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Background: The limited curative effect of PD-L1/PD-1 blockades presents challenges to immunotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. We have found that methionine restriction (MR) enhances the drug resistance of gastric carcinoma cells. We aimed to explore whether MR can enhance the efficacy of PD-L1/PD-1 blockades in gastric cancer., Methods: To conduct MR, gastric carcinoma cells were transfected with LV-METase in vitro, and 615 mice were injected with MFC cells with stable METase expression in vivo. Flow cytometry was conducted to measure the proportions of M1/M2 macrophages and CD8 + GZMB + /IFN-γ + T cells. Additionally, the levels of M1/M2 macrophage markers and MIF were also detected., Results: MR increased M1 and down-regulated M2 macrophages. MR suppressed MIF levels in gastric carcinoma cells, while the addition of anti-MIF neutralizing antibody inhibited the effect of MR on macrophage M1/M2 polarization. MR enhanced the increase of the proportion of CD8 + GZMB + T cells and CD8 + IFN-γ + T cells induced by PD-L1/PD-1 blockades. In vivo detection verified the efficacy of the combination of MR and PD-L1/PD-1 blockades on gastric cancer., Conclusions: MR inhibits the secretion of MIF by gastric carcinoma cells, promotes macrophage M1 polarization, and enhances the therapeutic effect of PD-L1/PD-1 blockades in gastric cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Achieving a balance between high selectivity and uptake is a formidable challenge for the purification of acetylene from mixtures with carbon dioxide, particularly when seeking to maximize both C 2 H 2 adsorption capacity and C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation selectivity in crystalline porous materials. In this study, leveraging the principles of reticular chemistry, we selected two tetracarboxylate-based linkers and combined them with Cu 2+ ions to synthesize two isoreticular dicopper paddle-wheel-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): Cu-TPTC (terphenyl-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylic acid, H 4 TPTC) and Cu-ABTC (3,3,5,5-azobenzenetetracarboxylic acid, H 4 ABTC). The structural and sorption analyses revealed that Cu-ABTC, despite having slightly smaller pores due to the strategic replacement of a phenyl ring with an azo group between two tetratopic ligands, maintains high porosity compared to Cu-TPTC. Furthermore, Cu-ABTC outperforms Cu-TPTC in terms of C 2 H 2 adsorption capacity (196 cm 3  g -1 at 298 K and 1 bar) and C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation selectivity (16.5~5.6). These findings were corroborated by dynamic breakthrough experiments and computational modeling. This research highlights the potential of the isoreticular contraction strategy in enhancing MOFs for sophisticated gas adsorption and separation processes., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Methionine restriction (MR) is a research direction in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of MR on enhancing cisplatin (DDP) sensitivity of drug-resistant GC cells., Methods: Twenty pairs of GC tissues and adjacent normal gastric mucosa tissues were collected. DDP-resistant cell lines (KATO/DDP and MKN45/DDP), mouse model of GC and GC patient-derived organoid (PDO) models were established. Lentivirus-mediated METase overexpression was used for MR. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to detect multi-drug resistance-1 (MDR1), MDR-associated protein 1 (MRP1) eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-Ⅲ (EIF4A3), and METase protein expressions. The levels of circRNAs were detected by qRT-PCR. Tumor volume and weight were measured. The proliferation of tumor cells was detected by immunohistochemical staining., Results: The differentially expressed circRNAs of GC were screened in Gene Expression Omnibus database. MR in KATO/DDP and MKN45/DDP cells significantly down-regulated circ-CDK13 level. Overexpression of circ-CDK13 significantly inhibited apoptosis of sensitive cells (KATO III and MKN45). Interference with circ-CDK13 significantly promoted apoptosis of drug-resistant cells (KATO/DDP and MKN45/DDP). MR enhanced the DDP sensitivity of GC resistant cells, GC PDO and GC mice by down-regulating circ-CDK13. EIF4A3 binds to the downstream flanking sequence of circ-CDK13, and interference with EIF4A3 reduces circ-CDK13 levels, but does not affect CDK13. The expressions of circ-CDK13 and EIF4A3 in GC clinical samples were increased and positively correlated. Simultaneously overexpression of METase and EIF4A3 in resistant cells inhibited apoptosis, and further interference with circ-CDK13 reversed this effect., Conclusion: MR inhibits circ-CDK13 level by down-regulating EIF4A3, thereby increasing the sensitivity of GC drug-resistant cells to DDP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper investigates the effectiveness of applying continuous high-compression pressure on the initial setting of fresh concrete to produce hardened concrete materials with excellent mechanical properties. A novel experimental apparatus was self-designed and used for the pre-setting pressure application. The utilization of the completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil as an alternative aggregate in concrete production was also explored. A total of twenty-eight specimens were fabricated using two types of fine aggregates, six mix ratios, two initial pressure values, and two distinct durations of the initial pressure application. The density and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the specimens were examined to evaluate their mechanical qualities, while micro-CT tests with image analysis were used to quantify their porosity. The results indicated that the 10 MPa initial pre-setting pressurization can effectively eliminate the excess air and voids within the fresh concrete, therefore enhancing the mechanical properties of the hardened concrete specimens of various types. Compared with non-pressurized specimens, the porosity values of pressurized specimens were reduced by 73.11% to 86.53%, the density values were increased by 1.43% to 8.31%, and the UCS values were increased by 8.42% to 187.43%. These findings provide a reference for using a continuous high pre-setting compression pressure and using CDG soil as an aggregate in the fabrication of concrete materials with improved mechanical performance.

Gastric cancer metastasis is a major cause of poor prognosis. Our previous research showed that methionine restriction (MR) lowers the invasiveness and motility of gastric carcinoma. In this study, we investigated the particular mechanisms of MR on gastric carcinoma metastasis. In vitro, gastric carcinoma cells (AGS, SNU-5, MKN7, KATO III, SNU-1, and MKN45) were grown in an MR medium for 24 h. In vivo, BALB/c mice were given a methionine-free (Met - ) diet. Transwell assays were used to investigate cell invasion and migration. The amounts of Krüppel like factor 10 (KLF10) and cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) were determined using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. To determine the relationship between KLF10 and CBS, chromatin immunoprecipitation and a dual-luciferase reporter experiment were used. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to detect lung metastasis. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine cystathionine content. MR therapy had varying effects on the invasion and migration of gastric carcinoma cells AGS, SNU-5, MKN7, KATO III, SNU-1, and MKN45. KLF10 was highly expressed in AGS cells but poorly expressed in KATO III cells. KLF10 improved MR's ability to prevent gastric carcinoma cell invasion and migration. In addition, KLF10 may interact with CBS, facilitating transcription. Further detection revealed that inhibiting the KLF10/CBS-mediated trans-sulfur pathway lowered Met - 's inhibitory effect on lung metastasis development. KLF10 transcription activated CBS, accelerated the trans-sulfur pathway, and increased gastric carcinoma cells' susceptibility to MR., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Liver cancer resection, especially in patients with hemihepatectomy or extended hemihepatectomy, often leads to poor prognosis, such as liver insufficiency and even liver failure and death, because the standard residual liver volume (SRLV) cannot be fully compensated after surgery., Aim: To explore the risk factors of poor prognosis after hemihepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma and evaluate the application value of related prognostic approaches., Methods: The clinical data of 35 patients with primary liver cancer in Nantong Third People's Hospital from February 2016 to July 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic curve was created using medcac19.0.4 to compare the critical values of the SRLV in different stages of liver fibrosis after hemihepatectomy with those of liver dysfunction after hemihepatectomy. It was constructed by combining the Child-Pugh score to evaluate its application value in predicting liver function compensation., Results: The liver stiffness measure (LSM) value and SRLV were associated with liver dysfunction after hemihepatectomy. Logistic regression analysis showed that an LSM value ≥ 25 kPa [odds ratio (OR) = 6.254, P < 0.05] and SRLV ≤ 0.290 L/m 2 (OR = 5.686, P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative liver dysfunction. The accuracy of the new liver reserve evaluation model for predicting postoperative liver function was higher than that of the Child-Pugh score ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: SRLV and LSM values can be used to evaluate the safety of hemihepatectomy. The new liver reserve evaluation model has good application potential in the evaluation of liver reserve function after hemihepatectomy., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The prevention and treatment of gastric cancer has been the focus and difficulty of medical research. We aimed to explore the mechanism of inhibiting migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by methionine restriction (MR). The human gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MKN45 cultured with complete medium (CM) or medium without methionine were used for in vitro experiments. MKN45 cells were injected tail vein into BALB/c nude mice and then fed with normal diet or methionine diet for in vivo experiments. MR treatment decreased cell migration and invasion, increased E-cadherin expression, decreased N-cadherin and p-p65 expressions, and inhibited nuclear p65 translocation of AGS and MKN45 cells when compared with CM group. MR treatment increased IκBα protein expression and protein stability, and decreased IκBα protein ubiquitination level and TRIM47 expression. TRIM47 interacted with IκBα protein, and overexpression of TRIM47 reversed the regulatory effects of MR. TRIM47 promoted lung metastasis formation and partially attenuated the effect of MR on metastasis formation in vivo compared to normal diet group mice. MR reduces TRIM47 expression, leads to the degradation of IκBα, and then inhibits the translocation of nuclear p65 and the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells., (© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Hydraulic rotary drilling can offer the essential information and core samplesa for the researches on solid earth. Recording the factual field drilling data and analyzing the hydraulic rotary coring process are challenging yet promising to utilize the massive drilling information in geophysics and geology. This paper adopts the drilling process monitoring (DPM) technique and records the four parameters of displacement, thrust pressure, upward pressure, and rotation speed in real-time series for profiling the siliciclastic sedimentary rocks along 108 m deep drillhole. The digitalization results with 107 linear zones represent the spatial distribution of drilled geomaterials including superficial deposits (fill, loess, gravelly soil), mudstone, silty mudstone, gritstone, and fine sandstone. The constant drilling speeds varying from 0.018 to 1.905 m/min present the in-situ coring resistance of drilled geomaterials. Furthermore, the constant drilling speeds can identify the strength quality of soils to hard rocks. The thickness distributions of the six basic strength quality grades are presented for all the sedimentary rocks and each individual type of the seven soil and rocks. The in-situ strength profile determined in this paper can be used to assess and evaluate the in-situ mechanical behavior of geomaterial along the drillhole and can provide a new mechanical-based assessment for determining the spatial distribution of geological strata and structures in subsurface. They are important since the same stratum at different depths can have different mechanical behavior. The results provide a novel quantitative measurement for continuously in-situ mechanical profiling by digital drilling data. The findings of the paper can offer a new and effective method for refinement and upgrading of in-situ ground investigation, and can provide researchers and engineers with a novel tool and valuable reference to digitize and utilize factual data of current drilling projects., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

To overcome the shortcomings of conventional ecological floating bed (CEFB) in purifying landscape water, this study constructed a functional ecological floating bed (FEFB) through the suspension of calcium peroxide (CP) and sponge iron (SI) jointly below the CEFB. The purification effect of water quality and influence of sediment were compared in control check, CEFB, and FEFB systems, which were loaded the same sediment and reclaimed water in a field experiment. Results showed that the FEFB suspended with CP and SI had evident purification effect on the quality of landscape water supplied with reclaimed water and can maintain stably the nutrient status of the water body at mesotrophic levels and low turbidity. The FEFB promoted the degradation of humus, thus eliminating the chroma risk in water body caused by the decay of plants from the CEFB. Moreover, the FEFB can control the sediment mass produced, reduce the total nitrogen (TN) mass of sediment, and decrease the transformable TN (TTN) content in the sediment. The FEFB enhanced the stability of phosphorus (P) in the sediment, where the relative content of Ca-P and stable P reached 42.18% and 64.27%, respectively. To sum up, the FEFB suspended with SI and CP can not only effectively control the eutrophication and sensory index of landscape water but also change the TTN content and P forms in sediment, making the sediment more stable. Thus, the FEFB provides an innovative approach to reduce endogenous nutrient release for landscape water along with recharging with reclaimed water., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Balloon-expandable valves (BEV) and self-expanding valves (SEV) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have shown promising results in Western populations. Herein, we comparatively evaluated their hemodynamics and early clinical outcomes in a Chinese population., Methods: One hundred seventy-eight patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis who had undergone transfemoral TAVR using SEV (n=153; Venus-A, 97; VitaFlow, 56) or BEV (n=25; Sapien3) from September 2020 to April 2021 were retrospectively enrolled, and 25 pairs were propensity-score matched for 10 baseline variables. The primary study outcomes were aortic valve hemodynamics and postoperative complications at discharge and 3-month follow-up., Results: TAVR was successful in all patients. Compared with SEV group, the BEV group had similarly distributed baseline characteristics, procedural time, hospital stay, new pacemaker implantation, and paravalvular regurgitation grade. We also observed that the BEV group had lower rates of balloon pre-dilation (60% vs. 92%, P=0.018), post-dilation (0 vs. 20%, P=0.050) and second valve implantation (0 vs. 24%, P=0.022); higher mean transaortic gradient (14.3±6.1 vs. 10.8±4.9, P=0.030) and proportion of patients with elevated gradients (20% vs. 0, P=0.050) at discharge; and similar rehospitalization, mean transaortic gradient, new pacemaker implantation, and paravalvular regurgitation grade than the SEV group at the 3-month follow-up. There were no deaths in either group. However, the proportion of patients with elevated gradients in SEV group was higher at 3 months than before discharge (24% vs. 0, P=0.022)., Conclusions: BEV and SEV for transfemoral TAVR appear comparably safe and effective, with high device success and favorable 3-month clinical outcomes. However, the transaortic gradient and new pacemaker implantation in the SEV group increased during follow-up, warranting larger studies with longer-term follow-up., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-21-6637/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) derived exosomes (Exos) aggravate GC development by facilitating M2 macrophage polarization and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HCG18 was highly expressed in GC. This study aimed to investigate whether the exosomal lncRNA HCG18 regulated the M2 macrophage polarization in GC and the possible mechanism., Methods: The isolated GC cells (GCCs)-Exos were identified using transmission electron microscopy, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis and Western blot. The GCCs-Exos function was verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the exosomal lncRNA HCG18 function was determined using thein vitro assays. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of the exosomal lncRNA HCG18 that regulated M2 macrophage polarization in GC was investigated using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pull-down., Results: After the validation of GCCs-Exos, the GCCs-Exos facilitated the M2 macrophage polarization. The in vitro assays confirmed that the exosomal lncRNA HCG18 positively regulated the M2 macrophage polarization. Mechanistically, lncRNA HCG18 bound to miR-875-3p, miR-875-3p bound to KLF4. Furthermore, GCCs-exosomal lncRNA HCG18 elevated the KLF4 expression by decreasing miR-875-3p in macrophages to facilitate M2 macrophage polarization, thus alleviating GC. The in vivo assays clarified that the GCCs-exosomal lncRNA HCG18 restrained the tumor growth of GC induced by M2 macrophages., Conclusion: GCCs-exosomal lncRNA HCG18 elevated KLF4 expression by decreasing miR-875-3p in macrophages to facilitate the M2 macrophage polarization., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules with a transcript length of more than 200 nt and lack a protein-coding ability. They regulate gene expression by interacting with protein, RNA, and DNA. Their function is closely related to their subcellular localization. In the nucleus, lncRNAs regulate gene expression at the epigenetic and transcriptional levels, and in the cytoplasm, they regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional and translational levels. Abnormalities in lncRNAs have been confirmed to exhibit tumor suppressor or carcinogenic effects and play an important role in the development of tumors. In particular, the lung cancer-related transcript 1 (LUCAT1) located in the antisense strand of the q14.3 region of chromosome 5 was first discovered in smoking-related lung cancer. Increasing evidence have showed that LUCAT1 is involved in breast cancer, ovarian cancer, thyroid cancer, renal cell carcinoma. It is highly expressed in liver cancer and other malignant tumors and has been confirmed to be induce various malignant tumors. It regulates tumor proliferation, invasion, and migration via various mechanisms and is related to the clinicopathological characteristics of tumor patients. Thus, LUCAT1 is a potential prognostic biological marker and therapeutic target for cancer. This article reviews its expression, function, and molecular mechanism in various malignant tumors., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to express fish Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) G main antigen domain by using Bac-to-bac expression system. Using bioinformatics tools, B cell epitope of VHSV G gene was predicted, and G main antigen domain was optimized. GM gene was inserted into pFastBac1 vector, then transferred recombinant plasmid into DH10Bac to get recombinant rBacmid-GM. Obtained shuttle plasmid rBacmid-GM was transfected into sf9 cells. GM expression was examined using by PCR and western-blot. Results indicated that G main antigen domain gene of VHSV was successfully cloned and sequenced which contains 1209 bp. PCR proved that shuttle plasmid rBacmid-GM was constructed correctly. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis analysis detected a band of protein about 45kD in expression product of G gene. Obtained recombinant G protein reacted with VHSV-positive serum that was substantiated by western-blot analysis. In conclusion, the main antigen domain of VHSV G was successfully expressed in the Bac-to-Bac baculovirus system.

A growing number of empirical studies have revealed that diaphragmatic breathing may trigger body relaxation responses and benefit both physical and mental health. However, the specific benefits of diaphragmatic breathing on mental health remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of diaphragmatic breathing on cognition, affect, and cortisol responses to stress. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either a breathing intervention group (BIG) or a control group (CG). The BIG received intensive training for 20 sessions, implemented over 8 weeks, employing a real-time feedback device, and an average respiratory rate of 4 breaths/min, while the CG did not receive this treatment. All participants completed pre- and post-tests of sustained attention and affect. Additionally, pre-test and post-test salivary cortisol concentrations were determined in both groups. The findings suggested that the BIG showed a significant decrease in negative affect after intervention, compared to baseline. In the diaphragmatic breathing condition, there was a significant interaction effect of group by time on sustained attention, whereby the BIG showed significantly increased sustained attention after training, compared to baseline. There was a significant interaction effect of group and time in the diaphragmatic breathing condition on cortisol levels, whereby the BIG had a significantly lower cortisol level after training, while the CG showed no significant change in cortisol levels. In conclusion, diaphragmatic breathing could improve sustained attention, affect, and cortisol levels. This study provided evidence demonstrating the effect of diaphragmatic breathing, a mind-body practice, on mental function, from a health psychology approach, which has important implications for health promotion in healthy individuals.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of trans-catheter closure of multiple atrial septal defects (ASD) monitored by trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) under the guidance of 3D printing heart model. Methods: Between April and August 2016, a total of 21 patients (8 male and 13 female) with multiple ASD in Fuwai Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences underwent CT scan and 3-dimensional echocardiography for heart disease model produced by 3D printing technique. The best occlusion program was determined through the simulation test on the model. Percutaneous device closure of multiple ASD was performed follow the predetermined program guided by TTE. Clinical follow-up including electrocardiogram and TTE was arranged at 1 month after the procedure. Results: The trans-catheter procedure was successful in all 21 patients using a single atrial septal occluder. Mild residual shunt was found in 5 patient in the immediate postoperative period, 3 of them were disappeared during postoperative follow-up. There was no death, vascular damage, arrhythmia, device migration, thromboembolism, valvular dysfunction during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The use of 3D printing heart model provides a useful reference for transcatheter device closure of multiple ASD achieving through ultrasound-guided intervention technique, which appears to be safe and feasible with good outcomes of short-term follow-up.

An image converter based on an indium phosphide has been developed to measure the two-dimensional spatial profile of the incident photon flux by probing the rapid change of the refractive index in the semiconductor. The spatial resolution, dynamic range, and temporal response of this image converter have been investigated with optical methods. The results show that the spatial resolution is ∼15 cycles/mm at the percent modulation transfer function of 0.5, the dynamic range is about 100, and the time response is in the order of 600 ps. This scheme can provide an alternative choice as an imaging diagnostic for experiments in the area of high-energy density physics.

Accumulative evidences have underpinned the nature candidates from Chinese medicine (CM), particularly CM served as blood activating and stasis resolving (BASR, Huoxue Huayu in Chinese) by targeting tumor-associated angiogenesis. However, recent experiment research on the therapeutic angiogenesis by BASR-CM attracts wide attention and discussion. This opinion review focused on the underlying link between two indications and anticipated that (1) BASR-CM might emphasize on a balanced multi-cytokines network interaction; (2) BASR-CM might address on the nature of diseases prior to differently affecting physiological and pathological angiogenesis; (3) BASR-CM might mainly act on perivascular cells, either promotes arteriogenesis by increasing arteriogenic factors in ischemic diseases, or simultaneously keep a quiescent vasculature to impede angiogenesis in tumor context.

Objective: To investigate whether apollon immunoexpression in breast cancer tissues helps to predict pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)., Methods: The expressions of Apollon, Her-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) were detected immunohistochemically in biopsy tissues from 124 breast cancer patients. The clinical responses to NAC were evaluated in line with the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). The pCR rate was analyzed for different types of breast cancer. The correlations between Apollon status with Her-2, ER, PR, lymph node status and tumor size were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to compared the changes in Apollon expression in the breast cancer tissues before and after NAC., Results: The pCR rate was 18.5% (23/124) in these patients. Negative expressions of apollon, ER and PR were all associated with a higher pCR rate after NAC. Apollon was significantly correlated with Her-2, ER, PR and lymph node involvement. Chemotherapy significantly down-regulated apollon expression in the tumor cells., Conclusion: A negative apollon expression might be a predictor of pCR in patients with breast cancer.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of naringenin on protection in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury in normal human bronchial epithelium (NHBE) and to provide insights into the possible underlying mechanisms. NHBE were stimulated by LPS in the presence or absence of the narigenin. In vitro treatment with naringenin led to a significant attenuation in the LPS-induced NHBE secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), superoxidase dismutase (SOD), nitricoxide synthase (NOS), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and nitric oxide (NO). RT-qPCR demonstrated that naringenin significantly reduced the LPS-induced upregulation of TNF-α, IL-6, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) p65 mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, Western blot analysis revealed that naringenin effectively suppressed NF-κB activation by inhibiting the degradation of IκB-α and the translocation of p65. Naringenin also attenuated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation by inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 MAPK. Taken together, these demonstrate that naringenin reduces TNF-α and IL-6 secretion and mRNA expression, possibly by blocking the activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in LPS-treated NHBE. These results indicated that naringenin had a protective effect on LPS-induced injury in NHBE.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a global threat to the prawn industry, and there is no simple method for field-based testing of this virus. We designed a padlock probe and primers to the capsid protein gene VP28 of WSSV, and established a hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HRCA) assay and a corresponding strip-based test. The assay and the test strip both had similar high accuracy and specificity, and their sensitivity was about 10 copies/μL, which is 100 times higher than conventional PCR. In this study, 68 batches of prawns were tested for WSSV with the HRCA assay and test strip, and the results were compared with the PCR assay. The results indicated that both the assay and test strip had accuracy similar to each other and to the PCR results. However, the assay and strip were more sensitive and user-friendly than PCR. Establishment of this method will provide a rapid detection of WSSV and also a basis for field-based detection of animal disease.

Special emphasis about cancer metastasis was concentrated on tumor cells themselves, and we usually considered the ability of migration and invasion was the final decider. Recently, bewaring of tumor microenvironment is a fundamental determinant in metastasis has become the most outstanding breakthrough. Considerable "microbes" in the microenvironment are closely linked with tumor metastatic behaviors, and the major proportion of them is tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Actually, TAMs conserve immediate "cross-talk" with cancer cells throughout tumor development. It is generally accepted that TAMs have mostly pro-tumoral functions and play an important role in several stages of tumor progression. This progression involves a series of events that leads from the primary site to the metastatic site, including tumor cell growth, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, intravasation and finally extravasation at distant site where the process begins again (metastasis). Thereby, TAMs has attracted substantial attentions in recent years and could become a promising therapeutic strategy. In this review, we focus on the multi-functions of TAMs in cancer and certain drugs targeting TAMs for cancer treatment those are under experimental research procedures or have even been entered human clinical tests.

This paper presents the stress and displacement fields in a functionally graded material (FGM) caused by a load. The FGM is a graded material of Si₃N₄-based ceramics and is assumed to be of semi-infinite extent. The load is a distributed loading over a rectangular area that is parallel to the external surface of the FGM and either on its external surface or within its interior space. The point-load analytical solutions or so-called Yue's solutions are used for the numerical integration over the distributed loaded area. The loaded area is discretized into 200 small equal-sized rectangular elements. The numerical integration is carried out with the regular Gaussian quadrature. Weak and strong singular integrations encountered when the field points are located on the loaded plane, are resolved with the classical methods in boundary element analysis. The numerical integration results have high accuracy.

An assay was developed for the detection of infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) based on real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A pair of primers and a TaqMan probe were designed that are specific for the recognition of a conservative region in the IHHNV genome. The IHHNV real-time PCR assay had a detection limit of 9 DNA copies, with a dynamic range of detection between 9 x 106 and 9 DNA copies. The primer pairs and probe were specific to IHHNV and did not cross-react with shrimp genomic DNA or other shrimp viruses such as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Monodon Baculovirus (MBV), and hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV). This assay has a broad application for basic and clinical investigations. For clinical samples, the real-time PCR assay detected all the positive samples screened by conventional PCR, which indicated the sensitivity of the real-time assay. The IHHNV real-time PCR assay with high sensitivity, specificity, wide range of detection ability, and simplicity is particularly useful for screening large numbers of specimens and measuring viral loads to monitor the broodstock.

Constructing genetic linkage map is an essential tool to acknowledge genome in aquaculture species. This paper has reviewed the current status of genetic linkage map research, including mapping population, mapping method and molecular markers used to construct linkage map. Linkage map has great potential in marker assisted selection (MAS), gene locating and cloning, and comparative genome mapping. Genetic linkage map with high density and wide coverage of genome will allow cloning the genes which contribute to economically important traits. The ultimate aim of the constructing linkage map is the development of fast-growing, disease-resistant strains of the major aquaculture species.

Adopting the definition suggested by the United Nations, a risk model for regional debris flow assessment is presented. Risk is defined as the product of hazard and vulnerability, both of which are necessary for evaluation. A Multiple-Factor Composite Assessment Model is developed for quantifying regional debris flow hazard by taking into account eight variables that contribute to debris flow magnitude and its frequency of occurrence. Vulnerability is a measure of the potential total losses. On a regional scale, it can be measured by the fixed asset, gross domestic product, land resources, population density, as well as the age, education, and wealth of the inhabitants. A nonlinear power-function assessment model that accounts for these indexes is developed. As a case study, the model is applied to compute the hazard, vulnerability and risk for each prefecture of the Yunnan province in southwestern China.

Esculentoside A (EsA) is a saponin isolated from the roots of Phytolacca esculenta. Previous experiments showed that it had strong anti-inflammatory effects. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is an important inflammatory mediator. In order to study the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of EsA, it was determined whether TNF production from macrophages was altered by EsA under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated conditions. EsA was found to decrease both extracellular and cell associated TNF production in a dose dependent manner at concentrations higher than 1 mumol/l EsA. Previous studies have showed that EsA reduced the releasing of platelet activating factor (PAF) from rat macrophages. The reducing effects of EsA on the release of TNF and PAF may explain its anti-inflammatory effect.