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It is known that the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) MALAT1 is associated with tumorigenesis and progression in various cancers; however, its functions and mechanisms in prostate cancer (PCa) initiation and progression are still unknown. In the present study, our findings revealed that MALAT1 plays a critical part in regulating PCa proliferation and glucose metabolism. Knockdown of MALAT1 affects the protein and mRNA levels of MYBL2. In addition, MALAT1 enhances the phosphorylation level of mTOR pathway by upregulating MYBL2. Knockdown of MALAT1 or MYBL2 in PCa cell lines significantly inhibits their proliferation capacity. Silencing MALAT1/MYBL2/mTOR axis in PCa cell lines affects their glycolysis and lactate levels, and we verified these findings in mice. Furthermore, we explored the underlying tumorigenesis functions of MYBL2 in PCa and found that high expression of MYBL2 was positively associated with TNM stage, Gleason score, PSA level, and poor survival rate in PCa patients. Taken together, our research suggests that MALAT1 controls cancer glucose metabolism and progression by upregulating MYBL2-mTOR axis.

Stroke mostly including ischemic stroke is the second leading mortality and disability worldwide. Oxidative stress injury occurred during ischemic stroke treatment generally. A high amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is involved in oxidative stress induction. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) has been shown to regulate oxidative stress and apoptosis in microglia; however, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to explore whether autophagy-regulated oxidative stress and apoptosis are associated with TRPV1. The model of oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD/R) in microglia was established. The siRNA of Atg5 and inhibitors and agonists of both autophagy and TRPV1 were involved in our study. Autophagy-related markers Atg5, LC3II/LC3I, and Beclin-1 were measured, and the autophagosome was observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Caspase 3 was detected using ELISA. ROS and JC-1 were detected using flow cytometry. Apoptosis was observed by TUNEL. The results indicated that oxidative stress-induced injury and apoptosis may be impeded by the increasing autophagy, and TRPV1 inhibition could suppress the OGD/R-induced autophagy of microglia. However, the effect of TRPV1’s inhibitor on oxidative stress and apoptosis was not obvious when the autophagy was blocked. These findings suggested that TRPV1 may exhibit antioxidative and antiapoptosis effect on OGD/R-induced microglia. However, the experimental results do not fully demonstrate that the TRPV1-mediated antioxidative and antiapoptosis effect is through the affecting autophagy entirely.

Purpose. To identify an appropriate surgical indication of epiblepharon by comparing keratopathy and astigmatism outcomes after surgical and medical treatments for epiblepharon in Asian children. Methods. Children diagnosed with epiblepharon (n = 82, age 5.93 ± 2.76 years) with >6 months of follow-up were enrolled. The clinical presentations and cycloplegic refractive status at the baseline and 3 and 6 months after treatment were compared between surgical (91 eyes from 47 children) and nonsurgical (67 eyes from 35 children) groups. The refractive and keratometric astigmatism at each time point were evaluated with vector analysis methods. For Thibos and Horner’s method, the astigmatic power vector was decomposed into horizontal and oblique meridians (J0 and J45). However, the treatment-induced astigmatism (TIA) vectors were calculated by Alpins’ method and depicted by the AstigMATIC software. Results. In the surgical and nonsurgical groups, the baseline astigmatism magnitude was similar (2.22 ± 1.39 and 2.26 ± 1.46 D, p = 0.87). The rate of complete resolution of keratopathy at 6 months was 71.4% and 11.5%. The astigmatism magnitude in the surgical group differed among baseline and 3 months (2.25 ± 1.23 D) and 6 months postoperatively (1.97 ± 1.28 D) ( p = 0.001). Power vector analyses confirmed a nuanced against-the-rule shift in the surgical group. This trend was especially observed in the subgroup of baseline astigmatism >2.0 D. However, the difference in the astigmatism magnitude between surgical and nonsurgical groups, even in highly astigmatic children, was not significant at 6 months. Conclusions. The improvement of keratopathy in the surgical group was greater than that in the nonsurgical group in consideration of the more advanced severity in the surgery group at baseline. Decreased with-the-rule astigmatism can be observed at 6 months postoperatively, particularly among those with greater baseline astigmatism. However, the amount of change is small, and the outcome does not differ significantly from the nonsurgical treatment. Therefore, surgical indications should majorly base on the severity of symptoms and keratopathy.

The main pathological changes inherent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) are degeneration and loss of dopamine neurons in the midbrain and formation of Lewy bodies. Many studies have shown that the pathogenesis of PD is closely related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) oxidative stress. This study combined various traditional Chinese medicines to prepare Congrong Shujing granules (CSGs). The optimal dose combination of the ingredients was identified by experimental intervention in SH-SY5Y cells in vitro. A PD rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of rotenone sunflower oil emulsion. The suspension tests were performed on the 14th day after modeling and also on the 14th day after CSG intervention (5.88 g/kg, 11.76 g/kg, and 23.52 g/kg). We evaluated the changes in motor function and the expression of neuronal cell functional marker proteins, ER stress (ERS) marker proteins, and apoptosis-related pathway proteins of neuronal cells. Changes in cellular ultrastructure were observed by electron microscopy. Our results showed that CSG treatment lengthened the duration of PD rats’ gripping to the wire. 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) expression in the substantia nigra was significantly upregulated in the middle- and high-dose CSG groups after 14 days of treatment compared with the model group. The expression of the key dopaminergic neuron functional enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) was elevated. The expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and phosphorylated c-Jun decreased, and cell apoptosis was significantly reduced. Compared with the model group, the treatment groups had fewer ER fragmentation and degranulation (ribosome shedding) and abundant ER and mitochondria suggesting that CSG reduced ER stress and neuronal apoptosis in the midbrain of a PD rat model by inducing the expression of molecular chaperone GRP78.

Background. Previous studies have demonstrated pivotal roles of disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) in the pathogenesis of sepsis. MicroRNA- (miR-) 23b has emerged as an anti-inflammatory factor that prevents multiple autoimmune diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms of miR-23b in the regulation of ADAM10 and sepsis remain uncharacterized. Methods. The expression levels of ADAM10 and miR-23b were detected by quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Cytokine production and THP-1 cell apoptosis were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent and annexin V apoptosis assays. Bioinformatics analyses and qRT-PCR, western blot, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to identify ADAM10 as the target gene of miR-23b. Results. miR-23b expression was downregulated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of sepsis patients and LPS-induced THP-1 cells and was negatively correlated with the expression of ADAM10 and inflammatory cytokines. miR-23b regulated ADAM10 expression by directly binding to the 3′-UTR of ADAM10 mRNA. The overexpression of miR-23b alleviated the LPS-stimulated production of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and apoptosis by targeting ADAM10 in THP-1 cells. The inhibitor or knockdown of ADAM10 elicited effects similar to those of miR-23b on THP-1 cells upon LPS stimulation. Conclusions. The present study demonstrated that miR-23b negatively regulated LPS-induced inflammatory responses by targeting ADAM10. The molecular regulatory mechanism of miR-23b in ADAM10 expression and sepsis-induced inflammatory consequences may provide potential therapeutic targets for sepsis.

Breast cancer is a main cause of disease and death for women globally. Because of the limitations of traditional mammography and ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gradually become an important radiological method for breast cancer assessment over the past decades. MRI is free of the problems related to radiation exposure and provides excellent image resolution and contrast. However, a disadvantage is the injection of contrast agent, which is toxic for some patients (such as patients with chronic renal disease or pregnant and lactating women). Recent findings of gadolinium deposits in the brain are also a concern. To address these issues, this paper develops an intravoxel incoherent motion- (IVIM-) MRI-based histogram analysis approach, which takes advantage of several hyperspectral techniques, such as the band expansion process (BEP), to expand a multispectral image to hyperspectral images and create an automatic target generation process (ATGP). After automatically finding suspected targets, further detection was attained by using kernel constrained energy minimization (KCEM). A decision tree and histogram analysis were applied to classify breast tissue via quantitative analysis for detected lesions, which were used to distinguish between three categories of breast tissue: malignant tumors (i.e., central and peripheral zone), cysts, and normal breast tissues. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed IVIM-MRI-based histogram analysis approach can effectively differentiate between these three breast tissue types.

This study investigated the effects of the Cong Rong Shu Jing (CRSJ) compound on endoplasmic reticulum stress in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). A total of 40 rats were subcutaneously injected with rotenone-sunflower oil emulsion into the back of the neck to establish a rat model of PD. These PD rats were randomly divided into low-, medium-, and high-dose groups (intragastric administration of 0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg CRSJ, respectively) and a model group (intragastric administration of the solvent; 10 rats per group). Furthermore, 10 rats each were attributed to the control and vehicle groups (both received intragastric administration of the CRSJ solvent, and the vehicle group were injected additionally with sunflower oil alone). A traction test was conducted two times, after the PD model establishment and after 14 days of CRSJ gavage. The numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase- (TH-) positive cells and the dopamine levels in the substantia nigra were assessed using immunohistochemistry and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Western blotting detected the expression levels of α-synuclein, endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways-related proteins, cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway-related proteins. Compared with the model group, the number of TH-positive cells in the substantia nigra was increased in the CRSJ groups. The expression levels of α-synuclein and the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways-associated proteins glucose regulatory protein 78, inositol-requiring enzyme 1, apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1, phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and caspase-12 were reduced. However, CRSJ administration elevated the expression levels of the neurotrophic factors CDNF and MANF, as well as those of p-PI3K and p-AKT. The CRSJ compound can relieve endoplasmic reticulum stress in PD rats and exerts protective effects in this animal model. These effects may be related to increased expression of neurotrophic factors and activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Objective. To compare quality, quantity, and trends of food supply from 1984 to 2009 and degree of food westernization in Taiwan with Asian countries and world continents by using food balance data.Methods. We compiled data from food balance sheets of Taiwan and Food and Agriculture Organization, including five continents and three most populated countries each in Eastern, Southern, and Southeastern Asia over the period 1984–2009. Quantity of food supply per capita was referenced to Taiwan food guides. The population-weighted means of food supply from Europe, North America, South America, and Australia and New Zealand continents in terms of energy and nutrient distributions, animal/plant sources, and sugar/alcohol contribution were used as indicators of westernization. Trends of food supply per capita of six food groups were plotted, and linear regression was applied to evaluate food changes.Findings. Taiwan’s food supply provided sufficient quantity in food energy, with the lowest cereals/roots supply and rice to wheat ratio, but the highest meat and oil supplies per capita among the 10 studied Asian countries. Taiwan food supply showed the most westernization among these countries.Conclusion. Food supply of Taiwan, although currently sufficient, indicated some security problems and high tendency of diet westernization.

The time domain model reduction based on general orthogonal polynomials has been presented for linear systems. In this paper, we extend this approach by taking the derivative information of the system into account in the context of model reduction of coupled systems. We expand the derivative terms over the Chebyshev polynomial basis and show that Chebyshev coefficients of the expansion possess a specific structure, making it possible to preserve much more time domain information by employing projection methods. Besides, with the well-defined projection matrices, the resulting reduced model shares the same topological structure with the original coupled system. Two numerical examples are simulated to showcase the accuracy of incorporating the derivative information into model reduction.

A class of Holling type II predator-prey systems with mutual interference and impulses is presented. Sufficient conditions for the permanence, extinction, and global attractivity of system are obtained. The existence and uniqueness of positive periodic solution are also established. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the theoretical results. Meanwhile, they indicate that dynamics of species are very sensitive with the period matching between species’ intrinsic disciplinarians and the perturbations from the variable environment. If the periods between individual growth and impulse perturbations match well, then the dynamics of species periodically change. If they mismatch each other, the dynamics differ from period to period until there is chaos.

Sustainable energy development always involves complex optimization problems of design, planning, and control, which are often computationally difficult for conventional optimization methods. Fortunately, the continuous advances in artificial intelligence have resulted in an increasing number of heuristic optimization methods for effectively handling those complicated problems. Particularly, algorithms that are inspired by the principles of natural biological evolution and/or collective behavior of social colonies have shown a promising performance and are becoming more and more popular nowadays. In this paper we summarize the recent advances in bio-inspired optimization methods, including artificial neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, swarm intelligence, and their hybridizations, which are applied to the field of sustainable energy development. Literature reviewed in this paper shows the current state of the art and discusses the potential future research trends.

Because of dopaminergic neurodegeneration, patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) show impairment in the recognition of negative facial expressions. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether PD patients with more advanced motor problems would show a much greater deficit in recognition of emotional facial expressions than a control group and whether impairment of emotion recognition would extend to positive emotions. Twenty-nine PD patients and 29 age-matched healthy controls were recruited. Participants were asked to discriminate emotions in Experiment 1 and identify gender in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, PD patients demonstrated a recognition deficit for negative (sadness and anger) and positive faces. Further analysis showed that only PD patients with high motor dysfunction performed poorly in recognition of happy faces. In Experiment 2, PD patients showed an intact ability for gender identification, and the results eliminated possible abilities in the functions measured in Experiment 2 as alternative explanations for the results of Experiment 1. We concluded that patients’ ability to recognize emotions deteriorated as the disease progressed. Recognition of negative emotions was impaired first, and then the impairment extended to positive emotions.

A novel learning framework of nonparallel hyperplanes support vector machines (NPSVMs) is proposed for binary classification and multiclass classification. This framework not only includes twin SVM (TWSVM) and its many deformation versions but also extends them into multiclass classification problem when different parameters or loss functions are chosen. Concretely, we discuss the linear and nonlinear cases of the framework, in which we select the hinge loss function as example. Moreover, we also give the primal problems of several extension versions of TWSVM’s deformation versions. It is worth mentioning that, in the decision function, the Euclidean distance is replaced by the absolute value|wTx+b|, which keeps the consistency between the decision function and the optimization problem and reduces the computational cost particularly when the kernel function is introduced. The numerical experiments on several artificial and benchmark datasets indicate that our framework is not only fast but also shows good generalization.