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Coal gangue needs to be transported to the ground for further treatment in traditional underground mines, which not only occupies land spaces, but also causes atmospheric and environmental pollutions due to spontaneous combustion and rainwater leaching. Moreover, energy consumption problems caused by long-distance ineffective transportation have become a key bottleneck restricting the low-carbon development of coal mines. In order to realize the underground disposal of coal gangue, and to reduce carbon emission and energy resource consumption per unit output from the source of coal production, as well as to realize the green low-carbon intelligent mining of coal, the present situation and intelligent progress of underground sorting and filling technology of coal gangue are comprehensively reviewed, and in this regard, the developing trend of underground sorting and filling technology of coal gangue is also anticipated. Meanwhile, an innovative method of underground in-situ green intelligent sorting and filling of coal gangue is proposed, and the structure and principle of coal gangue intelligent sorting and new filling hydraulic support are described in detail, so as to minimize the invalid transportation distance of gangue. In order to deal with the gangue of coal mining face and prevent the dynamic disaster of coal and rock, an intelligent integrated system of mining, sorting and filling in coal mine is designed, including four subsystems, i.e., an intelligent mining system with less gangue, an in-situ intelligent sorting system, a mine pressure inversion system of working face and a precise scientific filling system. Meanwhile, new logic relationships among multiple subsystems are discussed, so as to form a virtuous cycle of coal mining conducive to sorting, sorting conducive to filling and filling conducive to coal mining. In order to deal with the gangue in the heading face, an intelligent integrated system of underground excavation, aimed at sorting and filling in coal mine is proposed also with four subsystems, i.e., an intelligent fast excavation system, an intelligent sorting system, a coal gangue transportation system and an intelligent filling system, and the work and intelligent realization of each subsystem are described. The proposed new process in this study is expected to realize the underground disposal of coal gangue, and provide new ideas for the research of in-situ intelligent sorting and filling method of coal gangue and the integrated system of mining, sorting and filling.

Abstract Over the past decade, the role of the 14–3-3 protein has received increasing interest. Seven subtypes of 14–3-3 proteins exhibit high homology; however, each subtype maintains its specificity. The 14–3-3ε protein is involved in various physiological processes, including signal transduction, cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle regulation, repolarization of cardiac action, cardiac development, intracellular electrolyte homeostasis, neurodevelopment, and innate immunity. It also plays a significant role in the development and progression of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. These immense and various involvements of 14–3-3ε in diverse processes makes it a promising target for drug development. Although extensive research has been conducted on 14–3-3 dimers, studies on 14–3-3 monomers are limited. This review aimed to provide an overview of recent reports on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of binding partners by 14–3-3ε, focusing on issues that could help advance the frontiers of this field. Video Abstract

Abstract Tumour cell dormancy is critical for metastasis and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) with giant or multiple nuclei and high DNA content have the properties of cancer stem cell and single PGCCs can individually generate tumours in immunodeficient mice. PGCCs represent a dormant form of cancer cells that survive harsh tumour conditions and contribute to tumour recurrence. Hypoxic mimics, chemotherapeutics, radiation and cytotoxic traditional Chinese medicines can induce PGCCs formation through endoreduplication and/or cell fusion. After incubation, dormant PGCCs can recover from the treatment and produce daughter cells with strong proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities via asymmetric cell division. Additionally, PGCCs can resist hypoxia or chemical stress and have a distinct protein signature that involves chromatin remodelling and cell cycle regulation. Dormant PGCCs form the cellular basis for therapeutic resistance, metastatic cascade and disease recurrence. This review summarises regulatory mechanisms governing dormant cancer cells entry and exit of dormancy, which may be used by PGCCs, and potential therapeutic strategies for targeting PGCCs.

Abstract Background Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), a specific type of cancer stem cells (CSCs), can be induced by hypoxic microenvironments, chemical reagents, radiotherapy, and Chinese herbal medicine. Moreover, PGCCs can produce daughter cells that undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition, which leads to cancer recurrence and disseminated metastasis. Vimentin, a mesenchymal cell marker, is highly expressed in PGCCs and their daughter cells (PDCs) and drives migratory persistence. This study explored the molecular mechanisms by which vimentin synergistically regulates PGCCs to generate daughter cells with enhanced invasive and metastatic properties. Methods Arsenic trioxide (ATO) was used to induce the formation of PGCCs in Hct116 and LoVo cells. Immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical assays were performed to determine the subcellular localization of vimentin. Cell function assays were performed to compare the invasive metastatic abilities of the PDCs and control cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying vimentin expression and nuclear translocation were investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, cell function assays, cell transfection, co-immunoprecipitation, and chromatin immunoprecipitation, followed by sequencing. Finally, animal xenograft experiments and clinical colorectal cancer samples were used to study vimentin expression in tumor tissues. Results Daughter cells derived from PGCCs showed strong proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities, in which vimentin was highly expressed and located in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. Vimentin undergoes small ubiquitin-like modification (SUMOylation) by interacting with SUMO1 and SUMO2/3, which are associated with nuclear translocation. P62 regulates nuclear translocation of vimentin by controlling SUMO1 and SUMO2/3 expression. In the nucleus, vimentin acts as a transcription factor that regulates CDC42, cathepsin B, and cathepsin D to promote PDC invasion and migration. Furthermore, animal experiments and human colorectal cancer specimens have confirmed the nuclear translocation of vimentin. Conclusion P62-dependent SUMOylation of vimentin plays an important role in PDC migration and invasion. Vimentin nuclear translocation and overexpressed P62 of cancer cells may be used to predict patient prognosis, and targeting vimentin nuclear translocation may be a promising therapeutic strategy for metastatic cancers.

Selective harmonic elimination pulse-width modulation (SHE-PWM) method has been widely used in various industrial multilevel converters befitting from low switching frequencies and precise elimination of low-order harmonics. Most of existing studies focus on accelerating calculation of switching angles or optimizing predictive neural networks. However, these offline methods cannot dynamically deal with the errors introduced by nonuniform dc sources of multilevel converters or biased placements of switching angles. This paper proposes an online adaptive SHE (OA-SHE) algorithm to compensate these errors. Errors caused by nonideal dc (NID) sources and leading-lagging placements (LLPs) are analyzed in detail. The error of output waveform is comprehensive result of NID sources and LLPs. By introducing feedback, the output waveform accuracy of multilevel converters can be increased greatly. Realization of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) with an embedded control system is presented to acquire good real-time performance. With the OA-SHE method, the value of particles has been higher than the initial value. High order harmonics, including 1st, 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th components, are suppressed by the low-pass filter. Comparing to existing studies, this online algorithm does not need detailed model parameters and can be directly applied to practical applications achieving multi-objective optimization. Finally, both simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of this algorithm.

Abstract Background Epithelial ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer, in which serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) is the most common histological subtype. Although PARP inhibitors (PARPi) and antiangiogenics have been accepted as maintenance treatment in SOC, response to immunotherapy of SOC patients is limited. Methods The source of transcriptomic data of SOC was from the Cancer Genome Atlas database and Gene Expression Omnibus. The abundance scores of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC scores) were estimated for each sample by xCell. Weighted correlation network analysis is correlated the significant genes with MSC scores. Based on prognostic risk model construction with Cox regression analysis, patients with SOC were divided into low- and high-risk groups. And distribution of immune cells, immunosuppressors and pro-angiogenic factors in different risk groups was achieved by single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. The risk model of MSC scores was further validated in datasets of immune checkpoint blockade and antiangiogenic therapy. In the experiment, the mRNA expression of prognostic genes related to MSC scores was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction, while the protein level was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results Three prognostic genes (PER1, AKAP12 and MMP17) were the constituents of risk model. Patients classified as high-risk exhibited worse prognosis, presented with an immunosuppressive phenotype, and demonstrated high micro-vessel density. Additionally, these patients were insensitive to immunotherapy and would achieve a longer overall survival with antiangiogenesis treatment. The validation experiments showed that the mRNA of PER1, AKAP12, and MMP17 was highly expressed in normal ovarian epithelial cells compared to SOC cell lines and there was a positive correlation between protein levels of PER1, AKAP12 and MMP17 and metastasis in human ovarian serous tumors. Conclusion This prognostic model established on MSC scores can predict prognosis of patients and provide the guidance for patients receiving immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy. Because the number of prognostic genes was fewer than other signatures of SOC, it will be easily accessible on clinic.

Adipocytes are derived from pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells and can develop into several cell types including adipocytes, myocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Adipocyte differentiation is regulated by a variety of transcription factors and signaling pathways. Various epigenetic factors, particularly histone modifications, play key roles in adipocyte differentiation and have indispensable functions in altering chromatin conformation. Histone acetylases and deacetylases participate in the regulation of protein acetylation, mediate transcriptional and post-translational modifications, and directly acetylate or deacetylate various transcription factors and regulatory proteins. The adipocyte differentiation of stem cells plays a key role in various metabolic diseases. Cancer stem cells(CSCs) play an important function in cancer metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance, and have the characteristics of stem cells. They are expressed in various cell lineages, including adipocytes. Recent studies have shown that cancer stem cells that undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transformation can undergo adipocytic differentiation, thereby reducing the degree of malignancy. This opens up new possibilities for cancer treatment. This review summarizes the regulation of acetylation during adipocyte differentiation, involving the functions of histone acetylating and deacetylating enzymes as well as non-histone acetylation modifications. Mechanistic studies on adipogenesis and acetylation during the differentiation of cancer cells into a benign cell phenotype may help identify new targets for cancer treatment.

The capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to evolve poses challenges to conventional prevention and treatment options such as vaccination and monoclonal antibodies, as they rely on viral receptor binding domain (RBD) sequences from previous strains. Additionally, animal CoVs, especially those of the SARS family, are now appreciated as a constant pandemic threat. We present here a new antiviral approach featuring inhalation delivery of a recombinant viral trap composed of ten copies of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) fused to the IgM Fc. This ACE2 decamer viral trap is designed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry function, regardless of viral RBD sequence variations as shown by its high neutralization potency against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5. In addition, it demonstrates potency against SARS-CoV-1, human NL63, as well as bat and pangolin CoVs. The multivalent trap is effective in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings since a single intranasal dosing confers protection in human ACE2 transgenic mice against viral challenges. Lastly, this molecule is stable at ambient temperature for more than twelve weeks and can sustain physical stress from aerosolization. These results demonstrate the potential of a decameric ACE2 viral trap as an inhalation solution for ACE2-dependent coronaviruses of current and future pandemic concerns.

Many research studies focus on intestinal microbiota-related depression induced by the usage of antibiotics, but the use of antibiotics is fairly different. To construct an effective antibiotic-induced depression mice model and explore the effect of intestinal microbiota in antibiotic-induced depression, we used several kinds of antibiotic mixtures to induce mice depression and used depression-related behavioral tests and neurobiological factors to evaluate the construction of the antibiotic-induced depression mice model. SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the above data, and the optimal model was selected according to the stability of the results and the simplicity of the modeling methods. Metagenomic analysis and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of intestinal microbiota from antibiotic-induced depression mice were performed to analyze the effect of intestinal microbiota. The results showed that antibiotic mixture A (1.25 μg/mL natamycin, 5 mg/mL neomycin sulfate, and 5 mg/mL bacitracin), antibiotic mixture B (24 mg/mL bacitracin, 24 mg/mL neomycin sulfate, 9.6 mg/mL ampicillin, 4.8 mg/mL meropenem, and 1.47 mg/mL vancomycin), and antibiotic solution D (only containing 5 mg/mL neomycin sulfate) could induce depression-like behavior in mice. By using these antibiotics, the concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mice hippocampus and prefrontal cortex tissues were significantly decreased. All the above results were consistent with those of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) depression mice. The FMT results showed that fecal microbiota from antibiotic-induced depressed mice transplanted into normal mice (8 weeks-old male C57BL/6J SPF mice) also could induce depression-like behavior and cause similar changes in neurobiological factors. Metagenomic analysis showed that the community structure of microbiota in the intestinal tract of antibiotic-induced depression mice was significantly different from that in control mice, the intestinal microbiota species diversity in antibiotic-induced depression mice was lower, the lipoic acid metabolism pathway was significantly activated, and the abundance of functional gene lipA was explicitly increased. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) further verified the abundance of enriched bacteria in the intestinal microbiota of antibiotic-induced depression mice. In summary, the specific antibiotic mixtures can induce depression by causing changes in intestinal microbiota in mice. Antibiotic-induced depressed mice show differences in intestinal microbiota abundance, high enrichment of the unique metabolic pathway, and the functional gene.

IntroductionTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a high risk of distant metastasis, an extremely poor prognosis, and a high risk of death. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) contribute to the formation of a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment, which plays an important role in the progression and treatment resistance of TNBC.MethodsA public single-cell sequencing dataset demonstrated increased infiltration of Tregs in TNBC tissues relative to normal breast tissue. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to identify Treg infiltration-related modules for METABRIC TNBC samples. Subsequently, we obtained two Treg infiltration-associated clusters of TNBC by applying consensus clustering and further constructed a prognostic model based on this Treg infiltration-associated gene module. The ability of the selected gene in the prognostic model, thymidine kinase-1 (TK1), to promote the progression of TNBC was evaluated in vitro.ResultsWe concluded that two Treg infiltration-associated clusters had different prognoses and sensitivities to drugs commonly used in breast cancer treatment, and multi-omics analysis revealed that the two clusters had different copy number variations of key tumor progression genes. The 7-gene risk score based on TNBC Treg infiltration was a reliable prognostic indicator both in the training and validation cohorts. Moreover, patients with TNBC with high Treg infiltration-related scores lacked the activation of immune activation pathways and exhibited resistance to anti-PD1 immunotherapy. Knocking down TK1 led to impaired proliferation, migration, and invasion of TNBC cells in vitro. In addition, specimens from patients with TNBC with high TK1 expression showed significantly higher Treg infiltration in tumors. Results of spatial transcriptome analysis showed that TK1 positive cells mainly localize in tumor area, and Treg cell infiltration in TNBC tissues was associated with high expression of TK1. Pan-cancer analysis also demonstrated that TK1 is associated with poor prognosis and activation of proliferation pathways in multiple cancers.DiscussionWe established a prognostic model related to Treg infiltration and this model can be used to establish a clinically relevant classification of TNBC progression. Additionally, our work revealed the underestimable potential of TK1 as a tumor biomarker and immunotherapeutic target.

Tight oil reservoirs are complex geological materials composed of solid matrix, pore structure, and mixed multiple phases of fluids, particularly for oil reservoirs suffering from high content of in situ pressurized water found in China. In this regard, a coupled model considering two-phase flow of oil and water, as well as deformation and damage evolution of porous media, is proposed and validated using associated results, including the oil depletion process, analytical solution of stress shadow effect, and physical experiments on multi-fracture interactions and fracture propagation in unsaturated seepage fields. Then, the proposed model is used to study the behavior of multi-fracture interactions in an unsaturated reservoir in presence of water and oil. The results show that conspicuous interactions exist among multiple induced fractures. Interaction behavior varies from extracted geological profiles of the reservoir due to in situ stress anisotropy. The differential pressures of water and that of oil in different regions of reservoir affect interactions and trajectories of multi-fractures to a considerable degree. The absolute value of reservoir average pressure is a dominant factor affecting fracture interactions and in favor of enhancing fracture network complexity. In addition, difference of reservoir average pressures in different regions of reservoir would promote the fracturing effectiveness. Factors affecting fracture interactions and reservoir treatment effectiveness are quantitatively estimated through stimulated reservoir area. This study confirms the significance of incorporating the two-phase flow process in analyses of multi-fracture interactions and fracture trajectory predictions during tight sandstone oil reservoir developments.

Vibration dampers are widely used in power transmission line vibration reduction. In order to use them for wind-induced vortex-induced vibration (VIV) suppression of jacket pipes, the effect of the vibration dampers on the vortex-induced force is studied using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The range of Reynolds numbers in simulations is in the critical interval, and the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model are used to calculate the pipe with vibration dampers. The lift coefficient of the pipe is reduced by about 65% after the vibration dampers are installed. The effect of vibration dampers on the lift force and drag force is little affected by the change of wind speed. The same number of vibration dampers are installed in two rows, and the vortex shedding frequency is reduced by about 16% compared with that for one row. The vibration dampers destroy the wake vortex of the high-velocity areas around the pipe, thereby reducing the pipe’s lift coefficient and the vortex-induced force. The vibration dampers have no obvious influence on the vortex far from the pipe.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the vibration suppression effect of a nonlinear energy sink (NES) on the wind-vortex-induced vibration of deep-water jacket pipes. Based on nonlinear dynamical theories, the coupled dynamic equation of a deep-water jacket pipe with NES was established, and the nonlinear response characteristics and motion stability of the system were studied by using the multi-scale mixed harmonic balance method and Routh–Hurwitz criterion. The paper also analyzed the influence of the nonlinear stiffness and damping parameters of an NES on the dynamic response of the pipe. It is concluded that when the nonlinear stiffness of an NES increases to a certain extent, the motion response of the pipe appeared as a saddle-node and Hopf bifurcation, and the vibration amplitude of the pipe is greatly suppressed. For a system with nonlinear motion, NES damping mainly affects the range of the unstable region. For the system without nonlinear motion, the increases in NES damping will reduce the amplitude near the resonance region. Selecting proper parameters of an NES nonlinear stiffness and damping can effectively suppress the vortex-induced vibration of pipes.

By constructing the permeability model to distinguish the fracture zone, plastic zone, and elastic zone around the hydraulic fracturing borehole, we study the influence of some important parameters on the stress distribution around the borehole and the permeability of the coal rock. The research results show that the greater the ground stress, the greater the radial stress in the fracture zone and plastic zone, and the smaller the radial stress in the elastic zone, while the trend of the stress variation in permeability is the opposite to the radial stress. The greater the gas pressure, the greater the permeability of the coal rock in each stress area. The larger the borehole radius, the smaller the radial stress at the same distance from the borehole center, and the greater the permeability of the coal rock. The greater the fracturing pressure, the greater the radial stress on the coal rock at the same distance from the borehole center, and the smaller the permeability of the coal rock. The research results can provide a theoretical reference for hydraulic fracturing construction in coal mines with different reservoir environments.

Abstract Background Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease with colorectal adenomatous polyps as the main clinical manifestations. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the expression levels of tumor proliferation and angiogenesis‐related genes in different tissue sections of FAP patients through qPCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. Methods Seventeen patients with FAP admitted to Tianjin Union Medical Center from January 2010 to June 2015 were selected, and then, normal intestinal mucosa, polyp tissue, or cancerous polyp tissue were collected. QPCR, western blot, and IHC were used to detect the expression level of genes or proteins correlated with tumor proliferation. Results The mRNA expression of CD31 in large polyp tissue was significantly higher than that in normal tissue and small polyp tissue. Compared with normal tissue and polyp tissue, the expression level of KI67 mRNA in cancer tissue was remarkably increased. The VEGFA mRNA and CDH5 mRNA expression in both polyp and cancer tissues were prominently lower than those in normal tissue. The expression of CD31 protein in cancer tissue was lower than that in normal tissue and polyp tissue, whereas the expression levels of VEGF, CDH5, and KI67 protein were widely higher than that in normal tissue and polyp tissue. Conclusion Abnormal expressions of CD31, KI67, VEGF(A), and CDH5 were associated with the carcinogenesis of FAP.

Tensile strength and fracture toughness, important parameters of the rock for engineering applications are difficult to measure. Thus this paper selected three kinds of granite samples (grain sizes = 1.01mm, 2.12mm and 3mm), used the combined experiments of physical and numerical simulation (RFPA-DIP version) to conduct three-point-bending (3-p-b) tests with different notches and introduced the acoustic emission monitor system to analyze the fracture mechanism around the notch tips. To study the effects of grain size on the tensile strength and toughness of rock samples, a modified fracture model was established linking fictitious crack to the grain size so that the microstructure of the specimens and fictitious crack growth can be considered together. The fractal method was introduced to represent microstructure of three kinds of granites and used to determine the length of fictitious crack. It is a simple and novel method to calculate the tensile strength and fracture toughness directly. Finally, the theoretical model was verified by the comparison to the numerical experiments by calculating the nominal strength σn and maximum loads Pmax.

PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase (PERK) is an ER-associated stress sensor protein which phosphorylates eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) to induce translation attenuation in response to ER stress. PERK is also a regulator of lipogenesis during adipocyte differentiation through activation of the cleavage of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1), resulting in the upregulation of lipogenic enzymes. Our recent studies have shown that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in human fibroblasts (HF) induces adipocyte-like lipogenesis through the activation of SREBP1. Here, we report that PERK expression is highly increased in HCMV-infected cells and is necessary for HCMV growth. Depletion of PERK, using short hairpin RNA (shRNA), resulted in attenuation of HCMV growth, inhibition of lipid synthesis and reduction of lipogenic gene expression. Examination of the cleavage of SREBP proteins showed PERK depletion inhibited the cleavage of SREBP1, but not SREBP2, in HCMV-infected cells, suggesting different cleavage regulatory mechanisms for SREBP1 and 2. Further studies showed that the depletion of SREBP1, but not SREBP2, reduced lipid synthesis in HCMV infection, suggesting that activation of SREBP1 is sufficient to induce lipogenesis in HCMV infection. The reduction of lipid synthesis by PERK depletion can be partially restored by expressing a Flag-tagged nuclear form of SREBP1a. Our studies also suggest that the induction of PERK in HCMV-infected cells stimulates SREBP1 cleavage by reducing levels of Insig1 (Insulin inducible gene 1) protein; this occurs independent of the phosphorylation of eIF2α. Introduction of an exogenous Insig1-Myc into HCMV infected cells significantly reduced HCMV growth and lipid synthesis. Our data demonstrate that the induction of PERK during HCMV infection is necessary for full activation of lipogenesis; this effect appears to be mediated by limiting the levels of Insig1 thus freeing SREBP1-SCAP complexes for SREBP1 processing.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib monotherapy in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) who have progressed on the standard regimens. Methods: The data of 106 elderly patients with advanced CRC who have progressed on standard treatment were analyzed. The primary endpoint of this study was progression-free survival (PFS), the secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and overall survival (OS). The safety outcomes were assessed by the proportion and severity of adverse events. Results: Efficacy was assessed using the best overall response of patients during treatment with apatinib, including 0 patients with complete response, 9 patients with partial response, 68 patients with stable disease, and 29 patients with progressive disease. ORR and DCR were 8.5 and 72.6%, respectively. The median PFS of 106 patients was 3.6 months, and the median OS was 10.1 months. The most frequent adverse reactions of elderly patients with advanced CRC receiving apatinib treatment were hypertension (59.4%) and hand–foot syndrome (HFS) (48.1%). The median PFS of patients with and without hypertension was 5.0 and 3.0 months, respectively (P = 0.008). The median PFS of patients with and without HFS was 5.4 and 3.0 months, respectively (P = 0.013). Conclusions: The clinical benefit of apatinib monotherapy was observed in elderly patients with advanced CRC who have progressed on the standard regimens. The adverse reactions of hypertension and HFS were positively related to treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The immunogenic cell death (ICD) pathway plays a crucial prognostic role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) therapy. The cyclic GMP–AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is an upstream mechanism that drives ICD activation, but the interaction of hub genes remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the hub genes involved in ICD and the cGAS-STING pathway. The prognostic performance for hub genes and related Gene Ontology (GO) terms were also investigated. Materials and Methods: Gene expression data of ICD induction and cGAS-STING pathway activation samples were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and gene expression as well as clinical data of LUAD patients who received pharmaceutical therapy were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis was used to identify hub genes. Hazard risk (HR) scores were identified using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and COX analyses. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify the related GO terms, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the prognosis performance of the related gene sets. Results: A total of 22 DEGs were identified in the two GEO datasets, and six hub genes were identified by PPI analysis. Keratin 6A (KRTA6A) and fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) were selected as the hub genes after survival analysis. GSEA and ROC analysis indicated that there was no difference between the KRTA6A and FA2H gene sets on prognosis performance. Conclusion: KRTA6A and FA2H are hub genes associated with the induction of cGAS-STING-related ICD in LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid, reddish-brown in color, which is mainly derived from marine organisms such as brown algae and diatoms, and has aroused extensive scientific interest due to its unique chemical structure and abundant biological activities. Studies have shown that fucoxanthin processes significant anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Its anti-inflammatory mechanisms primarily include inhibiting oxidative stress, regulating inflammatory factors, inducting cell autophagy, and resisting cell apoptosis, etc. The main mechanism of anti-cancer activity includes inducing cell autophagy and apoptosis mechanisms, regulating the cell cycle, inhibiting cell migration, and suppressing cell invasion, among other aspects. In this paper, the research progress of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities and related mechanisms of action of fucoxanthin is briefly summarized, which provides the theoretical basis and reference for further research and development of fucoxanthin.

Plant lead (Pb) tolerance and accumulation are key characteristics affecting phytoremediation efficiency. Bermudagrass is an excellent candidate for the remediation of Pb-polluted soil, and it needs to be mowed regularly. Here, we explored the effect of different mowing frequencies on the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil using bermudagrass. Mowing was found to decrease the biomass and photosynthetic efficiency of bermudagrass under Pb stress, thereby inhibiting its growth. Although mowing exacerbated membrane peroxidation, successive mowing treatments alleviated peroxidation damage by regulating enzymatic and nonenzymatic systems. A comprehensive evaluation of Pb tolerance revealed that all the mowing treatments reduced the Pb tolerance of bermudagrass, and a once-per-month mowing frequency had a less negative effect on Pb tolerance than did more frequent mowing. In terms of Pb enrichment, mowing significantly increased the Pb concentration, total Pb accumulation, translocation factor (TF), and bioenrichment factor (BCF) of bermudagrass. The total Pb accumulation was greatest under the once-a-month treatment, while the TF and BCF values were greatest under the three-times-a-month mowing treatment. Additionally, the decrease in soil pH and DOC were significantly correlated with the soil available Pb content and plant Pb accumulation parameters. The results showed that changes in the rhizosphere are crucial factors regulating Pb uptake in bermudagrass during mowing. Overall, once-a-month mowing minimally affects Pb tolerance and maximizes Pb accumulation, making it the optimal mowing frequency for soil Pb remediation by bermudagrass. This study provides a novel approach for the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil with bermudagrass based on mowing.

The hardness properties of unwashed surimi gel are considered as the qualities of gelation defect. This research investigated the effect of ultrasound-assisted first-stage thermal treatment (UATT) on the physicochemical properties of unwashed Silver Carp surimi gel, and the enhancement mechanism. UATT could reduce protein particle size, which significantly reduced from 142.22 μm to 106.70 μm after 30 min of UATT compared with the nature protein. This phenomenon can promote the protein crosslinking, resulting in the hardness of surimi gel increased by 15.08 %. Partially unfolded structure of myofibrillar protein and exposures of tryptophan to water, lead to the increase in the zeta potential absolute value, driven by UATT. The reduced SH group level and the conformational conversion of proteins from random coiling to α-helix and β-sheet, which was in support of intermolecular interaction and gel network construction. The results are valuable for processing protein gels and other food products.

Starch-lipid complexes were prepared from high amylose starch (HAS) with stearic acid (SA) or potassium stearate (PS) at different molar concentrations. The complexes (HAS-PS) formed between HAS and PS showed polyelectrolyte characteristics with ζ-potential ranging from −22.2 to −32.8 mV, and the electrostatic repulsion between anionic charges restricted the starch chain reassociation and facilitated the formation of V-type crystalline structures upon cooling. The hydrophobic effects enabled recrystallization of the SA, and the HAS-SA complexes exhibited weaker V-type crystalline structures than the HAS-PS complexes; both HAS-SA/PS complexes were of a similar “mass fractal” type, with a dimension varied from 2.15 to 2.96. The HAS-SA complexes had a considerable content of resistant starch (RS, 16.1~29.2%), whereas negligible RS was found in the HAS-PS complexes. The findings from the present study imply that the molecular order of starch chains and the macro-structures of starch particles are more important to regulate the digestibility of starch-lipid complexes than the crystalline structures.

The global annual production of rice is over 750 million tons, and generates a huge amount of biomass waste, such as straw, husk, and bran, making rice waste an ideal feedstock for biomass conversion industries. This review focuses on the current progress in the transformation of rice waste into valuable products, including biochar, (liquid and gaseous) biofuels, valuable chemicals (sugars, furan derivatives, organic acids, and aromatic hydrocarbons), and carbon/silicon-based catalysts and catalyst supports. The challenges and future prospectives are highlighted to guide future studies in rice waste valorization for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals.