A Color-Changing Biomimetic Material Closely Resembling the Spectral Characteristics of Vegetation Foliage.

Multispectral/hyperspectral technologies can easily detect man-made objects in vegetation by subtle spectral differences between the object and vegetation, and powerful reconnaissance increases the demand for camouflage materials closely resembling vegetation spectra. However, previous biomimetic materials have only presented static colors that cannot change color, and camouflage in multiple bands is difficult to achieve. To address this challenge, inspiration is drawn from the color change of foliage, and a color-change model is proposed with active and static pigments embedded in a matrix medium. The color of a composite material is dominated by the colored active pigment, which conceals the color of the static pigments and the color is revealed when the active pigment fades. A color-changing biomimetic material (CCBM) is developed with a solution casting method by adopting microcapsuled thermochromic pigments and chrome titanate yellow pigments as fillers in a base film with polyvinyl alcohol and lithium chloride. A Kubelka-Munk four-flux model is constructed to optimize the component proportions of the CCBM. The material has a reversible color change, closely resembles the foliage spectrum in UV-vis-NIR ranges, and imitates the thermal behavior of natural foliage in the mid-infrared regime. These results provide a novel approach to multispectral and hyperspectral camouflage.

Effect of metformin on gut microbiota imbalance in patients with T2DM, and the value of probiotic supplementation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of metformin on gut microbiota imbalance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the value of probiotic supplementation. METHODS: A total of 84 newly diagnosed T2DM patients were randomly divided into probiotics group, metformin group, and control group, with 28 patients in each group. The blood glucose control, islet function, gut microbiota, and inflammatory factors were compared between three groups. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (2-h PG), and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were evidently decreased in both probiotics and metformin groups (P < 0.05) and were lower than that in the control group prior to treatment. Besides, FPG, 2-h PG, and HbA1c were lower in the metformin group than that in the control group. FPG, 2-h PG, and HbA1c were further lower in the probiotic group than in the metformin group (P < 0.05). Fasting insulin (FINS) and islet ß cell (HOMA-ß) -function were dramatically increased in the same group (P < 0.05), while insulin-resistant islet ß cells (HOMA-IR) were significantly lower in the same group (P < 0.05); FINS and HOMA-ß were significantly higher, while HOMA-IR was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in both groups than in the control group prior to treatment. HOMA-IR was also lower in the probiotic group than in the metformin group after treatment (P < 0.05); the number of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria increased (P < 0.05) in both probiotic and metformin groups than in the control group prior to treatment, and the number of Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcus was lower in the control group prior to treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, the number of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria was higher and the number of enterobacteria and enterococci was lower in the probiotic group than that in the metformin group after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were lower in both probiotic and metformin groups (P < 0.05). The serum LPS, IL-6, and CRP levels were lower in both probiotic and metformin groups, compared to the control group prior to the treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Metformin while treating T2DM assists in improving the imbalance of gut microbiota.

International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for ulcerative colitis by Board of Specialty Committee of Digestive System Disease of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (2023).

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic and nonspecific inflammatory disease of the intestine, has become a prevalent global health concern. This guideline aims to equip clinicians and caregivers with effective strategies for the treatment and management of adult UC patients using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The guideline systematically evaluated contemporary evidence through the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Additionally, it incorporated insights from ancient Chinese medical sources, employing the evidence grading method found in traditional TCM literature. The development process involved collaboration with multidisciplinary experts and included input from patients with UC. The guideline, based on a comprehensive review of available evidence, present 40 recommendations. They offer a condensed overview of TCM's role in understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of UC, along with an assessment of the efficacy of various TCM-based treatments. TCM exhibits promising outcomes in the treatment of UC. However, to establish its efficacy conclusively, further high-quality clinical studies on TCM for UC are essential.

Farmland protection and fertilization intensity: Empirical evidence from preservation policy of Heilongjiang's black soil.

The preservation of cultivated land quality stands as a vital prerequisite for ensuring food security and sustainability. In the black soil area of northeast China, a large amount of fertilizer was used to stabilize grain production in its early stages, which damaged soil structure and polluted the ecological environment. Based on the panel data of fertilization intensity of 48 districts and counties in Heilongjiang Province from 2010 to 2020, this study takes the implementation of the "Three-Year Action Plan for the Protection of Black Soil Farmland in Heilongjiang Province for the (2018-2020)" (TYAP) policy as a natural experiment, and uses the difference-in-differences (DiD) method to identify the causal effect of the policy on the local fertilization intensity. The results of the empirical study showed that the implementation of the TYAP policy significantly reduced the fertilization intensity of the black soil cultivated land implemented by the policy during the implementation period, which resulted in a decrease of 11.97% on average compared with the areas without the policy implementation. Several robustness tests provided additional confirmation of the aforementioned findings. This study further revealed that the policy mitigated fertilization intensity by fostering advancements in agricultural mechanization.

Serum Bile Acid Metabolites Predict the Therapeutic Effect of Mesalazine in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a systematic chronic disease characterized by insufficient intestinal absorption, and mesalazine is a common medical treatment. In the present study, 20 normal healthy controls (NC group), 10 unmedicated UC patients (UC group), and 20 mesalazine-responsive and 20 mesalazine-nonresponsive UC patients were recruited. A total of 42 serum BA metabolites, including 8 primary bile acids and 34 secondary bile acids (SBAs), were quantitatively measured. Compared with the NC group, serum SBAs in the UC patients were significantly lower but increased after mesalazine therapy. Differences in the serum TDCA, DCA, GDCA-3S, 12-keto LCA, and GCDCA-3S metabolites were found between the UC and NC groups, with AUC values of 0.777, 0.800, 0.815, 0.775, and 0.740, respectively. Furthermore, we identified 12-keto LCA as a specific BA marker of UC and BA biomarkers of mesalazine responsiveness. It was concluded that serum SBAs were decreased in UC patients, and TDCA, DCA, GDCA-3S, 12-keto LCA, and GCDCA-3S might aid in the diagnosis of UC. The abundance of SBAs increased after the mesalazine therapy, and serum 12-keto LCA was identified as an alternative invasive biomarker associated with UC diagnosis and therapeutic response, thereby providing a new approach for the prediction of response to mesalazine therapy in UC patients.

Urbanization and vulnerable employment: Empirical evidence from 163 countries in 1991-2019.

Many urban residents have recently lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made employment vulnerability in cities attained attention. It is thus important to explore the relationship between urbanization and employment. This study quantitatively analyzes spatiotemporal evolution and data correlation of urbanization and vulnerable employment, and explores the role urbanization plays in vulnerable employment by using historical data on 163 countries in the period 1991-2019 to test the theoretical hypothesis. The results show: It's clearly observed that there is a high correlation between the rate of urbanization and that of vulnerable employment, and the examples of G7 and BRICs are for it. The estimated urbanization yields a negative and statistically significant regression coefficient (-0.168), indicating that urbanization has a negative effect on vulnerable employment. If the urbanization rate increased by 1 %, the rate of vulnerable employment decreased by 0.168 %. The rural-urban sector conversion and changes in employment relationship driven by urbanization account for this. Countries with different income groups or populations have reacted differently to the rise in urbanization. Vulnerable employment in higher-income countries has been more significantly affected by the rise in urbanization, and more populous countries are more sensitive to it as well. These findings provide evidence for how urbanization promotes employment and decent work.

Binding mechanism of lipase with Lentinus edodes mycelia polysaccharide by multi-spectroscopic methods.

It is an effective strategy to avoid obesity by inhibiting the activity of lipase. In this study, the binding mechanism of lipase and Lentinus edodes mycelia polysaccharide (LMP) were explored with multi-spectral methods, for example, three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence, Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectra. At 290 K, the binding constant was 2.44 × 105 L/mol, there was only one binding site between LMP and lipase. Static quenching was the quenching mechanism. The major forces were hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force. The binding of LMP to lipase impacted the microenvironment around tyrosine and tryptophan residues. The polarity around these residues was decreased and hydrophobicity was enhanced. This study not only revealed the binding mechanism of LMP on lipase but also provided scientific evidence for expanding the application of LMP in functional food industries.

Provincial and sector-level material footprints in China.

High-income countries often outsource material demands to poorer countries along with the associated environmental damage. This phenomenon can also occur within (large) countries, such as China, which was responsible for 24 to 30% of the global material footprint (MF) between 2007 and 2010. Understanding the distribution and development of China's MF is hence critical for resource efficiency and circular economy ambitions globally. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of China's MF at the provincial and sectoral levels. We combine provincial-level input-output data with sector- and province-specific trade data, detailed material extraction data, and the global input-output database EXIOBASE. We find that some provinces have MFs equivalent to medium-sized, high-income countries and limited evidence of material decoupling. Lower-income regions with high levels of material extraction can have an MF per capita as large as developed provinces due to much higher material intensities. The higher-income south-coastal provinces have lower MF per capita than equally developed provinces. This finding relates partly to differences in economic structure but indicates the potential for improvement across provinces. Investment via capital formation is up to 4 times more resource-intensive than consumption and drives 49 to 86% of provincial-level MFs (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average is 37%). Resource-efficient production, efficient use of capital goods/infrastructure, and circular design are essential for reductions in China's MF. Policy efforts to shift to a high-quality development model may reduce material intensities, preferably while avoiding the further outsourcing of high-intensity activities to other provinces or lower-income countries.

Potential Mechanisms of Methylglyoxal-Induced Human Embryonic Kidney Cells Damage: Regulation of Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Apoptosis.

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a reactive carbonyl species that can cause cellular damage and is closely related to kidney disease, especially diabetic nephropathy. The toxic effect of MGO (0.5, 1, and 2 mM) on human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells and its underlying mechanisms were explored in this study. Cell viability, apoptosis and the signaling pathways were measured with MTT, fluorescent staining and western blot experiments, the results showed that MGO could induce oxidative stress and cell inflammation, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased, and p38MAPK, JNK and NF-κB signaling pathways were activated. Meanwhile, MGO also induced DNA damage. The expression of DNA oxidative damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) increased, the expression of double-strand break marker γH2AX increased significantly, and ATM/Chk2/p53 DNA damage response signaling pathway was activated. Furthermore, the expression of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) also increased. Finally, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) decreased, fluorescence intensity of Hoechst33258 increased, and the protein expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 increased significantly after the treatment of MGO. These results demonstrated that MGO might induce HEK293 cells damage by regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and cell apoptosis, which revealed the specific mechanisms of MGO-induced damage to HEK293 cells.

Mechanisms of acrolein induces toxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: Oxidative stress, DNA damage response, and apoptosis.

Acrolein is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that produced by the incomplete combustion of cigarette smoke, forest fires, petroleum fuels, plastic materials, and cooking fumes. Inhalation is a common form of people exposure to acrolein, increasing evidence demonstrates that acrolein impairs the cardiovascular system by targeting vascular endothelial cells. However, the molecular mechanism of the cytotoxicity of acrolein exposure on vascular endothelial cells remains unclear. This work focused on the toxicity of acrolein on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The molecular mechanism was studied based on oxidative stress, DNA damage response (DDR), and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. After HUVECs were treated with 12.5, 25, and 50 µM acrolein for 24 h, cell viability, cell colony formation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and adenosine triphosphate content significantly reduced, and acrolein increased intracellular reactive oxygen species, apoptosis rate, and 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) level. Furthermore, p38MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathways were activated in response to oxidative stress. Moreover, acrolein induced G0/G1phase arrest, promoted the expression of γ-H2AX, activated the DDR signaling pathway (Ataxia-Telangiectasia-Mutated [ATM] and Rad-3-related/Chk1 and ATM/Chk2), and triggered the consequent cell cycle checkpoints. Finally, the protein expression of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved Caspase-3 was up-regulated, suggesting apoptosis was induced by triggering the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. All these results indicated that acrolein induced HUVECs cytotoxicity by regulating oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis. This study provides a novel perspective on the mechanism of acrolein-induced cardiovascular toxicity, it will be helpful for the prevention of acrolein-induced cardiovascular disease.

Risk factors for the critical illness in SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies reported that 5 ~ 32% COVID-19 patients were critically ill, a situation that poses great challenge for the management of the patients and ICU resources. We aim to identify independent risk factors to serve as prediction markers for critical illness of SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: Fifty-two critical and 200 non-critical SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid positive patients hospitalized in 15 hospitals outside Wuhan from January 19 to March 6, 2020 were enrolled in this study. Multivariable logistic regression and LASSO logistic regression were performed to identify independent risk factors for critical illness. RESULTS: Age older than 60 years, dyspnea, respiratory rate > 24 breaths per min, leukocytosis > 9.5 × 109/L, neutrophilia > 6.3 × 109/L, lymphopenia < 1.1 × 109/L, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 3.53, fibrinogen > 4 g/L, d-dimer > 0.55 µg/mL, blood urea nitrogen > 7.1 mM, elevated aspartate transaminase, elevated alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin > 21 µM, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score ≥ 2 were identified as risk factors for critical illness. LASSO logistic regression identified the best combination of risk factors as SOFA score, age, dyspnea, and leukocytosis. The Area Under the Receiver-Operator Curve values for the risk factors in predicting critical illness were 0.921 for SOFA score, 0.776 for age, 0.764 for dyspnea, 0.658 for leukocytosis, and 0.960 for the combination of the four risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings advocate the use of risk factors SOFA score ≥ 2, age > 60, dyspnea and leukocytosis > 9.5 × 109/L on admission, alone or in combination, to determine the optimal management of the patients and health care resources.

Pyrola incarnata demonstrates neuroprotective effects against ß-amyloid-induced memory impairment in mice.

This study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Pyrola incarnata against ß-amyloid-induced memory impairment in mice. Ethanol extract of Pyrola incarnata (EPI) was obtained and led to eleven phytochemicals successfully by isolation and purification, which were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1H NMR, 13C NMR and HR-ESI-MS). Thereinto, ursolic acid was gained as most abundant monomer. C57BL/6 mice were intracerebroventricular injected with aggregated Aß25-35. Open-field test, Barnes maze test and Morris water maze were conducted for evaluating cognition processes of EPI and ursolic acid. EPI significantly improved learning and memory deficits, attenuated the Aß25-35 level of deposition immunohistochemically. Further studies revealed that ursolic acid as bioactive phytochemical of P. incarnata improved spatial memory performance and ameliorated Aß25-35 accumulation by activating microglia cells and up-regulating Iba1 level in the hippocampus. These findings suggest P. incarnata could improve the cognition of mice and be a promising natural source for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

Improving Subnational Input-Output Analyses Using Regional Trade Data: A Case-Study and Comparison.

Environmentally extended input-output analysis (EE-IO) is widely used for evaluating environmental performance (i.e., footprint) at a national level. Many studies have extended their analyses to the subnational level to guide regional policies. One promising method is to embed nationally disaggregated input-output tables, e.g., nesting a provincial level table, into a global multiregional input-output table. However, a widely used approach to environmental assessment generally disaggregates the trade structure at the national level to the provincial level using the same proportions (proportionality assumption). This means that the subnational spatial heterogeneities on international trade are not fully captured. By calculating the Chinese provincial material footprint (MF) based on two approaches-the proportionality assumption and the actual customs statistics-in the same framework, we evaluate the quantitative differences when the proportionality assumption is addressed. By computing MF for 23 aggregated resources across 30 Chinese provinces, our results show for countries with large material flows like China, estimating subnational-level international trade by proportionality assumption may lead to significant differences in material flows at both the disaggregated and aggregated levels. An important follow-up question is whether these differences are also relevant for other footprints.

Extract of Schisandra chinensis fruit protects against metabolic dysfunction in high-fat diet induced obese mice via FXR activation.

Schisandra chinensis fruit has been shown to restore carbohydrate- and lipid-metabolic disorders and has anti-hepatotoxicity and anti-hepatitis activities. However, the molecular targets mediating the pharmacological properties of S. chinensis fruit have not been clarified. Here, we assayed the effects of S. chinensis fruit ethanol extract (SCE) on farnesoid X receptor (FXR) transactivity. The pharmacological effects of SCE (1 g/100 g diet) were assessed in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6 mice and ob/ob mice. The FXR and Fgf15 signalling pathways were evaluated by FXR silencing, ELISA, Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. The results showed that SCE treatment increased FXR transcription activity and improved obesity, hypercholesteremia and fatty liver in HFD-fed mice, while it had limited effects on ob/ob mice. Our study suggests that SCE treatment may improve HFD-induced metabolic disorders through pharmacological activation of FXR/Fgf15 signalling, and such beneficial effects of SCE may require leptin participation.

DL-3-n-butylphthalide alleviates vascular cognitive impairment by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and the Shh/Ptch1 signaling-pathway in rats.

BACKGROUND: DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) has been approved to be effective in improving cognitive deficits. The aim of the current study was to determine whether NBP protects against cognitive deficits in a rat model of vascular dementia (VD) induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) by regulating the sonic hedgehog (Shh)/patched1 (Ptch1) pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related markers. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (2VO) to established the model of VD. These rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham, model, NBP30 (30 mg/kg), NBP 60 (60 mg/kg), and NBP 120 (120 mg/kg) groups. The Morris water maze test was used to assess for cognitive function at 4 weeks after operation. RESULTS: NBP significantly alleviated spatial learning and memory impairment, and inhibited the loss of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Western blot analysis and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that plasticity-related synaptic markers and the Shh/Ptch1 pathway significantly increased in the NBP treated groups, while ERS-related markers decreased. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study prove that the Shh/Ptch1 pathway plays an essential role in the model of VD. NBP had protective effects on cognitive impairment induced by CCH. This mechanism was associated with ERS and the Shh/Ptch1 pathway. Meanwhile, the Shh/Ptch1 pathway and ERS may interact with each other.

MicroRNA-3666 inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness by targeting BPTF.

A previous study by our group indicted that overexpression of bromodomain PHD-finger transcription factor (BPTF) occurs in lung adenocarcinoma, and is closely associated with advanced clinical stage, higher numbers of metastatic lymph nodes, the occurrence of distant metastasis, low histological grade, and poor prognosis. Down-regulation of BPTF inhibited lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell apoptosis. The purpose of this study is to identify valuable microRNAs (miRNAs) that target BPTF to modulate lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation. In our results, we found that miR-3666 was notably reduced in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. Using an miR-3666 mimic, we discovered that cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness were suppressed by miR-3666 overexpression, but these were all enhanced when the expression of miR-3666 was reduced. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis using the TargetScan database and miRanda software suggested a putative target site in BPTF 3'-UTR. Furthermore, using a luciferase reporter assay, we verified that miR-3666 directly targets the 3'-UTR of BPTF. Using Western blot we discovered that overexpression of miR-3666 negatively regulates the protein expression of BPTF. Finally, we identified that the PI3K-AKT and epilthelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathways were inhibited by miR-3666 overexpression in lung cancer cells. In conclusion, our data indicate that miR-3666 could play an essential role in cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness by targeting BPTF and partly inhibiting the PI3K-AKT and EMT signaling pathways in human lung cancers.

Antioxidant activity against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity of the ethanol extract and compounds from Pyrola decorate leaves.

CONTEXT: The leaves of Pyrola decorate H. Andr (Pyrolaceae), known as Luxiancao, have long been used for treating kidney deficiency, gastric haemorrhage and rheumatic arthritic diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. OBJECTIVE: The phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities in vitro of P. decorate leaves were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethanol, petroleum ether, acetidin, n-butyl alcohol and aqueous extracts of Pyrola decorate leaves were prepared by solvent sequential process, and then isolated and purified to obtain phytochemicals. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. PC12 cells were pretreated for 24 h with different extractions of P. decorate leaves at concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 mg/mL, then H2O2 of 0.4 mM was added in all samples for an additional 2 h. The antioxidant capacities of betulin, ursolic acid and monotropein were determined in PC12 cells against H2O2 induced cytotoxicity in vitro as well. RESULTS: Nine compounds (1-9) were isolated and structurally determined by spectroscopic methods, especially 2D NMR analyses. Ethanol extract treated groups showed inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 10.83 mg/mL. Betulin, ursolic acid and monotropein were isolated from P. decorate, and demonstrated with IC50 values of 6.88, 6.15 and 6.13 µg/mL, respectively. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, Pyrola decorate is a potential antioxidative natural plant and worth testing for further pharmacological investigation in the treatment of oxidative stress related neurological disease.

Relationship between Ulcerative Colitis and Lung Injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between ulcerative colitis (UC) and lung injuries by assessing their clinical manifestations and characteristics. METHODS: From July 2009 to April 2012, 91 UC patients presenting to Longhua Hospital who met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this retrospective study. According to the scores of disease activity index, the patients were divided into the mild, moderate, and severe groups. Meanwhile, the records of pulmonary symptoms, chest X-ray image, and pulmonary function were reviewed. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (74.7%) patients had at least 1 pulmonary symptom, such as cough (38.5%), shortness of breath (27.5%), and expectoration (17.6%). And 77 (84.6%) had at least 1 ventilation abnormality. Vital capacity value was significantly lower in the severe group than that in the mild group (91.82%±10.38% vs. 98.92%±12.12%, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Lung injury is a common extraintestinal complication of UC. According to the theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine that the lung and large intestine are related, both the lungs and large intestine should be treated simultaneously.

Surface modification of solid-state nanopores for sticky-free translocation of single-stranded DNA.

Nanopore technology is one of the most promising approaches for fast and low-cost DNA sequencing application. Single-stranded DNA detection is primary objective in such device, while solid-state nanopores remain less explored than their biological counterparts due to bio-molecule clogging issue caused by surface interaction between DNA and nanopore wall. By surface coating a layer of polyethylene glycol (PEG), solid-state nanopore can achieve long lifetime for single-stranded DNA sticky-free translocation at pH 11.5. Associated with elimination of non-specific binding of molecule, PEG coated nanopore presents new surface characteristic as less hydrophility, lower 1/f noise, and passivated surface charge responsiveness on pH. Meanwhile, conductance blockage of single-stranded DNA is found to be deeper than double-stranded DNA, which can be well described by a string of blobs model for a quasi-equilibrium state polymer in constraint space.

Serum microRNA expression profiling predict response to R-CHOP treatment in diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are stably expressed in serum, which could serve as great potential prognostic biomarkers in a variety of diseases, including various cancers. We analyzed the miRNA expression profiles to investigate the role of serum miRNA in predicting response to rituximab, cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) treatment in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. The present study proceeded through three phases. In the discovery phase, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based miRNA profiling was used to test the difference in levels of serum miRNAs between 20 patients with complete remission after 6 cycles of R-CHOP treatment and 20 patients with primary refractory disease matched by age, sex, and stage. After the marker selection phase, the selected serum miRNAs were validated in 133 patients using the quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR assays during the validation phases. Fifteen serum miRNAs were found to be altered more than 10-fold by real-time PCR-based miRNA profiling between the complete remission and primary refractory groups. The levels of five miRNAs (miR-224, miR-455-3p, miR-1236, miR-33a, and miR-520d-3p) were significantly associated with response to R-CHOP treatment in DLBCL patients. The five-miRNA signature was also a significant predictor of response independent from the International Prognostic Index score. The expression levels of these five serum miRNAs may serve as novel prognostic biomarkers to predict the clinical outcome of DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP regimen.