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To study the effects of attenuated Salmonella typhimurium L forms on the in vivo tumorigenicity and apoptosis of murine epithelial ovarian cancer cells, as well as the related mechanisms. Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009 was induced into bacterial L forms by using antibiotic ceftriaxone. CCK-8 cell proliferation assay showed that attenuated S. typhimurium L forms can inhibit the proliferation of murine ovarian epithelial cancer ID8 cells. Attenuated ST L forms can induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion ability of epithelial ovarian cancer cells in vitro. TUNEL assay showed that attenuated ST L forms can induce apoptosis of ID8 cells in murine ovarian tumors. Meanwhile, attenuated ST L forms inhibit tumor growth in murine ovarian tumors. The tumorigenicity-related proteins of xenograft tumors detected by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assays showed that attenuated ST L forms can reduce the expression of proteins that promote tumor growth and metastasis, such as Lgals9 and MMP9. This study confirmed that attenuated ST L forms can suppress tumor growth and promote apoptosis in murine ovarian tumors. Attenuated ST L forms may serve as a novel biological agent for bacterial-mediated tumor therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a pathological type with a higher mortality rate among gynecological cancers today. Long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate the transcription and expression of cellular genes. However, the downstream molecules regulated by lncRNA HOTAIR have not been well studied. The effects of downregulated lncRNA HOTAIR on EOC invasiveness and tumorigenicity in nude mice, along with TGF- β1 and ZEB1 in epithelial ovarian cancer cells, need to be investigated in further research. Results: RT-qPCR was used to detect lncRNA HOTAIR and TGF-β1 and ZEB1 mRNA expression in EOC SKOV3 cells. The expression of lncRNA HOTAIR in SKOV3 cells transfected with the recombinant shHOTAIR interference plasmid was significantly lower than that of the negative control. Compared with the negative control, the matrix gel invasion ability of shHOTAIR SKOV3 cells in vitro and their tumorigenicity in nude mice were significantly reduced. Moreover, compared with the control, the expression of ZEB1 protein in shHOTAIR-SKOV3 xenograft tumors was significantly reduced. Downregulation of lncRNA HOTAIR expression significantly reduced TGF-β1 and ZEB1 mRNA expression, but increased the expression of E-cadherin mRNA. In summary, downregulated lncRNA HOTAIR in EOC SKOV3 cells transfected with shHOTAIR can inhibit TGF-β1, reduce ZEB1, increase E-cadherin, and significantly reduce the invasiveness and tumorigenicity of ovarian epithelial cancer SKOV3 cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that the lncRNA HOTAIR may be an effective target for the treatment of human EOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of 5-α reductase inhibitor on the expression of inflammation-related cytokines in Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) specimens after transurethral prostatic resection (TUR-P). Methods: We prospectively examined the expression of inflammation-related cytokines with immunohistochemistry in the paraffin blocks of 60 patients who underwent TUR-P. 30 cases in the 5-α-reductase inhibitor group were treated with finasteride, 5 mg qd, for more than 6 months; 30 cases in the control group were not treated with medicine before operation. HE staining was used to analyze the difference of inflammation reaction between the two groups, and immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the effect of 5-α reductase inhibitor on the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), Interleukin-4 (IL-4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-17 (IL-17), Interleukin-21 (IL-21) and Interleukin-23 (IL-23) in prostatic tissue. Results: There was no statistical difference in the location, range and degree of inflammation between the two groups (P > 0.05). When IL-17 expression was low, there was statistical difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). Bcl-2 expression was positively correlated with IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IFN-γ (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the expression of IL-21, IL-23 and high expression of IL-17 between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: 5-α Reductase inhibitor can inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 in prostatic tissue and the inflammatory response related to T-helper cell 1 (Th1) and T-helper cell 2 (Th2) cells. However, it did not affect Th17 cell-related inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an earthquake occurs, indoor objects oscillate and fall, creating a hazardous evacuation environment. However, physical effects of oscillating and falling indoor objects during earthquakes are often ignored in the existing crowd emergency evacuation simulation studies. As a result, existing models will produce predictions that differ from the outcomes of real events. Here we propose a physics-based simulation model for an indoor seismic event scenario, focusing on movable and flexible components. We predict the motion of movable components during earthquakes using simulations based on seismic data and physical laws. In doing this, we also simulate oscillations of flexible components using a driven harmonic oscillator model. The results showed that the simulated scenario had a high degee of physical realism and rationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pond ecosystem not only provides essential agricultural irrigation and washing water, but also stores rainwater in rainy seasons. However, the pollution status of pond system around Poyang Lake was seldom studied. Here, we investigated the water and sediment chemical characteristics, phytoplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates, as well as habitat conditions of 23 rural ponds around Poyang Lake. Results showed that water quality of 91.3% rural ponds was inferior V (National Surface Water Environmental Quality Standard of China) with the main pollutants of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). In rural ponds, fifty-nine species of phytoplankton and nineteen benthic macroinvertebrates were identified, Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta were the dominant phytoplankton groups, and oligochaetes and aquatic insects were the most dominant taxa among all benthic macroinvertebrates. And an integrated evaluation system based on chemical, biological and physical index was set up to assess the pollution status of rural ponds. According to the composite integrity index, 2 rural ponds (8.70%) were classified as Very poor, 9 rural ponds (39.13%) were classified as Poor, 9 rural ponds (39.13%) were classified as Fair, and 3 rural ponds (13.04%) were classified as Good. And the composite integrity index in 4 counties followed the sequence of Xingzi County (0.598, Fair) > Jinxian County (0.425, Fair) > Xinjian County (0.379, Poor) > Nanchang County (0.335, Poor). Therefore, measures should be taken for improving the water quality, habitat conditions and biotic community of rural ponds, especially for the severely polluted rural ponds in Xinjian and Nanchang County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging technologies in power systems, such as distributed generation (DG), are a result of society's growing need for dependable electrical power. Demand response (DR) applications will be widely used in the near future thanks to recent advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and wide area metering systems (WAMS). Through the use of a placement index, this study optimizes the placement of DG units in transmission systems with the goal of enhancing the reliability of the power supply. The placement index considers both economic and reliable factors. The location of DG in this problem is actually the key contribution of this research. On the basis of minimizing power losses, unit voltage variations, operating expenses of transmission and exploitation networks, and maximizing dependability, the multi-objective function is developed. Based on a balance between customer and vendor satisfaction, reliability indicators are chosen. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithms are used to solve this issue. The implementation of the optimization issue solution uses MATLAB software. The genuine 138 and 230 kV 24-bus system (RTS-79) is used to test this methodology. The test results demonstrate that the objective function can be enhanced by optimally distributing DG resource production capacity in accordance with the suggested techniques. It is clear from the results that the TLBO algorithm outperforms PSO in terms of reliability and power loss reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sorafenib is the most widely used first-line treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but such treatment provides only limited survival benefits that might be related to the immune status of distinct tumor microenvironments. A fundamental understanding of the distribution and phenotypes of T lymphocytes in tumors will undoubtedly lead to the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies that could possibly enhance the efficacy of sorafenib treatments. Methods: Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to detect the infiltration and distribution of various leukocyte populations, and the expression of different immune checkpoint molecules in fresh HCC tumor tissues. Correlations among indicating genes were calculated in 365 patients with HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set, and the cumulative overall survival time was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Moreover, role of adenosinergic pathway on sorafenib anti-tumor efficacy was investigated using both subcutaneous and orthotopic transplantation tumor model in immune competent C57BL/6 mice. Results: We revealed that levels of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells were significantly downregulated in HCC tumor tissue, so were the infiltration of CD169+ cells (a Mφ subpopulation with T cell activation capacities) and their contact with CD8+ cells in tumor milieus. Moreover, levels of PD-1 and CD39 expression were significantly upregulated in human HCC-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and CD39+CD8+ T cells exhibited a CD69+PD-1+perforinlowIFNγlow "exhausted" phenotype. Levels of both CD39+ T cells infiltration and adenosine receptor ADORA2B expression in tumor tissues were negatively correlated with overall survival of patients with HCC. Accordingly, mice treated with sorafenib in combination with adenosine A2B receptor blockage reagents exhibited significantly reduced tumor progression compared with control groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that adenosinergic pathway might represent an applicable target for sorafenib-combined-therapies in human HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]