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Polo like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a protein kinase involved in regulating the spindle assembly and cell cycle control in mammalian oocytes. SUMOylation, one way of post-translational modification, regulates oocyte meiosis by controlling several substrates. However, the relation between PLK1 and SUMOylation in oocytes is still unknown. In this study, we investigated that whether PLK1 was modified by SUMOylation in oocytes and its potential relationship with age-related meiotic abnormalities. We showed that PLK1 had colocalization and protein interaction with Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier (SUMO)-1 and SUMO-2/3 in mouse oocytes, indicating that PLK1 could be modified by SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3. Overexpression of PLK1 SUMOylation site mutants PLK1

The purpose of this article is to investigate whether the percutaneous delivery of compound lidocaine cream by roller microneedles can shorten the minimal effective onset time of anesthesia, enhance the intensity of anesthesia and prolong the analgesic time, so as to provide a theoretical basis for exploring a comfortable, safe and effective anesthesia method for photoelectric cosmetic surgery.A total of 90 healthy volunteers, including 18 male and 72 female, met the criteria and were enrolled in the study from December 2020 to September 2021 in Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. This study adopted a two-factor randomized block design of 3 (anesthesia time on the test side: 30, 45, 60 min) × 2 (the test side: the left and right side), and the subjects were divided into group A (n = 30), group B (n = 30), and group C (n = 30). On the test side, the compound lidocaine cream was used for topic anesthesia for 10 min, then the roller microneedle was used to roll on the treatment area, compound lidocaine cream was appropriately supplemented, and the topic anesthesia was kept continued for 20 min (group A), 35 min (group B), and 50 min (group C), respectively. The mirrorsymmetrical area of the test side of the three groups was the control side, and the compound lidocaine cream was used for topic anesthesia for 60 min. Photoelectric therapy was performed after anesthesia was completed. The analgesic effect of the subjects on both sides was comprehensively compared; the scores were obtained using the Kuttner Facial Expression Scale, the Frankl Treatment Compliance Scale, the Houpt Behavior Scale, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); the satisfaction with anesthesia was investigated. Before and after treatment the skin temperature, color and adverse reactions of the subjects were recorded.Comparing both sides of the same group, there was no significant difference in terms of the comprehensive evaluation, intraoperative comfort, tolerance, cooperation, pain or satisfaction between the 30-min test side and the routine anesthesia side in group A; the comprehensive evaluation, intraoperative tolerance, cooperation degree, pain degree and satisfaction evaluation of the subjects on the 45-min test side in group B were significantly better than those on the control side; the comprehensive evaluation, intraoperative comfort, tolerance, cooperation, pain and satisfaction of the subjects on the 60-min test side in group C were significantly better than those on the control side. Comparing groups on the control side, there was no significant difference in the comprehensive evaluation, intraoperative comfort, tolerance, cooperation, pain or satisfaction between the three groups of subjects on the control side. Comparing the three groups on the test side, with the prolongation of compound lidocaine cream indwelling time, the subjects' comprehensive evaluation, comfort and pain degree were significantly improved. There was no significant difference in postoperative bruising, swelling, pain, discoloration, redness, or tenderness between the test side and the control side.The percutaneous delivery of compound lidocaine cream by roller microneedles can not only shorten the effective time of anesthesia, but also has a good analgesic effect without obvious adverse reactions.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease characterized by alveolar bone loss. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) have osteogenic differentiation potential, which can be influenced by epigenetics regulation in periodontitis. Therefore, this review aims to shed light on the role of different epigenetic mechanisms in the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs and to consider the prospects of their possible therapeutic applications in periodontitis.Databases MEDLINE (through PubMed) and Web of Science were searched for the current knowledge of epigenetics in osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs using the keywords 'periodontal ligament stem cells,' 'epigenetic regulation,' 'epigenetics,' 'osteogenic differentiation,' and 'osteogenesis.' All studies introducing epigenetic regulation and PDLSCs were retrieved.This review shows that epigenetic factors like DNMT, KDM6A, HDACi, some miRNAs, and lncRNAs can induce the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs in the non-inflammatory microenvironment. However, the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs is inhibited in the inflammatory microenvironment through the upregulated DNA methylation of osteogenesis-related genes and specific changes in histone modification and non-coding RNA.Epigenetics of osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs in inflammation exhibits the contrary effect compared to a non-inflammatory environment. The application of epigenetic drugs to regulate the abnormal epigenetic status in periodontitis and focus on alveolar bone regeneration is promising.

Agonists of innate pattern recognition receptors such as toll-like receptors (TLRs) prime adaptive anti-tumor immunity and hold promise for cancer immunotherapy. However, small-molecule TLR agonists cause immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) after systemic administration. Herein, we report a polymeric nano-immunomodulator (cN@SS-IMQ) that is inactive until it is selectively metabolized to an active immunostimulant within the tumor. cN@SS-IMQ was obtained via self-assembly of a cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys)-modified amphiphilic copolymeric prodrug. Upon systemic administration, cN@SS-IMQ preferentially accumulated at tumor sites and responded to high intracellular glutathione levels to release native imidazoquinolines for dendritic cell maturation, thereby enhancing the infiltration of T lymphocytes. Collectively, cN@SS-IMQ tends to activate the immune system without irAEs, thus suggesting its promising potential for safe systemic targeting delivery.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus and will lead to visual impairment. We aim to explore the effects and mechanisms of wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1) in the progression of DR. To establish DR in vitro and in vivo, human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell line ARPE-19 was treated with high-glucose (HG) and diabetic mice models were induced by streptozotocin (STZ), respectively. Different dose of recombinant WIF1 protein was used to treat DR. qRT-PCR and western blotting results demonstrated that WIF1 was downregulated, while VEGFA was upregulated in HG-induced ARPE-19 cells. WIF1 overexpression promoted cell migration. The ARPE-19 cells culture medium treated with WIF1 inhibited retinal endothelial cell tube formation and downregulated VEGFA expression. Moreover, WIF1 decreased the levels of ROS and MDA, while increasing the activity of SOD and GPX. WIF1 increased the ΔΨm in the mitochondria and downregulated the expression of mitochondrial autophagy-related proteins including Parkin, Pink1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, cleaved caspase 3, and cyt-c, which ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction. The in vivo studies further demonstrated the consistent effects of WIF1 in STZ-induced mice. Taken together, WIF1 ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction in DR by downregulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

The subjective well‐being (SWB) of migrants is an important topic, while the research from the perspective of community choice is relatively rare. Using China Migrant Dynamic Survey, this study shows that migrants’ community choice is significantly positively associated with their SWB. The SWB level of migrants living in commercial housing, work unit housing, affordable housing, and urban villages is higher than migrants living in old housing communities, even after controlling endogeneity problems by using PSM and IV estimations. Based on utility theory, social capital theory, and social stratification theory, the in‐depth analysis reveals that living in different communities has varied underlying mechanisms on migrants’ SWB. Migrants living in commercial housing, work unit, and affordable housing have more local neighbors, participate in more social or community activities, spend more on local invitations and gifts. And their self‐identity is higher. These can improve their happiness level. However, migrants living in urban villages have different mechanisms, they interact more with homogenous groups (such as relatives, compatriots, or friends who migrate and work together) and seek more help from these groups, and also increase expenditures on local invitations and gifts to increase their SWB.

Insulin resistance (IR) has been common in obese children, but the effect of different adiposity factors on IR is still unclear.To evaluate the associations between IR with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat mass (BFM), and body fat percentage (BFP) in obese children and adolescents.A total of 224 simple obese children were included in this study, including 150 boys and 74 girls, aged 3-18 who were seen in the clinical nutrition outpatient of Xinhua Hospital from September 2012 to December 2019. Basic information, body composition and laboratory tests were collected.Compared with girls, boys had higher height, weight, BMI, WC, and BFM (P 0.05), but on the contrary, boys' FINS and HOMA- IR were lower than girls' (P 0.05). With the age increasing, height, weight, BMI, BFM, WC, HC, WHtR, FINS and HOMA-IR increased accordingly (P 0.05). The results from univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that the impact of BMI on IR was slightly lower than BFM, WC and HC, but higher than BFP, with adjusting for the effects of age, sex and lipid metabolism (P 0.01).Overall adipose tissue, especially abdominal adipose tissue, is a powerful marker in inducing IR in obese children and adolescents. In addition, more attention should be paid to WC and BFM than BMI in obese people with IR.

PURPOSE To describe and evaluate the application of a new 3-D printing-assisted personalized macular buckle for patients with myopic foveoschisis (MFS). METHODS Twelve eyes of 12 patients with MFS were included in this study. Preoperative MRI images were subsequently measured after marker implantation and imported into the MIMICS software for the 3-D reconstruction of a virtual model of an eyeball and a marker. The virtual eyeball model was designed according to the degree of retinoschisis, which was measured using optical coherence tomography preoperatively. A macular buckle was designed using a titanium stent, assisted by 3-D printing; furthermore, it was surgically placed in combination with pars plana vitrectomy. Visual acuity, axial length and anatomic outcomes were analysed pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS Macular schisis in all patients was completely resolved after the surgery without any postoperative complications. The mean postoperative best corrected visual acuity (LogMAR) improved significantly from 1.21 to 0.92 during the 6-month follow-up period (p

On the basis of the 2013 China Migrants Dynamic Survey provided by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, we explored the impact of neighbourhood choice on the socioeconomic integration of migrants and the underlying mechanism. When problems with endogeneity were controlled, the findings showed that neighbourhood choice had a significant positive effect on the socioeconomic integration of migrants, that is, compared with migrants living in informal neighbourhoods (urban villages or outdated inner-city housing), those living in formal neighbourhoods (commercial housing, affordable housing or work unit housing neighbourhoods) displayed higher socioeconomic integration. Further research found that neighbourhood choice did not directly affect the socioeconomic integration of migrants in China, partly because migrants living in formal neighbourhoods established localized social capital (contacting local residents and government personnel, seeking help from them and increasing expenditures on local invitations and gifts) to promote better integration into the city, and they had a stronger willingness to settle down, which encouraged them to work harder, actively integrated into the mainstream society.

Despite the administration of new effective drugs in recent years, relapse and drug resistance are still the main obstacles in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment, making MM an incurable disease. To overcome drug resistance in MM, it is critical to understand the underlying mechanisms of malfunctioning gene expression and develop novel targeted therapies. During the past few decades, with the discovery and characterization of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), the landscape of dysregulated ncRNAs of cancers as well as their biological and pathobiological functions in tumorigenesis and drug resistance have been recognized. Studies about ncRNAs improved the understanding of variations of drug response among individuals at a level distinguished from genetic polymorphism, and provided with new orientations for targeted therapies. In this review, we will summarize the emerging impact and underlying molecular mechanisms of the most relevant classes of ncRNAs in drug resistance of MM, and discuss the potential as well as strategies of treating ncRNAs as therapeutic targets.

The sensitivity of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) to the glycerol test varies in patients with Menière's disease (MD).To explore the features of EH and its glycerol-induced dynamics in MD.Case-control study.Twenty patients with MD (24 affected ears) were included.3.0T 3D-FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) MRI and late gadolinium enhancement.Intratympanic gadolinium-enhanced MRI was performed in the MD-affected ears before and after the glycerol test. The borders of the endolymphatic and total lymphatic space were contoured on the axial MRI slices to evaluate the volume of hydrops in both the cochlear and vestibular regions.Paired and unpaired t-tests, the Mann-Whitney U-test, linear discriminant analysis, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression.After glycerol ingestion, vestibular EH decreased in all patients, whereas cochlear EH significantly decreased only in patients with positive glycerol test results (all P 0.01). At baseline, cochlear EH in the positive result group was greater than in the negative result group (P = 0.007). Unexpectedly, in the positive result group a drastic glycerol-induced dehydrating effect was observed in patients whose pretest cochlear EH ratio was16% (P = 0.011). Moreover, the dehydrating role of glycerol was positively correlated with the baseline cochlear hydrops level (r = 0.7691, P 0.001).MRI provides evidence that glycerol administration improves the hearing threshold via dehydrating the EH. In the cochlear region, the baseline level of cochlear EH is a closely related factor for the validity of the glycerol test, whereas EH is consistently dehydrated in the vestibular component.2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:1066-1073.

Background: Endolymphatic hydrops (EH) become visible in vertigo patients, particularly in those with Meniere's disease (MD), in vivo using gadolinium-enhanced MRI. However, the image quality is not satisfying after intravenous injection of gadolinium chelate (GdC), and occasional failure in GdC uptake has been noticed after traditional intratympanic injection. In the present report, targeted delivery of GdC and using a cost-effective MRI system to obtain high quality images of EH in only 8 min will be introduced. Methods: 39 MD patients were recruited in the study. First, 0.1 ml of 20-fold diluted gadolinium-diethylenetriamine acid (Gd-DTPA) was delivered onto the posterior upper part of the tympanic medial wall using a soft-tipped micro-irrigation catheter through an artificially perforated tympanic membrane. Inner ear MRI was performed 24 h after Gd-DTPA administration using a 3T MR machine and a 20-channel head/neck coil with an 8 min sequence of medium inversion time inversion recovery imaging with magnitude reconstruction (MIIRMR). The parameters were as follows: TR 16000 ms, TE 663 ms, inversion time 2700 ms, flip angle 180°, slices per slab 60. Results: Efficient inner ear uptake of Gd-DTPA was detected 24 h after delivery and it created excellent contrast in the inner ear of all cases. High quality images demonstrating EH in the vestibule and cochlea were obtained. Conclusion: Targeted delivery of minimum Gd-DTPA (0.1 ml, 20-fold dilution) onto the posterior upper portion of the tympanic medial wall and MRI with MIIRMR in a 3T machine and 20-channel head/neck coil are clinically practical to obtain high quality images displaying EH. Keywords: Meniere's disease, Endolymphatic hydrops, MRI, Drug delivery, Targeting

Objectives RAB14 is a member of small GTPase RAB family which localizes at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus and endosomal compartments. RAB14 acts as molecular switches that shift between a GDP‐bound inactive state and a GTP‐bound active state and regulates circulation of vesicles between the Golgi and endosomal compartments. In present study, we investigated the roles of RAB14 during oocyte meiotic maturation. Materials and methods Microinjection with siRNA and exogenous mRNA for knock down and rescue, and immunofluorescence staining, Western blot and real‐time RT‐PCR were utilized for the study. Results Our results showed that RAB14 localized in the cytoplasm and accumulated at the cortex during mouse oocyte maturation, and it was also enriched at the spindle periphery. Depletion of RAB14 did not affect polar body extrusion but caused large polar bodies, indicating the failure of asymmetric division. We found that absence of RAB14 did not affect spindle organization but caused the spindle migration defects, and this might be due to the regulation on cytoplasmic actin assembly via the ROCK‐cofilin signalling pathway. We also found that RAB14 depletion led to aberrant Golgi apparatus distribution. Exogenous Myc‐Rab14 mRNA supplement could significantly rescue these defects caused by Rab14 siRNA injection. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest that RAB14 affects ROCK‐cofilin pathway for actin‐based spindle migration and Golgi apparatus distribution during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation., RAB14 localized in the cytoplasm and accumulated at the cortex during mouse oocyte maturation, and it was also enriched at the spindle periphery. Depletion of RAB14 caused large polar bodies, indicating the failure of asymmetric division. Absence of RAB14 did not affect spindle organization but caused the spindle migration defects, and this might be due to the regulation on cytoplasmic actin assembly via the ROCK‐cofilin signalling pathway. We also found that RAB14 depletion led to aberrant Golgi apparatus distribution. Exogenous Myc‐Rab14 mRNA supplement could significantly rescue these defects caused by Rab14 siRNA injection. Our results suggest that RAB14 affects ROCK‐cofilin pathway for actin‐based spindle migration and Golgi apparatus distribution during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.

Background The effective control of moisture and microbes is necessary for the success of restoration procedures. The rubber dam, as an isolation method, has been widely used in dental restorative treatments. The effects of rubber dam usage on the longevity and quality of dental restorations still require evidence-based discussion. This review compares the effects of rubber dam with other isolation methods in dental restorative treatments. This is an update of the Cochrane Review first published in 2016. Objectives To assess the effects of rubber dam isolation compared with other types of isolation used for direct and indirect restorative treatments in dental patients. Search methods Cochrane Oral Health's Information specialist searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (searched 13 January 2021), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2020, Issue 12) in the Cochrane Library (searched 13 January 2021), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 13 January 2021), Embase Ovid (1980 to 13 January 2021), LILACS BIREME Virtual Health Library (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information database; 1982 to 13 January 2021), and SciELO BIREME Virtual Health Library (1998 to 13 January 2021). We also searched Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM, in Chinese) (1978 to 13 January 2021), VIP database (in Chinese) (1989 to 13 January 2021), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, in Chinese) (1994 to 13 January 2021). We searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, OpenGrey, and Sciencepaper Online (in Chinese) for ongoing trials. There were no restrictions on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials (including split-mouth trials) over one month in length assessing the effects of rubber dam compared with alternative isolation methods for dental restorative treatments. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened the results of the electronic searches, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Disagreement was resolved by discussion. We strictly followed Cochrane's statistical guidelines and assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. Main results We included six studies conducted worldwide between 2010 and 2015 involving a total of 1342 participants (of which 233 participants were lost to follow-up). All the included studies were at high risk of bias. Five studies compared rubber dam with traditional cotton rolls isolation. One study was excluded from the analysis due to inconsistencies in the presented data. Of the four remaining trials, three reported survival rates of the restorations with a minimum follow-up of six months. Pooled results from two studies involving 192 participants indicated that the use of rubber dam isolation may increase the survival rates of direct composite restorations of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) at six months (odds ratio (OR) 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05 to 4.99; low-certainty evidence). However, the use of rubber dam in NCCLs composite restorations may have little to no effect on the survival rates of the restorations compared to cotton rolls at 12 months (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.45 to 4.28; 1 study, 30 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and at 18 months (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.45 to 2.25; 1 study, 30 participants; very low-certainty evidence) but the evidence is very uncertain. At 24 months, the use of rubber dam may decrease the risk of failure of the restorations in children undergoing proximal atraumatic restorative treatment in primary molars but the evidence is very uncertain (hazard ratio (HR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.97; 1 study, 559 participants; very low-certainty evidence). None of the included studies mentioned adverse effects or reported the direct cost of the treatment. Authors' conclusions This review found some low-certainty evidence that the use of rubber dam in dental direct restorative treatments may lead to a lower failure rate of the restorations compared with cotton roll usage after six months. At other time points, the evidence is very uncertain. Further high-quality research evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on different types of restorative treatments is required.

Cancer immunotherapy is revolutionary in oncology and hematology. However, a low response rate restricts the clinical benefits of this therapy owing to inadequate T lymphocyte infiltration and low delivery efficiency of immunotherapeutic drugs. Herein, an intelligent nanovehicle (folic acid (FA)/1-(4-(aminomethyl) benzyl)-2-butyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine (IMDQ)-oxaliplatin (F/IMO)@CuS) armed with multifunctional navigation is designed for the accurate delivery of cargoes to tumor cells and dendritic cells (DCs), respectively. The nanovehicle is based on a near infrared-responsive inorganic CuS nanoparticles, acting as a photosensitizer and carrier of the chemotherapeutic agent oxaliplatin, and enters tumor cells owing to the presence of folic acid on the surface of CuS upon intratumoral injection. Furthermore, a toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist-conjugated polymer, anchored on the surface of CuS, is modified with mannose to bind with DCs in the tumor microenvironment. Upon exposure to laser irradiation, nanovehicles disassemble, releasing oxaliplatin, to ablate tumor cells and amplify immunogenic cell death in combination with photothermal therapy. Mannose-modified polymer-TLR7/8 agonist conjugates are subsequently exposed, leading to the activation of DCs and proliferation of T cells. Collectively, these intelligent nanovehicles reduce tumor burden, exert a robust antitumor immune response, and generate long-term immune protection to prevent tumor recurrence.

To investigate the effect of Maillard reaction (MR) and gastrointestinal digestion (GID) on the antihyperuricemic activity of tuna protein hydrolysate (TPH), hyperuricemia rats were treated with TPH, its MR products (TPH‐M) and gastrointestinal digesta (TPH‐D) in this work. Although the XO inhibitory activity of TPH‐M was higher than TPH, TPH‐M exhibited even lower serum‐uric‐acid‐lowering activity than TPH. Additionally, there was no significant (P

Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans are frequently co-isolated from dental plaque of children with early childhood caries (ECC) and are only rarely found in children without ECC, suggesting that these species interact in a manner that contributes to the pathogenesis of ECC. Previous studies have demonstrated that glucans produced by S. mutans are crucial for promoting the formation of biofilm and cariogenicity with C. albicans; however, it is unclear how non-glucan S. mutans biofilm factors contribute to increased biofilm formation in the presence of C. albicans. In this study we examined the role of S. mutans antigen I/II in two-species biofilms with C. albicans, and determined that antigen I/II is important for the incorporation of C. albicans into the two-species biofilm and is also required for increased acid production. The interaction is independent of the proteins Als1 and Als3, which are known streptococcal receptors of C. albicans. Moreover, antigen I/II is required for the colonization of both S. mutans and C. albicans during co-infection of Drosophila melanogaster in vivo. Taken together, these results demonstrate that antigen I/II mediates the increase of C. albicans numbers and acid production in the two-species biofilm, representing new activities associated with this known S. mutans adhesin.

We aimed to evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast effect and delivery efficiency through the middle ear into the inner ear using novel super-paramagnetic maghemite (γ-Fe2 O3 ) nanoparticles (NPs) generated using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN)-mediated oxidation of Fe3 O4 NPs (CAN-γ-Fe2 O3 NPs). The CAN-γ-Fe2O3 NPs, having hydrodynamic diameters of 50-60 nm and potentials of +55.2 mV, displayed super-paramagnetic behavior characterized by a saturation magnetization Ms of 75.2 emu/g NPs. The r1 and r2* relaxivity (curve slopes) values were 0.0015 and 189 mmol-1 s-1 , respectively, indicating strong T2* relaxation maghemite-based NPs. The CAN-γ-Fe2 O3 NPs were stable in the 7.0 T magnetic field. At 3 h after the tympanic medial wall administration, the NPs had significantly located to the cochlea and vestibule. The signal started to recover at 6 h in the ipsilateral cochlea and by 2 d in the vestibule post-administration. There was no difference in the signal intensity between the left and right ears on the 14th d. Prussian blue staining for iron demonstrated NP distribution in the inner ear tissue. The novel CAN-γ-Fe2 O3 NPs are a strong MRI T2 contrast agent and penetrated the round and oval windows and have potential application in the molecular imaging of the inner ear. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1883-1891, 2017.

Nickel oxide and nickel co-doped graphitic carbon nitride (NiONiGCN) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by thermal treatment of melamine and NiCl2 ⋅ 6H2O. NiONiGCN nanocomposites showed superior electrochemical catalytic activity for the oxidation of octylphenol to pure GCN. A detection method of octylphenol in environmental water samples was developed based at NiONiGCN nanocomposites modified electrode under infrared light irradiation. Differential pulse voltammetry was used as the analytic technique of octylphenol, exhibiting stable and specific concentration-dependent oxidation signal in the presence of octylphenol in the range of 10 nM to 1 µM and 1 µM to 50 µM, with a detection limit of 3.3 nM (3S/N).

A quantitative 31P-NMR method for the determination of fosfomycin and impurity A in pharmaceutical products of fosfomycin sodium or calcium has been developed. In this method, coaxial inserts containing trimethyl phosphate are used as external standard. The method is convenient and robust, and gives both high accuracy and precision. It is shown that an accurate determination is possible using different probes and coaxial inserts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

MiR-34c is considered a potent tumour suppressor because of its negative regulation of multiple target mRNAs that are critically associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis. In the present study, we demonstrated a novel target of miR-34c, KITLG, which has been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC). First, we found a significant negative relationship between miR-34c and KITLG mRNA expression levels in CRC cell lines, including HT-29, HCT-116, SW480 and SW620 CRC cell lines. In silico analysis predicted putative binding sites for miR-34c in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of KITLG mRNA. A dual-luciferase reporter assay further confirmed that KITLG is a direct target of miR-34c. Then, the cell lines were infected with lentiviruses expressing miR-34c or a miR-34c specific inhibitor. Restoration of miR-34c dramatically reduced the expression of KITLG mRNA and protein, while silencing of endogenous miR-34c increased the expression of KITLG protein. The miR-34c-mediated down-regulation of KITLG was associated with the suppression on proliferation, cellular transformation, migration and invasion of CRC cells, as well as the promotion on apoptosis. Knockdown of KITLG by its specific siRNA confirmed a critical role of KITLG down-regulation for the tumour-suppressive effects of miR-34c in CRC cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that miR-34c might interfere with KITLG-related CRC and could be a novel molecular target for CRC patients.

Apoptosis of cardiomyocytes limits the contractile efficiency of the heart during sepsis. Prosurvival autophagy has been proposed as a novel mechanism to maintain normal heart function. Here, we demonstrated that autophagy was activated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated HL-1 cells, and it counteracted the LPS-induced apoptosis. We investigated further the mechanism by which LPS triggered autophagy in HL-1 cells. We discovered that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress played an important role in LPS-triggered autophagy. The ER activated a survival pathway through the ER-localized transmembrane protein PERK, which was essential for LPS-induced autophagy. Lipopolysaccharide increased expression of GRP78, phosphorylated PERK and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α. Similar results were observed after administration of tunicamycin, a well-known ER stressor. Most importantly, we found that 4-phenylbutyrate, an inhibitor of ER stress, suppressed LPS-activated autophagy in the presence of LPS in HL-1 cells. The same results were observed after small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of PERK protein. We also noticed that LPS-induced apoptosis appeared early, at 4 h. Our findings revealed that PERK, one arm of ER stress, facilitated survival of LPS-treated HL-1 cells by promoting autophagy, and could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate septic myocardial dysfunction.

MAP1S (originally named C19ORF5) is a widely distributed homolog of neuronal-specific MAP1A and MAP1B, and bridges autophagic components with microtubules and mitochondria to affect autophagosomal biogenesis and degradation. Mitochondrion-associated protein LRPPRC functions as an inhibitor for autophagy initiation to protect mitochondria from autophagy degradation. MAP1S and LRPPRC interact with each other and may collaboratively regulate autophagy although the underlying mechanism is yet unknown. Previously, we have reported that LRPPRC levels serve as a prognosis marker of patients with prostate adenocarcinomas (PCA), and that patients with high LRPPRC levels survive a shorter period after surgery than those with low levels of LRPPRC. MAP1S levels are elevated in diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocelular carcinomas in wildtype mice and the exposed MAP1S-deficient mice develop more malignant hepatocellular carcinomas. We performed immunochemical analysis to evaluate the co-relationship among the levels of MAP1S, LRPPRC, P62, and γ-H2AX. Samples were collected from wildtype and prostate-specific PTEN-deficient mice, 111 patients with PCA who had been followed up for 10 years and 38 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia enrolled in hospitals in Guangzhou, China. The levels of MAP1S were generally elevated so the MAP1S-mediated autophagy was activated in PCA developed in either PTEN-deficient mice or patients than their respective benign tumors. The MAP1S levels among patients with PCA vary dramatically, and patients with low MAP1S levels survive a shorter period than those with high MAP1S levels. Levels of MAP1S in collaboration with levels of LRPPRC can serve as markers for prognosis of prostate cancer patients.

Background For the forensic aim, a sensitive and specific method using headspace gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been developed for the quantitative determination of ethanol in blood using n-propanol as internal standard. GC was performed in isothermal mode with a GC run-time of 5.0 min. Methods The quantification was performed using selected ions monitoring mode adopting a quantitative ion and qualifier ion for ethanol and the internal standard. Results The method was linear (r2 = 0.999, in the concentration range of 39.5–1,262.9 μg/ml), specific, sensitive (limit of quantification and limit of detection of 39.5 and 0.4 μg/ml, respectively), and robust. A slightly modified method was also developed for the quantification of 50 commonly abused drunken in blood. The method used an isothermal GC program with a run-time of 5.0 min. The quantification was performed using selected ions monitoring mode and integrating the area under the peak using n-propanol as an internal standard. The method was linear 40–1,263 μg/ml and sensitive. Conclusions The method was proved superior in speed and selectivity to previously reported methods and was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of ethanol.

The cover image is based on the Original Article TGF‐β1 promotes gap junctions formation in chondrocytes via Smad3/Smad4 signalling by Qingxuan Wang et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.12544. [Image: see text]

BACKGROUND Autophagy has recently been found to play important roles in tumorigenesis and leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat motif-containing protein (LRPPRC) has been identified as an inhibitor that suppresses autophagy and mitophagy and maintains mitochondrial activity. The authors hypothesized that LRPPRC levels can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. METHODS Immunochemistry analysis was performed to evaluate the levels of LRPPRC in 112 samples collected from patients with prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) and 38 samples from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who were enrolled in hospitals in Guangzhou City, China and were followed for 10 years. RESULTS Significantly higher levels of LRPPRC were found in PCa samples compared with BPH samples. Greater than 75% of patients with PCa demonstrated high levels of LRPPRC whereas only 10% of patients with BPH were found to have similar levels of LRPPRC. The levels of LRPPRC were found to be positively correlated with tumor grade, metastasis, and serum prostate-specific antigen level, but were negatively correlated with hormone therapy sensitivity after 2 years of surgery and overall survival. The association between high levels of LRPPRC and late-stage PCa or hormone therapy insensitivity was confirmed in tissue samples collected from prostate-specific phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-/- mice or hormone-dependent and hormone-independent PCa cell lines. CONCLUSIONS LRPPRC levels may be used as an independent biomarker for patients with PCa at a late stage with poor prognosis. Cancer 2014;120:1228–1236. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

The development of novel nanomaterials for the diagnosis and/or treatment of human diseases has become an important issue. In this work, a multifunctional theranostic agent was designed by covalently bind- ing hydroxyl- and amino-bearing C60 derivatives (C60O ~ 10(OH) ~ 16A2) ~ 6- A2) ~ 6·24 H2O) with gadolinium di- ethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd- DTPA) to yield C60O ~ 10(OH) ~ 16A2) ~ 6A2) ~ 6·24 H2O/A3 (DF1Gd3). The obtained DF1Gd3 shows more than fourfold contrast improve- ment over commercial Gd-DTPA along with multiwavelength fluorescent emission for dual-modality diagnosis. An inner-ear magnetic resonance imag- ing (MRI) study was designed as a model of biological barriers, including the blood/brain barrier (BBB) for DF1Gd3 to investigate its in vivo be- havior. This revealed that the fabricat- ed contrast agent dramatically increas- es the local contrast but can not cross the middle ear/inner ear barrier and endolymph/perilymph barrier in the inner ear, and thus it is also BBB-pro- hibited in normal individuals. In vivo biodistribution studies suggested that 1) DF1Gd3 could circulate in vessels for a relatively long time and is mainly eliminated through liver and kidney, 2) DF1Gd3 may potentially function as a liver-specific MRI contrast agent. In- terestingly, DF1Gd3 also shows an ex- cellent quenching effect on hydroxyl radicals, as revealed by the DMPO spin trap/ESR method. The combina- tion of enhanced MRI/FL imaging and local treatment of lesions is unique to DF1Gd3 and potentiates the medical paradigm of "detect and treat/prevent" in combating human diseases related to reactive oxygen.

BACKGROUND CuS nanocrystals with excellent properties are widely applied as semiconductor materials, but little work has been done on their application to electrochemical analysis. This paper reports on a very straightforward method to synthesize pure hexagonal phase CuS nanocrystals with an average diameter of 20 nm by a solvothermal method. A glassy carbon electrode was modified by drop casting the suspension of CuS nanocrystals and chitosan onto its surface. The new electrochemical sensor was developed for the determination of hydroquinone. RESULTS The crystallization, morphology and composition of as-prepared CuS nanocrystals were characterized by XRD, SEM, Raman and EDS, respectively. The electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydroquinone at a CuS nanocrystals/chitosan/glassy carbon electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The electrode exhibited a wide linear dynamic range between 4.5 µmol L−1 and 4.5 mmol L−1 hydroquinone, and a detection limit of 1.5 µmol L−1. CONCLUSIONS The electrode was successfully applied to the determination of hydroquinone in real water samples with satisfactory accuracy and precision. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

Aqueous acetic acid lignin containing polyurethane (ALPU) surfactants were prepared by the replacement of some hydrophobic poly(caprolactone diol) with different concentrations of multifunctional acetic acid lignin (AL), and with dimethylol propionic acid as the hydrophilic segment. The infrared spectra, together with thermogravimetric analysis, demonstrated the presence of AL in the polyurethane (PU) chains. In addition, the effects of the AL concentration on the particle size, morphology, rheological behavior, and surface activity of the dispersions were investigated. The ALPU particles displayed a spherical morphology. With increasing AL concentration from 0 to 10 wt %, the particle size increased from 36 to 260 nm, and the unimodal distribution was detected for ALPU10 with a 10 wt % AL addition. The viscosity and shear-thinning behavior of the ALPU dispersions decreased, and the lowest surface tension and critical micelle concentration (cmc) were detected for ALPU10. However, when the AL concentration was 15 wt % (ALPU15), the surface tension and cmc increased. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1855–1862, 2013

A method for the quantitative determination of bisphenol A in thermal printing paper was developed and validated. Bisphenol A was extracted from the paper samples using 2% NaOH solution, then the extracted analyte was enriched using single-drop microextraction followed by HPLC analysis. Several parameters relating to the single-drop microextraction efficiency including extraction solvent, extraction temperature and time, stirring rate, and pH of donor phase were studied and optimized. Spiked recovery of bisphenol A at 20 and 5 mg/g was found to be 95.8 and 108%, and the method detection limit and method quantification limit was 0.03 and 0.01 mg/g, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was applied to the determination of bisphenol A in seven types of thermal printing paper samples, and the concentration of bisphenol A was found in the range of 0.53-20.9 mg/g. The considerably minimum usage of organic solvents (5 μL 1-octanol) and high enrichment factor (189-197) in the sample preparation are the two highlighted advantages in comparison with previously published works.

High performance flocculant was prepared by chitosan (CS), ethacryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC), and acrylamide (AM). The optimum preparation conditions were determined by orthogonal test of four factors and three levels. The different factors affecting the flocculating ability of the prepared flocculants for waste drilling mud were studied, and optimal synthesis conditions were established: polymerization temperature was 60, reaction time was 4 h, DMC was 3 mL, w(AM) : w(CS) was 4, and the initiator was 0.4% of AM (wt %). The prepared CS–AM–DMC copolymer was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results showed that AM, DMC were grafted to CS successfully. The solid–liquid separation properties were also investigated, and the prepared flocculant showed great advantages than commercial products for high density waste drilling mud use. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Science and Technology Projects of Fujian Province[2010Y0050]; Nature Scientific Foundation of Fujian[2009J01042]; Science and Technology of Xiamen for University Innovation[3502Z20093004]; National Nature Scientific Foundation of China-Korea[20911140274]

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2011 Background. Caries in children younger than 72 months is called early childhood caries (ECC). Sixty-six per cent of Chinese children younger than 5 years old have dental decay, and about 97% of them are untreated. Aims. This in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the remineralization effects of the casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) creme on the artificial early enamel lesions of the primary teeth and to assess its caries-prevention efficiency. Design. Enamel specimens with artificial early lesions were produced and were then randomly divided into Group A: distilled and deionized water, DDW, as negative control; Group B: CPP-ACP creme, test group; Group C: 500 ppm NaF solution, as positive control. The enamel surface microhardness (SMH) was measured before, after demineralization, and 30 days after remineralization. The results were analysed with the SPSS 13.0 software package. The enamel specimens were analysed by the scanning electron microscope. Results. The CPP-ACP creme increased SMH of the eroded enamel significantly more than 500 ppm NaF solution did. The morphology of the enamel was different in each group. Conclusions. The CPP-ACP creme is effective in remineralizing early enamel lesions of the primary teeth, a little more effective than 500 ppm NaF and can be used for the prevention of ECC.

Background A marked decrease in the level of zinc is a consistent characteristic of prostate cancer; which results from down regulation of ZIP1 zinc transporter. The aim of this study was to determine if RREB-1 transcription is involved in the down regulation of ZIP1 gene expression; and to determine the expression of RREB-1 in benign and cancerous prostate in situ.