Search

Comprehending the underlying mechanisms governing the dynamics of vegetation alteration constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for the effective implementation of ecological construction. In this study, the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation coverage in the Liaohe River Basin (LHRB) in China from 2000 to 2019 was analyzed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from MOD13Q1 product. It proposed to combine factor regression and factor interaction to jointly explore the effects of factors on the NDVI. The results showed that: (1) The NDVI in the LHRB showed an overall increasing trend from 2000 to 2019; (2) Precipitation emerged as the predominant factor exerting influence on vegetation change across the basin, and the change trend of NDVI was synchronized with precipitation; (3) The interactions between two environmental factors had a greater influence on NDVI than any single factor. The interactions of natural factors played a dominant role; (4) The gradient changes in precipitation affected the explanatory power of other factors for NDVI. With the increase of precipitation, the activity of other factors kept getting stronger, and the fit of other factors to NDVI improved; (5) The human activities have generally been dominated by positive effects in the LHRB over the past 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: In addition to significantly reducing breast cancer recurrence risk, radiotherapy also prolongs patients' lives. However, radiotherapy-related genes and biomarkers still remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to identify radiation-associated genes in breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Breast cancer data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and UCSC Xena database. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed for annotation and integrated discovery. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING database and hub genes were identified. Then, immunohistochemistry and tissue expression of key genes was analyzed by using the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and GEPIA database. Genes associated with prognosis were identified by performing univariate cox analysis. RESULTS: We identified 341 differentially expressed genes related to radiotherapy in breast cancer patients. PPI analysis revealed a total of 129 nodes and 516 interactions and identified five hub genes (EGFR, FOS, ESR1, JUN, and IL6). In addition, 11 SDEGs THBS1, SERPINA11, NFIL3, METTL7A, KCTD12, HSPA6, EGR1, DDIT4, CCDC3, C11orf96, and BCL2A1 candidate genes can be used as potential diagnostic markers. The calibration curve and ROC indicate good probability consistencies of 3-years and 5-year survival rates of patients between estimation and observation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel insight into the functional characteristics of breast cancer through integrative analysis of GEO data and suggest potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a clinically common issue and the resulting acute kidney injury (AKI) seriously threatens the patient's life. Therefore, prevention and treatment of renal IRI are the key to alleviating AKI in such patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of VASPIN on mouse renal IRI and human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) to provide a new direction for the treatment of clinical renal IRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57/BL6 mice were used to construct a renal IRI model and recombinant mouse VASPIN was subcutaneously injected to determine whether VASPIN can alleviate renal IRI in mice by histological examination and detection of mouse urine and serum related indicators. In addition, HK-2 cells were cultured and an IRI model was constructed at the cellular level by hypoxia reoxygenation to examine the effect and mechanism of VASPIN on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in HK-2 cells. RESULTS: Results revealed that in VASPIN-treated mice, edema of renal tubular epithelial cells was significantly improved and renal injury markers netrin-1 and L-FAPB were decreased in urine. In addition, VASPIN also reduced the expression of inflammatory factors in mouse serum and the level of oxidative stress in kidney tissue. The expression of ERS-related molecules (GRP78, ATF6, caspase12, and CHOP) in HK-2 cells treated with VASPIN was significantly reduced and VASPIN decreased the expression of the pro-inflammatory factor HMGB1. Moreover, VASPIN promoted the activity of the Nrf2/ARE/HO-1 signaling pathway and inhibited the NF-кB signaling pathway by inhibiting HMGB1. CONCLUSIONS: VASPIN reduces inflammation and ERS levels in kidney tissue and attenuates renal IRI by activating the Nrf2/ARE/HO-1 signaling pathway and inhibiting the NF-кB signaling pathway via inhibition of HMGB1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been verified to participate in the regulation of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of LINC00707 in CRC still remains unknown. Here, we aim to study the role of LINC00707 in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: LINC00707 expression in 97 pairs of CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was determined by the quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRTPCR). LINC00707 overexpression or knockdown in SW620 or HCT116 cells was achieved by lentivirus transfection. The proliferation and cell circle progression of established cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Cell invasion and migration abilities were studied by transwell assay. Dual- luciferase assay and Western blot was used to verify the underlying mechanism of LINC00707 in CRC. Nude mice were obtained to identify the in vivo function of LINC00707 in CRC. RESULTS: LINC00707 was significantly over-expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. Up-regulation of LINC00707 promoted cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, invasion, and migration of SW620 cells. Conversely, down-regulation of LINC00707 reduced cell growth and metastasis of HCT116 cells. MiR-206 was verified as a direct target of LINC00707, and its function was inhibited by LINC00707. FMNL2 was a target for miR-206 in CRC cells. Meanwhile, LINC00707 promoted tumor growth of CRC in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00707 was up-regulated in CRC tissues and cells, which promoted cell proliferation and metastasis via sponging miR- 206 to increase FMNL2 expression. This might provide a novel target for the biological treatment of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CeO2/TiO2 catalysts were fabricated by dry ball milling in the presence or absence of an organic ligand. It was found that the catalysts prepared by ligand-assisted ball milling exhibited high NH3-SCR activities due to the interaction between cerium ions and ligand molecules resulting in good dispersion, a high Ce3+ ratio and high reducibility of cerium species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]