CIZ1 aggravates gastric cancer progression via mediating FBXL19-AS1 and miR-339-3p.

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a prevalent malignancy with high morbidity and mortality. CDKN1A interacting zinc finger protein 1 (CIZ1) has been demonstrated to have oncogenic functions in the development of cancers. We detected CIZ1 expression via quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The protein level of CIZ1 was measured through Western blot. We noticed that CIZ1 expression was markedly enhanced in GC cells. Furthermore, functional experiments including colony formation assay, EdU staining assay, transwell assay, TUNEL staining assay and flow cytometry analysis uncovered that CIZ1 silencing attenuated cell malignant phenotypes in GC. Through bioinformatics tools and mechanism assays, we explored the up-stream mechanism of CIZ1 and determined that CIZ1 was modulated by FBXL19 antisense RNA 1 (FBXL19-AS1) and microRNA-339-3p (miR-339-3p). Additionally, miR-339-3p exerted a negative role on GC development in vitro, and FBXL19-AS1 depletion also had the inhibitory impacts on the progression of GC in vitro. Eventually, the finding that CIZ1 overexpression reversed the effects of FBXL19-AS1 silencing on GC development was validated by rescue assays. In a word, CIZ1 functioned as a tumor promoter in GC, indicating that CIZ1 might be a promising target for GC treatment.

Analysis of risky driving behaviors among bus drivers in China: The role of enterprise management, external environment and attitudes towards traffic safety.

Several studies have shown that enterprise management (e.g. culture, salary) and external environment (e.g. traffic congestion) predict risky driving behaviors and accident involvement. However, this process has not been systematically investigated in bus drivers. The present study uses structural equation model to assess whether enterprise management and external environment are associated with risky self-reported driving behaviors both directly and indirectly, through the effects of attitudes towards traffic safety in a large sample of bus drivers. Three hundred and thirty-one bus drivers (mean age = 39.5, SD = 5.6 years) completed a structured and anonymous questionnaire measuring enterprise management, external environment, attitudes toward traffic safety, and self-reported risky driving behaviors (i.e., speeding, fatigue driving, running the light) in the last 6 months. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that enterprise management, and external environment were associated with risky driving behaviors both directly and indirectly. In particular both of them were directly correlated with bus drivers' attitudes toward traffic safety which, in turn, were related to the five types of self-reported risky driving behaviors. The present findings suggest that measures related to the impact factors could be carried out to reduce the probabilities of the risky driving behaviors among bus drivers, such as improving the salary level of bus drivers, setting up bus lanes and priority signals to alleviate road congestion, optimizing shift schedules, implementing effective safety education, etc. These findings can provide the empirical basis for evidence-based road safety interventions in the context of public transport.

Molecular Mechanism of 73HOXC-AS1-Activated Wntß-Catenin Signaling and eIF4AIII in Promoting Progression of Gastric Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at exploring the regulatory mechanism of 73HOXC-AS1 overexpression plasmid-activated Wntß-catenin classic signaling pathway and eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4AIII) expression increased by lentivirus-eIF4AIII-RNAi (44682-1) (LV-eIF4AIII-RNAi (44682-1)). METHODS: Focusing on the occurrence and progression of gastric cancer, the human gastric cancer cell line BGC823 (University Experimental Center) was taken as the research object and was transfected after subculture. According to the different ways of transfection, the cells were divided into the P1 group (LV-eIF4AIII-RNAi (44682-1) overexpressed plasmid), the P2 group (pcDNA-HOXC-AS1 overexpressed plasmid), the P3 group (LV-eIF4AIII-RNAi (44682-1) + pcDNA-HOXC-AS1), and the P4 group (no transfection, control group). Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 (Cell Counting Kit-8) assay, Western blotting was adopted to detect Wnt3a and P-GSK3ß proteins, Transwell assay was adopted to detect the ability of cell migration and invasion, and cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The results show that the protein expression levels of Wnt3a and P-GSK3ß (glycogen synthase kinase-3ß) in the P1 and P4 groups were lower than those in the P2 and P3 groups (P < 0.05). The cell activity and clone number of BGC823 in the P3 group were higher than those in the P1, P2, and P4 groups (P < 0.05). The apoptosis rate of BGC823 cells in the P3 group was significantly higher than those in the P1, P2, and P4 groups (P < 0.05). The proportion of BGC823 cells in the P3 group at the S phase was significantly higher than those in the P1, P2, and P4 groups, while the proportion in the G2 phase was significantly lower than those in the P1, P2, and P4 groups (P < 0.05). The number of migrating and invading BGC823 cells in the P3 group was significantly higher than those in the P1, P2, and P4 groups, while the number of migrating BGC823 cells in the P4 group was significantly lower than those in the P1 and P2 groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The 73HOXC-AS1 overexpression plasmid-activated Wntß-catenin classic signaling pathway and eIF4AIII expression increased by LV-eIF4AIII-RNAi (44682-1) could act together on BGC823 cells to improve cell proliferation activity, migration, and invasion; inhibit cell apoptosis; and prevent cells from entering the S phase.

The complete chloroplast genome of Quercus fenchengensis and the phylogenetic implication.

Quercus fenchengsis is a rare Chinese oak species sporadically recorded in Fengcheng, Liaoning, Yuntai Mountain, Henan, and Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi. Here, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Q. fenchengensis was first reported. The cp genome is 161,296 bp in length with a GC content of 36.81%, and encodes 134 genes (86 protein-coding genes, 40 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes). The phylogenetic tree based on the cp genome confirmed that Q. fenchengensis has a close relationship with Quercus aliena acutiserrata and Quercus dentata, consistent with the previous morphology-based suggestion that it would be a hybrid of Q. aliena acutiserrata and Q. dentata.

Partial properties of an aspartic protease in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) fruit and its activation by heating.

Bitter gourd (BG fruit) is usually heated in hot water to reduce bitterness and improve flavour before being served. Protein extract from BG was analyzed for protease activity by gelatin-gel electrophoresis. The study showed that the proteolytic activity in BG flesh was enhanced by heat-treatment at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 75°C. An aspartic protease (AP) was characterized by gel electrophoresis. The optimal AP activity was at pH 7; the pI of the AP was demonstrated to be 4.8; the protein molecular weight of the BG-AP was estimated to be 60KD by SDS-PAGE. The AP was implicated in the proteolysis of the photosynthetic enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. The AP was further purified and submitted for analysis of peptide mass fingerprint (PMF). The Mascot peptide mass fingerprint of the AP protein hit no existing protein (score>60), and it proved to be a novel AP.

An RNA-Seq Analysis of Grape Plantlets Grown in vitro Reveals Different Responses to Blue, Green, Red LED Light, and White Fluorescent Light.

Using an RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach, we analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and physiological behaviors of "Manicure Finger" grape plantlets grown in vitro under white, blue, green, and red light. A total of 670, 1601, and 746 DEGs were identified in plants exposed to blue, green, and red light, respectively, compared to the control (white light). By comparing the gene expression patterns with the growth and physiological responses of the grape plantlets, we were able to link the responses of the plants to light of different spectral wavelengths and the expression of particular sets of genes. Exposure to red and green light primarily triggered responses associated with the shade-avoidance syndrome (SAS), such as enhanced elongation of stems, reduced investment in leaf growth, and decreased chlorophyll levels accompanied by the expression of genes encoding histone H3, auxin repressed protein, xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase, the ELIP protein, and microtubule proteins. Furthermore, specific light treatments were associated with the expression of a large number of genes, including those involved in the glucan metabolic pathway and the starch and sucrose metabolic pathways; these genes were up/down-regulated in ways that may explain the increase in the starch, sucrose, and total sugar contents in the plants. Moreover, the enhanced root growth and up-regulation of the expression of defense genes accompanied with SAS after exposure to red and green light may be related to the addition of 30 g/L sucrose to the culture medium of plantlets grown in vitro. In contrast, blue light induced the up-regulation of genes related to microtubules, serine carboxypeptidase, chlorophyll synthesis, and sugar degradation and the down-regulation of auxin-repressed protein as well as a large number of resistance-related genes that may promote leaf growth, improve chlorophyll synthesis and chloroplast development, increase the ratio of chlorophyll a (chla)/chlorophyll b (chlb), and decrease the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins in plants. Although exposure to red and green light seems to impose "shade stress" on the plantlets, growth under blue light is comparable to growth observed under white or broad-spectrum light.

The impact of continuous driving time and rest time on commercial drivers' driving performance and recovery.

PROBLEM: This real road driving study was conducted to investigate the effects of driving time and rest time on the driving performance and recovery of commercial coach drivers. METHODS: Thirty-three commercial coach drivers participated in the study, and were divided into three groups according to driving time: (a) 2 h, (b) 3 h, and (c) 4 h. The Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) was used to assess the subjective fatigue level of the drivers. One-way ANOVA was employed to analyze the variation in driving performance. RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed that driving time had a significant effect on the subjective fatigue and driving performance measures among the three groups. After 2 h of driving, both the subjective fatigue and driving performance measures began to deteriorate. After 4 h of driving, all of the driving performance indicators changed significantly except for depth perception. A certain amount of rest time eliminated the negative effects of fatigue. A 15-minute rest allowed drivers to recover from a two-hour driving task. This needed to be prolonged to 30 min for driving tasks of 3 to 4 h of continuous driving. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Drivers' attention, reactions, operating ability, and perceptions are all affected in turn after over 2 h of continuous driving. Drivers should take a certain amount of rest to recover from the fatigue effects before they continue driving.