Pseudocapacitive materials that store charges via reversible surface or near-surface faradaic reactions are capable of overcoming the capacity limitations of electrical double-layer capacitors.Revealing the structure...Pseudocapacitive materials that store charges via reversible surface or near-surface faradaic reactions are capable of overcoming the capacity limitations of electrical double-layer capacitors.Revealing the structure–activity relationship between the microstructural features of pseudocapacitive materials and their electrochemical performance on the atomic scale is the key to build high-performance capacitor-type devices containing ideal pseudocapacitance effect.Currently,the high brightness(flux),and spectral and coherent nature of synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques make it a powerful tool for probing the structure–property relationship of pseudocapacitive materials.Herein,we report a comprehensive and systematic review of four typical characterization techniques(synchrotron X-ray diffraction,pair distribution function[PDF]analysis,soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy,and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy)for the study of pseudocapacitance mechanisms.In addition,we offered significant insights for understanding and identifying pseudocapacitance mechanisms(surface redox pseudocapacitance,intercalation pseudocapacitance,and the extrinsic pseudocapacitance phenomenon in battery materials)by combining in situ hard XAS and electrochemical analyses.Finally,a perspective for further depth of understanding into the pseudocapacitance mechanism using synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques is proposed.展开更多
DEAR EDITOR,Astroviruses are known to cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea symptoms in various hosts.However,no information is currently available on any donkey astrovirus genome.In this study,we collected six intestina...DEAR EDITOR,Astroviruses are known to cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea symptoms in various hosts.However,no information is currently available on any donkey astrovirus genome.In this study,we collected six intestinal samples from donkey foals that died of severe diarrhea on a donkey farm in Shandong Province,China,in 2021.Based on metagenomic nextgeneration sequencing,a nearly complete donkey astrovirus 1(DAstV-1)sequence was detected as the only possible diarrhea-related mammalian virus.展开更多
Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between the hemoglobin-to-red cell distribution width ratio(HRR)and all-cause mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis.Methods All patien...Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between the hemoglobin-to-red cell distribution width ratio(HRR)and all-cause mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis.Methods All patients who met the inclusion criteria of the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care(MIMIC)-Ⅳwere selected and divided into four groups according to the quartile range of HRR distribution.Kaplan-Meier(K-M)analysis was used to plot the 28-day survival curve,and the log-rank test was used to compare the prognosis in each HRR group.A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the prognosis of HRR as both a continuous and categorical variable,and a restricted cubic spline was used to study the effect of HRR,as a continuous variable,on the mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis.Interaction and subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the consistency of correlations.Results A total of 3926 patients were included in the study,including 934 patients in the HRR≤4.97 group,988 patients in the 4.97<HRR≤6.26 group,1005 patients in the 6.26<HRR≤7.84 group,and 999 patients in the HRR≥7.84 group.According to the K-M analysis,the 28-day survival rate was the lowest in the HRR≤4.97 group(59.53%),and there were significant differences in survival rates among different HRR levels(P<0.001).The Cox proportional hazards regression model found that after adjusting for various potential confounding factors,HRR was negatively correlated with 28-day and 365-day mortality,and the risk of death in the HRR≥7.84 group was significantly lower than that in the HRR≤4.97 group(P=0.030 and P=0.008,respectively).The restricted cubic spline plot revealed a linear and negative relationship between the HRR and the 28-day and 365-day mortality rates.Subgroup analysis revealed an interaction between HRR,blood urea nitrogen,and SAPS II scores(P=0.010 and P=0.048,respectively).Conclusion Low HRR is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis and could be used as a prognostic indicator for these patients.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the effects of puerarin on the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), and expressions of advanced glycation end-product(AGE) receptor(RAGE) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in reti...Objective:To investigate the effects of puerarin on the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), and expressions of advanced glycation end-product(AGE) receptor(RAGE) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in retinas of streptozotocin(STZ)-induced early diabetic rats. Methods:Diabetic rat models were established by inducing diabetes via intra-peritoneal injection of STZ.Rats were randomly divided into normal(control),diabetic(DM),and DM+ puerarin groups.After intra-gastric administration of puerarin(500 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks),levels of SOD and malondialdehyde(MDA) were determined in serum and retina.mRNA and protein expression levels of RAGE and VEGF in retinas were determined by real-lime polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)(mRNA) and Western blot analysis(protein levels).Results:There was significantly lower SOD activity and significantly higher MDA in serum and retinas of the DM group compared with the two other groups(P【0.05).After treatment with puerarin,SOD activity increased and MDA content decreased in this group(P【0.05).mRNA and protein expression levels of RACE and VECF in the DM group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P【0.05),and decreased after puerarin treatment(P【0.05).Conclusions:Puerarin is able to enhance SOD activity,and inhibit RAGE and VEGF expressions in retinas of STZ-induced early diabetic ruts.展开更多
Gastric cancer stem-like cells（GCSCs） have been identified to possess the ability of self-renewal and tumor initi-ation.However,the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.Here,we isolated and characterized the G...Gastric cancer stem-like cells（GCSCs） have been identified to possess the ability of self-renewal and tumor initi-ation.However,the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.Here,we isolated and characterized the GCSCs by side population（SP） sorting procedure and cultured sphere cells（SC） from human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901,BGC-823,MGC-803,HGC-27 and MKN-28.The sorting and culture assay revealed that SP cells proliferated in an asymmetric division manner.In addition,SP cells exhibited a higher potential of spheroid colony formation and greater drug resistance than non-SP cells（NSP）.Moreover,the SC were found with enhanced capabilities of drug resistance in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo.Sox2 mRNA and protein was highly and significantly overex-pressed in the SP cells and SC.Importantly,downregulation of Sox2 with siRNA obviously reduced spheroid colony formation and doxorubicin efflux,as well as increased apoptosis rate in sphere cells in vitro and suppressed tumori-genicity in vivo.These results suggest that both SP cells and cultured SC enrich with GCSCs and that Sox2 plays a pivotal role in sustaining stem cell properties and might be a potential target for gastric cancer therapy.展开更多
BACKGROUND Colorectal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT)lymphoma is a rare disease,and only a few cases have been reported to date.It has no specific clinical presentations and shows various endoscopic appearance...BACKGROUND Colorectal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT)lymphoma is a rare disease,and only a few cases have been reported to date.It has no specific clinical presentations and shows various endoscopic appearances.There is no uniform consensus on its treatment.With the advancement of endoscopic technology,endoscopic treatment has achieved better results in individual case reports of early-stage patients.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of rectal MALT in a 57-year-old Chinese man with no symptoms who received endoscopy as part of a routine physical examination,which incidentally found a 25 mm×20 mm,laterally spreading tumor(LST)-like elevated lesion in the rectum.Therefore,he was referred to our hospital for further endoscopic treatment.Complete and curable removal of the tumor was performed by endoscopic submucosal dissection.We observed enlarged and dilated branch-like vessels similar to those of gastric MALT lymphoma on magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging.And immunopathological staining showed hyperplastic capillaries in the mucosa.Histopathological findings revealed diffusely hyperplastic lymphoid tissue in the lamina propria,with a visible lymphoid follicle structure surrounded by a large number of diffusely infiltrated lymphoid cells that had a relatively simple morphology and clear cytoplasm.In addition,immunohistochemical analysis suggested strongly positive expression for CD20 and Bcl-2.Gene rearrangement results showed positivity for IGH-A,IGH-C,IGK-B,and IGL.Taking all the above findings together,we arrived at a diagnosis of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT lymphoma. Positron emission tomography-computed tomographyexamination showed no other lesions involved. The patient will be followed byperiodic endoscopic observation.CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, we report a case of rectal MALT with an LST-like appearancetreated by endoscopic submucosal dissection. Further studies will be needed toexplore the clinical behavior, endoscopic appearance, and treatment of rectalMALT.展开更多
Accurate, efficient, and timely yield estimation is critical for crop variety breeding and management optimization. However, the contributions of proximal sensing data characteristics(spectral, temporal, and spatial) ...Accurate, efficient, and timely yield estimation is critical for crop variety breeding and management optimization. However, the contributions of proximal sensing data characteristics(spectral, temporal, and spatial) to yield estimation have not been systematically evaluated. We collected long-term, hypertemporal, and large-volume light detection and ranging(Li DAR) and multispectral data to(i) identify the best machine learning method and prediction stage for wheat yield estimation,(ii) characterize the contribution of multisource data fusion and the dynamic importance of structural and spectral traits to yield estimation, and(iii) elucidate the contribution of time-series data fusion and 3 D spatial information to yield estimation. Wheat yield could be accurately(R^(2)= 0.891) and timely(approximately-two months before harvest) estimated from fused Li DAR and multispectral data. The artificial neural network model and the flowering stage were always the best method and prediction stage, respectively. Spectral traits(such as CIgreen) dominated yield estimation, especially in the early stage, whereas the contribution of structural traits(such as height) was more stable in the late stage. Fusing spectral and structural traits increased estimation accuracy at all growth stages. Better yield estimation was realized from traits derived from complete 3 D points than from canopy surface points and from integrated multi-stage(especially from jointing to heading and flowering stages) data than from single-stage data. We suggest that this study offers a novel perspective on deciphering the contributions of spectral, structural, and timeseries information to wheat yield estimation and can guide accurate, efficient, and timely estimation of wheat yield.展开更多
Global renewable energy has maintained a steady growth in recent years, mainly fostered by national policies and increasing demand. Analyzing the experience of renewable energy development in developed countries can b...Global renewable energy has maintained a steady growth in recent years, mainly fostered by national policies and increasing demand. Analyzing the experience of renewable energy development in developed countries can be important to provide reference and guidance for its adoption in other countries. First, we compare and summarize definitions of distributed generation from 18 leading countries and organizations in renewable energy. On this basis, we provide three basic characteristics for successful distributed generation using renewable resources. Then, we empirically analyze the distributed and centralized development of renewable energy in Germany with focus on wind and photovoltaic power. We determined that 95% of the photovoltaic generation and 85% of the wind power generation is distributed in Germany, suggesting that the most suitable generation mode for renewable energy is the distributed approach.展开更多
Androgen therapy is the mainstay of treatment for the hypogonadotropic hypogonadal micropenis because it obviously enhances penis growth in prepubescent microphallic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of andr...Androgen therapy is the mainstay of treatment for the hypogonadotropic hypogonadal micropenis because it obviously enhances penis growth in prepubescent microphallic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of androgen treatment leading to penis growth are still largely unknown. To clarify this well-known phenomenon, we successfully generated a castrated male Sprague Dawley rat model at puberty followed by testosterone administration. Interestingly, compared with the control group, testosterone treatment stimulated a dose-dependent increase of penis weight, length, and width in castrated rats accompanied with a dramatic recovery of the pathological changes of the penis. Mechanistically, testosterone administration substantially increased the expression of androgen receptor （AR） protein. Increased AR protein in the penis could subsequently initiate transcription of its target genes, including keratin 33B （Krt33b）. Importantly, we demonstrated that KRT33B is generally expressed in the rat penis and that most KRT33B expression is cytoplasmic. Furthermore, AR could directly modulate its expression by binding to a putative androgen response element sequence of the Krt33b promoter. Overall, this study reveals a novel mechanism facilitating penis growth after testosterone treatment in precastrated prepubescent animals, in which androgen enhances the expression of AR protein as well as its target genes, such as Krt33b.展开更多
The response of the eastern tropical Indian Ocean(ETIO) to heat fluxes of equal amplitude but opposite sign is investigated using the Community Earth System Model(CESM). A significant positive asymmetry in sea surface...The response of the eastern tropical Indian Ocean(ETIO) to heat fluxes of equal amplitude but opposite sign is investigated using the Community Earth System Model(CESM). A significant positive asymmetry in sea surface temperature(SST) is found over the ETIO—the warming responses to the positive forcing exceeds the cooling to the negative forcing. A mixed layer heat budget analysis is carried out to identify the mechanisms responsible for the SST asymmetry. Results show that it is mainly ascribed to the ocean dynamical processes, including vertical advections and diffusion. The net surface heat flux, on the contrary, works to reduce the asymmetry through its shortwave radiation and latent heat flux components. The former is due to the nonlinear relationship between SST and cloud, while the latter is resulted mainly from Newtonian damping and air-sea stability effects. Changes in the SST skewness are also evaluated, with more enhanced negative SST skewness over the ETIO found for the cooling than heating scenarios due to the asymmetric thermocline-SST feedback.展开更多
基金financialy supported by National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFB2402600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22279166)+1 种基金the Research Start-up Funds from Sun Yat-Sen University(200306)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Sun Yat-Sen University(22qntd0101 and 22dfx01)
文摘Pseudocapacitive materials that store charges via reversible surface or near-surface faradaic reactions are capable of overcoming the capacity limitations of electrical double-layer capacitors.Revealing the structure–activity relationship between the microstructural features of pseudocapacitive materials and their electrochemical performance on the atomic scale is the key to build high-performance capacitor-type devices containing ideal pseudocapacitance effect.Currently,the high brightness(flux),and spectral and coherent nature of synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques make it a powerful tool for probing the structure–property relationship of pseudocapacitive materials.Herein,we report a comprehensive and systematic review of four typical characterization techniques(synchrotron X-ray diffraction,pair distribution function[PDF]analysis,soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy,and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy)for the study of pseudocapacitance mechanisms.In addition,we offered significant insights for understanding and identifying pseudocapacitance mechanisms(surface redox pseudocapacitance,intercalation pseudocapacitance,and the extrinsic pseudocapacitance phenomenon in battery materials)by combining in situ hard XAS and electrochemical analyses.Finally,a perspective for further depth of understanding into the pseudocapacitance mechanism using synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques is proposed.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0903000,2021YFC0863400)Key Project of Beijing University of Chemical Technology (XK1803-06)Donkey Industry Innovation Team Program of Modern Agricultural Technology System from Shandong Province,China (SDAIT-27)。
文摘DEAR EDITOR,Astroviruses are known to cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea symptoms in various hosts.However,no information is currently available on any donkey astrovirus genome.In this study,we collected six intestinal samples from donkey foals that died of severe diarrhea on a donkey farm in Shandong Province,China,in 2021.Based on metagenomic nextgeneration sequencing,a nearly complete donkey astrovirus 1(DAstV-1)sequence was detected as the only possible diarrhea-related mammalian virus.
文摘Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between the hemoglobin-to-red cell distribution width ratio(HRR)and all-cause mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis.Methods All patients who met the inclusion criteria of the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care(MIMIC)-Ⅳwere selected and divided into four groups according to the quartile range of HRR distribution.Kaplan-Meier(K-M)analysis was used to plot the 28-day survival curve,and the log-rank test was used to compare the prognosis in each HRR group.A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the prognosis of HRR as both a continuous and categorical variable,and a restricted cubic spline was used to study the effect of HRR,as a continuous variable,on the mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis.Interaction and subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the consistency of correlations.Results A total of 3926 patients were included in the study,including 934 patients in the HRR≤4.97 group,988 patients in the 4.97<HRR≤6.26 group,1005 patients in the 6.26<HRR≤7.84 group,and 999 patients in the HRR≥7.84 group.According to the K-M analysis,the 28-day survival rate was the lowest in the HRR≤4.97 group(59.53%),and there were significant differences in survival rates among different HRR levels(P<0.001).The Cox proportional hazards regression model found that after adjusting for various potential confounding factors,HRR was negatively correlated with 28-day and 365-day mortality,and the risk of death in the HRR≥7.84 group was significantly lower than that in the HRR≤4.97 group(P=0.030 and P=0.008,respectively).The restricted cubic spline plot revealed a linear and negative relationship between the HRR and the 28-day and 365-day mortality rates.Subgroup analysis revealed an interaction between HRR,blood urea nitrogen,and SAPS II scores(P=0.010 and P=0.048,respectively).Conclusion Low HRR is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with malignant tumors and sepsis and could be used as a prognostic indicator for these patients.
文摘Objective:To investigate the effects of puerarin on the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), and expressions of advanced glycation end-product(AGE) receptor(RAGE) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in retinas of streptozotocin(STZ)-induced early diabetic rats. Methods:Diabetic rat models were established by inducing diabetes via intra-peritoneal injection of STZ.Rats were randomly divided into normal(control),diabetic(DM),and DM+ puerarin groups.After intra-gastric administration of puerarin(500 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks),levels of SOD and malondialdehyde(MDA) were determined in serum and retina.mRNA and protein expression levels of RAGE and VEGF in retinas were determined by real-lime polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)(mRNA) and Western blot analysis(protein levels).Results:There was significantly lower SOD activity and significantly higher MDA in serum and retinas of the DM group compared with the two other groups(P【0.05).After treatment with puerarin,SOD activity increased and MDA content decreased in this group(P【0.05).mRNA and protein expression levels of RACE and VECF in the DM group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P【0.05),and decreased after puerarin treatment(P【0.05).Conclusions:Puerarin is able to enhance SOD activity,and inhibit RAGE and VEGF expressions in retinas of STZ-induced early diabetic ruts.
基金supported in part by the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine,the project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development(PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutionsthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 30930080 and 81161120537)
文摘Gastric cancer stem-like cells（GCSCs） have been identified to possess the ability of self-renewal and tumor initi-ation.However,the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.Here,we isolated and characterized the GCSCs by side population（SP） sorting procedure and cultured sphere cells（SC） from human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901,BGC-823,MGC-803,HGC-27 and MKN-28.The sorting and culture assay revealed that SP cells proliferated in an asymmetric division manner.In addition,SP cells exhibited a higher potential of spheroid colony formation and greater drug resistance than non-SP cells（NSP）.Moreover,the SC were found with enhanced capabilities of drug resistance in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo.Sox2 mRNA and protein was highly and significantly overex-pressed in the SP cells and SC.Importantly,downregulation of Sox2 with siRNA obviously reduced spheroid colony formation and doxorubicin efflux,as well as increased apoptosis rate in sphere cells in vitro and suppressed tumori-genicity in vivo.These results suggest that both SP cells and cultured SC enrich with GCSCs and that Sox2 plays a pivotal role in sustaining stem cell properties and might be a potential target for gastric cancer therapy.
文摘BACKGROUND Colorectal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT)lymphoma is a rare disease,and only a few cases have been reported to date.It has no specific clinical presentations and shows various endoscopic appearances.There is no uniform consensus on its treatment.With the advancement of endoscopic technology,endoscopic treatment has achieved better results in individual case reports of early-stage patients.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of rectal MALT in a 57-year-old Chinese man with no symptoms who received endoscopy as part of a routine physical examination,which incidentally found a 25 mm×20 mm,laterally spreading tumor(LST)-like elevated lesion in the rectum.Therefore,he was referred to our hospital for further endoscopic treatment.Complete and curable removal of the tumor was performed by endoscopic submucosal dissection.We observed enlarged and dilated branch-like vessels similar to those of gastric MALT lymphoma on magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging.And immunopathological staining showed hyperplastic capillaries in the mucosa.Histopathological findings revealed diffusely hyperplastic lymphoid tissue in the lamina propria,with a visible lymphoid follicle structure surrounded by a large number of diffusely infiltrated lymphoid cells that had a relatively simple morphology and clear cytoplasm.In addition,immunohistochemical analysis suggested strongly positive expression for CD20 and Bcl-2.Gene rearrangement results showed positivity for IGH-A,IGH-C,IGK-B,and IGL.Taking all the above findings together,we arrived at a diagnosis of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT lymphoma. Positron emission tomography-computed tomographyexamination showed no other lesions involved. The patient will be followed byperiodic endoscopic observation.CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, we report a case of rectal MALT with an LST-like appearancetreated by endoscopic submucosal dissection. Further studies will be needed toexplore the clinical behavior, endoscopic appearance, and treatment of rectalMALT.
基金supported by the Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Independent Innovation Fund Project (CX(21)3107)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32030076)+4 种基金High Level Personnel Project of Jiangsu Province(JSSCBS20210271)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2021 M691490)Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds (2021K520C)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA24020202)the Jiangsu 333 Program。
文摘Accurate, efficient, and timely yield estimation is critical for crop variety breeding and management optimization. However, the contributions of proximal sensing data characteristics(spectral, temporal, and spatial) to yield estimation have not been systematically evaluated. We collected long-term, hypertemporal, and large-volume light detection and ranging(Li DAR) and multispectral data to(i) identify the best machine learning method and prediction stage for wheat yield estimation,(ii) characterize the contribution of multisource data fusion and the dynamic importance of structural and spectral traits to yield estimation, and(iii) elucidate the contribution of time-series data fusion and 3 D spatial information to yield estimation. Wheat yield could be accurately(R^(2)= 0.891) and timely(approximately-two months before harvest) estimated from fused Li DAR and multispectral data. The artificial neural network model and the flowering stage were always the best method and prediction stage, respectively. Spectral traits(such as CIgreen) dominated yield estimation, especially in the early stage, whereas the contribution of structural traits(such as height) was more stable in the late stage. Fusing spectral and structural traits increased estimation accuracy at all growth stages. Better yield estimation was realized from traits derived from complete 3 D points than from canopy surface points and from integrated multi-stage(especially from jointing to heading and flowering stages) data than from single-stage data. We suggest that this study offers a novel perspective on deciphering the contributions of spectral, structural, and timeseries information to wheat yield estimation and can guide accurate, efficient, and timely estimation of wheat yield.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.U1766201)the State Grid Science and Technology Project (Title: Research on China’s New Energy Resources & Development Roadmap)
文摘Global renewable energy has maintained a steady growth in recent years, mainly fostered by national policies and increasing demand. Analyzing the experience of renewable energy development in developed countries can be important to provide reference and guidance for its adoption in other countries. First, we compare and summarize definitions of distributed generation from 18 leading countries and organizations in renewable energy. On this basis, we provide three basic characteristics for successful distributed generation using renewable resources. Then, we empirically analyze the distributed and centralized development of renewable energy in Germany with focus on wind and photovoltaic power. We determined that 95% of the photovoltaic generation and 85% of the wind power generation is distributed in Germany, suggesting that the most suitable generation mode for renewable energy is the distributed approach.
文摘Androgen therapy is the mainstay of treatment for the hypogonadotropic hypogonadal micropenis because it obviously enhances penis growth in prepubescent microphallic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of androgen treatment leading to penis growth are still largely unknown. To clarify this well-known phenomenon, we successfully generated a castrated male Sprague Dawley rat model at puberty followed by testosterone administration. Interestingly, compared with the control group, testosterone treatment stimulated a dose-dependent increase of penis weight, length, and width in castrated rats accompanied with a dramatic recovery of the pathological changes of the penis. Mechanistically, testosterone administration substantially increased the expression of androgen receptor （AR） protein. Increased AR protein in the penis could subsequently initiate transcription of its target genes, including keratin 33B （Krt33b）. Importantly, we demonstrated that KRT33B is generally expressed in the rat penis and that most KRT33B expression is cytoplasmic. Furthermore, AR could directly modulate its expression by binding to a putative androgen response element sequence of the Krt33b promoter. Overall, this study reveals a novel mechanism facilitating penis growth after testosterone treatment in precastrated prepubescent animals, in which androgen enhances the expression of AR protein as well as its target genes, such as Krt33b.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No.41676002the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract No.XDA11010302
文摘The response of the eastern tropical Indian Ocean(ETIO) to heat fluxes of equal amplitude but opposite sign is investigated using the Community Earth System Model(CESM). A significant positive asymmetry in sea surface temperature(SST) is found over the ETIO—the warming responses to the positive forcing exceeds the cooling to the negative forcing. A mixed layer heat budget analysis is carried out to identify the mechanisms responsible for the SST asymmetry. Results show that it is mainly ascribed to the ocean dynamical processes, including vertical advections and diffusion. The net surface heat flux, on the contrary, works to reduce the asymmetry through its shortwave radiation and latent heat flux components. The former is due to the nonlinear relationship between SST and cloud, while the latter is resulted mainly from Newtonian damping and air-sea stability effects. Changes in the SST skewness are also evaluated, with more enhanced negative SST skewness over the ETIO found for the cooling than heating scenarios due to the asymmetric thermocline-SST feedback.
