We have successfully developed algorithms suitable for use with wrist-worn accelerometers for detecting certain types of physical activities; the performance is comparable to waist-worn accelerometers for assessment of physical activity.

We report on the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical lithium intercalation of alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires, mesowires, and microrods that were prepared through a facile hydrothermal route. The diameters of the as-synthesized alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires, mesowires, and microrods were about 100 nm, 400 nm, and 1 microm, respectively. It was found that by simply controlling the hydrothermal reaction parameters, such as the reagent concentration and the dwell time, the transformation of microrods to nanowires was readily achieved via a "ripening-splitting" mechanism. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the as-prepared alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires and mesowires displayed high discharge capacities (447-514 mAh/g at 20 mA/g and 37 degrees C) and excellent high-rate capability. In particular, the alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires showed capacities much higher than those of alpha-CuV2O6 mesowires, microrods, and bulk particles. The mechanisms for the electrochemical lithium intercalation into the alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires were also discussed. From the Arrhenius plot of lithium intercalation into alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires, the activation energies were calculated to be 39.3 kJ/mol at 2.8 V (low lithium uptake) and 35.7 kJ/mol at 2.3 V (high lithium uptake). This result indicates that the alpha-CuV2O6 nanowires are promising cathode candidates for primary lithium batteries used in long-term implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD).

The present study provides direct evidence that tobacco smoke diminishes two major components of MCC. This links tobacco smoke as a potential contributing and/or exacerbating factor in exposed individuals with chronic rhinosinusitis.

We report on the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, and beta-AgVO(3) nanowires that were synthesized through a simple and facile low-temperature hydrothermal approach without any template or catalyst. It was found that by simply controlling the hydrothermal reaction parameters such as pH and dwell time, the transformation of alpha-AgVO(3) microrods to beta-AgVO(3) nanowires were readily achieved through a "ripening-splitting model" mechanism. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the as-prepared Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, and beta-AgVO(3) nanowires exhibited high discharge capacities and excellent high-rate dischargeability. In particular, the beta-AgVO(3) nanowires have much higher capacity above 3 V than that of alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, and commercial Ag(2)V(4)O(11) bulk. The mechanisms for electrochemical lithium intercalation of the AgVO(3) nanostructures were also discussed. It is anticipated that the novel Ag(2)V(4)O(11) and AgVO(3) one-dimensional nano/microstructures are promising cathode candidates in the application of primary lithium ion batteries for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Accumulating evidence has revealed that aberrant Circular RNAs (circRNAs) expression plays important roles in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. However, their role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. In this study, we first used circRNA microarrays to screen for tumour-specific circRNA candidates in between NSCLC (n = 3) and adjacent lung (n = 3) tissue. Among the circRNA expression profile, two circRNAs (hsa_circ_0014130 and hsa_circ_0016760) were selected for validation in ten pairs of NSCLC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Only hsa_circ_0014130 exhibited significantly overexpressed in NSCLC tissues (P < 0.001), which were further confirmed in another 36 matched tissue samples using qRT-PCR. Hsa_circ_0014130 expression significantly correlated with TNM stage (P = 0.001) and lymphatic metastasis (P = 0.004). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.878 (95% confidence interval = 0.804–0.951; P < 0.001), which showed good diagnostic potential. Bioinformatics platforms predicted that hsa_circ_0014130 might interact with five miRNAs and their corresponding mRNAs. Gene oncology analysis and pathway analysis revealed that hsa_circ_0014130 could participate in NSCLC development. In summary, our findings indicated that hsa_circ_0014130 could be used as a potential NSCLC biomarker and might be closely related to the carcinogenesis of NSCLC.

Fat distribution is strongly associated with insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, associations of different adipose tissue depots or/and obesity indices with insulin resistance have not been systematically evaluated. In this study we examined associations of different adipose tissue depots/obesity indices with insulin resistance, as measured by homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in observational studies. A total of 40 studies with 56 populations and 29 adipose tissue depots/obesity indices were included in the meta-analysis. There were strong correlation between HOMA-IR and visceral fat mass (r = 0.570, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.424~0.687), total fat mass (r = 0.492, 95%CI: 0.407~0.570), body mass index (r = 0.482, 95%CI: 0.445~0.518) and waist circumference (r = 0.466, 95%CI: 0.432~0.500), except lower extremity fat (r = 0.088, 95%CI: −0.116~0.285). Sample size, diabetic status, gender, mean of body mass index, and race contributed to heterogeneity of these associations. This study showed a positive correlation between insulin resistance and most adipose tissue depots/obesity indices, and the strongest association is for visceral fat mass.

Diverse animal and plant viruses block the re-infection of host cells by the same or highly similar viruses through superinfection exclusion (SIE), a widely observed, yet poorly understood phenomenon. Here we demonstrate that SIE of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) is exclusively determined by p28, one of the two replication proteins encoded by this virus. p28 expressed from a TCV replicon exerts strong SIE to a different TCV replicon. Transiently expressed p28, delivered simultaneously with, or ahead of, a TCV replicon, largely recapitulates this repressive activity. Interestingly, p28-mediated SIE is dramatically enhanced by C-terminally fused epitope tags or fluorescent proteins, but weakened by N-terminal modifications, and it inversely correlates with the ability of p28 to complement the replication of a p28-defective TCV replicon. Strikingly, p28 in SIE-positive cells forms large, mobile punctate inclusions that trans-aggregate a non-coalescing, SIE-defective, yet replication-competent p28 mutant. These results support a model postulating that TCV SIE is caused by the formation of multimeric p28 complexes capable of intercepting fresh p28 monomers translated from superinfector genomes, thereby abolishing superinfector replication. This model could prove to be applicable to other RNA viruses, and offer novel targets for antiviral therapy.

IntroductionWe have previously demonstrated that Sinupret, an established treatment prescribed widely in Europe for respiratory ailments including rhinosinusitis, promotes transepithelial chloride (Cl−) secretion in vitro and in vivo. The present study was designed to evaluate other indicators of mucociliary clearance (MCC) including ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and airway surface liquid (ASL) depth, but also investigate the mechanisms that underlie activity of this bioflavonoid.MethodsPrimary murine nasal septal epithelial (MNSE) [wild type (WT) and transgenic CFTR−/−], human sinonasal epithelial (HSNE), WT CFTR-expressing CFBE and TMEM16A-expressing HEK cultures were utilized for the present experiments. CBF and ASL depth measurements were performed. Mechanisms underlying transepithelial Cl− transport were determined using pharmacologic manipulation in Ussing chambers, Fura-2 intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i imaging, cAMP signaling, regulatory domain (R-D) phosphorylation of CFTR, and excised inside out and whole cell patch clamp analysis.ResultsSinupret-mediated Cl− secretion [ΔISC(µA/cm2)] was pronounced in WT MNSE (20.7+/−0.9 vs. 5.6+/−0.9(control), p<0.05), CFTR−/− MNSE (10.1+/−1.0 vs. 0.9+/−0.3(control), p<0.05) and HSNE (20.7+/−0.3 vs. 6.4+/−0.9(control), p<0.05). The formulation activated Ca2+ signaling and TMEM16A channels, but also increased CFTR channel open probability (Po) without stimulating PKA-dependent pathways responsible for phosphorylation of the CFTR R-domain and resultant Cl− secretion. Sinupret also enhanced CBF and ASL depth.ConclusionSinupret stimulates CBF, promotes transepithelial Cl− secretion, and increases ASL depth in a manner likely to enhance MCC. Our findings suggest that direct stimulation of CFTR, together with activation of Ca2+-dependent TMEM16A secretion account for the majority of anion transport attributable to Sinupret. These studies provide further rationale for using robust Cl− secretagogue based therapies as an emerging treatment modality for common respiratory diseases of MCC including acute and chronic bronchitis and CRS.