Study on the Problems of Specialty Adjustment in Local Universities Under China’s New Normal

In China, the specialty adjustment of the local universities is short of dynamic mechanism and scientificity, which, at present, is one of the most ubiquitous problems among the universities. Particularly, as China’s economy enters into the new normal, what Chinese universities shall jointly deal with at the moment is how to adjust specialty scientifically and effectively according to the current economic changes and exposed problems. Against the background of China’s new normal, combined with the present economic situations and market demands, the local universities shall start from their own problems and find out ways of adjusting specialties scientifically and then put forward some countermeasures and suggestions to promote a higher and more sustainable development

Apexification Management of Mandibular Second Premolar with a Blunderbuss Apex and Periapical Lesion of an Adult Patient

Apexification is widely applied in teenager patients but rarely used in the adult population. Instead, artificial apical barrier with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is clinically accepted, and spontaneous apical closure in nonvital immature teeth of adult patients has rarely been encountered while only apexification of the maxillary incisors in adult patients has been reported. The aim of this case report is to share a successful apexification application in the mandibular premolar with a blunderbuss apex and periapical lesion of an adult patient by using calcium hydroxide: radiographically, spontaneous hard tissue barrier has been established, and narrowing canal space and decreasing area of periapical shadow were documented without complications. Taken together, our study indicates that patient\u27s age and tooth position may not be the critical limitation for apexification. © 2019 Chenshuang Li et al

A research on detecting and recognizing bridge cracks in complex underwater conditions

The method aims to recognize and extract the characteristic parameters of bridge cracks based on images of the cracks obtained through the application of preprocessing technologies, such as graying, graphical enhancements, spatial filtering, gray-level threshold segmentation, etc.. The approach has been tested for accuracy to avoid the incorrect identification of chaff as a method error. The proposed method has proved to be rather accurate and effective in extracting information on cracks from the bridge image tests

IL-6 is increased in the cerebellum of autistic brain and alters neural cell adhesion, migration and synaptic formation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the cellular mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of autism are not understood, a growing number of studies have suggested that localized inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS) may contribute to the development of autism. Recent evidence shows that IL-6 has a crucial role in the development and plasticity of CNS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemistry studies were employed to detect the IL-6 expression in the cerebellum of study subjects. <it>In vitro </it>adenoviral gene delivery approach was used to over-express IL-6 in cultured cerebellar granule cells. Cell adhesion and migration assays, DiI labeling, TO-PRO-3 staining and immunofluorescence were used to examine cell adhesion and migration, dendritic spine morphology, cell apoptosis and synaptic protein expression respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we found that IL-6 was significantly increased in the cerebellum of autistic subjects. We investigated how IL-6 affects neural cell development and function by transfecting cultured mouse cerebellar granule cells with an IL-6 viral expression vector. We demonstrated that IL-6 over-expression in granule cells caused impairments in granule cell adhesion and migration but had little effect on the formation of dendritic spines or granule cell apoptosis. However, IL-6 over-expression stimulated the formation of granule cell excitatory synapses, without affecting inhibitory synapses.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results provide further evidence that aberrant IL-6 may be associated with autism. In addition, our results suggest that the elevated IL-6 in the autistic brain could alter neural cell adhesion, migration and also cause an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory circuits. Thus, increased IL-6 expression may be partially responsible for the pathogenesis of autism.</p

Metabolic Profiling of Pleurotus tuoliensis During Mycelium Physiological Maturation and Exploration on a Potential Indicator of Mycelial Maturation

Pleurotus tuoliensis is a valuable and rare edible fungus with extremely high nutritional and medicinal value. However, the relative immaturity of P. tuoliensis cultivation technology leads to fluctuating yields and quality. The main difficulty in P. tuoliensis cultivation is estimate of mycelial maturity. There is currently no measurable indicator that clearly characterizes the physiological maturation of mycelia. The aim of this study was to identify potential indicators of physiological maturation for P. tuoliensis mycelia by using metabolomics approach. A metabolite profiling strategy involving gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to analyze changes to extracellular metabolites in mycelia collected at mycelium physiological maturation period (MPMP) day 0, MPMP day 35 at 17°C and MPMP day 35 at 29°C. 72 differential metabolites (37.8% up-regulated and 62.2% down-regulated) were identified based on the selected criteria [variable important in projection (VIP) greater than 1.0 and p &lt; 0.01]. Metabolic pathways enrichment analysis showed that these metabolites are involved in glycolysis, organic acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), sugar metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, the pyrimidine synthesis pathway was significantly activated during mycelium physiological maturation of P. tuoliensis. The abundance of N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate (CA-asp), a component of this pathway, was significantly increased at MPMP day 35, which motivated us to explore its potential as an indicator for physiological maturation of mycelia. The content of CA-asp in mycelia changed in a consistent manner during physiological maturation. The feasibility of using CA-asp as an indicator for mycelial maturation requires further investigation

Advancements in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a series of diseases, involving excessive lipid deposition in the liver and is often accompanied by obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, abnormal blood pressure, and other metabolic disorders. In order to more accurately reflect its pathogenesis, an international consensus renamed NAFLD in 2020 as metabolic (dysfunction) associated with fatty liver disease (MAFLD). The changes in diet and lifestyle are recognized the non-drug treatment strategies; however, due to the complex pathogenesis of NAFLD, the current drug therapies are mainly focused on its pathogenic factors, key links of pathogenesis, and related metabolic disorders as targets. There is still a lack of specific drugs. In clinical studies, the common NAFLD treatments include the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism to protect the liver and anti-inflammation. The NAFLD treatments based on the enterohepatic axis, targeting gut microbiota, are gradually emerging, and various new metabolism-regulating drugs are also under clinical development. Therefore, this review article has comprehensively discussed the research advancements in NAFLD treatment in recent years

Investigation of diverse bacteria encoding histidine decarboxylase gene in Sichuan-style sausages by culture-dependent techniques, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and high-throughput sequencing

The diverse bacteria encoding histidine decarboxylase gene during the fermentation of Sichuan-style sausages were investigated by culture-dependent techniques, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), and high-throughput sequencing. All microbial indicators exhibited the advantages of mixed starter culture and the stability of microecosystem was more in the inoculation group than in the control group. DGGE and selected band sequencing were used to investigate the bacterial diversity of these sausages. Weissella were the main lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the initial fermentation stage, whereas Weissella and Lactobacillus were the dominant bacteria in the later fermentation stage. After sequence alignment analysis, Enterobacter aerogenes and Citrobacter freundi were the two main bacteria encoding histidine decarboxylase gene and could produce histamine. These findings facilitate the better understanding of bacteria producing histidine decarboxylase during sausage fermentation and provide a theoretical basis for the control of histamine-producing bacteria in the process of fermented sausage processing.Peer reviewe