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Due to the decentralized, tamper-proof, and auditable properties of blockchain, more and more scholars and researchers are studying the application of blockchain technology in IoT data sharing. Federated learning is an effective way to enable data sharing, but can be compromised by dishonest data owners who may provide malicious models. In addition, dishonest data requesters may also infer private information from model parameters. To solve the above problems, a secure data sharing mechanism based on mutual-supervised federated learning and blockchain, BPCV-FL, is proposed. This mechanism ensures data privacy by adopting gradient descent algorithm with differential privacy protection in local model training and ensures the reliability of shared data through mutual supervision on the blockchain. Experimental results show that the proposed BPCV-FL has high accuracy and security in IoT data sharing.

Mounting evidence has shown that miRNA-150 expression is upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) and is associated with gastric carcinogenesis, but the underlying oncogenic mechanism remains elusive. Here, we discovered that miRNA-150 targets the tumor suppressor SUFU to promote cell proliferation, migration, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the dual activation of Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt signaling. MiRNA-150 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines, and the level of this miRNA was negatively related to that of SUFU. In addition, both the miRNA-150 and SUFU levels were associated with tumor differentiation. Furthermore, miRNA-150 activated GC cell proliferation and migration in vitro. We found that miRNA-150 inhibitors repressed not only Wnt signaling by promoting cytoplasmic β-catenin localization, but also repressed Hh signaling and EMT. MiRNA-150 inhibition also resulted in significant tumor volume reductions in vivo, suggesting the potential application of miRNA-150 inhibitors in GC therapy. The expression of genes downstream of Hh and Wnt signaling was also reduced in tumors treated with miRNA-150 inhibitors. Notably, anti-SUFU siRNAs rescued the inhibitory effects of miRNA-150 inhibitors on Wnt signaling, Hh activation, EMT, cell proliferation, cell migration, and colony formation. Taken together, these findings indicate that miRNA-150 is oncogenic and promotes GC cell proliferation, migration, and EMT by activating Wnt and Hh signaling via the suppression of SUFU expression.

The majority of glucose in tumor cells is converted to lactate despite the presence of sufficient oxygen and functional mitochondria, a phenomenon known as the “Warburg effect” or “aerobic glycolysis”. Aerobic glycolysis supplies large amounts of ATP, raw material for macromolecule synthesis, and also lactate, thereby contributing to cancer progression and immunosuppression. Increased aerobic glycolysis has been identified as a key hallmark of cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of endogenous single-stranded RNAs characterized by covalently circular structures. Accumulating evidence suggests that circRNAs influence the glycolytic phenotype of various cancers. In gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, circRNAs are related to glucose metabolism by regulating specific glycolysis-associated enzymes and transporters as well as some pivotal signaling pathways. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of glucose-metabolism-associated circRNAs in GI cancers. Furthermore, we also discuss the potential clinical prospects of glycolysis-associated circRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in GI cancers.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed, endogenous molecules that are widespread in eukaryotes. Recent evidence indicates that circRNAs play important roles in carcinogenesis. Several circRNAs have been reported to comprise translatable RNA; however, whether circRNAs encode functional proteins remains unknown. In our study, circRNA sequencing was carried out using five pathologically diagnosed gastric carcinoma (GC) samples and their paired adjacent normal tissues, we characterized the circRNA GSPT1 (circGSPT1), which is expressed at low levels in GC. Antibody detections, and mass spectrometry were used to validate active circRNA translation. The spanning junction open reading frame in circGSPT1, driven by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), encodes a functional peptide, termed GSPT1-238aa. Interestingly, GSPT1-238aa tends to select the start codon used to initiate translation. This is the first finding of selective translation driven by IRES. CircGSPT1 and GSPT1-238aa halted the proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC cells in vitro. We also confirmed that the vimentin/Beclin1/14-3-3 complex interacts with GSPT1-238aa and modulates autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in GC cells. Our study reveals that GSPT1-238aa, a novel protein encoded by circGSPT1, halts GC tumorigenesis. We also provide insights into the function and underlying molecular mechanisms of GSPT1-238aa in GC and suggest that this protein represents a novel target for GC treatment.

Although great progress has been made in surgical techniques, traditional radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, gastric cancer (GC) is still the most common malignant tumor and has a high mortality, which highlights the importance of novel diagnostic markers. Emerging studies suggest that different microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis of GC. In this study, we found that miRNA-192 and -215 are significantly upregulated in GC and promote cell proliferation and migration. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a well-known negative regulator in Wnt signaling, has been proved to be a target of miRNA-192 and -215. Inhibition of miRNA-192 or -215 reduced the Topflash activities and repressed the expression of Wnt signaling pathway proteins, while APC small interfering RNAs reversed the inhibitory effects, suggesting that miRNA-192 and -215 activate Wnt signaling via APC. In addition, APC mediates the cell proliferation and migration regulated by miRNA-192 and -215. Furthermore, APC is downregulated in GC tissues and negatively correlated with the expression of miRNA-192 and -215. In summary, miRNA-192 and -215 target APC and function as oncogenic miRNAs by activating Wnt signaling in GC, revealing to be potential therapeutic targets.

Previous research has found that miRNA-20b is highly expressed in gastric cancer (GC), however, its function and underlying mechanism are not clear. Wnt signaling pathway, implicated in tumorigeneisis, is activated in more than 30% of GC. We would like to characterize the biological behavior of miRNA-20b in terms of modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and EMT. We showed that miRNA-20b inhibitors suppressed Topflash/Fopflash dependent luciferase activity and the β-catenin nuclear translocation, resulting in inhibition of Wnt pathway activity and EMT. SUFU, negatively regulating Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathway, was proved to be targeted by miRNA-20b. Moreover, additional knockdown of SUFU alleviated the inhibitory effect on Wnt pathway activity, EMT, cell proliferation/migration and colony formation caused by miRNA-20b inhibition. In summary, miRNA-20b is an oncogenic miRNA and promoted cell proliferation, migration and EMT in GC partially by activating Wnt pathway via targeting SUFU., miRNA-20b, SUFU, EMT, Wnt/β-catenin.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common cancer throughout the world. Despite advances of the treatments, detailed oncogenic mechanisms are largely unknown. In our previous study, we investigated microRNA (miR) expression profiles in human GC using miR microarrays. We found miR-192/215 were upregulated in GC tissues. Then gene microarray was implemented to discover the targets of miR-192/215. We compared the expression profile of BGC823 cells transfected with miR-192/215 inhibitors, and HFE145 cells transfected with miR-192/-215 mimics, respectively. SET8 was identified as a proposed target based on the expression change of more than twofold. SET8 belongs to the SET domain-containing methyltransferase family and specifically catalyzes monomethylation of H4K20me. It is involved in diverse functions in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Therefore, we focused on the contributions of miR-192/215/SET8 axis to the development of GC. In this study, we observe that functionally, SET8 regulated by miR-192/215 is involved in GC-related biological activities. SET8 is also found to trigger oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) in GC in vivo and in vitro, which is dependent on the DDR (DNA damage response) and p53. Our findings reveal that SET8 functions as a negative regulator of metastasis via the OIS-signaling pathway. Taken together, we investigated the functional significance, molecular mechanisms, and clinical impact of miR-192/215/SET8/p53 in GC.

The poor prognosis of late gastric carcinomas (GC) underscores the necessity to identify novel biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and effective therapeutic targets. MiRNA-324-5p has been shown to be over-expressed in GC, however the biological function of miRNA-324-5p implicated in gastric cancer and its downstream targets were not well understood. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is aberrantly regulated in GC. We sought to explore if miRNA-324-5p promotes oncogenesis through modulating Wnt signaling and EMT. MiRNA-324-5p is highly expressed in GC based on qRT-PCR and TCGA data. In addition, in vitro cell proliferation, cell migration assays and in vivo animal exenograft were executed to show that miRNA-324-5p is an oncogenic miRNA in GC. MiRNA-324-5p activates Wnt signaling and induces EMT in GC. Further, SUFU was identified as a target of miRNA-324-5p confirmed by western blotting and luciferase assays. Spearson analysis and TCGA data indicate that the expression of SUFU is negatively associated with the expression of miRNA-324-5p. Rescue experiments were performed to determine if SUFU mediates the Wnt activation, EMT and oncogenic function of miRNA-324-5p. MiRNA-324-5p inhibitors plus SUFU siRNAs rescue partially the inhibitory effect on Wnt signaling and EMT caused by miRNA-324-5p inhibitors. Finally, the suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation ability induced by miRNA-324-5p inhibitors is alleviated by addition of SUFU siRNAs. In summary, miRNA-324-5p is overexpressed in vivo and exerts cell growth and migration-promoting effects through activating Wnt signaling and EMT by targeting SUFU in GC. It represents a potential miRNA with an oncogenic role in human gastric cancer.

Cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED) was applied to efficiently produce a thick ceramic coating with superior wear and corrosion resistance on aluminium alloy. Ceramic composite coatings were synthesized in a glycerin-carbamide-based electrolyte with and without zirconium nitrate, and their phase components, morphologies and compositions were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). The tribological behaviour and electrochemical corrosion resistance were also evaluated. The results show that Al3C4-Al2O3 and Al3C4-Al2O3-ZrO2 coatings with thicknesses of 65 μm and 50 μm, respectively, were produced by DC-powered CPED in only 7 min. Relative to the uncoated alloy, both coated samples exhibited a much lower friction coefficient and wear rate. The ZrO2 incorporated in the coating enhanced the hardness of the coating and dramatically decreased the friction coefficient to 22% of that of the uncoated alloy. The incorporation of ZrO2 also increased the brittleness, resulting in a slightly higher wear rate than that of the ZrO2-free coating. The wear mechanisms of the Al3C4-Al2O3-ZrO2 and ZrO2-free coatings were concluded to be fatigue failure and abrasive wear, respectively. Both coated samples exhibited improved corrosion resistance. The ZrO2 introduced in the coating also decreased the corrosion current density to only 2.7% of that of the Al3C4-Al2O3 coating and enhanced the capacitive loop and impedance.

A mounting body of evidence has revealed that microRNAs (miRs) serve pivotal roles in various developmental processes, and in tumourigenesis, by binding to target genes and subsequently regulating gene expression. Continued activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling is positively associated with human malignancy. In addition, miR‑194 dysregulation has been implicated in gastric cancer (GC); however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of miR‑194 on GC carcinogenesis remain to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that miR‑194 was upregulated in GC tissues and SUFU negative regulator of Ηedgehog signaling (SUFU) was downregulated in GC cell lines. Subsequently, inhibition of miR‑194 attenuated nuclear accumulation of β‑catenin, which consequently blocked Wnt/β‑catenin signalling. In addition, the cytoplasmic translocation of β‑catenin induced by miR‑194 inhibition was mediated by SUFU. Furthermore, genes associated with the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway were revealed to be downregulated following inhibition of the Wnt signalling pathway by miR‑194 suppression. Finally, the results indicated that cell apoptosis was markedly increased in response to miR‑194 inhibition, strongly suggesting the carcinogenic effects of miR‑194 in GC. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that miR‑194 may promote gastric carcinogenesis through activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway, making it a potential therapeutic target for GC.

With the aim to modify the tribological properties of Ti6Al4V for engineering application, cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED) was performed to explore its feasibility of the preparation of MoS2 containing Ti(C, N) based coating in MoS2 particles-dispersed formamide based electrolyte. The phase constituents, morphologies, element composition and microstructure of the samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and optical microscopy (OM) respectively. The hardness distribution on the cross-section was tested. The ball-on-disk reciprocating sliding test was adopted to evaluate the tribological performance of samples, after which the wear tracks were measured by the step profiler to calculate the wear rate. SEM and EDX were also used to study the wear mechanism. Results show that MoS2-Ti(C, N)-TiO2 coating is synthesized by CPED on Ti6Al4V, with its thickness of ~23 μm. The addition of cationic surfactant, Dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, in electrolyte promotes the deposition of MoS2 particles into the coating. The hardness of the coating reaches 1024 ± 58HV0.025, higher than that of the coating free of MoS2. Hardened regions in both samples with the depth of ~170 μm beneath the coatings, are attributed to the quenching effect of the substrate, make the hardness drop eventually from the coating to the substrate. Both coated samples show higher tribological properties. MoS2 incorporated in the coating, playing the role of lubricant and alleviating the wear damage, creates the extra promotion in tribological properties of the sample, significantly reducing the wear rate and friction coefficient to only 11% and 25% that of the bared Ti6Al4V respectively.

microRNA (miR) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway are two major modules in the field of tumor research. The dysregulation of miR expression and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation are closely related to the tumorigenesis, metastasis and drug resistance. On one hand, miR activates or inhibits classical Wnt signaling pathway through various pathways. On the other hand, Wnt binds to its promoter to activate transcription, which in turn promotes miR expression in tumors. In this review, we describe the relationship between miR and classical Wnt signaling pathway and the regulatory mechanism by which they affect tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis and drug reaction in a variety of tumors. This will provide more comprehensive understanding for the mechanistic studies of miR and Wnt signaling in tumor pathology, and bring new insights into tumor diagnosis, molecular typing, drug screening, and prognostic judgment.

SMG‐1,a member of the phosphoinositide kinase‐like kinase family, functioned as a tumor suppressor gene. However, the role of SMG‐1 in GC remain uncharacterized. In this study, regulation of SMG‐1 by miR‐192 and‐215, along with the biological effects of this modulation, were studied in GC. We used gene microarrays to screening and luciferase reporter assays were to verify the potential targets of miR‐192 and‐215. Tissue microarrays analyses were applied to measure the levels of SMG‐1 in GC tissues. Western blot assays were used to assess the signaling pathway of SMG‐1 regulated by miR‐192 and‐215 in GC. SMG‐1 was significantly downregulated in GC tissues.The proliferative and invasive properties of GC cells were decreased by inhibition of miR‐192 and‐215, whereas an SMG‐1siRNA rescued the inhibitory effects. Finally, SMG‐1 inhibition by miR‐192 and‐215 primed Wnt signaling and induced EMT. Wnt signaling pathway proteins were decreased markedly by inhibitors of miR‐192 and‐215, while SMG‐1 siRNA reversed the inhibition apparently. Meanwhile, miR‐192 and‐215 inhitibtors increased E‐cadherin expression and decreased N‐cadherin and cotransfection of SMG‐1 siRNA reversed these effects. In summary, these findings illustrate that SMG‐1 is suppressed by miR‐192 and‐215 and functions as a tumor suppressor in GC by inactivating Wnt signaling and suppressing EMT.

Besides oxides ceramic coating, cathodic plasma electrolytic saturation (PES) could produce more other types ceramic coatings, including nitrides, carbonitrides, borides, etc., on nearly all kinds of metal substrate. Owing to the accompanying electrochemical deposition (ED) effect of PES, special functional compounds could be deposited in mentioned ceramic coatings by PES simultaneously in special designed electrolyte. In this study, the target Hydroxyapatite (HA)-Ti(C,N)-TiO2 composite coatings were synthesized in one step by PES and accompanying ED in calcium nitrate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate containing formamide based electrolyte. The phase structures, functional groups of molecules, chemical compositions of the surfaces and binding energies of atoms in coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) respectively. The surfaces morphologies, cross sections morphologies, and element maps of the surface were analyzed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS). The coatings exhibit porous structure with island like bulges or spheroids around the pores. The phases formed in coatings are verified to be constituted of HA, Ti(C,N) and anatase. The suggested formation mechanism of anatase in coatings differs to that obtained on anodic titanium surface in PEO process. The phase of HA distributes homogenously on surfaces and displays as clusters congressed by nano-scale needles or rods with their transverse length about ~ 10 nm. The size of the pores and bulges, the crystalline amount of HA phase, and the thickness of the coatings all increase with increasing duration time. The thickness reaches about 56 ± 7 μm when the duration time grew to 30 min, 26% higher than that of the HA-free coating produced in formamide electrolyte with the same process parameters.

Emerging evidence has shown that miRNA-194 is aberrantly upregulated in gastric cancer (GC); however, the biological mechanisms underlying its involvement are largely unknown. Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been implicated in gastric tumorigenesis; we therefore hypothesized that miRNA-194 promotes gastric carcinogenesis by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. MiRNA-194 was found to be overexpressed in GC cell lines and 43 paired GC tissues. Overexpression of miRNA-194 promoted cell proliferation and migration, while inhibition of miRNA-194 blocked these processes. Inhibition of miRNA-194 decreased tumor volumes in nude mice. Furthermore, miRNA-194 inhibitors promoted cytoplasmic localization of β-catenin, leading to repression of Wnt signaling. We also discovered that SUFU, a known negative regulator of Hedgehog and Wnt signaling, was a target of miRNA-194. Anti-SUFU siRNAs rescued the inhibitory effects of miRNA-194 antagonists on cell proliferation and migration and on colony formation. We also found that SUFU expression was downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines and negatively correlated with miRNA-194 expression in primary GC tissues. Moreover, SUFU expression was negatively correlated with tumor stage, supporting its potential as a diagnostic or prognostic marker in GC. Taken together, these findings suggest that miRNA-194 is oncogenic and promotes GC cell proliferation and migration by activating Wnt signaling, at least in part, via suppression of SUFU.

To solve the problem of rapid degradation for magnesium-based implants, surface modification especially coating method is widely studied and showed the great potential for clinical application. However, as concerned to the further application and medical translation for biodegradable magnesium alloys, there are still lack of data and comparisons among different coatings on their degradation and biological properties. This work studied three commonly used coatings on Mg-Sr alloy, including micro-arc oxidation coating, electrodeposition coating and chemical conversion coating, and compared these coatings for requirements of favorable degradation and biological performances, how each of these coating systems has performed. Finally the mechanism for the discrepancy between these coatings is proposed. The results indicate that the micro-arc oxidation coating on Mg-Sr alloy exhibited the best corrosion resistance and cell response among these coatings, and is proved to be more suitable for the orthopedic application.

In this work, the effects of aging time on intergranular and pitting corrosion behavior of Cu-bearing 304L and 304L stainless steels were investigated by using the double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) and the potentiostatic polarization electrochemical methods. The results showed that the Cu-bearing 304L stainless steel possessed a higher intergranular corrosion tendency and a higher pitting corrosion rate for extended aging time. The TEM observation and 3D APT analysis confirmed that above behavior could mainly attribute to the precipitation of the Cu-rich phase in the Cu-bearing 304L stainless steel.

Magnesium-based metals are considered as promising biodegradable orthopedic implant materials due to their potentials of enhancing bone healing and reconstruction, and in vivo absorbable characteristic without second operation for removal. However, the rapid corrosion has limited their clinical applications. Ca-P coating by electrodeposition has been supposed to be effective to control the degradation rate and enhance the bioactivity. In this work, a brushite coating was fabricated on the Mg-Sr alloy by pulse electrodeposition (PED) to evaluate its efficacy for orthopedic application. Interestingly, an inner corrosion layer was observed between the PED coating and the alloy substrate. Meanwhile the results of in vitro immersion and electrochemical tests showed that the corrosion resistance of the coated alloy was undermined in comparison with the uncoated alloy. It was deduced that the existence of this corrosion layer was attributed to the worse corrosion performance of the alloy. The mechanism on formation of the inner corrosion layer and its influence on consequent degradation were analyzed. It can be concluded that the electrodeposition coating should be not suitable for those magnesium alloys with poor corrosion resistance such as the Mg-Sr alloy. More importantly, it should be noted that the process of coating formation combined with the nature of substrate alloy is important to evaluate the efficacy of coating for biodegradable Mg-based implants application.

Considering the compatibility between degradation and bioactivity of magnesium-based implants for bone repair, micro-arc oxidation is used to modify the magnesium alloy surface in aqueous electrolytes, allowing strontium, calcium, and phosphorus to be incorporated into the coating. The thickness, composition, morphology and phase of this Sr–Ca–P containing coating are characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The in vitro and in vivo degradation of the coating is evaluated by immersion test, electrochemical test and implantation test. Moreover, the cytocompatibility is tested with osteoblast cell according to ISO 10993. The results show that Sr, Ca and P elements are incorporated into the oxide coating, and a refined structure with tiny discharging micro-pores is observed on the surface of the coating. The Sr–Ca–P coating possesses a better corrosion resistance in vitro and retards the degradation in vivo. Such coating is expected to have significant medical applications on orthopedic implants and bone repair materials.

Recently, traditionally non-encoding circRNA has been shown to encode a new protein to play an important role in oncogenesis. Based on the sequencing data and bioinformatics analysis, circAX was screened as an oncogenic circRNA encoding AX-295aa in gastric cancer. CircAX is highly expressed in gastric cancer and associated with lymph node metastasis. We found that circAX promotes GC cell proliferation and migration and it encodes a novel protein AX-295aa. AX-295aa interacts with APC and competitively inhibits AXIN1 binding to APC. It enhances β-catenin nuclear translocation and activates Wnt signaling pathway to promote the carcinogenesis and development of gastric cancer. The study reveals a new regulatory mechanism of circAX and clarify the mechanism by which circAX promotes gastric carcinogenesis. It will ultimately provide novel circRNA molecular markers for early diagnosis and targets for more effective treatment of gastric cancer. Citation Format: Yin Peng, Xiaojing Zhang, Shiqi Deng, Jieqiong He, Wangchun Chen, Xiaohui Zhu, Yuan Yuan, Xianling Feng, Xinmin Fan, Zhe Jin. Novel protein AX-295aa encoded by circAX promotes gastric carcinogenesis by activating Wnt pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4820.

Less than a century ago, gastric cancer (GC) was the most common cancer throughout the world. Despite advances in surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic treatment, GC remains the number 3 cancer killer worldwide. This fact highlights the need for better diagnostic biomarkers and more effective therapeutic targets. RAB11-FIP2, a member of the Rab11 family of interacting proteins, exhibits potential tumor suppressor function. However, involvement of RAB11-FIP2 in gastric carcinogenesis is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that RAB11-FIP2 was downregulated in GC tissues and constituted a target of the known onco-miRs, miR-192/215. We also showed that functionally, Rab11-FIP2 regulation by miR-192/215 is involved in GC-related biological activities. Finally, RAB11-FIP2 inhibition by miR-192/215 affected the establishment of cell polarity and tight junction formation in GC cells. In summary, this miR-192/215–Rab11-FIP2 axis appears to represent a new molecular mechanism underlying GC progression, while supplying a promising avenue of further research into diagnosis and therapy of GC.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths throughout China and worldwide. The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has provided a new opportunity for developing diagnostic biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets in GC. By performing microarray analyses of benign and malignant gastric epithelial cell lines (HFE145, NCI-N87, MKN28, RF1, KATO III and RF48), 16 significantly dysregulated miRNAs were found. 11 of these were validated by real-time qRT-PCR. Based on miRWalk online database scans, 703 potential mRNA targets of the 16 miRNAs were identified. Bioinformatic analyses suggested that these dysregulated miRNAs and their predicted targets were principally involved in tumor pathogenesis, MAPK signaling, and apoptosis. Finally, miRNA-gene network analyses identified miRNA-125b as a crucial miRNA in GC development. Taken together, these results develop a comprehensive expression and functional profile of differentially expressed miRNAs related to gastric oncogenesis. This profile may serve as a potential tool for biomarker and therapeutic target identification in GC patients.

A new phenylethanoid glycoside (2) and a new secoiridoid glycoside (16) were isolated from the leaves of Ligustrum purpurascens together with fourteen known compounds (1 and 3–15). The structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic analyses (UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D, and 2D NMR). The absolute configuration of 16 was further determined by CD analysis. All phenylethanoid glycosides were prepared and their up-regulation of IFN-γ production in mouse splenic lymphocytes was evaluated. Compounds 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13 and 15 exhibited potent stimulatory effect on IFN-γ secretion.

Controlling the corrosion rate of magnesium alloys in vivo to match the bone repair is crucially important for application as biodegradable orthopedic implants. To solve this challenge, a Si-doped Ca-P coating with a novel dual-layer structure was deposited on AZ31 alloy substrate by pulse electrodeposition. The morphology, composition and formation of dual-layer coating were believed to be determined by pulse electrodeposition parameters, thus the deposition time, temperature, duty cycle, pH value of the electrolyte and the standing duration of mixed electrolyte were regulated to seek possible influences and mechanism on the coating formation. Weight gain and pH monitoring tests were also used to evaluate the performance of coating under the varied parameters. The results indicated that deposition temperature and time remarkably influenced the morphology, homogeneity and crystallinity of Ca-P coating. A uniform and compact coating with better degradation performance was obtained at 60 degrees C with deposition time of 40 min. The shorter standing duration of the electrolyte lead to an incomplete coating and uneven distribution of Si contents. The two coupled deposition models contributed to this dual-layer structure of Si-doped Ca-P coating and possible formation mechanism was proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Current automation-assisted technologies for screening cervical cancer mainly rely on automated liquid-based cytology slides with proprietary stain. This is not a cost-efficient approach to be utilized in developing countries. In this article, we propose the first automation-assisted system to screen cervical cancer in manual liquid-based cytology (MLBC) slides with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain, which is inexpensive and more applicable in developing countries. This system consists of three main modules: image acquisition, cell segmentation, and cell classification. First, an autofocusing scheme is proposed to find the global maximum of the focus curve by iteratively comparing image qualities of specific locations. On the autofocused images, the multiway graph cut (GC) is performed globally on the a* channel enhanced image to obtain cytoplasm segmentation. The nuclei, especially abnormal nuclei, are robustly segmented by using GC adaptively and locally. Two concave-based approaches are integrated to split the touching nuclei. To classify the segmented cells, features are selected and preprocessed to improve the sensitivity, and contextual and cytoplasm information are introduced to improve the specificity. Experiments on 26 consecutive image stacks demonstrated that the dynamic autofocusing accuracy was 2.06 μm. On 21 cervical cell images with nonideal imaging condition and pathology, our segmentation method achieved a 93% accuracy for cytoplasm, and a 87.3% F-measure for nuclei, both outperformed state of the art works in terms of accuracy. Additional clinical trials showed that both the sensitivity (88.1%) and the specificity (100%) of our system are satisfyingly high. These results proved the feasibility of automation-assisted cervical cancer screening in MLBC slides with H&E stain, which is highly desirable in community health centers and small hospitals.

BACKGROUND Endoglin (ENG) is a 180-kilodalton transmembrane glycoprotein that functions as a component of the transforming growth factor-β receptor complex. Recently, ENG promoter hypermethylation was reported in several human cancers. METHODS The authors examined ENG promoter hypermethylation using real-time, quantitative, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in 260 human esophageal tissues. RESULTS ENG hypermethylation demonstrated highly discriminative receiver operating characteristic curve profiles, clearly distinguishing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) from normal esophagus (P