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Growing evidence points at an association between microRNAs and tumor development. Although dysregulation of microRNA-103a-3p (miR-103a-3p) in multiple human cancers has been reported, its expression in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown and there is currently no research on the relationship between miR-103a-3p and tumor protein D52 (TPD52) in PCa. Our aim in this study was to explore the effect and potential mechanism of miR-103a-3p in PCa. qRT-PCR was performed to detected the level of miR-103a-3p in PCa tissues and cells, and in normal tissues. Colony, wound-healing, invasion, proliferation, and apoptosis assays were performed in search miR-103a-3p effect in PCa. TargetScan was used to predict potential targets of miR-103a-3p. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter, western blot, and immunofluorescence assays were performed to detected the target gene of miR-103a-3p. Finally, we explore the differences in tumor xenograft experiments between nude mice injected with stably miR-103a-3p expressing cells and those expressing a miR-negative control. Low level of miR-103a-3p was detected in PCa tissues and cells, when compared with normal tissues. Enhancement of miR-103a-3p significantly inhibited migration and invasion of PCa cells, and negatively regulated expression of the oncogenic tumor protein D52 (TPD52) through direct binding to its 3'-UTR. Interestingly, overexpression of TPD52 significantly attenuated the effect of mir-103a-3p on PCa. Our study provides the first evidence that miR-103a-3p directly targets TPD52 and inhibits the proliferation and invasion of PCa. This finding helps clarify the role of mir-103a-3p-TPD52 axis in PCa and may provide new therapeutic targets for the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work a stacked winding thin film magnetic core microinductor is proposed to improve the ratio of inductance to dc resistance (DCR). This article also describes an improved ac winding loss model accounting for the asymmetric 2-D magnetic fields present within the device. Two six-turn single layer and stacked winding devices are fabricated, and small signal measurements are presented with dc inductance of 150 nH and DCR of $0.35~\Omega $ for the stacked winding inductor, and with DCR of $0.47~\Omega $ for the single winding inductor. In this case, the total DCR of stacked winding inductor is reduced by approximately 25% compared with the corresponding single layer structure with an equivalent inductance and device area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies virus (RABV) induces acute, fatal encephalitis in mammals including humans. The circRNAs are important in virus infection process, but whether circRNAs regulated RABV infection remains largely unknown. Here, mice brain with or without the RABV CVS-11 strain were subjected to RNA sequencing and a total of 30,985 circRNAs were obtained. Among these, 9021 candidates were shared in both groups, and 14,610 and 7354 circRNAs were expressed specifically to the control and experimental groups, indicating that certain circRNAs were specifically inhibited or induced on RABV infection. The circRNAs mainly derived from coding exons. In total, 636 circRNAs were differentially expressed in RABV infection, of which 426 significantly upregulated and 210 significantly downregulated (p < 0.05 and fold change ≥2). The expression of randomly selected 6 upregulated and 6 downregulated circRNAs was tested by RT-qPCR, and the expression trend of the 11 out of 12 circRNAs was consistent in RT- qPCR and RNA-seq analysis. Rnase R-resistant assay and Sanger sequencing were conducted to verify the circularity of circRNAs. GO analysis demonstrated that source genes of all differentially regulated circRNAs were mainly related to cell plasticity and synapse function. Both KEGG and GSEA analysis revealed that these source genes were engaged in the cGMP–PKG and MAPK signaling pathway, and HTLV-I infection. Also, pathways related to glucose metabolism and synaptic functions were enriched in KEGG analysis. The circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network was built with 25 of 636 differentially expressed circRNAs, 264 mRNAs involved in RABV infection, and 29 miRNAs. Several miRNAs and many mRNAs in the network were reported to be related to viral infection and the immune response, suggesting that circRNAs could regulate RABV infection via interacting with miRNAs and mRNAs. Taken together, this study first characterized the transcriptomic pattern of circRNAs, and signaling pathways and function that circRNAs are involved in, which may indicate directions for further research to understand mechanisms of RABV pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to assess the dietary salt intake in patients with CKD in Jiangsu province and investigate the relationship of urinary sodium excretion with blood pressure. A total of 800 patients with CKD stages 1–4 were recruited. All enrolled patients were asked to collect complete 24‐h urine specimen. At the same time, patient's demographic and laboratory data were recorded. The mean age was 47.45 ± 15.25 years old, including 423 men and 377 women. There was no significant difference in urinary sodium excretion among different stages of CKD (p =.748). This study revealed that the median urinary sodium excretion of all patients was 127.20 mmol/d (IQR 91.03–172.06), corresponding to a salt intake of 7.4 g/d. Among them, only 167 (20.9%) cases had salt intake <5 g/d. Moreover, urinary sodium excretion in overweight group and obese group was higher than that in normal weight group (p =.001, p ˂.001). Likewise, urinary sodium excretion in men was higher than that in women (p ˂.001). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that urinary sodium excretion positively correlated with urinary protein excretion (r =.178, p ˂.001), SBP (r =.109, p =.002), and DBP (r =.086, p =.015). After adjusting for age, gender, BMI, eGFR, urinary protein excretion, and history of taking antihypertensive drug, multivariate linear regression demonstrated that higher level of urinary sodium excretion associated with increased level of SBP, DBP, and MAP (β = 0.020, p =.049; β = 0.015, p =.040; β = 0.016, p =.025, respectively). In conclusion, the dietary salt intake in CKD patients, especially in male, overweight and obese subjects, remains high in Jiangsu province. It is vital to decline salt intake to control blood pressure in Jiangsu patients with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically measure the superconducting (SC) and mixed state properties of high-quality CsV3Sb5 single crystals with Tc ∼ 3.5 K. We find that the upper critical field Hc2(T) exhibits a large anisotropic ratio of at zero temperature and fitting its temperature dependence requires a minimum two-band effective model. Moreover, the ratio of the lower critical field, , is also found to be larger than 1, which indicates that the in-plane energy dispersion is strongly renormalized near Fermi energy. Both Hc1(T) and SC diamagnetic signal are found to change little initially below Tc ∼ 3.5 K and then to increase abruptly upon cooling to a characteristic temperature of ∼2.8 K. Furthermore, we identify a two-fold anisotropy of in-plane angular-dependent magnetoresistance in the mixed state. Interestingly, we find that, below the same characteristic T ∼ 2.8 K, the orientation of this two-fold anisotropy displays a peculiar twist by an angle of 60° characteristic of the Kagome geometry. Our results suggest an intriguing superconducting state emerging in the complex environment of Kagome lattice, which, at least, is partially driven by electron-electron correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the expression of LINC01268 and HCC, and to elucidate the potential underlying molecular mechanism. Methods: Expression level and localization of LINC01268 in human liver cancer cells and HCC tissues were investigated using RT-qPCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), respectively. Correlation of expression levels of LINC01268 and MAP3K7 with differentiation and poor overall patient survival of HCC were analyzed using in house collected and publicly available HCC tissue data. RT-qPCR and Western blot were applied to inspect the effects of depletion and overexpression of LINC01268 on MAP3K7 expression. HCC cell proliferation and apoptosis were also investigated by simultaneous overexpression of LINC01268 and knockdown of MAP3K7, in order to delineate that MAP3K7 is a downstream effector of LINC01268. Results: In this study, we identified that LINC01268 was highly expressed in HCC cell lines and tissues. High LINC01268 expression level was associated with lower HCC nodule number, moderate/poor differentiation and poor overall survival. Knockdown of LINC01268 inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells, which was enhanced by overexpression of LINC01268. Co-expression analysis implied an interaction between LINC01268 and MAP3K7. Similar to LINC01268, MAP3K7 was highly expressed in HCC cells, and positively correlated with moderate/poor differentiation as well as poor prognosis. Knockdown of LINC01268 in HCC cell lines led to reduction of MAP3K7 at both mRNA and protein levels. Phenotypic effects due to LINC01268 overexpression in HCC cells were reversed by knockdown of MAP3K7. Conclusion: Taken together, the abnormal high expression of LINC01268 is associated with HCC progression via regulating MAP3K7, suggesting LINC01268 as a novel marker for HCC prognosis and potentially a new therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is a severe health problem worldwide, and it is characterized by the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and excessive deposition of collagen. Prolonged arsenic exposure can induce HSCs activation and liver fibrosis. In the present study, the results showed that chronic NaAsO2 ingestion could result in liver fibrosis and oxidative stress in Sprague–Dawley rats, along with representative collagen deposition and HSCs activation. In addition, the inositol‐requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)–endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐stress pathway was activated, and the activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) was upregulated in rat livers. Simultaneously, the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) could induce HSCs activation, and NOX4 played an important role in generating ROS in vitro. Moreover, ER stress occurred with HSCs activation at the same time under NaAsO2 exposure, and during ER stress, the IRE1α pathway was responsible for NOX4 activation. Therefore, inhibition of IRE1α activation could attenuate the HSCs activation induced by NaAsO2. In conclusion, the present study manifested that inorganic arsenic exposure could activate HSCs through IRE1α/NOX4‐mediated ROS generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs play crucial roles in various biological processes, including but not limited to differentiation, development, disease, and immunity. However, their immunoregulatory roles in half-smooth tongue sole are lacking. Our previous studies indicated that miR-722 could target C5aR1 to modulate the complement pathway to alleviate inflammatory response and even affect the mortality after the bacterial infection with Vibrio anguillarum. Driven by the purpose of revealing the underlying mechanisms, in this study, we investigated the effects of miR-722 on the gene expression and alternative splicing (AS) in the liver of half-smooth tongue sole after Vibrio anguillarum infection, with the approach of miR-722 overexpression/silencing and subsequent RNA-seq. Among the different comparisons, the I group (miR-722 inhibitor and V. anguillarum) versus blank control (PBS) exhibited the highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), suggesting that the immune response was overactivated after inhibiting the miR-722. In addition, enrichment analyses were performed to reveal the functions of DEGs and differential AS (DAS) genes, reflecting the enrichment of RNA splicing and immune-related pathways including NF-κB and T cell receptor signaling pathway. Comparing the M group (miR-722 mimic and V. anguillarum) with the negative control (random sequence and V. anguillarum), two immune-related genes, cd48 and mapk8 , were differentially expressed, of which mapk8 was also differentially spliced, indicating their importance in the immune response. Furthermore, representative gene analysis was performed, suggesting their corresponding functional changes due to AS. To verify the RNA-seq data, quantitative real-time PCR was employed with twenty pairs of primers for DEGs and DAS events. Overall, our results demonstrated that miR-722 could mediate the transcriptome-wide changes of gene expression and AS in half-smooth tongue sole, and provided insights into the regulatory role of miR-722 in immune responses, laying the foundation for further functional analyses and practical applications in aquaculture. • miR-722 mediated the transcriptome-wide changes of gene expression and AS in tongue sole. • DAS contributed significantly to the immune response after the bacterial infection. • mapk8 was the only gene that underwent both differential expression and DAS in M vs N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in various biological processes, including immunity. Previously, we investigated the miRNAs of half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) and found that miR-722 (designated Cse -miR-722) was significantly differentially expressed after infection with Vibrio anguillarum , reflecting its importance in immune response. Our preliminary bioinformatic analysis suggested that Cse -miR-722 could target C5aR1 (designated CsC5aR1), which was known to play crucial roles in complement activation and inflammatory response, as a receptor of C5a. However, the underlying mechanisms of their interactions and specific functions in inflammatory and immune response are still enigmas. In this study, we successfully cloned the precursor sequence of Cse -miR-722 (94 bp) and the full length of CsC5aR1 (1541 bp, protein molecular weight 39 kDa). The target gene of Cse -miR-722 was verified as CsC5aR1 by a dual luciferase reporter assay, and Cse -miR-722 was confirmed to regulate CsC5aR1 at the protein level using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The expression of CsC5aR1 and Cse -miR-722 in liver cells and four immune tissues of half-smooth tongue sole changed significantly after LPS stimulation and infection with V. anguillarum. To explore the functional role of Cse -miR-722 in half-smooth tongue sole, we performed both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Cse -miR-722 was observed to affect phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity of macrophages by regulating CsC5aR1 in half-smooth tongue sole. Furthermore, we found that Cse -miR-722 regulated the expression of CsC5aR1 , CsC5a , and the inflammatory factors CsIL1-β , CsIL6 , CsIL8 , and CsTNF-α both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, Cse -miR-722 reduced mortality and pathological damage. This study clarified the regulatory mechanism of Cse- miR-722 on CsC5aR1 and provided insight into the regulatory roles of Cse- miR-722 in immune responses, laying a theoretical foundation for the feasibility of using miR-722 to prevent and control bacterial diseases in teleost. • Cse -miR-722 targeted CsC5aR1 and silenced CsC5aR1 at the translation level. • Cse -miR-722 affected the phagocytic activity and respiratory burst of macrophages. • Cse -miR-722 regulated immune responses through the C5a/C5aR1 complement pathway. • Cse -miR-722 reduced mortality and body damage after Vibrio anguillarum infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to revise the critical flow criterion and flashing inception of the analytical critical flow model and to further explore the effect of upstream conditions on critical mass fluxes. The flashing inception of the model is considered to be affected by the Reynolds number and the Jakob number. Model predictions show strong similarities with test results compared with other models, with average errors of less than 10.1% for simulated slits and 15.8% for natural cracks. Upstream parameters of the liquid, such as the stagnation pressure, subcooling, and aspect ratio, directly influence the rate of depressurization, the thermodynamic nonequilibrium constant, and the friction pressure drop, respectively, which determine the critical mass flux. This research provides the theoretical basis for accurate assessment of critical crack, providing safeguards for monitoring nuclear reactor leaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of hepatic fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase B (Aldob) leads to a paradoxical up-regulation of glucose metabolism to favor hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC), but the upstream signaling events remain poorly defined. Akt is highly activated in HCC, and targeting Akt is being explored as a potential therapy for HCC. Herein, we demonstrate that Aldob suppresses Akt activity and tumor growth through a protein complex containing Aldob, Akt, and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), leading to inhibition of cell viability, cell cycle progression, glucose uptake, and metabolism. Interestingly, Aldob directly interacts with phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and promotes the recruitment of PP2A to dephosphorylate p-Akt, and this scaffolding effect of Aldob is independent of its enzymatic activity. Loss of Aldob or disruption of Aldob/Akt interaction in Aldob R304A mutant restores Akt activity and tumor-promoting effects. Consistently, Aldob and p-Akt expression are inversely correlated in human HCC tissues, and Aldob down-regulation coupled with p-Akt up-regulation predicts a poor prognosis for HCC. We have further discovered that Akt inhibition or a specific small-molecule activator of PP2A (SMAP) efficiently attenuates HCC tumorigenesis in xenograft mouse models. Our work reveals a novel nonenzymatic role of Aldob in negative regulation of Akt activation, suggesting that directly inhibiting Akt activity or through reactivating PP2A may be a potential therapeutic approach for HCC treatment. Loss of hepatic fructose bisphosphate aldolase B (Aldob) leads to a paradoxical upregulation of glucose metabolism, favoring hepatocellular carcinogenesis, but the upstream signaling events are unclear. This study shows that Aldob inhibits the activity of the protein kinase Akt and tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma via a protein complex containing Aldob, Akt and protein phosphatase 2A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave ablation (MWA) is feasible for severe renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients ineligible for parathyroidectomy (PTX). Here we compared the clinical manifestations and characteristics of parathyroid glands in these two groups, and summarized the techniques, safety and efficacy of MWA. Baseline clinical characteristics, ablation-related techniques, adverse events/complications, and efficacy were recorded. In SHPT group, malnutrition, cardiovascular/pulmonary complications, and abnormal bone metabolism were severe. SHPT patients had more hyperplastic parathyroid glands. The volume of each gland was smaller, and the time of ablation for a single parathyroid was shorter in the SHPT group, although there were no significant differences compared with patients in the PHPT group. Three patients in both groups had recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries and all recovered, except for one SHPT patient. By the end of follow-up, serum iPTH levels had decreased from 2400.26 ± 844.26 pg/mL to 429.39 ± 407.93 pg/mL (p <.01) in SHPT and from 297.73 ± 295.32 pg/mL to 72.22 ± 36.51 pg/mL in PHPT group (p <.01). Hypocalcemia was more common (p <.001) and serum iPTH levels were prone to rebound in SHPT patients after MWA. MWA can be reserved for those who had high surgical risks because of less invasiveness. Injuries of recurrent laryngeal nerves should be noticed. The health status, perioperative, and intraoperative procedures were more complicated and all parathyroids found by ultrasound should be ablated completely in SHPT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to arsenic is a risk factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death defined by the accumulation of lipid peroxidation. In the current study, we observed the occurrence of ferroptosis in arsenic-induced NASH by assessing ferroptosis related hallmarks. In vitro , we found that ferrostatin-1 effectively attenuated the executing of ferroptosis and NASH. Simultaneously, the expression of ACSL4 (acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4) was upregulated in rat's liver and L-02 cells exposed to arsenic. While, suppression of ACSL4 with rosiglitazone or ACSL4 siRNA remarkably alleviated arsenic-induced NASH and ferroptosis through diminishing 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) content. Additionally, Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), a physical tether between endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, has rarely been explored in the ferroptosis. Using Mfn2 siRNA or inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) inhibitor, we found NASH and ferroptosis were obviously mitigated through reducing 5-HETE content. Importantly, Co-IP assay indicated that Mfn2 could interact with IRE1α and promoted the production of 5-HETE, ultimately led to ferroptosis and NASH. Collectively, our data showed that ferroptosis is involved in arsenic-induced NASH. These data provide insightful viewpoints into the mechanism of arsenic-induced NASH. • Ferroptosis is involved in NaAsO 2 -induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. • NaAsO 2 -induced ferroptotic cell death depends on the interaction of Mfn2 and IRE1α. • The ACSL4 plays a leading role in the progression of ferroptosis induced by NaAsO 2 via manipulating 5-HETE content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative (co-op) advertising is an arrangement between manufacturer and retailer, where two members initiate their respective advertising to help develop brand, motivate sales, and other purposes. This paper focuses on cooperative advertising in a supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and one retailer. As two basic elements of a supply chain, the channel power structure and information structure affect the firm's pricing and advertising decisions. We attempt to investigate how they optimally decide their marginal returns and advertising investments. Utilizing the Stackelberg game theory, we derive the equilibrium of five scenarios in two different cases, i.e., (1) either the manufacturer or the retailer is acting as the Stackelberg leader and (2) whether the Stackelberg leader knows the advertising investment of his follower. Then we make a comparison and obtain some managerial implications as follows: (1) the supply chain power structure and the relative advertising effectiveness coefficient exert great influence on the optimal supply chain decisions, (2) the supply chain members' profit is not parallel to their corresponding power structure, if the retailer's advertising effectiveness is greater than the manufacturer's, the Manufacturer-dominated Stackelberg game is a win–win strategy, and vice versa, (3) the dominant member can improve his and the overall performance of the supply chain by having the advertising information of the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A green supply chain with capital-constrained manufacturer is considered. • Green credit, manufacture subsidy and sales subsidy are considered. • Green operations strategy of supply chain is examined under various subsidy modes. • Supply chain performances under various subsidy modes are compared. • Useful managerial insights for firms and government are given. This paper investigates green credit (GC), manufacture subsidy (MS), and sales subsidy (SS) modes in a supply chain with a capital-constrained green manufacturer and attempts to find the win-win subsidy mode. We show that when the bank loan is infinite and the total subsidies of different modes are equal, GC can bring the highest returns with respect to green degree, market demand, social welfare, and environmental benefit. However, under the finite loan scenario, GC is the optimal choice for the government only when the credit line of the manufacturer is relatively high; otherwise, MS is the optimal subsidy mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 4,243 ubiquitinated sites on 1,626 proteins were identified in RABV infected mouse brain tissues. • GO analysis revealed the DUPs were enriched in the myelin sheath. • All RABV proteins were ubiquitinated during virus infection. Ubiquitination is an important post-translational modification (PTM) that plays a key role in almost every aspect of cellular processes and many signaling pathways in eukaryotes. In this study, we performed a quantitative ubiquitome study to identify the global change of ubiquitination induced by rabies virus (RABV) infection in the mouse brain tissue. 4,243 ubiquitinated sites, mapping to 1,626 proteins were identified; using a cutoff of fold change >2, 644 and 70 ubiquitinated proteins were up- and down-regulated, respectively. GO analysis indicated that the differentially ubiquitinated proteins (DUPs) were significantly enriched in the myelin sheath of cells and binding activity. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the identified proteins were related to biosynthesis of amino acids. Of note, ubiquitination was observed on all five RABV proteins by both proteomics and biochemical approaches. Our study revealed the global ubiquitome of RABV-infected mice and provides a valuable resource for investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of RABV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simple detection method was constructed using gold nanoparticles as a substrate in surface-enhanced Raman scattering that combined chemometrics to measure plasma voriconazole concentration. In this application, an adaptive, iteratively reweighted, penalized least squares (air-PLS) method was utilized to deduct matrix background and correct baseline spectral drift. A moving window partial least squares (MWPLS) method was used to select the optimal wavelength combination to construct a concentration prediction model. Evaluation of the results demonstrated that the final model had an excellent capability for prediction of plasma voriconazole concentration, applicable over the concentration range 3 × 10−3–200 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient of above 0.99. In conclusion, using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy with chemometrics, we propose a novel and efficient approach that plasma voriconazole concentration can be measured in tens of seconds with a simple pretreatment. • We built a simple quantification of VOR plasma concentration by SERS combining chemometrics. • The concentration prediction model was constructed by AIR-PLS and MWPLS methods. • The model is applicable in the VOR concentration range of 3 × 10−3–200 μg/mL by the correlation coefficient above 0.99. • The method just needs tens of seconds with simple pretreatments to detect VOR plasma concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel (E)-5-(2-(5-alkylthiothiophen-2-yl)vinyl)thien-2-yl (TVT)-comprising benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) derivative (BDT-TVT) was designed and synthetized to compose two donor-acceptor (D-A) typed copolymers (PBDT-TVT-ID and PBDT-TVT-DTNT) with the electron-withdrawing unit isoindigo (ID) and naphtho[1,2-c:5,6-c′]bis[1,2,5]thiadiazole (NT), respectively. PBDT-TVT-ID and PBDT-TVT-DTNT showed good thermal stability (360 °C), an absorption spectrum from 300 nm to 760 nm and a relatively low lying energy level of Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (EHOMO) (−5.36 to –5.45 eV), which could obtain a large open-circuit voltage (Voc) from photovoltaic devices with PBDT-TVT-ID or PBDT-TVT-DTNT. The photovoltaic devices with ITO/PFN/polymers: PC71BM/MoO3/Ag structure were assembled and exhibited a good photovoltaic performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.09% (PBDT-TVT-ID) and 5.44% (PBDT-TVT-DTNT), respectively. The best PCE of a PBDT-TVT-DTNT/PC71BM-based device mainly originated from its wider absorption, higher hole mobility and favorable photoactive layer morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cardiac valve calcification (CVC) is frequently occurred in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between risk factors and extent of CVC and further provide the treatment target in MHD patients. Methods: One hundred and forty-five patients who received MHD ≥3 months were enrolled. CVC was assessed by an echocardiographic, semi-quantitative manner called global cardiac calcium scoring system (GCCS), and demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters including mineral metabolism markers were collected. Results: The average age of the patients was 50 ± 12 years, and 54.5% were men. The mean GCCS was 1.8 ± 2.4; 57.2% of patients had GCCS ≥1. Age, dialysis vintage, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and intact parathyroid hormone levels were positively correlated with CVC, whereas serum albumin levels were negatively related to CVC, based on univariate analysis. With multivariate linear regression analysis, serum ALP was the only bone-derived biomarker that showed significant correlation with CVC. Serum ALP ≥232 U/L was a robust predictor of CVC and was associated with the likelihood of GCCS ≥1 (OR 3.92, 95% CI 1.37–11.2, p = 0.011). The decision tree model was used to identify ALP ≥232 U/L and age ≥60 years as important determinative variables in the prediction of CVC in MHD patients. Conclusion: Serum ALP level is significantly associated with CVC in MHD patients. ALP is suggested to be a promising interventional target for cardiovascular calcification in MHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore whether sex-specific abdominal visceral fat composition on CT can predict the Fuhrman nuclear grade of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).Methods: One hundred seventy-one patients (123 males and 48 females) from four hospitals (multicentre group) and 159 patients (109 males and 50 females) from the cancer imaging archive (TCIA-KIRC group) with pathologically proven ccRCC (multicentre: 124 low grade and 47 high grade; TCIA-KIRC: 79 low grade and 80 high grade) were retrospectively included. Abdominal fat was segmented into subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral fat area (VFA) on CT using ImageJ. The total fat area (TFA) and relative VFA (rVFA) were then calculated. Clinical characteristics (age, sex, waist circumference and maximum tumour diameter) were also assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the association between general or sex-specific visceral fat composition and Fuhrman grade.Results: Females with high-grade ccRCC from the multicentre group had a higher rVFA (42.4 vs 31.3, p = 0.001) than those with low-grade ccRCC after adjusting for age. There was no significant difference in males. The rVFA remained a stable and independent predictor for females high-grade ccRCC in both the univariate (multicentre: OR 1.205, 95% CI 1.074-1.352, p = 0.001; TCIA-KIRC: OR 1.171, 95% CI 1.016-1.349, p = 0.029) and multivariate (multicentre: OR 1.095, 95% CI 1.024-1.170, p = 0.003; TCIA-KIRC: OR 1.103, 95% CI 1.024-1.187, p = 0.010) models.Conclusions: Sex-specific visceral fat composition has different values for predicting high-grade ccRCC and could be used as an independent predictor for females with high-grade ccRCC.Key Points: • Visceral fat measurement (rVFA) as an independent predictor for high-grade ccRCC had good predictive power in females, but not in males. • Sex-specific visceral fat composition was significantly associated with high-grade ccRCC in females only. • The rVFA could be considered one of the risk factors for high-grade ccRCC for females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Obese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a higher risk of adverse outcomes than women with obesity or GDM alone. Our study is aimed at investigating the discriminatory power of circulatory Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 (WISP1), a novel adipocytokine, on the copresence of prepregnancy overweight/obesity and GDM and at clarifying the relationship between the WISP1 level and clinical cardiometabolic parameters. Methods. A total of 313 participants were screened from a multicenter prospective prebirth cohort: Born in Shenyang Cohort Study (BISCS). Subjects were examined with a 2 × 2 factorial design for body mass index BMI ≥ 24 and GDM. Between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, follow-up individuals underwent an OGTT and blood sampling for cardiometabolic characterization. Results. We observed that the WISP1 levels were elevated in prepregnancy overweight/obesity patients with GDM, compared with nonoverweight subjects with normal blood glucose (3.45 ± 0.89 vs. 2.91 ± 0.75 ng / mL). Multilogistic regression analyses after adjustments for potential confounding factors revealed that WISP1 was a strong and independent risk factor for prepregnancy overweight/obesity with GDM (all ORs > 1). In addition, the results of the ROC analysis indicated that WISP1 exhibited the capability to identify individuals with prepregnancy overweight/obesity and GDM (all AUC > 0.5). Finally, univariate and multivariate linear regression showed that WISP1 level was positively and independently correlated with fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and aspartate aminotransferase and was negatively correlated with HDL-C and complement C1q. Conclusions. WISP1 may be critical for the prediction, diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies against obesity and GDM in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Obese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a higher risk of adverse outcomes than women with obesity or GDM alone. Our study is aimed at investigating the discriminatory power of circulatory Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 (WISP1), a novel adipocytokine, on the copresence of prepregnancy overweight/obesity and GDM and at clarifying the relationship between the WISP1 level and clinical cardiometabolic parameters. Methods. A total of 313 participants were screened from a multicenter prospective prebirth cohort: Born in Shenyang Cohort Study (BISCS). Subjects were examined with a 2 × 2 factorial design for body mass index BMI ≥ 24 and GDM. Between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, follow-up individuals underwent an OGTT and blood sampling for cardiometabolic characterization. Results. We observed that the WISP1 levels were elevated in prepregnancy overweight/obesity patients with GDM, compared with nonoverweight subjects with normal blood glucose (3.45 ± 0.89 vs. 2.91 ± 0.75 ng / mL). Multilogistic regression analyses after adjustments for potential confounding factors revealed that WISP1 was a strong and independent risk factor for prepregnancy overweight/obesity with GDM (all ORs > 1). In addition, the results of the ROC analysis indicated that WISP1 exhibited the capability to identify individuals with prepregnancy overweight/obesity and GDM (all AUC > 0.5). Finally, univariate and multivariate linear regression showed that WISP1 level was positively and independently correlated with fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and aspartate aminotransferase and was negatively correlated with HDL-C and complement C1q. Conclusions. WISP1 may be critical for the prediction, diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies against obesity and GDM in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 2,5-hexanedione exposure induced neuropathy in treated animals. • The axon-miRNAs related to 2,5-hexanedione induced neuropathy. • Axon-related miRNAs mediate 2,5-hexanedione toxicity by regulating many pathways. Exposure to organic solvent in industry, including n-hexane is correlated with central-peripheral axonopathy, which is mediated by its active metabolite, 2,5-hexanedione (HD). However, the underlying mechanism is still largely unknown. Recently identified microRNAs (miRNAs) may play important roles in toxicant exposure and in the process of toxicant-induced neuropathys. To examine the role of miRNAs in HD-induced toxicity, neuropathic animal model was successfully built. miRNA microarray analysis revealed 105 differentially expressed miRNAs after HD exposure. Bioinformatics analysis showed that "Axon" and "Neurotrophin Signaling Pathway" was the top significant GO term and pathway, respectively. 7 miRNAs both related to "Axon" and "Neurotrophin Signaling Pathway" were screened out and further confirmed by Real-Time PCR. Correspondingly, the deregulation expression levels of proteins of four target genes (GSK3β, Map3k1, BDNF and MAP1B) were further confirmed via western blot, verifying the results of gene target analysis. Taken together, our results showed that the axon-related miRNAs to be associated with MAP1B or neurotrophin signal pathways changed in nerve tissues following HD exposure. These miRNAs may play important roles in HD-induced neurotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety analyses of pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors in the event of small-break loss-of-coolant accidents strongly depend on leakage rate predictions using two-phase critical flow models. The paper aims to revise the critical flow criterion and consider the nonequilibrium phenomena of critical flows in constructing a modified two-phase critical flow model. The model predictions exhibit strong similarities with the experimental values, with prediction deviations of 14.4% for mass fluxes and 19.3% for outlet pressure. The compiled code, according to the proposed model, can be exploited in pressure pipeline designs, providing the theoretical basis for leak-before-break analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accurate preoperative parathyroid localization is important for successful parathyroidectomy (PTX). The aim of our study was to investigate whether SPECT/CT has enhanced effect in preoperative localization of parathyroids. Methods: In our retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the effects of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile-single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT) on preoperative parathyroid localization for 645 secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) patients. Among them, 569 successful PTX patients were divided into group A (received 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy, n = 175) and group B (received 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy and SPECT/CT imaging, n = 394). Sensitivity, specificity, and consistency of two imaging methods in preoperative localization of parathyroids were compared. Results: Overall sensitivity and consistency were higher in group B, while there was no difference in specificity between the two groups. In group A, the sensitivity of 99mTc-MIBI was 50.00%, 77.11%, 61.76%, and 76.54% in the right upper gland (RU), right lower gland (RL), left upper gland (LU), and left lower gland (LL) subgroups, while the consistency was 52.00%, 76.57%, 61.71%, and 75.43%, respectively. In group B, the sensitivity of 99mTc-MIBI with SPECT/CT was 69.39%, 90.03%, 78.07%, and 84.27%, and the consistency was 69.54%, 88.32%, 78.43%, and 84.26%, respectively. The sensitivity and consistency in lower glands were higher than in upper glands in both groups. Sensitivity for eutopic parathyroid was higher in group B, while there was no difference for ectopic parathyroid. Conclusions:99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT can increase the sensitivity and consistency of preoperative localization of eutopic parathyroid glands, and it can accurately locate ectopic parathyroid without sensitivity improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For stabilization and functionalization, plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) are often coated with dielectric shells, yet suffer from the weakening of local electric field enhancement. Herein, we numerically demonstrate that, instead of being weakened, the local electric fields can be further enhanced using an appropriate high refractive index dielectric coating. Because the high refractive index dielectric shell owns strong Mie resonances that can participate in the bonding plasmon hybridization, it can avoid excessive diminishing of light absorption when the shell becomes thick. Meanwhile, it can sustain a great leap of the local electric fields reaching the surface, which follows the boundary conditions at the interface within electrodynamics. The two mechanisms can work synergistically to offset the decay of the local electric fields inside the shell. It is also worth noting that a dielectric shell with too high a refractive index may badly suppress the light scattering by the core–shell NPs, going against the light coupling effect. These findings are of significant importance in extended applications of surface enhanced spectroscopies, especially for shell-isolated NP-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and surface enhanced fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, electron transport layers (ETLs) with high charge transfer ability were prepared by doping ZnO nanoparticles with different concentrations of cadmium(Cd). The inverted polymer solar cell based on PTB7-Th: PC71BM as active layer and various concentrations Cd-doped ZnO (CZO) as ETLs were fabricated. The PCE of the device with optimized Cd content in the ZnO film was about 14.7% larger than that of the pure ZnO-based cells. The cadmium-doped ZnO(CZO) is a good candidate to be used as a high-quality transparent electrode in solar cell applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is used as an important plasticizer in a wide range of products such as paints, food packaging, medical devices and children's toys. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the toxic effects of DEHP on the male reproductive organs, the testicles. Here, we reviewed the basic pathways of testicular damage caused by DEHP. The mechanism involves oxidative stress, ferroptosis, interfering with hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) and testosterone level. We summarized the protective agents that have been shown to be effective in repairing this type of testicular damage in recent years. This provides a new perspective and direction for future research into the health effects and molecular mechanisms of DEHP. • DEHP exposure can lead to testicular tissue damage and spermatogenic dysfunction. • The mechanism of DEHP damage to testes involves oxidative stress, ferroptosis, interfering with HPTA and testosterone level. • We summarized the protective agents that have been proven to be effective in repairing testicular damage caused by DEHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complement system is essential to host defense, but its excessive activation caused by severe pathogen invasion is a driving force in adverse inflammatory. The binding of complement component 5a (C5a) and complement component 5a receptor 1 (C5aR1) is the key to trigger complement-mediated inflammatory response in mammals. However, the role of C5a-C5aR1 axis in fish immune response remains obscure. In this study, the role of C5a-C5aR1 axis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) after serious infection with Aeromonas hydrophila was investigated. C5a and C5aR1 of zebrafish were cloned, with CDS sequences of 228 and 1041 bp, respectively, and they were widely expressed in various tissues with the highest expression in the liver and spleen, respectively. The survival of zebrafish was closely correlated to the dose of A. hydrophila. The cytokine storm occurred at high concentrations of A. hydrophila infection. At 24 h post infection (hpi), the expression of C5a and C5aR1 in the spleen increased 26.8-fold and 9.9-fold in treatment group 1 (TG1, 3.0 × 107 CFU/mL) (P < 0.01), and 4.7-fold and 3.4-fold in treatment group 2 (TG2, 1.0 × 107 CFU/mL) (P < 0.05), respectively. Correspondingly, proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and interleukin-17 (IL-17) were positively correlated to C5a and C5aR1 at mRNA and protein expression levels. The expression of IL-1β was significantly increased in the spleen at 6 hpi, with a 599.2-fold and 203.2-fold upregulation in TG1 and TG2 (P < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, after inhibition of C5a-C5aR1 binding treated with C5aR1 antagonist (W-54011), zebrafish showed lower expression of C5a , C5aR1 , and cytokines, less intestinal damage, and significantly enhancement of survival (P < 0.05) after A. hydrophila challenge. This study revealed that the inflammatory effect of C5a was achieved by binding to C5aR1 in zebrafish, providing novel insights into using C5a-C5aR1 axis as an effective target to reduce bacterial inflammation and disease in fish. • C5a-C5aR1 axis was activated by bacterial infection with dose effect. • Hyperactivation of C5a-C5aR1 axis triggered a "cytokine storm" at both mRNA and protein levels in zebrafish. • Inhibition of C5a-C5aR1 axis significantly reduced the inflammatory response after bacterial infection in zebrafish. • The inflammatory effect of C5a was achieved by binding to C5aR1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This review presents the development of pyroptosis in terms of the temporal development of pyroptosis. • In this review, the typical and atypical pathways of pyroptosis are introduced to show the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis. • This review describes in detail the molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between pyroptosis and pathological pain. • This review summarizes the current drug applications related to pyroptosis in the treatment of neuropathic pain. • This review provides new ideas for the development of drug targets for neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain caused by somatosensory system injuries is notoriously difficult to treat. Previous research has shown that neuroinflammation and cell death have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain. Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death associated with inflammatory processes, as it can enhance or sustain the inflammatory response by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. This review presents the current knowledge on pyroptosis and its underlying mechanisms, including the canonical and noncanonical pathways. Moreover, we discuss recent findings on the role of pyroptosis in neuropathic pain and its potential as a therapeutic target. In conclusion, this review highlights the potential significance of pyroptosis as a promising target for developing innovative therapies to treat neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal body mass index is linked to short- and long-term unfavorable health outcomes both for child and mother. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based cohort studies to evaluate maternal BMI and the risk of harmful neonatal outcomes in China.Methods: Six databases identified 2454 articles; 46 met the inclusion criteria for this study. The dichotomous data on maternal BMI and harmful neonatal outcomes were extracted. Pooled statistics (odds ratios, ORs) were derived from Stata/SE, ver. 12.0. Sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of the results. Meta-regression and subgroup meta-analyses explored heterogeneity.Results: The meta-analysis revealed that compared with normal BMI, high maternal BMI is associated with fetal overgrowth, defined as macrosomia ≥4000 g (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.75-2.09); birth weight ≥ 90% for gestational age (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.64-2.15); and increased risk of premature birth (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.25-2.52) and neonatal asphyxia (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.39-2.17). Maternal underweight increased the risk of low birth weight (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.33-1.93) and small for gestational age (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.51-2.02).Conclusions: Raised as well as low pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. Management of weight during pregnancy might help reduce their adverse neonatal outcomes in future intervention studies or programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-power reconfigurable optical circuits are highly demanded to satisfy a variety of different applications. Conventional electro-optic and thermo-optic refractive index tuning methods in silicon photonics are not suitable for reconfiguration of optical circuits due to their high static power consumption and volatility. We propose and demonstrate a nonvolatile tuning method by utilizing the reversible phase change property of GST integrated on top of the silicon waveguide. The phase change is enabled by applying electrical pulses to the μm-sized GST active region in a sandwich structure. The experimental results show that the optical transmission of the silicon waveguide can be tuned by controlling the phase state of GST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising plasmonic photocatalyst, an Ag-Pt core-shell nanostructure is able to convert sunlight into chemical energy. To fully exploit each function of the constituent materials, a numerical study on the optimal design of the hybrid nanostructures is presented in this work. Ag-Pt is demonstrated to be a good material configuration for the core-shell nanostructure because Ag has strong intrinsic plasmonic responses and a low imaginary dielectric function in the visible region, while Pt is catalytically active and has a large imaginary dielectric function. Considering the hot carrier generation and transfer processes in both plasmonic photocatalysis and photothermal catalysis, the catalytically active sites at the Pt shell can be revealed by high local heating power densities. For the dipole resonance, these sites distribute alternately with the spots where local electric fields are greatly enhanced. The former are along the "equatorial belt" of the nanoparticle, while the latter are in the two polar regions. It is then found that the high-efficiency hot carrier generation is related to multiple factors, including at least an ultrathin shell and a core of high aspect ratio with sharp tips. The physics behind these factors is further addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Low-level inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water is a risk factor for β cells dysfunction. Taurine (Tau) is a kind of semi-essential β amino acid, and beneficial for β cell function. However, the effects of Tau on arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3) induced β cells dysfunction and related mechanisms are still uncertain. Here, we found that Tau relieved As 2 O 3 -induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inflammation and pyroptosis in rat pancreas. In INS-1 cells, with NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inhibitor pretreatment, As 2 O 3 -induced activation of pyroptosis was decreased; with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor pretreatment, As 2 O 3 -induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis were decreased; further, with the inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) inhibitor, As 2 O 3 -induced induction of TNF-α was decreased. Tau markedly protected As 2 O 3 -induced β cells dysfunction by reducing the phosphorylation of IRE1α, production of TNF-α, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. Our results revealed that ER stress dependent inflammation and pyroptosis are critical pathogenic components of As 2 O 3 -induced β cell dysfunction. Moreover, TNF-α was a critical signaling node that linked As 2 O 3 -induced ER stress and pyroptosis. Tau was an effective supplement against As 2 O 3 -induced β cells dysfunction through the pathway as mentioned above. Graphical abstract The related mechanisms of Tau attenuated As 2 O 3 -induced β cells dysfunction. Chronic exposure to As 2 O 3 induced phosphorylation of IRE1α and production of TNF-α. Increased TNF-α caused the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, which led to IL-1β maturation and INS-1 cells pyroptosis. Image 1 Highlights • As 2 O 3 caused pyroptosis and β cells dysfunction via an IRE1α/TNF -α pathway. • Taurine attenuated As 2 O 3 -induced pyroptosis and β cells dysfunction. • Taurine downregulated the levels of IRE1α and TNF-α and decreased the activation of NLRP3-inflammasome induced by As 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tea plant is an important economic crop and is vulnerable to drought. A good understanding of tea drought tolerance mechanisms is required for breeding robust drought tolerant tea varieties. Previous studies showed mesophyll cells' ability to maintain K+ is associated with its stress tolerance. Here, in this study, 12 tea varieties were used to investigate the role of mesophyll K+ retention ability towards tea drought stress tolerance. A strong and negative correlation (R2 = 0.8239, P < 0.001) was found between PEG (mimic drought stress)-induced K+ efflux from tea mesophyll cells and overall drought tolerance in 12 tea varieties. In agreement with this, a significantly higher retained leaf K+ content was found in drought tolerant than the sensitive tea varieties. Furthermore, exogenous applied K+ (5 mM) significantly alleviated drought-induced symptom in tea plants, further supporting our finding that mesophyll K+ retention is an important component for drought tolerance mechanisms in tea plants. Moreover, pharmacological experiments showed that the contribution of K+ outward rectifying channels and non-selective cation channels in controlling PEG-induced K+ efflux from mesophylls cells are varied between drought tolerant and sensitive tea varieties. Highlights • Mesophyll K+ retention is an important component for drought tolerance mechanisms in tea plants. • Non-selective cation channels (NSCC) play a major role in controlling K+ efflux from tea leaf mesophyll cells under drought. • The contribution of the K+ selective channels and NSCC channels is varied in tea varieties contrasting in drought tolerancee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a key event in the development of hepatic fibrosis caused by arsenic. However, it is unclear how arsenic induces the activation of HSCs. In the present study, we found that arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3) induced liver tissue damage, stimulated autophagy and HSCs activation, and increased collagen accumulation in the liver of mice. Supplemented with taurine (Tau) attenuated the changes mentioned above caused by As 2 O 3. In human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 cells, we found that As 2 O 3 -induced activation of HSCs was autophagy-dependent, and we found that peroxisome proliferator activated receptors alpha (PPARα) played an important role in arsenic-induced HSCs activation. In addition, inhibiting autophagy and PPARα alleviated the activation of HSCs and lipid droplet loss induced by As 2 O 3. Moreover, we found that Tau alleviated As 2 O 3 -induced elevation of autophagy and PPARα expression, and activation of the HSCs. Our results indicated that autophagy was regulated by PPARα and was involved in lipid droplet loss during the activation of HSCs. Tau alleviated As 2 O 3 -induced HSCs activation by inhibiting the PPARα/autophagy pathway. These findings give an innovative insight into the association of PPARα, autophagy, the activation of HSCs and hepatic fibrosis induced by As 2 O 3. Highlights • As 2 O 3 -induced the activation of hepatic stellate cells was autophagy-dependent. • PPARα played an important role in arsenic-induced HSCs activation. • Taurine decreased the level of autophagy, and inhibited the activity of hepatic stellate cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The peripheral NLR is significantly elevated in patients with AIE as compared to the healthy controls. • Peripheral NLR is positively correlated with disease severity in AIE. • Increased NLR level is an independent risk factor for higher severity of AIE. • Peripheral NLR level could be a biomarker to predict progression of AIE. Abstract Objective: Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) is a group of inflammatory disorders of the brain. The severity of AIE vary among individuals and it is always a challenge to predict. In this study, we measured the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a novel potential biomarker of inflammatory status in other inflammatory diseases, in AIE patients and evaluated NLR as a biomarker for monitoring AIE progression. Methods: The study participants consisted of 34 newly diagnosed AIE patients and 35 ages and sex-matched healthy controls. Demographic and clinical assessment data were reviewed and abstracted retrospectively. NLR levels were calculated from the peripheral blood tests. The relationship between mRS (the modified Ranking Scale) score and NLR levels, total white blood cells, absolute neutrophil counts and absolute lymphocyte counts were investigated. The performance of NLR in predicting severe AIE was also determined. Results: Peripheral NLR level in AIE patients were significantly higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Additionally, median NLR level in patients with severe impairments (using modified Ranking Scale, mRS＞3) was significantly elevated (p < 0.001) compared to patients with mild to moderate impairments (mRS≤3). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that NLR and neutrophil counts were positively associated to mRS score (r = 0.595, p＜0.001 for NLR, and r = 0.392, p = 0.022 for neutrophil counts). While lymphocyte counts were negatively correlated with mRS score (r=−0.522, p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that increased NLR value was an independent risk factor for severe AIE (OR: 2.171, 95% CI: 1.218–3.868, p = 0.009). Furthermore, according to the ROC curve, the best NLR cut-off value to predict severe disease activity of AIE was 4.82, with a sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 88%. Conclusion: Our results suggest that NLR in peripheral blood may be a practical and reliable biomarker to monitor disease progression in patients with AIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common disorder, chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a great threat to human health. Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a complication of CKD characterized by disturbances in the levels of calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and vitamin D; abnormal bone formation affecting the mineralization and linear growth of bone; and vascular and soft tissue calcification. PTH reflects the function of the parathyroid gland and also takes part in the metabolism of minerals. The accurate measurement of PTH plays a vital role in the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). Previous studies have shown that there are different fragments of PTH in the body’s circulation, causing antagonistic effects on bone and the kidney. Here we review the metabolism of PTH fragments; the progress being made in PTH measurement assays; the effects of PTH fragments on bone, kidney, and the cardiovascular system in CKD; and the predictive value of PTH measurement in assessing the effectiveness of parathyroidectomy (PTX). We hope that this review will help to clarify the value of accurate PTH measurements in CKD-MBD and promote the further development of multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background CK 18-M30 was increased in patients with NAFLD. However, little is known about the relationship between CK 18-M30 and NAFLD progression. We aimed to analyze the variety of CK 18-M30 and other metabolism indices during NAFLD progression. Meanwhile, we aimed to investigate the correlation between CK 18-M30 and liver pathology during NAFLD progression. Materials and methods Rats were fed with high sucrose and high fat diet for building NAFLD models. We detected liver pathology by hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. We also detected serum CK 18-M30 and metabolism indices including liver enzymes, serum lipids and glycometabolism indices. Results The aggravating degree of liver pathology appeared with prolonged feeding period. The relevance of CK 18-M30 to the severity of liver pathology were higher relative to other indices. Conclusion Our results suggested the significance of CK 18-M30 in the progression of NAFLD and provided new evidence for the early diagnosis and prognostic estimation of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperphosphatemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), which has contributed to an increase in mortality of CKD patients. The onset of CVD often varies by time-of-day. Acute myocardial infarction or ventricular arrhythmia occurs most frequently during early morning. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate circadian rhythms account for the diurnal variations in CVD. Preservation of normal circadian time structure from the cardiomyocyte level to the whole organ system is essential for cardiovascular health and CVD prevention. Independent risk factors, such as reduced heart rate variability (HRV) and increased BP variability (BPV), are particularly prevalent in patients with CKD. Analysis of HRV is an important clinical tool for characterizing cardiac autonomic status, and reduced HRV has prognostic significance for various types of CVD. Circadian BP rhythms are classified as extreme dipper, dipper, non-dipper or riser. It has been reported that nocturnal riser BP pattern contributes to cardiovascular threats. Previous studies have indicated that the circadian rhythm of serum phosphate in CKD patients is consistent with the general population, with the highest diurnal value observed in the early morning hours, followed by a progressive decrease to the lowest value of the day, which occurs around 11:00 am. Rhythm abnormalities have become the main therapeutic target for treating CVD in CKD patients. It has been reported that high levels of serum phosphate are associated with reduced HRV and increased BPV in CKD patients. However, the mechanisms related to interactions between hyperphosphatemia, HRV and BPV have not been fully elucidated. This review focuses on the evidence and discusses the potential mechanisms related to the effects of hyperphosphatemia on HRV and BPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrite (NO 2 −) is extensively found in the daily dietary environment. However, consuming too much NO 2 − can pose serious health risks. Thus, we designed a NO 2 −-activated ratiometric upconversion luminescence (UCL) nanosensor which could realize NO 2 − detection via the inner filter effect (IFE) between NO 2 −-sensitive carbon dots (CDs) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). Due to the exceptional optical properties of UCNPs and the remarkable selectivity of CDs, the UCL nanosensor exhibited a good response to NO 2 −. By taking advantage of NIR excitation and ratiometric detection signal, the UCL nanosensor could eliminate the autofluorescence thereby increasing the detection accuracy effectively. Additionally, the UCL nanosensor proved successful in detecting NO 2 − quantitatively in actual samples. The UCL nanosensor provides a simple as well as sensitive sensing strategy for NO 2 − detection and analysis, which is anticipated to extend the utilization of upconversion detection in food safety. [Display omitted] • A ratiometric upconversion-carbon dots nanosensor was designed for NO 2 − detection. • UCNPs acting as donor could effectively eliminate the background interference from actual samples. • This nanosensor possessed high stability, sensitivity, and specificity. • Application of this nanosensor to detect NO 2 − in actual samples was confirmed with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method to obtain a large amount of source task data based on the Davenport Quasi-steady buffeting theory is proposed. • The combination of LSTM neural network models and transfer learning method can substantially increase the prediction accuracy of buffeting responses of the thin plate. • A combined neural network model of TL-Conv LSTM-AM is proposed to predict the buffeting responses of the thin plate under joint action of wave and wind with high accuracy. To predicate the buffeting responses of long-span sea-crossing bridges under joint action of wave and wind, a thin plate was taken as the example, and a piston-type wave maker was adopted to simulate the second order Stokes wave in a computational domain. Through the large eddy simulation (LES) and dynamic mesh methods, time-histories of wind field and buffeting response of the thin plate under joint action of wave and wind were obtained. Then, the buffeting responses of the thin plate were predicted using the conventional long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional LSTM (Conv LSTM) and LSTM with attention mechanism (LSTM-AM) neural network models, respectively. Furthermore, the transfer learning (TL) method was introduced, the method to solve a large amount of source task data was established, and a combined neural network model of TL-Conv LSTM-AM was proposed to predict the buffeting responses of the thin plate. The results show that the prediction accuracies of Conv LSTM and LSTM-AM models are both higher than the conventional LSTM model based on the evaluation indexes of determination coefficient (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE). The prediction accuracies of the buffeting responses can be improved significantly when the above LSTM neural network models are combined with the TL method. Also, there are still some deviations between the predicated time-histories and target ones. For the proposed combined model of TL-Conv LSTM-AM, the values of R2 in three directions of the buffering responses are all larger than 0.996 and 0.983 in the high and low turbulent flow fields, respectively. Therefore, the proposed TL-Conv LSTM-AM combined model has the highest prediction accuracy among them. Similar prediction accuracy can be achieved for longer time duration of the testing data set using the proposed combined model of TL-Conv LSTM-AM. The above phenomenon proves that the effectiveness of this proposed combined model in predicting the buffeting responses of the thin plate under joint action of wave and wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidences indicate that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) acting as crucial regulators in osteosarcoma (OS). Previously, we reported that Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), a metastatic-related gene was negatively regulated by microRNA-335-5p (miR-335-5p) and work as an oncogene in osteosarcoma. Whether any long non-coding RNAs participate in the upstream of miR-335-5p/ROCK1 axial remains unclear. Methods: Expression of differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) and miR-335-5p/miR-1972 in osteosarcoma tissues were determined by a qRT-PCR assay and an ISH assay. Osteosarcoma cells' proliferation and migration/invasion ability changes were measured by a CCK-8/EDU assay and a transwell assay respectively. ROCK1 expression changes were checked by a qRT-PCR assay and a western blot assay. Targeted binding effects between miR-335-5p/miR-1972 and ROCK1 or DANCR were verified by a dual luciferase reporter assay and a RIP assay. In vivo experiments including a nude formation assay as well as a CT scan were applied to detect tumor growth and metastasis changes in animal level. Results: In the present study, an elevated DNACR was found in osteosarcoma tissue specimens and in osteosarcoma cell lines, and the elevated DNACR was closely correlated with poor prognosis in clinical patients. Functional experiments illustrated that a depression of DANCR suppressed ROCK1-mediated proliferation and metastasis in osteosarcoma cells. The results of western blot assays and qRT-PCR assays revealed that DANCR regulated ROCK1 via crosstalk with miR-335-5p and miR-1972. Further cellular behavioral experiments demonstrated that DNACR promoted ROCK1-meidated proliferation and metastasis through decoying both miR-335-5p and miR-1972. Finally, the outcomes of in vivo animal models showed that DANCR promoted tumor growth and lung metastasis of osteosarcoma. Conclusions: LncRNA DANCR work as an oncogene and promoted ROCK1-mediated proliferation and metastasis through acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The articular cartilage (AC) can be seen as a biphasic poroelastic material. The cartilage deformation under compression mainly leads to an interstitial fluid flow in the porous solid phase. In this paper, an analytical poroelastic model for the AC under laboratorial mechanical testing is developed. The solutions of interstitial fluid pressure and velocity are obtained. The results show the following facts. (i) Both the pressure and fluid velocity amplitudes are proportional to the strain loading amplitude. (ii) Both the amplitudes of pore fluid pressure and velocity in the AC depend more on the loading amplitude than on the frequency. Thus, in order to obtain the considerable fluid stimulus for the AC cell responses, the most effective way is to increase the loading amplitude rather than the frequency. (iii) Both the interstitial fluid pressure and velocity are strongly affected by permeability variations. This model can be used in experimental tests of the parameters of AC or other poroelastic materials, and in research of mechanotransduction and injury mechanism involved interstitial fluid flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New sorafenib derivatives containing thioether and nicotinamide moiety were designed and synthesized as B-Raf, B-Raf V600E and VEGFR-2 multikinase inhibitors. Their in vitro enzymatic inhibitory activities against B-Raf, B-Raf V600E and VEGFR-2 and their antiproliferative activities against HCT-116 and B16BL6 cell lines were evaluated and described. Most of the compounds showed potent activities against both cell lines and specific kinases. Compounds a1 , b1 and c4 , which exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities against B-Raf with IC 50 of 21 nM, 27 nM and 17 nM, B-Raf V600E with IC 50 of 29 nM, 28 nM and 16 nM, VEGFR-2 with IC 50 of 84 nM, 46 nM and 63 nM, respectively, and good antiproliferative activities, also demonstrated competitive antiangiogenic activities to sorafenib in in vitro HUVEC tube formation assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message : The cucumber male sterility gene ms - 3 was fine mapped in a 76 kb region harboring an MMD1 -like gene Csa3M006660 that may be responsible for the male sterile in cucumber. Abstract: A cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) male sterile mutant ( ms- 3) in an advanced-generation inbred line was identified, and genetic analysis revealed that the male sterility trait was controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, ms- 3, which was stably inherited. Histological studies suggested that the main cause of the male sterility was defective microsporogenesis, resulting in no tetrad or microspores being formed. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and genotyping of an F population of 2553 individuals were employed used to fine map ms- 3, which was delimited to a 76 Kb region. In this region, a single non-synonymous SNP was found in the Csa3M006660 gene locus, which was predicted to result in an amino acid change. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of Csa3M006660 was consistent with the fact that it plays a role in the early development of cucumber pollen. The protein encoded by Csa3M006660 is predicted to be homeodomain (PHD) finger protein, and the high degree of sequence conservation with homologs from a range of plant species further suggested the importance of the ms- 3 non-synonymous mutation. The data presented here provide support for Csa3M006660 as the most likely candidate gene for Ms- 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Two alternating medium band gap conjugated polymers (PBDT-TPTI and PDTBDT-TPTI) derived from 4,8-bis(4,5-dioctylthien-2-yl)benzo[1,2- b:4,5- b′]dithiophene (BDT-T) or 5,10-bis(4,5-didecylthien-2-yl)dithieno[2,3- d:2′,3′- d′]benzo[1,2- b:4,5- b′]dithiophene (DTBDT-T) with pentacyclic aromatic lactam of N, N-didodecylthieno[2′,3′:5,6]pyrido[3,4- g]thieno[3,2- c]- iso-quinoline-5,11-dione (TPTI), are synthesized and characterized. The comparative investigation of the photostabilities of the copolymers revealed that the PDTBDT-TPTI film exhibited the comparable photostability in relative to P3HT. Meanwhile, the inverted photovoltaic cells ( i-PVCs) from the blend films of PBDT-TPTI and/or PDTBDT-TPTI with PC71BM, in which poly[(9,9-bis(3′-( N, N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)- alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] were used as cathode modifying interlayer, presented higher power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 5.98% and 6.05% with photocurrent response ranging from 300 nm to 650 nm in contrast with the PCEs of 4.48% for the optimal inverted PVCs from P3HT/PC71BM under AM 1.5 G 100 mW/cm2. The PCEs of the i-PVCs from PBDT-TPTI and PDTBDT-TPTI were improved to 7.58% and 6.91% in contrast to that of 0.02% for the P3HT-based i-PVCs, and the photocurrent responses of the devices were extended to 300-792 nm, when the ITIC was used as electron acceptor materials. The results indicate that the PBDT-TPTI and PDTBDT-TPTI can be used as the promising alternatives of notable P3HT in the photovoltaic application. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 85-95 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garlic ( Allium sativum L.) is cultivated by extensive vegetative propagation, which may lead to germplasm degradation, the accumulation of various viruses, a low propagation coefficient, and high production costs. Tissue culture is the most effective method for the rapid propagation and germplasm enhancement of virus-free garlic. Here, we present a system for producing tissue culture garlic using inflorescences of Baodi garlic ‘Liu Ban Hong’ as explants. By optimizing the type and concentration of plant growth regulators, as many as 11 adventitious buds could be produced from one explant. The propagation coefficient of bulblets in vitro could reach 10.64 per explant after optimization of the culture approach and induction parameters. Additionally, tissue culture garlic was shown to achieve a certain virus elimination effect by ELISA. In this study, we present a complete system for producing virus-free Baodi garlic from explants. This system provides important technical support for eliminating viruses, increasing propagation efficiency, maintaining genetic stability, and improving the quality of garlic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]