Di-μ-benzoato-κ3 O,O′:O;κ3 O:O,O′-bis­[(acetato-κO)(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)lead(II)] dihydrate

The title compound, [Pb2(CH3COO)2(C7H5O2)2(C12H8N2)2]·2H2O, consists of dimeric units built up around a crystallographic centre of symmetry and two non-coordinating water mol­ecules. Each PbII unit is six-coordinated by a bidentate 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligand, a monodentate acetate anion and a bidentate benzoate anion, which also acts as a bridge linking the two PbII atoms. The crystal packing is stabilized by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and by π–π inter­actions between the phen rings of neighboring mol­ecules, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.577 (3) Å

Evaporative Enrichment of Oxygen-18 and Deuterium in Lake Waters on the Tibetan Plateau

Stable isotopes (δ18O and δD) are useful tracers for investigating hydrologic and climatic variability on a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Since the early isotopic studies on mountainous glaciers in the late 1960s, a great deal of information has been generated on the isotopic composition of rainfall, snow, ice, surface waters, and lake carbonate sediments across the Tibetan Plateau. However, measurements of δ18O and δD values of lake water are scarce. Here we present a new dataset of δ18O and δD values of lake waters collected from 27 lakes across the plateau during a reconnaissance survey in summer 2009. δ18O and δD values of lake water range from −19.9 to 6.6‰ and from −153 to −16‰, respectively. The average values of δ18O and δD are −6.4 and −72‰, considerably greater than those of precipitation observed in this region. The derived Tibetan lake water line, δD = 5.2δ18O − 38.9, is significantly different from the global meteoric water line. Most of the lakes, including some freshwater lakes, contain water with negative values of d-excess (d). There is a negative correlation between d and total dissolved solids (TDS). Each of these findings indicates that evaporation-induced isotopic enrichment prevails in Tibetan lakes. Moreover, we develop an isotope modeling scheme to calculate E/P ratios for Tibetan lakes, using a combination of existing isotopic fractionation equations and the Rayleigh distillation model. We use the intersection of the local evaporation line and GMWL as a first approximation of δ18O and δD values of lake water inputs to infer an E/P ratio for each lake. Our modeling calculations reveal that although variable from lake to lake, the water budget across the plateau is positive, with an average E/P of 0.52. This is in good agreement with other observational and model data that show varying degrees of increases in lake size from satellite imagery and significant decreases in lake salinity in many lakes on the plateau over the last several decades. Together with the new isotopic dataset, the proposed modeling framework can be used to examine and quantify past changes in a lake’s hydrologic balance from the isotopic record of downcore carbonate sediments in the region

Genetically modified adenoviral vector with the protein transduction domain of Tat improves gene transfer to CAR-deficient cells

The transduction efficiency of Ad (adenovirus) depends, to some extent, on the expression level of CAR (coxsackievirus and Ad receptor) of a target cell. The low level of CAR on the cell surface is a potential barrier to efficient gene transfer. To overcome this problem, PTD.AdeGFP (where eGFP is enhanced green fluorescent protein) was constructed by modifying the HI loop of Ad5 (Ad type 5) fibre with the Tat (trans-activating) PTD (protein transduction domain) derived from HIV. The present study showed that PTD.AdeGFP significantly improved gene transfer to multiple cell types deficient in expression of CAR. The improvement in gene transfer was not the result of charge-directed binding between the virus and the cell surface. Although PTD.AdeGFP formed aggregates, it infected target cells in a manner different from AdeGFP aggregates precipitated by calcium phosphate. In addition, PTD.AdeGFP was able to transduce target cells in a dynamin-independent pathway. The results provide some new clues as to how PTD.AdeGFP infects target cells. This new vector would be valuable in gene-function analysis and for gene therapy in cancer

The role of mitochondria-associated membranes mediated ROS on NLRP3 inflammasome in cardiovascular diseases

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism is essential for the homeostasis of cells. Appropriate production of ROS is an important signaling molecule, but excessive ROS production can damage cells. ROS and ROS-associated proteins can act as damage associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs) to activate the NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have shown that there are connected sites, termed mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum. In cardiovascular disease progression, MAMs play multiple roles, the most important of which is the ability to mediate ROS generation, which further activates the NLPR3 inflammasome, exacerbating the progression of disease. In this review, the following topics will be covered: 1. Molecular structures on MAMs that can mediate ROS generation; 2. Specific mechanisms of molecule-mediated ROS generation and the molecules' roles in cardiovascular disease, 3. The effects of MAMs-mediated ROS on the NLRP3 inflammasome in cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this review is to provide a basis for subsequent clinical treatment development

3D Facial Similarity Measure Based on Geodesic Network and Curvatures

Automated 3D facial similarity measure is a challenging and valuable research topic in anthropology and computer graphics. It is widely used in various fields, such as criminal investigation, kinship confirmation, and face recognition. This paper proposes a 3D facial similarity measure method based on a combination of geodesic and curvature features. Firstly, a geodesic network is generated for each face with geodesics and iso-geodesics determined and these network points are adopted as the correspondence across face models. Then, four metrics associated with curvatures, that is, the mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, shape index, and curvedness, are computed for each network point by using a weighted average of its neighborhood points. Finally, correlation coefficients according to these metrics are computed, respectively, as the similarity measures between two 3D face models. Experiments of different persons’ 3D facial models and different 3D facial models of the same person are implemented and compared with a subjective face similarity study. The results show that the geodesic network plays an important role in 3D facial similarity measure. The similarity measure defined by shape index is consistent with human’s subjective evaluation basically, and it can measure the 3D face similarity more objectively than the other indices

MicroRNA-29b contributes to pre-eclampsia through its effects on apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis of trophoblast cells,”

Abstract PE (pre-eclampsia), a pregnancy-specific disorder, is characterized by increased trophoblast cell death and deficient trophoblast invasion and reduced trophoblast-mediated remodelling of spiral arteries. The present study was performed to determine the function of miR-29b (microRNA-29b) in trophoblast cells and its underlying role in the pathogenesis of PE. The prediction of miR-29b target genes was performed using computer-based programs, including Targetscan, Pictar and miRBase. The function of these target genes was analysed further by gene ontology (GO). The effects of miR-29b on apoptosis, and invasion and angiogenesis of trophoblast cell lines (HTR-8/SVneo, BeWo and JAR) were examined by flow cytometry and Matrigel assay respectively. We found that miR-29b induced apoptosis and inhibited invasion and angiogenesis of trophoblast cells. Further studies confirmed that miR-29b regulated the expression of MCL1 (myeloid cell leukaemia sequence 1), MMP2 (encoding matrix metallproteinase 2), VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) and ITGB1 (integrin β1) genes by directly binding to their 3 -UTRs (untranslated regions). Moreover, we identified that there was an inverse correlation between miR-29b and its target genes in subjects with PE. Taken together, these findings support a novel role for miR-29b in invasion, apoptosis and angiogenesis of trophoblast cells, and miR-29b may become a new potential therapeutic target for PE

The Effect of Scalp Point Cluster-Needling on Learning and Memory Function and Neurotransmitter Levels in Rats with Vascular Dementia

We observed the effect of scalp point cluster-needling treatment on learning and memory function and neurotransmitter levels in rats with vascular dementia (VD). Permanent ligation of the bilateral carotid arteries was used to create the VD rat model. A Morris water maze was used to measure the rats’ learning and memory function, and the changes in neurotransmitter levels in the rats’ hippocampus were analyzed. The results show that scalp point cluster-needling can increase the VD rat model’s learning and memory score. The VD rat model’s learning and memory score was significantly different when compared with that of the sham operation group P<0.05. Hippocampal acetylcholine (ACh), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentrations significantly decreased in the rat model. Compared with the model group, the scalp point cluster-needling group’s ACh concentration markedly increased and DA and 5-HT levels increased as well. In conclusion, scalp point cluster-needling can improve learning and memory function in VD rats, and its function may be related to an increase in neurotransmitter release

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) versus conventional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in couples with non-severe male infertility (NSMI-ICSI) : protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Funding This study was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1000201; 2018YFC1002104) and the National Science Foundation of China (81730038). The study funders had no rule in the study design, implementation, analysis, manuscript, preparation or decision to submit this article for publication.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Thymosin alpha 1 in the prevention of infected pancreatic necrosis following acute necrotising pancreatitis (TRACE trial): protocol of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial

Introduction Infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) and its related septic complications are the major causes of death in patients with acute necrotising pancreatitis (ANP). Therefore, the prevention of IPN is of great clinical value, and immunomodulatory therapy with thymosin alpha 1 may be beneficial. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the administration of thymosin alpha 1 during the acute phase of ANP will result in a reduced incidence of IPN. Methods and analysis This is a randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. 520 eligible patients with ANP will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either the thymosin alpha 1 or the placebo using the same mode of administration. The primary endpoint is the incidence of IPN during the index admission. Most of the secondary endpoints will be registered within the index admission including in-hospital mortality, the incidence of new-onset organ failure and new-onset persistent organ failure (respiration, cardiovascular and renal), receipt of new organ support therapy, requirement for drainage or necrosectomy, bleeding requiring intervention, human leucocyte antigens-DR(HLA-DR) on day 0, day 7, day 14, and so on and adverse events. Considering the possibility of readmission, an additional follow-up will be arranged 90 days after enrolment, and IPN and death at day 90 will also be served as secondary outcomes. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the ethics committee of Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University (Number 2015NZKY-004-02). The thymosin alpha 1 in the prevention of infected pancreatic necrosis following acute necrotising pancreatitis(TRACE) trial was designed to test the effect of a new therapy focusing on the immune system in preventing secondary infection following ANP. The results of this trial will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT02473406)