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This paper explores the temporal dimensions in and consequences of migration from the perspective of how they are involved in both promoting and undermining cosmopolitan attitudes and practices amo...

Introduction Glioma is the primary malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. Berberine (BBR) was the potential drug for anti-tumor in glioma cells. Based on its limitation of poor aqueous solubility and instability, little information of BBR nanoparticles is reported in glioma. Methods Different solutions including 5% glucose, 1*PBS, ddH2O, 0.9% NaCl, cell culture medium were selected, and only 5% glucose and ddH2O exhibited BBR-related nanoparticles. After heating for a longer time or adding a higher concentration of glucose solution, BBR nanoparticles were detected by TEM analysis. The uptake of BBR-Glu or BBR-Water nanoparticles were detected by immunofluorescence analysis for BBR autofluorescence. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay and Western blotting analysis. Apoptosis was performed with flow cytometric analysis and was detected by cleaved caspase-3 immuno-fluorescent staining. Cell cycle was used by flow cytometric analysis. Cytoskeleton was observed by confocal analysis using the neuron specific Class III s-tubulin and s-tubulin antibodies. Mitochondrial-related proteins were detected by Western blotting analyses and mito-tracker staining in live cells. Mitochondrion structures were observed by TEM analysis. ROS generation and ATP production were detected by related commercial kits. The tracking of BBR-Glu or BBR-Water nanoparticles into blood-brain barrier was observed in primary tumor-bearing models. The fluorescence of BBR was detected by confocal analyses in brains and gliomas. Results BBR-Glu nanoparticles became more homogenized and smaller with dose- and time-dependent manners. BBR-Glu nanoparticles were easily absorbed in glioma cells. The IC50 of BBR-Glu in U87 and U251 was far lower than that of BBR-Water. BBR-Glu performed better cytotoxicity, with higher G2/M phase arrest, decreased cell viability by targeting mitochondrion. In primary U87 glioma-bearing mice, BBR-Glu exhibited better imaging in brains and gliomas, indicating that more BBR moved across the blood-brain tumor barrier. Discussion BBR-Glu nanoparticles have better solubility and stability, providing a promising strategy in glioma precision treatment.

This study aimed at investigating the femur injury mechanisms and femur injury tolerance limit in combined axial force and bending moment. A finite element (FE) model of the lower extremity in sitt...

Drawing on qualitative research with western scholars working at Sino-foreign universities (SFUs), this paper highlights the emerging academic mobility trend moving from the Global North to South. ...

Purpose Lung cancer is one of the most life-threatening cancer worldwide with poor prognosis attributed to the lack of early diagnosis and proper therapy. The estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) is a multifunctional protein not limited to bind ligands and has been reported to be associated with numerous cancers. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of ERRα in lung cancer and to provide a novel perspective for lung cancer early diagnosis, targeted therapy, and prognosis assessment. Methods The correlation between ERRα mRNA expression and survival time of the online clinical data about lung cancer was analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter. A mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) was constructed to detect the expression level of ERRα in tumor tissues. ERRα-knockdown LUAD cells were generated and the impacts of ERRα on cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis were further analyzed. Cancerous and paracancerous tissues were collected to semi-quantitative the levels of ERRα in LUAD clinical samples (n=88), combined with clinical information for prognostic analysis. Results The KM plotter analysis suggested that ERRα is correlated with poor prognosis in LUAD (n=720) rather than in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) (n=524). ERRα is also upregulated in tumor tissues obtained from LUAD model mice. Quantitative analysis suggested an abnormal elevation of ERRα in LUAD cells rather than in LSCC cells. The results demonstrated that downregulation of ERRα impairs proliferation, invasion and migration abilities (P

While facing labour precarity of the increasingly competitive academia-industry, mobile academics encounter another set of challenges brought by the global shift away from permanent migration towar...

Pedestrians are exposed to the traffic environment without protection and thereby easily suffer serious traffic injuries when involved in a motor vehicle collision. The aims of this study were to i...

This study aimed to identify the correlations of pedestrian with moderate to untreatable (AIS2+) lower extremity injury risk with the pedestrian kinematics and vehicle front profile variables using...

The 1.5 generation migrants are often presented by scholars as the vanguard of new cosmopolitan possibilities. Their hybrid identities and intercultural competencies are viewed as evidence for new ways of approaching difference in diverse societies. This paper examines these claims in relation to Chinese 1.5 generation migrants in New Zealand, focusing on their experiences of negotiating the family and early life, and possibilities for becoming cosmopolitan. By drawing insights from ‘everyday cosmopolitanism’, we examine how hybrid identities both facilitate and undermine capacities to overcome difference and alter the power dynamics within social worlds. This demonstrates that everyday cosmopolitanism is not easily achieved but rather oscillates around strategies for fitting in that sometimes reinforce uneven social positions. We argue for caution in accounts of the 1.5 generation and recognition of the ways that cosmopolitanism is socially situated, subject to the multiple pressures, and enacted...

Emotions matter, particularly in experiences of migration. This article explores how emotions are involved in everyday intercultural encounters and the role of emotions in generating cosmopolitan sociability in the context of migration. The article is based upon qualitative research with 80 Chinese 1st and 1.5 generation migrants in New Zealand. We focus on ‘contact zones’ as social spaces where migrants have uneven opportunities to encounter cultural others and where ‘emotional dissonance’ can emerge through unsuccessful intercultural exchanges. In order to generate a sense of comfort and familiarity in such conflicted spaces, migrants need to invest in ‘emotional labour’ to engage in more cosmopolitan sociability as an attempt to transform ‘contact zone’ to ‘comfort zone’. Through this article we argue that emotions can both promote and encourage, but also undermine and limit the capacity to perform cosmopolitan sociability and build intercultural relations.

An objective and practicable method to evaluate the brain tolerance to unilateral carotid artery occlusion was attempted. Ten consecutive cases were studied. Endovascular trial balloon occlusion of the unilateral carotid artery in conjunction with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as well as digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and clinical neurological evaluation was routinely performed for those patients who might undergo permanent occlusion of the internal (ICA) and/or common carotid artery (CCA). The result of SPECT was analyzed semi-quantitatively and compared with the baseline data as well as the data from contralateral side. The relative symmetry index (rS) of side-to-side radioactivity counts relevant to the baseline was calculated. One subject failed the balloon occlusion test (BOT), even though an angiographically adequate collateral circulation was observed. The rS of the patient was 74.5%. The remaining patients passed the 45-min BOT without any neurological deficiency induced. Their value of rS was 97.8% +/- 4.4%. Based the BOT results, the left ICA, CCA and external carotid artery were excised in one patient, CCA-ICA reconstructions after carotid occlusions were performed in three. The carotid arteries were saved in five. For one patient, the ICA was occluded spontaneously during the BOT. There were no neurological impairments developed after the surgery. With this BOT technique, clinically silent areas of decreased perfusion might be detected. We suggest it be a routine preparatory to carotid manipulations.