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Acerola polysaccharides (ACPs) were purified from acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.), a tropical fruit with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the biological activities of ACPs have barely been investigated. The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of ACPs in the treatment of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in C57BL/6 mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet and treated with different doses of ACPs for 9 continuous weeks. NAFLD was examined in terms of body weight, lipid profiles, liver function markers, and histology. Gene expression was determined by using both qRT-PCR and western blot. Our results showed that administration of ACPs significantly reduced HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and hepatic lipid deposition by inhibiting the SREBP1c pathway in mice. ACP treatment normalized oxidative stress by activating nuclear factor (erythroid-derived-2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and reduced the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines in HFD fed mice. Furthermore, ACPs reduced uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expression, restored mitochondrial ATP content, increased mitochondrial complex I, IV, and V activity, and increased mitochondrial beta-oxidation by stimulating peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in the liver of HFD-fed mice. Our study indicated that ACPs may be an effective dietary supplement for preventing HFD-induced NAFLD by regulating lipogenesis, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and promoting the mitochondrial function.

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and viral proteins expression cause a number of epigenetic alterations leading to cervical carcinogenesis. The recent discovery of a large amount of histone methylation modifiers reveals important roles of these enzymes in regulating tumor progression. Methods The changes in expression of 48 histone methylation modifiers were assessed following knockdown of HPV16 E7 in CaSki cells. Lysine-specific demethylase 2A (KDM2A)-regulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in cervical cancer pathogenesis were disclosed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The function of KDM2A-miRNAs on cervical cancer was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results Upregulation of KDM2A induced by HPV16 E7 promotes cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion and is correlated with poor prognosis in patients with cervical cancer. KDM2A physically interacts with the promoter of miR-132 and suppresses its expression by removing the mono or dimethyl group from H3K36 at the miR-132 locus. Functionally, miR-132 represses cancer cell proliferation and invasion by inhibiting radixin (RDX). Upregulated KDM2A promotes cervical cancer progression by repressing miR-132, which results in a derepression of RDX. Therefore, KDM2A functions as a tumor activator in cervical cancer pathogenesis by binding miR-132 promoter and abrogating its tumor suppressive function. Conclusion Our results suggest a function for KDM2A in cervical cancer progression and suggest its candidacy as a new prognostic biomarker and target for clinical management of cervical cancer.

Dendritic cell (DC)-derived exosomes (Dexo) has been confirmed to be able to induce the specific anti-tumor immune response ex vivo and in vivo. Here, the aim of this study was to evaluate the application of the antigen-pulsed Dexo as a new vaccination platform in immunotherapy for cervical cancer. The immunogenic profile of the different Dexo was assessed by the cell proliferation, cytokines secretion and effector functions of CD8+ T cells and the splenocytes from Dexo-vaccinated mice. Furthermore, the anti-tumor immunity elicited by Dexo was further compared in cervical cancer-bearing mice. Dexo from DCs loaded with E749-57 peptide could efficiently induce the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells on TC-1 tumor cells ex vivo, the proliferation and IFN-γ excretion of CD8+ T cells. Moreover, Dexo vaccine promoted the immune responses of vaccinated mice splenocytes induced by antigen E7 in vitro restimulation. Of note, poly(I:C) was significantly more potent inducer of the antigen-loaded Dexo mediated protective immunity responses for cervical cancer and further evidenced by that Dexo(E7+pIC) markedly inhibited the tumor growth and improved the survival rate of the tumor-bearing mice. We provided evidence that poly(I:C) dramatically increased the potent antitumoral immunity induced by antigen-pulsed Dexo for ameliorating cervical cancer.

Biobased unsaturated polyester thermosets as potential replacements for petroleum-based thermosets were designed. The target of incorporating rigid units, to yield thermosets with high thermal and mechanical performance, both in the biobased unsaturated polyester (UP) and reactive diluent (RD) while retaining miscibility was successfully achieved. The biobased unsaturated polyester thermosets were prepared by varying the content of isosorbide, 1,4-butanediol, maleic anhydride, and succinic anhydride in combination with the reactive diluent isosorbide-methacrylate (IM). Isosorbide was chosen as the main component in both the UP and the RD to enhance the rigidity of the formed thermosets, to overcome solubility issues commonly associated with biobased UPs and RDs and volatility and toxicity associated with styrene as RD. All UPs had good solubility in the RD and the viscosity of the mixtures was primarily tuned by the feed ratio of isosorbide but also by the amount of maleic anhydride. The flexural modulus and storage modulus were tailorable by altering the monomer composition The fabricated thermosets had superior thermal and mechanical properties compared to most biobased UP thermosets with thermal stability up to about 250 °C and a storage modulus at 25 °C varying between 0.5 and 3.0 GPa. These values are close to commercial petroleum-based UP thermosets. The designed tailorable biobased thermosets are, thus, promising candidates to replace their petroleum analogs.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect and the mechanism by which curcumin reverses irinotecan-induced chemotherapy resistance in colon cancer. Construction of irinotecan-resistant colon cancer model LoVo/CPT-11R cells was performed by increasing drug concentration. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to detect inhibition of proliferation; cell morphology was observed by an optical microscope. Quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect molecular marker expressions during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); drug-resistant cells were treated with curcumin at different concentrations and Cell Counting Kit-8 was reperformed to detect cell proliferation after treatments. Drug-resistant cells were then divided into four groups: control group, irinotecan group, curcumin group, and irinotecan+curcumin group; quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect molecular marker expressions during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis after grouping, and apoptosis-related protein was detected by western blotting. LoVo/CPT-11R cells could survive in culture medium containing irinotecan at 60 μg/ml and the drug-resistance index was 5.69; the drug-resistant cells had a larger volume than normal cells and were poorly connected to each other. E-cadherin expression was downregulated, whereas vimentin and N-cadherin expressions were upregulated. After curcumin treatment, drug-resistant cell proliferation was significantly inhibited; in the curcumin+irinotecan treatment group, E-cadherin expression was upregulated, whereas vimentin and N-cadherin expressions were downregulated. Curcumin could significantly increase cell apoptosis. EMT is involved in the development of irinotecan resistance and curcumin can reverse this drug resistance through reversion of the EMT process.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is 1 of the most serious complications of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the world. Huangkui capsule, extracted from Abelmoschus manihot (L.) medic (AM), has been widely used to treat DN. However, there is no consensus on the efficacy of Huangkui capsule for DN. This study aims to perform meta-analysis to systematically review the efficacy and safety of Huangkui capsule. Methods: The following 9 electronic databases will be comprehensively searched: PubMed, web of science, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Wanfang data, and Chinese BioMedicine Literature Database. The retrieval time is from their inception to May 2021. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 reviewers independently completed the study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and data synthesis. Review Manager Version 5.3 software will be used to conduct meta-analysis. Results: This study provides a high-quality synthesis to assess the efficacy of Huangkui capsule for treating diabetic nephropathy. Conclusion: The result of this systematic review will provide objective evidence-based basis to judge the effectiveness and safety of Huangkui capsule on diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: This study uses the tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled quantitative proteomic analysis to identify potential therapeutic protein targets of a Chinese prescription called Tang-Yi-Ping (TYP) for the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in rats. METHODS: A total of 31 specific-pathogen free (SPF) male Wistar rats were used in our study. Ten were randomly selected as a control group, while 21 received a high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to establish IGT subjects. After eliminating 2 rats without successful modeling, 19 were randomly divided into a TYP group (n=9) and IGT model group (n=10). The TYP group was given a TYP decoction of 6.36 mg/kg−1/d−1. After 8 weeks of intervention, blood glucose-related indicators were measured, and cell morphology was observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. TMT-labeled proteomic analysis was applied to detect the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the pancreases of the three groups. The intersection of the DEPs in both the TYP group and IGT model group underwent Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses to identify the related biological functions and signal transduction pathways. Finally, western blot (WB) was used to verify the TMT proteomics results. RESULTS: TYP can effectively reduce blood glucose and improve islet morphology in IGT rats. We identified a total of 16 potential therapeutic protein targets of TYP, 4 of which were upregulated, while 12 were downregulated, including Rbp4, Fam3b, Flot2, etc. [fold change (FC) >1.1, P

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment is a non-thermal processing technology, which is widely used in the food processing field at present. In this study, the effects of HHP treatment (100~500 MPa for 5 min) on the physicochemical properties, texture parameters, and volatile flavor compounds of oysters were investigated. The results showed that HHP treatment increased the water content while reducing the crude protein and ash content of the oyster. Texture parameters showed that HHP treatment improved the hardness, springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness of oysters, compared with the control group. In addition, the saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was slightly increased after HHP treatment, while the difference in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was not significant. Furthermore, HHP increased hexenoic aldehyde, 2,4-heptadienal, 1-octene-3-ol, and 2-octen-1-ol and decreased the contents of 3. 6-nadien-1-ol, 3-octanone, and 2-undecanone, suggesting that HHP might inhibit the fishiness of oyster and showed a positive effect on its flavor. Based on the above results, HHP improved the edible qualities such as texture properties and volatile flavor of oysters. This meets the requirements of consumers on the edible quality of seafood and provides new ideas for the development of seafood.

Dietary restriction (DR) delays the incidence and decreases the growth of various types of tumors; however, the mechanisms responsible for DR-mediated antitumor effects have not been unequivocally identified. Here, we report that DR suppresses xenograft tumor growth by upregulating a novel signaling pathway. DR led to upregulated aldolase A (ALDOA) expression in xenograft tumors. ALDOA physically interacted with the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and promoted DNA-PK activation. Activated DNA-PK phosphorylated p53 and increased its activity. Although ALDOA can function as an oncogene in cultured cells, it can also activate the tumor suppressor p53. Thus, ALDOA overexpression in the presence of p53 suppressed xenograft tumor growth; however, when p53 was suppressed, ALDOA overexpression promoted xenograft tumor growth. Moreover, we demonstrated that p53 suppression inhibited the antitumor effects of DR. Our results indicate that upregulation of the ALDOA/DNA-PK/p53 pathway is a mechanism accounting for the antitumor effects of DR.

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is an important mechanism underlying chemotherapy resistance in human cancers. Dicer participates in DSB repair by facilitating homologous recombination. However, whether Dicer is involved in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) remains unknown. Here, we addressed whether Dicer regulates NHEJ and chemosensitivity in colon cancer cells. Using our recently developed NHEJ assay, we found that DSB introduction by I-SceI cleavage leads to Dicer upregulation. Dicer knockdown increased SIRT7 binding and decreased the level of H3K18Ac (acetylated lysine 18 of histone H3) at DSB sites, thereby repressing the recruitment of NHEJ factors to DSB sites and inhibiting NHEJ. Dicer overexpression reduced SIRT7 binding and increased the level of H3K18Ac at DSB sites, promoting the recruitment of NHEJ factors to DSBs and moderately enhancing NHEJ. Dicer knockdown and overexpression increased and decreased, respectively, the chemosensitivity of colon cancer cells. Dicer protein expression in colon cancer tissues of patients was directly correlated with chemoresistance. Our findings revealed a function of Dicer in NHEJ-mediated DSB repair and the association of Dicer expression with chemoresistance in colon cancer patients.

To explore the complex molecular mechanisms of bladder cancer, mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were combined for systematic analyses. A total of 18 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from two mRNA expression datasets which consisted of 206 tumor and 74 normal tissues. Then, survival analysis based on the SurvExpress database showed that the common DEGs were able to significantly differentiate low- and high-risk groups in 4 public bladder cancer datasets (p

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent internal modification of mRNAs in most eukaryotes. Here we show that RNAs of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are modified by m6A within discreet regions and that these modifications enhance viral replication and pathogenesis. Knockdown of m6A methyltransferases decreases RSV replication and gene expression whereas knockdown of m6A demethylases has the opposite effect. The G gene transcript contains the most m6A modifications. Recombinant RSV variants expressing G transcripts that lack particular clusters of m6A display reduced replication in A549 cells, primary well differentiated human airway epithelial cultures, and respiratory tracts of cotton rats. One of the m6A-deficient variants is highly attenuated yet retains high immunogenicity in cotton rats. Collectively, our results demonstrate that viral m6A methylation upregulates RSV replication and pathogenesis and identify viral m6A methylation as a target for rational design of live attenuated vaccine candidates for RSV and perhaps other pneumoviruses., Here, Xue et al. identify N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification sites in RNAs of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and show that these sites, particularly sites in the transcript encoding for the viral glycoprotein, affect virus replication in primary human cells and cotton rats.

To expand the utilization of oyster protein (OP), the effects of high pressure (100 to 500 MPa) on chemical forces, structure, microstructure, and digestibility properties were investigated. High pressure (HP) treatment enhanced the electrostatic repulsion (from &minus, 13.3Control to &minus, 27.8HP200 mV) between protein molecules and avoided or retarded the formation of protein aggregates. In addition, the HP treated samples showed uniform distribution and small particle size. The changes in electrostatic interaction and particle size contributed to the improvement of solubility (from 10.53%Control to 19.92%HP500 at pH 7). The stretching and unfolding of protein were modified by HP treatment, and some internal hydrophobic groups and -SH groups were exposed. HP treatment modified the secondary structure of OP. The treated samples contained less &alpha, helix and &beta, sheet structures, whereas the proportions of &beta, sheet and random coil structures were increased. The treated samples have high digestibility in the stomach (from 26.3%Control to 39.5%HP500) and in the total digestive process (from 62.1%Control to 83.7%HP500). In addition, the total digestive production showed higher percentages of small peptides (&lt, 1 kDa) after HP treatment. The protein solubility and digestibility were increased after HP treatment, and high solubility and high digestibility might increase the chance that OP become a kind of protein supplement.

It has been reported that loss and degradation of epidermal melanocytes is closely associated with the pathogenesis of vitiligo. In addition, CD8+ T and regulatory T (Treg) cells serve an important role during these two processes. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of vitiligo; however, the mechanism by which miR-155 regulates the development of vitiligo remains unclear. In the present study, naïve T and CD8+ T cells were isolated from a patient with non-segmental vitiligo by flow cytometry. The cells were differentiated into Treg cells by treatment with interleukin-2, transforming growth factor-β and retinoic acid. In addition, miR-155 agonists and antagonists were used to investigate the effect of miR-155 on the proliferation of CD8+ T cells, Treg cells and melanocytes. The results demonstrated that the miR-155 agonist significantly decreased the rate of CD8+ T cell growth, as well as promoted the proliferation of melanocytes by inducing an increase in the percentage of Treg cells. By contrast, the miR-155 antagonist inhibited the proliferation of melanocytes by decreasing the percentage of Treg cells. miR-155 protected melanocyte survival by increasing the number of Treg cells and by decreasing the number of CD8+ T cells. Therefore, these data may provide a new prospect for the treatment of vitiligo.

Objectives: Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, which is closely related to persistent infection with high-risk Human papillomavirus (HPV). Therefore, it is important to develop new adjuvants for HPV vaccines. This research aimed to establish two new adjuvants which can enhance the immune effect of vaccines. Materials and Methods: C57BL/6 mice were divided into 5 groups and immunized by intramuscular injection of plasmid once every 2 weeks, three times in all. The growth and metastasis of tumors in mice was observed by in vivo imaging system (IVIS). Then, the mice were sacrificed and the pathological changes of organs were observed. In addition, the lymphocyte suspension was used for CLT killing test. IFN-γ level and the number of splenocytes which secrete IFN-γ were detected. Additionally, the specific antibody level of HPV16/18 E6 E7 L1 L2 was also detected. Results: The constructed nucleic acid vaccines had no significant effect on both the physiological and biochemical indexes, while it significantly increased the survival period and survival rate of mice. Flt3L and GM-CSF enhanced the immune effect of HPV16/18 vaccine via increasing the specific antibodies and IFN-γ cytokines. Conclusions: These data suggested that Flt3L and GM-CSF enhanced the anti-tumor effect of vaccines via increasing immune response. Thereby, our findings may hope to provide new perspective for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) is a tropical fruit of great economic and nutritional value due to its high content of vitamin C. However, there is little information available about which ripening stage of Acerola cherry can provide the best nutrients. In the current study, the chemical variation at two developmental stages (immature and mature) were investigated by metabolic profiling, and the biological properties of Acerola cherry and its antioxidant assays at four developmental stages were measured, respectively. Through comprehensive metabolites analysis via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry system (UPLC-QTOF), 1896 annotated metabolite features were obtained, and 133 metabolites were finally identified according to the MS/MS fragments compared with these standards in in-house database. Statistically differences in the levels of amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, terpenoids and ascorbic acids were found between mature and immature fruits. Interestingly, most of differential accumulated amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, and terpenoids predominantly accumulated in the mature fruits and ascorbic acid predominantly accumulated in the immature fruits. On the other hand, their antioxidant activities were compared. The alcoholic extract of immature acerola fruit possessed better scavenging ability of DPPH and ABTS than the mature one. The well correlations were found between the antioxidant potential with its content of ascorbic acid (r = 0.9803 and 0.9897, respectively). In conclusion, Acerola cherry showed very different metabolite profile and antioxidant activities during the fruit ripening development. The maturity of Acerola cherry has to be considered when it is being used for health food products.

To investigate the variation in the condition factor of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus (S. nudus), gonads were collected in May (MAY), June (JUN), and July (JUL), at the beginning (AUG-b) and end of August (AUG-e). Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) detection of the gonads revealed an obvious enhancement of the band at about 37 kDa from July, which was identified as transforming growth factor-beta-induced protein ig-h3 (TGFBI) by nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS. Gonadal proteins were identified by isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), and regulation of the identified proteins in pairs of the collected groups was observed. A total of 174 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified. Seven of the DEPs showed significant correlations with both the gonad index (GI) and protein content. These correlations included 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, decarboxylating isoform X2 (6PGD), CAD protein, myoferlin isoform X8, ribosomal protein L36 (RL36), isocitrate dehydrogenase [NADP], mitochondrial isoform X2 (IDH), multifunctional protein ADE2 isoform X3, sperm-activating peptides (SAPs) and aldehyde dehydrogenase, and mitochondrial (ALDH). However, TGFBI had no correlation with gonad index (GI) or protein content. 6PGD, IDH, multifunctional protein ADE2 isoform X3, and ALDH were shown to interact with each other and might play key roles in changing the condition factor of S. nudus gonads.

This design is a fifty-one single chip microcomputer as control core, low cost, high precision, small volume, can real-time display the distance between the car and obstacles, and light and sound, voice alarm prompt function of reversing radar system. The radar system is composed of ultrasonic sensor (commonly known as probe), fifty-one microcontroller, liquid crystal display, sound and light alarm system, voice module and so on.

Desk lamp is to be used for reading study and the lamp that design USES, the bulb that general desk lamp USES is incandescent lamp, energy-saving bulb and market popular protect an eye desk lamp, can adjust the direction of height, illumination and brightness, those who use is manual adjust. Children, on the other hand, often don’t know how to adjust and to what extent. In this paper, a smart desk lamp is designed, which can adjust the brightness automatically according to the surrounding brightness when someone is around, and also has the function of correcting the user’s sitting position.

Internal N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most common and abundant modifications of RNA. However, the biological role(s) of viral RNA m6A remains elusive. Using human metapneumovirus (hMPV) as a model, we demonstrate that m6A serves as a molecular marker for innate immune discrimination of self from nonself RNAs. We show that hMPV RNAs are m6A methylated and that viral m6A methylation promotes hMPV replication and gene expression. Inactivating m6A addition sites with synonymous mutations or demethylase resulted in m6A deficient recombinant hMPVs and virion RNAs that induced significantly higher expression of type I interferon (IFN) which was dependent on the cytoplasmic RNA sensor RIG-I, not MDA5. Mechanistically, m6A-deficient virion RNA induces higher expression of RIG-I, binds more efficiently to RIG-I, and facilitates the conformational change of RIG-I, leading to enhanced IFN expression. Furthermore, m6A-deficient rhMPVs triggered higher IFN in vivo and were significantly attenuated in cotton rats yet retained high immunogenicity. Collectively, our results highlight that (i) virus acquires m6A in their RNAs as a means of mimicking cellular RNA to avoid detection by innate immunity; and (ii) viral RNA m6A can serve as a target to attenuate hMPV for vaccine purposes.

Contains all full-length western blot images. (PDF 720 kb)

Contains supplementary methods, supplementary tables, and eight supplementary figures with legends. (PDF 1250 kb)

Review history. (DOCX 744 kb)

At present, chemotherapy is still the main treatment for cervical cancer. However, the drug resistance of chemotherapy drugs seriously restricts its use, so it is urgent to develop new drugs for cervical cancer. Some studies have shown that gambogic acid has a strong anti-tumor effect, while the anti-tumor effect and molecular mechanism of gambogic acid on cervical cancer need to be studied. Our study confirms that the cytotoxic effect of gambogic acid on cervical cancer cells depends on the expression of TR3 protein. Moreover, gambogic acid-induced apoptosis requires TR3 expression. In the mechanism, gambogic acid promoted nuclear export of TR3, resulting in up-regulation of p53, which leads to the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, eventually inducing apoptosis. These results suggest that the nuclear export of TR3 mediated gambogic acid-induced apoptosis through a p53-dependent apoptosis pathway.

As one of the most aggressive malignancies, cervical cancer (CC) which mainly affects females has high risks of relapse and death. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) RP11-552M11.4 is verified to promote the progression of ovarian cancer; nevertheless, its role and the probable molecular mechanisms in CC remain unclear until the present study. Herein, we unveiled that the expression of lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 tested by qRT-PCR was enhanced in tumor tissues compared with the para-carcinoma tissues and related to FIGO Stage, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and distant metastasis in CC. Additionally, CC patients with high lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 level suffered from poor clinical outcomes. Moreover, silenced lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 restrained cell proliferation, migration and invasion in CC cells. Subsequently, the mechanistic studies revealed that lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 functioned as a ceRNA of ATF1 in CC by acting as the endogenous sponge for miR-3941, which was identified as a tumor suppressor in CC. Moreover, both miR-3941 inhibition and ATF1 overexpression restored the impacts of inhibited lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 on cellular processes in CC cells. Our observations elucidated the carcinogenic role of lncRNA RP11-552M11.4 in CC was mediated through miR-3941/ATF1 axis, giving a new insight into the effective target for the treatment and prognosis of cervical cancer.

Background We are committed to investigate miR-218-5 effects on the progression of cervical cancer (CC) cell and find out the molecular mechanism. Methods GSE9750 was obtained from GEO database and R Limma package was applied to filter out dysregulated genes. The pathways were enriched by GSEA software, ClusterProfiler and enrichplot packages to predict the function of DEGs. The binding sites of LYN were detected by miRanda and TargetScan. The miR2Disease database was used to find miRNAs related with CC. The expression of miR-218-5p and LYN were quantified by qRT-PCR and that of LYN protein was measured by western blot. The targeted relationships between miR-218-5p and LYN were verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Colony formation assays, wound healing, transwell invasion assay and flow cytometer analysis were performed to investigate the roles that miR-218-5p and LYN played in migration, invasion and death of cervical carcinoma. Xenografts established in nude mice were used to assess tumor growth in vivo. Results The highly expressed mRNA LYN was selected by microarray analysis in GSE9750. NF-κB signaling pathway was enriched base on GSEA results. The expression of miR-218-5p was lower but LYN was higher in CC primary tumors compared with normal control. In addition, miR-218-5p could regulate the expression of LYN in HeLa cells negatively. Overexpression of LYN could promote cell migration and invasion, but inhibit cell death in vitro, and also promote tumor formation in vivo via activating NF-κB signaling pathway which could be reversed by miR-218-5p. Conclusions MiR-218-5p suppressed the progression of CC via LYN/NF-κB signaling pathway.

This paper uses a simple portable indoor sleep monitor as the design platform, the sound sensor system and the light sensor system serve as the main sensor module. The sound sensor uses ADC0832 acquisition chip to convert the analog signal detected into digital signal. LM393 comparator and photosensitive resistance are used to compare the signal of ambient light-intensity. DS1302 clock chip is used to provide the system clock with the time of year, month, day, hour, minute and second. STC89C52RC microcontroller is the main control chip of this system, which mainly control the operation of the whole system and realize its corresponding functions. The experimental results show that the performance of the system meets the design requirements.

The poor adhesion between natural fibers and polymer matrix restricts the mechanical performance of natural fiber reinforced composites. Here, lignosulfonate was methacrylated and evaluated as a potential compatibilizer for flax fiber reinforced soybean-derived polyester thermosets. Significant improvement in both tensile and flexural properties of the fiber composites were achieved when the flax fiber mat was treated with methacrylated lignosulfonate solution. In particular, the flexural modulus and flexural strength more than doubled from 2.6 to 6.7 GPa and from 36 MPa to 76.8 MPa, respectively when the fibers were soaked in 5 wt % MLS solution. The SEM analysis revealed improved fiber-matrix interface and lower extent of fiber pull-out in the methacrylated lignosulfonate treated fiber composites, which correlates with the improved mechanical properties.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and viral protein expression cause several epigenetic alterations that lead to cervical carcinogenesis. Our previous study identified that upregulated lysine-specific demethylase (KDM) 2 A promotes cervical cancer progression by inhibiting mircoRNA (miR)-132 function. However, the roles of histone methylation modifiers in HPV-related cervical cancer remain unclear. In the present study, changes in the expression of 48 histone methylation modifiers were assessed following knockdown of HPV16 E6/E7 in CaSki cells. The dysregulated expression of KDM5A was identified, and its function in cervical cancer was investigated in vitro and in vivo. E7 oncoprotein-induced upregulation of KDM5A promoted cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo, which was correlated with poor prognosis in patients with cervical cancer. KDM5A was found to physically interact with the promoter region of miR-424–5p, and to suppress its expression by removing the tri- and di-methyl groups from H3K4 at the miR-424–5p locus. Furthermore, miR-424–5p repressed cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness by targeting suppressor of zeste 12 (Suz12). KDM5A upregulation promoted cervical cancer progression by repressing miR-424–5p, which resulted in a decrease in Suz12. Therefore, KDM5A functions as a tumor activator in cervical cancer pathogenesis by binding to the miR-424–5p promoter and inhibiting its tumor-suppressive function. These results indicate a function for KDM5A in cervical cancer progression and suggest its candidacy as a novel prognostic biomarker and target for the clinical management of this malignancy.

Tumor boundary delineation using F-FDG PET/CT is a promising tool for radiotherapy applications, but no consensus has been established regarding the optimal delineation method. Time-phase variability of F-FDG PET/CT imaging frequently affects metabolically active volumes and treatment planning for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to evaluate the time-phase robustness of 8 methods commonly used for tumor volume delineation in NPC.Twenty patients with biopsy-proven NPC were included and underwent multiple time-phase F-FDG PET/CT imaging. Gross tumor volumes (GTVs), absolute SUV, gradient-based watershed segmentation (GTV-GWT), and anatomic biologic contouring (GTV-ABC) values were determined. The volume of overlap between GTV-CT and the 8 PET-based GTVs was enclosed and the overlap fraction (OF-CT) calculated. Color matrix was used to semiquantify the time-phase differences. Gross tumor volume values obtained with different methods were recorded and compared using paired t test. Time-phase differences of GTVs and SUVmax were compared among groups by analysis of variance with Tukey honest significance tests. The coefficients of variation were computed to assess intrapatient time-phase variability. Similarity coefficient was calculated to evaluate similarity.Differences were observed between GTVs obtained at different time points using various delineation procedures. Nonsignificantly higher percentages were obtained for GTV-GWT (88.17%) and GTV-ABC (86.98%) compared with other methods, showing their robustness. GTV-40% (0.81-0.88) and GTV-ABC (0.82-0.88) indicated higher similarity with GTV-MRI than the other methods.PET/CT-based GTV-ABC between 35 and 55 minutes should be the first choice for NPC treatment planning.

Poly(lactide), PLA, suffers from brittleness and poor heat-resistance. Herein, a novel strategy to in situ fabricate high-performance PLA composites is reported for the first time, i.e., by solid-state uniaxial stretching in the presence of N1,N1′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(N2-phenyloxalamide) (OXA) as needle-like nucleation templates. As a consequence, a tensile strength of >120 MPa, an elongation at break of >25% and a heat-resistant temperature of >150 °C of the PLA composites are simultaneously achieved. The superior performances are ascribed to unique interlocked network-like shish-kebab crystal structures that formed upon solid-state hot-stretching in the presence of OXA. This research may create a new type of sustainable engineered plastic.

Poly(lactide), PLA, suffers from low crystallization rate. To speed up the crystallization rate, oxalamide compounds with the formula of C6H5NHCOCONH(CH2)nNHCOCONHC6H5 (n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 12) are synthesized as nucleating agents (NA(n)). Their thermal properties and nucleation efficiency can be tailored by tuning the aliphatic spacer length, i.e., –(CH2)n–. The melting temperatures and crystallization temperatures of the NA(n) decrease monotonically with increasing n value while the thermal decomposition temperature remains constant. The aliphatic spacer length (n) of NA(n) influences obviously the crystallization kinetics of PLA, resulting in nucleation efficiency in the sequence of NA(2) > NA(4) > NA(12) ≈ NA(8) > NA(6). Polarized optical microscopy results show that NA(n) could self-assemble into needle-like superstructures which subsequently promote the crystallization of PLA macromolecules. The differences in superstructural geometry and the nucleation activity of NA(n) are responsible for the variation in the nucleation efficiency.

Dicer participates in heterochromatin formation in fission yeast and plants. However, whether it has a similar role in mammals remains controversial. Here we showed that the human Dicer protein interacts with SIRT7, an NAD(+)-dependent H3K18Ac (acetylated lysine 18 of histone H3) deacetylase, and holds a proportion of SIRT7 in the cytoplasm. Dicer knockdown led to an increase of chromatin-associated SIRT7 and simultaneously a decrease of cytoplasmic SIRT7, while its overexpression induced SIRT7 reduction in the chromatin-associated fraction and increment in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, DNA damaging agents promoted Dicer expression, leading to decreased level of chromatin-associated SIRT7 and increased level of H3K18Ac, which can be alleviated by Dicer knockdown. Taken together with that H3K18Ac was exclusively associated with the chromatin, our findings suggest that Dicer induction by DNA damaging treatments prevents H3K18Ac deacetylation, probably by trapping more SIRT7 in the cytoplasm.

Background: At present, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become a major public health issue throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Notably, traditional Chinese patent medicines (TCPMs) are of great significance in the treatment of T2DM combined with conventional Western medicine therapy. However, there is a lack of comparison among all the current common TCPMs for treating T2DM. Therefore, this study intends to explore the efficacy and safety of different TCPMs against T2DM through the Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: We will conduct a comprehensive and systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TCPM for the treatment of T2DM in both Chinese and English databases published till August 2020. Two researchers will be responsible for screening eligible literature, extracting data, and assessing the risk of bias of included studies independently. Then, pairwise meta-analyses and Bayesian network meta-analyses will be conducted to assess all available evidence. In the end, data will be analyzed using STATA15.0 and WinBUGS1.4.3 software. Conclusion: This study will compare the efficacy and safety of different TCPMs against T2DM in detail. Our findings will provide a reliable evidence for selecting clinical treatment program and guideline development of T2DM.

The present study investigated the underlying regulatory network involved in the differential expression of metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) long non‑coding (lnc)RNA, microRNA‑17‑5p (miR‑17‑5p) and frizzled class receptor 2 (FZD2) mRNA under the influence of Casiopeina II‑gly (Cas‑II‑gly) via the Wnt signaling pathway in cervical carcinoma (CC). The gene expression data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/), and the differentially expressed genes were determined using R software. The R ClusterProfiler and enrichplot packages were applied for gene‑set enrichment analysis based on the Gene Ontology biological process and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases. TargetScan and the starBase database were used to predict the targeting associations between the miRNAs and lncRNAs/mRNAs. The MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/mRNA FZD2 expression levels were measured via reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression was monitored by western blot analysis. The target association among the lncRNA MALAT1, miR‑17‑5p and FZD2 was validated via a dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined via MTT assays, EdU staining and flow cytometry. The results indicated that the expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 and FZD2 mRNA were downregulated, while miR‑17‑5p expression was upregulated in HeLa and CaSki cells treated with increasing Cas‑II‑gly concentrations. The cell viability was decreased, and the apoptosis rate was increased in HeLa and CaSki cells following Cas‑II‑gly treatment. Furthermore, western blot analysis results demonstrated that Cas‑II‑gly and the MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/FZD2 axis could affect the expression of proteins associated with the Wnt signaling pathway, including disheveled segment polarity protein, glycogen synthase kinase‑3β and β‑catenin, and via the MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/FZD2/Wnt signaling pathway axis.

The molecular mechanisms of cervical cancer have been minimally explored with multi-omics data. In the present study, mRNA expression profiles were analyzed and combined with predicted miRNA interactions to contribute to the characterization of the underlying regulatory mechanisms of cervical cancer. A total of 92 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in 33 tumor samples by comparison with 29 normal samples. mRNA-miRNA interaction network analysis revealed that 16 out of the 92 DEGs, including checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1), SRY-box 17 (SOX17), centrosomal protein 55, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), and inhibitor of DNA binding 4, were the targets of 4 miRNAs which were previously reported to be involved in the regulation of cervical cancer. Tumor and normal samples could be distinctly classified into two groups based on the expression of the 16 DEGs. Furthermore, survival analysis using the SurvExpress database indicated that the 16 DEGs could individually significantly differentiate low- and high-risk cervical cancer groups. Overall, multiple biological processes are likely to participate in the progression of cervical cancer based on the pathway and function enrichment identified for the DEGs. The dysregulation of SOX17 is associated with the regulation of embryonic development, the determination of cell fate and likely promotes cancer cell transformation. The dysregulation of CHEK1 and CDKN2A further promote cancer cell proliferation by affecting the cell cycle checkpoint in response to DNA damage. The identification of critical genes and biological processes associated with cervical cancer may be beneficial for the exploration of the molecular mechanisms.

Hydrogels are one of the most promising wound dressings. However, their effectiveness on wound healing is still largely limited due to either the non-degradability or the release of non-therapeutic degradable products. Herein, a biodegradable copolypeptide hydrogel based on the glutamic acid and lysine was synthesized and applied as both wound dressing and therapeutic prodrug. The hydrogel can degrade in the existence of elevated degradative enzymes in a wound environment, which will release therapeutic amino acids to enhance the wound healing. In vivo results found that the hydrogel could effectively promote wound regeneration in both macroscopic and microscopic scales. Further investigation revealed that the wound healing effect of the hydrogel was highly attributed to its enhanced impact on angiogenesis, cell proliferation and re-epithelialization of the wound. All in all, the present study proves that the degradable copolypeptide hydrogel can efficiently improve wound healing and indicates its potent clinical application for wound regeneration.

Under the action of low pressure, the wheel pile foundation bears most or even all the downward pressure. When the wheel pile foundation is subjected to uplift force, the uplift force is supported by the short pile, and the ring frame and the 4 flange mainly play the role of transfer pulling force, while the main bearing force is short and short pile. When the wheel pile foundation is subjected to horizontal forces, the horizontal force is mainly borne by the flange and the ring frame. Therefore, only downward pressure and horizontal force should be considered for the ring frame and flange, while uplift force should be considered for the design of thin and short piles. The basic design is simple and the transmission path is clear. The ring frame, flange and short pile of the wheel pile foundation are prefabricated. The foundation can take different prefabricated installation methods with the mechanized construction conditions. It can not only guarantee the quality of the concrete slab, but also speed up the construction speed of the foundation. By comparing with the economic technology of the plate foundation, it is found that under the same geological conditions, the use of wheel pile foundation can reduce the concrete earthwork and the increase of the load, the decrease of concrete is also increased, and the amount of steel is saved, and the economic benefit is remarkable.

Objective. Chromium-containing traditional Chinese medicine Tianmai Xiaoke tablet (TMXKT) is approved for treating newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. This review aimed to compile the evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and quantify the effects of TMXKT on newly diagnosed T2DM. Methods. Seven online databases were investigated up to March 20, 2017. The meta-analysis included RCTs investigating the treatment of newly diagnosed T2DM, in which TMXKT combined with conventional therapy was compared with placebo or conventional therapy. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The estimated mean difference (MD) and the standardized mean difference were within 95% confidence intervals (CI) with respect to the interstudy heterogeneity. The outcomes were measured using fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and body mass index (BMI) levels. Results. TMXKT combined with conventional therapy lowered FBG level (MD=-0.68, 95% CI −0.90 to −0.45, P<0.00001), 2hPG (MD=-1.33, 95% CI −1.86 to −0.79, P<0.00001), HbA1c (MD = −0.46, 95% CI −0.57 to −0.36, P<0.00001), and BMI (MD = −0.77, 95% CI −1.12 to −0.41, P<0.00001). Conclusions. TMXKT combined with conventional therapy is beneficial for patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. However, the effectiveness and safety of TMXKT are uncertain because of the limited number of trials and low methodological quality. Therefore, practitioners should be cautious when applying TMXKT in daily practice. Also, well-designed clinical trials are needed in the future.

Compared with the common angle steel tower, the narrow base steel pipe tower has the advantages of simple structure, beautiful appearance, small floor area and better coordination with the urban environment. In the construction of urban high pressure transmission line, the narrow base tower has its own unique advantages and wide application prospects. It has the advantages of ordinary iron tower processing, transportation, assembly, cost saving, small occupancy of single column steel pipe rod, small line corridor and beautiful beauty. In the optimization design of the narrow tower, how to take the wind vibration coefficient of the tower, how to consider the bending moment of the rod end, the design of the narrow base tower and the structure optimization of the narrow tower tower are all the problems to be solved urgently. In this paper, the modal analysis of a single tower is carried out to determine its vibration mode, and then the wind vibration coefficient of a narrow tower is analyzed. Finally, the influence of x and y direction vibration on the frequency of the tower is obtained.

In this paper, some methods of lightning protection measures are expounded in this paper, and then the influence of grounding resistance on ground resistance with current changing with current is revised by means of incomplete consideration of the influence factors of the impact grounding resistance in the standard.

Cancer is still a clinical challenge, with many efforts invested in order to achieve timely detection. Unexplained elevated blood carcinoembryonic antigen levels are occasionally observed in an asymptomatic population and considered as a risk factor of cancers. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG-PET/CT) for detecting cancer in an asymptomatic population with an unexplained elevation in blood carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels.This retrospective study included a total of 1920 asymptomatic examinees conducted from August 2011 through September 2013. The participants underwent CEA assay and conventional medical imaging (CEA-conventional), or CEA assay and F-18 FDG-PET/CT (CEA-PET/CT). The validity of conventional medical imaging and CEA-PET/CT scanning for detecting cancer and early-stage cancer in an asymptomatic population with an unexplained elevation in blood CEA levels were evaluated.Sensitivity, specificity, cancer detection rate, missed cancer detection rate, early-stage cancer detection rate, and early-stage cancer ratio using the CEA-PET/CT scanning were 96.6 %, 100 %, 10.4 %, 0.4 %, 3.7 %, and 34.5 %, respectively. In contrast, the corresponding values obtained using the conventional medical imaging were 50.6 % (P 0.0001), 100 % (P 0.9999), 50.6 % (P 0.0001), 99.9 % (P = 0.055), 2.6 % (P 0.0001), 2.5 % (P = 0.04), 0.7 % (P = 0.0004), and 14.5 % (P = 0.002), respectively.The F-18 FDG-PET/CT scanning significantly improved the validity of the cancer detection program in the asymptomatic population with an unexplained elevation in CEA levels.

The bio-based and biocompostable semi-crystalline poly(L-lactide), PLLA, suffers from slow crystallization rate. Oxalamide compounds are tailor-made as novel self-assembly-type nucleators in this work, which altered significantly the crystallization kinetics of the PLLA. The terminal structures (cyclohexyl, benzyl and phenyl) show strong influence on their self-organization and nucleation efficiency. Their self-organizing temperature sequence (measured via rheology) in the PLLA melt is cyclohexyl > benzyl > phenyl ≈ 190 °C, while the nucleation activity follows a reverse order. Consequently, the compounds capped with phenyl group exhibit the highest nucleation efficiency. The oxalamide compounds in the PLLA melt showed varied depression in crystallization and dissolution temperatures, demonstrating a designable miscibility. Interestingly, the dissolved oxalamide compounds could organize into “shish-like” superstructures that subsequently triggered “shish-kebab” morphology of PLLA crystals free of any flow or shear. With the aid of phenyl-capped oxalamide compound (e.g. 0.75 wt.%), the crystallization of PLLA occurred at 108 °C with a crystallinity of 35% even upon fast cooling (20 °C/min), while the half-life crystallization time ( t 0.5 ) was dramatically reduced by 95% in a wide temperate range. In addition, the oxalamide compounds could significantly reduce the PLLA crystal size without modification on crystal form.

Cigarette smoking might lead to lung cancer. However, the related signaling pathways at molecular level remained unknown until now. In this study, we studied the signaling processes associated between tobacco exposure and lung cancer. First, we detected and validated pathway-specific gene expression at bronchial epithelium. These proteins reflected the activation of signaling pathways relevant to tobacco exposure, including ATM, BCL2, GPX1, K-Ras, IKBKB, and SIRT1. Tobacco smoking was simulated via reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway. ROS not only arrested cell cycle at G1/S stage but also increased expressions of Sirt1 and p27. Further studies showed that the expression of p27 was dependent on ERK1/2 activation, and p27 itself could halt cell cycle by inhibiting the activation of CDKs. Moreover, activation of K-Ras, the key regulator of Ras/ERK pathway, was tightly regulated by enzyme activity of Sirt1. Deacetylation of K-Ras by Sirt1 increased the transformation of Ras-GTP to Ras-GDP, promoting the activation of downstream of ERK1/2. In reverse, Ras/ERK pathway could also regulate Sirt1 transcription. In conclusion, inhibition of Sirt1 may be an effective strategy for the prevention of tumor progression in high-risk patients or as a therapeutic strategy in established tumors.

This paper presents a planar ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter with sharp out-of-band rejection performance. The filter is formed by a folded multiple-mode resonator to realize high performance in an operation band from 3.3 to 10 GHz with a very compact size of 20 mm × 20 mm × 0.5 mm. An extra notched band centered at 5.8 GHz is further accomplished by etching a Hilbert fractal curve slit on the filter without the necessity of readjusting the geometrical parameters. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement.

Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs play critical roles in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In this study, miR-133a was found to be significantly downregulated in colon tumor tissues. We aimed to determine its biological function, molecular mechanisms, and direct target genes in colorectal cancer. From these results, we found that miR-133a was significantly downregulated in primary tumor tissues and colon cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-133a in colon cancer cell lines significantly suppressed cell growth, as evidenced by cell viability and colony formation assays, as well as reduced xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. However, the effect of miR-133a was abolished by the overexpression of eIF4A1. Moreover, miR-133a inhibited cellular migration and invasiveness. A luciferase activity assay revealed oncogene eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1 as a direct target gene of miR-133a, whose expression was inversely correlated with that of miR-133a. Our results demonstrate that miR-133a plays a pivotal role in colorectal cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by targeting oncogenic eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1, which acts as a tumor suppressor and may provide a new potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

Summary Background Autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI) is a heterogeneous group of diseases of keratinization, characterized primarily by abnormal skin scaling over the whole body surface. Recently, ARCI has been designated to include the major forms of lamellar ichthyosis (LI), congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (CIE) and harlequin ichthyosis. The first two conditions are the most common major clinical subtypes, and both are caused principally by mutations in the transglutaminase 1 gene, TGM1, although other genes may be responsible in some cases. Aim To identify the genetic mutations underlying LI in a Chinese family with LI, and to review all the known TGM1 mutations in Chinese patients with ARCI. Methods The proband had the severe classic LI phenotype, and was a member of a four-generation family with close blood relationships. We sequenced the DNA of the patients and close relatives. We also reviewed 13 Chinese patients with ARCI from 8 reported families, comprising 10 patients with LI, 2 with CIE and 1 with bathing suit ichthyosis. Results We characterized 14 different TGM1 mutations. Six of these were reported in other ethnic groups initially and later in Chinese patients, while the remaining eight were first described in Chinese patients. Of the latter, five have been reported only in Chinese patients, while the remaining three have also been reported in other ethnic groups. Conclusion This study expands the current spectrum on TGM1 mutation and increases the knowledge of TGM1 mutation characteristics.

The crystallization rate and crystallinity of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was significantly increased by the incorporation of 0.25–1.0 wt % of tailor-made oxalamide derivatives (NAs). The nucleation effect and nucleation mechanisms of the NAs were studied via diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques. The experimental results convincingly revealed that the NA molecules are soluble in a PLA melt and are capable of self-organizing into fibrils upon cooling. The fibrils as efficient nucleation sites induced rapid growth of α-form PLA crystal along the fibrils, forming shish-kebab-like structures. In isothermal crystallization, very fine PLA sperrulites with high density were obtained in the presence of NAs. The high nucleation efficiency and the simple synthetic routes of the NAs make them promising to be a new generation of nucleating agents for (bio)polymers, e.g., PLA.