Search

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a clinically common acute abdominal disease, whose pathogenesis remains unclear. The severe patients usually have multiple complications and lack specific drugs, leading to a high mortality and poor outcome. Acinar cells are recognized as the initial site of AP. However, there are no precise single-cell transcriptomic profiles to decipher the landscape of acinar cells during AP, which are the missing pieces of jigsaw we aimed to complete in this study. Methods: A single-cell sequencing dataset was used to identify the cell types in pancreas of AP mice and to depict the transcriptomic maps in acinar cells. The pathways' activities were evaluated by gene sets enrichment analysis (GSEA) and single-cell gene sets variation analysis (GSVA). Pseudotime analysis was performed to describe the development trajectories of acinar cells. We also constructed the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and identified the hub genes. Another independent single-cell sequencing dataset of pancreas samples from AP mice and a bulk RNA sequencing dataset of peripheral blood samples from AP patients were also analyzed. Results: In this study, we identified genetic markers of each cell type in the pancreas of AP mice based on single-cell sequencing datasets and analyzed the transcription changes in acinar cells. We found that acinar cells featured acinar-ductal metaplasia (ADM), as well as increased endocytosis and vesicle transport activity during AP. Notably, the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathways activated by accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in acinar cells could be pivotal for the development of AP. Conclusion: We deciphered the distinct roadmap of acinar cells in the early stage of AP at single-cell level. ERS and ERAD pathways are crucially important for acinar homeostasis and the pathogenesis of AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the most common primary malignant lung tumor. However, the etiology of lung cancer is still unclear. Fatty acids include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as essential components of lipids. SCFAs can enter the nucleus of cancer cells, inhibit histone deacetylase activity, and upregulate histone acetylation and crotonylation. Meanwhile, PUFAs can inhibit lung cancer cells. Moreover, they also play an essential role in inhibiting migration and invasion. However, the mechanisms and different effects of SCFAs and PUFAs on lung cancer remain unclear. Sodium acetate, butyrate, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were selected to treat H460 lung cancer cells. Through untargeted metabonomics, it was observed that the differential metabolites were concentrated in energy metabolites, phospholipids, and bile acids. Then, targeted metabonomics was conducted for these three target types. Three LC-MS/MS methods were established for 71 compounds, including energy metabolites, phospholipids, and bile acids. The subsequent methodology validation results were used to verify the validity of the method. The targeted metabonomics results show that, in H460 lung cancer cells incubated with linolenic acid and linoleic acid, while the content of PCs increased significantly, the content of Lyso PCs decreased significantly. This demonstrates that there are significant changes in LCAT content before and after administration. Through subsequent WB and RT-PCR experiments, the result was verified. We demonstrated a substantial metabolic disparity between the dosing and control groups, further verifying the reliability of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a deadly gastrointestinal malignancy, and chemotherapy resistance is a key factor leading to its poor prognosis. M2 tumor-associated macrophages (M2-TAMs) may be an important cause of chemoresistance in ESCC, but its exact mechanism is still unclear. Methods: In order to study the role of M2-TAMs in ESCC chemoresistance, CCK-8, clone formation assay, flow cytometric apoptosis assay, qRT-PCR, western blotting, and serum-free sphere formation assays were used. In vivo animal experiments and human ESCC tissues were used to confirm the findings. Results: In vitro and in vivo animal experiments, M2-TAMs reduced the sensitivity of ESCC cells to cisplatin. Mechanistically, M2-TAMs highly secreted TGF-β1 which activated the TGFβR1-smad2/3 pathway to promote and maintain the stemness characteristic of ESCC cells, which could inhibit the sensitivity to cisplatin. Using TGFβ signaling inhibitor SB431542 or knockdown of TGFβR1 could reverse the cisplatin resistance of ESCC cells. In 92 cases of human ESCC tissues, individuals with a high density of M2-TAMs had considerably higher levels of TGF-β1. These patients also had worse prognoses and richer stemness markers. Conclusion: TGF-β1 secreted from M2-TAMs promoted and maintained the stemness characteristic to induce cisplatin resistance in ESCC by activating the TGFβ1-Smad2/3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lipid based ESCRT-independent mechanism, which contributes to MVB formation, is one of the crucial procedures in exosome biogenesis. n-SMase is a key lipid metabolism enzyme in this mechanism and can induce the hydrolysis of sphingomyelins (SMs) to ceramides (Cers), thereby promoting the formation of ILVs inside MVBs. Therefore, the regulation of n-SMase can realize the alteration in exosome release. According to the fact that cancer-associated cells have a tendency to release more exosomes than healthy cells, lipid extracts in exosomes from healthy volunteers, HCC and ICC patients were analyzed by a novel pseudotargeted lipidomics method focused on sphingolipids (SLs) to explore whether cancer-related features regulate the release of exosomes through the above pathway. Multivariate analysis based on the SLs expression could distinguish three groups well indicated that the SLs expression among the three groups were different. In cancer groups, two species of critical Cers were up-regulated, denoted as Cer (d18:1_16:0) and Cer (d18:1_18:0), while 55 kinds of SLs were down-regulated, including 40 species of SMs, such as SM (d18:1_16:0), SM (d18:1_18:1) and SM (d18:1_24:0). Meanwhile, several species of SM/Cer exhibited significant down-regulation. This substantial enhancement of the SMs hydrolysis to Cers process during exosome biogenesis suggested that cancer-related features may potentially promote an increase in exosome release through ESCRT-independent mechanism. Moreover, differential SLs have a capability of becoming potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and classification with an AUC value of 0.9884 or 0.9806 for the comparison between healthy group and HCC or ICC groups, respectively. In addition, an association analysis conducted on the cell lines showed that changes in the SM/Cer contents in cells and their exosomes were negatively correlated with the levels of released exosomes, implied the regulation of exosome release levels can be achieved by modulating n-SMase and subsequent SL expression. [Display omitted] • A novel pseudotargeted lipidomics method focus on sphingolipids had been established. • Healthy, HCC and ICC persons can be distinguished based on sphingolipids expression. • Sphingomyelins hydrolysis to ceramides during exosome biogenesis were enhanced in cancer patients. • Sphingolipids could be potential markers for cancer diagnosis and classification. • Sphingomyelins hydrolysis to ceramides were positively correlated with exosome release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SiF) is increasingly used as a proxy for vegetation canopy photosynthesis. While ground-based, airborne, and satellite observations have demonstrated a strong linear relationship between SiF and gross primary production (GPP) at seasonal scales, their relationships at high temporal resolution across diurnal to seasonal scales remain unclear. In this study, far-red canopy SiF, GPP, and absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR) were continuously monitored using automated spectral systems and an eddy flux tower over an entire growing season in a rice paddy. At half-hourly resolution, strong linear relationships between SiF and GPP (R 2  = 0.76) and APAR and GPP (R 2  = 0.76) for the whole growing season were observed. We found that relative humidity, diffuse PAR fraction, and growth stage influenced the relationships between SiF and GPP, and APAR and GPP, and incorporating those factors into multiple regression analysis led to improvements up to R 2  = 0.83 and R 2  = 0.88, respectively. Relationships between LUE p (=GPP/APAR) and LUE f (=SiF/APAR) were inconsistent at half-hourly and weak at daily resolutions (R 2  = 0.24). Both at diurnal and seasonal time scales with half-hourly resolution, we found considerably stronger linear relationships between SiF and APAR than between either SiF and GPP or APAR and GPP. Overall, our results indicate that for subdiurnal temporal resolution, canopy SiF in the rice paddy is above all a very good proxy for APAR at diurnal and seasonal time scales and that therefore SiF-based GPP estimation needs to take into account relevant environmental information to model LUE p . These findings can help develop mechanistic links between canopy SiF and GPP across multiple temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Boussinesq equations with partial or fractional dissipation not only naturally generalize the classical Boussinesq equations but also are physically relevant and mathematically important. Unfortunately, it is not often well‐understood for many ranges of fractional powers. This paper focuses on a system of the 3D Boussinesq equations with fractional horizontal (−Δh)αu$$ {\left(-{\Delta}_h\right)}^{\alpha }u $$ and (−Δh)βθ$$ {\left(-{\Delta}_h\right)}^{\beta}\theta $$ dissipation and proves that if the initial data (u0,θ0$$ {u}_0,{\theta}_0 $$) in the Sobolev space H3(ℝ3)$$ {H}^3\left({\mathrm{\mathbb{R}}}^3\right) $$ are close enough to the hydrostatic balance state, respectively, the equations with α,β∈12,1$$ \alpha, \beta \in \left(\frac{1}{2},1\right] $$ then always lead to a steady solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An open tubular capillary electrochromatography column covalently bonded with polystyrene sulfonate was prepared via in situ polymerization using functionalized Azo‐initiator 4,4′‐Azobis(4‐cyanopentanoyl chloride). Scanning electron, fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy techniques showed the formation of a relatively rough layer of polymer. In addition, –CN and C = O stretching vibrations from infrared spectroscopy proved the successful immobilization of the azo‐initiator through covalent bonding and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the elemental composition of the formed polymer layer. The prepared column was found to be appropriate for small and medium‐sized molecules separation. Compared to bare fused silica capillary column higher selectivity and resolution were obtained for the separation of alkaloids, sulfonamides, and peptides as a result of the electrostatic and pi‐pi stacking interactions between the small organic molecules and the coated column without compromising the electroosmotic flow mobility. Separation efficiency was also increased compared to the bare capillary for the separation of alkaloids (about 1.5 times). Moreover, intraday, inter‐day, intra‐batch, and inter‐batch relative standard deviation values of retention time and peak area of peptides were within 2% and 10%, respectively, indicating good repeatability of the column preparation procedure. The developed method for the covalent bonding of polymers through a functionalized azo‐initiator could represent a promising stable method for the preparation of an open tubular column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entrance and exit sections of a tunnel are the accident black-spots in an expressway. For a safe operation of road tunnels, it is necessary to understand a driver's physiological indices and driving performance when driving through tunnels. In this study, the UC-Win/Road simulation software was used to build 12 tunnel models of different lengths. A simulated driving experiment was carried out in a 6-DoF motion platform. The lateral position of vehicles characterizing the driving performance was measured using the motion platform. Electrocardiogram and eye movement data of 25 recruited drivers were collected simultaneously through the experiment. The spatial changes in a driver's heart rate (HR) growth rate, RMSSD, pupil diameter growth rate and vehicle lateral deviation within 300 m before and after the tunnel entrance and exit were analyzed to determine the variation rules in the different tunnels. The study identified the length range in the tunnel entrance and exit sections that influences the drivers. A quantitative analysis was further carried out to analyze the relationship between the physiological indices and the driving performance indicator. The results showed that a driver's heart rate fluctuates significantly 250 m before the tunnel entrance and 50 m before the exit. In this region, the pupil diameter increases gradually, and drivers tend to shift the vehicle to the left. At the tunnel exit, the HR and RMSSD are affected significantly by the tunnel length, and the variation is higher in longer tunnels. In comparison, the tunnel length has no significant effect on the physiological indicators and driving performance of the drivers at the entrance and exit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is a serious agricultural and public health pest in its introduced range. Several natural products have been tested to replace synthetic insecticides for the novel, economically feasible and environmentally friendly control of this pest. No information is available on the toxicity of vitamins to red imported fire ants. This study examined the effects of l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on the survival and behavior of red imported fire ants. In a toxicity assay, l-ascorbic acid (l-AA, vitamin C) appeared to be the most toxic vitamin to S. invicta and caused significantly higher mortality of S. invicta than the control and other tested vitamins. Concentration- and exposure time-dependent mortality of ants was observed after feeding on different concentrations of l-AA. S. invicta equally preferred l-AA and sucrose solution and rapidly transferred l-AA by workers. Significant adverse effects on the necrophoric, recruiting and foraging behavior of this pest insect were observed after feeding on l-AA. The walking speed of l-AA-fed ants was significantly reduced; however, we observed no significant difference in mortality of ants during group aggression assays. When we examined the presence of l-AA in the hemolymph and excretion, unlike in the normal control, more l-AA was observed in the hemolymph of the workers that ingested 0.05/0.1 g/ml of l-AA solution after 48 h. However, there was no significant difference in the concentration of l-AA in the excretion. This study demonstrated that l-AA has negative effects on S. invicta and can be used as baits to provide a highly effective and environmentally sustainable method to control red imported fire ants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) play pivotal roles in the innate immune response in kidneys. Dendritic cell specific intracellular adhesion molecule–3 grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) functions as both the innate immune recognition receptor and the adhesion molecule. In our previous study, we found that DC-SIGN expression was induced in RTECs during renal inflammation. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used the human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell lines (HK-2) to investigate the mechanism of TNF-α-induced expression of DC-SIGN. Our results showed that TNF-α up-regulated the expressions of DC-SIGN and Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) in a time-dependent manner and that it up-regulated DC-SIGN promoter-driven luciferase activity in a dose-dependent manner. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and mTOR siRNA blocked the TNF-α-induced up-regulation of DC-SIGN expression. Meanwhile, DC-SIGN expression was also inhibited by RUNX1 siRNA and its inhibitor Ro5-3335. In addition, both mTOR and RUNX1 inhibitors attenuated TNF-α-induced the increase in DC-SIGN promoter-driven luciferase activity. Finally, we found that HK-2 cells exposed to rapamycin or mTOR siRNA reduced the TNF-α-induced up-regulation of RUNX1. In conclusion, these results indicated that the mTOR-RUNX1 pathway participates in the regulation of TNF-α-induced DC-SIGN expression in RTECs. • The mTOR pathway regulates TNF-α-induced DC-SIGN expression in RTECs. • RUNX1 positively regulates TNF-α-induced DC-SIGN expression in RTECs. • RUNX1 participates in the mTOR pathway to regulate DC-SIGN expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention maps have been fused in the VggNet structure (EAC-Net) [] and have shown significant improvement compared to that of the VggNet structure. However, in [], E-Net was designed based on the facial action unit (AU) center and for facial AU detection only. Thus, for the use of attention maps in every image type, this paper proposed a new convolutional neural network (CNN) structure, P_VggNet, comprising the following parts: P_Net and VggNet with 16 layers (VggNet-16). The generation approach of P_Net was designed, and the P_VggNet structure was proposed. To prove the efficiency of P_VggNet, we designed two experiments, which indicated that P_VggNet could more efficiently extract image features than VggNet-16. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Design of multifunction photothermal composites of Transition Metal Borides-Carbonitride/MoS 2. • The composites have the characteristic of 3D interconnected and controllable porous structure. • The TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 -24 h shows a high evaporation rate of 2.87 kg·m−2·h−1 under one-sun. • TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 -24 h evaporator exhibits salt self-cleaning, stability and durability. • The TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 shows excellent desalination and wastewater purification abilities. Interface solar steam generation is considered a promising method to effectively obtain freshwater from seawater or wastewater. Particularly, designing photothermal composites, which are stable in the marine environment, and with controllable porous structure, is critically important. Herein, a multifunctional porous ceramic composite was designed by decorating the transition metal borides-carbonitride with 1T/2H MoS 2 (TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 -24 h), which can achieve a high solar absorption of ≈95.3% at full-spectrum and evaporation rate of 2.87 kg m−2 h−1 under one-sun illumination. The super-hydrophilicity, macropore trait, 3D interconnected porous structure, high porosity, and intrinsic nature of TiB 2 -Ti (C, N) endow the TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 -24h composite with strong salt self-cleaning, stability and excellent durability. Furthermore, another big advantage of TiB 2 -Ti (C, N)/MoS 2 -24h is the high pollutants removal efficiency, which attributes to its interconnected featured pore structure, rough pore wall, and abundant active sites of MoS 2. As a result, the removal efficiency of heavy metal ions and organic dyes can achieve 99.9% and 100%, respectively. It is anticipated that this work is a promising attempt with enormous potential to develop multifunctional ceramic photothermal composites for efficient solar evaporation and wastewater purification in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency domain spectroscopy is considered to be a promising and novel method for the assessment of the insulation condition of power equipment. This work has practical significance as it explains the microscopic mechanism of this method in a wide temperature range and further establishes its quantitative model. To achieve this, in the present paper, we select oil-impregnated paper—one of the most common insulation materials for power equipment with a complex microstructure—as a test sample, deduce a formula based on the relationship between the real and imaginary parts of the complex permittivity to extract the spectra of independent dielectric processes and measure the frequency domain spectra of oil-impregnated paper under different temperatures, as well as its thermally stimulated depolarization current with a series of bias voltages. The analysis results reveal that oil-impregnated paper's frequency domain spectra in a wide temperature range are mainly determined by dielectric processes whose generation mechanisms are low-frequency dispersion, DC conduction, electrode relaxation, interfacial relaxation and dipole relaxation, respectively. Moreover, due to the different thermal properties of charge motions, the macroscopic characteristics and microscopic generation mechanisms of both spectra vary significantly with the sample's temperature. After verifying the generation mechanisms of the spectra in high, middle and low-temperature ranges, function models for those spectra with clear physical meanings are established separately, providing sufficient physical parameters to carry out insulation assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]