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Enqi Zheng, Deshuang Xiao Hernia Vascular Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Wenling, Wenling, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Deshuang Xiao, Hernia Vascular Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Wenling, No. 333 Chuan’an South Road, Chengxi Street, Wenling, 317599, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-057689668595, Email xiaodeshuang456@126.comBackground: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are strong modulators of tumor pathology. Herein, our goal was to examine the plasma hsa_circ_0052184 content among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, and assess its association with patient clinicopathological profile and diagnostic values.Methods: Overall, we collected 228 presurgical CRC and 146 normal plasma samples from The First People’s Hospital of Wenling. Circulating hsa_circ_0052184 levels were assessed via qRT-PCR, and the diagnostic prediction was conducted with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results: Relative to healthy controls, CRC patients exhibited markedly enhanced circulating hsa_circ_0052184 levels, which were closely correlated with advanced stage of disease and worse outcome. Based on our uni- (UA) and multivariate assessments (MA), elevated hsa_circ_0052184 levels were a stand-alone predictor of poor prognosis. The ROC curve depicted an area under the curve (AUC) for CRC diagnosis to be 0.9072.Conclusion: Circulating hsa_circ_0052184 is a potential bioindicator of CRC outcome.Keywords: hsa_circ_0052184, diagnostic biomarker, colorectal cancer

The preparation of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) ceramics with submicron grain size and higher density was accomplished by adjusting the high energy ball milling process’s parameters, considerably enhancing the preparation efficiency and the electrical properties of ceramics. Different rotation speed of high energy ball milling have a significant impact on the electrical properties and microstructure of ceramics, but little impact on the phase structure of ceramics. Pure KNN ceramics can be obtained at 325–800 rpm of milling speed, showing a typical orthorhombic symmetry at room temperature with an average grain size of 0.21 μm at the milling speed of 600 rpm and sintering temperature of 1140 °C. It also has a good electric characteristics and increased energy storage density at the rotation speed of 600 rpm, i.e., the total energy storage density (Wtol = 3.79 J/cm3) were 91% greater than the KNN by traditional methods, it can be mainly ascribed to the large Pmax (62 µC/cm2) and dielectric breakdown strength (EDBS = 110 kV/cm). Moreover, the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the optimized KNN ceramics exhibit strong dependence on the particle size of the initial powders. This results shown that the optimization milling speed of high energy ball milling are helpful to achieve dense ceramics with outstanding electrical properties, thus significantly enhancing the preparation efficiency and the energy storage properties of KNN-based ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of miniaturization and refinement of modern electronic components has led to higher requirements for nanosized powders. The barium strontium titanate (Ba1-xSrxTiO3, BST) nanopowders with fine grains, uniform particle size and high purity have broad application prospects. Herein, BST nanopowders were synthesized via nonhydrolytic sol-gel method and the effects of different processing parameters on structure were investigated systematically by using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, laser particle size analyser and thermogravimetric mass spectrometry. In the first step, different dispersants, dispersant concentration and calcination temperature were selected for synthesis of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 powder to find optimal conditions. In the second step, these optimal conditions were used to synthesize BST powders, but different (Ba+Sr)/Ti and Ba/Sr molar ratios were used to find those that can enable preparation of single phase cubic perovskite powder. Therefore, this study showed how the processing parameters can be systematically tuned with the idea to obtain ultra-fine single phase BST nanoparticles.

Recently, global science has shown an increasing open trend, however, the characteristics of research integrity of open access (OA) publications have rarely been studied. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of retracted articles across different OA levels and discover whether OA level influences the characteristics of retracted articles.

Skeletal muscle is not only the largest organ in the body that is responsible for locomotion and exercise but also crucial for maintaining the body’s energy metabolism and endocrine secretion. The trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is one of the most important histone modifications that participates in muscle development regulation by repressing the transcription of genes. Previous studies indicate that the RASGRP1 gene is regulated by H3K27me3 in embryonic muscle development in pigs, but its function and regulatory role in myogenesis are still unclear. In this study, we verify the crucial role of H3K27me3 in RASGRP1 regulation. The gain/loss function of RASGRP1 in myogenesis regulation is performed using mouse myoblast C2C12 cells and primarily isolated porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells (PSCs). The results of qPCR, western blot analysis, EdU staining, CCK-8 assay and immunofluorescence staining show that overexpression of RASGRP1 promotes cell proliferation and differentiation in both skeletal muscle cell models, while knockdown of RASGRP1 leads to the opposite results. These findings indicate that RASGRP1 plays an important regulatory role in myogenesis in both mice and pigs.

Here we present a field measurement of ClNO2 (nitryl chloride) and N2O5 (dinitrogen pentoxide) by a state-of-the-art instrument at a regional site in Pearl River Delta during a photochemical pollution season from Sept. 26th to Nov. 17th, 2019. Three patterns of air masses are sampled during this campaign, including the dominating air masses from north and northeast urban regions (Type A), the southeast coast (Type B) and the South China Sea (Type C). The concentration of ClNO2 and N2O5 were observed much higher in Type A and B than those in Type C, indicated the urban nighttime chemistry is more active than the background marine regions. Two key parameters that regulating ClNO2 formations, N2O5 uptake coefficient and ClNO2 production yield, were estimated by measured parameters, and the performance of the previously derived parameterizations were assessed. We find the ClNO2 formation was limited by the N2O5 uptake rather than N2O5 source at this site. By examining the relationship of particulate chloride and other species, we implied that anthropogenic emissions (e.g., biomass burning) rather than sea salt particles dominate the origin of particulate chloride, despite the site is only about 100 km away from the ocean.  Model simulations showed the chloride radical liberated by ClNO2 photolysis during the next day had a small increase in concentrations of OH, HO2 and RO2 radicals, as well as minor contributions to RO2 radical and O3 formation (<5 %, on daytime average) in all the three types of air masses. Relative higher contributions were observed in Type A and B. The overall low contributions of ClNO2 to ozone pollution are consistent with those reported recently from wintertime observations in China (included Shanghai, Beijing, Wangdu and Mt. Tai). This may be attributed to: (1) Relative low particle mass concentration limited ClNO2 formation; (2) Other reactions channels had larger radical formation rate during the ozone pollution episodes and weakened the ClNO2 contribution indirectly. The results provided scientific insights into the role of nighttime chemistry in photochemical pollution under various scenarios in coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The diagnostic gold standard for detecting NASH still relies upon an invasive pathological biopsy. There is, therefore, a need to identify non-invasive diagnostic markers. Oxidative stress mediates fatty liver progression to NASH. Imbalanced iron metabolism produces many reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ceruloplasmin is associated with oxidase and iron metabolism-related activities. The current study aimed to determine whether there was a correlation between ceruloplasmin levels and NASH and whether such a relationship may be associated with altered iron metabolism in NASH patients. Methods: A total of 135 NAFLD patients were enrolled in this study. A pathological biopsy confirmed that 60 of those patients had NAFLD activity scores (NAS) 5, while the remaining 75 had NAS

In the past decades, the application of organ fertilizer in agricultural soils has attracted wide attention. However, few studies have carefully explored the effects of humic acid organic fertilizer on soil microbial colonies, soil enzyme activities, and soil fertility. To provide a better growing environment for crops, we explore the best regulation mode of humic acid organic fertilizer in the farmland in the Songnen Plain Heilongjiang province. Through field experiment, we selected paddy as the test objective and applied humic acid organic fertilizer. Under the condition of water-saving irrigation, five fertilization levels were set up, which were NPK (local nitrogen level, 110 kg.hm-2 pure nitrogen), NPKH1 (450 kg.hm-2 humic acid organic fertilizer + 77 kg.hm-2 nitrogen), NPKH2 (750 kg.hm-2 humic acid organic fertilizer + 55 kg.hm-2 nitrogen), NPKH3 (1050 kg.hm-2 humic acid organic fertilizer + 33 kg.hm-2 nitrogen) and PKH (1500 kg.hm-2 humic acid organic fertilizer). The effects of different humic acid organic fertilizers on soil microbial colonies, soil enzyme activities, and soil fertility were discussed. The results showed that humic acid organic fertilizer could effectively change the structure of soil microbial colonies, soil enzyme activities, and soil fertility. Compared with NPK treatment, the bacteria, fungi, and actinomycete, urease, and catalase in PKH, NPKH3, NPKH2, and NPKH1 treatments increased, and significantly different under 0-10 cm layer conditions (PNPKH3>NPKH2>NPKH1>NPK. Therefore, the application of humic acid organic fertilizer was an effective measure to improve soil fertility and increase the amount of soil colony structure and enzyme activities.