Decreasing mitochondrial fission ameliorates HIF-1α-dependent pathological retinal angiogenesis

Angiogenesis plays a critical role in many pathological processes, including irreversible blindness in eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity. Endothelial mitochondria are dynamic organelles that undergo constant fusion and fission and are critical signalling hubs that modulate angiogenesis by coordinating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and calcium signalling and metabolism. In this study, we investigated the role of mitochondrial dynamics in pathological retinal angiogenesis. We showed that treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; 20 ng/ml) induced mitochondrial fission in HUVECs by promoting the phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1). DRP1 knockdown or pretreatment with the DRP1 inhibitor Mdivi-1 (5 μM) blocked VEGF-induced cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation in HUVECs. We demonstrated that VEGF treatment increased mitochondrial ROS production in HUVECs, which was necessary for HIF-1α-dependent glycolysis, as well as proliferation, migration, and tube formation, and the inhibition of mitochondrial fission prevented VEGF-induced mitochondrial ROS production. In an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model, we found that active DRP1 was highly expressed in endothelial cells in neovascular tufts. The administration of Mdivi-1 (10 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.p.) for three days from postnatal day (P) 13 until P15 significantly alleviated pathological angiogenesis in the retina. Our results suggest that targeting mitochondrial fission may be a therapeutic strategy for proliferative retinopathies and other diseases that are dependent on pathological angiogenesis.

[Exploration of the method and efficacy of treatments for intractable pelvic pain caused by rectal or bladder fistula]

Objective: To explore the causes and therapeutic effects of pelvic pain caused by rectal fistula or bladder fistula after comprehensive treatment of cervical cancer and rectal cancer (radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and other treatments). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and pathological data of patients with pelvic tumors admitted to the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan City, Ningxia and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2016 to June 2022. The causes of persistent pelvic pain in patients after comprehensive treatment was investigated, and the corresponding therapeutic effects after clinical treatment was observed. Results: Thirty-two tumor patients experienced persistent pain after comprehensive treatment, including 22 cases of cervical cancer and 10 cases of rectal cancer. The preoperative pain of the entire group of patients was evaluated using the digital grading method, with a pain score of (7.88±1.31) points. Among the 32 patients, there were 16 cases of rectovaginal fistula or ileovaginal fistula, 9 cases of vesicovaginal fistula, 5 cases of rectoperineal fistula, and 2 cases of vesicovaginorectal fistula. Thirty-two patients were initially treated with medication to relieve pain, and according to the ruptured organs, a fistula was made to the corresponding proximal intestinal canal and renal pelvis to intercept the intestinal contents and urine. However, the pain did not significantly be improved. The pain score of treatment with the above methods for one week was (8.13±1.13) points, and there was no statistically significant difference compared to preoperative treatment (P=0.417). In the later stage, based on a comprehensive evaluation of whether the tumor had recurred, the value of organ preservation, the benefits of surgery, the balance between survival time and improving quality of life, pathological organ resection or repair was performed. The surgical methods included repair of leaks, local debridement combined with irrigation of proximal intestinal fluid, distal closure of the sigmoid colon combined with proximal ostomy, posterior pelvic organ resection, anterior pelvic organ resection, and total pelvic organ resection. One week after surgery, the patients' pain completely relieved or disappeared, with the pain score of (1.72±1.37) points, which was significantly divergent from the preoperative and initial surgical treatments (P＜0.001). Conclusions: Palliative pyelostomy and proximal enterostomy cannot effectively alleviate persistent pelvic floor pain. The fundamental way to alleviate pain is complete blocking of the inflammatory erosion of the intestinal fluid and urine.

[Clinical application effect of pedunculated rectus abdominis muscle combined with bilateral ureters for repairing refractory bladder-vaginal stump fistula through external vesical drainage]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of pedunculated rectus abdominis combined with bilateral ureteral extravestheter drainage in the treatment of refractory bladder-vaginal stump fistula. Methods: The clinical data of 8 cases of the refractory bladder-vaginal stump fistula were admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University and Henan Cancer Hospital and underwent the clinical treatment of bladder-vaginal stump from December 2019 to December 2022 were collected. The reason of refractory bladder-vaginal stump fistula was analyzed, the operation manner of pedunculated rectus abdominis combined with peduncle and bilateral ureter for the treatment of bladder-vaginal stump through extrabladder drainage was explored. The operation time, bleeding volume and clinical effect were record. Results: The median operation time of 8 patients was 150 minutes(120~180 min), and the median blood loss was 400 ml(200~600 ml). During the perioperative period, there were 2 cases of incision infection, delayed healing by debridement and dressing, 2 cases of incision rupture and suture wound healing after reoperation, and 2 cases of urinary tract infection were cured by anti-infection. When followed up for 6 months, 8 cases of vesicovaginal stump fistula were cured. Conclusion: Bilateral ureteral external drainage of the rectus abdominis muscle, has a practical effect in the treatment of refractory bladder-vaginal stump fistula, which can be one of the clinical repairing treatment.

[Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 Omicron variant infection in children with allergic diseases]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of infection of COVID-19 Omicron variants in children with allergic diseases. Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. A total of 657 pediatric patients with allergic diseases aged between 0-17 years confirmed with COVID-19 infection were enrolled from the Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January to March 2023. The median age was 6.6(4.7,9.9) years, with 443 males (67.4%) and 214 females (32.6%). Demographic data, vaccination status, clinical manifestations, therapeutic drugs, and other data were collected. The patients were then divided into different groups according to the age, type of allergic diseases and vaccination status, and their clinical characteristics were compared. Results: A total of 657 children with allergic diseases were included in this study, among them 568 with asthma. Fever is the most common symptoms after COVID-19 infection (627/657, 95.4%), and 509 children (77.5%) with high fever. Cough was observed in 446 (67.9%) and fatigue in 167 (25.4%) cases.10 cases (1.5%) were diagnosed as pneumonia. The proportion of pharyngalgia(22%,84/382, χ2=19.847, P<0.01), fatigue (31.7%, 121/382,χ2=23.831, P<0.01), headache(34.6%, 132/382,χ2=57.598, P<0.01), muscle joint pain(16.0%, 61/382,χ2=22.289, P<0.01) and vomiting(11.0%, 42/382,χ2=12.756, P<0.01) were highest in the>6 years group. Children younger than 3 years had the lowest proportion of runny nose(8.8%, 5/57,χ2=8.411, P<0.01), cough(45.6%, 26/57,χ2=6.287, P<0.05) and expectoration(7.0%, 4/57,χ2=5.950, P<0.05). 62.8%(137/218) of the patients in 3-6 year group had the highest rate of cough(χ2=6.287, P<0.05), with a higher proportion of wheezing (10.1%, 22/218). Cough and/or wheezing symptoms were most quickly relieved in the 6 year old group, who had a highest proportion of 68.8%(260/382) in duration of respiratory symptoms within 1 week compared with 52.2% (114/218)of 3-6 years group and 41.2% (22/57)of<3 year group, respectively(χ2=23.166, P<0.01). The asthma group had a significant higher proportion of cough(59.7% vs 41.6%, χ2=10.310, P<0.01), wheezing (8.5% vs 0.0%, χ2=8.114, P<0.01) and expectoration (19.2% vs 7.9%, χ2=10.310, P<0.01) than that of non-asthma group. Besides, patients with cough and/or wheezing in the asthma group had more impact on exercise and sleep (16.1% vs 0, χ2=5.436, P<0.05) and a longer duration over 4 weeks (25.1% vs 3.7%, χ2=6.244, P<0.05). Conclusions: The most common symptoms in children with allergy infected with COVID-19 Omicron variant were fever and cough. Children under 3 years of age had relatively fewer respiratory symptoms while those with asthma or aged 3-6 years were more likely to have cough and wheezing and longer duration of symptoms. The data suggested that the prevention and management of COVID-19 should be strengthened in children with allergy.

Stability and Digestive Properties of a Dual-Protein Emulsion System Based on Soy Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Isolate

The stability and digestive properties of a dual-protein emulsion consisting of soy protein isolate (SPI) and whey protein isolate (WPI) have been systematically studied. The results showed that the particle size and viscosity of the dual-protein emulsion system decreased continuously with the increase in WPI, and this might be related to the large amount of electric charge on the surface of the emulsion droplets. Dual-protein emulsions with ratios of 3:7 and 5:5 showed the highest emulsion activity, while emulsion stability increased with the increase in WPI. The thicker adsorption layer formed at the interface might have contributed to this phenomenon. After in-vitro-simulated digestion, the emulsion droplet particle size increased substantially due to the weakened electrostatic repulsion on the droplet surface, especially for the intestinal digestion phase. Meanwhile, WPI accelerated the release of free fatty acids in the digestion process, which played a positive role in the nutritional value of the dual-protein emulsion. In accelerated oxidation experiments, WPI also improved the antioxidant properties of the dual-protein emulsion system. This study will provide a new insight and necessary theoretical basis for the preparation of dual-protein emulsions.

Characterization and Immunogenicity of Recombinant A. flavus Uox Modified by Co/EDTA Carbon Dots

BACKGROUND

Uricase (Uox) is a major drug in gout and a supplementary drug in cancer treatment. Because allergic reactions caused by Uox limit its clinical application,10% Co/EDTA was used to chemically modify Uox from A. flavus to reduce its immunogenicity.

METHODS

The immunogenicity of Uox and 10% Co/EDTA-Uox was examined by determining the antibody titer and concentration of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-β in quail and rat serum. Moreover, we examined the pharmacokinetics of 10% Co/EDTA-Uox in rats and acute toxicity in mice.

RESULTS

The concentration of UA decreased from 771.85 ±180.99 to 299.47 ±20.37 µmoL/L（p<0.01） in the hyperuricemia model of quails injected by 10% Co/EDTA-Uox. Two-way immuno-diffusion electrophoresis revealed that 10% Co/EDTA-Uox did not produce antibody, whereas the antibody titer against Uox was 1:16. The concentrations of four cytokines in the 10% Co/EDTA-Uox group were significantly lower than in Uox group (p < 0.01)； The titer of IgG and IgM against 10% Co/EDTA-Uox was significantly lower than that against Uox at different serum dilutions (p < 0.0001). The pharmacokinetic data indicated that the half-life time of 10% Co/EDTA- Uox( 69.315h) was significantly longer than that of Uox(13.4 h)（p<0.01）. The tissue section of the liver, heart, kidney, and spleen revealed no toxicity in Uox and 10% Co/EDTA- Uox groups.

CONCLUSION

10% Co/EDTA-Uox possesses little immunogenicity, a long half-life time, and a highly efficient degradation of UA.

[Safety and efficacy of the early administration of levosimendan in patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and elevated NT-proBNP levels: An Early Management Strategy of Acute Heart Failure (EMS-AHF)]

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.

[Analysis of the causes of long-standing pelvic anterior sacral space infection and discussion of management techniques]

Objective: To investigate the causes and management of long-term persistent pelvic presacral space infection. Methods: Clinical data of 10 patients with persistent presacral infection admitted to the Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2015 to October 2020 were collected. Different surgical approaches were used to treat the presacral infection according to the patients' initial surgical procedures. Results: Among the 10 patients, there were 2 cases of presacral recurrent infection due to rectal leak after radiotherapy for cervical cancer, 3 cases of presacral recurrent infection due to rectal leak after radiotherapy for rectal cancer Dixons, and 5 cases of presacral recurrent infection of sinus tract after adjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer Miles. Of the 5 patients with leaky bowel, 4 had complete resection of the ruptured nonfunctional bowel and complete debridement of the presacral infection using an anterior transverse sacral incision with a large tipped omentum filling the presacral space; 1 had continuous drainage of the anal canal and complete debridement of the presacral infection using an anterior transverse sacral incision. 5 post-Miles patients all had debridement of the presacral infection using an anterior transverse sacral incision combined with an abdominal incision. The nine patients with healed presacral infection recovered from surgery in 26 to 210 days, with a median time of 55 days. Conclusions: Anterior sacral infections in patients with leaky gut are caused by residual bowel secretion of intestinal fluid into the anterior sacral space, and in post-Miles patients by residual anterior sacral foreign bodies. An anterior sacral caudal transverse arc incision combined with an abdominal incision is an effective surgical approach for complete debridement of anterior sacral recalcitrant infections.

A fluorescent carbon dots synthesized at room temperature for automatic determination of nitrite in Sichuan pickles

In this paper, highly fluorescent carbon dots were synthesized from sodium ascorbate and polyethyleneimine at room temperature (R-CDs). The proposed green synthesis method was energy-saving, environmentally friendly and easy online. R-CDs exhibit an optimal emission peak of 490 nm under excitation at 380 nm with a quantum yield of 32 %. R-CDs morphology, composition, and properties were characterized using TEM, FTIR, XPS, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The study revealed that nitrite quenched the fluorescence of R-CDs under acidic conditions. Subsequently, this discovered reaction of R-CDs and nitrite was combined with flow-injection technology, and a simple, precise and automatic fluorescence strategy for nitrite determination was accomplished. The response to nitrite was linear in 5-300 μg·L^-1 concentration range and the limit of detection was 2.85 μg·L^-1 (3.3 S/k). This method was applied to nitrite determination in Sichuan pickles during the pickling process and results were consistent with the standard method, demonstrating its feasibility in practical applications.

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination total antioxidant capacity in human serum samples based on response surface methodology to optimize synthesized peroxidase-like activity carbon dots

Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an important indicator for evaluating oxidative stress of the human body. Since TAC is related to the concentration of reducing substances, it can be detected by using peroxidase-like or oxidase-like activity of nanozyme materials. In this work, the cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (Co/N-CDs) are fabricated for building stability and high peroxidase-like nanozyme through the Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology. The morphology and luminescence properties of obtained Co/N-CDs were characterized by TEM and fluorophotometer, respectively. Interestingly, the surface charge of Co/N-CDs are innovatively investigated by a simple and widespread gel electrophoresis, which holds the potential to be an alternative to Zeta potential analysis. In addition, a flow injection spectrophotometric assay to detect ascorbic acid is develop with a high sensitivity and automation based on a Co/N-CDs/guaiacol/H₂O₂ catalytic reaction system. The proposed method is also responsive to other reducing substances such as cysteine and glutathione. Therefore, the presented sensor can realize the determination of TAC, and then, some actual human serum samples are detected accurately and quickly (the recovery rates are 93.46-105.61 %).

[CircRNA circTNPO1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma by sponging miR-338-3p]

Objective: To explore the effects of circTNPO1 on the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma (OS) by sponging miR-338-3p. Methods: The expression of circTNPO1 on osteoblasts and multiple OS cell lines were detected by qRT-PCR. CircTNPO1 stable knockdown 143B cell line was constructed by sh-circTNPO1. Cell count kit 8 (CCK-8) assay and wound healing assay were applied to evaluate the proliferation and metastasis of this cell. Luciferase reporter assay was used to explore the binding between circTNPO1 and miR-338-3p. In xenograft tumor model, miR-338-3p inhibitor or its control was injected into the circTNPO1 knockdown tumors. The weight and size of the tumors were evaluated and Ki-67 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The RNA expression of circTNPO1 in OS cell lines U2OS, HOS, MG63, 143B, ZOS and ZOSM were 2.73±0.27, 3.18±0.54, 4.33±0.52, 5.75±0.65, 4.50±0.49 and 3.96±0.35, respectively, higher than 1.00±0.09 in hFOB1.19 (P<0.001). CCK-8 assay revealed that after 48 h and 72 h, the absorbance of sh-circTNPO1 #1 was 0.81±0.05 and 1.09±0.06, while sh-circTNPO1 #2 143B cells was 0.84±0.04 and 1.2±0.04, which were sharply reduced compared with the control (1.00±0.06 and 1.49±0.06, P<0.001); after 48 h and 72 h, the absorbance of 143B cells transfected with circTNPO1 #1 and miR-338-3p (0.92±0.06 and 1.32±0.07) were higher than those of cells transfected with sh-circTNPO1 cells and miR NC (0.92±0.06 and 1.32±0.07, P<0.050). Wound healing assay demonstrated that the 24 hour-migration rates of sh-circTNPO1 #1 and sh-circTNPO1 #2 cells were (24.43±2.15)% and (39.70±4.20)% respectively, which were significantly lower than that of the control [(56.51±3.27)%, P<0.010]; the migration rates of sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR NC and sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR-338-3p inhibitor were (26.70±2.21)% and (46.10±5.71)%, with a significant difference (P<0.005). In xenograft tumor model, the weight and size of tumors in control, sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR NC and sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR-338-3p inhibitor mice were (458.80±158.10) mg, (262.50±82.09) mg, (395.40±137.60) mg and (593.00±228.40) mm(2,) (203.30±144.20) mm(2,) (488.60±208.60) mm(2,) respectively. Compared with control, sh-circTNPO1 tumors were significantly smaller (P<0.01). Injection with miR-338-3p inhibitor significantly reversed both the weight and size of tumors (P<0.05). Conclusion: CircTNPO1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of OS by sponging miR-338-3p, which could be a new target for OS treatments.

Repeating fast radio burst 20201124A originates from a magnetar/Be star binary

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are cosmic sources emitting millisecond-duration radio bursts. Although several hundreds FRBs have been discovered, their physical nature and central engine remain unclear. The variations of Faraday rotation measure and dispersion measure, due to local environment, are crucial clues to understanding their physical nature. The recent observations on the rotation measure of FRB 20201124A show a significant variation on a day time scale. Intriguingly, the oscillation of rotation measure supports that the local contribution can change sign, which indicates the magnetic field reversal along the line of sight. Here we present a physical model that explains observed characteristics of FRB 20201124A and proposes that repeating signal comes from a binary system containing a magnetar and a Be star with a decretion disk. When the magnetar approaches the periastron, the propagation of radio waves through the disk of the Be star naturally leads to the observed varying rotation measure, depolarization, large scattering timescale, and Faraday conversion. This study will prompt to search for FRB signals from Be/X-ray binaries.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright millisecond or shorter duration transient events. Here, the authors propose that FRB 20201124A comes from a binary system of a magnetar and a Be star with a decretion disk.

[Immediate postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography on the diagnosis of hemorrhagic complications of liver biopsy and its directed compression hemostasis]

Objective: To study the diagnostic value of immediate color Doppler ultrasonography on traumatic hepatic hemorrhage after tissue sampling with ultrasound-guided liver biopsy and the clinical effect of its-directed local compression hemostasis at puncture-site. Methods: 132 hospitalized patients with various liver diseases underwent ultrasound-guided hepatic puncture-biopsies, including 61 cases with diffuse parenchymal and 71 cases with focal liver lesions. Immediate postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography was performed following liver biopsy. Abnormal blood flow signal was observed at hepatic puncture biopsy site, and if there were hemorrhagic signals, ultrasound-directed local compression hemostasis was performed until the bleeding signal disappeared. F-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Immediate color Doppler ultrasonography showed traumatic hemorrhage in 36.1% (22/61) and 40.8% (29/71) cases of diffuse liver disease and focal liver disease group, respectively. All hemorrhagic signals were eventually disappeared after ultrasound-directed local compression hemostasis. The median hemostasis time was 2 min in both groups, and there was no statistically significant difference in bleeding rate and hemostasis time between the two groups (P>0.05). There were no serious complications and deaths. Conclusion: Traumatic hepatic hemorrhage along the needle puncture tract is a common accompanying condition during liver biopsy. Immediate postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography can trace bleeding signals in timely manner and direct effective compression hemostasis, so it should be used routinely to help avoid occurrence of severe hemorrhagic complications.

[Study of abnormal lipid metabolism analysis and significance of fatty acid binding protein expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma]

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most dominant cancer in the world and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the China. With the increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the population, the correlation between MS and HCC has gradually been recognized. MS manifests as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (shortly known as NAFLD) in the liver. A large number of research results has shown that the development of fatty liver is closely related to the occurrence of HCC, in which lipid metabolism plays a key regulatory role, and lipid metabolism is regulated by fatty acid binding protein (FABP). This study signifies the lipid metabolism analysis and the key FABP expression conditions in HCC. Methods: Data of patients who were first diagnosed with primary HCC between January 2016 to July 2019 were collected, and were divided into two groups according to the etiology, namely the viral and non-viral hepatitis-related HCC group. The relationship between MS-related factors and HCC was analyzed by t-test and chi square test. The expressions of FABP1, FABP4 and FABP5 were detected in cancer and adjacent tissues by immunohistochemistry, and the expressions of FABP1, FABP4 and FABP5 in HCC with fatty liver were detected by immunofluorescence. Finally, the expressional characteristics of the above-mentioned FABPs in HCC patients were analyzed with different clinicopathological features. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the rate of abnormal lipid metabolism and the number of abnormalities in MS-related factors between the viral and non-viral hepatitis-related HCC group. FABP1, FABP4, and FABP5 expression in HCC tissues were lower than the corresponding adjacent tumor tissues. Compared with simple HCC, FABP1, FABP4, FABP5 expression were increased in HCC tissues with steatosis, and the expression of FABP was closely related to the clinical characteristics of patients. Conclusion: Abnormal lipid metabolism is closely related to non-viral hepatitis-related HCC. The expression of lipid metabolism regulatory proteins FABP1, FABP4, and FABP5 are down-regulated in HCC tissues, but up-regulated in HCC with fatty liver, suggesting that the relationship between MS, especially dyslipidemia, and HCC should be paid attention to in clinical practice for early intervention. FABP1, FABP4, FABP5 may regulate HCC occurrence and development.

A bimodal burst energy distribution of a repeating fast radio burst source

The event rate, energy distribution and time-domain behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) contain essential information regarding their physical nature and central engine, which are as yet unknown^1,2. As the first precisely localized source, FRB 121102 (refs. ^3-5) has been extensively observed and shows non-Poisson clustering of bursts over time and a power-law energy distribution^6-8. However, the extent of the energy distribution towards the fainter end was not known. Here we report the detection of 1,652 independent bursts with a peak burst rate of 122 h^-1, in 59.5 hours spanning 47 days. A peak in the isotropic equivalent energy distribution is found to be approximately 4.8 × 10³⁷ erg at 1.25 GHz, below which the detection of bursts is suppressed. The burst energy distribution is bimodal, and well characterized by a combination of a log-normal function and a generalized Cauchy function. The large number of bursts in hour-long spans allows sensitive periodicity searches between 1 ms and 1,000 s. The non-detection of any periodicity or quasi-periodicity poses challenges for models involving a single rotating compact object. The high burst rate also implies that FRBs must be generated with a high radiative efficiency, disfavouring emission mechanisms with large energy requirements or contrived triggering conditions.

[Reoperation and perioperative management of residual cyst wall with perineal intractable sinus after resection of presacral cyst tumors]

Objective: To investigate the reoperation and perioperative management of residual cyst wall with perineal intractable sinus after resection of presacral cyst tumors. Methods: The clinical data of 29 patients with residual cyst wall and perineal intractable sinus after resection of presacral cyst tumors in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to August 2019 were reviewed, including the characteristics of the residual cyst wall with perineal intractable sinus after resection of presacral cyst tumors, surgical method, and perioperative management. Results: Twenty-nine patients with residual cyst wall and perineal intractable sinus after resection of presacral cyst tumors, including 9 cases of epidermoid cysts, 7 cases of dermoid cysts, 10 cases of mature teratomas and 3 cases of malignant cysts (including malignant transformation of caudate cyst and teratoma); The 29 patients underwent posterior approaches for cyst resection in other hospital before, of whom 1 patient underwent posterior combined with transabdominal approach. All of thes patients underwent resection of residual presacral cyst wall and perineal intractable sinus in our hospital, of whom 25 patients underwent a transperineal approach through an arc-shaped incision anterior to the apex of the coccyx, and the other 4 patients underwent transperineal arc-shaped incision combined with transabdominal approach. All of the patients were cured without serious complications occurring, postoperative pathological and the magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis showed that the residual cyst wall and perineal intractable sinus were all completely removed. Conclusion: Appropriate surgical approache and perioperative treatment for the patients with residual cyst wall and perineal intractable sinus are very important to promote the resection of residual cyst wall and the healing of perineal intractable sinus.

A fluorimetric and colorimetric dual-signal sensor for hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots and inner filter effect

Herein, cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (Co-N-CDs) were fabricated via a one-pot hydrothermal approach. The obtained Co-N-CDs displayed peroxidase-like activity and fluorescence properties. It could catalyze the oxidization of guaiacol (GA) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and thus, resulted in color change, accompanied by a new absorption peak in 470 nm. Owing to the inner filter effect, the oxidized product of GA (known as 2-PQ) largely absorbed the Co-N-CD fluorescence which was excited at 380 nm. Such changes in absorbance and fluorescence intensity were H₂O₂ concentration-dependent. Specifically, H₂O₂ could be generated by glucose oxidase to catalyze the oxidation of glucose, and thus, a colorimetric and fluorimetric sensor for glucose was established with high selectivity and excellent sensitivity. After the optimization of experimental conditions, this colorimetric sensor has a good linear range from 2 to 100 μM for glucose and the detection limit was 1.16 μM. Besides, the linear relationship between the fluorescence quenching value (ΔF) and the glucose concentration (0.4-40 μM) was obtained with a detection limit of 0.18 μM. Meanwhile, the proposed sensor has also been successfully applied for glucose detection in human serum samples, and the results were consistent with those of the standard method.

A flow injection fluorescence "turn-on" sensor for the determination of metformin hydrochloride based on the inner filter effect of nitrogen-doped carbon dots/gold nanoparticles double-probe

In this paper, an ultrasensitive and rapid "turn-on" fluorescence sensor, integrating flow-injection (FI) with nitrogen-doped carbon dots/gold nanoparticles (N-CDs/AuNPs) double-probe is established for the determination of metformin hydrochloride (MET) in biological fluids. The sensing strategy involves the weak inner filter effect between AuNPs and N-CDs due to aggregation products of MET with AuNPs. Unfortunately, the degree of AuNPs aggregation is difficult to control through manual assays, resulting in intolerable measurement error that limits further applications. However, the proposed method overcomes the above problem, and significantly lowers the consumption of expensive reagents (AuNPs: about 60 μL per test). Under optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity at 400 nm excitation and 505 nm emission wavelengths display a linear correlation with MET concentration (5-100 μg L^-1) and the limit of detection is 2.32 μg L^-1 (3.3 S/k). The advantages of the presented method include high sensitivity, rapid speed (60 sample h^-1), good accuracy and precision (RSD ≤ 2.1%, n = 11) and low cost. Since MET is the first-line hypoglycemic agent in patients with type II diabetes, this method can preliminarily determine MET content in urine samples, giving satisfactory results.

Mitochondrial DNA Heteroplasmy of Hair Shaft Using HID Ion GeneStudioTM S5 Sequencing System

Objective To study the heteroplasmy of the whole mitochondrial genome genotyping result of hair shaft samples using HID Ion GeneStudio^TM S5 Sequencing System. Methods The buccal swabs and blood of 8 unrelated individuals, and hair shaft samples from different parts of the same individual were collected. Amplification of whole mitochondrial genome was performed using Precision ID mtDNA Whole Genome Panel. Analysis and detection of whole mitochondrial genome were carried out using the HID Ion GeneStudio^TM S5 Sequencing System. Results The mitochondrial DNA sequences in temporal hair shaft samples from 2 individuals showed heteroplasmy, while whole mitochondrial genome genotyping results of buccal swabs, blood, and hair samples from the other 6 unrelated individuals were consistent. A total of 119 base variations were observed from the 8 unrelated individuals. The numbers of variable sites of the individuals were 29, 40, 38, 35, 13, 36, 40 and 35, respectively. Conclusion Sequence polymorphism can be fully understood using HID Ion GeneStudio^TM S5 Sequencing system.

[Types and treatment of easily-missed, misdiagnosed intestinal obstruction after radical radiotherapy of cervical cancer]

Objective: To investigate the types and treatment methods of easily-missed, misdiagnosed intestinal obstruction after radical radiotherapy of cervical cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 21 patients with intestinal obstruction after radical radiotherapy of cervical cancer in our hospital from May 2013 to May 2019 were collected, including the radiation dose, obstruction symptoms, surgical methods and treatment outcomes. The types and treatment methods of intestinal obstruction after radical radiotherapy of cervical cancer were further investigated. Results: The intestinal obstruction occurred in 21 patients with cervical cancer after radical radiotherapy. All patients were initially diagnosed as rectal obstruction and underwent the transverse colostomy. The obstruction symptoms were successfully resolved in 15 patients while failed in other 6 patients who then underwent the re-operation. Four patients with rectal obstruction accompanied by middle or terminal ileum obstruction underwent ileostomy, the other 2 patients with terminal ileum obstruction underwent the transverse ileal anastomosis and partial intestines exclusion surgery. All of the obstruction symptoms were alleviated. Conclusions: Rectal is the major obstruction site of the cervical cancer patients with intestinal obstruction after radical radiotherapy. However, a possibility of obstruction at the middle or end of the ileum also exists. Therefore, it is very important to avoid misdiagnosis and conduct appropriate operative treatment according to the obstruction site.

No pulsed radio emission during a bursting phase of a Galactic magnetar

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients of unknown physical origin observed at extragalactic distances^1-3. It has long been speculated that magnetars are the engine powering repeating bursts from FRB sources^4-13, but no convincing evidence has been collected so far¹⁴. Recently, the Galactic magnetar SRG 1935+2154 entered an active phase by emitting intense soft γ-ray bursts¹⁵. One FRB-like event with two peaks (FRB 200428) and a luminosity slightly lower than the faintest extragalactic FRBs was detected from the source, in association with a soft γ-ray/hard-X-ray flare^18-21. Here we report an eight-hour targeted radio observational campaign comprising four sessions and assisted by multi-wavelength (optical and hard-X-ray) data. During the third session, 29 soft-γ-ray repeater (SGR) bursts were detected in γ-ray energies. Throughout the observing period, we detected no single dispersed pulsed emission coincident with the arrivals of SGR bursts, but unfortunately we were not observing when the FRB was detected. The non-detection places a fluence upper limit that is eight orders of magnitude lower than the fluence of FRB 200428. Our results suggest that FRB-SGR burst associations are rare. FRBs may be highly relativistic and geometrically beamed, or FRB-like events associated with SGR bursts may have narrow spectra and characteristic frequencies outside the observed band. It is also possible that the physical conditions required to achieve coherent radiation in SGR bursts are difficult to satisfy, and that only under extreme conditions could an FRB be associated with an SGR burst.

[Retrospective analysis of curative effect of total pelvic organ resection and anal preservation in 20 patients with recurrence of cervical cancer after radical radiotherapy]

Objective: To explore the surgical method and effect of en bloc pelvic resection and anal preservation after radical radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 20 cervical cancer patients with central recurrence after radical radiotherapy underwent en bloc pelvic resection in the Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Hainan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, length of stay, postoperative anal function and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results: The median operation time of 20 patients with anal preservation after en bloc pelvic resection was 135.2 min, the median intraoperative blood loss was 680 ml, and the median hospitalization time was 16.5 days. Among them, 18 patients had good postoperative healing, and the anal function gradually returned to normal within 6 months after surgery, defecated 1~2 times per day.One patient showed incomplete adhesion between the external colon and the anus. One patient presented with pre-sacral infection. Postoperative pathology confirmed the recurrences in 20 patients, of which 11 cases were squamous cell carcinoma, 7 cases were adenocarcinoma, 2 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma. Conclusions: It is safe and reliable to preserve anus after en bloc pelvic resection for cervical cancer patients with radical radiotherapy. The anus function is good enough to improve the postoperative life quality of patients significantly.

2160Continuous shock-free termination of atrial fibrillation by local optogenetic therapy and arrhythmia-triggered activation of an implanted light source

Background

Maintenance of sinus rhythm is the primary therapeutic goal for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) patients but remains difficult to achieve because of suboptimal treatment options. While being effective in detecting and terminating AF, the widespread use of implantable atrial defibrillators is limited due to patients intolerance to repeated shocks. The negative adverse effects of electroshock therapy can hypothetically be overcome by allowing the heart itself to produce the electric current required for arrhythmia termination. As a result, the effector function of an electrical defibrillator would be provided by the heart itself, and therefore no longer rely on electronics, but on bioelectricity instead.

Purpose

To develop a hybrid bio-electronic system for automated and acute shock-free AF treatment.

Methods

To equip the heart with the effector function of the envisioned AF termination system, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors encoding red-activatable channelrhodopsin (ReaChR) (n=12) or citrine (n=4) were delivered locally to the right atrium (RA) of adult Wistar rats by gene painting. Four to 8 weeks later, AF was induced in vivo by atrial burst pacing after carbachol administration, followed by programmed local illumination of the RA by an implanted intrathoracic LED device whose activation was automatically regulated by an electrocardiogram (ECG)-based cardiac rhythm monitor.

Results

Gene painting of the RA resulted in transmural transduction of right atrial myocytes (78±6%) with minimum transgene expression of the left atrium and ventricles (6±2% and <0.5%, respectively). Electrophysiological assessments revealed no significant differences in ECG characteristics, atrial action potential duration and conduction velocity when compared to baseline or citrine control animals. Feasibility of optical AF termination was first assessed in an open-chest rat model, showing that a single 470-nm light pulse (3.5 mW/mm2, 1000 ms) efficiently terminated AF in all ReaChR-expressing rats with an average termination efficacy of 94±3% (n=12) vs. 3±3% (n=4) in citrine-expressing control animals (p<0.01). AF termination efficacy remained superb following automated detection and termination of AF by ECG-triggered activation of the implanted intra-thoracic LED in closed-chest ReaChR-expressing rats (96±4%), n=4), whereas none of the AF episodes were terminated in control rats (0%, n=4) (p<0.01). No bradycardias or other arrhythmias were observed following optical AF termination.

Conclusions

By using a hybrid bio-electronic approach to modulate cardiac excitability, our study delivers proof that AF can be detected and terminated automatically in a safe, effective and repetitive, yet shock-free manner. These findings may create the basis for the development of pain-free device therapy for cardiac arrhythmias, thereby paving the way for ambulatory AF treatment with the perspective to improve patients' prognosis and quality of life.

Acknowledgement/Funding

NWO Vidi grant (1714336) and ERC Starting Grant (716509) both to D.A.P.

Applying WCACG modified process is beneficial on reduced door-to-balloon time of acute STEMI patients

Background: Various systems have employed with the objective to reduce the time from emergency medical services contact to balloon inflammation for ST-elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI) patients. The WCACG message system was used to an alternative communication platform to improve confirmation of the diagnosis and movement to treatment, resulted in shorten the door-to-balloon (D-to-B) time for STEMI patients.

Methods: We collected 366 STEMI patients admitted at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People’s Hospital, Department of Cardiology, during the period from June 2013 to October 2015. The patients were divided into two groups one underwent the current GC processes and the other group was handled using WCACG system. We compared between two groups with several indicators including D-to-B time, duration of hospitalization, associated costs, and incidence of adverse cardiovascular events.

Results: The results show that the new method with WCACG system significantly reduced the average D-to-B time (from 100.42 ± 25.14 mins to 79.81 ± 20.51 mins, P < 0.05) compared to the GC processes, and also reduced the duration, costs and undesirable cardiac incidence during hospitalization.

Conclusions: The modified WCACG process is an applicable system to save pieces of time and efficiently integrate the opinions of experts in emergency.

Germanene on single-layer ZnSe substrate: novel electronic and optical properties

In this work, the structural, electronic and optical properties of germanene and ZnSe substrate nanocomposites have been investigated using first-principles calculations. We found that the large direct-gap ZnSe semiconductors and zero-gap germanene form a typical orbital hybridization heterostructure with a strong binding energy, which shows a moderate direct band gap of 0.503 eV in the most stable pattern. Furthermore, the heterostructure undergoes semiconductor-to-metal band gap transition when subjected to external out-of-plane electric field. We also found that applying external strain and compressing the interlayer distance are two simple ways of tuning the electronic structure. An unexpected indirect-direct band gap transition is also observed in the AAII pattern via adjusting the interlayer distance. Quite interestingly, the calculated results exhibit that the germanene/ZnSe heterobilayer structure has perfect optical absorption in the solar spectrum as well as the infrared and UV light zones, which is superior to that of the individual ZnSe substrate and germanene. The staggered interfacial gap and tunability of the energy band structure via interlayer distance and external electric field and strain thus make the germanene/ZnSe heterostructure a promising candidate for field effect transistors (FETs) and nanoelectronic applications.

Low-field magnetotransport in graphene cavity devices

Confinement and edge structures are known to play significant roles in the electronic and transport properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we report on low-temperature magnetotransport measurements of lithographically patterned graphene cavity nanodevices. It is found that the evolution of the low-field magnetoconductance characteristics with varying carrier density exhibits different behaviors in graphene cavity and bulk graphene devices. In the graphene cavity devices, we observed that intravalley scattering becomes dominant as the Fermi level gets close to the Dirac point. We associate this enhanced intravalley scattering to the effect of charge inhomogeneities and edge disorder in the confined graphene nanostructures. We also observed that the dephasing rate of carriers in the cavity devices follows a parabolic temperature dependence, indicating that the direct Coulomb interaction scattering mechanism governs the dephasing at low temperatures. Our results demonstrate the importance of confinement in carrier transport in graphene nanostructure devices.

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via 0νββ Decay of ^{130}Te

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number-violating process: ^{130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO_{2} exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7±0.5)  keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014±0.002)  counts/(keV kg yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.3×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0×10^{24}  yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.5×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find m_{ββ}<(110-520)  meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

An asynchronous-alternating merging-zone flow-injection gold nanoparticles probe method for determination of anti-diabetic pioglitazone hydrochloride medicine

A new method was established on the basis of coloration of gold nanoparticles by pioglitazone hydrochloride in acidic media.

A Data Capture Framework for Large-scale Interventional Studies with Survey Workflow Management

Capturing high-quality survey data is an arduous process for large-scale and extensive interventional studies. This paper presents the architecture, interface design, and an innovative form generation engine of a system called RE- Form: Refactorized Electronic Web Forms. REForm provides researchers the capability to design and manage surveys and the flexibility to organize them in a customizable workflow. REForm has been designed, implemented, pilot-tested and deployed for an NCI-funded interventional study IMPACT. It enables IMPACT to design and conduct a baseline survey of 95 questions with 662 options, a post-intervention survey of 82 questions with 574 options, six Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) surveys including four questions and 26 options each, and a follow-up survey con- taining 15 questions and 125 options. Feedback designed in the post-intervention survey showed that more than 94 percent of IMPACT participants highly endorsed the design and usability of the surveys created using REForm.

Chemotherapeutic effect of Zerumbone on melanoma cells through mitochondria-mediated pathways

BACKGROUND

Zerumbone (ZER) is a phytochemical that appears to regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis. It has been reported to have an anti-tumour effect in various malignant cells; however, the effect and the mechanism of ZER on melanoma cells needs to be clarified.

AIM

To explore whether ZER has an effect on human melanoma cells and to identify the mechanisms involved.

METHODS

We determined the chemotherapeutic action of ZER on the human malignant melanoma (MM) A375 cell line by CCK-8 immunohistochemistry, Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry analysis. We also investigated the signalling pathways by which ZER induces apoptosis in A375 cells, using western blotting, reverse transcription PCR and caspase-3 activity analysis.

RESULTS

ZER induced significant cytotoxic action in A375 cells. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry apoptosis analysis further demonstrated that ZER induced apoptosis in A375 cells. Treatment with ZER downregulated Bcl-2 gene and protein levels, upregulated Bax and Cytochrome c gene and protein levels, and activated Caspase-3.

CONCLUSIONS

ZER might have a chemotherapeutic effect on human melanoma cells through mitochondria-mediated pathways.

Silencing of microRNA-138-5p promotes IL-1β-induced cartilage degradation in human chondrocytes by targeting FOXC1: miR-138 promotes cartilage degradation

Objectives

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterised by articular cartilage degradation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified in the development of OA. The purpose of our study was to explore the functional role and underlying mechanism of miR-138-5p in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation of OA cartilage.

Materials and Methods

Human articular cartilage was obtained from patients with and without OA, and chondrocytes were isolated and stimulated by IL-1β. The expression levels of miR-138-5p in cartilage and chondrocytes were both determined. After transfection with miR-138-5p mimics, allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO)-miR-138-5p, or their negative controls, the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of aggrecan (ACAN), collagen type II and alpha 1 (COL2A1), the protein levels of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and both the mRNA and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 were evaluated. Luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot were performed to explore whether Forkhead Box C1 (FOCX1) was a target of miR-138-5p. Further, we co-transfected OA chondrocytes with miR-138-5p mimics and pcDNA3.1 (+)-FOXC1 and then stimulated with IL-1β to determine whether miR-138-5p-mediated IL-1β-induced cartilage matrix degradation resulted from targeting FOXC1.

Results

MiR-138-5p was significantly increased in OA cartilage and in chondrocytes in response to IL-1β-stimulation. Overexpression of miR-138-5p significantly increased the IL-1β-induced downregulation of COL2A1, ACAN, and GAGs, and increased the IL-1β-induced over expression of MMP-13.We found that FOXC1 is directly regulated by miR-138-5p. Additionally, co-transfection with miR-138-5p mimics and pcDNA3.1 (+)-FOXC1 resulted in higher levels of COL2A1, ACAN, and GAGs, but lower levels of MMP-13.

Conclusion

miR-138-5p promotes IL-1β-induced cartilage degradation in human chondrocytes, possibly by targeting FOXC1.

Cite this article: Y. Yuan, G. Q. Zhang, W. Chai,M. Ni, C. Xu, J. Y. Chen. Silencing of microRNA-138-5p promotes IL-1β-induced cartilage degradation in human chondrocytes by targeting FOXC1: miR-138 promotes cartilage degradation. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:523–530. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.510.BJR-2016-0074.R2.

Correlation between methylation of the E-Cadherin gene and malignancy of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor in males with an unclear pathogenic mechanism. As one epigenetic regulation mechanism, DNA methylation of the whole genome and specific gene(s) plays critical roles in pathogenesis, progression, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer. The E-Cadherin gene is involved in cell metabolism and has been suggested to be related with malignancy of multiple tumors. This study investigated the correlation between E-Cadherin methylation and malignancy of prostate cancer. Gradient concentrations of 5-Aza-CdR (5, 10, and 20 mM) were used to treat the prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP), and mRNA level of E-Cadherin was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A total of 82 prostate cancer patients were recruited to detect the methylation status of the promoter region of the E-Cadherin gene by pyrophosphate sequencing. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to determine mRNA levels of E-Cadherin. Methylation and mRNA levels of E-Cadherin were analyzed by the SPSS software. With elevated concentrations of 5-Aza-CdR, mRNA levels of E-Cadherin gradually increased. DNA methylation levels of tumor tissues were significantly elevated with increased Gleason score (P < 0.05) and tumor-node-metastasis stage (P < 0.05) but were not related to age, smoking habits, or alcohol consumption (P > 0.05). DNA methylation level was negatively correlated with mRNA expression of the E-Cadherin gene. Methylation in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in tumor adjacent tissues (P < 0.05). DNA methylation level of the E-Cadherin gene could be an important predictive index for malignancy of prostate cancer.

[Experimental study of metabonomics in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the application of metabonomics in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.

METHODS

Eighty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into two groups, control group (30 mice) and allergic rhinitis (AR) group (50 mice). After modeling, removal behavior score more than 6 and retain 30 mice behavior score equal to 6.Collect the mice peripheral blood and preparate blood serum, using UPLC-MS chromatographic separation and detection. The data were pretreated by SPSS and Excel, after chromatographic peak matching by MZmine. Firstly , delete interference data in accordance with the 80% rule .Then, the investigate data were analyzed by PLS-DA and PCA-X.

RESULTS

Three-dimensional view of the control group (30 mice) and AR group (30 mice) blood serum data was drawn using PCA-X and PLS-DA method. The two groups of samples could be completely separated through views, which showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups of data. There were some differences in the blood metabolites between the control group and AR group .

CONCLUSION

The study showed that it was scientific and feasible to diagnose AR using the metabonomics.

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of (130)Te with CUORE-0

We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a 9.8 kg yr exposure of (130)Te using a bolometric detector array, CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in the region of interest are 5.1±0.3  keV FWHM and 0.058±0.004(stat)±0.002(syst)counts/(keV kg yr), respectively. The median 90% C.L. lower-limit half-life sensitivity of the experiment is 2.9×10(24)  yr and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of (130)Te and place a Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, T(1/2)(0ν)>2.7×10(24)  yr at 90% C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75 kg yr exposure of (130)Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain T(1/2)(0ν)>4.0×10(24)  yr at 90% C.L. (Bayesian), the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, m(ββ)<270-760  meV.

Degradation modeling of mid-power white-light LEDs by using Wiener process

The IES standard TM-21-11 provides a guideline for lifetime prediction of LED devices. As it uses average normalized lumen maintenance data and performs non-linear regression for lifetime modeling, it cannot capture dynamic and random variation of the degradation process of LED devices. In addition, this method cannot capture the failure distribution, although it is much more relevant in reliability analysis. Furthermore, the TM-21-11 only considers lumen maintenance for lifetime prediction. Color shift, as another important performance characteristic of LED devices, may also render significant degradation during service life, even though the lumen maintenance has not reached the critical threshold. In this study, a modified Wiener process has been employed for the modeling of the degradation of LED devices. By using this method, dynamic and random variations, as well as the non-linear degradation behavior of LED devices, can be easily accounted for. With a mild assumption, the parameter estimation accuracy has been improved by including more information into the likelihood function while neglecting the dependency between the random variables. As a consequence, the mean time to failure (MTTF) has been obtained and shows comparable result with IES TM-21-11 predictions, indicating the feasibility of the proposed method. Finally, the cumulative failure distribution was presented corresponding to different combinations of lumen maintenance and color shift. The results demonstrate that a joint failure distribution of LED devices could be modeled by simply considering their lumen maintenance and color shift as two independent variables.

Combined sewer overflow control with LID based on SWMM: an example in Shanghai, China

Although low impact development (LID) has been commonly applied across the developed countries for mitigating the negative impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on urban hydrological environment, it has not been widely used in developing countries yet. In this paper, a typical combined sewer system in an urbanized area of Shanghai, China was used to demonstrate how to design and choose CSO control solutions with LID using stormwater management model. We constructed and simulated three types of CSO control scenarios. Our findings support the notion that LID measures possess favorable capability on CSO reduction. Nevertheless, the green scenarios which are completely comprised by LID measures fail to achieve the maximal effectiveness on CSO reduction, while the gray-green scenarios (LID measure combined with gray measures) achieve it. The unit cost-effectiveness of each type of scenario sorts as: green scenario > gray-green scenario > gray scenario. Actually, as the storage tank is built in the case catchment, a complete application of green scenario is inaccessible here. Through comprehensive evaluation and comparison, the gray-green scenario F which used the combination of storage tank, bio-retention and rain barrels is considered as the most feasible one in this case.

Carbon dioxide enrichment alleviates heat stress by improving cellular redox homeostasis through an ABA-independent process in tomato plants

Plant responses to elevated CO₂ and high temperature are critically regulated through a complex network of phytohormones and redox homeostasis. However, the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) in plant adaptation to heat stress under elevated CO₂ conditions has not been thoroughly studied. This study investigated the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ (800 μmol·mol(-1) ) and heat stress (42 °C for 24 h) on the endogenous level of ABA and the cellular redox state of two genotypes of tomato with different ABA biosynthesis capacities. Heat stress significantly decreased maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and leaf water potential, but also increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage (EL) in both genotypes. Heat-induced damage was more severe in the ABA-deficient mutant notabilis (not) than in its parental cultivar Ailsa Craig (Ailsa), suggesting that a certain level of endogenous ABA is required to minimise the heat-induced oxidative damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Irrespective of genotype, the enrichment of CO₂ remarkably stimulated Fv/Fm, MDA and EL in heat-stressed plants towards enhanced tolerance. In addition, elevated CO₂ significantly strengthened the antioxidant capacity of heat-stressed tomato seedlings towards a reduced cellular redox state for a prolonged period, thereby mitigating oxidative stress. However, elevated CO₂ and heat stress did not alter the endogenous level of ABA or the expression of its biosynthetic gene NCED2 in either genotype, indicating that ABA is not involved in elevated CO₂ -induced heat stress alleviation. The results of this study suggest that elevated CO₂ alleviated heat stress through efficient regulation of the cellular redox poise in an ABA-independent manner in tomato plants.

Giant dipole resonance as a fingerprint of α clustering configurations in 12C and 16O

It is studied how the α cluster degrees of freedom, such as α clustering configurations close to the α decay threshold in (12)C and (16)O, including the linear chain, triangle, square, kite, and tetrahedron, affect nuclear collective vibrations with a microscopic dynamical approach, which can describe properties of nuclear ground states well across the nuclide chart and reproduce the standard giant dipole resonance (GDR) of (16)O quite nicely. It is found that the GDR spectrum is highly fragmented into several apparent peaks due to the α structure. The different α cluster configurations in (12)C and (16)O have corresponding characteristic spectra of GDR. The number and centroid energies of peaks in the GDR spectra can be reasonably explained by the geometrical and dynamical symmetries of α clustering configurations. Therefore, the GDR can be regarded as a very effective probe to diagnose the different α cluster configurations in light nuclei.

Significant postictal hypotension: expanding the spectrum of seizure-induced autonomic dysregulation

Periictal autonomic dysregulation is best studied using a "polygraphic" approach: electroencephalography ([EEG]), 3-channel electrocardiography [ECG], pulse oximetry, respiration, and continuous noninvasive blood pressure [BP]), which may help elucidate agonal pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). A number of autonomic phenomena have been described in generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), the most common seizure type associated with SUDEP, including decreased heart rate variability, cardiac arrhythmias, and changes in skin conductance. Postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES) has been identified as a potential risk marker of SUDEP, and PGES has been found to correlate with post-GTCS autonomic dysregulation in some patients. Herein, we describe a patient with a GTCS in whom polygraphic measurements were obtained, including continuous noninvasive blood pressure recordings. Significant postictal hypotension lasting >60 s was found, which closely correlated with PGES duration. Similar EEG changes are well described in hypotensive patients with vasovagal syncope and a similar vasodepressor phenomenon, and consequent cerebral hypoperfusion may account for the PGES observed in some patients after a GTCS. This further raises the possibility that profound, prolonged, and irrecoverable hypotension may comprise one potential SUDEP mechanism.

Comparative genome-wide gene expression analysis of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

Both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are complex diseases. Studies and treatment of RA and OA have mainly focused on individual factors. However, there is still no clear understanding of their causes and adequate treatment alternatives are still being sought. We applied gene set-enrichment analysis to microarray datasets of RA and OA to look for regulatory mechanisms. We found 32 highly significant pathways, including 18 downregulated and 14 upregulated pathways associated with RA. We also identified 18 highly significant pathways, including 7 downregulated and 11 up-regulated pathways associated with OA. Several such pathways were found in both RA and OA, including an upregulated PPAR signaling pathway and downregulated leukocyte transendothelial migration. Regulatory mechanisms in RA seem to be more complex than in OA. This information could be useful for diagnosis and treatment of these two diseases.

Structure and polymorphism of 16 novel Y-STRs in Chinese Han population

Y-chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) are useful tools for identifying paternity origin and male-female mixed samples because of their male-specificity, haploid inheritance and relatively simplicity. We focused on novel Y-STRs deposited in the human Genome database from DYS708 to DYS726. We typed 16 male-specific Y-STRs from males of a Chinese Han population residing in Shanxi Province (north China), including DYS708-719, DYS721-723, and DYS726, but failed in typing DYS720, DYS724 and DYS725. The 16 Y-STRs, with mean gene diversity (GD) of 0.79, included three trinucleotide Y-STRs (711, 718, 719), nine tetranucleotide STRs (708, 709, 710, 712, 713, 715, 722, 723, 726) and four pentanucleotide repeat STRs (714, 716, 717, 721). DYS712, consisting of eight alleles, was the most informative STR in our population, with a GD of 0.843. The STRs were classified as simple STRs and complex STRs, according to their structures based on sequencing. Genetic indexes, including allele frequencies, haplotype distribution and male-specificity were determined. The Y-STRs, especially those male-specific, tetra- and penta-nucleotide, with only one copy on Y-chromosome, and relative simple structures, such as DYS709, DYS714, DYS715, DYS716, DYS718, DYS719, and DYS726, were suggested for the future forensic DNA analysis, while DYS724 and DYS725 were not recommended for their multi-copy distribution. The population data provided putative Y-STRs for future genetic and forensic applications.