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OBJECTIVE: Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted much attention for their roles in tumor progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the exact role of lncRNA OR3A4 in the development of ovarian cancer (OC), and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: OR3A4 expression in OC tissue samples was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, wound healing assay and transwell assay were performed to evaluate the effect of OR3A4 on the metastasis of OC. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored by RT-qPCR and Western blot assay. RESULTS: The expression level of OR3A4 in OC samples was significantly higher than that of adjacent tissues. Moreover, cell migration and invasion were significantly repressed after OR3A4 knockdown in vitro. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expressions of kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) were remarkably upregulated after knockdown of OR3A4. Furthermore, the expression level of KLF6 was negatively correlated with the expression of OR3A4 in OC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that OR3A4 could enhance OC cell metastasis and invasion via suppressing KLF6. Moreover, OR3A4 might be a potential therapeutic target for OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of micro ribonucleic acid miR-518b and its regulatory role in the pathogenesis of placenta accreta. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 50 parturient women in the Obstetric Department were collected and divided into observation group (placenta accreta, n=23) and control group (normal placenta, n=27). After the placental tissues were removed via surgery, the expressions of osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected using the immunohistochemical method. The relative expression levels of OPN and VEGF proteins were detected via Western blotting, and the relative expression levels of OPN messenger RNA (mRNA), VEGF mRNA and miR-518b were detected via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Moreover, the correlations of miR-518b with OPN mRNA and VEGF mRNA were studied via Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Compared with those in control group, the expressions of OPN and VEGF proteins in observation group were significantly increased, while the levels of OPN mRNA, VEGF mRNA and miR-518b in observation group were also significantly elevated (p<0.05). There were positive correlations between miR-518b and levels of OPN, VEGF mRNA. CONCLUSIONS: The high expression of miR- 518b may lead to the development of placenta accreta through upregulating the transcription and protein expression of downstream VEGF and OPN, providing insights for the future therapy against the pathogenesis of placenta accreta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Ni-P alloy coating was obtained by electrodeposition on a 45 carbon steel substrate. The surface appearance of the coating was characterised by Hitachi S-4800 scanning electron microscope. The electrodeposition behaviour was investigated using electrochemical methods. The results showed that the Ni-P alloy coating was dense and smooth. The electrodeposition of the Ni-P alloy followed the mechanism of three-dimensional nucleation and subsequent grain growth. The main deposition process changed from heterogeneous nucleation/growth of Ni onto the 45 carbon steel substrate to heterogeneous nucleation/growth of Ni-P onto Ni film. There was low frequency scatter on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy plots, which can be attributed to the production of gas. With increasing negative bias voltage, the low frequency scatter became more obvious, and the charge transfer resistances Rct and Rp increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductance of the CeO2 nanowire film is found to decrease by about two orders of magnitude in air under ultraviolet illumination. Such a drastic decrease in conductance is attributed to light-induced desorption of H2O from the nanowire’s surface. When exposed in air, the surface conductivity of the nanowire increases significantly due to the adsorption of H2O. Considering the large surface-to-volume ratio of the nanowire, the conductance of the nanowire film is mainly controlled by surface conduction. Upon ultraviolet illumination, desorption of H2O results in the decrease of the conductance of the nanowire film, thus leading to the anomalous photoconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room-temperature oxygen sensing is realized from individual ZnS nanobelts. Under UV illumination the current through ZnS nanobelt increases from 0.265 to 2.26 nA as the oxygen pressure decreases from 1×105 to 3×10-3 Pa. The conductance of ZnS nanobelt exhibits a logarithmic dependence on oxygen pressure, which is in agreement with theoretical prediction. The sensing is based on the enhanced modulation of ZnS nanobelts conductance by adsorbed oxygen under illumination. These results demonstrate an approach to in situ precisely detect oxygen at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two kinds of In2O3 nanowires (NWs), i.e., straight and tapered ones, are grown from 20-nm-thick Au/300-nm-thick In and 20-nm-thick Au/1-μm-thick In films on glass at 400 °C by a one-step annealing method, respectively. All the NWs are single crystalline. The growth of the NWs is initiated by Au catalyst particles via vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism, and an additional side growth might be responsible for the nonuniform diameters of the tapered NWs. It is revealed that a certain content of oxygen in the In film facilitates the large-scale growth of the In2O3 NWs. The field-emission studies show that the In2O3 NWs on glass have a low turn-on electric field of about 4.3 V/μm. Our growth method has potential applications in the in situ fabrication and integration of the In2O3 NWs-based devices, especially with glass as substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We observe an anomalous electrorheological (ER) behavior of suspensions composed of ZnO nanowires and silicone oil. In contrast to the usual ER behavior, a decrease in viscosity of the suspensions is observed. Such an anomalous behavior results from the migration of ZnO nanowires to the electrodes under a dc electric field. The migration leads to a relatively pure silicone oil zone between the electrodes, as confirmed by optical microscope observations. The occurrence of the electrophoresis is proposed as the origin of the decrease in shear stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]