| 1. |
- Dong, Jingran, et al.
(författare)
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Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of the anti-tubercular prodrug isoniazid and its analog by iridium(IV) as models for biological redox systems
- 2017
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Ingår i: Dalton Transactions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-9234 .- 1477-9226. ; 46:26, s. 8377-8386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A complex reaction mechanism of oxidation of the anti-tubercular prodrug isoniazid (isonicotinic hydrazide, INH) by [IrCl6]2− as a model for redox processes of such drugs in biological systems has been studied in aqueous solution as a function of pH between 0 and 8.5. Similar experiments have been performed with its isomer nicotinic hydrazide (NH). All reactions are overall second-order, first-order in [IrCl6]2− and hydrazide, and the observed second-order rate constants k′ have been determined as a function of pH. Spectrophotometric titrations indicate a stoichiometry of [Ir(IV)]:[hydrazide] = 4:1. HPLC analysis shows that the oxidation product of INH is isonicotinic acid. The derived reaction mechanism, based on rate law, time-resolved spectra and stoichiometry, involves parallel attacks by [IrCl6]2− on all four protolytic species of INH and NH as rate-determining steps, depending on pH. These steps are proposed to generate two types of hydrazyl free radicals. These radicals react further in three rapid consecutive processes, leading to the final oxidation products. Rate constants for the rate-determining steps have been determined for all protolytic species I–IV of INH and NH. They are used to calculate reactivity–pH diagrams. These diagrams demonstrate that for both systems, species IV is ca. 105 times more reactive in the redox process than the predominant species III at the physiological pH of 7.4. Thus, species IV will be the main reactant, in spite of the fact that its concentration at this pH is extremely low, a fact that has not been considered in previous work. The results indicate that pH changes might be an important factor in the activation process of INH in biological systems also, and that in such systems this process most likely is more complicated than previously assumed
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| 2. |
- Piao, Shilong, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.
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| 3. |
- Wang, Kewei, et al.
(författare)
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Transmit/Passive Beamforming Design for Multi-IRS Assisted Cell-Free MIMO Networks
- 2023
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Ingår i: IEEE Systems Journal. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 1932-8184 .- 1937-9234. ; 17:4, s. 6282-6291
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For beyond fifth-generation and sixth-generation communication, intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)/reconfigurable intelligent surface, and cell-free networks have been proposed as revolutionary technologies, which could significantly improve the connection quality and coverage to meet future communication demands for extremely massive connectivity and high reliability. In this article, a transmit/passive beamforming strategy for multi-IRS assisted cell-free multi-input-multi-output network is proposed to maximize the weighted sum-rate (WSR). Specifically, for passive beamforming of IRS, an elementwise block coordinate descent framework is applied to efficiently solve the unit-modulus constraints and reduce computation complexity greatly. Note that, every variable in our proposed algorithm can be updated with closed-form solutions and our algorithm can be applied with distributed implementation. Both analytical and simulation results demonstrate that, while guaranteeing superiority in WSR performance and information interaction cost, the proposed scheme outperforms the benchmark algorithms with closed-form solutions significantly in terms of complexity cost.
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| 4. |
- Chen, Hanwei, et al.
(författare)
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Tumor Volumes Measured From Static and Dynamic F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scan : Comparison of Different Methods Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging as the Criterion Standard
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of computer assisted tomography. - 0363-8715 .- 1532-3145. ; 38:2, s. 209-215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of calculating the primary tumor volumes using a gradient-based method and fixed threshold methods on the standardized uptake value (SUV) maps and the net influx of FDG (Ki) maps from positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) images. Materials and Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with head and neck cancer were recruited, and dynamic PET-CT scan and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were performed. The maps of Ki and SUV were calculated from PET-CT images. The tumor volumes were calculated using a gradient-based method and a fixed threshold method at 40% of maximal SUV or maximal Ki. Four kinds of volumes, VOLKi-Gra (from the Ki maps using the gradient-based method), VOLKi-40% (from the Ki maps using the threshold of 40% maximal Ki), VOLSUV-Gra (from the SUV maps using the gradient-based method), and VOLSUV-40% (from the SUV maps using the threshold of 40% maximal SUV), were acquired and compared with VOLMRI (the volumes acquired on T2-weighted images) using the Pearson correlation, paired t test, and similarity analysis. Results: Eighteen patients were studied, of which 4 had poorly defined tumors (PDT). The positron emission tomography-derived volumes were as follows: VOLSUV-40%, 2.1 to 41.2 cm(3) (mean [SD], 12.3 [10.6]); VOLSUV-Gra, 2.2 to 28.1 cm(3) (mean [SD], 13.2 [8.4]); VOLKi-Gra, 2.4 to 17.0 cm(3) (mean [SD], 9.5 [4.6]); and VOLKi-40%, 2.7 to 20.3 cm(3) (mean [SD], 12.0 [6.0]). The VOLMRI ranged from 2.9 to 18.1 cm(3) (mean [SD], 9.1 [3.9]). The VOLKi-Gra significantly correlated with VOLMRI with the highest correlation coefficient (PDT included, R = 0.673, P = 0.002; PDT excluded, R = 0.841, P < 0.001) and presented no difference from VOLMRI (P = 0.672 or 0.561, respectively, PDT included and excluded). The difference between VOLKi-Gra and VOLMRI was also the smallest. Conclusions: The tumor volumes delineated on the Ki maps using the gradient-based method are more accurate than those on the SUV maps and using the fixed threshold methods.
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| 5. |
- Deng, Nan, et al.
(författare)
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Significance of Photosynthetic Characters in the Evolution of Asian Gnetum (Gnetales)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-462X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gnetum is a genus in the Gnetales that has a unique but ambiguous placement within seed plant phylogeny. Previous studies have shown that Gnetum has lower values of photosynthetic characters than those of other seed plants, but few Gnetum species have been studied, and those that have been studied are restricted to narrow taxonomic and geographic ranges. In addition, the mechanism underlying the lower values of photosynthetic characters in Gnetum remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the photosynthetic characters of a Chinese lianoid species, i.e., Gnetum parvifolium, and co-occurring woody angiosperms growing in the wild, as well as seedlings of five Chinese Gnetum species cultivated in a greenhouse. The five Gnetum species had considerably lower values for photosynthesis parameters (net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and stomatal conductance) than those of other seed plant representatives. Interrelated analyses revealed that the low photosynthetic capacity may be an intrinsic property of Gnetum, and may be associated with its evolutionary history. Comparison of the chloroplast genomes (cpDNAs) of Gnetum with those of other seed plant representatives revealed that 17 coding genes are absent from the cpDNAs of all species of Gnetum. This lack of multiple functional genes from the cpDNAs probably leads to the low photosynthetic rates of Gnetum. Our results provide a new perspective on the evolutionary history of the Gnetales, and on the ecophysiological and genomic attributes of tropical biomes in general. These results could also be useful for the breeding and cultivation of Gnetum.
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| 6. |
- Fa, Wenxin, et al.
(författare)
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Associations of Blood Absolute Neutrophil Count and Cytokines With Cognitive Function in Dementia-Free Participants : A Population-Based Cohort Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The relationships of neutrophils and cytokines with cognitive dysfunction are poorly defined. We aimed to investigate the association of peripheral blood absolute neutrophil count (ANC) with cognitive function in older adults and to further explore the mediating role of serum cytokines in this association.Methods: This population-based cohort study included 1 666 dementia-free participants (age ≥60 years) derived from baseline examinations (March–September 2018) of the Multimodal Intervention to Delay Dementia and Disability in Rural China (MIND-China); of these, 1 087 participants completed follow-up examinations in October–December 2019. We used a neuropsychological test battery to assess episodic memory, verbal fluency, attention, and executive function at the baseline and follow-up examinations. We used Mindray BC-6800 automated hematology analyzer to measure ANC and Meso Scale Discovery to measure serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and eotaxin-3.Results: The linear regression analysis of cross-sectional data at baseline (n = 1 666) suggested that increased ANC was significantly associated with a lower episodic memory z score (β coefficient: −0.149, 95% CI: −0.274 to −0.023) and lower long-delayed free recall z score (−0.216, −0.361 to −0.070). Serum IL-6 and eotaxin-3 could mediate 16.16% to 20.21% and 7.55% to 9.35%, respectively, of these associations. The analysis of longitudinal data (n = 1 087) showed a J-shaped relationship of ANC with decline in episodic memory z score (p for nonlinear = .049), and a U-shaped relationship between ANC and decline in long-delayed free recall z score (p for nonlinear = .043).Conclusions: Increased neutrophils are associated with poor cognitive performance and accelerated decline in episodic memory, and the cross-sectional association is partly mediated by serum cytokines.
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| 7. |
- Ganda, Anjali, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma metabolite profiles, cellular cholesterol efflux, and non-traditional cardiovascular risk in patients with CKD
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1095-8584 .- 0022-2828. ; 112, s. 114-122
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience high rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and death that are not fully explained by traditional risk factors. In animal studies, defective cellular cholesterol efflux pathways which are mediated by the ATP binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 are associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that cholesterol efflux in humans would vary in terms of cellular components, with potential implications for cardiovascular disease.METHODS: We recruited 120 CKD patients (eGFR<30mL/min/1.73m(2)) and 120 control subjects (eGFR ≥60mL/min/1.73m(2)) in order to measure cholesterol efflux using either patients' HDL and THP-1 macrophages or patients' monocytes and a flow cytometry based cholesterol efflux assay. We also measured cell-surface levels of the common β subunit of the IL-3/GM-CSF receptor (IL-3Rβ) which has been linked to defective cholesterol homeostasis and may promote monocytosis. In addition, we measured plasma inflammatory cytokines and plasma metabolite profiles.RESULTS: There was a strong positive correlation between cell-surface IL-3Rβ levels and monocyte counts in CKD (P<0.001). ABCA1 mRNA was reduced in CKD vs. control monocytes (P<0.05), across various etiologies of CKD. Cholesterol efflux to apolipoprotein A1 was impaired in monocytes from CKD patients with diabetic nephropathy (P<0.05), but we found no evidence for a circulating HDL-mediated defect in cholesterol efflux in CKD. Profiling of plasma metabolites showed that medium-chain acylcarnitines were both independently associated with lower levels of cholesterol transporter mRNA in CKD monocytes at baseline (P<0.05), and with cardiovascular events in CKD patients after median 2.6years of follow-up.CONCLUSIONS: Cholesterol efflux in humans varies in terms of cellular components. We report a cellular defect in ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux in monocytes from CKD patients with diabetic nephropathy. Unlike several traditional risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, plasma metabolites inversely associated with endogenous cholesterol transporters predicted cardiovascular events in CKD patients. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and others.).
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| 8. |
- Ge, Yue, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental OMICS: Current Status and Future Directions
- 2013
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED OMICS. - : Proteomass Scientific Society. - 2182-0287. ; 3:2, s. 75-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Applications of OMICS to high throughput studies of changes of genes, RNAs, proteins, metabolites, and their associated functionsin cells or organisms exposed to environmental chemicals has led to the emergence of a very active research field: environmental OMICS.This developing field holds an important key for improving the scientific basis for understanding the potential impacts of environmentalchemicals on both health and the environment. Here we describe the state of environmental OMICS with an emphasis on its recent accomplishmentsand its problems and potential solutions to facilitate the incorporation of OMICS into mainstream environmental and healthresearch.Data sources: We reviewed relevant and recently published studies on the applicability and usefulness of OMICS technologies to the identificationof toxicity pathways, mechanisms, and biomarkers of environmental chemicals for environmental and health risk monitoring andassessment, including recent presentations and discussions on these issues at The First International Conference on Environmental OMICS(ICEO), held in Guangzhou, China during November 8-12, 2011. This paper summarizes our review.Synthesis: Environmental OMICS aims to take advantage of powerful genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics tools toidentify novel toxicity pathways/signatures/biomarkers so as to better understand toxicity mechanisms/modes of action, to identify/categorize/prioritize/screen environmental chemicals, and to monitor and predict the risks associated with exposure to environmental chemicalson human health and the environment. To improve the field, some lessons learned from previous studies need to be summarized, aresearch agenda and guidelines for future studies need to be established, and a focus for the field needs to be developed.Conclusions: OMICS technologies for identification of RNA, protein, and metabolic profiles and endpoints have already significantly improvedour understanding of how environmental chemicals affect our ecosystem and human health. OMICS breakthroughs are empoweringthe fields of environmental toxicology, chemical toxicity characterization, and health risk assessment. However, environmental OMICS is stillin the data generation and collection stage. Important data gaps in linking and/or integrating toxicity data with OMICS endpoints/profilesneed to be filled to enable understanding of the potential impacts of chemicals on human health and the environment. It is expected thatfuture environmental OMICS will focus more on real environmental issues and challenges such as the characterization of chemical mixturetoxicity, the identification of environmental and health biomarkers, and the development of innovative environmental OMICS approachesand assays. These innovative approaches and assays will inform chemical toxicity testing and prediction, ecological and health risk monitoringand assessment, and natural resource utilization in ways that maintain human health and protects the environment in a sustainable manner.
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| 9. |
- Jiang, Q. H., et al.
(författare)
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Magnetoelectric composites of nickel ferrite and lead zirconnate titanate prepared by spark plasma sintering
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 0955-2219 .- 1873-619X. ; 27:1, s. 279-284
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetoelectric (ME) bulk composites of ferrite and lead zirconnate titanate (PZT) were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) of mechanically mixed ferrites. BaFe2O4 or NiFe2O4 and a soft lead zirconnate titanate, PZT-5A, powders. The feasibility of retarding possible reactions occurring between the ferrite and lead zirconnate titanate was approved by applying such a dynamic process as SPS. It was further revealed that nickel ferrite and PZT-5A is a more favorable combination that underwent no obvious reactions up to 1050 degrees C. Efforts were made to optimize the SPS processing parameters in order to produce immiscible composites with high electrical resistivity, low dielectric loss and better magnetoelectric response.
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| 10. |
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