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Plant height is one of the key agronomic traits for improving the yield of sweet potato. Phytohormones, especially gibberellins (GAs), are crucial to regulate plant height. The enzyme 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is the key enzyme for abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis signalling in higher plants. However, its role in regulating plant height has not been reported to date. Here, we cloned a new NCED gene, IbNCED1, from the sweet potato cultivar Jishu26. This gene encoded the 587-amino acid polypeptide containing an NCED superfamily domain. The expression level of IbNCED1 was highest in the stem and the old tissues in the in vitro-grown and field-grown Jishu26, respectively. The expression of IbNCED1 was induced by ABA and GA3. Overexpression of IbNCED1 promoted the accumulation of ABA and inhibited the content of active GA3 and plant height and affected the expression levels of genes involved in the GA metabolic pathway. Exogenous application of GA3 could rescue the dwarf phenotype. In conclusion, we suggest that IbNCED1 regulates plant height and development by controlling the ABA and GA signalling pathways in transgenic sweet potato.

Background. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as potential blood-based biomarkers and involved carcinogenesis for various cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods. In the present study, microarray was used to screen 2,549 miRNAs in serum samples (7 LUAD and 7 healthy samples). qRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of miRNA in serum samples from 30 LUAD and 30 normal individuals. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was performed to evaluate diagnostic capability of miR-625-3p. Cell counting kit-8 assay (CCK-8) and Transwell assays were used to explore cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Bioinformatics prediction was applied in the search for the target genes of miR-625-3p. qRT-PCR, western blot and dual luciferase assay were used to validate the target gene of miR-625-3p. A xenograft tumor model was established to evaluate cell proliferation in vivo. Results. MiR-625-3p was the most increased miRNA expressed in LUAD serum samples according to microarray analysis, which was verified in an independent serum sample, as well as in tissues based on TCGA database. And serum miR-625-3p provided a high diagnostic accuracy of LUAD (AUC=0.790, 95%CI:0.6640-0.9152). Functionally, miR-625-3p promoted LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, we identified KLF9 as an essential direct target of miR-625-3p, miR-625-3p promoted cell proliferation and metastasis of LUAD by targeting KLF9. Conclusions. Our study identified that miR-625-3p plays an oncogenic role in LUAD, which promoted proliferation and migration through targeting KLF9. MiR-625-3p might be a potential novel diagnostic biomarker and target for LUAD therapy.

Jiao Su,1 Yifei Fang,1 Yang Meng,1 Chunling Zhao,1 Yanjun Liu,1 Linge Sun,1 Mengge Wang,1 Liping Dai,2 Songyun Ouyang1 1Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People’s Republic of China; 2Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Songyun OuyangDepartment of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 371-6629 5091Email ouyangsy@163.comBackground: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and/or gastroesophageal reflux (GER) may be the contributors to chronic cough in patients with OSA and concomitant GER. This study aimed to explore whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), antireflux treatment and lifestyle modifications improve chronic cough in patients with OSA and concomitant GER.Methods: Patients with OSA and concomitant GER who also experienced chronic cough were enrolled, and were divided into two groups. Patients who were treated with general treatment (antireflux treatment and lifestyle modifications) as the control group, and patients who were treated with CPAP and general treatment as the treatment group. Effects of different treatments on chronic cough were assessed, and the association among chronic cough, GER and OSA was evaluated by Pearson’s correlation analysis.Results: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were better in the treatment group after 1 week of treatment; further, the improvement became stronger with the duration of therapy. The gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire, visual analog scale (VAS) for cough, and daytime and nighttime cough symptom scores significantly improved in both groups after treatment, whereas this improvement was more significant in the treatment group. Significant associations between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and VAS, weak acid reflux and VAS, and weak acid reflux and AHI were observed.Conclusion: CPAP improved the symptoms of chronic cough and GER in patients with OSA and concomitant GER. AHI and weak acid reflux may be important factors affecting the therapeutic effect of chronic cough in patients with OSA and concomitant GER.Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux, chronic cough, continuous positive airway pressure

The present study used a novel mouse model with proximal tubule-specific knockout of AT 1a receptors in the kidney, PT- Agtr1a −/− , to test the hypothesis that intratubular Ang II (angiotensin II) and AT 1a receptors in the proximal tubules are required for maintaining normal blood pressure and the development of Ang II–induced hypertension. Twenty-six groups (n=6–15 per group) of adult male wild-type, global Agtr1a −/− , and PT- Agtr1a −/− mice were infused with Ang II (1.5 mg/kg per day, IP), or overexpressed an intracellular Ang II fusion protein in the proximal tubules for 2 weeks. Basal telemetry blood pressure were ≈15±3 mm Hg lower in PT- Agtr1a −/− than wild-type mice and ≈13±3 mm Hg higher than Agtr1a −/− mice ( P P + reabsorption was lower in PT- Agtr1a −/− mice ( P 1a receptors in the proximal tubules augmented the pressure-natriuresis response ( P P Agtr1a −/− and PT- Nhe3 −/− mice, but the pressor response was ≈16±2 mm Hg lower in PT- Agtr1a −/− and PT- Nhe3 −/− mice ( P 1a receptors or NHE3 (Na + /H + exchanger 3) in the proximal tubules attenuated ≈50% of Ang II–induced hypertension in wild-type mice ( P Agtr1a −/− mice ( P 1 (AT 1a )/NHE3 pathways in the proximal tubules in normal blood pressure control and the development of Ang II–induced hypertension.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequently occurring subtype of lymphoma. Unfortunately, the fundamental processes underlying the pathogenesis of DLBCL remain little understood. NThe mRNA and protein expression of Wilms tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis in lymphoma cells lines. The effects of WTAP expression on human lymphoma cells lines were assessed using cell proliferation assays, colony formation assays, and CCK8 assays. The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to screen candidate gene targets of WTAP. Finally, the regulatory mechanisms of WTAP in DLBCL were investigated using methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assays.This study investigated the precise function of WTAP in DLBCL formation. The results demonstrated that the levels of mIn conclusion, these findings demonstrated that WTAP promotes DLBCL development via modulation of m

Due to the significant role of dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are very common in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Nontraditional lipid indices are considered to be a better predictive index for cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, the association between nontraditional lipid profiles and the severity of OSA is not clear.A retrospective study was proceeded on 635 patients. Subjects were diagnosed with OSA through polysomnography (PSG). The association between severe OSA and nontraditional lipid profiles [triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-C ratio, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/HDL-C ratio, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), atherogenic index (AI), and lipoprotein combine index (LCI)] was examined by utilizing the restricted cubic spline and multivariate logistic regression analysis.All nontraditional lipid indices had positive relationships with the severity of OSA. By multivariable adjustment, the per SD increment of the TG/HDL-C, TC/ HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, non-HDL-C, AI, and LCI were significantly associated with 88%, 50%, 42%, 40%, 50%, and 125% higher risk for severe OSA respectively. Compared with the lowest tertiles, the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 2.42 (1.57-3.75), 2.39 (1.53-3.73), 2.35 (1.52-3.64), 1.86 (1.21-2.86), 2.39 (1.53-3.73), and 2.23 (1.43-3.48) for the top tertiles of TG/HDL-C, TC/ HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, non-HDL-C, AI, and LCI respectively.All nontraditional lipid indices had positive relationship with the severity of OSA. In addition, TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and AI had better performance than the other nontraditional lipid indices for predicting severe OSA. These findings could help to determine the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve the dyslipidemia management of OSA patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks on emergency patients in a resuscitation room in Nanning, China.A single-center cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary public hospital from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020, in Nanning, Guangxi, China. We collected the data of patients in the resuscitation room to investigate the number of patients accessing emergency services during the study period. Data in 2020 were compared to the data during the same period in 2019.The number of emergency patients in the resuscitation room during the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased in intrinsic diseases, extrinsic diseases, and pediatric cases, especially in the early stages of the pandemic. Additionally, the length of stay of emergency patients in the resuscitation room was reduced.The number of emergency patients in the resuscitation room during the pandemic of COVID-19 in 2020 was reduced compared to that in the same period in 2019 in Nanning, China. This situation shows a serious social problem, which should arouse the attention of the medical profession and the government.

Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) zinc-finger proteins (KRAB-ZFPs) are the largest transcriptional/transcription-regulatory factor family in mammalian cells. The amino-terminal KRAB domain, which recruits other transcription-regulating proteins, and the carboxyl-terminal C2H2 zinc-finger motifs, which bind to specific DNA sequences, are the typical structural characteristics of KRAB-ZFPs. Many KRAB-ZFPs are abnormally expressed in several cancer types and involved in many cancer-related signaling pathways and bioprocesses, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and metastasis. In this review, we summarize the protein structure and mechanisms involved in transcriptional regulation, and focus on multiple key signaling pathways regulated by KRAB-ZFPs, including the p53, Wnt/β-catenin, and NF-κB pathways, highlighting the oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles of KRAB-ZFPs in different cancers. We also discuss the mechanisms regulating KRAB-ZFP expression. The further elucidation of the oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles of KRAB-ZFPs and their targeting for multiple synergistic signaling pathways may be valuable for effective cancer therapy.

Background Intermittent hypoxia induces increased ventilatory responses in a 5-HT-dependent manner. This study aimed to explore that effect of raphe magnus serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A) receptor on the increased ventilatory responses induced by intermittent hypoxia. Methods Stereotaxic surgery was performed in adult male rats, and acute and chronic intermittent hypoxia models were established after recovery from surgery. The experimental group received microinjections of 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) into the raphe magnus nucleus (RMg). Meanwhile, the control group received microinjections of artificial cerebrospinal fluid instead of 8-OH-DPAT. Ventilatory responses were compared among the different groups of oxygen status. 5-HT expressions in the RMg region were assessed by immunohistochemistry after chronic intermittent hypoxia. Results Compared with the normoxia group, the acute intermittent hypoxia group exhibited higher ventilatory responses (e.g., shorter inspiratory time and higher tidal volume, frequency of breathing, minute ventilation, and mean inspiratory flow) (P 1A receptor in the RMg region alleviated this phenomenon. Conclusions The results indicate that RMg 5-HT1A receptor, via changing the expression level of 5-HT in the RMg region, is involved in the modulation of the increased ventilatory responses induced by intermittent hypoxia.

As one of the most important tumor suppressors, the activity of p53 is precisely regulated. However, the mechanism of p53 regulation is still being elucidated and new regulatory molecules for p53 have also been frequently identified. Our previous works revealed that two members of the KRAB zinc-finger protein (KZFP) family Apak and PISA, which are located on human 19q13.12, participated in the regulation of p53 signaling pathway. KZFPs genes are mainly amplified via tandem in situ duplication during evolution, which indicates that similar sequences and functions may be conserved in evolutionarily and physically close KZFPs. Here, we revealed that ZNF383, another member of the KZFPs mapped at 19q13.12, could inhibit p53-mediated apoptosis and the activation of IFN-β pathway by decreasing the H3K36me2 level at p53's binding sites and the attenuating the binding of p53 to its target genes. We further explored the effect of other KZFPs clustered on 19q13.12 on p53, and found that 85% of these KZFPs exerted p53-repressive activity. Intriguingly, an acidic amino acid-enriched sequence, the SAcL motif in the zinc-finger domains of these KZFPs, was found to be critical for p53 binding. Taken together, our findings revealed the KZFPs cluster located at 19q13.12 not only was involved in p53 regulation but also exhibited different features in the selective regulation of p53 and functional mechanisms, and for the first time, confirmed a motif in KZFPs that mediates the interaction of KZFPs and p53. These results would enrich the knowledge on the role, sequence features, and functional mechanisms of the KZFP family in p53 regulation.

Intermittent hypoxia induces increased ventilatory responses in a 5-HT-dependent manner. This study aimed to explore that effect of raphe magnus serotonin 1A receptor (5-HTStereotaxic surgery was performed in adult male rats, and acute and chronic intermittent hypoxia models were established after recovery from surgery. The experimental group received microinjections of 5-HTCompared with the normoxia group, the acute intermittent hypoxia group exhibited higher ventilatory responses (e.g., shorter inspiratory time and higher tidal volume, frequency of breathing, minute ventilation, and mean inspiratory flow) (P 0.05). 8-OH-DPAT microinjection partly weakened these changes in the acute intermittent hypoxia group. Further, compared with the acute intermittent hypoxia group, rats in chronic intermittent hypoxia group exhibited higher measures of ventilatory responses after 1 day of intermittent hypoxia (P 0.05). These effects peaked after 3 days of intermittent hypoxia treatment and then decreased gradually. Moreover, these changes were diminished in the experimental group. 5-HT expression in the RMg region increased after chronic intermittent hypoxia, which was consistent with the changing trend of ventilatory responses. While activation of the 5-HTThe results indicate that RMg 5-HT

Liver cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and poses a serious threat to human health. The most important treatment method, liver cancer chemotherapy, is limited due to its high toxicity and poor specificity. Targeted drug delivery systems have emerged as novel therapeutic strategies that deliver precise, substantial drug doses to target sites via targeting vectors and enhance the therapeutic efficacy. In the present study, glycyrrhetinic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (GA-HA) was used as a carrier for the model drug docetaxel (DTX) to prepare DTX-loaded GA-HA nanoparticles (DTX/GA-HA-NPs). The results indicated that the DTX/GA-HA-NPs exhibited high monodispersity (particle dispersity index, 0.209±0.116) and desirable particle size (208.73±5.0 nm) and zeta potential (-27.83±3.14 mV). The drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of the NPs were 12.59±0.68 and 85.38±4.62%, respectively. Furthermore, it was determined that FITC-GA-HA was taken up by cells and distributed in the cytoplasm. DTX and DTX/GA-HA (just the DTX delivered by the nanoparticle) aggregated and altered the structure of cellular microtubules. Compared with DTX alone, DTX/GA-HA-NPs had a stronger inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HepG2 cells. All experimental results indicated that DTX/GA-HA-NPs were successfully prepared and had liver-targeting and antitumor activities in vitro, which provided a foundation for future in vivo studies of the antitumor effects of DTX/GA-HA-NPs.

Chunling Zhao,1,* Jingjia Mo,2,* Xiaowen Zheng,1 Zimeng Wu,1 Qian Li,1 Jihua Feng,1 Jiefeng Luo,1 Junyu Lu,3 Jianfeng Zhang1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530007, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530007, People’s Republic of China; 3Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530007, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Junyu Lu; Jianfeng ZhangThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 166 Daxuedong Road, Nanning, Guangxi, 530007, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +867713277166Fax +867713277285Email junyulu@gxmu.edu.cn; drzhangjf@163.comPurpose: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rapidly progressive diffuse lung injury that is characterized by high mortality and acute onset. The pathological mechanisms of ARDS are still unclear. But alveolar macrophages have been shown to play an important role in inflammatory responses during ARDS. We aimed to find the biomarkers for ARDS for early diagnosis, to give ARDS patients timely treatment.Methods: Gene expression profiles were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and screened for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The common upregulated genes in all the datasets were defined as circulating ARDS alveolar macrophage-related genes (cARDSAMGs). We performed a functional enrichment analysis to explore potential biological functions of cARDSAMGs, and we built protein–protein interaction networks. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) was used to calculate the core gene set variation analysis (CGSVA) score for individual samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied on the CGSVA score to evaluate its ability for diagnosis of ARDS.Results: A total of 60 genes were upregulated in all ARDS datasets and were therefore denominated as cARDSAMGs. The cARDSAMGs were significantly involved in multiple inflammation-, immunity- and phagocytosis-related biological processes and pathways. In the protein–protein interaction network associated with host responses to ADRS, eight genes were identified as a core gene set: PTCRA, JAG1, C1QB, ADAM17, C1QA, MMP9, VSIG4 and TNFAIP3. ROC curve analysis showed that the CGSVA score may be considered as a biomarker for ARDS: it was significantly higher in patients with ARDS than those in healthy in both alveolar lavage fluid and whole blood.Conclusion: The ARDS alveolar macrophage-related CGSVA score may be useful as a biomarker for ARDS.Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome, lung injury, gene expression omnibus, differentially expressed genes

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Despite the development of technologies over decades to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, the survival rate remains dismal, mainly because most patients are diagnosed at a late stage. Traditional treatment methods and biomarkers such as cancer antigen-125 as a cancer screening tool lack specificity and cannot offer personalized combinatorial therapy schemes. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for ovarian cancer and can be detected using a noninvasive liquid biopsy. A wide variety of ctDNA applications are being elucidated in multiple studies for tracking ovarian carcinoma during diagnostic and prognostic evaluations of patients and are being integrated into clinical trials to evaluate the disease. Furthermore, ctDNA analysis may be used in combination with multiple “omic” techniques to analyze proteins, epigenetics, RNA, nucleosomes, exosomes, and associated immune markers to promote early detection. However, several technical and biological hurdles impede the application of ctDNA analysis. Certain intrinsic features of ctDNA that may enhance its utility as a biomarker are problematic for its detection, including ctDNA lengths, copy number variations, and methylation. Before the development of ctDNA assays for integration in the clinic, such issues are required to be resolved since these assays have substantial potential as a test for cancer screening. This review focuses on studies concerning the potential clinical applications of ctDNA in ovarian cancer diagnosis and discusses our perspective on the clinical research aimed to treat this daunting form of cancer.

There has been controversy regarding folate- and vitamin B12-deficient diet (FVD)-induced hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) associated with breast cancer risk in most published epidemiological studies. Thus, the present study designed experiments to assess the causal association between FVD-induced HHcy and mammary tumor risk, as well as to identify the relative underlying mechanism. In this study, mammary tumor development was examined in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ErbB2) mice fed with a control AIN-93G diet or a FVD diet. MMTV-ErbB2 mice fed with the FVD diet displayed elevated blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, a shorter tumor latency and an increased tumor multiplicity compared with the controls. The expression levels of key markers in the receptor tyrosine kinase and estrogen receptor (ER) signaling pathways, including phosphorylated (p)-Akt, p-Erk, p-ERα and Cyclin D1, were elevated in mammary tissues from MMTV-ErbB2 mice fed the FVD diet compared with mice fed with control diet. These data suggested that FVD-induced HHcy may promote mammary tumor development and decrease tumor latency, possibly by activating the epidermal growth factor receptor/ErbB2 and ERα signaling pathways. Therefore, examining the signaling mechanisms and identifying the relative metabolic pathways underlying mammary tumor promotion following FVD-induced HHcy may provide a novel strategy for breast cancer prevention and treatment.

This paper analyzes the requirements of improving the efficiency of human-machine interaction in civil aircraft cockpit, identifies the disadvantages of human-machine interaction efficiency and cognition in aircraft cockpit that has used touch screen, and analyzes the interactive characteristics of touch screen in operation. Based on the concept of safety, efficient and comfortable control, this paper expounds the development demand and trend of touch control of civil aircraft cockpit in future. Finally, for the purpose of ensuring control safety and improving control efficiency, an integrated design of touch control and information display based on the synoptic page is proposed, so as to realize the requirements of efficient cognition and convenient control, improve the touch usability, reduce the workload and human errors for pilot.

This paper reviews the main achievements of the civil aviation flight technology, summarizes the main contradictions and development bottlenecks of civil aviation flight operation. In view of these issues, this paper discusses the civil aviation transportation system, civil aircraft, and airborne system, to research and inferring the possible direction of the future development of civil aviation flight technology. Finally, considering the current major contradictions, the level of aviation industry and the current situation of civil aviation development, the transition period of development that need be undergoing and the required basic technology in future flight technology process are proposed. The future technology route or technology concept discussed in the paper can be used as a reference for the medium and long-term Pre-research of civil aviation, and the basic technology that must be sorted out for the future development can be used as the key point of current research.

IntroductionOvarian cancer (OC) frequently occurs in postmenopausal women and it has higher mortality rate. Accumulating researches proved that long non-coding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) involved in the progression of chemoresistance in human OC. Here, the study aimed to investigate the partial molecular mechanism of OC chemoresistance.Material and methodsThe levels of NEAT1 and microRNA-320b (miR-320b) were measured by qRT-PCR. Western blot was carried out to determine the protein levels that used in this research. Cell viability was identified via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Transwell assay was employed to determine migration and invasion. The relationship between miR-320b and NEAT1 or MSI2 was clarified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull down assay. Also, a murine xenograft assay was used to explore the effect of NEAT1 on cisplatin resistance in OC in vivo.ResultsThe level of NEAT1 was significantly increased in cisplatin resistant OC cell lines. Downregulation of NEAT1 enhanced cisplatin sensibility in OVCAR-3/DDP and HEY/DDP cells. Furthermore, miR-320b was a target of NEAT1, and the effects of knockdown of NEAT1 on the cell viability, IC50 of cisplatin, migration and invasion in OVCAR-3/DDP and HEY/DDP were restored by the inhibitor of miR-320. In addition, miR-320b directly targeted MSI2 to regulate cisplatin sensibility in cisplatin resistant OC cells. In addition, downregulation of NEAT1 decreased cisplatin resistance in OC in vivo.ConclusionsNEAT1 regulated cisplatin resistance through NEAT1/miR-320b/MSI2 axis in OC, which might offer a novel therapy target for the chemotherapy of OC.

The present study used a novel mouse model with proximal tubule-specific knockout of AT(1a) receptors in the kidney, PT-Agtr1a(−/−), to test the hypothesis that intratubular angiotensin II (Ang II) and AT(1a) receptors in the proximal tubules are required for maintaining normal blood pressure and the development of Ang II-induced hypertension. Twenty-six groups (n=6–15 per group) of adult male wild-type, global Agtr1a(−/−), and PT-Agtr1a(−/−) mice were infused with Ang II (1.5 mg/kg/day, i.p.), or overexpressed an intracellular Ang II fusion protein in the proximal tubules for 2 weeks. Basal telemetry blood pressure were ~15 ± 3 mmHg lower in PT-Agtr1a(−/−) than wild-type mice and ~13 ± 3 mmHg higher than Agtr1a(−/−) mice (P

In the course of the selective laser melting (SLM) process, the part is built layer by layer involving partial remelting/heating of the previous layer, called as intrinsic heat treatment. Therefore, superficial properties of as-built parts are somewhat different from that of the inside of the part. In this work, the nano-tribological behavior of the commercial pure Ti (CP-Ti) sample built using SLM was investigated considering the near-surface regions with focus on the effect of intrinsic heat treatment. Microstructure and nano-testing allow identifying specific sliding behaviors in three attitude regions: (I) surface (0–50 µm), (II) subsurface (50–200 µm), and (III) inner-part (below 200 µm). The average hardness drops slightly when moving from Regions I and II (3.35 GPa) to Region III (3.09 GPa). The coefficient of friction (COF) values vary from 0.18 to 0.45 for all three regions, and the Region III presents highest worn trace width of 5.8 μm. Regions I and III promote a stick-and-slip behavior while sliding is smooth and continuous in Region II. This gradient microstructural characterization enables associating the behavior of Region II to large-sized lath martensite α′ morphology, which is different from the Regions I and III with finer microstructure. A finite element analysis (FEA) thermal model suggests that the existence of the three identified regions is the consequence of the intrinsic heat treatment induced by the SLM process, in which the remelting/heating and recrystallization have been considered as the main reasons for microstructure coarsening and refinement between Regions I and II, Regions II and III, respectively.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common malignancy in China and globally, is primarily treated through surgical resection and liver transplantation, with chemotherapy as a significant synergistic option. Adenine (Ade), a nucleobase, exhibits antitumor effects by blocking human hepatic carcinoma cells in S phase and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. However, its use is limited owing to its low solubility, poor targeting ability, and nephrotoxicity. Therefore, liver-targeting drug delivery systems have attracted considerable attention for the treatment of HCC. In this study, we explored the liver-targeting efficacy and antitumor effect of adenine-loaded glycyrrhetinic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (Ade/GA-HA) nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. The GA-HA nanoparticles possessed obvious targeting specificity toward liver cancer cells, which was mainly achieved by the specific binding of the GA ligand to the GA receptor that was highly expressed on the liver cell membrane. In vitro and in vivo results showed that Ade/GA-HA nanoparticles could inhibit liver cancer cell proliferation and migration, promote apoptosis, and significantly inhibit the growth of tumor tissues. Altogether, this study is the first to successfully demonstrate that the targeting activity and antitumor effect of Ade against HCC are enhanced by using GA-HA nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo.

The aim of this study was to explore the potential value of autoantibody to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the diagnosis of lung cancer (LC) and its relation with EGFR mutations. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the level of autoantibody to EGFR in sera from 254 LC patients and 222 normal controls (NCs). Besides, the mRNA and protein levels of EGFR were investigated in Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database, respectively. The level of autoantibody to EGFR (anti-EGFR) in LC even different types of LC was obviously higher than that in NC (P0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of anti-EGFR was 0.695 (95% CI 0.645-0.742) when comparing LC patients with NC, while the AUC of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was 0.681 (95% CI 0.629-0.730). Moreover, by integrating anti-EGFR with CEA to diagnose LC, the AUC was up to 0.784 (95% CI 0.737-0.826). However, the expression level of autoantibody to EGFR had no difference between LC patients with and without EGFR gene mutation (P0.05). EGFR mRNA expression level was obviously upregulated in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues compared with normal tissues (P0.05), but not in adenocarcinoma (ADC) (P0.05). The study confirmed that anti-EGFR could be a potential biomarker for LC diagnosis; additionally, it could improve the diagnostic value of CEA in clinical work.

Objective We aim to systematically review the clinical characteristics of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Methods Seven datebases were searched to collect studies about the clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 from 1 January 2020 to 28 February 2020. Then, meta‐analysis was performed by using Stata12.0 software. Results A total of 38 studies involving 3 062 COVID‐19 patients were included. Meta‐analysis showed that a higher proportion of infected patients were male (56.9%). The incidence rate of respiratory failure or ARDS was 19.5% and the fatality rate was 5.5%. Fever (80.4%), fatigue (46%), cough (63.1%) and expectoration (41.8%) were the most common clinical manifestations. Other common symptoms included muscle soreness (33%), anorexia (38.8%), chest tightness (35.7%), shortness of breath (35%), dyspnea (33.9%). Minor symptoms included nausea and vomiting (10.2%), diarrhea (12.9%), headache (15.4%), pharyngalgia(13.1%), shivering (10.9%) and abdominal pain (4.4%). Patients with asymptomatic was 11.9%. Normal leukocytes counts (69.7%), lymphopenia (56.5%), elevated C‐reactive protein levels (73.6%), elevated ESR (65.6%) and oxygenation index decreased (63.6%) were observed in most patients. About 37.2% of patients with elevated D‐dimer, 25.9% of patients with leukopenia, along with abnormal levels of liver function (29%) and renal function (25.5%). Other findings included leukocytosis (12.6%) and elevated procalcitonin (17.5%). Only 25.8% of patients had lesions involving single lung and 75.7% of patients had lesions involving bilateral lungs. Conclusions The most commonly experienced symptoms of COVID‐19 patients were fever, fatigue, cough and expectoration. A relatively small percentage of patients were asymptomatic. Most patients showed normal leucocytes counts, lymphopenia, elevated levels of C‐reactive protein and ESR. Bilateral lungs involvement was common. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.