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Objective. Asprosin, a new adipocytokine, has reportedly been associated with glucose release, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance (IR). However, the relationship of asprosin with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate serum asprosin levels in MetS as well as their association with various metabolic parameters in humans. Methods. A total of 131 consecutive patients with MetS, and 162 age-matched, healthy subjects were recruited for this study. Serum asprosin concentrations were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and inflammatory markers were also measured. Results. Serum asprosin levels were higher in subjects with MetS (23.52 [16.70, 32.05] ng/mL) than in controls (16.70 [12.87, 22.38] ng/mL; P < 0.01), and they showed an increasing trend with increasing numbers of metabolic components (P for trend < 0.01). In all studied subjects, serum asprosin levels were positively correlated with body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, 2-hour plasma glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05). In multiple linear regression, asprosin was independently and positively correlated with triglyceride and HOMA-IR (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression revealed that asprosin was independently and positively correlated with the occurrence of MetS and IR, even after controlling for anthropometric variables, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers. Conclusion. Asprosin is a potential metabolic-related adipokine and may be related to IR and MetS. This trial was registered with ChiCTR, ChiCTR1800018347. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acids induced hepatic inflammation plays an important role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis. Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), an endogenous gasotransmitter, has been established to possess potent anti-inflammation in various human organs. However, the anti-inflammation property of H2 S in the fatty liver is still needed to further elucidate. Hence, this study aimed to investigate whether exogenous H2 S can protect hepatocytes against inflammation induced by palmitic acid (PA). HepG2 hepatocytes were exposed to PA for 24 h to induce free fatty acids-induced inflammation. The cells were pretreated with NaHS (a donor of H2 S) before exposure to PA. Cell viability, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β), NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB were measured by a combination of MTT assay, ELISA, Western blot and Immunofluorescence. Here, we found that exogenous H2 S dose-dependently inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, NLRP3 inflammasome and activation of NF-κB signaling in PA-induced HepG2 cells. Thus, H2 S might be a candidate therapeutic agent against NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CCN3 is a novel adipokine and has emerged as a potential metabolic regulator. However, information regarding the role of CCN3 in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear. This study measured for the first time serum CCN3 levels in T2DM and explored the correlations between its serum levels and various metabolic parameters in humans. A total of 219 newly diagnosed T2DM (nT2DM) patients and 205 healthy control subjects, matched for age and sex ratio, were enrolled. Circulating CCN3 and TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 were measured by ELISA. The anthropometric assessment and biochemical evaluation were done in all subjects. OGTT were performed in 34 healthy individuals to investigate the association of CCN3 with glucose. Serum CCN3 levels were significantly higher in nT2DM patients compared to those of the healthy controls (6.71[4.88, 8.56] vs. 4.51[3.55, 5.99] ng/ml, P < 0.01). Serum CCN3 positively correlated with BMI, WC, FAT%, TG, FPG, 2 h-PG, HbA1c, FIns, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP and TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1, but negatively with HOMA-β in all individuals (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that BMI, HOMA-IR, TNF-α and MCP-1 were independently associated with CCN3. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CCN3 was correlated with nT2DM. Finally, area under ROC curve of CCN3 (gender and age adjusted) for predicting the presence of nT2DM was 0.725(95% CI : 0.676–0.773). After an oral glucose challenge, there was no obvious change in the circulating levels of CCN3 as compared to 0 min (P > 0.05). Elevation of CCN3 in nT2DM supports the hypothesis that CCN3 may serve as a risk factor associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM. • First time to show that CCN3 was markedly elevated in serum of nT2DM patients. • BMI, HOMA-IR, TNF-α and MCP-1 were independently associated with serum CCN3. • CCN3 may serve as a risk factor associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our phosphoproteomics identified that phosphorylation of EphA2 at serine 897 (pS897-EphA2) was significantly upregulated in the high metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells relative to non-metastatic NPC cells. However, the role and underlying mechanism of pS897-EphA2 in cancer metastasis and stem properties maintenance remain poorly understood. In this study, we established NPC cell lines with stable expression of exogenous EphA2 and EphA2-S897A using endogenous EphA2 knockdown cells, and observed that pS897-EphA2 maintained EphA2-dependent NPC cell in vitro migration and invasion, in vivo metastasis and cancer stem properties. Using phospho-kinase antibody array to identify signaling downstream of pS897-EphA2, we found that AKT/Stat3 signaling mediated pS897-EphA2-promoting NPC cell invasion, metastasis and stem properties, and Sox-2 and c-Myc were the effectors of pS897-EphA2. Immunohistochemistry showed that pS897-EphA2 was positively correlated with NPC metastasis and negatively correlated with patient overall survival. Moreover, ERK/RSK signaling controlled serum-induced pS897-EphA2 in NPC cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate that pS897-EphA2 is indispensable for EphA2-dependent NPC cell invasion, metastasis and stem properties by activating AKT/Stat3/Sox-2 and c-Myc signaling pathway, suggesting that pS897-EphA2 can serve as a therapeutic target in NPC and perhaps in other cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Two biocompatible polymers are used to form an ultrathin sensing coating. [•] This coating is deposited on a fiber end using electrostatic self-assembly technique. [•] An optical switch is added for the convenience of fast calibration. [•] A linear, monotonic response in a large pH range is obtained with 0.01pH resolution. [•] This fiber-optic pH sensor is simple, precise, and easy to manufacture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We report the realization of a fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of stress and temperature based on the integration of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a micro external Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity constructed with a thin film coated on a fiber end. The Bragg wavelength shift is used to measure stress while the wavelength shift of the F-P interference fringes is traced for determining the temperature, which can also compensate the thermal stress of FBG induced by temperature change. A temperature sensitivity of ∼0.2 nm/°C and a stress sensitivity of 8.11 × 10−3 nm/N with good stability can be achieved. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2440-2444, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-aerobic reactors (MARs) play an important role in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and organics removal but are affected by the C/N ratio. In this study, high C/N ratio food-processing wastewater was treated using two-step MARs. The average removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand during the MAR process were 84.21% and 95.43%, respectively. The efficiency of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was 88.87% and 17.26% in MAR-1 and MAR-2, respectively; simultaneously, organic matter was efficiently degraded. Protein-like materials were biodegraded preferentially, and the degree of change in fulvic-like substances was the greatest during the MAR processes. This was attributed to the spatial distribution of the dissolved oxygen concentration in a single MAR, which may influence the microbial community composition (e.g., that of Nitrospira) and the regulation of gene functions. [Display omitted] • Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and organics removal were realized in micro-aerobic reactors (MARs). • Oxygen distribution exhibited significant spatial differences in MARs. • High efficiency of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification found in MARs. • Fulvic-like and humic-like matters were efficiently degraded in MARs. • Dominant microbial abundance (i.e., Nitrospira and Competibacter) positively changed in a MAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical physical retrieval algorithm for retrieving atmospheric parameters, one-dimensional variational (1DVAR) algorithm is widely used in various climate and meteorological communities and enjoys an important position in the field of microwave remote sensing. Among algorithm parameters affecting the performance of the 1DVAR algorithm, the accuracy of the microwave radiative transfer model for calculating the simulated brightness temperature is the fundamental constraint on the retrieval accuracies of the 1DVAR algorithm for retrieving atmospheric parameters. In this study, a deep neural network (DNN) is used to describe the nonlinear relationship between atmospheric parameters and satellite-based microwave radiometer observations, and a DNN-based radiative transfer model is developed and applied to the 1DVAR algorithm to carry out retrieval experiments of the atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles. The retrieval results of the temperature and humidity profiles from the Microwave Humidity and Temperature Sounder (MWHTS) onboard the Feng-Yun-3 (FY-3) satellite show that the DNN-based radiative transfer model can obtain higher accuracy for simulating MWHTS observations than that of the operational radiative transfer model RTTOV, and also enables the 1DVAR algorithm to obtain higher retrieval accuracies of the temperature and humidity profiles. In this study, the DNN-based radiative transfer model applied to the 1DVAR algorithm can fundamentally improve the retrieval accuracies of atmospheric parameters, which may provide important reference for various applied studies in atmospheric sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fiber sensor for simultaneous measurements of refractive index and temperature based on the integration of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with an external Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity is presented. The fringe contrast of the interference spectrum generated by the F-P cavity is used to determine the external refractive index, while the wavelength shift of the FBG is used to measure temperature. The result showed that the refractive index and temperature sensitivity for the integrated sensor is 8.1 × 10-6 and 0.01006 nm/°C, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The all‐inorganic nature of CsPbI3 perovskites allows to enhance stability in perovskite devices. Research efforts have led to improved stability of the black phase in CsPbI3 films; however, these strategies—including strain and doping—are based on organic‐ligand‐capped perovskites, which prevent perovskites from forming the close‐packed quantum dot (QD) solids necessary to achieve high charge and thermal transport. We developed an inorganic ligand exchange that leads to CsPbI3 QD films with superior phase stability and increased thermal transport. The atomic‐ligand‐exchanged QD films, once mechanically coupled, exhibit improved phase stability, and we link this to distributing strain across the film. Operando measurements of the temperature of the LEDs indicate that KI‐exchanged QD films exhibit increased thermal transport compared to controls that rely on organic ligands. The LEDs exhibit a maximum EQE of 23 % with an electroluminescence emission centered at 640 nm (FWHM: ≈31 nm). These red LEDs provide an operating half‐lifetime of 10 h (luminance of 200 cd m−2) and an operating stability that is 6× higher than that of control devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The all‐inorganic nature of CsPbI3 perovskites allows to enhance stability in perovskite devices. Research efforts have led to improved stability of the black phase in CsPbI3 films; however, these strategies—including strain and doping—are based on organic‐ligand‐capped perovskites, which prevent perovskites from forming the close‐packed quantum dot (QD) solids necessary to achieve high charge and thermal transport. We developed an inorganic ligand exchange that leads to CsPbI3 QD films with superior phase stability and increased thermal transport. The atomic‐ligand‐exchanged QD films, once mechanically coupled, exhibit improved phase stability, and we link this to distributing strain across the film. Operando measurements of the temperature of the LEDs indicate that KI‐exchanged QD films exhibit increased thermal transport compared to controls that rely on organic ligands. The LEDs exhibit a maximum EQE of 23 % with an electroluminescence emission centered at 640 nm (FWHM: ≈31 nm). These red LEDs provide an operating half‐lifetime of 10 h (luminance of 200 cd m−2) and an operating stability that is 6× higher than that of control devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The all‐inorganic nature of CsPbI3 perovskites allows to enhance stability in perovskite devices. Research efforts have led to improved stability of the black phase in CsPbI3 films; however, these strategies—including strain and doping—are based on organic‐ligand‐capped perovskites, which prevent perovskites from forming the close‐packed quantum dot (QD) solids necessary to achieve high charge and thermal transport. We developed an inorganic ligand exchange that leads to CsPbI3 QD films with superior phase stability and increased thermal transport. The atomic‐ligand‐exchanged QD films, once mechanically coupled, exhibit improved phase stability, and we link this to distributing strain across the film. Operando measurements of the temperature of the LEDs indicate that KI‐exchanged QD films exhibit increased thermal transport compared to controls that rely on organic ligands. The LEDs exhibit a maximum EQE of 23 % with an electroluminescence emission centered at 640 nm (FWHM: ≈31 nm). These red LEDs provide an operating half‐lifetime of 10 h (luminance of 200 cd m−2) and an operating stability that is 6× higher than that of control devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a recently novel lipolytic adipokine implicated in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in many metabolic disorders. In vitro and animal studies suggest that thyroid hormones (TH) up-regulates ZAG production in hepatocytes. However, there is no data evaluating the possible relationship between ZAG and TH in a human model of hyperthyroidism. The objective of the present study is to assess the association of serum ZAG levels with TH and lipid profile in patients with hyperthyroidism before and after methimazole treatment. Methods: A total of 120 newly diagnosed overt hyperthyroidism and 122 healthy control subjects were recruited. Of them, 39 hyperthyroidism patients were assigned to receive methimazole treatment as follow-up study for 2 months. Results: The clinical consequence showed that serum ZAG levels were elevated in patients with hyperthyroidism (P < 0.01). Adjust for age, gender and BMI, serum ZAG levels were positively related with serum free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4) levels and negatively correlated with serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels in hyperthyroidism subjects (all P < 0.01). After methimazole treatment, serum ZAG levels were decreased and the decline was associated with decreased FT3, FT4 and increased TC levels (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that ZAG may be involved in the pathogenesis of lipid metabolism disorder in patients with hyperthyroidism. Trial registration: ChiCTR-ROC-17012943. Registered 11 October 2017, retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] miR-21 expression was upregulated by TGF-β1 in time- and concentration-dependent manner. [•] miR-21 over-expression enhanced TGF-β1-induced EMT by directly down-regulating smad7 and indirectly up-regulating smad3. [•] miR-21 inhibitor can not only inhibit EMT and fibrosis but also ameliorate renal structure and function. [•] Targeting miR-21 may be a better alternative to directly suppress TGF-β1-mediated fibrosis in DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify miRNAs and genes involved in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) radioresistance, and explore the underlying mechanisms in the development of radioresistance. Methods: We used microarrays to compare the differences of both miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in the radioresistant NPC CNE2-IR and radiosensitive NPC CNE2 cells, applied qRT-PCR to confirm the reliability of microarray data, adopted databases prediction and anticorrelated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression to identify the miRNA target genes, and employed bioinformatics tools to examine the functions and pathways in which miRNA target genes are involved, and construct a miRNA-target gene regulatory network. We further investigated the roles of miRNA-23a and its target gene IL-8 in the NPC radioresistance. Results: The main findings were fourfold: (1) fifteen differential miRNAs and 372 differential mRNAs were identified, and the reliability of microarray data was validated for randomly selected eight miRNAs and nine genes; (2) 174 miRNA target were identified, and most of their functions and regulating pathways were related to tumor therapeutic resistance; (3) a posttranscriptional regulatory network including 375 miRNA-target gene pairs was constructed, in which the ten genes were coregulated by the six miRNAs; (4) IL-8 was a direct target of miRNA-23a, the expression levels of IL-8 were elevated in the radioresistant NPC tissues and showed inverse correlation with miRNA-23a expression, and genetic upregulation of miRNA-23a and antibody neutralization of secretory IL-8 could reduce NPC cells radioresistance. Conclusions: We identified fifteen differential miRNAs and 372 differential mRNAs in the radioresistant NPC cells, constructed a posttranscriptional regulatory network including 375 miRNA-target gene pairs, discovered the ten target genes coregulated by the six miRNAs, and validated that downregulated miRNA-23a was involved in NPC radioresistance through directly targeting IL-8. Our data form a basis for further investigating the mechanisms of NPC radioresistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To identify a novel lung adenocarcinoma (AdC) biomarker, iTRAQ-tagging combined with 2D LC-MS/MS analysis was used to identify differentially expressed plasma membrane (PM) proteins in primary lung AdCs and paraneoplastic normal lung tissues (PNLTs). As a result, 36 differentially expressed membrane proteins were identified. Two differential PM proteins flotillin-1 and caveolin-1 were selectively validated by Western blotting. As there has been no report on the association of flotillin-1 with lung AdC, immunohistochemistry was further performed to detect the expression of flotillin-1 in the archival tissue specimens including 42 cases of PNLTs, 62 cases of primary lung AdCs with lymph node metastasis (LNM AdCs), and 46 cases of primary lung AdCs without lymph node metastasis (non-LNM AdCs), and the correlation of flotillin-1 expression levels in lung AdCs with clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes were evaluated. The results showed that up-regulation of flotillin-1 expression in lung AdCs was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, increased postoperative relapse and decreased overall survival. Cox regression analysis revealed that the expressional level of flotillin-1 was an independent prognostic factor. The data suggest that flotillin-1 is a potential novel biomarker for lymph node metastasis and prognosis of lung AdC, and flotillin-1 up-regulation might play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung AdC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]