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Objective To determine the improving effect of salvianolic acid B on renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) of rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) based on ferroptosis mediated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) pathway. Methods A total of 40 rats were divided into sham operation group, model group, salvianolic acid B group, and salvianolic acid B+Nrf2 inhibitor group, with 10 rats in each group. UUO model was established in the latter 3 groups, and those of the sham operation group received the same operation except for not ligating and cutting the ureter. Salvianolic acid B of 100 mg·kg-1·d-1 and Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 of 30 mg·kg-1·d-1 were intragastrically administered to the corresponding groups, and sterile normal saline of equal volume was given to the sham operation group and model group, for 9 consecutive days. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were used to detect the morphology and fibrosis in renal tissues. The contents of Fe2+, maleicdialdehyde (MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in renal tissues were detected with corresponding kits. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of Collagen-Ⅰ (CoL-Ⅰ), Collagen-Ⅲ (CoL-Ⅲ), Nrf2, and Gpx4 in the renal tissues. Results Compared with the sham operation group, the contents of Fe2+ and MDA and the mRNA and protein levels of CoL-Ⅰ and CoL-Ⅲ in the renal tissues were increased (P < 0.05), and the serum SOD activity and the mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2 were decreased (P < 0.05) in the model group. While the contents of Fe2+ and MDA and the mRNA and protein levels of CoL-Ⅰ and CoL-Ⅲ were decreased (P < 0.05), and the SOD activity and the levels of Nrf2 and Gpx4 were increased (P < 0.05) in the salvianolic acid B group than the model group. The treatment of salvianolic acid B+Nrf2 inhibitor increased the contents of Fe2+ and MDA and the mRNA and protein levels of CoL-Ⅰ and CoL-Ⅲ (P < 0.05), and reduced the SOD activity and the levels of Nrf2 and Gpx4 (P < 0.05) when compared with the salvianolic acid B group. Conclusion Salvianolic acid B activates the Nrf2-Gpx4 pathway and then inhibits ferroptosis to relieve RIF in UUO rats.

COMSOL was used to simulate the variation of energy conversion efficiency with the permeability of electromagnetic shielding materials (ESM). It is found that the energy conversion efficiency is improved with the increase of μ' for lossless materials. However, there is the best match of μ' and μ" for the lossy materials. Based on the simulation results, the one-cycle energy consumption of the induction heated tobacco product (HTP) with different ESM was tested using a power analyzer. Among the range from 240 kHz to 320 kHz, the energy consumption is reduced with the increase of μ' for the ferrites. When μ' is 220, the one-cycle energy consumption can be reduced from 978.14 J to 833.40 J, and the energy conversion efficiency is increased by 14.08%. With the nano-crystalline materials, when μ=2064-j349, the one-cycle energy consumption can be reduced to 811.30 J, the energy conversion efficiency is increased by 17.06%. However, with the further increase of μ' and μ", the energy consumption is enlarged. The actual test results are basically consistent with the simulation. It is found that the energy conversion efficiency of HTP can be improved with proper ESM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect immune‐associated phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is an important target of pathogen invasion. Melanization, an effective defense response, has significant correlations with other immune responses to coordinate immune attack against invaders. However, the effect of PLA2 on melanization has not yet been reported in insects or other arthropods. In this work, we cloned a PLA2 gene (BmsPLA2), and its protein had characteristic features of secreted PLA2 (sPLA2). After injection of bacteria, BmsPLA2 expression and sPLA2 activity in hemolymph significantly increased. BmsPLA2 fluorescence was transferred from the cytoplasm to the cell membranes of circulating hemocytes. These results indicated that BmsPLA2 was related to hemolymph immunity in silkworms. Interestingly, reducing BmsPLA2 by RNA interference decreased melanosis (melanistic hemocytes) levels in vivo and in vitro, while BmsPLA2 overexpression had the opposite effect. The larval survival and melanization rate in the hemocoel both slowed depending on the PLA2 inhibitor dosage. These results demonstrated that BmsPLA2 plays a role in melanization during the immune process of silkworms. Surprisingly, the level of BmDDC matched the degree of melanization in various observations. BmDDC expression showed a significant increase, with the peak occurring later than that of BmsPLA2 after injection of bacteria, implying that BmsPLA2 was activated prior to BmDDC. Moreover, the alteration of BmsPLA2 by RNA interference or overexpression led to altered BmDDC levels. These results suggested that BmsPLA2 regulates the melanization response in silkworms through BmDDC. Our study proposes a new regulatory mechanism of the melanization response and new directions for understanding the complex immune networks of insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the progression of human cancer. It is reported that lncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is involved in colorectal cancer (CRC), however, the underlying mechanism remains to be explored deeply, especially by in vivo models. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis showed that the expression level of PVT1 was upregulated in CRC tissues and highly associated with poor prognosis of CRC patients. In cultured CRC cells, knockdown of PVT1 inhibited cell proliferation and migration of CRC cells, while overexpression of PVT1 promoted the progression of CRC cells. In zebrafish xenograffs, the silencing of PVT1 also suppressed the growth and metastasis of CRC cells. For mechanism studies, the binding relationships among PVT1, miR-24-3p, and Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) were predicted by starBase firstly. filuciferase reporter assays verified that PVT1 and NRP1 could bind with miR-24-3p directly. Further studies showed miR-24-3p negatively regulated the progression of CRC cells, the inhibition of miR-24-3p counteracted the repression effects of CRC progression when knocking down PVT1. In addition, the expression of NRP1 was regulated by PVT1, and NRP1 overexpression could partially rescue the inhibition effects of CRC progression when knocking down PVT1 in vitro and in vivo. Our study reveals that PVT1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of CRC via regulating the miR-24-3p/NRP1 axis, which provides a prognosis biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate control of excavator trajectory is the foundation for the intelligent and unmanned development of excavators. The excavator operation process requires multiple actuators to cooperate to complete the response action. However, the existing control methods to realize a single actuator of the excavator can no longer meet the practical demand. Based on this, a hybrid adaptive quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm (HAQPSO) is proposed to tune the proportional integral derivative (PID) controller parameters for enhancing the trajectory control accuracy of excavator actuators. To increase particle randomization and search speed and avoid the local convergence of QPSO, the QPSO is combined with circle chaotic mapping, Gaussian mutation operators, and adaptive adjustment factors, while the linear transformation of the contraction-expansion coefficient (CE) is improved to the dynamic adjustment mode. Through the interface block, a co-simulation platform for the load-sensitive system excavator is constructed, and trajectory experiments of multiple actuator compound actions are carried out. The simulation results show that—compared with ZN-PID, PSO-PID, and QPSO-PID—the trajectory error accuracy of the boom is improved by 26.59%, 32.95%, and 9.44%, respectively, which proves the high control accuracy of HAQPSO-PID in controlling the trajectory of multiple actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the measurement of human sizes and the reconstruction of mannequins have been extensively studied, there has been little research on systems applicable for measurement and reconstruction under clothes. This work presents a method for three-dimensional (3D) mannequin reconstruction and human body size measurement based on information fusion of multiple sensors. For this purpose, a multi-sensor information acquisition system (MIAS) is developed allowing one to acquire 11 key size data of the human body under clothes. The MIAS is based on the proposed parametric mannequin method and the Laplace mesh deformation technique, thus allowing one to reconstruct the mannequin conforming to the MIAS measurements. All mannequins reconstructed by this method have the same topology, which will greatly facilitate subsequent processing, such as garment design, customization and virtual fitting. The results of the reconstruction experiments show that our system can reconstruct a mannequin that matches the size of the feature parts very well. In addition, performed comparison experiments with manual and laser measurements shows that the measurement results of our system are close to those of manual and laser measurements. This provides a viable method for measuring key body sizes under clothes and reconstructing the corresponding 3D mannequin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shuxuening injection (SXNI), derived from the leaf of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae), is widely used to treat cardio-cerebral vascular system related disease due to the efficacy of dilating the blood vessels and improving the function of microcirculation. Nevertheless, SXNI induces immediate hypersensitivity reactions in clinics and the molecular mechanisms are unknown. The present study investigates the molecular mechanism of SXNI mediated hypersensitivity reactions. Naive male ICR mice (n = 10) were administered (i.v.) with negative control combined with Evans blue (EB) (CTL-EB), SXNI (14 or 70 mg/kg) combined with EB (SXNI/1-EB or SXNI/4-EB), vascular leakage was evaluated, ears and lungs were collected for histopathological analysis. In vitro, TSC1 was knockdown in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were incubated with SXNI, and the alterations of endothelial cell permeability were observed. Rapamycin (mTOR inbibitor) was used to investigate SXNI-induced hypersensitivity reactions both in mice and HUVECs. SXNI (70 mg/kg) induced vascular leakage in mice. Slight oedema and microvascular dilation in the ears, and broaden of alveolar septal and monocyte infiltration in the lungs were observed in SXNI (70 mg/kg) treated mice. mTOR inhibitor alleviates SXNI mediated vascular endothelial hyperpermeability both in vitro and in vivo. SXNI stimulates pseudo-allergic reactions through hyperactivation of mTOR signalling pathway. Our work provides the new molecular mechanism of drug related pseudo-allergic reactions, and a potential drug to prevent and treat SXNI mediated hypersensitivity reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom (Aristolochiaceae) (AMK) is known for toxicity and mutagenicity. The tumorigenic role of AMK has yet to be understood. AMK extracts were extracted from root crude drug. SD (Sprague Dawley) rats underwent gavage with AMK (0.92 g/kg) every other day for 10 (AMK-10) or 20 (AMK-20) weeks. Stomach samples were gathered for histopathological evaluation, microarray and mRNA analysis. The gastric weight to body weight ratio (GW/BW) is 1.7 in the AMK-10 cohort, and 1.8 in AMK-20 cohort compared to control (CTL) cohort. Liver function was damaged in AMK-10 and AMK-20 rats compared to CTL rats. There were no significant changes of CRE (creatinine) in AMK-10 and AMK-20 rats. Histopathological analysis revealed that rats developed dysplasia in the forestomach in AMK-10 rats, and became gastric carcinoma in AMK-20 rats. Genes including Mapk13, Nme1, Gsta4, Gstm1, Jun, Mgst2, Ggt6, Gpx2, Gpx8, Calml3, Rasgrp2, Cd44, Gsr, Dgkb, Rras, and Amt were found to be critical in AMK-10 and AMK-20 rats. Pik3cb, Plcb3, Tp53, Hras, Myc, Src, Akt1, Gnai3, and Fgfr3 worked in AMK-10 rats, and PDE2a and PDE3a played a pivotal role in AMK-20 rats. AMK induced benign or malignant gastric tumours depends on the period of AMK administration. Genes including Mapk13, Nme1, Gsta4, Gstm1, Jun, Mgst2, Ggt6, Gpx2, Gpx8, Calml3, Rasgrp2, Cd44, Gsr, Dgkb, Rras, Amt, Pik3cb, Plcb3, Tp53, Hras, Myc, Src, Akt1, Gnai3, Fgfr3, PDE2a, and PDE3a were found to be critical in aristolochic acid-induced gastric tumour process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SRY-box 9 (SOX9) is overexpressed in a number of human tumors, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the function of SOX9 in the development of GC remains unknown. In the present study, SOX9 activated the Hippo-yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway to enhance the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in GC cell lines. The results suggested that SOX9 knockdown inhibited invasion, proliferation and migration of GC cells. Furthermore, SOX9 silencing upregulated the expression of E-cadherin, an epithelial marker, and downregulated the expression of mesenchymal markers, including snail family transcriptional repressor 1, vimentin and N-cadherin. SOX9 overexpression increased the expression of the aforementioned markers. SOX9 significantly affected YAP phosphorylation and total YAP protein levels, suggesting that SOX9 is involved in the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway. The current study revealed that SOX9 may be involved in the pathogenesis of GC, and further elucidation of the pathways involved may support the development of novel therapeutic options for the treatment of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid decomposed from dietary fiber and has been shown to have effects on inhibition of proliferation but induction of apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. However, clinical trials have yielded ambiguous outcomes with regard to its antitumor activities. In this study, we aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to sodium butyrate (NaB). RNA sequencing was used to establish the whole-transcriptome profile in NaB-treated versus untreated colorectal cancer cells. Differentially expressed genes were bioinformatically analyzed to predict their possible involvement in NaB-triggered cell death, and the expression of eight dysregulated genes was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. We found that there were a total of 7192 genes (5720 upregulated and 1472 downregulated, fold-change ≥ 2 or ≤ 0.5 for upregulation or downregulation, q-value < 0.05) differentially expressed in NaB-treated cells as compared with the untreated controls. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in DNA replication, cell cycle, homologous recombination, pyrimidine metabolism, mismatch repair, and other signaling pathways and may take part in NaB-induced cell death. Among the identified factors, the MCM2-7 complex might be a target of NaB. Our findings provide an important basis for further studies of the complicate network that might regulate sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to NaB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical behavior of polypropylene polymer was investigated under the effect of various temperatures. Mechanical properties of polymer were carried out through uniaxial tensile tests for low and high temperatures respectively. The results showed that both yield stress and the elastic modulus of the material decrease with the increase of temperature. Similarly, the post-yielding behavior of the material can be clearly observed at low temperature, and this behavior gradually disappears as the temperature increases. A phenomenological constitutive model is proposed in order to understand the mechanical behavior of polymer by combining the hyperbolic and multi-linear relationships. It is based on the experiments, and the proposed constitutive model is successfully validated by the excellent agreement between model prediction and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal type of malignant tumor in gynecological cancers and is associated with a high percentage of late diagnosis and chemotherapy resistance. Thus, it is urgent to identify a tumor marker or a molecular target that allows early detection and effective treatment. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are crucial in various cellular processes at the post-transcriptional level. The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma, 1(eIF4G1), an RNA-binding protein, facilitates the recruitment of mRNA to the ribosome, which is a rate-limiting step during the initiation phase of protein synthesis. However, little is known regarding the characteristics of eIF4G1 expression and its clinical significance in ovarian cancer. Therefore, we propose to investigate the expression and clinicopathological significance of eIF4G1 in ovarian cancer patients. Methods: We performed Real-time PCR in 40 fresh serous ovarian cancer tissues and 27 normal ovarian surface epithelial cell specimens to assess eIF4G1mRNA expression. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine the expression of eIF4G1 at the protein level in 134 patients with serous ovarian cancer and 18 normal ovarian tissues. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine the correlation of the eIF4G1 protein levels with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in ovarian cancer. Results: The expression of eIF4G1 was upregulated in serous ovarian cancer tissues at both the mRNA (P = 0.0375) and the protein (P = 0.0007) levels. The eIF4G1 expression was significantly correlated with the clinical tumor stage (P = 0.0004) and omentum metastasis (P = 0.024). Moreover, patients with low eIF4G1 protein expression had a longer overall survival time (P = 0.026). Conclusions: These data revealed that eIF4G1 is markedly expressed in serous ovarian cancer and that upregulation of the eIF4G1 protein expression is significantly associated with an advanced tumor stage. Besides, the patients with lower expression of eIF4G1 tend to have a longer overall survival time. Thus, eIF4G1 may contribute to the occurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer and can serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The transport properties of the molecular-scale B2C and BC3 electronic devices are investigated with an ab initio method combined with a nonequilibrium Green function technique. The effects of different BC graphenes and ribbon lengths on the transport properties of the devices are significant. The results show that the devices with different BC graphenes and sizes have unusual transmission coefficients, which leads to special current transport mechanisms for the devices. Notably, the current strength of the device with the shortest ribbon length is the largest in three B2C devices, but the current strength of the device with the shortest ribbon length is the smallest for BC3 device. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The electron momentum spectra of outer valence orbitals 9a1+5b2 of thiophene (C4H4S) have been studied by binary (e, 2e) electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS), at an impact energy of 1200 eV plus binding energy, and symmetric non-coplanar kinematics. The experimental momentum profile of the summed orbitals is compared with the theoretical momentum distributions calculated using Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods with various basis sets. The experimental measurement is well described by the HF and DFT calculations, and the calculations using the larger basis sets including diffuse and polarization functions give better descriptions of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom (AMK), belonging to the Aristolochia family, is traditionally used in China to remove heart fire, promote dieresis, restore menstruation, and enhance milk secretion. The active constitutes of AMK are aristolochic acids (AAs, I and II) that are reported to cause serious side effects including nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Aim of the study The tumorigenic role of AMK is far to be understood. We analyzed the toxicity reactions after long-term exposure of AMK in rats. Materials and Methods Sprague–Dawley rats underwent gavage with AMK doses of 51 mg/kg (AMK-1), 253 mg/kg (AMK-2), 508 mg/kg (AMK-3), 1029 mg/kg (AMK-4) or AAs of 15 mg/kg (AAs), and then sacrificed at the 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th, 22th, 26th and 30th weeks. Endpoint measurements included clinical observations, body weights, blood biochemistry, haematology and histomorphological observations. Results Body weight decreased after AMK or AAs treatment in rats. AMK destroyed renal function, and induced anemia in rats. AMK caused kidney, stomach, bladder and subcutaneous tumors in rats. In addition, primary hepatic carcinoma was not observed in rats. Conclusions AMK had significant toxic effects in rats with regard to decreased body weight, diminished renal function, increased anemia and tumor incidence. Kidney, stomach, bladder and subcutaneous tissue are carcinogenic target organs of AMK or AAs, however liver is no- carcinogenic target organ of AMK or AAs in rats. AMK is carcinogenic in rats, and not be safe for humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]