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IntroductionThe present study aimed to investigate the interaction of the common lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network involved in signaling pathways in different stages of prostate cancer (PCa) by using bioinformatics and experimental methods.MethodsSeventy subjects included sixty PCa patients in Local, Locally Advanced, Biochemical Relapse, Metastatic, and Benign stages, and ten healthy subjects were entered into the current study. The mRNAs with significant expression differences were first found using the GEO database. The candidate hub genes were then identified by analyzing Cytohubba and MCODE software. Cytoscape, GO Term, and KEGG software determined hub genes and critical pathways. The expression of candidate lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs was then assessed using Real-Time PCR and ELISA techniques.Results4 lncRNAs, 5 miRNAs, and 15 common target genes were detected in PCa patients compared with the healthy group. Unlike the tumor suppressors, the expression levels of common onco-lncRNAs, oncomiRNAs, and oncogenes showed a considerable increase in patients with advanced stages; Biochemical Relapse and Metastatic, in comparison to the primary stages; Local and Locally Advanced. Additionally, their expression levels significantly increased with a higher Gleason score than a lower one.ConclusionIdentifying a common lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network associated with prostate cancer may be clinically valuable as potential predictive biomarkers. They can also serve as novel therapeutic targets for PCa patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of short-term atherosclerosis in the common carotid arteries following radiotherapy.Methods: The mean radiation dose to the arteries was 49.30±15.83 Gy. A computational ultrasound method was introduced to investigate the elastic modulus. Ultrasonography was performed 2-3 cm inferior to the bifurcation region before and after radiotherapy, and sequential images were extracted from a video of each artery. Instantaneous movement of the arterial wall in the radial and longitudinal directions was extracted by implementing the maximum gradient and block matching algorithms, respectively.Results: There was a significant change in systolic blood pressure after radiotherapy (P=0.008). Irradiated arteries had significantly smaller systolic and end-diastolic diameters than non-irradiated arteries (P

A construction 3D printing system could result in automated infrastructure development at reduced cost and time, significantly boosting overall productivity. Although there has been a growing interest in using construction 3D printing for projects such as house construction, implementing this innovative technology for infrastructure development, particularly bridge construction, has not been investigated as extensively. This study aims to compare the environmental impact of precast and 3D concrete printing (3DCP) techniques with a pedestrian bridge case study, located in Louisiana, where the bridge elements were 3D printed off-site and then transported and assembled on the bridge site. A detailed cradle-to-site life cycle assessment has been performed from the standpoint of material, construction, and installation stages, using an open-source software called OpenLCA. The results of this study showed that the mixtures commonly used in 3DCP have a higher negative environmental impact compared to the precast method due to the higher percentage of cement used in these materials. However, since 3DCP used less material than the precast technique, there is no significant difference in the environmental impact of the total concrete used between the 3DCP and precast bridges. In addition, due to the use of reinforcement and formwork in the precast technique, the environmental impact of the total materials used in the precast bridge was more adverse than the 3DCP bridge. Notably, due to use of electricity for printing, the negative environmental impact of the construction process in 3DCP was significantly higher than in the precast technique. Finally, the total carbon dioxide equivalent emitted during the construction of the 3DCP bridge was 80% of the precast bridge., Tran-SET Project: 21STLSU04

This study investigates the fresh and hardened-state properties of printing mixtures including different dosages of steel fibers, especially at higher dosages which have not been investigated before. This study also considers the effects of other parameters such as sand-to-powder ratio and the limestone content on the properties of steel fiber reinforced printing materials, to reduce the Portland cement content which has a high carbon footprint. The obtained experimental results revealed that high-performance materials incorporating up to 2.5% steel fibers (by volume) can be successfully 3D printed. The mechanical properties of the reinforced mixtures improved significantly at high fiber dosages (2% and 2.5% vol.). By incorporating 2% and 2.5% vol. of steel fibers, the compressive strength results showed up to 109% and 50% increase in strength compared to the control mixture, at 7 days and 28 days, respectively. In addition, significant improvement in the flexural strength, tensile strength and toughness of printing materials were achieved at high dosages of steel fiber inclusion. The obtained results also reveal that the orientation and alignment degree of steel fibers in the composite is affected by different parameters such as the binder content and nozzle design. In addition, an electromechanical module was successfully designed, developed, and implemented with an existing printing system to enable a semi-automated screw insertion process in parallel with the layer deposition process. This highlights the feasibility of a fully automated layer deposition and reinforcement process for future real-life construction projects., Tran-SET Project: 21CLSU01

Additional file 1. The vignette used as the questionnaire of the study.

In this paper Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are employed to develop a model which could estimate the RCPT value of various mixtures according to the mix design parameters, age and surface resistivity of concrete specimens. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is carried out on the best ANN model to determine the influence of each input on the concrete resistance to the rapid chloride penetration. 258 experimental datasets, resulted from 79 mix designs, were used as training data for ANN models; all of which prepared and tested in Concrete Technology and Durability Research Center of Amirkabir University of Technology (CTDRC). Another simplified model is proposed using linear regression analysis; which estimates the RCPT value simply according to surface resistivity measure. Finally, eight mixtures prepared in Building and Housing Research Center (BHRC) and six mixtures obtained from real-life projects, are employed to compare and validate the proposed models.

Background To assess tumor control and survival of the patients with laryngeal cancers who received chemoradiation or radiotherapy alone as definitive treatment. Material and Methods Patients with laryngeal cancers who received organ-saving treatment were enrolled in this trial. Results In 147 cases, chemoradiotherapy was administered in 61 patients. Twelve cases were excluded from the analysis because of the treatment interrupt or death. Fifty eight cases had early-staged disease. In median time of follow up (9.9 months), mean overall survival and mean disease free survival were 51 months and 37 months in early lesions, and 30 months and 17 months in locally advanced tumors, respectively. Local control rate was 60% in early-staged and 43.5% in locally advanced cases. The mean total radiation dose significantly affected the tumor control in chemoradiation group. Conclusion It seems that radiotherapy or chemoradiation can be appropriate alternative to total laryngectomy in laryngeal cancers.