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Longan seeds, rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties, are an underestimated by-product of longan processing. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogenic and mutagenic, are produced during the cooking of meat products at high temperatures. The effects of different concentrations of longan seed extract (LSE, 0.2, 0.6, 1.0 mg/mL) on the formation of PAHs and muscle oxidation in mutton kebabs were investigated. Mutton kebabs were baked at 150, 200, 250 °C for 20 min, respectively, and the contents of PAHs, the degree of lipid and protein oxidation were evaluated. The results showed that LSE exhibited positive effects in inhibiting total PAHs formation (range from 14.9 to 48.8 %), decreasing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values (range from 17.1 to 39.1 %), reducing carbonyl content (range from 22.0 to 51.2 %) and increasing sulfhydryl content (range from 18.6 to 51.8 %). This study provided a guidance and potential solution for reducing the content of PAHs and muscle oxidation levels in baked meat.

The water distribution have a profound influence on meat quality, and proteins play a critical role in water distribution. The water distribution detected with proton NMR and its relationship with protein related properties were investigated. Three populations of water were detected: bound water (T21, P21), immobilized water (T22, P22), and free water (T23, P23). The decreased T22 and T23 indicated an increase in water-holding capacity in both muscles from 3 days of aging. The P22 in cattle was higher than that in yak and the P23 in cattle was lower than that in yak, suggesting that cattle exhibited a greater water-holding capacity compared to yak. Moreover, postmortem aging affected muscle protein oxidation, denaturation, and degradation. Correlation analysis suggested that protein oxidation and denaturation caused muscle water loss and protein degradation could allow the muscle to retain water. It provides a basis for the optimization of quality of meat and products.

Summary: Small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) are a special family of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which not only function in a way similar to other lncRNAs but also influence the intracellular level of small nucleolar RNAs to modulate cancers. However, the features of SNHGs and their role in the prognosis and immunotherapeutic response of human cancer have not been explored. We found that SNHGs were commonly deregulated and correlated with patient survival in various cancers. The critical role of DNA methylation and somatic alterations on deregulation was also identified. SNHG family score was significantly associated with survival, multiple tumor characteristics, and tumor microenvironment. SNHG-related risk score could serve as a prognostic and immunotherapeutic response biomarker based on multiple databases. This study emphasizes the potential of SNHGs as biomarkers for prognosis and immunotherapeutic response, enabling further research into the immune regulatory mechanism and therapeutic potentials of SNHGs in cancer.

In order to improve the stability of bovine plasma protein-carboxymethyl cellulose composite gels and to expand the utilization of animal by-product resources, this study investigated the impact of different ultrasound powers (300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 W) and ultrasound times (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 min) on the functional properties, secondary structure and intermolecular forces of bovine plasma protein-carboxymethyl cellulose composite gel. The results showed that moderate ultrasonication resulted in the enhancement of gel strength, water holding capacity and thermal stability of the composite gels, the disruption of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions between gel molecules, the alteration and unfolding of the internal structure of the gels, and the stabilization of the dispersion state by electrostatic repulsive forces between the protein particles. The content of α-helices, β-turns, and β-sheets increased and the content of random curls decreased after sonication (p < 0.05). In summary, appropriate ultrasound power and time can significantly improve the functional and structural properties of composite gels. It was found that controlling the thermal aggregation behavior of composite gels by adjusting the ultrasonic power and time is an effective strategy to enable the optimization of composite gel texture and water retention properties.

Background: Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell neuroendocrine tumor (NSCLC-NET), have obvious heterogeneity. The comparison between SCLC and NSCLC-NET, and prognostic nomogram of resected NSCLC-NET have not been performed. Methods: We retrieved data from SEER database. The incidence and prognostic factors were compared between SCLC and NSCLC-NET. By Cox regression, we constructed prognostic nomogram of resected NSCLC-NET. The nomogram was evaluated by ROC, calibration plot and decision curve analysis (DCA) and compared with 8th TNM staging system. A Chinese cohort was used for external validation. Results: The age-adjusted incidence of SCLC declined after 1991 but the incidence of NSCLC-NET continuously rose. Patients with typical carcinoid had the best prognosis in both overall survival and lung cancer specific survival, followed by atypical carcinoid, large cell neuroendocrine tumor and SCLC after operation. Patients receiving sleeve resection in NSCLC-NET had longer survival but segmental resection was more recommended in SCLC. High-smoking index was associated with worse overall survival in both SCLC and NSCLC-NET. Histological subtype, age, surgery type, N, M stage and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors and used to construct prognostic nomogram of resected NSCLC-NET. The nomogram performed well with good discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness, which was validated by a Chinese cohort (1, 3, 5-year AUC: SEER cohort 0.873, 0.901, 0.875; Chinese cohort 0.867, 0.892, 0.874). Compared to the 8th staging system, the nomogram had higher C-index (0.87 vs 0.728, P

In recent years, deep learning has been increasingly used in fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. However, the actual acquisition of rolling bearing fault signals often contains ambient noise, making it difficult to determine the optimal values of the parameters. In this paper, a sparrow search algorithm (LSSA) based on backward learning of lens imaging and Gaussian Cauchy variation is proposed. The lens imaging reverse learning strategy enhances the traversal capability of the algorithm and allows for a better balance of algorithm exploration and development. Then, the performance of the proposed LSSA was tested on the benchmark function. Finally, LSSA is used to find the optimal modal component K and the optimal penalty factor α in VMD-GRU, which in turn realizes the fault diagnosis of rolling bearings. The experimental results show that the model can achieve a 96.61% accuracy in rolling bearing fault diagnosis, which proves the effectiveness of the method.

This study primarily compares the carcass and meat quality traits of yaks of different ages and genders. Measurements of carcass weight and characteristics were taken for male and female Gannan yaks aged 1–2, 2–4, 4–6, and 6 years and older. Additionally, the weight and meat quality of 9 major cuts were measured. The results indicated significant variations in various aspects of yak carcasses around the age of 4, and substantial differences between male and female yaks after the age of 4. Different body regions showed distinct meat quality. The tenderness of the tenderloin is the highest (P < 0.05), while the striploin is the lowest (P < 0.05), and the protein content of the hindquarter cuts is higher. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify key factors significantly affecting total meat yield. Subsequently, predictive models for total meat yield were developed for yaks aged 1–4 years, 4+ years for males, and 4+ years for females based on these factors. Furthermore, the meat from the 9 major cuts was classified according to its intrinsic meat quality traits, which holds significant reference value for the assessment of yak carcass yield grades and the grading of quality in meat cuts, ultimately contributing to the realization of the full potential of the yak meat industry.

In this study, based on the evaluation of fishy value and sensory evaluation, this study determined that soaking in a 1% salt solution for 60 min had a significant impact on the deodorization of beef liver (p < 0.05). The results showed that salt infiltration promoted the release of fishy substances, improving the edible and processing performance of beef liver. The identification of flavor compounds in raw and roasted beef liver via GC–IMS implies that (E)–2–octenal–M, (E)–3–penten–2–one–M, ethyl acetate–M, ethyl acetate–D, and methanethiol are closely related to improving the flavor of beef liver; among them, (E)–2–octenal–M, (E)–3–penten–2–one–M, and methanethiol can cause beef liver odor, while nonanal–M, octanal–M, benzene acetaldehyde, n–hexanol–D, butyl propanoate–M, heptanal–D, heptanal–M, and 3–methylthiopropanal–M had significant effects on the flavor formation of beef liver steak. The determination of reducing sugars revealed that salt soaking had no significant effect on the reducing sugar content of beef liver, and the beef liver steak was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), proving that reducing sugars promoted the formation of beef liver steak flavor under roasting conditions. Fatty acid determination revealed that salt soaking significantly reduced the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in beef liver (p < 0.05), promoting the process of fat degradation and volatile flavor production in the beef liver steak. Salt plays a prominent role in salting–out and osmosis during deodorization and flavor improvement. Through controlling important biochemical and enzymatic reactions, the release of flavor substances in a food matrix was increased, and a good deodorization effect was achieved, which lays a foundation for further research on the deodorization of beef liver and the flavor of beef liver steak.

Beef skin gelatin can be used as a good substitute for animal fat in meat patties. In this paper, the effect of different parameters on low-fat beef patties with cowhide gelatin substituted for beef fat (0, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) prepared by ultra-high pressure assisted technology was investigated by texture, cooking loss, and sensory scores. The beef patties were also stored at 0–4 °C for 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 d. The differences and changing rules of fatty acid and amino acid compositions and contents of beef patties with different fat contents were investigated by simulating gastrointestinal digestion in vitro. The optimal process formulation of low-fat beef patties with cowhide gelatin was determined by experimental optimization as follows: ultra-high pressure 360 MPa, ultra-high of pressure time of 21 min, NaCl addition of 1.5%, compound phosphate addition of 0.3%. The addition of cowhide gelatin significantly increased monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acid content, and protein digestibility of beef patties (p < 0.05). Moreover, with the extension of storage time, the content of saturated fatty acids was significantly higher (p < 0.05), the content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly lower (p < 0.05), the content of amino acids was significantly lower (p < 0.05), and protein digestibility was significantly lower (p < 0.05) under all substitution ratios. Overall, beef patties with 75% and 100% substitution ratios had better digestibility characteristics. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for gelatin’s potential as a fat substitute for beef patties and for improving the quality of low-fat meat products.

In this study, fuzzy mathematics and response surface modeling were applied to optimize the preparation process of beef liver paste and characterize the proximate composition, sensory and physicochemical qualities, and in vitro simulated digestive properties while refrigerated at 0–4 °C (0, 3, 7, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days). The results showed that the optimal preparation process was 4.8% potato starch, 99.4% water, 10.2% olive oil, and a 3:2 ratio of chicken breast and beef liver. The beef liver paste prepared contained essential amino acids for infants and children, with a protein content of 10.29 g/100 g. During storage, the pH of the beef liver paste decreased significantly (p < 0.05) on day 7, texture and rheological properties decreased significantly after 30 days, a* values increased, L* and b* values gradually decreased, and TVB-N and TBARS values increased significantly (p < 0.05) on day 7 but were below the limit values during the storage period (TVB-N value ≤ 15 mg/100 g, TBARS value ≤ 1 mg/Kg). In vitro simulated digestion tests showed better digestibility and digestive characteristics in the first 15 days. The results of this study provide a reference for the development of beef liver products for infant and child supplementation.

With the development of technologies, multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) has been detected more frequently. Although large-scale genomics studies have made significant progress, the aberrant gene mutation in MPLC is largely unclear. In this study, 141 and 44 lesions from single and multiple primary lung adenocarcinoma (SP- and MP-LUAD) were analyzed. DNA and RNA were extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue and sequenced by using the next-generation sequencing-based YuanSu450TM gene panel. We systematically analyzed the clinical features and gene mutations of these lesions, and found that there were six genes differently mutated in MP-LUAD and SP-LUAD lesions, including RBM10, CDK4, ATRX, NTRK1, PREX2, SS18. Data from the cBioPortal database indicated that mutation of these genes was related to some clinical characteristics, such as TMB, tumor type, et al. Besides, heterogeneity analysis suggested that different lesions could be tracked back to monophyletic relationships. We compared the mutation landscape of MP-LUAD and SP-LUAD and identified six differentially mutated genes (RBM10, CDK4, ATRX, NTRK1, PREX2, SS18), and certain SNV loci in TP53 and EGFR which might play key roles in lineage decomposition in multifocal samples. These findings may provide insight into personalized prognosis prediction and new therapies for MP-LUAD patients.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) affect meat quality through multiple biochemical pathways. To investigate the effect of ROS on postmortem glycolysis and tenderness of bovine muscle, ROS content, glycolytic potential, glycolysis rate-limiting enzyme activities, expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), serine-threonine kinase (AKT), phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), and tenderness were determined in the H2O2 group and control group. Results showed that the H2O2 group exhibited significantly higher ROS content within 48 h, coupled with increased glycolytic potential, pH decline, hexokinase (HK), and phosphofructokinase activities (PFK) early postmortem. These were attributed to ROS-induced PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation and resultant HIF-1α accumulation. Moreover, shear force in the H2O2 group reached the peak 12 h earlier and decreased obviously after 24 h, accompanied by a significantly higher myofibril fragmentation index (MFI). These findings suggested that ROS drive HIF-1α accumulation by activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby accelerating glycolysis and tenderization of postmortem bovine muscle.

The effects of low doses of sodium nitrite on yak meat colouring, myoglobin oxygenation status, myoglobin aggregation and myoglobin structure were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser micro-Raman spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the yak meat redness value increased steadily relative to that of the control after the addition of low dose sodium nitrite. The nitrosomyoglobin level gradually increased and was significantly higher in the sodium nitrite-treated group than in the control group. The secondary structures were also transformed. The Cα-N bond extended and then contracted, the area of the haem core decreased and then increased and the frequency of contraction increased. A total of 34 nitrosylated peptides were identified, of which 15 were stable and 19 were unstable. These findings show that low doses of sodium nitrite facilitated the dynamic transformation of the myoglobin nitrosylated peptide fragment, which in turn preserved the colour of the meat.

Background: Amino acid metabolism participates in forming immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Amino acid transporters (AATs), as a gate for admission, remains to be studied. Materials and methods: We identified LUAD-specific prognostic AATs, SLC7A5 by differential expression analysis, logistic regression, machine learning, Kaplan-Meier analysis, AUC value filtrating and Cox regression. Then differential expression and distribution of SLC7A5 were depicted. Copy number variation, DNA methylation, transcriptional factors and ceRNA network were investigated to explore potential mechanism causing differential expression. The prognostic and clinical relation were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox regression analysis. GSEA and GSVA were used to analyze altered pathways between SLC7A5 high- and low-groups. The expression of HLA-related genes and immune checkpoint genes, and immune cells infiltration were detected. SLC7A5 expression in immune cells was evaluated by single-cell sequencing data. IPS and an independent immunotherapy cohort assessed response rates of patients with distinct SLC7A5 expression. Proliferation assay and wound healing assay validated the effects of SLC7A5 on proliferation and migration of LUAD cells. Western blotting and cell viability assays were performed to detect mTORC1 pathway activity and sensitivity to rapamycin. Results: SLC7A5 was a LUAD-specific prognostic AAT and had significant differential expression in transcription and translation level. Methylation levels of cg00728300, cg00858400, cg12408911, cg08710629 were negative correlation with SLC7A5 expression. FOXP3 and TFAP2A were possible transcription factors and miR-30a-5p, miR-184, miR-195-5p may target SLC7A5 mRNA. SLC7A5 high-expression indicated poor prognosis and was an independent prognostic factor. mTORC1, cell cycle, DNA damage repair, response to reactive oxygen, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and various growth factors signaling pathways were activated in SLC7A5 high-expression group. Interestingly, SLC7A5 high-expression group had less immune-related genes expression and immune cells infiltration. Single-cell sequencing data also suggested SLC7A5 was downregulated in various T cells, especially effector T cells. Moreover, high SLC7A5 expression indicated poor immunotherapy efficacy and higher sensitivity to inhibitors of mTORC1 pathway, cell cycle and angiogenesis. SLC7A5 deficiency abrogated proliferation, migration and mTORC1 pathway activity. Conclusions: In summary, as a LUAD-specific prognostic AAT, SLC7A5 is involved in activation of multiple oncogenic pathways and indicates poor prognosis. Moreover, SLC7A5 may participate in forming immunosuppressive TME and is associated with low response of immunotherapy. SLC7A5 is promising to be a new diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in LUAD.

BackgroundGlutamine (Gln) metabolism has been reported to play an essential role in cancer. However, a comprehensive analysis of its role in lung adenocarcinoma is still unavailable. This study established a novel system of quantification of Gln metabolism to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in lung cancer. Further, the Gln metabolism in tumor microenvironment (TME) was characterized and the Gln metabolism-related genes were identified for targeted therapy.MethodsWe comprehensively evaluated the patterns of Gln metabolism in 513 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) based on 73 Gln metabolism-related genes. Based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs), a risk model was constructed using Cox regression and Lasso regression analysis. The prognostic efficacy of the model was validated using an individual LUAD cohort form Shandong Provincial Hospital, an integrated LUAD cohort from GEO and pan-cancer cohorts from TCGA databases. Five independent immunotherapy cohorts were used to validate the model performance in predicting immunotherapy efficacy. Next, a series of single-cell sequencing analyses were used to characterize Gln metabolism in TME. Finally, single-cell sequencing analysis, transcriptome sequencing, and a series of in vitro experiments were used to explore the role of EPHB2 in LUAD.ResultsPatients with LUAD were eventually divided into low- and high-risk groups. Patients in low-risk group were characterized by low levels of Gln metabolism, survival advantage, “hot” immune phenotype and benefit from immunotherapy. Compared with other cells, tumor cells in TME exhibited the most active Gln metabolism. Among immune cells, tumor-infiltrating T cells exhibited the most active levels of Gln metabolism, especially CD8 T cell exhaustion and Treg suppression. EPHB2, a key gene in the model, was shown to promote LUAD cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and regulated the Gln metabolic pathway. Finally, we found that EPHB2 was highly expressed in macrophages, especially M2 macrophages. It may be involved in the M2 polarization of macrophages and mediate the negative regulation of M2 macrophages in NK cells.ConclusionThis study revealed that the Gln metabolism-based model played a significant role in predicting prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in lung cancer. We further characterized the Gln metabolism of TME and investigated the Gln metabolism-related gene EPHB2 to provide a theoretical framework for anti-tumor strategy targeting Gln metabolism.

As an innate feature of human beings, gender differences have an influence on various biological phenotypes, yet it does not attract enough attention in genomics studies. The prognosis of multiple carcinomas usually exhibits a favorable ending for female patients, but the neglect of gender differences can cause serious bias in survival analysis. Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are mostly downstream of androgens or estrogen. The present study was aimed to screen eRNAs in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The findings revealed that eRNA TBX5-AS1 was expressed differently between female and male patients. Meanwhile, its prognostic significance appeared only in male patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) type. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis proved that the expression level of TBX5-AS1 increased following the activation of the androgen signaling pathway. In pan-cancer analysis, the prognostic prediction based on gender grouping obtained more meaningful results, and the synergy between TBX5-AS1 and its homologous target was more consistent. Furthermore, immunity variations between sexes prompted us to explore the role that TBX5-AS1 played in tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy. The robust evidence proved that male patients with high expression of TBX5-AS1 possessed a malignant immune microenvironment and urgently needed immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. In conclusion, TBX5-AS1 may be one of the strongest candidates to predict prognosis for male patients with SCC and provide a reference for immunotherapy.

Adenocarcinoma (AD) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are both classified as major forms of non-small cell lung cancer, but differences in clinical prognoses and molecular mechanisms are remarkable. Recent studies have supported the importance of understanding immune status in that it influences clinical outcomes of cancer, and immunotherapies based on the theory of “immune editing” have had notable clinical success. Our study aimed to identify specific long non-coding (lnc) RNAs that control key immune-related genes and to use them to construct risk models for AD and SCC. Risk scores were used to separate patients into high- and low-risk groups, and we validated the prognostic significance of both risk scores with our own cohorts. A Gene Set Enrichment Analysis suggested that the immune responses of patients in the AD high-risk group and the SCC low-risk group tended to be weakened. Evaluation of immune infiltration revealed that the degree of infiltration of dendritic cells is of particular importance in AD. In addition, prediction of responses to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatments, based on the T Cell Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion and immunophenoscore models, indicated that deterioration of the immune microenvironment is due mainly to T cell exclusion in AD patients and T cell dysfunction in SCC patients and that high-risk patients with SCC might benefit from ICI treatment. The prediction of downstream targets via The Cancer Proteome Atlas and RNA-seq analyses of a transfected lung cancer cell line indicated that the lncRNA LINC00996 is a potential therapeutic target in AD.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ultrasound-assisted thawing (UAT) on the quality of longissimus dorsi muscles from white yak meat (WYM). Ultrasonic power levels of 0, 200, 400, and 600 W (frequency of 20 kHz) were used to assist thawing. The thawing rate, meat quality, nutrient substances, volatile compounds, and microstructure of the WYM were determined. The results showed that ultrasonic thawing treatment reduced thawing times by 30.95–64.28% compared to control. The meat quality results revealed that the thawing loss, cooking loss, L* and b* values, and pH values decreased significantly while the a* value and cutting force increased significantly (P

Background The current TNM classification system does not consider tumor length for patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC). This study explored the effect of tumor length, in addition to tumor depth and lymph node involvement, on survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods A total of 498 ESCC patients who underwent surgical resection as the primary treatment were selected in the retrospective study. Pathological details were collected, which included tumor type, TNM stage, differentiation. Other collected information were: the types of esophageal resection, ABO blood group, family history and demographic and lifestyle factors. A time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and a regression tree for survival were used to identify the cut-off point of tumor length, which was 3 cm. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to identify the prognostic factors to ESCC. Results & Discussion The 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates were found to be 82.5%, 55.6%, and 35.1%, respectively. Patients who had larger tumor length (>3 cm) had a higher risk for death than the rest patients. From the univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model, the overall survival rate was significantly influenced by the depth of the tumor and lymph node involvement (either as dummy or continuous variables), Sex, and tumor length. Using these four variables in the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model, we found that the overall survival was significantly influenced by all variables except Sex. Therefore, in addition to the depth of the tumor and lymph node involvement (as either dummy or continuous variables), the tumor length is also an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. The overall survival rate was higher in a group with smaller tumor length (≤3 cm) than those patients with larger tumor length (>3 cm), no matter what the tumor stage was. Conclusion The tumor length was found to be an important prognostic factor for ESCC patients without receiving neoadjuvant therapy. The modification of EC staging system may consider tumor length to better predict ESCC survival and identify higher risk patients for postoperative therapy.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) plays an essential role in a number of physiological phenomena and functions as a tumor suppressor. Understanding the predictive effects of SOCS2 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is urgently needed. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to assess SOCS2 gene expression levels in NSCLC. The clinical significance of SOCS2 was evaluated through Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and the analysis of related clinical factors. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify the biological functions of SOCS2. Subsequently proliferation, wound-healing, colony formation and Transwell assays, and carboplatin drug experiments were used for verification. The results revealed that SOCS2 expression was low in the NSCLC tissues of patients in TCGA and GEO database analyses. Downregulated SOCS2 was associated with poor prognosis, as determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.52-0.73; P<0.001). GSEA showed that SOCS2 was involved in intracellular reactions, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cell experiments indicated that knockdown of SOCS2 caused the malignant progression of NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, the drug experiment showed that silencing of SOCS2 promoted the resistance of NSCLC cells to carboplatin. In conclusion, low expression of SOCS2 was associated with poor clinical prognosis by effecting EMT and causing drug resistance in NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, SOCS2 could act as a predictive indicator for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote energy-saving potentials of the energy recovery unit under all-year conditions, a composite system combining pump-driven loop heat pipe with heat pump was firstly proposed, and the mathematical models were established. The operating characteristics of the composite system were studied in the whole year and compared with the traditional heat pump heat recovery system. The results show that the heating capacity of the composite system is in line with the heating load in winter. Compared with the traditional heat pump system, the composite system has higher energy efficiency ratio and lower deviation degree of temperature effectiveness in the whole year. The heat pump composite pump-driven loop heat pipe heat recovery system is generally superior to similar system reported in literatures, which indicates that it can replace heat pump system in buildings ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the simulation results of the typical rural ultra-low energy building (ULEB) in five different climatic regions of China, three indicative technical parameters for paralleled-loop exhaust air heat pump (PEAHP) R&D which are nominal heating-cooling capacity, maximum required fresh air to return air ratio (MFRR) and system energy efficiency grades were calculated and summarized according to the demand of indoor thermal comforts by using statistic method. The nominal heating-cooling capacities were determined according to the peak loads, which are 6.84-2.01 kW, 5-2.96 kW, 3.9-4.6 kW, 3.08-5.02 kW, and 3.4-0.46 kW in the ULEB of Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming, respectively. To ensure both thermal comforts and energy conservation, during the heating season, full fresh air supply is suggested in Beijing and the 1:0.5 MFRR is suggested in Harbin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming. During the cooling season, the 1:5 MFRR is suggested in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the 1:3, 1:1.5, and 1:0.5 MFRR are suggested in Harbin, Beijing and Kunming, respectively. The PEAHP energy efficiency grades 1~5 are 7.92~11.7, 7.58~11.5, 7.5~11.35, 6.12~9.27, and 4.64~7.03 during the heating season of Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming, respectively, and are 2.33~3.54, 3.93~5.96, 4.61~6.98, 4.62~6.99, and 2.04~3.1 for the cooling season, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement performance of refrigerating dehumidification system was theoretically discusses based on a dehumidification model. The influence of evaporator inlet wind speed, dry bulb temperature and relative humidity on dehumidification were analysed by the model. The results show that, when inlet air temperature and humidity were kept constant, the dehumidification capacity increased first and then decreased with increase of the wind speed. When the moisture content and the wind speed of the inlet air were kept constant, the dehumidification capacity gradually decreased with increase of the inlet air dry bulb temperature. The inlet air dry bulb temperature was between 21-36 °C and the relative humidity was between 40% and 85%, the difference between the inlet air wet bulb temperature and the evaporation temperature at the optimum COP was about 10 °C. There was a nearly linear relationship between the corresponding evaporation temperature at the optimal COP and the evaporation temperature with the maximum dehumidification capacity, compared with the test value, the error was less than 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper presents a novel air source heat pump for heating of buildings named air source heat pump with multiple parallel outdoor units (ASHPMO). Multiple outdoor units were connected in parallel with the aim of realising alternate defrosting and uninterrupted heating simultaneously. An experimental apparatus of the ASHPMO system was developed. The defrosting performance was experimentally investigated under different outdoor air temperatures, outdoor air relative humidity, and condensation temperatures, among other factors. The test results showed that the novel ASHPMO system could provide continuous heating when defrosting even under an outdoor air temperature of −10°C. Variations in compressor vapour suction and discharge pressure and temperature were observed. The minimum heating capacity could still reach 60% of that without defrosting. Under the defrosting condition with outdoor air temperature −10°C, both the heating coefficient of performance (heating COP) and total energy efficiency ratio (EER) of the system can reach to 2.0 and 2.32, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The pathogenesis of lung cancer is unclear. Less expression of p53 or p53 mutation was identified in lung cancer cells, which plays a role in the development of lung cancer. Recent reports indicate that Bcl2-like protein-12 (Bcl2L12) can inhibit the expression of p53. Lung cancer cells express proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2). This study tests the hypothesis that activation of PAR2 inhibits the expression of p53 in lung cancer cells.Material and Methods: Lung cancer cells were collected from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The cells were exposed to active peptides or trypsin in the culture for 48 h. The expression of p53 was assessed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Results: We observed that lung cancer cells express Bcl2L12. Activation of PAR2 increases expression of Bcl2L12 in lung cancer cells. Bcl2L12 mediates PAR2-suppressed p53 expression in lung cancer cells. IgE-activated mast cell suppression of p53 expression in lung cancer cells can be prevented by knocking down Bcl2L12. The Bcl2L12 bound Mdm2, the transcription factor of p53, to prevent the Mdm2 from binding to the promoter of p53 and thus inhibited p53 expression in lung cancer cells. PAR2 could attenuate lung cancer cell apoptosis via inducing Bcl2L12.Conclusions: Lung cancer cells express Bcl2L12, which mediates the effects of activation of PAR2 on suppressing the expression of p53 in lung cancer cells, implying that Bcl2L12 may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune disease associated with manifestations of proximal muscle weakness and typical cutaneous skin rash. Patients with DM have a higher incidence rate of cancer, compared with the general population, since DM usually presents as a paraneoplastic syndrome. The present study reports a case of a 69-year-old male patient presenting with typical cutaneous rash and aggravating proximal muscle weakness for 3 months. When first admitted to the Department of Dermatology of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University (Jinan, China), the patient was diagnosed with DM. Subsequently, chest computed tomography scan revealed a neoplasm located in the right upper lobe. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery right upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection were then performed. The patient experienced a fast recovery from the surgery. The removal of the neoplasm clearly improved the symptoms of DM. Considering that DM is usually associated with the existence of a tumor, cases of DM require a thorough diagnostic investigation in order to exclude an underlying malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study on a pump-driven loop heat pipe (PLHP) charged with R22 for cooling a data center is reported in this paper. The PLHP had five tube-fin heat exchangers as evaporators and three tube-fin heat exchangers as condensers, a liquid reservoir, and a canned motor pump. The coefficient of performance of the unit was 3.75 when the indoor-outdoor temperature difference was 10°C, then increased to 9.37 when the temperature difference was 25°C. The mass flow rates of R22 increased from 200 to 1,100 kg/h with one evaporator and one condenser of the PLHP, and the heat transfer rates first increased and then decreased. When the vapor quality of R22 at the evaporator outlet was between 0.3 and 0.6, the mass flow rate affected the heat transfer rate slightly. As the increase of mass flow rate in the PLHP, the temperature difference between the evaporator inlet and outlet, and the sensible heat ratio were both rising. When the mass flow rate was about 1,400 kg/h and the indoor-outdoor temperature difference increased from 10 to 30°C, the relationship between the heat transfer rate and the temperature difference was linear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a life-threatening vascular condition, in which matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved. Since the key determinants underlying MMP action remain elusive, the present study investigated the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the MMP-8 gene and a predisposition to TAD, by comparing genotypes of TAD patients and healthy controls. From 154 TAD patients and 148 healthy individuals, DNA samples were obtained from venous blood, and genotyping was performed by a combination of polymerase chain reaction and automatic sequencing to detect SNPs in the MMP-8 promoter. Data were analyzed and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant result. Two SNPs, -799C/T and -767A/T, were identified in the MMP-8 promoter. Distribution of the -767A/T genotype was not significantly different between the patients and healthy controls. The -799C/C genotype was utilized as a match control, and significant differences in the genotypic distribution were observed between the patients with TAD and the controls. Furthermore, it was identified that the distribution of the -799C/T+T/T and -799C/C genotypes between the TAD and control populations was significantly different. The frequency of T allele distribution was higher in the TAD group (27%) than in the control group (13.5%). The genotype distribution followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In the present study, it was concluded that the -799C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of MMP-8 may be associated with the development of TAD and that the T allele may increase patient predisposition to the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the completely thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy with lobectomy to treat stage IA peripheral lung cancer <2 cm. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed that 54 cases stage IA peripheral lung cancer patients were selected, including 26 cases of segmentectomy and 28 cases of lobectomy. We observed the operative time, blood loss, number of lymphadenectomy, post-operative chest drainage, hospital days, post-operative complications and mortality, post-operative recurrence and 3-year survival rate. Results: There was no significant difference about complications such as post-operative atelectasis, severe pneumonia, arrhythmia and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular in two groups (P > 0.05). The local recurrence rate was not significant different in two groups (P > 0.05). Two groups of operative time, blood loss and number of dissected lymph nodes was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), However, the difference was statistically significant in average chest drainage and less decreased pulmonary function, which led to patients received segmentectomy recovered faster and hospitalized less time (P < 0.05). We also found there was no significant difference on survival rate with 1 and 3 year follow-up of two groups (log-rank Chi-square = 0.028, P > 0.05). Conclusions: For stage IA peripheral lung cancer, the thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy was safe and effective just as thoracoscopic lobectomy, and furthermore with faster post-operative recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]