Nano-silica anti-icing coatings for protecting wind-power turbine fan blades.

Wind power is a promising electricity source. Nevertheless, wind turbine blade icing can cause severe problems in turbine operation. In this study, SiO2 spherical nanoparticles (∼90 nm), produced by RF (radio frequency) plasma spheroidization, were mixed with E51, PDMS, and ethyl acetate, and sprayed on the surface of aluminum plates and regular power windmill fan blades which were already coated with polyurethane primer. XPS and IR spectroscopies revealed the development of SiC and SiPh (Ph = phenolic ring) bonds, whose formation should be favored by the ultrasound and curing processes at 50 °C. The integrity of the coating/substrate interface, whose strength is ascribed to hydrogen bonds, was maintained after 100 icing-melting cycles. The coatings display superhydrophobic behavior and excellent anti-icing performance, along with stability in abrasion, sunlight and self-cleaning ability towards solid pollutants.

Novel candidate biomarkers of origin recognition complex 1, 5 and 6 for survival surveillance in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality and lacks effective biomarkers for early diagnosis and survival surveillance. Origin recognition complex (ORC), consisting of ORC1-6 isoforms, was examined to assess the potential significance of ORC isoforms for HCC prognosis. Methods: Oncomine and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases were used to examine differential isoform expression, stage-specific expression, calculate Pearson correlations and perform survival analysis. A human protein atlas database was utilized to evaluate the protein expression of ORCs in liver tissue. The cBioPortal database was used to assess isoform mutations and the survival significance of ORCs in HCC. Cytoscape software was employed to construct gene ontologies, metabolic pathways and gene-gene interaction networks. Results: Differential expression analysis indicated that ORC1 and ORC3-6 were highly expressed in tumor tissues in the Oncomine and GEPIA databases, while ORC2 was not. All the ORCs were showed positive and statistically significant correlations with each other (all P<0.001). ORC1-2 and ORC4-6 expressions were associated with disease stages I-IV (all P<0.05), but ORC3 was not. Survival analysis found that ORC1 and ORC4-6 expressions were associated with overall survival (OS), and ORC1-3 and ORC5-6 expression were associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS; all P<0.05). In addition, low expression of these ORC genes consistently indicated better prognosis compared with high expression. Protein expression analysis revealed that ORC1 and ORC3-6 were expressed in normal liver tissues, whereas ORC2 was not. Enrichment analysis indicated that ORCs were associated with DNA metabolic process, sequence-specific DNA binding and were involved in DNA replication, cell cycle, E2F-enabled inhibition of pre-replication complex formation and G1/S transition. Conclusions: Differentially expressed ORC1, 5 and 6 are candidate biomarkers for survival prediction and recurrence surveillance in HCC.

Oncogene PLCE1 may be a diagnostic biomarker and prognostic biomarker by influencing cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal malignancy worldwide. HCC has traits of late diagnosis and high recurrence. This study explored potential diagnosis and prognosis significance of phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) in HCC. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and diagnostic value of PLCE1 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and online databases GEPIA, oncomine, and GSE14520 data set. Survival analysis used the Kaplan-Meier Plotter website. Cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed with downregulated PLCE1 expression in HCC-M and HepG2 cell lines. PLCE1 was differentially expressed and highly expressed in tumors and had low expression in nontumor tissues (all p < .05). The diagnostic value of PLCE1 was validated with the datasets (all p < .01, all areas under curves > 0.7). PLCE1 mRNA expression was associated with the overall and relapse-free survival (both p < .05). Functional experiments indicated that downregulation of PLCE1 expression led to increased G1 stage in cell cycle and decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion compared with a negative control group (all p ≤ .05). The oncogene PLCE1 was differentially expressed in HCC and non-HCC tissues. It is a candidate for diagnosis and serves as prognosis biomarker. PLCE1 influenced survival by affecting the cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability.

[Comparison of GIMMS and MODIS normalized vegetation index composite data for Qing-Hai-Tibet Plateau].

Consistent NDVI time series are basic and prerequisite in long-term monitoring of land surface properties. Advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) measurements provide the longest records of continuous global satellite measurements sensitive to live green vegetation, and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) is more recent typical with high spatial and temporal resolution. Understanding the relationship between the AVHRR-derived NDVI and MODIS NDVI is critical to continued long-term monitoring of ecological resources. NDVI time series acquired by the global inventory modeling and mapping studies (GIMMS) and Terra MODIS were compared over the same time periods from 2000 to 2006 at four scales of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (whole region, sub-region, biome and pixel) to assess the level of agreement in terms of absolute values and dynamic change by independently assessing the performance of GIMMS and MODIS NDVI and using 495 Landsat samples of 20 km x20 km covering major land cover type. High correlations existed between the two datasets at the four scales, indicating their mostly equal capability of capturing seasonal and monthly phenological variations (mostly at 0. 001 significance level). Simi- larities of the two datasets differed significantly among different vegetation types. The relative low correlation coefficients and large difference of NDVI value between the two datasets were found among dense vegetation types including broadleaf forest and needleleaf forest, yet the correlations were strong and the deviations were small in more homogeneous vegetation types, such as meadow, steppe and crop. 82% of study area was characterized by strong consistency between GIMMS and MODIS NDVI at pixel scale. In the Landsat NDVI vs. GIMMS and MODIS NDVI comparison of absolute values, the MODIS NDVI performed slightly better than GIMMS NDVI, whereas in the comparison of temporal change values, the GIMMS data set performed best. Similar with comparison results of GIMMS and MODIS NDVI, the consistency across the three datasets was clearly different among various vegetation types. In dynamic changes, differences between Landsat and MODIS NDVI were smaller than Landsat NDVI vs. GIMMS NDVI for forest, but Landsat and GIMMS NDVI agreed better for grass and crop. The results suggested that spatial patterns and dynamic trends of GIMMS NDVI were found to be in overall acceptable agreement with MODIS NDVI. It might be feasible to successfully integrate historical GIMMS and more recent MODIS NDVI to provide continuity of NDVI products. The accuracy of merging AVHRR historical data recorded with more modern MODIS NDVI data strongly depends on vegetation type, season and phenological period, and spatial scale. The integration of the two datasets for needleleaf forest, broadleaf forest, and for all vegetation types in the phenological transition periods in spring and autumn should be treated with caution.

Lung cancer stem cells and implications for future therapeutics.

Lung cancer is the most dreaded of all cancers because of the higher mortality rates associated with it worldwide. The various subtypes of lung cancer respond differently to a particular treatment regime, which makes the therapeutic interventions all the more complicated. The concept of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is based primarily on the clinical and experimental observations that indicate the existence of a subpopulation of cells with the capacity to self-renew and differentiate as well as show increased resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. They are considered as the factors responsible for the cases of tumor relapse. The CSCs may have significant role in the development of lung tumorigenesis based on the identification of the CSCs which respond during injury. The properties of multi-potency and self-renewal are shared in common by the lung CSCs with the normal pluripotent stem cells which can be isolated using the similar markers. This review deals with the origin and characteristics of the lung cancer stem cells. The role of different markers used to isolate lung CSCs like CD44, ALDH (aldehyde dehydrogenase), CD133 and ABCG2 (ATP binding cassette sub family G member 2) have been discussed in detail. Analysis of the developmental signaling pathways such as Wnt/ß-catenin, Notch, hedgehog in the regulation and maintenance of the lung CSCs have been done. Finally, before targeting the lung CSC biomarkers for potential therapeutics, challenges faced in lung cancer stem cell research need to be taken into account. With the accepted notion that the CSCs are to blame for cancer relapse and drug resistance, targeting them can be an important aspect of lung cancer therapy in the future.

Wogonin induced calreticulin/annexin A1 exposure dictates the immunogenicity of cancer cells in a PERK/AKT dependent manner.

In response to ionizing irradiation and certain chemotherapeutic agents, dying tumor cells elicit a potent anticancer immune response. However, the potential effect of wogonin (5,7-dihydroxy-8-methoxyflavone) on cancer immunogenicity has not been studied. Here we demonstrated for the first time that wogonin elicits a potent antitumor immunity effect by inducing the translocation of calreticulin (CRT) and Annexin A1 to cell plasma membrane as well as the release of high-mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1) and ATP. Signal pathways involved in this process were studied. We found that wogonin-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production causes an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, including the phosphorylation of PERK (PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase)/PKR (protein kinase R) and eIF2α (eukaryotic initiation factor 2α), which served as upstream signal for the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT, inducing calreticulin (CRT)/Annexin A1 cell membrane translocation. P22/CHP, a Ca(2+)-binding protein, was associated with CRT and was required for CRT translocation to cell membrane. The releases of HMGB1 and ATP from wogonin treated MFC cells, alone or together with other possible factors, activated dendritic cells and induced cytokine releases. In vivo study confirmed that immunization with wogonin-pretreated tumor cells vaccination significantly inhibited homoplastic grafted gastric tumor growth in mice and a possible inflammatory response was involved. In conclusion, the activation of PI3K pathway elicited by ER stress induced CRT/Annexin A1 translocation ("eat me" signal) and HMGB1 release, mediating wogonin-induced immunity of tumor cell vaccine. This indicated that wogonin is a novel effective candidate of immunotherapy against gastric tumor.

Construction and characterization of a normalized cDNA library from the river snail Bellamya aeruginosa after exposure to copper.

The construction of a normalized cDNA library is a popular tool for identifying novel biomarkers for monitoring environmental pollution. In the present study, a normalized cDNA library was constructed from the river snail Bellamya aeruginosa after exposure to Cu(2+) by using the SMART technique. The titer of the cDNA library was 1.78 × 10(6) pfu/ml, with a recombinant efficiency of 95.8%. In addition, from 6,000 randomly selected and sequenced clones, 5,473 high-quality ESTs were identified. After processing the sequences, 3,961 unigenes representing 897 contigs and 3,064 singlets were obtained with 27.6% redundancy. Analysis of expressed sequenced tags using COG and GO annotation and KEGG pathway data showed that a large group of genes related to growth and development, signal transduction, and defense mechanisms were present in the cDNA library. Based on our findings, this normalized cDNA library will provide a valuable resource for further research on functional genes and ecotoxicology in B. aeruginosa.

DHF-18, a new synthetic flavonoid, induced a mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells in vivo and in vitro.

A new synthetic flavonoid DHF-18, synthesized with a piperazine substitution, has been recently found to show potent anti-tumor activities both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we demonstrated that DHF-18 significantly inhibited tumor growth in mice inoculated with Heps hepatoma cells without evident toxicity. After the treatment of 40mg/kg DHF-18, the inhibitory rate of tumor weight was 53.69%. To investigate whether apoptosis induction contributed to the anti-tumor effects of DHF-18, DAPI (diamidino-phenyl-indole) staining and Annexin V/PI (Propidium iodide) double staining were performed in our tests. The data showed that DHF-18 could induce the apoptosis cell death in HepG2 cells. Moreover, the apparent increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and the reduction of mitochondria ΔΨm were both observed in HepG2 cells after DHF-18 treatment. Meanwhile, the transposition of apoptotic inducing factor (AIF) from mitochondria to nuclei, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and the activation of caspase-3, -9 were also detected, indicating that DHF-18 may induce apoptosis through a mitochondrial-mediated pathway. Additionally, DHF-18 decreased the expression of Bcl-2 protein, whereas the levels of Bax and Bak were found to increase after DHF-18 treatment. Moreover, the activation of caspase-8, the increase of TNF-R1 (Tumor necrosis factor receptor) and Bid were found. Taken together, our results suggested that DHF-18 may induce HeG2 cells apoptosis through a mitochondrial-dependent and independent pathway.

Reactive oxygen species-mitochondria pathway involved in LYG-202-induced apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG(2) cells.

Previously, we demonstrated that LYG-202, a newly synthesized flavonoid with a piperazine substitution, exhibited obvious antitumor activity in vivo and in vitro. The exact mechanism of this new compound remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of LYG-202 on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the downstream signaling pathway in the apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG(2) cells. Pretreatment with NAC (N-acetylcysteine), a ROS production inhibitor, partly inhibited the apoptosis induced by LYG-202 via blocking the ROS generation. Further data revealed that LYG-202 induced ROS accumulation followed by a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), release of cytochrome c (Cyt c) and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to cytosol, which induced apoptosis of the cells. Moreover, the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), the downstream effect of ROS accumulation including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAPK, could be activated by LYG-202. Taken together, the generation of ROS might play an important role in LYG-202-induced mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, which provided further support for LYG-202 as a novel anticancer therapeutic candidate.

[Progress on methods for purity assessment of separated chromosome X- or Y-bearing sperm].

In this review of methods for purity assessment of isolated chromosome X- and Y-bearing sperm, we compared the principles, operating procedures, as well as pros and cons for various methods. We conclude that nested PCR of single sperm will become a conventional and popular method with lower costs, and the method will play a very important role in optimizing the X, Y sorting method, if the sensitivity and accuracy of the method can be increased and the testing time decreased, and promote the new progress in other genetic testing techniques on single sperm.

Clinical application of metallic stents in treatment of esophageal carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) in patients with malignant esophageal obstruction and to analyze their prognosis and complications. METHODS: Seventy-four metallic stents were placed under fluoroscopic guidance in 66 patients with esophageal obstruction secondary to carcinoma, of whom, 6 cases were complicated by fistula. RESULTS: After seventy-two stents were successfully used in 66 cases without any severe complications (technical successful rate was 97%), the dysphagia score improved from 3.3+/-0.6 to 0.8+/-0.5 (P<0.01), and life quality improved significantly in all these patients. All fistulae were sealed immediately after coated stents were inserted in the six patients. New stents were placed in two patients: the stent migrated more than 2 cm, in one patient and the stent slipped into stomach in the other. Minor bleeding was found only in 28 patients during the operation. Reobstruction was found in 12 patients, but was successfully cured under endoscopy. The survival rate was 78%, 57% and 11% for 6 mo, 1 year and 2 years respectively. CONCLUSION: Placement of SEMS is a simple, safe, quick and efficient surgical method for treating esophageal carcinoma obstruction. It may be used mainly as a palliative treatment of esophageal obstruction secondary to carcinoma.