Search

Background: The post-translational modification of proteins, including glycosylation, differs between normal and tumor cells. The UDP-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-Tases) family of enzymes regulates the initial steps of mucin O-glycosylation and is responsible for the altered glycosylation state observed in cancer cells. Recently it was found that GalNAc-T14 mRNA is heterogeneously expressed in breast carcinomas compared to normal tissue, however the expression profile of GalNAc-T14 protein in breast carcinomas compared to normal tissue is still unknown. In this study, we assessed the expression profile of GalNAc-T14 protein in malignant and non-malignant breast tissues by immunohistochemistry to evaluate whether GalNAc-T14 might be a potential biomarker for breast cancer. Methods: In formalin-fixed tissues, the expression level of GalNAc-T14 protein was evaluated by immunohistochemistry assay in breast tissues. Expression profiles were assessed in normal tissues, benign fibroadenomas and several types of carcinomas. Results: Our results showed that GalNAc-T14 was heterogeneously expressed in breast carcinomas compared to nonmalignant tissue. GalNAc-T14 expression was observed in 47/56 (83.9%) carcinoma samples, 7/48 (14.6%) nonmalignant breast tissue samples. GalNAc-T14 expression level was associated with histological grade. For this enzyme a significant association with invasive ductal type, mucinous adenocarcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) type was found. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that GalNAc-T14 may be a potential biomarker for breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. GalNAc-T14 expression level was associated with histological grade. GalNAc-T14 expression can provide new insights about breast cancer glycobiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the utilization efficiency of Au catalyst, triangular Au nanoplates on functional reduced graphene oxide were prepared by a facile method. The products with ultra-low trace amounts of Au afforded high catalytic efficiency for the reduction of 4-nitro phenol. The morphology of the products was controlled by tuning the addition of HAuCl4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple transverse mode, intracavity spectra of canine lymphoma cells in a passive Fabry-Perot cavity are distinct from single-mode spectra of normal lymphocytes. Two-dimensional effective-index modal calculations provide insight into the nuclear size versus refractive index relationship and clarify the impact of lateral optical confinement on modal shift. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context • The totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) is an intravenous-infusion device, with a lower complication rate than other such devices. If patients fail to maintain the catheter, however, complications can still occur. Patients’ needs may vary by the period of the port’s use. Objective • The study intended to explore the differences in the needs of breast-cancer (BC) patients with TIVAPs for health education and nursing care at different periods of the port’s use and to determine the kinds of targeted health education that can improve patients’ quality of life. Design • The research team designed a questionnaire that the participants completed. Setting • The study took place at the Breast Center at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, China. Participants • Participants were 442 BC patients at the hospital between March and June 2020, who had TIVAPs at different stages. Groups • The study included three groups: (1) the preoperative group—participants in the preoperative period prior to the TIVAP implantation after they had signed a consent; (2) the chemotherapy group— participants in the chemotherapy period during the TIVAP’s use for chemotherapy-agent transfusion, and (3) the maintenance group—participants in the maintenance period during which the TIVAD was in place but wasn’t being used. Outcome Measures • The research team analyzed the results from the questionnaires, categorizing them as: (1) methods of knowledge acquisition, (2) methods of distribution of knowledge, (3) needs of participants in the different groups, and (4) distribution of symptoms among the groups. Results • Compared to other methods, the nursing staff was the main source that participants used to access the TIVAP-related information at different periods: preoperative group (79.6%), chemotherapy group (90.7%), and maintenance group (90.2%).The differences between the periods were statistically significant (P = .00). A traditional mode of education—the medical staff’s explanations—was the most common in all groups: preoperative group (79.6%), chemotherapy group (83.3%), and (3) maintenance group (80.7%). Patients wanted new modes of receiving information: talks, a poster, and a medical system. TIVAP patients paid different amounts of attention to educational contents at the different stages (χ2 = 29.816, P = .00). Conclusions • BC patients’ needs for health education and nursing vary at different stages when using TIVAPs. Nurses are the main source of knowledge about TIVAP in different periods for BC patients, and the nurses should obtain multidisciplinary health knowledge to enhance the benefits of the education for patients. The current education for patient is traditional, and hospitals need to implement new modes of education such as medical systems and network platforms, lectures, and posters for health education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been intensely researched for many years as a potential technique for highly sensitive detection. This work, through the reduction of HAuCl4 with pyrrole in aqueous solutions, investigated a facile one-pot synthesis of flower-like Au nanoparticles with rough surfaces. The formation process of the Au nanoflowers (AuNFs) was carefully studied, and a spontaneous assembly mechanism was proposed based on the time-course experimental results. The key synthesis strategy was to use pyrrole as a weak particle stabilizing and reducing agent to confine crystal growth in the limited ligand protection region. The nanometer-scale surface roughness of AuNFs provided several hot spots on a single particle, which significantly increased SERS enhancement. Good biocompatible stable Raman-active probes were synthesized by coating AuNFs with chitosan. The conservation of the SERS effects in living cells suggested that the chitosan-capped AuNFs could be suitable for highly sensitive detection and have potential for targeting of tumors in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction promotes cardiac remodeling and myocardial fibrosis, thus leading to cardiac dysfunction or heart failure. Peiminine has been regarded as a traditional anti-fibrotic Chinese medicine in pulmonary fibrosis. However, the role of peiminine in myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis remained elusive. Firstly, rat model of myocardial infarction was established using ligation of the left coronary artery, which were then intraperitoneally injected with 2 or 5 mg/kg peiminine once a day for 4 weeks. Echocardiography and haemodynamic evaluation results showed that peiminine treatment reduced left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and enhanced maximum rate of increase/decrease of left ventricle pressure (± dP/dt max) and left ventricular systolic pressure, which ameliorate the cardiac function. Secondly, myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and infarct size were also attenuated by peiminine. Moreover, peiminine inhibited myocardial infarction-induced increase of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α production, as well as the myocardial cell apoptosis, in the rats. Thirdly, peiminine also decreased the myocardial fibrosis related protein expression including collagen I and collagen III. Lastly, peiminine reduced the expression of p38 and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in rat model of myocardial infarction. In conclusion, peiminine has a cardioprotective effect against myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis, which can be attributed to the inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conventional MR imaging has limited value in identifying H3 K27M mutations. We aimed to investigate the capacity of quantitative MR imaging variables in identifying the H3 K27M mutation status of diffuse midline glioma. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three patients with H3 K27M mutation and thirty-two wild-type patients were recruited in this retrospective study, all of whom underwent multimodal MR imaging. Clinical data and quantitative MR imaging variables were explored by subgroup analysis stratified by age (juveniles and adults). Then, a logistic model for all patients was constructed to identify potential variables for predicting K27M mutation status. Besides, a retrospective validation set including 13 patients was recruited. The C-index and F1 score were used to evaluate the performance of the prediction model. Results: It turned out that patients with H3 K27M mutation were younger in the adult subgroup. In the mutation group, some relative apparent diffusion coefficient (rADC) histogram parameters and myo-inositol/creatine plus phosphocreatine (Ins/tCr) ratio were lower than in the wild-type group of both juveniles and adults (p < 0.05). After nested cross-validation and LASSO algorithm, the age, Ins/tCr, and rADC_15th were selected as potential predictors for H3 K27M mutation in the model. The nomogram model showed good diagnostic power with a validated C-index of 0.884. In addition, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.898 (0.976 in validation set) and the F1 score was 0.732. Conclusions: In conclusion, age, rADC_15th, and Ins/tCr values were helpful in identifying H3 K27M mutations in midline gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing water-saving irrigation regimes has important practical significance not only in alleviating the crucial water shortage, but also in controlling soil salinization for the protected cultivation in eastern China. A field study with six treatments was conducted to evaluate the effects of different irrigation regimes with subdrainage systems on the soil nitrate nitrogen, salinity and moisture, also evaluate the effects on tomato growth, fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). The treatments were distinguished by three different irrigation amounts of 310 mm, 360 mm and 410 mm, and two irrigation frequency of 7 and 11 times. Results showed that the irrigation amount had significant effects on the soil NO3--N and electric conductivity (EC). A positive correlation was detected between soil NO3--N (x) and EC (y) at 0-20 m depth after harvest, with a linear equation of y = 0.063x - 0.670. Soil volumetric moisture at 0.10 m and 0.20 m depth was increased as the irrigation amount increased. Moreover, a higher amount of irrigation increased the fruit yield but reduced the IWUE of tomato. It was also found that smaller irrigation amounts combined with frequent intervals could increase fruit yield and IWUE. However, the fruit quality of tomato had a significant (p<0.05) negative correlation with irrigation amount. Therefore, the parameters of irrigation regime including the irrigation amount and intervals should be considered comprehensively in order to find a compromise between salinity control and irrigation water use efficiency improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]