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Background The efficacy of traditional therapeutic methods for liver cancer is unsatisfying because of the poor targeting, and inefficient drug delivery system. A recent study has proven that aptamers, developed through cell-SELEX, could specifically recognize cancer cells and show great potential in the development of a delivery system for anticancer drugs. Purpose To develop a hepatocellular carcinoma specific aptamer using two kinds of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, HepG2 and SMMC-7721, as double targets and a normal hepatocyte, L02, as a negative control cell. Methods Hepatocellular carcinoma specific aptamer was developed via cell-SELEX. The enrichment of the library was monitored by flow cytometric analysis. The specificity, affinity, and distribution of the candidate aptamer were explored. Further study was carried to assess its potential in drug delivery. Results The library was enriched after 14 rounds of screening. Candidate aptamer Apt-07S can recognize four kinds of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and show little cell-binding ability to normal cells and four cell lines of different cancer types, revealing a high specificity of Apt-07S. Confocal imaging showed that Apt-07S distributed both on the surface and in the cytoplasm of the two target cells. Moreover, an anti-sense nucleotide to gene Plk1 (ASO-Plk1) was connected at the 3' end of Apt-07S to form an integrated molecule (Apt-07S-ASO-Plk1); the functional analysis indicated that the structure of Apt-07S may help ASO-Plk1 enter the cancer cells. Conclusion The study indicates that Apt-07S can specifically target HCC and may have potential in the delivery of anticancer drugs.

Oocyte meiosis is a complex process coordinated by multiple endocrinal and molecular circuits. Recently, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) epigenetic modification on RNA is revealed to be important for meiotic maturation. However, the molecular mechanism of how m6A modification exerts its effect on oocyte maturation is largely unknown. Here, we showed that endogenous m6A writers (Mettl3 and Wtap) and eraser (Fto) elevated their transcript levels during meiotic maturation of pig oocytes. From germinal vesicle (GV) to metaphase II (MII) stages, global m6A level significantly increased, and existed mostly in ooplasm. Methyl donor (betaine, 16 mM) treatment of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro maturation (IVM) significantly boosted nucleic acid m6A level within oocytes, but unchanged meiotic process and oocyte subsequent development. By contrast, methylation inhibitor (cycloleucine, 20 mM) reduced nucleic acid m6A level, and significantly decreased the germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) rate, the extrusion rate of the first polar body, and the cleavage and blastocyst rates of parthenotes. In addition, in cycloleucine-treated oocytes Wtap increased but Lin28 decreased their abundances significantly, along with the higher incidence of spindle defects and chromosome misalignment. Furthermore, pT161-CDK1 protein level in pig oocytes was confirmed to be decreased after cycloleucine treatment for 24 h. Taken together, chemical induced reduction of nucleic acid m6A methylation during pig oocyte meiosis could impair meiotic maturation and subsequent development potency, possibly through down-regulating pluripotency marker Lin28 mRNA abundance and disturbing MPF-regulated chromosome/spindle organization.

Oocytes of better quality and developmental competence are highly demanded, which is affected by many intrinsic and external factors, including environmental pollutants. We have previously demonstrated that 7, 12-dimethylbenz [a]anthracene (DMBA) reduces the developmental competence of porcine oocytes, by desynchronizing nuclear and ooplasmic maturation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains obscure. Here we performed single cell RNA-seq to study the transcriptome changes in DMBA-treated porcine MII oocytes, and identified 19 protein-coding genes and 156 novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with abundance to be significantly different (P 0.05), which enriched in signaling pathways such as glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, nicotine addiction, basal transcription factors and nucleotide excision repair. RT-qPCR on oocyte pools confirmed ornithine aminotransferase (Oat) and serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 4 (Srsf4) to be significantly up- and down-regulated, respectively (P 0.05). Treating porcine COCs with MAPK and PLC pathway inhibitors suppressed DMBA's effects on increasing PB1 extrusion rate. In addition, DMBA co-incubation with 250 μM vitamin C derivative (l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate, AA2P) and 100 μM co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) could significantly reduce the DMBA-induced high ROS level, and partially alleviate the DMBA-induced high PB1 rate, whereas the cleavage and blastocyst rates of parthenotes derived from treated mature oocytes remained to be low. Collectively, our findings indicate that single cell RNA-seq can help reveal the dynamics of molecular signaling pathways for porcine oocytes treated by DMBA, and supplement of anti-oxidative reagents could not sufficiently rescue DMBA-induced defects of porcine oocytes.

Background The efficacy of traditional therapeutic methods for liver cancer is unsatisfying because of the poor targeting, and inefficient drug delivery system. A recent study has proven that aptamers, developed through cell-SELEX, could specifically recognize cancer cells and show great potential in the development of a delivery system for anticancer drugs. Purpose To develop a hepatocellular carcinoma specific aptamer using two kinds of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, HepG2 and SMMC-7721, as double targets and a normal hepatocyte, L02, as a negative control cell. Methods Hepatocellular carcinoma specific aptamer was developed via cell-SELEX. The enrichment of the library was monitored by flow cytometric analysis. The specificity, affinity, and distribution of the candidate aptamer were explored. Further study was carried to assess its potential in drug delivery. Results The library was enriched after 14 rounds of screening. Candidate aptamer Apt-07S can recognize four kinds of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and show little cell-binding ability to normal cells and four cell lines of different cancer types, revealing a high specificity of Apt-07S. Confocal imaging showed that Apt-07S distributed both on the surface and in the cytoplasm of the two target cells. Moreover, an anti-sense nucleotide to gene Plk1 (ASO-Plk1) was connected at the 3ʹ end of Apt-07S to form an integrated molecule (Apt-07S-ASO-Plk1); the functional analysis indicated that the structure of Apt-07S may help ASO-Plk1 enter the cancer cells. Conclusion The study indicates that Apt-07S can specifically target HCC and may have potential in the delivery of anticancer drugs.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) functions as a molecular chaperone in its interaction with clients to influence multiple cellular and physiological processes. However, our current understanding on Hsp90's relationship with mammalian oocyte maturation is still very limited. Here, we aimed to investigate Hsp90's effect on pig oocyte meiotic maturation. Endogenous Hsp90α was constantly expressed at both mRNA and protein levels in porcine maturing oocytes. Addition of 2 µM 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), the Hsp90 inhibitor, to in vitro mature cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) significantly decreased Hsp90α protein level (P < 0.05), delayed germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) (P < 0.05), and impeded the first polar body (PB1) extrusion (P < 0.01) of porcine oocytes. 2 µM 17-AAG treatment during in vitro maturation also decreased the subsequent development competence as indicated by the lower cleavage (P < 0.001) and higher fragmentation (P < 0.001) rates of parthenotes, whereas no effects on the percentage and average cell number of blastocysts were found. Immunodepletion of Hsp90α by antibody microinjection into porcine oocytes at germinal vesicle and metaphase II stages induced similar defects of meiotic maturation and parthenote development, to that resulted from 2 µM inhibitor 17-AAG. For oocytes treated by 2 µM 17-AAG, the cytoplasm and membrane actin levels were weakened (P < 0.01), and the spindle assembly was disturbed (P < 0.05), due to decreased p-ERK1/2 level (P < 0.05). However, the mitochondrial function and early apoptosis were not affected, as demonstrated by rhodamine 123 staining and Annexin V assays. Our findings indicate that Hsp90α can couple with mitogen-activated protein kinase to regulate cytoskeletal structure and orchestrate meiotic maturation of porcine oocytes.

The brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) test is used in both basic biological research and assisted reproduction to identify oocytes likely to be developmentally competent. However, the underlying molecular mechanism targeted by the BCB test is still unclear. To explore this question, we first confirmed that BCB-positive porcine oocytes had higher rates of meiotic maturation, better rates of cleavage and development into blastocysts, and lower death rates. Subsequent single-cell transcriptome sequencing on porcine germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes identified 155 genes that were significantly differentially expressed between BCB-negative and BCB-positive oocytes. These included genes such as cdc5l, ldha, spata22, rgs2, paip1, wee1b, and hsp27, which are enriched in functionally important signaling pathways including cell cycle regulation, oocyte meiosis, spliceosome formation, and nucleotide excision repair. In BCB-positive GV oocytes that additionally had a lower frequency of DNA double-strand breaks, the CDC5L protein was significantly more abundant. cdc5l/CDC5L inhibition by short interference (si)RNA or antibody microinjection significantly impaired porcine oocyte meiotic maturation and subsequent parthenote development. Taken together, our single-oocyte sequencing data point to a potential new role for CDC5L in porcine oocyte meiosis and early embryo development, and supports further analysis of this protein in the context of the BCB test.

Environmental factors play an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among these factors, smoking is generally considered to be an established risk factor for RA. Data regarding the impact of diet on risk of RA development is limited. This study assessed the impact of dietary patterns on RA susceptibility in Chinese populations. This was a large scale, case-control study composed of 968 patients with RA and 1037 matched healthy controls. Subjects were recruited from 18 teaching hospitals. Socio-demographic characteristics and dietary intakes 5 years prior to the onset of RA were reported by a self-administered questionnaire. Differences in quantity of consumption between cases and controls were analyzed by Student’s t test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to identify independent dietary risk factor(s) responsible for RA susceptibility. Compared to healthy individuals, RA patients had decreased consumption of mushrooms (P = 0.000), beans (P = 0.006), citrus (P = 0.000), poultry (P = 0.000), fish (P = 0.000), edible viscera (P = 0.018), and dairy products (P = 0.005). Multivariate analyses revealed that several dietary items may have protective effects on RA development, such as mushrooms (aOR = 0.669; 95%CI = 0.518–0.864, P = 0.002), citrus fruits (aOR = 0.990; 95%CI = 0.981–0.999, P = 0.04), and dairy products (aOR = 0.921; 95%CI 0.867–0.977, P = 0.006). Several dietary factors had independent effects on RA susceptibility. Dietary interventions may reduce the risk of RA.

A modified formula to calculate the axial conductivity of nanowires was proposed based on the one-dimensional quantum state density distribution and Boltzmann transport theory. Numerical simulations of the ZnO nanowires (ZnONWs) and Nitrogen-doped ZnO nanowires (N-ZnONWs) were implemented using data from the first principles calculation. The results indicate that ZnONWs are low-conductivity wide band-gap semiconductors owing to their low carrier concentrations at room temperature, with N-doping increasing the conductivity. The N-ZnONWs carrier concentrations increased with increasing temperature, and possessed significantly higher carrier concentrations than ZnONWs. With an increase in diameter, the ZnONWs conductivities increased, whereas the N-ZnONWs conductivities decreased.

We established a calculation model of the conductivity of multilayer graphene based on Boltzmann transport equation and 2D electron gas theory. Numerical simulations show that the conductivities of few-layer graphene and graphene nanosheets are reduced when thickness is increased. The reduction rate decreases for micron-range thicknesses and remains constant thereafter. Moreover, the conductivity increases with the increase in temperature, in which the increase rate declines as temperature increases. Higher thickness exhibits a more obvious temperature effect on conductivity. Such effect also increases with the increase in temperature.

L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) can enhance the meiotic maturation and developmental competence of porcine oocytes, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains obscure. Here we show the role of ascorbic acid in regulating epigenetic status of both nucleic acids and chromatin to promote oocyte maturation and development in pigs. Supplementation of 250 μM L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate (AA2P) during in vitro maturation significantly enhanced the nuclear maturation (as indicated by higher rate of first polar body extrusion and increased Bmp15 mRNA level), reduced level of reactive oxygen species, and promoted developmental potency (higher cleavage and blastocyst rates of parthenotes, and decreased Bax and Caspase3 mRNA levels in blastocysts) of pig oocytes. AA2P treatment caused methylation erasure in mature oocytes on nucleic acids (5-methylcytosine (5 mC) and N 6 -methyladenosine (m6A)) and histones (Histone H3 trimethylations at lysines 27, H3K27me3), but establishment of histone H3 trimethylations at lysines 4 (H3K4me3) and 36 (H3K36me3). During the global methylation reprogramming process, levels of TET2 (mRNA and protein) and Dnmt3b (mRNA) were significantly elevated, but simultaneously DNMT3A (mRNA and protein), and also Hif-1α, Hif-2α, Tet3, Mettl14, Kdm5b and Eed (mRNA) were significantly inhibited. Our findings support that ascorbic acid can reprogram the methylation status of not only DNA and histone, but also RNA, to improve pig oocyte maturation and developmental competence.

Here we report the characteristics of global shallow-source seismicities associated with solar activities in different time scales during the past 10 solar cycle periods (1902-2008). By using Lomb-Scargle spectrum analyses, about 11 years period exists in the number of earthquakes (4≤M

Bainiuchang mine is located in the junction of three tectonic units. It has excellent forming geological conditions and the potential for prospecting. Among it, the Baiyang-Chuanxindong ore block has a large prospecting space. According to deposit the previous geological exploration engineering data, based on Surpac software to establish the deposit database and ore grade distribution model, and the application of ordinary kriging estimation of orebody resources, orebody resources evaluation is more reliable, accurate, efficient and fast. Through the deposit model of digitalization and visualization, it will greatly promote the process of digital mine enterprises in china.

The aim of this study is to investigate the remission rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China and identify its potential determinants. A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2009 to January 2012. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews of the rheumatology outpatients in 28 tertiary hospitals in China. The remission rates were calculated in 486 RA patients according to different definitions of remission: the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) Boolean definition. Potential determinants of RA remission were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses. The remission rates of RA from this multi-center cohort were 8.6 % (DAS28), 8.4 % (SDAI), 8.2 % (CDAI), and 6.8 % (Boolean), respectively. Favorable factors associated with remission were: low Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score, absence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), and treatment of methotrexate (MTX) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Younger age was also predictive for the DAS28 and the Boolean remission. Multivariate analyses revealed a low HAQ score, the absence of anti-CCP, and the treatment with HCQ as independent determinants of remission. The clinical remission rate of RA patients was low in China. A low HAQ score, the absence of anti-CCP, and HCQ were significant independent determinants for RA remission.

Huize lead-zinc mine is one of the typical representative of large rich lead-zinc deposits in the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou lead-zinc mineralization district. It plays a key role in the development of Yunnan non-ferrous metals industry. In this paper, on the basis of enough analysis and research to Kirin factory Ore Body’s geologic feature in Huize lead-zinc mines, using reasonable economic parameters, combined with the actual situation of the orebody and break-even analysis, optimizing cut-off grade, it delineates the ore body by breakeven grade and comprehensive grade and achieves a dynamic multi-plans orebody for the purpose of the service life of mine.

China's increasing demand for energy, the energy development and utilization patterns of traditional high exploitation, high emission and low use, not only caused a serious waste of resources and environmental damage, but also is difficult to meet the needs of economic development and facing the industry crisis of survival. Entered a new period of development, the coal industry how to get out of a resource conservation and production intensive road of sustainable development becomes an important strategic task. In this paper, by constructing and using efficiency of coal resources optimal allocation model and path analysis for the sustainable development of coal industry, circular economy, as a kind of advanced development model to promote the coordinated development of resources, environment and economy, becomes the inevitable choice of the coal industry to explore a new road to industrialization.

The mature regional risk indexes abroad are individual risk and social risk, whereas few effective methods are to evaluate the influence of hazards on the regional risk in domestic. This paper studies the research of field theory in physics and combines with the definition of individual risk of hazards. By using analogism method of electric field to the risk analysis,the individual risk field of hazards model is established and each parameter in the model is explained. The direct and clear individual risk distribution of hazards is of certain guiding significance for the overall assessment of urban and regional system risk influence.

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used as seed cells in studies of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; however, their clinical application is limited due to replicative senescence. It has been demonstrated that telomerase expression extends the lifespan and maintains the bone-forming ability of MSCs; however, the detailed role and the underlying molecular mechanisms in MSCs remain largely unknown. In the present study, we found that senescence was associated with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression, and telomere length and telomerase activity. We established a short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting hTERT and a gene expression vector carrying hTERT and transfected these into the MSCs to investigate the detailed role and the underlying molecular mechanisms of action of hTERT in MSCs. We found that the downregulation of hTERT by siRNA markedly decreased telomere length and telomerase activity in the MSCs, whereas the overexpression of hTERT increased telomere length and telomerase activity in the MSCs. The downregulation of hTERT inhibited cell proliferation and promoted the senescence and apoptosis of MSCs, whereas the upregulation of hTERT increased cell proliferation and decreased the senescence and apoptosis of MSCs. Of note, we also found that the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was mediated by hTERT and that blocking this pathway using LY294002 inhibited hTERT expression, induced senescence and decreased the proliferation of MSCs. These findings reveal a previously unknown regulatory mechanism of hTERT, indicating that hTERT mediates the senescence of MSCs through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

To study the chemical constituents in the hypoglycemic active fraction of Celastrus orbiculatus leaf.The constituents were separated and purified by column chromatography and thin layer chromatography, and their structures were elucidated by IR, MS and NMR.Seven compounds were isolated from the active fraction of Celastnrus orbiculatus, which identified as kaempferol( 1) ,quercetin(2), kaempferol-7-0-α-L-rhamnoside (3), kaempferol-3,7-di-O-α-L-rhamnoside (4) , quercetin-3-0-β-D-glucoside(5), myricetrin(6) and kaempferol-3-0-rutinoside(7).Chemical constituents in the hypoglycemic active fraction of Celastrus orbiculatus leaf are reported for the first time,and compounds 5,6 and 7 are firstly obtained from this plant.

The structures and electronic properties of ZnO nanowires (NWs) of different diameters are investigated by employing the first-principles density functional theory. The results indicate that the oxygen vacancy (VO) exerts a more evident influence on the band gap of the ZnO NWs. However, the effect will be weakened with the increase of the diameter. In addition, the energy band shifts downward due to the existence of VO and the offset decreases with the reduction of the VO concentration. As the concentration of surface Zn atoms decreases, the conduction band shifts downward, while 2p electrons are lost in the oxygen vacancy, resulting in the split of valence band and the formation of an impurity level. Our findings agree well with the previous observations and will be of great importance for theoretical research based on ZnO NWs.

The electronic structures and optical properties of N-doped ZnO bulks and nanotubes are investigated using the first-principles density functional method. The calculated results show that the main optical parameters of ZnO bulks are isotropic (especially in the high frequency region), while ZnO nanotubes exhibit anisotropic optical properties. N doping results show that ZnO bulks and nanotubes present more obvious anisotropies in the low-frequency region. Thereinto, the optical parameters of N-doped ZnO bulks along the [100] direction are greater than those along the [001] direction, while for N-doped nanotubes, the variable quantities of optical parameters along the [100] direction are less than those along the [001] direction. In addition, refractive indexes, electrical conductivities, dielectric constants, and absorption coefficients of ZnO bulks and nanotubes each contain an obvious spectral band in the deep ultraviolet (UV) (100 nm ~ 300 nm). For each of N-doped ZnO bulks and nanotubes, a spectral peak appears in the UV and visible light region, showing that N doping can broaden the application scope of the optical properties of ZnO.

Based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) in density functional theory (DFT) and using the first-principle plane wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method, we construct and optimize the structures of intrinsic and oxygen vacancy (VO) ZnO bulks and nanowires (NWs) in the Castep module. Moreover, the calculation of band structures and the optical properties are carried out. The calculated results exhibit that the oxygen vacancy exerts a more significant influence on the electronic structures of the ZnO bulks instead of the NWs. What is more, the influences of the VO on the optical properties are mainly embodied in the ultraviolet region, and the main optical parameters of ZnO bulks and NWs with VO are anisotropic.