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Background: As a typical medicinal food homology species, Chinese herbal medicine Astragali radix (AR) has been widely used to regulate the human immune system worldwide. However, the human immunomodulation of AR and its corresponding mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: First, following a fortnight successive AR administration, the changes in immune cytokines and immune cells from 20 healthy human subjects were used as immune indicators to characterize the immunomodulatory effects of AR. Subsequently, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) based lipidomics and metabolomics analysis was performed on human serum, urine, and feces samples to investigate the changes in metabolic profiles. Then, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of feces samples was adopted for the changes of human gut microbiota. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted on the gut microbiome, metabolome/lipidome data, and immune indicators. Results: AR displayed good safety in clinical use and posed a minor impact on gut microbiota major genera, global metabolic profiles, and immune cells. Meanwhile, AR could significantly up-regulate anti-inflammatory cytokines, down-regulate serum creatinine and pro-inflammatory cytokines, promote the anabolism of arginine, glycerolipid, sphingolipid, and purine, and the catabolism of phenylalanine and glycerophospholipid. Moreover, these AR-induced changes were closely correlated with significantly decreased Granulicatella, slightly higher Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus, and Subdoligranulum, and slightly lower Blautia. Conclusion: The study clearly demonstrated that AR could modulate the human immune, by modifying the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, and purines in a microbiota-related way. Trial registration ChiCTR, ChiCTR2100054765. Registered 26 December 2021-Prospectively registered, https://www.chictr.org.cn/historyversionpub.html?regno=ChiCTR2100054765 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane, a vital cash crop, contributes significantly to the world's sugar supply and raw materials for biofuel production, playing a significant role in the global sugar industry. However, sustainable productivity is severely hampered by biotic and abiotic stressors. Genetic engineering has been used to transfer useful genes into sugarcane plants to improve desirable traits and has emerged as a basic and applied research method to maintain growth and productivity under different adverse environmental conditions. However, the use of transgenic approaches remains contentious and requires rigorous experimental methods to address biosafety challenges. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) mediated genome editing technology is growing rapidly and may revolutionize sugarcane production. This review aims to explore innovative genetic engineering techniques and their successful application in developing sugarcane cultivars with enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses to produce superior sugarcane cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined with the characteristics of natural resources endowment and ecological environment in Hancheng City, multiple types of basic data are used to progressively construct an evaluation system of ecological protection importance based on the ecosystem service function and ecological sensitivity indexes as well as their secondary indexes, which provides theoretical basis for the territorial spatial planning and scientific delineation of ecological protection redline in Hancheng City. The results show that the high-level area of ecosystem service function is 442.00 km², dominated by biodiversity conservation function. The high-level area of ecological sensitivity accounts for 45.46% of the total area of Hancheng City, with land sandification and rock desertification playing the leading role. The high-level area of ecological protection accounts for 52.51% of the total area the city, showing an expanding trend to east and south from the Huanglong Mountain Nature Reserve. The soil sandification, rock desertification and biodiversity conservation function have great impact on the importance of ecological conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new flavonoid (bunge A) (1), a new sesquiterpene (bunge B) (8), a new furan derivative (bunge C) (12) and a new alkenoic acid (bunge D) (14), together with ten known ones [four flavonoids (2, 3, 4, 5), two phenylpropanoids (6, 7), three sesquiterpenes (9, 10, 11) and one lactone (13)] were isolated from the fruits of Prunus humilis Bunge [Cerasus humilis (Bunge) Sokolov]. Their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic analysis (including HR-ESI-MS and NMR) and comparison with previously published data. All compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against three human tumour cell lines. Compound 3 and 4 showed weak antiproliferative activities against hepatocarcinoma cell HepG-2 at the concentration of 100 μM, which the inhibition rates were 55.34 ± 0.29 and 45.52 ± 0.37, respectively. And other compounds had almost no cytotoxic activity against the three tumour cell lines in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is an extremely important analytical technique that is widely used in organic geochemistry. It is the only approach to capture biomarker features of organic matter and provides the key evidence for oil-source correlation and thermal maturity determination. However, the conventional way of processing and interpreting the mass chromatogram is both timeconsuming and labor-intensive, which increases the research cost and restrains extensive applications of this method. To overcome this limitation, a correlation model is developed based on the convolution neural network (CNN) to link the mass chromatogram and biomarker features of samples from the Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China. In this way, the mass chromatogram can be automatically interpreted. This research first performs dimensionality reduction for 15 biomarker parameters via the factor analysis and then quantifies the biomarker features using two indexes (i.e. MI and PMI) that represent the organic matter thermal maturity and parent material type, respectively. Subsequently, training, interpretation, and validation are performed multiple times using different CNN models to optimize the model structure and hyper-parameter setting, with the mass chromatogram used as the input and the obtained MI and PMI values for supervision (label). The optimized model presents high accuracy in automatically interpreting the mass chromatogram, with R² values typically above 0.85 and 0.80 for the thermal maturity and parent material interpretation results, respectively. The significance of this research is twofold: (i) developing an efficient technique for geochemical research; (ii) more importantly, demonstrating the potential of artificial intelligence in organic geochemistry and providing vital references for future related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aims to investigate determinants impacting the surgical management of splenic trauma in paediatric patients by scrutinizing age distribution, etiological factors and concomitant injuries. The analysis seeks to establish a foundation for delineating optimal operative timing. Methods A cohort of 262 paediatric cases presenting with splenic trauma at our institution from January 2011 to December 2021 underwent categorization into either the conservative or operative group. Results Significantly disparate attributes between the two groups included age, time of presentation, blood pressure, haemoglobin levels, blood transfusion requirements, thermal absorption, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) classification and associated injuries. Logistic regression analysis revealed age, haemoglobin levels, AAST classification and blood transfusion as autonomous influencers of surgical intervention (OR = 1.024, 95% CI: 1.011–1.037; OR = 1.067, 95% CI: 1.01–1.127; OR = 0.2760, 95% CI: 0.087–0.875; OR = 7.873, 95% CI: 2.442–25.382; OR = 0.016, 95% CI: 0.002–0.153). The AAST type and age demonstrated areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.782 and 0.618, respectively. Conclusion Age, haemoglobin levels, AAST classification and blood transfusion independently influence the decision for surgical intervention in paediatric patients with splenic trauma. Age and AAST classification emerge as viable parameters for assessing and prognosticating the likelihood of surgical intervention in this patient cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Linolenic acid (ALA) is an important nutrient component in rapeseed oil, and rapeseed breeders want to either restrain or enhance the function of fatty acid desaturases (FADs) in the ALA biosynthesis pathway. To determine the reason for the upregulation of rapeseed BnFAD genes in two high-ALA accessions, R8Q10 and YH25005, we compared their transcriptome profiles in the seed at 24 days after pollination (DAP) with those of two low-ALA lines, A28 and SW. The expression levels of twenty-eight important genes in the seed samples at 20, 27, and 34 DAP were also investigated using an RT-qPCR. The expression levels of genes involved in flavonoid and proanthocyanidin synthesis, including BnCHS, BnCHI, BnDFR, BnFLS1, BnLDOX, BnBAN, BnTT10, and BnTT12 and genes encoding the transcription factors BnTT1, BnTT2, BnTT8, and BnTT16 were lower in R8Q10 and YH25005 than in A28 and SW. The expression levels of genes encoding master transcription factors in embryo development, such as BnLEC1, BnABI3, BnFUS3, BnL1L, BnAREB3, and BnbZIP67, were elevated significantly in the two high-ALA accessions. Combined with previous results in the Arabidopsis and rapeseed literature, we speculated that the yellow-seededness genes could elevate the activity of BnLEC1, BnABI3, BnFUS3, and BnbZIP67, etc., by reducing the expression levels of several transparent testa homologs, resulting in BnFAD3 and BnFAD7 upregulation and the acceleration of ALA synthesis. Yellow-seededness is a favorable factor to promote ALA synthesis in the two high-ALA accessions with the yellow-seeded trait. These findings provide initial insights into the transcriptomic differences between high-/low-ALA germplasms and a theoretic basis for seed quality breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular structure conversion concomitant with mass transfer processes at the electrode–electrolyte interfaces plays a central role in energy electrochemistry. Mass spectrometry, as one of the most intuitive, sensitive techniques, provides the capability to collect transient intermediates and products and uncover reaction mechanisms and kinetics. In situ time-of-flight secondary ion electrochemical mass spectrometry with inherent high mass and spatiotemporal resolution has emerged as a promising strategy for investigating electrochemical processes at the electrode surface. This review illustrates the recent advancements in coupling time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and electrochemistry to visualize and quantify local dynamic electrochemical processes, identify solvated species distribution, and disclose hidden reaction pathways at the molecular level. Moreover, the key challenges in this field are further discussed to promote new applications and discoveries in operando studying the dynamic electrochemical interfaces of advanced energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: MED subunits have been reported to be associated with various types of tumors, however, the potential role of MED7 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was still unclear. The aim of the study was to explore the role of MED7 in HCC. METHODS: In this study, MED7 mRNA expression levels between HCC and adjacent normal tissues were first analyzed by several public datasets. Then we utilized a tissue microarray (TMA) to investigate the clinical role of MED7 in HCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Meanwhile, the potential mechanisms of MED7 based on gene-gene correlation analyses were also explored. RESULTS: High mRNA level of MED7 correlated with advanced stage and worse grade of differentiation. IHC results showed that MED7 protein level was upregulated in HCC and associated with Edmondson grade and Microvascular invasion in 330 cases of HCC. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis revealed that MED7 co-expressed genes participate primarily in ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, protein targeting, mRNA processing and nucleoside triphosphate metabolic process et cetera. Further analysis also revealed that MED7 mRNA level has significant correlation with immune cells infiltration levels. CONCLUSION: MED7 was upregulated in HCC and correlated with progression of HCC. Meanwhile, MED7 may promote HCC through participating in multiple gene networks to influence tumorigenesis as well as immune response in HCC microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, especially for tumors larger than 5 cm. We compared the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and open liver resection (OLR) for large HCC. Methods: Patients with large HCC after curative hepatectomy were enrolled. To compare the short-term outcomes, propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to reduce the effect of confounding factors, respectively. Subsequently, Cox-regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS) and poor overall survival (OS). Result: There were 265 patients enrolled in the final analysis: 146 who underwent OLR and 119 who underwent LLR. There was no significant difference between the OLR and LLR groups according to PSM and IPTW analysis (all P > 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that LLR was not independently associated with poorer OS (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.80–1.67, P = 0.448) or RFS (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.88–1.70, P = 0.238). Conclusion: There were no significant differences in perioperative complications or long-term prognosis between LLR and OLR for large HCC, which provides evidence for standard laparoscopic surgical practice with adequate surgeon experience and careful patient selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose nonfermenting-related kinase 1 (SnRK1) function as a key regulator in sensing sucrose-Tre6P (trehalose 6-phosphate) signalling and negatively regulating sucrose homeostasis and content in plants. To clarify the potential functions of SnRK1 in sugarcane, we isolated a SnRK1 catalytic α subunit gene ShSnRK1α from sugarcane. The structure conservation, intracellular localisation and gene expression of ShSnRK1α were analysed. Results showed that ShSnRK1α had a 1527 bp open reading frame encoding 509 amino acids. The protein sequence of ShSnRK1α contained three conserved domains, including an N-terminal catalytic protein-kinase domain, a middle-plant-specific ubiquitin associated (UBA) domain and a C-terminal regulatory (αCTD) domain. The N-terminal protein-kinase domain of ShSnRK1α was highly conserved in SnRK1αs from monocot and dicot plant species. The UBA and αCTD domains of ShSnRK1α had sugarcane specificity. ShSnRK1α shared high identity with SnRK1αs from sorghum, maize and rice. Intracellular localisation analysis showed that ShSnRK1α localised in the nucleus and cytoplasm regions of rice mesophyll protoplasts. Expression analysis showed that ShSnRK1α was constitutively expressed in sugarcane leaves and stem internodes. ShSnRK1α was more highly expressed in sucrose rapid-accumulation maturing internodes than in immature and mature internodes. Meanwhile, ShSnRK1α was expressed lower in leaves and sucrose accumulating internodes of high-sugar-content sugarcane plants than that of low-sugar-content sugarcane plants. Thus, ShSnRK1α may play an important role on regulating sucrose homeostasis and accumulation in sugarcane. This study provided a target to clarify the sugar-accumulation regulating mechanism of sugarcane and improve its sugar content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the development of the electric vehicle motor drives, a magnetic gear compound motor with small size, lightweight, non-contact, and high-power has a good development prospect in the new energy electric vehicle industry. A new dual-modulation magnetic gear compound motor (DMFMCM) with high torque, low torque ripple, and high mechanical strength is proposed in the paper. The topology and driving principle of DMFMCM are analyzed in this paper, and the finite elements analysis (FEA) is used to compare and analyze the DMFMCM and the conventional magnetic gear compound motor (CMGCM). Furthermore, the mathematical model of DMFMCM is established to achieve the decoupling of the three-phase voltage or current, and the mathematical model and FEA co-simulation is established to ensure the accuracy of the mathematical model. Finally, according to the principle of SVPWM controlled by id = 0, the paper simulates a PI-adjusted three-phase DMFMCM control system model. The result shows that the DMFMCM controlled by SVPWM has high stability, strong anti-interference ability and good speed regulation performance, thus meeting the development of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembling peptides (SAPs) have enormous potential in medical and biological applications, particularly noninvasive tumor therapy. SAPs self-assembly is governed by multiple non-covalent interactions and results in the formation of a variety of morphological features. SAPs can be assembled in a variety of ways, including chemical conjugation and physical encapsulation, to incorporate multiple bioactive motifs. Peptide-based nanomaterials are used for chemotherapy, delivery vehicles, immunotherapy, and noninvasive tumor therapies (e.g. photodynamic therapy) by employing the self-assembling properties of peptides. The recent increase of SAPs is almost entirely due to their excellent biocompatibility, responsiveness toward tumor microenvironment, multivalency, and structural versatility. Synergistic therapy is a more effective and powerful approach to treat the tumor. Notably, SAPs can be used to subtly combine various treatments. Importantly, SAPs are capable of subtly making the combination of various treatments. This review describes mechanisms of peptides self-assemble into various structures and their biomedical applications with a focus on possible treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid-Na (MPCA-Na) is a phenoxy carboxylic acid selective hormone herbicide that is widely used in the crop fields. However, drift of MPCA-Na during application is highly damaging to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and other crop plants. This study was carried out from 2019 to 2020 to determine the effects of different concentrations of MPCA-Na on physiological and metabolic activities besides growth and yield of cotton plants at seedling, budding, flowering and boll stages. Moreover, we evaluated the different combinations of 24-epibrassinolide, gibberellin (GA3), phthalanilic acid and seaweed fertilizer to ameliorate herbicide damage. Results: 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid-Na (MPCA-Na) exposure caused a decrease in the chlorophyll content, and an increase in the soluble protein content, Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and protective enzyme activity. It also caused significant reductions in plant height, boll number and the single boll weight at the seedling and budding stages, but had little effects on plant height and the single boll weight at flowering and boll stage. Under the maximum recommended dose of MPCA-Na (130 g/L), the number of cotton bolls at seedling and budding stages decreased by 75.33 and 79.50%, respectively, and the single boll weight decreased by 46.42 and 36.31%, respectively. Nevertheless, the number of G. hirsutum bolls and single boll weight at flowering and boll stage decreased by 48.15 and 5.38%, respectively. Application of plant growth regulators decreased the MDA content, and increased chlorophyll, soluble protein content and protective enzyme activity, and alleviated MCPA-Na toxicity. Positive effects in case of growth regulators treated plants were also observed in terms of G. hirsutum yield. Phthalanilic acid + seaweed fertilizer, 24-epibrassinolide + seaweed fertilizer, and GA3 + seaweed fertilizer should be used at the seedling, budding, and flowering and boll stages, respectively. Conclusions: The results of current study suggest that certain plant growth regulators could be used to alleviate MPCA-Na damage and maintain G. hirsutum yield. When the cotton exposed to MCPA-Na at the seedling stage, it should be treated with phthalanilic acid + seaweed fertilizer, while plants exposed at the budding stage should be treated with 24-epibrassinolide + seaweed fertilizer, and those exposed at the flowering and boll stages should be treated with GA3 + seaweed fertilizer to mitigate stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the α decay half-lives for even-even polonium–uranium nuclei, including three isotopes 214 - 218 U Zhang et al. (in Phys Rev Lett 126:152502, 2021), are studied within the generalized liquid drop model with the total α decay energy-dependent α -particle preformation factors. The α -particle preformation factors extracted from the experimental α decay half-life are also investigated. The calculated α decay half-lives can reproduce the experimental data within a factor of 1.74. The systematics of α decay half-lives and α -particle preformation factors suggest that the shell effect of N = 126 closed-shell also exists in the Z = 92 uranium isotopes, although its robustness is weakening as the polonium isotope evolves towards the more proton-rich uranium isotope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coaxial magnetic gear is a new type of noncontact transmission mechanism, which avoids the inherent defects of the mechanical gearbox due to gear meshing transmission. To study a coaxial magnetic gear (CMG) with high torque density and low torque ripple to replace the mechanical gear in the semidirect drive wind turbine, a novel umbrella shaping inner rotor CMG (US‐CMG) with an auxiliary modulation ring is proposed in this paper. The novel structure adopts a CMG with a dual modulated ring to increase the electromagnetic torque. In addition, the magnetic block of the poled inner rotor is divided into three pieces magnetized by Halbach arrays, and the middle piece is umbrella‐shaped to reduce torque ripple. Based on the topology of the US‐CMG and the principle of the magnetic field modulation, the operation mechanism of the US‐CMG is analyzed. A contrastive analysis among the US‐CMG, Halbach magnetized dual‐modulator CMG (HM‐CMG), and surface‐mounted CMG (SM‐CMG) is established to identify the performance of the US‐CMG. Compared with the SM‐CMG, the results show that the electromagnetic torque of the US‐CMG has increased by 65.46%, and the torque ripple of the US‐CMG is 57.6% of that of the SM‐CMG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, is a worldwide invasive creature that has invaded the world for more than 20 years. Although previous studies have predicted the distribution range of A. glabripennis, this single species distribution prediction cannot provide more potential management strategies for the control of invasive organisms. In this study, we incorporated two important natural enemies (D. helophoroides and D. major) of A. glabripennis into the prediction model. We found that climate change led to the northward migration of the suitable areas of A. glabripennis and its natural enemies. In China, only the occurrence regions of A. glabripennis are mainly distributed in parts of Xinjiang, Xizang, and Qinghai. In other occurrence regions of A. glabripennis, control models of A. glabripennis + D. helophoroides, A. glabripennis + D. major, or A. glabripennis + D. helophoroides + D. major were found. Fortunately, part of the areas in Xinjiang, Xizang, and Qinghai are potentially suitable for D. helophoroides and D. major under future climatic conditions. Therefore, these two natural enemies may be used in these regions to control A. glabripennis in the future. The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, is a forestry pest found worldwide. A. glabripennis causes serious harm because of the lack of natural enemies in the invaded areas. Dastarcus helophoroides and Dendrocopos major are important natural enemies of A. glabripennis. MaxEnt was used to simulate the distribution of D. helophoroides and D. major in China, and their suitable areas were superimposed to pinpoint which regions are potentially appropriate to release or establish natural enemy populations under current and future conditions. The results showed that, with climate change, the suitable areas of D. helophoroides and D. major migrated northward; the centroid shift of A. glabripennis was greater than those of D. helophoroides and D. major. From current conditions to 2090, the suitable area of A. glabripennis, D. helophoroides, and D. major will increase by 1.44 × 104, 20.10 × 104, and 31.64 × 104 km2, respectively. Northern China (e.g., Xinjiang, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia), where A. glabripennis causes more serious damage, is also a potentially suitable area for D. helophoroides and D. major, and this provides a potential strategy for the management of A. glabripennis. Therefore, we suggest that natural enemies should be included in the model used for predicting suitable areas for invasive pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress are crucial contributors to the tubular cell injury and death in acute kidney injury. Novel therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondria protection and halting the progression of acute kidney injury are urgently needed. Honokiol is a small‐molecule polyphenol that exhibits extraordinary cytoprotective effects, such as anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative. Thus, we investigated whether honokiol could ameliorate cisplatin‐induced acute kidney injury via preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. Experimental Approach: Acute kidney injury was induced by cisplatin administration. Biochemical and histological analysis were used to determine kidney injury. The effect of honokiol on mitochondrial function and morphology were determined using immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, immunoblot and immunofluorescence. To investigate the mechanism by which honokiol alters mitochondrial dynamics, remodelling and resistance to apoptosis, we used transfection experiments, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and flow cytometry assay. Key Results: We demonstrated that the prominent mitochondrial fragmentation occurred in experimental models of cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity, which was coupled to radical oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, deterioration of mitochondrial function, release of apoptogenic factors and the consequent apoptosis. Honokiol treatment caused notable reno‐protection and attenuated of these cisplatin‐induced changes. Mechanistically, honokiol treatment recovered the expression of SIRT3 and improved AMPK activity in tubular cells exposure to cisplatin, which preserved the Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser637 and blocked its translocation in mitochondria, consequently preventing mitochondrial fragmentation and subsequent cell injury and death. Conclusion and Implications: Our results indicate that honokiol may protect against cisplatin‐induced acute kidney injury by preserving mitochondrial integrity and function by SIRT3/AMPK‐dependent mitochondrial dynamics remodelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. The present study aims to draw a firm conclusion in terms of evaluating the impact of DM on the prognosis of HCC after hepatectomy. The pattern of recurrence for HCC was often stratified into early-stage (<2 years) and late-stage (≥2 years) recurrence. Because the early-stage recurrence was mainly attributed to aggressive tumor pathological characteristics, patients who recurrence or die within 2 years were excluded. Cumulative overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were determined by the method of Kaplan–Meier, and the independent risk factors of OS/RFS were determined by Cox regression analysis. A total of 426 patients were eventually included. The 3- and 5-year OS in patients with and without DM was 83.7%, 55.1%; and 90.9%, 77.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that DM was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 1.166, 95% CI 1.056–2.036, P = 0.022) and RFS (HR 1.365, 95% CI 1.043–1.787, P = 0.023). DM is an independent risk factor for long-term prognosis in patients with HCC. Patients with DM after hepatectomy for HCC, thus, need to actively control DM and closer follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mepiquat chloride (DPC) enhances the resistance of cotton plants, and it is widely used as a growth regulator. DPC can stimulate photosynthesis, stabilize the structure of cotton leaves, and affect population reproduction and energy substances in Aphis gossypii Glover (cotton aphids), but interactions between DPC and cotton aphids remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the physiological responses of cotton to DPC, and the toxicity of DPC toward cotton aphids, before and after feeding, to explore the DPC-induced defense mechanism against cotton aphids. Results: Measurements of protective enzyme activity in cotton showed that the soluble protein contents, peroxidase (POD) activity, and catalase (CAT) activity in cotton treated with different concentrations of DPC were higher than in the control. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was higher than that of the control when the concentration of DPC was < 0.1 g/L. Under aphid feeding stress, POD activity in cotton treated with a low insect population density was significantly lower than in the controls, but the reverse was true for cotton treated with a high insect population density, and SOD activity was positively correlated with population density. The activities of detoxification enzymes in field and laboratory experiments showed that DPC promoted the specific activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) in cotton aphids, while the specific activities of carboxylesterase (CarE) and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) were decreased. Conclusions: DPC enhanced the aphid resistance in cotton by increasing the soluble protein content and the activity of protective enzymes. It also had a toxic effect on cotton aphids by increasing GST activity (the main DPC target). DPC increased the soluble protein content and protective enzymes activity in cotton under aphid stress, and thereby enhanced tolerance to cotton aphids. It conclude that DPC interferes with cotton aphids through indirect (DPC induced cotton defense responses) and direct (DPC toxicity to cotton aphids) ways, which plays a positive role in interfering with cotton aphids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic gear is a non-contact transmission mechanism, which overcomes the drawback of mechanical gear transmission. Although the series multi-stage magnetic gear can provide a large gear ratio compared to the single-stage magnetic gear, the lower torque density of the series multi-stage magnetic gear limits its use in high-power wind turbines. According to the magnetic gear field modulation mechanism and the differential transmission method, a differential multi-stage coaxial magnetic gear transmission device is proposed, which can achieve transmission with a large gear ratio and large torque density. Based on the differential multi-stage coaxial magnetic gear structure and its working principle, the finite element method is used to simulate the electromagnetic performance of the multi-stage coaxial magnetic gear. Futhermore, the electromagnetic performance of the two stages of the proposed magnetic gear are compared. The results show that there is a significant difference between the the electromagnetic performance of the first stage and that of the second stage. The torque ripple of the first stage is more dramatic than that of the second stage. The torque ripple amplietude of the inner rotor of the first stage is 5.08‰ larger than that of the second stage. The torque ripple amplietude of the outer rotor of the first stage is 4.591‰ larger than that of the second stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multiple types of cancer, decreased tumour cell apoptosis during chemotherapy is indicative of decreased chemosensitivity. Forkhead box K2 (FOXK2), which is essential for cell fate, regulates cancer cell apoptosis through several post‐translational modifications. However, FOXK2 acetylation has not been extensively studied. Here, we evaluated the effects of sirtiun 1 (SIRT1) on FOXK2 deacetylation. Our findings demonstrated that SIRT1 inhibition increased FOXK2‐induced chemosensitivity to cisplatin and that K223 in FOXK2 was acetylated. Furthermore, FOXK2 K223 deacetylation reduced chemosensitivity to cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, FOXK2 was acetylated by the acetyltransferase cAMP response element binding protein and deacetylated by SIRT1. Furthermore, cisplatin attenuated the interaction between FOXK2 and SIRT1. Cisplatin or SIRT1 inhibition enhanced FOXK2 acetylation, thereby reducing the nuclear distribution of FOXK2. Additionally, FOXK2 K223 acetylation significantly affected the expression of cell cycle–related and apoptosis‐related genes in cisplatin‐stimulated cancer cells, and FOXK2 K223 hyperacetylation promoted mitotic catastrophe, which enhanced chemosensitivity to cisplatin. Overall, our results provided insights into the mechanisms of SIRT1‐mediated FOXK2 deacetylation, which was involved in chemosensitivity to cisplatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematical concept of green design method is proposed based on the relation between energy and life cycle, including domain redefinition, geometric probability, failure rate and reliability expression. The product design is carried with failure distributions and design steps, including exponential, normal and Weibull. The parameters are redefined and design steps and flowchart are specified. This proposed method is to ensure reliability and resource utilization for electrical products, and compares with traditional reliability assessment method. For traditional design method, the higher reliability requires more resource reserves and longer life cycle in material supply chain. Products are passively eliminated due to technical progress and resource utilization is lower during life cycle. green design steps and reliability test are simulated with Monte Carlo method, to demonstrate the correctness of green design method. This study involves higher reliability and considers reasonable life with more resource utilization than traditional design method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of multiple agents has a significant impact on the cancer diagnosis and therapy. Several fluorescent dyes including near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent agents have been already well studied in the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT). In the present study, we reported a novel fluorescent dye could obviously inhibit cancer cell proliferation with slight toxic effects on the biological organism. Furthermore, it displayed selective staining on cancer cells, particularly on cancer stem cells (CSCs), rather than normal cells. Mechanically, this dye preferred to invading mitochondria of cancer cells and inducing overwhelming reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The in vivo experiments further demonstrated that this dye could image cancer cells and even CSCs in a short-time intratumor injection manner using a zebrafish model and subsequently inhibit cancer cell proliferation after a relatively long-time drug exposure. Taken together, the future development of this agent will promise to make an essential contribution to the cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to find the role of LncRNA SNHG12 in the regulation of hypertensive vascular endothelial injury. LncRNA SNHG12 and miR‐25‐3p expression were detected by quantitative RT‐PCR. Protein levels of Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), endothelial cell (EC) senescence markers p16 and p21, and EC marker CD31 were measured by Western blot. The apoptosis of HUVECs was detected by flow cytometry. The binding between LncRNA SNHG12 and miR‐25‐3p was verified by dual luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pull‐down assay. As a result, LncRNA SNHG12 was down‐regulated in aortic primary ECs isolated from Ang II‐induced hypertensive mice and 1 kidney/deoxycorticosterone acetate/salt‐induced hypertensive mice. In Ang II‐treated HUVECs, the expression level of SNHG12 was reduced and the overexpression of SNHG12 inhibited EC senescence markers p16 and p21 expressions, the apoptosis of HUVECs, and caspase‐3 activity. Further investigation confirmed that LncRNA SNHG12 bound to miR‐25‐3p, and negatively regulated miR‐25‐3p expression. MiR‐25‐3p directly targeted SIRT6 and negatively regulated SIRT6 expression. In addition, SNHG12 overexpression inhibited Ang II‐induced HUVECs injury through regulating miR‐25‐3p. Finally, in vivo experiments showed LncRNA SNHG12 overexpression alleviated vascular endothelial injury in Ang II‐induced hypertensive mice. In conclusion, LncRNA SNHG12 alleviates vascular endothelial injury induced by hypertension through miR‐25‐3p/SIRT6 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiji-1, which is the first technical verification satellite of China's Space Gravitational Wave Detection Program, was successfully launched on August 31, 2019. The mission aimed to investigate the key technologies used in space gravitational wave detection. The inertial sensor, which was one of the main payloads, measured the residual acceleration of the satellite, and verified the drag-free control technology. Its performance was crucial to the success of the Taiji-1 mission. To ensure its performance in orbit, the inertial sensor was fully evaluated prior to launch. Owing to the gravitational acceleration on the ground, it is impossible to verify all the properties of the inertial sensor in a routine laboratory. A feasible method to conduct such tests is to use a drop tower. To guarantee the safety of the inertial sensor, a substitute was used with similar structure and circuit design. A total of 20 falls in three groups were completed, a set of research methods was established, and the importance of conducting simulations before the drop tests was verified. For the first time, the switch of different circuit gains in a drop tower test has been achieved and the National Microgravity Laboratory of China (NMLC) drop tower's residual accelerations in three dimensions were measured. The results demonstrated that the microgravity level of the drop tower can reach about 58 μg0 in the fall direction and 13 μg0 along the horizontal axes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) play key roles in the metastasis, recurrence, and chemotherapeutic resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our previous research showed that the POSTN gene is closely related to the malignant progression and poor prognosis of HCC. This study aimed to elucidate the role of POSTN in generating LCSCs and maintaining their stemness as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Human HCC tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 110 patients. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting (WB), and RT-PCR were performed to detect the expression of POSTN and stemness factors. The roles of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and AP-2α in the POSTN-induced stemness transformation of HCC cells were explored in vitro and in vivo using LCSCs obtained by CD133+ cell sorting. Results: The high expression of POSTN was correlated with the expression of various stemness factors, particularly CD133, in our HCC patient cohort and in TCGA and ICGC datasets. Knockdown of POSTN expression decreased the abilities of HCC cell lines to form tumours in xenograft mouse models. Knockdown of POSTN expression also suppressed cell viability and clone formation, invasion, and sphere formation abilities in vitro. Knockdown of AP-2α attenuated the generation of CD133+ LCSCs and their malignant behaviours, indicating that AP-2α was a critical factor that mediated the POSTN-induced stemness transformation and maintenance of HCC cells. The role of AP-2α was verified by using a specific αvβ3 antagonist, cilengitide, in vitro and in vivo. Activation of POSTN could release TGFβ1 from the extracellular matrix and initiated POSTN/TGFβ1 positive feedback signalling. Furthermore, we found that the combined use of cilengitide and lenvatinib suppressed the growth of HCC cells with high POSTN expression more effectively than the use of lenvatinib alone in the patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model. Conclusions: The POSTN/TGFβ1 positive feedback pathway regulates the expression of stemness factors and the malignant progression of HCC cells by regulating the transcriptional activation of AP-2α. This pathway may serve as a new target for targeted gene therapy in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Consanguineous families have a relatively high prevalence of genetic disorders caused by bi-allelic mutations in recessive genes. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a consanguinity-based exome sequencing approach to capturing genetic mutations in inherited retinal dystrophy families with consanguineous marriages.Methods: Ten unrelated consanguineous families with a proband affected by inherited retinal dystrophy were recruited in this study. All participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. Whole exome sequencing was performed, followed by a homozygote-prior strategy to rapidly filter disease-causing mutations. Bioinformatic prediction of pathogenicity, Sanger sequencing and co-segregation analysis were carried out for further validation.Results: In ten consanguineous families, a total of 10 homozygous mutations in 8 IRD genes were identified, including 2 novel mutations, c.1654_1655delAG (p. R552Afs*5) in gene FAM161A in a patient diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, and c.830T > C (p.L277P) in gene CEP78 in a patient diagnosed with cone and rod dystrophy.Conclusion: The genetic etiology in consanguineous families with IRD were successfully identified using consanguinity-based analysis of exome sequencing data, suggesting that this approach could provide complementary insights into genetic diagnoses in consanguineous families with variant genetic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiji-1 satellite was successfully launched on 31 August 2019, and it has been operating normally in orbit until now. A series of in-orbit experiments were carried out with the inertial sensor, which included the micro-thrust test, drag-free control test and laser interferometer test. Comprehensive performance simulations and tests of the inertial sensor were also carried out prior to the launch of Taiji-1, including the calibration and drop-tower tests. These tests were one of the preconditions for the success of these experiments. The calibration experiments were conducted in a cave-lab using the gravity-inclination method and the scale factors of the inertial sensor along Y- and Z-axis were measured. In addition, 20 drop-tower tests were carried out in the National Microgravity Laboratory of China (NMLC) drop tower and the control stability of all the axes was tested and optimized. A simulation model was used before each test, and the results showed that an accurate simulation prior to each experiment had an important role in ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of the experiment. The circuit-gain switch was realized for the first time during the drop-tower tests. The test results indicated that the microgravity level of the NMLC drop tower could reach about 13 μ g0 along the horizontal axes, offering an important reference for researchers planning to conduct microgravity experiments in the NMLC drop tower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiji-1 is the first step of China's efforts on the detection of gravitational waves in space. It is a one-year quick mission, which aims to verify the key technologies on orbit. The detection of gravitational waves at mHz frequency band needs to exceptionally focus on small spatial deviations between two inertial references several million kilometers apart. The inertial reference on Taiji-1 spacecraft (S/C) has been developed based on a capacitive readout and actuation scheme to meet the requirements of accelerometer. In this paper, the development condition, ground tests and on-orbit performance of this inertial reference are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding mass transfer processes concomitant with electrochemical conversion for gas evolution reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface plays a key role in advancing renewable energy storage and conversion. However, due to the complicated diffusion behavior of gas at the dynamic catalytic interfaces, it is still a great challenge to accurately portray mass transfer of gas during electrocatalysis process. Here, we track the diffusion of dissolved oxygen on Cu nanostructured plasmonic interface, which reveals multistage oxygen diffusion behaviors, including premature oxygen accumulation, spontaneous diffusion and accelerated oxygen dissipation. This work uncovers an accumulating inhibition effect on oxygen evolution arising from interfacial dissolved oxygen. With these knowledges, we develop a programmable potential scan strategy to eliminate interfacial gas products, which alleviates the concentration polarization, releases accessible actives sites and promotes electrocatalytic performance. Our findings provide a direct observation of the interfacial mass transfer processes that governs the kinetics of gas-involved multiphases catalysis. Understanding mass transfer processes concomitant with gas evolution reactions is important in energy research. Here, the authors show diffusion tracking of dissolved oxygen on copper nanostructured interface with plasmonic signal, and provide a direct observation of the interfacial mass transfer processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This may be the reason that the AR prevalence in our cohort (9.8%) was higher than those previously reported in Chinese COVID-19 patients (0%-1.8%).4,5 The prevalence of AR in our COVID-19 cohort is comparable to that in general populations in Wuhan (9.7%).6 In addition, we did not find any association between AR comorbidity and disease severity in COVID-19 patients. Keywords: allergic rhinitis; angiotensin-converting enzyme II; coronavirus disease 2019; cytokine; epithelial cell EN allergic rhinitis angiotensin-converting enzyme II coronavirus disease 2019 cytokine epithelial cell 906 910 5 03/09/21 20210301 NES 210301 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), affects more than 17 million of people and results in more than 666 000 deaths all over the world. In PSM analysis, we were able to match 109 patients without AR to 109 patients with AR at a ratio of 1:1 (Table S3). [Extracted from the article]

Background: The impacts of chronic airway diseases on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) are far from understood. Objective: To explore the influence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comorbidity on disease expression and outcomes, and the potential underlying mechanisms in COVID‐19 patients. Methods: A total of 961 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients with a definite clinical outcome (death or discharge) were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic and clinical information were extracted from the medical records. Lung tissue sections from patients suffering from lung cancer were used for immunohistochemistry study of angiotensin‐converting enzyme II (ACE2) expression. BEAS‐2B cell line was stimulated with various cytokines. Results: In this cohort, 21 subjects (2.2%) had COPD and 22 (2.3%) had asthma. After adjusting for confounding factors, COPD patients had higher risk of developing severe illness (OR: 23.433; 95% CI 1.525‐360.135; P <.01) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR: 19.762; 95% CI 1.461‐267.369; P =.025) than asthmatics. COPD patients, particularly those with severe COVID‐19, had lower counts of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells and B cells and higher levels of TNF‐α, IL‐2 receptor, IL‐10, IL‐8, and IL‐6 than asthmatics. COPD patients had increased, whereas asthmatics had decreased ACE2 protein expression in lower airways, compared with that in control subjects without asthma and COPD. IL‐4 and IL‐13 downregulated, but TNF‐α, IL‐12, and IL‐17A upregulated ACE2 expression in BEAS‐2B cells. Conclusion: Patients with asthma and COPD likely have different risk of severe COVID‐19, which may be associated with different ACE2 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an environmental simulation platform (ETS-02) was constructed for high-precision geodesic instruments (e.g., absolute/relative gravimeters and inclinometers), to test the disturbances caused by environmental fluctuations. The outer layer of the platform was constructed with two sets of rectangular electromagnetic coils, which generated the required magnetic field when current was applied. The inner layer was a closed cabin in which radiators were distributed such that the temperature of the experimental space inside the cabin could be controlled, by energy exchange between the radiators and a thermal controller through the flowing liquid. A high-precision hexapod was used to simulate the tilt-related effect. The platform was capable of adjusting temperatures within a dynamic range of 0°C–70°C at a resolution of 0.01°C. The noise of the power-spectrum density when the cabin was set to room temperature was measured as 0.03°C/Hz1/2 at 1 mHz. The magnetic field simulation had a dynamic range of ±300 μT and stability of 20 nT. The resolution of the ground-tilt simulation was 1 arc s. The inner space of the platform had a volume of approximately 5 m3, which is sufficient for most types of instruments to be tested for a general environmental coupling effect. To illustrate the application of the platform, a dual-axis inclinometer was built and tested carefully with the platform, and the accuracy of the calibration factors was found to be significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a complex process in which protein-coding and non-coding genes play essential roles. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as a subclass of noncoding genes, are implicated in various cancer processes including growth, proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Due to presence in body fluids such as blood and urine, lncRNAs have become novel biomarkers in cancer detection, diagnosis, progression, and therapy response. Remarkably, increasing evidence has verified that lncRNAs play essential roles in chemoresistance by targeting different signalling pathways. Autophagy, a highly conserved process in response to environmental stresses such as starvation and hypoxia, plays a paradoxical role in inducing resistance or sensitivity to chemotherapy agents. In this regard, we reviewed chemoresistance, the role of lncRNAs in cancer, and the role of lncRNAs in chemoresistance by modulating autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme learning machine(ELM) is a simple and fast machine learning algorithm. However, similar to other conventional learning algorithms, the classical ELM can not well process the problem of imbalanced data distribution. In this paper, in order to improve the learning performance of classical ELM for imbalanced data learning, we present a novel variant of the ELM algorithm based on a hybrid cost function which employs the probability that given training sample belong in each class to calculate the G-mean. We perform comparable experiments for our approach and the state-of-the-arts methods on standard classification datasets which consist of 58 binary datasets and 9 multiclass datasets under different degrees of imbalance ratio. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm can improve the classification performance significantly compared with other state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV), Sugarcane streak mosaic virus (SCSMV), Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV), and Sugarcane bacilliform virus (SCBV) are the major viruses infecting sugarcane worldwide. This study proposed a multiplex reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) assay for the simultaneous detection and identification of these sugarcane viruses. Results showed that five primer pairs amplified their respective target viruses, indicating the assay specificity. The sensitivity of the assay was similar to or 10–100-folds lower than that of singleplex RT–PCR for detecting SCMV or the four other viruses, respectively. When detecting the five viruses in field sugarcane samples, the detection results of multiplex RT–PCR were approximately identical to those of singleplex RT–PCR, thereby indicating the relative reliability of the former. The proposed multiplex RT–PCR can simultaneously detect SCMV, SrMV, SCSMV, SCYLV, and SCBV in sugarcane, making it a suitable, efficient, and practical detection method for sugarcane viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of TERVO stent in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke caused by brachial artery disease. Methods This retrospective study included 9 patients from March 2017 to September 2019 who suffered with acute ischemic stroke caused by brachial artery disease. Among them 5 cases suffered with middle cerebral artery (MCA) M2 occlusion, 2 cases with MCA M3 occlusion and 2 cases with posterior cerebral artery (PCA) P1 occlusion. All patients underwent thrombectomy by TREVO stent while 5 of them were also treated with intravenous thrombolysis in the Department of Vascular Intervention of Civil Aviation General Hospital. The vascular recanalization rate and postoperative bleeding rate were observed, meanwhile the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used before and 14 d after thrombectomy to assess the degree of neurological impairment. And the prognosis was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 90 d after the operation. Results Among the 9 patients, 8 cases successfully completed the operation of thrombectomy, with a success rate of 8/9. mTICI grading immediately after thrombectomy, showed that 6 patients had grade level 3, 2 had level 2b and one had level 2a, while the rate of vascular recanalization was 8/9. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in one case, massive cerebral infarction in one case and the clinical symptoms of the other 7 patients were significantly improved after treatment. NIHSS score at admission of 9 patients was 9.00 (7.50, 11.00) while who scored 4.00 (2.50, 5.50) 14 d after thrombectomy. mRS ≤ 2 in 7 cases and > 2 in 2 cases were followed up in 90 d after thrombectomy, with a good prognosis in 7/9. Conclusions TREVO stent has favorable efficacy and safety in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke caused by brachial artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until now, no distinct heterotic groups have been established in many rapeseed-growing countries. Numerous modern breeding lines with desirable seed quality have been developed but the loss of genetic diversity would be problematic. Simple sequence repeat markers covering all 19 B. napus linkage groups were used to evaluate the genetic diversity and to classify the heterotic groups of 169 Chinese semi-winter cultivars or inbred lines. The results indicate moderate genetic differentiation among the 169 accessions, which distributed in 10 major groups according to their pedigrees or origins. The Chinese accessions could be divided into two genotypes: northern restorers and southern maintainers for Polima cytoplasm male sterility. The maintainers consisted of nine clades originating from 10 major rapeseed-growing provinces in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The mid-parent heterosis on plant height and yield ability of the intragroup crosses was inferior to that of the intergroup hybrids. When the intragroup parental combinations with short genetic distances (GD) were included in all regressing data, GD is significantly correlated to heterosis level. Three major heterotic patterns were identified: (1) northern restorer × southern maintainer, (2) maintainer from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River × maintainer from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and (3) maintainer from the middle Yangtze River × maintainer from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. For the first time, the results showed the outline of heterotic groups in Chinese rapeseed under the conditions of the Huang-Huai River region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. This retraction relates to this paper Jiang SB, He XJ, Xia YJ, et al. I Onco Targets Ther i . 2016;9:2305-2315. [Extracted from the article]