SEanalysis 2.0: a comprehensive super-enhancer regulatory network analysis tool for human and mouse.

Super-enhancers (SEs) play an essential regulatory role in various biological processes and diseases through their specific interaction with transcription factors (TFs). Here, we present the release of SEanalysis 2.0 (http://licpathway.net/SEanalysis), an updated version of the SEanalysis web server for the comprehensive analyses of transcriptional regulatory networks formed by SEs, pathways, TFs, and genes. The current version added mouse SEs and further expanded the scale of human SEs, documenting 1 167 518 human SEs from 1739 samples and 550 226 mouse SEs from 931 samples. The SE-related samples in SEanalysis 2.0 were more than five times that in version 1.0, which significantly improved the ability of original SE-related network analyses ('pathway downstream analysis', 'upstream regulatory analysis' and 'genomic region annotation') for understanding context-specific gene regulation. Furthermore, we designed two novel analysis models, 'TF regulatory analysis' and 'Sample comparative analysis' for supporting more comprehensive analyses of SE regulatory networks driven by TFs. Further, the risk SNPs were annotated to the SE regions to provide potential SE-related disease/trait information. Hence, we believe that SEanalysis 2.0 has significantly expanded the data and analytical capabilities of SEs, which helps researchers in an in-depth understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of SEs.

[Clinical Value of Minimally Invasive Bridging for the Lateral Malleolar Fractures in the Open Comminuted Ankle Fractures with Dislocation].

To evaluate the effectiveness of minimally invasive bridging for the lateral malleolar fractures in the open comminuted ankle fractures with dislocation. Methods The clinical data of 24 patients [19 males and 5 females aged 40 to 65 years,mean(47.5±8.6)years] with open comminuted ankle fractures with dislocation who were treated in the Second Hospital of Tangshan from September 2015 to June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were treated with minimally invasive bridging for the lateral malleolar fractures.The ankle function after treatment was assessed with the Olerud Molander Ankle(OMA)score. Results All the 24 patients were followed up from 12-26 months [mean:(14.5±2.6)months].Good fracture union was achieved in all patients after 2 - 5 months(mean:3 months).No deep infection,skin necrosis,or bone nonunion occurred after 12 months of follow-up.Only one patient suffered from partial skin necrosis at lateral malleolus,which was cured after changing wound dressings.The OMA score was 93.5(range:85-100)after 12 months(excellent in 19 cases and good in 5 cases). Conclusions Minimally invasive bridging for the lateral malleolar fractures is effective in treating the open comminuted ankle fractures with dislocation.It can obtain good reduction and fixation,reduce complications,and achieve high union rate.

Signal-on architecture for electrochemical aptasensors based on multiple ion channels.

In this work, we described a signal-on architecture for electrochemical aptasensors that is applicable to a wide range of aptamers. Herein, we use thrombin as the model sensing target. The signal-on aptasensor is composed of multiple ion channels embedded within a polymeric membrane, with the antithrombin aptamers chemically modified onto the inner walls of each ion channel working as the sensing element. As the thrombin concentration increased, [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+), which was electrostatically absorbed onto the negatively charged phosphate backbones of aptamers beforehand, was displaced and pushed into the ion channels from the inner walls, leading to an increase in the current of redox cations at the working electrode surface. Compared with the traditional two-electrode design using a single ion channel sensing system, our ion channel sensing system is applied multiple times within an ordinary three-electrode system, providing such advantages as a high signal-to-noise ratio and suitability for a wide variety of redox species. The results indicate that multiple ion channel sensing provides improvements of orders of magnitude in signal sensitivity. In particular, this signal-on architecture avoids the problems of limited signal gain and "false positives". Moreover, the proposed aptasensor is simple, highly selective, stable, and applicable to real samples.

Treatments for the Fifth Metacarpal Neck Fractures: A Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The fifth metacarpal neck fractures (commonly termed boxer's fractures) are the most common type of metacarpal fractures. Many types of treatments are available in clinical practice, some of which have already been compared with other treatments by various researchers. However, a comprehensive treatment comparison is lacking. We estimated the comparative efficacy of different interventions for total complications, through a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. We conducted a systematic search of the literature through October 2015. The outcome measurements were the total complications. We used a Bayesian network meta-analysis to combine direct and indirect evidence and to estimate the relative effects of treatment. We identified 6 RCTs registering a total of 288 patients who were eligible for our network meta-analysis. The literature's quality is relatively high. The median Structured Effectiveness for Quality Evaluation of Study score for the included trials was 33.8. The overall methodological quality was high. Of the 6 studies, all were 2-arm controlled trials comparing active intervention. Among the 4 treatments--conservative treatment (CT), antegrade intramedullary nailing (AIMN), transverse pinning (TP) with K-wires, and plate fixation (PF)--CT had the best rankings (ie, lowest risk of total complications), followed by PF, AIMN, and TP (ie, highest risk of total complications). Furthermore, we also presented the results using surface under the cumulative ranking curve. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve probabilities were 94.1%, 52.9%, 37.3%, and 15.7% for CT, PF, AIMN, and TP, respectively. In conclusion, current evidence suggested that conservative treatment is the optimum treatment for the fifth metacarpal neck fractures because of reduced total complication rates. Moreover, the TP with K-wires is the worst option with highly total complication rates. PF and AIMN therapy should be considered as the first-line choices. Larger and higher-quality randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these conclusions and better inform clinical decision-making.

Fabrication of Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO)/Co3 O4 Nanohybrid Particles and a RGO/Co3 O4 /Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Composite with Enhanced Wave-Absorption Properties.

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/Co3 O4 nanohybrid particles, composed of reduced graphite oxide and Co3 O4 particles, have been fabricated by an in situ growth method under mild wet-chemical conditions (140 °C). A series of characterization results indicate that the as-prepared Co3 O4 particles with relatively uniform sizes are embedded in RGO layers to form unique core-shell nanostructures. The RGO/Co3 O4 /poly(vinylidene fluoride) composite was found to possess excellent absorption properties. Owing to the effect of the negative permeability, the position of the absorption peaks remains at the same frequency at different thicknesses without shifting to lower frequencies. For the composites with a filler loading of 10 wt %, the maximum peaks can reach -25.05 dB at 11.6 GHz with a thickness of 4.0 mm. These enhanced microwave absorbing properties can be explained based on the structures of the nanohybrid particles.

[Assessment of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate in He'nan Province of China based on principal component regression].

According to the hydrological and morphological characteristics, He'nan Province was divided into mountainous region and plain region. The level of rich water, infiltration modulus of precipitation, fertilization level per unit area, proportions of vegetable planting area, and soil texture were selected as the common indices, and the slope and groundwater depth were selected as specific indices to assess the groundwater vulnerability to nitrate. Principal component regression analysis was adopted to determine the index weights, and the spatial distribution of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate in He'nan Province was assessed with ArcGIS 9.2. In the Province, the groundwater vulnerability to nitrate was mainly at low and medium level, and the region with this vulnerability level accounted for 68.4% of the total. The high vulnerability region accounted for 19.8%, and the extremely high vulnerability region occupied 11.8%. The main factors affecting the groundwater vulnerability to nitrate in plain region were soil texture, fertilization level, and infiltration modulus of precipitation, while those in mountainous region were fertilization level, soil texture, and slope. This study provided a theoretical basis for reasonable fertilization and agricultural environment management.

[Soil nutrient distribution and its relations with topography in Huangshui River drainage basin].

By using GIS and geostatistic techniques, this paper studied the spatial distribution patterns of soil nutrients and their relationships with topographic factors in Huangshui River drainage basin, a water source of Danjiangkou Reservoir. In the study area, the soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter varied spatially at medium level, with the variation coefficients being 51%, 66%, and 85%, respectively, whereas the soil available phosphorus displayed a strong spatial variation, with the variation coefficient reached 161%. The soil total nitrogen and organic matter exhibited a spatially positive autocorrelation, while the soil total and available phosphorus presented a spatially weak autocorrelation. Altitude was one of the main topographic factors affecting the spatial distribution patterns of the soil nutrients, having significant effects on the spatial distribution of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter. Slope and profile curvature also had significant effects on the spatial distribution of the soil total nitrogen and organic matter. Based on these, the regression prediction models of topographic factors and soil nutrient spatial distribution were established, and the digital mappings of the soil nutrients were made, which provided data support for the precise management of soil resources in the study area.

Electrochemical real-time detection of L-histidine via self-cleavage of DNAzymes.

Herein, a rapid electrochemical biosensor for L-histidine based on highly specific, L-histidine-dependent DNAzymes is described. DNA with a single, sessile ribo-adenine, self-cleaves in the presence of L-histidine, allowing a ferrocene tag to transfer electrons to the electrode. The double-stranded DNA complex was chemi-absorbed to a gold electrode via a 3' terminal thiol. The signal of this proposed sensor is linear over the range, 1 nM to 10 µM, with R=0.98775. To improve signal intensity, gold nanoparticles were anchored to a gold electrode surface which had been previously modified with self-assembled monolayers of 1,6-hexanedithiol. With gold nanoparticle modification, a lower detection limit of 0.1 pM L-histidine and a good linear relationship over the range, 0.1 pM to 50 nM were obtained. The proposed biosensor presents high specificity for L-histidine, is not affected by the presence of other amino acids, and demonstrates excellent enantio-selectivity toward L-histidine. This proposed sensor protocol offers reasonable selectivity, rapid speed, and operational convenience for real sample assays.