The value of urinary exosomal microRNA-21 in the early diagnosis and prognosis of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) poses high morbidity and mortality, with urinary exosomal microRNA (miR)-21 showing potential value in its diagnosis and prognosis, and we probed its specific role. We prospectively selected 116 BC patients and 116 healthy volunteers as the BC and control groups, respectively. BC urinary exosomal miR-146a-5p, miR-93-5p, miR-663b, miR-21, and miR-4454 relative expression levels were assessed. The correlations between clinical indexes and urinary exosomal miR-21, prognostic value of miR-21, and diagnostic value of the five candidate miRNAs, urine cytology, and miRNA joint diagnostic panel for BC and urinary exosomal miR-21, miR-4454, and urine cytology for Ta-T1 and T2-T4 stage BC were analyzed. Urinary exosomal miR-146a-5p, miR-93-5p, miR-663b, miR-21, and miR-4454 were highly expressed in BC patients. miR-146a-5p, miR-93-5p, miR-663b, miR-21, miR-4454, miRNA combined diagnostic panel, and urine cytology had certain diagnostic value for BC, with miR-21, miR-4454, and miRNA co-diagnostic panel showing the highest diagnostic value. Collectively, urinary exosomal miR-21 was closely related to Tumor-Node-Metastasis staging and grading in BC patients. Urinary exosomal miR-21 had high diagnostic value for BC and Ta-T1 and T2-T4 stage BC, and had high predictive value for BC poor prognosis, providing an effective indicator for the occurrence, development, and prognostic assessment of BC.

The effect of ultrasonic power on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of frosted figs pectin.

Ultrasound has been widely used in industry due to its high energy and efficiency. This study optimized the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) process of frosted figs pectin (FFP) using response surface methodology (RSM), and further investigated the effect of ultrasonic power on the structural characteristics and antioxidant activities of FFPs. The UAE method of FFP through RSM was optimized, and the optimal extraction process conditions, particle size of 100 mesh, pH value of 1.95, liquid-solid ratio of 47:1 (mL/g), extraction temperature of 50 °C and extraction time of 65 min, were obtained. The extraction rate of FFP under this condition was 37.97 ± 2.56 %. Then, the four FFPs modified by ultrasound were obtained by changing the ultrasonic power. Research had found that ultrasonic power had little effect on the monosaccharide composition, Zeta potential, as well as the thermal stability and appearance structure of the four FFPs. However, ultrasonic power had a significant impact on other properties of FFP: as the ultrasonic power increased, the DM% and particle size decreased continuously, while the total carbohydrate content increased. Meanwhile, ultrasonic power also had a significant impact on antioxidant activities of FFPs. From the research results, it could be seen that different ultrasonic power had certain changes in its spatial structure and properties, and the structural changes also affected the biological activity of FFP. The study of the effects of ultrasonic power on the physicochemical properties and biological activity of FFP lays the foundation for the development and application of FFP in food additives and natural drug carriers.

[Association Between Dietary Knowledge and Food Preferences in Residents Aged 18 and Over in China Based on Latent Class Analysis].

Objective To investigate the food preferences and explore the potential association between dietary knowledge and food preferences in residents aged 18 and over in China,so as to provide a basis for promoting healthy diets.Methods The latent class analysis was carried out with the 2015 cross-sectional data of China health and nutrition survey to categorize the food preferences among 8 783 residents aged 18 and over.Multinomial Logistic regression was adopted to assess the association between and dietary knowledge and food preferences.Results The food preferences of the residents aged 18 and over in China were classified into preference for less vegetable(3.28%),lack of preference(11.20%),diverse preferences(4.19%),and preference for healthy diets(81.33%).The proportion of the adults with dietary knowledge was 36.87%(3 238/8 783).The dietary knowledge varied in the adults with different food preferences(all P<0.001).After adjusting for gender,age,urban and rural distribution,education background,and annual household income,for each point increase in the dietary knowledge score,there was an estimated reduction of 22% in the probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.78,95%CI=0.76-0.80, P<0.001),13% in the probability of lacking preference(OR=0.87,95%CI=0.86-0.89, P<0.001),and 3% in the probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.97,95%CI=0.94-1.00, P=0.030).Compared with those lacking dietary knowledge,the individuals with dietary knowledge had a 77% less probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.23,95%CI=0.16-0.32, P<0.001),a 55% less probability of lacking preference(OR=0.45,95%CI=0.39-0.53, P<0.001),and a 23% less probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.77,95%CI=0.61-0.96, P=0.023).Conclusions The residents aged 18 and over in China presented four food preferences,including preference for less vegetables,lack of preference,diverse preferences,and preference for healthy diets,the last of which had the highest proportion.The individuals with lower levels of dietary knowledge have higher probability of preferring unhealthy food.

[Comparison on Performance of Quantitative Ultrasound and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry in Evaluating Bone Health of Adults Aged 18-40 Years].

Objective To compare the consistency of quantitative ultrasound(QUS)and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)in measuring bone mineral density(BMD)of adults aged 18-40 years in Guangzhou and evaluate the diagnostic value of QUS for identifying low bone mass.Methods DXA was employed to measure the BMD and QUS to measure the speed of sound(SOS)in 731 participants.The Bland-Altman analysis was performed to evaluate the consistency of Z scores between SOS and BMD.With the BMD Z ≤-2.00 as the diagnostic criterion for low bone mass,the receiver operating characteristics curve of QUS was established,and the area under the curve(AUC)and the sensitivity,specificity,and correct diagnostic index for the optimal cut-off of SOS Z score were calculated.Results The results of Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean differences in the Z scores of SOS and BMD in males and females were 1.27(-0.94 to 3.47)and 0.93(-1.33 to 3.18),respectively.The AUC of SOS Z score in the diagnosis of low bone mass in males and females was 0.734(95%CI=0.380-0.788)and 0.679(95%CI=0.625-0.732),respectively.In males,the optimal cut-off of SOS Z score for low bone mass was -0.35,with the sensitivity,specificity,and correct diagnostic index of 64.1%,68.6%,and 0.327,respectively.In females,the optimal cut-off value of SOS Z scores for low bone mass was -1.14,with the sensitivity,specificity,and correct index of 73.9%,54.8%,and 0.285,respectively.Conclusion QUS and DXA show poor consistency in the diagnosis of BMD in the adults aged 18-40 years in Guangzhou,while QUS demonstrates an acceptable value in identifying low bone mass.

Selective Excitation of Atomic-Scale Dynamics by Coherent Exciton Motion in the Non-Born-Oppenheimer Regime.

Time-domain investigations of the nonadiabatic coupling between electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom have focused primarily on the formation of electronic superpositions induced by atomic motion. The effect of electronic nonstationary-state dynamics on atomic motion remains unexplored. Here, phase-coherent excitation of the two lowest electronic transitions in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes by broadband <5-fs pulses directly triggers coherent exciton motion along the axis of the nanotubes. Optical pump-probe spectroscopy with sub-10-fs time resolution reveals that exciton motion selectively excites the high-frequency G mode coherent phonon, in good agreement with results obtained from time-domain ab initio simulations. This observed phenomenon arises from the direct modulation of the C-C interatomic potential by coherent exciton motion on a time scale that is commensurate with atomic motion. Our results suggest the possibility of employing light-field manipulation of electron densities in the non-Born-Oppenheimer regime to initiate selective atomic motion.