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We and others have shown that MPM (micropeptide in mitochondria) regulates myogenic differentiation and muscle development. However, the roles of MPM in cancer development remain unknown. Here we revealed that MPM was downregulated significantly in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its decrease was associated with increased metastasis potential and HCC recurrence. Gain- and loss-of-function investigations disclosed that in vitro migration/invasion and in vivo liver/lung metastasis of hepatoma cells were repressed by restoring MPM expression and increased by silencing MPM. Mechanism investigations revealed that MPM interacted with NDUFA7. Mitochondrial complex I activity was inhibited by overexpressing MPM and enhanced by siMPM, and this effect of siMPM was attenuated by knocking down NDUFA7. The NAD(+)/NADH ratio, which was regulated by complex I, was reduced by MPM but increased by siMPM. Treatment with the NAD(+) precursor nicotinamide abrogated the inhibitory effect of MPM on hepatoma cell migration. Further investigations showed that miR-17-5p bound to MPM and inhibited MPM expression. miR-17-5p upregulation was associated with MPM downregulation in HCC tissues. These findings indicate that a decrease in MPM expression may promote hepatoma metastasis by increasing mitochondrial complex I activity and the NAD(+)/NADH ratio.

An efficient method for the diversity-oriented synthesis of spiropentadiene pyrazolones and 1H-oxepino[2,3-c]pyrazoles is reported. The methodology attributes O-acylation of phosphorus zwitterions which were formed by a tandem phospha-1,6-addition of PBu3 to α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated pyrazolones, further generating betaine intermediates that preferentially resulted in the aforementioned cyclic products in a diversity-oriented manner. The mechanistic investigations revealed that formation of the betaines is the key step to provide the products via an intramolecular Wittig reaction or an unprecedented δ-C-acylation/cyclization/Wittig reaction.

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease featured with a dry mouth and dry eyes. Several autoantibodies, including anti-SSA, anti-SSB, antinuclear antibodies can be detected in patients with SS. Oxidation-specific epitopes (OSEs) can be formed from malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified protein adducts and trigger chronic inflammation. In this study, our purposes were used serum levels of anti-MDA-modified peptide adducts autoantibodies to evaluate predictive performance by machine learning algorithms in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and assess the association between pSS and healthy controls.Three novel MDA-modified peptide adducts, including immunoglobulin (Ig) gamma heavy chain 1 (IGHG1)The random forest classifier utilized autoantibodies combination composed of IgM anti-IGHG1Our findings imply that low levels of IgA anti-IGHG1

A dipole antenna with a bent dumbbell shape was positioned above and horizontal to a metal reflector to improve peak gain and steering of the radiation pattern. A parasitic square patch etched on the bottom side of the dumbbell arms provided a feeding delay line for producing dipole radiation in the 3600 MHz band. For gain enhancement and beam reconfiguration, the height of the horizontal dipole and the metal reflector could be adjusted to generate constructive reflections in phase with the radiated waves. When a dipole antenna with a height equal to half a wavelength was installed above the metal reflector, it exhibited a tilted main beam of 48° and maximum gain reached 9.2 dBi. A multiple-input–multiple-output antenna with a pair of strip stubs was also investigated. Simulation and measurement results indicated that the proposed structure achieved good isolation. The antenna had an impedance bandwidth (VSWR ≤ 2) of approximately 19.0% (3146–3818 MHz) and a low coupling ( S 21) of less than −25 dB. In this band, the average gain enhancement approximated 5.1 dBi.

This study describes a design of a tag antenna for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in the Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) which allows different tuning methods to tune the antenna's impedance on metallic objects. The compact patch antenna consists of a C-Shaped resonator and a ground plane connected a small shorting wall and fed by a loop in the middle of the C-Shaped resonator. A couple of slits etched around the shorting wall and a slot etched in the center of the C-shaped resonator result in a flexible adjusting method to match a conjugating impedance with the UCODE 8/8m chip (19 - j234 Ω at 915 MHz). The optimal design with an overall size of 30 × 30 × 3 mm3 (0.092 λ0 x 0.092 λ0 x 0.0092 λ0) yields a reading range of 6.4 m for the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 4.0 W.

This study developed a novel shorted antenna with tuning slit for radio frequency identification (RFID) that mounted on a metallic plane. Conjugate matching of the resistance and inductive reactance of the antenna to the desired chip impedance can be performed by simply tuning the length of the slit etched on the patch. An Alien Higgs-4 chip (8.1-j149 Ω at 925 MHz) was connected to the short side strip of the feeding loop. The gap of 0.1 mm between the proposed antenna and the metallic plane can enhance the antenna gain from the reflection of the plane. After analysis and optimization of the tag antenna, fabricated tags mounted on a metallic plane had impedance bandwidths of 2.2%. In tests of an RFID reader with an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 4.0 W, the maximum read ranges for tag in an outdoor environment was 8.1 m.

An efficient method for the diversity-oriented synthesis of spiropentadiene pyrazolones and 1

Aim This study aimed to explore the association between socioeconomic status and urinary incontinence (UI). Methods We used data from the three waves of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging. This study included 2458 women and 2866 men aged ≥50 years. We used logistic random effects models to examine the associations of interest, adjusting for demographics, health-related behaviors, disability, number of health conditions and prostate problems for men and numbers of children for women. Results In adjusted analysis, women with secondary education least frequently reported UI compared with women with no formal education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.41, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.22-0.79). Those with severe economic hardships (vs those with no economic hardships) had an increased risk of UI among men and women (AOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.72-4.25 and AOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.31-2.88, respectively). Compared with men doing mentally demanding jobs, service workers/salesperson and retired men were more prone to UI (AOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.14-6.36 and AOR 2.41, 95% CI 1.19-4.87, respectively). Further analysis showed that the associations of economic hardship with UI were attenuated when adjusting for access to healthcare. Conclusion No formal education in women and severe economic hardship in both the sexes were associated with an increased risk of UI among middle-aged and older persons. The disparities should be taken into account in interventions for prevention, treatment and management of UI. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 245-253.

This study identified and validated four differentially expressed novel malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified peptide adducts and evaluated autoantibodies against native and MDA-modified peptides among Taiwanese women patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls (HCs). Ig kappa chain C region 76–99 , alpha-1-antitrypsin 284–298 , alpha-2-macroglobulin 824–841 , and apolipoprotein B-100 4022–4040 exhibiting 2-fold differences in relative modification ratios were identified by concanavalin A (Con A) affinity chromatography, 1D SDS-PAGE, in-gel digestion, nano-LC/MS/MS and nano-LC/MS using pooled serum-derived Con A-captured proteins from 9 RA and 9 age-matched HCs. Furthermore, the levels of proteins, serum MDA, and MDA-modified protein adducts were further validated against individual serum from 20 RA and 20 HCs, and autoantibodies against native and their MDA-modified peptides used 45 RA, 30 OA and 45 HCs. Levels of serum MDA and MDA-modified protein adducts were significantly higher in RA than HCs but protein levels were not significantly different. Serum Igs G and M against MDA-modified peptides showed better diagnostic performance in differentiating among patients with RA, OA and HCs, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.96–0.98, sensitivity of 88.9%–97.8%, and specificity of 88.9%–100%. Autoantibodies against MDA-modified epitopes become useful clinical biomarkers for RA. Biological significance By using a label-free relative quantitative proteomic analysis of concanavalin A (Con A)-bound serum samples, the current study discovered and validated malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified peptide adducts as novel biomarkers for differentiating between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls (HCs). In addition, the serum levels of MDA, proteins, and MDA-modified protein adducts as well as the MDA modification of proteins were determined. Isotypes of autoantibodies against MDA-modified peptide adducts can be used as serological biomarkers for further discriminating among RA patients, osteoarthritis patients and HCs. This strategy can become the basis for identifying potential diagnostic and pathological biomarkers for RA.

Micropeptides belong to a class of newly identified small molecules with micropeptide in mitochondria) and upregulated during in vitro differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts and in vivo early postnatal skeletal muscle development, and muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin (CTX) damage. Downregulation of MPM was observed in the muscular tissues of tibial muscular dystrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients. Furthermore, MPM silencing inhibited the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes, whereas MPM overexpression stimulated it. MPM−/− mice exhibited smaller skeletal muscle fibers and worse muscle performance, such as decrease in the maximum grip force of limbs, the latency to fall off rotarod, and the exhausting swimming time. Muscle regeneration was also impaired in MPM−/− mice, as evidenced by lower expression of Pax7, MyoD, and MyoG after CTX injection and smaller regenerated myofibers, compared with wild-type mice. Mechanistical investigations based on both gain- and loss-of function studies revealed that MPM increased oxygen consumption and ATP production of mitochondria. Moreover, ectopic expression of PGC-1α, which can enhance mitochondrial respiration, attenuated the inhibitory effect of siMPM on myogenic differentiation. These results imply that MPM may promote myogenic differentiation and muscle fiber growth by enhancing mitochondrial respiratory activity, which highlights the importance of micropeptides in the elaborate regulatory network of both myogenesis and mitochondrial activity and implicates MPM as a potential target for muscular dystrophy therapy.

The objective of this study was to identify novel acetylation (Ac) modifications of the C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) and explain the association of the levels of autoantibodies against acetylated C1-INH peptides with the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Ac modifications of the C1-INH were identified and validated through in-gel digestion, nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting by using serum protein samples obtained from patients with SLE and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). In addition, the levels of serum C1-INH, Ac-protein adducts, and autoantibodies against unmodified and acetylated C1-INH peptides were measured. C1-INH levels in patients with SLE were significantly lower than those in HCs by 1.53-fold (p = 0.0008), however, Ac-protein adduct concentrations in patients with SLE were significantly higher than those in HCs by 1.35-fold (p = 0.0009). Moreover, immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-C1-INH367&ndash, 385 Ac and IgA anti-C1-INH367&ndash, 385 Ac levels in patients with SLE were significantly lower than those in HCs. The low levels of IgM anti-C1-INH367&ndash, 385 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.725, p &lt, 0.001), IgM anti-C1-INH367&ndash, 385 Ac (OR = 4.089, p = 0.001), and IgA anti-C1-INH367&ndash, 385 Ac (OR = 5.566, p &lt, 0.001) indicated increased risks for the development of SLE compared with HCs.

A novel radio frequency identification tag antenna is composed of a resonant open-slot exciter and a dipole-type ground radiator. For a conjugate match to the Alien Higgs-4 chip impedance of 8−j149 Ω at 925 MHz, a quarter wavelength open-slot resonator embedded at the center of the dipole-type ground plane (130 × 18 mm2) was investigated and fabricated. Simple size adjustments and various loaded inductor of the open-slot resonator allow for easy control of the tag antenna resistance and inductive reactance, from which the chip impedance requirement can be easily obtained. The read range of the prototype antenna attached on a foam in the free space can reach more than 9 m, which has been tested for a radio frequency identification reader with 4.0-W of effective isotropic radiated power. Measurement data are in good agreement with simulation results.

Conventional methods for identifying gastroenteritis pathogens are time consuming, more likely to result in a false-negative, rely on personnel with diagnostic expertise, and are dependent on the specimen status. Alternatively, molecular diagnostic methods permit the rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. The present study compared conventional methods with the Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (xTAG GPP) for the diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis in northern Taiwan. From July 2015 to April 2016, 217 clinical fecal samples were collected from patients with suspected infectious gastroenteritis. All specimens were tested using conventional diagnostic techniques following physicians' orders as well as with the xTAG GPP. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach detected significantly more positive samples with bacterial, viral, and/or parasitic infections as compared to conventional analysis (55.8% vs 40.1%, respectively; P < .001). Moreover, multiplex PCR could detect Escherichia coli O157, enterotoxigenic E coli, Shiga-like toxin-producing E coli, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia, which were undetectable by conventional methods. Furthermore, 48 pathogens in 23 patients (10.6%) with coinfections were identified only using the multiplex PCR approach. Of which, 82.6% were from pediatric patients. Because the detection rates using multiplex PCR are higher than conventional methods, and some pediatric pathogens could only be detected by multiplex PCR, this approach may be useful in rapidly diagnosing diarrheal disease in children and facilitating treatment initiation. Further studies are necessary to determine if multiplex PCR improves patient outcomes and reduces costs.

A compact dual open-loop antenna is proposed to provide enhanced bandwidth in near-field applications in the ultra-high frequency band. The antenna generates a strong and uniform magnetic field in a near-field zone of the smaller open-loop antenna. For increased bandwidth, two open loops with individual half-wavelength perimeters are etched on each side of an FR4 printed circuit board. The antenna was fabricated in a compact overall size (dimensions, 60 × 60 × 0.8 mm3) and achieves an interrogation zone of 50 × 50 mm2 with good impedance matching and uniform magnetic field distribution in a 888–932 MHz band. Performance tests indicate that the proposed antenna has a reading distance of up to 130 mm for near-field applications and is suitable for radio frequency identification reader applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2008–2012, 2015

A novel miniature folded square patch antenna is proposed and developed for Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. Four different lengths of meander strips connected to the four edges of the square patch of a single coaxial-feed square patch antenna are folded to obtain a circularly polarized antenna. Properly positioning the coaxial feed on the square patch excites two orthogonal resonant modes with a 90 $^{\circ}$ phase difference and achieves a pure circular polarization. Conventional antennas for roof-mounted vehicle communication devices use commercially available ceramic corner-truncated patches whereas the proposed GPS antenna is designed to use a less expensive and more compact FR4 patch. Experiments also showed that mounting the proposed GPS antenna in different locations on the roof of a vehicle had little effect on circular polarization radiation. The fabricated prototype revealed an impedance bandwidth of 2.1% and a 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth approximating 0.76% at a GPS frequency of 1575 MHz. Experiments confirmed that the characteristics of the proposed antenna were consistent with the simulation results.

The aim of this study was to examine oxidative stress and low level of α-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), and evaluate the associated autoreactivity against unmodified and their 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)-modified peptides with pSS. Two differentially expressed proteins, α-1-acid glycoprotein 1 (A1AG1) and A1AT, exhibited 2-fold differences, and their HNE modifications were identified by depleted-albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum protein, in-solution digestion, in-gel digestion, and nano-liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS) from pSS patients and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). Furthermore, levels of proteins, confirmation of HNE modifications, HNE-protein adducts and autoreactivity against unmodified and their HNE-modified peptides were further validated. Levels of the HNE-protein adduct and A1AG1 were significantly higher in pSS patients than HCs, but levels of A1AT were significantly lower in pSS patients compared to HCs. Only the HNE modification of A1AT was confirmed. Our study suggests that elevated HNE-protein adduct, oxidative stress, level (odds ratio (OR) 4.877, p = 0.003), lowered A1AT level (OR 3.910, p = 0.010) and a decreased level of anti-A1AT50–63 IgG (OR 3.360, p = 0.010) showed an increased risk in pSS patients compared to HCs, respectively.

Increased vascular permeability facilitates metastasis. Emerging evidence indicates that secreted microRNAs (miRNAs) may mediate the crosstalk between cancer and stromal cells. To date, whether and how secreted miRNAs affect vascular permeability remains unclear. Based on deep sequencing and quantitative PCR, we found that higher level of serum miR-103 was associated with higher metastasis potential of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The in vitro endothelial permeability and transendothelial invasion assays revealed that the conditioned media or exosomes derived from high miR-103-expressing hepatoma cells increased the permeability of endothelial monolayers, but this effect was attenuated if exosome secretion of hepatoma cells was blocked by silencing ALIX and HRS or if miR-103 within hepatoma or endothelial cells was antagonized. Most importantly, pretreating endothelial monolayers with exosomes that were from stable miR-103-expressing hepatoma cells facilitated the transendothelial invasion of tumor cells, and this role of exosomes was abrogated by inhibiting miR-103 in endothelial cells. Further in vivo analyses disclosed that mice with xenografts of stable miR-103-expressing hepatoma cells exhibited higher vascular permeability in tumor, higher level of exosomal miR-103 and greater number of tumor cells in blood circulation, and increased rates of hepatic and pulmonary metastases, compared to control mice. Mechanism investigations revealed that hepatoma cell-secreted miR-103 could be delivered into endothelial cells via exosomes, and then attenuated the endothelial junction integrity by directly inhibiting the expression of VE-Cadherin (VE-Cad), p120-catenin (p120) and zonula occludens 1. Moreover, miR-103 could also promote tumor cell migration by repressing p120 expression in hepatoma cells. Conclusion Hepatoma cell-secreted exosomal miR-103 increases vascular permeability and promotes tumor metastasis by targeting multiple endothelial junction proteins, which highlights secreted miR-103 as a potential therapeutic target and a predictive marker for HCC metastasis. (Hepatology 2018).

The aim of this study was to examine oxidative stress and low level of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), and evaluate the associated autoreactivity against unmodified and their 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)-modified peptides with pSS. Two differentially expressed proteins, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 1 (A1AG1) and A1AT, exhibited 2-fold differences, and their HNE modifications were identified by depleted-albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum protein, in-solution digestion, in-gel digestion, and nano-LC-MS/MS from pSS patients and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). Furthermore, levels of proteins, confirmation of HNE modifications, HNE-protein adducts and autoreactivity against unmodified and their HNE-modified peptides were further validated. Levels of the HNE-protein adduct and A1AG1 were significantly higher in pSS patients than HCs, but levels of A1AT were significantly lower in pSS patients compared to HCs. Only the HNE modification of A1AT was confirmed. Further, concentrations of anti-A1AT50-63 IgG and anti-A1AT50-63 HNE IgA were significantly lower in pSS patients than HCs. Our study suggests that elevated HNE-protein adduct, oxidative stress, level [odds ratio (OR) 4.877, p = 0.003], lowered A1AT level (OR 3.910, p = 0.010) and a decreased level of anti-A1AT50-63 IgG (OR 3.360, p = 0.010) showed an increased risk in pSS patients compared to HCs, respectively.

A novel radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna design mounted on metallic plane is presented in this article. The tag antenna structure is a rectangular radiating plate with a Z-shaped slot, which behaves like a dipole-type ground radiator. For a conjugate match to the Alien Higgs-4 chip impedance of 8–j148 Ω at 925 MHz is obtained by etched a Z-slot resonator in the center of the rectangular radiating plate (130 mm × 18 mm). By simply tuning the length and width of the Z-slot resonator, the tag antenna resistance and inductive reactance are easily adjusted to match the desired chip impedance. The half-wavelength resonant radiating plate (dipole type ground radiator) is spaced from the metallic plane and enhances the antenna gain by the reflection of the metallic plane.