Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA­derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most important causes of end-stage renal disease and current treatments are ineffective in preventing its progression. Transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived fragments (tRFs), which are small non-coding fragments derived from tRNA precursors or mature tRNAs, have a critical role in various human diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the expression profile and potential functions of tRFs in DN. High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to detect the differential serum levels of tRFs between DN and diabetes mellitus and to validate the reliability of the sequencing results using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Ultimately, six differentially expressed (DE) tRFs were identified (P<0.05; |log2fold change| ≥1), including three upregulated (tRF5-GluCTC, tRF5-AlaCGC and tRF5-ValCAC) and three downregulated tRFs (tRF5-GlyCCC, tRF3-GlyGCC and tRF3-IleAAT). Potential functions and regulatory mechanisms of these DE tRFs were further evaluated using an applied bioinformatics-based analysis. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the DE tRFs are mainly enriched in biological processes, including axon guidance, Rad51 paralog (Rad51)B-Rad51C-Rad51D-X-Ray repair cross-complementing 2 complex, nuclear factor of activated T-cells protein binding and fibroblast growth factor-activated receptor activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that they are associated with axon guidance, neurotrophin signaling, mTOR signaling, AMPK signaling and epidermal growth factor receptor family signaling pathways. In conclusion, the present findings indicated that tRFs were DE in DN and may be involved in the regulation of DN pathology through multiple pathways, thereby providing a new perspective for the study of DN therapeutic targets.

Breast implant-associated squamous cell carcinoma in a male patient: A case report and review of the medical literature.

Background: Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast is a rare tumor type. The diagnosis of this tumor type is more frequently made only after microscopy evaluation. Breast implant-associated SCC is rarer with medical literature review indicating only 18 cases reported in female individuals. Case presentation: We reported an unusual case that a man found a 3-cm sized mass on his left breast at first, who had a implant surgery 18 years previously to reconstruct the deformed left breast, as related to the Poland's syndrome. More than 1 year after the mass was detected, the size of the mass gradually increased to 20 cm with swelling and severe pain, and the patient was admitted to our hospital. The patient underwent surgical excision of the tumor, followed by removal of the implant, complete capsulectomy, and sentinel lymph node biopsy. The microscopy evaluation demonstrated the tumor as moderately and poorly differentiated invasive SCC. Follow-up at 12 months after showed multiple metastases, including the skin of the chest, axillary lymph nodes and pleura. Conclusion: Breast implant-associated SCC can occur in male patients. Therefore, it should be considered when the clinical manifestation or histopathological appearance is not typical of other breast neoplasms. Malignant transformation of normal epithelial cells takes about 18 years, after which rapid evolution follows leading to fast growth of the tumor.

Emodin alleviates hypertrophic scar formation by suppressing macrophage polarization and inhibiting the Notch and TGF-ß pathways in macrophages.

Hypertrophic scar (HS) formation is a common complication that develops after skin injury; however, there are few effective and specific therapeutic approaches for HS. Emodin has previously been reported to inhibit mechanical stress-induced HS inflammation. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of emodin on HS formation. First, we conducted in vitro assays that revealed that emodin inhibited M1 and M2 polarization in rat macrophages. We subsequently established a combined rat model of tail HS and dorsal subcutaneous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge-induced wounds. Rats were treated with emodin or vehicle (DMEM). Tail scar specimens were harvested at 14, 28, and 42 days post-incision and subjected to H&E staining and Masson's trichrome staining. Histopathological analyses confirmed that emodin attenuated HS formation and fibrosis. Macrophages were separated from wound cells collected from the PVA sponge at 3 and 7 days after implantation. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that emodin suppressed in vivo macrophage recruitment and polarization at the wound site. Finally, we explored the molecular mechanisms of emodin in modulating macrophage polarization by evaluating the expression levels of selected effectors of the Notch and TGF-ß pathways in macrophages isolated from PVA sponges. Western blot and qPCR assays showed that Notch1, Notch4, Hes1, TGF-ß, and Smad3 were downregulated in response to emodin treatment. Taken together, our findings suggested that emodin attenuated HS formation and fibrosis by suppressing macrophage polarization, which is associated with the inhibition of the Notch and TGF-ß pathways in macrophages.

An Application of a Negative-Pressure Wound Dressing for Partial- or Full-Thickness Burn Wounds.

Negative-pressure wound therapy is widely used in burn populations. Traditionally, negative-pressure devices use persistent vacuum suction, requiring a longer hospital stay. In this study, we applied a novel negative-pressure wound dressing for burn wounds, which eliminates the hospital stay. The medical records of 39 patients with partial-/full-thickness burns treated by negative-pressure wound dressing were retrospectively analyzed. The average burn area, burn degree, healing duration, cost, and incidents during treatment were determined and compared with previous data for conventional therapies. In conclusion, for patients diagnosed with partial-thickness or full-thickness burns and a burn area <34.6 ± 2.21 cm2, the negative-pressure wound dressing is a reliable option, especially for burnt children. Moreover, the negative-pressure wound dressing treatment was not only much cheaper than conventional therapies, but also eliminated hospital stay in patients with small-area deep burn wounds.

Emodin alleviates hypertrophic scar formation by suppressing macrophage polarization and inhibiting the Notch and TGF-β pathways in macrophages

Hypertrophic scar (HS) formation is a common complication that develops after skin injury; however, there are few effective and specific therapeutic approaches for HS. Emodin has previously been reported to inhibit mechanical stress-induced HS inflammation. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of emodin on HS formation. First, we conducted in vitro assays that revealed that emodin inhibited M1 and M2 polarization in rat macrophages. We subsequently established a combined rat model of tail HS and dorsal subcutaneous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge-induced wounds. Rats were treated with emodin or vehicle (DMEM). Tail scar specimens were harvested at 14, 28, and 42 days post-incision and subjected to H&E staining and Masson's trichrome staining. Histopathological analyses confirmed that emodin attenuated HS formation and fibrosis. Macrophages were separated from wound cells collected from the PVA sponge at 3 and 7 days after implantation. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that emodin suppressed in vivo macrophage recruitment and polarization at the wound site. Finally, we explored the molecular mechanisms of emodin in modulating macrophage polarization by evaluating the expression levels of selected effectors of the Notch and TGF-β pathways in macrophages isolated from PVA sponges. Western blot and qPCR assays showed that Notch1, Notch4, Hes1, TGF-β, and Smad3 were downregulated in response to emodin treatment. Taken together, our findings suggested that emodin attenuated HS formation and fibrosis by suppressing macrophage polarization, which is associated with the inhibition of the Notch and TGF-β pathways in macrophages.

Design of an InP/ZnO core-shell nanocone array solar cell with efficient broadband light absorption enhancement.

We design a standing semiconductor-dielectric core-shell nanocone array (CSNCA) that can not only concentrate the incident light into the structure, but also confine most of the concentrated light to the semiconductor (indium phosphide) core region, which remarkably enhances the light absorption of the more material-saving semiconductor core. We find guided resonance features along the radial and FP-resonant features along the axial direction by analyzing the electric field patterns at the absorption spectrum peaks. The CSNCA can support multiple higher-order HE modes, in comparison to the bare nanocone array (BNCA). Results based on detailed balance analysis demonstrate that the core-shell design gives rise to higher short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage, and thus higher power conversion efficiency. Detailed research is focused on the 1 µm high CSNCAs, and a remarkable power conversion efficiency enhancement (42.2%) is gained compared with the BNCAs.

Broadband light absorption enhancement in randomly rotated elliptical nanohole arrays for photovoltaic application.

Semiconducting nanohole arrays have been considered as a promising candidate for high-efficiency solar cells. In this paper, the optical absorption property of randomly rotated elliptical nanohole arrays consisting of 1×1, 2×2, and 4×4 cells has been investigated. It is found that the average ultimate efficiency of the arrays increases with the increase of the size of the supercell. The 4×4 array has the highest ultimate efficiency, and the efficiency of the 4×4 array is less sensitive to the parameters of the random rotation angle than that of the 1×1 and 2×2 arrays. The comparison of absorption spectra of the three arrays shows that the number of absorption peaks of the 1×1 array is the least, but the peak is the highest and narrowest, and that of the 4×4 array is the most, but the peak is the lowest and broadest. The spatial Fourier spectroscopy analysis of the array shows that the 4×4 arrays have the most Fourier spectrum components and the largest absorption mode density. The enhancement of optical absorption of the 4×4 array is attributed to the folding of energy bands, the increase of the energy density of states caused by large supercells, and the overcoupling between incident light and Bloch resonant modes in the structure. The improved stability of the ultimate efficiency of the 4×4 arrays is because the distribution of the energy density of states of the 4×4 arrays with different random parameters tends to be the same, which leads to almost the same absorption efficiency of the different 4×4 arrays.

CTHRC1 promotes wound repair by increasing M2 macrophages via regulating the TGF-ß and notch pathways.

The healing of acute wounds is vital to humans and is a well-orchestrated process that involves systemic and local factors. However, there is a lack of effective and safe clinical therapies. The collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) protein is a type of exocrine protein that has been recently reported to contribute to tissue repair. Our aim is to validate the promoting effects of CTHRC1 on the healing of acute wounds and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. Therefore, we first established acute wound healing mouse models and confirmed that CTHRC1 accelerates the healing process of acute wounds. Then, we characterized wound macrophages using a polyvinylalcohol (PVA) sponge model and used Western blotting to investigate the molecular mechanism. We found that CTHRC1 increased the M2 macrophage population and the TGF-ß expression level as a result of the activation of the TGF-ß and Notch pathways, which eventually contributed to the promotion of wound healing. Inhibition of the Notch pathway showed attenuated M2 macrophage recruitment, and it decreased the TGF-ß expression level. These results substantiate our hypothesis that CTHRC1 promotes wound healing by recruiting M2 macrophages and regulating the TGF-ß and Notch pathways.

Toward high performance nanoscale optoelectronic devices: super solar energy harvesting in single standing core-shell nanowire.

Single nanowire solar cells show great promise for next-generation photovoltaics and for powering nanoscale devices. Here, we present a detailed study of light absorption in a single standing semiconductor-dielectric core-shell nanowire (CSNW). We find that the CSNW structure can not only concentrate the incident light into the structure, but also confine most of the concentrated light to the semiconductor core region, which boosts remarkably the light absorption cross-section of the semiconductor core. The CSNW can support multiple higher-order HE modes, as well as Fabry-Pérot (F-P) resonance, compared to the bare nanowire (BNW). Overlapping of the adjacent higher-order HE modes results in broadband light absorption enhancement in the solar radiation spectrum. Results based on detailed balance analysis demonstrate that the super light concentration of the single CSNW gives rise to higher short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage, and thus higher apparent power conversion efficiency (3644.2%), which goes far beyond that of the BNW and the Shockley-Queisser limit that restricts the performance of a planar counterparts. Our study shows that the single CSNW can be a promising platform for construction of high performance nanoscale photodetectors, nanoelectronic power sources, super miniature cells, and diverse integrated nanosystems.

Enhanced light absorption in perpendicular elliptical silicon nanocone array for solar cells.

Silicon nanowire-based arrays have demonstrated superior light trapping properties and great potential for next-generation photovoltaics. In this paper, we propose a perpendicular elliptical nanocone (PENC) array solar cell, which introduces an asymmetry in the direction parallel to the array surface in addition to the asymmetry in the direction normal to the array surface, which has been implemented in the circular nanocone (CNC) array. The PENC array displays more and higher resonant absorption peaks in the long wavelength compared with the CNC array. The newly exhibiting absorption peaks are found to be derived from periodical Bloch modes by the band-folding of the PENC array and cavity modes introduced by the asymmetry of the elliptical nanocone. The ultimate efficiency of the optimal PENC array is 24.3%, which is 17.4% higher than that of the optimal CNC one with the same nanocone height and 59.1% higher than that of the flat counterpart coated with a 70 nm zinc-oxide antireflection film. When the nanocone height is between 0.3 and 5.0 µm and the incident angle is between 0° and 80°, the PENC array demonstrates better light trapping property compared with the CNC ones.

Efficient broadband light absorption in elliptical nanohole arrays for photovoltaic application.

We propose a perpendicular elliptical silicon nanohole (PE-SiNH) array for light absorption in thin film silicon solar cells. Our analysis shows that this architecture is capable of increasing the absorption of a thin film silicon solar cell by 11.3% in comparison to that of the optimal circular SiNH array. The process of breaking the mirror symmetries is responsible for the increase of the coupled modes. The PE-SiNH structures show additional near-zero spatial Fourier components compared with the circular SiNH structure, which helps to couple more incident light into slow Bloch modes. The mode interaction between adjacent elliptical nanoholes is in favor of the coupling of the incident light into channeling modes and, therefore, enhances light absorption in the short wavelength region.

Broadband absorption enhancement in elliptical silicon nanowire arrays for photovoltaic applications.

Semiconducting nanowire arrays have emerged as a promising route toward achieving high efficiencies in solar cells. Here we propose a perpendicular elliptical silicon nanowire (PEE-SiNW) array for broadband light absorption in thin film silicon solar cells. Simulation results reveal that light absorption enhancement is originated from the split of the principal modes as well as the excitation of high order modes caused by the asymmetry of the elliptical nanowires and the enhanced mode coupling between adjacent elliptical nanowires attained by the appropriate arrangement of nanowires. An ultimate efficiency of 29.1% is achieved for the optimal PEE-SiNW array, which is 16.4% higher than that of the circular SiNW array with the same fill fraction.

Misaligned conformal gratings enhanced light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells.

The effect of the relative lateral displacement between the front and back sinusoidal textured layers of a conformal grating solar cell on light trapping was investigated. For various amount of relative lateral displacements and thicknesses of the active layer, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the misaligned solar cell structures and their EQE enhancement relative to the aligned structure were studied. For both aligned and misaligned solar cell structures, the electric field distribution at the wavelength corresponding to the EQE peaks was analyzed, and the corresponding guided modes were identified. Additional modes were observed in the misaligned grating structures. A 25.1 times enhancement of the EQE at the wavelength of 950 nm and an average of 2.2 times enhancement in the wavelength range from 700 to 900 nm were observed. For the misaligned grating structure with the phase shift ß = π/4 and the active layer thickness D(Si) = 230 nm, a maximum short circuit current density J(sc) enhancement of 34% was achieved for normal incidence, and a short circuit current enhancement of more than 15% was obtained for the incident angle between -15° and + 15°.

[Characterization of pure and doped amorphous WO3 films by Raman spectroscopy].

Pure, TiO2-doped and TiO2/Ag-doped WO3 films were prepared by evaporation and electron beam evaporating. Raman spectroscopy and chronoamperometry were used to characterize the electrochromic properties of the samples. The correlation between the relative intensity of the Raman peaks, corresponding to the Raman sharp peak of the crystalline phase at 810 cm(-1) is negative, that is to say the higher the relative intensity of the Raman peaks, the smaller the coloration efficiency.

Automated method for optimization of electric field distributions and optical parameters in thin-film polarizers.

An efficient method based on the modified needle optimization technique is proposed to design high-power laser thin-film polarizers. In order to minimize the influence of the standing-wave electric field on the laser-induced damage threshold of the polarizers, a crucial optimization parameter, the maximum electric field intensity in the high-refractive-index layers, is included in the proposed merit function. The electric field distribution and optical performance obtained by the proposed method are studied. Improved electric field and identical optical characteristics are observed in comparison with those of the designs obtained by optimizing the traditional merit function without a standing-wave electric field term and by the analytical synthesis method.

[Cloning, expression and prediction of protein structure of Ts3 gene of Cysticercus cellulosae].

OBJECTIVE: To discover a new gene of candidate molecule for the diagnosis of cysticercosis. METHODS: Cysticercus cellulosae cDNA library was immunoscreened with pooled serum of cysticercosis patients. The encoded protein of a new gene, Ts3, was analyzed through biology software (EXPASY) on line. The new gene was cloned, the prokaryotic expression vector pET28a (+)-Ts3 was constructed, and the expressed result was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. RESULTS: The new gene Ts3 (GenBank accession No. EU338456) was obtained with 531 bp and an ORF of C. cellulosae. With relatively stable structure and physicochemical properties, the new gene was anon-transmembrane protein and contained more protein kinase C phosphorylation site. To induce its expression, the Ts3 gene was cloned into the vector pET28a (+), and a protein with a relative molecular mass Mr21000 was obtained which was recognized by the sera of cysticercosis cases. CONCLUSION: The Ts3 gene of C. cellulosae was expressed, and the protein shows adequate antigenicity.