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Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-tumor effect of purified Omphalia lapidescens protein (pPeOp) in gastric cancer. Microarray analysis was performed to find out differentially expressed genes in pPeOp-treated MC-4 gastric cancer cells. The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) three signaling pathway was most likely to be altered based on bioinformatics analysis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and NSC74859 were used as the agonist and inhibitor of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, respectively. Flow cytometry and MTS assay were used for cell proliferation and viability analysis in pPeOp-treated gastric cancer cell lines with IL-6 or NSC74859. The anti-tumor effect was increased when pPeOp were co-treated with IL-6, while decreased in inhibitor treatment. The expression of the crucial members in the pathway of MC-4 cells, including glycoprotein 130 (GP130), JAK1, JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, suppressor of cytokine signaling SOCS1 and SOCS3, was detected by western blotting. pPeOp exhibited promising anticancer effect in the xenograft nude mice model, established by STAT3 knock down gastric cancer cells.Thus, JAK/STAT3 inhibition partially contributed to the anticancer effect of pPeOp, which may serve as a novel strategy for gastric cancer.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1960385.

Rehabilitation is essential for post-stroke body function recovery. Supported by the mirror neuron theory, motor imagery (MI) has been proposed as a potential stroke therapy capable of facilitating the rehabilitation. However, it is often quite difficult to estimate the degree of the participation of patients during traditional MI training as well as difficult to evaluate the efficacy of MI based rehabilitation methods. The goal of this paper is to develop a virtual reality (VR) based MI training system combining electromyography (EMG) based real-time feedback for post-stroke rehabilitation, with the immersive scenario of the VR system providing a shooting basketball training for bilateral upper limbs. Through acquiring electroencephalography (EEG) signal, the brain activity in alpha and beta frequency bands was mapped and the correlation analysis could be achieved. Furthermore, EMG data of each patient was collected and calculated as threshold with root-mean-square algorithm for feedback of the performance score of the shooting basketball training in virtual environment. To investigate the feasibility of this newly-built rehabilitation training system, four experiments namely initial assessment experiment, motor imagery (MI), action observation (AO), and combined motor imagery and action observation (MI+AO) were carried out on stroke patients at different recovery stages. The result shows that MI+AO can generate more pronounced event-related desynchronization (ERD) in alpha band compared to other cases and induce relatively obvious ERD in beta band compared to AO, which demonstrates that VR-based observation has ability to facilitate MI training. Furthermore, it has been found that the muscle strength from MI+AO is the highest through the EMG analysis. This proves that the feedback of EMG can be used to quantify patient's training engagement and promote MI training at a certain extent. Hence, by incorporating such an EMG feedback, a VR-based MI training system has the potential to achieve higher efficacy for post-stroke rehabilitation.

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies globally, causing a tremendous social burden. Revealing causes and underlying molecular mechanisms and discovering molecular biomarkers for early diagnosis, prevention, and personalized treatment is critical.Methods: To identify the candidate genes in cancer progression, three microarray datasets were downloaded from the GEO database. GEO2R identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and DAVID performed functional enrichment analyses. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed, and hub gene selection was performed using STRING. GEPIA2 was used to explore the expression level change of 10 hub genes and perform the prognosis corresponding information. RT-qPCR and immunoblotting were performed to verify the expression level of TIMP1 in clinical tissues. Results: A total of 223 DEGs were identified. The enrichment analysis results showed that the functions of the differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in ion transport, protein degradation, mineral absorption, and cancer processes. In the PPI network, ten genes were identified as hub genes. Compared with normal tissues, the rest of the genes were significantly overexpressed apart from CXCL12. Survival analysis showed that TIMP1 was significantly correlated with the poor prognosis of CRC patients. RT-qPCR and immunoblotting showed TIMP1 up-regulated considerably in CRC tissues. Conclusions: In conclusion, for colorectal cancer, combined with the functional characteristics and the current statistical analysis results, TIMP1 is a very promising target for diagnosis and treatment.

Objectives The study aimed to examine the anti-diabetic effects of Gynura divaricata (GD) and the underlying mechanism. Methods Information about the chemical compositions of GD was obtained from extensive literature reports. Potential target genes were predicted using PharmMapper and analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). To validate the results from bioinformatics analyses, an aqueous extract of GD was administered to type 2 diabetic rats established by feeding a high-fat and high-sugar diet followed by STZ injection. Key proteins of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway were investigated by immunoblotting. Results The blood glucose of the rats in the GD treatment group was significantly reduced compared with the model group without treatment. GD also showed activities in reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (CREA). The levels of urine sugar (U-GLU) and urine creatinine (U-CREA) were also lowered after treatment with GD. Bioinformatics analysis showed that some pathways including metabolic pathways, insulin resistance, insulin signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, bile secretion, purine metabolism, etc. may be regulated by GD. Furthermore, GD significantly increased the protein expression levels of PKM1/2, p-AKT, PI3K p85, and GLUT4 in the rat liver. In addition, the expression levels of key proteins in the fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway including AMPK, p-AMPK, PPARα, and CPT1α were significantly upregulated. The anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2/BAX expression ratio in rats was significantly upregulated after GD intervention. These results were consistent with the bioinformatics analysis results. Conclusions Our study suggests that GD can exert hypoglycemic effects in vivo by regulating the genes at the key nodes of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway.

In this manuscript, we develop a 3D-printing based microfluidic device for light scattering imaging of single cells. A rapid fabrication method to make microfluidic device that enables 3D-hydrodynamic focusing by utilizing 3D printing technique is proposed. The focusing effect of the microfluidic cytometer was measured and shows the ability to confine the cells to flow near the center stream along the channel. Also, the standard beads with 9.51 μm in diameter were used to test the reliability of the device. The collected light scattering images are in good agreement with simulation results. We suggest that the 3D-printing based light scattering microfluidic device is in principle applicable for fast, label-free detection of single cells.

Background: Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-tumor effect of purified Omphalia lapidescens protein (pPeOp) in gastric cancer.Methods: Microarray analysis was performed to find out differentially expressed genes in pPeOp-treated MC-4 gastric cancer cells. The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 signaling pathway was most likely to be altered after bioinformatics analysis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and NSC74859 were used as the agonist and inhibitor of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, respectively. Flow cytometry and MTS assay were used for cell proliferation and viability analysis in pPeOp-treated gastric cell lines with IL-6 or NSC74859.Results: The anti-tumor effect was increased when pPeOp were co-treated with IL-6, while decreased in inhibitor treatment. The expression of the crucial members in the pathway of MC-4 cells, including glycoprotein 130 (GP130), JAK1, JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, suppressor of cytokine signaling SOCS1 and SOCS3, was investigated by western blotting.Conclusion: pPeOp exhibited promising anticancer effect in the xenograft nude mice model, established by STAT3 knock down gastric cancer cells. Thus, JAK/STAT3 inhibition partially contributed to the anticancer effect of pPeOp, which may serve as a novel strategy for gastric cancer.

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as the fourth major treatment modality for cancer in addition to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. There are various types of cancer immunotherapies that can be generally divided into five categories, namely vaccine immunotherapy, cytokine immunotherapy, checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy, and small molecule immunotherapy. In this review, we describe these therapeutic approaches along with their limitations. Since many immunotherapies rely on immunoadjuvants and nanoplatforms, we summarize different classes of immunoadjuvants used in cancer immunotherapies, including toll-like receptor agonists, plant-derived immunoadjuvants, aluminum salt adjuvants, and other immunoadjuvants. Finally, we provide an in-depth description of nanomaterial-based approaches for the combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy, phototherapy, radiotherapy, as well as other therapies.

We investigated 16 Japanese spotted fever cases that occurred in southeastern China during September-October 2015. Patients had fever, rash, eschar, and lymphadenopathy. We confirmed 9 diagnoses and obtained 2 isolates with high identity to Rickettsia japonica strain YH. R. japonica infection should be considered for febrile patients in China.

The detection of senescent cells becomes increasing important for tumor therapy and drug screening. Here a light sheet microfluidic cytometer with a disposable hydrodynamic focusing unit is developed for two dimensional (2D) light scattering measurements of single cells. The mixed polystyrene microspheres of 3.87 and 2.0 μm in diameter are successfully differentiated by our 2D light scattering microfluidic cytometer. The application of the 2D light scattering microfluidic cytometry for the label-free analysis of senescent cells without any labeling or staining is demonstrated by measurements of H2O2-treated U87 cells. Our light sheet-based 2D light scattering microfluidic cytometer is easy to assemble with a disposable hydrodynamic unit, which may find wild applications in clinics for label-free cell classification.

Boron-doped p-type diamond films were prepared by microwave-plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method. Transparent ZnS/diamond film heterojunction diodes were fabricated by depositing n-type ZnS films on the p-type diamond substrates using radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method for the first time. Current–voltage ( I–V ) characteristics of the devices were examined, and the results showed the distinct rectifying characteristics with a turn-on voltage of about 1.1 V. The diode possessed an optical transmission of 50–70% from 500 nm to 800 nm wavelength region.

The endophytic bacterium, MD-b1, was isolated from the medicinal plant Ophiopogon japonicas and identified as the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens sp. with 99% similarity based on the partial sequence analysis of 16S rDNA. Exopolysaccharides were extracted from the endophyte for the evaluation of its antitumor activity against gastric carcinoma cell lines (MC-4 and SGC-7901). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays and microscopy were performed to estimate the cell viability and morphological changes of the MC-4 and SGC-7901 cells following treatment with the exopolysaccharides at 14, 22 and 30 μg/μl. The results revealed that the exopolysaccharides displayed concentration-dependent inhibitory effects against the MC-4 and SGC-7901 cells, with an IC50 of 19.7 and 26.8 μg/μl, respectively. The exopolysaccharides also induced morphological abnormalities in the cells. These effects indicated the the exopolysaccharides had an antitumoral mechanism of action associated with the mitochondrial dysfunction of the treated cells. This is the first study to investigate the endophytic microorganism isolated from O. japonicas and also the first discovery of such antitumoral exopolysaccharides derived from the genus Bacillus. This provides a promising and reproducible natural product source with high therapeutic value for anticancer treatment, thereby facilitating the development of new anticancer agents.

Two-dimensional (2D) light scattering cytometry has been demonstrated as an effective label-free technology for cell analysis. Here we develop the light-sheet illumination in 2D light scattering static cytometry. In our cytometer, a cylindrical lens is used to form the light-sheet for better excitation of the static cells under an inverted microscope. The thickness of the light-sheet measured in fluorescent solution is about 13 μm. Two-dimensional light scattering patterns of standard microspheres and yeast cells are obtained by using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector via a low numerical aperture (NA 0.4) optical objective. The experimental patterns characterized with fringe structures agree well with Mie theory simulated ones. Our results suggest that the light-sheet illumination is an effective excitation method for 2D light scattering label-free cytometry.

Label-free microfluidic cytometry is of increasing interest for single cell analysis due to its advantages of high-throughput, miniaturization, as well as noninvasive detection. Here we develop a next generation label-free light-sheet microfluidic cytometer for single cell analysis by two-dimensional (2D) light scattering measurements. Our cytometer integrates light sheet illumination with a disposable hydrodynamic focusing unit, which can achieve 3D hydrodynamic focusing of a sample fluid to a diameter of 19 micrometer without microfabrication. This integration also improves the signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the acquisition of 2D light scattering patterns from label-free cells. Particle sizing with submicron resolution is achieved by our light-sheet flow cytometer, where Euclidean distance-based similarity measures are performed. Label-free, automatic classification of senescent and normal cells is achieved with a high accuracy rate by incorporating our light-sheet flow cytometry with support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Our light-sheet microfluidic cytometry with a microfabrication-free hydrodynamic focusing unit may find wide applications for automatic and label-free clinical diagnosis.

A light-sheet-based 2D light scattering cytometer is developed for label-free characterization of senescent cells. The light-sheet provides an illumination beam with controlled thickness for single cell excitation, and 2D light scattering patterns are obtained by using a defocused imaging method. The principle of this cytometer is validated by distinguishing microspheres with submicron resolution. Automatic classification of senescent and normal cells is achieved at single cell level by using the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, where a sensitivity of 89.1% and a specificity of 96.4% are obtained. Our results suggest that the light-sheet-based 2D light scattering label-free cytometry has the capability to perform size differentiation of beads with submicron resolution and to classify different groups of cells without fluorescent labeling, showing the potential for clinical diagnosis of senescence-related diseases.

To study the tissue culture technique of Liriope spicata.The tender stem segments with roots as explants were cultured on various media with different kinds of hormones, a lot of bud clusters were induced and grew into seedlings.A great quantity of whole aseptic seedlings can be formed quickly by the tender stem segments on the media.