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Ricin toxin (RT) is a ribosome-inactivating protein derived from the beans of the castor oil plant. Our previous studies have reported that RT can induce the production of inflammatory cytokines and cause inflammatory injury in RAW264.7 cells. In order to explore the various biological processes that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA) and micro RNA (miRNA) as endogenous non-coding RNAs (ceRNAs) may participate in the pro-inflammatory mechanism, RT (20 ng/mL) treated and normal RAW264.7 cells were firstly sequenced by RNA-seq. By comparing the differentially expressed genes, we obtained 10 hub genes and enriched the inflammatory-related signaling pathways. Based on our results, we concluded a lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Finally, we verified the key genes and pathways by qRT-PCR, WB and ELISA. From the experiment results, an opening MAPK signaling pathway in TNF signaling pathway via TNFR2 was found involved in RT-induced inflammation. This work provides a reference for searching for ceRNA targets or therapeutic drugs in RT-induced inflammatory injury in the future.

Background Emerging evidence supported that dietary zinc is beneficial for diabetes. However, few studies were available concerning the association between dietary zinc and diabetic retinopathy (DR). The present study aimed to describe the association between dietary zinc intake and the risk of DR in US adults. Methods A total of 3749 diabetic patients with self-reported eye affliction/retinopathy from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2018 were involved. Stratified analysis by gender was performed, and logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to assess the association between dietary zinc and DR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of zinc intake for predicting DR. Results Dietary zinc was inversely associated with diabetic retinoapthy in men (OR: 0.981, 95%CI:0.965–0.997), while this trend was not significant in women. Higher quartile of dietary zinc was associated with lower occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 0.531, 95%CI: 0.334–0.846). Furthermore, increased amounts of dietary zinc was significantly associated with reduced occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 0.622, 95%CI: 0.411–0.941). ROC analysis identified a daily dietary zinc intake of 7.53 mg as the optimal cut-off value for predicting DR. Conclusion Higher levels of dietary zinc are suggested to reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy and have been observed to have a dose-response effect in men. Assessment of dietary zinc levels may be part of the treatment of patients with diabetic complications.

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease with high incidence, which has seriously affected human life and health. The associations among waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and T2DM were discovered in observational studies. However, the causality of these associations still remains unknown. The present study aims to apply two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) using genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) to evaluate the causality among WC, WHR, and T2DM. The participants were from three independent studies in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) datasets, which included 127,997 Europeans for WC, 73,137 Europeans for WHR and 659,316 Europeans for T2DM. Furthermore, 16 were associated WC SNPs and eight were associated WHR SNPs as instrument variables were selected for TSMR using P

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death among children, especially in the age under 5, but few studies are available on viral diarrhea in Shenyang. To understand the infection status and the relevant epidemiological characteristics of viral diarrhea and to fill gaps of the distribution of viruses across Shenyang in children under the age of 5 with diarrhea, from 2018 to 2020, stool specimens of children with diarrhea aged 0-59 months and surveillance data were collected in Sentinel Hospital of Shenyang. Specimens were then tested to determine the type of viruses, the seasonal and spatial patterns for major viruses were determined. Viruses were identified in 47.9% of the 897 samples from children with diarrhea. The main viruses of stool samples were rotavirus (16.9%, predominant type G9P[8]), calicivirus (14.7%), adenovirus (11.8%), and astrovirus (4.5%). Viral infections were mainly detected in the age of 0-12 months. In the area of Shenyang, Huanggu had the most cases (198, 22.1%), followed by Dadong (137, 15.3%) and Hunnan (135, 15.1%). The positive rate of viruses varied among patients of different ages, seasons, and regions. Public health entities and the government should develop corresponding measures for different age groups, seasons, and regions.

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death among children, especially in the age under five, but little data are available on the etiology of viral diarrhea in Shenyang. To understand the infection status and the relevant epidemiological characteristics of viral diarrhea and to fill gaps of how the distribution of viruses change across Shenyang in children under the age of five with diarrhea, stool specimens of children with diarrhea aged 0-59 months and surveillance data was collected from Sentinel Hospital of Shenyang. Rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus 4 viruses were then analyzed, and the proportion of children who tested positive for each pathogen was calculated and seasonal and spatial patterns for major organisms were determined. Viruses were identified in 47.9% of the 897 samples from children with diarrhea. The main viruses of stool samples were rotavirus (16.9%, predominant type G9P[8]), calicivirus (14.7%, norovirus, predominant type GII ), adenovirus (11.8%), and astrovirus (4.5%). Viral infections were mainly detected in the age of 0-12 months. In the area of Shenyang, Huanggu has the most cases (198, 22.1%), followed by Dadong (137, 15.3%) and Hunnan (135, 15.1%). The positive rate of viruses in patients of different ages, seasons, and regions was not same. Public health entities and the government should develop corresponding measures for different age groups, seasons, and regions.

Objective: to analyze the epidemic situation of COVID-19 in northeast China, Liaoning and Jilin. To study the prevalence of COVID-19 virus in areas other than Hubei province. To understand the spread of COVID-19 in Liaoning and Jilin provinces by means of communication network. More in-depth understanding of COVID-19 epidemic, and put forward effective prevention and control recommendations. Methods: We collected the demographic characteristics, exposure history and course of action of patients with laboratory-confirmed infection with COVID-19 published by Liaoning Provincial Health Commission and Jilin Provincial Health Commission as of February 15, 2020. We describe the demographic characteristics, case characteristics, spatial distribution characteristics and related interpersonal network of these patients. To analyze the transmission of COVID-19 in two provinces. Results: By February 15, 2020, the cumulative number of infected people in Liaoning province was 119.The largest number was 27(22.7%) in Shenyang and the smallest in Fushun, with no reported cases of infection. Among them, 55(46.2%) have a history of sojourning in Hubei province. The mainly clinical symptoms of the infected patients were fever, and 67(56.3%) of them developed fever at the time of diagnosis. Cough, sneezing and other respiratory symptoms are less. The cumulative number of infected people in Jilin province was 89, with the highest number in Changchun city at 39(43.8%) and the lowest in Baishan city, with no reported infections. 21(23.6%) people with a history of sojourning in Hubei province. Most of those infected in the two provinces were related to Hubei province, and most of those infected in the second generation or more were infected by close contact with relatives. Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreaks in Liaoning and Jilin provinces are gradually stabilizing, but have not yet reached the time required to lower the prevention and control level. The fatality rate of the two provinces is relatively low. There is no evidence of super-spreader in either province.

In this study, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission networks were built to analyze the epidemic situation of COVID-19 in Liaoning and Jilin provinces in early 2020. We explore the characteristics of the spread of COVID-19, and put forward effective recommendations for epidemic prevention and control. We collected demographic characteristics, exposure history, and course of action of COVID-19 cases. We described the demographic and case characteristics of these cases to show the basic characteristics of COVID-19 cases in both provinces. Combined with the spatial analysis of confirmed cases, the distribution law of the number of confirmed cases in different regions was analyzed. We exhibit the relationship among COVID-19 cases with a transmission network. The transmission characteristics of COVID-19 were analyzed through the transmission network. Mainly cases in Liaoning and Jilin provinces were imported cases from other provinces and the vast majority of these cases were related to Hubei province. The number of confirmed cases in different regions was positively correlated with their GDP and population. The main clinical symptoms of the cases were fever. Judge from the transmission network relationship between the 2 provinces, the transmission chain in Liaoning province contains fewer cases than that in Jilin province. The main transmission routes of the local cases in the 2 provinces were the family members, and the infection of the imported cases were mainly occurred in public places. It was estimated that the unidentified asymptomatic infected cases in the 2 provinces account for approximately 7.3% of the total number of infected cases. The length of the transmission chain suggests that the spread of COVID-19 can be effectively controlled with effective prevention measures.

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in gene transcription regulation and which act as epigenetic modifiers in many diseases. Objective To determine whether lncRNAs are involved in ischemic stroke (IS), we analyzed the expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in IS. Methods RNA sequencing was performed on the blood of three pairs of IS patients and healthy controls. Differential expression analysis was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs). Based on the co-expression relationships between lncRNA and mRNA, a series of bioinformatics analysis including GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and PPI analysis, were conducted to predict the function of lncRNA. Results RNA sequencing produced a total of 5 DElncRNAs and 144 DEmRNAs. Influenza A pathway and Herpes simplex infection pathway were the most significant pathways. EP300 and NFKB1 were the most important target proteins, and Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) family were the key genes in IS. Conclusions Analysis of this study revealed that dysregulated lncRNAs in IS may lead to IS by affecting the immune and inflammation system. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13258-021-01173-1.

Accumulated evidence suggests that the widely expressed long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in biogenesis. Some aberrant lncRNAs are closely related to pathological changes, for instance, in cancer. Both in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, depending on the interplay with cellular molecules, lncRNAs can modulate transcriptional interference, chromatin remodeling, post-translational regulation and protein modification, and further interfere with signaling pathways. Aiming to the diagnosis/ prognosis markers or potential therapeutical targets, it is important to figure out the specific mechanism and the tissue-specific expressing patterns of lncRNAs. Generally, the bioinformatics analysis is the first step. More and more in silico databases are increasing. But the existing integrative online platforms’ functions are not only having their unique features but also share some common features, which may lead to a waste of time for researchers. Here, we reviewed these web tools according to the functions. For each database, we clarified the data source, analysis method and the evidence that the analysis result is derived from. This review also illustrated examples in practical use for a specific lncRNA by these web tools. It will provide convenience for researchers to quickly choose the appropriate bioinformatics web tools in oncology studies.

Accumulated evidence suggests that the widely expressed long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in biogenesis. Some aberrant lncRNAs are closely related to pathological changes, for instance, in cancer. Both in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, depending on the interplay with cellular molecules, lncRNAs can modulate transcriptional interference, chromatin remodeling, post-translational regulation and protein modification, and further interfere with signaling pathways. Aiming to the diagnosis/ prognosis markers or potential therapeutical targets, it is important to figure out the specific mechanism and the tissue-specific expressing patterns of lncRNAs. Generally, the bioinformatics analysis is the first step. More and more in silico databases are increasing. But the existing integrative online platforms' functions are not only having their unique features but also share some common features, which may lead to a waste of time for researchers. Here, we reviewed these web tools according to the functions. For each database, we clarified the data source, analysis method and the evidence that the analysis result is derived from. This review also illustrated examples in practical use for a specific lncRNA by these web tools. It will provide convenience for researchers to quickly choose the appropriate bioinformatics web tools in oncology studies.

Bacterial dysentery (BD) brings a major disease burden to developing countries. Exploring the influence of temperature and its interaction with other meteorological factors on BD is significant for the prevention and early warning of BD in the context of climate change. Daily BD cases and meteorological data from 2008 to 2018 were collected in all nine prefecture-level cities in Jilin Province. A one-stage province-level model and a two-stage city-specific multivariate meta-pooled level distributed lag non-linear model were established to explore the correlation between temperature and BD, then the weather-stratified generalised additive model was used to test the interaction. During the study period, a total of 26 971 cases of BD were developed. The one-stage and two-stage cumulative dose-response ‘J’ curves overlapped, and results showed a positive correlation between temperature and BD with a 1–6 days lag effect. Age group ⩾5 years was found to be more sensitive to the effects. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between temperature, humidity and precipitation (P = 0.004, 0.002, respectively) on BD under high temperature (>0 °C), reminding residents and policymakers to pay attention to the prevention of BD in situations with both high temperature and humidity, high temperature and precipitation during the temperate monsoon climate.

To investigate the mental health status of obstetric nurses and its influencing factors during the novel coronavirus epidemic period, so as to provide theoretical reference for hospital decision-makers and managers. From February 25 to March 20, 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional survey through online questionnaire, and selected obstetric nurses from Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces as the research objects by convenience sampling. Three hundred eighteen valid questionnaires were collected; the results of Symptom Checklist 90 showed that the scores of “obsessive-compulsive”, “depression”, “anxiety”, “hostility”, “phobia”, and “psychosis” were higher than the Chinese norm (P

A 3-D numerical study is carried out to investigate the laminar flow and heat transfer performance of the rectangular mini-channel where the discrete double-inclined ribs are worked as the longitudinal vortex generators. The effects of the Reynolds number, the height of the ribs and the number of double-inclined ribs along the mainstream on the heat transfer and flow performance of the mini-channel are examined and analyzed from the field synergy perspective and the entropy generation. The results show that the heat transfer performance is enhanced effectively by the double-inclined ribs which cause the generation of the longitudinal vortexes in the mini-channel. The heat transfer performance increase with the increasing height or number of the double-inclined ribs, but the flow resistance will increase at the same time. In order to obtain the best overall performance of the mini-channel, the height of the ribs should be reduced with the increase of the Reynolds, and the overall performance would be improved with the increase of the ribs number in the mini-channel. The heat transfer performance has a direct relation to the field synergy characteristic of the mini-channel. The entropy generation rate dues to heat transfer irreversibility and fluid frictional irreversibility can be used for the evaluation of the heat transfer and the flow performance of the mini-channel well respectively, while the total entropy generation rate cannot be used as a criterion for the overall performance.

Retinoblastoma protein (RB) plays critical roles in tumor suppression and is degraded through the proteasomal pathway. However, E3 ubiquitin ligases responsible for proteasome-mediated degradation of RB are largely unknown. Here we characterize a novel RB E3 ubiquitin ligase (NRBE3) that binds RB and promotes RB degradation. NRBE3 contains an LXCXE motif and bound RB in vitro. NRBE3 interacted with RB in cells when proteasome activity was inhibited. NRBE3 promoted RB ubiquitination and degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Importantly, purified NRBE3 ubiquitinated recombinant RB in vitro, and a U-box was identified as essential for its E3 activity. Surprisingly, NRBE3 was transcriptionally activated by E2F1/DP1. Consequently, NRBE3 affected the cell cycle by promoting G1/S transition. Moreover, NRBE3 was up-regulated in breast cancer tissues. Taken together, we identified NRBE3 as a novel ubiquitin E3 ligase for RB that might play a role as a potential oncoprotein in human cancers.

A shell-and-tube heat exchanger with new type of baffles, is designed, fabricated and tested. The experimental investigation for the proposed model and the original segmental baffle heat exchanger are conducted. The operation performances of the two heat exchangers are also compared. The results suggest that, under the same conditions, the overall performance of the new model is 20–30% more efficient than that of the segmental baffle heat exchanger.

The flow disturbance and heat transfer mechanism in the tube bundle of rod baffle shell-and-tube heat exchanger were analyzed, on the basis of which and combined with the concept of heat transfer enhancement in the core flow, a new type of shell-and-tube heat exchanger with combination of rod and van type spoiler was designed. Corresponding mathematical and physical models on the shell side about the new type heat exchanger were established, and fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics were numerically analyzed. The simulation results showed that heat transfer coefficient of the new type of heat exchanger approximated to that of rod baffle heat exchanger, but flow pressure drop was much less than the latter, indicating that comprehensive performance of the former is superior to that of the latter. Compared with rod baffle heat exchanger, heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger under investigation is higher under same pressure drop, especially under the high Reynolds numbers.

Background NIR was identified as an inhibitor of histone acetyltransferase and it represses transcriptional activation of p53. NIR is predominantly localized in the nucleolus and known as Noc2p, which is involved in the maturation of the 60S ribosomal subunit. However, how NIR functions in the nucleolus remains undetermined. In the nucleolus, a 47S ribosomal RNA precursor (pre-rRNA) is transcribed and processed to produce 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNAs. The 18S rRNA is incorporated into the 40S ribosomal subunit, whereas the 28S and 5.8S rRNAs are incorporated into the 60S subunit. U3 small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) directs 18S rRNA processing and U8 snoRNA mediates processing of 28S and 5.8 S rRNAs. Functional disruption of nucleolus often causes p53 activation to inhibit cell proliferation. Methodology/Principal Findings Western blotting showed that NIR is ubiquitously expressed in different human cell lines. Knock-down of NIR by siRNA led to inhibition of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rRNAs evaluated by pulse-chase experiment. Pre-rRNA particles (pre-rRNPs) were fractionated from the nucleus by sucrose gradient centrifugation and analysis of the pre-RNPs components showed that NIR existed in the pre-RNPs of both the 60S and 40S subunits and co-fractionated with 32S and 12S pre-rRNAs in the 60S pre-rRNP. Protein-RNA binding experiments demonstrated that NIR is associated with the 32S pre-rRNA and U8 snoRNA. In addition, NIR bound U3 snoRNA. It is a novel finding that depletion of NIR did not affect p53 protein level but de-repressed acetylation of p53 and activated p21. Conclusions We provide the first evidence for a transcriptional repressor to function in the rRNA biogenesis of both the 40S and 60S subunits. Our findings also suggested that a nucleolar protein may alternatively signal to p53 by affecting the p53 modification rather than affecting p53 protein level.