Search

Understanding the fundamental charge carrier dynamics is of great significance for photodetectors with both high speed and high responsivity. Devices based on two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides can exhibit picosecond photoresponse speed. However, 2D materials naturally have low absorption, and when increasing thickness to gain higher responsivity, the response time usually slows to nanoseconds, limiting their photodetection performance. Here, by taking time-resolved photocurrent measurements, we demonstrated that graphene/MoTe2 van der Waals heterojunctions realize a fast 10 ps photoresponse time owing to the reduced average photocurrent drift time in the heterojunction, which is fundamentally distinct from traditional Dirac semimetal photodetectors such as graphene or Cd3As2 and implies a photodetection bandwidth as wide as 100 GHz. Furthermore, we found that an additional charge carrier transport channel provided by graphene can effectively decrease the photocurrent recombination loss to the entire device, preserving a high responsivity in the near-infrared region. Our study provides a deeper understanding of the ultrafast electrical response in van der Waals heterojunctions and offers a promising approach for the realization of photodetectors with both high responsivity and ultrafast electrical response.

Constructing polymer composites containing zero-dimensional (0D) nanoparticles and two-dimensional (2D) lamellae is a simple and effective strategy to obtain high energy storage performance. Although the hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) are widely used in energy storage areas, the low yield hinders their application. This work employed Al2O3 (AO) nanoparticles and thick hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) lamellae to fabricate poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based films. An expected synergy effect on the breakdown strength ( E b) is achieved as the filler content and ratio change. A high E b (450 MV/m), which is 110 MV/m higher than the pure PVDF (340 MV/m), was acquired with a small loading (4 wt.%). The analysis suggests multiple synergy effects between AO and h-BN on leakage current, crystallinity, melting point, and Young’s modulus contribute to the high E b. However, a desirable low leakage current is an indispensable part of these properties. In addition to this, the mechanisms behind these synergy effects were discussed. A comprehensive comparison indirectly proves that the AO particles can increase the dispersibility of h-BN lamellae. Besides, the dielectric behavior and energy storage performance were comprehensively examined.

Suanzaoren decoction (SZRD) in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a common prescription for chronic insomnia. This study systematically and accurately evaluated the safety and efficacy of SZRD in the treatment of chronic insomnia, thus providing a reference for its clinical application.From the establishment of the corresponding database until May 2022, we systematically queried EMbase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Database. Randomized control trials (RCTs) were included in this study, and the results that qualified for inclusion were screened and cross-checked by two researchers. After the relevant data were extracted, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.A total of 1,311 patients with chronic insomnia from 12 RCTs were enrolled in the meta-analysis, showing that the use of SZRD alone or in combination was superior to the control group in improving the clinical effective rate (RR=1.22, 95%CI [1.16, 1.29], p0.00001), reducing the recurrence rate (RR=0.47, 95%CI [0.28, 0.80], p=0.005), and lowering the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores (MDSZRD+WM=-3.35,95%CI [-5.22, -1.47], p0.00001); (MDSZRD=-1.94, 95%CI [-3.80, -0.07], p = 0.04). SZRD also could reduce the adverse effects rate (RR=0.30, 95% CI [0.22, 0.40], p0.00001).It was therefore concluded that SZRD alone or in combination with Western medicine can increase the clinical effective rate, reduce the recurrence rate, improve the quality of life of chronic insomnia patients, and decrease the incidence of adverse effects. However, studies included in this analysis varied in quality, and more large-sample, high-quality, multi-center RCTs are still needed to verify the above conclusions.

本文报道了一例以晚发型Ⅱ型戊二酸血症（GAⅡ）为特征的进行性肌无力为早期症状的中国青少年患者的电子转移黄素蛋白脱氢酶（EFTDH）基因的新型复合杂合突变。患者19岁开始出现进行性肌无力和肌肉萎缩，从双下肢开始，逐渐进展到上肢。曾有间歇性恶心症状，嗜睡症状不明显。血肌酸激酶、乳酸脱氢酶、丙氨酸转氨酶、天冬氨酸转氨酶均高于正常水平；肌电图提示肌源性损害。基因突变分析显示EFDTH基因的新型复合杂合突变，遂确诊为戊二酸血症。患者对核黄素和泛醌（辅酶Q10）治疗表现出良好的反应。.

In order to improve thermal and humid environment of the heat hazard mine, a ground cooling system is proposed. In the ground cooling system, the chilled water is transmitted to the air cooler in w...

Bridges across navigation channels are under the threat of accidental ship collisions. Many research works have been conducted to investigate the crashworthy device against ship-bridge pier collisions. However, the existing bridge pier protection facilities, mostly based on absorbing ship kinetic energy, are large structures with high strength, resulting in large collision forces that may cause ship damage. In this paper, flexible anti-collision technology is developed, which protects the bridge pier based on the ship's course guidance principle, hence taking away the huge kinetic energy of the ship in the process of collision. The pier flexible crashworthy device has a compact structure and can greatly reduce the impact force of ships, protecting both the bridge and the ship. The reliability and effectiveness of the technology have been verified through off-shore impact tests.

To compare the efficacy of suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) with other treatment modalities for management of HSP in terms of relieving pain and improving range of motion of shoulder joints.An electronic search was carried out in PubMed, CENTRAL, SCOPUS and EMBASE databases using a series of relevant keywords, along with a manual search. Randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy of SSNB with placebo injections, intra-articular injections (IAI), ultrasound and Pulsed RF were identified. The outcomes assessed were pain relief measured with visual analogue scale and improvement in the range of motion (ROM) at the end of the follow-up period. The meta-analysis was carried out for quantitative analysis of outcome data.Eight randomized clinical trials were included. The quality of the included trials was low to moderate. SSNB showed improved pain relief at the end of 1 month, compared to placebo (normal saline injections) with mean difference (MD) 1.20 95% CI [0.59,1.80], p0.0001. When compared to Pulsed radio-frequency (RF), the pain relief at the end of 1 month and 3 months was greater for patients treated with Pulsed RF than SSNB. No significant improvement in the range of motion for flexion, external and internal rotation was observed between SSNB and inter-articular injections.SSNB is more effective in pain relief than placebo injections and ultrasound, but similar to pulsed RF. Similar effectiveness in ROM improvement was observed with SSNB and intra-articular injections.

Tumor multidrug resistance (MDR) is a phenomenon in which drug-resistant tumor cells are resistant to multiple other unexposed antitumor drugs with different structures and targets. MDR of cancer is a primary cause of clinical chemotherapy failure. With the progress of nanotechnology in the medical field, more and more research works have developed many nanotechnology-based strategies to challenge drug resistance. This review details the recent studies at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology utilizing various nanochemotherapy strategies for overcoming chemotherapy resistance of tumor. We discuss the benefits and limitations of the diverse strategies, as well as possible ways to overcome these limitations. Importantly, in order to combat cancer chemotherapy resistance with nanomedicine, the mechanisms of drug endocytosis and subsequent fate need to be explored and focused on. In the meanwhile, due to the complexity and diversity of chemotherapy resistance mechanisms, the development of more intelligent and controllable nanodrugs may have greater scope for clinical application.

In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate the sub-Poissonian photon statistics in gain-assisted quantum dot-metal nanoparticles (QD-MNPs) hybrid system with nanoscale footprint. The gain media is introduced to reduce the dissipation of localized surface plasmons and consequently the quality factor of MNPs is improved by adjusting the gain coefficient. Simulated by finite element method (FEM), the Fano resonance is observed in the absorption cross section spectrum of the hybrid system. Considering MNPs and gain media together as a single mode cavity, the system is investigated within the framework of cavity quantum electrodynamics by fitting necessary parameters with FEM. The numerical results show that the coupling between QD and MNPs falls in strong coupling regime and zero delay second-order autocorrelation function g2(0) = 0.356 can be achieved with proper choice of gain coefficient. Moreover, the sub-Poissonian photon statistics can be maintained in a large variation range of gain coefficient and a certain degree of detuning between QD and cavity is allowed.

In this paper, we investigate the effect of delayed feedback control on a curved road analytically and numerically. An extended lattice hydrodynamic model is derived on a single-lane road which includes more comprehensive information. The control method is used to obtain the stability of the new model and the critical condition for the linear steady traffic flow is deduced. Moreover the numerical simulations are carried out to verify the advantage of the proposed model with and without the delayed feedback control on a curved road and a straight road. The results are consistent with the theoretical analysis correspondingly.

To investigate the relationships between diabetic nephropathy (DN) and insulin resistance, inflammation, thioredoxin (Trx), thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip), Cystatin C (CysC) and serum complement levels.A total of 119 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated in the Endocrinology Department of our hospital from January 2017 to December 2017 were enrolled as the experiment group, while 30 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group. The expression levels of inflammatory factors, Trx, Txnip, CysC and serum complements in every subject were detected. In addition, the type 2 diabetic nephropathy rat model was established via high-fat diet and injection of low-dose streptozotocin. Blood glucose, insulin resistance indexes and 24h-urinary albumin excretion were measured, and the histomorphological characteristics of the kidney in animals were observed.In clinical subjects, Trx level was notably lower in the simple DM group, early DN group and clinical DN group in comparison with that in the control group. The levels of Txnip and CysC in the simple DM group, early DN group and clinical DN group were remarkably higher than those in the control group. Moreover, the expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the clinical DN group were significantly elevated compared with those in the simple DM group and early DN group. In addition, C1q expression in the clinical DN group was higher than that in the simple DM group and early DN group. In model rats, HOMA-IR was distinctly higher in the DM group and DN group than that in the control group. The ratio of kidney weight to body weight (KW/BW) was evidently higher in the DN group in comparison with that in the control group and DM group.Insulin resistance, inflammatory factors, and levels of Trx, Txnip, CysC and serum complement C1q are related to the progression of DM.

The study of the electrical properties of materials at cryogenic temperature is significant for the design of insulation structures of superconducting equipment. Here, epoxy resin was combined with a small amount of KH650 modified SiC nanoparticles. When the dosage of SiC nanoparticles increased from 0.1% to 0.3%, the DC breakdown strength of the composite increase from 83.93 kV/mm to 97.51 kV/mm at room temperature and from 90 kV/mm to 120 kV/mm at 77 K. Furthermore, we used differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) to analyze the effect of low-content SiC nanoparticles on the thermal behavior of epoxy resin.

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) has received much attention in recent years, for its ultra-wide bandgap (4.5-4.8 eV), high theoretical breakdown field (8 MV/cm), low cost and large-size native substrate. Benefiting from the high current handling capability, Ga2O3 vertical Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) are much more desirable for power switching applications. However, there is a high-density interface state at the dielectric/Ga2O3 interface in the vertical β-Ga2O3 SBDs, resulting in high reverse leakage current and poor breakdown characteristics. To overcome the aforementioned problem, a high-performance vertical β-Ga2O3 Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) with a novel homologous air bridge field plate (HABFP) is reported. An air space is constructed at the foot of the anode, using a double dielectric layer with 20 nm SiO2 and 300 nm SiNx by self-aligned wet etching. The HABFP structure effectively suppresses the high peak electric field at anode foot, since the anode metal is separated from the dielectric/Ga2O3 interface. Compared with devices with a conventional field plate (CFP) using single SiNx or SiO2, the fabricated HABFP β-Ga2O3 SBD demonstrates a much higher breakdown voltage (Vbr) of 1100 V, while maintaining a relatively low specific on-resistance (Ron,sp) of 1.83 mΩ·cm2. Besides, the mechanism of the novel HABFP structure on the performance of β-Ga2O3 SBD is also analyzed, indicating that HABFP structure is a simple and effective termination technique.

Aim To analyse the efficacy and safety of endothelin receptor antagonists for people with diabetic kidney disease. Methods Randomized controlled trials comparing endothelin receptor antagonists with placebo in people with diabetic kidney disease were identified through PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. We used a random-effect model to calculate the mean difference or risk ratio with the 95% CI. Results Seven studies with a total of 4730 participants were included. Overall, endothelin receptor antagonists significantly reduced albuminuria compared with placebo (standardized mean difference -0.48, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.33). Atrasentan, in particular, effectively reduced albuminuria (standardized mean difference -0.58, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.17) and the risk of composite renal endpoints (risk ratio 0.65; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.88), with insignificant change in the rate of congestive heart failure (risk ratio 1.40, 95% CI 0.76 to 2.56) and mortality (risk ratio 1.11, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.61). In contrast, although avosentan reduced albuminuria (standardized mean difference -0.47, 95% CI -0.57 to -0.36) and the risk of composite renal endpoints (risk ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.94), it was associated with a significant increase in congestive heart failure risk (risk ratio 2.61, 95% CI 1.36 to 5.00) and an insignificant increase in mortality risk (risk ratio 1.50, 95% CI 0.81, 2.78). No significant change in efficacy or safety outcomes with bosentan was detected. Dose-response analysis indicated that 0.75 mg/day atrasentan is expected to be optimal for renoprotection, with maximal albuminuria reduction and minimal fluid retention events. Conclusions Among the endothelin receptor antagonists, atrasentan and avosentan, but not bosentan, are effective for renoprotection in people with diabetic kidney disease. Compared with other types and doses, atrasentan 0.75 mg/day is the most promising, with maximal albuminuria reduction and minimal fluid retention. Vigilant monitoring of congestive heart failure risk is needed in future clinical practice. (PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020169840).

This study aimed to investigate the impact of tumor mutational burden (TMB) and DNA damage repair (DDR) gene alteration on overall survival (OS) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.A DNA library of cancer cells from 67 NSCLC patients in stages III-IV was constructed for next-generation sequencing (NGS). Geneseeq422 probes were used for hybridization enrichment. The target-enriched library was sequenced on HiSeqNGS platforms, and we analyzed the relevant signaling pathways. Then, we correlated the OS of the patients with TMB and DDR mutations.Many significant alterations were found, including in the EGFR, p53, KRAS, RB1, ERBB2, NF1, DNMT3A, ALK, MYC, PIK3CA, ROS1, BRAF, ARID1A, PTEN, CDKN2A, and FGF19 genes. We also identified many mutations in the genes relevant to the DDR pathway. Interestingly, we found that the TMB of patients with DDR gene mutations was dramatically higher than that in the DDR wild-type (WT). Univariable analysis showed that DNMT3A, RB1, DDR pathway-related gene mutations, and TMB were critical factors for the effects on OS. Multivariable analysis confirmed that DNMT3A and mutations in the DDR pathway-related genes were important for predicting OS.Multiple mutations in the genes of the DDR pathway caused higher TMB levels, which resulted in longer OS. By contrast, OS was significantly longer in patients with non-DNMT3A mutations than in those with DNMT3A variants. DNMT3A alteration in NSCLC patients led to poor outcomes.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the potential influence of MIR497HG on regulating proliferative capacity of human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs).Relative expression levels of MIR497HG, microRNA-128-3p (miRNA-128-3p) and SIRT1 in HRECs treated with different doses of glucose and mannitol were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to assess the interaction among MIR497HG, miRNA-128-3p, and SIRT1. In addition, the potential effects of MIR497HG/miRNA-128-3p/SIRT1 axis on proliferative and migratory capacities in HRECs were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'- deoxyuridine (EdU) and transwell assay, respectively.High-level glucose (HG) treatment significantly downregulated MIR497HG and SIRT1 expression, whereas upregulated miRNA-128-3p expression in HRECs (p0.05). MiRNA-128-3p was the target gene binding MIR497HG, and SIRT1 was the downstream gene of miRNA-128-3p. Overexpression of MIR497HG significantly attenuated proliferative and migratory abilities of HG-induced HRECs (p0.05). Furthermore, decreased trends were partially reversed by overexpression of miRNA-128-3p or knockdown of SIRT1.MIR497HG is downregulated after HG treatment. In addition, it suppresses the proliferation and migration of HRECs by targeting miRNA-128-3p/SIRT1 axis, thus influencing the progression of diabetic retinopathy.

我国武汉出现的新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情经过迅速发展已对全国造成严重影响，但到目前为止对新型冠状病毒肺炎病理变化和发病机制却知之甚少。该文总结重症流感病毒H1N1、高致病性禽流感病毒H5N1、SARS-CoV、MERS-CoV及2019-nCoV几种引起重大疫情病毒感染性疾病的病理改变，尸检肺组织均表现为弥漫性肺泡损伤（diffuse alveolar damage，DAD），但不同病毒引起的病理表现存在差异，重症流感病毒2009 H1N1病毒与受体α-2，6-SA及α-2，3-SA结合，除DAD病变外，常伴有上呼吸道、气管、支气管和细支气管的炎性病变，且较易合并细菌感染。高致病性禽流感病毒H5N1主要结合α-2，3-SA受体，主要累及肺泡上皮及细支气管，少见上呼吸道及气管、支气管病变，常伴局灶肺出血及肺组织坏死，机化及纤维化较少见。SARS-CoV通过结合血管紧张素转换酶2（ACE2）进入细胞，病变与病程相关，DAD渗出期一般见于病程10~14 d死亡患者。病程大于10 d患者表现为DAD机化期，并常伴有闭塞性细支气管炎伴机化性肺炎样改变及肺泡腔内显著多核巨细胞。SARS-CoV及H5N1感染患者肺外器官均可见脾和淋巴结内淋巴细胞耗竭、急性肾小管坏死、骨髓内噬血细胞现象。.

新型冠状病毒肺炎是1类具有很强传染性的疾病。本文结合新型冠状病毒感染的特点、国家卫生健康委相关要求、妇产科工作的特殊性以及实际工作的经验，对新型冠状病毒肺炎定点救治医院中妇产科医护人员在诊治过程中的防护措施进行分析及建议，以期在完成妇产科诊疗工作的同时，实现妇产科工作人员"零感染"的目标。.

The purpose of this study was to investigate role of inhibition of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in neural damage and repair after spinal cord injury, and to explore the underlying mechanism.In BV2 microglia, we conducted classical activation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pre-treatment using miR-34a mimics. The expressions of miR-34a, Notch 1, and Jagged 1 were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the protein expressions of inflammatory microglia markers were evaluated by Western blotting. In vivo, SCI model was successfully established in rats. Subsequently, the expression levels of miR-34a, Notch 1, and Jagged 1 levels within 1 week were measured by qRT-PCR. Meanwhile, protein expressions of inflammatory mediators were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Immunofluorescence was conducted to display the activation degree of microglia and residual neural structure. Furthermore, locomotor function recovery was estimated using BBB rating scale.Compared with the only LPS-activated group, pre-treatment of miR-34a mimics significantly decreased the expressions of Notch 1 and Jagged 1. Similarly, the protein expressions of CD11b and iNOS were significantly down-regulated. In vivo, the levels of Notch 1 and Jagged 1 within 1 week increased significantly, while miR-34a was negatively regulated following spinal cord injury (SCI). Furthermore, the contents of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and IL-6 were reduced with the treatment of miR-34a mimics when compared with SCI group. With the treatment of miR-34a, the number of inflammatory microglia decreased significantly, and the remaining neural structure was similarly improved. In addition, locomotor function recovery of hindlimbs in rats was significantly ameliorated after the administration of miR-34a mimics.Increase of miR-34a suppresses neuronal apoptosis and alleviates microglia inflammation by negatively targeting the Notch pathway, thereby improving neural recovery and locomotor function.

The variation mechanism of blazars is a long standing open question. The polarization observation can provide us with more information to constrain models. In this work, we collect the long term multi-wavelength data of AO 0235+164, and make correlation analysis between them by using the local cross-correlation function (LCCF). We found that both $\gamma$-ray and the optical {\it V}-band light curves are correlated with the radio light curve at beyond 3$\sigma$ significance level. The emitting regions of the $\gamma$-ray and the optical coincide within errors, and locate at {$6.6_{-1.7}^{+0.6}$} pc upstream of the core region of 15 GHz, which are beyond the broad line region (BLR). The color index shows the redder when brighter (RWB) trend at the low flux state, but turns to the bluer when brighter (BWB) trend at the high flux state. While, the $\gamma$-ray spectral index always shows the softer when brighter (SWB) trend. We propose that such complex variation trends can be explained by the increasing jet component with two constant components. The {optical} PD flares and {optical} flux flares are not synchronous. It seems that one flux peak are sandwiched by two PD peaks, which have inverse rotation trajectories in the $qu$ plane. The helical jet model can schematically show these characteristics of polarization with fine tuned parameters. The change of viewing angle is suggested to be the primary variable which lead all these variations, although other possibilities like the shock in jet model or the hadronic model are not excluded completely., Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted in ApJ

Two-dimensions Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) are promising materials for spintronic devices due to the spin–orbit coupling. However, a relative low spin related photoluminescence (PL) circular polarization is observed from RPPs at room temperature due to the spin relaxation and spin flip caused by the soft lattice of RPPs. Here, we report the enhancement of the circular polarization of PL of RPPs by reducing the carrier lifetime of RPPs via constructing van der Waals heterostructures. We observed the maximum PL polarization of RPPs reaching about 30%. Moreover, we found that the degree of the polarization decreases as the thickness of the heterostructure becomes thicker. Our work provides an effective method to enhance the spin polarization of RPPs and could promote the RPPs based spintronics.

Considerable efforts have been made into developing aggregation-induced emission fluorogens (AIEgens)-containing nano-therapeutic systems due to the excellent properties of AIEgens. Compared to other fluorescent molecules, AIEgens have advantages including low background, high signal-to-noise ratio, good sensitivity, and resistance to photobleaching, in addition to being exempt from concentration quenching or aggregation-caused quenching effects. The present review outlines the major developments in the biomedical applications of AIEgens-containing systems. From a literature survey, the recent AIE works are reviewed and the reasons why AIEgens are chosen in various biomedical applications are highlighted. The research activities on AIEgens-containing systems are increasing rapidly, therefore, the present review is timely.

In this paper, a lattice hydrodynamic model is derived considering the delayed-feedback control influence of optimal flux for forward looking sites on a single-lane road which includes more comprehensive information. The control method is used to analyze the stability of the model. The critical condition for the linear steady traffic flow is deduced and the numerical simulation is carried out to investigate the advantage of the proposed model with and without the effect of optimal flux for forward looking sites. Moreover it indicates that the characteristic of the model can lead to a lower energy consumption in traffic system. The results are consistent with the theoretical analysis correspondingly.

In this paper, a lattice hydrodynamic model is derived considering not only the effect of flow rate difference but also the delayed feedback control signal which including more comprehensive information. The control method is used to analyze the stability of the model. Furthermore, the critical condition for the linear steady traffic flow is deduced and the numerical simulation is carried out to investigate the advantage of the proposed model with and without the effect of flow rate difference and the control signal. The results are consistent with the theoretical analysis correspondingly.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to be promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of cancers. However, the potential clinical significance of the serum miR-98 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remained unclear. This study aimed to examine the serum miR-98 levels in CRC patients and explore its potential value for CRC.A total of 115 CRC cases and 50 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect serum miR-98 expression in all the participants.The results revealed that serum miR-98 levels were frequently downregulated in CRC patients compared with controls. In addition, low serum miR-98 levels were closely associated with aggressive clinical features and shorter survival. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that serum miR-98 could well differentiate CRC patients from healthy controls with relatively high accuracy. Multivariate analysis further demonstrated that serum miR-98 was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival and disease-free survival. Mechanistically, MYC, IL-6, and HIST1H2BH were identified as direct downstream targets of miR-98 in CRC cells.Collectively, serum miR-98 might be useful as an indicator for predicting the clinical outcome of CRC patients.

Aberrant microRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in various human diseases, including atherosclerosis (AS). MiR-647 expression was highly elevated in AS samples. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring the role and mechanism of miR-647 on AS progression.Human aorta vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs) were treated with oxidized modified low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to establish the AS model in vitro. The qRT-PCR assay was used to detect the expression of miR-647 and PTEN mRNA. The levels of PTEN protein, PI3K, AKT, p-PI3K, and p-AKT were measured using Western blot. Cell proliferation and migration were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and transwell assay, respectively. The target of miR-647 was verified using the dual-luciferase reporter assay.Our data supported that miR-647 was upregulated and PTEN was downregulated in the serum of AS patients and ox-LDL-treated HA-VSMCs. The proliferation and migration of ox-LDL-treated HA-VSMCs were promoted by miR-647 overexpression or PTEN knockdown, while they were suppressed following miR-647 depletion or high PTEN expression. Moreover, PTEN was a direct target of miR-647. PTEN antagonized miR-647-mediated regulatory effects on cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was involved in miR-647/PTEN-mediated regulation in ox-LDL-treated HA-VSMCs.MiR-647 promoted the proliferation and migration of ox-LDL-treated HA-VSMCs at least partly by targeting the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway. Targeting miR-647 may be a promising method for AS treatment.

To study the correlation between the plasma long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to evaluate its prognosis to screen new biological targets for the diagnosis and treatment of TBI.40 patients with TBI (TBI group) and 40 healthy people (control group) were collected and venous blood was drawn. The plasma MEG3 in subjects was quantitatively analyzed via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Moreover, the levels of inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and IL-8] in plasma in each group were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Finally, the correlation analysis was performed for the MEG3 expression level and inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with TBI. Patients were divided into high-expression MEG3 group and low-expression MEG3 group, high-level inflammatory cytokine group and low-level inflammatory cytokine group according to the median, followed by prognosis evaluation. The MEG3 expression level in TBI group was significantly decreased compared to that in control group, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, were significantly higher than in control group.The results of the correlation analysis showed that the expression level of plasma MEG3 had a significantly negative correlation with the level of each inflammatory cytokine. The prognostic analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients with high MEG3 expression level and low inflammatory cytokine levels was good, while it was poor in patients with low MEG3 expression level and high inflammatory cytokine levels; the difference was significant. In patients with TBI, the expression level of plasma MEG3 is decreased, while the inflammatory cytokine levels are increased, and there is a significantly negative correlation between the two items.The prognosis of patients with high MEG3 expression level and low inflammatory cytokine levels is good so MEG3 and inflammatory cytokines can be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of TBI, improving the prognosis of patients.

The aim of this study was to explore the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TCL6 in preeclampsia (PE) development and to investigate its underlying mechanism.The expression of TCL6 in 42 placental tissues of PE pregnancies and normal pregnancies was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to explore the relationship between TCL6 expression, urine protein level, blood pressure and neonatal weight of PE pregnancies. The proliferation and cell cycle of trophoblast cells after TCL6 knockdown were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, the specific role of TCL6 in cell cycle was detected by Western blot.TCL6 was highly expressed in 42 placental tissues of PE pregnancies when compared with that of normal pregnancies. PE pregnancies with lower expression level of TCL6 exhibited significantly lower urinary protein level, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure than those with higher level. Besides, neonatal weight was significantly higher in PE pregnancies with lower expression level of TCL6. Meanwhile, downregulation of TCL6 resulted in remarkably increased proliferation and cell cycle of trophoblast cells. In addition, Western blot results indicated that TCL6 knockdown significantly upregulated CDK2 and downregulated PTEN in trophoblast cells.TCL6 was highly expressed in placental tissues of PE patients. Overexpression of lncRNA TCL6 inhibited the proliferation of trophoblast cells and promoted PE development via targeting PTEN.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and related risk factors of laryngopharyngeal reflux in otolaryngology. METHOD: During January 2019 to March 2019, the inpatients in otolaryngology were investigated by the questionnaire of reflux symptom index scale and the laryngopharyngeal reflux related risk factors were analyzed. RESULT: Among the 227 patients, 33 patients with suspected LPR contained 19 patients(20.7%) of 92 patients in the laryngopharyngeal group, 10 patients(16.1%) of 62 patients in the nasal group, and 4 patients(5.5%) of 73 patients in the ear group. LPR prevalence in the laryngopharyngeal group was statistically different from that in the ear group(P < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, gender, smoking, drinking and BMI were risk factors of LPR(P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that BMI was an independent risk factor of LPR(P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: LPR had a high prevalence rate in otolaryngology related diseases, and appropriate synergistic anti-LPR treatment could be carried out while treating otolaryngology related diseases.

The treatment of breast cancer-induced osteolysis remains a challenge in clinical settings. Here, we explored the effect and mechanism of combined treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA) and plumbagin (PL), a widely investigated component derived from Plumbago zeylanica, against breast cancer-induced osteoclastogenesis. We found that the combined treatment with PL and ZA suppressed cell viability of precursor osteoclasts and synergistically inhibited MDA-MB-231-induced osteoclast formation (combination index=0.28) with the abrogation of recombinant mouse receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced activation of NF-κB/MAPK (nuclear factor-κB/mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathways. Molecular docking suggested a putative binding area within c-Jun N-terminal kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (JNK/Erk) protease active sites through the structural mimicking of adenosine phosphate (ANP) by the spatial combination of PL with ZA. A homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assay further illustrated the direct competitiveness of the dual drugs against ANP docking to phosphorylated JNK/Erk, contributing to the inhibited downstream expression of c-Jun/c-Fos/NFATc-1 (nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 1). Then, in vivo testing demonstrated that the combined administration of PL and ZA attenuated breast cancer growth in the bone microenvironment. Additionally, these molecules prevented the destruction of proximal tibia, with significant reduction of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP)-positive osteoclast cells and potentiation of apoptotic cancer cells, to a greater extent when combined than when the drugs were applied independently. Altogether, the combination treatment with PL and ZA could significantly and synergistically suppress osteoclastogenesis and inhibit tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo by simulating the spatial structure of ANP to inhibit competitively phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (JNK/Erk).

Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Siebold & Zucc.), an evergreen fruit tree, is widely grown in southern China. In 1999, severe twig dieback was observed on M. rubra in Taizhou and it spread to several major M. Rubra-producing areas of Zhejiang covering more than 6,000 ha by 2011. Symptoms were usually observed from June to November and first appeared as chlorosis of leaves and leaf drop, followed by the formation of dark brown lesions covered with white mycelia surrounding leaf scars. The lesions can extend to the whole twig and tree causing discoloration of the xylem. In most cases, infected trees die within 1 to 4 years. Two distinct fungi totaling 46 isolates were isolated from the surface-disinfested diseased twigs and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C. An isolate of each fungus, designated as C1 and B1, was characterized further following 10 days of growth on PDA at 28°C. C1 formed zonate, white colonies and black, acervular conidiomata with the conidia aggregated on acervuli as a creamy mass. Isolate B1 formed nonzonate, white colonies and black, acervular conidiomata with the conidia aggregated on acervuli as droplets. Conidia for each isolate were fusiform with five cells; one hyaline apical cell, one hyaline basal cell, and three, dark brown median cells. Conidia ranged from 17.8 to 25.2 × 6.7 to 9.2 μm for C1 and 21.2 to 27.8 × 4.3 to 7.5 μm for B1. There were two to three hyaline, filamentous appendages (9.8 to 23.5 μm long for C1 and 10.5 to 25.5 μm long for B1) attached to each apical cell, and one hyaline appendage (3.5 to 7.2 μm long for C1 and 3.0 to 6.8 μm long for B1) attached to each basal cell. The cultural and morphological characteristics of C1 (16 isolates) matched the description for Pestalotiopsis mangiferae while B1 (27 isolates) matched the description for P. vismiae (2). The PCR-amplified and sequenced internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) for isolate C1 (GenBank Accession No. JQ281542) and B1 (GenBank Accession No. JQ281543) were 99 and 100% homologous to that of the P. mangiferae isolate MM 102 (GenBank Accession No. GU722595) and P. vismiae isolate xsd08116 (GenBank Accession No. FJ481027), respectively. For pathogenicity tests, nine healthy detached leaves and 12 potted plants of M. rubra were wound inoculated with sterile water (control) or conidial suspensions (105 conidia per ml; 20 μl on each site) of C1 and B1, respectively, and maintained with relative humidity of more than 90% under fluorescent light at 28°C. Tests were performed twice. Necrotic lesions, resembling those that occurred in the field, were observed on all inoculated detached leaves and 33.3% of C1 and 25% of B1 inoculated potted plants 10 and 30 days following inoculation, respectively, while the controls remained healthy. Two fungi were reisolated from the lesions with identical morphology to the initial C1 and B1 inoculums. Therefore, P. mangiferae and P. vismiae were determined to be the causal agent for twig dieback of M. rubra in China. Pestalotiopsis spp. were previously reported as pathogens of loquat (4), mango (3), and blueberry (1) causing economic loss. To our knowledge, this is the first report of twig dieback disease of M. rubra caused by P. mangiferae and P. vismiae. References: (1) J. G. Espinoza et al. Plant Dis. 92:1407, 2008. (2) Q. X. Ge et al. Flora Fungorum Sinicorum. Vol. 38, Pestalotiopsis. Science Press, Beijing, 2009. (3). Y. Ko et al. Plant Dis. 91:1684, 2007. (4). A. E. Perelló and S. Larran. Plant Dis. 83:695, 1999.