Bangladesh Railway EPC Track Engineering Investigation and Summary

Bangladesh’s railway infrastructure is outdated and inadequate, and the lack of transportation capacity seriously hinders the country’s economic development. In the track engineering practice of EPC projects such as the second line project of a railway Meter-Gauge addition project and the new Board-Gauge railway project in Bangladesh, according to the operation characteristics and maintenance status of the existing cable of the Bangladesh railway, the design and construction characteristics of the railway track, and the procurement of track materials, combined with the characteristics of the EPC project management in the country, suggestions on the general contracting and construction of track engineering were put forward. He also analyzed and summarized the risk factors in the design and construction of Bangladesh railway track engineering, and made some useful thoughts and explorations on how to do a good job in the general contracting of track engineering of EPC projects according to local conditions

Tetra­kis­(μ-benzoato-κ2 O:O′)bis{[4-(di­methyl­amino)­pyridine-κN 1]zinc(II)}

In the centrosymmetric binuclear title complex, [Zn2(C7H5O2)4(C7H10N2)2], the Zn atoms [Zn⋯Zn = 3.0037 (6) Å] are bridged by four benzoate ligands. Each of the Zn atoms assumes an approximately square-pyramidal environment, with four O atoms in a plane and the pyridine N atom at the apical site

Inhibitory effects of total saponins from Ilex pubescens Hook against hydrogen peroxide-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis

Purpose: To study the protective effects of total saponins from Ilex pubescens Hook (IPTS) against cardiomyocyte apoptosis.Methods: Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Benhnken Design (BBD) was carried out to optimize the extraction of IPTS. Thereafter, H9c2 cell model prepared by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment was used to investigate the effects of IPTS on cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay, while the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), creatine kinase (CK) and catalase (CAT) were measured as indices of oxidative stress. Expressions of proteins related to apoptosis (caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2) were measured using Western blot assay.Results: Optimal IPTS extraction was achieved with extraction temperature of 86.6 °C, extraction time of 2.23 h and water: raw material ratio of 10.8 mL/g. IPTS extract, at doses of 200, 400, 600 and 800 μg/mL, significantly increased the viability of H2O2-treated H9c2 cells (p < 0.05), but significantly decreased LDH and CK activities (p < 0.01). It also led to significant increases in SOD and CAT activities, and significant decreases in the levels of MDA in these cells (p < 0.01). There were significant down-regulation of the protein expressions of caspase-3 and Bax (p < 0.01) in IPTS-treated H9c2 cells, as well as significant up-regulation of Bcl-2 protein expression (p < 0.01).Conclusion: These results suggest that IPTS can protect cardiomyocytes against apoptosis via the inhibition of oxidative stress and mitochondria-induced intrinsic apoptosis.Keywords: Ilex pubescens, Total saponins, Cardiomyocytes, Apoptosis, H9c2 cell

The KAP Evaluation of Intervention on Fall-Induced Injuries among Elders in a Safe Community in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of an intervention on fall induced injuries of elderly people in a safe-community in Shanghai and to discuss an intervention model that is proper for the community to generalize. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Five neighborhood areas in a Safe Community were purposively selected. All individuals aged 60 years or over in five neighborhoods were prospective participants. From randomly selected prospective households with elders, 2,889 (pre intervention) and 3,021 (post intervention) elderly people were included in the study. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Model (KAP) questionnaires were used at the pre- and post-intervention phase for fall-induced injury prevention in the community. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. After the intervention, knowledge about the prevention of fall-induced injuries increased, as did attitudes, beliefs and good behaviors for fall prevention. Behavior modification was most notable with many behavior items changing significantly (p value<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS/ SIGNIFICANCE: The integrated program for reducing fall-related injuries in the community was effective in improving fall prevention among the elderly, but the intervention still needs further improvement

A high-throughput FRET-based assay for determination of Atg4 activity

Atg4 is required for cleaving Atg8, allowing it to be conjugated to phosphatidylethanolamine on phagophore membranes, a key step in autophagosome biogenesis. Deconjugation of Atg8 from autophagosomal membranes could be also a regulatory step in controlling autophagy. Therefore, the activity of Atg4 is important for autophagy and could be a target for therapeutic intervention. In this study, a sensitive and specific method to measure the activity of two Atg4 homologs in mammalian cells, Atg4A and Atg4B, was developed using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based approach. Thus LC3B and GATE-16, two substrates that could be differentially cleaved by Atg4A and Atg4B, were fused with CFP and YFP at the N- and C-terminus, respectively, allowing FRET to occur. The FRET signals decreased in proportion to the Atg4-mediated cleavage, which separated the two fluorescent proteins. This method is highly efficient for measuring the enzymatic activity and kinetics of Atg4A and Atg4B under in vitro conditions. Applications of the assay indicated that the activity of Atg4B was dependent on its catalytic cysteine and expression level, but showed little changes under several common autophagy conditions. In addition, the assays displayed excellent performance in high throughput format and are suitable for screening and analysis of potential modulators. In summary, the FRET-based assay is simple and easy to use, is sensitive and specific, and is suitable for both routine measurement of Atg4 activity and high-throughput screening

The role of the transcription factor Rbpj in the development of dorsal root ganglia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is composed of well-characterized populations of sensory neurons and glia derived from a common pool of neural crest stem cells (NCCs), and is a good system to study the mechanisms of neurogenesis and gliogenesis. Notch signaling is known to play important roles in DRG development, but the full scope of Notch functions in mammalian DRG development remains poorly understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, we used <it>Wnt1-Cre </it>to conditionally inactivate the transcription factor Rbpj, a critical integrator of activation signals from all Notch receptors, in NCCs and their derived cells. Deletion of <it>Rbpj </it>caused the up-regulation of <it>NeuroD1 </it>and precocious neurogenesis in DRG early development but led to an eventual deficit of sensory neurons at later stages, due to reduced cell proliferation and abnormal cell death. In addition, gliogenesis was delayed initially, but a near-complete loss of glia was observed finally in <it>Rbpj</it>-deficient DRG. Furthermore, we found P75 and Sox10, which are normally expressed exclusively in neuronal and glial progenitors of the DRG after the NCCs have completed their migration, were co-expressed in many cells of the DRG of <it>Rbpj </it>conditional knock-out mice.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data indicate that Rbpj-mediated canonical Notch signaling inhibits DRG neuronal differentiation, possibly by regulating <it>NeuroD1 </it>expression, and is required for DRG gliogenesis <it>in vivo</it>.</p

利培酮合并舒眠胶囊治疗精神分裂症的疗效及对患者糖、脂代谢的影响

Objective: To explore the curative effect and influence on glucose and lipid metabolism of risperidone with Shu Mian capsules in patients with schizophrenia .Methods: 128patients with chronic schizophrenia were randomly divided into the combined group (crisperidone combined with shu mian capsules group) and the single group (risperidone group ), each group was assessed the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS),the body mass index (BMI ) was measured and the blood glucose and blood lipid were detected before treatment and after 2,4,8 weekends respectively. After 4,8 weeks ,both the two groups were assessed by Wesconsin card sorting test ( WCST) curative effect and their cognitive function was evaluated .Results: The reacting time in the two groups were of no significantly difference , but compared with condition before treatment, cognitive function of the patients with schizophrenia was improved and their level of total cholesterol was significantly increased (P &lt; 0.05) in the combined group. BMI, blood glucose and blood lipid were significantly increased in single group after 8weeks’ treatment (P &lt; 0.05 or P &lt; 0.01). Conclusion: Shu Mian capsules can lower negative symptoms and improve cognitive function of schizophrenia ,and the dverse reactions is mild. With therapeutic dose range, risperidone in combined group or single group can make equal reacting time, curative effect and affecting blood lipid metabolism in patients with schizophrenia. Single group shows more obvious influence on blood sugat and blood fat metabolismcan.目的  探讨利培酮合并舒眠胶囊治疗慢性精神分裂症的疗效及对患者糖、脂代谢的影响。方法  128例精神分裂症患者采用系统随机分为联合组（利培酮合并舒眠胶囊组）和单用组（利培酮组）。每组各64例分别于治疗前及治疗2、4、8周末采用阳性与阴性症状量表（PANSS）进行评分，并检测体质量指数（BMI）、血糖及血脂；4、8周末评价认知能力及疗效。结果  联合组和单用组起效时间比较差异无统计学意义；联合组能部分改善精神分裂症患者的认知能力，与治疗前相比8周未联合组总胆固醇明显增高（P＜0.05）；单用组BMI、血糖、总胆固醇和甘油三酯明显增高（P＜0.05 或P＜0.01）。结论  舒眠胶囊对精神分裂症阴性症状和认知功能有一定改善作用，不良反应轻微。利培酮治疗精神分裂症的剂量范围内联合组和单用组起效时间相当，但均可影响脂代谢；单用组对血糖、血脂代谢的影响更明显。