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Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is an economically important fish, yet it is plagued by frequent diseases caused by Aeromonas veronii infection in its aquaculture. Vaccination is a pivotal strategy in the prevention and management of infectious diseases, and adjuvants play a crucial role in augmenting the effectiveness of vaccines. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), one of the CXC chemokines, has been identified as having adjuvant potential in various species, although its efficacy in largemouth bass remains uncertain. In the present study, recombinant largemouth bass IL-8 (rLbIL-8) was prepared to explore its adjuvant potential in the A. veronii inactivated vaccine. Challenge experiment results revealed that the relative percent survival (RPS) of largemouth bass in the inactivated A. veronii + rLbIL-8 vaccinated group was calculated to be 70% following challenges with live A. veronii, higher than that of the inactivated A. veronii vaccinated group (56.67%). Furthermore, co-inoculation of rLbIL-8 and inactivated A. veronii markedly elevated serum SOD levels and lysozyme activities in largemouth bass. Indirect ELISA analysis found that rLbIL-8 enhanced the inactivated A. veronii vaccine's ability to induce serum-specific antibodies against A. veronii. qRT-PCR analysis showed that rLbIL-8 enhanced the upregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, CD4, MHC II, and IgM expression induced by inactivated A. veronii, with peak expression occurring on days 1 and 5 post-vaccination, respectively. Collectively, these findings attest to the potential of rLbIL-8 as a vaccine adjuvant for largemouth bass, advancing the progress and implementation of vaccines in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Resident immune cells are at the forefront of sensory organ-specific signals, and changes in these cells are closely related to the aging process. The Sirt pathway can regulate NAD + metabolism during aging, thereby affecting the accumulation of ROS. However, the role of the Sirt pathway in resident immune cells in aged tissues is currently unclear. Methods: We investigated Sirt1 signalling in resident immune cells during chronic inflammation in an aged mouse model. Integrated single-cell RNA sequencing data from young and aged mice were used to refine the characterization of immune cells in aged tissues Results: We found that C1q + macrophages could affect chronic inflammation during aging. C1q + macrophages acted in an opposing manner to Il1b + macrophages and were responsible for anti-inflammatory effects during aging. Sirt1 agonists inhibited the decrease in C1qb in macrophages during aging, and anti-aging drugs could affect the expression of C1qb in macrophages via the Sirt1 pathway. Conclusions: In this study, we first identified the relevance of C1q + macrophages in chronic inflammation during aging. The potential anti-aging effect of C1q + macrophages was mediated by the Sirt1 pathway, suggesting new strategies for aging immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Pet exposure has always been controversial with childhood asthma and allergic rhinitis. We aimed to understand the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pets by meta-analysis. Methods: We searched articles published from Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2022 in the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. We included a cross-sectional study that reported the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pets. Furthermore, we performed subgroup analyses according to pet type and age. Results: In 14 selected studies, the meta-analysis results showed that the pooled prevalence of asthma in children exposed to pets was 19.0% (95% CI 13.3–24.7%), and the pooled prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pets was 25.5% (95% CI 12.4–38.5%). The prevalence of asthma in children exposed to cats and dogs was 16.4% (95% CI 9.9–22.8%) and 12.5% (95% CI 8.7–16.2%), respectively. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 24.9% (95% CI 2.9–47.0%) and 24.1% (95% CI 2.6–45.6%), respectively. The prevalence of asthma in pet-exposed children was 17.1% (95% CI 12.3–22.0%) in the adolescence group (> 10 years) and 26.3% (95% CI 12.2–40.3%) in the childhood group (0–10 years). The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 8.6% (95% CI 7.2–10.0%) in the adolescence group and 46.3% (95% CI 44.0–48.6%) in the childhood age group. Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pets is different. Exposure to pet cats is more prone to illness, and younger children are more susceptible to disease than older children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a rapidly aging global population, osteoporosis and the associated risk of bone fractures have become a wide-spread public health problem. However, osteoporosis is very heterogeneous, and the existing standard diagnostic measure is not sufficient to accurately identify all patients at risk of osteoporotic fractures and to guide therapy. Here, we constructed the first prospective multi-omics atlas of the largest osteoporosis cohort to date (longitudinal data from 366 participants at three time points), and also implemented an explainable data-intensive analysis framework (DLSF: Deep Latent Space Fusion) for an omnigenic model based on a multi-modal approach that can capture the multi-modal molecular signatures (M3S) as explicit functional representations of hidden genotypes. Accordingly, through DLSF, we identified two subtypes of the osteoporosis population in Chinese individuals with corresponding molecular phenotypes, i.e., clinical intervention relevant subtypes (CISs), in which bone mineral density benefits response to calcium supplements in 2-year follow-up samples. Many snpGenes associated with these molecular phenotypes reveal diverse candidate biological mechanisms underlying osteoporosis, with xQTL preferences of osteoporosis and its subtypes indicating an omnigenic effect on different biological domains. Finally, these two subtypes were found to have different relevance to prior fracture and different fracture risk according to 4-year follow-up data. Thus, in clinical application, M3S could help us further develop improved diagnostic and treatment strategies for osteoporosis and identify a new composite index for fracture prediction, which were remarkably validated in an independent cohort (166 participants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gliomas, the most prevalent primary malignant tumors of the central nervous system, present significant challenges in diagnosis and prognosis. The fifth edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System (WHO CNS5) published in 2021, has emphasized the role of high-risk molecular markers in gliomas. These markers are crucial for enhancing glioma grading and influencing survival and prognosis. Noninvasive prediction of these high-risk molecular markers is vital. Genetic testing after biopsy, the current standard for determining molecular type, is invasive and time-consuming. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a non-invasive alternative, providing structural and functional insights into gliomas. Advanced MRI methods can potentially reflect the pathological characteristics associated with glioma molecular markers; however, they struggle to fully represent gliomas' high heterogeneity. Artificial intelligence (AI) imaging, capable of processing vast medical image datasets, can extract critical molecular information. AI imaging thus emerges as a noninvasive and efficient method for identifying high-risk molecular markers in gliomas, a recent focus of research. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of AI imaging's role in predicting glioma high-risk molecular markers, highlighting challenges and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of commercially available chiral sulfinamides into pharmaceutically useful chiral sulfoximines via direct SIV-functionalization is synthetically attractive but challenging due to the competitive reaction of N-functionalization. Herein, we disclose a novel strain-release strategy to access stereospecific and chemoselective SIV-arylation and alkenylation of sulfinamides using arynes and strained cyclic alkynes. This method tolerates an unprecedented chemical diversity of functional groups attached to the nitrogen center (N–R). The origin of the high SIV-selectivity is elucidated by density functional theory calculations, suggesting a stepwise mechanism for the aryne substrates and a concerted mechanism for the cyclic alkynes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Time reflection and refraction are temporal analogies of the spatial boundary effects derived from Fermat's principle. They occur when classical waves strike a time boundary where an abrupt change in the properties of the medium is introduced. The main features of time-reflected and time-refracted waves are the shift in frequency and conservation of momentum, which offer a new degree of freedom for steering extreme waves and controlling the phases of matter. The concept was originally proposed for manipulating optical waves more than five decades ago. However, due to the extreme challenges in the ultrafast engineering of optical materials, the experimental realization of the time boundary effects remains elusive. Here we introduce a time boundary into a momentum lattice of ultracold atoms and simultaneously demonstrate time reflection and refraction experimentally. Through launching a Gaussian-superposed state into the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger atomic chain, we observe the time-reflected and time-refracted waves when the input state strikes a time boundary. Furthermore, we detect a transition from time reflection/refraction to localization with increasing strength of disorder and show that the time boundary effects are robust against considerable disorder. Our work opens a new avenue for the future exploration of time boundaries and spatiotemporal lattices, as well as their interplay with non-Hermiticity and many-body interactions. Time reflection and refraction are experimentally observed in ultracold atoms. To this end, the time boundary is formed by imposing an abrupt change in the coupling strength of the atomic chain. Time boundary effects are robust against material disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Southeast Asia, the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is high; however, the molecular mechanism governing the progression of NPC is unclear. The results of the present study revealed upregulation of ring finger protein 219 (RNF219) expression in NPC tissues and cells. Overexpression of RNF219 enhanced NPC cell invasion, migration, and proliferation; whereas knockdown of RNF219 had the opposite effects. Mechanistically, RNF219 activated the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, mainly reflected by increased p65 nuclear translocation, and increased NF-κB pathway target gene expression. NF-κB pathway inhibition in cells overexpressing RNF219 resulted in reduced invasion, migration, and proliferation, confirming that progression of NPC was promoted by RNF219-mediated NF-κB pathway activation. In addition, the expression of RNF219 correlated positively with the activity of the NF-κB pathway, verifying that RNF219 regulates the activity of the NF-κB pathway in the clinical setting. Our results identified a novel therapeutic target that could promote the development of novel treatments for NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are particularly important for tumor cell growth and migration, and recurrence and drug resistance, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The purpose of this study was to explore stemness-related lncRNAs (SRlncRNAs) that could be used for prognosis of patients with HNSCC. HNSCC RNA sequencing data and matched clinical data were obtained from TCGA database, and stem cell characteristic genes related to HNSCC mRNAsi were obtained from the online database by WGCNA analysis, respectively. Further, SRlncRNAs were obtained. Then, the prognostic model was constructed to forecast patient survival through univariate Cox regression and LASSO-Cox method based on SRlncRNAs. Kaplan–Meier, ROC and AUC were used to evaluate the predictive ability of the model. Moreover, we probed the underlying biological functions, signalling pathways and immune status hidden within differences in prognosis of patients. We explored whether the model could guide personalized treatments included immunotherapy and chemotherapy for HNSCC patients. At last, RT‐qPCR was performed to analyze the expressions levels of SRlncRNAs in HNSCC cell lines. A SRlncRNAs signature was identified based on 5 SRlncRNAs (AC004943.2, AL022328.1, MIR9-3HG, AC015878.1 and FOXD2-AS1) in HNSCC. Also, risk scores were correlated with the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, whereas HNSCC-nominated chemotherapy drugs were considerably different from one another. The final finding was that these SRlncRNAs were abnormally expressed in HNSCCCS according to the results of RT-qPCR. These 5 SRlncRNAs signature, as a potential prognostic biomarker, can be utilized for personalized medicine in HNSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic sharing is extensively observed for autoimmune diseases, but the causal variants and their underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Through systematic investigation of autoimmune disease pleiotropic loci, we found most of these shared genetic effects are transmitted from regulatory code. We used an evidence-based strategy to functionally prioritize causal pleiotropic variants and identify their target genes. A top-ranked pleiotropic variant, rs4728142, yielded many lines of evidence as being causal. Mechanistically, the rs4728142-containing region interacts with the IRF5 alternative promoter in an allele-specific manner and orchestrates its upstream enhancer to regulate IRF5 alternative promoter usage through chromatin looping. A putative structural regulator, ZBTB3, mediates the allele-specific loop to promote IRF5-short transcript expression at the rs4728142 risk allele, resulting in IRF5 overactivation and M1 macrophage polarization. Together, our findings establish a causal mechanism between the regulatory variant and fine-scale molecular phenotype underlying the dysfunction of pleiotropic genes in human autoimmunity. Here the authors used an evidence-based strategy to prioritize causal pleiotropic variants of autoimmune diseases, and revealed that rs4728142 modulates aberrant IRF5 alternative promoter usage by ZBTB3-mediated chromatin looping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aplastic anemia (AA) is an auto-activated T cell–mediated bone marrow failure. Cyclosporine is often used to treat non-severe AA, which demonstrates a more heterogeneous condition than severe AA. The response rate to cyclosporine is only around 50% in non-severe AA. To better predict response to cyclosporine and pinpoint who is the appropriate candidate for cyclosporine, we performed phenotypic and functional T cell immune signature at single cell level by mass cytometry from 30 patients with non-severe AA. Unexpectedly, non-significant differences of T cell subsets were observed between AA and healthy control or cyclosporine-responder and non-responders. Interestingly, when screening the expression of co-inhibitory molecules, T cell trafficking mediators, and cytokines, we found an increase of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) on T cells in response to cyclosporine and a lower level of CTLA-4 on CD8+ T cells was correlated to hematologic response. Moreover, a decreased expression of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) on naive T cells and a lower level of interleukin-9 (IL-9) on T helpers also predicted a better response to cyclosporine, respectively. Therefore, the T cell immune signature, especially in CTAL-4, S1P1, and IL-9, has a predictive value for response to cyclosporine. Collectively, our study implies that immune signature analysis of T cell by mass cytometry is a useful tool to make a strategic decision on cyclosporine treatment of AA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an experimental investigation on the Doppler-free saturated absorption spectroscopy of buffer-gas-cooled Barium monofluoride (BaF) molecules in a 4 K cryogenic cell. The obtained spectra with a resolution of 19 MHz, much smaller than previously observed in absorption spectroscopy, clearly resolve the hyperfine transitions. Moreover, we use these high-resolution spectra to fit the hyperfine splittings of excited A(v = 0) state and find the hyperfine splitting of the laser-cooling-relevant A2Π1/2(v = 0, J = 1/2,+) state is about 18 MHz, much higher than the previous theoretically predicted value. This provides important missing information for laser cooling of BaF molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silicon-based copolymer solution of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate was prepared by one pot, the optimization dosages of the monomers and vinyltriethoxysilane were determined. The solution formed coatings on the surface of glass plate and stone samples. The structure was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, XRD and TGA-DSC, and the porous surface can be observed by SEM. The effect of the vinyltriethoxysilane on the surface properties of the product was investigated by measurement of contact angle. The results revealed the polyacrylate hybrid material modified by vinyltriethoxysilane have good hydrophobicity and better anti-aging, which could be easily adjusted by controlling the content of the vinyltriethoxysilane. The maximum value of contact angle was 98.5°, while the minimum rate of weight loss of the products was 1.1% after 30 days under UV radiation, and the morphology variation of the protection coating cannot be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Reproductive concerns are common in women of childbearing age with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inadequate disclosure. This study aimed to investigate the contributing factors of reproductive concerns and to evaluate their impact on health-related quality of life. Methods: One hundred eighty women of childbearing age with SLE were enrolled in this cross-sectional study in Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from March 2021 to December 2021. A series of questionnaires were conducted: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R), Family Assessment Device (APGAR), the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ), the Short-Form 36 (SF-36), and the Chinese version of Reproductive Concerns After Cancer (RCAC). Independent t test, one-way ANOVA, Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson/Spearman, and multiple linear stepwise regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The results indicated that female SLE patients were more concerned about the child's health and personal health than becoming pregnant, fertility potential, partner disclose and acceptance; SLE patients with the characteristics of living in rural residence, having no reproductive history, fearing unexpected pregnancy, sexual distress, and depression showed more serious fertility concerns. Meanwhile, most female SLE patients adopted active confrontation when facing reproductive concerns, and these patients were significantly lower in the dimension score of mental related quality of life. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that female SLE patients should be paid more attention to their fertility concerns and effective intervention measures should be carried out to relieve their reproductive concerns, so as to improve their long-term quality of life if their disease condition permits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskite nanocrystals are potential catalysts for CO2 photoreduction, while, the strong radiative recombination and insufficient stability limit their catalytic performance and application. Herein, we report that layered double hydroxide nanosheets activate CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (CLDH) for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction. These CLDH heterojunctions show the remarkably enhanced CO2 photoreduction performance; without cocatalyst and sacrificial agent, the average electron consumption rate of CLDH (49.16 μmol·g−1·h−1) is approximately 3.7 times higher than that of pristine CsPbBr3. Also, CLDH catalyst exhibits a robust stability after ten cycles over 30 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct current electric field (DCEF) steers the migration of various neural cells. Microglia, as macrophage of the central nervous system (CNS), however, have not been reported to engage in electrotaxis. Here, we applied electric fields to an in vitro environment and found directional migration of BV2 microglia toward the cathode, in a DCEF strength-dependent manner. Transcriptome analysis then revealed significant changes in the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades. In terms of mechanism, DCEF coordinated microglia movement by regulating the ERK/GSK3β/cofilin signaling pathway, and PMA (protein kinase C activator) reversed cell migration through intervention of the ERK/GSK3β/cofilin axis. Meanwhile, LiCl (GSK3β inhibitor) showed similar functions to PMA in the electrotaxis of microglia. Furthermore, pharmacological and genetic suppression of GSK3β or cofilin also modulated microglia directional migration under DCEF. Collectively, we discovered the electrotaxis of BV2 microglia and the essential role of the ERK/GSK3β/cofilin axis in regulating cell migration via modulation of F-actin redistribution. This research highlights new insight toward mediating BV2 directional migration and provides potential direction for novel therapeutic strategies of CNS diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Heterotopic ossification of tendons and ligaments is a painful and debilitating disease with no effective treatment. Although aging has been reported to be correlated with the occurrence and development of this disease, the mechanism remains unknown. Materials and methods: In the present study, we generated Bmal1-/- mice, which disrupted the circadian clock and displayed premature aging, as an aging model to explore the role of Bmal1 in TGF-beta (β)/BMP signaling in progressive heterotopic ossification of tendons and ligaments with aging. Results: We first confirmed that BMAL1 expression is downregulated in human fibroblasts from ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament using online datasets. Bmal1 deficiency in mice caused significantly progressive heterotopic ossification with aging starting at week 6, notably in the Achilles tendons and posterior longitudinal ligaments. Ossification of the Achilles tendons was accompanied by progressive motor dysfunction of the ankle joint. Histology and immunostaining showed markedly increased endochondral ossification in the posterior longitudinal ligaments and Achilles tendons of Bmal1-/- mice. Ligament-derived Bmal1-/- fibroblasts showed an osteoblast-like phenotype, upregulated osteogenic and chondrogenic markers, and activated TGFβ/BMP signaling, which was enhanced by TGFβ1 stimulation. Furthermore, Bmal1-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts had a stronger potential for osteogenic differentiation with activation of TGFβ/BMP signaling. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that Bmal1 negatively regulates endochondral ossification in heterotopic ossification of tendons and ligaments with aging via TGFβ/BMP signaling, thereby identifying a new regulatory mechanism in age-related heterotopic ossification of tendons and ligaments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning is a powerful tool, which is becoming increasingly popular in financial modeling. However, model validation requirements such as SR 11-7 pose a significant obstacle to the deployment of neural networks in a bank's production system. Their typically high number of (hyper-)parameters poses a particular challenge to model selection, benchmarking and documentation. We present a simple grid based method together with an open source implementation and show how this pragmatically satisfies model validation requirements. We illustrate the method by learning the option pricing formula in the Black–Scholes and the Heston model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer survival varies considerably among patients, to which germline variation may also contribute in addition to mutational signatures. To identify genetic markers modulating ovarian cancer outcome, we performed a genome-wide association study in 2130 Chinese ovarian cancer patients and found a hitherto unrecognized locus at 3p26.1 to be associated with the overall survival (Pcombined = 8.90 × 10−10). Subsequent statistical fine-mapping, functional annotation, and eQTL mapping prioritized a likely casual SNP rs9311399 in the non-coding regulatory region. Mechanistically, rs9311399 altered its enhancer activity through an allele-specific transcription factor binding and a long-range interaction with the promoter of a lncRNA BHLHE40-AS1. Deletion of the rs9311399-associated enhancer resulted in expression changes in several oncogenic signaling pathway genes and a decrease in tumor growth. Thus, we have identified a novel genetic locus that is associated with ovarian cancer survival possibly through a long-range gene regulation of oncogenic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend the idea of laser cooling with adiabatic passage to multi-level type-II transitions. We find the cooling force can be significantly enhanced when a proper magnetic field is applied. That is because the magnetic field decomposes the multi-level system into several two-level sub-systems, hence the stimulated absorption and stimulated emission can occur in order, allowing for the multiple photon momentum transfer. We show that this scheme also works on the laser-coolable molecules with a better cooling effect compared to the conventional Doppler cooling. A reduced dependence on spontaneous emission based on our scheme is observed as well. Our results suggest this scheme is very feasible for laser cooling of polar molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the three-dimensional ordered macroporous titanium dioxide (3DOM-TiO2), a series of gold-embedded 3DOM-TiO2 (nAu@3DOM-TiO2) with controlled Au loading amount (n = 0.24, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 12, and 24 wt%) was successfully fabricated via in-situ pyrolysis for the first time. Compared with the surface-modified Au/3DOM-TiO2 by traditional impregnation–reduction route, this body-doped Au@3DOM-TiO2 structure exhibited smaller particle size and better dispersive property which are important for photocatalysis. Therefore, the photocatalytic activities of nAu@3DOM-TiO2 have been tested and the optimized photocatalyst of 4.8Au@3DOM-TiO2 was identified. A possible mechanism of Au@3DOM-TiO2 for the enhanced photoactivity was well discussed. The present work demonstrated a unique "gold-embedded" interface with potential advantages of highly dispersed, anti-aggregation, easy recovery, and enhanced catalytic performance, and that this approach could provide an ideal platform for the further design of noble metal-doped semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small bowel vascular malformation disease (SBVM) is the most common cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Several studies suggested that EGFL6 was able to promote the growth of tumor endothelial cells by forming tumor vessels. To date, it remains unclear how EGFL6 promotes pathological angiogenesis in SBVM and whether EGFL6 is a target of thalidomide. Methods: We took advantage of SBVM plasma and tissue samples and compared the expression of EGFL6 between SBVM patients and healthy people via ELISA and Immunohistochemistry. We elucidated the underlying function of EGFL6 in SBVM in vitro and by generating a zebrafish model that overexpresses EGFL6, The cycloheximide (CHX)-chase experiment and CoIP assays were conducted to demonstrate that thalidomide can promote the degradation of EGFL6 by targeting CRBN. Results: The analysis of SBVM plasma and tissue samples revealed that EGFL6 was overexpressed in the patients compared to healthy people. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, we demonstrated that an EMT pathway triggered by the EGFL6/PAX6 axis is involved in the pathogenesis of SBVM. Furthermore, through in vitro and in vivo assays, we elucidated that thalidomide can function as anti-angiogenesis medicine through the regulation of EGFL6 in a proteasome-dependent manner. Finally, we found that CRBN can mediate the effect of thalidomide on EGFL6 expression and that the CRBN protein interacts with EGFL6 via a Lon N-terminal peptide. Conclusion: Our findings revealed a key role for EGFL6 in SBVM pathogenesis and provided a mechanism explaining why thalidomide can cure small bowel bleeding resulting from SBVM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological imaging techniques are typically used in the anti-cancer drug efficacy evaluation process. However, these techniques can evaluate the therapeutic efficacy only when the tumor shows anatomic changes-usually at later stages, when the therapeutic effects are poor. In contrast, molecular imaging allows noninvasive monitoring of tumor growth, assessment of drug metabolism, and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy at the molecular and cellular levels. Multimodality molecular imaging, which combines the advantages of various imaging modalities, provides even more comprehensive therapeutic efficacy assessment in preclinical and clinical studies. This review provides an overview of molecular imaging evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of the anti-tumor drugs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) both in preclinical and clinical research, which holds great promise in guiding HCC treatment into the era of precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of morphology-controlled BiOBr nano/macrostructures was successfully synthesized via a novel biomass-route derived from bacterial cellulose (BC). In the BiOBr/BC system compared with pure BiOBr, the three-dimensional BC scaffolds not only effectively prevented the aggregation of BiOBr units by pore confinement, but also strengthened the controllability of BiOBr size with the help of abundant anchoring sites provided by cross-linked BC fibers. By associating the results of characterizations and the photodegradation of RhB dye, the relationship between morphology and photocatalytic activity of BiOBr/BC was investigated. In addition, a possible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the optimized BiOBr/BC has been discussed. This biomass-derived route provides a platform for further design of bismuth-based composite photocatalysts with potential advantages of being anti-aggregation, highly-dispersed, easily recovered and having enhanced catalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel Z-scheme-based BiVO4/CdS photocatalysts with efficient charge separation were prepared by simple in situ hydrothermal method. The compact structure of the CdS nanorod and BiVO4 nanosheet has formed a Z-scheme heterojunction. The as-prepared BiVO4/CdS composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflection spectroscopy, photoluminescence and photocurrent techniques. It was found that the BiVO4/CdS composites had the light-absorbing range and could efficiently degrade malachite green dye under visible-light irradiation. In this report, the result of the best degrading sample could achieve 92% in 30 min under visible light, respectively. BiVO4/CdS composites perform photocatalytic efficiently due to the Z-scheme. Furthermore, the Z-scheme-based BiVO4/CdS composites leaded to a major oxidation site at BiVO4, which successfully avoided photoetching of CdS during photocatalysis. Especially, the BiVO4/CdS system exhibits great photogenerated electron–hole pairs separation capabilities and high redox capabilities. This unique method of synthesizing Z-scheme-based BiVO4/CdS heterojunction has ability to reduce the cost and promote photocatalytic in visible-light range simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of thickness-controlled SrTiO3 (commonly abbreviated ST) anchored on carbonized bacterial cellulose (CBC) was successfully prepared by a novel route of freeze-drying assisted crystallization/carbonization. For the first time, the cross-linked bacterial cellulose served as a carbon source as well as structure-directing scaffold for the construction of ST/CBC composites. Characterizations exhibited cracks and defects on the surface of CBC which provided ideal anchoring sites for the dispersion and crystallization of ST. Additionally, the relationship between morphology and photocatalytic activity of ST/CBC was carefully investigated by photocatalytic reduction of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) and degradation of tetracycline in water. This unique biomass-derived carbon fibers provide an ideal platform for further design of perovskite based materials with enhanced catalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide, and complete surgical resection of diseased tissue is a reliable strategy to cure cancer. Fluorescence image-guided surgery is a promising tool for surgeons to identify and remove malignant lesions. While non-targeted fluorescent dyes have been used for HCC diagnosis and resection, insufficient specificity and false positive uptake from inflammatory tissue result in a high recurrence rate or excessive excision of healthy liver tissue. To circumvent these problems, we focused on developing novel tumor-specific targeting probe to selectively illuminate cancer region during surgery. Given overexpression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in HCC and many other cancers, HDAC-targeted imaging has been emerged as a promising tool for tumor detection.Procedures: Recently, high expression of HDACs, in particular HDAC6, has been observed in tumor samples of HCC patient, and a few HDAC inhibitors, including FDA-approved suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), display potent antitumor effect on HCC. Correspondingly, in this study, we utilized a small molecule SAHA with the high HDAC-binding affinity as the HCC-specific targeting ligand to develop HDAC-targeted fluorescence probe for HCC detection and fluorescence image-guided resection.Results: In in vitro imaging, SAHA was labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to evaluate targeting property, and the imaging results demonstrated that FITC-SAHA was specific uptake by HCC Bel-7402 cells. In in vivo imaging, near infrared fluorescence dye IRDye800CW-labelled SAHA (NIR probe IRDye800CW-SAHA) showed rapid tumor accumulation with high tumor-to-background contrast on both the subcutaneous and orthotopic HCC mouse tumor models. Furthermore, the orthotopic HCC was successfully resected by the IRDye800CW-SAHA fluorescence image-guided surgery. Moreover, IRDye800CW-SAHA showed no toxicity toward healthy tissues.Conclusions: Our results indicate that IRDye800CW-SAHA is a clinical translatable probe for HCC detection and resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(GO/TiO2)N (GO represents graphene oxide, and N represents the period number of alternate superposition of two dielectrics) one-dimensional photonic crystal with different lattice constants was prepared via the sol-gel technique, and its transmission characteristics for photocatalysis were tested. The results show that the lattice constant, filling ratio, number of periodic layers, and incident angle had effects on the band gap. When the lattice constant, filling ratio, number of periodic layers, and incident angle were set to 125 nm, 0.45, 21, and 0°, respectively, a gap width of 53 nm appeared at the central wavelength (322 nm). The absorption peak of the photocatalyst at 357 nm overlapped the blue edge of the photonic band gap. A slow photon effect region above 96% reflectivity appeared. The degradation rate of tetracycline in (GO/TiO2)N photonic crystal was enhanced to 64% within 60 min. Meanwhile, the degradation efficiency of (GO/TiO2)N one-dimensional photonic crystal was effectively improved compared with those of the GO/TiO2 composite film and GO/TiO2 powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, core-shell magnetic covalent organic framework nanoparticles (Fe3O4@COF) were prepared as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents for simultaneous determination of five benzimidazole (BZD) residues in fruits and commercially available juices. Fe3O4@COF was prepared using the controllable in situ growth strategy and then fully characterized. This sensitive and selective analytical method was developed by combining the rapid magnetic SPE procedure and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The large surface area and suitable pore size of Fe3O4@COF facilitated the selective absorption of BZDs free from macromolecular interference. Several experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including adsorption isotherms, kinetics, pH and salt strength of sample solution, desorption eluents, and time. Furthermore, under the optimized conditions, the limit of detection and the limit of quantification were found to be less than 2.9 and 9.7 ng mL−1, respectively, along with good linearity at 0.01–0.2 μg mL−1 for all the five BZDs. When the proposed method was applied to fruits and juice samples, the recoveries ranged from 85.3 to 102.3%, with relative standard deviations always being < 8.6%. These results prove that the established method was fast, convenient, and feasible for the detection of BZDs in commercial food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete classification of solutions to the defocusing complex modified Korteweg-de Vries (cmKdV) equation with the step-like initial condition is given by Whitham theory. The process of studying the solution of cmKdV equation can be reduced to explore four quasi-linear equations, which predicts the evolution of dispersive shock wave. The results obtained here are quite different from the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation: the bidirectionality of defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation determines that there are two basic rarefaction and shock structures while in the cmKdV case three basic rarefaction structures and four basic dispersive shock structures are constructed which lead to more complicated classification of step-like initial condition, and wave patterns even consisted of six different regions while each of wave patterns is consisted of five regions in the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Direct numerical simulations of cmKdV equation are agreed well with the solutions corresponding to Whitham theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Stool is an alternative specimen matrix for tuberculosis (TB) tests, because Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) can be swallowed and detected in the samples from digestive tract. We aimed to assess the performance of GeneXpert on stool and gastric lavage fluid (GALF) in diagnosing TB among patients with severe pulmonary TB. Methods: We enrolled adults with suspected pulmonary TB who were unable to produce sputum at visit between January 2016 and June 2018. Bacteriological samples consisted of one transtracheal aspirate sputum specimen, one stool specimen and/or one gastric lavage fluid specimen. Bacterial culture of transtracheal aspirate sputum provided the gold standard. Results: Of 65 individuals recruited for analysis, MGIT culture identified the presence of MTB in 32 samples. Overall, 29 of 32 stool samples from culture-positive cases were detected by the GeneXpert test, demonstrating a sensitivity of 90.6%. For GALF, 13 patients were detected as infected with MTB by GeneXpert, yielding a sensitivity of 56.5%. The statistical analysis revealed that GeneXpert showed significantly better sensitivity in detecting MTB from stool samples than GALF samples (P = 0.003). Among individuals with GeneXpert-positive stool, the percentage of individuals with comorbid diabetes was significantly higher than among individuals with GeneXpert-negative stool (19.4% vs. 2.9%, P = 0.034). Conclusions: In conclusion, our data reveal that GeneXpert provides a higher detection rate on stool compared to GALF, indicating stool should be considered as an alternative for adult TB patients unable to produce sputum. Individuals with diabetes are more likely to have positive GeneXpert stool than nondiabetic individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth vanadate as photoanode with suitable bandgap and appropriate valence band positions is generally very stable in aqueous solution and cheap, but the photochemical activity is usually limited by poor electron mobility and low oxygen evolution kinetics. Herein, we exhibit that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by introducing a foreign dopant (Mo6+) into the BiVO4 film to create a distributed n+-n heterojunction and combining the BiVO4 photoanode with cobalt–phosphate water oxidation catalyst to improve the oxygen evolution kinetic. We systematically study the relationship between the higher photoelectrochemical performance and Mo-doping and cobalt–phosphate (CoPi) modification by XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, LSV, EIS, I–t, and Mott–Schottky measurements, and the CoPi-Mo:BiVO4 heterojunction photoanode shows a current density of 3.27 times higher than that of pristine BiVO4 photoanode. Then, we concentrate our attention on a novel perspective for understanding the photoelectrochemical mechanism of interfacial charge transfer with the Mo-doping and CoPi modification on the BiVO4 photoanodes. This work provides new insights into the rational design of novel photoanodes from various improvement strategies with high photoelectrochemical performance and further utilization for environmental practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An asymmetric zinc phthalocyanine composites ([3α-(OPh-t-Bu)-α-NO2]ZnPc-MWCNTs) have been prepared. The as-prepared composites are characterized via UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The catalytic performance of [3α-(OPh-t-Bu)-α-NO2]ZnPc-MWCNTs composites are evaluated by studying the catalytic oxidation of styrene. Effects of different solvents and oxidant, mass ratio of composite catalyst and styrene, temperature, time on catalytic activity were also investigated. It can be found that the [3α-(OPh-t-Bu)-α-NO2]ZnPc-MWCNTs composites have better catalytic activity with higher conversion and selectivity. When the mass ratio of [3α-(OPh-t-Bu)-α-NO2]ZnPc-MWCNTs/styrene is 1:15, the highest conversion rate and the optimal selectivity can reach 96.6% and 86.1%, respectively. Moreover, the possible catalytic mechanism of [3α-(OPh-t-Bu)-α-NO2] ZnPc-MWCNTs composites for the oxidation of styrene was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoTNPc)/SnIn4S8 composites with different mass proportions were prepared by ultrasonic method. The obtained composites have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence. It was found that the photocatalytic performance of 10%-CoTNPc/SnIn4S8 composites was 3.18 times larger than that of bare SnIn4S8 under 100 min visible-light irradiation. More importantly, the 10%-CoTNPc/SnIn4S8 composites possessed the maximum photocatalytic activity whose degradation rate approached to around 99.2% and the cyclic experiment verified the stability of CoTNPc sensitized SnIn4S8 composites. In addition, some typical scavengers were added to speculate the potential photocatalytic mechanism during the photocatalytic oxidation process. This photocatalytic enhancement of CoTNPc/SnIn4S8 composites was attributed to its efficient charge transfer and inhibition of the recombination around electron-hole pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity test is one of the important areas of natural product research, which is traditionally tested by spectrophotometry. In this work, a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for testing AChE inhibitory activity in several natural products. Using galanthamine hydrobromide and huperzine A as positive controls, it was found that the optimal conditions for sample preparation are 7.0-8.0 for pH, 30 min for reaction time, 37 °C for reaction temperature, 1.1 × 10−3 U mL−1 for concentration of AChE, and 0.625 mM for acetylthiocholine iodide in the final reaction mixture with total volume 2 mL. The Diamonsil C18 column was used and the chromatographic conditions were mobile phase methanol-water-triethylamine (40:60:0.05, v/v/v), flow rate 1.0 mL min−1, injection volume 5 μL, run time 5 min, column temperature 37 °C, and wavelength 405 nm. The AChE inhibitory activity of anthocyanin with concentration of 10, 20, and 50 μg mL−1, blueberry extract and purple potato extract with concentration of 20, 100, and 500 μg mL−1 were further determined under this conditions. The results showed the inhibition ratios obtained from spectrophotometry were nearly adjacent and approximately lower than 10% and the values of absorbance mostly exceed 0.8, but the absorbance should ensure in the range of 0.15-0.8 to guarantee smaller relative error for spectrophotometry. While the inhibition ratios gained from HPLC method were higher than 20% and had greater difference, they had better comparability to the different concentrations of anthocyanin and its extracts. It is revealed that the HPLC method can be used for the evaluation of the AChE inhibitory activity in natural product extracts with deep color or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been attracting considerable attention and present a great potential in photocatalytic water treatment, paving the way for building efficient and environmentally-friendly photocatalysts. In this work, a stable photoactive UIO-66(NH2) incorporated with Ag/AgBr photocatalyst has been successfully fabricated through the sonication-assisted deposition-precipitation technique and exhibits remarkable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). The as-prepared photocatalysts are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET, X-ray photoelectron spectra, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, the obtained Ag/AgBr@UIO-66(NH2) photocatalyst shows an outstanding recyclability. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the favorable band alignment between UIO-66(NH2) and AgBr mediated by Ag NPs. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag NPs make the electrons in Ag NPs preferentially transfer to AgBr, which facilitates the charge transfer of Ag/AgBr@UIO-66(NH2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing low-cost, efficient, and bifunctional electrocatalysts for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an attractive yet challenging task. Herein, we report a novel, simple and one-pot method to fabricate ultrafinely dispersed Co-CoOx nanoparticles encapsulated in a nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (denoted as Co-CoOx/CN) via an efficient thermal condensation of D-glucosamine hydrochloride, melamine and Co(NO3)2·H2O. A well-designed Co-CoOx based hybrid that possesses high activity and excellent durability for the OER and HER in alkaline solution has been fabricated. The catalyst displays good stability for 30,000 s and small Tafel slope of 82 mV per decade for OER and 110 mV per decade for HER. Detailed electrochemical and physical studies indicate that the high OER and HER activity of the hybrid catalyst arises from the strong interaction between Co-based NPs and N-doped carbon nanotubes, and especially the synergistic effect of Co and cobalt oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel hybrid architectures of BiPO nanorods and g-CN nanosheets (defined as BiPO/g-CN) with highly visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity has been synthesized via a facile ultrasonic dispersion method as a composite photocatalyst for environmental treatment of organic pollutant. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectra, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra and photoluminescence spectra have been employed to characterize the hybrid materials. The as-obtained photocatalysts show remarkable activity for degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). The enhanced photocatalytic activity for BiPO/g-CN composite can be ascribed to the facilitated separation and easy transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs on the interface of BiPO and g-CN. Therefore, the photocatalytic activity of catalyst with optimal BiPO weight ratio of 7% in the composite is about twice as high as that of pure g-CN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel α-SnWO/g-CN composites have been successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure, physicochemical property and morphology of the as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-vis and PL. Compared to the pristine α-SnWO and g-CN, the α-SnWO/g-CN heterostructure exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation, which can be attributed to the effective electrons/holes transfer and separation, due to the heterojunction formed between α-SnWO and g-CN. Moreover, the α-SnWO/g-CN demonstrated good recyclability properties which were beneficial for its practical application. The photocatalytic mechanism of the α-SnWO/g-CN was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) refers to a unique process in which factors released by irradiated cells or tissues exert effects on other parts of the animal not exposed to radiation, causing genomic instability, stress responses and altered apoptosis or cell proliferation. Although RIBEs have important implications for radioprotection, radiation safety and radiotherapy, the molecular identities of RIBE factors and their mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Here we use Caenorhabditis elegans as a model in which to study RIBEs, and identify the cysteine protease CPR-4, a homologue of human cathepsin B, as the first RIBE factor in nematodes, to our knowledge. CPR-4 is secreted from animals irradiated with ultraviolet or ionizing gamma rays, and is the major factor in the conditioned medium that leads to the inhibition of cell death and increased embryonic lethality in unirradiated animals. Moreover, CPR-4 causes these effects and stress responses at unexposed sites distal to the irradiated tissue. The activity of CPR-4 is regulated by the p53 homologue CEP-1 in response to radiation, and CPR-4 seems to exert RIBEs by acting through the insulin-like growth factor receptor DAF-2. Our study provides crucial insights into RIBEs, and will facilitate the identification of additional RIBE factors and their mechanisms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: DgNAC1, a transcription factor of chrysanthemum, was functionally verified to confer salt stress responses by regulating stress-responsive genes. Abstract: NAC transcription factors play effective roles in resistance to different abiotic stresses, and overexpressions of NAC TFs in Arabidopsis have been proved to be conducive in improving salinity tolerance. However, functions of NAC genes in chrysanthemum continue to be poorly understood. Here, we performed physiology and molecular experiments to evaluate roles of DgNAC1 in chrysanthemum salt stress responses. In this study, DgNAC1-overexpressed chrysanthemum was obviously more resistant to salt over the WT (wild type). Specifically, the transgenic chrysanthemum showed a higher survival rate and lower EC (electrolyte conductivity) than WT under salt stress. The transgenic chrysanthemum also showed fewer accumulations of MDA (malondialdehyde) and reactive oxygen species (HO and O ), greater activities of SOD (superoxide dismutase), POD (peroxidase) and CAT (catalase), as well as more proline content than WT under salt stress. Furthermore, stress-responsive genes in transgenic chrysanthemum were greater up-regulated than in WT under salinity stress. Thus, all results revealed that DgNAC1 worked as a positive regulator in responses to salt stress and it may be an essential gene for molecular breeding of salt-tolerant plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a three-coupled variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which describes soliton dynamics in the three-spine $$\alpha $$ -helical protein with inhomogeneous effect, and analytically obtain multi-soliton solutions, whose formation originates from the dynamical balance between the dispersion owing to the resonant interaction of intrapeptide dipole vibrations and the nonlinear interaction provided by those vibrations with the local displacements of the peptide groups. Using these analytical solutions as initial solutions, we discuss the dynamical behaviors of solitonic interactions and the influence of the protein inhomogeneity on shape-changing collisions of solitons by direct numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) is described that allows the simultaneous quantitative detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in human serum to aid the diagnosis and monitoring of hepatitis B virus infection. The proposed method was developed based on a two-step sandwich immunoassay protocol in which monoclonal antibodies against HBsAg and HBeAg were co-coated in 96 microtitration wells, then tracer polyclonal antibodies against HBsAg labeled with samarium and tracer monoclonal antibodies against HBeAg labeled with europium chelates were used for detection. The detection range was 0.1-150 IU/mL for HBsAg and 0.5-160 PEIU/mL for HBeAg, and the detection limits were 0.03 IU/L and 0.09 PEIU/ml, respectively. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were below 8 % for both virus antigens. The dilution linearity and accuracy of the assay were satisfactory. No statistically significant differences were observed in sensitivity or specificity for the serum samples between the dual-label TRFIA and a commercial single-label TRFIA. These results demonstrate that an effective, reliable and convenient HBsAg/HBeAg dual-label TRFIA was successfully developed that may be clinically applicable for blood screening to monitor the course of hepatitis B virus infection and predict treatment responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]