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The article discusses personalized therapy for endometriosis based on the expression of estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ). Endometriosis is a chronic disease characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, causing pain and infertility. Current treatment options include surgery and estrogen suppression therapy, but they have limitations and side effects. The study found that ovarian endometrioma (OMA) subtype of endometriosis showed the most significant response to estrogen suppression treatment by affecting ESR2. However, further research is needed to validate these findings and develop personalized treatments for different subtypes of endometriosis. [Extracted from the article]

• Amino-terminated graphitic CDs was engineered for Golgi apparatus targeting. • This CDs were successfully applied for monitoring dynamic changes of the Golgi morphology. • Local polarity changes in Golgi apparatus can be tracked with CDs. Cellular polarity plays a crucial role in numerous pathological and biological processes. For example, the polarity of the Golgi apparatus strongly influences the intracellular protein processing and transport. The development of fluorescent probes for tracking of subcellular levels of polarity changes remains a great challenge. Herein, amino-terminated carbon dots (CDs) which have superior Golgi apparatus targeting ability and polarity-sensitive property were designed and fabricated by the mixing of p-phenylenediamine and ethylenediamine through a simple solvothermal route. CDs allowed effectively imaging of Golgi apparatus morphological dynamics during cell division and cell death, while folic acid-conjugated CDs possessed high folate-receptor binding affinity and could be used to identify cancer cells. Importantly, the Golgi polarity in apoptotic cells was found to be higher than that of non-apoptotic cells. This work provided a reliable and robust way to real-time track the changes of Golgi apparatus and the local polarity variation, implying the great potential of CDs for the apoptosis evaluation and therapeutic drug screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotherapy is an emerging clinical approach that has gained traction over the past decade as a novel treatment option for lung cancer and melanoma. Notably, researchers have made marked improvements in the treatment of endometrial cancer (EC), and potential immune responses have been identified in patients with EC, thereby offering the possibility of exploring immunotherapy for EC. Nevertheless, various needs remain unmet, and immunotherapy applications in EC have yielded limited success, as only a minority of patients exhibited a clinical response. Therefore, further understanding of immune dysfunction associated with EC is still required. The present review describes recent findings regarding the immunosuppressive microenvironment of EC, with emphasis on immune evasion mechanisms and immunotherapy in EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium Zirconium Phosphate (NaZr 2 (PO 4) 3 , hereinafter NZP) and monazite are both potential materials for immobilization of nuclear waste. In this work, novel (1- x)Sr 0.5 Zr 2 (PO 4) 3 - x NdPO 4 composite ceramics (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) for simultaneously immobilizing the simulated fission product (FP) Sr and trivalent minor actinide (MA) Nd were prepared by one-step microwave sintering technique, in which Sr and Nd were immobilized into NZP and monazite type structures, respectively. The phase evolution and microstructure of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and backscattering scanning electron microscopy (BSE). The results showed that the expected composite ceramics were successfully obtained by one-step microwave sintering at 1050 °C for 2 h. The as-prepared samples consisted of Sr 0.5 Zr 2 (PO 4) 3 and NdPO 4 phases, and the content of the two phases varied regularly as x changed, generally conforming to the designed nominal chemical composition. Importantly, the composite ceramics presented the homogenous and dense microstructure. The relative density of the composite ceramics was more than 95%, meanwhile, the Vickers-hardness of the samples was higher than 600 MPa. It was indicated that NZP-monazite type composite ceramics could be a potential matrix for the simultaneous immobilization of actinide and fission product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Colorectal cancer cells spread to the liver and crosstalk with the microenvironment, and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major stromal components in the liver. However, the role of the interaction between colorectal tumor cells and HSCs in chemotherapeutic resistance remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the mechanism of colorectal tumor cells educating the HSCs to reprogram the metabolism of adjacent tumor cells and fuel themselves in the metastatic microenvironment of the liver. Patients and Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) examined the expression of the monocarboxylate transporters 1 (MCT1) and lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) in colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The Mann–Whitney U-tests analyzed the association between IL-6 levels and clinical parameters. The mechanisms of normoxic tumor-derived exosomes in the education of HSCs were investigated using IHC and ELISA. The conditioned medium of activated HSCs in the regulation of hypoxic tumor cells was analyzed by CCK-8 and cell apoptosis assays. Results: The expression of MCT1 and LDHB was high in the liver metastases of irinotecan-resistant patients, and the high level of IL-6 in the plasma of patients with CRLM was associated with poor response to irinotecan-based chemotherapy. The colorectal tumor-derived exosomes activated HSCs to secrete excessive IL-6. Furthermore, the conditioned medium of activated HSCs enhanced the lactate metabolism of hypoxic tumor cells by activating the IL-6/STAT3 pathway and upregulating the downstream MCT1 and LDHB, in order to confer the resistance of SN38, which is the active metabolite of irinotecan. Conclusion: Taken together, the cultured supernatant of normoxic exosome-educated HSCs enhances the lactate metabolism of hypoxic tumor cells via the IL-6/STAT3 pathway, in order to confer the SN38 resistance in a mimic liver metastatic microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the capital economic circle, Jing-Jin-Ji faces a serious shortage of land resource and a deterioration of the ecological environment owing to economic development. Alleviating ecological pressure has become a focus issue in the region. Extant studies have mainly focused on the ecological carrying capacity of individual regions, while it is lacking for the research on the ecological dependency relationship between the various regions. In this article, the authors analyze the ecological footprint transfer between Jing-Jin-Ji and China's other provinces by using multi-regional input–output method. According to the results, the metal/non-metallic mineral and agriculture industries in Jing-Jin-Ji exported a large amount of ecological footprint to the eastern coastal areas. However, the ecological footprint outflow of Jing-Jin-Ji can be attributed to Hebei province, with Beijing and Tianjin showing some net inflow. In interior Jing-Jin-Ji, Hebei has transferred large ecological footprint to Beijing and Tianjin, but Hebei has not achieved the equivalent economic benefits. Thus, Jing-Jin-Ji should further increase its dependence on ecological resources in other provinces; Hebei should especially reduce metal and agriculture product exports. Meanwhile, an ecological compensation system should be established to use the funds provided by Beijing and Tianjin to support the transformation of economic growth mode in Hebei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the levels of NLRC5 and autophagy in women with leiomyoma and endometriosis and the correlation between NLRC5 level and autophagy level.Design: Case-control study.Setting: Clinics.Patient(s): Sixty-five patients were recruited: 30 women with endometriosis were compared with 35 women with leiomyoma.Intervention(s): Endometriosis was definitively diagnosed during surgery by laparoscopy or laparotomy and was confirmed by histopathological evaluation (n=30). Secretory phase ectopic endometrium tissues and eutopic endometrium tissues were obtained from 30 women with endometriosis. Control endometrium tissues were collected at hysterectomy from 35 women with leiomyoma. Immunohistochemical staining of NLRC5, LC3, Beclin1 and P62 were performed.Main Outcome Measure(s): A semiquantitative analysis was performed. Correlations between NLRC5 level and LC3, Beclin1, P62 levels were compared.Result(s): The expressions of NLRC5 and P62 in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis groups were significantly higher than that in the endometrium of leiomyoma group. And their expressions in ectopic endometrium were significantly up-regulated compared to the eutopic endometrium. The expressions of LC3 and Beclin1 were down-regulated in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis groups compared to the leiomyoma group. LC3 and Beclin1 levels were lower in ectopic endometrium than in the eutopic endometrium. There is a negative correlation between NLRC5 level and LC3, Beclin1 levels. There is a positive correlation between NLRC5 level and P62 level.Conclusion(s): There is a negative correlation between NLRC5 level and autophagy level. NLRC5 and autophagy combined may as promising predictors in patients with endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common tumors, so far, there still aren’t good therapeutic methods. Looking for new targets makes a top priority. In this study, we found a OCT4 pseudogene, POU5F1B was significantly upregulated in HCC cells and tissues, patients with high POU5F1B had shorter survival time compared to patients with low POU5F1B expression. POU5F1B overexpression promoted HCC proliferation, while its knockdown inhibited HCC proliferation determined by MTT assay, soft agar growth assay, BrdU incorporation assay, and cell cycle assay. Mechanism analysis suggested POU5F1B could activate AKT, AKT inhibition in HCC cells with POU5F1B overexpression significantly inhibited cell proliferation compared to cells only with POU5F1B overexpression, suggesting POU5F1B promoted HCC proliferation by activating AKT. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between POU5F1B expression and AKT activity in HCC tissues, and found POU5F1B expression was positive correlated with activated AKT. Taken together, our findings suggested POU5F1B promoted HCC proliferation by activating AKT, and provided a new target for HCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a highly Ca 2 + -permeable non-selective cation channel in TRPV family. Accumulating evidence hints that TRPV4 play a significant role in a wide diversity of pathologic changes. Fibrosis is a kind of chronic disease which was characterized by the formation of excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in tissues and organs. In recent years, a growing body of studies showed that TRPV4 acted as a crucial regulator in the progression of fibrosis including myocardial fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, hepatic fibrosis and pancreatic fibrosis, suggesting TRPV4 may be a potential therapeutic vehicle in fibrotic diseases. However, the mechanisms by which TRPV4 regulates fibrosis are still undefined. In this review, firstly, we intend to sum up the collective knowledge of TRPV4. Then we provided the latent mechanism between TRPV4 and fibrosis. We also elaborated the distinct signaling pathways focus on TRPV4 with fibrosis. Finally, we discussed its potential as a novel therapeutic target for fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, 0.6Sr 0.5 Zr 2 (PO 4) 3 -0.4Ce 1- x Nd x PO 4 (x = 0–1) multiphase ceramics were fabricated using a one-step microwave sintering technique, where Sr and Ce/Nd were utilized as the substitutes for the fission products 90Sr and actinide nuclides in high-level radionuclide wastes, respectively. The influences of Sr/Ce/Nd co-incorporation on the phase evolution, crystal structure, micromorphology, densification, and chemical stability of the as-prepared multiphase ceramic waste forms were systematically investigated. It was detected that the multiphase ceramics were composed of Sr 0.5 Zr 2 (PO 4) 3 (SrZP) phase and monazite phase regardless of x value, and (Ce, Nd)PO 4 monazite solid solution was formed with Ce/Nd substitution. Rietveld refinement results further verified the cell parameters of (Ce, Nd)PO 4 monazite solid solution regularly decreased with increasing Nd replacement, and the structural change of crystalline monazite did not affect the structure of SrZP phase. All samples presented a well-compacted and homogeneous microstructure, and their micromorphology did not change significantly with the replacement of Ce by Nd. Moreover, the relative density of the as-prepared multiphase ceramics all reached more than approximately 94.5 %, demonstrating excellent densification. Importantly, the good compatibility of SrZP and (Ce, Nd)PO 4 monazite phases brought out superior chemical stability. The normalized elemental leaching rate showed no significant change for different Ce/Nd substituted samples, whose normalized leaching rates of Sr, Ce, and Nd were about 10−4 g/(m2·d), 10−7 g/(m2·d), and 10−6 g/(m2·d) order of magnitude, respectively. It is demonstrated that SrZP-(Ce, Nd)PO 4 multiphase ceramics can be used as candidate materials for simultaneously immobilizing fission products and actinide nuclides of high-level nuclear wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of rapid, sensitive, and selective method for pathogenic bacteria detection is of great importance for food safety, medical diagnostic, and environmental monitoring. Currently, most techniques for low numbers of bacteria detection require advanced instrumentation or skilled operators. Herein, we present a facile colorimetric detection platform for bacterial detection using Ag nanoplates as chromogenic substrate, which takes advantages of the high specificity and affinity of aptamer and the ability of catalase to hydrolyze H 2 O 2 that can etch Ag nanoplates. By introducing catalase to the sandwich structure composed by dual-aptamer recognition strategy, bacteria detection signal is converted to the peak shift of LSPR and colorimetric change. This proposed method allows a fast naked-eye detection of S. aureus at the concentration of 60 CFU/mL based on the combination of streptavidin-biotin system and inherent sensitivity of plasmonic Ag nanoplates. Owing to the high selectivity and sensitivity, as well as the low-cost and good adaptability, this plasmonic assay is expected to be suitable for pathogenic bacteria detection in resource-limited settings. Dual aptamer-based plasmonic detection platform for S. aureus was fabricated using silver nanoplates as the signal transducer. [Display omitted] • Silver nanoplates are outstanding chromogenic substrates for the construction of plasmonic assay. • Dual-aptamer recognition strategy can achieve highly sensitive and selective detection of S. aureus. • RGB approach proposed could potentially be adapted for the development of low-cost, portable detection devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A green and facile method was demonstrated to synthesize reduced GO. [•] The FA-rGO sheets exhibited better biocompatibility. [•] The FA-rGO sheets were a more efficient energy acceptor than GO. [•] The FA-rGO sheets showed enhanced performance in H2O2 detection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TRPV4, one of the TRP channels, is implicated in diverse physiological and pathological processes including cell proliferation. However, the role of TRPV4 in liver fibrosis is largely unknown. Here, we characterized the role of TRPV4 in regulating HSC-T6 cell proliferation. TRPV4 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and Western blot in patients and rat model of liver fibrosis in vivo and TGF-β1-activated HSC-T6 cells in vitro. Both mRNA and protein of TRPV4 were dramatically increased in liver fibrotic tissues of both patients and CCl4-treated rats. Stimulation of HSC-T6 cells with TGF-β1 resulted in increase of TRPV4 mRNA and protein. However, TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cell proliferation was inhibited by Ruthenium Red (Ru) or synthetic siRNA targeting TRPV4, and this was accompanied by downregulation of myofibroblast markers including α-SMA and Col1α1. Moreover, our study revealed that miR-203 was downregulated in liver fibrotic tissues and TGF-β1-treated HSC-T6 cell. Bioinformatics analyses predict that TRPV4 is the potential target of miR-203. In addition, overexpression of miR-203 in TGF-β1-induced HSC significantly reduced TRPV4 expression, indicating TRPV4, which was regulated by miR-203, may function as a novel regulator to modulate TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A piezoresistive sensor is prepared by coating MWCNTs on a 3D PET/PE nonwoven. • The combination of PET/PE fibers and thermal coating enhances the coating fastness. • Human body motion can be precisely detected by the sensor. • A sensory network is further assembled to map the spatial pressure distribution. Wearable piezoresistive sensors have attracted increasing attention because of their important applications in wearable electronics, smart textiles and human–machine interaction. However, existing piezoresistive sensors still suffer from problems including expensive starting materials, weak bonding fastness between conductive substances and substrates, limited sensing range and poor comfort. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) piezoresistive sensor based on a nonwoven substrate composed of highly crimped bicomponent fibers. The unique core-sheath structure of these fibers in combination with a thermally-assisted coating method ensures the swift and tight adhesion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on fiber surface, and thus making the nonwoven conductive. With the multi-layered fibrous structure, the resultant sensor exhibits good flexibility, high sensitivity (5.57% and 0.113% kPa−1 in the range of 0–7 and 30–131.32 kPa, respectively), broad dynamic sensing range (0–131.32 kPa), fast response/relaxation (105/156 ms), as well excellent breathability and long-term reliability. Versatility of this sensor is proved by real-time detection of both small and large human motions (such as pulse, speech recognition and joint motion). A sensor network containing 16 sensors is further developed to precisely map and recognize the position, shape and local distribution of pressure. Moreover, the sensor is fabricated by using affordable materials and scalable methods. Taken together, we believe this work may open up a new perspective for the design of high-performance wearable piezoresistive sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous study revealed that the MRP1 gene ortholog DMRP1/CG6214 of Drosophila melanogaster contains 12 exons in the coding region. In the current study, the genes of DMRP1/CG6214 from D. melanogaster and Drosophila virilis were compared, and the result indicated that D. virilis had an extra intron located in exon 2, implying that intron loss or gain might have occurred at this locus. To track the evolution of the extra intron (Intron Z), orthologous nucleotide sequences of 37 arthropod species were cloned or annotated. Based on phylogenetic analysis, we found that Intron Z should present in the common ancestor of arthropod species, more than 420 Ma. In addition, we found that Sophophora subgenus species and mosquito (Culex pipiens) lost Intron Z independently, showing evolutionary convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The effect of Ni addition on the exothermic reaction in the Ti–C–BN system was investigated using differential thermal analysis (DTA). Based on DTA and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, a reaction path for the formation of TiC x N y and TiB2 in the Ni–Ti–C–BN system was proposed in which the reaction initiated with the solid-state diffusion between Ti and BN. The resultant TiN x then reacted with Ni to form Ni–Ti compounds (e.g., Ti2Ni). With increasing temperature, a Ni–Ti–N eutectic liquid phase formed between the Ni–Ti compounds and TiN x at about 1110°C, enabling the dissolution of C and B in the melt to form Ni–Ti–N–C–B liquid. Finally, TiC x N y and TiB2 formed and precipitated out of the liquid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An experimental study on direct formation of TiC x N y –TiB2 ceramics by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was conducted using a Ti–B4C–BN system. The effects of the C/(C+N) ratio on the combustion behavior and reaction products were investigated. Experimental characterizations of quenched samples show that the combustion reaction started with the formation of highly substoichiometric TiN y and TiB due to the solid-state reaction between Ti and BN; and then the TiN y precursor and TiB dissolved back into the titanium melt, forming the Ti–B–N liquid, which in turn transformed to the Ti–B–N–C liquid due to the dissolution of the carbon atoms diffused away from B4C. Finally, the TiC x N y and TiB2 particles are formed from the melt through the dissolution-precipitation mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, a simple way of fabricating TiC x N y –TiB2 ceramics through the combustion reaction of Ti, C and BN powder mixtures in an argon atmosphere is reported with an emphasis on the effects of the C/(C+N) ratio on the SHS reaction behaviors and mechanism. With the increase in the C/(C+N) ratio, the combustion temperature shows a zigzag variation behavior; the combustion wave velocity displays a similar variation tendency as did in the combustion temperature while the ignition delay time increases progressively. XRD results confirmed that TiC x N y –TiB2 could form in all the samples. Microstructural observations revealed that both TiC x N y and TiB2 grains had fine sizes of less than 1μm in the products when the C/(C+N) ratio was lower than 0.5. Based on the characterization of quenched samples, the formation mechanism of the titanium carbonitride is proposed. Namely, the formations of TiN0.3 and TiN are followed by the incorporation of C in TiN x to form the titanium carbonitride solid solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Liver cancer (LC) is the leading cause for tumor-related death worldwide, and microRNAs (miRs) have been demonstrated to regulate the progression of LC. In the current study, the function of miR-660 in LC cells was investigated, and the results indicated that miR-660 was highly expressed in LC tissues and cells. This increased expression promoted LC cell proliferation and increased the percentage of S phase cells, while miR-660 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and increased the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells. A Ser/Thr phosphatase protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit βα (PPP2R2A) was indicated as the target of miR-660, and miR-660 could inhibit PPP2R2A levels. The luciferase reporter assay suggested that miR-660 directly bound to the 3'-untranslated region of PPP2R2A. Additionally, it was revealed that miR-660 inhibited p21 expression and promoted cyclin D1 expression, confirming that miR-660 regulated LC cell proliferation by regulating cell cycle progression. The double knockdown of miR-660 and PPP2R2A promoted LC cell proliferation, suggesting that miR-660 promoted LC proliferation by targeting PPP2R2A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innate immune molecule NLR family CARD domain-containing 5 (NLRC5) plays a significant role in endometrial carcinoma (EC) immunosurveillance. However, NLRC5 also plays a protumor role in EC cells. Mismatch repair gene deficiency (dMMR) can enable tumors to grow faster and also can exhibit high sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this study, we attempted to determine whether NLRC5-mediated protumor role in EC is via the regulation of dMMR. Our findings revealed that NLRC5 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of EC cells and induced the dMMR status of EC in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying NLRC5 regulated dMMR was also verified. We first found NLRC5 could suppress nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway in EC cells. Then we validated that the positive effect of NLRC5 in dMMR was restricted when NF-κB was activated by lipopolysaccharides in NLRC5-overexpression EC cell lines. In conclusion, our present study confirmed the novel NLRC5/NF-κB/MMR regulatory mechanism of the protumor effect of NLRC5 on EC cells, thereby suggesting that the NLRC5-mediated protumor in EC was depend on the function of MMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas hydrate could be regarded as an alternative energy source in the future. Therefore, the investigation of the gas production from hydrate reservoirs is attracting extensive attention. In this work, a novel set-up was built to investigate sand production and sediment deformation during hydrate dissociation by heat stimulation. The influence of the particle sizes on the hydrate dissociation and sediment deformation was first investigated experimentally. The experimental results indicated that the rate of hydrate decomposition by heat stimulation was in proportion to the particle size of the sediment. The heat transfer rate and the energy efficiency decreased with the decrease of the particle size of the sediment. This was because higher permeability might lead to a larger sweep area of the fluid flow, which was beneficial for the supply of heat for hydrate dissociation. The sand production was found during hydrate dissociation by heat stimulation. The particle migration was due to the hydrodynamics of the water injection. The sand sediment expanded under the drive force from water injection and hydrate dissociation. Additionally, the smaller permeability led to the larger pressure difference leading to the larger sediment deformation. Because the sediment became loose after hydrate dissociation, small particle migration due to the hydrodynamics of the water injection could happen during the experiments. However, the sand production in the sediment with the larger particle size was more difficult, because the larger particles were harder to move due to the hydrodynamics, and the larger particles were harder to move across the holes on the production well with a diameter of 1 mm. Therefore, the sediment deformation during hydrate dissociation by heat stimulation should not be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather data errors affect energy management by influencing the accuracy of building energy predictions. This study presents a long short-term memory (LSTM) prediction model based on the "Energy Detective" dataset (Shanghai, China) and neighboring weather station data. The study analyzes the errors of different weather data sources (Detective and A) at the same latitude and longitude. Subsequently, it discusses the effects of weather errors from neighboring weather stations (Detective, A, B, C, and D) on energy forecasts for the next hour and day including the selection process for neighboring weather stations. Furthermore, it compares the forecast results for summer and autumn. The findings indicate a correlation between weather errors from neighboring weather stations and energy consumption. The median R-Square for predicting the next hour reached 0.95. The model's predictions for the next day exhibit a higher Prediction Interval Mean Width (139.0 in summer and 146.1 in autumn), indicating a greater uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian cancer is known as one of the most common cancers in the world among women. ST6GALNAC1 is highly expressed in cancer stem cells (CSCs), which correlates to high tumor-initiating, self-renewal and differentiation abilities. This present study aims to investigate how ST6GALNAC1 affects ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs). Methods: In order to identify the differentially expressed genes related to ovarian cancer, microarray-based gene expression profiling of ovarian cancer was used, and ST6GALANC1 was one of the identified targets. After that, levels of ST6GALNAC1 in OCSCs and ovarian cancer cells were examined. Subsequently, an Akt signaling pathway inhibitor LY294002 was introduced into the cluster of differentiation 90+ (CD90+) stem cells, and cell proliferation, migration and invasion, levels of CXCL16, EGFR, CD44, Nanog and Oct4, as well as tumorigenicity of OCSCs were examined. Results: By using a comprehensive microarray analysis, it was determined that ST6GALNAC1 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer and it regulated the Akt signaling pathway. High levels of ST6GALNAC1 were observed in OCSCs and ovarian cancer cells. Silencing ST6GALNAC1 was shown to be able to reduce cell proliferation, migration, invasion, self-renewal ability, tumorigenicity of OCSCs. In accordance with these results, the effects of ST6GALNAC1 in OCSCs were dependent on the Akt signaling pathway. Conclusions: When taken together, our findings defined the potential stimulative roles of ST6GALNAC1 in ovarian cancer and OCSCs, which relied on the Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Graphdiyne (GDY) is a kind of nanomaterial from the graphene carbon family with excellent physical and chemical properties. Despite some applications in medical engineering, GDY has not been used as an electroactive scaffold for tissue regeneration because of its unclear in vitro and in vivo biosafety profiles. Here, a conductive GDY nanomaterial-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold was prepared by electrospinning technique. For the first time, the biocompatibility of GDY-based scaffold was assessed at the cellular and animal levels in a peripheral nerve injury (PNI) model. The findings indicated that the conductive three-dimensional (3D) GDY/PCL nerve guide conduits (NGCs) could significantly improve the proliferation, adhesion and glial expression of Schwann cells (SCs). The conduits were implanted into a rat 10-mm sciatic nerve defect model for 3 months in vivo. The toxicity of scaffolds to the organs was negligible, while the GDY/PCL NGCs significantly promoted myelination and axonal growth by upregulating the expression levels of SC marker (S100 β protein), Myelin basic protein (MBP), and axon regeneration marker (β3-tubulin protein (Tuj1) and neurofilament protein 200 (NF200)). In addition, upregulation of vascular factor expression in GDY/PCL NGC group suggested the potential role in angiogenesis to improve nerve repair by GDY nanomaterials. Our findings provide new perspectives on biocompatibility and effectiveness of GDY nanomaterial scaffold in peripheral nerve regeneration for preclinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine and ovarian cancers are the most common gynecologic cancers. N6−methyladenosine (m6A), an important internal RNA modification in higher eukaryotes, has recently become a hot topic in epigenetic studies. Numerous studies have revealed that the m6A-related regulatory factors regulate the occurrence and metastasis of tumors and drug resistance through various mechanisms. The m6A-related regulatory factors can also be used as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancers, including gynecologic cancers. This review discusses the role of m6A in gynecologic cancers and summarizes the recent advancements in m6A modification in gynecologic cancers to improve the understanding of the occurrence, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of gynecologic cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tripartite Motif Containing 44 (TRIM44) is highly expressed in a variety of tumours. However, the TRIM44's role in endometrial carcinoma (EC) progression remains unknown. To investigate the TRIM44's role in the development and metastasis of EC, we detected TRIM44 expression in EC cell lines and surgical specimens from patients with EC using immunohistochemistry, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting analysis. The biological functions of TRIM44 by loss-of-function analysis in RL95-2 and Ishikawa cells were studied. The effect of TRIM44 on the progression of EC in terms of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion was examined and revealed its underlying mechanism in vitro using EC cell lines and in vivo using mouse xenograft models. The TRIM44's expression was positively correlated with EC progression and poor prognosis. The TRIM44 knockdown reduced the EC cell proliferation and invasion while promoting cell apoptosis. Mechanism experiments showed that the TRIM44 interacts with Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Substrate 2 (FRS2) and negatively regulates the expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4(BMP4), β-catenin, and Transforming Growth Factor Beta Receptor 1(TGF-βR1). Moreover, the effect of TRIM44 overexpression on EC cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis is reversed by the FRS2 knockdown. Our study may provide a new perspective on targeting the TRIM44/FRS2 signaling pathway in treating EC, which deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) technology has aroused widespread interest due to the significant improve in ECL response by solving the problems of aggregation-caused quenching and poor water solubility of the luminophore. However, the existing AIECL emitters still suffer from low ECL efficiency, additional coreactants and complex synthesis steps, which greatly limit their applications. Herein, luminol, as a kind of AIE molecule, was assembled with Zn2+ nodes to obtain a novel microflower-like Zinc-luminol metal-organic gel (Zn-MOG) by one-step method. In the light of the strong affinity of N atoms in luminol ligand to Zn2+, Zn-MOG with vigorous viscosity and stability can be formed immediately after vortex oscillation, overcoming the main difficulties of the complicated synthesis steps and poor film-forming performance encountered in current AIECL materials. Impressively, an AIECL resonance energy transfer (RET) biosensor was constructed using Zn-MOG as a donor and Alexa Fluor 430 as an acceptor in combination with DNA-Fuel-driven target recycling amplification for the ultrasensitive detection of PiRNA-823. The fabricated biosensor exhibited a wide linear relationship in the range of 100 aM to 100 pM and a detection limit as low as 60.0 aM. This work is the first to realize the construction of ECL emitters using the AIE effect of luminol, which provides inspiration for the design of AIECL systems without adding coreactants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading is an important part of our daily life, and rapid responses to emotional words have received a great deal of research interest. Our study employed rapid serial visual presentation to detect the time course of emotional noun processing using event-related potentials. We performed a dual-task experiment, where subjects were required to judge whether a given number was odd or even, and the category into which each emotional noun fit. In terms of P1, we found that there was no negativity bias for emotional nouns. However, emotional nouns elicited larger amplitudes in the N170 component in the left hemisphere than did neutral nouns. This finding indicated that in later processing stages, emotional words can be discriminated from neutral words. Furthermore, positive, negative, and neutral words were different from each other in the late positive complex, indicating that in the third stage, even different emotions can be discerned. Thus, our results indicate that in a three-stage model the latter two stages are more stable and universal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal free carbon dots (CDs) are developed to act as the antioxidant multienzyme, which directly deplete the excessive ROS including H 2 O 2 , O 2 −, and OH and effectively alleviate the inflammation of inflamed liver tissues through intrinsic passive targeting capability, endowing them with a high promise in nanocatalytic medicine for anti-inflammation therapy. [Display omitted] Aberrant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is one of the crucial mediators in the pathogenesis of inflammation. So, the development of nanocatalytic medicine to catalyze the ROS-scavenging reactions in pathological regions are promising for anti-inflammatory therapy. Herein, a type of biocompatible metal free carbon dots is prepared via a hydrothermal method which can exhibit peroxidase (POD)-like, catalase (CAT)-like and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activities. It has been found that the carbon dots have the capability to efficiently deplete the excessive ROS such as peroxide (H 2 O 2) , superoxide anion (O 2 −) and hydroxyl radical (OH) for their abundant functional groups. After the tail injection in mice with liver inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide, the carbon dots efficiently reduced the excessive production of ROS and proinflammatory cytokines in vitro. Both in vitro and in vivo results endowed the biocompatible carbon dots with great potential in nanocatalytic medicine for the treatment of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-handling proteins play an important role in myocardial dysfunction after acute ischemia/reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that nitrite would improve postresuscitation myocardial dysfunction by increasing nitric oxide (NO) generation and that the mechanism of this protection is related to the modulation of SR Ca2+-handling proteins. Methods: We conducted a randomized prospective animal study using male Sprague-Dawley rats. Cardiac arrest was induced by intravenous bolus of potassium chloride (40 µg/g). Nitrite (1.2 nmol/g) or placebo was administered when chest compression was started. No cardiac arrest was induced in the sham group. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored invasively for 90 minutes after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Echocardiogram was performed to evaluate cardiac function. Myocardial samples were harvested 5 minutes and 1 hour after ROSC. Results: Myocardial function was significantly impaired in the nitrite and placebo groups after resuscitation, whereas cardiac function (i.e., ejection fraction and fractional shortening) was significantly greater in the nitrite group than in the placebo group. Nitrite administration increased the level of nitric oxide in the myocardium 5 min after resuscitation compared to the other two groups. The levels of phosphorylated phospholamban (PLB) were decreased after resuscitation, and nitrite increased the phosphorylation of phospholamban compared to the placebo. No significant differences were found in the expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2a) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Conclusions: postresuscitation myocardial dysfunction is associated with the impairment of PLB phosphorylation. Nitrite administered during resuscitation improves postresuscitation myocardial dysfunction by preserving phosphorylated PLB protein during resuscitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal organic gels (MOGs) are a new kind of intelligent soft materials with excellent luminescence properties. However, MOGs with dual electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties have not been reported. In this study, using Eu3+ as metal node, 4′-(4-carboxyphenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (Hcptpy) and Luminol as organic ligands, a novel dual-ligand Europium-organic gels (Eu-L-H MOGs) were prepared by simple mixing at room temperature. On the one hand, Eu-L-H MOGs could exhibit strong and stable anodic ECL signals in the phosphate buffered saline (PBS) without the addition of co-reactants, which came from the blue emission of Luminol. On the other hand, using K 2 S 2 O 8 as a cathodic co-reactant, Eu-L-H MOGs produced cathodic signals, which were derived from the red emission of Eu sensitized by Hcptpy through the antenna effect. Based on the independent dual ECL signals of Eu-L-H MOGs, we selected Alexa Flour 430 as the receptor and anodic ECL emission of Eu-L-H MOGs as the donor to construct the ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) ratio biosensor, which utilized exonuclease III assisted DNA cycle amplification to achieve ultrasensitive detection of the I27L gene. The detection linearity of I27L ranged from 1 fM to 10 nM, with a detection limit as low as 284 aM. This study developed a straightforward technique for obtaining a single luminescent material with dual signals, and further broadened the analytical application of MOGs in the realm of ECL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body area network (BAN) is an emerging branch of wireless sensor networks for personalized applications in many fields, such as health monitoring. The services in BAN usually have a high requirement on security, especially for the medical diagnosis, which involves private information. With limitations of power and computation capabilities, one of the main challenges to ensure security in BAN is how to generate or distribute a shared key between nodes for lightweight symmetric cryptography. The current research almost exploits the randomness and distinctiveness (characteristics) of physiological signals to solve the key generation problem. However, it needs the help of additional hardware support and has the constraint on positions deployment, to acquire vital signals, which will bring the high cost and hardness to implementation of real system. To avoid the above problems, this paper presents a novel key generation scheme and a key distribution protocol, both of which are only based on wireless modules equipped on sensors. By exploiting the high correlation of received signal strength index (RSSI) between peer-to-peer communications, our scheme can provide a shared symmetric cryptographic key under the presence of an eavesdropper. We conduct experiments on the real Telosb nodes, and the results demonstrate that our proposed methods have a good performance on security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar vapor generation technology is promising in seawater desalination, sewage purification, and other fields. However, wide application of this technology is still largely confined due to its high cost and difficulties for scalable production. In this study, an ever‐floating solar evaporator is fabricated by coating multiwall carbon nanotubes on a bicomponent nonwoven composed of polypropylene/polyethylene core–sheath fibers. This all‐fiber structure is highly porous and ultralight, with large specific area (for efficient water evaporation), interconnected channels (for easy vapor escape), and low thermal conductivity (to avoid heat loss). The unique unidirectional water‐transfer behavior of the nonwoven enables it to spontaneously pump an adjustable amount of water for interfacial solar heating and a delicate balance between water supply and loss may accelerate the evaporation speed of water. These distinct benefits endow the solar evaporator with excellent evaporation rates of 1.44 kg m–2 h–1 under the simulated irradiation of 1 sun and 12.81 kg m–2 d–1 under natural sunlight. Moreover, the evaporator can be fabricated by using low‐cost materials and industrialized methods (overall cost ≈2.4 USD m−2), making one believe its practical significance for commercial solar steam evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dense NaZr 2 (PO 4) 3 (NZP) ceramics were successfully prepared by a microwave sintering process with x wt.% ZnO as a sintering aid (where x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0). The effects of ZnO additive on the crystal structure, microstructure and sintering behavior of as-prepared NZP ceramics were systematically investigated. The single NZP phase can be achieved in the wide temperature range of 900–1200 °C holding for 2 h by microwave-sintering technology. The addition of ZnO sintering aid would not noticeably change the crystal structure of NZP. Importantly, ZnO additive significantly promoted the densification and 1.0 wt% ZnO-added sample possessed the maximum relative density of 96.5% after sintering at 1100 °C, considerably higher than that of pure NZP sample. Besides, the Vickers hardness of the above sample could attain near 800 MPa, which is about four times as hard as the pure NZP ceramics without ZnO additive. It was suggested that the combination of microwave sintering with appropriate addition of ZnO sintering aid would provide a convenient and efficient method for rapid fabrication of dense NZP ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke is a devastating complication of bone fracture. Bone fracture shortly after stroke enhances stroke injury by augmenting inflammation. We hypothesize that bone fracture shortly before ischemic stroke also exacerbates ischemic cerebral injury. Tibia fracture was performed 6 or 24 hours before permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) on C57BL/6J mice or Ccr2RFP/+Cx3cr1GFP/+ mice that have the RFP gene knocked into one allele of Ccr2 gene and GFP gene knocked into one allele of Cx3cr1 gene. Behavior was tested 3 days after pMCAO. Infarct volume, the number of CD68+ cells, apoptotic neurons, bone marrow-derived macrophages (RFP+), and microgila (GFP+) in the peri-infarct region were quantified. Compared to mice subjected to pMCAO only, bone fracture 6 or 24 hours before pMCAO increased behavioral deficits, the infarct volume, and the number of CD68+ cells and apoptotic neurons in the peri-infarct area. Both bone marrow-derived macrophages (CCR2+) and microglia (CX3CR1+) increased in the peri-infarct regions of mice subjected to bone fracture before pMCAO compared to stroke-only mice. The mice subjected to bone fracture 6 hours before pMCAO had more severe injury than mice that had bone fracture 24 hours before pMCAO. Our data showed that bone fracture shortly before stroke also increases neuroinflammation and exacerbates ischemic cerebral injury. Our findings suggest that inhibition of neuroinflammation or management of stroke risk factors before major bone surgery would be beneficial for patients who are likely to suffer from stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transcription factor forkhead box D3 (FOXD3) plays important roles in the development of neural crest and has been shown to suppress the development of various cancers. However, the expression and its potential biological roles of FOXD3 in high-grade gliomas (HGGs) remain unknown. Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of FOXD3 were examined using real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting in 23 HGG and 13 normal brain samples, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to validate the expression FOXD3 protein in 184 HGG cases. The association between FOXD3 expression and the prognosis of HGG patients were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models. In addition, we further examined the effects of FOXD3 on the proliferation and serum starvation-induced apoptosis of glioma cells. Results: In comparison to normal brain tissues, FOXD3 expression was significantly decreased in HGG tissues at both mRNA and protein levels. Immunohistochemistry further validated the expression of FOXD3 in HGG tissues. Moreover, low FOXD3 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis in HGG patients. Depletion of FOXD3 expression promoted glioma cell proliferation and inhibited serum starvation-induced apoptosis, whereas overexpression of FOXD3 inhibited glioma cell proliferation and promoted serum starvation-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: Our results indicated that FOXD3 might serve as an independent prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for HGGs, which warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic DNA nanodevices-based assembly is currently well developed for a broad range of analytical applications. However, some problems persist, such as false positives, nuclease digestions, and exclusive interferences with single signal in complex cellular environment. Herein, we have established a method for imaging cellular miR-155, where it induced assembly of two tetrahedral DNA frameworks (TDFs), TDF-1 and TDF-2, both of which had four fluorescence modified hairpins (Cy3 for TDF-1 and Cy5 for TDF-2, respectively) at each angle, into polymeric tetrahedral DNA frameworks (PTDFs). The formation of PTDFs was greatly dependent on miR-155 overexpressed in breast cancer cells since miR-155 drove catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction by opening the hairpins at the vertices of TDF-1 to hybridize with TDF-2. Upon the completion of hybridization, the miR-155 was released, starting the next cycle of the CHA reaction. Measurements of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) showed that the formation of PTDFs occurred owing to the multivalent assembly of TDF-1 and TDF-2. By utilizing the formation of PTDFs, miR-155 was detected in a linear range from 0.5 nM to 30 nM with a 0.35 nM limit of determination, enabling the successful imaging of endogenous miR-155 in live cells through the FRET signal from Cy3 to Cy5. These studies demonstrated that this method significantly strengthened the resistance nuclease to digestion and stable ability with exclusive interference. Our present work has the following three advantages: • A dynamic assembly system that integrated tetrahedral DNA frameworks TDFs with catalytic hairpin assembly reaction was proposed for ratiometric sensing miR-155. • TDFs with higher capacity of hairpins exhibited excellent internalization and nuclease-resistant ability for the enhanced FRET signal, which is favorable for minimizing interferences and keeping stable in biological environment. • Target miR-155 could circularly trigger polyvalence assembly of TDF-1 and TDF-2, which is available for dynamic imaging intracellular miR-155 with higher selectivity and sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Reaction between lignin model compound and ClO2 is researched by UV–vis. [•] Reaction mechanism of lignin model compound oxidation by ClO2 is derived. [•] Kinetics for lignin model compound oxidation by ClO2 is propose. [•] Bring new door open for resolving the environmental pollution in ECF bleaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The TiB2–AlN and TiB2–AlN–TiN ceramic matrix composites were successfully produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) reactions from the Al–Ti–BN compacts through the manipulation of the Al reactant content. The effects of the Al content on the adiabatic and practical maximum combustion temperatures, wave velocity, phase composition and microstructure of the synthesized products, and reaction mechanism were investigated in detail. Thermodynamically and practically, the reaction was most exothermic for the Al content being 35.5wt.% in the reactants to produce only the dual TiB2–AlN phases. Kinetically, the reaction commenced with the formation of Al3Ti, and then proceeded with the interactions of the Al–Ti intermetallics/melts with BN to yield the AlN and TiB2 phases. The substantial reaction between the elemental Ti and BN into formation of TiN took place only in the low Al content samples. On the other hand, the presence of considerable amount of the TiN grains effectively inhibited the abnormal growth of the TiB2 grains, leading to very fine microstructures; whereas, the grain growth of TiB2 and AlN as well as their inhomogeneous distribution was enhanced by the increase in the Al reactant, while TiN was completely inhibited from development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]