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Introduction: The lymph node metastasis stage of lung cancer is an important decisive factor in the need for postoperative adjuvant treatment and the difference between stage IIIa and stage IIIB that is the necessary information to distinguish whether surgery can be performed or not. The specificity of the clinical diagnosis of lung cancer with lymph node metastasis cannot meet the requirements of preoperative evaluation of surgical indications and prediction of surgical removal range in lung cancer. Methods: This was an early experimental laboratory trial. The model identification data included the RNA sequence data of 10 patients from our clinical data and 188 patients with lung cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. The model development and validation data consisted of RNA sequence data for 537 cases from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. We explore the predictive value of the model on two independent clinical data. Results: A higher specificity of diagnostic model for patients with lung cancer with lymph node metastases consisted of DDX49, EGFR, and tumor stage (T‐stage), which were the independent predictive factors. The area under the curve value, specificity, and sensitivity for predicting lymph node metastases were 0.835, 70.4%, and 78.9% at RNA expression level in the training group, and 0.681, 73.2%, and 75.7% at RNA expression level in the validation group as shown as in result part. To verify the predictive performance of the combined model for lymph node metastases, we downloaded the GSE30219 data set (n = 291) and the GSE31210 data set (n = 246) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database as the training group and validation group, respectively. In addition, the model had a higher specificity for predicting lymph node metastases in independent tissue samples. Conclusions: Determination of DDX49, EGFR, and T‐stage could form a novel prediction model to improve the diagnostic efficacy of lymph node metastasis in clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymph node metastases and distant metastases were the important limiting factor for therapy of unresectable locally advanced (IIIB stage) and oligotransduction (IVa stage) lung cancer. This study was undertaken to identify a novel predictive biomarker for predicting lymph node metastases of lung cancer. A total of 364 patients with lung cancer which comprised of 198 patients with transcriptome sequencing data, 110 cases with immunohistochemistry data and 66 patients with serum samples were included to identify and validate the candidate gene. Autophagy was measured by western blots, immunofluorescence and electron microscope. We found that 3‐hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1 (BDH1) was associated with proliferation and metastases of lung cancer. BDH1 expression in both tissue and serum samples was associated with lung cancer metastases. Mechanical studies revealed that the AMPK‐mTOR signalling pathway mediated by PARP1 played an important role in BDH1‐induced autophagy. Activation of mTOR pathway markedly increased the effect of BDH1 in cell proliferation and metastases. These results were verified by the knockdown of PARP1. Furthermore, in vivo administration of BDH1 effectively promoted tumour growth in H460 xenografts mice. Our finding not only suggested that BDH1 might be useful as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for lung cancer metastases, but also imply that PARP1‐mediated AMPK‐mTOR signalling pathway might play a critical role in BDH1‐induced autophagy and lung cancer proliferation and metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden kidney dysfunction caused by aberrant reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism that results in high clinical mortality. The rapid development of ROS scavengers provides new opportunities for AKI treatment. Herein, the use of hydrogen‐terminated germanene (H‐germanene) nanosheets is reported as an antioxidative defense nanoplatform against AKI in mice. The simulation results show that 2D H‐germanene can effectively scavenge ROS through free radical adsorption and subsequent redox reactions. In particular, the H‐germanene exhibits high accumulation in injured kidneys, thereby offering a favorable opportunity for treating renal diseases. In the glycerol‐induced murine AKI model, H‐germanene delivers robust antioxidative protection against ROS attack to maintain normal kidney function indicators without negative influence in vivo. This positive in vivo antioxidative defense in living animals demonstrates that the present H‐germanene nanoplatform is a powerful antioxidant against AKI and various anti‐inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) currently relies on the commonly adopted WHO classification and Masaoka staging system, which cannot reflect the undefined biological behaviors limiting them as prognostic factors. Methods: In this study, we first identified 40 genes and 179 genes, respectively that were epigenetically upregulated and silenced, corresponding to a total of 509 functionally methylated CpG sites between thymomas and thymic carcinomas by using the TCGA dataset. Results: The methylation β‐values of cg20068620 in MAPK4 and cg18770944 in USP51 were significantly associated with recurrence‐free survival (RFS). In the independent validation cohort, only WHO classification and methylation β‐values of cg20068620 in MAPK4 were independent prognostic factors for RFS in Chinese patients with TETs. A linear weighted model including these two factors was used to calculate the recurrence risk score (RRS). Time‐dependent ROC curve analysis revealed that RRS was overwhelmingly superior to WHO classification for predicting 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year RFS and Masaoka stage for 3‐ and 5‐year RFS. Conclusions: These results suggested that the methylation site cg20068620 in MAPK4 can improve the accuracy of the WHO classification alone regarding the prognostic value of TETs recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoinhibition lithography (PIL) is a nanoscale fabrication technique that uses multicolor visible light to enable the printing of arbitrary 3D structures beyond the diffraction limit. Photoinhibition allows the control and confinement of the exposed region for photoinitiation during the photolithographic process, thus improving the resolution of existing lithographic techniques, such as direct laser writing. Because PIL enables super‐resolution 3D printing, it has a multitude of applications. In this review, practical applications of PIL in the areas of photonics, data storage, and biotechnology are highlighted; in addition, its unique features are revealed. The theory and recent advances in PIL for sub‐diffraction printing and high‐throughput fabrication are also discussed. Besides, challenges and tentative solutions are discussed with the hope of providing a preliminary roadmap for technological breakthroughs in PIL to enable developments of resolution and throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common disease that seriously threatens human health. So far, the pathogenesis of AS has not been fully understood. This project investigates the effects of circARHGAP12 on AS and its regulatory mechanism. ApoE−/− knockout mice (ApoE) were adopted and reared with a high‐fat diet to construct an AS model. Lentivirus was established to knock down the expression of circARHGAP12 in mice. After 12 weeks, the aorta was removed and the expression of circARHGAP12 was detected. Vascular oil red O staining was used to detect the degree of AS. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA. Aortic smooth muscle cells (MASMCs) were cultured to evaluate the effects of circARHGAP12 on the phenotype of MASMCs. RNA pull‐down and luciferase assay were used to verify the downstream target genes of circARHGAP12. In addition, the effects of circARHGAP12 on MASMCs proliferation and migration were detected by MTT and transwell assay. Compared with the normal group, the expression of circARHGAP12 in the MASMCs under ox‐LDL treatment was elevated, and circARHGAP12 silencing could inhibit AS in vitro and in vivo. The results of the mechanism study showed that circARHGAP12 can directly bind with miR‐630. In addition, miR‐630 can also target EZH2 to modulate the transcription of TIMP2 and to influence the migration of MASMCs. circARHGAP12 is upregulated in AS. CircARHGAP12 knockdown can inhibit the progression of AS. This study expands on the role of circRNA in AS and provides potential targets for the treatment of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermal materials with broadband optical absorption and high conversion efficiency are intensively pursued to date. Here, proposing by the d‐d interband transitions, we report an unprecedented high‐entropy alloy FeCoNiTiVCrCu nanoparticles that the energy regions below and above the Fermi level (±4 eV) have been fully filled by the 3d transition metals, which realizes an average absorbance greater than 96 % in the entire solar spectrum (wavelength of 250 to 2500 nm). Furthermore, we also calculated the photothermal conversion efficiency and the evaporation rate towards the steam generation. Due to its pronounced full light capture and ultrafast local heating, our high‐entropy‐alloy nanoparticle‐based solar steam generator has over 98 % efficiency under one sun irradiation, meanwhile enabling a high evaporation rate of 2.26 kg m−2 h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic matter in the gas‐phase and particles are important components of the atmosphere. Photochemical degradation is a major transformation pathway of atmospheric organic matter, which changes the atmospherically related life time and the environmental, climatic, and health‐related effects of organic matter, as well as biogeochemical cycles of elements. In addition to field observations and model simulations, laboratory experiments based on smog chambers and flow tubes are important approaches to study the photodegradation mechanisms and influencing factors of atmospheric organics. Isotopic composition is also a useful tracer for photodegradation processes of different organics, for example, carboxylic acids. In this article, research progress on photodegradation of several significant categories of organic pollutants which have aroused widespread concern currently, for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, brown carbon, organosulfates/organonitrates, microplastics, and bioaerosols, are reviewed. The effects of different degradation mechanisms including photochemical reactions, heterogeneous aqueous reactions, and microbial degradation are also compared. Although the photodegradation of atmospheric organics has been studied to a certain extent, much more effort should be made to fill the large knowledge gap between the actual and simulated photodegradation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neotame is an artificial sweetener with increasing consumption in recent years, excessive intake of it may bring potential health risk. In this work, a rapid method was developed to detect neotame in instant grain beverages, which was based on surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique and filter paper‐based silver nanoparticles (AgNPs@FP) substrates. The designed substrate exhibits good SERS activity with an enhancement factor of 105 because of the synergistic effect of the concentrated silver nanoparticles and filter paper. Meanwhile, the stability and repeatability of this fabricated substrate have been investigated with the relative standard deviation of 6.1%. In addition, it shows an excellent linear relationship (R2 = 0.997) between the SERS signal and the logarithm concentration of neotame with a wide concentration range (0.05–5 g/kg) in the quantitative analysis. The limit of detection of neotame can be as low as 0.01 g/kg in instant grain beverages, which is below the maximum allowable addition level for neotame in instant grain beverages set in China (GB2760‐2014, 0.16 g/kg). The proposed method has great potential for the identification and quantification of neotame in food safety applications with high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XFZYD) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription used for the clinical treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this work was to develop a sensitive and rapid UHPLC–MS/MS method to simultaneously study the pharmacokinetics of nimodipine and eight components of XFZYD, namely, amygdalin, hydroxysafflor yellow A, rutin, liquiritin, narirutin, naringin, neohesperidin and saikosaponin A, in rats with and without TBI. Multiple reaction monitoring was highly selective in the detection of nine analytes and the internal standard without obvious interference. The calibration curves displayed good linearity (r > 0.99) over a wide concentration range. The mean absolute recoveries of the nine analytes were 85–106%, and all matrix effects were in the range 80–120%. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy were acceptable (RSD, <15%; RE%, ±20%). The validated method was successfully applied to compare the pharmacokinetics in four experimental groups, including control rats orally administered XFZYD and TBI model rats orally administered XFZYD, XFZYD and nimodipine, or nimodipine alone. The results showed that herb–drug interactions occurred between XFZYD and nimodipine in the treatment of TBI, nimodipine affected the pharmacokinetics of XFZYD, and XFZYD affected the absorption, distribution and excretion of nimodipine in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a sensitive and rapid method for the quantification of Cimetidine (Cim) based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), using silver nanoparticles as an SERS substrate. Ag nanoparticle was fabricated by hydrothermal method. The experiment includes the selection of solvent types and optimisation of volume radio. Results suggested that the intensity and logarithmic Cim concentration in the range from 1.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−4 M has a linear relationship with the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.989, the limit of detection (LOD) of 2.9 × 10−9 M, by targeting the characteristic peak at 2150 cm−1. The LOD of Cim in plasma using this method was as low as 1 ng/ml. This indicates that the method has a potential for detection of Cim in biological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small molecular PD‐1 inhibitors are lacking in current immuno‐oncology clinic. PD‐1/PD‐L1 antibody inhibitors currently approved for clinical usage block interaction between PD‐L1 and PD‐1 to enhance cytotoxicity of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL). Whether other steps along the PD‐1 signaling pathway can be targeted remains to be determined. Here, we report that methylene blue (MB), an FDA‐approved chemical for treating methemoglobinemia, potently inhibits PD‐1 signaling. MB enhances the cytotoxicity, activation, cell proliferation, and cytokine‐secreting activity of CTL inhibited by PD‐1. Mechanistically, MB blocks interaction between Y248‐phosphorylated immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based switch motif (ITSM) of human PD‐1 and SHP2. MB enables activated CTL to shrink PD‐L1 expressing tumor allografts and autochthonous lung cancers in a transgenic mouse model. MB also effectively counteracts the PD‐1 signaling on human T cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors. Thus, we identify an FDA‐approved chemical capable of potently inhibiting the function of PD‐1. Equally important, our work sheds light on a novel strategy to develop inhibitors targeting PD‐1 signaling axis. Synopsis: PD‐1 inhibitors that are currently used in the clinic exhibit toxicity and limited patient response rate. This study identifies methylene blue (MB), an FDA‐approved chemical for treating methemoglobinemia, as a new potent PD‐1 inhibitor. MB activates T‐cell functions through inhibiting the recruitment of SHP2 to PD‐1.MB treatment effectively shrinks tumors in both an allograft mouse model and an autochthonous mouse model for lung cancer.MB activates human CD8+ T cells that are otherwise suppressed by PD‐1 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotherapy resistance has become a hold back and major clinical challenge in osteosarcoma cancer. The alteration and subcellular distribution of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) has been reported to be involved in chemotherapy resistance in many cancers. Here, we report that the cytoplasmic distribution of APE1 plays a key role in the sensitivity of combination platinum chemotherapy in osteosarcoma. Interestingly, the prevalence of cisplatin‐induced DNA damage and apoptosis in low cytoplasmic APE1 osteosarcoma cell lines was higher than in high expression of cytoplasmic APE1 cell lines. Overexpression of cytoplasmic APE1 protected the osteosarcoma cells from CDDP‐induced apoptosis. In addition, clinical data also show that the level of cytoplasmic APE1 was negatively associated with sensitivity to combination chemotherapy of cisplatin in osteosarcoma patients. Our findings suggest that cytoplasmic APE1 plays a significant role in chemotherapy resistance. This role is a supplement to the extranuclear function of APE1, and cytoplasmic APE1 expression level could be a promising predictor of platinum treatment prognosis for osteosarcoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PI3Kδ plays a pivotal role in regulating immune cell function and has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target in treating various diseases, which draw more and more attention to discover potent PI3Kδ inhibitors in recent years. Starting from structure‐based drug design, a series of derivatives were designed and synthesized as new chemotypes of PI3Kδ inhibitors. The potential compounds were structurally optimized by interaction showed in docking study. In cell‐free kinase activity assays, Homogeneous Time‐Resolved Fluorescence Assay (HTRF) method was performed for evaluating the inhibitory activities against PI3Kδ. Interestingly, the representative compound 4 exhibited potent PI3Kδ activity (IC50=72 nM), which is comparable to that of positive compound TGR1202. Furthermore, compound 4 showed 15‐fold water solubility than TGR1202. In addition, the tests of compound 4 on anti‐cancer activity against jeko‐1 cancer cell line and cytotoxicity against peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) suggested high inhibition activity and low toxicity respectively. A series of experiments indicated that compound 4 possessed novel chemical structure and high‐efficiency PI3Kδ inhibition activity, deserving further structural optimization to develop highly potent PI3Kδ inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of lymph node metastases is important for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients with lung cancer. We found DDX49 was associated with the lymph node metastases in lung cancer by the Akt/β‐catenin pathway. Transcriptome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, quantitative RT‐PCR, cell transfection and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set were used to identify DDX49 responsible for lymph node metastases. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was used to explore the possible molecular mechanism in experimental cell. The DDX49 gene was correlated significantly with lymph node metastases of lung cancer. The knockdown of DDX49 inhibited the cell proliferation and migration in PC‐9 and H460 cells. The mechanism research found downexpression of DDX49 decreased the Akt/β‐catenin pathway in lung cancer cell. In vivo experiments showed that DDX49 promoted the proliferation and metastases of lung cancer cells by increasing the Akt/β‐catenin pathway. These findings suggested that DDX49 may be useful as a novel biomarker of lymph node metastases and therapeutic target for lung cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Here, we propose a novel imaging method, which is called image scanning difference microscopy (ISDM), for superresolution imaging. In ISDM, we implement a detector array composed of 19 avalanche photodiodes (APD) rather than single‐point detector in standard confocal microscopy for reconstructing superresolved images with higher signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). Combining with our former proposed fluorescence emission difference (FED) method, we have achieved a lateral resolution of 111 nm (∼λ/6) without the damage of image quality, the highest FED resolution to the best of our knowledge. With its simple setup and remarkable performance, we believe that ISDM can become a versatile observation tool in biology and other fundamental studies. Lay Description: Fluorescence emission difference (FED) microscopy is a really simple and generalisable superresolved fluorescence microscopy method based on PSF engineering and difference algorithm recently. Compared to stimulated‐emission‐depletion fluorescence microscopy (STED), FED don't need complicated system or precise alignment and polarisation, available for wide variety of dyes and has low photobleaching and phototoxicity for living cells. However, the distortion caused by negative value is one of the biggest obstacles to the further development of FED. In light of this, we propose a novel superresolution imaging method based on the FED method with parallel detection system, which is called image scanning difference microscopy (ISDM). Our method has achieved a significant breakthrough in FED, increasing the resolution further while reducing artefacts generated by negative values, which cannot be accomplished through combining other methods. In addition, ISDM does not require complex setup and optical alignment, long time imaging and imposing no constraint on dyes. Importantly, we realised a transverse resolution of ∼λ/6 (triple diffraction limit) with single wavelength, single incident path and low light intensity, which has never been achieved in any other far‐field superresolution microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pulpitis suppressed the level of let‐7c‐5p that promotes osteogenesis and bone formation by repressing HMGA2. In the current study, the function of let‐7c‐5p in the inflammation and osteogenesis in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) was explored. The level of let‐7c‐5p in DPSCs was up‐regulated, and the cells were subjected to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation. The effect of let‐7c‐5p on cell proliferation potential, osteogenic differentiation potential, and activity of HMGA2/PI3K/Akt pathway was detected. The administration of LPS suppressed the cell proliferation of DPSCs and suppressed calcium deposition, activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and levels of OCN, OPN, OSX, MSX2, and RUNX2 in inflamed DPSCs. The impaired osteogenic differentiation of inflamed DPSCs was associated with the increased levels of HMGA2, p‐PI3K, and p‐Akt. In let‐7c‐5p‐overexpressed inflamed DPSCs, the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation potential of DPSCs were restored, and the activation of HMGA2/PI3K/Akt signalling was inhibited. In rat pulpitis models, the injection of let‐7c‐5p agomir restored the osteogenic differentiation potential of dental pulp cells and inhibited HMGA2/PI3K/Akt signalling. The findings demonstrated the anti‐inflammation and pro‐osteogenesis effect of let‐7c‐5p during the attack of pulpitis, which depended on the inhibition of HMGA2/PI3K/Akt signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complementary error function is a fundamental function in statistics and plays a central role in numerous applications. Its upper bound is essential for simplifying many performance analysis in communications. This Letter develops a new upper bound, which is sharper than existing upper bounds, on the complementary error function. Simulation tests are also performed to illustrate the sharpness of the new upper bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we analyze convergence and supercloseness properties of a class of weak Galerkin (WG) finite element methods for solving second-order elliptic problems. It is shown that the WG solution is superclose to the Lagrange interpolant using Lobatto points. This supercloseness behavior is obtained through some newly designed stabilization terms. A postprocessing technique using polynomial preserving recovery (PPR) is introduced for the WG approximation. Superconvergence analysis is performed for the PPR recovered gradient. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a local postprocessing method to get a new finite element solution whose flux is conservative element-wise. First, we use the so-called polynomial preserving recovery (postprocessing) technique to obtain a higher order flux which is continuous across the element boundary. Then, we use special bubble functions, which have a nonzero flux only on one face-edge or face-triangle of each element, to correct the finite element solution element by element, guided by the above super-convergent flux and the element mass. The new finite element solution preserves mass element-wise and retains the quasioptimality in approximation. The method produces a conservative flux, of high-order accuracy, satisfying the constitutive law. Numerical tests in 2D and 3D are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with superconvergence properties of the direct discontinuous Galerkin (DDG) method for one-dimensional linear convection-diffusion equations. We prove, under some suitable choice of numerical fluxes and initial discretization, a 2 k-th and [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anther development, particularly around the time of meiosis, is extremely crucial for plant sexual reproduction. Meanwhile, cell-to-cell communication between somatic (especial tapetum) cells and meiocytes are important for both somatic anther development and meiosis. To investigate possible molecular mechanisms modulating protein activities during anther development, we applied high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses for developing rice ( Oryza sativa) anthers around the time of meiosis ( RAM). In total, we identified 4984 proteins and 3203 phosphoproteins with 8973 unique phosphorylation sites (p-sites). Among those detected here, 1544 phosphoproteins are currently absent in the Plant Protein Phosphorylation DataBase (P3 DB), substantially enriching plant phosphorylation information. Mapman enrichment analysis showed that ' DNA repair','transcription regulation' and 'signaling' related proteins were overrepresented in the phosphorylated proteins. Ten genetically identified rice meiotic proteins were detected to be phosphorylated at a total of 25 p-sites; moreover more than 400 meiotically expressed proteins were revealed to be phosphorylated and their phosphorylation sites were precisely assigned. 163 putative secretory proteins, possibly functioning in cell-to-cell communication, are also phosphorylated. Furthermore, we showed that DNA synthesis, RNA splicing and RNA-directed DNA methylation pathways are extensively affected by phosphorylation. In addition, our data support 46 kinase-substrate pairs predicted by the rice Kinase-Protein Interaction Map, with Sn RK1 substrates highly enriched. Taken together, our data revealed extensive protein phosphorylation during anther development, suggesting an important post-translational modification affecting protein activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we combine mixed finite element method, multiscale discretization, and Rayleigh quotient iteration to propose a new adaptive algorithm based on residual type a posterior error estimates for the Stokes eigenvalue problem. Both reliability and efficiency of the error indicator are proved. The efficiency of the algorithm is also investigated using Chen's Innovation Finite Element Method (iFEM) package. Numerical results are satisfying.© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 31-53, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Recent studies suggest that serum lipid profiles are related to bone mineral density ( BMD). But data about this relationship on Chinese population are scarce. We investigated the relationships between serum lipid and BMD in postmenopausal Chinese women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 790 Chinese postmenopausal women. BMDs were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Serum lipid profiles were obtained after a 12-h fasting. Results Women with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C) levels of at least 1·55 mmol/l had a greater prevalence of osteoporosis compared with women with lower HDL-C (≤1·54 mmol/l). After controlling for age, menopausal duration, body mass index, serum creatinine levels, outdoor activity, smoking and alcohol intake, high HDL-C levels were associated with osteoporosis ( OR = 1·64, 95% CI 1·16-2·33, P < 0·01). BMD at femoral neck and total hip was significantly lower in the higher HDL-C class than the lower class (0·722 ± 0·118 vs 0·744 ± 0·120 g/cm2, P < 0·01; 0·800 ± 0·126 vs 0·824 ± 0·125 g/cm2, P < 0·01, respectively). No association was found between total cholesterol ( TC), triglyceride ( TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C) with BMD. Conclusions In Chinese postmenopausal women, elevated levels of serum HDL-C had a greater probability of being osteoporosis than the lower HDL-C levels. Our analysis showed higher HDL-C level that is favourable for cardiovascular diseases should be regarded as a risk factor for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolomics is a rapidly growing field in the comprehensive understanding of cellular and organism-specific responses associated with perturbations induced by medicines, chemicals and environment. Blood matrices are frequently used in clinical and biological studies. In this study, we comparedmetabolic profiling between rat plasma and serum using complementary platforms of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-quadruple time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). The sample types that were tested included plasma prepared with K2EDTA and serum collected using venous blood collection protocols. The results of peak area variation for each detected metabolite/feature in the quality control samples showed a good reproducibility in LC-QTOF-MS and better reproducibility in GC-MS. In GC-MS analysis: (a) 25.8% of the defined metabolites differed serum from plasma profiling (t-test, p<0.05); and (b) serum possessed higher sensitivity than plasma for its generally higher peak intensity in the metabolic profiling. In LC-QTOF-MS analysis, 13 (in positive ion mode) and seven (in negative ion mode) important metabolites were identified as mainly contributing to the separation between serum and plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Micro RNAs (mi RNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that control target gene expression and are implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular pathways. In our previous research, we have demonstrated that mi R-224 was overexpressed in liver cancer cells and tissues, which was an important factor in the regulation of cell migration and invasion. This study aimed to further explore the regulatory mechanism of mi R-224 in the migration and invasion in liver cancer cells. Methods A luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm that the HOXD10 gene was a direct target of mi R-224. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, Transwell migration, and Matrigel invasion assays were performed to clarify the molecular mechanism of mi R-224 in the regulation of cell migration and invasion in human hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC). Results (i) The expression of mi R-224 was strongly upregulated in MHHC97 H and MHCC97 L cells, and its expression level was significantly associated with cell invasive potential. (ii) The HOXD10 gene was confirmed to be a direct target of mi R-224. Compared with normal liver tissues and cells, HOXD10 had lower expression in HCC tissues and cells and inversely regulated HCC cell invasion. (iii) mi R-224 promoted expression of the tumor invasion-associated proteins p- PAK4 and MMP-9 by directly targeting HOXD10. Conclusion Our findings suggest a previously undescribed regulatory pathway in which the mi R-224/ HOXD10/p- PAK4/ MMP-9 signaling pathway contributes to the regulation of cell migration and invasion and provides a new biotarget for HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider conforming finite element approximation of fourth-order singularly perturbed problems of reaction diffusion type. We prove superconvergence of standard C1 finite element method of degree p on a modified Shishkin mesh. In particular, a superconvergence error bound of [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering a two-dimensional singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problem with exponential boundary layers, we analyze the local discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method that uses piecewise bilinear polynomials on Shishkin mesh. A convergence rate O( N-1 ln N) in a DG-norm is established under the regularity assumptions, while the total number of mesh points is O( N2). The rate of convergence is uniformly valid with respect to the singular perturbation parameter ε. Numerical experiments indicate that the theoretical error estimate is sharp. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To assess the relationship between body composition and fracture risk as determined by the FRAX® model in postmenopausal women in central south China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 779 women. Bone mineral density ( BMD) of the left femur and total body composition were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. All clinical information was available for incorporation into the FRAX model to assess the 10-year fracture probability. Results In the FRAX model, when BMD values were included, the 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fractures and hip fractures was 3·4% and 1·0%, respectively, which was significantly higher than the probability rates of 2·7% and 0·8%, respectively, for the same events when BMD values were not included ( P < 0·01). Both fat mass and lean mass were negatively correlated with the predicted 10-year probability of fracture ( P < 0·01), and femoral neck BMD was the most significant determinant of the predicted 10-year fracture probability. Compared with fat mass, lean mass had more impact on the 10-year probability of both major and hip osteoporotic fractures. Conclusion In postmenopausal women in central south China, both fat mass and lean mass were negatively correlated with the predicted 10-year fracture probability. The effect of lean mass and fat mass on fracture risk may be mediated through their impact on BMD. Compared with fat mass, lean mass had more of an impact on the risk of both major osteoporotic and hip fractures, showing that physical activity is an important component in the prevention of osteoporotic fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To investigate the relationship between serum sclerostin level, body composition, and bone mineral density (BMD) in central south Chinese postmenopausal women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 healthy central southern Chinese postmenopausal women with vs without osteoporosis, aged 50-76 years old. Dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the bone mineral content and BMD of the whole body, lumbar spine and left femur, and total body soft tissue composition. Serum sclerostin levels were measured by a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with women without osteoporosis, osteoporotic women had a significantly lower level of serum sclerostin ( P = 0·001). Serum sclerostin levels were positively correlated with body weight, Ponderal index and fat mass. There was a positive correlation with the BMD of both the whole body and at various sites ( P < 0·05), even after controlling for age, age at menopause, height and body weight. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that serum sclerostin level was the most significant determinant of both whole-body and lumbar spine BMD, compared with age, age at menopause, fat mass and lean mass. Age had similar impact as serum sclerostin on hip BMD. Conclusions This study showed that in central south Chinese postmenopausal women, serum sclerostin is lower in women with osteoporosis than without. Serum sclerostin is positively correlated with fat mass and BMD for the whole body, lumbar spine and hip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A true pioneer in the fields of chemometrics and analytical chemistry was lost with the passing of Yi‐Zeng Liang in October 2016. This is an enormous loss to both the local and global community of chemometrics. Yi‐Zeng Liang is recognized as one of the major players in China in the field of chemometrics. As a professor of chemometrics and analytical chemistry in Hunan University and Central South University, he made significant advances within instrumental analysis of complex systems. Liang inspired many students and visiting scholars. As Liang's former students, we have attempted to summarize Liang's contributions to the field over the past 30 years. This review covers different chemometric areas, signal preprocessing, multivariate curve resolution, and multivariate calibration and discusses the application of these methods in traditional Chinese medicine, metabolomics, proteomics, and quantitative structure‐activity relationship research. A true pioneer in the fields of chemometrics and analytical chemistry was lost with the passing of Yi‐Zeng Liang in October 2016. He made significant advances within instrumental analysis of complex systems. This review attempted to summarize Liang's contributions to the field over the past 30 years. It covers different chemometric areas, signal preprocessing, multivariate curve resolution, and multivariate calibration and discusses the application of these methods in traditional Chinese medicine, metabolomics, proteomics, and quantitative structure‐activity relationship research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of chlorides (I) with K2CO3 gives rise to tetrahydropyridazines (II) in high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S-Ribosylhomocysteinase (LuxS) encoded by the luxS gene from Streptococcus mutans plays a crucial role in the quorum-sensing system. LuxS was solubly expressed in Escherichia coli with high yield. The purity of the purified target protein, which was identified by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF MS analysis, was >95%. The protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method with PEG 3350 as the primary precipitant. X-ray diffraction data were collected at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). Diffraction by the crystal extended to 2.4 Å resolution and the crystal belonged to space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 55.3, b = 148.7, c = 82.8 Å.