Bioinformatics Analysis for Identification of Key Genes in Salivary Gland and the Potential of a Combination of Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of SS.

PURPOSE: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease mainly characterized by dysfunction of exocrine glands. Studies on diagnosis models specific for SS patients are very limited. We aimed to use gene expression datasets from salivary glands to identify aberrant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways by bioinformatics and validate candidate genes by clinical minor labial gland biopsy (MSGB) samples, and finally build a combined gene quantitative diagnosis model of SS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Original datasets GSE23117, GSE7451, and GSE127952 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and integrated and analyzed for differentially expressed genes in SS salivary glands. ClueGO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of upregulated and downregulated DEGs were performed, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING and Cytoscape database. H&E staining and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the expression levels of four hub genes in salivary glands. Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the combined diagnosis of four hub genes was analyzed in SS patients and non-SS patients in order to explore the diagnostic efficacy of these genes compared with conventional FS in SS. RESULTS: Fifty-three upregulated genes and fifteen downregulated genes were identified. We analyzed the expression and function of four hub genes via H&E, immunohistochemistry, and ROC analysis. We then evaluated and verified the diagnosis value of four hub genes, STAT1, MNDA, IL10RA, and CCR1 in MSGB of SS and non-SS. A combined diagnosis model of four indicators was established to identify patients' discrete data on the foci size (AUC=0.915). CONCLUSION: The expression of STAT1, MNDA, and IL10RA may be potential biological indicators for SS diagnosis. Compared with FS, a combined diagnosis model of quantitative gene expression could potentially contribute to improving the sensitivity and specificity of MSGB of SS.

Simultaneous removal of As(V) and Cr(VI) from water by macroporous anion exchanger supported nanoscale hydrous ferric oxide composite.

As(V) and Cr(VI) are both highly toxic anionic pollutants and commonly co-exist in some industrial effluents and contaminated waters. In this study, simultaneous removal of them was efficiently achieved by employing a composite adsorbent (HFO-201) fabricated by immobilizing nanoscale hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) within a macroporous anion exchanger D201. The HFO-201 composite possesses two types of adsorption sites, i.e. the quaternary ammonium groups fixed on the D201 matrix and the embedded HFO nanoparticles. In the binary solution, the adsorption kinetic processes of both As(V) and Cr(VI) by HFO-201 were well fitted with the pseudo-first order kinetic model. Furthermore, HFO-201 exhibited a significantly higher adsorption capacity toward As(V) than D201 and an identical adsorption capacity toward Cr(VI) to D201. During the removal process, As(V) was captured by both the electrostatic attraction from the fixed quaternary ammonium groups and the formation of inner-sphere complex with the embedded HFO nanoparticles. Whereas, Cr(VI) was primarily adsorbed by the fixed ammonium groups. Fixed-bed treatment of As(V)/Cr(VI) binary synthetic water by HFO-201 resulted in elimination of As (from 1.0 to below 0.01 mg/L) and Cr (from 5.0 to below 0.05 mg/L), with the treatment capacity of 1700 bed volume (BV). Moreover, the exhausted HFO-201 was amenable to efficient in situ regeneration with a binary NaOH-NaCl solution for repeated use without any significant capacity loss.

Chromium speciation in tannery effluent after alkaline precipitation: Isolation and characterization.

It is difficult to completely remove Cr(III) from tannery effluent by alkaline precipitation due to the abundance of strong organic ligands. Thereby, the speciation of the residual Cr after alkaline precipitation is of crucial significance to guide the selection and design of further treatment process. For the first time, we revealed the speciation of the residual Cr with the aid of comprehensive analytical techniques. Results showed that the residual Cr(III) mostly located in two size ranges, i.e. the 13-100nm fraction and the <4nm fraction. Combined spectral analyses demonstrated Cr(III) was coordinated by carboxyl groups or hydroxyl groups in both fractions, while the complexation by nitrogen-containing groups was excluded by the total nitrogen and UPLC-MS analysis in the two fractions, respectively. Based on the comprehensive analyses, the structures of Cr(III) complexes in both fractions were proposed. Cr(III) cross-linked the carboxyl groups from polyacrylic acid chains to form the network gel structure in the 13-100nm fraction, while the complex structure of Cr(III) in the <4nm fraction was formed through hydroxyl-carboxyl chelation by masking agents such as tartrate and citrate. Although polyoxyethylene ether was abundantly present, it was responsible for the complexation of Cr(III) in neither fraction.

Combined time- and wavelength-division-multiplexing demodulation technique of fiber grating sensor arrays using a tunable pulsed laser.

Combined time- and wavelength-division-multiplexing demodulation technique of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor arrays using a tunable pulsed laser is proposed and demonstrated. A tunable fiber laser based on a matched FBG is applied. The wavelengths of the sensing FBGs are obtained by detecting the maximum voltages with a photodiode that avoids the complex demodulation process. The advantages of this scheme are simple structure, high signal-to-noise ratio, and the sensing signals obtained by detecting the maximum voltages.