Search

miR-15b-5p has frequently been reported to function as a biomarker in some malignancies; however, the function of miR-15b-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its molecular mechanism are still not well understood. The present study was designed to confirm the clinical value of miR-15b-5p and further explore its underlying molecular mechanism. A comprehensive investigation of the clinical value of miR-15b-5p in HCC was investigated by data mining The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets as well as literature. In addition, intersected target genes of miR-15b-5p were predicted using the miRWalk database and differentially expressed genes of HCC from TCGA. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were carried out. Then, a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed to reveal the interactions between some hub target genes of miR-15b-5p. The miR-15b-5p expression level in HCC was predominantly overexpressed compared with non-HCC tissues samples (SMD=0.618, 95% CI: 0.207, 1.029; P<0.0001) based on 991 HCC and 456 adjacent non-HCC tissue samples. The pooled summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) of miR-15b-5p was 0.81 (Q*=0.74), and the pooled sensitivity and specificity of miR-15b-5p in HCC were 72% (95% CI: 69–75%) and 68% (95% CI: 65–72%), respectively. Bioinformatically, 225 overlapping genes were selected as prospective target genes of miR-15b-5p in HCC, and profoundly enriched GO terms and KEGG pathway investigation in silico demonstrated that the target genes were associated with prostate cancer, proximal tubule bicarbonate reclamation, heart trabecula formation, extracellular space, and interleukin-1 receptor activity. Five genes (ACACB, RIPK4, MAP2K1, TLR4 and IGF1) were defined as hub genes from the PPI network. The high expression of miR-15b-5p could play an essential part in hepatocarcinogenesis through diverse regulation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which determines the highest and optimum iron concentrations wherein Lactobacillus is able to grow normally in organic iron and ferrous sulfate.

Advancing catalyst design is pivotal for the enhancement of photocatalytic processes in renewable energy conversion. The incorporation of structural chirality into conventional inorganic solar hydrogen nanocatalysts promises a significant transformation in catalysis, a feature absent in this field. Here we unveil the unexplored potential of geometric chirality by creating a chiral composite that integrates geometric chiral Au nanoparticles (NPs) with two-dimensional C 3 N 4 nanosheets, significantly boosting photocatalytic H 2 evolution beyond the achiral counterparts. The superior performance is driven by the geometric chirality of Au NPs, which facilitates efficient charge carrier separation through the favorable C 3 N 4 -chiral Au NP interface and chiral induced spin polarization, and exploits high-activity facets within the concave surfaces of chiral Au NPs. The resulting synergistic effect leads to a remarkable increase in photocatalytic H 2 evolution, with an apparent quantum yield of 44.64 % at 400 nm. Furthermore, we explore the selective polarized photo-induced carrier separation behavior, revealing a distinct chiral-dependent photocatalytic HER performance. Our work advances the design and utilization of chiral inorganic nanostructures for superior performance in energy conversion processes., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between starchy vegetable consumption and subgroup consumption in the first trimester and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)., Methods: A prospective study ( n  = 1444) was conducted in China. Dietary information was assessed by 24-hour dietary recalls for three days and then we calculated the consumption of total starchy vegetable and its subgroups, including (1) potato and (2) other starchy vegetable (pumpkin, lotus root, yam, taro, water chestnut, pea, and cowpea). GDM was diagnosed according to the results of 75-g two-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 24-28 weeks of gestation. A modified log-binomial regression was used to estimate RRs and 95% CIs of GDM risk., Results: Among the 1444 participants in our study, 520 were diagnosed with GDM. The adjusted RRs (95% CIs) for GDM from the lowest to the highest quartiles of total starchy vegetable consumption were 1.00 (reference), 1.29 (1.06, 1.57), 1.13 (0.93, 1.40), and 1.26 (1.02, 1.56), respectively; p for trend = .032. For potato, the RR of GDM risk was 1.32 for the highest potato intake quartile compared with the lowest quartile (95% CI 1.07-1.64, p for trend = .003). In addition, we did not observe an association between other starchy vegetable intakes and GDM risk., Conclusions: A higher consumption of total starchy vegetables and potatoes in the first trimester is associated with a greater risk of GDM.

Inorganic chiral hybrid nanostructures that embed chirality within distinct material compositions can create novel chiral properties and functionalities absent from achiral nanostructures; however, they remain largely unexplored. We report, for the first time, a class of chiral plasmonic metal-semiconductor core-shell nanostructures that employ structurally chiral nanoparticles as chirality inducing templates to grow functional shell materials, which allowed us to independently control material parameters such as core geometry and shell thickness, as well as handedness of the system. We experimentally and theoretically achieved enhanced and tunable chiroptical activity of the heterostructures as a result of the core-shell strong coupling effect. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we demonstrate that the chiral hybrid nanostructures can drive chirality-dependent photocatalytic hydrogen generation under circularly polarized light. This study enables rational design and functionalization of chiral hybrid nanomaterials towards enhanced chiral light-matter interactions and chiral device applications., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objective: To investigate the dairy product intake during pregnancy in Southwest China and to explore its relationship with neonatal birth body mass., Methods: A prospective study was conducted to select healthy singleton pregnant women at 8-14 weeks of gestation in a maternal and fetal health care institution in Chengdu City. Dairy product consumption during the first, second, third trimester of pregnancy were collected by 24-hour dietary recalls at 8-14 weeks, 24-28 weeks and 32-36 weeks of pregnancy, respectively, and the total milk intake and milk consumption rate were calculated. According to the dietary guidelines for Chinese pregnant women (2016), the recommended amount of milk (300 g/d) was used as the standard to calculate the compliance rate. The respondents were divided into three groups: no dairy consumption group, insufficient dairy consumption group and suitable dairy consumption group. The gestational age at delivery and neonatal birth body mass were collected by the hospital information system. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between milk intake during pregnancy and neonatal birth body mass., Results: A total of 962 pregnant women were included. The average milk intake in the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy were 125.0 (0, 236.1) g/d, 208.3 (0, 284.7) g/d and 250.0 (150.0, 416.7) g/d, respectively, with the compliance rates of 12.6%, 33.2% and 48.4%, respectively. The average neonatal birth body mass was (3 225.0±399.8) g. The incidence of small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) was 8.3% and 3.9%, respectively. Compared with no dairy consumption group in the second trimester of pregnancy, the risk of SGA was lower in suitable dairy consumption group (odds ratio ( OR )=0.786, 95% confidence interval ( CI ): 0.385-0.976). Compared with no dairy consumption group in the third trimester of pregnancy, the risk of SGA was lower in insufficient dairy consumption group and suitable dairy consumption group ( OR =0.672, 95% CI : 0.477-0.821 and OR =0.497, 95% CI : 0.116-0.807, respectively). No association was observed between milk intake in the first trimester and neonatal birth body mass, and milk intake in the second and third trimester of pregnancy was not associated with the risk of LGA., Conclusion: Insufficient milk intake of pregnant women is a significant problem in southwest China and needs to be improved. Milk intake during pregnancy is associated with neonatal birth body mass, and increased milk intake in the second and third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of SGA., (Copyright© by Editorial Board of Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Science Edition).)

Assembly of single layers: Three-dimensional assembly of single-layered MoS2 is achieved on a large scale via a solution method. The as-prepared tubular architectures have tunable size and mesopores in the shell, which are desirable for applications. As a example, they exhibit excellent lithium storage properties and are highly active for hydrodesulfurization of thiophene resulting from their structural advantages., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: To observe the development of allergic rhinitis (AR) in preschool children, and the variation of sensitization to airborne allergens 5 years later, also the link between AR and asthma., Methods: Two hundred and fourty-eight children with AR (AR group) and 217 non-AR children (non-AR group) were surveyed using a questionnaire and examined by otolaryngologists with skin prick test (SPT) between 2006 and 2007. Among them, 63 children were asked to return to hospital to participate in a routine ENT examination and SPT for common inhalant allergens. All statistical analysis was performed by a professional statistician using SPSS 17.0 statistical software., Results: Two hundred and sixteen questionnaires were acquired in AR group and 156 questionnaires were acquired in non-AR group. (1) The remission of AR occurred in 37.0% (80/216) 5-years later, 70.0% (56/80) children who had remission of AR symptoms received the correct medication; there was only 49.3% (67/136) children who had nonremission of AR symptoms received the correct medication, and there was a statistically significant difference (χ(2) = 0.114, P = 0.736). (2) Asthma prevalence was increased from 12.5% (27/216) to 14.8% (32/216) in AR group children, there was no statistically significant difference (χ(2) = -0.491, P = 0.484). The prevalence of asthma was increased slightly from 2.6% (4/156) to 3.2% (5/156) in no-AR group children, there was no statistically significant difference (χ(2) = 0.114, P = 0.736). When asthma in AR group children had tendency of remission, AR could also be controlled, and there was a statistically significant difference (χ(2) = 5.423, P < 0.05). (3) The total number of sensitization allergen decreased compared to the originally test. Dermatophagoides farinae was the most common allergen in our survey, while in the originally test, Alternaria tenuis was the most common allergen. There was age-dependent tendency to sensitize to new classes of allergens was present in children with AR, the number of children sensitized to fungal was minimum., Conclusions: Remission of AR in preschool children occurred in 37.0% 5 years later. There is a strong relationship between childhood AR and childhood asthma. Sensitization to the airborne allergens may change with age.

Carbon monoxide has been proved to be an important signal molecule in body. Transition metal carbonyl compounds are solidified form of carbon monoxide. Numerous studies have shown that Ruthenium carbonyl carbon monoxide releasing molecules have a strong pharmacological activity. In this paper, five Ruthenium (II) carbonyl CORMs 1-5 were synthesized and their toxicology, tissue distribution and interaction with blood endogenous substances were investigated. The results showed CORMs' IC50 to fibroblasts are ranged from 212.9 to 2089.2 micromol x L(-1). Their oral LD50 to mouse is between 800 to 1600 mg x kg(-1). After repeated administration, CORMs 1 and CORMs 5 haven't shown an obvious influence to rats' liver and kidney function, but caused the injury to liver and kidney cells. The in vivo distribution result revealed the majority of CORMs were distributed in blood, liver and kidney, only a small part of CORMs distributed in lung, heart and spleen. They could scarcely cross the blood-brain barrier and distribute to brain. The non-CO ligands in structure have an obvious relevance to their in vivo absorption and distribution. Interestingly, CORMs could enhance the fluorescence of bovine serum albumin, and this enhancement was in direct proportion with the concentration of CORMs. Under different conditions, interaction of CORMs with glutathione got different type of products, one is Ruthenium (II) tricarbonyl complexes, and Ruthenium (II) dicarbonyl complexes.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(12)H(16)O(2), contains two independent mol-ecules in which the dihedral angles between the benzene and cyclo-propane rings are 75.9 (3) and 76.3 (3)°. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are connected by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three dimensional supra-molecular structure.

In the title compound, C(16)H(16)N(2)O(6), the dihedral angle between the two pyrrolidine rings is 79.38 (14)°.

The cellular origin of soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) is not fully understood. The cancer stem cell hypothesis presumes that tumors originate from the malignant transformation of stem cells. As a type of multipotent stem cell, adipose tissue-derived stromal/stem cells (ADSCs), which possess an unexpected degree of plasticity and often reside in other tissues, may represent a potential source of soft tissue sarcoma. To ascertain whether ADSCs are responsible for the formation of STSs, ADSCs from mice were cultured and treated with 3-methycholanthrene to derive transformed cells. These transformed ADSCs were then injected subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice to test their tumorigenic potential. We found that they generated several types of STSs, including synovial sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma and fibrosarcoma. This is the first study to report that ADSCs may be the potential initiating cells for synovial sarcoma. Our findings indicate that STSs might originate from malignantly transformed ADSCs.

Hemoglobin (Hb) G-Chinese [α30 (B11) Glu↷Gln], also known as Hb G-Honolulu, Hb G-Hongkong or Hb G-Singapore, was first identified in a Chinese woman in Singapore, and was subsequently observed in several Chinese families. This Hb variant results from a GAG↷CAG mutation at codon 30 of the α-globin gene. The aim of the present study was to identify the Hb G-Chinese mutation in three Cantonese individuals. The presence of the Hb variant was confirmed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. DNA analysis based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were conducted to confirm the presence of the mutation in the α-globin gene. A G↷C substitution at codon 30 of the α2-globin gene was observed. According to a previous study, the G↷C substitution in Hb G-Chinese creates a PstI restriction site; we amplified the α2-globin gene, then digested the PCR products with PstI. The results indicated that only the PCR product of Hb G-Chinese α2-globin was cut by PstI. The digestive products were 120 and 730 bp, respectively. Therefore, we determined that the three cases were of the heterozygous Hb G-Chinese variant.