Search

Abstract Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) describes a process by which tumor cells formed a novel microcirculation pattern in an endothelial cell‐free manner. Clinically, VM is associated with aggressive phenotype and poor patient survival. However, the current models for investigating VM include 2D monolayer cultures, Matrigel‐based cultures, and animal models, each of which has limitations. Matrigel‐based models often exhibit batch‐to‐batch variations, while in vivo tumor models currently produce insufficient amounts of VM. There is currently no suitable tumor model to discover new therapeutic targets against VM. Herein, we establish an extracellular matrix (ECM)‐based engineered tumor model in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we demonstrate that matrix proteins enhanced the VM formation in the engineered xenograft model. Furthermore, we also investigated the role of collagen/fibronectin (FN) in melanoma progression and VM formation. Compared with cells cultured on TCPS plates, the B16F10 cells cultured on collagen/FN coated plates showed increased proliferation and stemness, and significantly enhanced invasion and formation of VM networks. Molecular mechanism analysis showed that Integrin/VE‐cadherin/EphA2/PI3K/MMP‐2 signaling pathways are responsible for VM formation. Our results indicate that collagen/FN matrix plays an important role in VM formation in melanoma, suggesting that ECM protein is a potential therapeutic target for anti‐VM therapy for melanoma.

Abstract Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the three major malignant tumors of the urinary system and originates from proximal tubular epithelial cells. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for approximately 80% of RCC cases and is recognized as a metabolic disease driven by genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations. Through bioinformatic analysis, we found that FK506 binding protein 10 (FKBP10) may play an essential role in hypoxia and glycolysis pathways in ccRCC progression. Functionally, FKBP10 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of ccRCC in vivo and in vitro depending on its peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) domains. Mechanistically, FKBP10 binds directly to lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) through its C-terminal region, the key regulator of glycolysis, and enhances the LDHA-Y10 phosphorylation, which results in a hyperactive Warburg effect and the accumulation of histone lactylation. Moreover, HIFα negatively regulates the expression of FKBP10, and inhibition of FKBP10 enhances the antitumor effect of the HIF2α inhibitor PT2385. Therefore, our study demonstrates that FKBP10 promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression and regulates sensitivity to HIF2α blockade by facilitating LDHA phosphorylation, which may be exploited for anticancer therapy.

BackgroundThe use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become the standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to determine whether the occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) following the use of ICIs predicts different clinical outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsRelevant studies from the time of database creation to July 20, 2023, were systematically searched to explore the differences in clinical outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC with or without irAEs. The outcome indicators included the occurrence of irAEs, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).Results25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 reported the effect on OS, and 19 reported the effect on PFS. The results showed that for patients with NSCLC, the occurrence of irAEs after receiving immunotherapy showed a statistically significant benefit over the absence of irAEs for OS (HR=0.55,95% CI=0.46–0.65) and PFS (HR=0.55 95% CI=0.48–0.64), but severe irAEs (grades 3–5) were associated with worse OS (HR=1.05, 95% CI=0.87–1.27). Compared with gastrointestinal, lung, and hepatitis, irAEs of the skin and endocrine system tend to predict better OS and PFS.ConclusionThe occurrence of irAEs, especially mild and early irAEs, indicates better OS and PFS in patients with NSCLC treated with ICIs, irrespective of patient characteristics, type of ICIs, and irAEs. However, Grade 3 or higher toxicities resulted in worse OS.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023409444.

BackgroundNeural tube defects (NTDs) is the most common birth defect of the central nervous system (CNS) which causes the death of almost 88,000 people every year around the world. Much efforts have been made to investigate the reasons that contribute to NTD and explore new ways to for prevention. We trawl the past decade (2013–2022) published records in order to get a worldwide view about NTDs research field.Methods7,437 records about NTDs were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) database. Tools such as shell scripts, VOSviewer, SCImago Graphica, CiteSpace and PubTator were used for data analysis and visualization.ResultsOver the past decade, the number of publications has maintained an upward trend, except for 2022. The United States is the country with the highest number of publications and also with the closest collaboration with other countries. Baylor College of Medicine has the closest collaboration with other institutions worldwide and also was the most prolific institution. In the field of NTDs, research focuses on molecular mechanisms such as genes and signaling pathways related to folate metabolism, neurogenic diseases caused by neural tube closure disorders such as myelomeningocele and spina bifida, and prevention and treatment such as folate supplementation and surgical procedures. Most NTDs related genes are related to development, cell projection parts, and molecular binding. These genes are mainly concentrated in cancer, Wnt, MAPK, PI3K-Akt and other signaling pathways. The distribution of NTDs related SNPs on chromosomes 1, 3, 5, 11, 14, and 17 are relatively concentrated, which may be associated with high-risk of NTDs.ConclusionBibliometric analysis of the literature on NTDs field provided the current status, hotspots and future directions to some extant. Further bioinformatics analysis expanded our understanding of NTDs-related genes function and revealed some important SNP clusters and loci. This study provided some guidance for further studies. More extensive cooperation and further research are needed to overcome the ongoing challenge in pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of NTDs.

Measurement(s) blood glucose Technology Type(s) Continuous Glucose Monitoring System Sample Characteristic - Organism Homo sapiens

Myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) is a subunit of myosin phosphatase that is capable of regulating smooth muscle contraction. MYPT1 has been reported to be involved in a wide variety of tumours, but its expression and biological functions in renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain obscure. Herein, we analysed the relationship between patient clinicopathological characteristics and MYPT1 expression levels in ccRCC patients using a tissue microarray (TMA) and data retrieved from the TCGA‐KIRC dataset. MYPT1 was overexpressed or depleted using siRNA in ccRCC cells to assess the effects on migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, RNA‐sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed to investigate the precise mechanism. MYPT1 expression in ccRCC tissues was observed to be lower than that in nonmalignant tissues (P

The air pollutant NO2 is one of the major constraints on plant growth, and the ecological value of the ornamental plant Bougainvillea glabra can be weakened by NO2. In this study, an indoor 4 μL·L−1 NO2 simulated fumigation test was conducted with three treatments, CK (normal growth with clean air), T1 (4 μL·L−1 NO2 + 8 h/d), and T2 (4 μL·L−1 NO2 + 24 h/d), which were set up with considerations for time and concentration. The results demonstrated that most of the morphological parameters of B. glabra ‘Elizabeth Angus’, except for the floral organs, were decreased in the root, stem, leaf, and bract. Continuous fumigation significantly attenuated the growth rate and reduced the water and pigment contents of organs. Excessive NO2 reduced the number and transfer rate of photoelectrons by destroying the photosynthetic reaction center, which in turn weakened photosynthesis, but the plants with intermittent fumigation recovered after fumigation. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve displayed median survival periods of 41 and 55.5 h for T1 and T2, respectively, and the morphological structure and most of the indicators of photosynthetic reaction centers changed significantly during stress. Acute injury to B. glabra ‘Elizabeth Angus’ was caused by 4 μL·L−1 NO2, and B. glabra ‘Elizabeth Angus’ had limited ability to regulate high concentrations of NO2 acute stress.

BackgroundThe neoadjuvant use of immune checkpoint inhibitor combined with chemotherapy (nICT) or chemoradiotherapy (nICRT) in locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC) is currently an area of active ongoing research. Therefore, we carried out a comprehensive meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of the new strategy with routine neoadjuvant strategy, which included neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).Patients and methodsMEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase (via OVID), ISI Web of Science database and Cochrane Library were included. And, all of them were searched for eligible studies between January, 2000 and February, 2023. The pathological complete response (pCR) and major pathological response (MPR) were primary outcome of our study. The second outcome of interest was R0 resection rate. Odds ratio (OR) and associated 95% CI were used as the effect indicators comparing the safety and efficiency of the neoadjuvant immunotherapy with the routine neoadjuvant therapy. Fixed-effect model (Inverse Variance) or random-effect model (Mantel-Haenszel method) was performed depending on the statistically heterogeneity.ResultsThere were eight trials with 652 patients were included in our meta-analysis. The estimated pCR rate was higher in the neoadjuvant immunotherapy group (OR =1.86; 95% CI, 1.25–2.75; I2 = 32.8%, P=0.166). The different results were found in the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) subgroups, the estimated OR was 2.35 (95%CI, 1.00–2.72; I2 = 30.9%, P=0.215) in the EAC subgroup, and 2.35 (95% CI, 1.20–4.54; I2 = 45.3%, P=0.161) in the ESCC subgroup, respectively. The neoadjuvant immunotherapy also showed the advantage in the MPR rates (OR =2.66; 95% CI, 1.69–4.19; I2 = 24.3%, P=0.252). There was no obvious difference between the neoadjuvant immunotherapy and routine neoadjuvant therapy with respect to surgical resection rate, R0 resection rate, surgical delay rate; while more treatment-related adverse events were observed for the neoadjuvant immunotherapy for pneumonitis/pneumonia (OR=3.46, 95% CI, 1.31–9.16; I2 = 67.3%, P=0.005) and thyroid dysfunction (OR=4.69, 95% CI, 1.53–14.36; I2 = 56.5%, P=0.032).ConclusionThe pooled correlations indicated that the neoadjuvant immunotherapy (both nICT and nICRT) could significantly increase the rates of pCR and MPR, compared with routine neoadjuvant therapy (both nCT and nCRT) in the treatment of locally advanced EC. The neoadjuvant immunotherapy and routine neoadjuvant therapy were with acceptable toxicity. However, randomized studies with larger groups of patients need to performed to confirm these results.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42020155802.

Blockchain technology is a promising resource management architecture due to its ability of building trust in a decentralized transaction. Block mining participants, i.e. miners, are incentivized with reward for successfully mining blocks. Unfortunately, solving the proof-of-work puzzle consumes substantial computing powers during the mining period, which greatly challenges miners. Mobile devices also fail to participate in mining because of limited resource. To solve these issues, we are motivated to propose a mining framework of alleviating miner’s computation-intensive mining burdens, as well as enabling mobile devices’ participation. Depending on the proposed model, miners are capable of offloading their computation-intensive tasks to the edge cloud and mobile devices. The interactions among them formulate a muti-leader multi-follower Stackelberg game. We achieve the Subgame Perfect Equilibrium (SPE) in the game, which guarantees three types of participants to realize profit maximization. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Exogenous substances can alleviate plant damage under adverse conditions. In order to explore whether different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) can play a role in the resistance of Bougainvillea × buttiana ‘Miss Manila’ to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) stress and the relevant mechanisms of their effects, different concentrations of SA were applied locally under the control experiment condition of 4.0 μL·L−1 NO2, and the role of SA in alleviating injury was studied. The findings noted a significant increase in metabolic adaptations and antioxidant enzyme activities following 0.25–0.75 mM SA application (p < 0.05), except 1 mM. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in particular increased by 21.88% and 59.71%, respectively. Such an increase led to effective control of the reduction in photosynthetic pigments and the photosynthetic rate and protection of the structural stability of chloroplasts and other organelles. In addition, the activity of nitrate reductase (NR) increased by 83.85%, and the content of nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) decreased by 29.23% in nitrogen metabolism. Concurrently, a principal component analysis (PCA) and a membership function analysis further indicated that 0.75 mM SA provided the most notable improvement in NO2 resistance among the different gradients. These findings suggest that 0.25–0.75 mM SA can relieve the stress at 4 μL·L−1 NO2 injury by effectively improving the antioxidant enzyme activity and nitrogen metabolizing enzyme activity, protecting the photosynthetic system and cell structure, but 1 mM SA had the opposite effect. In the future, the specific reasons for inhibition of SA at high concentrations and the comprehensive effects of the application of other exogenous compounds should be further studied.

Abstract Background Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. In order to identify the functional roles and the interaction between mRNA and non-coding RNA (ncRNA, including lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA) in CC cisplatin (DDP) resistance, the transcription profile analysis was performed and a RNA regulatory model of CC DDP resistance was proposed. Methods In this study, whole-transcriptome sequencing analysis was conducted to study the ncRNA and mRNA profiles of parental SiHa cells and DDP resistant SiHa/DDP cells. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed for pathway analysis based on the selected genes with significant differences in expression. Subsequently, ceRNA network analyses were conducted using the drug resistance-related genes and signal-transduction pathways by Cytoscape software. Furthermore, a ceRNA regulatory pathway, namely lncRNA-AC010198.2/hsa-miR-34b-3p/STC2, was selected by RT-qPCR validation and literature searching. Further validation was done by both dual-luciferase reporter gene assays and RNA pull-down assays. Besides that, the changes in gene expression and biological function were further studied by performing si-AC010198.2 transfection and DDP resistance analyses in the SiHa and SiHa/DDP cells, respectively. Results Using bioinformatics and dual-luciferase reporter gene analyses, we found that AC010198.2/miR-34b-3p/STC2 may be a key pathway for DDP resistance in CC cells. Significant differences in both downstream gene expression and the biological function assays including colony formation, migration efficiency and cell apoptosis were identified in AC010198.2 knockdown cells. Conclusions Our study will not only provide new markers and potential mechanism models for CC DDP resistance, but also discover novel targets for attenuating it.

BackgroundThe field of rehabilitation medicine plays an essential role in the comprehensive management of osteoporosis and its consequences. The benefits of therapeutic exercise are increasingly being recognized in this area, which receives an increasing number of publications. this study was designed to comprehensively identify collaborative networks, parse and track research trends, spotlight present hotspots, and accurately predict frontiers and focus on the health topics related to osteoporosis rehabilitation.MethodsThis research adopted computer retrieval of osteoporosis rehabilitation-related research published in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from inception to June 14, 2022. The bibliometric visualization and comparative analysis involving countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords were performed using the CiteSpace and VOSviewer software.ResultsA total of 3,268 articles were included, and the number of articles published each year has demonstrated a steady increase. The United States and the University of Melbourne were the highest productive country and institution, with 1,325 and 87 articles, respectively. The journal of osteoporosis international has published the greatest number of articles, with 221 publications, and the journal of bone and mineral research ranked first in the co-citation counts (cited by 11,792 times). The most productive and highly-cited authors were Heinonen A and Cummings S, with 35 publications and 680 citations.ConclusionsAt present, “physical activity,” “weight bearing exercise,” “muscle strength,” “whole body vibration,” “postmenopausal women,” “older women,” children, men are the noteworthy research hot topics. Future research that focus on the major modes and parameters of physical activity/exercise for osteoporosis (including whole body vibration, weight bearing exercises, resistance training), targeted multicomponent training regimens, rehabilitation therapy for postmenopausal women, older women, children and men, osteoporosis related-sarcopenia and fractures, and mesenchymal stem cells are becoming frontiers and focus on the health topics related to osteoporosis rehabilitation in the upcoming years, which are worthy of further exploration.

Abstract Background Hypoxia signaling, especially the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway, is a major player in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), which is characterized by disorders in lipid and glycogen metabolism. However, the interaction between hypoxia and lipid metabolism in ccRCC progression is still poorly understood. Methods We used bioinformatic analysis and discovered that glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1) may play a key role in hypoxia and lipid metabolism pathways in ccRCC. Tissue microarray, IHC staining, and survival analysis were performed to evaluate clinical function. In vitro and in vivo assays showed the biological effects of GPD1 in ccRCC progression. Results We found that the expression of GPD1 was downregulated in ccRCC tissues, and overexpression of GPD1 inhibited the progression of ccRCC both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) directly regulates GPD1 at the transcriptional level, which leads to the inhibition of mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism. Additionally, GPD1 was shown to inhibit prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3), which blocks prolyl-hydroxylation of HIF1α and subsequent proteasomal degradation, and thus reinforces the inhibition of mitochondrial function and phosphorylation of AMPK via suppressing glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (GPD2). Conclusions This study not only demonstrated that HIF1α-GPD1 forms a positive feedforward loop inhibiting mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism in ccRCC, but also discovered a new mechanism for the molecular basis of HIF1α to inhibit tumor activity, thus providing novel insights into hypoxia-lipid-mediated ccRCC therapy.

Given the tumor heterogeneity, most of the current prognostic indicators cannot accurately evaluate the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer, and thus, the best opportunity to intervene in the progression of this disease is missed. E2F transcription factors (E2Fs) have been reported to be involved in the growth of various cancers. Accumulating studies indicate that prostate cancer (PCa) carcinogenesis is attributed to aberrant E2F expression or E2F alteration. However, the expression patterns and prognostic value of the eight E2Fs in prostate cancer have yet to be explored. In this study, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Kaplan–Meier Plotter, Metascape, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), CIBERSORT, and cBioPortal and bioinformatic analysis were used to investigate E2Fs in patients with PCa. Our results showed that the expression of E2F1–3, E2F5, and E2F6 was higher in prostate cancer tissues than in benign tissues. Furthermore, elevated E2F1–3 and E2F5 expression levels were associated with a higher Gleason score (GS), advanced tumor stage, and metastasis. Survival analysis suggested that high transcription levels of E2F1–3, E2F5, E2F6, and E2F8 were associated with a higher risk of biochemical recurrence. In addition, we developed a prognostic model combining E2F1, E2F6, Gleason score, and the clinical stage that may accurately predict a biochemical recurrence-free survival. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the E2F family members and their neighboring genes were mainly enriched in cell cycle-related pathways. Somatic mutations in different subgroups were also investigated, and immune components were predicted. Further experiments are warranted to clarify the biological associations between Pca-related E2F family genes, which may influence prognosis via the cell cycle pathway.

Nowadays, the impact ionization coefficient in the avalanche breakdown theory is obtained using 1-D PN junctions or SBDs, and is considered to be a constant determined by the material itself only. In this paper, the impact ionization coefficient of silicon in a 2D lateral power device is found to be no longer a constant, but instead a function of the 2D coupling effects. The impact ionization coefficient of silicon that considers the 2D depletion effects in real-world devices is proposed and extracted in this paper. The extracted impact ionization coefficient indicates that the conventional empirical impact ionization in the Fulop equation is not suitable for the analysis of 2D lateral power devices. The veracity of the proposed impact ionization coefficient is validated by the simulations obtained from TCAD tools. Considering the complexity of direct modeling, a new prediction method using deep neural networks is proposed. The prediction method demonstrates 97.67% accuracy for breakdown location prediction and less than 6% average error for the impact ionization coefficient prediction compared with the TCAD simulation.

Haze problem is an important factor threatening human health. PM2.5 is the main culprit haze. 1-Nitropyrene (1-NP) is the main nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, the toxic component of PM2.5 particles. The effects of 1-NP on various organs and reproductive health have been extensively and deeply studied, but the effects of 1-NP on embryo implantation and endometrial receptivity remain to be determined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the adverse effects of 1-NP on mouse embryo implantation and human endometrial receptivity. In early pregnancy, CD1 mice were given 2 mg/kg 1-NP by oral gavage, which resulted in a decreased embryo implantation number on day 5, inhibited leukemic inhibitory factor (LIF)/STAT3 pathway, decreased expression of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, and disrupted regulation of uterine cell proliferation. In addition, in a human in vitro implantation model, 1-NP was found to significantly inhibit the adhesion rate between trophoblast spheroids and endometrial epithelial cells, possibly by inhibiting the expression of receptivity molecules in Ishikawa cells. Promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production may be an additional mechanism by which it inhibits trophoblast spheroid adhesion. In this study, we used an in vivo mouse pregnancy model and an in vitro human embryo implantation model to demonstrate that 1-NP can impair endometrial receptivity and compromise embryo implantation.

Tumor-adjacent normal (TAN) tissues, which constitute tumor microenvironment and are different from healthy tissues, provide critical information at molecular levels that can be used to differentiate aggressive tumors from indolent tumors. In this study, we analyzed 52 TAN samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) prostate cancer patients and developed a 10-gene prognostic model that can accurately predict biochemical recurrence-free survival based on the profiles of these genes in TAN tissues. The predictive ability was validated using TAN samples from an independent cohort. These 10 prognostic genes in tumor microenvironment are different from the prognostic genes detected in tumor tissues, indicating distinct progression-related mechanisms in two tissue types. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the prognostic genes in tumor microenvironment were significantly enriched by p53 signaling pathway, which may represent the crosstalk tunnels between tumor and its microenvironment and pathways involving cell-to-cell contact and paracrine/endocrine signaling. The insight acquired by this study has advanced our knowledge of the potential role of tumor microenvironment in prostate cancer progression.

BackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignant male neoplasm in the American male population. Our prior studies have demonstrated that protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 12A (PPP1R12A) could be an efficient prognostic factor in patients with PCa, promoting further investigation. The present study attempted to construct a gene signature based on PPP1R12A and metabolism-related genes to predict the prognosis of PCa patients.MethodsThe mRNA expression profiles of 499 tumor and 52 normal tissues were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We selected differentially expressed PPP1R12A-related genes among these mRNAs. Tandem affinity purification-mass spectrometry was used to identify the proteins that directly interact with PPP1R12A. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to extract metabolism-related genes. Univariate Cox regression analysis and a random survival forest algorithm were used to confirm optimal genes to build a prognostic risk model.ResultsWe identified a five-gene signature (PPP1R12A, PTGS2, GGCT, AOX1, and NT5E) that was associated with PPP1R12A and metabolism in PCa, which effectively predicted disease-free survival (DFS) and biochemical relapse-free survival (BRFS). Moreover, the signature was validated by two internal datasets from TCGA and one external dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO).ConclusionThe five-gene signature is an effective potential factor to predict the prognosis of PCa, classifying PCa patients into high- and low-risk groups, which might provide potential novel treatment strategies for these patients.

An experimental study on the flow rate and atomization characteristics of a new gas–liquid two-phase flow nozzle was carried out to use high-concentration respirable dust in the workplace of high-efficiency sedimentation coal production based on the gas–liquid two-phase flow nozzle technology. The simulation roadway of dust fall in large coal mines was constructed, and the respirable rock dust produced by fully mechanized mining surfaces was chosen as the research object. The effects of humidity on the capture effect of respirable rock dust were analyzed in the experimental study. The results demonstrated that: (1) the distribution range of the particle size of fogdrops declines with the reduction in fogdrops D50, D[3,2] and D[4,3], which are produced by gas–liquid two-phase flow nozzles. (2) The initial ambient humidity in the simulated roadway was 64.8% RH. After the gas–liquid two-phase flow spray was started, the ambient humidity was elevated by 23.2 to 23.5% RH within 840s and tended to be stable and no longer grew after reaching 88.0–88.3% RH. The initial growth rate of the ambient humidity in the simulated roadway was high, and then was gradually slowed down. (3) Humidity is an important factor influencing the collection of respirable dust. The humidity at 10.0 m leeward of the dust-producing point was increased by 19.6% RH, and the sedimentation rate of respirable dust was increased by 6.73%; the two growth rates were 13.1% RH and 9.90% at 20.0 m; 16.4% RH and 15.42% at 30.0 m; 18.4% RH and 11.20% at 40.0 m. In practical applications of the gas–liquid two-phase flow nozzle in coal mining activities, attention shall be paid to not only the influences of its atomization characteristics on the capture effect of respirable dust but also the influences of the flow rate of the nozzle on the humidity of the working surface. Appropriate gas and water supply pressures shall be chosen according to the space and respirable dust concentration on the working surface to realize a better dust removal effect.

Abstract Background Immediate early response gene 3 (IER3) is a stress-inducible gene, which exerts diverse effects in regulating cell apoptosis and cell cycle. Growing evidence shows that IER3 functions either as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor in various human cancers with a cancer type-dependent manner. However, the involvement of IER3 in human bladder cancer (BCa) has not been elucidated. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern and the clinical significance of IER3 in BCa. Methods We performed immunohistochemistry analysis to examine the subcellular localization and the expression levels of IER3 protein in 88 BCa specimens obtained from Department of Pathology in Massachusetts General Hospital. The associations of IER3 protein expression with various clinicopathological features and patients’ overall survival were statistically evaluated. Results IER3 protein was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm in bladder cancer cell. Of 88 BCa tissue specimens, 39 (44.3%) showed high expression of IER3 protein and 49 (55.7%) showed low expression. High IER3 protein expression was significantly associated with high pathologic nodal stage (p = 0.018). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall survival of BCa patients with overexpression of IER3 protein was shorter than that with low expression (p

The extended Kalman filter (EKF) has a wide range of applications (especially in power battery management systems) with a rapidly increasing market share. It aims to minimize the symmetric loss function (mean square error) and it has high accuracy and efficiency in battery state estimation. This study deals with the second-order extended Kalman filter-based process and the measurement white noise estimation problem for nonlinear continuous-discrete systems. The design of the white noise filter and smoother were, firstly, converted into a linear estimation problem by the second-order Taylor series expansion approximation and the function that makes the second-order term approximately equivalent to the estimation error variance. Secondly, based on the projection formula of the Kalman filtering (KF) theory and the Lemma of expectation for quadratic and quartic product traces of random vectors, the second-order EKF was derived. Then, to generate white noise estimators in the forms of filtering and smoothing, we derived a recursive solution, using an innovation method. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract Rather than the conventional concept of viewing conductive carbon black (CB) to be chemically inert in microbial electrochemical cells (MECs), here we confirmed the redox activity of CB for its feasibility as an electron sink in the microbial battery (MB). Acting as the cathode of a MB, the solid-state CB electrode showed the highest electron capacity equivalent of 18.58 ± 0.46 C/g for the unsintered one and the lowest capacity of 2.29 ± 0.48 C/g for the one sintered under 100% N2 atmosphere. The capacity vibrations of CBs were strongly in coincidence with the abundances of C=O moiety caused by different pretreatments and it implied one plausible mechanism based on CB’s surface functionality for its electron capturing. Once subjected to electron saturation, CB could be completely regenerated by different strategies in terms of electrochemical discharging or donating electrons to biologically-catalyzed nitrate reduction. Surface characterization also revealed that CB’s regeneration fully depended on the reversible shift of C=O moiety, further confirming the functionality-based mechanism for CB’s feasibility as the role of MB’s cathode. Moreover, resilience tests demonstrated that CB cathode was robust for the multi-cycles charging-discharging operations. These results imply that CB is a promising alternative material for the solid-state cathode in MBs.

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the clinical efficiency of alpha1-adrenergic antagonists on stentless ureteroscopic lithotripsy treating uncomplicated lower ureteral stones. Materials and Methods From January 2007 to January 2013, 84 patients who have uncomplicated lower ureteral stones treated by ureteroscopic intracorporeal lithotripsy with the holmium laser were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups, group A (44 patients received indwelled double-J stents) and group B (40 patients were treated by alpha1-adrenergic antagonists without stents). All cases of group B were treated with alpha1 blocker for 1 week. Results The mean operative time of group A was significantly longer than group B. The incidences of hematuria, flank/abdominal pain, frequency/urgency after surgery were statistically different between both groups. The stone-free rate of each group was 100%. Conclusions The effect of alpha1-adrenergic antagonists is more significant than indwelling stent after ureteroscopic lithotripsy in treating uncomplicated lower ureteral stones.

Recent meta-analyses have suggested a modest protective effect of high levels of physical activity on developing both prostate and bladder cancer, but significant heterogeneity between studies included in these meta-analyses existed. To our knowledge, few Chinese studies investigated the association between physical activity and prostate cancer and none between physical activity and bladder cancer. Given the inconsistencies between previous studies and because studies on the relation between physical activity and prostate and bladder cancer in China are scarce, it remains elusive whether there is a relationship between physical activity and prostate and bladder cancer within the Chinese population.We investigated the association between physical activity and risk of developing prostate and bladder cancer within a hospital-based case-control study in the East and South of China among 260 and 438 incident prostate and bladder cancer cases, respectively, and 427 controls. A questionnaire was administered to measure physical activity as metabolic equivalents (METs). Random effects logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) of prostate and bladder cancer for different levels of physical activity and for the specific activities of walking and cycling.Increasing overall physical activity was associated with a significant reduction in prostate cancer risk (Ptrend = 0.04) with the highest activity tertile level showing a nearly 50% reduction in prostate cancer risk (OR = 0.53, 95%CI: 0.28-0.98). Overall physical activity was not significantly associated with risk of bladder cancer (Ptrend = 0.61), neither were vigorous (Ptrend = 0.60) or moderate levels of physical activity (Ptrend = 0.21). Walking and cycling were not significantly associated with either prostate (Ptrend> = 0.62) or bladder cancer risk (Ptrend> = 0.25).The findings of this largest ever case-control study in China investigating the relationship between physical activity and prostate and bladder cancer suggest that overall physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer, but not with bladder cancer.

To investigate the modification of cell wall polysaccharides in relation to aril breakdown in harvested longan fruit, three pectin fractions (WSP, water soluble pectin; CSP, CDTA-soluble pectin; ASP, alkali soluble pectin) and one hemicellulose fraction (4 M KOH-SHC, 4 M KOH-soluble hemicellulose) were extracted, and their contents, monosaccharide compositions and molecular weights were evaluated. As aril breakdown intensified, CSP content increased while ASP and 4 M KOH-SHC contents decreased, suggesting the solubilization and conversion of cell wall components. Furthermore, the molar percentage of arabinose (Ara), as the main component of the side-chains, decreased largely in CSP and ASP while that of rhamnose (Rha), as branch point for the attachment of neutral sugar side chains, increased during aril breakdown. Analysis of (Ara + Gal)/Rha ratio showed that the depolymerization of CSP and ASP happened predominantly in side-chains formed of Ara residues. For 4 M KOH-SHC, more backbones were depolymerized during aril breakdown. Moreover, it was found that the molecular weights of CSP, ASP and 4 M KOH-SHC polysaccharides tended to decrease as aril breakdown intensified. These results suggest that both enhanced depolymerization and structural modifications of polysaccharides in the CSP, ASP and 4 M KOH-SHC fractions might be responsible for aril breakdown of harvested longan fruit.

Our group has shown that the polysaccharides extracted from Lycium barbarum (LBP) are neuroprotective for retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in different animal models. Protecting RGCs from secondary degeneration is a promising direction for therapy in glaucoma management. The complete optic nerve transection (CONT) model can be used to study primary degeneration of RGCs, while the partial optic nerve transection (PONT) model can be used to study secondary degeneration of RGCs because primary degeneration of RGCs and secondary degeneration can be separated in location in the same retina in this model; in other situations, these types of degeneration can be difficult to distinguish. In order to examine which kind of degeneration LBP could delay, both CONT and PONT models were used in this study. Rats were fed with LBP or vehicle daily from 7 days before surgery until sacrifice at different time-points and the surviving numbers of RGCs were evaluated. The expression of several proteins related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways were detected with Western-blot analysis. LBP did not delay primary degeneration of RGCs after either CONT or PONT, but it did delay secondary degeneration of RGCs after PONT. We found that LBP appeared to exert these protective effects by inhibiting oxidative stress and the JNK/c-jun pathway and by transiently increasing production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This study suggests that LBP can delay secondary degeneration of RGCs and this effect may be linked to inhibition of oxidative stress and the JNK/c-jun pathway in the retina.