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Butyrate is one of the most important intermediates during anaerobic digestion of protein wastewater, and its oxidization is considered as a rate-limiting step during methane production. However, information on syntrophic butyrate-oxidizing bacteria (SBOB) is limited due to the difficulty in isolation of pure cultures. In this study, two anaerobic chemostats fed with butyrate as the sole carbon source were operated at different dilution rates (0.01/day and 0.05/day). Butyrate- and acetate-oxidizing bacteria in both chemostats were investigated, combining DNA-Stable Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP) and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that, in addition to known SBOB, Syntrophomonas, other species of unclassified Syntrophomonadaceae were putative butyrate-oxidizing bacteria. Species of Mesotoga, Aminivibrio, Acetivibrio, Desulfovibrio, Petrimonas, Sedimentibacter, unclassified Anaerolineae, unclassified Synergistaceae, unclassified Spirochaetaceae, and unclassified bacteria may contribute to acetate oxidation from butyrate metabolism. Among them, the ability of butyrate oxidation was unclear for species of Sedimentibacter, unclassified Synergistaceae, unclassified Spirochaetaceae, and unclassified bacteria. These results suggested that more unknown species participated in the degradation of butyrate. However, the corresponding function and pathway for butyrate or acetate oxidization of these labeled species need to be further investigated.

In anaerobic digestion, propionate is a key intermediate whose degradation is thermodynamically challenging and accumulation is detrimental to the process. Many wastewater streams contain antibiotics due to its globally increasing use, and these compounds can inhibit methane production. However, the effect of antibiotics on propionate degradation in anaerobic digestion remains unclear. In this study, the influence of two antibiotics (chlortetracycline [CTC] and enrofloxacin [EFX]) on biogas production and mesophilic propionate-degrading microbial community was investigated. CTC strongly repressed propionate oxidation, acetate utilization, and methane production, while EFX only inhibited propionate oxidation and methane production to a lesser extent. Microbial community analyses showed that syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria (SPOB) Syntrophobacter had strong tolerance to both CTC and EFX. CTC inhibition mainly acted on the activity of acetate-oxidizing bacteria (Mesotoga, Geovibrio, Tepidanaerobacter, unclassified Bacteroidetes, and unclassified Clostridia) and acetoclastic methanogen, while EFX inhibition applied to the SPOB Smithella and acetoclastic methanogen. Network analysis further indicated that more complicated correlation among bacterial genera occurred in CTC treatments. These results suggested that CTC and EFX inhibited propionate degradation via different mechanisms, which was the result of joint action by antibiotics and microbial interactions.

The shelf life of foods is usually limited due to the frequent contamination by pests and microorganisms. Although low risk of pathogen contamination and no growth potential compared to those in high water activity animal- or vegetal-derived products, the low-moisture food has still significantly contributed to the total number of foodborne infections and outbreaks. Radio frequency (RF) treatments can be classified as a dielectric heating, which is a promising technology for achieving effective food pasteurization and disinfestations because of the associated rapid and volumetric heating with large penetration depth. The RF technique could be applied at low-moisture food as both the dipole dispersion and ionic conductivity may play effective roles. It can selectively heat and kill the microorganisms/pests without damaging the agricultural product because of the large difference of dielectric loss factors between target microorganisms/pests and host foods. In this article, the low-moisture foods sterilized and disinfested by RF energy are reviewed through basic theories, dielectric properties, heating effect, and uniformity. The potential research directions for further RF heating applications are finally recommended in low-moisture foods.

Based on the large number of deaths of lamprey larvae infected by pathogens in the culture process, the infection response of lamprey larvae to different pathogens was studied. Thus, high-throughput sequencing is firstly used to analyze the lamprey larvae infected by Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrosplendidus, and Saprolegnia parasitica. A high quality of 338,628,426 Reads were obtained and 203,829 transcripts were assembled. A total of 158,001 Unigenes were annotated by Blast comparison, and a relatively comprehensive transcriptome database of lamprey larvae was established. Based on the transcriptome of lamprey larvae infected by three aquatic pathogens, classification results of COG and GO show that the genes classified into signal transduction mechanism accounted for the largest proportion, and 2316 differentially expressed genes were identified and screened out. After infection by the three pathogens, 16 genes and 19 genes expression were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. KEGG pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed that lamprey larvae were mainly affected their metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation pathways after infection by two gram-negative bacteria, Vibrosplendidus and Aeromonas hydrophila. As a fungus, Saprolegnia parasitica mainly affected ribosome synthesis in lamprey larvae. The results were validated by detecting the expression levels of 13 DEGs at 24 h after pathogens treatment using Q-PCR. The results provide valuable information for further research into the development of immunity and the innate immune response against pathogen invasion during the artificial propagation of lamprey larvae., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An additive manufacturing technology based on projection light, digital light processing (DLP), three-dimensional (3D) printing, has been widely applied in the field of medical products production and development. The precision projection light, reflected by a digital micromirror device of million pixels instead of one focused point, provides this technology both printing accuracy and printing speed. In particular, this printing technology provides a relatively mild condition to cells due to its non-direct contact. This review introduces the DLP-based 3D printing technology and its applications in medicine, including precise medical devices, functionalized artificial tissues, and specific drug delivery systems. The products are particularly discussed for their significance in medicine. This review indicates that the DLP-based 3D printing technology provides a potential tool for biological research and clinical medicine. While, it is faced to the challenges of scale-up of its usage and waiting period of regulatory approval., Competing Interests: No conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (Copyright: © 2020 Zhang, et al.)

Propionate is one of the most important intermediates of anaerobic fermentation. Its oxidation performed by syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria coupled with hydrogenotrophic methanogens is considered to be a rate-limiting step for methane production. However, the current understanding of SPOB is limited due to the difficulty of pure culture isolation. In the present study, two anaerobic chemostats fed with propionate as the sole carbon source were operated at different dilution rates (0.05 d -1 and 0.15 d -1 ). The propionate- and acetate-oxidizing bacteria in the two methanogenic chemostats were investigated combining DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. The results of DNA-SIP with 13 C-propionate/acetate suggested that, Smithella, Syntrophobacter, Cryptanaerobacter, and unclassified Rhodospirillaceae may be putative propionate-oxidizing bacteria; unclassified Spirochaetaceae, unclassified Synergistaceae, unclassified Elusimicrobia, Mesotoga, and Gracilibacter may contribute to acetate oxidation; unclassified Syntrophaceae and Syntrophomonas may be butyrate oxidizers. By DNA-SIP, unclassified OTUs with 16S rRNA gene abundance higher than 62% of total Bacteria in the PL chemostat and 38% in the PH chemostat were revealed to be related to the degradation of propionate. These results suggest that a variety of uncultured bacteria contribute to propionate degradation during anaerobic digestion. The functions and metabolic characteristics of these bacteria require further investigation.

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells provide essential help to B cells in germinal center (GC) reactions. Bcl6 is the obligatory lineage transcription factor in Tfh cells. Here, we examined the molecular pathways that induce Bcl6 gene expression and underscore Bcl6-dependent function during Tfh cell commitment. Integration of genome-wide Bcl6 occupancy in Tfh cells and differential gene expression analyses suggested an important role for the transcription factor Tox2 in Tfh cell differentiation. Ectopic expression of Tox2 was sufficient to drive Bcl6 expression and Tfh development. In genome-wide ChIP-seq analyses, Tox2-bound loci associated with Tfh cell differentiation and function, including Bcl6. Tox2 binding was associated with increased chromatin accessibility at these sites, as measured by ATAC-seq. Tox2 -/- mice exhibited defective Tfh differentiation, and inhibition of both Tox2 and the related transcription factor Tox abolished Tfh differentiation. Thus, a Tox2-Bcl6 axis establishes a transcriptional feed-forward loop that promotes the Tfh program., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Studies have shown that the use of proangiogenic genes can improve the prognosis of ischemic stroke by promoting angiogenesis at the injury site. For example, within this study, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF-1α) has exhibited an angiogenic effect. Our previous study reported a more stable HIF-1α mutant form (HIF-1α-AA), which was transfected into mesenchymal stem cells to provide neuroprotective effects against ischemic stroke. The safety of nonviral gene vectors has attracted researchers' attention. This study encapsulated the HIF-1α-AA plasmid DNA into a newly synthesized effective nonviral gene vector, a hyperbranched cationic amylopectin derivative (DMAPA-Amyp) nanocarrier. In addition, a targeting strategy was applied to select the RGD peptides and bind to the designed nanocarrier as a molecule targeting endothelial cells. The targeting strategy is used to directly deliver the nanocarriers to the vascular endothelial cells of the brain peri-infarct site. This study emphasizes the targeting ability of nanocarrier and its therapeutic effect on cerebral ischemia. The results showed that RGD-DMAPA-Amyp had good biocompatibility and a high cell uptake rate, indicating that it is a safe nonviral gene vector that can be endocytosed by human cells. In rat models of ischemic stroke, compared with the nontargeted nanocarrier group, more RGD-DMAPA-Amyp nanoparticles aggregated in vascular endothelial cells of the peri-infarct region and significantly improved the recovery of neurological function. It is indicated that the RGD-modified nanomedicine promotes the recovery of nerve function more efficiently. Further study on the mechanism of RGD-DMAPA-Amyp/HIF-1α-AA in the treatment of cerebral ischemia displayed potential to significantly promote the formation of new blood vessels in vivo. Our findings suggest that the RGD-modified nonviral gene vector containing HIF-1α-AA appears to be a safe and promising therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke gene therapy.

A heterologous xylose utilization pathway, either xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase (XR-XDH) or xylose isomerase (XI), is usually introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae to construct a xylose-fermenting strain for lignocellulosic ethanol production. To investigate the molecular basis underlying the effect of different xylose utilization pathways on the xylose metabolism and ethanol fermentation, transcriptomes of flocculating industrial strains with the same genetic background harboring different xylose utilization pathways were studied. A different source of xylA did not obviously affect the change of the strains transcriptome, but compared with the XR-XDH strain, several key genes in the central carbon pathway were downregulated in the XI strains, suggesting a lower carbon flow to ethanol. The carbon starvation caused by lower xylose metabolism in XI strains further influenced the stress response and cell metabolism of amino acid, nucleobase, and vitamin. Besides, the downregulated genes mostly included those involved in mitotic cell cycle and the cell division-related process. Moreover, the transcriptomes analysis indicated that the after integrate xylA in the δ region, the DNA and chromosome stability and cell wall integrity of the strains were affected to some extent. The aim of this was to provide some reference for constructing efficient xylose-fermenting strains.

We report here a novel light-triggered nanosystem based on co-assembling nanoaggregates (NAs) of lipophilic photosensitizers and lipophilic prodrugs containing multiple thioethers. Upon laser irradiation, the oxidization of the multiple thioethers by photosensitizer-generated singlet oxygen could rapidly destroy the NA structure, resulting in faster drug release than those containing a single thioether.

Collagen membranes are widely used in guided bone regeneration (GBR) because of their good biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. As a bioderived collagen membrane, small intestinal submucosa (SIS) has good regenerative potential for soft tissue repair, but it lacks sufficient mechanical properties for GBR application unless properly modifided. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a natural cross-linking agent featuring osteoinductive activity. In this study, we modified SIS by EGCG cross-linking, and such modified materials were characterized both in vitro and in vivo . The results showed that EGCG cross-linking significantly improved the mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of SIS while maintaing good cytocompatibility. Compared to SIS, EGCG-cross-linked SIS (E-SIS) enhanced the adhesion of fibroblasts and preosteoblasts and promoted the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the materials. In a rat cranial defect model, E-SIS material showed better occlusion effect than SIS material. Most importantly, E-SIS material accelerated bone regeneration more than SIS material and even a commercially available GBR membrane. Taken together, we conclude that E-SIS is a promising material as a GBR membrane.

Combination of chemotherapeutics and immunomodulators can generate synergistic anticancer efficacy, exerting efficient chemoimmunotherapy for cancer treatment. Nanoparticulate delivery systems hold great promise to promote synergistic anticancer efficacy for the codelivery of drugs. However, there remain challenges to precisely coencapsulate and deliver combinational drugs at designed ratios due to the difference of compatibility between drugs and nanocarriers. In this study, coassembled nanoparticles of lipophilic prodrugs (LPs) were designed to codeliver chemotherapeutics and immunomodulators for cancer treatment. Such nanoassemblies (NAs) could act as platforms to ratiometrically coencapsulate chemotherapeutics and immunomodulators. Based on this method, NAs formed by the self-assembly of iRGD peptide derivatives, paclitaxel (PTX) LPs, and imiquimod (R837) LPs were demonstrated to target the tumor at unified pharmacokinetics, further inducing the effective tumor inhibition and tumor recurrence prevention. This work provided an alternative to prepare chemoimmunotherapeutic NAs with advantages of ratiometric drug coencapsulation and unified pharmacokinetics, which may advance the future cancer chemoimmunotherapy.

Syntrophic oxidization of acetate and propionate are both critical steps of methanogenesis during thermophilic anaerobic digestion. However, knowledge on syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria (SAOB) and syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria (SPOB) is limited because of the difficulty in pure culture isolation due to symbiotic relationship. In this study, two thermophilic acetate-fed anaerobic chemostats, ATL (dilution rate of 0.025 day -1 ) and ATH (0.05 day -1 ) and one thermophilic propionate-fed anaerobic chemostat PTL (0.025 day -1 ) were constructed, AOB and POB in these chemostats were studied via microbial community analysis and DNA stable-isotope probing (SIP). The results showed that, in addition to Tepidanaerobacter, a known SAOB, species of Thauera, Thermodesulfovibrio, Anaerobaculum, Ruminiclostridium, Comamonas, and uncultured bacteria belonging to Lentimicrobiaceae, o_MBA03, Thermoanaerobacteraceae, Anaerolineaceae, Clostridiales, and Ruminococcaceae were determined to be potential AOB in chemostats. Pelotomaculum was the key SPOB detected in the propionate-fed chemostat. Based on the intense fluorescence of coenzyme F 420 , majority of Methanosarcina cells in acetate-fed chemostats were involved in hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, suggesting the existence of highly active SAOB among the detected AOB. In the propionate-fed chemostat, most of the species detected as AOB were similar to those detected in the acetate-fed chemostats, suggesting the contribution of the syntrophic acetate oxidization pathway for methane generation. These results revealed the existence of previously unknown AOB with high diversity in thermophilic chemostats and suggested that methanogenesis from acetate via the syntrophic oxidization pathway is relevant for thermophilic anaerobic digestion.

Based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, polarizing microscope (POM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, strategies to close the gap on applying conventional processing optimizations for the field of 3D printing and to specifically increase the mechanical performance of extrusion-based additive manufacturing of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) filaments by annealing and/or blending with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were reported. For filament printing at 210 °C, the PLA crystallinity increased significantly upon annealing. Specifically, for 2 h of annealing at 100 °C, the fracture surface became sufficiently coarse such that the PLA notched impact strength increased significantly (15 kJ m -2 ). The Vicat softening temperature (VST) increased to 160 °C, starting from an annealing time of 0.5 h. Similar increases in VST were obtained by blending with PHB (20 wt.%) at a lower printing temperature of 190 °C due to crystallization control. For the blend, the strain at break increased due to the presence of a second phase, with annealing only relevant for enhancing the modulus.

Nanoassemblies (NAs) of small-molecule lipophilic prodrugs have been widely investigated for efficient drug delivery in cancer therapy, but their kinetic stability has not attracted sufficient attention in the past studies. Herein, we reported that kinetic stability has a great influence on the drug release from the NAs of lipophilic prodrugs in physiologically relevant media. Based on the co-assembled FRET nanosystems of two lipophilic fluorescent prodrugs, we demonstrated that NAs constructed by lipophilic prodrugs containing shorter alkyl chains or those with higher unsaturated degrees displayed poorer kinetic stability, which further resulted in remarkably faster drug release in mouse plasma and various tissue homogenates. More importantly, these kinetically unstable NAs also induced rapid intracellular drug release, resulting in much more potent cytotoxicity. These findings highlight the crucial role of kinetic stability in determining the drug release from the NAs of lipophilic prodrugs, which would effectively guide their rational designs for cancer therapy.

Propionate is a crucial intermediate during methane fermentation. Investigating the effects of different kinds of inhibitors on the propionate-degrading microbial community is necessary to develop countermeasures for improving process stability. In the present study, under inhibitory conditions (acetate, propionate, sulfide, and ammonium addition), the dynamic changes of the propionate-degrading microbial community from a mesophilic chemostat fed with propionate as the sole carbon source were investigated using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA. Sulfide and/or ammonia inhibited specific species in the microbial community. Compared with Syntrophobacter, Smithella was more resistant to inhibition by sulfide and/or ammonia. However, Syntrophobacter demonstrated greater tolerance than Smithella under acid inhibition conditions. Some genera that had close phylogenetic relationships and similar functions showed similar responses to different inhibitors.

Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are a large protein family that is involved in various physiological processes and is known to regulate innate immunity pathways. However, research for the functional study of serpins in lamprey is limited. In the present study, a serpin gene was cloned and characterized from Lampetra japonica at molecular, protein and cellular levels, named L-serpin which belongs to family F serine protease inhibitors (serpin family). The L-serpin includes a serpin domain in the N-terminus. The mRNA transcript of L-serpin was extensively expressed in kidney, supraneural body, intestine, liver, heart, gill and the highest expression in leukocytes. The mRNA expression level of L-serpin increased significantly after Vibrio anguillarum, Staphylocccus aureus and Poly I:C stimulation and dramatically peak at 8 h. It is demonstrated that the L-serpin protected cells from lethal Gram-negative endotoxemia through associating with inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered cell death and inflammatory factors expression. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and the microbe binding assay were used to determine that L-serpin interacts directly with LPS (KD = 6.14 × 10 -7  M). Furthermore, we confirmed L-serpin is a major inhibitor of complement activation by inactivating lamprey-C1q protein (KD = 2.06 × 10 -6  M). Taken together, these findings suggest that L-serpin is a endogenous anti-inflammatory factor to defend against Gram-negative bacterial challenge and involved in lamprey innate immunity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Telomere length maintenance is essential for cell proliferation, which is particularly prominent in cancer. We validate that the primary colorectal tumors exhibit heterogeneous telomere lengths but mostly (90%) short telomeres relative to normal tissues. Intriguingly, relatively short telomeres are associated with tumor malignancy as indicated by poorly differentiated state, and these tumors contain more cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) identified by several commonly used markers CD44, EPHB2 or LGR5. Moreover, promyelocytic leukemia (PML) and ALT-associated PML nuclear bodies (APBs) are frequently found in tumors with short telomeres and high proliferation. In contrast, distant normal tissues rarely or only minimally express PML. Inhibition of PML and APBs by an ATR inhibitor decreases proliferation of CSLCs and organoids, suggesting a potential therapeutic target to progressive colorectal tumors. Together, telomere maintenance underling tumor progression is connected with CSLCs., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Injectable hydrogels possess huge potential as localized drug carriers in breast cancer chemotherapy, owing to several advantages, including easy target administration, enhanced therapeutic efficiency, and less systemic side effects. Herein, we describe an injectable, near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive click cross-linked azobenzene hydrogel (AzoGel) that displays NIR irradiation-mediated smart drug release. The hydrogel can be formed in situ via click cross-linking by mixing two kinds of gelatin derivatives functioned with dibenzylcyclooctyne (DBCO) and azidated azobenzene (N₃-Azo) respectively. The polyacrylic acid (PAA)-coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP@PAA)-encapsulated AzoGel has NIR light-responsive characteristics owing to the photoisomerization of azobenzene in the networks. The amount of an anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), released from the hydrogel can be efficiently controlled by tuning the exposure time and intensity of 980 nm NIR light. Results of the in vivo study using DOX and UCNP@PAA-loaded AzoGel controlled by NIR light in the 4T1 breast cancer xenograft mouse model demonstrated an enhanced anti-cancer effect. To conclude, the injectable, NIR light-responsive, click cross-linked AzoGel exhibits a high potential as a localized drug delivery platform for cancer therapy.

In order to investigate the varied effects of repeated annealing treatment (RANN) and continuous annealing treatment (CANN) on the structural, physicochemical, and digestibility properties of the sweet potato. The 75% starch-water suspensions were prepared and incubated at 65 °C for 8 cycles and 96 hr. The results exhibited that RANN and CANN did not influence the starch granules and polarization cross obviously. The crystal type of RANN and CANN starches still maintained A-type, while the relative crystallinity increased. The solubility, swelling power, peak viscosity and breakdown of RANN and CANN starches decreased, but the gelatinization transition temperatures, trough viscosity, final viscosity, setback, and pasting temperatures of starches increased after annealing treatments. Furthermore, RANN and CANN decreased the RS and RS + SDS contents with the increase of annealing cycles and time. The RANN was more effective in modification of the crystallinity, solubility, swelling power, pasting, gelatinization transition temperatures and enthalpy, and digestibility of starch before four times compared with the CANN ones. By and large, RANN may be a potential way for modification of structural, physicochemical and digestibility properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The described RANN and CANN starch provide new ideas for the study of modified starch. Furthermore, this study revealed the mechanism of annealing treatment and it was concluded that the repeated annealing treatment could provide a new potential way for the modification of starch., (© 2019 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and summarize clinical studies related to the fracture of zirconia abutments in implant treatments., Material and Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library searches were performed and complemented by manual searches from database inception to February 11, 2018, for title and abstract analysis., Results: Initially, 645 articles were obtained through database searches. Fifty-three articles were selected for full-text analysis, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The selected studies were analyzed regarding fracture rate, abutment-implant connection, time point of fracture, location of critical crack, causes, managements, and preventive measures with respect to zirconia abutment fracture., Conclusions: Lower fracture rates were reported for internal connection with metal component (2-piece) zirconia abutments compared with external and internal full-zirconia connection (one-piece) zirconia abutments. Overpreparation and overload should be avoided in case of zirconia abutments.

The study was undertaken to reveal the effects of freeze-thaw cycles at different freeze temperature (-20 °C, -40 °C and -80 °C) and the number of freeze-thaw cycles (3, 6, 12, 18, 24 times) on physicochemical and structural properties of waxy corn starch. The number of pores on the surface of starch granules increased, but there was no significant (P < 0.05) effect on molecular weight, transparency, freeze-thaw stability and the crystal structure of starch after repeated freeze-thaw cycle. But the crystallinity intensity decreased after freeze-thaw cycles treatment and a tiny decrease in onset, peak, conclusion temperature and gelatinization enthalpy were found. The RVA analysis exhibited an increase in gelatinization temperatures and a decrease in breakdown and setback value after freeze-thaw treatment, which manifested an increase in the aging and heat resistance of waxy corn starch paste. However, there was no statistical (P < 0.05) difference between different freeze temperatures at the same number of freeze-thaw cycle on physicochemical and structural properties of starch. The obtained data could be helpful in evaluation of the repeated freeze-thaw treatment of waxy corn starch-based foodstuffs and providing the theoretical basic for revealing the effect of repeated freeze-thaw processes in manufacture applications., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Angiosperms have evolved the metabolic capacity to synthesize p -hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl (G), and syringyl (S) lignin subunits in their cell walls to better adapt to the harsh terrestrial environment. The structural characteristics of lignin subunits are essentially determined by three cytochrome P450-catalzyed reactions. NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR) is commonly regarded as the electron carrier for P450-catalyzed reactions during monolignol biosynthesis. Here, we show that cytochrome b 5 isoform D (CB5D) is an indispensable electron shuttle protein specific for S-lignin biosynthesis. Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) CB5D localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and physically associates with monolignol P450 enzymes. Disrupting CB5D in Arabidopsis resulted in a >60% reduction in S-lignin subunit levels but no impairment in G-lignin formation compared with the wild type, which sharply contrasts with the impaired G- and S-lignin synthesis observed after disrupting ATR2 , encoding Arabidopsis CPR. The defective S-lignin synthesis in cb5d mutants was rescued by the expression of the gene encoding CB5D but not with mutant CB5D devoid of its electron shuttle properties. Disrupting ATR2 suppressed the catalytic activity of both cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase and ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H), but eliminating CB5D specifically depleted the latter's activity. Therefore, CB5D functions as an obligate electron shuttle intermediate that specifically augments F5H-catalyzed reactions, thereby controlling S-lignin biosynthesis., (© 2019 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.)

Background: In previous research, we found that lamprey immune protein (LIP) possessed cytocidal activity against tumor cells, but the mechanism of the selective recognition and killing of tumor cells by LIP was not identified., Methods: Superresolution microscopy, crystallographic structural analysis, glycan chip assay, SPR experiments, FACS assays, computational studies and mass spectrometric analysis firmly establish the mode of action of LIP, which involves dual selective recognition and efficient binding., Results: We determined the overall crystallographic structure of LIP at a resolution of 2.25 Å. LIP exhibits an elongated structure with dimensions of 105 Å × 30 Å × 30 Å containing an N-terminal lectin module and a C-terminal aerolysin module. Moreover, the Phe 209 -Gly 232 region is predicted to insert into the lipid bilayer to form a transmembrane β-barrel, in which the hydrophobic residues face the lipid bilayer, and the polar residues constitute the hydrophilic lumen of the pore. We found that LIP is able to kill various human cancer cells with minimal effects on normal cells. Notably, by coupling biochemical and computational studies, we propose a hypothetical mechanism that involves dual selective recognition and efficient binding dependent on both N-linked glycans on GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) and sphingomyelin (SM) in lipid rafts. Furthermore, specific binding of the lectin module with biantennary bisialylated nonfucosylated N-glycan or sialyl Lewis X-containing glycan structures on GPI-APs triggers substantial conformational changes in the aerolysin module, which interacts with SM, ultimately resulting in the formation of a membrane-bound oligomer in lipid rafts., Conclusions: LIP holds great potential for the application of a marine protein towards targeted cancer therapy and early diagnosis in humans.

Clearance of bacteria-secreted toxins can be a benefit to treating bacterial infections. In this study, we show a polydiacetylene (PDA) nanoparticle-functionalized microgel for managing topical bacterial infections. These functional microgels with designed shapes and size are precisely fabricated via a digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D bioprinting process. The PDA nanoparticles that can bind and neutralize pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are installed in the microgels by readily mixing within the monomer solution followed by 3D printing. PFTs can diffuse into the microgels and subsequently are captured and neutralized by the PDA nanoparticles. In the mouse model, the local injection of the microgels promotes tissue recovery after bacterial infections. This work presents a PDA nanoparticle-functionalized microgel for topical bacterial infection treatments by removing PFTs, which could inspire future infection treatments.

The influence of repeated and continuous dry heat treatments on structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of sweet potato starch was investigated. The results showed that the original A-type crystallinity of sweet potato starch remained unchanged after dry heat treatments. The light transmittance, gelatinization temperature, and pasting temperature of sweet potato starch increased; while the pasting viscosities, swelling power, and solubility decreased after dry heat treatments. Relative crystallinity, solubility, swelling power, light transmittance, and thermal parameter values (T o , T p , T c , ΔT) were found to be significantly higher for the continuous dry heat (CDH) treated starch than those of the repeated dry heat (RDH) treated starch after treatment for the same duration. However, CDH treated starch samples showed lower paste viscosity and digestibility than those of RDH treated samples after treatment for the same duration. In addition, the CDH treatment highly influenced the structure of starch granule surface compared with the RDH treatment. Generally, it can be concluded that RDH treatment highly influenced structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of sweet potato starch compared with CDH treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

β-dicalcium silicate (β-C 2 S) minerals were prepared. The compositions, microstructures, and distributions of the carbonation products of hardened β-C 2 S paste were revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and backscattered electron (BSE) image analysis. The results show that a dense hardened paste of β-C 2 S can be obtained after 24 h of carbonation curing. The hardened pastes are composed of pores, silica gel, calcium carbonate, and unreacted dicalcium silicate, with relative volume fractions of 1.3%, 42.1%, 44.9%, and 11.7%, respectively. The unreacted dicalcium silicate is encapsulated with a silica gel rim, and the pores between the original dicalcium silicate particles are filled with calcium carbonate. The sufficient carbonation products that rapidly formed during the carbonation curing process, forming a dense microstructure, are responsible for the carbonation hardening of the β-C 2 S mineral.

Nerve conduits provide an advanced tool for repairing the injured peripheral nerve that often causes disability and mortality. Currently, the efficiency of conduits in repairing peripheral nerve is unsatisfying. Here, we show a functional nanoparticle-enhanced nerve conduit for promoting the regeneration of peripheral nerves. This conduit, which consists of gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels with drug loaded poly(ethylene glycol)- poly(3-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL) nanoparticles dispersed in the hydrogel matrix, is rapidly fabricated by a continuous three-dimensional (3D) printing process. While the 3D-printed hydrogel conduit with customized size, shape and structure provides a physical microenvironment for axonal elongation, the nanoparticles sustained release the drug to facilitate the nerve regeneration. The drug, 4-((5,10-dimethyl-6-oxo-6,10-dihydro-5H-pyrimido[5,4-b]thieno[3,2-e][1,4]diazepin-2-yl)amino) benzenesulfonamide, is a Hippo pathway inhibitor with multiple functions including improving the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells and up-regulating neurotrophic factors genes. The descried functional nerve conduit efficiently induced the recovery of sciatic injuries in morphology, histopathology and functions in vivo, showing the potential clinical application in peripheral nerve repair. STATEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Functional nerve conduit provides a promising strategy alternative to autografts. In this work, we rapidly customized a nanoparticle-enhanced conduit by the continuous bioprinting process. This nanoparticle in the conduit can release a Hippo pathway inhibitor to facilitate the nerve regeneration and function restoration. The efficacy of the conduits is comparable to that of autograft, suggesting the potential clinical applications., (Copyright © 2019 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Peperomin E is a natural secolignan existing distributed in the plants of the genus Peperomia . Previous investigations demonstrated that peperomin E showed potential antitumor activity in some cancer lines, but it is unclear whether peperomin E has an effect on prostate cancer cell lines. The aim of the present study is to investigate its effects on proliferation inhibition, apoptosis-inducing and cell-cycle arrest activity using a prostate cancer PC-3 cell line. The proliferation inhibition was evaluated by MTT assay, apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining and Hoechst 33258 staining, cell cycle distributions were measured by flow cytometry, and western blot analysis was used to determine specific cellular apoptotic protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3 and cleaved-caspase-3. According to the results of this study, peperomin E exhibited significant anti-proliferation activity on PC-3 cell lines in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Peperomin E treatments lead to marked morphological changes. Apoptotic cell count and cell-cycle distribution at G2/M phase significantly increased with increasing concentrations of peperomin E. The down-regulated expression level of Bcl-2 and up-regulated expression level of Bax and cleaved-caspase-3 compared with the controls were also observed after peperomin E treatment. These data suggest that peperomin E exhibited proliferation inhabitation, apoptosis-inducing and cell-cycle arrest activity on PC-3 cell lines. The anti-proliferation effect of peperomin E on PC-3 cells should result partly from its cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis-inducing activity, whereas the increasing of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and activation of caspases-3 play an important role in the development of apoptosis.

Injectable microgels show great promising applications in cell therapy and drug delivery. Currently, there remains a challenge to rapidly and cost-effectively fabricate customized microgels. Here, we present a digital light processing based three-dimensional (3D) printing process to fabricate microgels with tailored shapes and sizes. The microgels are constructed by the digital light controlled polymerization of photopolymerizable monomer solution within 2 s. By mixing nanoparticle-encapsulated drugs into the monomer solution, the microgels with sustained drug release can be readily prepared. Also, cells can be printed into microgels with survival and proliferation. In conclusion, this study provides a 3D printing process for customizing functional microgels containing drugs or cells with potential therapeutic applications.

Statement of Problem: An assessment of the evidence for the antagonist enamel wear of tooth-supported monolithic zirconia posterior crowns is lacking., Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and summarize clinical studies related to the antagonist enamel wear of tooth-supported monolithic zirconia posterior crowns., Material and Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library searches were performed and complemented by manual searches from database inception to December 25, 2017, for title and abstract analysis., Results: Initially, 198 articles were obtained through database searches. Twenty-one articles were selected for full-text analysis, and 5 studies met the inclusion criteria. Because of the heterogeneity in design, surface treatment, measurement methods, and wear parameters, a meta-analysis was not possible. The selected studies were analyzed regarding the antagonist natural enamel wear of zirconia, measurement methods, and surface treatment. The results of the antagonist enamel wear varied widely, which made comparing them scientifically with absolute values difficult., Conclusions: This review indicated that the antagonist enamel wear of zirconia was similar to or more than that of natural teeth but less than that of metal-ceramics. Additional properly designed, longer follow-up clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the antagonist enamel wear of monolithic zirconia crowns in vivo., (Copyright © 2018 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Person re-identification (re-id) is a critical problem in video analytics applications such as security and surveillance. The public release of several datasets and code for vision algorithms has facilitated rapid progress in this area over the last few years. However, directly comparing re-id algorithms reported in the literature has become difficult since a wide variety of features, experimental protocols, and evaluation metrics are employed. In order to address this need, we present an extensive review and performance evaluation of single- and multi-shot re-id algorithms. The experimental protocol incorporates the most recent advances in both feature extraction and metric learning. To ensure a fair comparison, all of the approaches were implemented using a unified code library that includes 11 feature extraction algorithms and 22 metric learning and ranking techniques. All approaches were evaluated using a new large-scale dataset that closely mimics a real-world problem setting, in addition to 16 other publicly available datasets: VIPeR, GRID, CAVIAR, DukeMTMC4ReID, 3DPeS, PRID, V47, WARD, SAIVT-SoftBio, CUHK01, CHUK02, CUHK03, RAiD, iLIDSVID, HDA+, and Market1501. The evaluation codebase and results will be made publicly available for community use.

The body wall of the sea cucumber is an important tissue with high nutritional value. In this study, the parents of Apostichopus japonicus were derived from Russia (R) and China (C). We examined the transcriptional profiles in the body wall from F1 hybrids (CR and RC) and purebreds (CC and RR) at 9 months. In total, 34.07 G clean data were obtained from the transcriptome, 100,870 unigenes were identified, and 26,483 unigenes were annotated. Based on edgeR, 1097-4,587differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. In total, 50.72 M clean data were obtained from the small RNA libraries, and 202 miRNAs were identified, including 7 known miRNAs and 195 novel miRNAs. In total, 175 miRNAs were identified as significantly differentially expressed miRNAs (diffmRNAs). Additionally, 3538 target genes were predicted, and 2243 genes were annotated in NR, COG, GO and KEGG. Furthermore, the relationships between the small RNAs and transcripts were identified, and the novel miRNA functions were predicted by integrating the small RNAs and transcriptome. According to the saponins content, RR was lower than other lines. DEGs involved in the biosynthesis of saponins were identified, including 23 DEGs involved in glycosyl, 21 DEGs involved in P450s, 5 DEGs involved in transferases and 15 DEGs involved in OSCs, from these, gdp-l-fucose, fucTcpa2 and cyp17A1 may affect the differences in the saponins development of the body wall in RR purebreds. In addition, miRNA&#95;11347 and miRNA&#95;32095 was associated in saponins. Our study provides fundamental information regarding the molecular mechanism of the heterosis of the sea cucumber and may suggest strategies for the selection of rapidly growing and highly nutritive strains of sea cucumber in aquaculture., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Object: The purpose of our study was to assess the prognostic role of early D-dimer level in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS)., Methods: The included patients' D-dimer levels have to be tested within 24 hours from stroke onset. Poor functional outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≥3. The endpoints included recurrence on 5-day diffusion-weighted imaging, 30-day mRS ≥3, 30-day mortality and 90-day mRS ≥3. Regarding to each endpoint, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the prognostic role of D-dimer in patients with AIS., Results: A total of 2,479 patients were included. The results showed that elevated D-dimer levels were associated with recurrence on 5-day diffusion-weighted imaging (OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.32-3.95), 30-day mRS≥3 (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.37-1.85), 30-day mortality (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.27-2.90) and 90-day mRS≥3 (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.05-2.46)., Conclusions: In conclusion, for patients with AIS, higher D-dimer level within 24 hours from stroke onset was associated with recurrence on 5-day diffusion-weighted imaging, mortality at 30 days, and poor functional outcome at both 30 days and 90 days. However, more studies are warranted to clarify this issue., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Previously, it was demonstrated that serum levels of tumor markers, CEA and CA19-9, correlated with chemotherapy. Consequently, it has been hypothesized that dynamic monitoring of changes in these markers may predict the shrinkage or growth of colorectal cancers. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed CEA and CA19-9 serum levels in patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received cetuximab in combination with chemotherapy. These levels were evaluated at various time points to identify their potential to serve as early efficacy predictors during treatment and early predictors of disease progression., Patients and Methods: Measurements of tumor markers, CEA and CA 19-9, in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer ( n = 73) who received cetuximab plus folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin or irinotecan (FOLFOX4/FOLFIRI) as a first-line treatment at our center were retrospectively analyzed. These levels were also compared with objective responses according to the World Health Organization criteria. Initially, 65 patients had elevated CEA levels (>5 ng/ml), and 59 patients had elevated levels of CA19-9 (>37 U/ml). A total of 172 cycles and 165 cycles of computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging observations were available for review from these two patient groups., Results: After completing three cycles of treatment, the best diagnosis of cetuximab resistance was achieved when CEA increased by 35% (efficacy, 83.33%; sensitivity, 75.41%) and when CA19-9 increased by 28% (efficacy, 80.00%; sensitivity, 84.31%). Next, the efficacy of cetuximab at the time of diagnosis (at the first imaging examination/after three cycles of treatment) was evaluated after the first cycle of chemotherapy. When CEA decreased by 60% from its baseline level, the best effective rate and sensitivity were observed (63.64% and 80.95%, respectively). Similarly, when CA19-9 was 45% lower than its baseline level, the best effective rate and sensitivity were observed (84.21% and 93.18%, respectively). To evaluate progression-free survival (PFS), levels of both CEA and CA19-9 were evaluated after the third cycle of chemotherapy. Increases of 35% and 28%, respectively, resulted in a shorter PFS period compared with the other patients (3.15 months vs. 9.10 months, respectively; P < 0.0001). Conversely, when the evaluation was performed after the first cycle of chemotherapy, patients exhibiting a 60% decrease in CEA and a 45% decrease in CA19-9 had a longer PFS period (11.13 months vs. 8.10 months, respectively; P = 0.0395)., Conclusions: CEA and CA19-9 are useful indicators of therapeutic curative effect from cetuximab combined with first-line chemotherapy. These markers also helped assess cetuximab resistance and served as early predictors of initial treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, a simultaneous increase or decrease in the levels of both indicators was consistent with the observed differences in PFS.

Gene therapy is emerging as a promising tool for cancer treatment. Down-regulation of survivin gene can lead to the cancer inhibition. However, the lack of efficient and safe gene delivery system is still a critical obstacle to clinical gene therapy. In this study, we use a biodegradable nanoparticle to deliver human survivin-T34A ( T34A ) to dominant-negatively regulate survivin gene for ovarian cancer therapy. This nanoparticle, self-assembled from monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D,L-lactide) (MPEG-PLA) copolymer and N -[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy) propyl]- N , N , N -trimethylammonium chloride (DOTAP), has high transfection capability and negligible cytotoxicity. The nanoparticle-delivered T34A gene can efficiently inhibit the growth of SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells through induction of apoptosis in vitro . After intraperitoneal injection, the nanoparticle-delivered T34A gene significantly inhibited the growth of intraperitoneal metastasis of SKOV3 ovarian cancer, with no obvious adverse effects. Our data suggest that the nanoparticle-delivered T34A gene has promising clinical applications in ovarian cancer treatment.

Despite sprouted grains have high nutritional and functional properties, their exploration in mung bean and application in traditional foods are limited. The effects of germination of mung bean for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h on compositional, physicochemical and functional properties of its flour were investigated. The effects of incorporation of germinated mung bean flour at different levels (0, 10, 20 and 30%) on noodles making properties of wheat flour were evaluated 0. The protein content increased while the amylose increased initially and then decreased with increase in germination time. Water absorption index, oil binding capacity and water retention capacity increased, while water soluble index initially increased and then decreased. The germinated mung bean flour became darker with increase in germination time. The protein bound to starch in noodlesed to increase in hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, resilience and cooking time of noodles. Additionally, the water absorption, cooking loss, adhesiveness and springiness of raw noodles and springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness of cooked noodles decreased with the addition of germinated flour., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standardsThe authors declare no conflict of interest.

Over the years, 3D printing technologies have transformed the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by providing a tool that enables unprecedented flexibility, speed, control, and precision over conventional manufacturing methods. As a result, there has been a growing body of research focused on the development of complex biomimetic tissues and organs produced via 3D printing to serve in various applications ranging from models for drug development to translational research and biological studies. With the eventual goal to produce functional tissues, an important feature in 3D printing is the ability to tune and modulate the microenvironment to better mimic in vivo conditions to improve tissue maturation and performance. This paper reviews various strategies and techniques employed in 3D printing from the perspective of achieving control over physical, chemical, and biological properties to provide a conducive microenvironment for the development of physiologically relevant tissues. We will also highlight the current limitations associated with attaining each of these properties in addition to introducing challenges that need to be addressed for advancing future 3D printing approaches.

Acetate is a significant intermediate of anaerobic fermentation. There are two pathways for converting acetate to CH 4 and CO 2 : acetoclastic methanogenesis by acetoclastic methanogens, and syntrophic acetate oxidation by acetate-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Detailed investigations of syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria (SAOB) should contribute to the elucidation of the microbial mechanisms of methanogenesis. In this study, we investigated the major phylogenetic groups of acetate-utilizing bacteria (AUB) in a mesophilic methanogenic chemostat fed with acetate as the sole carbon source by using DNA stable isotope probing (SIP) technology. The results indicated that acetoclastic methanogenesis and acetate oxidization/hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis coexisted in the mesophilic chemostat fed with acetate, operated at a dilution rate of 0.1 d -1 . OTU Ace13(9-17) (KU869530), Ace13(9-4) (KU667241), and Ace13(9-23) (KU667236), assigned to the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, were probably potential SAOB in the chemostat, which needs further investigation. Species in the phyla Proteobacteria, Deferribacteres, Acidobacteria, Spirochaetes and Actinobacteria were probably capable of utilizing acetate for their growth. Methanoculleus was likely to be the preferred hydrogenotrophic methanogen for syntrophy with AOB in the chemostat.

The altered morphology, amylose content, microstructure, viscosity and thermal properties of potato starch after heating by radio frequency (RF) and microwaves (MW) were studied and contrasted with the native potato starch. The results showed that the MW treatment roughens the starch surface and lowers the amylose content of the starch, even more than the RF-treated starch does. The starch granule size of MW treated was larger than RF treated. RF treatment altered the structure and reduced the crystallinity of the starch, but the MW treatment did not affect the crystal form. The gelatinization temperature of the MW-treated starch was higher than the native potato starch, while the RF-treated starch was lower than the native starch. The results also indicated that the peak viscosity and the breakdown viscosity values of the RF-treated starch consistently surpassed that of the MW-treated starch. The results exposed the facts that RF treated starch showed the same trend on crystal and pasting properties compared with the hot water annealing starches, which suggested RF can be an efficient method for starch annealing., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two lipophilic fluorescent prodrugs co-assembled into nanoaggregates with the ability to release FRET-indicated drugs, which was used to investigate the role of reduction-responsive linkers on drug release kinetics in the cytoplasm and physiologically relevant media in a visualized, noninvasive manner.

Rationale: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a common disease resulting in end-stage renal disease. The incidence of FSGS is increasing in Western countries. The clinical manifestations include proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, oedema, and hypertension. Single-gene heritable mutations are considered to be the source of FSGS pathogenicity according to recent in-depth studies on the pathogenesis. Here, we first reported the case of a Chinese boy whose histology presented with FSGS caused by a compound heterozygous mutation., Patient Concerns: A 7-year-old Chinese boy was repeatedly admitted to our hospital for fever, cough, and proteinuria since he was 1.6 years old., Diagnoses: FSGS was identified by renal biopsy. Whole exome sequencing (WES) showed that a novel mutation of crumbs homolog 2 (CRB2) was identified in a Chinese boy with FSGS., Interventions: Patient was treated with low-dose corticosteroid and mycophenolate mofetil for maintenance therapy., Outcomes: At last follow-up, protein (+∼++) was observed in his urinalysis., Lessons: We identified a novel mutation of CRB2 in a Chinese boy with FSGS that had never been described in a previous report. These findings suggested that mutations in recessive disease genes are more frequent among early-onset disease.

Native potato starch was suspended in distilled water at starch: water ratio of 1:3 (w/v). The starch-water suspensions were then subjected to repeated annealing treatments (RANN) at 55 °C for 12 h, repeated for 8 cycles or continuous annealing treatments (CANN) at 55 °C for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The structural, physiochemical and digestive properties of the annealed starch samples were studied and compared with those of the native starch. The scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy analysis showed that the repeated and continuous annealing treatments could keep the integrity and surface perfection of the starch granules. The growth rings of the annealed starch granules were more distinct than those of the native starch granules as revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The crystallinity degree increased and the crystalline retained the B-type pattern after the annealing treatments. There were no chemical bonds and functional groups produced or disappeared during the applied annealing treatments. Infrared absorption peak intensity of starch decreased and short-range ordered structures increased after treatments. The swelling power and solubility decreased at low temperature (50 to 60 °C) and increased at relatively high temperature (70 to 90 °C). The rapid visco-analyzer and differential scanning calorimeter analysis revealed an increase in the setback, final viscosity, pasting temperature and gelatinization transition temperature, and a decrease in breakdown value of the starch after the annealing treatments. On the other hand, the repeated and continuous annealing treatments resulted in starch with low in vitro digestibility degree, indicating formation of resistant starch. Generally, the repeated annealing treatment resulted in starch with high improved properties compared with the starch resulted from the continuous annealing treatments. Therefore, the repeated annealing treatments can be suggested as an effective method for producing of modified starch for food industrial applications., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) play very important roles in the generation and conduction of action potential in the excitable cells. Recent studies have showed that VGSCs are also expressed in the macrophages and regulate a variety of biological functions, including phagocytosis, endosomal acidification, podosome formation, polarization, and antiviral responses, etc. This paper will review the roles of VGSCs in regulating the biological functions of macrophages and the underlying mechanisms, which would provide clues for the studies of the functions of VGSCs in the other immune cells.

We herein report two cases of Fanconi syndrome with refractory hypophosphatemic osteomalacia that was difficult to correct by phosphorus replacement therapy. The pathological result was a bony giant cell tumor and osteosarcoma, respectively. Interestingly, after resection of the tumors, the patient with osteosarcoma recovered completely but the patient with the bony giant cell tumor had a relapse. Although she underwent nine operations, her symptoms and laboratory tests did not improve. These findings indicate that Fanconi syndrome can result from a bone tumor.

3D bioprinting is emerging as a promising technology for fabricating complex tissue constructs with tailored biological components and mechanical properties. Recent advances have enabled scientists to precisely position materials and cells to build functional tissue models for in vitro drug screening and disease modeling. This review presents state-of-the-art 3D bioprinting techniques and discusses the choice of cell source and biomaterials for building functional tissue models that can be used for personalized drug screening and disease modeling. In particular, we focus on 3D-bioprinted liver models, cardiac tissues, vascularized constructs, and cancer models for their promising applications in medical research, drug discovery, toxicology, and other pre-clinical studies., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous studies have shown that lamprey buccal glands contain some regulators related to anticoagulation, nociception, and immune responses due to the blood sucking habit. Regrettably, the protein expression profile in the buccal glands of feeding lampreys has never been reported yet. The present study was performed in order to further identify more proteins which are closely associated with lamprey feeding process., Methods: 2D-PAGE, NanoLC-MS/MS with higher resolution, Ensembl lamprey and NCBI protein databases, as well as western blot was used to compare the proteomics of buccal gland secretion from China northeast lampreys ( Lampetra morii ) which had been fed for 0, 10, and 60 min, respectively., Results: In the present study, the number of identified protein species in the buccal glands of feeding groups (60 min) was increased significantly, nearly ten times of that in the fasting group. During the feeding stage, novel proteins emerged in the buccal gland secretion of lampreys. According to gene ontology (GO) analysis and function predictions, these proteins were summarized and discussed based on their potential roles during feeding process. Furthermore, some of the identified proteins were confirmed to express during the feeding time of lampreys., Conclusion: When lampreys attack host fishes to suck blood and flesh, their buccal glands could secrete enough proteins to suppress blood coagulation, nociception, oxidative stress, immune response, as well as other adverse effects encountered during their parasitic lives. The present study would provide clues to clarify the feeding mechanism of the bloodsucking lampreys., Competing Interests: The handling of lampreys was approved by the Animal Welfare and Research Ethics Committee of the Institute of Dalian Medical University (Permit number: SYK2004–0029).The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Metastasis is the primary cause of death for most cancer patients. Hematogenous arrest of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is an essential prerequisite for metastases formation. Using transparent transgenic zebrafish (kdrl:eGFP; Casper), together with resonant laser scanning confocal microscopy, we tracked the fate of CTCs in vivo in the blood circulation for days. We found the intra-capillary morphology-switch (ICMS) of individual CTCs from strip to sphere was necessary for their intravascular arrests. Further genetic and pharmacological inhibition experiments indicated that the RhoA signaling was necessary for ICMS and the arrest of CTCs. At last, we demonstrated that early treatment by a clinically approved RhoA/ROCK inhibitor, Fasudil, could efficiently inhibit the initial arrest of individual CTCs and reduce the incidence of tumor metastasis in both zebrafish and mouse models. These results together indicate that RhoA-stimulated ICMS represents a mechanism for the arrest of individual CTCs, providing a potential target for future treatments of hematogenous metastatic disease., (© 2017 UICC.)