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Objective: To assess the diagnostic value and clinical significance of nucleoporin 107 (NUP107) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and explore the possible mechanisms. Methods: The transcriptomic and clinical data of HCC patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO databases. Tissue specimens were collected from HCC patients in the Guangxi area. According to the expression levels and prognostic characteristics of NUP107, ROC curves and nomogram models were constructed using the R package. Results: NUP107 was highly expressed in 26 human cancers including HCC, and was associated with advanced HCC staging and worse prognosis. NUP107 showed satisfactory ability to predict the prognosis of HCC patients (AUC >0.8). Results of gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) further showed that NUP107 was mainly associated with cell cycle‐related pathways such as the cell cycle, DNA replication, G2M checkpoint, E2F target, and mitotic spindle. In addition, NUP107 was also associated with immune infiltration in HCC and showed significant positive correlation with immune checkpoints (PD‐L1 and TIM‐3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predation is one of the most important extrinsic factors acting upon animal populations and is a strong selective force in the evolution of form and function. Understanding the impact of predation on bird population dynamics is crucial for understanding the predation pressure of bird populations and implementing conservation strategies, especially for threatened or endemic bird species. In this paper, we sorted the predation events in the wild Crested Ibis population in Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province, from 1981 to 2021 and in the reintroduced Crested Ibis population in Ningshan from 2008 to 2021. With the use of age‐classified Leslie matrix models to simulate Crested Ibis populations under different predation pressures, the random population growth rate was estimated, and the impact of predation on population dynamics was evaluated. The results showed that snakes and raptors were the main predators of Crested Ibis in the wild and reintroduced populations, and the number of dead individuals was unevenly distributed within the three age classes in both the wild population (df = 2, χ2 = 13.236, p < 0.05) and reintroduced population (df = 2, χ2 = 49.273, p < 0.01). Predation caused a reduction in the potential annual population growth rate of 2.37% (confidence interval [CI]: 2.29–2.45) in the wild population and 2.88% (CI: 2.82–2.94) in the reintroduced population. The overall average growth rates of the wild and reintroduced populations derived from population model simulations were 12.84 and 18.13%, respectively, which suggested that the wild and reintroduced populations was increasing under the current predation pressure and that the impact of predation on the population was acceptable and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post‐release dispersal of reintroduced animals refers to the process of successful colonization and failed settlement. To ensure the establishment and persistence of a reintroduced population, the impacts of different factors on the post‐release dispersal of captive‐bred animals must be assessed. In this article, we focused on two reintroduced Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) populations in Shaanxi Province, China. We applied multiple approaches to evaluate the effects of age, body weight, sex, timing of release, size of acclimatization cages for rewilding, and duration of acclimatization on the survival rate of released populations. The results showed that the survival capacity of released individuals was negatively correlated with their age in Ningshan County (Spearman, r = −0.344, p = 0.03, n = 41). The released ibises in Ningshan and Qianyang County had an average dispersal direction of 210.53° ± 40.54° (Rayleigh's z test: z = 7.881 > z0.05, p < 0.01, n = 13) and 27.05° ± 2.85° (Rayleigh's z test: z = 5.985 > z0.05, p < 0.01, n = 6), respectively, suggesting that the dispersal tended to clump in one direction in both sites. The MaxEnt modeling results indicated that the most significant environmental factor responsible for breeding site selection in Ningshan County was paddy field. In Qianyang County, precipitation affects nest site selection through influencing food availability. In conclusion, the evaluation framework used in this study can serve as an example for developing conservation priorities on the landscape scale for more animal reintroductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal malignancy worldwide. HCC has traits of late diagnosis and high recurrence. This study explored potential diagnosis and prognosis significance of phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) in HCC. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and diagnostic value of PLCE1 were determined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and online databases GEPIA, oncomine, and GSE14520 data set. Survival analysis used the Kaplan–Meier Plotter website. Cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed with downregulated PLCE1 expression in HCC‐M and HepG2 cell lines. PLCE1 was differentially expressed and highly expressed in tumors and had low expression in nontumor tissues (all p <.05). The diagnostic value of PLCE1 was validated with the datasets (all p <.01, all areas under curves > 0.7). PLCE1 mRNA expression was associated with the overall and relapse‐free survival (both p <.05). Functional experiments indicated that downregulation of PLCE1 expression led to increased G1 stage in cell cycle and decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion compared with a negative control group (all p ≤.05). The oncogene PLCE1 was differentially expressed in HCC and non‐HCC tissues. It is a candidate for diagnosis and serves as prognosis biomarker. PLCE1 influenced survival by affecting the cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reintroduction projects aim to reestablish a self-sustaining population of an endangered species within its historical range. Adequate post-release monitoring by gathering demographic data is important to evaluate the success of a reintroduction. Survival and reproduction rates of a reintroduced population can be compared with a self-sustaining wild population to evaluate the success of a reintroduction. In early 2007, Nipponia nippon (Crested Ibis) was reintroduced into the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, Central China). In this study, we attempt to evaluate the demographic status of the reintroduced population. Age-specific survival rates of 56 released adults and 77 wild-born fledglings were estimated using mark-recapture data obtained from 2007 to 2014. Survival rates for the yearlings (0.599, with 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.467-0.719) were lower than the estimates from a wild population in Yangxian County, but the survival rates of the adults (0.678, with 95% CI: 0.603-0.745) were similar. The number of breeding pairs gradually increased since 2008, although breeding success (52.5%) was somewhat less than that of the wild population (67.6%). The stochastic estimation of population growth rate (1.084 with 95% CI: 1.069-1.098) and population size (5-fold increase) estimated from an age-classified Leslie matrix indicate that the reintroduced population of the Crested Ibis is more likely in regulation phase over the next 25 years. We conclude that the reintroduction of the Crested Ibis in Qinling Mountains has great promise, and progress toward a self-sustaining population has been made under some interventions. Governments, local communities, and scientists need to facilitate habitat restoration for the long-term survival of this endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]