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A novel self-hardening α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) bone cement complexed with different content of α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-CSH) and micrometer hydroxyapatite mineralized silk fibroin (HA-SF) using micro/SF as curing liquid has been investigated in this work, which was capable of tunable setting time, degradation, mechanical property and ability to anti-washout. After addition 0 ∼ 25% α-CSH to the α-TCP cement with SFFs as curing liquid, it shortened the setting time of the modified composite to 10 ∼ 30 min. Furthermore, the addition of SFFs improved the compressive strength of the composite from 5.41 MPa to 9.44 MPa. The composites with both Na2HPO4 and SFFs as curing liquid showed good anti-collapse performance. The weight loss ratio of bone cement was −0.18 ∼ 12.08% in 4 weeks when the content of α-CSH in α-TCP/α-CSH was between 0 ∼ 25 wt%. During the degradation of α-CSH, the amorphous α-TCP were deposited as hydroxyapatite to formed a plate-like products on the surface of composite. Compared to the composite with Na2HPO4 solution as the curing liquid, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the composites using SFFs as curing liquid were maintained at high levels on the 14th day especially when the Ca/P ratio was 1.7. This study provides a theoretical basis for the regeneration of bone defects guided by bone cement materials.

The developed Pt/MgO@C with ultralow Pt loading (0.078 wt%) exhibited superior catalytic performance for synthesizing 2,1-benzisoxazole derivatives by a reductive heterocyclization route under very mild conditions (1 bar hydrogen pressure at 303 K).

This study aims to explore the functional role of Myoz2 in myoblast differentiation, and elucidate the potential factors interact with Myoz2 in promoter transcriptional regulation. The temporal-spatial expression results showed that the bovine Myoz2 gene was highest expressed in longissimus dorsi, and in individual growth stages and myoblast differentiation stages. Knockdown of Myoz2 inhibited the differentiation of myoblast, and negative effect of MyoD, MyoG, MyH and MEF2A expression on mRNA levels. Subsequently, the promoter region of bovine Myoz2 gene with 1.7 Kb sequence was extracted, and then it was set as eight series of deleted fragments, which were ligated into pGL3-basic to detect core promoter regions of Myoz2 gene in myoblasts and myotubes. Transcription factors MyoD and MyoG were identified as important cis-acting elements in the core promoter region (-159/+1). Also, it was highly conserved in different species based on dual-luciferase analysis and multiple sequence alignment analysis, respectively. Furthermore, a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis combined with site-directed mutation and siRNA interference and overexpression confirmed that the combination of MyoD and MyoG occurred in region -159/+1, and played an important role in the regulation of bovine Myoz2 gene. These findings explored the regulatory network mechanism of Myoz2 gene during the development of bovine skeletal muscle.

Green synthesis offers an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). In this study, the synthesis of CuO NPs was optimized by using copper sulfate (CuSO

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is closely related to the meat quality of livestock and poultry. As a new cell culture technique in

Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), which is aimed at making all elements of the factorization nonnegative and achieving nonlinear dimensional reduction at the same time, is an effective method for solving recommendation system problems. However, in many real-world applications, most models learn recommendation models under the supervised learning paradigm. Since the recommendation performance of NMF models relies heavily on initialization, the user-item interaction information is often very sparse. In many cases, supervised information about the data is difficult to obtain, resulting in a large number of existing models for supervised learning being inapplicable. To address this problem, we propose an information self-supervised NMF model for recommendation. Specifically, this model is based on the matrix factorization idea and introduces a self-supervised learning mechanism based on the NMF model to enhance the sparse data information of sparse data, and an easily extensible self-supervised NMF model was proposed. Furthermore, a corresponding gradient descent optimization algorithm was proposed, and the complexity of the algorithm was analysed. A large number of experimental results show that the proposed S2NMF has better performance.

In the present study, discarded pruned tea branch was used to prepare a new biochar, and the physicochemical properties and adsorption characteristics were investigated by characterization and batch experiments. With increasing pyrolysis temperature from 400 to 800 °C, the yield, specific surface area, and acidic functional groups had significant differences. The optimum adsorption conditions were determined as pH = 6 and dosage of 2 g L−1. The pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal model could fit well to the adsorption data, which showed that the adsorption process was dominated by monolayer chemical adsorption. The highest adsorption property (74.04 mg g−1) was obtained by the pyrolysis of tea branch biochar (TBB) at 700 °C owing to the adsorption mechanisms, including surface complexation, precipitation, metal ion exchange, and Cd2+–π interaction. After five cycles of desorption, biochar still showed superior adsorption (80%). Hence, the TBB acted as a regenerable adsorbent for treating Cd2+-containing wastewater.

Receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1, also known as RIPK1) is not only a tumor-promoting factor in several cancers but also mediates either apoptosis or necroptosis in certain circumstances. In this study we investigated what role RIP1 plays in human ovarian cancer cells. We showed that knockout (KO) of RIP1 substantially suppressed cell proliferation, accompanied by the G2/M checkpoint arrest in two human ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and A2780. On the other hand, RIP1 KO remarkably attenuated cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, which was associated with reduction of the apoptosis markers PARP cleavage and the necroptosis marker phospho-MLKL. We found that RIP1 KO suppressed cisplatin-induced ROS accumulation in both SKOV3 and A2780 cells. ROS scavenger BHA, apoptosis inhibitor Z-VAD or necroptosis inhibitor NSA could effectively suppress cisplatin's cytotoxicity in the control cells, suggesting that ROS-mediated apoptosis and necroptosis were involved in cisplatin-induced cell death. In addition, blocking necroptosis with MLKL siRNA effectively attenuated cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. In human ovarian cancer A2780 cell line xenograft nude mice, RIP1 KO not only significantly suppressed the tumor growth but also greatly attenuated cisplatin's anticancer activity. Our results demonstrate a dual role of RIP1 in human ovarian cancer: it acts as either a tumor-promoting factor to promote cancer cell proliferation or a tumor-suppressing factor to facilitate anticancer effects of chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin.

Cryptorchidism is one of the most common congenital anomalies in newborn boys. There are various risk factors that have been verified to have relationship with cryptorchidism, including exogenous and genetic, but the pathogenesis of cryptorchidism remains unclear. PFKM gene is a critical gene encodes for a regulatory enzyme, which limits the rate in the pathway of glycolysis. We assumed that cryptorchidism risk may associated with PFKM gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Thus we selected three tag SNPs in the PFKM gene and aimed to investigate the possible association between PFKM gene polymorphisms and cryptorchidism risk.The SNPs were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. 140 cases and 227 controls were enrolled in this study, including 105 unilateral cryptorchidism and 35 bilateral cases. The testis position was decided by the higher one in bilateral cases.The frequency of allele G of SNP rs2228500 is increased in cryptorchidism patients compared to that in controls (p 0.05). Genotypic frequencies of rs2228500 are associated with the susceptibility of cryptorchidism in the codominant model (p 0.05). And compared with G/G genotype in the dominant model, notable decreased frequencies of A carriers (A/G-A/A genotypes) were observed in cryptorchidism patients (p = 0.0069, OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.17-2.75).This research first revealed that PFKM gene polymorphisms were associated with cryptorchidism in a Chinese Han population. We have offered primary evidence that the G allele and the G/G genotype of rs2228500 SNP in the PFKM gene are more frequent in patients with cryptorchidism than healthy controls.

In the cold storage construction project, only by controlling the quality risk of the project can ensure that the cold storage can meet the expected use function and achieve the expected economic benefits after the completion of the cold storage. In order to effectively ensure the key pivot role of cold storage in cold chain logistics, a cold storage construction quality risk management system is constructed to identify and analyze quality risk factors from three dimensions: construction procedures, participating units, and work processes, construct a cold storage construction quality risk evaluation model based on Bayesian network, and through reverse reasoning analysis and sensitivity analysis, key quality risk factors are derived: inadequate quality assurance system, technical delivery is not in place, mismatch of building materials and equipment, inadequate training of skilled workers, completion acceptance is not careful or acceptance standards are unreasonable, and duration does not meet the requirements. Finally, in view of the above quality risks, suggestions and measures are put forward from five aspects: man, material, machine, method, and environment.

Aim: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a gynecological malignancy with a challenging judgment of prognosis due to complicated etiology and high recurrence rate. The oncostatin M receptor (OSMR) from members of the IL-6 receptor family is associated with tumor development. This study aims to explore the correlations between OSMR gene polymorphisms (rs2278329 [G/A, missense, Asp553Asn], rs2292016 [G/T, promoter, -100G/T]) and OC. Methods: This study enrolled 160 OC patients and 397 healthy controls. Genotypes of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms were distinguished using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: A significantly decreased overall survival rate was found in serous OC patients carrying rs2278329 GA/AA genotypes. Meanwhile, TT genotype carriers of rs2292016 had an improved relapse rate, and the GT genotype showed a definitive correlation with a lower relapse rate. Conclusion: OSMR gene polymorphisms may be related to recurrence and overall survival of serous OC patients.

Background. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a primary myocardial disease and one of the critical causes of heart failure. It is the most common indication for heart transplantation worldwide, and most idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies are sporadic and multifactorial. Evidence has supported that several inflammatory cytokines and immune responses are involved in its pathological process. Interleukin-32 is a proinflammatory cytokine and is elevated during the worsening cardiac function. Herein, we evaluated the correlation between interleukin-32 gene polymorphisms (rs12934561 and rs28372698) and the susceptibility to dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods. We enrolled 418 dilated cardiomyopathy patients and 437 healthy controls. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used for genotyping the two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and SPSS software was used for statistical analyses. Results. The C allele and CC genotype frequencies of rs12934561 were remarkably elevated in dilated cardiomyopathy patients compared to controls (bothP<0.001). The A allele and AA genotype frequencies of rs28372698 significantly decreased in dilated cardiomyopathy patients (P=0.004andP=0.02, respectively). Compared to TT/TC genotype carriers of rs12934561, CC homozygotes presented an increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy when the left ventricular ejection fraction no more than 30% (P=0.02). Conclusions. The IL-32 gene polymorphisms might implicate in DCM risk in the Chinese Han population, and rs12934561 could be a potential forecasting factor for screening high-risk population for DCM.

Improving the energy density has been being a challenge for supercapacitors, and the efficient approach is to choose active materials (composites) based on the potential window (chemical stability) and theoretical specific capacitance of both matched electrodes, which usually own unique nano-sized and porous (hierarchical) structure. Herein, hierarchical VS4/rGO/CoS2@Co (VRCS@Co) nanocomposite cathode and rGO/Co9S8@Co (RCS@Co) anode with nanosheet arrays were both in-situ synthesized on Co foam through a simple one-step hydrothermal process in the presence of graphene oxide (GO). VRCS@Co cathode exhibited a high capacitance of 274.3 mAh g−1 (1353 F g−1) at 0.625 A g−1 and an excellent cyclic life of 89.6% retention at 20,000th cycles, while RCS@Co anode delivered a superior capacitance of 619.5 mAh g−1 (2230 F g−1) at 0.714 A g−1 and a good cyclability of 93.3% retention at 2000th cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) assembled by using VRCS@Co cathode and RCS@Co anode revealed an ultrahigh energy density of 106 Wh kg−1 along with a power density of 2.67 kW kg−1.

Aim: The study was aimed to explore the association between AXIN1 gene polymorphism and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) susceptibility as well as prognosis. Methods: A total of 165 EOC cases and 327 healthy controls were recruited to participate in this study. In total three tag SNPs in AXIN1 gene were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: Significantly increased EOC risk was found associated with the A/C heterozygous genotype of rs12921862, the C allele and C/T genotype in the rs1805105 and the T/T genotype of rs370681. Meanwhile, Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed that patients with rs12921862 C/C genotype improved overall survival in the EOC group. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the AXIN1 gene may be related to susceptibility and overall survival in EOC.

Sulfide bond incorporated organosilica particles have been broadly applied to versatile biomedical applications, wherein the uniformity of particles and the sulfur content significantly dictate the ultimate performance. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in controlling the chemical behavior of organosilica precursors in a sol–gel process, challenges still exist in developing a facile and green synthetic approach to fabricate organosilica particles with good dispersity and high sulfur content. In the present work, by extending the classic Stober method, a surfactant-free synthesis of monodispersed organosilica particles with pure sulfide-bridged silsesquioxane framework chemistry is reported for the first time. By simply tailoring the ethanol-to-water ratio and amount of catalyst, the size of disulfide-bridged organosilica particles can be tuned from ~0.50 to ~1.20 µm. Moreover, this approach can be employed to prepare tetra-sulfide bridged silica nanoparticles with an extremely high sulfur content of 30.7 wt% and negligible cytotoxicity. Notably, taking advantage of this extended Stober method, both hydrophilic (methylene blue) and hydrophobic (curcumin) molecules can be in-situ encapsulated into tetra-sulfide bridged silica nanoparticles, whose glutathione-triggered biodegradability is also demonstrated. Collectively, the innovative synthetic approach and organosilica particles developed in this work are expected to open up new opportunities in hybrid materials fabrication and bio-applications.

Interleukin-32 (IL-32) as a pro-inflammatory cytokine participates in the progression of inflammation and cancer. Ovarian cancer (OC) accounts for a considerable mortality rate, but research on IL-32 and OC is almost nil. Our study aims to explore the association between IL-32 and the progression as well as prognosis of OC initially. This hospital-based case-control study enrolled 147 OC patients and 337 healthy controls, and we used the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to distribute the genotypes. The results showed that the homozygous genotype (TT) of rs28372698 SNP was significantly higher in patients compared to controls (12.9% vs. 6.2%, P = 0.018, OR (95% CI) = 2.23 (1.16-4.29)). This revealed that TT genotype might be a risk factor in OC progression. This present study indicates that IL-32 gene polymorphism relates to an increased OC susceptibility, and IL-32 may be a marker for OC progression.

In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized using leaf extract of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl and zinc acetate. Its antifungal activity was evaluated against Alternaria alternata which caused early blight disease in Solanum lycopersicum. The results showed that the size of the synthesized ZnO NPs obviously depended on the pH during the reaction. The peak of the UV-Vis spectra was at 368-374 nm, which confirmed the synthesis of ZnO NPs. SEM showed that the synthesized ZnO NPs agglomerated into spherical particles. TEM reveled that the average particle sizes of ZnO NPs synthesized at pH 7, pH 8 and pH 9 were about 13.92, 15.19 and 21.13 nm, respectively. Furthermore, ZnO NPs treatments at 20-160 mg/L could significantly inhibit the mycelia growth of A. alternata, and ZnO NPs synthesized at pH 7 showed the best antifungal effect with MIC value recorded as 20 mg/L. Moreover, 20 mg/L ZnO NPs synthesized at pH 7 significantly limited spore germination and germ tube elongation of A. alternata. In addition, ZnO NPs induced excessive accumulation of MDA in A. alternata and caused the damage of cell membrane, leading to the leakage of protein and nucleic acid. Therefore, green synthesized ZnO NPs, as a promising biocontrol agent, could be used to control fungal diseases.

Aim: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the association between the polymorphisms in AXIN1 with susceptibility to clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Materials & methods: A total of 284 ccRCC patients and 439 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Totally three tag single nucleotide polymorphisms in AXIN1 gene were genotyped using PCR & restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: Significantly increased ccRCC risk was observed to be associated with the CT/CC genotypes of rs1805105 and AA genotype of rs12921862. Patients carrying the rs1805105 CT genotype had a 1.92-fold increased risk to developing clinical stage III and IV cancer. Conclusion: Our results suggested the rs1805105 CT/CC genotypes and rs12921862 AA genotype may relate to ccRCC development.

Background Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is highly lethal worldwide. Factors involved in the inflammation and hormone-associated signaling pathway play vital roles in EOC carcinogenesis. The transforming growth factor-β- (TGF-β-) activated kinase 1 (MAP3K7) binding protein 2 (TAB2), mediating convergence of inflammatory and estrogen, may be implicated in EOC. The present study is aimed at exploring the association between the TAB2 gene polymorphisms and EOC. Methods Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs237028, rs521845, and rs652921) of TAB2 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 221 patients and 252 healthy controls. Associations between SNPs and clinical characteristics were performed either with the χ2 test or with Fisher's exact test. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were used to detect associations between genotypes and overall survival. Results The rs237028 polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of EOC with an allelic genetic model (A vs. G; OR = 1.45; 95%CI = 1.07–1.96; P = 0.016), dominant genetic model (AA vs. AG-GG; OR = 1.66; CI 1.14–2.41; P = 0.008), and overdominant genetic model (AA-GG vs. AG; OR = 1.60; CI 1.08–2.36; P = 0.017). However, no significant association was observed between rs237028 polymorphism and overall survival. Conclusions Our study indicated that the rs237028 polymorphism in the TAB2 gene was associated with EOC susceptibility and the TAB2 gene might contribute to the initiation of EOC.