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Cell migration, a hallmark of cancer malignancy, plays a critical role in cancers. Improperly initiated or misdirected cell migration can lead to invasive metastatic cancer. Migrasomes are newly discovered vesicular cellular organelles produced by migrating cells and depending on cell migration. Four marker proteins [NDST1 (bifunctionalheparan sulfate N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase 1), EOGT (Epidermal growth factor domains pecific O-linked N-acetylglucosaminetransferase), CPQ (carboxypeptidase Q), and PIGK (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class K)] of migrasomes were successfully identified. There are three marker proteins (NDST1, PIGK, and EOGT) of migrasome expressed in cancer. In this review, we will discuss the process of migrasome discovery, the formation of migrasome, the possible functions of migrasome, and the differences between migrasomes and exosomes, especially, the biological functions of migrasome marker proteins in cancer, and discuss some possible roles of migrasomes in cancer. We speculate that migrasomes and migracytosis can play key roles in regulating the development of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) ranks first among female malignant tumors and involves hormonal changes and genetic as well as environmental risk factors. In recent years, with the improvement of medical treatment, a variety of therapeutic approaches for breast cancer have emerged and have strengthened to accommodate molecular diversity. However, the primary way to improve the effective treatment of breast cancer patients is to overcome treatment resistance. Recent studies have provided insights into the mechanisms of resistance to exosome effects in BC. Exosomes are membrane-bound vesicles secreted by both healthy and malignant cells that facilitate intercellular communication. Specifically, exosomes released by tumor cells transport their contents to recipient cells, altering their properties and promoting oncogenic components, ultimately resulting in drug resistance. As important coordinators, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in this process and are aberrantly expressed in various human cancers. Exosome-derived ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have emerged as crucial components in understanding drug resistance in breast cancer. This review provides insights into the mechanism of exosome-derived ncRNAs in breast cancer drug resistance, thereby suggesting new strategies for the treatment of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess lung deformation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) using with elastic registration algorithm applied to three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D-UTE) MRI and analyze relationship of lung deformation with the severity of IPF. Methods: Seventy-six patients with IPF (mean age: 62 ± 6 years) and 62 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age: 58 ± 4 years) were prospectively enrolled. End-inspiration and end-expiration images acquired with a single breath-hold 3D-UTE sequence were registered using elastic registration algorithm. Jacobian determinants were calculated from deformation fields and represented on color maps. Jac-mean (absolute value of the log means of Jacobian determinants) and the Dice similarity coefficient (Dice) were compared between different groups. Results: Compared with healthy controls, the Jac-mean of IPF patients significantly decreased (0.21 ± 0.08 vs. 0.27 ± 0. 07, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the Jac-mean and Dice correlated with the metrics of pulmonary function tests and the composite physiological index. The lung deformation in IPF patients with dyspnea Medical Research Council (MRC) ≥ 3 (Jac-mean: 0.16 ± 0.03; Dice: 0.06 ± 0.02) was significantly lower than MRC1 (Jac-mean: 0. 25 ± 0.03, p < 0.001; Dice: 0.10 ± 0.01, p < 0.001) and MRC 2 (Jac-mean: 0.22 ± 0.11, p = 0.001; Dice: 0.08 ± 0.03, p = 0.006). Meanwhile, Jac-mean and Dice correlated with health-related quality of life, 6 min-walk distance, and the extent of pulmonary fibrosis. Jac-mean correlated with pulmonary vascular-related indexes on high-resolution CT. Conclusion: The decreased lung deformation in IPF patients correlated with the clinical severity of IPF patients. Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory 3D UTE MRI may be a new morphological and functional marker for non-radiation and noninvasive evaluation of IPF. Critical relevance statement: This prospective study demonstrated that lung deformation decreased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and correlated with the severity of IPF. Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D UTE) MRI may be a new morphological and functional marker for non-radiation and noninvasive evaluation of IPF. Key points: • Elastic registration of inspiratory-to-expiratory three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D UTE) MRI could evaluate lung deformation. • Lung deformation significantly decreased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, compared with the healthy controls. • Reduced lung deformation of IPF patients correlated with worsened pulmonary function and the composite physiological index (CPI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) and dolutegravir plus lamivudine (DTG + 3TC) are well tolerated and effective in clinical trials. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these two schemes in a real-world setting and to obtain the first dataset for switching to BIC/FTC/TAF and DTG + 3TC in a Chinese population. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study in China included participants who switched to DTG + 3TC or BIC/FTC/TAF between January 2020 and February 2023. The main endpoint was the proportion of participants with HIV-1 RNA levels of ≥ 50 copies/mL. Safety, tolerance, and the incidence of low-level viremia (LLV) were evaluated. Results: A total of 525 participants were included, 454 of whom were included in the PP analysis. At week 48, the proportions of participants with HIV-1 RNA ≥ 50 copies/mL were 4.4% (10/225) for DTG + 3TC and 6.1% (14/229) for BIC/FTC/TAF; virological efficacy did not differ significantly between the two groups. Consistent results were obtained in an intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis. The incidences of LLV were 3.6% (7/193) and 4.9% (10/206), respectively. During the study, none of the participants stopped taking drugs because of a lack of efficacy or adverse reactions. Conclusions: Both regimens are well tolerated and effective for switching HIV-1 infection therapy. However, the detection of genotypic drug resistance should be considered when baseline virological non-suppression is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Highlights: The gelation of hole transport layer generates a dense and uniform hole transport layer film and significantly inhibits the aggregation of lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide in spiro-OMeTAD. The gelated hole transport layer confers enhanced charge carrier transport and better humidity and operational stability of perovskite solar cells. To achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), a hole transport layer (HTL) with persistently high conductivity, good moisture/oxygen barrier ability, and adequate passivation capability is important. To achieve enough conductivity and effective hole extraction, spiro-OMeTAD, one of the most frequently used HTL in optoelectronic devices, often needs chemical doping with a lithium compound (LiTFSI). However, the lithium salt dopant induces crystallization and has a negative impact on the performance and lifetime of the device due to its hygroscopic nature. Here, we provide an easy method for creating a gel by mixing a natural small molecule additive (thioctic acid, TA) with spiro-OMeTAD. We discover that gelation effectively improves the compactness of resultant HTL and prevents moisture and oxygen infiltration. Moreover, the gelation of HTL improves not only the conductivity of spiro-OMeTAD, but also the operational robustness of the devices in the atmospheric environment. In addition, TA passivates the perovskite defects and facilitates the charge transfer from the perovskite layer to HTL. As a consequence, the optimized PSCs based on the gelated HTL exhibit an improved PCE (22.52%) with excellent device stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer and diabetes are significant health challenges, and effective treatments for both diseases are lacking. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have demonstrated anticancer and hypoglycemic effects, but their mechanisms of action are not yet fully understood. We used the GeneCards and PharmMapper databases to identify therapeutic targets for diabetes, breast cancer and PPIs. We identified common targets and constructed a regulatory network of diseases and drugs using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. We also explored the binding between small molecule ligands and protein receptors using Discovery Studio software. We identified 33 shared targets for breast cancer, diabetes, and PPIs including lansoprazole, omeprazole, and pantoprazole, which play a critical role in fatty acid transport, insulin resistance, apoptosis, and cancer-related signaling pathways. Our findings demonstrated that PPIs had a strong affinity for AKT1 and MMP9. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of action of PPIs in breast cancer and diabetes and identifies AKT1 and MMP9 as critical targets for future drug development. Our findings highlight the potential of PPIs as a novel therapeutic approach for these challenging diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-tanning process is crucial to improve the physical properties of leather in leather manufacture. However, enormous amounts of organic wastewater are produced, due to the poor binding of dyes and fatliquoring agents, especially in chrome-free leather production. In this study, a strategy to facilitate adsorption of the anionic leather chemicals by collagen fibers in the chrome-free leather processing by regulating the metal molar ratio of MgAl layered double oxide (MgAl-LDO) has been reported. MgAl layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) with different metal molar ratios are prepared by co-precipitation and used as the precursors to prepare MgAl-LDO with different metal molar ratios by calcining method. The results indicate that the charge density of MgAl-LDH laminate increases with decrease in the metal molar ratio. The MgAl-LDO shows a more uniform distribution within crust leather compared to MgAl-LDH. Ts and the thickening rate of the leather tanned by MgAl-LDO are higher than that of MgAl-LDH. Furthermore, dye concentration, COD, and SS of dyeing and fatliquoring wastewater all decrease with decreasing metal molar ratio due to the increase in charge density of MgAl-LDO and favors adsorption of anionic leather chemicals including dyes and fatliquoring agents on leather. The results offer a significant reference for the application of LDH-based nanomaterials in eco-leather manufacture to facilitate the adsorption of anionic leather chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Buccal midazolam treatment is licensed in the European Union for prolonged acute convulsive seizures in children and adolescents, but the buccal pathway is often hampered by jaw clenching, hypersalivation, or uncontrolled swallowing. Midazolam formulations that are more secure, reliable, and faster for use are needed in the acute setting. Pharmacokinetics and comparative bioavailability of intranasally administered midazolam and two midazolam intravenous solutions administered buccally or intravenously in healthy adults were evaluated. Methods: In this phase 1, open-label, randomized, single-dose, three-period, three-sequence crossover study, 12 healthy adults (19–41 years) were randomly assigned to receive 2.5 mg midazolam intranasally; 2.5 mg midazolam intravenously; 2.5 mg midazolam buccally. Blood samples were collected for 10 h post dose to determine pharmacokinetic profiles. Adverse events and vital signs were recorded. Results: Intranasal administration of 2.5 mg midazolam demonstrated a more rapid median time to Cmax compared to buccal administration of midazolam (Tmax, 12.6 min vs. 45 min; Cmax, 38.33 ng/ml vs. 24.97 ng/ml). The antiepileptic effect of intranasal and buccal midazolam treatment lasted less than 4 h and generally did not differ from intravenously administered midazolam. No serious adverse events or deaths were reported, and no treatment-emergent adverse events led to study discontinuation. Conclusion: Intranasal administration of midazolam may be a preferable alternative to the currently approve buccal midazolam treatment for prolonged acute convulsive seizures in children and adolescents. Trial Registration: This study is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial [http://www.chictr.org.cn] (ChiCTR2000032595) on 3 May, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aberrant expression or genomic mutations of microRNA are associated with several human diseases. This study analyzes the relationship between genetic variations of miRNA and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. We performed case-control studies for ten SNPs in a total sample of 1584 subjects. All these ten SNPs were on or near mature microRNAs. We identified the association between bipolar disorder and the T/C polymorphism at rs895819. To illustrate the function of miR-27a, we constructed several miR-27a knockout (KO) cell lines, determined candidates of miR-27a, and then verified NCAM1 as a target gene of miR-27a. Further studies revealed that the T/C polymorphism on miR-27a led to the differential expression of mature and precursor miR-27a without affecting the expression of primary miR-27a. Furthermore, the C mutation on pre-miR-27a suppresses cell migration and dopamine expression levels. Our study highlights the importance of miR-27a and its polymorphism at rs895819 in bipolar disorder. A T/C variant in miR-27a is associated with bipolar disorder, potentially by reducing the ability of this microRNA to target important neurodevelopmental genes like NCAM1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginkgo biloba L. is an ancient relict plant with rich pharmacological activity and nutritional value, and its main physiologically active components are flavonoids and terpene lactones. The bZIP gene family is one of the largest gene families in plants and regulates many processes including pathogen defense, secondary metabolism, stress response, seed maturation, and flower development. In this study, genome-wide distribution of the bZIP transcription factors was screened from G. biloba database in silico analysis. A total of 40 bZIP genes were identified in G. biloba and were divided into 10 subclasses. GbbZIP members in the same group share a similar gene structure, number of introns and exons, and motif distribution. Analysis of tissue expression pattern based on transcriptome indicated that GbbZIP08 and GbbZIP15 were most highly expressed in mature leaf. And the expression level of GbbZIP13 was high in all eight tissues. Correlation analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that GbbZIP08 and GbbZIP15 might be involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis. The transcriptional levels of 20 GbbZIP genes after SA, MeJA, and low temperature treatment were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The expression level of GbbZIP08 was significantly upregulated under 4°C. Protein–protein interaction network analysis indicated that GbbZIP09 might participate in seed germination by interacting with GbbZIP32. Based on transcriptome and degradome data, we found that 32 out of 117 miRNAs were annotated to 17 miRNA families. The results of this study may provide a theoretical foundation for the functional validation of GbbZIP genes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel multidimensional fitness function genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize test vectors of R-2R Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC). The proposed method employs distribution of characteristic vectors and the number of test vectors to formulate a multidimensional fitness function to search a non-dominate (ND) solution set. The searching process is directed by a ND sort method. Each individual in the ND set does not contain redundant test vectors. The test vectors are taken as the input excitation of the circuit under test (CUT) and the fault diagnosis is performed. As the number of test vectors increases, the accuracy of fault diagnosis also increases. The validity of the proposed method is verified by fault diagnosis. The average fault diagnosis rate is more than 85% for the R-2R network under the influence of tolerance. In addition, the parametric faults of ± 50 % deviation from the nominal value in each resistor of the R-2R network can be detected in the proposed method. Finally, the comparative experiments and results are briefly described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean seeds contain high levels of oil and protein, providing 57 and 69% of a person's dietary requirements, respectively. Although many quantitative trait loci for the 100-seed weight (100SW), protein content (PRC), and oil content (OIC) have been reported, their genetic controls in soybeans remain unclear. The QTL–allele constitution of three traits in the Sichuan and Chongqing eco-regions population (SCLBP) was studied using a representative sample composed of 228 accessions. These were tested in four environments and analyzed using 135 simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 107,081 valid single nucleotide polymorphism linkage (SNP) markers. The range of 100SW, PRC, and OIC in SCLBP accessions were 4.82–33.35, 36.47–49.75%, and 14.68–21.77%, respectively. The heritability (h2) and genetic coefficient of variation (GCV) of the three traits were high. As a result, 26, 33, and 31 QTLs were found using SSR for 100SW, PRC, and OIC, respectively. The allele of Sat_260 for 100SW was detected in the four environments. In addition, 28, 198, and 250 loci for 100SW, PRC, and OIC, respectively, were found using SNP and mixed linear model (MLM). Further SNP haplotype analysis revealed that 13, 35, and 60 blocks were found for 100SW, RPC, and OIC, respectively. The block of Gm11_9895764-9,917,646 for 100SW was simultaneously detected in the four environments. Among these QTLs, 1, 5, and 7 for 100SW, PRC and OIC were found using two methods of SSR and SNP at the same time. A majority of these QTLs overlapped with the previously reported loci. However, 9, 11, and 9 loci for 100SW, PRC, and OIC using SSR; and 3, 5, and 8 for 100SW, PRC, and OIC hadn't been reported using SNP. Moreover, the genes of Glyma.11g130800, Glyma.13g217000, and Glyma.08g122600 were considered the most likely genes controlling 100SW, PRC, and OIC, respectively. These findings provide evidence for mixed major plus polygenes inheritance for the three traits and an extended understanding of their genetic architecture for the molecular dissection and breeding of soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few histological prognostic indicators for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have been validated in diabetic patients. This biopsy-based study aimed to identify nephropathological risk factors for ESRD in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Histological features of 322 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-confirmed diabetic nephropathy (DN) were retrospectively analysed. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for ESRD. Single glomerular proteomics and immunohistochemistry were used to identify differentially expressed proteins and enriched pathways in glomeruli. During the median follow-up period of 24 months, 144 (45%) patients progressed to ESRD. In multivariable models, the Renal Pathology Society classification failed to predict ESRD, although the solidified glomerulosclerosis (score 1: HR 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.60; score 2: HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.40–4.37) and extracapillary hypercellularity (HR 2.68, 95% CI 1.55–4.62) were identified as independent risk factors. Additionally, single glomerular proteomics, combined with immunohistochemistry, revealed that complement C9 and apolipoprotein E were highly expressed in solidified glomerulosclerosis. Therefore, solidified glomerulosclerosis and extracapillary hypercellularity predict diabetic ESRD in Chinese patients. Single glomerular proteomics identified solidified glomerulosclerosis as a unique pathological change that may be associated with complement overactivation and abnormal lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sucrose non-fermenting 1-related kinases 2 (SnRK2s) play important roles in osmotic stress responses in A. thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa L.). Osmotic stress/ABA–activated protein kinase 2 (SAPK2) is a member of SnRK2s subclass II in rice, but its function in rice yield under drought stress is unclear. Results: Compared with wild-type (Oryza.Sativa L.spp.japonica, WT) plants, the sapk2 rice mutant lines were shorter and produced fewer grains per panicle, smaller grains and lower grain yield under reproductive stage drought stress (RDS). Subsequent analysis suggested that SAPK2 considerably influences the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents of rice grains. The examination of rice seedling growth and development under nutrient-deprived conditions (−N, −K, and − P) proved that SAPK2 can significantly affect rice seedling growth and root development in hydroponic cultures lacking N and K. Moreover, the NO3− influx rate and nitrate concentration analysis indicated that SAPK2 promotes nitrate uptake and assimilation by regulating nitrate-related transporters. Conclusion: These results suggest that SAPK2 could enhance grain production by regulating nitrogen utilization efficiency under RDS. Our work provided insights to breeding drought tolerant rice with high nutrient uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti3C2Tx shows potential as an electrode material of supercapacitors due to its unique layered structures for ion diffusion as well as excellent chemical/physical properties. However, the layer stacking and the insufficient conductivity due to the terminated surface groups have limited this application essentially. In the present study, a three-dimensional B3+ ion-intercalated Ti3C2Tx network (B-Ti3C2Tx) was combined with hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNS), which improved the electric transport performance of Ti3C2Tx by reducing the surface functional groups and hindering the restacking of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets effectively. Thus, a new set of 3D hierarchical B-Ti3C2Tx/HCNS composite materials was obtained here with a superior electrochemical performance higher than that of single Ti3C2Tx in the present study, and many other reported Ti3C2Tx-containing materials in literature. In addition, an excellent electrochemical cycling stability with above 91% retention over 3000 cycles was also obtained for this new hybrid material. This work provides a new direction to promote the Ti3C2Tx-based materials for high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The large family of pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins is widely distributed among land plants. Such proteins play vital roles in intron splicing, RNA editing, RNA processing, RNA stability and RNA translation. However, only a small number of PPR genes have been identified in rice. Results: In this study, we raised a mutant from tissue-culture-derived plants of Oryza sativa subsp. japonica 'Zhonghua 11', which exhibited a lethal chlorosis phenotype from germination to the third-leaf stage. The mutant was designated seedling-lethal chlorosis 1 (slc1). The slc1 mutant leaves showed extremely low contents of photosynthetic pigments and abnormal chloroplast development, and were severely defective in photosynthesis. Map-based cloning of OsSLC1 revealed that a single base (G) deletion was detected in the first exon of Os06g0710800 in the slc1 mutant, which caused a premature stop codon. Knockout and complementation experiments further confirmed that OsSLC1 is responsible for the seedling-lethal chlorosis phenotype in the slc1 mutant. OsSLC1 was preferentially expressed in green leaves, and encoded a chloroplast-localized PPR protein harboring 12 PPR motifs. Loss-of-function of OsSLC1 affected the intron splicing of multiple group II introns, and especially precluded the intron splicing of rps16, and resulted in significant increase in the transcript levels of 3 chloroplast ribosomal RNAs and 16 chloroplast development-related and photosynthesis-related genes, and in significant reduction in the transcript levels of 1 chloroplast ribosomal RNAs and 2 chloroplast development-related and photosynthesis-related genes. Conclusion: We characterized a novel chloroplast-localized PPR protein, OsSLC1, which plays a vital role in the intron splicing of multiple group II introns, especially the rps16 intron, and is essential for early chloroplast development and seedling survival in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lone pair cations like Pb2+ are extensively utilized to modify and tune physical properties, such as nonlinear optical property and ferroelectricity, of some specific structures owing to their preference to adopt a local distorted coordination environment. Here we report that the incorporation of Pb2+ into the polar "114"-type structure of CaBaZn2Ga2O7 leads to an unexpected cell volume expansion of CaBa1-xPbxZn2Ga2O7 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), which is a unique structural phenomenon in solid state chemistry. Structure refinements against neutron diffraction and total scattering data and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the unusual evolution of the unit cell for CaBa1-xPbxZn2Ga2O7 is due to the combination of the high stereochemical activity of Pb2+ with the extremely strained [Zn2Ga2O7]4− framework along the c-axis. The unprecedented cell volume expansion of the CaBa1−xPbxZn2Ga2O7 solid solution in fact is a macroscopic performance of the release of uniaxial strain along c-axis when Ba2+ is replaced with smaller Pb2+. Lone pair cations can impart interesting features in some structures, such as noncentrosymmetry. Here the authors show unexpected cell volume expansion in a polar "114"-type oxide upon replacing Ba2+ with a smaller Pb2+, and attribute it to high stereochemical activity of Pb2+ with the strained framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor suppressor DLEC1 has been shown to promote cell proliferation when AP-2α2 is down-regulated in HCT116 stable clones, suggesting its pro-survival nature. However, the pro-survival function of DLEC1 has not been confirmed in other cells and its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Therefore, we knocked down DLEC1 in a panel of cell lines and found that DLEC1 depletion caused various extents of cell death through intrinsic pathway. DLEC1 overexpression promoted cell survival and reduced cell death in cancer cells after 5-FU treatment, while DLEC1 down-regulation sensitized cancer cells to 5-FU. Further studies demonstrated that DLEC1 attenuated the increase in cleaved PARP, caspase-3 and caspase-7, the activity of caspase-9 and the diffusion of cytosolic cytochrome c from mitochondria. Our data also showed that BCL-XL was up-regulated by DLEC1 in stable clones after 5-FU treatment. Altogether, these results indicated that DLEC1 protects cells against cell death induced by 5-FU through the attenuation of active proteins in caspase cascade and the up-regulation of BCL-XL. Therefore, DLEC1 can be a pro-survival protein under certain circumstances and a potential therapeutic target for increasing sensitivity of cancer cells to 5-FU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $$\Lambda = \left( {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} A&M \\ 0&B \end{array}} \right)$$ be an Artin algebra. In view of the characterization of finitely generated Gorenstein injective Λ-modules under the condition that M is a cocompatible ( A, B)-bimodule, we establish a recollement of the stable category $$\overline {Ginj\left( \Lambda \right)} $$ . We also determine all strongly complete injective resolutions and all strongly Gorenstein injective modules over Λ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By constructing two scaling matrices, i.e., a function matrix $\Lambda (t)$ and a constant matrix W which is not equal to the identity matrix, a kind of $W-\Lambda(t)$ synchronization between fractional-order and integer-order chaotic (hyper-chaotic) systems with different dimensions is investigated in this paper. Based on the fractional-order Lyapunov direct method, a controller is designed to drive the synchronization error convergence to zero asymptotically. Finally, four numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To find new metabolic engineering strategies to improve the yield of acetone in Escherichia coli. Results: Results of flux balance analysis from a modified Escherichia coli genome-scale metabolic network suggested that the introduction of a non-oxidative glycolysis (NOG) pathway would improve the theoretical acetone yield from 1 to 1.5 mol acetone/mol glucose. By inserting the fxpk gene encoding phosphoketolase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis into the genome, we constructed a NOG pathway in E.coli. The resulting strain produced 47 mM acetone from glucose under aerobic conditions in shake-flasks. The yield of acetone was improved from 0.38 to 0.47 mol acetone/mol glucose which is a significant over the parent strain. Conclusions: Guided by computational analysis of metabolic networks, we introduced a NOG pathway into E. coli and increased the yield of acetone, which demonstrates the importance of modeling analysis for the novel metabolic engineering strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinacoside (ECH) is protective in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP). To investigate the mechanisms involved, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with MPP or a combination of MPP and ECH, and the expression of ATF3 (activating transcription factor 3), CHOP (C/EBP-homologous protein), SCNA (synuclein alpha), and GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor) was assessed. The results showed that ECH significantly improved cell survival by inhibiting the generation of MPP-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, ECH suppressed the ROS and MPP-induced expression of apoptotic genes ( ATF3, CHOP, and SCNA). ECH markedly decreased the MPP-induced caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner. ATF3-knockdown also decreased the CHOP and cleaved caspase-3 levels and inhibited the apoptosis induced by MPP. Interestingly, ECH partially restored the GDNF expression that was down-regulated by MPP. ECH also improved dopaminergic neuron survival during MPP treatment and protected these neurons against the apoptosis induced by MPTP. Taken together, these data suggest that the ROS/ATF3/CHOP pathway plays a critical role in mechanisms by which ECH protects against MPP-induced apoptosis in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, the studies of CdS/CdTe solar cells have become the mainstream, which have achieved good performance of exceeding 20 %. Here, we prepare CdSe thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) which is one of promising techniques to synthesize semiconductor thin films. In this paper, the optical and electrical properties as well as the crystal structure of CdSe thin films deposited under different temperatures are investigated. We find that the deposition rate adds firstly, and then decreases with the increase of substrate temperature. Transmittance spectrum suggests the absorption edges of CdSe thin films under the condition of high temperature move towards short wavelength. The band gaps of CdSe thin films are 1.948, 1.976, 2.013 and 1.978 eV at the deposition temperature of 150, 250, 350, 450 °C, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the formation of cubic phase with a strong (111) preferential orientation. The surface morphology of CdSe thin film and the cross-sectional structure of CdSe/CdTe layer are also analyzed. Based on these studies, we further fabricate the CdSe (PLD)/CdTe solar cells that present excellent performance of response in the range of long wavelength over 900 nm and a good efficiency of near 10 % has been realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of stereoisomeric prodrugs have been designed to examine efficacy in generating higher corneal absorption relative to prednisolone. Prodrugs have been studied and identified with LC/MS/MS and NMR analyses. Prodrugs have been characterized for aqueous solubility, buffer stability, and cytotoxicity. Cellular uptake and permeability studies have been conducted across MDCK-MDR1 cells to determine prodrug affinity towards P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and peptide transporters. Enzyme-mediated degradation of prodrugs has been determined using Statens Seruminstitut rabbit cornea (SIRC) cell homogenates. Prodrugs exhibited higher aqueous solubility relative to prednisolone. Prodrugs circumvented P-gp-mediated cellular efflux and were recognized by peptide transporters. Prodrugs (DP, DDP) produced with d-isomers ( d-valine) were significantly stable against both chemical and enzymatic hydrolyses. The order of degradation rate constants observed in chemical and enzymatic hydrolyses were in the same order, i.e., l-valine- l-valine-prednisolone (LLP) > l-valine- d-valine-prednisolone (LDP) > d-valine- l-valine-prednisolone (DLP) > d-valine- d-valine-prednisolone (DDP). Results obtained from this study clearly suggest that stereoisomeric prodrug approach is an effective strategy to overcome P-gp-mediated efflux and improve transcorneal permeability of prednisolone following topical administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to develop formulations of hydrocortisone butyrate (HB)-loaded poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NP) suspended in thermosensitive gel to improve ocular bioavailability of HB for the treatment of bacterial corneal keratitis. PLGA NP with different surfactants such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), pluronic F-108, and chitosan were prepared using oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion evaporation technique. NP were characterized with respect to particle size, entrapment efficiency, polydispersity, drug loading, surface morphology, zeta potential, and crystallinity. In vitro release of HB from NP showed a biphasic release pattern with an initial burst phase followed by a sustained phase. Such burst effect was completely eliminated when nanoparticles were suspended in thermosensitive gels and zero-order release kinetics was observed. In HCEC cell line, chitosan-emulsified NP showed the highest cellular uptake efficiency over PVA- and pluronic-emulsified NP (59.09 ± 6.21%, 55.74 ± 6.26%, and 62.54 ± 3.30%, respectively) after 4 h. However, chitosan-emulsified NP indicated significant cytotoxicity of 200 and 500 μg/mL after 48 h, while PVA- and pluronic-emulsified NP exhibited no significant cytotoxicity. PLGA NP dispersed in thermosensitive gels can be considered as a promising drug delivery system for the treatment of anterior eye diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this investigation was to develop hydrocortisone butyrate (HB)-loaded poly( d, l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NP) with ideal encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, and drug loading (DL) under emulsion solvent evaporation technique utilizing various experimental statistical design modules. Experimental designs were used to investigate specific effects of independent variables during preparation of HB-loaded PLGA NP and corresponding responses in optimizing the formulation. Plackett-Burman design for independent variables was first conducted to prescreen various formulation and process variables during the development of NP. Selected primary variables were further optimized by central composite design. This process leads to an optimum formulation with desired EE, particle size, and DL. Contour plots and response surface curves display visual diagrammatic relationships between the experimental responses and input variables. The concentration of PLGA, drug, and polyvinyl alcohol and sonication time were the critical factors influencing the responses analyzed. Optimized formulation showed EE of 90.6%, particle size of 164.3 nm, and DL of 64.35%. This study demonstrates that statistical experimental design methodology can optimize the formulation and process variables to achieve favorable responses for HB-loaded NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped HTiNbO nanosheets have been successfully synthesized by first exfoliating layered HTiNbO in tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) to obtain HTiNbO nanosheets and then heating the nanosheets with urea. The resulting samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectroscopy and N adsorption-desorption measurements. It was found that N-doping resulted in a much higher thermostability of the layered structure, intrinsic bandgap narrowing and a visible light response. The doped nitrogen atoms were mainly located in the interstitial sites of TiNbO lamellae and chemically bound to hydrogen ions. Compared with N-doped HTiNbO, N-doped HTiNbO nanosheets had a much larger specific surface area and richer mesoporosity due to the rather loose and irregular arrangement of titanoniobate nanosheets. Both N-doped layered HTiNbO and HTiNbO nanosheets showed a very high visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution. Moreover, due to the considerably larger surface area, richer mesoporosity and stronger acidity, N-doped HTiNbO nanosheets had an even higher activity than N-doped HTiNbO, although the latter had a stronger absorption in the visible region. The dye molecules were mainly degraded to aliphatic organic compounds and partially mineralized to CO and/or CO, rather than being simply decolorized. The effect of photosensitization was insignificant and RhB was degraded mainly via the typical photocatalytic reaction routes. Two different reaction routes for the photodegradation of RhB under visible light irradiation over N-doped HTiNbO nanosheets have been proposed. The present method can be extended to a large number of layered metal oxides that have the characteristics of intercalation and exfoliation, thus providing new opportunities for the fabrication of highly effective and potentially practical visible-light photocatalysts. [InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the existence of the n-flat preenvelope and the n-FP-injective cover. We also characterize n-coherent rings in terms of the n-FP-injective and n-flat modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to develop an efficient in vitro selection system for scab resistance by using in vitro screening for tolerance to deoxynivalenol (DON). Immature embryos of two wheat varieties, a scab-resistant variety Sumai 3 and a susceptible variety Mianyang 11, and their reciprocal F1 hybrids were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D 2 mg/l and 0.6 × 10-4 M DON for callus induction. The responses of callus induction and plant regeneration to 0.6 × 10-4 M DON differed significantly between resistant and susceptible varieties, according to observed scab resistance levels at the plant level in the field. The percentage of callus formation of resistant variety Sumai 3 on induction medium containing DON was higher than that of susceptible variety Mianyang 11. Regeneration of DON-tolerant calli on DON-containing differentiation medium differed significantly between Sumai 3 and Mianyang 11. Averaged across the DON-tolerant calli of two varieties and their reciprocals, regeneration of DON-tolerant calli was decreased 3-fold on DON-containing medium. By an inoculation test with conidiospores of Fusarium graminearum Schw, we obtained several resistant lines from progenies of regenerated plants from DON-tolerant calli. These somaclonal lines had lower disease scoring (reaction index, infected spikelets and disease incidence), shorter plants and better yield components than Sumai 3, a famous Chinese resistant variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preoperative immune-nutritional status is correlated with postoperative outcomes. The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is a useful tool for predicting the postoperative outcomes of cancer surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether the CONUT score could predict postoperative complications in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. In total, 202 CD patients were eligible. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for postoperative complications. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to examine the cutoff value for predictors of postoperative complications. Among all the patients, 66 developed postoperative complications. The cut-off value of the CONUT score was 3.5 for complications. Eighty-one patients had a low CONUT score (< 3.5), and 121 patients had a high CONUT score (> 3.5). There was a significant difference in postoperative complications between the groups with low and high CONUT score (17.3% vs. 43.0%, p < 0.001). Patients with high CONUT score had low body mass index (BMI), more mild postoperative complications (p = 0.001) and a longer postoperative stay (p = 0.002). Postoperative complications were correlated with BMI, preoperative albumin, the preoperative CONUT score, and preoperative infliximab use. Then, the preoperative CONUT score was an independent risk factor for complications (OR 3.507, 95% CI 1.522–8.079, p = 0.003). ROC analysis showed that the CONUT score was a better predictor of postoperative complications in CD patients than albumin and the prognostic nutritional index. Thus, a preoperative CONUT score cut-off value of more than 3.5 could help to identify patients with a high possibility of malnutrition and postoperative complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the manufacture, use, and use-wear of grinding stones (including slabs and mullers) can provide a wealth of information on ancient subsistence strategy and plant food utilization. Ancient residues extracted from stone tools frequently exhibit damage from processing methods, and modern experiments can replicate these morphological changes so that they can be better understood. Here, experiments have been undertaken to dehusk and grind grass grain using stone artifacts. To replicate ancient activities in northern China, we used modern stone tools to dehusk and grind twelve cultivars of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), two cultivars of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and three varieties of green bristlegrass (Setaira viridis). The residues from both used and unused facets of the stone tools were then extracted, and the starch grains studied for morphological features and changes from the native states. The results show that (1) Dehusking did not significantly change the size and morphology of millet starch grains; (2) After grinding, the size of millet starch grains increases up to 1.2 times larger than native grains, and a quarter of the ground millet starch grains bore surface damage and also exhibited distortion of the extinction cross. This indicator will be of significance in improving the application of starch grains to research in the functional inference of grinding stone tools, but we are unable to yet distinguish dehusked forms from native. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrahedral units can transport oxide anions via interstitial or vacancy defects owing to their great deformation and rotation flexibility. Compared with interstitial defects, vacancy-mediated oxide-ion conduction in tetrahedra-based structures is more difficult and occurs rarely. The isolated tetrahedral anion Scheelite structure has showed the advantage of conducting oxygen interstitials but oxygen vacancies can hardly be introduced into Scheelite to promote the oxide ion migration. Here we demonstrate that oxygen vacancies can be stabilized in the BiVO4 Scheelite structure through Sr2+ for Bi3+ substitution, leading to corner-sharing V2O7 tetrahedral dimers, and migrate via a cooperative mechanism involving V2O7-dimer breaking and reforming assisted by synergic rotation and deformation of neighboring VO4 tetrahedra. This finding reveals the ability of Scheelite structure to transport oxide ion through vacancies or interstitials, emphasizing the possibility to develop oxide-ion conductors with parallel vacancy and interstitial doping strategies within the same tetrahedra-based structure type. Fast oxide ion conductors are the key materials for some technological devices. Here the authors report the creation and stabilization of oxygen vacancies in BiVO4 Scheelite with isolated tetrahedral anion structures for improved ionic conducting performance and understanding of the conduction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent elevation of plasma TNF-α is a marker of low grade systemic inflammation. Palmitic acid (PA) is the most abundant type of saturated fatty acid in human body. PA is bound with albumin in plasma and could not pass through endothelial barrier freely. Albumin-bound PA has to be transported across monolayer endothelial cells through intracellular transcytosis, but not intercellular diffusion. In the present study, we discovered that TNF-α might stimulate PA transcytosis across cardiac microvascular endothelial cells, which further impaired the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by cardiomyocytes and promoted insulin resistance. In this process, TNF-α-stimulated endothelial autophagy and NF-κB signaling crosstalk with each other and orchestrate the whole event, ultimately result in increased expression of fatty acid transporter protein 4 (FATP4) in endothelial cells and mediate the increased PA transcytosis across microvascular endothelial cells. Hopefully the present study discovered a novel missing link between low grade systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating renewable energy while sequestering CO2 using algae has recently attracted significant research attention, mostly directing towards biological methods such as systems biology, genetic engineering and bio-refining for optimizing algae strains. Other approaches focus on chemical screening to adjust culture conditions or culture media. We report for the first time the physiological changes of algal cells in response to a novel form of mechanical stimulation, or a pulsed wave at the frequency of 1.5 MHz and the duty cycle of 20%. We studied how the pulsed wave can further increase algal lipid production on top of existing biological and chemical methods. Two commonly used algal strains, fresh-water Chlorella vulgaris and seawater Tetraselmis chuii, were selected. We have performed the tests in shake flasks and 1 L spinner-flask bioreactors. Conventional Gravimetric measurements show that up to 20% increase for algal lipid could be achieved after 8 days of stimulation. The total electricity cost needed for the stimulations in a one-liter bioreactor is only one-tenth of a US penny. Gas liquid chromatography shows that the fatty acid composition remains unchanged after pulsed-wave stimulation. Scanning electron microscope results also suggest that pulsed wave stimulation induces shear stress and thus increases algal lipid production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although some features of plaque instability can be observed in genetically modified mouse models, atherothrombosis induction in mice has been attested to be difficult. We sought to test the hypothesis that alterations in blood thrombogenicity might have an essential role in the development of atherothrombosis in ApoE−/− mice. In a mouse model of plaque destabilization established in our laboratory, we targeted blood thrombogenicity by systemically overexpressing murine prothrombin via adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. Systemic overexpression of prothrombin increased blood thrombogenicity, and remarkably, precipitated atherothrombotic events in 70% of the animals. The affected plaques displayed features of culprit lesions as seen in human coronary arteries, including fibrous cap disruption, luminal thrombosis, and plaque hemorrhage. Treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel substantially reduced the incidence of atherothrombosis in this model. Mechanistically, increased inflammation, apoptosis and upregulation of metalloproteinases contributed to the development of plaque destabilization and atherothrombosis. As conclusions, targeting blood thrombogenicity in mice can faithfully reproduce the process of atherothrombosis as occurring in human coronary vessels. Our results suggest that blood-plaque interactions are critical in the development of atherothrombosis in mice, substantiating the argument that changes in blood coagulation status may have a determinant role in the onset of acute coronary syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer progression involves carcinogenesis, an increase in tumour size, and metastasis. Here, we investigated the effect of overexpressed CXC chemokine ligand 14 (CXCL14) on these processes by using CXCL14/BRAK (CXCL14) transgenic (Tg) mice. The rate of AOM/DSS-induced colorectal carcinogenesis in these mice was significantly lower compared with that for isogenic wild type C57BL/6 (Wt) mice. When tumour cells were injected into these mice, the size of the tumours that developed and the number of metastatic nodules in the lungs of the animals were always significantly lower in the Tg mice than in the Wt ones. Injection of anti-asialo-GM1 antibodies to the mice before and after injection of tumour cells attenuated the suppressing effects of CXCL14 on the tumor growth and metastasis, suggesting that NK cell activity played an important role during CXCL14-mediated suppression of tumour growth and metastasis. The importance of NK cells on the metastasis was also supported when CXCL14 was expressed in B16 melanoma cells. Further, the survival rates after tumour cell injection were significantly increased for the Tg mice. As these Tg mice showed no obvious abnormality, we propose that CXCL14 to be a promising molecular target for cancer suppression/prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate detection of fibrotic interstitial lung disease (f-ILD) is conducive to early intervention. Our aim was to develop a lung graph-based machine learning model to identify f-ILD. A total of 417 HRCTs from 279 patients with confirmed ILD (156 f-ILD and 123 non-f-ILD) were included in this study. A lung graph-based machine learning model based on HRCT was developed for aiding clinician to diagnose f-ILD. In this approach, local radiomics features were extracted from an automatically generated geometric atlas of the lung and used to build a series of specific lung graph models. Encoding these lung graphs, a lung descriptor was gained and became as a characterization of global radiomics feature distribution to diagnose f-ILD. The Weighted Ensemble model showed the best predictive performance in cross-validation. The classification accuracy of the model was significantly higher than that of the three radiologists at both the CT sequence level and the patient level. At the patient level, the diagnostic accuracy of the model versus radiologists A, B, and C was 0.986 (95% CI 0.959 to 1.000), 0.918 (95% CI 0.849 to 0.973), 0.822 (95% CI 0.726 to 0.904), and 0.904 (95% CI 0.836 to 0.973), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in AUC values between the model and 3 physicians (p < 0.05). The lung graph-based machine learning model could identify f-ILD, and the diagnostic performance exceeded radiologists which could aid clinicians to assess ILD objectively., (© 2024. The Author(s).)