EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM TAICHI ON THE STABILITY OF THE ELDERLY DURING STAIR DESCENTS UNDER DIFFERENT ILLUMINATIONS

This study investigates the effectiveness of Tai Chi on the stability of the elderly during stair descents under illumination of 3 lx and 300 lx. A total of 30 healthy elderly who are aged between 65 and 70 years old are recruited as subjects. Two force plates and eight Vicon cameras were used to collect data. The results indicated that Tai Chi exercise may increase the lower limb strength of the elderly, the stair descent strategies was influenced by Intensity of illumination, it may increase the risk of fall during stair descent under lower Intensity of illumination

ASSIST: Interactive Scene Nodes for Scalable and Realistic Indoor Simulation

We present ASSIST, an object-wise neural radiance field as a panoptic representation for compositional and realistic simulation. Central to our approach is a novel scene node data structure that stores the information of each object in a unified fashion, allowing online interaction in both intra- and cross-scene settings. By incorporating a differentiable neural network along with the associated bounding box and semantic features, the proposed structure guarantees user-friendly interaction on independent objects to scale up novel view simulation. Objects in the scene can be queried, added, duplicated, deleted, transformed, or swapped simply through mouse/keyboard controls or language instructions. Experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method, where scaled realistic simulation can be achieved through interactive editing and compositional rendering, with color images, depth images, and panoptic segmentation masks generated in a 3D consistent manner

The Effect of the Antimicrobial Peptide Plectasin on the Growth Performance, Intestinal Health, and Immune Function of Yellow-Feathered Chickens

The goal of the study was to test the effects of an antibiotic substitute, plectasin, on the growth performance, immune function, intestinal morphology and structure, intestinal microflora, ileal mucosal layer construction and tight junctions, ileal immune-related cytokines, and blood biochemical indices of yellow-feathered chickens. A total of 1,500 one-day-old yellow-feathered chicks were randomly divided into four dietary treatment groups with five replicates in each group and 75 yellow-feathered chicks in each replication, as follows: basal diet (group A); basal diet supplemented with 10 mg enramycin/kg of diet (group B), basal diet supplemented with 100 mg plectasin/kg of diet (group C), and basal diet supplemented with 200 mg plectasin/kg of diet (group D). It was found that the dietary antimicrobial peptide plectasin could improve the ADG and had better F/G for the overall period of 1–63 days. Dietary plectasin can enhance H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antibody levels of yellow-feathered chickens at 21, and 35 days of age. Dietary plectasin can enhance the intestine structure, inhibit Escherichia coli and proinflammatory cytokines in the ileum, and ameliorate the blood biochemical indices of yellow-feathered chickens at 21 days of age. This study indicates that the antimicrobial peptide plectasin has beneficial effects on the growth performance, intestinal health and immune function of yellow-feathered chickens

Challenges scoring radiation pneumonitis in patients irradiated for lung cancer

To quantify uncertainties in scoring radiation pneumonitis

The mechanisms of Yu Ping Feng San in tracking the cisplatin-resistance by regulating ATP-binding cassette transporter and glutathione S-transferase in lung cancer cells

Cisplatin is one of the first line anti-cancer drugs prescribed for treatment of solid tumors; however, the chemotherapeutic drug resistance is still a major obstacle of cisplatin in treating cancers. Yu Ping Feng San (YPFS), a well-known ancient Chinese herbal combination formula consisting of Astragali Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix, is prescribed as a herbal decoction to treat immune disorders in clinic. To understand the fast-onset action of YPFS as an anti-cancer drug to fight against the drug resistance of cisplatin, we provided detailed analyses of intracellular cisplatin accumulation, cell viability, and expressions and activities of ATP-binding cassette transporters and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in YPFS-treated lung cancer cell lines. In cultured A549 or its cisplatin-resistance A549/DDP cells, application of YPFS increased accumulation of intracellular cisplatin, resulting in lower cell viability. In parallel, the activities and expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporters and GSTs were down-regulated in the presence of YPFS. The expression of p65 subunit of NF-κB complex was reduced by treating the cultures with YPFS, leading to a high ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, i.e. increasing the rate of cell death. Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, one of the abundant ingredients in YPFS, modulated the activity of GSTs, and then elevated cisplatin accumulation, resulting in increased cell apoptosis. The present result supports the notion of YPFS in reversing drug resistance of cisplatin in lung cancer cells by elevating of intracellular cisplatin, and the underlying mechanism may be down regulating the activities and expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporters and GSTs

Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Prognostic Importance of Positive FDG PET Findings in the Mediastinum for Patients with N0–N1 Disease at Pathologic Analysis

In non-small cell lung cancer, preoperative evaluation of the mediastinum with PET may complement the surgical and histologic findings

Burgeoning Marginality in Urban China:yizu -- take Guangzhou as an example

In the history of Chinese urban marginality, three groups of people could be included in the marginalized situation: migrant workers, laid-off workers and yizu. The last one, yizu, just emerged after Dr. Lian Si put forward this concept in 2009. However, various debates arose around this new idea. Two main viewpoints have been built: 1) there is no need to be surprised at this yizu phenomenon; 2) yizu is a serious sociological problem and it should be noticed. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring a better understanding of yizu. According to the investigation of yizu people in Guangzhou and various academic theories, the author shows that yizu is being marginalized by the society seriously. The governmental policies, the lost citizenship and the phenomenon of semi-urbanization caused the emergence of yizu. Some possible solutions are suggested on the basis of the causes: cancelling hukou system, improving education, developing education and enhancing the attraction of developing areas

Targeting purinergic pathway to enhance radiotherapy-induced immunogenic cancer cell death

Abstract Emerging evidence has demonstrated that radiotherapy (RT) can not only cause direct damage to cancer cells but also lead to immunogenic cell death (ICD), which involves the activation of host antitumor immune response in tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). RT-induced ICD comprises the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from dying cancer cells that result in the activation of tumor-specific immunity to elicit long-term antitumor efficacy in both original and abscopal tumor sites. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), as an important DAMP released by irradiated cancer cells and an essential factor within purinergic pathway, can be further hydrolyzed to adenosine (ADO) by two key ectonucleotidases, CD39 and CD73, to further modulate the antitumor immunity in TIME through purinergic signaling via the interaction to its specific receptors such as adenosine 2A receptor (A2AR) and A2BR widely expressed on the surface of the components in TIME, including cancer cells and many immune effector cells. In this review, we first introduced key components in purinergic pathway including ATP, ADO, their receptors, and essential ectonucleotidases. Then we reviewed the regulation of ATP and ADO levels and their main mechanisms by which they promote tumor growth and broadly suppress antitumor immunity through inhibiting the pro-inflammatory response of dendritic cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and natural killer cells, while improving the anti-inflammatory response of regulatory T cells, macrophages, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in TIME, especially after irradiation. Finally, we presented an overview of dozens of promising therapeutics including pharmacological antagonists and specific antibodies targeting ADO receptors and ectonucleotidases CD39 or CD73 investigated in the clinic for cancer treatment, especially focusing on the preclinical studies and clinical trials being explored for blocking the purinergic signaling to enhance RT as a combination antitumor therapeutic strategy, which has a robust potential to be translated to the clinic in the future

Effect of graphite addition on impregnated diamond bit properties

Graphite was used as a solid lubricant to reduce thermal damage in diamond bit when drilling without coolant. Graphite was added to the bit matrix material to reduce friction coefficient and heat. The influence of content, granularity, and surface metallization of graphite on the mechanical property and dry friction properties of the matrix, as well as the effect of diamond lifetime in the working layer were studied. Results showed that the hardness, bending strength, and friction coefficient of matrix gradually decreased with the increase in graphite concentration.Для зменшення термічного пошкодження алмазного інструмента при бурінні без охолоджуючої рідини в якості твердого мастила використовували графіт, його додавали до матеріалу матриці інструмента для зменшення коефіцієнта тертя і виділення тепла. Досліджено вплив вмісту, зернистості і металізації поверхні графіту на механічні властивості та умови сухого тертя матриці, а також часу утримання алмазу в робочому шарі. Результати показали, що твердість, міцність на вигин і коефіцієнт тертя матриці поступово зменшуються зі збільшенням концентрації графіту.Для уменьшения термического повреждения алмазного инструмента при бурении без охлаждающей жидкости в качестве твердой смазки использовали графит, его добавляли к материалу матрицы инструмента для уменьшения коэффициента трения и выделение тепла. Исследовано влияние содержания, зернистости и металлизации поверхности графита на механические свойства и условия сухого трения матрицы, а также времени удержания алмаза в рабочем слое. Результаты показали, что твердость, прочность на изгиб и коэффициент трения матрицы постепенно уменьшаются с увеличением концентрации графита

The Expression of AQP5 and UTs in the Sweat Glands of Uremic Patients

Purpose. To research the distribution and quantitative changes of UT-A1, UT-B1, and AQP5 in uremic skin tissue. Methods. 34 cases of uremic patients (UP) and 11 controls were recruited. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and Western Blot were used to identify the proteins in sweat glands. Results. AQP5, UT-A1, and UT-B1 were expressed and localized in human skin basal lines, skin sweat glands, and sweat ducts, both in UP and controls. Compared to controls, AQP5 mRNA abundance was significantly decreased in UP (P<0.01), and, with the decrease of eGFR, the AQP5 expression was significantly decreased (P<0.05). By contrast, UT-A1 and UT-B1 mRNA abundance was significantly increased in the skin of UP compared with the control (P<0.01), and, with the decrease of eGFR, the AQP5 expression was significantly increased (P<0.05). We found that the gene changes were coincident with the corresponding target proteins. The urea transporter subtypes, UT-A1 and UT-B1, were expressed in the skin basal cell layer and exocrine sweat glands. The abundance of UT-A1 and UT-B1 in uremic sweat glands was significantly increased in UP, while the expression of AQP5 was decreased. Conclusion. Elimination of urea through the skin by producing sweat is a potential therapeutic strategy for renal failure patients