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Abstract Background Medication-related osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) is a rare but severe side effect in patients treated with medications such as Bisphosphonates (BPs). Its pathophysiological mechanism needs to be more precise. Establishing preventive measures and treatment standards is necessary. This study aimed to develop a composite hydrogel scaffold constituted by methacrylated gelatin (GelMA), methacrylated heparin (HepMA) and PRF, and investigate its potential application value in the prevention of MRONJ. Methods GelMA, HepMA, and PRF were prepared using specific ratios for hydrogel scaffolds. Through mechanical properties and biocompatibility analysis, the release rate of growth factors and the ability to promote bone differentiation in vitro were evaluated. To explore the healing-enhancing effects of hydrogels in vivo, the composite hydrogel scaffold was implanted to the MRONJ rat model. Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and histological examination were conducted to evaluate the bone morphology and tissue regeneration. Results The Hep/GelMA-PRF hydrogel improved the degradation rate and swelling rate. It was also used to control the release rate of growth factors effectively. In vitro, the Hep/GelMA-PRF hydrogel was biocompatible and capable of reversing the inhibitory effect of zoledronic acid (ZOL) on the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1s. In vivo, the micro-CT analysis and histological evaluation demonstrated that the Hep/GelMA-PRF group exhibited the best tissue reconstruction. Moreover, compared to the ZOL group, the expression of osteogenesis proteins, including osteocalcin (OCN), type collagen I (Col I), and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in the Hep/GelMA-PRF group were all significantly upregulated (P

The present investigation aims to design and development of hybrid zinc oxide (ZnO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles (NPs) doped-biopolymer matrix-based cost-effective technique for the synthesis of biocompatible Kaolinite/Chitosan (Ka/CS) nanocomposites (NCs) could be used as agents for wound healing due to their efficiency and low toxicity. The crystallite size, phase purity and surface morphology of the synthesised NCs were investigated systemic analytical methods. The results revealed that the metal oxide nanocomposites presented that in rod-crystalline in shape and additionally exhibits that 20–30 nm in size. In vitro antibacterial analyses demonstrates that NCs have significantly improved bactericidal inhibition efficiency when compared to the bare hybrid NPs and polymeric components. The in vitro biocompatibility observation demonstrates that prepared hybrid-NPs encapsulated NCs have enhanced cell survival rate (>90 %), which was established by MTT assay and Live/Dead fluorescence assay methods at different incubation time. The DPPH assay was used to investigate the synergistic effects of prepared dressing materials increased antioxidant activity. Preliminary research indicates that these nanocomposites, ZnO/MnO2 incorporated and decorated with Ka/CS NCs, could be a significant promoter and potential candidate for use as a robust wound healing agent in post-operative nursing care.

Routine maintenance of fruit trees generates a substantial quantity of pruning waste each year. This waste is potential feedstock for producing energy, materials, and other products. The feasibility of making biochar from the waste via pyrolysis was evaluated. The effects of seven tree species, different pruning sites, and temperature on the pyrolysis process, and the physicochemical properties of the biochar were studied. Pyrolysis of different tree species at 500 °C yielded 27.5 to 33.3% biochar, with a high calorific value (approximately 30 MJ/kg), low ash content (approximately 4%), and capturing up to 60% of the carbon element present. Simultaneously, when the temperature was increased from 400 to 700 °C, the yield of biochar decreased from 35.8% to 24.3%, but the properties improved with the higher heating value rising from 29.2 to 31.3 MJ/kg and the iodine value from 234 to 252 mg/g. The biochar has a good pore structure with a specific surface area of 237 m2/g, total pore volume of 0.175 cm3/g, and average pore size of 2.96 nm. In general, biochar from the pyrolysis of fruitwood pruning waste generated here could be an ideal feedstock to produce high-value-added products, such as solid fuels, activated carbon, and electrode materials.

With the development of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, the ability to monitor PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment is important for guiding therapy. This study was performed to develop a novel radiotracer with optimal pharmacokinetic properties to reflect PD-L1 expression in vivo via single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. [99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-WL12-tricine/M (M = TPPTS, PDA, ISONIC, 4-PSA) complexes with high radiochemical purity (>97%) and suitable molar activity (from 100.5 GBq/μmol to 300 GBq/μmol) were prepared through a kit preparation process. All 99mTc-labeled HYNIC-WL12 radiotracers displayed good in vitro stability for 4 h. The affinity and specificity of the four radiotracers for PD-L1 were demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. The results of biodistribution studies displayed that the pharmacokinetics of the 99mTc-HYNIC-conjugated radiotracers were significantly influenced by the coligands of the radiotracers. Among them, [99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-WL12-tricine/ISONIC exhibited the optimal pharmacokinetic properties (t1/2α = 8.55 min, t1/2β = 54.05 min), including the fastest clearance in nontarget tissues, highest tumor-to-background contrast (e.g., tumor-to-muscle ratio, tumor-to-blood ratio: 40.42 ± 1.59, 14.72 ± 2.77 at 4 h p.i., respectively), and the lowest estimated radiation absorbed dose, highlighting its potential as a clinical SPECT imaging probe for tumor PD-L1 detection.

The United Nations proposed the Sustainable Development Goals with the aim to make human settlements in cities resilient and sustainable. The excessive discharge of urban waste including sludge and garden waste can pollute groundwater and lead to the emission of greenhouse gases (e.g., CH4). The proper recycling of urban waste is essential for responsible consumption and production, reducing environmental pollution and addressing climate change issues. This study aimed to prepare biochar with high adsorption amounts of iodine using urban sludge and peach wood from garden waste. The study was conducted to examine the variations in the mass ratio between urban sludge and peach wood (2/1, 1/1, and 1/2) as well as pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C) on the carbon yield and adsorption capacities of biochar. Scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis were used to characterize the biochar produced at different pyrolysis temperatures and mass ratios. The results indicate that the carbon yield of biochar was found to be the highest (>60%) at a pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C across different pyrolysis temperatures. The absorbed amounts of iodine in the aqueous solution ranged from 86 to 223 mg g−1 at a mass ratio of 1:1 between urban sludge and peach wood, which were comparably higher than those observed in other mass ratios. This study advances water treatment by offering a cost-effective method by using biochar derived from the processing of urban sludge and garden waste.

The prevalence of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase gene (ALK) fusion is about 5% among patients with lung adenocarcinoma, underscoring the importance of pinpointing distinct fusion variants for optimizing treatment approaches. This is the first reported case of a 74-year-old female with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma, featuring a novel Kinesin Family Member 13A (KIF13A)-ALK fusion, identified via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and confirmed with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Initially undergoing chemotherapy and then crizotinib, she achieved a partial response (PR) before progressing with multiple bone metastases. However, subsequent treatment with alectinib as a third-line option yielded positive results. A stable disease state persisted for an impressive 31 months of progression-free survival (PFS), accompanied by minimal toxicity symptoms. Up until now, a remarkable near 4-year span of overall survival (OS) has been consistently observed and monitored. This report of a KIF13A-ALK fusion case benefit significantly from alectinib with extensive follow-up. The case diversifies the array of ALK fusion partners and holds clinical relevance in refining therapeutic choices for KIF13A-ALK fusion-associated lung cancer.

Lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) are commonly occurring heavy metals in the environment and produce detrimental impacts on the central nervous system. Although they have both been indicated to exhibit neurotoxic properties, it is not known if they have joint effects, and their mechanisms of action are likewise unknown. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to different concentrations of Pb (40 μg/L, 4 mg/L), As (32 μg/L, 3.2 mg/L) and their combinations (40 μg/L + 32 μg/L, 4 mg/L + 3.2 mg/L) for 30 days. The histopathological analyses showed significant brain damage characterized by glial scar formation and ventricular enlargement in all exposed groups. In addition, either Pb or As staining inhibited the swimming speed of zebrafish, which was enhanced by their high concentrations in a mixture. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we examined changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, neurotransmitter (dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine) levels, HPI axis-related hormone (cortisol and epinephrine) contents and neurodevelopment-related gene expression in zebrafish brain. The observations suggest that combined exposure to Pb and As can cause abnormalities in swimming behavior and ultimately exacerbate neurotoxicity in zebrafish by interfering with the cholinergic system, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling, HPI axis function as well as neuronal development. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the mixed exposure of heavy metals and their toxicity to aquatic organisms.

This paper uses the IV-2SLS model to explore the impact of analyst attention on firms' innovation paths from a dynamic perspective of the life cycle. When firms are in the growth stage, the higher the analyst attention, the more firms will significantly increase their internal R&D expenses and make active technology acquisitions; As firms enter maturity, analyst attention plays a role in promoting R&D investment and corporate venture capital activities; When enterprises are in the decline period, firms are more inclined to innovate independently under the influence of analyst attention. This bias is more significant in non-state enterprises and high-tech enterprises. Further study finds that the interaction between analyst attention and firms' innovation paths under different life cycles effectively enhances innovation output.

The construction of China’s national park system is an important part of the ecological civilization development strategy, and the behavior of the subjects in the national park has a great impact on its sustainable development. Environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) is considered an important aspect of national park management, and the impact of an individual’s held value on environmental behavior has received much attention. However, the assigned value (AV) of community residents in national park-specific situations has not been concerned, which is often closely related to resident behavior within national park. Therefore, we took the residents of four gateway communities (Qixi town, Hetian town, Changhong town, and Suzhuang town) in Qianjiangyuan national park (QNP), Zhejiang province as research subjects. Based on the value-belief-norm (VBN) model representing individual values, this study integrates the perceived social value of ecosystem services in the national park among community residents and analyzes their impact on ERB. The collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0, and the structural model was validated using SmartPLS based on Partial Least Squares Regression. The research findings revealed that (1) the assigned value has a significant positive influence on the environmentally responsible behavior of community residents; (2) pro-environment personal norms are the strongest predictive variable of environmentally responsible behavior; and (3) biosphere value, altruistic value and personal norms have significant positive influence on the formation of the assigned value of community residents.

Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−–N) removal and garden waste disposal are critical concerns in urban environmental protection. In this study, biochars were produced by pyrolyzing various garden waste materials, including grass clippings (GC), Rosa chinensis Jacq. branches (RC), Prunus persica branches (PP), Armeniaca vulgaris Lam. branches (AV), Morus alba Linn. sp. branches (MA), Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco branches (PO), Pinus tabuliformis Carrière branches (PT), and Sophorajaponica Linn. branches (SL) at three different temperatures (300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C). These biochars, labeled as GC300, GC500, GC700, and so on., were then used to adsorb NO3−–N under various conditions, such as initial pH value, contact time, initial NO3−–N concentration, and biochar dosage. Kinetic data were analyzed by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The equilibrium adsorption data were evaluated by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. The results revealed that the biochar yields varied between 14.43% (PT700) and 47.09% (AV300) and were significantly influenced by the type of garden waste and decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature, while the pH and ash content showed an opposite trend (p < 0.05). The efficiency of NO3−–N removal was significantly influenced by the type of feedstock, preparation process, and adsorption conditions. Higher pH values had a negative influence on NO3−–N adsorption, while longer contact time, higher initial concentration of NO3−–N, and increased biochar dosage positively affected NO3−–N adsorption. Most of the kinetic data were better fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (0.998 > R2 > 0.927). Positive b values obtained from the Temkin model indicated an exothermic process of NO3−–N adsorption. The Langmuir model provided better fits for more equilibrium adsorption data than the Freundlich model, with the maximum NO3−–N removal efficiency (62.11%) and adsorption capacity (1.339 mg·g−1) in PO700 under the conditions of pH = 2, biochar dosage = 50 mg·L−1, and a reaction time of 24 h. The outcomes of this study contribute valuable insights into garden waste disposal and NO3−–N removal from wastewater, providing a theoretical basis for sustainable environmental management practices.

AimEvidence linking trace minerals and periodontitis is limited. To investigate the relationship between trace minerals (selenium, manganese, lead, cadmium, and mercury) and periodontitis, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed after accounting for potential confounding factors. No known studies have explored the relationship between these five trace minerals and periodontitis.Materials and methodsA total of 4,964 participants who had undergone a full-mouth periodontal examination and laboratory tests for five trace minerals were studied in a cross-sectional study. Clinical attachment loss (CAL) and periodontitis grading were used to measure periodontitis severity. Linear and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between trace minerals and periodontitis. Further subgroup analyses were performed.ResultsBlood lead and cadmium levels were positively associated with mean CAL, and blood selenium was negatively associated with mean CAL; however, blood mercury, blood manganese, and mean CAL were not significantly associated. The association between trace minerals and mean CAL was more significant in males, the elderly, and patients with diabetes. There was a threshold effect between blood cadmium levels and mean CAL. Among the Black population, the relationship between blood cadmium levels and mean CAL followed an inverted U-shaped curve. There was a saturation effect in the study of blood lead in people aged 45–59 years old.ConclusionOur study highlighted that blood selenium, lead, and cadmium levels were significantly associated with periodontitis in a nationally representative sample of United States adults.

Background: Cuproptosis is a new type of cell death that induces protein toxic stress and eventually leads to cell death. Hence, regulating cuproptosis in tumor cells is a new therapeutic approach. However, studies on cuproptosis-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) have not been found. This study aimed to explore the cuproptosis-related lncRNAs prognostic marker and their relationship to immune microenvironment in HNSC by using bioinformatics methods.Methods: RNA sequencing, genomic mutations, and clinical data of TCGA_HNSC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. HNSC patients were randomly assigned to either a training group or a validation cohort. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression and multivariate Cox regression models were used to determine the prognostic model in the training cohort, and its independent prognostic effect was further confirmed in the validation and entire cohorts.Results: Based on previous literature, we collected 19 genes associated with cuproptosis. Afterward, 783 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were obtained through coexpression. Cox model revealed and constructed eight cuproptosis-related lncRNAs prognostic marker (AL132800.1, AC090587.1, AC079160.1, AC011462.4, AL157888.1, GRHL3-AS1, SNHG16, and AC021148.2). Patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups based on the median risk score. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve revealed that the overall survival between the high- and low-risk groups was statistically significant. The receiver operating characteristic curve and principal component analysis demonstrated the accurate prognostic ability of the model. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that risk score was an independent prognostic factor. In addition, we used multivariate Cox regression to establish a nomogram of the predictive power of prognostic markers. The tumor mutation burden showed significant differences between the high- and low-risk groups. HNSC patients in the high-risk group responded better to immunotherapy than those in the low-risk group. We also found that risk scores were significantly associated with drug sensitivity in HNSC.Conclusion: In summary, our study identified eight cuprotosis-related lncRNAs signature of HNSC as the prognostic predictor, which may be promising biomarkers for predicting the benefit of HNSC immunotherapy as well as drug sensitivity.

BackgroundSchizophrenia (SZ) is associated with the highest disability rate among serious mental disorders. Excited symptoms are the core symptoms of SZ, which appear in the early stage, followed by other stages of the disease subsequently. These symptoms are destructive and more prone to violent attacks, posing a serious economic burden to the society. Abnormal spontaneous activity in the orbitofrontal cortex had been reported to be associated with excited symptoms in patients with SZ. However, whether the abnormality appears in first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ has still remained elusive.MethodsA total of 56 first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ and 27 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). First, differences in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) between first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ and healthy controls were examined to identify cerebral regions exhibiting abnormal local spontaneous activity. Based on the fALFF results, the resting-state functional connectivity analysis was performed to determine changes in cerebral regions exhibiting abnormal local spontaneous activity. Finally, the correlation between abnormal functional connectivity and exciting symptoms was analyzed.ResultsCompared with the healthy controls, first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ showed a significant decrease in intrinsic activity in the bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral postcentral gyrus, and the left orbitofrontal cortex. In addition, first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ had significantly reduced functional connectivity values between the left orbitofrontal cortex and several cerebral regions, which were mainly distributed in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, the right middle frontal gyrus, bilateral paracentral lobules, the left precentral gyrus, and the right median cingulate. Further analyses showed that the functional connectivity between the left orbitofrontal cortex and the left postcentral gyrus, as well as bilateral paracentral lobules, was negatively correlated with excited symptoms in first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ.ConclusionOur results indicated the important role of the left orbitofrontal cortex in first-episode drug-naïve patients with SZ and suggested that the abnormal spontaneous activity of the orbitofrontal cortex may be valuable to predict the occurrence of excited symptoms. These results may provide a new direction to explore the excited symptoms of SZ.

Pancreatic cancer ranks fourth among cancer-related deaths, with a 5-years overall survival rate being below 10%. Gemcitabine (dFdC) has been considered the first-line drug for patients with pancreatic cancer. However, the clinical effectiveness is less than 20% due to drug resistance. Most importantly, overwhelming evidence suggested c-Myc and PD-L1 were generally highly expressed in pancreatic cancer patients. However, whether dFdC-resistant pancreatic cancer is associated with c-Myc and PD-L1 has not been elucidated. In our present study, we found that the expression of c-Myc and PD-L1 was markedly increased in pancreatic tumor tissues compared with adjacent tissues. Similarly, c-Myc and PD-L1 expression were also remarkably elevated in dFdC-resistant Panc-1 cells compared with parental cells. In addition, dFdC sensitivity was enhanced by the combination of dFdC and c-Myc inhibitors in Panc-1 cells. Interestingly, its sensitivity was reduced when c-Myc was overexpressed. Moreover, PD-L1 protein expression was dramatically down-regulated when treated with c-Myc inhibitors. Furthermore, artesunate (ARTS) screened from 18 compounds could reverse dFdC resistance in combination with dFdC in dFdC-resistant Panc-1 cells in vitro and suppressed DMBA-induced pancreatic cancer in vivo. In summary, our data revealed that the mechanism of dFdC resistance may be that c-Myc overexpression contributed to increased PD-L1 expression, and ARTS could overcome dFdC-resistant pancreatic cancer by inhibiting c-Myc and PD-L1. Our findings not only suggest c-Myc and PD-L1 as novel prognostic biomarkers in dFdC-resistant pancreatic cancer, but also provide ARTS as a promising candidate for overcoming dFdC resistance.

Abstract With the rapid development of mobile edge computing, mobile social networks are gradually infiltrating into our daily lives, in which the communities are an important part of social networks. Internet of People such as online social networks is the next frontier for the Internet of Things. The combination of social networking and mobile edge computing has an important application value and is the development trend of future networks. However, how to detect evolutionary communities accurately and efficiently in dynamic heterogeneous social networks remains a fundamental problem. In this paper, a novel User Interest Community Evolution (UICE) model based on subgraph matching is proposed for accurately detecting the corresponding communities in the evolution of the user interest community. The community evolutionary events can be quickly captured including forming, dissolving, evolving and so on with the introduction of core subgraph. A variant of subgraph matching, called Subgraph Matching with Dynamic Weight (SMDW), is proposed to solve the problem of updating the core subgraph due to the change of core user’s interest when tracking evolutionary communities. Finally, the experiments based on the real datasets have been designed to evaluate the performance of the proposed model by comparing it with the state-of-art methods in this area and complete data processing through the local edge computing layer. The experimental results demonstrate that the UICE model presented in this paper has achieved better accuracy, higher efficiency and better scalability against existing methods.

Abstract The recommendation system is an effective means to solve the information overload problem that exists in social networks, which is also one of the most common applications of big data technology. Thus, the matrix decomposition recommendation model based on scoring data has been extensively studied and applied in recent years, but the data sparsity problem affects the recommendation quality of the model. To this end, this paper proposes a hybrid recommendation model based on deep emotion analysis and multi-source view fusion which makes a personalized recommendation with user-post interaction ratings, implicit feedback and auxiliary information in a hybrid recommendation system. Specifically, the HITS algorithm is used to process the data set, which can filter out the users and posts with high influence and eliminate most of the low-quality users and posts. Secondly, the calculation method of measuring the similarity of candidate posts and the method of calculating K nearest neighbors are designed, which solves the problem that the text description information of post content in the recommendation system is difficult to mine and utilize. Then, the cooperative training strategy is used to achieve the fusion of two recommended views, which eliminates the data distribution deviation added to the training data pool in the iterative training. Finally, the performance of the DMHR algorithm proposed in this paper is compared with other state-of-art algorithms based on the Twitter dataset. The experimental results show that the DMHR algorithm has significant improvements in score prediction and recommendation performance.

Abstract Background Community-based diabetes management is known to be an important strategy for global diabetes control. In China, community-based diabetes management care, including regular blood glucose tests and guidance on medicine use, dietary control, and physical exercise provided by primary health institutions (PHIs), as one of the key contents of the national essential public health services (EPHS), was implemented since 2009 when the new round of health system reform was initiated. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of community-based diabetes management care services, and explore the factors influencing utilization from both patients’ and providers’ points of view. Methods In total, 2520 type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients registered for EPHS were selected from 63 PHIs in eight counties of Shandong province, China, using multi-stage stratified sampling. Of those, 2166 patients (response rate: 85.4%) completed face-to-face structured questionnaires on their utilization of community-based diabetes management care services. Further, 63 PHIs were surveyed on diabetes care delivery, and 444 primary healthcare providers were purposively sampled from those PHIs to measure their knowledge of diabetes management care delivery, using a self-developed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the delivery and utilization of diabetes management care services. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors associated with patients’ utilization of diabetes management services. Results All 63 PHIs reported that all the required four diabetes management services were provided through EPHS. However, only 49.6% of the patients reported they fully used these services, with no statistically significant difference between urban and rural patients. Patients who had higher knowledge of diabetes and better self-efficacy in controlling the condition, were more likely to fully utilize diabetes management care. A larger number of PHI health staff per 1000 population was associated with better utilization of care. Conclusion Although community-based diabetes management services are well available to Chinese DM patients under the framework of EPHS, the actual utilization of diabetes management services among the patients was poor. The size of the PHI workforce, patients’ knowledge and self-efficacy in controlling diabetes, were important predictors of utilization, and could be enhanced to improve control of diabetes.

Introduction and objectives: CASC9 and miR-424-5p are closely related with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CASC9 involved with miR-424-5p on the development of HCC. Materials and methods: qRT-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA expressions of CASC9 and miR-424-5p in HCC tissues/cells and adjacent normal tissues/human hepatic epithelial cells, and to analyze the relationship of CASC9 with the clinico-pathological characteristics and prognosis of HCC patients. Then, cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 and11 LncRNAs, long non-coding RNAs; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; CASC9, cancer sensitivity 9; ESCC, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; qRT-PCR, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; ATCC, American Type Culture Collection; DMEM, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium; CCK-8, cell counting kit-8; RIPA, radio-immunoprecipitation assay; SDS-PAGE, sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; PVDF, polyvinylidene fluoride; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; siNC, small interfering RNA of negative control; M: miR-424-5p mimic; IC, inhibitor control; I, miR-424-5p inhibitor. clone formation assays. Apoptosis of HCC cells was measured by flow cytometry. Besides, cell migration and invasion were determined by scratch wound-healing and Transwell assays, respectively. DIANA-LncBase V2 and dual luciferase reporter gene assay were used to verify the targeted relationship between CASC9 and miR-424-5p. Bcl-2, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expressions were detected by Western blot. Results: Higher expression of CASC9 was observed in HCC tissues/ cells than in adjacent normal tissues/ human hepatic epithelial cells, and was closely linked to poor prognosis of HCC, tumor size, TNM stage, differentiation degree, lymph node metastasis and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Down-regulation of CASC9 decreased the proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC cells while enhancing apoptosis. Besides, CASC9 was negatively correlated with miR-424-5p. MiR-424-5p inhibitor enhanced cell proliferation, invasion and migration while decreasing apoptosis. Interestingly, siRNA-CASC9 partially offset the effects of miR-424-5p inhibitor on HCC cells. Conclusion: CASC9 promoted proliferation, invasion and migration and inhibited apoptosis in HCC cells by inhibiting miR-424-5p.

In the past, China, like other developing countries in the world, pursued the goal of rapid economic development at the expense of ecology and ignored the issue of environmental protection. But in recent decades, as environmental problems have become increasingly prominent, developing countries have begun to explore ways to coordinate economy and ecological environment. As the largest developing country, China has been actively exploring ecological governance plans, putting forward the concept of green development, setting the goal of building a "beautiful China" and placing the construction of ecological civilization in the ontological status of social systems and national goals. In order to accelerate the green development process of enterprises in developing countries, based on the actual situation in China, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model of environmental accounting information disclosure with enterprises, investors and media as the research objects, and analyzes the internal mechanism of environmental accounting information disclosure. The model finds that the equilibrium of the three parties is affected by multiple factors. Therefore, this study further uses system dynamics to explore the dynamic process of evolutionary games and the strategic choices among multiple agents, and explore the mechanism of three types of agents to promote environmental accounting information disclosure. The simulation results reveal that government incentives have a greater impact on guiding enterprises and the media to evolve in the direction of legal disclosure and participation in exposure strategies. In addition, the continuous reduction of the cumbersome degree of disclosure procedures and the difficulty of improving environmental performance can fundamentally promote companies to actively choose legal disclosure strategies, which will help improve the quality of environmental accounting information disclosure, boost investor confidence, and enhance government supervision.

Abstract Objective To give a comprehensive and basic understanding of diabetes and its risk factors in floating people in China. Method We use "(diabetes or type 2 diabetes or chronic disease) and (floating population or employed floating population)" as the key words to search in the China academic literature database (CNKI), Wan Fang database, PubMed and Web of Science for relevant literature and extract the data about the prevalence of diabetes, relevant risk factors and disease management of the floating population in China. Result Twenty-one literatures are entered into analysis finally, one is English and the rest are Chinese. According to the national survey, the prevalence rate of diabetes in floating population in China was 5. 1% (95%CI, 4.9% - 5.3%), which is lower than that of the general population(11.6%,95%CI, 11.3%–11.8%),and is consistent with the results of the local surveys. The comparison result between the prevalence of floating population and that of local population in each region differs in local surveys. In addition, the prevalence of male floating population is lower than that of the female population. Finally, as the age of the population rises, so does the prevalence of diabetes. As for the risk factors of chronical diseases, the overweight rate in every region is similar but the obesity rate differs in different regions (Ningxia,26.0%;Xiangshan,14.0%), and the obesity rate of the floating population is less than half of that of the general people(4.7%,11.9%). The awareness rate, treatment rate and control rate in the floating patients differ in the regional researches, but they all can’t meet the goals set by the local health departments. Conclusion Compared with the general population, the prevalence of diabetes in the floating population are lower. However, Considering the growing population number and the poor disease management of the floating patients, the potential threat brought by the diabetes in floating population is imponderable. The government should establish the national surveillance system of diabetes for the floating population, strengthen the construction of the primary medical institutions, and optimize the existing funding system.

Preferential flow has an important role as it strongly influences solute transport in forest soil. The quick passage of water and solutes through preferential flow paths without soil absorption results in considerable water loss and groundwater pollution. However, preferential flow and solute transport under different infiltration volumes in southwestern China remain unclear. Three plots, named P20, P40 and P60, were subjected to precipitation amounts of 20, 40 and 60 mm, respectively, to investigate preferential flow and solute transport characteristics via field multiple-tracer experiments. Stained soils were collected to measure Br− and NO3− concentrations. This study demonstrated that precipitation could promote dye tracer infiltration into deep soils. The dye tracer reached the maximum depth of 40 cm in P60. Dye coverage generally reduced with greater depth, and sharp reductions were observed at the boundary of matrix flow and preferential flow. Dye coverage peaked at the soil depth of 15 cm in P40. This result demonstrated that lateral infiltration was enhanced. The long and narrow dye coverage pattern observed in P60 indicated the occurrence of macropore flow. Br− and NO3− were found at each soil depth where preferential flow had moved. Increasing precipitation amounts increased Br− and NO3− concentration and promoted solute movement into deep soil layers. Solute concentration peaked at near the end of the preferential flow path and when preferential flow underwent lateral movement. These results indicated that the infiltration volume and transport capacity of preferential flow had important effects on the distribution of Br− and NO3− concentrations. The results of this study could help expand our understanding of the effects of preferential flow on solute transport and provide some suggestions for protection forest management in southwestern China.

BackgroundSelf-management is the cornerstone of diabetes care, however, despite the numerous recommendations available for self-management, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients' performance is suboptimal in China. This study aimed to explore the association between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors among Chinese T2DM patients, which might provide evidence to inform effective self-management interventions for these patients.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted using a multi-stage stratified randomized sampling in Shandong Province, China. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form (DES-SF) was used to measure patients' self-efficacy to manage diabetes. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to explore the observed classes of self-management behaviors (dietary control, physical exercise, regular medication and self-monitoring of blood glucose). A two-class solution for self-management behaviors was tested to be the fittest based on LCA; we labelled active and inactive self-management groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to examine the associations between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors.ResultsA total of 2166 T2DM patients were included in the analysis. The mean DES-SF score was 31.9 (standard deviation: 5.2). The estimated proportions of T2DM in the active and inactive groups were 54.8% and 45.2%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression showed that higher DES-SF score was significantly associated with higher possibility of active self-management behaviors (odds ratio = 1.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.08).ConclusionsSelf-efficacy in managing diabetes is associated with self-management behaviors among Chinese T2DM patients. To improve self-management behaviors, multiple strategies should be conducted to improve patients' self-efficacy.

Understanding the response of preferential flow paths to water movement is an important topic in soil hydrology. However, quantification of the complicated distribution patterns of preferential flow paths remains poorly understood. Therefore, dye experiments were conducted to investigate preferential flow characteristics under three different precipitation amounts (20, 40 and 60 mm, numbered as the G20, G40 and G60, respectively) in Simian Mountain grassland, Chongqing province, China. O-ring statistics were used to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and the spatial correlation of preferential flow paths. Results revealed that precipitation could promote dye tracer infiltration into deeper soils, reaching the maximum depth of 55 cm in G60. The number of preferential flow paths in G60 plots was 3.0 and 7.4 times greater than those of G40 and G20, respectively. Structural distribution of the preferential flow paths showed a gradually clumped pattern with the increase of precipitation, which was conducive to enhancing the correlation between preferential flow paths in each pore size range. These results could expand our understanding of the effects of precipitation on the characteristic of preferential flow paths in grassland, which is helpful to evaluate the water movement in the study area.