Genetic association between smoking and DLCO in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have shown that smoking is related to the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to determine the causal effect between these two variables. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the causal relationship between smoking and DLCO in IPF patients using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS: Large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets from individuals of European descent were analysed. These datasets included published lifetime smoking index (LSI) data for 462,690 participants and DLCO data for 975 IPF patients. The inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was the main method used in our analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed by MR‒Egger regression, Cochran's Q test, the leave-one-out test and the MR-PRESSO global test. RESULTS: A genetically predicted increase in LSI was associated with a decrease in DLCO in IPF patients [ORIVW = 0.54; 95% CI 0.32-0.93; P = 0.02]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that smoking is associated with a decrease in DLCO. Patients diagnosed with IPF should adopt an active and healthy lifestyle, especially by quitting smoking, which may be effective at slowing the progression of IPF.

TGF-ß1 mediates tumor immunosuppression aggravating at the late stage post-high-light-dose photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging clinical treatment that is expected to become an important adjuvant strategy for the immunotherapeutic cancer treatment. Recently, numerous works have reported combination strategies. However, clinical data showed that the anti-tumor immune response of PDT was not lasting though existing. The immune activation effect will eventually turn to immunosuppressive effect and get aggravated at the late stage post-PDT. So far, the mechanism is still unclear, which limits the design of specific correction strategies and further development of PDT. Several lines of evidence suggest a role for TGF-ß1 in the immunosuppression associated with PDT. Herein, this study systematically illustrated the dynamic changes of immune states post-PDT within the tumor microenvironment. The results clearly demonstrated that high-light-dose PDT, as a therapeutic dose, induced early immune activation followed by late immunosuppression, which was mediated by the activated TGF-ß1 upregulation. Then, the mechanism of PDT-induced TGF-ß1 accumulation and immunosuppression was elucidated, including the ROS/TGF-ß1/MMP-9 positive feedback loop and CD44-mediated local amplification, which was further confirmed by spatial transcriptomics, as well as by the extensive immune inhibitory effect of local high concentration of TGF-ß1. Finally, a TGF-ß blockade treatment strategy was presented as a promising combinational strategy to reverse high-light-dose PDT-associated immunosuppression. The results of this study provide new insights for the biology mechanism and smart improvement approaches to enhance tumor photodynamic immunotherapy.

Tracheal microbiome and metabolome profiling in iatrogenic subglottic tracheal stenosis.

BACKGROUND: To study the role of microecology and metabolism in iatrogenic tracheal injury and cicatricial stenosis, we investigated the tracheal microbiome and metabolome in patients with tracheal stenosis after endotracheal intubation. METHODS: We collected 16 protected specimen brush (PSB) and 8 broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) samples from 8 iatrogenic subglottic tracheal stenosis patients, including 8 PSB samples from tracheal scar sites, 8 PSB samples from scar-free sites and 8 BAL samples, by lavaging the subsegmental bronchi of the right-middle lobe. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to characterize the microbiome profiling of 16 PSB and 8 BAL samples. Untargeted metabolomics was performed in 6 PSB samples (3 from tracheal scar PSB and 3 from tracheal scar-free PSB) using high-performance liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry (LC‒MS). RESULTS: At the species level, the top four bacterial species were Neisseria subflava, Streptococcus oralis, Capnocytophaga gingivals, and Haemophilus aegyptius. The alpha and beta diversity among tracheal scar PSB, scar-free PSB and BAL samples were compared, and no significant differences were found. Untargeted metabolomics was performed in 6 PSB samples using LC‒MS, and only one statistically significant metabolite, carnitine, was identified. Pathway enrichment analysis of carnitine revealed significant enrichment in fatty acid oxidation. CONCLUSION: Our study found that carnitine levels in tracheal scar tissue were significantly lower than those in scar-free tissue, which might be a new target for the prevention and treatment of iatrogenic tracheal stenosis in the future.

Laboratory Radiometric Calibration Technique of an Imaging System with Pixel-Level Adaptive Gain.

In a routine optical remote sensor, there is a contradiction between the two requirements of high radiation sensitivity and high dynamic range. Such a problem can be solved by adopting pixel-level adaptive-gain technology, which is carried out by integrating multilevel integrating capacitors into photodetector pixels and multiple nondestructive read-outs of the target charge with a single exposure. There are four gains for any one pixel: high gain (HG), medium gain (MG), low gain (LG), and ultralow gain (ULG). This study analyzes the requirements for laboratory radiometric calibration, and we designed a laboratory calibration scheme for the distinctive imaging method of pixel-level adaptive gain. We obtained calibration coefficients for general application using one gain output, and the switching points of dynamic range and the proportional conversion relationship between adjacent gains as the adaptive-gain output. With these results, on-orbit quantification applications of spectrometers adopting pixel-level automatic gain adaptation technology are guaranteed.

Luteimonas saliphila sp. nov. and Luteimonas salinisoli sp. nov., two novel strains isolated from saline soils.

Two Gram-stain-negative, motile with single polar flagellum, rod-shaped bacterial strains, named SJ-9T and SJ-92T, were isolated from saline soils from Inner Mongolia, PR China. SJ-9T and SJ-92T grew at pH 6.5-10.0 and 7.0-11.0, 10-35 °C, and in the presence of 0-5 % and 0-8 % NaCl, respectively. Both strains were positive for oxidase, and negative for catalase. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that SJ-9T clustered with Luteimonas marina FR1330T (sharing 97.9 % 16S rRNA gene similarity), Luteimonas huabeiensis HB2T (96.5 %), 'Luteimonas wenzhouensis' YD-1 (96.6 %), and Luteimonas composti CC-YY255T (95.1 %), and shared low 16S rRNA gene similarities (<97.0 %) with all the other type strains; while SJ-92T clustered with Luteimonas aestuarii B9T (98.2 %), and shared low 16S rRNA gene similarities (<98.0 %) with all the other type strains. The two strains shared 97.4 % 16S rRNA gene similarity with each other. The major cellular fatty acids of both strains are iso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 9 (C16 : 0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17 : 1ω9c). The major polar lipids of both strains are diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The only respiratory quinone for both strains is ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The genomic DNA G+C contents are 69.3 and 70.4 mol%, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity by blast (ANIb) values between the two strains were 22.6 and 77.5 %, while the values between SJ-9T and 'L. wenzhouensis' YD-1, L. marina FR1330T, and L. huabeiensis HB2T were 38.1, 39.2, and 21.9 %, and 82.5, 84.4, and 78.5 %, while those between SJ-92T and L. aestuarii B9T were 21.3 and 76.7 %. On the basis of the phenotypic, physiological and phylogenetic results, SJ-9T and SJ-92T represent two novel species of the genus Luteimonas, for which the names Luteimonas saliphila [type stain SJ-9T (=CGMCC 1.17377T=KCTC 82248T)] and Luteimonas salinisoli [type strain SJ-92T (=CGMCC 1.17695T=KCTC 82208T)] are proposed.

Description and characterization of three endophytic Bacillaceae from the halophyte Suaeda salsa: Paenalkalicoccus suaedae gen. nov., sp. nov., Cytobacillus suaedae sp. nov., and Bacillus suaedae sp. nov.

Three strains of members of the family Bacillaceae, which can inhibit the growth of some Gram-stain-positive strains, designated M4U3P1T, HD4P25T and RD4P76T, were isolated from Suaeda salsa halophytes in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, PR China. A phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and the whole genome sequences revealed that HD4P25T clustered with Cytobacillus luteolus YIM 93174T with a similarity of 98.4 %, and RD4P76T shared the highest similarity of 16S rRNA gene with Bacillus mesophilus SA4T (97.5 %). M4U3P1T clustered with strains of genera Salipaludibacillus and Alkalicoccus based on whole-genome sequence analyses, but its 16S rRNA gene had the highest similarity to 'Evansella tamaricis' EGI 80668 (96.1 %). The average nucleotide's identity by blast (ANIb) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of the three isolated strains to their close relatives were well below the threshold value for identifying a novel species.On the basis of the phylogenetic, physiological and phenotypic results, Paenalkalicoccus suaedae gen. nov., sp. nov. [type strain M4U3P1T (=CGMCC 1.17076T=JCM 33851T)], Cytobacillus suaedae sp. nov. [type strain HD4P25T (=CGMCC 1.18651T =JCM 34524T)], and Bacillus suaedae sp. nov. [type strain RD4P76T (=CGMCC 1.18659T=JCM 34525T)] were proposed, respectively. All three species are ubiquitous in the bulk saline-alkaline soils, but only the species represented by strain RD4P76T was widely distributed in the rhizosphere soil, the above-ground part and the roots of S. salsa. The species represented by M4U3P1T can be detected in the roots of S. salsa, and rarely detected in the above-ground parts of S. salsa. The species represented by HD4P25T was rarely detected in the interior of S. salsa. The three strains could inhibit some of the Gram-stain-positive bacteria (i.e. members of the genera Planococcus, Zhihengliuella and Sanguibacter) in the saline-alkali soil. A genomic analysis of these three strains revealed that they can synthesize different antagonistic compounds, such as aminobenzoate and bacitracin or subtilisin.

Marinilactibacillus kalidii sp. nov., an Indole Acetic Acid-Producing Endophyte Isolated from a Shoot of Halophyte Kalidium cuspidatum.

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-sporulating, motile with single polar flagellum, rod-shaped, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing bacterium, named M4U5P12T, was isolated from a shoot of Kalidium cuspidatum, Inner Mongolia, China. Strain M4U5P12T grew at pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum 7.5), 4-40 °C (optimum 25 °C), and in the presence of 0-15% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 4%). Positive for catalase, urease, methyl red (M.R.) reaction, and hydrolysis of starch; and negative for oxidase, Voges-Proskauer (V-P) test, and hydrolysis of cellulose. The phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the whole genome sequences both revealed that it clustered with Marinilactibacillus piezotolerans JCM 12337T (99.3%) and Marinilactibacillus psychrotolerans M13-2T (99.1%). The dDDH and ANIb values of strain M4U5P12T to M. piezotolerans DSM 16108T and M. psychrotolerans M13-2T were 19.3 and 18.9%, and 74.3 and 74.0%, respectively. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid, and two unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids were C16:0, C18:1 ω9c, C16:1 ω9c, and C15:1 ω5c. The genomic DNA G + C content was 37.3%. On the basis of physiological, phenotypic, and phylogenetic characteristics, strain M4U5P12T should be classified as a novel species. Therefore, Marinilactibacillus kalidii sp. nov. is proposed, and the type strain is M4U5P12T (= CGMCC 1.17696T = KCTC 43247T).

Regulation of circular RNAs act as ceRNA in a hypoxic pulmonary hypertension rat model.

To explore potential critical genes and identify circular RNAs (circRNAs) that act as the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in a hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) rat model. Constructed rat model, and a bioinformatics method was used to analyse differentially expressed (DE) genes and construct a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA regulatory network. Then, qRT-PCR was used to verify. The significant DEcircRNAs/DEmiRNAs/DEmRNAs was showed, and a ceRNA network with 8 DEcircRNAs, 9 DEmiRNAs and 46 DEmRNAs were constructed. The functional enrichment suggested the inflammatory response, NF-κB signalling, MAPK cascade and Toll-like receptor were associated with HPH. Further assessment confirmed that circ_002723, circ_008021, circ_016925 and circ_020581 could have a potential ceRNA mechanism by sponging miR-23a or miR-21 to control downstream target gene and be involved in the pathophysiology of HPH. The qRT-PCR validation results were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. This study revealed potentially important genes, pathways and ceRNA regulatory networks in HPH.

A Simple Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoprobe with Deep Tumor Penetration for Hypoxia Detection and Imaging-Guided Surgery in Vivo.

The pan-cancer detection and precise visualization of tiny tumors in surgery still face great challenges. As tumors grow aggressively, hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and has supplied a general way for detecting tumors. Herein, we report a simple aggregation-induced emission nanoprobe-TPE-4NE-O that can specifically switch on their fluorescence in the presence of cytochrome P450 reductase, a reductase which is overexpressed under hypoxia conditions. The probe can selectively light up the hypoxia cells and has shown enhanced deep tumor penetration via charge conversion both in vitro and in vivo. After being modified with FA-DSPE-PEG, higher tumor uptake can be seen and FA-DSPE/TPE-4NE-O showed specific visualization to the hypoxia cancer cells. Excitingly, much brighter fluorescence was accumulated at the tumors in the FA-DSPE/TPE-4NE-O group, even though the tumor was as small as 2.66 mm. The excellent performance of FA-DSPE/TPE-4NE-O in detecting tiny tumors has made it possible for imaging-guided tumor resection. More importantly, the probe exhibited good biocompatibility with negligible organ damage and eliminated a hemolysis risk. The simple but promising probe has supplied a new strategy for pan-cancer detection and tiny tumor visualization, which have shown great potential in clinical translation.

Gracilibacillus suaedae sp. nov., an indole acetic acid-producing endophyte isolated from a root of Suaeda salsa.

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, spore-forming, motile with unipolar biflagella, rod-shaped, indole acetic acid-producing bacterium, named LD4P30T, was isolated from a root of Suaeda salsa collected in Inner Mongolia, northern China. Strain LD4P30T grew at pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), 10-40 °C (35 °C) and in the presence of 1-15% (w/v) NaCl (5%). The strain was positive for oxidase and negative for catalase. The major cellular fatty acids of strain LD4P30T were iso-C15:0, C15:1 ω5c and anteiso-C15:0; the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol; and menaquinone-7 was the only respiratory quinone. The genomic DNA G+C content was 36.7 mol%. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain LD4P30T clustered with Gracilibacillus thailandensis TP2-8T, Gracilibacillus saliphilus YIM 91119T and Gracilibacillus lacisalsi BH312T, and showed 99.0, 98.9, 98.0 and <97.7% 16S rRNA gene similarity to G. thailandensis TP2-8T, G. saliphilus YIM 91119T, G. lacisalsi BH312T and all other current type strains, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity based on blast values between strain LD4P30T and G. saliphilus YIM 91119T, G. thailandensis TP2-8T and G. lacisalsi BH312T were 44.9, 44.7 and 44.4%, and 91.1, 91.0 and 90.8%, respectively. Based on its phenotypic, physiological and phylogenetic characteristics, strain LD4P30T represents a novel species, for which the name Gracilibacillus suaedae is proposed. The type strain is LD4P30T (=CGMCC 1.17697T=KCTC 82375T).

Luteimonas deserti sp. nov., a novel strain isolated from desert soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, named SJ-16T, was isolated from desert soil collected in Inner Mongolia, northern PR China. Strain SJ-16T grew at pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 8.0-9.0), 4-40 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C) and in the presence of 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-2 %). The strain was negative for catalase and positive for oxidase. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SJ-16T clustered with Luteimonas chenhongjianii 100111T and Luteimonas terrae THG-MD21T, and had 98.8, 98.6, 98.3 and <97.9 % of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to strains L. chenhongjianii 100111T, L. terrae THG-MD21T, L. aestuarii B9T and all other type strains of the genus Luteimonas, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c) and summed feature 9 (C16 : 0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17 : 1 ω9c). Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine were the major polar lipids, and ubiquinone-8 was the only respiratory quinone. The genomic DNA G+C content was 69.3 mol%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values of strain SJ-16T to L. chenhongjianii 100111T, L. terrae THG-MD21T, L. rhizosphaerae 4-12T and L. aestuarii B9T were 36.9, 37.5, 24.0 and 21.1 %, and 80.9, 80.6, 80.7 and 76.3 %, respectively. Based on phenotypic, physiological and phylogenetic results, strain SJ-16T represents a novel species of the genus Luteimonas, for which the name Luteimonas deserti is proposed. The type strain is SJ-16T (=CGMCC 1.17694T=KCTC 82207T).

Ruania alkalisoli sp. nov., Isolated from Saline-Alkaline Soil.

A Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, ivory-colored, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated RN3S43T, was isolated from saline-alkaline soil, in Tumd Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, China. Strain RN3S43T grew at 10-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum pH 9.0), and 0-12.5% NaCl (optimum 2-4%). It was positive to oxidase, catalase, urease, and nitrate reductase. The methyl red and Voges-Proskauer tests were negative. The phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and genome both showed that strain RN3S43T clustered with Ruania alba YIM 93306 T and shared 95.5% and < 95.0% of 16S rRNA gene similarities with R. alba YIM 93306 T and all the other type strains. MK-8 was the major respiratory quinone. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and an unidentified lipid were the major polar lipids. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0. The genome consisted of a 4,448,708-bp circular chromosome, with a G+C content of 68.2%, predicting 3,911 coding sequence genes, 44 tRNA genes and two rRNA operons. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), amino acid identity (AAI), and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of strain RN3S43T to R. alba YIM 93306T were 79.0%, 79.2%, and 23.4%, respectively. The results of phylogenetic, physiological, and phenotypic tests allowed the discrimination of strain RN3S43T from its phylogenetic relatives. Ruania alkalisoli sp. nov. is therefore proposed, and the type strain is RN3S43T (=CGMCC 1.18652T = KCTC 49471T).

Self-Compacting Alkali-Activated Materials: Progress and Perspectives.

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are considered to be alternative cementitious materials for civil infrastructures. Nowadays, efforts have been made in developing AAMs with self-compacting ability. The obtained self-compacting AAMs (SCAAMs) accomplish superior passing and filling properties as well as excellent mechanical and environmental advantages. This work critically revisits recent progresses in SCAAMs including mixture proportions, fresh properties, mechanical strength, microstructure, acid and sulfate resistance, high temperature behaviors, impact resistance and interface shear strength. To facilitate direct comparison and interpretation of data from different publications, mixture proportions were normalized in terms of the content of key reactive components from precursors and activators, and correlation with mechanical behaviors was made. Moreover, special attention was paid to current research challenges and perspectives to promote further investigation and field application of SCAAMs as advanced construction material.

Lysobacter alkalisoli sp. nov., a chitin-degrading strain isolated from saline-alkaline soil.

Strains of Lysobacter, thought to play vital roles in the environment for their high enzyme production capacity, are ubiquitous in various ecosystems. During an analysis of bacterial diversity in saline soil, a Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, chitin-degrading bacterial strain, designated SJ-36T, was isolated from saline-alkaline soil sampled at Tumd Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, PR China. Strain SJ-36T grew at 4-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and 0-6 % NaCl (optimum, 1.0 %). Oxidase and catalase activities were positive. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and the phylogenomic tree both showed that strain SJ-36T formed a tight clade with Lysobacter maris KMU-14T (sharing 97.6 % 16S rRNA gene similarity) and Lysobacter aestuarii S2-CT (97.8 %). The major polar lipids of strain SJ-36T were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified lipids and one unidentified phospholipid. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 (37.5 %), summed feature 9 (14.0 %; iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl) and iso-C11 : 0 (10.6 %). Q-8 was the predominant ubiquinone. Its genomic DNA G+C content was 66.6 mol%. The average nucleotide identity values of strain SJ-36T to L. maris KMU-14T, L. aestuarii S2-CT and other type strains were 81.5, 79.1 and <79.0 %, respectively. The results of physiological, phenotypic and phylogenetic characterizations allowed the discrimination of strain SJ-36T from its phylogenetic relatives. Lysobacter alkalisoli sp. nov. is therefore proposed with strain SJ-36T (=CGMCC 1.16756T=KCTC 43039T) as the type strain.

Echinicola soli sp. nov., isolated from alkaline saline soil.

Strains of Echinicola, thought to play vital roles in the environment for their high enzyme production capacity during decomposition of polysaccharides, are ubiquitous in hypersaline environments. A Gram-negative, non-spore forming, gliding, aerobic bacterial strain, designated LN3S3T, was isolated from alkaline saline soil sampled in Tumd Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, northern PR China. Strain LN3S3T grew at 10-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and with 0-12.5 % NaCl (optimum, 2.0 %). A phylogenetic tree based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain LN3S3T clustered with Echinicola rosea JL3085T and Echinicola strongylocentroti MEBiC08714T, sharing 97.0, 96.7 and <96.50 % of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to E. rosea JL3085T, E. strongylocentroti MEBiC08714T and all other type strains. MK-7 was the major respiratory quinone, while phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, an unidentified aminophospholipid, an unidentified lipid and two unidentified aminolipids were the major polar lipids. Its major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c). The genome consisted of a circular 5 550 304 bp long chromosome with a DNA G+C content of 44.0 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of strain LN3S3T to E. rosea JL3085T and E. strongylocentroti MEBiC08714T were 82.5 and 81.5 %, 87.5 and 86.0 %, and 39.1 and 35.1 %, respectively. Based on physiological, genotypic and phylogenetic analyses, strain LN3S3T could be discriminated from its phylogenetic relatives. Echinicola soli sp. nov. is therefore proposed with strain LN3S3T (=CGMCC 1.17081T=KCTC 72458T) as the type strain.

LncRNA MIR4435-2HG-mediated upregulation of TGF-ß1 promotes migration and proliferation of nonsmall cell lung cancer cells.

The roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play critical roles in tumor progression. Here, it was identified that lncRNA MIR4435-2HG was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues, especially in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A consistent result was obtained in lung cancer cells. Functional experiments showed that knockdown of MIR4435-2HG reduced the proliferation and migration ability of NSCLC cells. Transcriptome-sequencing analysis indicated that TGF-ß signaling was mostly enriched in NSCLC cells with MIR4435-2HG knockdown. Furthermore, MIR4435-2HG was identified as an miRNA sponge for TGF-ß1 and thus activated TGF-ß signaling. Additionally, re-activation of TGF-ß1 rescued MIR4435-2HG knockdown-mediated inhibition on the progression of NSCLC cells. Therefore, this work indicates a novel MIR4435-2HG/TGF-ß1 axis responsible for NSCLC cell progression.

Vicarious calibration of COCTS-HY1C at visible and near-infrared bands for ocean color application.

Remote sensing reflectance obtained from space-borne ocean color sensors is of great importance to carbon cycle and ocean-atmospheric interactions by providing biogeochemical parameters on the global scale using specific algorithms. Vicarious calibration is necessary for obtaining accurate remote sensing reflectance that meets the application demands of atmospheric correction algorithms. For ocean color sensors, vicarious calibration must be done prior to atmospheric correction. The third Chinese Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (COCTS) aboard the HY1C satellite was launched on September 7, 2018, and it will provide essential ocean color data that will complement those of existing missions. We used field measurements from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) and aerosol information provided by the MODerate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite to calculate vicarious calibration coefficients, and we further evaluated the applicability of the established vicarious calibration approach by cross-calibration using MODIS data on the global scale. Finally, the established vicarious calibration coefficients were used to retrieve the aerosol optical depth and remote sensing reflectance, which were compared to Aerosol Robotic Network-Ocean Color (AERONET-OC) data and MODIS-Terra and Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI)-Sentinel-3A operational products. The results show that the vicarious calibration coefficients are relatively stable and reliable for all bands ranging from visible to near-infrared and can be used to obtain accurate high-quality data.

Ocean color retrieval from MWI onboard the Tiangong-2 Space Lab: preliminary results.

The Moderate-resolution Wide-wavelengths Imager (MWI) is the ocean color sensor onboard the Chinese Tiangong-2 Space Lab, which was launched on Sept. 15, 2016. The MWI is also an experimental satellite sensor for the Chinese next generation ocean color satellites, HY-1E and HY-1F, which are scheduled for launch around 2021. With 100m spatial resolution and 18 bands in the visible light and infrared wavelengths, MWI provides high quality ocean color observations especially over coastal and inland waters. For the first time, this study presents some important results on water color products generated from the MWI for the oceanic and inland waters. Preliminary validation in turbid coastal and inland waters showed good agreement between the MWI-retrieved normalized water-leaving radiances (Lwn) and in situ data. Further, the MWI-retrieved Lwn values compared well with the GOCI-retrieved Lwn values, with the correlation coefficient greater than 0.90 and mean relative differences smaller than 26.63% (413 nm), 4.72% (443 nm), 3.69% (490 nm), 7.15% (565 nm), 9.45% (665 nm), 8.11% (682.5 nm), 14.68% (750 nm) and 18.55% (865 nm). As for the Level 2 product (e.g, total suspended matter TSM) in turbid Yangtze River Estuary and Hangzhou Bay waters, the relative difference between MWI and GOCI-derived TSM values was ~18.59% with the correlation coefficient of 0.956. In open-oceanic waters, the retrieved MWI-Chla distributions were well consistent with the MODIS/Aqua and VIIRS Chla values products and resolved finer spatial structures of phytoplankton blooms. This study provides encouraging results for the MWI's performance and operational applications in oceanic and inland regions.

Heterotopic ossification following anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is defined as the formation of true bone tissue in non-osseous tissues. HO may occur under several conditions such as soft tissue injury, central nervous system injury and many other diseases like arthopathies, and vasculopathies. The underlying mechanisms of HO are not well elucidated. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a newly recognized autoimmune mediated disease which is predominant in young female patients with ovarian teratomas. Encephalitis complicated with HO has rarely been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a case of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis with severe muscle ossifications. A 15 years old female patient presented with fever, changed mental status of confusion, rigidity of the arms and legs, and oral-facial dyskinesias. Diagnosis of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis was confirmed by detection of anti-NMDA receptor antibodies both in serum and CSF. Due to the severity of the disease, 3-weeks' intensive care and mechanical ventilation were administrated for the patient. Image of pelvic CT and MRI of the patient showed dynamic changing process of HO. The muscles showed edema and scattered inflammation at the very beginning, and then gradually formed mature bone tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis often presents with severe neurologic symptoms and requires long time intensive care and mechanical ventilation, which makes the patient easily complicate with HO. More studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms of HO and more attention should be paid to patients with encephalitis who might develop severe muscle ossifications requiring early interventions.