirtuins display distinct subcellular localizations and functions and are involved in cell survival, senescence, metabolism and genome stability. Among the mammalian Sirtuins, SIRT1 and SIRT6 have been thoroughly investigated and have prominent metabolic regulatory roles. Moreover, SIRT1 and SIRT6 have been implicated in obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases. However, the roles of other Sirtuins are not fully understood. Recent studies have shown that these Sirtuins also play important roles in inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and energy metabolism. Insulin resistance is the critical pathological trait of obesity and metabolic syndrome as well as the core defect in T2DM. Accumulating clinical and experimental animal evidence suggests the potential roles of the remaining Sirtuins in the regulation of insulin resistance through diverse biological mechanisms. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of the functions of Sirtuins in various insulin resistance-associated physiological processes, including inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, the insulin signaling pathway, glucose, and lipid metabolism. In addition, we highlight the important gaps that must be addressed in this field

Development and biodistribution of trans-resveratrol loaded chitosan nanoparticles with free amino groups

The conventional method for preparing chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) leads to the surface amino groups protonated and unable to link other useful moieties. In this study, we optimized the method of sodium chloride precipitation our lab established before to produce CS-NPs with surface free amino groups. The effects of preparation conditions on the size and encapsulation efficiency were examined. As surface amino groups may exert special effect on the NPs biodistribution, in vivo distribution was investigated after intravenous administration to the mice. The optimized CS-NPs were round with the mean diameter of 257 ± 21 nm. Compared with trans-resveratrol solution, the CS-NPs had longer circulation time in vivo. The AUC of CS-NPs in liver was 2.29 fold AUC of the solution. This study demonstrates that not only can the unique CS-NPs be modified to obtain active targeting systems, they are also an excellent candidate for liver targeting treatment.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Quantification of hypsarrhythmia in infantile spasmatic EEG:a large cohort study

Infantile spasms (IS) is a neurological disorder causing mental and/or developmental retardation in many infants. Hypsarrhythmia is a typical symptom in the electroencephalography (EEG) signals with IS. Long-Term EEG/video monitoring is most frequently employed in clinical practice for IS diagnosis, from which manual screening of hypsarrhythmia is time consuming and lack of sufficient reliability. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers for automatic IS diagnosis by quantitative analysis of the EEG signals. A large cohort of 101 IS patients and 155 healthy controls (HC) were involved. Typical hypsarrhythmia and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG signals were annotated, and normal EEG were randomly picked from the HC. Root mean square (RMS), teager energy (TE), mean frequency, sample entropy (SamEn), multi-channel SamEn, multi-scale SamEn, and nonlinear correlation coefficient were computed in each sub-band of the three EEG signals, and then compared using either a one-way ANOVA or a Kruskal-Wallis test (based on their distribution) and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The effects of infant age on these features were also investigated. For most of the employed features, significant ({p} &lt; {0}.{05} ) differences were observed between hypsarrhythmia EEG and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG or HC, which seem to increase with increased infant age. RMS and TE produce the best classification in the delta and theta bands, while entropy features yields the best performance in the gamma band. Our study suggests RMS and TE (delta and theta bands) and entropy features (gamma band) to be promising biomarkers for automatic detection of hypsarrhythmia in long-Term EEG monitoring. The findings of our study indicate the feasibility of automated IS diagnosis using artificial intelligence.</p

Hierarchical bismuth vanadate/reduced graphene oxide composite photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and bisphenol A degradation

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a widely studied photocatalyst for the depollution of contaminated wastewater, production of hydrogen by water splitting, and organic synthesis. The photophysical properties of BiVO4 are sensitive to morphology and quantum confinement effects, and can exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performance in nanocomposites with graphene. Synthesis of hierarchical BiVO4 plates decorated by nanoparticles (h-BiVO4) in contact with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is reported via a facile one-pot solution phase approach using ethanolamine and a polyethylene glycol stabilizer. The resulting h-BiVO4/RGO photocatalyst exhibited superior photoactivity for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation and hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation compared to single component h-BiVO4 or a μm-sized block-like BiVO4 morphology. Rates of BPA photocatalytic degradation and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) decreased in the order h-BiVO4/RGO (4.5 × 10−2 mmol.g−1.min−1; 15.1% AQE) > h-BiVO4 (3.5 × 10−2 mmol.g−1.min−1; 11.7% AQE) > BiVO4 (1 × 10−2 mmol.g−1.min−1; 3.4% AQE), representing a 4.5 fold enhancement for h-BiVO4/RGO versus BiVO4. Liquid phase photodegradation products included benzene-1,4-diol, cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione and (2Z)-but-2-enedioic acid. The rate of photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light was 11.5 µmol.g−1.h−1 for h-BiVO4/RGO, ~383.3 times greater than for BiVO4 (0.03µmol.g−1.h−1). The superior photocatalytic performance of h-BiVO4/RGO is largely attributed to its higher surface area, aided by enhanced visible light absorption and charge separation across the semiconductor-RGO interface, which together confer a higher density and lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers

A Novel Recombinant Peste des Petits Ruminants-Canine Adenovirus Vaccine Elicits Long-Lasting Neutralizing Antibody Response against PPR in Goats

BACKGROUND: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious infectious disease of goats, sheep and small wild ruminant species with high morbidity and mortality rates. The Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) expresses a hemagglutinin (H) glycoprotein on its outer envelope that is crucial for viral attachment to host cells and represents a key antigen for inducing the host immune response. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To determine whether H can be exploited to generate an effective PPRV vaccine, a replication-competent recombinant canine adenovirus type-2 (CAV-2) expressing the H gene of PPRV (China/Tibet strain) was constructed by the in vitro ligation method. The H expression cassette, including the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) promoter/enhancer and the BGH early mRNA polyadenylation signal, was inserted into the SspI site of the E3 region, which is not essential for proliferation of CAV-2. Infectious recombinant rCAV-2-PPRV-H virus was generated in transfected MDCK cells and used to immunize goats. All vaccinated animals produced antibodies upon primary injection that were effective in neutralizing PPRV in vitro. Higher antibody titer was obtained following booster inoculation, and the antibody was detectable in goats for at least seven months. No serious recombinant virus-related adverse effect was observed in immunized animals and no adenovirus could be isolated from the urine or feces of vaccinated animals. Results showed that the recombinant virus was safe and could stimulate a long-lasting immune response in goats. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This strategy not only provides an effective PPR vaccine candidate for goats but may be a valuable mean by which to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (the so-called DIVA approach)

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Structure and Dynamics of Layered Double Hydroxides

148 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001.Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are a complex group of phases with wide ranging technological applications and increasingly recognized geochemical significance. They are unusual among oxide and hydroxide phases in having large anion exchange capacities, and enhancing their application and understanding their geochemical significance require better understanding of the interlayer and surface structure and dynamics of anions and water molecules. This thesis describes a systematic experimental investigation of the hydration, expansion, and molecular scale structure and dynamics of LDHs. It provides important, fundamental data and significant new insight into the factors that control the observed structural and dynamic behavior. The diversity of LDHs allows incorporation of many NMR-observable nuclei and thus systematic investigation of the effects of such parameters as anionic size, charge, and configuration on the structure and dynamics. I have synthesized a wide variety of LDHs containing the cations Mg,Al and Li,Al in the octahedral layers and anions including 13CO32-, 15NO 3-, 77SeO42- , 77SeO32-, 35ClO4-, 35Cl -, H31PO42-, 31PO43- and many others. These samples were examined with NMR, XRD, TGA and water gravimetry under well-controlled relative humidity conditions or/and over a wide temperature range. The results show that LDHs have widely variable hydration, expansion, structural and dynamical behaviors that depend on the anion size, charge, and configuration, and on the hydroxide-layer composition. The results illustrate clearly how NMR spectroscopy combined with XRD, water sorption and thermogravimetric (TGA) data can effectively probe these properties and provide a basis for understanding the interaction and relationships among these properties. Chapter 1.3 provides a detailed summary of the principal results.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD