The interaction between different types of activated RAW 264.7 cells and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two major ways of macrophage (MΦ) activation can occur in radiation-induced pulmonary injury (RPI): classical and alternative MΦ activation, which play important roles in the pathogenesis of RPI. MΦ can produce chemokine MΦ inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), while MIP-1α can recruit MΦ. The difference in the chemotactic ability of MIP-1α toward distinct activated MΦ is unclear. We speculated that there has been important interaction of MIP-1α with different activated MΦ, which might contribute to the pathogenesis of RPI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Classically and alternatively activated MΦ were produced by stimulating murine MΦ cell line RAW 264.7 cells with three different stimuli (LPS, IL-4 and IL-13); Then we used recombinant MIP-1α to attract two types of activated MΦ. In addition, we measured the ability of two types of activated MΦ to produce MIP-1α at the protein or mRNA level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chemotactic ability of recombinant MIP-1α toward IL-13-treated MΦ was the strongest, was moderate for IL-4-treated MΦ, and was weakest for LPS-stimulated MΦ (p < 0.01). The ability of LPS-stimulated MΦ to secrete MIP-1α was significantly stronger than that of IL-4-treated or IL-13-treated MΦ (p < 0.01). The ability of LPS-stimulated MΦ to express MIP-1α mRNA also was stronger than that of IL-4- or IL-13-stimulated MΦ (p < 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The chemotactic ability of MIP-1α toward alternatively activated MΦ (M2) was significantly greater than that for classically activated MΦ (M1). Meanwhile, both at the mRNA and protein level, the capacity of M1 to produce MIP-1α is better than that of M2. Thus, chemokine MIP-1α may play an important role in modulating the transition from radiation pneumonitis to pulmonary fibrosis <it>in vivo</it>, through the different chemotactic affinity for M1 and M2.</p

A rare morphology of the cardiac fibroma in a child: a case report

Here we report a rare morphology of a cardiac fibroma in a child. A 2-year and 8-month-old toddler came for “chronic constipation” and was found to have a heart murmur on cardiac auscultation. Further transthoracic echocardiography suggested “a strong echogenic mass in the left ventricular wall, with some part of “a string of beads” in shape extending into left ventricle outflow tract”, which was atypical for either a tumor, thrombus or vegetation. The child underwent resection of the mass and mitral valvuloplasty. Pathological examination confirmed the mass as a cardiac fibroma

Identification of candidate chemosensory genes in Bactrocera cucurbitae based on antennal transcriptome analysis

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Tephritidae: Diptera), is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to agriculture in Africa and other regions. Flies are known to use their olfactory systems to recognise environmental chemical cues. However, the molecular components of the chemosensory system of B. cucurbitae are poorly characterised. To address this knowledge gap, we have used next-generation sequencing to analyse the antenna transcriptomes of sexually immature B. cucurbitae adults. The results have identified 160 potential chemosensory genes, including 35 odourant-binding proteins (OBPs), one chemosensory protein (CSP), three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 70 odourant receptors (ORs), 30 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 21 gustatory receptors (GRs). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the results by assessing the expression profiles of 25 ORs and 15 OBPs. Notably, high expression levels for BcucOBP5/9/10/18/21/23/26 were observed in both the female and male antennae. Furthermore, BcucOROrco/6/7/9/13/15/25/27/28/42/62 exhibited biased expression in the male antennae, whereas BcucOR55 showed biased expression in the female antennae. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into insect olfaction at the molecular level and will, thus, help to facilitate the development of enhanced pest management strategies in the future

Large-scale features and evaluation of the PMIP4-CMIP6 midHolocene simulations

The mid-Holocene (6,000 years ago) is a standard experiment for the evaluation of the simulated response of global climate models using paleoclimate reconstructions. The latest mid-Holocene simulations are a contribution by the Palaeoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP4) to the current phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Here we provide an initial analysis and evaluation of the results of the experiment for the mid-Holocene. We show that state-of-the-art models produce climate changes that are broadly consistent with theory and observations, including increased summer warming of the northern hemisphere and associated shifts in tropical rainfall. Many features of the PMIP4-CMIP6 simulations were present in the previous generation (PMIP3-CMIP5) of simulations. The PMIP4-CMIP6 ensemble for the mid-Holocene has a global mean temperature change of -0.3 K, which is -0.2 K cooler that the PMIP3-CMIP5 simulations predominantly as a result of the prescription of realistic greenhouse gas concentrations in PMIP4-CMIP6. Neither this difference nor the improvement in model complexity and resolution seems to improve the realism of the simulations. Biases in the magnitude and the sign of regional responses identified in PMIP3-CMIP5, such as the amplification of the northern African monsoon, precipitation changes over Europe and simulated aridity in mid-Eurasia, are still present in the PMIP4-CMIP6 simulations. Despite these issues, PMIP4-CMIP6 and the mid-Holocene provide an opportunity both for quantitative evaluation and derivation of emergent constraints on climate sensitivity and feedback strength

Creation and Utilization of the Health Records in Residents: a Demand-side Survey in Three Eastern, Central and Western Chinese Provinces

Background The creation of health records for Chinese residents is a key task for deepening the reform of the pharmaceutical and healthcare system, and an important action for promoting the equity of essential public health services. However, domestic studies on resident health records are mainly using the data from a city or community, and those using the national data from a demand-side perspective are rather scarce. Objective To understand the creation and utilization of health records in Chinese residents. Methods From November to December 2019, multistage sampling was used to select three provinces/municipality (Zhejiang, Shanxi and Chongqing) from eastern, central and western China (one was extracted from each geographical region) , then from each of them, one urban district and one county were extracted. Randomly selected 2 community health centers/stations, township health centers/village clinics in the corresponding districts (counties) . Finally, 20 community health service centers/township health centers were selected, the visitors of these institutions were invited to attend a questionnaire survey for understanding their information about the creation of health records, and the access to the health records, as well as satisfaction with the services. For ease of analysis, the visitors were classified into six categories (0-6-year-olds, pregnant women, over 65-year-olds, hypertensioners, diabetics, and general population) in accordance with the population groups defined in the Essential Public Health Service Programs. Results Altogether, 10 067 residents were included for final analysis. Among them, 9 119 (90.58%) self-reported that they had received health records creation services. The rates of creation of health records in 0-6-year-olds, pregnant women, over 65-year-olds without hypertension/diabetes, over 65-year-olds with hypertension, under 65-year-olds with hypertension, over 65-year-olds with diabetes, and under 65-year-olds with diabetes, as well as general population were 94.09% (2 787/2 962) , 95.60% (956/1 000) , 87.87% (616/701) , 88.87% (1 414/1 591) , 92.91% (747/804) , 89.41% (895/1 001) , 92.72% (471/508) , and 82.20% (1 233/1 500) , respectively. Among those with health records created, 67.02% (5 990 / 8 938) could access to their health records at any time, and the health records accessed by most of them were printed〔75.76% (4 538/5 990) 〕. However, 12.40% (1 108/8 938) of residents reported that they had no access to their health records, and other 20.59% (1 840/8 938) indicated that they had never tried to gain access to their health records. The rate of satisfaction with health records services in residents was 83.31% (4 352/5 224) . The rate of health records creation and rate of accessing the health records differed significantly by province, district or country, household monthly income per person, education level, and category of population (P&lt;0.05) . The rates of satisfaction with the creation of and access to health records differed significantly by province, type of visited health institution, district or country, household monthly income per person, education level, and category of population (P&lt;0.05) . Conclusion Generally, the rate of creation of health records in Chinese residents has significantly increased. The rate of utilization of the records has also enhanced, but needs further improvement. Moreover, residentssatisfaction with health records services may be at a moderate level

Current status of research on optimum sizing of stand-alone hybrid solar-wind power generation systems

Solar and wind energy systems are omnipresent, freely available, environmental friendly, and they are considered as promising power generating sources due to their availability and topological advantages for local power generations. Hybrid solar-wind energy systems, uses two renewable energy sources, allow improving the system efficiency and power reliability and reduce the energy storage requirements for stand-alone applications. The hybrid solar-wind systems are becoming popular in remote area power generation applications due to advancements in renewable energy technologies and substantial rise in prices of petroleum products. This paper is to review the current state of the simulation, optimization and control technologies for the stand-alone hybrid solar-wind energy systems with battery storage. It is found that continued research and development effort in this area is still needed for improving the systems' performance, establishing techniques for accurately predicting their output and reliably integrating them with other renewable or conventional power generation sources.Hybrid solar-wind energy system Feasibility study Modelling Optimization