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Pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant cancers with rapid progression and poor prognosis. The use of transcriptional data can be effective in finding new biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Many network-based methods used to identify cancer biomarkers are proposed, among which the combination of network controllability appears. However, most of the existing methods do not study RNA, rely on priori and mutations information, or can only achieve classification tasks. In this study, we propose a method combined Relational Graph Convolutional Network and Deep Q-Network called RDDriver to identify pancreatic cancer biomarkers based on multi-layer heterogeneous transcriptional regulation network. Firstly, we construct a regulation network containing long non-coding RNA, microRNA, and messenger RNA. Secondly, Relational Graph Convolutional Network is used to learn the node representation. Finally, we use the idea of Deep Q-Network to build a model, which score and prioritize each RNA with the Popov-Belevitch-Hautus criterion. We train RDDriver on three small simulated networks, and calculate the average score after applying the model parameters to the regulation networks separately. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, we perform experiments for comparison between RDDriver and other eight methods based on the approximate benchmark of three types cancer drivers RNAs.

Inclusions are one of the important factors affecting the cleanliness of molten steel. The current optimization of inclusion removal methods mainly focuses on promoting inclusions to float to the slag-steel interface so that the inclusions can be absorbed and removed by the refining slag. However, the research on the floating removal of inclusions cannot be carried out directly in the ladle, so methods such as mathematical models and physical models were developed. This article uses silicone oil to simulate the slag layer; polypropylene particles; and aluminum oxide particles to simulate inclusions to establish a water model experiment. By changing the viscosity of silicone oil and the diameter of particles, the factors affecting the movement of inclusions at the slag-steel interface were explored. Based on the water model, a mathematical model of the floating behavior of inclusions at the slag-steel interface was constructed, and parameters such as particle diameter and interfacial tension in the water model experiment were studied by the mathematical model for calculation. Both the mathematical model and the water model experimental results show that after the viscosity of silicone oil increases from 0.048 Pa·s to 0.096 Pa·s, the dimensionless displacement and terminal velocity of the particles decreases. When the diameter of the same particle increases, the dimensionless displacement and terminal velocity increases. The dimensionless displacement of polypropylene particles of the same diameter is larger than that of aluminum oxide particles, and the terminal velocity is smaller than that of aluminum oxide particles. This is attributed to the better overall three-phase wettability of polypropylene particle. When the liquid level increases, the dimensionless displacement and terminal velocity of particles under the same conditions show only slight differences (less than 10%).

Many biomolecular condensates, including transcriptional condensates, are formed in elastic mediums. In this work, we study the nonequilibrium condensate dynamics in a chromatin-like environment modeled as a heterogeneous elastic medium. We demonstrate that the ripening process in such an elastic medium exhibits a temporal power-law scaling of the average condensate radius, depending on the local stiffness distribution and different from Ostwald ripening. Moreover, we incorporate an active process to model the dissolution of transcriptional condensates upon RNA accumulation. Intriguingly, three types of kinetics of condensate growth emerge, corresponding to constitutively expressed, transcriptional-bursting, and silenced genes. Furthermore, the simulated burst frequency decreases exponentially with the local stiffness, through which we infer a lognormal distribution of local stiffness in living cells using the transcriptome-wide distribution of burst frequency. Under the inferred stiffness distribution, the simulated distributions of bursting kinetic parameters agree reasonably well with the experimental data. Our findings reveal the interplay between biomolecular condensates and elastic mediums, yielding far-reaching implications for gene expression., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) with memory capability can provide multifunctional integration properties in on-chip and intelligent electronic applications. Herein, memory properties are achieved by inserting a tungsten oxide (WO x ) film between the ZnO electron-transporting layer and cathode. Pentavalent tungsten ions (W 5+ ) in this nonstoichiometric WO x film can be oxidized to W 6+ by storing holes, inducing significant electrons in the adjacent ZnO layer. Hole storage in the WO x layer suppresses electron injection into the quantum dot emissive layer, hence reducing electroluminescence intensity on the onset stage of the QLEDs. This operation-history correlation for the electroluminescence intensity means a memory behavior for the QLEDs. Furthermore, the power efficiency of the devices is greatly improved after inserting the WO x layer due to electrical field-dependent self-adaptive electron injection into the quantum dots (QDs). We anticipate this type of QLEDs have potential applications in on-chip integration applications, such as the optical computing field and storage.

Background: The hip joint capsule is an essential component of hip joint function and stability, and its thickness is closely associated with certain medical conditions, surgical outcomes, and rehabilitation treatments. Currently, in clinical practice, hip joint capsule thickness is predominantly measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with limited utilization of ultrasound examinations for this purpose., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients who visited our Sports Medicine Department between February 2017 and March 2023 and underwent both hip joint MRI and ultrasound imaging on the same side. All patients had undergone preoperative hip joint MRI and ultrasound examinations, with the time gap between the two examinations not exceeding three months. Measurements of hip joint capsule thickness were taken on both MRI and ultrasound images for the same patients to analyze their consistency. Additionally, we measured the alpha angle, lateral center-edge angle, acetabular anteversion angle, and femoral anteversion angle of the patients' hip joints and analyzed their correlation with hip joint capsule thickness measure by ultrasound., Results: A total of 307 patients were included in this study, with hip joint capsule thickness measured by MRI and ultrasound being 5.0 ± 1.2 mm and 5.0 ± 1.5 mm, respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrates good agreement or consistency. The paired t-test resulted in a p-value of 0.708, indicating no significant statistical difference between the two methods. The correlation analysis between acetabular anteversion angle and ultrasound-measured capsule thickness yielded a p-value of 0.043, indicating acetabular anteversion angle and capsular thickness may have negative correlation., Conclusions: The measurements of joint capsule thickness obtained through ultrasound and MRI showed good consistency, suggesting that ultrasound can be used in clinical practice as a replacement for MRI in measuring hip joint capsule thickness. There was a significant correlation between acetabular anteversion angle and hip joint capsule thickness, indicating potential for further research in this area., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

•Dumping of Fukushima's radioactive wastewater raises marine food web concern.•Tritium seems to be the most problematic compound.•Long-lived radioisotopes Biomagnify up to 50,000 folds in marine fish species.•This threatens fragile deep-sea ecosystems requiring immediate action.•Empowered Routine monitoring is crucial to maintain planetary health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Importance: The safety and efficacy of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remain controversial., Objective: To compare laparoscopic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy performed by experienced surgeons in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma., Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a noninferiority, open-label randomized clinical trial between September 20, 2019 and March 20, 2022, at 10 hospitals in China. A total of 412 adult patients were assessed for eligibility; 200 patients with histologically confirmed or clinically diagnosed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who were eligible to undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy were enrolled. Study recruitment is complete, and follow-up is ongoing. This article reports prespecified early safety results from the trial., Interventions: Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either laparoscopic or open pancreaticoduodenectomy, to be performed by experienced surgeons who had already performed at least 104 laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy operations., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point is 5-year overall survival, but the data for this end point are not yet mature; thus, secondary short-term outcomes, including operative findings, complications, mortality, and oncological results are reported here. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat and per-protocol principle., Results: Among 412 patients for eligibility, 200 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned 1:1 to have laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy or open pancreaticoduodenectomy. The mean (SD) age was 61.3 (9.3) years, and 78 participants (39%) were female. Laparoscopic procedures had longer operative times (median [IQR], 330.0 [287.5-405.0] minutes vs 297.0 [245.0-340.0] minutes; P < .001). Patients in the laparoscopic group lost less blood than those in the open group (median [IQR], 145.0 [100.0-200.0] mL vs 200.0 [100.0-425.0] mL; P = .02). Ninety-day mortality occurred in 2 of 100 patients in the laparoscopic group and 0 of 100 patients in the open group. There was no difference in the rates of complications of the Clavien-Dindo grades III-IV (n = 17 [17.0%] vs n = 23 [23.0%]; P = .29), comprehensive complication index (median [IQR], 0.0 [0.0-22.6] vs 8.7 [0.0-26.2]; P = .79) or median (IQR) postoperative length of stay (14.0 [11.0-17.0] days vs 14.0 [12.0-18.5] days; P = .37) between the 2 groups., Conclusions and Relevance: Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy performed by experienced surgeons in high-volume specialized institutions resulted in similar short-term outcomes compared with open pancreaticoduodenectomy among patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03785743.

Advances in many isolation studies have revealed that pure Dehalococcoides grow stably, although the large-scale pure cultivation of Dehalococcoides has yet to be established. In this study, 7 L-culturing of Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain NIT01 was first performed using vessels made of glass and stainless alloy SUS304. All batches cultured in the glass vessel successfully dechlorinated >95% of 1 mM trichloroethene (TCE) to ethene (ETH), whereas only 5 out of 13 batches cultured in the SUS304 vessel did the same. The difference in dechlorination efficiency suggested the possible inhibition of dechlorination by SUS304. Also, the strain NIT01 showed long delays in dechlorination with pieces of SUS316, steel, and a repeatedly used SUS304, but not with titanium. The repeatedly used SUS304 cracked and increased the Fe 2+ concentration to ≥76 μM. Dechlorination by this strain was also inhibited with ≥1000 μM Fe 2+ and ≥23 μM Cr 3+ but not with ≤100 μM Ni 2+ , suggesting that Cr 3+ eluted from solid stainless alloys inhibited the dechlorination. Culturing in a titanium vessel instead of a stainless alloy showed the complete dechlorination of 1 mM TCE within 12-28 days with a growth yield of 2.7 × 10 7 cells/μmol-released Cl - , even after repeating use of the vessels six times., (© 2023 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology Reports published by Applied Microbiology International and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dehalococcoides is a functional microorganism that completely dechlorinates trichloroethene (TCE). Augmentation with pure Dehalococcoides is important for reducing environmental disturbances that accompany bioaugmentation. However, the applicability of Dehalococcoides-bioaugmentation to contaminated soils is unclear. In this study, seven low-carbon energy sources (methanol, formate, acetate, ethanol, lactate, citrate, and benzoate) were used as electron donors for Dehalococcides to evaluate its applicability in remediating TCE-contaminated soils. Soil microcosms supplemented with ethanol, formate, or lactate showed relatively high dechlorination activity within 111-180 days. The functional gene profiles predicted by PICRUSt2 from 16 S rRNA gene sequences were similar in the proportions of dehydrogenases, which initiate electron donor oxidation, in all soils and did not seem to reflect Dehalococcoides-bioaugmentation applicability. Soils with higher organic matter content (>3.2%; dry weight base) and protein concentration (>1.6 µg/mL) supported complete dechlorination. These results suggest that organic matter and nutrient availability mainly affect successful TCE dechlorination in Dehalococcoides-augmented soils. The study offers significant experimental support for comprehending the suitability of low-carbon energy sources in successful bioaugmentation, aiming to mitigate environmental disturbances associated with the process., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Image 1., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Graphene oxide (GO), a chemically oxidized sheet of graphite, has been used as a conductive carbon carrier of microbes to boost various bioelectrochemical reactions. However, the types of microbes that can reduce GO have rarely been investigated. In this study, a strain of GO-reducing bacteria, named NIT-SL11, which was obtained from a hydrogel of microbially reduced GO and anaerobic sludge that converts sewage to electricity, was phylogenically identified as a novel strain of Geotalea uraniireducens . Considering the current lack of information on the electrogenic ability of the bacterium and its physicochemical and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the polyphasic characterization of the Geotalea uraniireducens strain NIT-SL11 was performed. NIT-SL11 utilized various organic acids, such as lactate, benzoate, and formate, as electron donors and exhibited respiration using GO, electrodes, fumarate, and malate. The strain contained C16:1ω7c and C16:0 as the major fatty acids and MK-8 and 9 as the major respiratory quinones. The complete genome of NIT-SL11 was 4.7 Mbp in size with a G+C content of 60.9%, and it encoded 80 putative c-type cytochromes and 23 type IV pili-related proteins. The possible extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathways of the strain were the porin-cytochrome (Pcc) EET pathway and type IV pili-based pathway.

Purpose: To study the outcomes of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) using a modified technique., Methods: Our center used priority approach of uncinate process and artery in the pancreatectomy and duct to mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy with a single stitch in the pancreaticojejunostomy. Herein, we retrospectively reviewed 346 cases of LPD using modified techniques. Basic characteristics, preoperative outcomes, factors associated with unfavorable postoperative outcome, and mortality of patients undergoing LPD were collected and analyzed., Results: The average operative time was 259.31 (35-425) min. The mean duration of pancreaticojejunostomy anastomosis was 31.97 (16-90) min. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 101.76 (0-1200) ml by estimation. Postoperative complications included 14 cases (4.1%) of bile leakage, 9 cases (2.6%) of delayed gastric emptying, 26 cases (7.5%) of postoperative bleeding, 34 cases (9.9%) of organ space infection, 17 cases (4.9%) of pulmonary infection, and 50 cases (14.5%) of POPF. Three factors including postoperative bleeding (OR = 3.502; P = 0.033), positive lymph node (OR = 3.296; P < 0.001), and postoperative chemotherapy (OR = 0.241; P = 0.008) were significantly associated with death of LPD., Conclusions: The modified technique for LPD presents safety and reliability. Postoperative bleeding and positive lymph node may be associated with worse overall survival, and postoperative chemotherapy may be associated with better overall survival., (Copyright © 2022 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Conductive carbons can boost anaerobic microbial metabolism by assisting extracellular electron transfer (EET), and their chemistry affects microbial metabolism. Graphene oxide (GO), a chemically oxidized sheet of graphite, has been used in various bioelectrochemical systems, although its mechanism is rarely understood. This study revealed specific metabolic responses to reduced GO (rGO) in an electrogenic strain R4 of Citrifermentans bremense, recently renamed from "Geobacter bremensis," in comparison to that with graphite felt (GF). Specifically, the change in growth from planktonic cells to biofilm with an enlarged outer membrane. The mRNA profile supported the fact that rGO upregulated the 14 genes related to the exopolysaccharides (EPS) secretion and biofilm formation, which is more than that in GF (4 genes). While GF upregulated the 35 genes involved in cell motility, which is more than that in rGO (8 genes). The heme protein profile suggested that both carbons induced similar EET pathways involving OmcA/MtrC and OmcS; however, GO specifically induced PilQ. These findings show that the chemistry of conductive carbon differentiates metabolism, especially affecting cellular morphology or living form, rather than electron transfer metabolism., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Various substrates have been used to stimulate habitat microbes in chloroethene-contaminated groundwater, however, the specific efficiency and minimum growth of microbes have rarely been studied. This study investigated the effects of seven substrates on trichloroethene (TCE) dechlorination by augmentation of groundwater with Dehalococcoides mccartyi NIT01 and its contribution to the microbial community. Three out of eight test groups completed dechlorination of 1 mM TCE-to-ethene in varying durations; groundwater supplemented with formate (FOR) required 78 days, whereas the microcosms with lactate (LAC) and citrate (CIT) required approximately twice as long (143 days). The calculated efficiency of how much produced H 2 was used in dechlorination indicated a higher efficiency in FOR (36%) compared with LAC (1.9%) or CIT (2.9%). FOR showed lower microbial growth (3.4 × 10 5 copies/mL) than LAC (1.5 × 10 6 ) or CIT (4.4 × 10 6 ), and maintained a higher Shannon diversity index (5.65) than LAC (4.97) and CIT (4.30). The rapid and higher H 2 transfer efficiency with lower bacterial growth by using formate was attributed to the slightly positive Gibbs free energy identified in H 2 production requiring a H 2 -utilizer, lower carbon in the molecule, and adaptation to metabolic potential of the original groundwater microbiome. Formate is, therefore, a promising electron donor for rapid Dehalococcoides-augmented remediation with minimum bacterial growth. Sequential transferring of the FOR culture successfully maintained TCE-to-ethene dechlorination activity and enriched the members of genera Dehalococcoides (33%), Methanosphaerula (23%), Rectinema (13%), and Desulfitobacterium (5.6%). This suggests that formate is transferred to H 2 and acetate, and provided to Dehalococcoides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Naoko Yoshida reports financial support was provided by Takahashi Industrial and Economic Research Foundation. Naoko Yoshida reports financial support was provided by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) is becoming the leading cause of cancer-related death in women all over the word. Identification of diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of BC is one of the most effective ways to reduce the mortality. Methods: Plasma samples from BC patients ( n = 120) and normal controls ( n = 50) were collected to determine the differentially expressed circulating miRNAs in BC patients. Binary logistic regression was applied to develop miRNA diagnostic models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). MMTV-PYMT mammary tumor mice were used to validate the expression change of those circulating miRNAs. Plasma samples from patients with other tumor types were collected to determine the specificity of the model in diagnosis of BC. Results: In the screening phase, 5 circulating miRNAs (miR-16, miR-17, miR-19b, miR-27a, and miR-106a) were identified as the most significantly upregulated miRNAs in plasma of BC patients. In consistence, the 5 miRNAs showed upregulation in the circulation of additional 80 BC patients in a tumor stage-dependent manner. Application of a tumor-burden mice model further confirmed upregulation of the 5 miRNAs in circulation. Based on these data, five models with diagnostic potential of BC were developed. Among the 5 miRNAs, miR-19b ranked at the top position with the highest specificity and the biggest contribution. In combination with miR-16 and miR-106a, a miR-19b-based 3-circulating miRNA model was selected as the best for further validation. Taken the samples together, the model showed 92% of sensitivity and 90% of specificity in diagnosis of BC. In addition, three other tumor types including prostate cancer, thyroid cancer and colorectal cancer further verified the specificity of the BC diagnostic model. Conclusion: The current study developed a miR-19b-based 3-miRNA model holding potential for diagnosis of BC using blood samples., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Shen, Lü, Xie, Li, Shang, Huang, Meng, An, Zhou, Han and Yu.)

Thermally rectifying materials would have important implications for thermal management, thermal circuits, and the field of phononics in general. Graphene-based nanostructures have very high intrinsic thermal conductance, but they normally display no thermal rectification effects. The present study relates to a thermally rectifying material and, more particularly, to a graphene-based nanomaterial for controlling heat flux and the associated method determining the rectification coefficient. Thermal rectifiers using a graphene-based nanostructure as thermal conductors were designed. Vacancy defects were introduced into one end of the nanostructure to produce an axially non-uniform mass distribution. Modified Monte Carlo methods were used to investigate the effects of defect size and shape, vacancy concentration, and ribbon length on the thermal rectification properties. Anharmonic lattice dynamics calculations were carried out to obtain the frequency-dependent phonon properties. The results indicated that the nanoscale system conducts heat asymmetrically, with a maximum available rectification coefficient of about 70%. Thermal rectification has been achieved, and the difference in temperature dependence of thermal conductivity is responsible for the phenomenon. Defects can be tailored to modulate the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity. The power-law exponent can be negative or positive, depending upon the ribbon length and vacancy concentration. A computational method has been developed, whereby the numerous variables used to determine the rectification coefficient can be summarized by two parameters: the power-law exponent and the thermal resistance ratio. Accordingly, the rectification coefficient can be obtained by solving a simple algebraic expression. There are several structure factors that cause noticeable effects on the thermal rectification properties. Defect size, vacancy concentration, and ribbon length can affect the thermal conductance of the nanostructure symmetrically and significantly. Graphene-based nanostructure thermal rectifiers can be arranged in an array so as to provide thermal rectification on a macroscopic scale., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue sarcoma of temporarily unknown histologic origin with the ability for biphasic differentiation, occurring mostly in the vicinity of large joints of the extremities. Synovial sarcoma that originates in the liver is extremely rare. Only 7 cases have been reported in the domestic and international literature., Case Presentation: We report an 11-year-old female patient who underwent partial hepatectomy for a liver mass. Microscopically, she was diagnosed with hepatic biphasic synovial sarcoma. Cytogenetic examination revealed the fusion gene SS18-SSX1 (+), which confirmed the diagnosis., Conclusion: Synovial sarcoma of the liver is a rare malignancy that is difficult to diagnose. Confirmation of diagnosis is based on histopathological assessment combined with immunohistochemical staining and, if necessary, cytogenetic aids., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Bioelectrochemical dechlorination using organohalide-respiring bacteria (ORBs) is a promising technique for remediating contaminated groundwater. Generally, a longer enrichment period is required for selecting the ORB consortia to achieve bioelectrochemical dechlorination. However, the full dechloriantion is difficult to be achieved due to the absence of functional species (e.g. Dehalococcoides) in previously used enrich cultures. To overcome these challenges, bioelectrochemical dechlorination using a culture enriched with the pre-augmented Dehalococcoides was performed for the first time in this study. A two-chamber bioelectrochemical system (BES) inoculated with a pure Dehalococcoides culture and paddy soil with an applied voltage of -0.3 V (versus a standard hydrogen electrode) as the sole electron donor was used to achieve dechlorination. The ethene formation rate was 10-100 times higher than that in previous studies, indicating that inoculating the system with a pure Dehalococcoides culture and soil microorganisms gave effective full dechlorination performance. Microbial community analysis and bioelectrochemical analysis indicated that Desulfosporosinus species may have facilitated dechlorination through syntrophic interactions with Dehalococcoides. The results indicated that adding Dehalococcoides cells before operating a bioelectrochemical system is an effective way of achieving full dechlorination., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Understanding the effect of phonon scattering is of primary significance in the study of the thermal transport properties of graphene. While phonon scattering negatively affects the thermal conductivity, the exact effect of microscopic phonon scattering is still poorly understood when full phonon dispersions are taken into account. The heat transport properties of graphene ribbons were investigated theoretically by taking into account different polarization branches with different frequencies in order to understand the physical mechanism of the thermal transport phenomenon at the nanoscale. The effects of grain size, chiral angle, Grüneisen anharmonicity parameter, specularity parameter, and mass-fluctuation-scattering parameter were evaluated, taking into account of the restrictions imposed by boundary, Umklapp, and isotope scattering mechanisms. The contribution from each phonon branch was estimated, and the anisotropic coefficients were determined accordingly. The results indicated that the graphene ribbons are very efficient at conducting heat in all the cases studied. All the acoustical branches contribute significantly to the heat transport properties, and the temperature strongly affects the relative contribution of the phonon branches. The lattice thermal conductivity varies periodically with the chiral angle. The maximum thermal conductivity is achieved in the zigzag direction, and the minimum thermal conductivity is obtained in the armchair direction. The lattice thermal conductivity and anisotropic coefficient depend heavily upon the roughness of the edges and the width of the ribbons. The specularity parameter and mass-fluctuation-scattering parameter significantly affect the lattice thermal conductivity, and the effect arising from isotope scattering is significant in the context of natural isotopic abundance. The dependence of the Grüneisen anharmonicity parameter on phonon branches must be taken into account when making predictions. The results have significant implications for the understanding of the relations between phonon scattering and thermal properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The greenhouse effect and plastic pollution caused by the accumulation of plastics have led to a global concern for environmental protection, as well as the development and application of biodegradable materials. Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) is a biodegradable polymer with the function of "carbon sequestration", which has the potential to mitigate the greenhouse effect and the plastic crisis. It has the advantages of good ductility, oxygen barrier and biocompatibility. However, the mechanical and thermal properties of PPC are poor, especially the low thermal degradation temperature, which limits its industrial use. In order to overcome this problem, PPC can be modified using environmentally friendly materials, which can also reduce the cost of PPC-based products to a certain extent and enhance their competitiveness in terms of improving their mechanical and thermal properties. In this paper, we present different perspectives on the synthesis, properties, degradation, modification and post-modification applications of PPC. The modification part mainly introduces the influence of inorganic materials, natural polymer materials and degradable polymers on the performance of PPC. It is hoped that this work will serve as a reference for the early promotion of PPC.

Because most research about laypeople and genetic testing (GT) has been conducted in other nations than China, we conducted a study in urban China (a) to determine the perceived knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT there; (b) to identify influencing factors associated with the public's perceived knowledge, attitudes, and use of GT; and (c) to explore the relationship among public knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT. Our data came from a community-based survey in urban Dalian of 868 individuals. We used generalized ordered logit and logit models to examine factors associated with perceived knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT. We found that 67% of community members knew about GT, that 45% had a positive opinion of GT, and that only 4% accessed GT. Older people were more likely to have less perceived knowledge of GT and less likely to have a negative attitude toward it; these relationships were especially stronger among those aged ≥60 years. We also found that socially disadvantaged people were more likely to have less perceived knowledge of GT and more likely to have a negative opinion of it. Having a greater level of perceived knowledge was significantly correlated with increased odds of having a more positive or neutral attitude toward GT and of being more likely to access GT. Our findings may help policy makers design effective action plans and regulations regarding GT and genetic counseling services for laypersons in China., (© 2021 National Society of Genetic Counselors.)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant tumor in the world. Previous research has shown that Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strains and its cultures have anti-colon cancer effects, but the study of L. paracasei-derived extracellular vesicles (LpEVs) as intercellular communication molecule against colon cancer has not been previously reported. Our research showed LpEVs were taken in by colorectal cancer cells. Subsequently, LpEVs inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and promote apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells. LpEVs inhibited the growth of CRC xenograft in nude mice and promoted tumor apoptosis in vivo. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes were involved in the regulation of apoptosis. LpEVs significantly inhibited the phosphorylation level of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) and AKT in colorectal cancer cells and reduced the expression of Bcl-2 protein. In conclusion, extracellular vesicles of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-H1 can inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells in vivo and vitro and induce apoptosis through PDK1/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway. This research not only provides a new mechanism for the anti-tumor effects of probiotics, but also opens up new opportunity for the treatment of colon cancer., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a novel electrogenic bacterium denoted as strain NIT-T3 of the genus Desulfuromonas was isolated from a graphene-oxide-reducing enrichment culture that was originally obtained from a mixture of seawater and coastal sand. Strain NIT-T3 utilized hydrogen and various organic acids as electron donors and exhibited respiration using electrodes, ferric iron, nitrate, and elemental sulfur. The strain contained C16:1ω7c, C16:0, and C15:0 as major fatty acids and MK-8, 9, and 7 as the major respiratory quinones. Strain NIT-T3 contained four 16S rRNA genes and showed 95.7% similarity to Desulfuromonas michiganensis BB1 T , the closest relative. The genome was 4.7 Mbp in size and encoded 76 putative c -type cytochromes, which included 6 unique c -type cytochromes (<40% identity) compared to those in the database. Based on the physiological and genetic uniqueness, and wide metabolic capability, strain NIT-T3 is proposed as a type strain of ' Desulfuromonas versatilis ' sp. nov.

Background: The benefit and safety of laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy (LPD) for the treatment of pancreatic or periampullary tumours remain controversial. Studies have shown that the learning curve plays an important role in LPD, yet there are no randomised studies on LPD after the surgeons have surmounted the learning curve. The aim of this trial was to compare the outcomes of open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) with those of LPD, when performed by experienced surgeons., Methods: In this multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial done in 14 Chinese medical centres, we recruited patients aged 18-75 years with a benign, premalignant, or malignant indication for pancreatoduodenectomy. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to undergo either LPD or OPD. Randomisation was centralised via a computer-generated system that used a block size of four. The patients and surgeons were unmasked to study group, whereas the data collectors, outcome assessors, and data analysts were masked. LPD and OPD were performed by experienced surgeons who had already done at least 104 LPD operations. The primary outcome was the postoperative length of stay. The criteria for discharge were based on functional recovery, and analyses were done on a modified intention-to-treat basis (ie, including patients who had a pancreatoduodenectomy regardless of whether the operation was the one they were assigned to). This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, number NCT03138213., Findings: Between May 18, 2018, and Dec 19, 2019, we assessed 762 patients for eligibility, of whom 656 were randomly assigned to either the LPD group (n=328) or the OPD group (n=328). 31 patients in each group were excluded and 80 patients crossed over (33 from LPD to OPD, 47 from OPD to LPD). In the modified intention-to-treat analysis (297 patients in the LPD group and 297 patients in the OPD group), the postoperative length of stay was significantly shorter for patients in the LPD group than for patients in the OPD group (median 15·0 days [95% CI 14·0-16·0] vs 16·0 days [15·0-17·0]; p=0·02). 90-day mortality was similar in both groups (five [2%] of 297 patients in the LPD group vs six [2%] of 297 in the OPD group, risk ratio [RR] 0·83 [95% CI 0·26-2·70]; p=0·76). The incidence rate of serious postoperative morbidities (Clavien-Dindo grade of at least 3) was not significantly different in the two groups (85 [29%] of 297 patients in the LPD group vs 69 [23%] of 297 patients in OPD group, RR 1·23 [95% CI 0·94-1·62]; p=0·13). The comprehensive complication index score was not significantly different between the two groups (median score 8·7 [IQR 0·0-26·2] vs 0·0 [0·0-20·9]; p=0·06)., Interpretation: In highly experienced hands, LPD is a safe and feasible procedure. It was associated with a shorter length of stay and similar short-term morbidity and mortality rates to OPD. Nonetheless, the clinical benefit of LPD compared with OPD was marginal despite extensive procedural expertise. Future research should focus on identifying the populations that will benefit from LPD., Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China and Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests All authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) can destroy sphincter of Oddi (SO) structure and function. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of endoscopic endoclip papilloplasty (EEPP) in restoring SO function after EST., Methods: Seven 26-week-old domestic pigs were divided into control and EEPP groups. Necropsy and haematoxylin-eosin staining plus anti-α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) staining of papilla and sphincter of Oddi manometry (SOM) were conducted in animals at three independent time points., Results: EST and EEPP were safely performed in all 7 pigs without serious adverse events. For primary outcome, compared to the controls, EEPP generated smaller dilation and less inflammation. Fibrous repair of the papilla was observed at 24 weeks after EEPP. For secondary outcome, in the control group, SO basal pressure (17.25 ± 18.14 to 5.50 ± 0.71 mmHg), SO contraction amplitude (46.00 ± 19.20 to 34.50 ± 48.79 mmHg), peak (4.50 ± 4.04 to 1.50 ± 2.12) and frequency (3.05 ± 3.29 to 1.41 ± 2.19/min) were reduced after EST. Further reductions to almost 0 of these SOM parameters were observed 3 weeks later, including common bile duct pressure and SO contraction period. In contrast, in the EEPP group, these manometric data were recovered to pre-EST levels, including CBD pressure (11.5 ± 7.31 vs 11 ± 2.16 mmHg), SO pressure (17.50 ± 17.75 vs 18.20 ± 21.39 mmHg) and SO contraction amplitude (53.67 ± 21.54 vs 60.00 ± 36.08 mmHg). However, no significant differences were observed between control and EEPP groups by Student t test., Conclusions: In this porcine study, EEPP accelerated and improved papillary healing after EST, further preserved SO function., (© 2020 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

To establish a simple and safe method for the preparation of paclitaxel PEG-PLGA nanoparticles emulsified in tpgs (PTX-pegpllga-np), for high drug loading; and to study its effect on proliferation and apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cell line MIAPACA-2. PTX-PEG-PLGA-NP was prepared by one-step precipitation, using tpgs as emulsifier. The drug loading and particle size were used as an index to optimize the formulation, and the physical and chemical properties such as in vitro release and stability were characterized. The uptake of fluorescein coumarin 6 (C6) loaded PEG-PLGA-NP by MIAPACA-2 cells was observed by fluorescence microscope, and the growth and apoptosis of MIAPACA-2 cells after PTX-PEG-PLGA-NP were detected by MTT and flow cytometry respectively. The entrapment efficiency of the nanoparticles was 90.26%, the drug loading was 10.13%, the average particle size was 92.3±3.1 nm, and the zeta potential was 10.48±1.54 mV. The cumulative releases of nano preparation and general preparation (Taxol injection) in four hours were 25.9% and 98.5%, respectively; and the former had a strong sustained-release effect. The results of cell uptake experiments showed that the uptake of c6-PEG-PLGA-NP by MIAPACA-2 cells increased gradually with time. MTT results showed that PTX-PEG-PLGA-NP had no significant difference in the inhibition rate of MIAPACA-2 cells compared with PTX group. Flow cytometry showed that PTX-PEG-PLGAnp was superior better than PTX in inducing apoptosis in MIAPACA-2 cells. The tpgs emulsification method is simple and environment-friendly. The paclitaxel loaded nanoparticles prepared through the optimization of the formulation have large drug loading capacity and uniform particle size, which can target the pancreatic cancer MIAPACA-2 cells, and do not weaken its ability to inhibit the growth of MIAPACA-2 cells. The nanoparticles also induce apoptosis in cancer MIAPACA-2 cells, and could be used for further clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer.

A high concentration of accumulated volatile fatty acids (VFAs) is one of the most important factors resulting in reactor failure during solid-state anaerobic digestion. In this study, the feedstock-to-inoculum (F/I) ratio (0.5, 2, 3, 4 and 6) and the recovery method after failure (biochar addition or inoculum addition) were investigated in batch solid-state anaerobic digestion fed with rice straw and pig urine. An F/I ratio of 3 was the threshold for stable operation, while the reactors failed at F/I ratios of 4 and 6 because of high accumulated VFAs concentrations (above 30 g HAc/kg). Biochar addition (10% or 20% (wet weight) of the mixture) was as effective as inoculum addition (by adjusting the F/I ratio to 2 or 3) in promoting VFAs degradation in failed reactors within a short period (<1 day). The buffering capacity of biochar was important in promoting VFAs degradation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Liver cancer is one of the major malignancies with the worst prognosis among all solid tumor types. It is therefore ponderable to explore prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver cancer. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit B (EIF3B) is closely linked to the transcription initiation of cancer-associated genes. In the present study, EIF3B was indicated to be a potential prognostic biomarker of liver cancer. The mRNA expression level of EIF3B in liver cancer was assessed by analyzing the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. χ 2 and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess the association of EIF3B expression with clinical parameters. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used for evaluating the diagnostic value of EIF3B. Overall and relapse-free survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves to determine the association between EIF3B expression and survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to identify the factors affecting overall/relapse-free survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to identify signaling pathways associated with EIF3B in liver cancer. It was revealed that EIF3B was highly expressed in liver cancer tissues and it had a promising diagnostic ability. Furthermore, the survival analysis indicated that patients with high EIF3B expression generally had shorter overall as well as relapse-free survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis suggested that high EIF3B mRNA expression may serve as an independent biomarker for the prognostication of patients with liver cancer. GSEA suggested that MYC-V1 (HALLMARK&#95;MYC&#95;TARGETS&#95;V1 geneset; P=0.009), MYC-V2 (HALLMARK&#95;MYC&#95;TARGETS&#95;V2 geneset; P=0.004) and DNA repair pathways (HALLMARK&#95;DNA&#95;REPAIR geneset; P<0.001) were differentially enriched in high EIF3B expression and low EIF3B expression groups. In conclusion, high EIF3B expression was indicated to be an independent prognostic biomarker for patients with liver cancer., (Copyright: © Yue et al.)

Hepatic artery variations increase the difficulty of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). The safety and efficacy of LPD in the presence of aberrant hepatic arteries (AHA) must be further verified.Patients with normal and variant hepatic arteries who underwent LPD and preoperative arterial angiography were retrospectively analyzed. Variation type, intraoperative management, and clinical treatment outcomes were compared.There were 54 cases (24.8%) of AHA. The most common hepatic artery variation was accessory right hepatic artery (RHA) from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA, n = 12, 5.5%), followed by replaced RHA from the SMA (n = 10, 4.6%), accessory left hepatic artery from the SMA (n = 10, 4.6%), and replaced common hepatic artery from the SMA (n = 6, 2.8%). Each type of arterial variation was successfully preserved in all cases, and there were no significant effects on the evaluated surgical indices, conversion rate, incidence of postoperative complications, or follow-up results.Our findings indicated that preservation of AHAs during total LPD is feasible. There were no significant effects on surgical indices, incidence of postoperative complications, or follow-up outcomes.The influence of AHA on the safety and efficacy of LPD must be further verified. Patients with normal and variant hepatic arteries who underwent LPD and preoperative arterial angiography were retrospectively analyzed. There were 54 cases (24.8%) of AHA. There were no significant effects of AHAs on surgical indices, incidence of postoperative complications, or follow-up outcomes.

Aimed at locating the temperature abnormal event of nuclear waste drums in a nuclear waste temporary storage repository by a Raman-based distributed temperature sensor, a principal component analysis (PCA)-based method for application is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified in the physical simulation device of the nuclear waste drums. First, some samples of the temperature abnormal event with known location are taken as the reference samples, and their features are extracted by PCA. Then, the features of the test sample data to be located are also extracted by PCA. The Euclidean distance is used to measure the similarity between the features of the test sample and the feature of each reference sample. Finally, we find the reference sample that is most similar to a test sample, the location of which is considered the location of the temperature anomaly event for the test sample. The experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately locate the temperature abnormal event of the nuclear waste drums, and the accuracy rate can reach 96%. The method that is proposed in this paper can reliably locate the temperature abnormal event generated by the nuclear waste temporary storage repository induced by external factors such as landslides or earthquakes, and provide technical support for nuclear safety.

We present Bento Box, a virtual reality data visualization technique and bimanual 3D user interface for exploratory analysis of 4D data ensembles. Bento Box helps scientists and engineers make detailed comparative judgments about multiple time-varying data instances that make up a data ensemble (e.g., a group of 10 parameterized simulation runs). The approach is to present an organized set of complementary volume visualizations juxtaposed in a grid arrangement, where each column visualizes a single data instance and each row provides a new view of the volume from a different perspective and/or scale. A novel bimanual interface enables users to select a sub-volume of interest to create a new row on-the-fly, scrub through time, and quickly navigate through the resulting virtual "bento box." The technique is evaluated through a real-world case study, supporting a team of medical device engineers and computational scientists using in-silico testing (supercomputer simulations) to redesign cardiac leads. The engineers confirmed hypotheses and developed new insights using a Bento Box visualization. An evaluation of the technical performance demonstrates that the proposed combination of data sampling strategies and clipped volume rendering is successful in displaying a juxtaposed visualization of fluid-structure-interaction simulation data (39 GB of raw data) at interactive VR frame rates., (Copyright © 2019 Johnson, Orban, Runesha, Meng, Juhnke, Erdman, Samsel and Keefe.)

Heterogeneous distribution of substrate and microorganisms and low mass transfer limit methane production dramatically in solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD). To overcome this challenge, this study determined the optimal inoculation strategy (complete premix/slurry application) for reusing solid digestate as inoculum and the optimal leachate circulation method (percolation/immersion) using batch digestion. Initially, percolation and immersion (1 h per 3 days) were compared and the result shows that immersing rice straw into leachate was superior to leachate percolation in methane production. Effect of the immersion period (24, 48 and 72 h) in each circulation cycle on methane production was then evaluated for each inoculation strategy. Methane production increased until the immersion period up to 24 h and then decreased, while the average cumulative methane yield with an immersion period of 24 h was (180 mL/g volatile solids). Slurry application with an immersion period 24 h is recommended as the optimum operating condition., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mixing is an important operation in solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) to improve the mass transfer of the solid phase. This study proposed simple turning by loader in common garage-type digester without commonly used mixer or percolation system (simplified SS-AD). In simplified-SS-AD, turning is conducted in open condition. Thus, oxidation of anaerobic sludge during turning would influence digestion performance. Therefore, in this study, the effect of turning wastes by mixing during digestion on a simplified SS-AD fed with rice straw and pig urine was investigated. Four different mixing frequency levels-no mixing (M0) and mixing once a day (M-1/1), once every 3 days (M-1/3) and once a week (M-1/7)-were conducted. Methane yields of M0, M-1/3 and M-1/7 were comparable with each other. Methane yield and lag period of M-1/1 were approximately 61% and 155% of M0 (351.2  mL/g VS and 4.7 days), respectively. Furthermore, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of acetate accumulated in the digestate of M-1/1 was comparable to the difference in the COD of methane production between M-1/1 and the other treatments. Mixing every day also resulted in a higher oxidation-reduction potential and carbon dioxide content. These findings suggest that methanogenesis was inhibited in M-1/1 by frequent mixing in the atmosphere. Net energy analysis of SS-AD plant operation showed that M0 can obtain the highest net energy gain, whereas net energy production of M-1/7 was reduced by rewarming after mixing. Therefore, no mixing is the most effective approach for the proposed simplified process., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: PD98059 is a potent and selective inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Substantial preclinical evidence has shown an anti-tumor effect of curcumin on various solid tumors. This study aimed to investigate whether curcumin synergistically acts with PD98059 in exerting anti-gastric cancer effects., Methods: The cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation of the human gastric cancer MGC-803 cell line. Flow cytometry was performed to detect apoptosis. Western blotting was used to detect phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) expression levels. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine microRNA-21 (miR-21)., Results: A dose of 5 to 40 µM curcumin inhibited proliferation of MGC-803 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. A high dose of curcumin strongly inhibited p-Akt protein expression. With increasing curcumin levels, PTEN expression increased and miR-21 levels decreased. These results suggest that curcumin negatively modulated the miR-21/PTEN/Akt pathway. Moreover, after pretreatment with PD98059, cell apoptosis induced by curcumin was significantly increased. Additionally, the inhibitory effects of curcumin on the miR-21/PTEN/Akt pathway were significantly enhanced., Conclusion: PD98059 combined with curcumin may be a potential strategy for managing gastric cancer.

Aim: The present study aimed to identify microRNA (miRNA) that can be used for not only detecting early-stage breast cancer (BC) but also diagnosing atypical hyperplasia (AH)., Materials & Methods: RT-qPCR detected the expression levels of miRNAs and receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of the assay., Results: miR-24 and miR-103a were expressed in an upward trend in serum of benign proliferative tumor subjects, while they were downregulated significantly in serum of AH (p < 0.005) and early-stage BC subjects (p < 0.005) with high sensitivity and specificity as compared with controls. Bioinformatics analysis also revealed the potential molecular mechanism through which miR-24 and miR-103a regulate tumorigenesis in BC., Conclusion: miR-24 and miR-103a were valuable biomarkers for distinguishing AH and early-stage BC from healthy individuals/benign proliferative tumor patients.

Purpose: Liver cancer is a high mortality disease with no curable treatments. Posttranscriptional modifications play essential roles in the occurrence and the progression of liver cancer. EIF2B5 is a subunit of EIF2B that regulates the initiation and the rate of translation and participates in several diseases including tumors. This study aims to elucidate the prognostic significance of EIF2B5 in liver cancer., Materials and Methods: We used The Cancer Genome Atlas database to analyze the expression of EIF2B5 in liver cancer. Then we used chi-squared and Fisher exact tests to test the correlation between clinical characteristics and EIF2B5 expression. Finally, we assessed the role of EIF2B5 in prognosis by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed by using The Cancer Genome Atlas data set., Results: The results showed that EIF2B5 was upregulated in liver cancer, and the expression was related to histologic grade, clinical stage, and vital status. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis implicated that highly expressed EIF2B5 correlated with poor prognosis, and EIF2B5 was an independent risk factor for liver cancer. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that ATR and BRCA pathway, cell cycle pathway, DNA repair, myc signaling pathway, and E2F targets are differentially enriched in EIF2B5 high-expression phenotype., Conclusion: Our results suggest that EIF2B5 participated in cancer progression and could become a biomarker for the prognosis of patients with liver cancer., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Dry anaerobic digestion is a promising technology for the recycling of agricultural waste to produce energy and fertilizer. Adding water to the substrate enables better handling and avoid inhibition caused by high total solid (TS) content in the reactor; however, it also increases leachate and operational costs. To assess the extent to which the amount of water added can be reduced, it was examined how the TS content in the reactor influenced the production of biogas. A semi-batch dry thermophilic anaerobic digester was fed with substrate (rice straw and pig manure) at a constant organic loading rate, and varied the TS contents (27%, 32%, 37%, and 42%) of the substrate by adding different amounts of water (representing 0-36% of the total substrate). During incubation, the TS content in the reactor gradually increased from 18% to 31%. Biogas production was stable and high (564 ± 13-580 ± 36 N m 3 t -1 VS), and there was no accumulation of volatile fatty acids when the TS content of the reactor was between 18% and 27%. However, the rate decreased sharply and propionate and acetate were also produced when the TS content of the reactor exceeded 28%. By applying a simple TS balance model, it was found that stable biogas production could be achieved at a substrate TS content of 32%, at which reactor TS content reached 23% at steady-state condition., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the effect of the feedstock-to-inoculum (F/I) ratio on performance of the solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of pig urine and rice straw inoculated with a solid digestate, and clarified the microbial community succession. A 44-day biochemical methane potential test at F/I ratios of 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 at 55 °C and a 35-day large-scale batch test at F/I ratios of 0.5 and 3 at 55 °C were conducted to investigate the effects of F/I ratio on anaerobic digestibility and analyze microbial community succession, respectively. The highest cumulative methane yield was 353.7 m 3 /t VS in the large-scale batch test. Volatile fatty acids did not accumulate at any F/I ratios. The volatile solids reduction rate was highest at a F/I ratio of 0.5. Microbial community structures were similar between F/I ratios of 3 and 0.5, despite differences in digestion performance, suggesting that stable operation can be achieved at these ratios., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Molecule-targeted therapy, such as sorafenib, is one of the effectively therapeutic options for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, acquired resistance to sorafenib has been found in some HCC patients, resulting in poor prognosis. It is reported that PD-L1 and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) contribute to drug resistance. In this study, by inducing sorafenib-resistant HCC cell lines, we investigated their molecular and functional characteristics. Our data indicated that highly upregulated DNMT1 was positively correlated with PD-L1 overexpression in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. We demonstrate that PD-L1 regulate DNMT1 through STAT3 signaling pathway. Knockdown of PD-L1 induced DNMT1-dependent DNA hypomethylation and restored the expression of methylation-silenced CDH1. Moreover, inactivation of NFκB blocked PD-L1/STAT3/DNMT1 pathway in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. Functionally, genetic or pharmacological disruption of PD-L1 or/and DNMT1 sensitize HCC resistance to sorafenib. Importantly, dual inactivation of PD-L1 and DNMT1 by their inhibitor synergistically disrupts the colony formation of sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. These results demonstrate that targeting NFκB/PDL1/STAT3/DNMT1 axis is a new therapeutic strategy for preventing or overcoming the acquired resistance to sorafenib in HCC patients.

Adult heart has limited potential for regeneration after pathological injury due to the limited cell proliferation of cardiomyocytes and the quiescent status of progenitor cells. As such, induction of cell-cycle reentry of cardiomyocytes is one of the key strategies for regeneration of damaged heart. In this study, a subset of miRNAs including miR-708 were identified to be much more abundant in the embryonic and neonatal cardiomyocytes than that in adult rodents. Overexpression of miR-708 promoted cellular proliferation of H9C2 cells or primary cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats or mice in vitro . Lipid nanoparticle delivery of miR-708 promoted myocardial regeneration and heart function recovery in vivo. In addition, miR-708 protected cardiomyocytes against stress-induced apoptosis under hypoxia or isoproterenol treatments. miR-708 inhibited the expression of MAPK14, which has been demonstrated arresting the cell cycle in cardiomyocytes. The cell proliferation-promoting function of miR-708 was dependent at least partly on the expression of MAPK14. These findings strengthen the potential of applying miRNAs to reconstitute lost cardiomyocytes in injured hearts, and may provide a novel miRNA candidate for promoting heart regeneration., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Background: Currently, sorafenib is the only systemic chemotherapy drug for advanced stage Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, emerging data from some clinical HCC patients indicate that sorafenib alone has only moderate antitumor efficacy, and could not inhibit disease metastasis and progression. KU-55933 is a specific ATM inhibitor, which has pro-apoptotic effect on tumor cells. In this study, we analyzed the synergistic effect of sorafenib and KU-55933 on the proliferation of HCC cell lines. Methods: Three HCC cell lines were treated with sorafenib and KU-55933 alone or combination in vitro to investigate inhibitory effect by MTT and wound healing assay. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype change was investigated after sorafenib and KU-55933 treatment by microscopy. Akt signaling pathway proteins including p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-p70S6K were examined by western blot. In addition, cleaved PARP and autophage-related proteins LC3A/B were detected by western blot. Results: KU-55933 can enhance the effect of sorafenib in inhibiting cell proliferation and migration, overcoming EMT, inducing cell apoptosis via inactivating Akt signaling pathway and inducing autophage. The combination treatment with sorafenib and KU-55933 resulted in a strong synergistic effect in vitro . Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that sorafenib combined with KU-55933 treatment does effectively inhibit proliferation of HCC cell lines synergistically. These data suggests that KU-55933 may be a promising chemosensitizer to sorafenib in the treatment of HCC., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed 'small RNA zipper'. It is designed to connect miRNA molecules end to end, forming a DNA-RNA duplex through a complementary interaction with high affinity, high specificity and high stability. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, are tested in human breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating the 70∼90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30-50 nM small RNA zippers. The miR-221 zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-221 in breast cancer cells. In addition, we demonstrate that the miR-221 zipper attenuates doxorubicin resistance with higher efficiency than anti-miR-221 in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, small RNA zippers are a miRNA inhibitor, which can be used to induce miRNA loss-of-function phenotypes and validate miRNA target genes.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is an intractable diabetic complication. Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) frequently present with infected DFUs. In this study, a wound healing model on diabetic rat foot was established to mimic the pathophysiology of clinical patients who suffer from DFUs. Our study aimed to explore the localization of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) and the role of these cells in the repair of foot ulcerated tissue in diabetic rats, and thus to estimate the possibilities of adipose-derived stem cells for diabetic wound therapy., Method: Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish diabetic models by streptozotocin injection. A full-thickness foot dorsal skin wound was created by a 5 mm skin biopsy punch and a Westcott scissor. These rats were randomly divided into two groups: the hADSC-treated group and the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control group. The hADSC or PBS treatment was delivered through the left femoral vein of rats. We evaluated the localization of hADSCs with fluorescence immunohistochemistry and the ulcer area and ulcerative histology were detected dynamically., Result: The hADSCs had a positive effect on the full-thickness foot dorsal skin wound in diabetic rats with a significantly reduced ulcer area at day 15. More granulation tissue formation, angiogenesis, cellular proliferation, and higher levels of growth factors expression were also detected in wound beds., Conclusions: Our data suggest that hADSC transplantation has the potential to promote foot wound healing in diabetic rats, and transplantation of exogenous stem cells may be suitable for clinical application in the treatment of DFU.

Less than 2% of the human genome DNA is composed of protein-coding genes, although the majority of the human genome is transcribed, indicating the transcripts mostly are noncoding RNAs. Those noncoding RNAs with length between 200 nt and 200 kb are categorized as long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Around 30 000 lncRNAs have been predicted or identified, although little is known regarding the regulatory function for a vast majority of these sequences. Emerging evidence demonstrated that lncRNAs play crucial roles in regulation of many cancer types, including breast cancer, serving as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Aberrant and differential expression of lncRNA in breast cancer has been frequently reported. Their regulation of breast cancer is still the beginning to be elucidated. This review collected those experimentally validated lncRNAs in human breast cancer, summarizing their biological function as well as the regulatory mechanism. In addition, the potential of lncRNAs as biomarkers for better diagnosis or therapeutic targets for cancer treatment was discussed., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Circulating miRNAs are protected from ribonuclease degradation by assembly into microvesicles and exosomes. Releasing miRNAs completely from these particles is the key step to quantify the circulating miRNAs. Currently purified RNA-based quantitative analysis is widely used while it is time and cost consuming with high risk for those circulating miRNAs with low abundance due to partial loss of RNA during the steps of total RNA extraction and small RNA enrichment. Herein, we optimized a simple, effective and time-saving method to directly measure plasma miRNAs without RNA isolation. It is based on complete miRNA release from the protein complexes, followed by miRNA-specific reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR amplification. By comparison to the RNA-based approach, the direct quantification method showed more efficiency for circulating miRNA analysis, higher accuracy and specificity. By application of the direct quantification method to clinical samples combined with the RNA-based miRNA screening analysis, upregulation of miR-106a in blood was validated in metastatic breast cancer patients, indicating miR-106a are a potential biomarker for metastatic breast cancer., Competing Interests: None.

The link between anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, increasing atmospheric CO2 levels, and concomitantly increasing global temperatures is established and accepted. The use of aqueous ammonia, to capture CO2 and produce an inexpensive nitrogen fertilizer, ammonium bicarbonate (ABC), is believed to be a feasible approach to CO2 sequestration. Due to the varying concentrations of reactants and varying reaction conditions, different ammonia-carbon compounds may be produced. ABC is the ideal product for maximizing NH3 utilization in CO2 capture; therefore, identification and quantification of ABC in the reaction products is mandatory. Various analytical techniques were used to distinguish and quantify the ABC. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy can only be used to distinguish ammonium carbamate, and. X-ray diffraction can be used to qualitatively distinguish ABC from the other possible products of the CO2 capture reaction. Carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen elemental analysis and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were used to quantify ABC, with both techniques giving +/-5% agreement for ABC concentrations for 8 of 13 samples from a bench-scale aqueous ammonia CO2 scrubbing system. An additional 3 of the 13 samples were within +/-12%. Results indicate that NIR will be an ideal tool for real-time, on-line measurements of ABC in a full-scale aqueous ammonia CO2 scrubber. The ABC in 11 samples from the bench-scale scrubber at Western Kentucky University was determined by these techniques and assessed to have very good quality as a fertilizer in accordance with GB-3559-92, the Agricultural Ammonium Bicarbonate National Standard of China.