mRNA transcription and protein expression of PPAR\u3b3, FAS, and HSL in different parts of the carcass between fat-tailed and thin-tailed sheep

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the level differences of mRNA transcription and protein expression of PPAR\u3b3, FAS and HSL in different parts of the carcass in different tail-type sheep. Six Tan sheep and six Shaanbei fine-wool sheep aged 9monthswere slaughtered and sampleswere collected fromthe tail adipose, subcutaneous adipose, and longissimus dorsimuscle. The levels ofmRNA transcription and protein expression of the target genes in these tissues were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot analyses. Results: The results showed that PPAR\u3b3, FAS, and HSL were expressed with spatial differences in tail adipose, subcutaneous adipose and longissimus dorsi muscle of Tan sheep and Shaanbei fine-wool sheep. Differences were also observed between the two breeds. The mRNA transcription levels of these genes were somewhat consistent with their protein expression levels. Conclusion: The present results indicated that PPAR\u3b3, FAS and HSL are correlated with fat deposition, especially for the regulating of adipose deposition in intramuscular fat, and that the mRNA expression patterns are similar to the protein expression patterns. The mechanism requires clarification in further studies

Variations and Determinants of Hospital Costs for Acute Stroke in China

BACKGROUND: The burden of stroke is high and increasing in China. We modelled variations in, and predictors of, the costs of hospital care for patients with acute stroke in China. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Baseline characteristics and hospital costs for 5,255 patients were collected using the prospective register-based ChinaQUEST study, conducted in 48 Level 3 and 14 Level 2 hospitals in China during 2006-2007. Ordinary least squares estimation was used to determine factors associated with hospital costs. Overall mean cost of hospitalisation was 11,216 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) (≈US$1,602) per patient, which equates to more than half the average annual wage in China. Variations in cost were largely attributable to stroke severity and length of hospital stay (LOS). Model forecasts showed that reducing LOS from the mean of 20 days for Level 3 and 18 days for Level 2 hospitals to a duration of 1 week, which is common among Western countries, afforded cost reductions of 49% and 19%, respectively. Other lesser determinants varied by hospital level: in Level 3 hospitals, health insurance and the occurrence of in-hospital complications were each associated with 10% and 18% increases in cost, respectively, whilst treatment in a teaching hospital was associated with approximately 39% decrease in cost on average. For Level 2 hospitals, stroke due to intracerebral haemorrhage was associated with a 19% greater cost than for ischaemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Changes to hospital policies to standardise resource use and reduce the variation in LOS could attenuate costs and improve efficiencies for acute stroke management in China. The success of these strategies will be enhanced by broader policy initiatives currently underway to reform hospital reimbursement systems

Eu-Doped BaTiO3 Powder and Film from Sol-Gel Process with Polyvinylpyrrolidone Additive

Transparent BaTiO3:Eu3+ films were prepared via a sol-gel method and dip-coating technique, using barium acetate, titanium butoxide, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as modifier viscosity. BaTiO3:Eu3+ films ~500 nm thick, crystallized after thermal treatment at 700 ºC. The powders revealed spherical and rod shape morphology. The optical quality of films showed a predominant band at 615 nm under 250 nm excitation. A preliminary luminescent test provided the properties of the Eu3+ doped BaTiO3

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Effects of concentrated growth factors on the angiogenic properties of dental pulp cells and endothelial cells: an in vitro study

Abstract The aim was to investigate the angiogenic effects of concentrated growth factors on human dental pulp cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Cells were treated with concentrated growth factor extracts. The CCK-8 assay and cell cycle assay were conducted to evaluate cell growth. Cell migration was evaluated by the Transwell migration assay. Angiogenesis-associated mRNA and protein expression levels were determined using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. A tube formation assay was conducted to evaluate the angiogenic capacity in vitro. The data showed that compared with the control, concentrated growth factor extracts significantly promoted dental pulp cell proliferation and differentiation and endothelial cell proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Concentrated growth factor extracts also promoted the tube-like structure formation of endothelial cells in vitro. The RT-PCR and Western blot results showed that concentrated growth factor extracts upregulated the expression of angiogenesis-related genes – chemokine receptor-4, platelet-derived growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor – in dental pulp cells. In conclusion, concentrated growth factors showed proangiogenic effects on dental pulp cells and endothelial cells and have good application potential for dental pulp revascularization

Some characteristics of uranium oxides in China

According to the analytical data of seventy-seven samples from several tens of uranium ore deposits and occurrences in China, chemical properties, cell dimensions and reflectance of uranium oxides are studied. Chemical properties of uranium oxides from different types of uranium ore deposits and the influence of various mineralization ages and hosts on the compositions of uranium oxides are presented. The influence of these factor such as mineralization temperatures, the compositions of hosts and geochemical background on the compositions of uranium oxides are evident. Lead in Proterozoic uranium oxides is relatively enriched by the decay of radio-active elements. Cell dimensions have positive correlation with mineralization ages, formation temperatures and concentration of TR and Pb, and negative correlation with the oxidation coefficient. The cell size and the content of CaO are in coincidence with exponential equation a₀ = 5.399 exp (0.0059/CaO %). It is suggested that among the factors of influence the most important is the mineralization temperature. The size of ionic radius of elements substituted U⁴⁺ and autooxidation of U⁴⁺ during the process of the decay of radioactive elements are of secondary importance. The reflectance is independent of the content of CaO and SiO₂. The reflectance is positively correlative with the cell size and negatively correlative with oxidation coefficient. The relation between the reflectance and the content of PbO obeys the logarithmic equation R = 14.2573 + 2.9126 log PbO %.Avec les données analytiques de soixante dix sept échantillons de plusieurs dizaines de gisements et d'indices de minerais d'uranium en Chine, on étudie les propriétés chimiques, les dimensions de maille et la réflectance des oxydes d'uranium. On présente les propriétés chimiques d'oxydes d'uranium de différents types de gisements de minerais d'uranium, et l'influence des divers âges et encaissants de la minéralisation sur la composition des oxydes d'uranium. L'influence de facteurs tels que la température de minéralisation, la composition de l'encaissant et l'environnement géochimique sur la composition des oxydes d'uranium est évidente. Le plomb dans les oxydes d'uranium protérozoïques est relativement enrichi par la désintégration d'éléments radioactifs. Les dimensions de maille présentent une corrélation positive avec les âges de minéralisation, les températures de formation, et la concentration en terres rares et plomb, et une corrélation négative avec le coefficient d'oxydation. La grandeur de la maille est liée à la teneur en CaO par la relation exponentielle a₀ = 5,399 exp (0,0059/CaO %). Le facteur dont l'influence est la plus importante est la température de minéralisation. La taille du rayon ionique des éléments substitués à U⁴⁺ et l'autooxydation de U⁴⁺ durant le processus de désintégration sont de moindre importance. La réflectance ne dépend pas de la teneur en CaO et SiO₂. La réflectance a une corrélation positive avec la grandeur de la maille et négative avec le coefficient d'oxydation. La relation entre la réflectance et la teneur en PbO suit la loi logarithmique R = 14,2573 + 2,9126 log PbO %.Xu Guoqing, Wang Aizhen, Gu Qifang, Zhang Jingyi, Zhang Zhaoming, Huang Yuzhu. Some characteristics of uranium oxides in China. In: Bulletin de Minéralogie, volume 104, 4, 1981. 12e assemblée générale de l'I.M.A. - Orléans – Juillet 1980. Deuxième partie : inclusions magmatiques / silicates / gemmes / « open session »