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Comparing laminectomy with fusion (LF) and laminoplasty (LP) for treating multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) and comparative analysis of neck pain and sagittal cervical parameters. This single-center study retrospectively analyzed MCSM patients treated with LF or LP in our department between June 2018 and January 2023, with at least a 12-month follow-up. T-tests were used to identify operation time, hemoglobin, hospital stay, modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score, C2–C7 Cobb angle, C2–C7 sagittal vertical axis, T1 slope, cervical range of motion (cROM), and C4/5 anterior and posterior spinal canal diameter (A-P diameter) and area. Nonparametric tests were used to identify visual analog scale (VAS) score (assessing neck pain). Pearson correlation analyses were used to identify the neck pain. Of all 67 patients (LF: 24, LP: 43), both groups' mJOA scores significantly improved (P < 0.001). The VAS scores had both significantly decreased, with the LF group exhibiting a more marked reduction (LF: P < 0.001, LP: P = 0.037). Both groups' C4/5 A-P diameters and areas increased significantly (P < 0.001). The cROM had both significantly decreased, with the LF group exhibiting a greater reduction. At the last follow-up, the LF group's T1 slope and C2–C7 Cobb angle considerably increased, and pain VAS scores substantially correlated with the C2–C7 Cobb angle (R = −0.451, P < 0.001). LF and LP were efficacious for MCSM. LF relieved neck pain better but caused greater reduction in cervical mobility. Cervical lordosis improvement was significantly correlated with neck pain alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC., a perennial herb in the Asteraceae family native to China and Southeast Asia, has a notable history of medicinal use due to its pharmacological properties. Using UPLC–Q–Orbitrap HRMS techniques, we systematically investigated the chemical constituents of this plant. A total of 31 constituents were identified, of which 14 were flavonoid compounds. Significantly, 18 of these compounds were identified in B. balsamifera for the first time. Furthermore, the mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns of significant chemical constituents identified in B. balsamifera were analyzed, providing important insights into their structural characteristics. The in vitro antioxidative potential of the methanol extract of B. balsamifera was assessed using DPPH and ABTS free-radical-scavenging assays, total antioxidative capacity, and reducing power. The antioxidative activity exhibited a direct correlation with the mass concentration of the extract, with IC50 values of 105.1 ± 0.503 μg/mL and 12.49 ± 0.341 μg/mL for DPPH and ABTS, respectively. For total antioxidant capacity, the absorbance was 0.454 ± 0.009 at 400 μg/mL. In addition, the reducing power was 1.099 ± 0.03 at 2000 μg/mL. This study affirms that UPLC–Q–Orbitrap HRMS can effectively discern the chemical constituents in B. balsamifera, primarily its flavonoid compounds, and substantiates its antioxidative properties. This underscores its potential utility as a natural antioxidant in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics sectors. This research provides a valuable theoretical basis and reference value for the comprehensive development and utilization of B. balsamifera and expands our understanding of this medicinally valuable plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt stress is one of the major constraints to rice cultivation worldwide. Thus, the development of salt-tolerant rice cultivars becomes a hotspot of current rice breeding. Achieving this goal depends in part on understanding how rice responds to salt stress and uncovering the molecular mechanism underlying this trait. Over the past decade, great efforts have been made to understand the mechanism of salt tolerance in rice through genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenetics. However, there are few reviews on this aspect. Therefore, we review the research progress of omics related to salt tolerance in rice and discuss how these advances will promote the innovations of salt-tolerant rice breeding. In the future, we expect that the integration of multi-omics salt tolerance data can accelerate the solution of the response mechanism of rice to salt stress, and lay a molecular foundation for precise breeding of salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound governance is needed to address water issues, but soundness is a contested concept that should be further specified in societal debates. These debates can benefit from interdisciplinary knowledge. The 10 Building Blocks Approach, a tool developed to generate such knowledge, has been widely applied in research and teaching. In this paper, we draw on the literature and reflect on the experiences of using this approach by elucidating the strengths and weaknesses identified during its applications. Based on our reflections, we propose a revised version of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional concerns regarding Hong Kong's water security have centred on water quantity, quality and pricing. In contrast, this article embraces an integrative conceptualization of water security from a governance perspective. A technocratic and supply-oriented water system may overlook challenges stemming from scalar mismatches at the territorial, institutional and discursive levels, as well as at the science–policy interface. Resilience thinking could identify new areas of concern and provide contextually sensitive insights into Hong Kong's water security, which will be subject to the restructuring of the water governance system, which concerns changing discourses, power relations and institutional mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a large-scale data center, it is vital to precisely recognize the termination statuses of applications at an early stage. In recent years, many machine learning techniques have been applied to this issue, which is beneficial for optimizing the scheduling policy and improving the efficiency of resource utilization. However, if the application's dynamic information is insufficient at the early stage, the generalization performance of the machine learning model will be lessened, and the prediction accuracy could be low. To overcome this problem, a novel failure prediction method that is based on the association relationships between similar jobs is proposed in this paper to jointly predict task's termination statuses at an earlier stage. The similar jobs whose tasks have similar changing modes of consumed resources, an inherent structural correlation may exist, and the correlation information is significant for improving the prediction model's generalization performance. First, a job clustering algorithm is proposed for identifying the jobs with higher similarity from jobs that have various numbers of tasks. Second, based on the job clustering results, the robust multi-task learning algorithm is introduced to effectively utilize the domain information among jobs (i.e. interactional relationship among jobs on the termination statuses of task). Experiments are conducted on a Google cluster workload traces dataset. The results show that the proposed method can realize higher prediction accuracy, lower misjudgment rate, and higher predictive stability than several state-of-the-art methods at 1/3 the running time of the tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasingly frequent incidents of pluvial flooding of public spaces and private properties, climate-adaptive building and urban water management are gaining momentum in Dutch water governance. This study assesses the Dutch approach to urban water management by looking at the governance approaches of three of the largest Dutch municipalities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. By analyzing the municipalities’ governance approaches in a holistic way, paying attention to knowledge, organization and implementation, the research provides good practices in terms of different aspects of resilience as well as lessons regarding setting performance indicators in service levels, clarifying responsibility division, applying binding rules instead of soft policies, and more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, China’s national government initiated a Sponge City Programme to address its urban flood issues. A sponge city is a city built around the concept of managing water in an ecologically sustainable way. The intention is to improve urban resilience through rainwater capture, storage and use. This article applies a four-mode governance framework to analyze the programme. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the programme implementation and provides recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aeroelastic modeling of Tjæreborg wind turbine blades was performed based on the unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) combined with Finite Element Method (FEM) in a loosely coupled manner. This method was verified by comparing numerical and experiment results at four axial inflow wind speeds. Furthermore, the aeroelastic performance of Tjæreborg wind turbine under yaw angle of 10°, 30° and 60°were computed and analyzed. The results showed that the average power and thrust of the wind turbine decreased with increasing yaw angle, along with the increasing oscillation amplitude under large yaw angle. The aerodynamic load showed periodic change within one revolution of rotor, resulting in the blade deflection and the strain present considerably asymmetric distributions. The maximum deflection and strain occurred at azimuth angle of about90° and their minimum values occurred at azimuth angle of about 270°. Besides, both the maximum deflection and strain under yaw conditions became larger than those in axial inflow condition do. For Tjæreborg wind turbine, the coupled solver gave a higher average power and thrust than the CFD solver alone. The aerodynamic performances showed more asymmetrical characters under the combined effect of yaw and fluid structure interaction (FSI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zanthoxylum myriacanthum Wall. ex Hook. f., a plant belonging to the Rutaceae family and the Zanthoxylum genus, is extensively utilized for its medicinal properties and as a culinary seasoning in China and Southeast Asian countries. However, the chemical composition and biological activities of Z. myriacanthum branches and leaves remain insufficiently explored. In this study, the volatile and non-volatile components of Z. myriacanthum branches and leaves were analyzed using GC-MS and UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS techniques. A total of 78 volatile compounds and 66 non-volatile compounds were identified. The volatile compounds were predominantly terpenoids and aliphatic compounds, while the non-volatile compounds were primarily flavonoids and alkaloids. The branches contained 52 volatile compounds and 33 non-volatile compounds, whereas the leaves contained 48 volatile compounds and 40 non-volatile compounds. The antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts from Z. myriacanthum branches and leaves were evaluated using ABTS and DPPH free-radical-scavenging assays, both of which demonstrated certain antioxidant activity. The methanol extract of leaves demonstrated significantly higher antioxidant activity compared to that of the branches, possibly due to the higher presence of flavonoids and phenols in the leaves, with IC50 values of 7.12 ± 0.257 μg/mL and 1.22 × 102 ± 5.01 μg/mL for ABTS and DPPH, respectively. These findings enhance our understanding of the chemical composition and antioxidant potential of Z. myriacanthum. The plant holds promise as a natural source of antioxidants for applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods. Further research can explore its broader biological activities and potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) identified in patients with advanced lung cancer may be detected in subjects with early lung cancer or even predate the diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to address the temporal relationship between lung cancer development and serum autoantibody response. Materials and methods Two cohorts of patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer were included. The first cohort included 90 sera from patients with lung cancer (Stages I–III) and 89 normal control sera. In the second cohort, 93 serial serum samples from 25 patients with CT-scan screen-detected stage I lung cancer were collected before the diagnosis of lung cancer (average 32 months) and 56 controls were matched on age, gender, and smoking. Autoantibody levels were measured by immunoassay. Results Measurement of autoantibodies against seven TAAs (14-3-3ζ, c-Myc, MDM2, NPM1, p16, p53 and cyclin B1) individually could discriminate lung cancer patients from normal individuals in the first cohort and the area under curve (AUC) was 0.863 based on a panel of seven autoantibodies, with sensitivity of 68.9% and specificity of 79.5%. Autoantibodies in serial pre-diagnostic serum samples against the same panel of seven TAAs were detected prior to lung cancer diagnosis with sensitivity of 76.0% and specificity of 73.2% (AUC) (95%CI): 0.885 (0.797–0.973)). Elevated autoantibody levels could be detected greater than four years prior to lung cancer diagnosis. Conclusion A panel of seven TAAs may enhance the early detection of lung cancer, consistent with a humoral immune response to TAAs that can be detected months to years prior to the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by the polyclonal autoantibody production. The human homologue of the mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) is well known as the negative regulator of p53. MDM2 has been reported to be overexpressed in SLE animal model and to promote SLE. Since abnormally expressed proteins can induce autoimmune response, anti-MDM2 autoantibody was examined in SLE patients. Methods. Anti-MDM2 antibody in sera from 43 SLE patients and 69 healthy persons was investigated by ELISA. Positive samples were further confirmed by western blotting. The immunological feathers of anti-MDM2 positive sera were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Anti-p53 was also investigated in SLE patients by ELISA, and the correlation of anti-MDM2 and anti-p53 was analyzed. Results. The presence of anti-MDM2 in SLE patients was 23.30%, much higher than normal healthy persons (4.30%). These anti-MDM2 positive sera present a nuclear staining pattern. The presence of anti-p53 in SLE patients was 39.50%, and the titer of anti-MDM2 was positively correlated with anti-p53 in SLE patients. Conclusions. Anti-MDM2 autoantibody was detected at high prevalence in SLE patients. The detection of anti-MDM2 in SLE patients should be clinically useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although formal law plays an increasing role in water governance in China, the political arena has a large influence upon it. This article seeks to provide a new perspective to understand water governance and what role formal laws play during China’s transition phase through the lens of the ‘Captain of the River’, a newly developed water governance instrument in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For close to a decade China has been implementing ‘eco-compensation’ mechanisms to address water-related ecosystem issues. This paper examines China’s approach to eco-compensation through experience in the Lake Tai watershed. Four typologies of eco-compensation schemes are identified and analysed, primarily through a legal lens. It is concluded that while progress has been made, there is need for improved legal approaches to this complex topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-step bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) system was used to remove arsenic and cation metals from copper slag (CS) generated during the copper ore hydrometallurgical process. The desorption kinetics results show that pH significantly influences metal desorption from CS. The Elovich model can be used to describe metal desorption. A high current density increased the metal desorption from CS into the supernatant. Metal removal also increased with current density when the BMED system was used for supernatant treatment. Increasing the number of supernatant compartments from one to two and three increased the current efficiency from 38.0% to 75.3% and 112.3%, respectively; the specific energy consumption decreased from 0.051 to 0.035 kWh/g and 0.029 kWh/g of metal removal, respectively. The supernatant (pH = 0.77) could be used as the leaching solution for leaching copper from raw copper ore during the copper ore hydrometallurgical process without discharging wastewater. During the treatment process, 79.6% of AsO 4 3− could be recovered in the form of H 3 AsO 4. The metal removal rates for arsenic, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel and zinc were 96.5%, 22.8%, 75.8%, 54.8%, 49.5%, 59.5%, 71.1%, 65.5%, 48.5% and 83.0%, respectively. Only a small amount of state-stabilised residual state metals remained in the CS, thereby realising the objective of recovering arsenic and removing cation metals. The present method was found to be an efficient and green technique for removing metals from CS and other solid waste materials contaminated with heavy metals. [Display omitted] • A three-step bipolar membrane electrodialysis system was fabricated. • Recovery of arsenic and removal of cation metals from copper slag was investigated. • More than 79.6% of arsenic can be recovered in form of H 3 AsO 4. • Metal remained in treated CS was main stablilised residual state. • No wastewater was discharged during the whole treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To explore the possibility of using a mini-array of multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) as an approach to the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 14 TAAs were selected to examine autoantibodies in sera from patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and HCC by immunoassays. Antibody frequency to any individual TAA in HCC varied from 6.6% to 21.1%. With the successive addition of TAAs to the panel of TAAs, there was a stepwise increase of positive antibody reactions. The sensitivity and specificity of 14 TAAs for immunodiagnosis of HCC was 69.7% and 83.0%, respectively. This TAA mini-array also identified 43.8% of HCC patients who had normal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in serum. In summary, this study further supports the hypothesis that a customized TAA array used for detecting anti-TAA autoantibodies can constitute a promising and powerful tool for immunodiagnosis of HCC and may be especially useful in patients with normal AFP levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) system equipped with a 'back-to-back' chromium slag compartment was fabricated to simultaneously recover hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) as Na 2 CrO 4 and remove trivalent chromium (Cr(III)), Fe3+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ from chromium slag. Desorption experiments showed that the solution pH had a significant effect on the heavy-metal desorption efficiency from chromium slag. The BMED system can effectively recover more than 70.6% of Cr(VI) and simultaneously remove more than 99.9% of Fe3+, 87.8% of Mg2+, 26.2% of Ca2+ and 23.1% of Cr(III). When the number of 'back-to-back' chromium slag compartment modules was increased from one to two and three, the current efficiency increased from 11.2% to 17.2% and to 39.1%, respectively, while the amount of recovered heavy metals increased by factors of two and three, respectively. An analysis of the binding states showed that different chromium states were interchanging, which is beneficial to the Cr(VI) recovery and the Cr(III) removal. The experimental results indicated that the BMED system is as an effective technique for the simultaneous recovery of Cr(VI) and removal of Cr(III) from chromium slag and other types of solid waste contaminated with heavy metals. [Display omitted] • A 'back-to-back' CS compartment equipped BMED system was fabricated. • Recovery of Cr(VI) and removal of cationic metals from CS was investigated. • More than 70.6% of Cr(VI) can be recovered in form of Na 2 CrO 4. • Cationic metals can be removed simultaneously from CS. • Different chromium states can convert into each other during the treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive ion etching was used to etch barium strontium titanate thin films in a CHF/Ar plasma. BST surfaces before and after etching were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the reaction ion etching mechanism, and chemical reactions had occurred between the F plasma and the Ba, Sr and Ti metal species. Fluorides of these metals were formed and remained on the surface during the etching process. Ti was almost completely removed because the TiF by-product is volatile. Minor quantities of Ti-F could still be detected by narrow scan X-ray photoelectron spectra, and Ti-F was thought to be present in the form of a metal-oxy-fluoride. These species were investigated from O1s spectra, and a fluoride-rich surface was formed during etching. BaF and SrF residues were difficult to remove because of their high boiling point. The etching rate was limited to 12.86 nm/min. C-F polymers were not found on the surface, indicating that the removal of BaF and SrF was important for further etching. A 1-min Ar/15 plasma physical sputtering was carried out for every 4 min of surface etching, which effectively removed remaining surface residue. Sequential chemical reaction and sputtered etching is an effective etching method for barium strontium titanate films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the proposed method, an extraction solvent with a lower toxicity and density than the solvents typically used in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was used to extract seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from aqueous samples. Due to the density and melting point of the extraction solvent, the extract which forms a layer on top of aqueous sample can be collected by solidifying it at low temperatures, which form a layer on top of the aqueous sample. Furthermore, the solidified phase can be easily removed from the aqueous phase. Based on preliminary studies, 1-undecanol was selected as the extraction solvent, and a series of parameters that affect the extraction efficiency were systematically investigated. Under the optimized conditions, enrichment factors for PCBs ranged between 494 and 606. Based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, the limit of detection for the method ranged between 3.3 and 5.4ngL−1. Good linearity, reproducibility and recovery were also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A–b axis orientation ZnO film on silicon (100) substrate has been prepared by a single source chemical vapor deposition technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed that the film was very close to stoichiometry but with a small amount of zinc deficiency. Temperature-dependent (10–300K) ultraviolet photoluminescence of the film was presented. Comparing the photon energy separation of the several groups in the near band edge ultraviolet luminescence bands, as well as the variation of the relative intensities and the shift of the luminescence lines at different temperatures, free-, bound-exciton and its assisted phonon emission were observed, which corresponded to the mechanism of the ultraviolet emission properties. A strong ultraviolet emission resulting from the recombination of free-exciton was observed at 300K photoluminescence spectrum examined in atmosphere environment. Contrasted to the relatively weak ultraviolet emission of the film in vacuum, atmosphere environment was found to be an important contribution to the strong ultraviolet emission of the film. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The solid particle erosion on the control stage nozzle of supercritical steam turbines can be reduced by using suitable nozzle passage design to control the particle impacting velocity and impacting angle. In this paper, two nozzle designs with tip endwall contouring/an aft-loaded vane profile respectively are presented. Furthermore, anti-erosion performances of these two nozzles for a supercritical steam turbine control stage are numerically analysed by means of a three-dimensional particle trajectory tracking technique combined with an erosion model of 12Cr steel impacted by iron oxide particle at 500°C, which is developed based on the available experimental data. The three-dimensional solid particle moving behaviors, particle impacting positions, impacting parameters and local erosion rate distributions on the nozzle surface are computed and compared with those of a straight endwall nozzle under same conditions. The results show that the contoured endwall nozzle design can decrease the particle impacting velocity and thus reduce particle erosion damage effectively. Compared with the straight endwall nozzle the maximum local erosion rate and the severely eroded area on the pressure surface of presented endwall contouring nozzle are decreased by a factor of 40% and 30%, respectively. However, in comparison to the straight endwall nozzle the maximum local erosion rate of the aft-loaded nozzle is increased by a factor of 25% and the severely eroded surface area is about the same due to higher impacting velocity and larger impacting angle and hence the anti-erosion performance is not improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aberrant DNA methylation has been identified as biomarkers for breast cancer detection. Coiled-coil domain containing 12 gene (CCDC12) implicated in tumorigenesis. This study aims to investigate the potential of blood-based CCDC12 methylation for breast cancer detection. DNA methylation level of CpG sites (Cytosine-phosphate Guanine dinucleotides) in CCDC12 gene was measured by mass spectrometry in 255 breast cancer patients, 155 patients with benign breast nodules and 302 healthy controls. The association between CCDC12 methylation and breast cancer risk was evaluated by logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. A total of eleven CpG sites were analyzed. The CCDC12 methylation levels were higher in breast cancer patients. Compared to the lowest tertile of methylation level in CpG_6,7, CpG_10 and CpG_11, the highest quartile was associated with 82, 91 and 95% increased breast cancer risk, respectively. The CCDC12 methylation levels were associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) status. In ER-negative and HER2-positive (ER-/HER2+) breast cancer subtype, the combination of four sites CpG_2, CpG_5, CpG_6,7 and CpG_11 methylation levels could distinguish ER−/HER2+ breast cancer from the controls (AUC = 0.727). The hypermethylation levels of CCDC12 in peripheral blood could be used for breast cancer detection. Breast cancer detection could be facilitated by novel blood-based DNA methylation biomarkers. The methylation levels of CpG sites in CCDC12 were higher in breast cancer than those in controls. The combination of four sites CpG_2, CpG_5, CpG_6,7 and CpG_11 methylation levels could distinguish ER-/HER2+ breast cancer subtype from the controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are an important component of the tumour microenvironment (TME). However, the crosstalk between oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and TAMs remains largely unexplored. Methods: Clinical samples and the TCGA database were used to evaluate the relevance of SPP1 and TAM infiltration in ESCC. Mouse models were constructed to investigate the roles of macrophages educated by SPP1 in ESCC. Macrophage phenotypes were determined using qRT‒PCR and immunohistochemical staining. RNA sequencing was performed to elucidate the mechanism. Results: Increasing expression of SPP1 correlated with M2-like TAM accumulation in ESCC, and they both predicted poor prognosis in the ESCC cohort. Knockdown of SPP1 significantly inhibited the infiltration of M2 TAMs in xenograft tumours. In vivo mouse model experiments showed that SPP1-mediated education of macrophages plays an essential role in the progression of ESCC. Mechanistically, SPP1 recruited macrophages and promoted M2 polarisation via CD44/PI3K/AKT signalling activation and then induced VEGFA and IL6 secretion to sustain ESCC progression. Finally, blockade of SPP1 with RNA aptamer significantly inhibited tumour growth and M2 TAM infiltration in xenograft mouse models. Conclusions: This study highlights SPP1-mediated crosstalk between ESCC cells and TAMs in ESCC. SPP1 could serve as a potential target in ESCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wuijts et al. ([32]) take two Dutch cities, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, as examples and apply a water governance assessment framework (content, organizations and realization) to examine what governance conditions may influence the realization of safe urban bathing waters. Water governance inevitably entails a complex bureaucratic matrix in which various functional agencies and territorially based administrative units operate at various institutional levels. Existing water governance literature has given much attention to the early stages of water cooperation mechanisms, such as the formulation of goals and discourses, deliberation over formal rules, and the establishment and reform of integrated water institutions (Gleick, [6]; Global Water Partnership, [7]; Schoeman et al., [20]). [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The relationship between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and pancreatic cancer has been well studied but remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between circulating 25(OH)D and pancreatic cancer by using a meta-analytic approach. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Wed of Science databases were searched through October 15, 2022. A random or fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), hazard ratio (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 16 studies including 529,917 participants met the inclusion criteria, of which 10 reported incidence and 6 reported mortality. For the highest versus lowest categories of circulating 25(OH)D, the pooled OR of pancreatic cancer incidence in case–control studies was 0.98 (95% CI 0.69–1.27), and the pooled HRs of pancreatic cancer mortality in cohort and case–control studies were 0.64 (95% CI 0.45–0.82) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.62–0.95), respectively. The leave-one-out sensitivity analyses found no outliers and Galbraith plots indicated no substantial heterogeneity. Conclusion: Evidence from this meta-analysis suggested that high circulating 25(OH)D levels may be associated with decreased mortality but not incidence of pancreatic cancer. Our findings may provide some clues for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and remind us to be cautious about widespread vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate the expression of UBQLN1 in lung cancer (LC) tissue and the diagnostic capability of autoantibody to UBQLN1 (anti-UBQLN1) in the detection of LC and the discrimination of pulmonary nodules (PNs). Methods: Sera from 798 participants were used to discover and validate the level of autoantibodies via HuProt microarray and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression analysis was applied to establish model. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic potential. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect UBQLN1 expression in 88 LC tissues and 88 para-tumor tissues. qRT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect the expression of UBQLN1 at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Trans-well assay and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to investigate the function of UBQLN1. Results: Anti-UBQLN1 was identified with the highest fold change by protein microarray. The level of anti-UBQLN1 in LC patients was obviously higher than that in NC or patients with benign lung disease of validation cohort 1 (P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of anti-UBQLN1 was 0.610 (95%CI: 0.508-0.713) while reached at 0.822 (95%CI: 0.784-0.897) when combining anti-UBQLN1 with CEA, CYFRA21-1, CA125 and three CT indicators (vascular notch sign, lobulation sign and mediastinal lymph node enlargement) in the discrimination of PNs. UBQLN1 protein was overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues compared to para-tumor tissues. UBQLN1 knockdown remarkably inhibited the migration, invasion and proliferation of LUAD cell lines. Conclusions: Anti-UBQLN1 might be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of LC and the discrimination of PNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver specific genes (LSGs) are crucial for hepatocyte differentiation and maintaining normal liver function. A deep understanding of LSGs and their heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is necessary to provide clues for HCC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Methods: The bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data of HCC were downloaded from TCGA, ICGC, and GEO databases. Through unsupervised cluster analysis, LSGs-based HCC subtypes were identified in TCGA-HCC samples. The prognostic effects of the subtypes were investigated with survival analyses. With GSVA and Wilcoxon test, the LSGs score, stemness score, aging score, immune score and stromal score of the samples were estimated and compared. The HCC subtype-specific genes were identified. The subtypes and their differences were validated in ICGC-HCC samples. LASSO regression analysis was used for key gene selection and risk model construction for HCC overall survival. The model performance was estimated and validated. The key genes were validated for their heterogeneities in HCC cell lines with quantitative real-time PCR and at single-cell level. Their dysregulations were investigated at protein level. Their correlations with HCC response to anti-cancer drugs were estimated in HCC cell lines. Results: We identified three LSGs-based HCC subtypes with different prognosis, tumor stemness, and aging level. The C1 subtype with low LSGs score and high immune score presented a poor survival, while the C2 subtype with high LSGs score and immune score indicated an enduring survival. Although no significant survival difference between C2 and C3 HCCs was shown, the C2 HCCs presented higher immune score and stroma score. The HCC subtypes and their differences were confirmed in ICGC-HCC dataset. A five-gene prognostic signature for HCC survival was constructed. Its good performance was shown in both the training and validation datasets. The five genes presented significant heterogeneities in different HCC cell lines and hepatocyte subclusters. Their dysregulations were confirmed at protein level. Furthermore, their significant associations with HCC sensitivities to anti-cancer drugs were shown. Conclusions: LSGs-based HCC subtype classification and the five-gene risk model might provide useful clues not only for HCC stratification and risk prediction, but also for the development of more personalized therapies for effective HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litsea cubeba, which is found widely distributed across the Asian region, functions as both an economic tree and a medicinal plant with a rich historical background. Previous investigations into its chemical composition and biological activity have predominantly centered on volatile components, leaving the study of non-volatile components relatively unexplored. In this study, we employed UPLC-HRMS technology to analyze the non-volatile components of L. cubeba branches and leaves, which successfully resulted in identifying 72 constituents. Comparative analysis between branches and leaves unveiled alkaloids, organic acids, and flavonoids as the major components. However, noteworthy differences in the distribution of these components between branches and leaves were observed, with only eight shared constituents, indicating substantial chemical variations in different parts of L. cubeba. Particularly, 24 compounds were identified for the first time from this plant. The assessment of antioxidant activity using four methods (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC) demonstrated remarkable antioxidant capabilities in both branches and leaves, with slightly higher efficacy observed in branches. This suggests that L. cubeba may act as a potential natural antioxidant with applications in health and therapeutic interventions. In conclusion, the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of L. cubeba provides a scientific foundation for its development and utilization in medicine and health products, offering promising avenues for the rational exploitation of L. cubeba resources in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the vast majority of lung cancers. Early detection is crucial to reduce lung cancer-related mortality. Aberrant DNA methylation occurs early during carcinogenesis and can be detected in blood. It is essential to investigate the dysregulated blood methylation markers for early diagnosis of NSCLC. Methods: NSCLC-associated methylation gene folate receptor gamma (FOLR3) was selected from an Illumina 850K array analysis of peripheral blood samples. Mass spectrometry was used for validation in two independent case–control studies (validation I: n = 2548; validation II: n = 3866). Patients with lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) or lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), normal controls (NCs) and benign pulmonary nodule (BPN) cases were included. FOLR3 methylations were compared among different populations. Their associations with NSCLC clinical features were investigated. Receiver operating characteristic analyses, Kruskal–Wallis test, Wilcoxon test, logistics regression analysis and nomogram analysis were performed. Results: Two CpG sites (CpG_1 and CpG_2) of FOLR3 was significantly lower methylated in NSCLC patients than NCs in the discovery round. In the two validations, both LUSC and LUAD patients presented significant FOLR3 hypomethylations. LUSC patients were highlighted to have significantly lower methylation levels of CpG_1 and CpG_2 than BPN cases and LUAD patients. Both in the two validations, CpG_1 methylation and CpG_2 methylation could discriminate LUSC from NCs well, with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.818 and 0.832 in validation I, and 0.789 and 0.780 in validation II. They could also differentiate LUAD from NCs, but with lower efficiency. CpG_1 and CpG_2 methylations could also discriminate LUSC from BPNs well individually in the two validations. With the combined dataset of two validations, the independent associations of age, gender, and FOLR3 methylation with LUSC and LUAD risk were shown and the age-gender-CpG_1 signature could discriminate LUSC and LUAD from NCs and BPNs, with higher efficiency for LUSC. Conclusions: Blood-based FOLR3 hypomethylation was shown in LUSC and LUAD. FOLR3 methylation heterogeneity between LUSC and LUAD highlighted its stronger associations with LUSC. FOLR3 methylation and the age-gender-CpG_1 signature might be novel diagnostic markers for the early detection of NSCLC, especially for LUSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TRPV1 overexpressed in neurons were activated by thermal effect of ultrasound. • Activation of TRPV1 overexpressed neurons by ultrasound was effective and harmful. • Protein TRPV1 was an effectively sensitive-protein for sonothermogenetics. Sonogenetics is preferred for neuroregulation and the treatment of brain diseases due to its noninvasive properties. Ultrasonic stimulation produces thermal and mechanical effects, among others. Since transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) could be activated at 42 °C, it is overexpressed in the M1 region of the mouse motor cortex to sense the change of temperature upon being stimulated by focused ultrasound. Whether the heat generated by ultrasonic stimulation could activate TRPV1 in the M1 region and induce changes in electromyography (EMG) signals collected from the mice's triceps was carefully verified. The position of the focused ultrasound and the temperature of the tissue at the location of the focused position were simulated using COMSOL software and verified via experiments. For Neuro-2a cells with TRPV1 overexpression, 42 °C could activate the TRPV1 and induce calcium influx. For mice with TRPV1 overexpression in the M1 region, tissue temperature of >42 °C in the M1 region induces an increased number of cfos, suggesting that neurons with overexpressed TRPV1 in the M1 region can be activated using focused ultrasound. Furthermore, when the temperature is >42 °C, the peak-to-peak value of the EMG signal for mice with TRPV1 overexpression in the M1 region was higher than that for mice without TRPV1 overexpression. The immunohistochemical results showed that ultrasound was not harmful to the stimulation site. The noninvasive ultrasound stimulation combined with thermosensitive protein TRPV1 overexpressed in neurocytes as sonothermogenetics technology has great potential to be used for the treatment of neurological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer (LC) is important, in turn leading to more effective treatment and reduction of mortality. Serological proteome analysis (SERPA) was used to identify proteins around 34 kD as ECH1 and HNRNPA2B1, which had been recognized by serum autoantibody from 25 LC patients. In the validation study, including 90 sera from LC patients and 89 sera from normal individuals, autoantibody to ECH1 achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.799 with sensitivity of 62.2% and specificity of 95.5% in discriminating LC from normal individuals, and showed negative correlation with tumor size (rs= −0.256,p= 0.023). Autoantibody to HNRNPA2B1 performed an AUC of 0.874 with sensitivity of 72.2% and specificity of 95.5%, and showed negative correlation with lymph node metastasis (rs= −0.279,p= 0.012). By using longitudinal preclinical samples, autoantibody to ECH1 showed an AUC of 0.763 with sensitivity of 60.0% and specificity of 89.3% in distinguishing early stage LC from matched normal controls, and elevated autoantibody levels could be detected greater than 2 y before LC diagnosis. ECH1 and HNRNPA2B1 are autoantigens that elicit autoimmune responses in LC and their autoantibody can be the potential biomarkers for the early detection of LC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins regulate organellar gene expression in plants, through their involvement in organellar RNA metabolism. In rice (Oryza sativa), 477 genes are predicted to encode PPR proteins; however, the majority of their functions remain unknown. In this study, we identified and characterized a rice mutant, pale-green leaf12 (pgl12); at the seedling stage, pgl12 mutants had yellow-green leaves, which gradually turned pale green as the plants grew. The pgl12 mutant had significantly reduced Chl contents and increased sensitivity to changes in temperature. A genetic analysis revealed that the pgl12 mutation is recessive and located within a single nuclear gene. Map-based cloning of PGL12, including a transgenic complementation test, confirmed the presence of a base substitution (C to T), generating a stop codon, within LOC_Os12g10184 in the pgl12 mutant. LOC_Os12g10184 encodes a novel PLS-type PPR protein containing 17 PPR motifs and targeted to the chloroplasts. A quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that PGL12 was expressed in various tissues, especially the leaves. We also showed that the transcript levels of several nuclear- and plastid-encoded genes associated with chloroplast development and photosynthesis were significantly altered in pgl12 mutants. The mutant exhibited defects in the 16S rRNA processing and splicing of the plastid transcript ndhA. Our results indicate that PGL12 is a new PLS-type PPR protein required for proper chloroplast development and 16S rRNA processing in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibodies targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD1) and its ligand (PDL1) have transformed current cancer therapy while little is known about the expression of anti-PD1/PDL1 autoantibodies between lung cancer (LC) patients and normal controls (NC). The expression level of anti-PD1/PDL1 IgG and IgM was detected in plasma of 325 LC and 324 NC by indirect enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) were used to verify the ELISA results. The association analysis was used to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) of LC. The expression of anti-PD1/PDL1 IgG in LC samples was significantly higher than NC (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). The positive rate of anti-PD1/PDL1 IgG in LC was significantly higher than NC and significant difference was also shown in LC samples of different clinical characteristics, such as clinical stage, nodules diameter, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (P < 0.001). Moreover, PD1/PDL1 expression in tissues showed no significant relation with that in plasma (P > 0.05). Anti-PD1/PDL1 IgG were the risk factors related to LC (OR (95% CI): 22.433 (5.426–92.745) and 5.051 (1.316–19.386)), while anti-PD1/PDL1 IgM were the risk factors for LC with ≤ 60 years (OR (95% CI): 6.122 (1.365–27.455) and 7.664 (1.715–34.251)) and anti-PD1 IgM was also the risk factor for male LC cases(OR (95% CI): 6.948 (1.076–44.868)). Plasma anti-PD1/PDL1 IgG and IgM might serve as potential biomarkers and risk predictors for LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An integrated method was used to recover copper from electroplating sludge. • 96.4% of Cu2+ was removed, and more than 57.3% of Cu2+ was recovered. • Electroplating sludge compartments provided high current efficiency/energy saving. • No acid or alkali was added to the electroplating sludge during the whole process. • No wastewater was discharged during the whole treatment process. Electroplating sludge, though a hazardous waste, is a valuable resource as it contains a large amount of precious metals. In this study, copper was recovered from the electroplating sludge using a technology that integrates bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) and electrodeposition. The experimental results showed that Cu2+ in the electroplating sludge was successfully separated and concentrated in the BMED system without adding any chemical reagents; the concentrated Cu2+ was recovered in the form of copper foil in an electrodeposition system. Current density clearly affected the Cu2+ separation and concentration in the BMED system; the current density, solution pH and Cu2+ concentration drastically affected the Cu2+ electrodeposition ratio and the morphology and purity of the obtained copper foil. Under the optimised experimental conditions, 96.4% of Cu2+ was removed from the electroplating sludge and 65.4% of Cu2+ was recovered in the foil form. On increasing the number of electroplating sludge compartments from one to two and three, the current efficiency for recovering Cu2+ increased from 17.4% to 28.5% and 35.2%, respectively, and the specific energy consumption decreased from 11.3 to 6.7 and 5.3 kW h/kg of copper, respectively. The purity of the copper foil was higher than 99.5%. Thus, the integrated technology can be regarded as an effective method for recovering copper from electroplating sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paederia scandens (Lour.) Merr. (P. scandens), as an edible and medicinal herb, is commonly used for treating gastric ulcer in China; however, its mechanistic and effective substances' studies remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the antigastric ulcer effects of aqueous extracts of P. scandens (PS-AE) and explore the involvement of NF-κB signaling in this effect. In addition, the study aimed to identify the effective substances by exploring NF-κB inhibitors. The main components of PS-AE were identified using an UPLC-MS method. HCl/EtOH-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats, and LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells were used to determine the antigastric ulcer effects of PS-AE in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Histopathological changes of the ulcer tissues were observed using staining methods of HE and PAS; secretions of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress indexes were measured using biochemical test kits; protein levels of NF-κB signaling pathway-related molecules were measured using Western Blot. NF-κB inhibitors' identification in P. scandens was performed by developing HipHop pharmacophore model, and the results were further validated by molecular docking. In vivo, PS-AE significantly attenuated gastric ulcer in rats; reduced inflammation by adjusting the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels; and induced oxidative stress can be alleviated via adjusting the levels of SOD, MDA, and GSH-Px. In addition, PS-AE may play an anti-inflammatory role mainly through NF-κB signaling pathway. Following pharmacophore modeling and molecular docking, 13 potential inhibitors targeting NF-κB were identified. In addition, in vitro, PS-AE and paederoside could significantly inhibit the activation of NF-κB p65 and the productions of downstream cytokines including NO, TNF-α, and IL-6. PS-AE protective effects on gastric ulcer damage induced by HCl/EtOH in rats, which is probably associated with its antioxidant effect and the inhibitory effects on levels of inflammatory mediators regulated by NF-κB signaling pathway. 13 potential NF-κB-targeting inhibitors are probably effective substances contributing to the herb's pharmacological effect. In practical application, Paederia scandens, a traditional food and medicinal plant, possessed diversified chemical components and multiple pharmacological activities (anti-inflammatory, bacteriostasis, and antioxidative.). In China, P. scandens has been used as a traditional medicine to treat gastritis for hundreds of years, and it may be a potentially effective dietary product to improve gastric ulcer. This study shows that P. scandens exerts protective effects on gastric ulcer damage induced by HCl/EtOH in rats, which is probably associated with its antioxidant effect and the inhibitory effects on levels of inflammatory mediators regulated by NF-κB signaling pathway, which provides pharmacological justifications for the functional food use of P. scandens for treating gastric disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As novel master regulators of initiation and progression, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can response to therapy in a wide variety of malignances. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by constructing lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks. The whole transcriptome sequence was performed in five NSCLC tissues and their corresponding paired adjacent normal tissues. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs expression profiles were obtained from TCGA database. "EdgeR" R package was used for gene expression comparisons and the genes with | log2FC |> 2 and false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P<0.05 were considered significant. Totally, 559 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) (235 up-regulated, 324 down-regulated) were identified via whole transcriptome sequence analysis. Subsequently, 14 up-regulated lncRNAs were obtained in the intersection of our RNA-seq data and TCGA dataset. The dysregulations of the selected lncRNAs were evaluated through GEPIA. Three candidate lncRNAs (LINC01426, TYMSOS, VPS9D1-AS1) were finally selected for further study. Through bioinformatics prediction, with the three lnRNAs and their associated miRNAs (n=14) and mRNAs (n=218), a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed. Furthermore, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway associated with the targeted genes were proceeded. In addition, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction was performed by STRING and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was visualized via Cytoscape. The top ten significant hub-genes in the PPI network are identified based on their node degrees. Moreover, the lncRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA interactions were predicted using the StarBase and survival analyses were performed in Kaplan-Meier plotter website. We concluded that TYMSOS/hsa-miR-101-3p/CEP55 and TYMSOS/hsa-miR-195-5p/CHEK1 ceRNA regulatory aixs may play vital roles in the occurrence and development of NSCLC, and may provide novel therapeutic targets in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of environmental factors on epigenetics signatures testing among preanalytical procession. • Simulate the temperature, time, and multiple freeze–thaw cycles that blood samples may face during collection, transportation, storage, and handling. • The changing trend of DNA methylation along with short-term storage time in different temperatures. • The temperature sensitivity differs between different genes. • Call for blood samples processing quality control and sample collection detailed Standard Operating Procedure among national biobank and population-based research. Stability is crucial for the clinical applicable biomarker such as DNA methylation profiles. However, the influence of various blood processing on the DNA methylation signatures have been barely studied. Here, we systematically evaluated the impact of temporary storage and frozen and thaw on the levels of DNA methylation. The methylation intensities of 13 CpG loci from 53 individuals (42 healthy participants and 11 lung cancer patients) whose blood samples were processed by up to 14 various protocols were quantitatively determined by the mass spectrometry, obtaining more than 8,000 quantitative data. We disclosed a trend of accumulatively increased DNA methylation along with time when the blood from healthy people were stored for up to 96 h at room temperature (RT), whereas the storage at 4°C had much weaker effects or no impact. On the contrary, the methylation patterns in the blood of lung cancer patients were more stable at both RT and 4°C even for 96 h. Multiple cycles of frozen and thaw could result in demethylation, but was more significant to the blood than to the extracted DNA. Our study indicated that the blood processing in vitro could influence the DNA methylation signatures and introduce unexpected biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ni was recovered from electroplating sludge via bipolar membrane electrodialysis. • Current density and solid/liquid ratio have a significant effect on Ni recovery. • Ni(OH) 2 of purity 79% was obtained in this study. • The properties of the obtained Ni(OH) 2 is similar to those of commercial Ni(OH) 2. In this study, nickel (Ni) was recovered from electroplating sludge in the form of Ni(OH) 2 using a bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) system. The results showed that the H+ generated by the bipolar membrane could effectively desorb Ni from the sludge to the solution and the solution pH considerably affected Ni desorption. The desorption process can be described using the first-order kinetic model. The current density and solid/liquid ratio (m/v) considerably affected Ni recovery. Moreover, 100% of Ni was removed from the electroplating sludge and 93.5% of Ni was recovered after 28 h under a current density of 20 mA/cm2, a solid/liquid ratio of 1.0:15 and an electroplating-sludge particle size of 100 mesh. As the number of electroplating compartments increased from one to two and three, the current efficiency for recovering Ni changed from 12.1% to 11.8% and 11.9%, respectively, and the specific energy consumption decreased from 0.064 to 0.048 and 0.039 kW·h/g, respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy showed that the precipitate obtained in this study is similar to commercial Ni(OH) 2 and the purity of Ni(OH) 2 in the obtained precipitate was 79%. Thus, the results showed that the BMED system is effective for recovering Ni from electroplating sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by the polyclonal autoantibody production. The human homologue of the mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) is well known as the negative regulator of p53. MDM2 has been reported to be overexpressed in SLE animal model and to promote SLE. Since abnormally expressed proteins can induce autoimmune response, anti-MDM2 autoantibody was examined in SLE patients. Methods. Anti-MDM2 antibody in sera from 43 SLE patients and 69 healthy persons was investigated by ELISA. Positive samples were further confirmed by western blotting. The immunological feathers of anti-MDM2 positive sera were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Anti-p53 was also investigated in SLE patients by ELISA, and the correlation of anti-MDM2 and anti-p53 was analyzed. Results. The presence of anti-MDM2 in SLE patients was 23.30%, much higher than normal healthy persons (4.30%). These anti-MDM2 positive sera present a nuclear staining pattern. The presence of anti-p53 in SLE patients was 39.50%, and the titer of anti-MDM2 was positively correlated with anti-p53 in SLE patients. Conclusions. Anti-MDM2 autoantibody was detected at high prevalence in SLE patients. The detection of anti-MDM2 in SLE patients should be clinically useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple antigen miniarrays used for detecting autoantibodies to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) can be a useful approach for cancer detection and diagnosis. We here address a very specific question: might there be autoimmune responses to TAAs which precede clinical detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in HBV and HCV chronic liver disease patients under continuous medical surveillance, and if so, could these anti-TAAs be added to the armamentarium of diagnostic tests?Methods: We here examine the utility of a panel of 12 TAAs for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We derived a predictive rule for the presence of HCC based on the panel, from a cohort comprising 160 HCC patients and 90 normals. We then applied this rule to sequential anti-TAA data from a cohort of 17 HCC patients, from whom this information was available prior to diagnosis.Results: The predictors (autoantibodies to HCC1, P16, P53, P90, and survivin) indicated the presence of HCC prior to diagnosis in 16 of the 17 patients, at a median lead time of 0.75 year.Conclusions: We believe these findings warrant further study of anti-TAA profiles as biomarkers for primary or early diagnosis of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that sera from patients with prostate cancer (PCa) contain autoantibodies that react with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Autoantibodies to cyclin B1 and fourteen other TAAs were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting in 464 sera from patients with PCa, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and other controls. Autoantibodies to cyclin B1 were detected in 31.0% of sera from randomly selected patients with PCa versus 4.8% in sera with BPH. In the further analysis, 31.4% of sera from PCa patients at the early stage contained anti-cyclin B1 autoantibody, and even 29.4% of patients who had normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in their serum samples were observed anti-cyclin B1 positive. The cumulative positive rate of autoantibodies against seven selected TAAs (cyclin B1, survivin, p53, DFS70/LEDGFp75, RalA, MDM2, and NPM1) in PCa reached 80.5%, significantly higher than that in normal control sera. In summary, autoantibody to cyclin B1 might be a potential biomarker for the immunodiagnosis of early stage PCa, especially useful in patients with normal PSA level. This study further supports the hypothesis that a customized TAA array can be used for enhancing anti-TAA autoantibody detection, and it may constitute a promising and powerful tool for immunodiagnosis of PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As passivation layer and anti-reflection layer, silicon nitride (SiNx) thin film has been widely used in photovoltaic devices such as solar cells. The structure of SiNx film with uneven thickness distribution can make full use of different wavelengths of sunlight. In this paper, we have studied this structure for the first time. While introducing a quartz layer by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), we obtained a thin SiNx film in the center and gradually thicker toward the edge. The effects of PECVD process parameters, including deposition time, RF power, dielectric layer thickness, etc. on the uneven thickness distribution of SiNx thin film are systematically studied. The film composition changing in the radial direction is also analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This study provides an instructive method for controlling the uneven thickness distribution of SiNx films and plays an important role in using this structure to the solar cell application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the prognostic indicators of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) for future EAC diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The EAC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas was screened for differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs associated with EAC. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was performed to cluster miRNAs or mRNA with similar expression patterns to identify the miRNAs or mRNA that are highly associated with EAC. Prognostic miRNAs for overall survival (OS) were identified using Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator based on survival duration and status. Two types of miRNAs were selected to develop a prognostic signature model for EAC using multiple Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, the signature was validated using internal validation sets 1 and 2. The receiver operating characteristic curve and concordance index were used to evaluate the accuracy of the signature and validation sets. The expression of miR-421, miR-550a-3p, and miR-550a-5p was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The proliferation, invasion, and migration of EAC cells were assessed using CCK8 and transwell assays. The OS of target mRNAs was assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Functional enrichment analysis of the target mRNAs was performed using Metascape. Results: The prognostic signature and validation sets comprising mir-421 and mir-550a-1 had favorable predictive power in OS. Compared with the patients with EAC in the high-expression group, those assigned to the low-expression group displayed increased OS according to survival analysis. Differential and qPCR analysis showed that miR-421, miR-550a-3p, and miR-550a-5p were highly expressed in the EAC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, the downregulation of miR-421 and miR-550a-3p with inhibitor markedly suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration in OE33 cells compared with the negative control. A total of 20 target mRNAs of three miRNAs were predicted, among which seven target mRNAs—ASAP3, BCL2L2, LMF1, PPM1L, PTPN21, SLC18A2, and NR3C2—had prognostic value; PRKACB, PDCD4, RPS6KA5, and BCL2L2 were enriched in the miRNA cancer pathway. Conclusion: Prognostic indicators of EAC may be useful in future EAC diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni is often present in plating wastewater as a complexing state. It is difficult to remove this Ni using traditional chemical precipitation technology. In this study, a bipolar membrane electrodialysis system was used to recover Ni in the form of Ni(OH) 2 from plating wastewater containing Ni–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Ni-EDTA) without adding chemical reagents. The stable structure of Ni-EDTA can be destroyed by H+ produced by the bipolar membrane to obtain free Ni2+, which can combine with OH− produced by the bipolar membrane to form Ni(OH) 2. When the electrolyte Na 2 SO 4 concentration, current density and initial Ni-EDTA concentration were 0.2 mol/L, 16 mA/cm2 and 1000 mg/L, respectively, 99.0% of Ni-EDTA was removed after 32 h. When the system was used to treat actual plating wastewater, 92.1% of Ni-EDTA was removed and 88.7% was recovered. When the number of wastewater compartments in the system was increased from one to three, the current efficiency increased from 1.7% to 5.8%, and the specific energy consumption decreased from 0.39 to 0.19 kW h/g. The results of an X-ray diffraction study indicate that the Ni(OH) 2 obtained in this study is similar to commercial Ni(OH) 2. Moreover, the recovery mechanism of Ni-EDTA was analysed. Thus, bipolar membrane electrodialysis can be regarded as an effective method to recover Ni from wastewater containing Ni-EDTA. [Display omitted] • A BMED system was fabricated to recover Ni from Ni-EDTA containing wastewater. • Current density and electrolyte concentration have an obvious effect on Ni recovery. • Ni-EDTA removal rate was 97.1% and the recovery rate of Ni was 95.2%. • Purity of Ni(OH) 2 recovered from an actual wastewater was 75.2%. • Mechanism of recovering Ni was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: TGF-β-induced factor homeobox 2 (TGIF2) is a transcription regulator that is phosphorylated by EGFR/ERK signaling. However, the functions of phosphorylated (p)-TGIF2 in cancer are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the roles of p-TGIF2 in promoting epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the role of TGIF2 in LUAD EMT and metastasis. Dual-luciferase reporter and ChIP assays were employed to observe the direct transcriptional regulation of E-cadherin by TGIF2 and HDAC1. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to identify the interaction between TGIF2 and HDAC1. Results: Downregulating the expression of TGIF2 inhibited LUAD cell migration, EMT and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation of TGIF2 by EGFR/ERK signaling was required for TGIF2-promoted LUAD EMT and metastasis since phosphorylation-deficient TGIF2 mutant lost these functions. Phosphorylation of TGIF2 was necessary to recruit HDAC1 to the E-cadherin promoter sequence and subsequently suppress E-cadherin transcription. Meanwhile, inhibition of HDAC1 repressed the TGIF2 phosphorylation-induced migration and EMT of LUAD cells. In xenograft mouse models, both inhibition of ERK and HDAC1 could significantly inhibited TGIF2-enhanced metastasis. Furthermore, TGIF2-positive staining was significantly correlated with E-cadherin-negative staining in human lung cancer specimens. Conclusions: Our study reveals the novel function of p-TGIF2 in promoting EMT and metastasis in LUAD; p-TGIF2 could be a potential therapeutic target to inhibit LUAD metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The dysregulation of CD5L has been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its functions in HCC were controversial. In this study, we aimed to identify CD5L-associated pathways and markers and explore their values in HCC diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Methods: HCC datasets with gene expression profiles and clinical data in TCGA and ICGC were downloaded. The immune/stroma cell infiltrations were estimated with xCell. CD5L-associated pathways and CD5L-associated genes (CD5L-AGs) were identified with gene expression comparisons and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Cox regression, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were performed. The correlations of the key genes with immune/stroma infiltrations, immunoregulators, and anti-cancer drug sensitivities in HCC were investigated. At protein level, the key genes dysregulations, their correlations and prognostic values were validated in clinical proteomic tumor analysis consortium (CPTAC) database. Serum CD5L and LCAT activity in 50 HCC and 30 normal samples were evaluated and compared. The correlations of serum LCAT activity with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin (ALB) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in HCC were also investigated. Results: Through systemic analyses, 14 CD5L-associated biological pathways, 256 CD5L-AGs and 28 CD5L-associated prognostic and diagnostic genes (CD5L-APDGs) were identified. A risk model consisting of LCAT and CDC20 was constructed for HCC overall survival (OS), which could discriminate HCC OS status effectively in both the training and the validation sets. CD5L, LCAT and CDC20 were shown to be significantly correlated with immune/stroma cell infiltrations, immunoregulators and 31 anti-cancer drug sensitivities in HCC. At protein level, the dysregulations of CD5L, LCAT and CDC20 were confirmed. LCAT and CDC20 were shown to be significantly correlated with proliferation marker MKI67. In serum, no significance of CD5L was shown. However, the lower activity of LCAT in HCC serum was obvious, as well as its significant positive correlations ALB and HDL concentrations. Conclusions: CD5L, LCAT and CDC20 were dysregulated in HCC both at mRNA and protein levels. The LCAT-CDC20 signature might be new predicator for HCC OS. The associations of the three genes with HCC microenvironment and anti-cancer drug sensitivities would provide new clues for HCC immunotherapy and chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The death rate of lung cancer (LC) ranks first in the world. Changes of DNA methylation in peripheral blood may be related to malignant tumors. It is necessary to explore blood-based biomarkers of methylation to detect LC. Methods: Mass spectrometry assays were conducted to measure DNA methylation levels of seven CpG sites within FUT7 gene in the peripheral blood of 428 patients with LC, 233 patients with benign pulmonary nodule (BPN) and 862 normal controls (NC). The odds ratios (ORs) of all CpG sites were evaluated for their risk to LC using per SD change and tertiles analyses by logistic regression. The predictive ability of the seven FUT7 CpG sites and risk factors were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The methylation levels of seven CpG sites of FUT7 in LC were significantly lower than that in NC (P < 0.05). The per SD decrement of methylation level in CpG_1-7 was significantly associated with 65%, 38%, 59%, 46%, 23%, 20% and 68% higher risk for LC versus NC, respectively, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 2.92 (2.17–3.96), 1.76 (1.29–2.38), 2.83 (2.09–3.82), 3.00 (2.17–4.16), 1.81 (1.35–2.43), 1.48 (1.11–1.97) and 3.04 (2.23–4.16) for the lowest tertiles of methylation level in CpG_1-7 compared with the top tertiles, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of FUT7_CpG_1-7 was 0.659 (CI 0.626–0.693), 0.792 (CI 0.736–0.848) and 0.729 (CI 0.665–0.792) in distinguishing LC versus NC, LUSC versus NC and LUSC versus BPN. Conclusions: Our study revealed an association between FUT7 hypomethylation and LC, especially for LUSC, which provides novel support for the blood-based methylation signatures as potential marker for assessing lung cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was applied to detect RPTOR methylation level. • RPTOR hypomethylation in peripheral blood was associated with LC even in very early stage, such as LC with tumor length ≤1 cm. • RPTOR methylation pattern showed differences between different age groups or genders. • Blood-based hypomethylation of RPTOR showed correlations with some clinical characteristics of LC cases. Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Novel biomarkers for LC detection are urgently needed. Here we aimed to investigate the association between RPTOR methylation in peripheral blood and LC. The methylation levels were measured by mass spectrometry in two independent case-control studies (159 LC cases vs. 188 controls in Study I, 413 LC cases vs. 687 controls in Study II). Logistic regression and Bonferroni correction were conducted to analyze the association. RPTOR hypomethylation was discovered in Study I and validated in Study II. Combining the two studies, RPTOR_CpG_2 and RPTOR_CpG_8 showed significantly lower methylation levels in stage I cases (ORs per −10% methylation = 1.22 and 1.27, respectively, both P -values < 0.005). The significance kept between RPTOR_CpG_8 and LC cases with tumor length ≤ 1 cm (OR per −10% methylation = 1.39, P = 0.001). Moreover, methylation levels of all CpG sites were lower in cases at stage II & III than in those at stage I (all P -values less than 0.017). Our study disclosed the association between RPTOR hypomethylation in peripheral blood and LC even in very early stage, suggesting the feasibility of blood-based DNA methylation for LC early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain number per panicle (GNPP), determined mainly by panicle branching, is vital for rice yield. The dissection of the genetic basis underlying GNPP could help to improve rice yield. However, genetic resources, including quantitative trait loci (QTL) or genes for breeders to enhance rice GNPP, are still limited. Here, we conducted the genome-wide association study (GWAS) on the GNPP, primary branch number (PBN), and secondary branch number (SBN) of 468 rice accessions. We detected a total of 18 QTLs, including six for GNPP, six for PBN, and six for SBN, in the whole panel and the indica and japonica subpanels of 468 accessions. More importantly, qPSG1 was a common QTL for GNPP, PBN, and SBN and was demonstrated by chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs). Considering gene annotation, expression, and haplotype analysis, seven novel and strong GNPP-related candidate genes were mined from qPSG1. Our results provide clues to elucidate the molecular regulatory network of GNPP. The identified QTLs and candidate genes will contribute to the improvement of GNPP and rice yield via molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding and genetic engineering techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]