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Aerobic glycolysis and immune evasion are two key hallmarks of cancer. However, how these two features are mechanistically linked to promote tumor growth is not well understood. Here, we show that the glycolytic enzyme enolase-1 (ENO1) is dynamically modified with an O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation), and simultaneously regulates aerobic glycolysis and immune evasion via differential glycosylation. Glycosylation of threonine 19 (T19) on ENO1 promotes its glycolytic activity via the formation of active dimers. On the other hand, glycosylation of serine 249 (S249) on ENO1 inhibits its interaction with PD-L1, decreases association of PD-L1 with the E3 ligase STUB1, resulting in stabilization of PD-L1. Consequently, blockade of T19 glycosylation on ENO1 inhibits glycolysis, and decreases cell proliferation and tumor growth. Blockade of S249 glycosylation on ENO1 reduces PD-L1 expression and enhances T cell-mediated immunity against tumor cells. Notably, elimination of glycosylation at both sites synergizes with PD-L1 monoclonal antibody therapy to promote antitumor immune response. Clinically, ENO1 glycosylation levels are up-regulated and show a positive correlation with PD-L1 levels in human colorectal cancers. Thus, our findings provide a mechanistic understanding of how O-GlcNAcylation bridges aerobic glycolysis and immune evasion to promote tumor growth, suggesting effective therapeutic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The random discharge of refractory or poisonous dyes will cause significant environmental damage. Thus, it is necessary to remove the malachite green (MG) dyes from industrial wastewater efficiently. In this work, metal(Zn)-organic framework materials ZIF-8 and ZIF-8/GO were prepared and applied to the adsorption of MG at room temperature. A series of tests were used to characterize the structures and properties of ZIF-8 and ZIF-8/GO, such as SEM, BET, FTIR, and XRD. Meanwhile, the kinetics of MG adsorption onto ZIF-8 and ZIF-8/GO were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The results indicated that ZIF-8 was a nanometer-sized rhombic dodecahedron and that it showed high crystallinity, which grew well on GO. By testing the adsorption performance of ZIF-8 and ZIF‑8/GO, we found the maximum adsorption efficiency of ZIF-8/GO was 53%, which improved by 20% compared with ZIF-8. The adsorbents ZIF-8 and ZIF-8/GO could be easily regenerated after washing with ethanol. After five reuse cycles, the relative adsorption efficiency of ZIF-8 and ZIF-8/GO on MG remained above 89 and 93%, respectively. The results suggested that the incorporation of GO can significantly improve the adsorption performance and cycle stability of ZIF-8, and the materials we prepared in this work have promising potential applications for wastewater treatment containing MG dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clonal fragmentation helps to assess clonal plants' growth resilience to human and environmental disturbance. Although clonal integration in epiphytes in tropical rubber plantations is important to understand their role in enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services, research on this subject is limited. These plantations are typically monospecific economic forests that face increased anthropogenic disturbances. Methods: In this study, we selected the clonal fern Pyrrosia nuda to study its survival status, biomass, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and frond length in response to the level of clonal fragmentation in a tropical rubber plantation. Results and discussion: The results showed that (1) clonal fragmentation significantly negatively affected the survival rate, biomass, and frond length of clonal plants, but with minimal effects on Fv/Fm at different growth stages; (2) the performance of a ramet (e.g., biomass or frond length) increased with ramet developmental ages and decreased with the number of ramets in a clonal fragment. The age-dependent impacts of clonal fragmentation provide insights into the biodiversity conservation of epiphytes and forest management in man- made plantations. Therefore, to better conserve the biodiversity in tropical forests, especially in environment-friendly rubber plantations, there is a need to reduce anthropogenic disturbances and alleviate the level of fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the quasi-convex feasibility problem (QFP), which is to find a common point of a family of sublevel sets of quasi-convex functions. By employing the Bregman projection mapping, we propose a unified framework of Bregman quasi-subgradient methods for solving the QFP. This paper is contributed to establish the convergence theory, including the global convergence, iteration complexity, and convergence rates, of the Bregman quasi-subgradient methods with several general control schemes, including the a-most violated constraints control and the s-intermittent control. Moreover, we introduce a notion of the Hölder-type bounded error bound property relative to the Bregman distance for the QFP, and use it to establish the linear (or sublinear) convergence rates for Bregman quasi-subgradient methods to a feasible solution of the QFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor tear resistance of silicone rubber dramatically limits its application range. In this study, a topological entanglement structure of molecular chains was constructed at the interface between the matrix and silica by introducing epoxidized silicone rubber into silicone rubber/silica composites. We found that this topologically entangled structure could improve the crack propagation resistance of the composites by inducing the orientation of molecular chains. The results showed that adding 5 phr of 15% epoxy silicone rubber raised the silicone rubber composite’s tear strength and elongation at break, they increased by 330% and 140, respectively. This work provides a new idea for preparing silicone rubber composites with high tear resistance to better expand the application field of silicone rubber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligand-stimulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling plays fundamental roles in normal cell physiology, such as cell growth, cell proliferation, and cell survival. Deregulation of EGFR signaling contributes to the development and progression of diseases including cancer. Despite its essential role in biology, the mechanisms by which EGFR signaling is regulated in cells are still poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that O-linked N-acetyl- glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification serves as an important regulator of EGFR intracellular trafficking and degradation. Mechanistically, O-GlcNAcylation of hepatocyte growth factor regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HGS), a key protein in EGFR intraluminal sorting pathway, inhibits HGS interaction with signal- transducing adaptor molecule (STAM), thereby impairing the formation of endosomal sorting complex required for transport-0 (ESCRT-0). Moreover, O-GlcNAcylation increases HGS ubiquitination and decreases its protein stability in cells. Consequently, HGS O-GlcNAcylation inhibits EGFR intraluminal sorting and lysosomal degradation, leading to the accumulation of EGFR and prolonged EGFR signaling in cells. Furthermore, HGS glycosylation is demonstrated to promote tumor growth in the xenograft study and chemoresistance in liver carcinoma cells. Thus, our study reveals a role of O-GlcNAcylation in regulating receptor tyrosine kinase endocytic trafficking and signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is commonly used in wastewater treatment because it can neutralize acidic water and sorb various pollutants. However, it has a low affinity with anions such as selenate (SeO42-). In the present study, the effects of coexisting species on the SeO42- sorption onto MgO were explored to find a way to enhance the SeO42- sorption. Related characterizations including X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric, and nuclear magnetic resonance were adopted to get a better understanding of the reaction process. It has been found that a much higher sorption amount of SeO42- (0.33 mmol g-1) can be achieved in the presence of Al3+ additive, mainly due to the formation of layered double hydroxide. However, silicate additive has a negative effect on the SeO42- sorption (0.019 mmol g-1). SiO32- can react with MgO (or Mg(OH)2) to form magnesium silicate hydrate, covering on the surface of MgO (or Mg(OH)2) particles, then blocking the interaction between MgO (Mg(OH)2) and SeO42-. In the case of SO4 2- additive, the sorption amount of SeO42- (0.06 mmol g-1) was maintained as that without additive (0.063 mmol g-1). This might be because their corresponding salts (MgSO4 and MgSeO4) have similar solubilities. Then, less effect on the SeO42- was caused by SO42-. Based on this work, a novel stabilizer (MgO + Al species) can be proposed for the immobilization of SeO42-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustering is one of fundamental tasks in unsupervised learning and plays a very important role in various application areas. This paper aims to present a survey of five types of clustering methods in the perspective of optimization methodology, including center-based methods, convex clustering, spectral clustering, subspace clustering, and optimal transport based clustering. The connection between optimization methodology and clustering algorithms is not only helpful to advance the understanding of the principle and theory of existing clustering algorithms, but also useful to inspire new ideas of efficient clustering algorithms. Preliminary numerical experiments of various clustering algorithms for datasets of various shapes are provided to show the preference and specificity of each algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and bundle-branch block have poor prognoses. The new European Society of Cardiology guideline suggests a primary percutaneous coronary intervention strategy when persistent ischemic symptoms occur in patients with persistent ischemic symptoms and right bundle-branch block (RBBB), but the level of evidence is not high. In fact, the presence of RBBB may lead to the misdiagnosis of transmural ischemia and mask the early diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Moreover, new-onset RBBB is occasionally caused by AMI. Our study aims to investigate the prognostic value of new-onset RBBB in AMI. Methods and Results: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies to evaluate the prognostic value of RBBB in AMI patients. Of 914 primary records, five studies and 874 MI patients were included for meta-analysis. Compared with previous RBBB, AMI patients with new-onset RBBB had a higher risk of long-term mortality (RR, 1.66, 95% CI [1.31-2.09], I² = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 2), ventricular arrhythmia (RR, 4.86, 95% CI [2.10-11.27], I² = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 3), and cardiogenic shock (RR, 2.76, 95% CI [1.66-4.59], I² = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 3), but a lower risk of heart failure (RR, 0.66, 95% CI [0.52-0.85], I² = 2.50%, p = 0.001, n = 4). Compared with AMI patients with new-onset permanent RBBB, patients with new-onset transient RBBB had a lower risk of short-term mortality (RR, 0.20, 95% CI [0.11-0.37], I2 = 44.1%, p = 0.000, n = 4). Conclusion: New-onset RBBB is likely to increase long-term mortality, ventricular arrhythmia, and cardiogenic shock, but not heart failure in AMI patients. AMI patients with new-onset transient RBBB have a lower risk of short-term mortality than those with new-onset permanent RBBB. Revascularization therapies should be considered when persistent ischemic symptoms occur in patients with RBBB, especially new-onset RBBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to analyze and identify the characteristics of radiation sources and estimate the threat level by means of detecting, intercepting and locating has been the central issue of electronic support in the electronic warfare, and communication signal recognition is one of the key points to solve this issue. Aiming at accurately extracting the individual characteristics of the radiation source for the increasingly complex communication electromagnetic environment, a novel feature extraction algorithm for individual characteristics of the communication radiation source based on the fractal complexity of the signal is proposed. According to the complexity of the received signal and the situation of environmental noise, use the fractal dimension characteristics of different complexity to depict the subtle characteristics of the signal to establish the characteristic database, and then identify different broadcasting station by gray relation theory system. The simulation results demonstrate that the algorithm can achieve recognition rate of 94% even in the environment with SNR of -10dB, and this provides an important theoretical basis for the accurate identification of the subtle features of the signal at low SNR in the field of information confrontation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelatin hydrogels can mimic the microenvironments of natural tissues and encapsulate cells homogeneously, which makes them attractive for cartilage tissue engineering. Both the mechanical and biochemical properties of hydrogels can affect the phenotype of chondrocytes. However, the influence of each property on chondrocyte phenotype is unclear due to the difficulty in separating the roles of these properties. In this study, we aimed to study the influence of hydrogel stiffness on chondrocyte phenotype while excluding the role of biochemical factors, such as adhesion site density in the hydrogels. By altering the degree of methacryloyl functionalization, gelatin hydrogels with different stiffnesses of 3.8, 17.1, and 29.9 kPa Young's modulus were prepared from the same concentration of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) macromers. Bovine articular chondrocytes were encapsulated in the hydrogels and cultured for 14 days. The influence of hydrogel stiffness on the cell behaviors including cell viability, cell morphology, and maintenance of chondrogenic phenotype was evaluated. GelMA hydrogels with high stiffness (29.9 kPa) showed the best results on maintaining chondrogenic phenotype. These results will be useful for the design and preparation of scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improved methods for the early and specific detection of ovarian cancer are needed. Methods: In this experimental study, we used folic acid (FA)-targeted iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) as a T2-negative contrast agent for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to accurately detect ovarian cancer tissues in an intraperitoneal xenograft tumor model. Human serous ovarian cell line (Skov-3), with over expressed FA receptors, was chosen as the targeted tumor cell mode. For in vivo experiments, the cells were injected intraperitoneally into nude mice to produce intraabdominal ovarian cancers. FA-targeted and non-targeted Fe3O4 NPs were prepared. Results: FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs with a mean size of 9.2 ± 1.7 nm have a negligible cytotoxicity to human serous ovarian cell line (Skov-3). Importantly, the results of cellular uptake suggested that FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs have a targeting specificity to Skov-3 cells overexpressing FA receptors. FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs could be specifically localized by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to the intraperitoneal human ovarian carcinoma tissues, as documented by a statistically significant difference (p = 0.002, n = 3) in T2 signal intensities of xenograft tumor tissues when injected with FA-targeted and non-targeted Fe3O4 NPs at 4 h post-injection. Conclusion: FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs appear to be promising agents for the detection of human ovarian carcinoma by MR imaging, and possibly also for the hyperthermal treatment of the tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of salivary HCO3- secretion vary and depend on species and gland types. However, the identities of the transporters involved in HCO3- transport and the underlying mechanism of intracellular pH (pH1) regulation in salivary glands still remain unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of the Na+-HCO3- cotransporter (NBC) and its role in pHi regulation in guinea pig salivary glands, which can serve as an experimental model to study HCO3- transport in human salivary glands. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and pHi measurements from BCECF-AM-loaded cells were performed. The amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) played a putative role in pHi regulation in salivary acinar cells and also appeared to be involved in regulation in salivary ducts. In addition to NHE, NBC also played a role in pHi regulation, in both acini and ducts. In the parotid gland, NBC1 was functionally expressed in the basolateral membrane (BLM) of acinar cells and the luminal membrane (LM) of ducts. In the submandibular gland, NBC1 was expressed only in the BLM of ducts. NBC1 expressed in these two types of salivary glands takes up HCO3- and is involved in pHi regulation. Although NBC3 immunoreactivity was also detected in submandibular gland acinar cells and in the ducts of both glands, it is unlikely that NBC3 plays any role in pHi regulation. We conclude that NBC1 is functionally expressed and plays a role in pHi regulation in guinea pig salivary glands but that its localization and role are different depending on the type of salivary glands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligase detection reaction (LDR)-based methods are usually expensive procedures for detecting known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Herein, we describe a novel and cost-effective genotyping method for detection of SNPs based on LDR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PCR is used to amplify the region containing the site of the SNPs. In LDR, the 5' end biotin-labeled allele specific discrimination probe and the 3' end fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled detector probe will, when mediated by a thermal DNA ligase, link together. The LDR product will then be separated using streptavidin-coated nanoparticles and develop a blue color during ELISA. We used the LDR-ELISA method to detect SNPs for p53 gene codon 282 in 50 individuals. Our results showed 100% concordance between LDR-ELISA and DNA sequencing. Therefore, LDR-ELISA SNPs assay is a simple, accurate tool for SNP genotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]