The mushroom, Cordyceps cicadae, ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis via TLR2-mediated pathways

Purpose: To evaluate the mushroom, Cordyceps cicadae, for its ability to suppress tissue fibrosis and Toll-like receptors 2 (TLR 2) pathway activation in a mouse model of renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF).Methods: Cordyceps cicadae powder was obtained from BioAsia Group (Shanghai, China). RIF was induced via unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in male C57Bl/6 mice. Animals were treated via the intragastric administration of Cordyceps cicadae powder (0.1g, 0.3 g/ml/100 g/day), beginning 24 h prior to UUO, and the treatment was continued for the following 14 days. Changes in tissue histology were then assessed via hematoxylin and eosin, and Sirius red stainings. Tissue macrophages were characterized based upon their expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), while Western blotting technique was used to measure the levels of TLR2, Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/p-NF-κB in samples from these animals.Results: Treatment with Cordyceps cicadae powder is associated with a shift in macrophage phenotype that in turn decreased the production of extracellular matrix and alleviated RIF occurrence in mice model.Conclusion: This mechanistic study highlights the novel potential approach for treating and preventing RIF using Cordyceps cicadae powder. Keywords: Renal interstitial fibrosis, TLR2-mediated pathway, Cordyceps cicada

The restricted EM algorithm under inequality restrictions on the parameters

AbstractOne of the most powerful algorithms for maximum likelihood estimation for many incomplete-data problems is the EM algorithm. The restricted EM algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation under linear restrictions on the parameters has been handled by Kim and Taylor (J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 430 (1995) 708–716). This paper proposes an EM algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation under inequality restrictions A0β⩾0, where β is the parameter vector in a linear model W=Xβ+ε and ε is an error variable distributed normally with mean zero and a known or unknown variance matrix Σ>0. Some convergence properties of the EM sequence are discussed. Furthermore, we consider the consistency of the restricted EM estimator and a related testing problem

Thermal conductivity of deformed carbon nanotubes

We investigate the thermal conductivity of four types of deformed carbon nanotubes by using the nonequilibrium molecular dynamics method. It is reported that various deformations have different influence on the thermal properties of carbon nanotubes. For the bending carbon nanotubes, the thermal conductivity is independent on the bending angle. However, the thermal conductivity increases lightly with XY-distortion and decreases rapidly with Z-distortion. The thermal conductivity does not change with the screw ratio before the breaking of carbon nanotubes but decreases sharply after the critical screw ratio.Comment: 6figure

The protective effect of resveratrol on human lens epithelial cells against ultraviolet-induced apoptosis

AIM: To investigate the protective effect of resveratrol on human lens epithelial cells against ultraviolet-induced apoptosis. METHODS:Subcultured human lens epithelial cell line, ultraviolet induced cell apoptosis, 20μmol/L resveratrol pretreated cell, the indicators change was observed: rate of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and apoptosis-related factors of caspses-3 and caspase-9 were detected by colorimetric detection, ultrastructure changes were observed under transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: Flow cytometry instrument testing found that resveratrol can suppress the apoptosis induced by ultraviolet irradiation, caspses-3 and caspase-9 content in positive control group were significantly higher than that of the negative control group at the same time period, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05); caspses-3 and caspase-9 content in experimental group were lower than that in the positive control group at the same time, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). In addition, the damage of human lens epithelial cells was alleviated with the incubation time of resveratrol elongated. CONCLUSION:Resveratrol may inhibit ultraviolet-induced apoptosis of human lens epithelial cells, it has preventive function against radioactive cataract, and it can provide reliable evidence for pursuing effective medicine to prevent and treat cataract

Retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics and treatment of children and adolescents with depression

ObjectiveTo analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment among children and adolescents with depression in different age groups of onset.Methods635 children and adolescents with depression in a hospital from January 2014 to December 2021 were collected by e-case, and grouped according to age of onset, including 115 cases in childhood 8-12, 359 cases in early adolescence 13-1 and 161 cases in late adolescence 16-18, and the general conditions, clinical characteristics, and treatment were compared between the three groups.ResultsFemales had more onset and were more likely to have psychotic symptoms in childhood, short duration and hospitalization in early adolescence increased year by year, and males had more onset and less hospitalization in late adolescence. There were no statistical differences in medication regimen, suicide, length of hospitalization, or family history between the three groups.ConclusionChildren and adolescents with depression have their unique clinical characteristics at different age of onset and need to enhance prevention and individualized treatment