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BACKGROUND: Elevating dietary calcium (Ca) intake can reduce metal(loid)oral bioavailability. However, the ability of a range of Ca minerals to reduce oral bioavailability of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) from indoor dust remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the ability of Ca minerals to reduce Pb, Cd, and As oral bioavailability from indoor dust and associated mechanisms. METHODS: A mouse bioassay was conducted to assess Pb, Cd, and As relative bioavailability (RBA) in three indoor dust samples, which were amended into mouse chow without and with addition of CaHPO4, CaCO3, Ca gluconate, Ca lactate, Ca aspartate, and Ca citrate at 200–5,000 μg/g Ca. The mRNA expression of Ca and phosphate (P) transporters involved in transcellular Pb, Cd and As transport in the duodenum of mice was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Serum 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], parathyroid hormone (PTH), and renal CYP27B1 activity controlling 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis were measured using ELISA kits. Metal(loid) speciation in the feces of mice was characterized using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. RESULTS: In general, mice exposed to each of the Ca minerals exhibited lower Pb-, Cd-, and As-RBA for three dusts. However, RBAs with the different Ca minerals varied. Among minerals, mice fed dietary CaHPO4 did not exhibit lower duodenal mRNA expression of Ca transporters but did have the lowest Pb and Cd oral bioavailability at the highest Ca concentration (5,000 μg/g Ca; 51%-95% and 52 -74% lower in comparison with the control). Lead phosphate precipitates (e.g., chloropyromorphite) were observed in feces of mice fed dietary CaHPO4. In comparison, mice fed organic Ca minerals (Ca gluconate, Ca lactate, Ca aspartate, and Ca citrate) had lower duodenal mRNA expression of Ca transporters, but Pb and Cd oral bioavailability was higher than in mice fed CaHPO4. In terms of As, mice fed Ca aspartate exhibited the lowest As oral bioavailability at the highest Ca concentration (5,000 μg/g Ca; 41%-72% lower) and the lowest duodenal expression of P transporter (88% lower). The presence of aspartate was not associated with higher As solubility in the intestine. DISCUSSION: Our study used a mouse model of exposure to household dust with various concentrations and species of Ca to determine whether different Ca minerals can reduce bioavailability of Pb, Cd, and As in mice and elucidate the mechanism(s) involved. This study can contribute to the practical application of optimal Ca minerals to protect humans from Pb, Cd, and As coexposure in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the damages of transmission line icing, an effective ice accretion forecasting can be used to guide the de-icing work. The ice accretion on transmission lines varies slowly over time, and the icing data series is characteristic of timing sequence and autocorrelation. Time-series analysis is suitable for analysing the similar data series, and fireworks algorithm (FA) is used to determine the autoregressive order and the moving average order of time-series analysis. Then a short-term ice accretion forecasting for transmission lines with modified time-series analysis by FA is built. The ice accretion experiments were done in artificial icing laboratory. The results show that the modified time-series analysis model by the FA has higher accuracy than another five models, whose relative errors are <1.3% and closer to the experimental data. Field applications also show that the modified time-series analysis model has higher accuracy than the traditional one for the short-term ice accretion forecasting, whose average error rates are separately 2.6723 and 5.2654%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A steady-state mouse model was developed to determine arsenic (As) relative bioavailability (RBA) in rice to refine As exposure in humans. Fifty-five rice samples from 15 provinces of China were analyzed for total As, with 11 cooked for As speciation and bioavailability assessment. Arsenic concentrations were 38--335 µg kg-1, averaging 133 µg kg-1, with AsIII being dominant (36--79%), followed by DMAV (18--58%) and AsV (0.5--16%). Following oral doses of individual As species to mice at low As exposure (2.5--15 µg As per mouse) over a 7-d period, strong linear correlations (R² = 0.99) were observed between As urinary excretion and cumulative As intake, suggesting the suitability and sensitivity of the mouse bioassay to measure As-RBA in rice. Urinary excretion factor for DMAV (0.46) was less than inorganic As (0.63--0.69). As-RBA in cooked rice ranged from 13.2 ± 2.2% to 53.6 ± 11.1% (averaging 27.0 ± 12.2%) for DMAV and 26.2 ± 7.0% to 49.5 ± 4.7% (averaging 39.9 ± 8.3%) for inorganic As. Calculation of inorganic As intake based on total inorganic As in rice overestimated As exposure by 2.0--3.7 fold compared to that based on bioavailable inorganic As. For accurate assessment of the health risk associated with rice consumption, it is important to consider As bioavailability especially inorganic As in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite high morbidity and mortality, no effective options are available for the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI). Therefore, the present study investigated the protective effect of honokiol (HK) on ALI via determination of its effect on several key biomarkers. The results of the study showed that HK significantly inhibited the infiltration of neutrophils and protein leakage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (p<0.05). The pretreatment with HK considerably boosted the endogenous antioxidant defense system to counteract the oxidative stress in LPS-induced ALI by elevating the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH). Moreover, the activity of toxic mediators, such as myeloperoxidase (MPO), and lipid peroxidation were significantly inhibited upon treatment with HK. In order to examine the mechanism of action of HK, its effect was quantified using matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) by gelatin zymography. Pretreatment with HK considerably suppressed the activation of MMP-9 in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that HK protects from lung injury via inhibition of MMP-9, and by enhancing the activity of the endogenous antioxidant defense system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using in vitro bioaccessibility assays to predict Pb relative bioavailability (RBA) in contaminated soils has been demonstrated, however, limited research was performed on urban soils having lower Pb levels. In this study, 162 soils from urban parks in 27 capital cities in China were measured for Pb bioaccessibility using the SBRC assay, with Pb-RBA in 38 subsamples being measured using a mouse-kidney assay. Total Pb concentrations in soils were 9.3-1198 mg kg-1, with 92% of the soils having Pb concentrations <100 mg kg-1. Lead bioaccessibility in soils was 20-94%, increasing with Pb concentration up to 100 mg kg-1 (r = 0.44), however, limited variability in Pb bioaccessibility (60-80%) was observed for soils with Pb > 100 mg kg-1. On the basis of a stable isotope fingerprinting technique, coal combustion ash was identified as the major Pb source, contributing to the increased Pb bioaccessibility with increasing soil Pb concentration. Lead-RBA in soils was 17-87%, showing a strong linear correlation with Pb bioaccessibility (r2 = 0.61), with cross validation of the correlation based on random subsampling and leave-one-out approaches yielding low prediction errors. On the basis of the large sample size of 38 soils, this study demonstrated that the Pb-RBA predictive capability of the SBRC assay can be extended from mining/smelting impacted soils to urban soils with lower Pb levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fingerprinting based on stable isotopes of lead (Pb) in blood and environmental media helps to identify Pb exposure pathways in children. However, previous studies used stable isotopes of total Pb in media. In this study, a wire rope production town in China (Zhuhang) was selected for investigating the effectiveness of using isotope ratios in bioaccessible Pb to identify childhood Pb exposure pathways. Blood Pb levels of 115 children in Zhuhang were 1.7-20.4 μg dL-1, averaging 6.1 ± 3.2 μg dL-1 (mean ± standard deviation), and were ~1.6 times the national average in China (3.9 ± 1.8 μg dL-1). Among different environmental media (housedust, soil, PM10, vegetables, rice, and drinking water), housedust (695 ± 495 mg kg-1) and vegetables [0.36 ± 0.40 mg (kg of fresh weight)-1] contained elevated Pb concentrations. The isotope ratios (207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) of total Pb were the highest in housedust (0.8587 ± 0.0039 and 2.1049 ± 0.0087) but lower than blood Pb ratios (0.8634 ± 0.0027 and 2.1244 ± 0.0061). When using bioaccessible Pb in housedust (0.8639 ± 0.0018 and 2.1171 ± 0.0036), the isotope ratios overlapped with blood Pb ratios, suggesting that incidental ingestion of housedust was the predominant contributor to children's blood Pb. Coupling the stable isotope technique with bioaccessible Pb is more reliable for identifying Pb exposure pathways than total Pb determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To identify the structures of cellulose-extract derivative (CED) formed by heating Lentinus edodes cellulose in water surroundings that can efficiently inhibit aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus. Methods: CED was purified on Sepharose CL-6B columns, and then structurally characterized using amino acid analyzer, gas chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: CED completely inhibited aflatoxin AFB1 production by A. flavus at concentrations = 100 µg/ mL. Chemical analysis indicated that CED contained 82% carbohydrate and 18% protein and has a molecular weight of approximately 24 kDa. Monosaccharide component analysis indicates that glucose was the predominant monosaccharide of CED. Analysis by Smith degradation and enzymatic hydrolysis indicate that there were only (1, 4)-glycosidic linkages in the CED polysaccharide chains. The protein backbone of CED contained 15 kinds of amino acid with higher levels of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, leucine and alanine. Conclusion: CED was identified as a complex of peptide and polysaccharide structures possessing ß- (1, 4)-glucan backbones, and it provides a theoretical basis for developing polysaccharide preparations to control aflatoxin contamination with medical and food science applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidental ingestion of household dust is an important arsenic (As) exposure pathway for children. However, compared to soils, assessment of As relative bioavailability (RBA) in household dust is limited. In this study, As-RBA in 12 household dust samples (7-38 mg kg-1) was measured using an in vivo mouse model and compared to As bioaccessibility determined using 4 assays Solubility Bioaccessibility Research Consortium method (SBRC), in vitro gastrointestinal method (IVG), Deutsches Institut fur Normunge.V. method (DIN), and physiologically based extraction test (PBET)]. Arsenic RBA ranged from 21.8 ± 1.6 to 85.6 ± 7.2% with samples containing low Fe and high total organic carbon content having higher As-RBA. Strong in vivo-in vitro correlations (IVIVC) were found between As-RBA and As bioaccessibility for SBRC and DIN (r2 = 0.63-0.85), but weaker ones were obtained for IVG and PBET (r2 = 0.29-0.55). The developed IVIVC for SBRC and DIN were used to calculate As-RBA based on As bioaccessibility for an additional 12 household dust samples. Although As bioaccessibility differed significantly (up to 7.7-fold) based on in vitro methods, predicted As-RBA was less variable (up to 3.0-fold) when calculated using As bioaccessibility data and the corresponding IVTVC. Our data suggested that both SBRC and DIN had potential to assess As bioavailability in household dust samples; however, additional research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

House dust samples containing 25-738 mg of Pb kg-1 from 15 cities in China were assessed for in vitro Pb bio-accessibility and in vivo Pb relative bioavailability. On the basis of stable Pb isotope ratios, the Pb in dust samples mainly originated from coal combustion. Lead bio-accessibility was determined using gastric (GP) and intestinal phase (IP) of solubility bioaccessibility research consortium (SBRC), in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG), Deutsches Institut für Normunge.V. (DIN), and physiologically based extraction test methods (PBET), while Pb relative bioavailability (RBA) was determined using a mouse blood model. Lead bioaccessibility in 24 house dust samples varied significantly (23-99%) depending on the methods. Values from the IP were considerably lower than those from the GP because of the co-precipitation of Pb with iron and readsorption onto the dust matrix. The SBRC assay with lower GP pH produced higher Pb bioaccessibility because of enhanced Pb dissolution. When compared to mouse blood data using 12 dust samples (29-60%), SBRC- GP and DIN-GP data were correlated with Pb RBA with r2 values of 0.68 and 0.85 and intercepts 3.15 and 17.4, respectively. Overall, SBRC-GP had potential to predict Pb RBA in dust samples. However, our data suggested that more research is needed to develop a valid in vitro method for predicting Pb RBA in house dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economical and efficient long-distance oil and natural gas pipe transportation technologies are greatly demanded. Nowadays, oil and gas mixed transportation is gradually put into practice and researchers pay much attention on the theories of two-phase flow in pipe. Methods that can efficiently solve problems of this field are being put forward including hydraulic approach. A new approach, the Rotatable Coordinate Axis, is proposed in this paper. It is used to study the hydraulic characters of two-phase stratified flow in pipe. Based on the new method, the plane flow model for stratified turbulent flow in pipe is built. Then, we can obtain the analytic formulas of velocity, discharge etc. in wells and pipes by this model. To prove the theory of the plane flow model, experiments of aeration in stratified pipe is conducted with the aeration experiment device. The experiment data showed that aeration could effectively achieve the resistance reduction in pipeline, which can offer great theory support to the development of oil and natural gas mixed transportation technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered a promising therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the current clinical results are varied. This study is to analyze the therapeutic effect of cell-based strategies on RA. Materials and Methods: The searches were performed with public databases from inception to June 17, 2021. Randomized controlled trials researching cell-based therapies in RA patients were included. Results: Eight studies, including 480 patients, were included in the analysis. The results showed that compared to the control, MSC treatment significantly reduced the disease activity score (DAS) at the second standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.25, -0.15; P = 0.01) and 3rd month (SMD: -1.47; 95% CI: -2.77, -0.18; P < 0.01) and significantly reduced the rheumatoid factor (RF) level at the first (SMD: -0.38; 95% CI: -0.72, -0.05; P = 0.03) and 6th months (SMD: -0.81; 95% CI: -1.32, -0.31; P < 0.01). In the network meta-analysis, MSCs combined with interferon-γ (MSC_IFN) had a significant effect on increasing the American college of rheumatology criteria (ACR) 20, ACR50, and DAS <3.2 populations, had a significant effect on reducing the DAS, and decreased the RF level for a long period. Conclusion: MSCs could relieve the DAS of RA patients in the short term and reduce the level of RF. MSC_IFN showed a more obvious effect, which could significantly improve the results of ACR20, ACR50, and DAS <3.2 and reduce the DAS and RF levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The azocalix[4]arene film modified glassy carbon electrode was established for the convenient and sensitive detection of four DNA bases (guanine, adenine, thymine and cytosine). Field emission scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the film. The azocalix[4]arene film exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of all bases. Well-separated voltammetric peaks were obtained among guanine, adenine, thymine and cytosine, which lead to the feasibility for the simultaneous determination of all of them in a mixture without separation or pretreatment. Linear calibration curves were obtained from 0.125 to 200.0μM for adenine, 0.125 to 175.0μM for guanine, 2.50 to 650.0μM for thymine, and 2.50 to 650.0μM for cytosine. This sensor also exhibits good stability, reproducibility and long lifetime. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Microbubbles (MBs) can serve as an ultrasound contrast agent, and has the potential for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to the relatively low effect of MBs on MRI, it is necessary to develop new MBs that are more suitable for MRI. In this study, we evaluate the properties of SonoVue® and custom-made Fe3O4-nanoparticle-embedded microbubbles (Fe3O4-MBs) in terms of contrast agents for ultrsonography (US) and MRI. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 20 HepG2 subcutaneous-tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly assigned to 2 groups (i.e., n = 10 mice each group), one for US test and the other for MRI test. Within each group, two tests were performed for each mouse. The contrast agent for the first test is SonoVue®, and the second is Fe3O4-MBs. US was performed using a TechnosMPX US system (Esaote, Italy) with a contrast-tuned imaging (CnTITM) mode. MRI was performed using a 7.0T Micro-MRI (PharmaScan, Bruker Biospin GmbH, Germany) with an EPI-T2 sequence. The data of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from the region-of-interest of each US and MR image was calculated by ImageJ (National Institute of Health, USA). In group 1, enhancement of SonoVue® was significantly higher than Fe3O4-MBs on US (P,0.001). In group 2, negative enhancement of Fe3O4-MBs was significantly higher than SonoVue® on MRI (P<0.001). The time to peak showed no significant differences between US and MRI, both of which used the same MBs (P>0.05). The SNR analysis of the enhancement process reveals a strong negative correlation in both cases (i.e., SonoVue® r =20.733, Fe3O4-MBs r =20.903, with P<0.05). Conclusions: It might be important to change the Fe3O4-MBs' shell structure and/or the imagining strategy of US to improve the imaging quality of Fe3O4-MBs on US. As an intriguing prospect that can be detected by US and MRI, MBs are worthy of further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the crystal structure of poly[aquahemi [μ4-1,6-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)hexane](μ2-5-nitroisophthalato)cadmium(II)]. The topologies of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be modified by the coordination geometry of a metal ion and the chemical structure of the selected organic ligand. Organic carboxylate ligands like the 5-nitroisophthalate is used to construct MOFs with different topologies and properties.

In this paper, an efficient algorithm is developed to automatically detect and extract coronal loops. First of all, in the algorithm, three characteristics associated with coronal loops are used to construct a match filter able to enhance the loops. Secondly, the method combining a high-pass filter (unsharp-mask enhancement) with a global threshold is used to further enhance and segment the loops. Thirdly, to extract every individual coronal loop and obtain their parameters (the 2D projected space coordinates and lengths) from the segmented loops, a clustering method of the pixels with approximate local direction and connected domain is further used. Fourthly, to evaluate the performance of the developed algorithm, images observed by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the High-Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) are used, and comparison experiments between the existing algorithms and the developed algorithm are performed. Finally, it is found that the developed algorithm is commensurate with the two most promising algorithms, oriented coronal curved loop tracing (OCCULT) and its improved version, OCCULT-2, in performance. Therefore, for scientific applications associated with coronal loops, the developed algorithm will be a powerful tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary Cd intake is often estimated without considering Cd bioavailability. Measured urinary Cd for a cohort of 119 nonsmokers with rice as a staple was compared to predicted values from rice-Cd intake with and without considering Cd relative bioavailability (RBA) in rice based on a steady state mouse kidney bioassay and toxicokinetic model. The geometric mean (GM) of urinary Cd and β2-microglobulin was 1.08 and 234 µg g-1 creatinine. Applying Cd-RBA in foods to aggregate Cd intake (41.5 ± 12.4, 48.0 ± 9.3, 48.8 ± 21.3% for rice, wheat, and vegetables), rice was the largest contributor (71%). For 63 participants providing paired urine and rice samples, the predicted GM of urinary Cd at 4.14 µg g-1 based on total Cd in rice was 3.5 times that of measured value at 1.20 µg g-1, while incorporating Cd-RBA to assess rice-Cd intake made the two closer with GM at 1.07 µg g-1. The cohort findings were extended to a national scale, with urinary Cd for nonsmokers from rice Cd intake was mapped at province/city levels after considering rice Cd-RBA. Therefore, incorporating Cd bioavailability to assess dietary Cd intake is a valuable tool to accurately estimate human Cd exposure and associated health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have investigated lead (Pb) concentrations in lip products but little is known about its oral bioavailability. In this study, 75 lipsticks and 18 lip glosses were assessed for Pb concentration, while 15 samples were assessed for Pb relative bioavailability (RBA, relative to Pb acetate absorption) using a mouse femur assay. Lead concentrations were 0.2-10-185 mg kg-1, with 21 samples exceeding the Chinese limit of 40 mg kg-1. Samples with orange and pink colors and/or low cost contained higher Pb concentrations. For samples with Pb > 7500 mg kg-1, Pb was present due to the addition of lead chromate (PbCrO4) as a colorant, which was confirmed by X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis. Lead-RBA in 15 samples (87-10 185 mg kg-1) ranged from 23% to 95%, being significantly higher in moderate Pb (56-95%; 87-300 mg kg-1) than high Pb samples (23-48%; >300 mg kg-1). The calculation of Pb intake based on Pb-RBA showed that lip product ingestion contributed 5.4-68% of the aggregate Pb exposure for women depending on Pb concentration. The high Pb concentration in some lip products together with their moderate Pb-RBA suggests that lip product ingestion is a potential health concern to women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different animals and biomarkers have been used to measure the relative bioavailability of arsenic (As-RBA) in contaminated soils. However, there is a lack of As-RBA comparison based on different animals (i.e., swine and mouse) and biomarkers [area under blood As concentration curve (AUC) after a single gavaged dose vs steady-state As urinary excretion (SSUE) and As accumulation in liver or kidney after multiple doses via diet]. In this study, As-RBA in 12 As-contaminated soils with known As-RBA via swine blood AUC model were measured by mouse blood AUC, SSUE, and liver and kidney analyses. As-RBA ranges for the four mouse assays were 2.8-61%, 3.6-64%, 3.9-74%, and 3.4-61%. Compared to swine blood AUC assay (7.0-81%), though well correlated (R2 = 0.83), the mouse blood AUC assay yielded lower values (2.8-61%). Similarly, strong correlations of As-RBA were observed between mouse blood AUC and mouse SSUE (R2 = 0.86) and between urine, liver, and kidney (R2 = 0.75-0.89), suggesting As-RBA was congruent among different animals and end points. Different animals and biomarkers had little impact on the outcome of in vivo assays to validate in vitro assays. On the basis of its simplicity, mouse liver or kidney assay following repeated doses of soil-amended diet is recommended for future As-RBA studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilization affects bacterial communities and element biogeochemical cycling in flooded paddy soils and the effect might differ among soil types. In this study, five paddy soils from Southern China were subjected to urea addition to explore impacts of fertilization on nitrogen oxide (N2O) emission and bacterial community composition under the flooding condition. 16S rRNA gene-based illumina sequencing showed no obvious shifts in bacterial community composition of five soils after urea addition. However, some genera were affected by fertilization addition and the influenced genera varied among soils. During the late period (day 8-19) of flooding incubation without urea addition, N2O emission rates were elevated for all soils. However, urea effects on N2O emission were different among flooded soils. For soils where nirS and nirK gene abundances increased with urea addition, N2O emission was significantly increased compared to control treatment. Redundancy analysis showed that dissolved organic carbon, ammonium (NH4 +), ferrous iron (Fe2+) and nitrate (NO3 -) in pore water explained 33.4% of the variation in soil bacterial community composition, implying that urea regimes influenced the relative abundance of some bacterial populations possibly by regulating soil characteristics and then influencing N2O emission. These results provided insights into soil type-dependent effect of fertilization on the overall bacterial communities and nitrogen oxide emission in flooded paddy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study which examined the synthesis of nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) mediated by the polyelectrolyte polyacrylate sodium (PAAS) using the simple co-precipitation reaction system. Topics discussed include the morphology of the synthetic nano HA powders and the influence of the pH value of reaction system and the concentration of PAAS on the morphology of the final HA product.

Our previous experiment confirmed that high-mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) was involved in the pathogenesis of Lupus nephritis (LN) by upregulating the proliferation of the mouse mesangial cell line (MMC) through the cyclin D1/CDK4/p16 system, but the precise mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we demonstrated that HMGB1 induced the proliferation of MMC cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, downregulated phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) expression, increased the level of Akt serine 473 phosphorylation, and induced p65 subunit nuclear translocation. The overexpression of PTEN prevented the upregulation of HMGB1-induced proliferation by blocking the activation of Akt. The knockdown of Akt by siRNA technology and blocking the nuclear factor-κ (NF-κ) pathway using pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) and SN50, inhibitors of NF-κ, both attenuated the HMGB1-induced proliferation by counteracting the activation of the cyclin D1. In addition, while sh-Akt partly blocked the nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit, PDTC did not affect the activation of the Akt induced by HMGB1 in MMC cells. These findings indicate that HMGB1 induced the proliferation of MMC cells by activating the PTEN/phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/NF-κ signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate prognostication of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) will benefit patients for tailored therapy. Here, we addressed this issue by developing a mathematical algorithm based on support vector machine (SVM) through integrating the expression levels of multi-biomarkers. Methodology/Principal Findings: Ninety-seven locally advanced NPC patients in a randomized controlled trial (RCT), consisting of 48 cases serving as training set and 49 cases as testing set of SVM models, with 5-year follow-up were studied. We designed SVM models by selecting the variables from 38 tissue molecular biomarkers, which represent 6 tumorigenesis signaling pathways, and 3 EBV-related serological biomarkers. We designed 3 SVM models to refine prognosis of NPC with 5-year follow-up. The SVM1 displayed highly predictive sensitivity (sensitivity, specificity were 88.0% and 81.9%, respectively) by integrating the expression of 7 molecular biomarkers. The SVM2 model showed highly predictive specificity (sensitivity, specificity were 84.0% and 94.5%, respectively) by grouping the expression level of 12 molecular biomarkers and 3 EBV-related serological biomarkers. The SVM3 model, constructed by combination SVM1 with SVM2, displayed a high predictive capacity (sensitivity, specificity were 88.0% and 90.3%, respectively). We found that 3 SVM models had strong power in classification of prognosis. Moreover, Cox multivariate regression analysis confirmed these 3 SVM models were all the significant independent prognostic model for overall survival in testing set and overall patients. Conclusions/Significance: Our SVM prognostic models designed in the RCT displayed strong power in refining patient prognosis for locally advanced NPC, potentially directing future target therapy against the related signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of ZnO nanowhiskers (ZnOw) in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) matrices results in reinforced composite materials but deteriorates their electrical properties. In this study, novel piezoelectric PZT/ZnOw composites modified with Nb2O5 were successfully fabricated using solid-state sintering method. The experimental results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt% Nb2O5 resulted in highly dense and homogenous PZT composites after sintering at 1150°C, with good piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties similar to pure PZT, specifically piezoelectric constant d33=665 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor kp=0.7, relative dielectric constant ϵ=5048, and remnant polarization Pr=30.2 μC/cm°. The ''soft effect'' of Nb5+ ions, reflected in the improvement of the aforementioned properties, is attributed to the accommodation of Nb51 ions at the B sites of the lattice of PZT. Compared with the PZT/ZnOw reinforced composites, the mechanical properties were slightly improved by adding 0.5 wt% Nb2O5, where flexural strength σf of 128 MPa and fracture toughness KIC of 1.46 MPa · m½ were measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poly(bromothymol blue) film was prepared using a simple cyclic voltammetry method. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical methods were employed to characterize this film. When the film was electropolymerized on an electrode, it showed excellent catalytic activity toward the oxidation of dopamine (DA) in pH 4.0 phosphate buffer solution. In addition, the overlapped voltammetric responses of dopamine and ascorbic acid were resolved into two well-defined peaks by the film-modified electrode with a large peak separation of 0.17 V. A calibration curve for DA was obtained by the amperometric method in the range of 3.0-195.0 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997. The film-modified electrode has been successfully used to measure the concentration of DA in injections and human serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]