Myocardial fibrosis in desmin-related hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Desmin-related myopathy (DRM) is known to cause different types of cardiomyopathy. Late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has been shown to identify fibrosis in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. We present a rare case of desmin-related hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, CMR revealed fibrosis in the lateral wall of the left ventricle. CMR is superior to conventional echocardiography for the detection of myocardial fibrosis in desmin-related cardiomyopathy, which may be useful to detect early cardiac involvement and predict the patient prognosis

Tissue and Stage-Specific Distribution of Wolbachia in Brugia malayi

Most filarial nematodes contain Wolbachia endobacteria that are essential for development and reproduction. An antibody against a Wolbachia surface protein was used to monitor the distribution of endobacteria during the B. malayi life cycle. In situ hybridization with probes binding to Wolbachia 16S rRNA were used to confirm results. Only a few cells contain Wolbachia in microfilariae and vector stage larvae; this suggests that the bacteria need to be maintained, but may have limited importance for these stages. Large numbers of Wolbachia were detected in the lateral chords of L4 larvae and of young adult worms, but not in the developing reproductive tissue. Confocal laser scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that Wolbachia are aligned towards the developing germline. It can be hypothesized that Wolbachia invade developing ovaries from the lateral chords. In inseminated females, Wolbachia were detected in the ovaries and embryos. In young males, Wolbachia were found in parts of the testis and in the lateral chords in the vicinity of testicular tissue but never in mature spermatids or spermatozoa. The process of overcoming tissue boundaries to ensure transovarial transmission of Wolbachia could be an Achilles heel in the life cycle of B. malayi

Helix grounding electrode with good grounding performance

Grounding electrode is used for discharging current and ensure the safe and stable operation of electrical equipment. Grounding performance of grounding electrode will degradation with limited installation space. This paper proposes helix grounding electrode and builds theoretically and simulating model on the helix grounding electrode. Analyzing grounding surface potential and step voltage distribution, grounding resistance and surface current density distribution. Results show helix grounding electrode can reduce grounding resistance, improve grounding surface potential distribution and the discharging current distribution

Nanoscale pore characteristics of the Jurassic Dongyuemiao member lacustrine shale, Eastern Sichuan Basin, SW China: Insights from SEM, NMR, LTNA, and MICP experiments

The Jurassic Dongyuemiao Member is the most promising target for lacustrine shale gas exploration in Sichuan Basin. By integrating SEM, NMR, LTNA, and MICP experiments, and other basic measurements, the nanoscale pore category and structure and the corresponding controlling factors of Dongyuemiao lacustrine shale in Eastern Sichuan Basin are studied. The results denote that organic pores comprise primary pores within plant debris and secondary pores within bitumen. Inorganic pores are composed of intraparticle pores within calcite particles, intercrystalline pores between pyrite crystals, and interparticle pores between different minerals. The 4th Section lacustrine shale of Dongyuemiao Member has the best pore structure, exhibiting high organic pore proportion, large amounts of gas adsorption, and parallel plate-shaped pore morphology. Micropores (<2 nm) are the main contributors of the pore volume and surface area of Dongyuemiao lacustrine shale. Moreover, the enrichment of organic matter positively affects the formation of micropores and has no influence on the mesopore–macropore (>2 nm). Quartz does not significantly affect the nanoscale pore formation. The intraparticle pores within calcite particles constitute part of mesopore–macropore but not micropores. Clay minerals are conducive to the formation of micropores but play a negative role in the formation of mesopore–macropore

Comprehensive transcriptional profiling of aging porcine liver

Background Aging is a major risk factor for the development of many diseases, and the liver, as the most important metabolic organ, is significantly affected by aging. It has been shown that the liver weight tends to increase in rodents and decrease in humans with age. Pigs have a genomic structure, with physiological as well as biochemical features that are similar to those of humans, and have therefore been used as a valuable model for studying human diseases. The molecular mechanisms of the liver aging of large mammals on a comprehensive transcriptional level remain poorly understood. The pig is an ideal model animal to clearly and fully understand the molecular mechanism underlying human liver aging. Methods In this study, four healthy female Yana pigs (an indigenous Chinese breed) were investigated: two young sows (180-days-old) and two old sows (8-years-old). High throughput RNA sequencing was performed to evaluate the expression profiles of messenger RNA, long non-coding RNAs, micro RNAs, and circular RNAs during the porcine liver aging process. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to investigate the biological functions of age-related genes. Results A number of age-related genes were identified in the porcine liver. GO annotation showed that up-regulated genes were mainly related to immune response, while the down-regulated genes were mainly related to metabolism. Moreover, several lncRNAs and their target genes were also found to be differentially expressed during liver aging. In addition, the multi-group cooperative control relationships and constructed circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks were assessed during liver aging. Conclusions Numerous age-related genes were identified and circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks that are active during porcine liver aging were constructed. These findings contribute to the understanding of the transcriptional foundations of liver aging and also provide further references that clarify human liver aging at the molecular level

Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions for Parasite Control

Finding new drug targets for pathogenic infections would be of great utility for humanity, as there is a large need to develop new drugs to fight infections due to the developing resistance and side effects of current treatments. Current drug targets for pathogen infections involve only a single protein. However, proteins rarely act in isolation, and the majority of biological processes occur via interactions with other proteins, so protein-protein interactions (PPIs) offer a realm of unexplored potential drug targets and are thought to be the next-generation of drug targets. Parasitic worms were chosen for this study because they have deleterious effects on human health, livestock, and plants, costing society billions of dollars annually and many sequenced genomes are available. In this study, we present a computational approach that utilizes whole genomes of 6 parasitic and 1 free-living worm species and 2 hosts. The species were placed in orthologous groups, then binned in species-specific ortholgous groups. Proteins that are essential and conserved among species that span a phyla are of greatest value, as they provide foundations for developing broad-control strategies. Two PPI databases were used to find PPIs within the species specific bins. PPIs with unique helminth proteins and helminth proteins with unique features relative to the host, such as indels, were prioritized as drug targets. The PPIs were scored based on RNAi phenotype and homology to the PDB (Protein DataBank). EST data for the various life stages, GO annotation, and druggability were also taken into consideration. Several PPIs emerged from this study as potential drug targets. A few interactions were supported by co-localization of expression in M. incognita (plant parasite) and B. malayi (H. sapiens parasite), which have extremely different modes of parasitism. As more genomes of pathogens are sequenced and PPI databases expanded, this methodology will become increasingly applicable

A Numerical Approach to the Dynamic Response of the Deployment System during a Circular Cylinder Crossing through the Wave Zone

The dynamic response of the deployment system while deploying a circular cylinder crossing wave surface and the following submerging process are investigated numerically. The present numerical approach is based on the combination of solution methods of cable dynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). For the implementation of the numerical approach, a cosimulation platform based on a CFD code and MATLAB is developed to study the fluid-solid interaction problem in the process. To generate regular waves, a numerical wave tank is built based on a piston-type wave generation method and a wave damping method applying porous media. Numerical simulations are performed based on the cosimulation platform. The sensitivities of cable tension, velocity, and acceleration of deployed body to different input parameters are investigated, including phase angles, wave heights, and periods of regular waves and deploying velocities, and the effects of those input parameters on dynamic responses of the deployment system are also discussed

Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Wave Impact of a Circular Cylinder during the Submergence Process

Wave slamming loads on a circular cylinder during water entry and the subsequence submergence process are predicted based on a numerical wave load model. The wave impact problems are analyzed by solving Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and VOF equations. A finite volume approach (FV) is employed to implement the discretization of the RANS equations. A two-dimensional numerical wave tank is established to simulate regular ocean waves. The wave slamming problems are investigated by deploying a circular cylinder into waves with a constant vertical velocity. The present numerical method is validated using other numerical or theoretical results in accordance with varying free surface profiles when a circular cylinder sinks in calm water. A numerical example is given to show the submergence process of the circular cylinder in waves, and both free surface profiles and the pressure distributions on the cylinder of different time instants are obtained. Time histories of hydrodynamic load on the cylinder during the submergence process for different wave impact angles, wave heights, and wave periods are obtained, and results are analyzed in detail

A Numerical Approach to the Dynamic Response of the Deployment System during a Circular Cylinder Crossing through the Wave Zone

The dynamic response of the deployment system while deploying a circular cylinder crossing wave surface and the following submerging process are investigated numerically. The present numerical approach is based on the combination of solution methods of cable dynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). For the implementation of the numerical approach, a cosimulation platform based on a CFD code and MATLAB is developed to study the fluid-solid interaction problem in the process. To generate regular waves, a numerical wave tank is built based on a piston-type wave generation method and a wave damping method applying porous media. Numerical simulations are performed based on the cosimulation platform. The sensitivities of cable tension, velocity, and acceleration of deployed body to different input parameters are investigated, including phase angles, wave heights, and periods of regular waves and deploying velocities, and the effects of those input parameters on dynamic responses of the deployment system are also discussed