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To explore the role of microRNA-203 in laryngeal cancer and its underlying mechanism in regulating cell invasion and apoptosis.MicroRNA-203 expression in laryngeal cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues was detected by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The regulatory effects of microRNA-203 on the invasion and apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells were detected by transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to access the binding condition of microRNA-203 and LASP1. Both mRNA and protein levels of LASP1 in laryngeal cancer cells were detected after transfection with microRNA-203 mimic or microRNA-203 inhibitor by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Rescue experiments were finally performed to detect whether microRNA-203 regulates laryngeal cancer development via targeting LASP1.MicroRNA-203 was lowly expressed in laryngeal cancer tissues and cell lines. MicroRNA-203 knockdown in Hep-2 cells can promote the invasion and inhibit the apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells. Subsequently, LASP1 was predicted to be the target gene of microRNA-203, which was further verified by the Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. LASP1 expression was negatively regulated by microRNA-203. Furthermore, rescue experiments showed that the regulatory effects of microRNA-203 on the invasion and apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells were reversed by LASP1.We showed that lowly expressed microRNA-203 could promote the invasion and inhibit apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells via inhibiting LASP1.

To investigate the relationship between the preoperative coronal intervertebral angle changes and postoperative trunk shift (TS) in patients who received congenital scoliosis correction.The data of 921 patients with congenital scoliosis, who received posterior congenital scoliosis correction and internal fixation, was retrospectively analyzed. Anteroposterior (AP) whole spine standing radiographs and right and left lateral bending radiographs were taken preoperatively, and AP whole spine standing radiographs were obtained postoperatively and at the final follow-up. TS was measured in the coronal plane, and intervertebral angle change was the sum of the absolute values of L4-S1 intervertebral angle changes in the coronal plane, and was determined before surgery, postoperatively, and at final follow-up.A total of 38 patients with a mean age of 16.42±8.36 years old and a mean follow-up of 12.4 months (range, 6 to 36 months) were included. A median negative correlation were found between TS at the final follow-up and total variance of bending (r=-0.51, P=0.001). Groups were defined by two methods: coronal intervertebral angle changes ≥10° or10°, and final follow-up TS20 mm or ≥ 20 mm. TS at the final follow-up was significantly greater in the10° group than the ≥10° group (32.45 vs 12.44 mm, P=0.001), and coronal intervertebral angle changes was significantly greater in the TS20 mm group than the ≥ 20 mm group (14.2° vs 6°, P=0.001).Postoperative TS which will not compensate spontaneously can be predicted by measurement of the preoperative intervertebral interspace angle in the congenital scoliosis lumbosacral region.

Recently, the application of surface-mounted magnet brushless machines to EVs/HEVs is extensively researched. In this paper, the performance of such kind of brushless motor which has a trapezoidal back-emf waveform when operated in BLDC and BLAC modes is evaluated, in both constant torque and flux-weakening regions, assuming (a) the same torque, (b) the same peak current, and (c) the same rms current. It is shown that although the motor has an essentially trapezoidal back-emf waveform, the output power and torque when operated in the BLAC mode in the flux-weakening region are significantly higher than that can be achieved when operated in the BLDC mode due to the influence of the winding inductance and back-emf harmonics.

The exciton dynamics in Ga1 − xInxAs/GaAs self-organized quantum dots grown on GaAs (111)B substrates are studied by the time-resolved photoluminescence (PL). We have found the intra-dot exciton relaxation by the reduction of the linewidth and peak energy and also by the energy-dependent PL rise time in the transient PL spectra. Compared with the energy relaxation in the reference quantum wells, we have confirmed that the exciton relaxation in three-dimensionally confined quantum dots is slower than in the quantum wells.

The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) is the primary output nucleus for the basal ganglia (BG) in the rat. The SNr is reciprocally connected with the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPN) in the brainstem, which provides cholinergic innervation to most BG nuclei. The cholinergic input into the BG is considered to be important because PPN activity is altered in Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurological disorder involving the BG, and cholinergic pharmacotherapy is beneficial in alleviating some of its symptoms. In order to better understand the role of cholinergic input to the BG, we examined the effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) activation in the GABAergic neurons in slices through juvenile rat SNr. With the aide of subtype selective antagonists, we found that SNr neurons express the alpha7 subtype of nAChRs, the function of which we assessed using the whole cell patch-clamp recording technique. Besides alpha7 nAChRs, GABAergic SNr neurons also contained functional non-alpha7 nAChRs. Using local photolysis of caged carbachol, a broad-spectrum cholinergic agonist, we mapped alpha7 nAChR-mediated currents along the visible extent of filled SNr neurons and found that alpha7 nAChRs can be functionally detected as far as 60 microm away from the soma. Our data are paving the way to a better understanding of the physiological roles of nAChRs in the BG.

Seven types of auditory interneurons were characterized from the prothoracic ganglion of the bushcricket. They are sensitive in the range of 7-18 kHz and fire with distinct discharge patterns. They encode sound intensity and temporal parameters in various way. They show significant directional sensitivity, dependent on sound frequency. The acoustic tracheal system can partly account for the directional hearing of the bushcricket.