As a member of nuclear receptor superfamily, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) has been shown to regulate numerous metabolic pathways, which include playing an important role in bile acid metabolism, maintaining lipid and glucose homeostasis when FXR is activated. With the prevalence of the glucose and lipids disorder, FXR attracts increasing attention. It may be a potential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid disorders.
Bile Acids and Salts ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; metabolism

In 2012, a new SARS-like coronavirus emerged in the Middle East, namely the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It has caused outbreaks with high mortality. During infection of target cell, MERS-CoV S protein S1 subunit binds to the cellular receptor (DPP4), and its S2 subunit HR1 and HR2 regions intact with each other to form a stable six-helix bundle to mediate the fusion between virus and target cell membranes. Hence, blocking the process of six-helix bundle formation can effectively inhibit MERS-CoV entry into the target cells. This review focuses on the recent advance in the development of peptidic entry inhibitors targeting the MERS-CoV S2 subunit.

In order to meet the requirements of the multi-physiological signal measurement of the 3D-TV health assessment, try to find the suitable biological acquisition chips and design the hardware system which can detect different physiological signals in real time. The systems mainly uses ARM11/S3C6410 microcontroller to control the EEG/EOG acquisition chip RHA2116 and the ECG acquisition chip ADS1298, and then the microcontroller transfer the data collected by the chips to the PC software by the USB port which can display and save the experimental data in real time, then use the Matlab software for further processing of the data, finally make a final health assessment. In the meantime, for the different varieties in the different brain regions of watching 3D-TV, developed the special brain electrode placement and the experimental data processing methods, then effectively disposed the multi-signal data in the multilevel.
Computer Simulation ; Equipment Design ; Microcomputers ; Physiological Phenomena ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; Software

A rapid method for authenticity detection of grapeseed oil was proposed based on Ion Mobility Spectrometry ( IMS) . After optimization, the inlet temperature was set at 170 ℃, drift tube temperature was set at 60 ℃. In this method, the oil sample was diluted in hexane (50-fold, V/V) and then directly analyzed in IMS. The detection time was 20 s. To establish an adulteration detection model, recursive Support Vector Machine ( R-SVM) was applied to classifying pure and adulterated grape seed oils. The result of 10-fold cross validation showed that the accuracy of discrimination was up to 91 . 2%. The results in study indicate that IMS method is a new, fast and convenient technique for the adulteration detection of edible oil.

Objective To correlate between the IQQA(R)-Liver system in planning liver resection and the actual operation performed by surgeons.Methods The data on 65 patients were retrospectively studied.Their preoperative enhanced CT images were analyzed by the IQQA(R)-Liver system to determine the operative plan (Group Q) including the operative technique,the major vessels which required to be transected and the virtual liver resection volume.The above results and the corresponding data collected from the actual operation (Group S) were statistically analyzed to find out whether there was any correlation between them,thus determining the clinical significance of the IQQA(R)-Liver system in preoperative evaluation.Results Group Q and Group S had good correlation in the operative techniques (O) and in the major vessels that required to be transected (A) (uO =0.835,uA =0.893) with no statistical difference between the 2 groups (PO =0.494,PA =0.331).The virtual liver resection volume was 633.96 ± 512.06 (78.30 ～2 559.38)cm3.Conclusion Preoperative evaluation by the IQQA(R)-Liver system had significance in planning partial hepatectomy.

In 2012, a new SARS-like coronavirus emerged in the Middle East, namely the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It has caused outbreaks with high mortality. During infection of target cell, MERS-CoV S protein S1 subunit binds to the cellular receptor (DPP4), and its S2 subunit HR1 and HR2 regions intact with each other to form a stable six-helix bundle to mediate the fusion between virus and target cell membranes. Hence, blocking the process of six-helix bundle formation can effectively inhibit MERS-CoV entry into the target cells. This review focuses on the recent advance in the development of peptidic entry inhibitors targeting the MERS-CoV S2 subunit.
Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Coronavirus Infections ; drug therapy ; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 ; metabolism ; Drug Design ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; drug effects ; physiology ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus ; metabolism ; Virus Internalization ; drug effects

Objective To assess the variations in different thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) detection kits for evaluating thyroid function during pregnancy and to establish the corresponding normal reference ranges.Methods This study was based at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine.A total of 200 pregnant women who visited the hospital between June,2011 and September,2012 were recruited in this study according to the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB) criteria.Blood samples were sequentially collected from the women at the first (T1,9-12 weeks),second (T2,16-24 weeks) and third (T3,32-36 weeks) trimesters to determine the serum TSH and FT4 levels using four different detection kits (Siemens-C,Siemens-Ⅰ,Abott and Roche).A linear trend test was used to analyze serum TSH and FT4 levels with four different kits.A percentile range of P2.5 to P97.5 was used to establish the normal trimester-dependent reference ranges of TSH and FT4 levels for different detection kits.The Bootstrap method was used to compare the differences in the four reference ranges.Results Similar dynamic changes in TSH and FT4 levels during pregnancy were detected among the different kits (F=0.950,P=0.595; F=11.640,P=0.081,respectively).Among the four reference ranges of TSH,the Roche kit showed the most remarkable fluctuation during pregnancy,while Roche kit in the first trimester and Siemens C kit in the second and third trimesters showed larger fluctuations in reference ranges of FT4.More importantly,the reference ranges of TSH and FT4 showed significant variations among the four different kits in each trimester (TSH:T1:F=2 945.390,P ＜ 0.01; T2:F=2 826.260,P ＜ 0.01; T3:F=1 698.360,P ＜ 0.01.FT4:Tl:F=1 145.440,P ＜ 0.01; T2:F=2 260.240,P ＜ 0.01; T3:F=1 439.920,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions TSH and FT4 measurement using four different commercial kits showed similar trimester-dependent dynamic changes.However,it is necessary to establish trimester-dependent and detection kit dependent normal reference ranges of TSH and FT4 for thyroid function evaluation for pregnant women.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical value of human serum Kallikrein 6 for the diagnosis and monitor of pithelial ovarian cancer. Methods Serum levels of KLK6 were analyzed with ELISA in 30 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma, 20 cases of benign ovarian tumor and 30 cases of healthy women. In the meantime, serum CAi25 was determined with chemiluminescence. Furthermore, serum levels of KLK6 and CA125 were also detected in 12 case of epithelial ovarian carcinoma with the same methods one week and the 3rd month postoperation of follow-up. Results Serum levels of KLK6 in epithelial ovarian carcinoma was higher than that in benign ovarian tumor and healthy women (P < 0.05). KLK6 also showed positive correlation with clinical stage, cytological grade, pelvic lymph node metastasis, recurrent or dead disease (P < 0. 05). On the contrary, KLK6 showed no significant correlation with pathological types (P >0. 05). After surgery of follow-up, KLK6 and CA125 were significantly decreased in 12 case of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (P < 0. 05). Furthermore, the total sensitivity and specificity of KLK6 in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma was 73.3% and 85.0% respectively, followed by the sensitivity to be 50. 0% and 88. 9% for the diagnosis of stage Ⅰ-Ⅱand Ⅲ-Ⅳ disease. Conclusion Our resuits showed KLK6 may be one of the reliable indexes for the diagnosis and monitor of ovarian cancer.

Objective To evaluate the application of time to positivity (TTP)in differential diagnosis of intracranial infection caused by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS).Methods One hundred and twenty-four adult patients with positive CNS isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)including 70 cases with intracranial infection and 54 cases of CSF contamination,who were admitted in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University during January to December 201 5,were retrospectively analyzed.The difference of TTP between two groups was compared,receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve was analyzed and the area under the ROC curve (AUC)was calculated.The application of TTP in differential diagnosis of CNS infection was evaluated.SPSS 1 8.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results TTP in intracranial infection group was shorter than that in CSF contamination group [(23.5 ±7.5 )h vs. (37.6 ±1 0.5)h,t =-8.71 7,P =0.000].The AUC of TTP was 0.854.Taking the cut-off value of 27.94 h,the sensitivity,specificity,positive and negative predictive values in differentiation of two groups were 72.7%,91 .4%,90.0% and 72.2%,respectively.There were statistically differences in TTP of Staphylococcus epidermidis,Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus capitis between two groups (Z =-4.496,-2.322 and -2.399,respectively,P <0.05 or <0.01 ).Conclusion TTP can be used to discriminate early intracranial infection and CSF contamination caused by CNS,and also can identify intracranial infection caused by different categories of CNS.

Objective To explore the relationship of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with gastrointestinal bleeding in adult patients with Henoch-Sch(o)nlein purpura (HSP).Methods Laboratory data including routine blood test results,C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were collected from 115 adult patients with HSP and 100 healthy controls,and retrospectively analyzed.NLR and PLR were calculated and compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to determine variables associated with gastrointestinal bleeding in adult patients with HSP,and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to estimate the predictive efficacy of these variables.Results NLR and PLR were both significantly higher in adult patients with HSP than in healthy controls (both P ＜ 0.05),and NLR,PLR and CRP levels were all significantly higher in adult HSP patients with gastrointestinal bleeding than in those without (all P ＜ 0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR was an independent risk factor for gastrointestinal bleeding in adult HSP patients (P ＜ 0.05).The ROC curve revealed that the optimal cut-off point of NLR for predicting gastrointestinal bleeding was 3.24 in adult patients with HSP,with the sensitivity and specificity being 85.1％ and 71.3％ respectively.Conclusions Both NLR and PLR evidently increase in adult patients with HSP,especially in those with gastrointestinal bleeding.NLR is a potential predictor for gastrointestinal bleeding in adult patients with HSP.