Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in colorectal tissue affects prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

The objective of this investigation was to analyse the correlation between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) status in the immune microenvironment (IME) and the prognostic outcomes of patients who have undergone radical surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). In light of the continued prevalence of CRC in China, this study utilised Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses to assess the prognostic relevance of NLR status in IME among patients with CRC. Furthermore, cellular experiments, such as cell scratching, were conducted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of NLR's impact on CRC. The NLR status in IME has been found to have a significant impact on the prognosis of patients with CRC. Patients who exhibit elevated intratumoural and extratumoural NLR are associated with a poor prognosis. Experimental evidence indicates that tumour-associated neutrophil (TAN) augments the migratory, invasive, and proliferative potential of HT-29, HCT-116 and LOVO colorectal cancer cells, while concurrently reducing their sensitivity to oxaliplatin. Conversely, lymphocytes have demonstrated cytotoxic effects on HT-29 cells. The NLR status in IME may serve as a prognostic biomarker for resectable CRC.

Surface Activity, Wettability, and Aggregation Behavior of Ecofriendly Fluorocarbon Surfactant Based on Double Perfluorinated Branched Short Chains.

This article reports the synthesis of a novel sulfonated fluorocarbon surfactant (SFDC) containing double C6 perfluorinated branched short chains and compares its surface properties with a similar structured compound (SFDC-L) in solutions. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the corresponding surface tension (γCMC) of SFDC aqueous solution are 9.77 × 10-3 mmol/L and 22.15 mN/m, respectively, indicating that SFDC has excellent surface properties. Besides, the addition of n-hexyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) could further enhance the surface properties of SFDC. Meanwhile, the micellization, aggregation behavior, wettability, and adsorption at the air-water interface of SFDC and SFDC/HTAB mixture aqueous solutions are systematically investigated. Both SFDC and SFDC/HTAB show excellent wettability at low concentrations. The aggregation of SFDC and SFDC/HTAB mixtures in aqueous solution could be clearly seen as vesicles and rod-like micelles on TEM micrographs.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals molecular characterization and immune landscape of PANoptosis-related genes in atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by abnormal lipid deposition in the arteries. Programmed cell death is involved in the inflammatory response of atherosclerosis, but PANoptosis, as a new form of programmed cell death, is still unclear in atherosclerosis. This study explored the key PANoptosis-related genes involved in atherosclerosis and their potential mechanisms through bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: We evaluated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune infiltration landscape in atherosclerosis using microarray datasets and bioinformatics analysis. By intersecting PANoptosis-related genes from the GeneCards database with DEGs, we obtained a set of PANoptosis-related genes in atherosclerosis (PANoDEGs). Functional enrichment analysis of PANoDEGs was performed and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of PANoDEGs was established. The machine learning algorithms were used to identify the key PANoDEGs closely linked to atherosclerosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the diagnostic potency of key PANoDEGs. CIBERSORT was used to analyze the immune infiltration patterns in atherosclerosis, and the Spearman method was used to study the relationship between key PANoDEGs and immune infiltration abundance. The single gene enrichment analysis of key PANoDEGs was investigated by GSEA. The transcription factors and target miRNAs of key PANoDEGs were predicted by Cytoscape and online database, respectively. The expression of key PANoDEGs was validated through animal and cell experiments. RESULTS: PANoDEGs in atherosclerosis were significantly enriched in apoptotic process, pyroptosis, necroptosis, cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis. Four key PANoDEGs (ZBP1, SNHG6, DNM1L, and AIM2) were found to be closely related to atherosclerosis. The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the key PANoDEGs had a strong diagnostic potential in distinguishing atherosclerotic samples from control samples. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that the proportion of initial B cells, plasma cells, CD4 memory resting T cells, and M1 macrophages was significantly higher in atherosclerotic tissues compared to normal tissues. Spearman analysis showed that key PANoDEGs showed strong correlations with immune cells such as T cells, macrophages, plasma cells, and mast cells. The regulatory networks of the four key PANoDEGs were established. The expression of key PANoDEGs was verified in further cell and animal experiments. CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated the expression changes of PANoptosis-related genes in atherosclerosis, providing a reference direction for the study of PANoptosis in atherosclerosis and offering potential new avenues for further understanding the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of atherosclerosis.

NAT10 Promotes Malignant Progression of Lung Cancer via the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: NAT10 (N-acetyltransferase 10) is a newly identified novel acetyltransferase. Abnormal expression of NAT10 is associated with several human disorders, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the role of NAT10 in promoting lung cancer malignant progression through the NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) signaling pathway. METHODS: Cells lines BEAS-2B, NCI-H524, A549, PC-9, NCI-H23, and NCI-H258 were cultured for identification. Western blotting and PCR assays determined gene expression within the sample cells. Cellular functionality was assayed using CCK8 (Cell Counting Kit-8), Dual-Luciferase Reporter, and Colony formating. RESULTS: The PCR assay and Western blotting showed a significant elevation of NAT10 levels within tumor tissues compared to paraneoplastic tissues (p < 0.05). Specifically, NAT10 only affected the expression and content of RelA/p65 in lung cancer. Analysis from the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database indicated that elevated expression levels of NAT10 in tumors can be a good prognostic indicator for lung cancer patients. The CCK8 assay showed that the knockdown of NAT10 significantly suppressed the A549 cells' progression rate (p < 0.05). The colony formation assays further confirmed that the overexpression of NAT10 significantly increased the generation of clones in the NCI-H524 cells (p < 0.05). The proliferation rate influenced by the overexpression of NAT10 was inhibited by blocking the NF-κB signaling pathway (p < 0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay results revealed NAT10's potential in promoting the NF-κB signaling pathway's activity in lung cancer. Immunohistochemical staining underscored a strong link between NAT10 protein expression and the NF-κB signaling pathway in lung cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS: NAT10's expression is significantly upregulated in tumor tissues, supported by PCR results. NAT10 plays a role in the development and proliferation of lung cancer cells and can activate the NF-κB signaling pathway in lung cancer. Hence, NAT10's regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway is critical in the malignant proliferation of lung cancer.

Potential application of Klotho as a prognostic biomarker for patients with diabetic kidney disease: a meta-analysis of clinical studies.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious diabetic complication and the performance of serum Klotho in DKD's prognostic evaluation is controversial. Objective: To assess the association of serum Klotho with adverse kidney and non-kidney clinical outcomes in patients with DKD. Design: Clinical studies regarding the relationship of serum Klotho with DKD were included. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Subgroup and sensitive analyses were performed to search for the source of heterogeneity. Data sources and methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases up to 27 September 2022. The associations of Klotho with albuminuria, such as the urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR), kidney outcomes such as persistent albuminuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate decline, and non-kidney outcomes such as diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality, were evaluated. The indicators, such as the correlation coefficient (r), odds ratio (OR), relative risk, and hazard ratio, were retrieved or calculated from the eligible studies. Results: In all, 17 studies involving 5682 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant association of serum Klotho with UACR in DKD patients [summary r, -0.28 (-0.55, 0.04)] with high heterogeneity. By contrast, a strong association was observed regarding serum Klotho with kidney outcomes [pooled OR, 1.60 (1.15, 2.23)], non-kidney outcomes [pooled OR, 2.78 (2.11, 3.66)], or combined kidney and non-kidney outcomes [pooled OR, 1.96 (1.45, 2.65)] with moderate heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis indicated that age, study design, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate may be the sources of heterogeneity. Conclusion: A decreased serum Klotho level is possibly associated with an increased risk of developing kidney and non-kidney clinical outcomes in DKD patients; thus, Klotho may be a possible biomarker to predict DKD clinical outcomes. Additional studies are needed to clarify and validate Klotho's prognostic value.

Expression and Clinical Significance of TIGIT in Primary Breast Cancer.

Purpose: The roles of T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) in the diagnosis of primary breast cancer (PBC) are still unclear. This study was designed to investigate the expression of TIGIT in PBC patients, with an aim to analyze its diagnostic value in PBC. Patients and Methods: We first explore the expression of TIGIT in cancer patients based on TCGA database, and then we analyzed its correlation with clinicopathological features. Afterwards, we compared the protein and mRNA expressions of TIGIT in two BC cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and normal breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A). Subsequently, 56 PBC female patients admitted to the Taizhou People's Hospital from October 2018 to June 2021 were included in this study. Flow cytometry was used to detect TIGIT level on peripheral blood CD3+ T cells of PBC patients and healthy controls. TIGIT expression in PBC tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence staining. Results: TCGA database showed that compared with adjacent tissues, TIGIT was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues. High TIGIT expression was positively correlated with tumor stage and negatively correlated with recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). TIGIT level in BC cell lines, peripheral blood and tumor tissues of PBC patients was significantly higher than that of control (P < 0.05). TIGIT level was correlated with age (P < 0.05), rather than tumor size, pathological type, lymph node metastasis, ER, PR, HER-2, and P53. ROC curve showed that the optimal critical value of peripheral blood TIGIT for BC screening was 23.38%. Postoperative TIGIT level in peripheral blood was significantly decreased compared to the preoperative TIGIT level (P < 0.05). Conclusion: TIGIT was upregulated in PBC and was correlated with age. It may be a potential target for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of PBC.

A demonstration based on multi-omics transcriptome sequencing data revealed disulfidptosis heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: It is of great concern to identify prognostic signatures for the prediction and prediction of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which is the lethal pathological type of malignancy. METHOD: Bulk RNA sequencing and scRNA-seq data were retrieved from GSE53624, GSE53622, and GSE188900. Disulfidptosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between disulfidptosis-high score and disulfidptosis-low score groups. Functional annotation of DEGs were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO). Consistent clustering and co-expression modules were analyzed, and then constructed a risk score model via multivariate Cox regression analysis. Immune infiltration and immunotherapy response analyses were conducted based on risk score. qRT-PCR, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry analysis were conducted in KYSE-150 and TE-1 cell lines. RESULTS: Seven genes (CD96, CXCL13, IL2RG, LY96, TPK1, ACAP1, and SOX17) were selected as marker genes. CD96 and SOX17 are independent prognostic signatures for ESCC patients, with a significant correlation with infiltrated immune cells. ESCC patients had worse response to nivolumab in the high-risk group. Through cellular experiments, we found that CD96 expression was associated with apoptosis and cell cycle ESCC cells. CONCLUSION: In a word, the risk score based on disulfidptosis is associated with prognosis and the immune microenvironment, which may direct immunotherapy of ESCC. The key gene of risk score, namely CD96, plays a role in proliferation and apoptosis in ESCC. We offer an insight into the exploration of the genomic etiology of ESCC for its clinical management.

Risk Factors and Impact on Outcomes of Lung Cancer Patients Concurrent with Deep Vein Thrombosis.

PURPOSE: Many investigations on prognostic factors in lung cancer have been conducted; however, little is known regarding the outcomes of lung cancer cases complicated by deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This study aimed to determine the risk factors and impact on outcomes of lung cancer patients concurrent with DVT. METHODS: Lung cancer patients who underwent lower-extremity venous ultrasound were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into a DVT group and a non-DVT group. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, and survival were analyzed by t-test, Wilcoxon test, chi-squared test, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 160 enrolled lung cancer patients, DVT was detected in 30 patients. Among the DVT group, adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type (27/30, 90.00%). Lung cancer complicated with DVT was associated with advanced stage, more severe myocardial injury, and a hypercoagulable state (P < .05). Differences in driver genes between the two groups were not significant. Radiologically, lung cancer patients with DVT were more likely to present with pericardial effusion and pleural effusion than patients without DVT (P < .05). Following multivariable logistic regression analysis, advanced stage (OR 5.368, [95%CI 1.871-18.165], P = .021), NT-proBNP >300 pg/ml (OR 5.575, [95%CI 1.733-3.722], P = .018), D-dimer >5 mg/L (OR 8.449, [95%CI 4.323-18.536], P = .004), CRP >12 mg/L (OR 6.687, [95%CI 1.967-13.617], P = .010), and serum CEA >25 ng/ml (OR 4.755, [95%CI 1.358-3.123], P = .029) were independent risk factors for adenocarcinoma complicated with DVT. Finally, survival analysis revealed that the occurrence of DVT resulted in a poorer prognosis despite anticoagulant therapy (P < .05). CONCLUSION: DVT is a potential complication in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and could represent a prognostic marker for unfavorable outcome. It is essential to screen for DVT in high-risk adenocarcinoma patients.

The controversy of klotho as a potential biomarker in chronic kidney disease.

Klotho is an identified longevity gene with beneficial pleiotropic effects on the kidney. Evidence shows that a decline in serum Klotho level occurs in early chronic kidney disease (CKD) and continues as CKD progresses. Klotho deficiency is associated with poor clinical outcomes and CKD mineral bone disorders (CKD-MBD). Klotho has been postulated as a candidate biomarker in the evaluation of CKD. However, the evidence for the clinical significance of the relationship between Klotho and kidney function, CKD stage, adverse kidney and/or non-kidney outcomes, and CKD-MBD remains inconsistent and in some areas, contradictory. Therefore, there is uncertainty as to whether Klotho is a potential biomarker in CKD; a general consensus regarding the clinical significance of Klotho in CKD has not been reached, and there is limited evidence synthesis in this area. To address this, we have systematically assessed the areas of controversy, focusing on the inconsistencies in the evidence base. We used a PICOM strategy to search for relevant studies and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scoring to evaluate included publications. We reviewed the inconsistent clinical findings based on the relationship of Klotho with CKD stage, kidney and/or non-kidney adverse outcomes, and CKD-MBD in human studies. Subsequently, we assessed the underlying sources of the controversies and highlighted future directions to resolve these inconsistencies and clarify whether Klotho has a role as a biomarker in clinical practice in CKD.

Cx22: A new publicly available dataset for deep learning-based segmentation of cervical cytology images.

The segmentation of cervical cytology images plays an important role in the automatic analysis of cervical cytology screening. Although deep learning-based segmentation methods are well-developed in other image segmentation areas, their application in the segmentation of cervical cytology images is still in the early stage. The most important reason for the slow progress is the lack of publicly available and high-quality datasets, and the study on the deep learning-based segmentation methods may be hampered by the present datasets which are either artificial or plagued by the issue of false-negative objects. In this paper, we develop a new dataset of cervical cytology images named Cx22, which consists of the completely annotated labels of the cellular instances based on the open-source images released by our institute previously. Firstly, we meticulously delineate the contours of 14,946 cellular instances in1320 images that are generated by our proposed ROI-based label cropping algorithm. Then, we propose the baseline methods for the deep learning-based semantic and instance segmentation tasks based on Cx22. Finally, through the experiments, we validate the task suitability of Cx22, and the results reveal the impact of false-negative objects on the performance of the baseline methods. Based on our work, Cx22 can provide a foundation for fellow researchers to develop high-performance deep learning-based methods for the segmentation of cervical cytology images. Other detailed information and step-by-step guidance on accessing the dataset are made available to fellow researchers at https://github.com/LGQ330/Cx22.

[The feasibility of zygomatic implant quad approach in patients with tooth agenesis: a radiographic analysis].

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of zygomatic implant quad approach in patients with tooth agenesis. METHODS: Based on the data from cone-beam CT (CBCT), twenty one patients with tooth agenesis who were planned to receive zygomatic implant quad approach were enrolled. The radiographic bone-to-implant contact (rBIC) of each zygomatic implant placed virtually in patients' zygomatic segment was measured. SPSS 25.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Twenty patients' plans of zygomatic implant quad approach were completed (12 men and 8 women). A total of 80 zygomatic implants were placed virtually and the average rBIC of zygomatic segment was (13.85±3.29) mm. The rBIC values of 40 mesial zygomatic implants and 40 distal zygomatic implants were (13.80±3.74) mm and (13.90±2.81) mm, respectively(P>0.05). The average rBIC in male of 24 mesial zygomatic implants and 24 distal zygomatic implants were(14.21±4.08) mm and(14.31±3.18) mm, respectively, slightly higher than those in female of 16 mesial zygomatic implants and 16 distal zygomatic implants, which were (13.18±3.18) mm and (13.29±2.10) mm, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The average rBIC of 15 extra sinus zygomatic implants, 46 against sinus lateral wall zygomatic implants and 19 intra-sinus zygomatic implants were (16.27±2.95), (13.87±3.10) and (11.88±2.78) mm, respectively. There was significant difference between the extra sinus zygomatic implants and the other two(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to plan zygomatic implant quad approach for patients with tooth agenesis. Zygomatic implants can get adequate rBIC in zygomatic segment and to provide sufficient support and retention of the superstructure.

Investigation of miR-93-5p and its effect on the radiosensitivity of breast cancer.

Accumulating evidence suggests that intrinsic resistance to radiotherapy reduces the survival of patients with cancer. The present study investigated whether miR-93-5p affects proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and radiosensitivity of breast cancer (BC) cells. MDA-MB-468, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 BC cells were incubated with hsa-miR-93-5p mimics, hsa-miR-93-5p inhibitor, and negative control RNA with or without exposure to ionizing radiation to determine cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, wound healing assay and apoptotic assay, respectively. Overexpression of miR-93-5p inhibited the migratory abilities (P = 0.001) and decreased the cell proliferation (P = 0.049) of MCF-7 cells. In MCF-7 cells, a significant increase in apoptosis was detected after treatment with miR-93-5p compared with the negative control (P = 0.001) and miR-93-5p inhibitor (P = 0.004). In MDA-MB-468 cells, the proportion of apoptotic cells increased following exposure to ionizing radiation (P = 0.001). The percentage of apoptotic MDA-MB-231 cells in the miR-93-5p group was significantly increase compared with that determined in the negative control (P = 0.044) and hsa-miR-93-5p inhibitor (P = 0.046) groups. In conclusion, our findings showed that miR-93-5p reduces BC cell proliferation and migratory capacity, and increases the ratio of apoptotic cells. Overexpression of miR-93-5p could increase radiosensitivity in BC cells by increasing apoptosis. This evidence provides new insight into the treatment of BC and identifies miR-93-5p as a potential therapeutic target.

Therapeutic effects of AdipoRon on liver inflammation and fibrosis induced by CCl4 in mice.

OBJECTIVE: The present work aimed to investigate the effects of AdipoRon against acute hepatitis and liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: control, model, AdipoRon groups (three different dosages), CCl4 was administered to induce acute hepatitis or liver fibrosis except for control group. The liver function, inflammatory and fibrotic profiles were evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry and expression analysis, respectively. RESULTS: AdipoRon pretreatment effectively attenuated oxidative stress and hepatocellular damage in acute CCl4 intoxication, demonstrated by marked reduction in peroxidation indexes [hepatic malonaldehyde (MDA), total nitric oxide synthase (tNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)] and serum transaminases [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST)]. Moreover, AdipoRon attenuated the severity of fibrosis induced by sustaining CCl4 challenge, with the alleviation of fibrous deposit and architecture distortion. The levels of canonical fibrosis markers (aminotransferases, hydroxyproline, hyaluronic acid, laminin) were also dose-dependently modulated by AdipoRon. Immunochemistry and expression analysis showed AdipoRon restrained the proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines (TNF-α, TGF-ß1, α-SMA, COL1A1), which somehow, ascribed the anti-fibrotic action to inhibiting hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation and quenching specific inflammation-fibrogenesis pathways. CONCLUSIONS: AdipoRon demonstrates a remedial capacity against hepatitis and fibrosis induced by CCl4, potentially by inflammation restraint and HSC deactivation, which might pave the way for its therapeutical application in hepatic fibrosis.

Senescent hepatocytes enhance natural killer cell activity via the CXCL-10/CXCR3 axis.

Cellular senescence and natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in liver diseases. Chemokines, a component of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, can recruit NK cells and are involved in the development of various liver diseases. The effect of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)-9, -10, -11/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor (CXCR)3 axis in senescent hepatocytes remains unknown. The chemokines secreted by senescent hepatocytes, the contribution of the CXCL-9, -10, -11/CXCR3 axis to the migration of NK cells, and the effect of senescent hepatocytes on the function of NK cells were investigated in the present study. The results demonstrated significantly increased levels of C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 and CXCL-1, -2 and -10 in the supernatant of senescent AML12 cells. Despite increased mRNA expression of CXCL-9, -10, and -11 in these cells, western blotting revealed significantly enhanced expression of only CXCL-10. The expression of CXCR3 on the surface of NK cells stimulated by senescent AML12 cells was upregulated (fold change, >3). Following incubation with the supernatant of senescent hepatocytes, both CD107a and interferon γ expression in NK cells increased by >2.5-fold. The cytotoxic effect of NK cells was notably higher stimulated by senescent AML12 cells. Chemotaxis and blocking assays demonstrated that the senescent hepatocytes enhanced the migration of NK cells via the CXCL-10/CXCR3 axis. The present study suggests that senescent hepatocytes secrete various chemokines, including CXCL-10, resulting in the upregulation and activation of CXCR3 in NK cells and the enhancement of NK cell migration via the CXCL-10/CXCR3 axis.

The balance between HGF and TGF-ß1 acts as a switch in the tissue remodeling of chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: The remodeling patterns in different types of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) are controversial. This study aimed to investigate the roles of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the CRS remodeling process. METHODS: Surgical samples were obtained from CRSwNP patients (n=29), CRSsNP patients (n=34), and controls (n=21). Collagen deposition was detected via Masson trichrome (MT) staining. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The expression of TGF-ß1 and HGF was measured by ELISA. The relationship between the rate of TGF-ß1/HGF and the expression of Collagen III and α-SMA was analyzed using a Pearson correlation test. Primary nasal epithelial cells (NECs) were cultured and divided into four groups. Collagen III secretion was measured in the supernatants by ELISA. The expression of α-SMA was studied by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Reduced collagen deposition and α-SMA expression were detected in the CRSwNP group (P=0.033). The expression of collagen deposition and α-SMA was increased in the CRSwNP group (P=0.001). The ELISA tests indicated that TGF-ß1 levels were significantly increased in the CRSsNP compared with the controls. The expression of HGF was higher in the CRSwNP than in the other two groups. The ratio of TGF-ß1/HGF was upregulated in CRSsNP and was correlated positively with collagen and α-SMA expression (P<0.05, R=0.762). TGF-ß1 can increase collagen and α-SMA expression in NECs, and HGF can antagonize the remodeling action of TGF-ß1. CONCLUSION: Distinct remodeling patterns are revealed for different types of CRS. The balance of TGF-ß1 and HGF is important in the CRS remodeling process.

Raman chemical feature extraction for quality control of dairy products.

As a fast information acquisition technique, Raman spectroscopy can be used to control the quality of dairy products. Feature extraction is a necessary processing step to improve the efficiency of Raman spectral data. Principal component analysis is a traditional method that can effectively extract the features and reduce the dimension of spectral data. However, it is difficult to analyze the chemical information of the extracted feature, thus limiting its practical application. In this work, Raman spectral chemical feature extraction was carried out. The quality control of Dingxin dairy products (a famous dairy brand in China; purchased from Heilongjiang Zhaodong Tianlong Dairy Co. Ltd., Heilongjiang, China) was used as an example. Raman peak intensity, peak area, and peak ratio were extracted as chemical features and further investigated using Euclidean distance and the quality fluctuation control chart. The potential quality discrimination ability of the Raman feature extraction methods was demonstrated. The results showed that the Puzhen dairy products (purchased from Inner Mongolia Yinuo Halal Food Co. Ltd., Inner Mongolia, China) and Xueyuan dairy products (used as a control; purchased from Inner Mongolia Wulanchabu City Jining Xueyuan Dairy Co. Ltd., Inner Mongolia, China) could be distinguished from Dingxin dairy products when the Raman chemical features special peak intensity, peak area, and peak ratio were used, and their discriminatory ability increased in sequence. Hence, it was shown that Raman chemical feature extraction can achieve quality control and discriminant analysis of dairy products and that the spectral information is clear.

Long non-coding RNA FENDRR inhibits proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma by down-regulating glypican-3 expression.

Long non-coding RNA FENDRR is implicated in progression of several cancers, but its exact role and mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression and biological roles of FENDRR in HCC tissues and cell lines. We found that the expression levels of FENDRR were significantly down-regulated in HCC tissues and cells. FENDRR overexpression could inhibit the growth of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, up-regulation of FENDRR suppressed the migration and invasion of HCC cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that FENDRR interacted directly with Glypican-3 (GPC3) promoter and methylated GPC3 promoter, which led to down-regulation of GPC3 expression. Ectopic expression of GPC3 ablated the inhibitory effects of FENDRR on HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Taken together, we provided the first evidence for the inhibitory activity of FENDRR in HCC, which is causally linked to targeting GPC3 at the epigenetic level. Restoration of FENDRR may be a potential approach to prevent HCC progression and metastasis.

Preparation and Surface Properties Study of Novel Fluorine-Containing Methacrylate Polymers for Coating.

A new structural fluorine-containing methacrylate monomer CH2=C(CH3)COOC⁻(CF3)2CF2CF2CF3 (5) was synthesized derived from perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene (D2). A homopolymer of 5 and copolymers of 5 and methacrylate with different alkyl chain length (chain length n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18) were obtained. These new fluorinated acrylate polymers showed excellent water and oil repellency. The contact angle of the films of the homopolymer and part of the copolymers were similar with the corresponding polymers prepared from CH2=CHC(O)OCH(C3F7)(CF(CF3)2), but greater than that of the C6F13(CF3)CHOC(O)CH=CH2 homopolymer. The structure-property relationship research indicated that the copolymers' hydrophobicity decreased first and then increased with the increase of alkyl chain length. Td of all the polymers were greater than 220 °C and Tg fluctuated within the range of -51~103.8 °C. Contact angle and Tg could be adjusted by controlling the feed ratio of monomer to meet the requirements of technical indicators in the practical applications. The outstanding liquid repellency and thermal stability make monomer 5 a promising alternative to perfluorinated long-chain fluorosurfactants.

[Design of Electromagnetic Tracking System Using Rotating Magnetic Field Based on DSP].

This paper realized an electromagnetic tracking system based on electrically-controlled rotating magnetic field. A tracking system using the digital signal processor (DSP) as the control processing device was developed, including a controllable constant current source module, a magnetic field source module, a three-axis magnetic sensor and ADC interface circuit. The experimental results verified that each time the system could be stable positioning, average error of position was 0.282 cm, the average error of orientation was 0.696o, the positioning time was 1.572 s. Through calibration and further improvement of the hardware circuit, the performance of the system is expected to further improve.