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OBJECTIVE: Many studies have demonstrated that the abnormal microRNAs (miRNAs) expression plays crucial roles in the development of human cancers including cervical cancer (CC). However, the expression and the underlying mechanism of miR-299-3p in CC remain unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect miR- 299-3p expression level in CC cell lines. The cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and transwell invasion assay were conducted to investigate the biological functions of miR-299-3p. Followingly, the Luciferase activity reporter and the Western blot assays were conducted to validate the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) as a direct target of miR-299-3p. RESULTS: MiR-299-3p expression level was reduced in CC cell lines compared with the normal cell line. The overexpression of miR-299-3p inhibits CC cell growth and invasion. Furthermore, TCF4 was validated as a direct target of miR-299-3p. In addition, TCF4 overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-299-3p on CC cell behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results illustrated that miR-299-3p acts as a tumor suppressor to inhibit CC cell behaviors by targeting TCF4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To dissect the functioning mode of miR-30c on giant cell tumor of bone cell metastasis and growth and provide therapeutic targets for giant cell tumor of bone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: By quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), miR-30c expression level in 62 pairs of giant cell tumor of bone cells tissue samples and five breast cancer-derived cell lines. Using miR-30c mimics and inhibitors, we analyzed the effects of miR-30c over-expression and knockdown on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Dual-luciferase activity assay was recruited to examine the potential target gene HOXA1, which predicted by several databases. Protein level was studied using Western blot. RESULTS: MiR-30c expressed significantly lower in giant cell tumor of bone tissue samples and cell lines. Over-expression miR-30c in giant cell tumor of bone cells decreased the cell proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities while down-regulation miR-30c in giant cell tumor of bone cells increased these abilities oppositely. Dual-luciferase and Western blot confirmed HOXA1 as a target gene of miR-30c. Furthermore, up-regulation of HOXA1 reserved the suppressive effect of miR-30c over-expression on cell growth and progression. CONCLUSIONS: miR-30c could suppress giant cell tumor of bone cell proliferation and progression via HOXA1, which might provide a new target for giant cell tumor of bone diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer is one of the three most common types of gynecologic cancer. The global incidence has increased in recent years. microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate numerous biological processes by binding to the 3'UTR of target mRNA to down-regulate protein synthesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Endometrial cancer patients received surgeries in our hospital were enrolled. MiR-15a-5p mimic or miR-15a-5p inhibitor was transfected into HEC-1-A cells by lentivirus. Colony formation assay was applied for detecting cell proliferation. Real-time PCR was performed to test miRNA and mRNA expression. Western blot was used to detect protein level. ChIP was adopted to test transcription activation. TOP/FOP was tested to determine Wnt signaling pathway activity. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm miRNA target. RESULTS: miR-15a-5p was decreased in endometrial cancer cells and tissues. miR-15a- 5p overexpression restrained HEC-1-A cell proliferation and stemness. miR-15a-5p mimic transfection reduced mRNA and protein levels of the proteins which are related to cell proliferation and Wnt signaling pathway. MiR-15a-5p targeted a putative binding site in the 3'-UTR of Wnt3a gene, thus regulating Wnt signaling pathway. miR-15a-5p overexpression decreased Wnt3a protein expression. Wnt3a presented significant negative correlation with the miR-15a-5p level in endometrial cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: miR-15a-5p is a regulator of endometrial cancer cell proliferation by directly targeting Wnt3a to block Wnt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single sensor can detect traffic parameters which reflect traffic conditions. However, taking into account the distances between sensors, just relying on data from one single sensor is insufficient to determine traffic congestion. With the development of Remote Transportation Microwave Sensors(RTMS) technology, Chinese highways begin to deploy such devices to monitor traffic flow. However, the distance between two sensors is about 3-4Km, which makes it difficult to process the sparse data from sensors. Using pattern matching and correlation analysis theories, an algorithm for automatic traffic congestion detection (ACD) is presented. Here, one single RTMS is considered as a node. Section average speed and traffic flow are selected as characteristic parameters. According to the traffic congestion reporting information, these two parameters constitute a congestion pattern of this node. So based on large number of previous RTMS data and congestion condition, pattern library of one node could be established. Then, at one single node, Discrete Cosine Transform and Euclidean distance methods were used to match real-time traffic condition and old congestion pattern. When the number of matched node is greater than the preset threhold, the first traffic congestion condition will be found. Next, Pearson correlation coefficient was adopted to measure the correlation between adjacent matched nodes. If the correlation coefficient is much closer to 0, the second traffic congestion condition will be found. Thus, when two conditions meet at the same time, traffic congestion will occur. In order to solve the RTMS data sparse problem, two dimensional linear interpolation methods was introdued to embed virtual nodes into actual nodes, and average speeds of them were calculated respectively. Finally, we selected several section of Beijing-Haerbin highway (G2) for test. 22 RTMS data and traffic event records were collected for 55 days. The experiment results showed that the ACD algorithm based on pattern matching and correlation analysis can effectively and timely detect traffic congestion. With further improved research, these studies will be useful to traffic management when congestion occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the time-dependent characteristic of the highway network, effective emergency vehicle routing plan is a great significance to emergency rescue. In this paper, a novel particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the time-dependent (dynamic) shortest path problem. The algorithm uses a way of adjacency matrix search to generate particle swarm satisfying constrains of the problem during the whole calculation, and puts forward a kind of update rule using the path of the optimal individual as the guidance information to ensure that the vehicle enters a shorter road section at the earlier time. The results of illuminate examples show that the algorithm can quickly and efficiently search the shortest path of emergency vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the characteristics and progress of the visual acuity and refractive state of schoolchildren in Huangzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province in China. Methods: Cohort study. Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Children's Hospital carried out a cohort study by collecting the visual acuity and refractive state of Grade 1-5 schoolchildren among 16 primary schools in Huangzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province in September 2020 and July 2021. Cycloplegic retinoscopy with eye drop which contained tropicamide (0.5%) and phenylephrine hydrochloride (0.5%) was performed in children with low vision(<1.0). Myopia was defined as the spherical equivalent (SE) ≤-0.5 D after cycloplegic retinoscopy. Measurement data was analyzed by t -test and enumeration data was analyzed by χ 2 test. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influencing factors. Results: The 2 489 individuals with repeated tests in two years were included in the follow-up study, among whom the prevalence of myopia was 26.24%(653/2 489) in 2020, while 32.94% (820/2 489)respectively in 2021. The incidence of myopia in one school year from grades 1 to 5 was 11.19%(47/420), 5.44%(21/386), 6.39%(25/391), 11.52%(44/382) and 11.67%(30/257). The average SE of children in all grades in 2021 increased negatively from the previous year (Grade 1 to Grade 5 increased respectively: 0.40 D, 0.69 D, 0.62 D, 0.52 D and 0.37 D). Conclusions: The prevalence of myopia among schoolchildren in Huangzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province was relatively high. There were two peaks of myopia incidence in the first, fourth and fifth grades. Female, age, and the baseline of SE were the related influencing factors for myopia progression.

Objective: Using propensity score matching method (PSM) to investigate the clinical effect of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: From July 2007 to July 2018,174 postoperative patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled in pre-PSM cohort, including 168 males and 6 females, the median age was 60 years old (ranged from 37 to 79 years old).Loco-regional control (LRC),progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared and analyzed between the patients treated with postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cisplatin was given in a dose of 80 mg/m(2) on days 1, 22, and 43). After the propensity score matching (PSM), 61 sub-pairs of 122 patients were generated in post-PSM cohort. Survival rate were assessed with Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Results: After the propensity score matching(PSM), 61 sub-pairs of 122 patients were generated in post-PSM cohort.The patients were followed up for 3-135 months, the median follow-up was 42 months. No significant differences in 3-year and 5-year LRC, PFS, OS were observed between the two groups ( P> 0.05) . For postoperative patients who had high-risk factors (extracapsular extension of nodal disease, and/or vascular embolism, and/or lymph node metastasis≥2, and/or positive surgical margin, and/or perineural infiltration),there were significant differences between the two groups in 3-year PFS (60.99% vs 84.49%, P< 0.05), 5-year PFS (35.47% vs 56.97%, P< 0.05) and 5-year LRC (41.02% vs 68.50%, P< 0.05), but no significant difference was found in OS between the two groups ( P> 0.05). Conclusion: Postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy was more efficacious than postoperative radiotherapy alone in terms of loco-regional control and PFS for high-risk postoperative patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To compare the treatment outcomes for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma between surgery plus radio(chemo) therapy(SRT) and non-surgery chemoradiotherapy(CRT). Methods: A total of 119 patients diagnosed with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma without distant metastases between 2010 and 2014 were identified in the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, and they were divided into 2 groups: 42 cases in SRT group and 77 cases in CRT group. Patients' clinical information was collected. Survival rates and prognostic factors were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method with SPSS 23.0 software. The survival rates, laryngeal preservation rates and complication rates were compared between the two groups using the chi-square test.Among the 119 patients, 112 were males and 7 were females. Age ranged from 27 to 78 years, with an average age of 57 years. Results: There were no significant difference between the SRT and CRT group for five-year disease-free survival (DFS, 53.9% vs . 45.1%, χ(2)=1.251, P =0.263) and overall survival (OS, 54.9% vs . 45.6%, χ(2)=1.749, P =0.186). Compared to SRT group, CRT group did not showed the significant increase of treatment complications (χ(2)=0.858, P =0.354), with a higher laryngeal preservation rate (50.0% vs. 71.4%, χ(2)=6.493, P =0.011). Conclusions: Advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma is of high malignancy and poor prognosis. Combined modality treatment is a main approach for advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. SRT offers disease-free survival and overall survival rates equivalent to CRT, but with a higher laryngeal preservation rate.

Objective: To improve the diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal malignant lymphoma., Method: Clinical features of 5 cases were reported and recent literatures were reviewed., Result: 2 cases presented with large ulcerated lesions and their laryngeal structure were destroyed, their prognosis were poor. Another 3 cases were local primary lesions, they were generally associated with a relatively short history of hoarseness and dysphagia and exhibited grey-white neoplasms with preferential involvement in the supraglottic parts of larynx, but non-ulcerated lesions, they were treated with operation and radiotherapy or chemotherapy or combinations. The prognosis were very well after 2 to 6 years follow up., Conclusion: It is important for the local primary lesion to be diagnosed correctly for the treatment and prognosis.

The psaC gene product from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 and the psaD gene product from Nostoc sp. PCC 8009 were synthesized in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Incubation of the PsaC apoprotein with the Synechoccus sp. PCC 6301 photosystem I core protein in the presence of FeCl3, Na2S, and beta-mercaptoethanol resulted in a time-dependent transition in the flash-induced absorption change from a 1.2-ms, P700+ FX- back-reaction to a long-lived, P700+ [FA/FB]- back-reaction. ESR studies showed that FB and FA were photoreduced about equally at 19 K, and while the resonances were shifted upfield, they remained as broad as in the free PsaC holoprotein. When the reconstituted complex was purified in a sucrose gradient containing 0.1% Triton X-100, most of the optical absorption transient reverted to that characteristic of the P700+ FX- back-reaction. Addition of purified PsaD to the incubation mixture led to a greater extent of recovery of electron flow to FA/FB for any given concentration of PsaC. ESR studies showed that FA, rather than FB, became the preferred electron acceptor at 19 K; moreover, the resonances moved upfield and sharpened to become nearly identical with those of a control photosystem I complex. When the sample was purified in a sucrose gradient containing 0.1% Triton X-100, the long-lived P700+ [FA/FB]- optical transient remained stable. Analysis by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the PsaC and PsaD proteins had rebound to the photosystem I core. The data indicate that although PsaC can bind loosely, the presence of PsaD leads to a stable, isolatable photosystem I complex which is spectroscopically indistinguishable from the native complex. Since a PsaC1 fusion protein which contains an amino-terminal extension of five amino acids (MEHSM...) does not bind in the absence of PsaD [Zhao, J., et al. (1990) FEBS Lett. 276, 175-180], the N-terminus of the PsaC protein could provide a site of interaction with the photosystem I core. We propose that the binding of PsaC to the PsaA/PsaB heterodimer is potentiated by insertion of the FA/FB clusters into PsaC, and stabilized by the presence of PsaD.

A fusion protein, denoted PsaC1, which contains an amino-terminal extension of five amino acids (MEHSM...) and is derived from an in vitro modified form of the psaC gene of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, has been over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The product of the psaD gene of Nostoc sp. PCC 8009 has similarly been over-expressed. The PsaC1 and PsaD proteins can be combined with the photosystem I core protein of Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 to reconstitute electron transport from P700 to the terminal FA/FB acceptors. Reconstitution was found to be absolutely dependent on reinsertion of the iron-sulfur clusters in the PsaC1 apoprotein and on the presence of the PsaD protein. This implies that the PsaC1 holoprotein does not bind solely to the PsaA/PsaB heterodimer but rather that its interaction with these proteins is mediated through the PsaD protein.

The effect of PVNO treatment on human silicosis was observed in 7 cases over a period of 9 years lasting from 1965 to 1974. The drug was given intramuscularly and by way of inhalation, respectively. The comparison of the radiographs taken before, during and 3 years after the administration of PVNO showed that during treatment the tendency of fibrotic progression was delayed in 4 cases while 2 cases were slightly progressive, and one was markedly progressive, 3 years after discontinuation of the PVNO treatment, only one case remained stable, two cases were slightly and 4 cases markedly progressive. These observations indicate that PVNO treatment may have an effect on the delay and control of silicosis progression in a portion of patients, but after discontinuation of the treatment further progression is possible.

Incubation of Synechocystis PCC 6714 in liquid medium devoid of Na+ results in a light-dependent loss in photosynthetic O2 evolving capacity within 1 h. Photosynthetic activity is fully restored and normal growth resumes after Na+ is supplied to culture medium of depleted cells. If external Na+ is provided as soon as inhibition becomes complete, normal photosynthesis is restored within 3 min. However, if cells are further illuminated for several h under Na+ stress, then full recovery takes much longer, and requires new protein synthesis. Electron transport assays using isolated membranes demonstrate that the immediate inhibition resulting from Na+ depletion involves the O2 evolving site, while the secondary effect requiring new protein synthesis occurs near the reaction center of Photosystem II. Experiments conducted at different pH values and in the absence of inorganic carbon demonstrate that within the short time duration of these experiments Na+ does not inhibit photosynthesis by restricting bicarbonate movement into the cells. These experiments extend previous results with other cyanobacteria which demonstrated that Ca2+ and Na+ stress cause reversible damage at a site near the reaction center of Photosystem II. The damage can be characterized as a primary ion effect at the oxygen evolving site and a secondary photoinhibition near the reaction center of Photosystem II.