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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and fatal diffuse fibrotic lung disease accompanied by macrophage M2 activation. ErbB4 is involved in and affects the process of inflammation. In this study, we determined that the mRNA level and protein expression of ErbB4 and M2 cytokine members were increased in the serum of IPF patients. In mouse alveolar macrophage MH-S cells, after knocking down ErbB4 by siRNA, the mRNA level and protein expression of M2 activator induced by interleukin (IL)-4 were decreased compared with the control group. Activating by ErbB4 agonist neuromodulatory protein (NRG)-1, IL-4-induced M2 program was promoted. Mechanistically, treated with NRG-1 in MH-S cells, the phosphorylation level of Akt did not change, while the phosphorylation level of ERK increased. Using SCH772984 to inhibit ERK pathway, the increasing IL-4-induced M2 activation by NRG-1 was inhibited, and the high level of M2 activator protein expression and mRNA expression was restored. Collectively, our data support that ErbB4 and M2 programs are implicated in IPF, and ErbB4 participates in the regulation of M2 activation induced by IL-4 through the ERK pathway.

This study investigates the enhancement of hydraulic lime mortar (HLM) using varying contents of metakaolin (MK) to improve its application in the restoration of historic buildings. Samples from historic structures were analyzed, and the effects of different MK contents on the physical and mechanical properties of HLM were examined. The reaction mechanism and microstructural changes were evaluated using XRD and SEM analysis. The results indicated that increasing MK levels in HLM led to a decrease in fluidity, with fluidity reducing by 4.8% at 12% MK. The addition of MK increased water consumption for standard consistency by 5.4% and shortened the final setting time by 10.2%. MK consumption promoted secondary hydration, enhancing compressive strength by up to 98.1% and flexural strength by up to 55.1%, and increasing bonding strength by 26.9%. The density of HLM improved with MK addition, slightly reducing moisture content by 4.5% and water absorption by 4.6%, while the water vapor transmission properties decreased by 50.9%, indicating reduced porosity. The elastic modulus of the mortar increased significantly from 2.19 GPa to 7.88 GPa with the addition of MK, enhancing rigidity and crack resistance. The optimal blend for restoration materials was found to be 9.0% MK and 25.0% heavy calcium carbonate and was characterized by moderate mechanical strength, enhanced early strength, commendable permeability, minimal risk of cracking, and ease of application. This blend is highly suitable for the rehabilitation of historic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground Prostate cancer (PCa) is poor response to the immunotherapy for its high heterogeneity of immune microenvironment. In this study, we aim to introduce a new immune subtype for PCa involving M2 tumour associated macrophages (M2-TAMs).Methods Three hundred and sixty-two PCa patients and matched normal prostate tissues were selected from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Patients’ immune infiltration characters were then analyzed based on the gene expressions. The immune subtypes were identified by the method of unsupervised hierarchical clustering. Finally, the relationship between the M2-TAMs infiltration and anti-programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy was investigated in the IMvigor210 cohort.Results PCa expressed lower immune-related genes levels compared with the adjacent normal tissues. Based on the proved immunosuppressive mechanisms in PCa, tumour patients were classified into three independent subclasses with high infiltrated cytolytic activity (CYT), M2-TAMs and regulatory T cell (Tregs), respectively. Among these subtypes, M2-TAMs infiltration subtype showed the worst clinicopathological features and prognosis compared with the other two subtypes. The results of the IMvigor210 cohort demonstrated poor response of anti-PD-L1 therapy for patients with high M2-TAMs infiltration.Conclusion Prostate tumours involved in significant immunosuppression, and high infiltration of M2-TAMs can be applied to predict the effect of anti-PD-L1 therapy.Key MessagesPCa patients can be classified into three immunotypes of high infiltrated CYT, M2-TAMS, and Tregs according to the immunosuppressive mechanisms.High M2-TAMs infiltration subtype reflected the worst clinical characters, immune infiltration, and lowest expression of immune checkpoint inhibitors among the three subclasses in PCa.High M2-TAMs infiltration predicts the low response rate of anti-PD-L1 therapy.

Sensor-related indoor localization has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The accuracy of conventional fingerprint solutions based on a single sensor, such as a Wi-Fi sensor, is affected by multipath interferences from other electronic devices that are produced as a result of complex indoor environments. Light sensors and magnetic (i.e., geomagnetic) field sensors can be used to enhance the accuracy of a system since they are less vulnerable to disturbances. In this paper, we propose a deep feedforward (DFF)-neural-network-based method, termed DFF-WGL, which integrates the data from the embedded Wi-Fi sensor, geomagnetic field sensor, and light sensor (WGL) in a smart device to localize the device in an indoor environment. DFF-WGL does not require complex and expensive auxiliary equipment, except for basic fluorescent lamps and low-density Wi-Fi signal coverage, conditions that are easily satisfied in modern offices or educational buildings. The proposed system was implemented on a commercial off-the-shelf android device, and performance was evaluated through an experimental analysis conducted in two different indoor testbeds, one measuring 60.5 m2 and the other measuring 38 m2, with 242 and 60 reference points, respectively. The results indicate that the model prediction with an input consisting of the combination of light, a magnetic field sensor, and two Wi-Fi RSS signals achieved mean localization errors of 0.01 m and 0.04 m in the two testbeds, respectively, compared with any subset of combination of sensors, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed DFF-WGL method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol extinction coefficient profile (ECP) is important in radiative transfer modeling, however, knowledge of ECP in some area has not been clearly recognized. To get a full understanding of statistical characteristics of ECP in three Asian regions: the Mongolian Plateau, the North China Plain and the Yellow Sea, CALIPSO aerosol product in 2012 is processed by conventional statistical methods. Orbit averaged ECP turns out to be mainly exponential and Gaussian patterns. Curve fitting shows that the two ECP patterns account for more than 50 percent of all the samples, especially in the Yellow Sea where the frequency of occurrence even reaches over 80 percent. Parameters determining fitting curves are provided consequently. To be specific, Gaussian pattern is the main ECP distribution in the Mongolian Plateau and the Yellow Sea, and exponential pattern predominates in the North China Plain. Besides, aerosol scale height reaches its maximum in summer and in the Mongolian Plateau. Meanwhile, the uplifting and deposition of dust during transportation are potentially explanations to the occurrence of Gaussian ECP. The results have certain representativeness, and contribute to reducing uncertainties of aerosol model in relevant researches.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathology of various tumours, including non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of their specific association with NSCLC have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that a cytoplasmic lncRNA, DUXAP9‐206 is overexpressed in NSCLC cells and closely related to NSCLC clinical features and poor patient survival. We reveal that DUXAP9‐206 induced NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis by directly interacting with Cbl‐b, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and reducing the degradation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and thereby augmenting EGFR signaling in NSCLC. Notably, correlations between DUXAP9‐206 and activated EGFR signaling were also validated in NSCLC patient specimens. Collectively, our findings reveal the novel molecular mechanisms of DUXAP9‐206 in mediating the progression of NSCLC and DUXAP9‐206 may serve as a potential target for NSCLC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-derived exosomesagainst testicular ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in rats., Methods: Rat BMSCs were isolated, cultured and identified in theprimary culture. The exosomes were extracted from the BMSCs and characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blotting. Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into shamoperation group, testicular IRI with saline treatment group and IRI with exosome treatment group. The contralateral testes ofthe rats were collected for pathological observation, aseessment of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and detection of HMGB1, caspases-3 and cleaved caspase-3 expressions using Western blotting., Results: We successfullyobtained exosomes from rat BMSCs. Testicular IRI significantly impaired testicular spermatogenesis, which was markedlyimproved by treatment with the exosomes ( P < 0.05). Testicular IRI also caused significant increase in the protein expression ofHMGB1, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in the testicular tissue, and treatment with the exosomes obviously amelioratedthese changes ( P < 0.05)., Conclusions: BMSCs-derived exosomes protects against testicular IRI due to the anti-oxidant, antiinflammatory and anti-apoptosis activities of the exosomes.

Objevtive: To investigate the expression of cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 (CRISP2) in spermatozoa of patients with asthenozoospermia and explore its clinical significance., Methos: Semen samples were collected from 24 normal volunteers and 24 patients with asthenozoospermia for detecting CRISP2 mRNA and protein expressions using qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The correlation of CRISP2 expressions with sperm morphology, progressive motility and fertility prognosis were analyzed in patients with asthenozoospermia., Results: CRISP2 protein expression was obviously lowered in the ejaculated spermatozoa of patients with asthenozoospermia as compared to the normal volunteers, but no significant difference in CRISP2 mRNA expression was found between the two groups. Correlation analysis showed that CRISP2 protein expression was positively correlated with normal sperm morphology (r=0.6182, P=0.0037) and progressive motility (r=0.6309, P=0.0029). Follow-up study of the patients revealed a higher fertility rate in patients with a relatively high CRISP2 protein expression than in those with low CRISP2 protein expression (80.0% vs 20.0%, P=0.0230)., Conclusion: The expression level of CRISP2 protein is positively correlated with normal sperm morphology and progressive motility. A reduced CRISP2 protein expression indicates poor fertility prognosis of patients with asthenozoospermia, suggesting the potential value of CRISP2 as a novel therapeutic target for treating asthenozoospermia.