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Objective To study the effect of ghrelin gene knockout on the postsynaptic potential of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice. Methods Substantia nigra tissue was taken from 10-week-old ghrelin-/- male mice (ghrelin-/- group) and their male wild-type (WT) littermates (WT group). RNA-seq technique was used to screen differently expressed genes (DEGs). KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed for the neuronal synaptic activity-associated signaling pathways which DEGs might be involved in. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used for validation of the identified DEGs, and western blotting was used for protein expression of neuronal synaptic activity-related genes. Results Compared with the WT group, the ghrelin-/- group had significant changes in the expression levels of 23 genes in the synaptic signaling pathway of dopaminergic neurons. Specifically, Ionotropic glutamate receptors α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid type subunit 3 (GluA3) and glycogen synthase kinase3-β (GSK-3β) regulated α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor on the postsynaptic membrane of neurons, respectively. GluA3 and GSK-3β genes were significantly downregulated in the substantia nigra tissue of mice in the ghrelin-/- group. RT-qPCR results showed that compared to the WT group, the ghrelin-/- group had significant downregulation of the mRNA expression levels of GluA3 and GSK-3β in the substantia nigra tissue of mice (t =2.408,2.740,P

Background International Mission on Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trial (IMPACT) and Corticosteroid Randomisation after Significant Head Injury (CRASH) are internationally influential prognostic models for traumatic brain injury (TBI), which need to be continuously developed, improved and continuously verified externally to ensure generalizability to different settings. Objective To verify and compare the prognostic evaluation values of IMPACT and CRASH simultaneously in TBI population in China. Methods A total of 210 TBI patients treated in Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from 2017 to 2019 were retrospectively selected as the study objects, and the basic information of the included patients was collected. The 14-day survival and 6-month Glasgow prognostic score (GOS) of the patients were followed up until June 2021, with a termination event of loss of follow-up. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive efficacy of IMPACT and CRASH models in TBI patients, and the area under ROC curve (AUC) was calculated. Brier score was used to evaluate the calibration degree of the model. Results The average age of the patients was (54.0±17.4) years. The ROC curves of the IMPACT model and CRASH model to predict the prognosis of TBI patients were plotted, respectively, and the results showed that the AUCs of IMPACT core model, CT model and laboratory model to predict the poor prognosis of GOS in TBI patients at 6 months was 0.807 (95%CI=0.747-0.866, P

Objective To investigate the effect and possible mechanism of sorafenib on the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cell line T47D. Methods Effects of sorafenib (2.5, 5 and 10 μmol/L) on T47D cells proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion were detected by CCK-8 experiment, plate cloning experiment, scratch healing experiment and Transwell experiment. RT-qPCR was applied to detect circ_0032821 expression. The circ_0032821 small interfering RNA(si-circ_0032821) and circ_0032821 over-expression plasmid were transfected into T47D cells respectively. And the effect of interference with circ_0032821 or circ_0032821 over-expression combined with sorafenib on the malignant behavior of T47D cells was detected. Results The cell proliferation inhibition rate T47D cells were significantly increased after sorafenib treatment (P＜0.05); The colony formation number, scratch healing rate, invasion number, and circ_0032821 expression were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).After silencing with the expression of circ_0032821, the proliferation inhibition rate of T47D cells was significantly increased (P＜0.05); The colony formation number, scratch healing rate and invasion number were significantly reduced(P＜0.05). Circ_0032821 over-expression significantly reduced the effects of sorafenib on the proliferation, migration colony formation and invasion of T47D cells (P＜0.05). Conclusions Sorafenib can inhibit T47D cell proliferation, migration and invasion. And the mechanism may be explained by the down-regulation of circ_0032821.

Genetic markers, such as single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP）, insertion/deletion （InDel）, were discovered and widely used with the development of whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics technology. The origin and genetic structure of the modern population had been gradually revealed from the perspective of genetics. The study on biogeographic ancestry inference in the field of forensic genetics emerged and developed rapidly, providing clues and scientific basis for the determination of investigation direction and for the narrow of the scope of investigation in the process of case investigation. This paper briefly reviews the research progress, inference methods and development trends of DNA ancestry inference technology.

The characterization and identification of the dynamics of cluster catalysis are crucial to unraveling the origin of catalytic activity. However, the dynamical catalytic effects during the reaction process remain unclear. Herein, we investigate the dynamic coupling effect of elementary reactions with the structural fluctuations of sub-nanometer Au clusters with different sizes using ab initio molecular dynamics and the free energy calculation method. It was found that the adsorption-induced solid-to-liquid phase transitions of the cluster catalysts give rise to abnormal entropy increase, facilitating the proceeding of reaction, and this phase transition catalysis exists in a range of clusters with different sizes. Moreover, clusters with different sizes show different transition temperatures, resulting in a non-trivial size effect. These results unveil the dynamic effect of catalysts and help understand cluster catalysis to design better catalysts rationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C21H22N2O3, orthorhombic, Pbcn (no. 60), a = 15.093(2) Å, b = 13.896(2) Å, c = 17.501(2) Å, V = 3670.5(8) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0446, wRref(F2) = 0.1208, T = 293(2) K.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains an unsolved human health challenge. To alleviate the impairments of SCI, we studied the therapeutic effect of nimodipine (an L-type Ca2+ channel antagonist) on functional recovery from SCI using Nystrom’s method in a mouse model. Eighty-four mice were divided into three groups: control group in which only vertebral plates were cut off without causing any spinal injuries; SCI; and SCI with nimodipine treatment. We assessed the histopathology, apoptosis detection, cell cycle, mitochondrial transmembrane potential, bcl-2/bax and caspase-3 levels of tissue 8 h, 1 d, 3 d and 4 d after trauma to evaluate rehabilitation. Behavioral performances were also assessed before and after nimodipine treatment. Results from inclined plane tests, motor score assessment and histological observations indicated that mice in the nimodipine-treated group rehabilitated better than those in the SCI group. The ratio of apoptosis, caspase-3 and bax expression in the nimodipine-treated group were significantly lower than those in the SCI group. The mitochondrial membrane potential and bcl-2 expression were up-regulated in the nimodipine-treated group. Taken together, our results indicate that the inhibition of calcium flux by nimodipine could reduce apoptosis processes and tissue damage through a mitochondrial pathway after spinal cord trauma [Current Zoology 57 (3): 340–349, 2011].

Immunotherapy has been applied to patients with breast cancer. However, only part of patients benefits from the current immunotherapy. Accurate prediction of individual response to immunotherapy can be beneficial for breast cancer management. CD8+ T cells are the main force of anti-tumor immunity. This study aimed to establish a CD8+ T cell-related gene expression signature for prediction of breast cancer prognostic and immunotherapy efficacy. RNA-seq transcriptomic data was the basics of this research. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis established the prognostic signature. We identified 290 CD8+ T cell-related genes in the training set and established a risk-score model based on 8-genes panel (SOCS1, IL10, CAMK4, CXCL13, KIR2DS4, TESPA1, CD70 and ICAM4). Subsequently, univariate Cox regression analysis suggested that high risk-score was a risk factor for breast cancer (HR = 3.1, 95%CI 2.0–4.8, P < 0.001). In tumor microenvironment, high-risk tumors present decreased tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells and increased M2 macrophages. The low-risk patients may benefit more from immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy than the high-risk patients. Moreover, breast tumors which sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) showed higher IL10 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Characterizing the breeding site of Anopheles sinensis is of major importance for the transition from malaria control to elimination in China. However, little information is available especially regarding the characteristics and influencing factors of breeding sites of An. sinensis in Yongcheng City, a representative region of unstable malaria transmission in the Huang-Huai River region of central China. The aims of this study were to determine the breeding site characteristics of An. sinensis and related environmental and physicochemical parameters, to find out which breeding site characteristics could best explain the presence of An. sinensis larvae, and to determine whether the breeding habit of An. sinensis has changed or not. Methods Random repeated cross sectional study was undertaken in six villages of the Yongcheng city characterized by different levels of the historical incidence of P. vivax malaria. The potential breeding sites of An. sinensis larvae in each village were examined twice per month both in the household courtyards and the village surroundings. The larval sampling was done by the standard dipping method. Some important breeding site characterizations were recorded and characterized. The anopheline mosquito larvae and emerged adults were identified to the species level morphologically and to sub-species by the ribosomal DNA PCR technique. Chi-square analysis and logistic regression analysis were applied to determine the importance of factors for explaining the presence or absence of An. sinensis larvae. Results According to the ribosomal DNA PCR assay, all sampled anopheline mosquito larvae and emerged adults belonged to An. sinensis. Only 3 containers that were sampled from the household courtyards were found to contain An. sinensis larvae. There were no differences in the species composition of mosquito larvae among containers that contained water in the household courtyards (P > 0.05). An. sinensis larvae were shown to be present in a total of 60 breeding sites in the village surroundings, this included 8 (13.3%) river fringes, 26 (43.3%) ponds, 23 (38.3%) puddles, and 3 (5.0%) irrigation/drainage ditches. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the breeding site type, water depth, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, and sulphate were found to be the key factors determining the presence of An. sinensis larvae. Approximately 94.9% of An. sinensis larvae inhabited relatively large and medium-sized water bodies, with depths between 0.5 m and 1.0 m (73.3%), COD lower than 2 mg/L (75%), ammonia nitrogen lower than 0.4 mg/L (86.7%), and sulphate lower than 150 mg/L (58.3%), respectively. Conclusion These results indicate that the majority of An. sinensis larval breeding sites were relatively large and medium-sized water bodies with depths between 0.5 m and 1.0 m, and containing low levels of COD, ammonia nitrogen, and sulphate, respectively. For effective An. sinensis larval control, the type of breeding site, water depth, COD, ammonia nitrogen, and sulphate should be given higher priority over other factors in areas where it is the primary vector.

Abstract Background The knowledge of mosquito species diversity and the level of anthropophily exhibited by each species in a region are of great importance to the integrated vector control. Culicine species are the primary vectors of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus and filariasis in China. Anopheles sinensis plays a major role in the maintenance of Plasmodium vivax malaria transmission in China. The goal of this study was to compare the abundance and host-seeking behavior of culicine species and An. sinensis in Yongcheng city, a representative region of P. vivax malaria. Specifically, we wished to determine the relative attractiveness of different animal baits versus human bait to culicine species and An. sinensis. Results Culex tritaeniorhynchus was the most prevalent mosquito species and An. sinensis was the sole potential vector of P. vivax malaria in Yongcheng city. There were significant differences (P < 0.01) in the abundance of both An. sinensis and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus collected in distinct baited traps. The relative attractiveness of animal versus human bait was similar towards both An. sinensis and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. The ranking derived from the mean number of mosquitoes per bait indicated that pigs, goats and calves frequently attracted more mosquitoes than the other hosts tested (dogs, humans, and chickens). These trends were similar across all capture nights at three distinct villages. The human blood index (HBI) of female An. sinensis was 2.94% when computed with mixed meals while 3.70% computed with only the single meal. 19:00~21:00 was the primary peak of host-seeking female An. sinensis while 4:00~5:00 was the smaller peak at night. There was significant correlation between the density of female An. sinensis and the average relative humidity (P < 0.05) in Wangshanzhuang village. Conclusions Pigs, goats and calves were more attractive to An. sinensis and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus than dogs, humans, and chickens. Female An. sinensis host-seeking activity mainly occurred from 19:00 to 21:00. Thus, we propose that future vector control against An. sinensis and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in the areas along the Huang-Huai River of central China should target the interface of human activity with domestic animals and adopt before human hosts go to bed at night.

The spillover of hydrogen species and its role in tuning the activity and selectivity in catalytic hydrogenation have been investigated in situ using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with 10 nm spatial resolution through the precise fabrication of Au/TiO2/Pt sandwich nanostructures. In situ SERS study reveals that hydrogen species can efficiently spillover at Pt‐TiO2‐Au interfaces, and the ultimate spillover distance on TiO2 is about 50 nm. Combining kinetic isotope experiments and density functional theory calculations, it is found that the hydrogen spillover proceeds via the water‐assisted cleavage and formation of surface hydrogen–oxygen bond. More importantly, the selectivity in the hydrogenation of the nitro or isocyanide group is manipulated by controlling the hydrogen spillover. This work provides molecular insights to deepen the understanding of hydrogen activation and boosts the design of active and selective catalysts for hydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]