Search

The small Extracellular vesicles (sEV) has been recognized to be significant for intercellular communication due to their ability to transfer important cellular cargoes like miRNAs through circulation. The pituitary gland has not been clearly known about the role of its secreted sEV under normal physiological conditions. And Liver disease is a global public health burden. The present study is the first to investigate the effect of pituitary sEV on the liver. Sequencing and qRT-PCR revealed miR-143-3p is one of the richest in the pituitary sEV. MiR-143 Knockout (KO) mice resulted in a remarkable decrease in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and a significant increase in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) levels along with a reduction in liver primary cell growth. More importantly, compared with miR-143-KO-sEV, WT-sEV possesses a more robust capacity to improve miR-143 KO mice liver repair through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway after an acute injury caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ). Our results indicate that pituitary-derived sEV promotes hepatocyte proliferation and liver repair by its cargo miR-143-3p and provides new insight into the regulation mechanism of the pituitary-liver axis, and open a new window for endocrine regulation by using sEV., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Disc cutters are essential for full-section hard-rock tunnel boring machines. The performance of these devices directly affects tunnel engineering costs and duration. This paper proposes a sinusoidal variable cross-section (VCS) cutter ring and design method and establishes a digital model. Rock-like materials are simulated with a finite element model, and the model validity is verified via rock simulation mechanics tests. A disc cutter rolling rock simulation model for a linear cutting machine is also established, and simulation tests are performed for single- and three-cutter rolling using sinusoidal VCSs and constant cross-section (CCS) cutter models, respectively. The stress and energy changes for the cutters and rock-like material damage area were compared via simulation, confirming that some sinusoidal VCS cutter rings do less work on rock-like materials and cause larger crushing areas under the same engineering parameters; therefore, these cutter rings have smaller specific energies. The sinusoidal VCS cutter ring performance is 7% greater than that of CCS on average under single-cutter simulation, and the intermediate cutter performance of the intermediate cutter is 9% greater than that of CCS on average under three-cutter simulation. Thus, sinusoidal VCS cutter rings offer improved rock damage performance, and further research and application of this technology will improve the working efficiency of tunnel boring machines., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Accurate indel calling plays an important role in precision medicine. A benchmarking indel set is essential for thoroughly evaluating the indel calling performance of bioinformatics pipelines. A reference sample with a set of known-positive variants was developed in the FDA-led Sequencing Quality Control Phase 2 (SEQC2) project, but the known indels in the known-positive set were limited. This project sought to provide an enriched set of known indels that would be more translationally relevant by focusing on additional cancer related regions. A thorough manual review process completed by 42 reviewers, two advisors, and a judging panel of three researchers significantly enriched the known indel set by an additional 516 indels. The extended benchmarking indel set has a large range of variant allele frequencies (VAFs), with 87% of them having a VAF below 20% in reference Sample A. The reference Sample A and the indel set can be used for comprehensive benchmarking of indel calling across a wider range of VAF values in the lower range. Indel length was also variable, but the majority were under 10 base pairs (bps). Most of the indels were within coding regions, with the remainder in the gene regulatory regions. Although high confidence can be derived from the robust study design and meticulous human review, this extensive indel set has not undergone orthogonal validation. The extended benchmarking indel set, along with the indels in the previously published known-positive set, was the truth set used to benchmark indel calling pipelines in a community challenge hosted on the precisionFDA platform. This benchmarking indel set and reference samples can be utilized for a comprehensive evaluation of indel calling pipelines. Additionally, the insights and solutions obtained during the manual review process can aid in improving the performance of these pipelines., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

In recent years, the field of microplastic (MP) research has evolved significantly; however, the lack of a standardized detection methodology has led to incomparability across studies. Addressing this gap, our current study innovates a reliable MP detection system that synergizes sample processing, machine learning, and optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy. This approach includes examining high-temperature filtration and alcohol treatment for reducing non-MP particles and utilizing a support vector machine (SVM) classifier focused on key wavenumbers that could discriminate between nylon MPs and non-nylon MPs (1077, 1541, 1635, 1711 cm -1 were selected based on the feature importance of SVM-Full wavenumber model) for enhanced MP identification. The SVM model built from key wavenumbers demonstrates a high accuracy rate of 91.33%. Results show that alcohol treatment is effective in minimizing non-MP particles, while filtration at 70 °C has limited impact. Additionally, this method was applied to assess MPs released from commercial nylon teabags, revealing an average release of 106 particles per teabag. This research integrates machine learning with O-PTIR spectroscopy, paving the way for potential standardization in MP detection methodologies and providing vital insights into their environmental and health implications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The marked increase in the incidence rate of brucellosis is a serious public health concern in Jiangsu Province. However, its temporal and spatial distribution has not been studied in depth. The main purpose of this study is to depict the demographic, temporal and spatial distribution patterns and clustering characteristics of brucellosis cases in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2006 to 2021 to develop and implement effective scientific prevention and control strategies. Data for human brucellosis cases in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2021 were obtained from the Nationwide Notifiable Infectious Diseases Reporting Information System (NIDRIS). Spatial autocorrelation analysis and temporal-spatial scan statistics were used to identify potential changes in the spatial and temporal distributions of human brucellosis in Jiangsu Province. During the years 2006-2021, 1347 brucellosis cases were reported in Jiangsu Province, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.1036 per 100,000 individuals. Middle-aged and elderly individuals (aged 40-69 years) were the main infected populations, accounting for 69.72% (939/1347) of all reported cases. The incidence of brucellosis in Jiangsu showed a long-term increasing trend and displayed pronounced seasonal variations, with the peak occurring between April and June annually. The incidence gradually expanded from the northern and southern areas to the central areas between 2006 and 2021. Global spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation in the incidence of brucellosis between 2008 and 2012-2021. Temporal-spatial clustering analysis showed that the primary cluster was detected in the northern, highly endemic regions of Jiangsu, and the three secondary clusters were in areas where there had been outbreaks of brucellosis. Human brucellosis remains a serious public health issue in Jiangsu Province. Northern and southern Jiangsu regions, with high rates of brucellosis, may require special plans and measures to monitor and control the disease. Additionally, the capacity to respond to outbreaks in high-incidence areas should be improved to prevent further brucellosis outbreaks., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

We examined theories of cross-cultural differences in cognitive style on a sample of 242 participants representing five cultural groups (Czechia, Ghana, eastern and western Turkey, and Taiwan). The experiment involved immersive virtual environments consisting of two salient focal objects and a complex background as stimuli, which were presented using virtual reality headsets with integrated eye-tracking devices. The oculomotor patterns confirmed previous general conclusions that Eastern cultures have a more holistic cognitive style, while Western cultures predominantly have an analytic cognitive style. The differences were particularly noticeable between Taiwan and the other samples. However, we found that the broader cultural background of each group was perhaps just as important as geographical location or national boundaries. For example, observed differences between Eastern (more holistic style) and Western Turkey (more analytic style), suggest the possible influence of varying historical and cultural characteristics on the cognitive processing of complex visual stimuli., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

China has implemented a series of long-term measures to control the spread of COVID-19, however, the effects of these measures on other chronic and acute respiratory infectious diseases remain unclear. Tuberculosis (TB) and scarlet fever (SF) serve as representatives of chronic and acute respiratory infectious diseases, respectively. In China's Guizhou province, an area with a high prevalence of TB and SF, approximately 40,000 TB cases and hundreds of SF cases are reported annually. To assess the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control on TB and SF in Guizhou, the exponential smoothing method was employed to establish a prediction model for analyzing the influence of COVID-19 prevention and control on the number of TB and SF cases. Additionally, spatial aggregation analysis was utilized to describe spatial changes in TB and SF before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The parameters of the TB and SF prediction models are R 2  = 0.856, BIC = 10.972 and R 2  = 0.714, BIC = 5.325, respectively. TB and SF cases declined rapidly at the onset of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, with the number of SF cases decreasing for about 3-6 months and the number of TB cases remaining in decline for 7 months after the 11th month. The spatial aggregation of TB and SF did not change significantly before and after the COVID-19 outbreak but exhibited a marked decrease. These findings suggest that China's COVID-19 prevention and control measures also reduced the prevalence of TB and SF in Guizhou. These measures may have a long-term positive impact on TB, but a short-term effect on SF. Areas with high TB prevalence may continue to experience a decline due to the implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This work investigates non-contact reflectance spectral imaging techniques, i.e. microscopic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging, macroscopic visible-near infrared (VNIR), and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral imaging, for the identification of bacteria on stainless steel. Spectral images of two Gram-positive (GP) bacteria (Bacillus subtilis (BS) and Lactobacillus plantarum (LP)), and three Gram-negative (GN) bacteria (Escherichia coli (EC), Cronobacter sakazakii (CS), and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF)), were collected from dried suspensions of bacterial cells dropped onto stainless steel surfaces. Through the use of multiple independent biological replicates for model validation and testing, FTIR reflectance spectral imaging was found to provide excellent GP/GN classification accuracy (> 96%), while the fused VNIR-SWIR data yielded classification accuracy exceeding 80% when applied to the independent test sets. However, classification within gram type was far less reliable, with lower accuracies for classification within the GP (< 75%) and GN (≤ 51%) species when calibration models were applied to the independent test sets, underlining the importance of independent model validation when dealing with samples of high biological variability., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Without smoke-free legislation in Wuhan, China, we investigated secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home, school, and public places for never-smoking school-going adolescents in 2019. A cross-sectional study was carried out within the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) framework. Weighted univariate, bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted. The prevalence of SHS exposure among never-smoking adolescents at home, school and public places was 25.7%, 31.9% and 48.9%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that parents smoking, peers smoking and observing teachers smoking in school were all significantly related to a higher probability of SHS exposure at home, school, and public places. Never-smoking adolescents who had smoking parents had 14 times (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 14.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.37-17.24) higher odds of SHS exposure at home; Never-smoking adolescents who observed teachers smoking in school had about 10 (aOR = 9.76; 95% CI = 7.13-13.36) and four times (aOR = 3.55; 95% CI = 2.77-4.55) higher odds of SHS exposure in school and public places, respectively. Adopting comprehensive smoke-free legislation in public places and smoke-free home rules and implementing and supervising smoke-free school policies may further reduce SHS exposure among adolescents., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Strategies for treating osteoarthritis (OA) have become a research focus because an effective treatment for OA is unavailable. The objective of this study was to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of glutamine (Gln) in OA. First, the chondrocytes were identified and a standard IL-1β-induced OA model was established. After treatment with Gln or saline, the viability and apoptosis of chondrocytes were evaluated using a CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry analysis, which revealed that Gln can improve the IL-1β-induced OA cells. Meanwhile, Gln can enhance the expression of aggrecan and collagen II, which are protective proteins for articular cartilage. Instead, Gln inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), which can degrade cartilage. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of Gln in IL-1β-induced chondrocytes, the classical OA pathways of JNK and NF-κB were examined at the protein and mRNA levels using western blot and qRT-PCR analyses. We found that JNK and NF-κB were downregulated gradually depending on the Gln dose and protective and destructive factors changed based on changes of JNK and NF-κB. The effects of high-dose Gln were more effective than low-dose. Moreover, Gln was applied to the animal OA model to check the effects in vivo. The results showed that Gln attenuated cartilage degeneration and decreased OARSI scores, which demonstrated that Gln can improve OA. The experiments showed that Gln can benefit mice with OA by inhibiting the JNK and NF-κB signaling pathways., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The discharge of yttrium containing wastewater is a potential risk to human health. Although biosorption is a promising method to remove yttrium from wastewater, whereas the application of it is limited due to the lack of efficient biosorbents. In this study, the removal of yttrium from wastewater using Serratia marcescens as a biosorbent was conducted. The effects of six parameters including pH (2-5.5), initial yttrium concentration (10-110 mg/L), biosorbent dosage (0.1-0.5 g/L), biosorption time (10-700 min), stirring speed (50-300 rpm) and temperature (20-60 °C) were evaluated. The main parameters were optimized using response surface methodology. The results showed that the adsorption capacity reached 123.65 mg/g at the optimized conditions. The biosorption mechanism was revealed based on a combined analysis using field emission transmission electron microscope-energy dispersion spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These results revealed that the hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino groups were the adsorption functional groups for yttrium ions. Biosorption of yttrium by S. marcescens is under the combination of ion exchange, electrostatic attraction and complexation. These findings indicated that S. marcescens can be used as an efficient biosorbent to remove yttrium from wastewater. In addition, its adsorption capacity can be further improved by the enhancement of adsorption functional groups on the surface through chemical modification., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious disease burden in the Asia-Pacific region, including China. This study calculated the transmissibility of HFMD at county levels in Jiangsu Province, China, analyzed the differences of transmissibility and explored the possible influencing factors of its transmissibility. We built a mathematical model for seasonal characteristics of HFMD, estimated the effective reproduction number (R eff ), and compared the incidence rate and transmissibility in different counties using non-parametric tests, rapid cluster analysis and rank-sum ratio in 97 counties in Jiangsu Province from 2015 to 2020. The average daily incidence rate was between 0 and 4 per 100,000 people in Jiangsu Province from 2015-2020. The Quartile of R eff in Jiangsu Province from 2015 to 2020 was 1.54 (0.49, 2.50). Rugao District and Jianhu District had the highest transmissibility according to the rank-sum ratio. R eff generally decreased in 2017 and increased in 2018 in most counties, and the median level of R eff was the lowest in 2017 (P < 0.05). The transmissibility was different in 97 counties in Jiangsu Province. The reasons for the differences may be related to the climate, demographic characteristics, virus subtypes, vaccination, hygiene and other infectious diseases., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Tree-based and deep learning methods can automatically generate useful features. Not only can it enhance the original feature representation, but it can also learn to generate new features. This paper develops a strategy based on Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM or LGB) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) to generate features to improve the expression ability of limited features. Moreover, a SARIMA-GRU prediction model considering the weekly periodicity is introduced. First, LightGBM is used to learn features and enhance the original features representation; secondly, GRU neural network is used to generate features; finally, the result ensemble is used as the input for prediction. Moreover, the SARIMA-GRU model is constructed for predicting. The GRU prediction consequences are revised by the SARIMA model that a better prediction can be obtained. The experiment was carried out with the data collected by Ride-hailing in Chengdu, and four predicted indicators and two performance indexes are utilized to evaluate the model. The results validate that the model proposed has significant improvements in the accuracy and performance of each component., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The extracellular matrix architecture is composed of supramolecular fibrillar networks that define tissue specific cellular microenvironments. Hemicentins (Hmcn1 and Hmcn2) are ancient and very large members (> 600 kDa) of the fibulin family, whose short members are known to guide proper morphology and functional behavior of specialized cell types predominantly in elastic tissues. However, the tissue distribution and function of Hemicentins within the cellular microenvironment of connective tissues has remained largely unknown. Performing in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence analyses, we found that mouse Hmcn1 and Hmcn2 show a complementary distribution throughout different tissues and developmental stages. In postnatal dermal-epidermal junctions (DEJ) and myotendinous junctions (MTJ), Hmcn1 is primarily produced by mesenchymal cells (fibroblasts, tenocytes), Hmcn2 by cells of epithelial origin (keratinocytes, myocytes). Hmcn1 -/- mice are viable and show no overt phenotypes in tissue tensile strength and locomotion tests. However, transmission electron microscopy revealed ultrastructural basement membrane (BM) alterations at the DEJ and MTJ of Hmcn1 -/- mice, pointing to a thus far unknown role of Hmcn1 for BM and connective tissue boundary integrity., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

We hypothesized that small molecule transcriptional perturbation could be harnessed to target a cellular dependency involving protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in the context of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) deletion, seen frequently in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Here we show, that MTAP deletion is negatively prognostic in MPM. In vitro, the off-patent antibiotic Quinacrine efficiently suppressed PRMT5 transcription, causing chromatin remodelling with reduced global histone H4 symmetrical demethylation. Quinacrine phenocopied PRMT5 RNA interference and small molecule PRMT5 inhibition, reducing clonogenicity in an MTAP-dependent manner. This activity required a functional PRMT5 methyltransferase as MTAP negative cells were rescued by exogenous wild type PRMT5, but not a PRMT5E444Q methyltransferase-dead mutant. We identified c-jun as an essential PRMT5 transcription factor and a probable target for Quinacrine. Our results therefore suggest that small molecule-based transcriptional perturbation of PRMT5 can leverage a mutation-selective vulnerability, that is therapeutically tractable, and has relevance to 9p21 deleted cancers including MPM.

Improvement in outcomes of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is attributed to several refinements in clinical management. We evaluated treatment outcomes of Taiwanese pediatric AML patients in the past 20 years. Overall, 860 de novo AML patients aged 0-18 years and registered in the Childhood Cancer Foundation of R.O.C during January 1996-December 2019 were included. Survival analysis was performed to identify factors that improved treatment outcomes. Regardless of treatment modalities used, patients during 2008-2019 had better 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates than patients during 1996-2007. For patients received the TPOG-AML-97A treatment, only 5-year OS rates were significantly different between patients diagnosed before and after 2008. Patients with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 had similar relapse-free survival rates, but 5-year OS rates were better during 2008-2019. However, the survival of patients who received hematopoietic stem-cell transplantations (HSCT) did not differ significantly before and after 2008. For patients without relapse, the 5-year OS improved during 2008-2019. Non-relapse mortality decreased annually, and cumulative relapse rates were similar. In conclusion, 5-year EFS and OS rates improved during 2008-2019, though intensities of chemotherapy treatments were similar before and after 2008. Non-relapse mortality decreased gradually. Further treatment strategies including more intensive chemotherapy, novel agents' use, identification of high-risk patients using genotyping and minimal residual disease, early intervention of HSCT, and antibiotic prophylaxis can be considered for future clinical protocol designs in Taiwan.

The challenge of decoding information about complex diseases hidden in huge number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes is undertaken based on five dbGaP studies. Current genome-wide association studies have successfully identified many high-risk SNPs associated with diseases, but precise diagnostic models for complex diseases by these or more other SNP genotypes are still unavailable in the literature. We report that lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer as the first three top cancers worldwide can be predicted precisely via 240-370 SNPs with accuracy up to 99% according to leave-one-out and 10-fold cross-validation. Our findings (1) confirm an early guess of Dr. Mitchell H. Gail that about 300 SNPs are needed to improve risk forecasts for breast cancer, (2) reveal an incredible fact that SNP genotypes may contain almost all information that one wants to know, and (3) show a hopeful possibility that complex diseases can be precisely diagnosed by means of SNP genotypes without using phenotypical features. In short words, information hidden in SNP genotypes can be extracted in efficient ways to make precise diagnoses for complex diseases.

Hyriopsis cumingii is an important species for freshwater pearl cultivation in China. In terms of pearl production, males have larger pearls and better glossiness than females, but there are few reports focusing on the sex of H. cumingii. In this study, six mRNA and six microRNA (miRNA) libraries were prepared from ovaries and testes. Additionally, 28,502 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 32 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified. Compared with testis, 14,360 mRNAs and 20 miRNAs were up-regulated in ovary, 14,142 mRNAs and 12 miRNAs were down-regulated. In DEGs, the known genes related to sex determinism and/or differentiation were also identified, such as DMRT1, SOX9, SF1 for males, FOXL2 for females, and other potentially significant candidate genes. Three sex-related pathways have also been identified, which are Wnt, Notch, and TGF-beta. In 32 DEMs, the three miRNAs (miR-9-5p, miR-92, miR-184) were paid more attention, they predicted 28 target genes, which may also be candidates for sex-related miRNAs and genes. Differential miRNAs target genes analysis reveals the pathway associated with oocyte meiosis and spermatogenesis. Overall, the findings of the study provide significant insights to enhance our understanding of sex differentiation and/or sex determination mechanisms for H. cumingii.

Propofol, a common intravenous anesthetic, has been found to exert anti-cancer effects with inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. We tested its possible action against HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells that developed resistance against trastuzumab. Cell viability assay, ELISA for cytokines, mammosphere formation, quantitative RT-PCR for EMT/IL-6-targeting miRNAs and the in vivo experimental pulmonary metastasis model were performed to understand the epigenetic action of propofol. Propofol sensitized HER2 overexpressing cells to trastuzumab but such action was even more pronounced in resistant cells. Increased cytokines IL-6 as well as IL-8 were released by resistant cells, along with increased mammospheres and induction of EMT, all of which was inhibited by propofol. IL-6 targeting tumor suppressor miR-149-5p was found to be the novel miRNA that was up-regulated by propofol, resulting in the observed effects on cell viability, IL-6 production, mammospheres generation as well as EMT induction. Further, antagonizing miR-149-5p attenuated the propofol effects confirming the epigenetic activity of propofol through miR-149-5p regulation. Finally, in vivo validation in an experimental metastasis model conformed an inhibitory action of propofol against experimental lung metastasis and the essential mechanistic role of miR-149-5p/IL-6 loop. These results present a novel role of general anesthetic propofol against resistant breast cancer cells and the underlying epigenetic regulation of a tumor suppressor miRNA.

Exosomes contain cell-specific collections of bioactive materials including proteins, lipids, and RNAs that are transported to recipient cells to exert their impacts. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can function as tumor suppressor or oncogenic genes and miR-21 is one of the most frequently up-regulated miRNAs in solid tumors including colon cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of miR-21, secreted from exosomes, in proliferation and invasion of colon cancer, along with the mechanistic details. We used a variety of biochemical techniques including ultracentrifugation-based exosome purification, electron transmission microscopy, western blot and RT-qPCR to detect the expression levels of miR-21 in exosomes purified from culture media of human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines. We then performed functional and mechanistic studies using three colon cancer cell lines HT29, T84 and LS174 as well as the normal colon epithelial cells CRL1831. miR-21 target PDCD4 was investigated for its role in mediating miR-21 effects. Expression of miR-21 was significantly up-regulated in exosomes of colon cancer cells, compared to the normal human colon epithelial cells. Treatment of colon cancer cells with isolated exosomes or miR-21 led to an increased expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, invasion and extracellular matrix formation. miR-21 targets PDCD4, TPM1 and PTEN were down-regulated by exosomes and silencing of PDCD4 mimicked miR-21 functional effects, even the induced resistance against 5-FU. Our study suggests that targeted inhibition of exosomes, particularly those carrying miR-21, may represent a novel approach for treatment of colorectal cancer.

Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone disease among pre- and postmenopausal women. As the precursors of osteoclast cells, circulating monocytes play important role in bone destruction and remodeling. The aim of study is to identify potential key genes and pathways correlated with the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Then we construct novel estimation model closely linked to the bone mineral density (BMD) with key genes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were conducted by collecting gene data set with 80 samples from gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Besides, hub genes were identified by series of bioinformatics and machine learning algorithms containing protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, receiver operating characteristic curve and Pearson correlation. The direction of correlation coefficient were performed to screen for gene signatures with high BMD and low BMD. A novel BMD score system was put forward based on gene set variation analysis and logistic regression, which was validated by independent data sets. We identified six modules correlated with BMD. Finally 100 genes were identified as the high bone mineral density signatures while 130 genes were identified as low BMD signatures. Besides, we identified the significant pathway in monocytes: ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis. What's more, our score validated it successfully.

Understanding community assembly mechanisms is helpful to predict community dynamics. To explore which community assembly mechanism(s) drive(s) the grassland restoration in semi-arid region, we investigated the relationships between plant trait and species relative abundance (SRA), and estimated community functional diversity indices for each community under different treatments (enclosure, grazing and mowing treatment) in a restoration region of Stipa grandis - Leymus chinensis communities in the northern China from 2010 to 2012. There was a high fraction of significant relationships between trait value and SRA, suggesting that niche theory structured the grassland restoration in this region. The functional richness was higher and the functional divergence was lower in the enclosure community than that in the grazing or mowing community, and significantly positive plant height - SRA relationship was found in the enclosure community. These findings demonstrated that limiting similarity based on niche theory was more important in structuring the enclosure community and that environmental filtering based on niche theory played a more important role in driving the grazing or mowing community. Only the factor of year significantly affected the functional evenness (FEve), and the lowest FEve in 2011 implied that the relatively lower precipitation could enhance the effect of limiting similarity on community assembly in the semi-arid grassland.

Drought disaster space agglomeration assessment is one of the important components of meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation. Agriculture affected by drought disaster is not only a serious threat to world food security, but also an obstacle to sustainable development. Additionally, China is an important agricultural import and export country in the world. Therefore, we used the global Moran's I and the local indicators of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) to reveal the spatial agglomeration of agricultural drought disaster in China from1978 to 2016, respectively. The results showed that China's agricultural drought disaster presents local spatial autocorrelation of geographical agglomeration at national level during the study period. The spatial agglomeration regions of China's agricultural drought disaster were in Inner Mongolia, Jilin province, Heilongjiang province, Liaoning province, Shanxi province, Hebei province, Shandong province, Shaanxi province and Henan province, indicating that agricultural drought disaster mainly distributed in North and Northwest China, especially occurred in the Yellow River Basin and its north areas. We also found that the overall movement direction of agricultural drought disaster agglomeration regions was northwest, and the maximum moving distance was 722.16 km. Our results might provide insight in early warning and prevention for drought disaster.

Spermatogenesis is a differentiation process that requires dramatic changes to DNA architecture, a process governed in part by Transition Nuclear Proteins 1 and 2 (TNP1 and TNP2). Translation of Tnp1 and Tnp2 mRNAs is temporally disengaged from their transcription. We hypothesized that RNA regulatory proteins associate specifically with Tnp mRNAs to control the delayed timing of their translation. To identify potential regulatory proteins, we isolated endogenous mRNA/protein complexes from testis extract and identified by mass spectrometry proteins that associated with one or both Tnp transcripts. Five proteins showed strong association with Tnp transcripts but had low signal when Actin mRNA was isolated. We visualized the expression patterns in testis sections of the five proteins and found that each of the proteins was detected in germ cells at the appropriate stages to regulate Tnp RNA expression.

Metastasis is regarded as the fatal hallmark for colon cancer, but molecular mechanisms responsible for it have remained poorly defined. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) within the tumor microenvironment mediates the effects of stress hormones which are used in clinics for their inflammation-modulatory and immunosuppressive properties. Further, epigenetic activation of GR promotes tumor heterogeneity and metastasis. Here, we sought to investigate the correlation between GR activation and proliferation and invasion in metastatic colon cancer microenvironment. We used proliferation/invasion assays, western blot, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence staining and quantitative methylation to study glucocorticoid-GR signaling, including the involvement of CDK1, in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines HT29 and T84 (a representative metastatic cell line). Nuclear expression levels of GR were significantly upregulated in metastatic T84 cells, and glucocorticoid derivative, dexamethasone (DEX) treatment caused increased proliferation and invasion in T84 cell, compared to HT29 cell. DEX treatment induced CDK1 expression which was accompanied by reduced CDK1 methylation, indicating epigenetic regulation. Depletion of GR suppressed proliferation of metastatic colon carcinoma cells and depletion of CDK1 had similar suppressing effects on proliferation as well as invasion of metastatic cells. Our study suggests that glucocorticoid-GR-CDK1 signaling induces proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells and therapies involving the use of glucocorticoids need to exercise caution and re-evaluation.

The uncertainty relation, as one of the fundamental principles of quantum physics, captures the incompatibility of noncommuting observables in the preparation of quantum states. In this work, we derive two strong and universal uncertainty relations for N(N ≥ 2) observables with discrete and bounded spectra, one in multiplicative form and the other in additive form. To verify their validity, for illustration, we implement in the spin-1/2 system an experiment with single-photon measurement. The experimental results exhibit the validity and robustness of these uncertainty relations, and indicate the existence of stringent lower bounds.

The aging population is growing rapidly around the world and there is also an increase in sarcopenia, which is characterized by decreased muscle mass, strength and function in the elderly population. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an essential sensor and regulator of glucose, lipid and energy metabolism throughout the body. Previous studies have shown that AMPK pathway activation by regular exercise and appropriate dietary control have beneficial effects on skeletal muscle. In the process of searching for new AMPK activators from medicinal plants, we isolated and characterized eight new 12,23-dione dammarane triterpenoids (1-3 and 5-9), as well as one known gypentonoside A from Gynostemma longipes. When all isolates were tested for their AMPK activation activities, seven compounds (1 and 3-8) were significantly activated AMPK phosphorylation in mouse C2C12 skeletal muscle cell lines. Since G. longipes contained a significant amount of active compound 1 (over 2.08% per dried raw plant), it suggested the potential of this plant to be developed as a functional food or botanical drug that enhances muscle proliferation by activating AMPK signaling pathways.

Polarised light imaging microscopy, with the addition of a liquid crystal (LC) phase retarder, was used to determine the birefringence of silk fibres with high (∼1 μm) spatial resolution. The measurement was carried out with the silk fibres (the optical slow axis) and the slow axis of the LC-retarder set at parallel angles. The direct fit of the transmission data allowed for high fidelity determination of the birefringence Δn ≈ 1.63 × 10 -2 (with ∼2% uncertainty) of the brown silk fibre, (Antheraea pernyi) averaged over the wavelength range λ = (425-625) nm. By measuring retardance at four separate wavelengths, it was possible to determine the true value of the birefringence of a thicker sample when an optical path may include a large number of wavelengths. The numerical procedures and required hardware are described for the do-it-yourself assembly of the imaging polariscope at a fractional budget compared to commercial units.

The diversity and function of microorganisms have yet to be explored at non-ferrous metal mining facilities (NMMFs), which are the world's largest and potentially most toxic sources of co-existing metal(loid)s and flotation reagents (FRs). The diversity and inferred functions of different bacterial communities inhabiting two types of sites (active and abandoned) in Guangxi province (China) were investigated for the first time. Here we show that the structure and diversity of bacteria correlated with the types of mine sites, metal(loid)s, and FRs concentrations; and best correlated with the combination of pH, Cu, Pb, and Mn. Combined microbial coenobium may play a pivotal role in NMMFs microbial life. Arenimonas, specific in active mine sites and an acidophilic bacterium, carries functions able to cope with the extreme conditions, whereas Latescibacteria specific in abandoned sites can degrade organics. Such a bacterial consortium provides new insights to develop cost-effective remediation strategies of co-contaminated sites that currently remain intractable for bioremediation.

Tumors deficient in the urea cycle enzymes argininosuccinate synthase-1 (ASS1) and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) are unable to synthesize arginine and can be targeted using arginine-deprivation therapy. Here, we show that colorectal cancers (CRCs) display negligible expression of OTC and, in subset of cases, ASS1 proteins. CRC cells fail to grow in arginine-free medium and dietary arginine deprivation slows growth of cancer cells implanted into immunocompromised mice. Moreover, we report that clinically-formulated arginine-degrading enzymes are effective anticancer drugs in CRC. Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20), which degrades arginine to citrulline and ammonia, affects growth of ASS1-negative cells, whereas recombinant human arginase-1 (rhArg1peg5000), which degrades arginine into urea and ornithine, is effective against a broad spectrum of OTC-negative CRC cell lines. This reflects the inability of CRC cells to recycle citrulline and ornithine into the urea cycle. Finally, we show that arginase antagonizes chemotherapeutic drugs oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), whereas ADI-PEG20 synergizes with oxaliplatin in ASS1-negative cell lines and appears to interact with 5-fluorouracil independently of ASS1 status. Overall, we conclude that CRC is amenable to arginine-deprivation therapy, but we warrant caution when combining arginine deprivation with standard chemotherapy.

Previous researches have revealed the importance of shear and the orientation dependence in the structural transition of iron. In this work, we introduce a series of shear deformations by adjusting the strain ratio between the longitudinal ([001]) and transversal ([010] and [100]) directions, and then investigate this structural transition under different anisotropic compressions with molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the shear deformation can lower the transition pressure notably, and even change the nucleation structure and morphology. Under 1D-dominated compression (along (001) direction), there only appears hcp nucleation with a few fcc stacking faults. For other cases, more equivalent planes will be activated and fcc structure begins to nucleate. Under 2D-dominated compression (along (010) and (001) directions), the fcc mass fraction is already over the hcp phase. At last, we compare the variations of shear stress and potential energy for different phases, and present the sliding mechanism under typical anisotropic compressions.

Little is known about levels and patterns of genetic diversity for the entire range of endangered orchids native to China, Korea, and Japan. In this study, we focus on Cypripedium japonicum and suggest three hypotheses: 1) that genetic drift has been a primary evolutionary force; 2) that populations in central and western China harbor higher levels of genetic variation relative to those from eastern China; and 3) that C. japonicum in China maintains the highest genetic variation among the three countries. Using ISSR and SCoT markers, we investigated genetic diversity in 17 populations to test the three hypotheses. As anticipated, we found low levels of genetic diversity at the species level with substantially high degree of genetic divergence, which can be mainly attributed to random genetic drift. Chinese populations harbor the highest within-population genetic variation, which tends to increase from east to west. We also found a close relationship between Korean populations and central/western Chinese populations. Historical rarity coupled with limited gene flow seems to be important factors for shaping genetic diversity and structure of C. japonicum. Our results indicate that the mountain areas in central and western China were likely refugia at the Last Glacial Maximum.

Whether plants are able to adapt to environmental changes depends on their genetic characteristics and phenotypic plastic responses. We investigated the phenotypic responses of 7 populations of an important dominant species in semi-arid steppe of China - Stipa grandis, and then distinguished which adaptive mechanism(s), phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation, was/were involved in this species to adapt to environmental changes. (1) All traits were significantly influenced by the interaction of population and growth condition and by population in each condition, and inter-population variability (CV inter ) was larger in the field than in the common garden for 8/9 traits, indicating that both phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation controlled the phenotypic differences of S. grandis. (2) From a functional standpoint, the significant relationships between the values of traits in the common garden and the environmental variables in their original habitats couldn't support local habitat adaptation of these traits. (3) Low CV intra , low quantitative differentiation among populations (Q ST ), and low plasticity shown in the western populations indicated the very low adaptive potential of S. grandis to environmental changes. (4) From the original habitats to the common garden which is far away from S. grandis distribution region, positive phenotypic responses were found in several populations, indicating that some original habitats have become unfavorable for S. grandis.

Quantum entanglement has been regarded as one of the key physical resources in quantum information sciences. However, the determination of whether a mixed state is entangled or not is generally a hard issue, even for the bipartite system. In this work we propose an operational necessary and sufficient criterion for the separability of an arbitrary bipartite mixed state, by virtue of the multiplicative Horn's problem. The work follows the work initiated by Horodecki et al. and uses the Bloch vector representation introduced to the separability problem by J. De Vicente. In our criterion, a complete and finite set of inequalities to determine the separability of compound system is obtained, which may be viewed as trade-off relations between the quantumness of subsystems. We apply the obtained result to explicit examples, e.g. the separable decomposition of arbitrary dimension Werner state and isotropic state.

The levels of serum S100B were elevated in patients with ischemic stroke (IS), which may be a novel biomarker for diagnosing IS. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of S100B polymorphisms and serum S100B with IS risk. We genotyped the S100B polymorphisms rs9722, rs9984765, rs2839356, rs1051169 and rs2186358 in 396 IS patients and 398 controls using polymerase chain reaction-single base extension (SBE-PCR). Serum S100B levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rs9722 was associated with an increased risk of IS (AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 2.172, 95% CI, 1.175-4.014, P = 0.013; dominant: adjusted OR = 1.507, 95% CI, 1.071-2.123, P = 0.019; recessive: adjusted OR = 1.846, 95% CI, 1.025-3.323, P = 0.041; additive: adjusted OR=1.371, 95% CI, 1.109-1.694, P = 0.003). The A-C-C-C-A haplotype was associated with an increased risk of IS (OR = 1.325, 95% CI, 1.035-1.696, P = 0.025). In addition, individuals carrying the rs9722 GA/AA genotypes had a higher serum S100B compared with the rs9722 GG genotype in IS patients (P = 0.018). Our results suggest that the S100B gene rs9722 polymorphism may contribute to the susceptibility of IS, probably by promoting the expression of serum S100B.

A myotonometer can objectively quantify changes in muscle tone. The between-days intra-rater reliability in a ward setting for the acute stroke population remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the device's between-days intra-rater reliability when used in a ward setting for acute stroke participants. Muscle tone of biceps brachii, brachioradialis, rectus femoris, and tibialis anterior was recorded in the ward at bedside by one physiotherapist on two consecutive days. This study included participants who were within 1 month of their first stroke occurrence. Participants who were medically unstable or who suffered from brain stem injury were excluded. Reliability was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest real difference (SRD), and the Bland-Altman limits of agreement. The results indicated excellent between-days intra-rater reliability (ICC > 0.75). SEM and SRD show small differences between measurements. The Bland-Altman analysis indicated a tendency of overestimation of the rectus femoris. MyotonPRO demonstrated acceptable reliability when used in a ward setting in those patients with acute stroke. However, results should be interpreted with caution, due to the limitations of the study and the varying level of consistency observed between different muscles.

Peaches are known for their palatable flavor and abundant nutrients. However, peaches are perishable, and the existing preservation techniques for peaches are still immature. To further extend the shelf life and prevent nutrient loss of perishable peaches under ambient temperature in summer (approximately 25-32 °C), we conducted experiments wrapping peaches (Prunus persica cv 'Baihua') in single- and composite-treated vegetal fibrous papers that contained calcium carbonate, phytic acid, Na-alginate and vitamin C. The pathogenic fungi that primarily caused peach decay during storage belonged to the genera of Penicillium, Botrytis, Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Rhizopus. After analyzing quality attributes, including weight loss, firmness, soluble sugar content, respiration rate, relative electric conductivity, malonaldehyde content, peroxidase activity and the decay index, we proved that vitamin C within the preservative paper greatly contributes to peach preservation. Combined with phytic acid and Na-alginate, the composite vitamin C preservative papers played significant roles in delaying fruit senescence, and 0.4% (w/v) vitamin C preservative paper with 1% Na-alginate could maintain quality and extend shelf life with the best effect. This preservation technique significantly postponed the respiration peak by 2-3 days and is a significant contribution to contemporary commercial production.

Dactylicapnos scandens (D. Don) Hutch (Papaveraceae) is a well-known traditional Chinese herb used for treatment of hypertension, inflammation, bleeding and pain for centuries. Although the major bioactive components in this herb are considered as isoquinoline alkaloids (IQAs), little is known about molecular basis of their biosynthesis. Here, we carried out transcriptomic analysis of roots, leaves and stems of D. scandens, and obtained a total of 96,741 unigenes. Based on gene expression and phylogenetic relationship, we proposed the biosynthetic pathways of isocorydine, corydine, glaucine and sinomenine, and identified 67 unigenes encoding enzymes potentially involved in biosynthesis of IQAs in D. scandens. High performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated that while isocorydine is the most abundant IQA in D. scandens, the last O-methylation biosynthesis step remains unclear. Further enzyme activity assay, for the first time, characterized a gene encoding O- methyltransferase (DsOMT), which catalyzes O-methylation at C7 of (S)-corytuberine to form isocorydine. We also identified candidate transcription factor genes belonging to WRKY and bHLH families that may be involved in the regulation of IQAs biosynthesis. Taken together, we first provided valuable genetic information for D. scandens, shedding light on candidate genes involved in IQA biosynthesis, which will be critical for further gene functional characterization.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations predict better outcomes with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Most common activating mutations include in-frame deletion in exon 19 and L858R substitution in exon 21, which account for >90% of all EGFR mutations in NSCLC. In this study, a PCR-GoldMag lateral flow assay (PCR-GoldMag LFA) was developed for the visual detection of delE746-A750 and L858R of EGFR mutations. Forty formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of NSCLC patients were analyzed using PCR-GoldMag LFA system and verified by direct sequencing and TaqMan-PCR detection methods. Results showed that EGFR mutations were detected in 34 cases among the 40 samples (85%) by PCR-GoldMag LFA method. Among the 34 cases, 5 cases were simultaneously detected with delE746-A750 in exon 19 and L858R mutation in exon 21. Compared with sequencing, only 4 samples were detected as delE746-A750, which revealed higher sensitivity of PCR-GoldMag LFA detection method than direct sequencing. TaqMan-PCR method verified the L858R mutation and was in 100% agreement with our method. These results indicated that our method has obvious advantages to analyze clinical samples and offers a more sensitive alternative to direct sequencing for the detection of EGFR mutations.

Preoperative assessment of the cervical lymph node status is important in therapeutic schedule and further evaluations of prognosis for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic values of conventional ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features and the expression of MMP-9 of PTC in predicting the cervical lymph node metastases (LNM). In total, 156 patients with PTC confirmed by surgical pathology were included. Seventy-one patients had cervical LNM, while 85 patients had no LNM. The patients had cervical LNM (39.51 ± 13.29 years) were younger than those had no LNM (44.15 ± 10.94 years) (P = 0.02). Multivariate logistic regression results showed that tumor size ≥0.95 cm (OR = 13.47), ill-defined margin (OR = 4.31), internal heterogeneous low-enhancement (OR = 5.19) and ECE (OR = 25.25) were predictive for the presence of cervical LNM. The detection rate of ECE for the PTC with LNM by CEUS (81.48%, 44/54) was higher than by US (46.30%, 25/54). There was significant difference in MMP-9 intensity between PTC with and without cervical LNM (P = 0.000), and intense reactions (+++) were mainly found in the PTCs with LNM (80.95%, 17/21). In conclusion, the combination of conventional US, CEUS features and MMP-9 expression may serve as an effective tool for predicting the cervical LNM of PTC.

The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like effects of puerarin via the chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) procedure in rats. Similar to Sertraline (Ser), Chronic treatment of puerarin (60 and 120 mg/kg, i.g) elicited the antidepressant-like effects by reversing the decreased sucrose preference in sucrose preference test (SPT), by blocking the increased latency to feed in novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT) and the increased immobility time in forced swimming test (FST) without affecting locomotor activity. However, acute puerarin treatment did not ameliorate the antidepressant- and anxiolytic- like effects in FST and NSFT, respectively. In addition, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) showed that chronic treatment of puerarin (60 and 120 mg/kg, i.g) reversed the decreased levels of progesterone, allopregnanolone, serotonin (5-HT) and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of post-CUS rats. Furthermore, puerarin (60 and 120 mg/kg, i.g) blocked the increased corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), corticosterone (Cort) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Collectively, repeated administration of puerarin alleviated the behavioral deficits induced by chronic stress which was associated with the biosynthesis of neurosteroids, normalization of serotonergic system and preventing HPA axis dysfunction.

As an important online information retaining and processing function, working memory plays critical roles in many other cognitive functions. Several long-term factors, such as age, addiction and diseases, have been affirmed to impair working memory, but whether or how the short-term factors, like painful stimuli or emotions, regulate the human working memory ability is not well explored. Here we investigated the influences of empathic pain on upcoming working memory and existing working memory, by presenting human subjects with the pictures depicting painful or neutral scene. After separating the subjects into two groups, the more empathic group and relatively indifferent group, according to a well-accepted questionnaire (the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)), the modulatory effect emerged. Empathic pain might exerted either a facilitating effect or an impairing effect, which was closely correlated with the personal empathy skills. Meanwhile, different aspects of subjects' empathy traits exerted distinct effects, and female subjects were more vulnerable than male subjects. Present study reveals a new modulatory manner of the working memory, via empathy skill-dependent painful experience.

We study the QCD chiral phase transition at finite temperature and finite quark chemical potential within the two flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, where a generalization of the proper-time regularization scheme is motivated and implemented. We find that in the chiral limit the whole transition line in the phase diagram is of second order, whereas for finite quark masses a crossover is observed. Moreover, if we take into account the influence of quark condensate to the coupling strength (which also provides a possible way of how the effective coupling varies with temperature and quark chemical potential), it is found that a CEP may appear. These findings differ substantially from other NJL results which use alternative regularization schemes, some explanation and discussion are given at the end. This indicates that the regularization scheme can have a dramatic impact on the study of the QCD phase transition within the NJL model.

Photosynthesis is sensitive to environmental stress and must be efficiently modulated in response to abiotic stress. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we report that ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA HOMEOBOX 17 (ATHB17), an Arabidopsis HD-Zip transcription factor, regulated the expression of a number of photosynthesis associated nuclear genes (PhANGs) involved in the light reaction and ATSIG5 in response to abiotic stress. ATHB17 was responsive to ABA and multiple stress treatments. ATHB17-overexpressing plants displayed enhanced stress tolerance, whereas its knockout mutant was more sensitive compared to the wild type. Through RNA-seq and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, we found that ATHB17 did not affect the expression of many known stress-responsive marker genes. Interestingly, we found that ATHB17 down-regulated many PhANGs and could directly modulate the expression of several PhANGs by binding to their promoters. Moreover, we identified ATSIG5, encoding a plastid sigma factor, as one of the target genes of ATHB17. Loss of ATSIG5 reduced salt tolerance while overexpression of ATSIG5 enhanced salt tolerance, similar to that of ATHB17. ATHB17 can positively modulate the expression of many plastid encoded genes (PEGs) through regulation of ATSIG5. Taken together, our results suggest that ATHB17 may play an important role in protecting plants by adjusting expression of PhANGs and PEGs in response to abiotic stresses.

Uncertainty relation lies at the heart of quantum mechanics, characterizing the incompatibility of non-commuting observables in the preparation of quantum states. An important question is how to improve the lower bound of uncertainty relation. Here we present a variance-based sum uncertainty relation for N incompatible observables stronger than the simple generalization of an existing uncertainty relation for two observables. Further comparisons of our uncertainty relation with other related ones for spin- and spin-1 particles indicate that the obtained uncertainty relation gives a better lower bound.

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a common complication following distal pancreatectomy (DP). However, the risk factors of this complication in patients after DP still remain controversial. The aim of our study is to estimate the association between potential risk factors and POPF. Relevant articles published up to June 21, 2016 were identified via PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library. Studies that examined the risk factors of POPF following DP were enrolled. 20 articles (2070 patients) were finally included in this study. The pooled data suggested that patients with soft pancreas, higher Body Mass Index (BMI), blood transfusion, elevated intraoperative blood loss, and longer operative time had a decreased risk for POPF. However, age, gender, malignant pathology, types of stump closure, octreotide therapy, history of diabetes and chronic pancreatitis, splenectomy, multiorgan resection, main duct ligation, preoperative serum albumin levels, PGA felt wrapping, and extended lymphadenectomy could not be regarded as risk factors for POPF. Our analytic data demonstrated that pancreas texture, BMI, blood transfusion, intraoperative blood loss, and operative time were clinical predictor for POPF. This study may assist surgeons to screen patients with high risk of POPF and select appropriate treatment measures.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that is associated with depression. Also, depression is common in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Translocator protein (18kDa) (TSPO) and allopregnanolone play an important role in the depression treatment. However, few studies have evaluated TSPO and allopregnanolone in the treatment of depression in T2DM. AC-5216, a ligand for TSPO, produces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in animal models. The present study aimed to explore antidepressant-like effects of AC-5216 on diabetic rats. Following the development of diabetic model induced by high fat diet (HFD) feeding and streptozotocin (STZ), AC-5216 (0.3 and 1 mg/kg, i.g.) elicited the antidepressant-like effects in behavioral tests while these activities were blocked by TSPO antagonist PK11195 (3 mg/kg, i.p.). The levels of allopregnanolone in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were increased by AC-5216 (0.3 and 1 mg/kg, i.g.), which was antagonized by PK11195 (3 mg/kg, i.p.). The increased plasma glucose (PG) and decreased insulin (INS) in HFD-STZ rats were reversed by AC-5216 (0.3 and 1 mg/kg, i.g.). This study indicates that the antidepressant-like effects of AC-5216 on HFD-STZ rats, suggesting that TSPO may represent a novel therapeutic target for depression in T2DM.

Cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147), also known as extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer, is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates oncogenic processes partly through N-glycosylation modifications. N-glycosylation has been demonstrated to be instrumental for the regulation of CD147 function during malignant transformation. However, the role that site-specific glycosylation of CD147 plays in its defective function in hepatocellular carcinomacells needs to be determined. Here, we demonstrate that the modification of N-glycosylation at Asn152 on CD147 strongly promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasion and migration. After the removal of N-glycans at Asn152, CD147 was more susceptible to degradation by ER-localized ubiquitin ligase-mediated endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). Furthermore, N-linked glycans at Asn152 were required for CD147 to acquire and maintain proper folding in the ER. Moreover, N-linked glycans at Asn152 functioned as a recognition motif that was directly mediated by the CNX quality control system. Two phases in the retention-based ER chaperones system drove ER-localized CD147 trafficking to degradation. Deletion of N-linked glycosylation at Asn152 on CD147 significantly suppressed in situ tumour metastasis. These data could potentially shed light on the molecular regulation of CD147 through glycosylation and provide a valuable means of developing drugs that target N-glycans at Asn152 on CD147.