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MicroRNA (miR)-23b-3p is known to target various genes that are involved in cancer-related pathways. Exosomes are emerging intercellular communication agents. Exosomes secreted by cancer cells can deliver active molecules to the surrounding stromal cells, thereby influencing the recipient cells and promoting the development of cancers. However, the role of exosomal miR-23b-3p in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is not yet clear. In this study, we set out to investigate the potential role of cancer-derived exosomal miR-23b-3p-related phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 in the alteration of angiogenesis and vascular permeability in SACC. We investigated the effect of exosomal miR-23b-3p on the progression of SACC. In vitro experiments indicated that exosomal miR-23b-3p led to an upregulation of vascular permeability, and reduced expression of tight junction proteins. In addition, exosomal miR-23b-3p also enhanced angiogenesis and migration. Next, the angiogenic effect of exosomal miR-23b-3p was validated in vivo , as it led to an increase in the tumor microvasculature. Furthermore, the growth rate of SACC was faster after injection of exosomes loaded with cholesterol-modified miR-23b-3p in mice. In conclusion, these results revealed that SACC cell-derived exosomes play an important role in promoting angiogenesis and local vascular microleakage of SACC by transporting miR-23b-3p, which suggests that miR-23b-3p in the exosomes may be a potential biomarker for distant metastasis of SACC. This suggests the potential of a novel therapeutic target by delivering anti-miR-23b-3p that focuses on exosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: miRNAs and mRNAs have been significantly implicated in tumorigenesis and served as promising prognostic biomarkers for human cancer. Hence, this study was aimed to develop the pivotal miRNA biomarkers‐based prognostic signature for salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma. Methods: The miRNA and mRNA expression data were integrated from the gene expression omnibus database to study their involvement in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma development and progression. Gene ontology and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes were conducted to analyze the biological pathways. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR was used to verify the expression of selected miRNAs in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma and corresponding normal tissues. Results: There were 386 differentially expressed genes: 158 upregulated and 228 downregulated genes and 102 differentially expressed miRNAs: 78 upregulated and 24 downregulated miRNAs in the salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma samples. A miRNA‐mRNA network containing 11 miRNAs and 199 genes was subsequently constructed. Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis revealed that the genes targeted by the 11 miRNAs were mostly involved in tumor‐related pathways and processes, such as miRNAs in cancer, focal adhesion, neurotrophin signaling pathway, and the PI3K‐Akt signaling pathway. Among them, 4 miRNAs (miR‐375, miR‐494, miR‐34c‐5p, and miR‐331‐3p) were selected to verify by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR in 36 pairs of collected salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma and adjacent nontumor samples. Overall survival analysis revealed that the higher expression of miR‐331‐3p was significantly associated with a worst overall survival and multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that hsa‐miR‐331‐3p could be an independent prognostic factor for salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma. Conclusion: Our results revealed that 4‐miRNAs signature was a powerful prognostic biomarker for salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma, which provide a basis for exploring deeper mechanisms regarding the progression of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma, and leading to the development of potential therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various kinds of carcinomas, the special AT‐rich sequence‐binding protein 2 (SATB2) with its atypical expression promotes the metastasis and progression of the tumor, though in the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) its inherent mechanism and the status of SATB2 remain unclear. The role played by the SATB2 expression in the OSCC cell lines and tissue samples in the target of miR‐34a downstream is the intended endeavor of this study. In te OSCCs the miR‐34a expression was determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (q‐PCR), while the SATB2 expression in the cell lines and tissue samples in OSCC was analyzed with the q‐PCR and the western blot. Studies in both in vitro and in vivo of the effects of miR‐34a on the initiation of OSCC were conducted. As a direct target of the miR‐34a the SATB2 was verified with the luciferase reporter assay. In cases where the miR‐34a levels were low, the SATB2 in OSCCs seemed to be overexpressed. Besides, both in the in vitro and in vivo a suppression of migration, invasion, and cell growth was caused by miR‐34a by down regulating the SATB2 expression. The SATB2 being a direct target of miR‐34a was confirmed by the cotransfection of miR‐34a mimics specifically the decrease in the expression of luciferase of SATB2–3′UTR‐wt reporter. As a whole, our study confirmed the inhibition of miR‐34a in the invasion, proliferation, and migration of the OSCCs, playing a potential tumor suppressor role with SATB2 as its downstream target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Agricultural irrigation in the Loess Plateau induces many loess landslides. Long-term flood irrigation is frequent on the top platform of loess slopes, where many landslides occur. To confirm the relationship between irrigation and landslides, we monitored the soil moisture content and groundwater level in Heifangtai Platform, and performed tests on unsaturated soil, including TRIM (Transient Release and Imbibition Method) and triaxial shear test. Then, we simulated the changes of the seepage field on slopes for flood irrigation at different locations and analyzed the effect of flood irrigation on slope stability. Monitoring results show that flood irrigation affects soil moisture content far more than rainfall. With the increasing depth, the response time of the change of soil moisture content increases gradually. The lag effect is obvious. During irrigation, at a depth of 0.1–0.2 m, the soil moisture content increases sharply; at a depth of 0.5–3 m, it increases gradually under different degrees; and at a depth of 5 m, it increases little. After irrigation, the soil moisture content decreased rapidly at a depth of 0.1 m and 0.2 m and returned to the average level nearly a month later. However, the soil moisture content continued to increase slowly over a period at a depth of 0.5–3 m. During the monitoring period, the cumulative rainfall was <110 mm, and the depth affected by rainfall is not >0.5 m. These data show the change of groundwater level is out of sync with irrigation activities and has a visible lag effect. According to the results of seepage and stability analysis, short-term irrigation has little impact on the groundwater level. However, it affects the flow field and causes the matric suction of the superficial loess to decrease. Long-term irrigation causes the groundwater level to increase locally. Compared with single irrigation of high intensity, the reduction of slope stability is more evident under long-term irrigation of low intensity. Changing the irrigation methods to reduce deep infiltration might be one useful precaution to minimize sliding. The closer the distance of the irrigation location to the slope edges is, the higher the effect of flood irrigation on the distribution of pore pressure and matric suction will be. Irrigation near potential slide sites has an apparent cumulative effect and lag effect on slope stability. The longer the irrigation time and the closer to the edge of the slope the irrigation is, the higher the effect on slope stability will be. Avoiding flood irrigation near or at the potential sliding region may reduce the frequency of landslides. Highlights • Data of irrigation infiltration is obtained and infiltration process is described. • A new method for unsaturated stability analysis is proposed. • The effect of long-term irrigation of low intensity on stability is identified. • Safe distance of irrigation to the slope edge is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar that is directly obtained by pyrolysis exhibits a low adsorption efficiency; furthermore, the process of recycling adsorbents is ineffective. To solve these problems, conventional chemical coprecipitation, sol-gel, multimetal multilayer loading and biomass pyrolysis coking processes have been integrated. After selecting specific components for structural design, a novel high-performance biochar adsorbent was obtained. The effects of the O 2 concentration and temperature on the regeneration characteristics were explored. An isothermal regeneration method to repair the deactivated adsorbent in a specific atmosphere was proposed, and the optimal regeneration mode and conditions were determined. The microscopic characteristics of the regenerated samples were revealed along with the mechanism of Hg0 removal and regeneration by using temperature-programmed desorption technology and adsorption kinetics. The results show that doping multiple metals can reduce the pyrolysis reaction barrier of the modified biomass. On the modified surface of the sample, the doped metals formed aggregated oxides, and the resulting synergistic effect enhanced the oxidative activity of the biochar carriers and the threshold effect of Ce oxide. The optimal regeneration conditions (5% O 2 and 600 °C) effectively coordinated the competitive relationship between the deep carbonization process and the adsorption/oxidation site repair process; in addition, these conditions provided outstanding structure-effect connections between the physico-chemical properties and Hg0 removal efficiency of the regenerated samples. Hg0 adsorption by the regenerated samples is a multilayer mass transfer process that involves the coupling of physical and chemical effects, and the surface adsorption sites play a leading role. [Display omitted] • The Hg0 removal amount of modified biochar is 13 times that of unmodified biochar. • The regenerated biochar exhibits better Hg0 removal performance than fresh samples. • After 10 cycles, the bimetal-doped samples still maintain above 90% regeneration rate. • Inherent difference in regeneration mechanism between the adsorption/oxidation sites. • A competitive relationship between deep carbonization and active site repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to explore the effect of Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) on osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in an inflammatory environment. Animal models of FSTL1-deficiency and wild-type mice were used, and the micro-CT images of the femoral head were evaluated. Mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were treated with various concentrations of recombinant FSTL1 (rFSTL1) in an inflammatory environment in vitro. Meanwhile, overexpression or knockdown of FSTL1 through lentiviral transfection was performed. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was tested, and Alizarin Red staining (ARS) was performed to evaluate osteogenic differentiation ability. The mRNA expression level of osteogenesis-related genes was detected by RT-qPCR. In vivo experiments revealed a higher number of femoral skulls, higher trabecular thickness, smaller trabecular space, and less osteoporosis in FSTL1-knockdown mice than in the wild-type mice. The BMSCs with overexpression of FSTL1 or those treated with recombinant FSTL1 (rFSTL1) showed suppression of ALP activity, calcium nodule formation, and expression of osteogenesis-related genes osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OCN), collagen type I alpha 1 (Col1α1), and more importantly, rFSTL1 functions in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, FSTL1 knockdown promoted the osteogenesis activity and the expression of these osteogenesis-related genes in vitro. FSTL1 is an osteogenic suppressor that inhibits the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs during inflammation and it can be a new target for bone regeneration. • Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) regulates inflammatory diseases. • rFSTL1 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) during inflammation. • Down-regulation of FSTL1 promotes osteogenic differentiation in an inflammatory environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While atypical expression of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) has been approved associated with tumor progression, metastasis and unfavourable prognosis in various carcinomas. However, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), both the expressive state and associated functions of SATB2's are still undefined. Here we show that, in clinical samples from a retrospective cohort of 58 OSCC patients, high expression of SATB2 is associated with poor prognosis of OSCC patients. In this study, we investigated SATB2 is highly expressed in OSCC tissues and cell lines, which can promote OSCC cells' proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor growth. According to sequencing results based on previous literature, we identified NOX4 is a bona fide downstream target of SATB2, when it was knockdown, OSCC's proliferation can be partially suppressed. Furthermore, NOX4 knockdown inhibits tumorigenicity, which can be rescued partially by ectopic expression of SATB2 in HNSCC cell line, and vice versa. Collectively, our findings not only indicate overexpression of SATB2 triggers the proliferative, migratory and invasive mechanisms which are important in the malignant phenotype of OSCC, but also identify NOX4 as the downstream gene for SATB2. These findings indicate that SATB2 may play a key role in OSCC tumorigenicity and may be a future target for the development of new therapeutic regimens. • The expression level of SATB2 was positively related to the malignant phenotype of OSCC. • The overexpression of SATB2 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of HNSCC cells. • NOX4 is up-regulated after SATB2 overexpression in HN4 cells. • SATB2 may attribute to the OSCC tumorigenicity by NOX4 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]