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Purpose: To address the hypothesis that the tissue processing methods of solvent dehydration and freeze-drying would differentially affect the physicochemical characteristics of four commercially available bone allografts and the adhesion and differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSCs) on such substrates in vitro. Materials and Methods: The surface morphology, surface area, and elemental composition of four commercially available cancellous bone allografts were examined using SEM, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) gas adsorption, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analyses. SEM was also employed to compare the allograft surfaces to that of human bone exposed by in vitro osteoclastic resorption. The allografts were seeded with hBMSCs, and the number of adhered cells was assessed at 3 and 7 days. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was quantified as a measure of osteogenic differentiation after 21 days. Results: Marked differences were seen between the physicochemical characteristics of the solvent-dehydrated and freezedried allografts, as well as between their resulting bone microarchitectures and that of osteoclast-resorbed human bone. Increased hBMSC adhesion and differentiation were observed on the solvent-dehydrated allografts compared to freezedried allografts, which suggests a higher putative osteogenic potential. The latter was attributed to better preservation of the bone collagen microarchitecture integrity, which may provide not only a more complex substrate architecture, but also a more favorable microenvironment to allow nutrients and oxygen to flow to the adhered cells. Conclusion: Commercially available cancellous bone allografts significantly differ in their physicochemical characteristics, stemming from differences in tissue processing and sterilization methods undertaken by tissue banks. These differences impact the response of MSCs in vitro and may alter the biologic performance of the grafts in vivo. Therefore, it is important to consider these characteristics when choosing a bone substitute for clinical application, as the physicochemical properties of the grafts play a crucial role in their interactions with the biologic environment and subsequent incorporation into the native bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given its high morbidity, disability, and mortality rates, ischemic stroke (IS) is a severe disease posing a substantial public health threat. Although early thrombolytic therapy is effective in IS treatment, the limited time frame for its administration presents a formidable challenge. Upon occurrence, IS triggers an ischemic cascade response, inducing the brain to generate endogenous protective mechanisms against excitotoxicity and inflammation, among other pathological processes. Stroke patients often experience limited recovery stages. As a result, activating their innate self-protective capacity [endogenous brain protection (EBP)] is essential for neurological function recovery. Acupuncture has exhibited clinical efficacy in cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS) treatment by promoting the human body's self-preservation and "Zheng Qi" (a term in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) describing positive capabilities such as self-immunity, self-recovery, and disease prevention). According to research, acupuncture can modulate astrocyte activity, decrease oxidative stress (OS), and protect neurons by inhibiting excitotoxicity, inflammation, and apoptosis via activating endogenous protective mechanisms within the brain. Furthermore, acupuncture was found to modulate microglia transformation, thereby reducing inflammation and autoimmune responses, as well as promoting blood flow restoration by regulating the vasculature or the blood--brain barrier (BBB). However, the precise mechanism underlying these processes remains unclear. Consequently, this review aims to shed light on the potential acupuncture-induced endogenous neuroprotective mechanisms by critically examining experimental evidence on the preventive and therapeutic effects exerted by acupuncture on CIS. This review offers a theoretical foundation for acupuncture-based stroke treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate erythropoiesis involves nuclear and chromatin condensation at the early stages of terminal differentiation, which is a unique process to distinguish mature erythrocytes from erythroblasts. However, the underlying mechanisms of chromatin condensation during erythrocyte maturation remain elusive. Here, we reported a novel zebrafish mutantcas7 with erythroid maturation deficiency. Positional cloning showed that a single base mutation in tprb gene, which encodes nucleoporin translocated promoter region (Tpr), is responsible for the disrupted erythroid maturation and upregulation of erythroid genes, including ae1-globin and be1-globin. Further investigation revealed that deficient erythropoiesis in tprbcas7 mutant was independent on HIF signaling pathway. The proportion of euchromatin was significantly increased, whereas the percentage of heterochromatin was markedly decreased in tprbcas7 mutant. In addition, TPR knockdown in human K562 cells also disrupted erythroid differentiation and dramatically elevated the expression of globin genes, which suggests that the functions of TPR in erythropoiesis are highly conserved in vertebrates. Taken together, this study revealed that Tpr played vital roles in chromatin condensation and gene regulation during erythroid maturation in vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fate determination and expansion of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPCs) is tightly regulated on both transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Although transcriptional regulation of HSPCs have achieved a lot of advances, its post-transcriptional regulation remains largely underexplored. The small size and high fecundity of zebrafish makes it extraordinarily suitable to explore novel genes playing key roles in definitive hematopoiesis by large-scale forward genetics screening. Here, we reported a novel zebrafish mutant line gemin5cas008 with a point mutation in gemin5 gene obtained by ENU mutagenesis and genetic screening, causing an earlier stop codon next to the fifth WD repeat. Gemin5 is an RNA-binding protein with multifunction in post-transcriptional regulation, such as regulating the biogenesis of snRNPs, alternative splicing, stress response, and translation control. The mutants displayed specific deficiency in definitive hematopoiesis without obvious defects during primitive hematopoiesis. Further analysis showed the impaired definitive hematopoiesis was due to defective proliferation of HSPCs. Overall, our results indicate that Gemin5 performs an essential role in regulating HSPCs proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the stability of fucoxanthin, fucoxanthin liposomes (L) were prepared by the thinfilm ultrasound method, and fucoxanthin liposomes were modified with sodium alginate and chitosan by an electrostatic deposition method. The release characteristics of fucoxanthin in different types of liposomes with in vitro gastrointestinal simulation were studied. Under the optimum conditions, the results showed that the encapsulation efficiency of prepared liposomes could reach 88.56 ± 1.40% (m/m), with an average particle size of 295.27 ± 7.28 nm, a Zeta potential of -21.53 ± 2.00 mV, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.323 ± 0.007 and a loading capacity of 33.3 ± 0.03% (m/m). Compared with L and chitosan modified fucoxanthin liposomes (CH), sodium alginate and chitosan modified fucoxanthin liposomes (SA-CH) exhibited higher storage stability, in vitro bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity after gastrointestinal digestion. Sodium alginate and chitosan co-modified liposomes can be developed as formulations for encapsulation and delivery of functional ingredients, providing a theoretical basis for developing new fucoxanthin series products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The prevalence of cancer is growing daily. Oral cancer, which is primarily triggered by tobacco use, can have detrimental effects on facial appearance. Despite significant advances in the molecular underpinnings of cancer, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have become standard cancer treatment methods. These treatments remove the tumor but can significantly alter patient's appearance, which can impact their physical and mental wellbeing. The soft tissue augmentation technique of autologous fat grafting (AFG), commonly referred to as lipofilling, is frequently used in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery to promote facial rejuvenation and body form remodeling. The advantages of AFG include its biocompatibility, low immunogenicity and allergenicity, as well as its capability to heal wounds. Objectives. To explore the advantages of and patient satisfaction with the AFG technique as a potential facial restoration procedure in oral cancer patients. Materials and methods. We examined the effects of facial AFG in cosmetic surgery patients and investigated the prevalence of postoperative problems. Patient satisfaction and potential complications after autologous fat filling in different areas of the facial space were investigated using clinical evaluations, patientreported outcomes and photographic assessments. Results. All of the patients were satisfied with the results in terms of improved facial shape, skin glossiness, skin elasticity, ptosis, and facial expressions. More than 80% of the patients and surgeons reported overall satisfaction. Conclusions. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the AFG approach may be beneficial as a reconstructive therapy for patients with oral cancer following treatment. This technique will improve the patient's physical appearance, confidence and mental wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high incidence of heart failure secondary to myocardial infarction (MI) has been difficult to effectively address. MI causes strong aseptic inflammation, and infiltration of different immune cells and changes in the local inflammatory microenvironment play a key regulatory role in ventricular remodeling. Therefore, the possibility of improving the prognosis of MI through targeted immunity has been of interest and importance in MI. However, previously developed immune-targeted therapies have not achieved significant success in clinical trials. Here, we propose that the search for therapeutic targets from different immune cells may be more precise and lead to better clinical translation. Specifically, this review summarizes the role and potential therapeutic targets of various immune cells in ventricular remodeling after MI, especially monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils, as a way to demonstrate the importance and potential of immunomodulatory therapies for MI. In addition, we analyze the reasons for the failure of previous immunomodulatory therapies and the issues that need to be addressed, as well as the prospects and targeting strategies of using immune cells to drive novel immunomodulatory therapies, hoping to advance the development of immunomodulatory therapies by providing evidence and new ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy (GFAP-A) is a newly defined meningoencephalomyelitis. The pathogenesis of GFAP-A is not well understood. The present study measured the expression levels of 200 serological cytokines in GFAP-A patients, NMOSD patients and healthy controls (HCs). The correlations between serum cytokine levels and clinical information in GFAP-A patients were analyzed. A total of 147 serological proteins were differentially expressed in GFAP-A patients compared to HCs, and 33 of these proteins were not observed in NMOSD patients. Serum levels of EG-VEGF negatively correlated with GFAP antibody titers, MIP-3 alpha positively correlated with clinical severity in GFAP-A patients, and LIGHT positively correlated with WBC counts and protein levels in the CSF of GFAP-A patients. These results suggest that GFAP and AQP4 astrocytopathy share some common pathology related to TNF signaling. Serum MIP 3 alpha may be a biomarker to assess clinical severity and a potential target for therapy of autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most frequent vascular tumors that occur during infancy. Microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) have been demonstrated as critical regulators of gene expression in various diseases. However, the function of miRNAs in IH still remains largely unknown. In the present study, we performed a miRNA microarray analysis of IH and identified 68 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). In addition, miRNA-gene networks and protein-protein interactions were constructed, and the hub miRNAs and genes of IH were screened out. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were used for biological analysis of DEMs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The pathway enrichment analysis of DEMs revealed several tumor-related pathways, including proteoglycans in cancer, signaling pathway regulating pluripotency of stem cells and TGF-beta signaling pathway. DEGs were mainly enriched in biological processes, including intracellular signal transduction, cell adhesion, and cell death. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that DEGs were enriched in tumorigenesis- and angiogenesis-related pathways such as proteoglycans in cancer, MAPK signaling pathway and Rap1 signaling pathway. Collectively, this study first established a comprehensive miRNA-gene network in IH, which should provide novel insights into IH pathogenesis and be beneficial to the understanding of neovascularization-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are well suited for cancer vaccination strategies. In addition to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and endogenous retrovirus (ERV) encoded proteins, HNSCCs have a relatively high tumor mutational burden encoding potential neoepitopes. Peptide vaccine candidates are prioritized by predicted high-affinity to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I with MHC-II affinity largely not being considered. Herein, we extend previous studies to evaluate therapeutic vaccination in the mouse oral cancer (MOC) 22 model. Two distinct MOC22 derived SLPs were tested - a TSA-oriented mutant intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (mICAM1) and p15E, an ERV encoded antigen. In silico prediction revealed mICAM1 SLP bore strong MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes sharing a mutant residue with vaccination significantly increasing both antigen-specific IFN-γ producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. By contrast, p15E SLP had a predicted high-affinity MHC-I epitope but lacked an MHC-II epitope and vaccination induced antigen-specific CD8+ but not CD4+ T cell responses. Therapeutic mICAM1 vaccination attenuated tumor growth effectively with mICAM1-specific T cells displaying durable IFN-γ production compared with p15E SLP. Furthermore, mICAM1 SLPs carrying weakened MHC-II binding epitopes were unable to control tumor growth. These data underscore the potential value of therapeutic targeting of HNSCC epitopes and highlight the importance of studying distinct antigen classes in this setting. Moreover, they raise the possibility that, at least in part, CD4+ T cell help is critical for cancer vaccination in this preclinical HNSCC model and suggest in silico prediction approaches prioritize overlapping MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes to generate potent cancer vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The non-invasive identification of novel renal fibrosis biomarkers needs to be further studied. Methods: We collected urine samples from 77 biopsy-proven CKD patients and 15 healthy controls. The expression of urinary TREM-1 and TREM-2 was measured and the correlation with renal function parameter and pathological indicators was performed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis was calculated. The protein expression of TREM-1 and TREM-2 in kidney tissues was measured. Results: The TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was decreased in CKD patients and correlated with serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin c. Further, the TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was significantly decreased in moderate-severe fibrosis patients compared with none-mild renal fibrosis. TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was correlated with the score of tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) and the score of glomerular sclerosis. The ROC curve showed that the urinary TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio can diagnosemoderate-severe renal fibrosis at a cut-off value of 1.338 with a sensitivity of 86.4% and specificity of 81.8%. In human moderate-severe fibrosis kidney tissue, the protein expression of TREM-1 was lower and the TREM-2 was higher than none-mild fibrosis kidney tissue. Conclusion: Urinary TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis in CKD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Insomnia with short sleep duration has a more serious negative impact on patient health. The existing literature suggests that medication therapy is more effective for this phenotype of insomnia compared with cognitive–behavioural therapy. However, the potential side effects of hypnotic medications hinder their clinical application. Acupuncture has been widely used in the treatment of insomnia, but it remains unclear whether it has therapeutic efficacy for insomnia with short sleep duration. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia with short sleep duration. Methods and analysis This study is designed as a randomised, single-centre, single-blinded, placebo acupuncture controlled trial involving 152 participants. Eligible patients will be divided into two groups according to the objective total sleep time: insomnia with normal sleep duration group and insomnia with short sleep duration group. Then, patients in each group will be randomly assigned to two subgroups, the treatment group (acupuncture) and the control group (placebo acupuncture), in a 1:1 ratio with 38 subjects in each subgroup. The primary outcome is the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index. Secondary outcomes are actigraphy, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Fatigue Severity Scale. All adverse effects will be assessed by the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, post treatment, as well as at 1-week and 1-month follow-up. Ethics and dissemination This protocol has been approved by the ethics committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (no. 2019-17). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals for publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lapping with fixed-abrasive pads is regarded as a potentially efficient machining technology due to the precise controllability of abrasive trajectory. For trajectories can be changed by pellet patterns of textured fixed-abrasive pads (T-FAPs), it is essential to studythe influence of pellet shape and size on the pattern performance of T-FAPs. In this paper, different pellet shapes and sizes were studied based on a T-FAP design algorithm in a single-sided lapping, and the pattern performance of T-FAPs was evaluated by the non-uniformity of trajectory (NUT). Based on the results, it is found that pellet shapes and sizes have an obvious influence on the performance of T-FAPs. When circular pellet shape with its size of 4, 8, or 14 mm, NUT value can be lower than 0.08. Therefore, much lower NUT values can be obtained when matching selection of pellet shape and size in pad pattern design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, southwest China, are described and illustrated. They are Petrocosmea rhombifolia, Petrocosmea tsaii, Didymocarpus brevipedunculatus, and Henckelia xinpingensis. Diagnostic characters between the new species and their morphologically close relatives are provided. Their distribution, ecology, phenology, and conservation status are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an efficient method for solving coupled Lane-Emden boundary value problems in catalytic diffusion reactions. The target is to obtain approximations of coupled Lane-Emden boundary value problems via series representation. Convergence and an error estimate are presented. Finally, two BVPs are solved to illustrative high accuracy of our method. Furthermore, our algorithm is easy to implement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Centers form the backbone of the cancer care system in the United States since their inception in the early 1970s. Most studies on their geographic accessibility used primitive measures, and did not examine the disparities across urbanicity or demographic groups. This research uses an advanced accessibility method, termed "2-step floating catchment area (2SFCA)" and implemented in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to capture the degree of geographic access to NCI Cancer Centers by accounting for competition intensity for the services and travel time between residents and the facilities. The results indicate that urban advantage is pronounced as the average accessibility is highest in large central metro areas, declines to large fringe metro, medium metro, small metro, micropolitan and noncore rural areas. Population under the poverty line are disproportionally concentrated in lower accessibility areas. However, on average Non-Hispanic White have the lowest geographic accessibility, followed by Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Black and Asian, and the differences are statistically significant. The "reversed racial disadvantage" in NCI Cancer Center accessibility seems counterintuitive but is consistent with an influential prior study; and it is in contrast to the common observation of co-location of concentration of minority groups and people under the poverty line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Imbalance between T-helper 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells is causally linked to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that electroacupuncture (EA) confers therapeutic benefits in RA through activation of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)- dependent signalling and restoration of the Th17/Treg cell balance. Materials and methods A collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was induced in Sprague - Dawley rats by injection of bovine type II collagen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant on day 0 and day 7. Three days after the second injection, EA was given at acupuncture points GB39 and ST36 three times per week for 4 weeks. To block VIP signalling, [D-P-Cl-Phe(6)- Leu(17)]-VIP, a VIP receptor antagonist, was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before EA. Inflammatory and pathological responses in the joint were assessed. Synovial VIP receptor mRNA levels and Treg and Th17 cell frequencies in the spleen were determined. Results EA significantly reduced the severity of CIA, as evidenced by reduced paw volumes, arthritis scores and inflammation scores. EA significantly increased mRNA expression of the VIP receptor VPAC1 and led to an elevation in CD4 + FOXP3 + Treg cell frequency and a reduction in CD4 + IL17 + Th17 cell frequency. Pre-injection of a VIP receptor antagonist significantly reversed EA-induced expansion of Treg cells, but did not alter the frequencies of Th17 cells. Conclusions EA exerts anti-inflammatory effects in a collagen-induced rat model of arthritis. These effects appear to be mediated through activation of VIP signalling and re-establishment of the Th17/Treg cell balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Field surveys conducted in China before the implementation of the essential medicine policy showed that Chinese individuals faced less access to essential medicines. This paper aims to evaluate the availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines in Jiangsu Province, China after the implementation of the policy in 2009. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jiangsu in 2013 using the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. Data on the availability and prices of 50 essential medicines were collected from the public and private healthcare sectors. Results: The mean availabilities of innovator brands and lowest priced generics (LPGs) were 11.5 % and 100 % in primary healthcare facilities, 36.8 % and 32.6 % in the secondary and tertiary sectors, and 18.7 % and 42.9 % in the private sector, respectively. The median price ratios (MPRs) were 1.26 to 2.05 for generics and 3.76 to 27.22 for innovator brands. Treating ten common diseases with LPGs was generally affordable, whereas treatment with IBs was less affordable. Conclusions: The high availability of LPGs at primary healthcare facilities reflects the success of the essential medicine policy, while the low availability in secondary and tertiary levels and in private pharmacies reflects a failure to implement the policy in these levels. The health policy should be fully developed and enforced at the secondary and tertiary levels and in the private sector to ensure equitable access to health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) play a significant role in determining bread-making qualities of common wheat flour. The study presented in the paper identified two novel HMW-GS (designated as 1Bx14* and 1By15*) at the Glu- B1 locus in Chinese wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) landrace Banjiemang by SDS-PAGE. The open reading frames (ORFs) of the genes were amplified and cloned with designed specific primers. Both of them had sequences highly similar to those of other HMW-GS genes, but displayed minor modification. The ORF of 1Bx14* was 2367 bp long and encoded 789 aa with 4 cysteines, which included 25 nanopeptides, 65 hexapeptides and 7 tripeptides motifs. The ORF of 1By15* was 2106 bp long and encoded 702 aa with 7 cysteines, which included 23 nanopeptides and 53 hexapeptides motifs. The predicted molecular weights of the mature proteins encoded by 1Bx14* and 1By15* genes were 83.1 and 73.2 k Da, respectively. The presence and authenticity of the two genes in Banjiemang were confirmed by bacterial expression and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). By phylogenetic analysis, the 1Bx14* was clustered with x-type subunits but had a high divergence with other 1Bx subunits, whereas the 1By15* was clustered with y-type subunits and closely related to subunit 1By15. The study concluded that 1Bx14* and 1By15* from Banjiemang were novel allelic variations of HMW-GS at Glu- B1 locus, which were probably exploitable as new resources for wheat quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the random mobility and connectivity of intermittent problems in delay tolerant mobile sensor network, this paper proposed the reliable transmission mechanism based on network coding. Based on the DTMSN sensor node mobility and network coding technique, considering the factors affecting DTMSN quality of service guarantee, the data packet to the cluster as units mapped to network, it created the optimal transmission scheme according to the bit error rate and relay forwarding nodes, which were selected by opportunity. The simulation experiment results show that, the proposed reliable transmission mechanism compared with the direct transmission and flooding algorithm has better performance, such as bit error rate, realtime and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiciliated cells (MCCs) possess multiple motile cilia and are distributed throughout the vertebrate body, performing important physiological functions by regulating fluid movement in the intercellular space. Neither their function during organ development nor the molecular mechanisms underlying multiciliogenesis are well understood. Although dysregulation of members of the miR-34 family plays a key role in the progression of various cancers, the physiological function of miR-34b, especially in regulating organ formation, is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that miR-34b expression is enriched in kidney MCCs and the olfactory placode in zebrafish. Inhibiting miR-34b function using morpholino antisense oligonucleotides disrupted kidney proximal tubule convolution and the proper distribution of distal transporting cells and MCCs. Microarray analysis of gene expression, cilia immunostaining and a fluid flow assay revealed that miR-34b is functionally required for the multiciliogenesis of MCCs in the kidney and olfactory placode. We hypothesize that miR-34b regulates kidney morphogenesis by controlling the movement and distribution of kidney MCCs and fluid flow. We found that cmyb was genetically downstream of miR-34b and acted as a key regulator of multiciliogenesis. Elevated expression of cmyb blocked membrane docking of centrioles, whereas loss of cmyb impaired centriole multiplication, both of which resulted in defects in the formation of ciliary bundles. Thus, miR-34b serves as a guardian to maintain the proper level of cmyb expression. In summary, our studies have uncovered an essential role for miR-34b-Cmyb signaling during multiciliogenesis and kidney morphogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a broad range of biological roles, including regulation of expression of genes and chromosomes. Here, we present evidence that lncRNAs are involved in vertebrate circadian biology. Differential night/day expression of 112 lncRNAs (0.3 to >50 kb) occurs in the rat pineal gland, which is the source of melatonin, the hormone of the night. Approximately one-half of these changes reflect nocturnal increases. Studies of eight lncRNAs with 2- to >100-fold daily rhythms indicate that, in most cases, the change results from neural stimulation from the central circadian oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (doubling time = 0.5-1.3 h). Light exposure at night rapidly reverses (halving time = 9-32 min) levels of some of these lncRNAs. Organ culture studies indicate that expression of these lncRNAs is regulated by norepinephrine acting through cAMP. These findings point to a dynamic role of lncRNAs in the circadian system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel photonic suspension array has been developed for multiplex immunoassay. The carriers of this array were silica colloidal crystal beads (SCCBs). The codes of these carriers have characteristic reflection peaks originating from their structural periodicity; therefore they do not suffer from fading, bleaching, quenching or chemical instability. In addition, the fluorescence background of SCCBs is negligible because no fluorescence materials or dyes are involved. With a sandwich method, the proposed suspension array was used for simultaneous multiplex detection of heart failure (HF) and coronary heart disease (CAD) biomarkers in one test tube. The results showed that the three biomarkers: cardiac troponin I (cTnI), Creactive protein (CRP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) could be assayed in the ranges of 0.1-500 ng/ml, 1-500 mg/L and 0.02-50 ng/ml with detection limits of 0.01 ng/ml, 0.36 mg/L and 0.004 ng/ml at 3σ, respectively. There were no significant differences between the photonic suspension array and traditional parallel single-analyte test. This novel method demonstrated acceptable accuracy, high detection sensitivity and reproducibility and excellent storage stability. This technique provides a new strategy for low cost, automated, and simultaneous multiplex immunoassays of bio-markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermo-plasticity of homogenized 7050 aluminum ingot was investigated by instantaneous tensile tests conducted at different temperatures. The results show that, with the increase of testing temperatures, the strength decreases, and the plasticity increases firstly and then decreases in homogenized 7050 ingot. When the studied alloy is deformed between 380 °C and 420 °C, the deformation resistance is lower and plasticity is better. And the actual heating temperature for ingot before hot extrusion should be controlled between 360 °C and 400 °C. At low tensile temperatures, the deformation structure is mainly composed of dislocation substructure. With the increase of testing temperatures, transgranular fracture transforms into intergranular fracture progressively during deformation. At high tensile temperatures, the grain boundaries are weakened, deformation is concentrated at the grain boundaries and the re-orientation of equilibrium phases at grain boundaries appears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermo-plasticity of homogenized 7050 aluminum ingot was investigated by instantaneous tensile tests conducted at different temperatures. The results show that, with the increase of testing temperatures, the strength decreases, and the plasticity increases firstly and then decreases in homogenized 7050 ingot. When the studied alloy is deformed between 380 °C and 420 °C, the deformation resistance is lower and plasticity is better. And the actual heating temperature for ingot before hot extrusion should be controlled between 360 °C and 400 °C. At low tensile temperatures, the deformation structure is mainly composed of dislocation substructure. With the increase of testing temperatures, transgranular fracture transforms into intergranular fracture progressively during deformation. At high tensile temperatures, the grain boundaries are weakened, deformation is concentrated at the grain boundaries and the re-orientation of equilibrium phases at grain boundaries appears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classification can be regarded as dividing the data space into decision regions separated by decision boundaries. In this paper we analyze decision tree algorithms and the NBTree algorithm from this perspective. Thus, a decision tree can be regarded as a classifier tree, in which each classifier on a non-root node is trained in decision regions of the classifier on the parent node. Meanwhile, the NBTree algorithm, which generates a classifier tree with the C4.5 algorithm and the naive Bayes classifier as the root and leaf classifiers respectively, can also be regarded as training naive Bayes classifiers in decision regions of the C4.5 algorithm. We propose a second division (SD) algorithm and three soft second division (SD-soft) algorithms to train classifiers in decision regions of the naive Bayes classifier. These four novel algorithms all generate two-level classifier trees with the naive Bayes classifier as root classifiers. The SD and three SD-soft algorithms can make good use of both the information contained in instances near decision boundaries, and those that may be ignored by the naive Bayes classifier. Finally, we conduct experiments on 30 data sets from the UC Irvine (UCI) repository. Experiment results show that the SD algorithm can obtain better generalization abilities than the NBTree and the averaged one-dependence estimators (AODE) algorithms when using the C4.5 algorithm and support vector machine (SVM) as leaf classifiers. Further experiments indicate that our three SD-soft algorithms can achieve better generalization abilities than the SD algorithm when argument values are selected appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium oxides (CeO2) were synthesized by two steps solvothermal routes. First, a precursor was precipitated using solutions of cerium (III) nitrate and ammonia, and then this precursor was treated via solvothermal techniques in an autoclave. Narrow distribution of CeO2 particle size, between 10 to 15 nm, was achieved in different solvents. Hard agglomerates of nano-CeO2 were mitigated in an ethanol solvent. Most of crystal particles were in the shape of a quadrangle for the precursor. Morphology of CeO2 particles gradually changed after the precursor was treated by solvothermal techniques. There were both quadrangular and symmetrically hexagonal particles at an alkaline pH value. Alternatively, the quadrangular particles disappeared, instead of geometrically unsymmetrical hexagon with decreasing pH to a more acid value. The evolution mechanism of the morphology was discussed. These results have important implications for recognizing and controlling the crystalline shape by solvothermal techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The relation between autophagy and apoptosis has not been clearly elucidated. Here, we reported that apoptosis followed autophagy in insect Spodoptera litura cells (Sl) undergoing glucose starvation. Sl cells have been adapted to Leibovitz-15 medium supplemented with glucose (1.0 g/l) and 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS), used for mammalian cell cultures. If glucose (1 g/l) or glutamine (1.6 g/l) had not been supplemented in L-15 medium with 5% FBS, Sl cells began to form many vacuoles and these vacuoles gradually enlarged in the cytoplasm, which were autophagic vacuoles. However, these large vacuoles began to disappear gradually after 48 h of glucose starvation, accompanied with remarkable apoptosis without apoptotic bodies, which was demonstrated by DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3-like. During glucose starvation, Sl cell ATP concentrations gradually decreased. Interestingly, if the conditioned L-15 medium without glucose was replaced with fresh L-15 medium supplemented with glucose or glutamine after the cultures had been starved seriously for 48 h or longer, the formation of apoptotic bodies was initiated. These data suggested that the partial depletion of cell ATP triggered apoptosis following autophagy in glucose-starved Sl cells and the formation of apoptotic bodies required higher level of ATP than DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3-like activity. Additionally, the disappearance of autophagic vacuoles, negative staining of neutral red, green staining of acridine orange and diffusion of acid phosphatase activity in Sl cells at the late stage of starvation (over 48 h) suggested that the dysfunction of lysosome was more likely to involve in apoptosis. The facts that Actinomycin D-induced apoptosis was partially inhibited and cyclosporin A, blocking the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pores, inhibited partially apoptosis in glucose-starved Sl cells, suggested the pathway of glucose starvation-induced apoptosis seemed to be different from that induced by actinomycin D and the opening of MPT pores on mitochondria probably involved in apoptosis triggered by glucose starvation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since proteins perform their functions by interacting with one another and with other biomolecules, reconstructing a map of the protein-protein interactions of a cell, experimentally or computationally, is an important first step toward understanding cellular function and machinery of a proteome. Solely derived from the Gene Ontology (GO), we have defined an effective method of reconstructing a yeast protein interaction network by measuring relative specificity similarity (RSS) between two GO terms. Description: Based on the RSS method, here, we introduce a predicted Saccharomyces proteinprotein interaction database called SPIDer. It houses a gold standard positive dataset (GSP) with high confidence level that covered 79.2% of the high-quality interaction dataset. Our predicted protein-protein interaction network reconstructed from the GSPs consists of 92 257 interactions among 3600 proteins, and forms 23 connected components. It also provides general links to connect predicted protein-protein interactions with three other databases, DIP, BIND and MIPS. An Internet-based interface provides users with fast and convenient access to protein-protein interactions based on various search features (searching by protein information, GO term information or sequence similarity). In addition, the RSS value of two GO terms in the same ontology, and the inter-member interactions in a list of proteins of interest or in a protein complex could be retrieved. Furthermore, the database presents a user-friendly graphical interface which is created dynamically for visualizing an interaction sub-network. The database is accessible at http://cmb.bnu.edu.cn/SPIDer/index.html. Conclusion: SPIDer is a public database server for protein-protein interactions based on the yeast genome. It provides a variety of search options and graphical visualization of an interaction network. In particular, it will be very useful for the study of inter-member interactions among a list of proteins, especially the protein complex. In addition, based on the predicted interaction dataset, researchers could analyze the whole interaction network and associate the network topology with gene/protein properties based on a global or local topology view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the tyrosine imprinted polymer beads with different functional monomers via seed swelling and suspension of polymerization. Exhibition of the selective rebinding of the printing molecules; Advantages of good size monodispersity; Use of the suspension polymerization method.