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Although tumor-infiltrating T cells hold a beneficial prognostic role in colorectal cancer, other lymphocytic populations are less characterized. We developed a multiplexed immunofluorescence assay coupled with digital image analysis and machine learning to identify natural killer (NK) cells (NCAM1+CD3−), natural killer T-like (NKT-like) cells (NCAM1+CD3+), and T cells (NCAM1−CD3+) within the PTPRC+ (CD45+) cell population and to measure their granzyme B (GZMB; cytotoxicity marker) and FCGR3A (CD16a; NK-cell maturity marker) expression. We evaluated immune cell densities and spatial configuration in 907 incident colorectal carcinoma cases within two prospective cohort studies. We found that T cells were approximately 100 times more abundant than NK and NKT-like cells. Overall, NK cells showed high GZMB expression and were located closer to tumor cells than T and NKT-like cells. In T and NKT-like cells, GZMB expression was enriched in cells in closer proximity to tumor cells. Higher densities of both T and NKT-like cells associated with longer cancer-specific survival, independent of potential confounders (Ptrend < 0.0007). Higher stromal GZMB+ and FCGR3A+ NK-cell densities associated with longer cancer-specific survival (Ptrend < 0.003). For T and NKT-like cells, greater proximity to tumor cells associated with longer cancer-specific survival (Ptrend < 0.0001). These findings indicate that cytotoxic NCAM1+CD3−GZMB+ NK cells and NCAM1+CD3+ NKT-like cells are relatively rare lymphocytic populations within the colorectal cancer microenvironment and show distinct spatial configuration and associations with patient outcome. The results highlight the utility of a quantitative multimarker assay for in situ, single-cell immune biomarker evaluation and underscore the importance of spatial context for tumor microenvironment characterization.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease driven by inflammation and demyelination in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. Optic neuritis, characterized by inflammation and demyelination of the optic nerve, is a symptom in many patients with MS. The optic nerve is the highway for visual information transmitted from the retina to the brain. It contains axons from the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) that reside in the retina, myelin forming oligodendrocytes and resident microglia and astrocytes. Inflammation, demyelination, and axonal degeneration are also present in the optic nerve of mice subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a preclinical mouse model of MS. Monitoring the optic nerve in EAE is a useful strategy to study the presentation and progression of pathology in the visual system; however, current approaches have relied on sectioning, staining and manual quantification. Further, information regarding the spatial load of lesions and inflammation is dependent on the area of sectioning. To better characterize cellular pathology in the EAE model, we employed a tissue clearing and 3D immunolabelling and imaging protocol to observe patterns of immune cell infiltration and activation throughout the optic nerve. Increased density of TOPRO staining for nuclei captured immune cell infiltration and Iba1 immunostaining was employed to monitor microglia and macrophages. Axonal degeneration was monitored by neurofilament immunolabelling to reveal axonal swellings throughout the optic nerve. In parallel, we developed a convolutional neural network with a UNet architecture (CNN-UNet) called BlebNet for automated identification and quantification of axonal swellings in whole mount optic nerves. Together this constitutes a toolkit for 3-dimensional immunostaining to monitor general optic nerve pathology and fast automated quantification of axonal defects that could also be adapted to monitor axonal degeneration and inflammation in other neurodegenerative disease models.

Background Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the main supportive diseases of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children. The management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for pediatric CHD faces more severe challenges due to the complex anatomical structure of the heart, special pathophysiology, perioperative complications and various concomitant malformations. The survival rate of ECMO for CHD was significantly lower than other classifications of diseases according to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database. This expert consensus aims to improve the survival rate and reduce the morbidity of this patient population by standardizing the clinical strategy. Methods The editing group of this consensus gathered 11 well-known experts in pediatric cardiac surgery and ECMO field in China to develop clinical recommendations formulated on the basis of existing evidences and expert opinions. Results The primary concern of ECMO management in the perioperative period of CHD are patient selection, cannulation strategy, pump flow/ventilator parameters/vasoactive drug dosage setting, anticoagulation management, residual lesion screening, fluid and wound management and weaning or transition strategy. Prevention and treatment of complications of bleeding, thromboembolism and brain injury are emphatically discussed here. Special conditions of ECMO management related to the cardiovascular anatomy, haemodynamics and the surgical procedures of common complex CHD should be considered. Conclusions The consensus could provide a reference for patient selection, management and risk identification of perioperative ECMO in children with CHD.

Given previous biological evidence of immunomodulatory effects of coffee, we hypothesized that the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival differs by immune responses. Using a molecular pathological epidemiology database of 4,465 incident colorectal cancer cases, including 1,262 cases with molecular data, in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, we examined the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival in strata of levels of histopathologic lymphocytic reaction and T-cell infiltrates in tumor tissue. We did not observe a significant association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality [multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84-1.03]. Although statistical significance was not reached at the stringent level (α=0.005), the association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality differed by Crohn's-like lymphoid reaction (P(interaction)=.007). Coffee intake was associated with lower colorectal cancer-specific mortality in patients with high Crohn's-like reaction (multivariable HR for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37–0.81; P(trend)=.002), but not in patients with intermediate Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.72–1.44) or negative/low Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83–1.07). The associations of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality did not significantly differ by levels of other lymphocytic reaction or any T-cell subset (P(interaction)>.18). There is suggestive evidence for differential prognostic effects of coffee intake by Crohn’s-like lymphoid reaction in colorectal cancer.

Although tumor-infiltrating T cells hold a beneficial prognostic role in colorectal cancer, other lymphocytic populations are less characterized. We developed a multiplexed immunofluorescence assay coupled with digital image analysis and machine learning to identify natural killer (NK) cells (NCAM1+CD3−), natural killer T-like (NKT-like) cells (NCAM1+CD3+), and T cells (NCAM1−CD3+) within the PTPRC+ (CD45+) cell population and to measure their granzyme B (GZMB; cytotoxicity marker) and FCGR3A (CD16a; NK-cell maturity marker) expression. We evaluated immune cell densities and spatial configuration in 907 incident colorectal carcinoma cases within two prospective cohort studies. We found that T cells were approximately 100 times more abundant than NK and NKT-like cells. Overall, NK cells showed high GZMB expression and were located closer to tumor cells than T and NKT-like cells. In T and NKT-like cells, GZMB expression was enriched in cells in closer proximity to tumor cells. Higher densities of both T and NKT-like cells associated with longer cancer-specific survival, independent of potential confounders (Ptrend < 0.0007). Higher stromal GZMB+ and FCGR3A+ NK-cell densities associated with longer cancer-specific survival (Ptrend < 0.003). For T and NKT-like cells, greater proximity to tumor cells associated with longer cancer-specific survival (Ptrend < 0.0001). These findings indicate that cytotoxic NCAM1+CD3−GZMB+ NK cells and NCAM1+CD3+ NKT-like cells are relatively rare lymphocytic populations within the colorectal cancer microenvironment and show distinct spatial configuration and associations with patient outcome. The results highlight the utility of a quantitative multimarker assay for in situ, single-cell immune biomarker evaluation and underscore the importance of spatial context for tumor microenvironment characterization.

Lung adenocarcinoma is a common histologic type of lung cancer with a high death rate globally. Increasing evidence shows that long non‐coding RNA H19 (lncRNA H19) and CDH1 methylation are involved in multiple tumours. Here, we tried to investigate whether lncRNA H19 or CDH1 methylation could affect the development of lung adenocarcinoma. First, lung adenocarcinoma tissues were collected to detect CDH1 methylation. Then, the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA H19 were detected mainly in concert with the treatment of overexpression of lncRNA H19, siRNA against lncRNA H19, overexpression of CDH1 and demethylating agent A‐5az in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell. The expression of lncRNA H19 and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related factors as well as cell proliferation, sphere‐forming ability, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected. Finally, we observed xenograft tumour in nude mice so as to ascertain tumorigenicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells. LncRNA H19 and methylation of CDH1 were highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. A549 cells with silencing of lncRNA H19, overexpression of CDH1 or reduced CDH1 methylation by demethylating agent 5‐Az had suppressed cell proliferation, sphere‐forming ability, apoptosis, migration and invasion, in addition to inhibited EMT process. Silencing lncRNA H19 could reduce methylation level of CDH1. In vivo, A549 cells with silencing lncRNA H19, overexpression of CDH1 or reduced CDH1 methylation exhibited low tumorigenicity, reflected by the smaller tumour size and lighter tumour weight. Taken together, this study demonstrates that silencing of lncRNA H19 inhibits EMT and proliferation while promoting apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cells by inhibiting methylation of CDH1 promoter.

Depression is a common mental disorder and is one of the main causes of disability. Berberine (BBR), the major constituent alkaloid originally from the famous Chinese herb Huanglian (Coptis chinensis), has been shown to exert antidepressant-like effects. This study was to investigate the hypothesis that BBR treats depressive-like behavior by shifting the balance of the kynurenine (KYN)/serotonin (5-HT) pathway toward the 5-HT pathway through downregulated indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and upregulated dopamine decarboxylase (DDC) in hippocampus.A chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice model of depression was established via 21 days unpredictable stimulation. Then the mice were randomly assigned into six groups, namely control, model, fluoxetine [FLU, (10 mg/kg)], BBRL (25 mg/kg), BBRM (50 mg/kg), and BBRH (100 mg/kg) groups. Behavioral assessments were conducted to evaluate the antidepressant effects of BBR. The levels of 5-HT, KYN, tryptophan (TRP), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in hippocampus were estimated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mRNA and protein levels of DDC, MAOA and IDO1 in hippocampus were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot (WB), respectively.The results showed that a successful CUMS mice model was established through 21 days of continuous unpredictable stimulation, as indicated by the significant decrease in locomotor activity and increase in immobility time, reduction in body weight and sucrose preference rate etc. Compared with the normal group, the concentrations of KYN/TRP had significantly increased (pBBR reversed the abnormalities of the KYN/5-HT pathway in depressed mice and achieved an excellent antidepressant effect. Its direct impact may be observed as changes in biological indicators in mice hippocampus tissue.

Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of lung cancer. Extracellular vehicles (EVs) are nano-sized particles containing proteins, lipids, and miRNAs secreted by various cells, which play important roles in the development of lung cancer by regulating a wide range of signaling pathways. This study focused on elucidating a potential mechanism by which EVs promote the development of NSCLC. Methods Expression levels of miR-744, SUV39H1, Smad9, and BMP4 in clinical tissue samples of NSCLC patients and cell lines were quantified by RT-qPCR and/or western blot analysis. The interaction between SUV39H1 and miR-744 was identified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. miR-744, SUV39H1, and BMP4 expression levels were modulated in A549 and H460 cells, in order to evaluate their effects on cell proliferation, colony formation and cell cycle. A NSCLC xenograft mouse model was used to verify the in vitro findings. NSCLC cell-derived EVs and normal bronchial epithelial cell-derived EVs were isolated and their roles in NSCLC development were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Results miR-744 expression was lower in cancer cell-derived derived EVs than in normal lung epithelial cell-derived EVs. Reduced miR-744 expression in EVs upregulated SUV39H1 in NSCLC cells and further increased BMP4 levels to promote NSCLC development. BMP4 was upregulated in NSCLC cells upon suppression of Smad9 mediated by SUV39H1. Reduced miR-744 expression transferred from cancer cell-derived EVs into NSCLC cells enhanced cancer development. Conclusion Overall, our findings unveiled a mechanism whereby miR-744 delivered by NSCLC-derived EVs upregulated SUV39H1, activating the Smad9/BMP9 axis and thus promoted cancer development.

The selection of a suitable reference gene is an important prerequisite for the precise analysis of target gene expression by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The present study aims to explore the expression pattern of the Macrobrachium nipponense (M. nipponense) β-actin gene under Aeromonas hydrophila bacterial infection conditions. The complete sequence of the β-actin gene from M. nipponense was cloned by PCR. Identified and named β-actin genes were searched in the NCBI database, and the characteristics of the β-actin gene were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The expression profiles of β-actin under stresses challenged by bacteria after 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h were investigated by measuring Ct values by qPCR. The prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a-actin was constructed by PCR and recombinant DNA techniques. Fused protein was induced by IPTG in the transformed Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Recombinant rActin was purified by nickel column. The bioinformatics analysis result revealed that the deduced protein encoded by the β-actin gene from M. nipponense had the highest homology with other prawns in the homologous assay (99%). The phylogenetic tree indicates that the β-actin from M. nipponense and other crustaceans have a single cluster. The qPCR results revealed that a stable expression of β-actin was observed in response to the A. hydrophila challenge for 3-48 h, and the Ct value was 22 ± 1.5. β-actin was ranked as a stable gene after the bacterial challenge, which was selected as the appropriate reference gene in M. nipponense.

BackgroundTo investigate the effects and immunological mechanisms of the traditional Chinese medicine Xinjiaxiangruyin on controlling influenza virus (FM1 strain) infection in mice housed in a hygrothermal environment.MethodsMice were housed in normal and hygrothermal environments, and intranasally infected with influenza virus (FM1). A high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprint of Xinjiaxiangruyin was used to provide an analytical method for quality control. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to measure messenger RNA expression of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in the TLR7 signaling pathway and virus replication in the lungs. Western blotting was used to measure the expression levels of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 proteins. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17/T-regulatory cells.ResultsXinjiaxiangruyin effectively alleviated lung inflammation in C57BL/6 mice in hot and humid environments. Guizhimahuanggebantang significantly reduced lung inflammation in C57BL/6 mice. The expression of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 mRNA in lung tissue of WT mice in the normal environment, GZMHGBT group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P ConclusionGuizhimahuanggebantang demonstrated a satisfactory therapeutic effect on mice infected with the influenza A virus (FM1 strain) in a normal environment, and Xinjiaxiangruyin demonstrated a clear therapeutic effect in damp and hot environments and may play a protective role against influenza through downregulation of the TLR7 signal pathway.

The aims of this study were to analyze the histopathology, immunophenotype, molecular features, and prognosis in cases of BRAF-mutated gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and to examine the p16 expression in these tumors, and further discuss its effects on tumor formation and progression.In all, 283 GIST cases (201 KIT mutants, 12 PDGFRA mutants and 70 wild-type) from the 2010 to 2014 surgical pathology files of the Department of Pathology at Nanjing Jinling Hospital were analyzed for mutations in BRAF exon 15. Patient follow-up and clinical data were collected if available in the medical records. To determine the clinicopathological features and potential molecular mechanism, the authors examined 10 BRAF-mutated GIST cases for KIT, DOG1, SMA, desmin, S-100, Ki-67 and p16 expression.The authors identified 10 cases (3.5%) of BRAF (V600E) mutations in a series of 283 primary GISTs, without KIT (exons 9, 11, 13, 17) or PDGFRA (exons 12, 18) gene mutations. All 10 cases exhibited spindle-cell features, and the morphology and immunophenotype of these cases were no different from those in cases of KIT-mutated GISTs. The clinical results indicated that BRAF-mutated GISTs tended to occur more frequently in females (7/10), older individuals (mean age, 54.9 years) and the stomach (7/10), and that these tumors were low risk and exhibited low recurrence and mortality rates. Two different forms of p16 were identified, which presented with simultaneously strong and diffuse nuclear and cytoplasmic expression patterns.GISTs with the BRAF V600E mutation are relatively benign tumors with a distinctive molecular mechanism. The expression of the nuclear and cytoplasmic forms of p16 represent two independent mechanisms, and both seemed to control proliferation in response to oncogenic stimuli, protecting the cell from malignant transformation in BRAF-mutated GISTs.

Two new coordination polymers, namely [Ag(L)]n (1) and [Cd(L)2(bpe)]n (2) [HL = 2-fluoroisonicotinic acid, bpe = 1,2-bi(4-pyridyl)ethylene], have been synthesized by solvent evaporation and layered-diffusion technique, respectively. The structural analysis revealed that compound 1 is a linear chain structure, whereas compound 2 shows a 1D ladder-like structure with dinuclear [Cd(COO)2] stretched by bpe linkers in parallel arrangement. The thermal stability and photoluminescent properties of both 1 and 2 in the solid state were also investigated, which demonstrated the perfect thermal stability and a certain degree of redshift fluorescent characteristic. Two Ag(I)/Cd(II) CPs were synthesized by solvent evaporation and layered-diffusion technique. Both CPs were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, single-crystal XRD, PXRD and TGA techniques. The solid state photoluminescent study indicates those have strong fluorescent emissions.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of cellular progress in lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, to identify cancer-related lncRNAs and genes, we screened for those lncRNAs that were differentially expressed in lung adenocarcinoma, which revealed LINC00628 overexpression and low expression of laminin subunit alpha 3 (LAMA3). This was further validated in the cancerous tissues from patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma. Thereafter, we explored the functional relevance of LINC00628 and LAMA3 in lung adenocarcinoma by analyzing the recruitment of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and the cellular processes of lung adenocarcinoma cells following treatments that induced LINC00628 overexpression or LINC00628 silencing or with 5-azacytidine (5-Aza, a DNMT inhibitor). The results showed that LINC00628 silencing decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as the drug resistance of lung adenocarcinoma cells to vincristine (VCR). The results were opposite in the cells with LAMA3 demethylation induced by 5-Aza treatment. Further research indicated that LINC00628 recruited DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B to promote the methylation of LAMA3 promoter, thereby decreasing its expression. Moreover, an in vivo experiment was performed in nude mice to assess the tumor growth ability and drug resistance of human lung adenocarcinoma cells. It was observed that LINC00628 silencing or 5-Aza treatment inhibited the in vivo tumor growth ability of the human lung adenocarcinoma cells and reduced their resistance to VCR. Altogether, our results provide evidence of a mechanism by which LINC00628 silencing exerts an inhibitory role in lung adenocarcinoma by modulating the DNA methylation of LAMA3, indicative of a novel molecular target for treatment of lung adenocarcinoma patients showing resistance to VCR. Keywords: lung adenocarcinoma, long non-coding RNA LINC00628, LAMA3, methylation, migration, invasion, vincristine, drug resistance

The involvement of several microRNAs (miRs) in the initiation and development of tumors through the suppression of the target gene expression has been highlighted. The aberrant expression of miR-181d-5p and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was then screened by microarray analysis. In the present study, we performed a series of in vivo and in vitro experiments for the purpose of investigating their roles in NSCLC and the underlying mechanism. There was a high expression of CDKN3, whereas miR-181d-5p was downregulated in NSCLC. Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay further identified that CDKN3 could be negatively regulated by miR-181d-5p. Moreover, the upregulation of miR-181d-5p or silencing of CDKN3 could inactivate the Akt signaling pathway. A549 with the lowest miR-181d-5p and H1975 with the highest CDKN3 among the five NSCLC cell lines (H1299, A549, H1975, NCI-H157, and GLC-82) were adopted for in vitro experiments, in which expression of miR-181d-5p and CDKN3 was altered by transfection of miR-181d-5p mimic/inhibitor or siRNA-targeting CDKN3. Afterwards, cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis, as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), were evaluated, and tumorigenicity was assessed. In addition, an elevation in miR-181d-5p or depletion in CDKN3 led to significant reductions in proliferation, invasion, migration, angiogenesis, EMT, and tumorigenicity of NSCLC cells, coupling with increased cell apoptosis. In conclusion, this study highlights the tumor-suppressive effects of miR-181d-5p on NSCLC via Akt signaling pathway inactivation by suppressing CDKN3, thus providing a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NSCLC.

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of reduced nitrogen application and supplemental irrigation on the light environment, photosynthetic characteristics and yield components in high-yield wheat population. The treatments included three irrigation schedules [no irrigation (W在大田条件下,设自然降水(W

A label-free electrochemical aptasensor for the determination of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) was described here. This method was based on the conformational change of 8-OH-dG-aptamer (Apt) in the presence of 8-OH-dG. The G-rich Apt was self-assembled on the surface of gold electrode by Au-S bond. The assembly process of the aptasensor was characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The conformation of Apt changed from flexible single stranded structures to compact G-quadruplex in the presence of 8-OH-dG, which hindered the negatively charged [Fe(CN) 6 ] 4 − approach to the electrode. The switchable surface provided a sensing platform for the free-label detection of 8-OH-dG. Upon 8-OH-dG binding to the immobilized Apt, a significant decrease in the oxidation current of [Fe(CN) 6 ] 4 − was observed due to the Apt conformational change. The aptasensor showed a detection limit of 0.315 nM and a wide linear range between 1.75 nM and 3.675 μM for 8-OH-dG. The aptasensor displayed high stability as well as high specificity against uric acid, a strong interferent for the detection of 8-OH-dG.

Accelerating the clearance of intracellular protein aggregates through elevation of autophagy represents a viable approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In our earlier report, we have demonstrated the enhanced degradation of mutant huntingtin protein aggregates through autophagy process induced by europium hydroxide nanorods [EHNs: Eu(III)(OH)3], but the underlying molecular mechanism of EHNs mediated autophagy was unclear. The present report reveals that EHNs induced autophagy does not follow the classical AKT-mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways. The inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation using the specific MEK inhibitor U0126 partially abrogates the autophagy as well as the clearance of mutant huntingtin protein aggregates mediated by EHNs suggesting that nanorods stimulate the activation of MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway during autophagy process. In contrast, another mTOR-independent autophagy inducer trehalose has been found to induce autophagy without activating ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Interestingly, the combined treatment of EHNs and trehalose leads to more degradation of mutant huntingtin protein aggregates than that obtained with single treatment of either nanorods or trehalose. Our results demonstrate the rational that further enhanced clearance of intracellular protein aggregates, needed for diverse neurodegenerative diseases, may be achieved through the combined treatment of two or more autophagy inducers, which stimulate autophagy through different signaling pathways.

Objective. We wished to investigate the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang on controlling influenza A virus (IAV) infection and improving inflammation in mouse lungs. Method. Mice were maintained in normal and cold environments and infected with IAV by intranasal application, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure mRNA expression of TLR7, myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)p65 in the TLR7 signaling pathway and virus replication in lungs. Western blotting was used to measure expression levels of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 proteins. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of T-helper (Th)1/Th2 and Th17/T-regulatory (Treg) cells. Results. Application of Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang in influenza-infected mice in a cold environment showed (i) downregulation of TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κBp65; (ii) inhibition of transcriptional activities of promoters coding for TLR7, MyD88, and NF-κBp65; (iii) reduction in the proportion of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cells. Conclusions. Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang had a good therapeutic effect on mice infected with IAV, especially in the cold environment. It could reduce lung inflammation in mice significantly and elicit an anti-influenza effect by downregulating expression of the key factors in TLR7 signaling pathway.

Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the mutation status of EGFR in gastrointestinal stromal tumours and its association with various clinicopathological variables as well as to further discuss its effects of EGFR mutations on tumor formation and progression. Methods A well-characterized cohort of 323 GISTs, obtained between 2010 and 2015 from the surgical pathology files of at the Department of Pathology of the Nanjing Jinling Hospital, was screened for mutations in exon 19 and 21 of the EGFR gene. Patient clinical data and clinicopathological features were collected if available in the medical records. Results Among the 323 primary GISTs, we identified 3 cases (0.93%) of EGFR mutations; these mutations never occurred together with KIT, PDGFRa, KRAS, or BRAF gene mutations. In 2 cases, tumors cells exhibited spindle cell morphology, and in one case, epitheliumal cell morphology. Additionally, the morphology and immunophenotype of these 3 cases did not show significant differences compared to common GISTs. The clinical results summarized that 2 cases of EGFR-mutated GISTs occured in females and in the stomach. The mean age of EGFR-mutated cases were 54.33 years, and the follow-up datas indicated that these tumors were low risk and exhibited low recurrence. Conclusions We firstly established that GISTs carrying EGFR mutation are relatively benign tumors. Althought EGFR mutation were rarely present in GIST, EGFR seems to play a significant role in the development and progression of GIST. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

An ideal scaffold for bone tissue engineering should have interconnected porous structure, good biocompatibility, and mechanical properties well-matched with natural bones. Collagen is the key component in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural bones, and plays an important role in bone regeneration. The biological activity of collagen has promoted it to be an advantageous biomaterial for bone tissue engineering; however, the mechanical properties of these scaffolds are insufficient and the porous structures are not stable in the wet state. An effective strategy to solve this problem is to fabricate a hybrid scaffold of biologically derived and synthetic material, which have the necessary bioactivity and mechanical stability needed for bone synthesis. In this work, a three-dimensional macroporous bone scaffold based on collagen (CO) fiber and bioglass (BG) is fabricated by a slurry-dipping technique, and its relevant mechanical and biological properties are evaluated. The CO/BG scaffold is interconnected with a porosity of 81 ± 4.6% and pore size of 40–200 μm. Compared with CO scaffold, water absorption value of CO/BG scaffold decreases greatly from 889% to 52%, which significantly alleviates the swelling behavior of collagen and improves the stability of scaffold structure. The CO/BG scaffold has a compression strength of 5.8 ± 1.6 MPa and an elastic modulus of 0.35 ± 0.01 Gpa, which are well-matched with the mechanical properties of trabecular bones. In vitro cell assays demonstrate that the CO/BG scaffold has good biocompatibility to facilitate the spreading and proliferation of human bone marrow stromal cells. Hence, the CO/BG scaffold is promising for bone tissue engineering application. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 103B: 1455–1464, 2015.

Installing heat storage tank (HST) to decouple CHP “heat-load-based” running mode, which will improve operation efficiency of CHP and enhance the ability of peak-adjusting in micro-grid (MG) system, and also be benefit for MG to consume high penetration renewable energy. For the randomness of wind turbines and photovoltaics output and the volatility of loads, a comprehensive optimization method for MG heat and electric energy based on chance-constrained programming is proposed. This method has considered thermal balance constraints and HST operation constraints, which made MG minimum operating cost as optimization goal, and optimize the output of each micro-source by genetic algorithm to form the best operation mode.

Erythropoietin-producing hepatocyte (Eph) receptor family constitutes the largest family of tyrosine kinase receptors in the human genome. Loss of EphB6, a kinase-deficient receptor, correlated with a negative outcome in several carcinomas. This study aimed to investigate the expression of EphB6 protein and mRNA levels in colorectal cancers (CRCs) and possible correlations with clinicopathological variables and prognosis. To assess protein expression level, 124 CRCs and 57 colorectal adenomas samples were examined by immunostaining, the mRNA level of 43 paired CRC and the adjacent normal tissues were detected by using SYBR Green real-time PCR method. Decreased expression of EphB6 protein was found in CRC as compared with adenoma and normal tissues (χ(2) = 10.146, P = 0.001 and χ(2) = 45.333, P < 0.001, respectively). Low EphB6 mRNA expression was detected in 83.8% of cancers with negative or low EphB6 protein expression. The loss of EphB6 protein in CRC was positively associated with poorly differentiation (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.006), Dukes stage (P = 0.002) and depth of invasion (P = 0.016). The patients with lymph node metastasis had a worse prognosis independently of gender, age, tumor site, stage and differentiation (RR = 0.404, CI 0.267-0.213, P < 0.001). Low levels of EphB6 protein expression are associated with a shorter mean duration of survival in colorectal cancer. Our results demonstrated that EphB6 may represent a novel, useful tissue biomarker for the prediction of survival rate in CRC.

Analyzing the rules of microgrid operation based on the design principle and engineering philosophy, and then defining seven microgrid operation states included: grid-tied state, and/off state, off-grid state, off/and state, fault state, power-latch state and shutdown state. Based on these seven modes, the different control strategy will be set out. These seven strategies can be integrated and be used to control the microgrid together. So we can gain the maximum efficiency of the microgrid through that above. At the same time, the appropriate control mode will be selected to guarantee the microgrid can be switched from one mode to another smoothly.. Above all, the microgrid can operate reliably through the integrated control strategy.

The development of low-carbon energy economy has become common choice of the world to solve energy security and environmental issues in the context of climate change and energy issues. Carrying out construction of intelligent community becomes the key technology for optimizing energy efficiency of smart grid. This paper focuses on low-carbon energy management system of intelligent community, which including: construction mode, functional configuration and mode switching condition on low-carbon energy management system of intelligent community as well as the coordination between the upper and lower subsystem. These can provide reference technology solutions for energy management of intelligent community in China.

It is necessary to monitor and optimize work status of central air-conditioning system (CACS) due to its high energy consumption. According to national standard, this paper designed a practical energy-efficiency evaluation method with double-layers structure. The upper-layer indicator reflects the whole energy efficiency of CACS. The lower-layer indicators reflect the energy efficiency of each subsystem of CACS, such as refrigeration system, chilled water system and terminal system. Using this double-layers evaluation system, the managers of CACS can not only observe the whole energy efficiency level but also find out the weak point of the system.

With the deterioration of the environment and energy crisis is becoming more and more serious, many countries have put forward the development of low-carbon automobile industry. China will also increase in the development of electric vehicle and related facilities as a national strategy. Construction and operation of the electric vehicle charging service network is the basic guarantee for the development of electric vehicle industry. Governments continue to strengthen support for the policy of charging facilities, and charging service network construction and operation scale and commercial degree increased gradually.

Many nanomaterials are reported to disrupt lysosomal function and homeostasis, but how cells sense and then respond to nanomaterial-elicited lysosome stress is poorly understood. Nucleus translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) plays critical roles in lysosome biogenesis following lysosome stress induced by starvation. The authors previously reported massive cellular vacuolization, along with autophagy induction, in cells treated with rare earth oxide (REO) nanoparticles. Here, the authors identify these giant cellular vacuoles as abnormally enlarged and alkalinized endo/lysosomes whose formation is dependent on macropinocytosis. This vacuolization causes deactivation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a TFEB-interacting kinase that resides on the lysosome membrane. Subsequently, TFEB is dephosphorylated at serine 142 and translocated into cell nucleus. This nucleus translocation of TFEB is observed only in vacuolated cells and it is critical for maintaining lysosome homeostasis after REO nanoparticle treatment, as knock-down of TFEB gene significantly compromises lysosome function and enhances cell death in nanoparticle-treated cells. Our results reveal that cellular vacuolization, which is commonly observed in cells treated with REOs and other nanomaterials, represents a condition of profound lysosome stress, and cells sense and respond to this stress by facilitating mTOR-dependent TFEB nucleus translocation in an effort to restore lysosome homeostasis.

Brookfield Viscometer, Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) are employed to analyze properties of rubber asphalt and TOR rubber asphalt after water aging. Through simulating, the influences of parameter changes of water on the performances of asphalts after aging were studied. The results show that the PH value and sodium chloride content of water affects the aging properties of asphalt, and as the parameter changes, the high temperature performance of TOR rubber asphalt are better than rubber asphalt. DSR and BBR tests reveal that the higher the acidity (or the lower PH value) and the sodium chloride content of water are, the more seriously rubber asphalt and TOR rubber asphalt age in water aging; the lower the temperature is, the larger the S value and the smaller the m value become, and the worse the low temperature performance and dissipation of temperature stress of rubber asphalt and TOR rubber asphalt get.

Octenyl succinic anhydride modified cassava starch containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups is famous for its preferable emulsification properties and can also be used as excellent stabilizer and thickener in food industry. In this study, the conditions of esterification were studied with respect to cassava starch species, temperature, pH, time, the OSA/starch ratio and the OSA/ethanol ratio of the reaction to make the process optimization through. The effects of these parameters were evaluated on the basis of degree of substitution (DS) and raction of efficiency (RE). The concluding results were as follows: reaction time of 2.5 h at 3% OSA/starch ratio at1:3 OSA/ethanol ratio at 38 °Cand pH8.2 at 33% starch concentration. The maximum DS and ES were 0.0165 and71.13%.

The effects of sildenafil on pulmonary vascular remodeling as well as potassium channels (Kv1.5) activity of pulmonary vasculature has not been clearly addressed in pulmonary hypertension secondary to left-to-right shunt. A rat model with pulmonary hypertension secondary to left-to-right shunt was established by performing an abdominal aorta to inferior vena cava fistula. Twenty-seven male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into sham group (n = 9), shunt group (n = 9) and shunt + sildenafil group (n = 9). Rats in shunt + sildenafil group were fed with sildenafil 10 mg/kg/day instantly after shunt was established,whereas the rats in the sham group and the shunt group were fed with normal saline of the same volume. Eleven weeks later, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), the ratio of right ventricular mass to left ventricular plus septal mass [RV/(LV +S)], the relative medial thickness (RMT) of middle and small pulmonary muscularized arteries, as well as the expression of voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5 mRNA in pulmonary vasculature were detected. The rats in shunt group developed pulmonary hypertension as evidenced by significant increase in mPAP, RV/(LV +S) and RMT (all P 0.01). Sildenafil attenuates pulmonary vascular remodeling and up-regulates Kv1.5 mRNA expression in rats with pulmonary hypertension secondary to left-to-right shunt. Key words: Sildenafil, potassium channel, pulmonary hypertension.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is secreted from neurons within the hypothalamus and is necessary for reproductive function in all vertebrates. GnRH is also found in organs outside of the brain and plays an important role in Leydig cell steroidogenesis in the testis. However, the signalling pathways mediating this function remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated whether components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are involved in GnRH agonist (GnRHa)-induced testis steroidogenesis in rat Leydig cells. Primary cultures of rat Leydig cells were established. The expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and the production of testosterone in response to GnRHa were examined at different doses and for different durations by RT-PCR, Western blot analysis and radioimmunoassay (RIA). The effects of GnRHa on ERK1/2, JNK and p38 kinase activation were also investigated in the presence or absence of the MAPK inhibitor PD-98059 by Western blot analysis. GnRHa induced testosterone production and upregulated 3β-HSD expression at both the mRNA and protein levels; it also activated ERK1/2, but not JNK and p38 kinase. Although the maximum effects of GnRHa were observed at a concentration of 100 nmnol L−1 after 24 h, activation of ERK1/2 by GnRHa reached peak at 5 min and it returned to the basal level within 60 min. PD-98059 completely blocked the activation of ERK1/2, the upregulation of 3β-HSD and testosterone production. Our data show that GnRH positively regulates steroidogenesis via ERK signalling in rat Leydig cells. ERK1/2 activation by GnRH may be responsible for the induction of 3β-HSD gene expression and enzyme production, which may ultimately modulate steroidogenesis in rat Leydig cells.

As we all known, the instantaneous reaction between protein and ligands are very important to adjust the normal playing of biological function. And nitric oxide interactions with iron are the most important biological reactions in which NO participates. Unlike carbon monoxide or oxygen, NO can also bind reversibly to ferric iron. In this paper, UV-Vis absorption and CD spectra were used to study coordination reaction process between horse heart metMb and NO, to demonstrate the coordination reaction mechanism and to explore the influencing factors of metMb with NO. The experimental results showed that metMb could react with NO, and obtained three new peaks at 420 nm, 534 and 568 nm, respectively, which implied metMb and NO have reacted and generated a new complex-nitrosylmetmyoglobin (metMbNO). Then as time went on, NO concentration decreased in the solution, and the Fe-N bond fractured under the attack of H2O, then NO leaves slowly from metMbNO, and met-Mb was regenerated. In this experiment, we also found that external conditions such as buffer medium, ionic strength, pH, temperature, etc, had an important influence on the coordination reaction between metMb and NO. It was favorable for the coordination reaction, when the 0.01 mol x L(-1) phosphate buffer. solution is near neutral condition, the temperature is 280 K, the coordination reaction could reach equilibrium at a fastest speed. In addition, the CD date show that NO only reacts with Fe atom in the center of heme and has less effect on the secondary structuers of protein. The research of metMb and NO played an important role to further study the function of NO. Especially the establish of equilibrium reaction mechanism between NO and heme protein has an important research value on maintaining the balance of NO in vivo and keeping the normal function in the body's cells.

In the present work we demonstrated an ultrasensitive detection platform for specific DNA based on nonlinear hybridization chain reaction (HCR) by triggering chain-branching growth of DNA dendrimers. HCR was initiated by target DNA (tDNA) and finally formed dendritic structure by self-assembly. The electrochemical signal was drastically enhanced by capturing multiple catalytic peroxidase with high-ordered growth. Electrochemical signals were obtained by measuring the reduction current of oxidized 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine sulfate (TMB), which was generated by HRP in the presence of H2O2. This method exhibited ultrahigh sensitivity to tDNA with detection limit of 0.4 fM. Furthermore, the biosensor was also capable of discriminating single-nucleotide difference among concomitant DNA sequences.

Objectives Anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK )-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) screening is essential to its treatment such as crizotinib. Different assays have been developed to detect ALK rearrangements, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, ALK detection has not been applied widely in all hospitals. Moreover, IHC has been proposed to be a pre-screening tool because of its wide application in clinics. Since the low expression of ALK protein, the sensitivity and specificity of ALK antibody are the keys to the success of IHC screening. Therefore, we compared different antibodies to find the best one for IHC detection. Materials and methods We evaluated ALK expression by four different ALK antibodies: clone D5F3 (Ventana), clone D5F3 (CST), clone 1A4/1H7 (OriGene Tech.), and clone 5A4 (Abcam) based on manual IHC in a cohort of 60 NSCLCs. The results were compared with those from automated IHC (clone D5F3, Ventana). All cases were evaluated independently by ALK FISH. Results 32 ALK-positive and 28 ALK-negative NSCLCs were identified by automated IHC (D5F3, Ventana) and FISH analysis. Based on conventional manual IHC, the sensitivity of four antibodies—D5F3 (Ventana), D5F3 (CST), 1A4/1H7 (OriGene Tech.), and 5A4 (Abcam)—was 93.8%, 84.4%, 93.8%, and 56.3%, respectively. Their specificities and positive predictive values were 100%. The percentage of strong-moderate staining was 65.6%, 62.5%, 68.8%, and 21.9%, respectively. Compared with automated IHC (D5F3, Ventana), each staining concordance was 96.7%, 91.7%, 96.7%, and 76.7%, respectively, and each presented staining heterogeneity (weak–moderate–strong intensity). Conclusion These data indicated that manual IHC with a more reliable ALK antibody might provide an effective strategy for screening ALK gene rearrangements in all NSCLC patients, followed by confirmatory FISH analysis in IHC-positive cases.

To investigate the clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic, ultrastructural, and molecular features of thyroid carcinoma showing thymus-like elements (CASTLE).We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 10 patients with CASTLE and described the immunophenotypic and ultrastructural features of these tumors. The expression of Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA and the gene status of EGFR, C-KIT, and HER-2 were also assessed by molecular techniques.The tumor cells were positive for CD5, CD117, p63, HMWK, EGFR, GLUT-1, Pax8, E-cadherin, bcl-2, and p53 in all cases and for CA-IX, CEA, p16, HER-2, and neuroendocrine markers in some cases. Ultrastructural examination indicated that the tumor cells contained large quantities of tonofilament with abundant intercellular desmosomes, including intracytoplasmic neuroendocrine granules in one case. EGFR gene amplification in two patients and polyploidy of chromosome 7 in one patient were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Sequencing analysis revealed that a synonymous mutation, Q787Q 2363 (G→A), occurred on exon 20 of the EGFR gene in three patients.GLUT-1 can be used as a novel biomarker for CASTLE, and combined detection of GLUT-1 with CD5 and CD117 aids in the diagnosis of this tumor. Aberrant expression of Bcl-2, p53, p16, E-cadherin, EGFR, C-KIT, and HER-2 may play important roles in the development of CASTLE.