mPPTMP195 nanoparticles enhance fracture recovery through HDAC4 nuclear translocation inhibition.

Delayed repair of fractures seriously impacts patients' health and significantly increases financial burdens. Consequently, there is a growing clinical demand for effective fracture treatment. While current materials used for fracture repair have partially addressed bone integrity issues, they still possess limitations. These challenges include issues associated with autologous material donor sites, intricate preparation procedures for artificial biomaterials, suboptimal biocompatibility, and extended degradation cycles, all of which are detrimental to bone regeneration. Hence, there is an urgent need to design a novel material with a straightforward preparation method that can substantially enhance bone regeneration. In this context, we developed a novel nanoparticle, mPPTMP195, to enhance the bioavailability of TMP195 for fracture treatment. Our results demonstrate that mPPTMP195 effectively promotes the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts while inhibiting the differentiation of bone marrow mononuclear macrophages into osteoclasts. Moreover, in a mouse femur fracture model, mPPTMP195 nanoparticles exhibited superior therapeutic effects compared to free TMP195. Ultimately, our study highlights that mPPTMP195 accelerates fracture repair by preventing HDAC4 translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, thereby activating the NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study not only proposes a new strategy for fracture treatment but also provides an efficient nano-delivery system for the widespread application of TMP195 in various other diseases.

Research on the Deformation Law of Foundation Excavation and Support Based on Fluid-Solid Coupling Theory.

To investigate the impact of underground water seepage and soil stress fields on the deformation of excavation and support structures, this study initially identified the key influencing factors on excavation deformation. Subsequently, through a finite element simulation analysis using Plaxis, this study explored the effects of critical factors, such as the excavation support form, groundwater lowering depth, permeability coefficient, excavation layer, and sequence on excavation deformation. Furthermore, a comprehensive consideration of various adverse factors was integrated to establish excavation support early warning thresholds, and optimal dewatering strategies. Finally, this study validated the simulation analysis through an on-site in situ testing with wireless sensors in the context of a physical construction site. The research results indicate that the internal support system within the excavation piles exhibited better stability compared to the external anchor support system, resulting in a 34.5% reduction in the overall deformation. Within the internal support system, the factors influencing the excavation deformation were ranked in the following order: water level (35.5%) > permeability coefficient (17.62%) > excavation layer (11.4%). High water levels, high permeability coefficients, and multi-layered soils were identified as the most unfavorable factors for excavation deformation. The maximum deformation under the coupled effect of these factors was established as the excavation support early warning threshold, and the optimal dewatering strategy involved lowering the water level at the excavation to 0.5 m below the excavation face. The on-site in situ monitoring data obtained through wireless sensors exhibited low discrepancies compared to the finite element simulation data, indicating the high precision of the finite element model for considering the fluid-structure interaction.

Assessment and dynamic mechanisms of the land-use dominant morphology transition: a case study of Hainan Province, China.

This paper was aimed at providing a perspective on the assessment of land-use dominant transition. Based on the transfer matrix of land-use type, the dynamic degree of dominant morphology transition was measured, and an active degree index was proposed. The spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics were assessed and analyzed by land use change characteristics in different phases. Our assessment resulted in three types of spatiotemporal differentiation of Hainan Province in China. The whole island can be divided into three regions with two parallel lines at 45° based on spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics. The "slow-type" was distributed in four eastern counties (cities), "steady-type" was distributed in 13 central and western counties (cities), and the "active-type" was distributed in four central counties (cities). Over three phases, namely 2010-2011, 2012-2015, and 2015-2018, four levels of spatiotemporal differentiation of the 21 counties (cities) were assessed, and they were relatively stable, leaping, declining, and unstable. Areas of new construction and fixed assets investments consumed by increased construction land were the positive factors of land-use dominant transition, while output values of secondary industries and area of industrial-mining per capita were the negative factors. Based on these results, a more informative examination of LULC was proposed, and all resulting land management policies will be more targeted and effective.

Uptake and concentration of heavy metals in dominant mangrove species from Hainan Island, South China.

By investigating three dominant mangrove species, namely Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, Ceriops tagal and their rhizosediment in Mangrove wetlands in Hainan Island, this research analyzed absorption, concentration and distribution of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) in mangroves. The results found that the concentration of specific heavy metal differs in the different mangrove organs (leaf, stem and root). The content of heavy metals concentrated greatly in roots, but less in leaves and stems. The study also revealed that concentration capacity was weak in all three mangrove species (BCF0.02-0.91), with their organ ranking BCFroot > BCFstem > BCFleaf. Among three mangrove species, the transfer factors of leaves and stems in Ceriops tagal were highest, indicating a great distribution capability for heavy metals, followed by Kandelia candel. Transfer factors in Aegiceras corniculatum were the weakest. This ranking was opposite to bioconcentration factors of roots. This study can further reflect bioavailability of heavy metals in sediments, which provides scientific evidence on ecosystem protection and management in mangrove wetlands.

High-resolution mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling main floral stalk length in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis).

BACKGROUND: For spring-type Chinese cabbage production, premature bolting refers to the excessive elongation of dwarf stems before harvesting. Although quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for bolting-related traits have been studied extensively, the main flower stalk length (MFSL) have been rarely investigated. Two inbred lines, 06-247 and He102, have significant differences in the MFSL. In this study, these two materials were selected as parental lines for the construction of a recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population. High-density mapping of QTL for the MFSL was performed based on the deep resequencing of parental lines and specific locus-amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-Seq) of individual recombination inbred lines. RESULTS: An F7 population consisting of 150 lines was developed. Deep resequencing of parental lines produced 21.08 gigabases, whereas SLAF-Seq produced an average of 428.35 million bases for each progeny. The total aligned data from the parental lines identified 1,082,885 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between parental lines. Out of these, 5392 SNP markers with a segregation type of aa×bb and average integrity of > 99% were suitable for the genetic linkage map construction. The final map contained 10 linkage groups (LGs) was 1687.82 cM in length with an average distance of 0.32 cM between adjacent markers. Based on the high-density map, nine QTLs for MFSL were found to be distributed on seven chromosomes, and two major-effect QTLs were identified for the first time. The physical distance between adjacent markers of two major-effect QTLs was 44.37 kbp and 121.91 kbp, respectively. Approximately 2056 and 6769 SNP markers within confidence intervals were identified according to the results of parental line resequencing, which involved 24 and 199 mutant genes. CONCLUSIONS: The linkage map constructed in this study has the highest density in Chinese cabbage to date. Two major-effect QTLs for MFSL in Chinese cabbage were also identified. Among these, a novel QTL associated with bolting mapped on LG A04 was identified based on MFSL. The results of this study provide an important platform for gene/QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding for bolting-resistant Chinese cabbage.

[Determination of Main Active Components and Metal Elements of Hainan Alpinia Katsumadai by Spectral Analysis].

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed to analyze Alpinia Katsumadai harvested from Hainan Baisha and Bawangling. The results from FT-IR indicated that the emergence of several characteristic absorption peaks around 1 051, 1 390，2 976 and 3 300 cm-1 belong to flavonoids. In light of second derivative spectra, two similar peaks around 2 977.72 and 2 899.94 cm-1 and evident differences peaks around 1 922.36 and 1 650.87 cm-1 were observed, which was obvious to identify and distinguish Hainan Alpinia Katsumadai from different geographical regions. The method of UV spectroscopy were used to determine the different characteristic spectra of Alpinia Katsumadai harvested from Hainan Baisha and Bawangling. An UV-quantitative analysis method for alpinetin and cardamonin in Alpinia Katsumadai was established according to the relevant absorption principle. The results from fluorescence experiments revealed that both ethanol extracts of Alpinia katsumadai Hayata harvestd from Baisha and Bawangling have the similar fluorescence emission spectra and excitation spectra. The difference of fluorescence intensity once again demonstrated the concentration of ethanol extracts of Alpinia katsumadai Hayata harvestd from Baisha was bigger than that of Bawangling. The good relative recovery was in the range of 84.28%～117.41% with the RSDs (n=3) of 0.42%～0.29%. The content of alpinetin and cardamomin in Alpinia katsumadai from various habitats are 4.23% and 3.83% for Baisha, 3.72% and 3.34% for Baiwangling, respectively. Seventeen kinds of metal elements including K, Ca, Mg, Na, Al，Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn et al were determined by using microwave digestion-ICP-MS. Therefore, FT-IR combined with second derivative spectra was an express and comprehensive to analyze and evaluate the subtle difference among different habitats. It was also indicated that the method of UV-absorption spectroscopy was simple and reliable for identifing Alpinia katsumadai from differern geographical regions and cultivation batches, and determining qualitatively and quantitatively their main active components. The determination results of metal elements according to ICP-MS experiments will provide a theoretical foundation for the further development and utilization Alpinia katsumadai and enhancing the food danger consciousness.

Study on Preparation and Performance of Foamed Lightweight Soil Grouting Material for Goaf Treatment.

The harm goafs and other underground cavities cause to roads, which could lead to secondary geological hazards, has attracted increased attention. This study focuses on developing and evaluating the effectiveness of foamed lightweight soil grouting material for goaf treatment. The study examines the foam stability of different foaming agent dilution ratios by analyzing foam density, foaming ratio, settlement distance, and bleeding volume. The results show that there is no significant variation in foam settlement distance for different dilution ratios, and the difference in foaming ratio does not exceed 0.4 times. However, the bleeding volume is positively correlated with the dilution ratio of the foaming agent. At a dilution ratio of 60×, the bleeding volume is about 1.5 times greater than that at 40×, which reduces foam stability. Furthermore, an appropriate amount of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate improves both the foaming ability of the foaming agent and the stability of the foam. Additionally, this study investigates how the water-solid ratio affects the basic physical properties, water absorption, and stability of foamed lightweight soil. Foamed lightweight soil with target volumetric weights of 6.0 kN/m3 and 7.0 kN/m3 meet the flow value requirement of 170~190 mm when the water-solid ratio ranges are set at 1:1.6~1:1.9 and 1:1.9~1:2.0, respectively. With an increasing proportion of solids in the water-solid ratio, the unconfined compressive strength initially increases and then decreases after 7 and 28 days, reaching its maximum value when the water-solid ratio is between 1:1.7 and 1:1.8. The values of unconfined compressive strength at 28 days are approximately 1.5-2 times higher than those at 7 days. When the water ratio is excessively high, the water absorption rate of foamed lightweight soil increases, resulting in the formation of connected pores inside the material. Therefore, the water-solid ratio should not be set at 1:1.6. During the dry-wet cycle test, the unconfined compressive strength of foamed lightweight soil decreases, but the rate of strength loss is relatively low. The prepared foamed lightweight soil meets the durability requirements during dry-wet cycles. The outcomes of this study may aid the development of enhanced approaches for goaf treatment using foamed lightweight soil grout material.

Experimental Investigation of the High-Temperature Rheological and Aging Resistance Properties of Activated Crumb Rubber Powder/SBS Composite-Modified Asphalt.

Crumb rubber could form the active groups on the surface by interrupting the crosslinking bond to improve the compatibility with asphalt. While styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS)-modified asphalt has excellent comprehensive properties, it has poor anti-aging performance and a high cost. To explore the influence of composite modification of activated crumb rubber powder (ACR) and SBS on asphalt, modified asphalt samples with different modifiers and SBS contents were prepared. Conventional physical properties tests, a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and the thin-film oven test (TFOT) were used to study the conventional physical properties, high-temperature rheological properties, and aging resistance of asphalt. In addition, the action forms and distribution of modifiers in asphalt were observed by an optical microscope to characterize the micro-morphology of ACR/SBS composite-modified asphalt. Test results showed that after adding SBS, the softening point, ductility, and elastic recovery of ACR/SBS asphalt could be significantly improved, but the viscosity and softening point difference were also larger. At the same time, according to the complex shear modulus, phase angle, and rutting factor, SBS can effectively improve the high-temperature deformation resistance of ACR/SBS asphalt. The modified asphalt (ACR/SBS-2) had good high- and low- temperature performances, as well as an appropriate viscosity and low softening point difference, as a research object of aging. After short-term aging, the changes in the high- and low-temperature performances and workability of ACR/SBS asphalt were reduced. Taking the softening point as the target performance, the softening point of ACR/SBS asphalt was less affected by aging time and temperature, indicating that ACR/SBS asphalt was not sensitive to aging temperature and had good stability and aging resistance. From the micrograph by microscope, it was found that ACR/SBS asphalt could maintain a relatively stable polyphase structure for aging resistance.

An investigation of the pullout behaviors of tire strips embedded in tire-derived aggregate reinforced sand.

The recycling of scrap tires has become an important issue in the area of environmental protection in the past 20 years. In recent years, tire strips and tire-derived aggregates (TDA) have been used in geotechnical engineering projects. Both reinforcement methods are proved available to improve the horizontal resistance of stabilized structures. This study reported a new method which combined tire strips and TDA utilization in order to investigate if such combinations could further improve the stability of retaining structures. The shear properties of TDA reinforced sand with different tire content levels (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) were measured using direct shear tests. The pullout behaviors of tire strips with and without transverse ribs embedded in pure sand/TDA reinforced materials were then compared. Based on the obtained results, a new calculation method was proposed for the estimation of the peak pullout resistance of tire strips embedded in TDA-reinforced sand, with the interference of transverse ribs and different tire content levels of the TDA-reinforced sand taken into consideration. The test results revealed that a tire content level of 20% was the optimal proportion of TDA-reinforced sand. Meanwhile, the model tests proved that the end resistance provided by transverse ribs could largely enhance the ultimate pullout capacity of soil structures. Therefore, it was concluded that the proposed methods were feasible in scrap tire recycling projects, and the test results and proposed calculation method could potentially provide important references for the future designs and construction of tire strip stabilized retaining walls.

Corrigendum: Transgelin Inhibits the Malignant Progression of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas by Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.709486.].

Transgelin Inhibits the Malignant Progression of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas by Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

OBJECTIVE: This article investigates the role of Transgelin (TAGLN) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and its possible mechanism of inhibiting the invasion of these cancers. METHODS: Tissue specimens and clinical information of patients with ESCC were collected to analyze the relationship between Transgelin expression level and prognosis of patients with ESCC. Transgelin siRNA was used to knock down Transgelin expression. The expression of Transgelin in Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells was overexpressed by Transgelin-overexpressing plasmid. The effects of Transgelin overexpression and knockdown on the proliferation of Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells were examined by Transwell chamber, scratch assay, and CCK-8 cell activity assay. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the effect of Transgelin overexpression or knockdown on the mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin and Vimentin. TCGA data were used to analyze Transgelin co-expressed genes and further study the GO and KEGG enrichment analysis results under the influence of Transgelin. RESULTS: The expression of Transgelin was low in ESCC, and its expression level was positively correlated with the prognosis of patients with ESCC. The targeted Transgelin siRNA and Transgelin-overexpressing plasmid can effectively regulate the expression of Transgelin mRNA and protein in Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells. After overexpression of Transgelin, the invasion and proliferation abilities of Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells were significantly decreased compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). However, Transgelin knockdown could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cells. The overexpression of Transgelin inhibits EMT in ESCC. With the increase of Transgelin expression in Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells, the expression of E-cadherin increased, while the expression of Vimentin decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Transgelin can inhibit the malignant progression of ESCC by inhibiting the occurrence of EMT.

Space quantization between the object and image spaces of a microscopic stereovision system with a stereo light microscope.

Microscopic stereovision systems with a stereo light microscope have been used for quantized observations and measurements in microscopy fields. These applications depend on a quantization mathematical relationship between the object space and the image space. In this article, a novel, practical space quantization method was proposed. It was derived from two defined base cell matrices. First, it captured a series of stereo images of markers moving in various directions through the object space. The world and image coordinates of markers were acquired, stored and used to create the two base cell matrices. Next, a space quantization relationship between the object space and the image space was derived from analysis of the two base cell matrices. Finally, if two matching points located in the image space were given, the world coordinates of their object point could be calculated by the above space quantization relationship. The results show that this method of quantizing the two spaces could achieve a positioning precision of approximately ±5 µm in the horizontal direction and approximately ±10 µm in the vertical direction. It has a very simple expression, but it is more practical and efficient than other traditional projection methods. In addition, it has a better performance and can be widely used in several microscopy fields, such as microscopic shape reconstruction, micromanipulation, microassembly, and microinjection.

Microscopic vision modeling method by direct mapping analysis for micro-gripping system with stereo light microscope.

We present a novel and high-precision microscopic vision modeling method, which can be used for 3D data reconstruction in micro-gripping system with stereo light microscope. This method consists of four parts: image distortion correction, disparity distortion correction, initial vision model and residual compensation model. First, the method of image distortion correction is proposed. Image data required by image distortion correction comes from stereo images of calibration sample. The geometric features of image distortions can be predicted though the shape deformation of lines constructed by grid points in stereo images. Linear and polynomial fitting methods are applied to correct image distortions. Second, shape deformation features of disparity distribution are discussed. The method of disparity distortion correction is proposed. Polynomial fitting method is applied to correct disparity distortion. Third, a microscopic vision model is derived, which consists of two models, i.e., initial vision model and residual compensation model. We derive initial vision model by the analysis of direct mapping relationship between object and image points. Residual compensation model is derived based on the residual analysis of initial vision model. The results show that with maximum reconstruction distance of 4.1mm in X direction, 2.9mm in Y direction and 2.25mm in Z direction, our model achieves a precision of 0.01mm in X and Y directions and 0.015mm in Z direction. Comparison of our model with traditional pinhole camera model shows that two kinds of models have a similar reconstruction precision of X coordinates. However, traditional pinhole camera model has a lower precision of Y and Z coordinates than our model. The method proposed in this paper is very helpful for the micro-gripping system based on SLM microscopic vision.

[Distribution and bioavailability of seven heavy metals in mangrove wetland sediments in Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan Island, China].

In this study, total and available contents of seven typical heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) were determined in mangrove wetland sediments in Dongzhai Harbor, and the distribution characteristics and bioavailability of these heavy metals in sediment were analyzed. The results showed that all the metals contents in this area were higher than in mangrove wetlands in Yalong Bay and Sanya Bay, but lower than the average level in mangrove wetlands in South China and other areas in the world, which was at a moderate to low level. The contents of heavy metals in surface layer of sediment significantly differed among barren shoal, the edge and inside of forest. All the metals were obviously accompanyingly deposited in the columnar sediments, which indicated a strong homogeneous source. The available contents of seven heavy metals in the surface sediments were extracted by EDTA, which had the order of Cu>Cr>Zn>Ni>As>Pb>Cd. All the maximum ratios of available to total content of elements appeared in surface or -middle to upper layers, except Ni. There was significant positive correlation between available and total contents of target metals.

Synthesis of 1-(3-phthalimido-2-oxobutyl)-4-substituted- phenylpiperazines and their anti-HIV reverse transcriptase activity.

AIM: Synthesis of 1-(3-phthalimido-2-oxobutyl)-4-substituted- phenylpiperazines (5-15). METHODS: The starting material nitrogen mustard hydrochloride (16), reacted with the corresponding substituted anilines to afford piperazine hydrochlorides (17-27), which were then coupled with 1-bromo-3-phthalimidobutan-2-one (4) to give the target compounds. RESULTS: Eleven target compounds (5-15) were synthesized, which were characterized by 1HNMR, IR and elemental analysis. CONCLUSION: Anti-HIV-1 RT using HIV reverse transcriptase P-66 protein test showed that compounds 11, 14, 10 and 13 possessed inhibitory effects against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT), with IC50 29.80, 35.20, 43.77 and 63.76 mumol.L-1, respectively.

Expression of aquaporin 8 and its relationship with melanosis coli.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between melanosis coli (MC) and aquaporin 8 (AQP8) has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between the expression of AQP8 and the pathological mechanism of MC. METHODS: Expression of AQP8 was detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 37 MC colon tissues and 13 control colon tissues. Global gene expression analysis was also used to identify differently expressed genes. Its relationship with MC was analyzed by SPSS 11.5 statistical software. RESULTS: The positive rate of AQP8 expression detected by immunohistochemistry in the MC group was 24.3% (9/37), significantly lower than the 69.2% (9/13) in the control group (P < 0.05). The relative expression level of AQP8 in MC group was 0.639 ± 0.160, lower than 0.921 ± 0.148 of controls (P < 0.05). Global gene expression analysis showed that AQP8 mRNA expression was downregulated in MC patients. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased AQP8 expression in MC patients indicates that chronic use of laxatives containing anthraquinone may cause reduced water absorption. The expression of AQP8 may be related to MC.

[Climatope change and its relations with city development of Haikou City in 1961-2007].

Based on the 1961-2007 meteorological data of Haikou City and its urbanization level in 1989-2007, this paper studied the climatope change and its relations with city development of the City. In 1995-2007, the mean annual air temperature in Haikou had an obvious increase, with an increment of 0.93 degrees C x a(-1), while the mean annual relative humidity decreased obviously, with a decrement of 3% per year, compared with those in 1961-1990. Both the mean annual air temperature and the mean annual relative humidity had significant correlations with the urbanization level of Haikou, suggesting that urbanization could better explain the recent 20 years variation of climate elements in Haikou. The city development of Haikou not only changed the climatope elements, but also affected the air quality, making the frequency of acid rain increased, and the mean annual acid rain pH value decreased.

[Effects of light on carotenoid biosynthesis and color formation of citrus fruit peel].

The effects of shading fruit with opaque paper bag at the late stage of fruit enlargement on the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoid and in "Hongshigan" citrus (C. reticulata x C. sinensis) fruit peel and its color were examined. The results showed that after shading, the chlorophyll content in peel decreased quickly, which resulted in its earlier color shifting. In contrast, the contents of total carotenoids and each carotenoid component did not increase, but decreased significantly. At the stage of fruit riping, both chlorophyll in shaded and unshaded fruit disappeared, and the shaded fruit, owing to its lower level of carotenoids, had a lighter color than the unshaded fruit. The sugar content in peel of shaded fruit did not differ obviously from that of unshaded fruit at the earlier stage, but dropped markedly at the late stage of shading. Removing the enclosing paper bag from shaded fruit at the late stage of shading resulted in the increase of sugar, and correspondingly in the increase of carotenoid, especially of beta-cryptoxanthin accumulation with consequent darkening of fruit color. These results stressed the effect of light on stimulating carotenoid synthesis, especially the accumulation of beta-cryptoxanthin in citrus fruit peel. The light is the enviromental signal essential for carotenoid synthesis in citrus fruit during certain stage of fruit development.