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PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) with 24–32 nucleotides (nt), were initially identified in the reproductive system. Unlike microRNAs (miRNAs) or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), piRNAs normally guide P-element-induced wimpy testis protein (PIWI) families to slice extensively complementary transposon transcripts without the seed pairing. Numerous studies have shown that piRNAs are abundantly expressed in the brain, and many of them are aberrantly regulated in central neural system (CNS) disorders. However, the role of piRNAs in the related developmental and pathological processes is unclear. The elucidation of piRNAs/PIWI would greatly improve the understanding of CNS development and ultimately lead to novel strategies to treat neural diseases. In this review, we summarized the relevant structure, properties, and databases of piRNAs and their functional roles in neural development and degenerative disorders. We hope that future studies of these piRNAs will facilitate the development of RNA-based therapeutics for CNS disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the influence of propeller on electromagnetic scattering characteristics of unmanned combat aircraft vehicle, the electromagnetic scattering analysis model of a UAV is established, and the research methods of RCS relative value for analyzing the influence of propeller on electromagnetic scattering are proposed. By physical optics method, the RCS and relative value with different frequencies and pitch angles are calculated. The results show that the propeller causes RCS curves to expand outward, and the amplitude and width of scattering peaks increase in nose and rear direction. The effect of frequency on the RCS curves is little. The oscillation of RCS relative value in nose direction, rear direction and circumferential direction increases when the frequency increases, and the value reaches 35.449 3 dB in 30° angular domain in nose direction. When the pitch angle increases, the RCS curves converge inward, and the propeller has a greater influence on RCS relative value of angular domains in nose direction, the value reaches about 28 dB in 0° pitch angle, and the value of angular domains in rear direction oscillates with the variation of pitch angle. The electromagnetic scattering is significantly enhanced by propeller at different frequencies and pitch angles, which will be an important consideration for stealth design.

Abstract Background N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) is a functional metabolite involved in coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum Neu5Ac and the risk and prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a real-world prospective study. Methods Patients with suspected ACS who underwent coronary angiography were included. Serum Neu5Ac was measured at admission. Coronary lesion severity was evaluated by Gensini Score. GRACE risk stratification was performed at admission. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were recorded during follow-up. Results A total of 766 patients, including 537 with unstable angina (UAP), 100 with myocardial infarction (MI), and 129 without CAD were included. The circulating Neu5Ac level was significantly higher in patients with MI (median [1QR]: 297[220, 374] ng/ml) than in those with UAP (227 [114, 312] ng/ml) or without CAD (207 [114, 276] ng/ml; both p

Being the data source of flush air data sensing(FADS) system, the distribution of orifices had direct effects on the accuracy of FADS system. Numerical computations based on Newton model and filtering algorithm are conducted. For Spherical aircraft head as an example, virtual flight path covering Mach number 4.30~15.79, height 25~70 kilometers is defined. Spherical nose is presented for FADS orifices arrangement. Results of clock angle effect, cone angle effect and asymmetric distribution effect are presented and analyzed. Computational results show that increasing the number of pressure points along the circumference can improve the measurement accuracy of the FADS system. However, there is a threshold value. When the number of pressure points is the same, increasing the cone angle can significantly improve the measurement accuracy of FADS. The asymmetric distribution of the orifices has no effect on the measurement accuracies.

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Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE)score, the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) score and clinical prognosis. Method: The study was a retrospective one-center observational study, continuous inclusion of 600 ACS patients diagnosed by coronary angiography in our hospital from October 2018 to July 2019.Collect general clinical data, laboratory examination results, imaging data and interventional treatment data of all patients. Were divided into: T2DM with ACS group (group DA) and non-T2DM with ACS (group NDA) according to whether or not they were associated with T2DM. According to the GRACE-TIMI score, the two groups were divided into high risk group, middle risk group and low risk group. All patients underwent coronary angiography to calculate the number of vascular lesions and Gensini scores. Design questionnaire, after discharge to 2 groups of patients by telephone or outpatient follow-up average of 10 months, statistics of the occurrence of MACE events. Result: Among the 600 patients included in the study, 362 were male (60.3%) and 238 were female (39.7%) with mean age (64.7±10.3) years. The baseline data showed that the GTGUACR levels were higher in the DA group than in the NDA group; the proportion of men was lower than in the NDA group. The results of coronary angiography showed that the Gensini score of DA group was higher than that of NDA group, and the proportion of single lesion was lower than that of NDA group. The binary Logistic regression analysis suggested that age and CRP were independent risk factors for MACE events in patients with T2DM. GRACE risk stratification showed that the proportion of high risk group in DA group was significantly higher than that in NDA group, and there was no significant difference between low and middle risk group. TIMI risk stratification showed that the proportion of high risk group in DA group was significantly higher than that in NDA group, while the proportion of low and middle risk group was lower than that in NDA group. The ROC curve shows that the area (AUC) below the ROC curve that GRACETIMI score predicted the occurrence of MACE events in patients with T2DM and ACS was 0.707 and 0.586. Conclusion: Patients with T2DM and ACS had higher clinical risk stratification than without T2DM. GRACE score compared with the TIMI score had better predictive value for the occurrence of MACE events after discharge of T2DM with ACS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have compared the clinical manifestations of patients with premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and late-onset ACS as well as the adverse cardiovascular events following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with premature ACS and adverse cardiovascular events following PCI, a total of 726 patients with ACS undergoing PCI were divided into two groups: A premature ACS group and a late-onset ACS group. Following discharge, all patients were followed-up for an average of 23.5±5.3 months. Clinical characteristics, Gensini scores, vascular lesions and adverse cardiovascular events were compared between the two groups. There were no significant differences in smoking, diabetes, ACS composition ratio, baseline treatment of coronary heart disease, high-density lipoprotein level and C-reactive protein levels between the two groups. Sex and hypertriglyceridemia were determined to be independent risk factors of premature ACS, while age, hypertension and a high Gensini score were independent risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ACS following PCI. Furthermore, the prevalence of premature ACS was significantly higher in females. Although serum levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein were also significantly higher in patients with premature ACS compared with patients with late-onset ACS, patients with premature ACS exhibited fewer vascular lesions compared with patients with late-onset ACS. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ACS following PCI did not differ significantly between premature and late-onset ACS groups. Taken together, these results suggest that female patients should be closely observed for early risk factors of premature ACS to prevent and reduce the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ACS following PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wingless (Wnt)-mediated signals are involved in many important aspects of development of the mammalian cerebral cortex. How Wnts interact with their modulators in cortical development is still unclear. Here, we show that Wnt7a and secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (Sfrp1), a soluble modulator of Wnts, are co-expressed in mouse embryonic cortical neural progenitors (NPs). Knockout of Wnt7a in mice causes microcephaly due to reduced NP population and neurogenesis, and Sfrp1 has an opposing effect compared to Wnt7a. Similar to Dkk1, Sfrp1 decreases the Wnt1 and Wnt7a activity in vitro. Our results suggest that Wnt7a and Sfrp1 play opposite roles to ensure proper NP progeny in the developing cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current antidepressant treatments to anxiety and depression remain inadequate, burdened by a significant percentage of misuse and drug side-effects, due to unclear mechanisms of actions of antidepressants. To better understand the regulatory roles of antidepressant fluoxetine-related drug reactions, we here investigate changes of expression levels of hippocampal microRNAs (miRNAs) after administration of fluoxetine in normal adult mice. We find that 64 miRNAs showed significant changes between fluoxetine treatment and control groups by analyzing 626 mouse miRNAs. Many miRNAs in response to fluoxetine are involved in neural-related signaling pathways by analyzing miRNA-target gene pairs using the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). Moreover, miRNAs with altered expression are mainly associated with the repression of the dopaminergic synapse signals, which may affect hippocampal function after fluoxetine treatment. Our results demonstrate that a number of miRNAs respond to antidepressants even in normal mice and may affect target gene expression, which supports the safety consideration of inappropriate treatment and off-label use of antidepressant drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoTe and CoTe2 nanorods with average diameter of 100 nm were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process, and different CoTe2 nanostructures were obtained by changing the NaOH concentration. CoTe nanorods exhibit weak ferromagnetism while CoTe2 nanorods present paramagnetic behavior. Different magnetic behaviors occur in the other CoTe2 nanostructures due to Na+ entrance into CoTe2 crystals. A first-principles study on Na-doped CoTe2 confirms the magnetic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multifunctional material, Na2Fe2Ti6O16 (NFTO), was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method for the first time. NFTO nanosheets with a long hexagonal plate shape enjoy double absorption, high magnetic moment and strong adsorption. The magnetic property allows for the convenient collection of the NFTO adsorbent from aqueous solution during recycling and double absorption in the visible-light region could be applied in visible-light harvesting. The double absorption and magnetic property originate from the d–d transitions of Fe3+, due to the effect of the crystal field. The adsorption process was evaluated by a methylene blue removal experiment and was found to have good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir isotherm. The NFTO nanosheets exhibit excellent recyclability, a high kinetic adsorption rate and a maximum adsorption capacity of 165.8 mg g−1 at equilibrium pH. These results are greatly significant for multifunctional NFTO as a promising adsorbent material used in water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoTe and CoTe2nanorods with average diameter of 100 nm were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process, and different CoTe2nanostructures were obtained by changing the NaOH concentration. CoTe nanorods exhibit weak ferromagnetism while CoTe2nanorods present paramagnetic behavior. Different magnetic behaviors occur in the other CoTe2nanostructures due to Na+entrance into CoTe2crystals. A first-principles study on Na-doped CoTe2confirms the magnetic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To report the experience of a percutaneous technique for retrieving fractured peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) segments migrating into the heart or the pulmonary artery. Method. From April 2013 to July 2015, we performed percutaneous retrieval of fractured PICC segments migrating into the heart or the pulmonary artery in five cancer patients who had undergone chemotherapy via PICC. The fractures were diagnosed with chest plain radiography. The patients included three cases of breast cancer, one case of rectal cancer, and one case of lower limb Ewing’s tumor. The fractures were retained in the vessels of the patients for 1 to 3 days. All the fractures were retrieved by using a novel two-step technique in the digital subtraction angiography (DSA) suite. This two-step technique involves inserting a pigtail catheter to the heart or the pulmonary artery to grasp the fractured catheter fragment and bring it to the lower segment of the inferior vena cava, followed by grasping and removing the catheter fragment with a retrieval loop system of the vena cava filter retrieval set. Result. The fractured PICC segments were removed successfully in all five patients via unilateral (four patients) or bilateral (one patient) femoral vein access. No complications occurred during the interventional procedure. Conclusion. Percutaneous retrieval can be a safe, convenient, and minimally invasive method for the removal of fractured PICC segments. The technique reported in this paper will be applicable for the retrieval of fractured PICC segments and other catheter fragments migrating into the heart or the pulmonary artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies indicate that sexual dimorphic microRNAs (miRNAs) in chicken gonads are likely to have important roles in sexual development, but a more global understanding of the roles of miRNAs in sexual differentiation is still needed. To this end, we performed miRNA expression profiling in chicken gonads at embryonic day 5.5 (E5.5). Among the sex-biased miRNAs validated by qRT-PCR, twelve male-biased and six female-biased miRNAs were consistent with the sequencing results. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that some sex-biased miRNAs were potentially involved in gonadal development. Further functional analysis found that over-expression of miR-107 directly inhibited nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1 ( NR5a1 ), and its downstream cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A, polypeptide 1 ( CYP19A1 ). However, anti-Mullerian hormone ( AMH ) was not directly or indirectly regulated by miR-107. Overall results indicate that miR-107 may specifically mediate avian ovary-development by post-transcriptional regulation of NR5a1 and CYP19A1 in estrogen signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid sloshing of a large amplitude is prone to take place under excitation, especially when the gravitational intensity becomes small. A composite equivalent mechanical model is established to efficiently and accurately predict the slosh forces and moments exerted on a spherical propellant tank in a spacecraft. The modeling is based on an assumption of the dynamic equilibrium position of the liquid, which changes with time-dependent tank motion. Equivalent gravity is defined to describe the dynamic equilibrium position and act as a restoring force during sloshing. Sloshing of the liquid is assumed to take place around the dynamic equilibrium position. The validity of the modeling method is verified through numerical examples. Good stability and the ability to accurately predict the dynamic response under the violent sloshing of the composite model are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is one of the main treatment methods for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Previous research has shown that plasma exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) can predict therapeutic outcome. In the present study, to identify potential exosomal miRNAs that respond to radiotherapy, plasma exosomal miRNAs from ESCC patients undergoing radiotherapy were isolated and sequenced. Upregulated and downregulated miRNAs were detected from patients pre- and post-radiotherapy, and it was found that they play distinct roles in DNA damage process and endosomal mediated transport. Based on wound healing and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays in TE-1 human esophageal cancer cells, it was identified that representative miRNA miR-652 and miR-30a alter migration but not proliferation. The present findings identified differentially expressed miRNAs in responding to radiotherapy, and added a reference to explore non-invasive plasma biomarkers to evaluate therapeutic effects in ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A recombinant targeted toxin (Disintegrin-Conj-Mel) was developed that contained a disintegrin connected to cytotoxic melittin by a urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)-cleavable linker. This recombinant targeted toxin was designed to target tumor cells expressing integrin αvβ3. The fusion gene was expressed under the control of the promoter AOX1 in Pichia pastoris. Electrophoresis by SDS–PAGE and Western blotting assays of culture broth from a methanol-induced expression strain, demonstrated that an approximately 13kDa fusion protein was secreted into the culture medium. The molecular weight was that calculated from the predicted amino acid sequence. After optimizing the growth and expression conditions of the transformant strain, about 160mg/L of the recombinant protein was achieved. The recombinant protein was purified to more than 95% purity by SP Sepharose ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration chromatography. The hemolysis bioactivity test revealed that the fusion had no hemolytic activity or cytotoxicity against uPA non-expressing 293 cells, but exerted dose-dependent inhibition on uPA-expressing A549 cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pu-erh tea is a famous Chinese fermented tea, and its quality and flavor are closely related to the storage time used for its fermentation. This paper puts forward one method to discriminate the age of Pu-erh tea by employing a voltammetric electronic tongue (VE-Tongue) combined with deep learning and transfer learning techniques. To make the deep learning model suitable for processing VE-Tongue signals, a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1-D CNN) was developed to automatically perform feature extraction and classification. Transfer learning (TL) was introduced to train the model to reduce the training complexity and enhance the generalization capability of the CNN. The performance of the proposed model was further compared with that of traditional machine learning methods such as the backpropagation neural network, support vector machine and extreme learning machine. The results showed that the proposed model exhibited better performance in classifying Pu-erh tea than other methods. Its accuracy for the test set, precision, recall and F1 score was 98.80%, 98.2%, 98%, and 0.98, respectively. This study found that the VE-Tongue combined with deep learning and TL algorithms could be a sensitive, reliable and effective detection method for identifying the amount of storage time of Pu-erh tea, which could further expand its applications to other related fields. Image 1 • Classification of Pu-erh tea is achieved by voltammetric electronic tongue system. • Pattern recognition method based on deep learning and transfer learning is proposed. • 1-D CNN model is design and optimized for analyzing electronic tongue signals. • The proposed model is superior to conventional pattern recognition methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chromatin accessibility is crucial for gene expression regulation in specific cells and in multiple biological processes. Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) is an effective way to reveal chromatin accessibility at a genome-wide level. Through ATAC-seq, produced reads from a small number of cells reflect accessible regions that correspond to nucleosome positioning and transcription factor binding sites, due to probing hyperactive Tn5 transposase to DNA sequence. Conclusion: In this review, we summarize both principle and features of ATAC-seq, highlight its applications in basic and clinical research. ATAC-seq has generated comprehensive chromatin accessible maps, and is becoming a powerful tool to understand dynamic gene expression regulation in stem cells, early embryos and tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is one of the most complex systems, with thousands of cell types and subtypes with distinct and unique morphology and gene expression profiles. Based on classic histological methods and conventional cellular and molecular approaches, single cell sequencing is becoming a powerful tool to uncover the complexity of the CNS. In this review, we summarize the principle of single cell sequencing and highlight its use for studying the development of neural stem cells, neural progenitors, and distinct neurons. By revealing transcriptomes in each individual cell using single cell sequencing, we are now able to dissect the cellular heterogeneity of a hundred billion cells in the CNS and comprehensively investigate mechanisms of brain development and function at the cellular and molecular levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First principles calculations are preformed to systematically investigate the electronic structures, elastic and thermodynamic properties of the monoclinic and orthorhombic phases of SiC2N4 under pressure. The calculated structural parameters and elastic moduli are in good agreement with the available theoretical values at zero pressure. The elastic constants of the two phases under pressure are calculated by stress—strain method. It is found that both phases satisfy the mechanical stability criteria within 60 GPa. With the increase of pressure, the degree of the anisotropy decreases rapidly in the monoclinic phase, whereas it remains almost constant in the orthorhombic phase. Furthermore, using the hybrid density-functional theory, the monoclinic and orthorhombic phases are found to be wide band-gap semiconductors with band gaps of about 2.85 eV and 3.21 eV, respectively. The elastic moduli, ductile or brittle behaviors, compressional and shear wave velocities as well as Debye temperatures as a function of pressure in both phases are also investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maximum explosion overpressure and deflagration index determined in dust explosions must comply with the specifications of current testing standards. In previous study, experiments performed in different volume vessels using different igniters resulted in different test results, although the test conditions were the same. In addition to the effects of scaling, the effects of igniters must also be accounted for in the data interpretation of dust explosions. In this paper, the effects of igniters including the effects of ignition energy and types on overpressure behaviors during 1-Octadecanol dust explosions are examined in the 20L standard test system. It was observed that igniters strongly affected explosion overpressure behaviors during dust explosions. As the ignition energy increased from 2.5kJ to 10kJ, the apparent maximum explosion pressure and deflagration index significantly increased. And pressure increased earlier and reached a higher value as chemical igniters were used to ignite the dust cloud. Detailed analysis was conducted on the igniting mechanism of different igniters and energy loss of the electrostatic igniters in the capacitor discharge process was measured by the spark discharge circuit test system. Furthermore, time scales were analyzed to explain the discrepancies of the maximum explosion pressure and deflagration index for different igniters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aspirin has positive effects on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) osteogenic differentiation. However, researchers did not give much thought to its effect on BMSCs adipogenic differentiation. Here, we analyzed the effect of aspirin on the BMSCs adipogenic differentiation. To detect whether the effect of aspirin on the adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs is associated with the disturbed epigenetic modification, the expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs), activity of HDACs and HAT, global histone H3 acetylation and H3k9 acetylation alterations were investigated. Moreover, to further explore and understand the binding mode between aspirin and HDACs, an attempt was made to identify the interaction between aspirin and the HDACs with the aid of in silico docking study. The results showed that aspirin could induce inhibition of BMSCs adipogenesis. The level of HDAC activity, global histone H3 acetylation, and H3k9 acetylation were all down regulated during adipogenic differentiation, and aspirin can reverse these decreases. Furthermore, the HDAC isoforms have different expression patterns in those progresses. The expression of HDAC9 was increased in a does-dependent manner when aspirin was introduced during BMSCs adipogenic differentiation. Docking study showed that high affinity of HDAC9 to aspirin was existed, suggesting that HDAC9 may has an important role in the process of aspirin-induced suppression of adipogenesis. Further studies are needed to define the intricate mechanisms of the HDAC isoforms, and all of these enable us to understand aspirin and its efficacy of inhibition of adipogenic differentiation and pave the way to aspirin clinical using for the tissue regenerating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MiR-17-92 cluster consists of multifunctional miRNAs related to gonadal development in mammals. Our preliminary data showed that gga-miR-92 was male-biased in chicken embryonic gonads at E5.5 and E6.5. MiR-92(a-2) and two putative targets ( ATRX and DDX3X ) were highly conserved and located on mammalian Chromosome X but on autosomes in chicken. Here, we studied the expression and interaction of miR-92 and the targets ( ATRX and DDX3X ) in chicken embryonic gonads. What's more, male-biased miR-92 shows an opposite expression tendency with ATRX and DDX3X in eight embryonic stages and different tissues at E10.5 by qRT-PCR. To verify the regulation relationship between miR-92 and two targets, we performed dual-luciferase reporter assay in DF1, overexpression and inhibition of miR-92 in chicken embryonic fibroblasts (CEFs). The results show that miR-92 directly targets ATRX and DDX3X by binding the 3′ un-translated region (3′-UTR), and the over-expression and inhibition of miR-92 negatively regulates ATRX and DDX3X . After the identification of the expression of their downstream genes ( AMH and WNT4 ) in mRNA level, we found that there is no regulatory relationship between ATRX and DDX3X . The overall results indicate that miR-92 may perform roles in early chicken gonadogenesis by regulating the expressions of ATRX and DDX3X , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiTe x nanorods ( x = 1.00, 1.15, 1.33, 1.60, 1.80, 2.00) with average diameter of 150 nm have been selectively synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process. The nanorods with various x share similar hexagonal structure and morphology. NiTe nanorods present paramagnetic property at both high and low temperature while NiTe 2 nanorods exhibit a diamagnetic characteristic at high temperature and a paramagnetic behavior below 58 K. The magnetic moment reduces with the increase in tellurium content. The difference in magnetic behaviors of NiTe x nanorods is mainly attributed to the competition between the diamagnetism and paramagnetism based on the experimental observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitivity parameters are critical for safety management and risk assessment of coal dust combustion process. In this paper, in order to evaluate the combustion sensitivity parameters and reveal the mechanism of lignite coal dust, 20 L spherical explosion test apparatus and hot surface test apparatus were chosen to test the typical sensitivity parameters of lignite coal dust combustion. Results show that the limiting oxygen concentration of dust clouds (LOCC) was in the range of (13–14) %, and the minimum ignition temperature of dust layer (MITL) was in the range of (280–290) °C, respectively. The functional group variation law before combustion of lignite coal dust was tested by in-situ diffuse reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and the proportions of functional groups in the lignite coal dust were analyzed from 30 °C to 290 °C. It is demonstrated that in coal dust combustion the key functional groups were CH 3 / CH 2 and OH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the knockout of gene Fam20a on mice salivary glands was studied in this research, to provide a potential gene therapeutic target for salivary gland dysfunction. The control group with genotype Fam20a f/f and conditional knockout (cKO) group with Fam20a f/f ;K14-Cre were constructed with Cre-Loxp. The influence of Fam20a on the salivary glands was studied in terms of morphology, functionality and molecular mechanism. In terms of morphology, the cross-sectional area ratio of ductal to the total was reduced in the cKO mice, while that of extracellular matrix to the total was increased. At the sub-microscopic level, the knockout of Fam20a led to abnormal sub-microscopic structure of the duct cells. Functionally, saliva flow rate was significantly reduced in cKO mice. The result was consistent with the change of acinar cell marker Aquaporin 5 which was abnormally diffusely expressed in the cytoplasm of acinar cells. Meanwhile, the expression of ductal cell markers Cytokeratin 7 and nerve growth factor β were significantly decreased, suggesting the abnormal development and function of the duct cells. The research on the mechanism reveals that the loss of Fam20a led to the decreased expression and varied localization of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), and a significant decrease of the proportion of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein1/2 (ERK1/2) to total ERK1/2. These changes suggested that the loss of Fam20a attenuated the activity of the BMP/ERK signaling pathway. Fam20a affects the morphology and function of salivary glands, probably by attenuating the activity of the BMP/ERK signaling pathway. • For the first time, the effect of gene Fam20a on mice salivary glands was studied. • Fam20a affects the structure as well as the function of salivary glands in mice. • A possible molecular mechanism of Fam20a functionality in oral tissue was explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]