Enantioselective α-Boryl Carbene Transformations.

Carbenes, recognized as potent intermediates, enable unique chemical transformations, and organoborons are pivotal in diverse chemical applications. As a hybrid of carbene and the boryl group, α-boryl carbenes are promising intermediates for the construction of organoborons; unfortunately, such carbenes are hard to access and have low structural diversity with their asymmetric transformations largely uncharted. In this research, we utilized boryl cyclopropenes as precursors for the swift synthesis of α-boryl metal carbenes, a powerful category of intermediates for chiral organoboron synthesis. These α-boryl carbenes undergo a series of highly enantioselective transfer reactions, including B-H and Si-H insertion, cyclopropanation, and cyclopropanation/Cope rearrangement, catalyzed by a singular chiral copper complex. This approach opens paths to previously unattainable but easily transformable chiral organoborons, expanding both carbene and organoboron chemistry.

Endoloop pre-ligation assisted resection of a giant Brunner's gland adenoma of the duodenal bulb.

Brunner's gland adenoma (BGA), also known as Brunneroma or polypoid hamartoma, is a rare benign duodenal tumor that proliferates from Brunner's glands of the duodenum. They are usually asymptomatic and discovered by chance during endoscopy. Some giant lesions can sometimes present with chronic abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anemia, including gastrointestinal bleeding and obstructive symptoms, and need to be resected by surgery or endoscopy. Here we report a giant BGA that was easily and safely removed by Endoloop pre-ligation assisted resection.

Successful removal of a duodenal lesion in difficult location using "a sandwich method".

A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed with a duodenal adenoma near major duodenal papilla during cancer screening examination (Figure 1A). Therefore, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) was proposed to remove the duodenal lesion. Unfortunately, satisfactory visualization of the duodenal lesion was not obtained during gastroscopic operation. Unexpectedly, duodenoscopy provided optimal visualization of the duodenal lesion. Consequently, the "sandwich method" using duodenoscopy-gastroscopy-duodenoscopy was successfully performed to remove the challenging duodenal lesion. Firstly, the duodenoscopy was used to create a submucosal bleb through injecting saline containing 0.3 % indigo carmine. Subsequently, the gastroscopy with a transparent capwas used to remove the duodenal lesion with en bloc resection. Then, the duodenoscopy was reused to close the mucosal defect. Finally, pathologic examination showed a tubule-villous adenoma. The patient was recovered uneventfully, and discharged 2 days later.

Intestinal aberrant sphingolipid metabolism shaped-gut microbiome and bile acids metabolome in the development of hepatic steatosis.

Conjugated bile acids (CBAs) play major roles in hepatic gene regulation via nuclear S1P-inhibited histone deacetylase (HDACs). Gut microbiota modifies bile acid pool to generate CBAs and then CBAs returned to liver to regulate hepatic genes, fatty liver, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is not yet known how the gut microbiota was modified under the environment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Here, we revealed that aberrant intestinal sphingosine kinases (SphKs), a major risk factor of IBD, modified gut microbiota by increasing the proportions of Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia, which were associated with the increase in CBAs. When exposed to a high-fat diet (HFD), sphingosine kinases 2 knockout (SphK2KO) mice developed more severity of intestinal inflammation and hepatic steatosis than their wild-type (WT) littermates. Due to knockdown of nuclear SphK2, Sphk2KO mice exhibited an increase in sphingosine kinases 1 (SphK1) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in intestinal epithelial cells. Therefore, the microbiota was modified in the environment of the SphK1/S1P-induced IBD. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing of cecal contents indicated an increase of Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) measured an increase in CBAs, including taurocholic acid (TCA), taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA), and glycocholic acid (GCA), in cecal contents and liver tissues of Sphk2KO mice. These CBAs accumulated in the liver promoted hepatic steatosis through downregulating the acetylation of H3K9, H3K14, H3K18 and H3K27 due to the CBAs-S1PR2-nuclear SphK2-S1P signaling pathway was blocked in HFD-SphK2KO mice. In summary, intestinal aberrant sphingolipid metabolism developed hepatic steatosis through the increase in CBAs associated with an increase in Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia.

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in dairy cattle in Central Inner Mongolia, Northern China.

BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium is a gastrointestinal protozoan that widely exists in nature, it is an established zoonotic pathogen. Infected cattle are considered to be associated with cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in humans. In the present study, we aimed to assess the prevalence and species distribution of Cryptosporidium in dairy cattle in Central Inner Mongolia. METHODS: We focused on the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rRNA) of Cryptosporidium and 60-kDa glycoprotein gene (gp60) of Cryptosporidium parvum. We collected 505 dairy cattle manure samples from 6 sampling sites in Inner Mongolia in 2021; the samples were divided into 4 groups based on age. DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequence analysis, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using SspI and MboII restriction endonucleases were performed. RFLP analysis was performed to determine the prevalence and species distribution of Cryptosporidium. RESULTS: SSU rRNA PCR revealed that the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was 29.90% (151/505), with a prevalence of 37.67% (55/146) and 26.74% (96/359) in diarrheal and nondiarrheal samples, respectively; these differences were significant. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection at the 6 sampling sites ranged from 0 to 47.06% and that among the 4 age groups ranged from 18.50 to 43.81%. SSU rRNA sequence analysis and RFLP analysis revealed the presence of 4 Cryptosporidium species, namely, C. bovis (44.37%), C. andersoni (35.10%), C. ryanae (21.85%), and C. parvum (11.92%), along with a mixed infection involving two or three Cryptosporidium species. Cryptosporidium bovis or C. andersoni was the most common cause of infection in the four age groups. The subtype of C. parvum was successfully identified as IIdA via gp60 analysis; all isolates were identified as the subtype IIdA19G1. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of dairy cattle infected with four Cryptosporidium species in Inner Mongolia, China, along with a mixed infection involving two or three Cryptosporidium species, with C. bovis and C. andersoni as the dominant species. Moreover, this is the first study to identify C. parvum subtype IIdA19G1 in cattle in Inner Mongolia. Our study findings provide detailed information on molecular epidemiological investigation of bovine cryptosporidiosis in Inner Mongolia, suggesting that dairy cattle in this region are at risk of transmitting cryptosporidiosis to humans.

An unexpected gastric cardia submucosal lesion.

An esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a submucosal lesion in the gastric cardia of a 55-year-old man.Endoscopic ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic echo lesion originated from the muscularis propria layer considering a leiomyoma or stromal tumor.a submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection was successfully performed to remove the lesion and the diagnosis is hepatoid adenocarcinoma.This is the first report on a case of gastric HAC originated from submucous layer.

Iron-Catalyzed Stereoconvergent 1,4-Hydrosilylation of Conjugated Dienes.

Stereoconvergent transformation of E/Z mixtures of olefins to products with a single steric configuration is of great practical importance but hard to achieve. Herein, we report an iron-catalyzed stereoconvergent 1,4-hydrosilylation reactions of E/Z mixtures of readily available conjugated dienes for the synthesis of Z-allylsilanes with high regioselectivity and exclusive stereoselectivity. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reactions most likely proceed through a two-electron redox mechanism. The stereoselectivity of the reactions is ultimately determined by the crowded reaction cavity of the α-diimine ligand-modified iron catalyst, which forces the conjugated diene to coordinate with the iron center in a cis conformation, which in turn results in generation of an anti-π-allyl iron intermediate. The mechanism of this stereoconvergent transformation differs from previously reported mechanisms of other related reactions involving radicals or metal-hydride species.

Targeting NQO1/GPX4-mediated ferroptosis by plumbagin suppresses in vitro and in vivo glioma growth.

BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis has attracted increasing interest in cancer therapy. Emerging evidences suggest that naturally occurring naphthoquinones exhibit potent anti-glioma effects via various mechanisms. METHODS: The anti-glioma effects of plumbagin were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Anti-glioma mechanism of plumbagin was studied by proteomics, flow cytometry, MDA assay, western blot, and RT-PCR. Gene knockdown/overexpression, molecular docking, PharmMappper database, and coimmunoprecipitation were used to study the targets of plumbagin. RESULTS: Plumbagin showed higher blood-brain barrier penetration ability than that of lapachol and shikonin and elicited significant growth inhibitory effects in vitro and in vivo. Ferroptosis was the main mechanism of plumbagin-induced cell death. Mechanistically, plumbagin significantly downregulated the protein and mRNA levels of xCT and decreased GPX4 protein levels. NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) was revealed as a plumbagin predictive target using PharmMappper database and molecular docking. Plumbagin enhanced NQO1 activity and decreased xCT expression, resulting in NQO1-dependent cell death. It also induced GPX4 degradation via the lysosome pathway and caused GPX4-dependent cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Plumbagin inhibited in vitro and in vivo glioma growth via targeting NQO1/GPX4-mediated ferroptosis, which might be developed as a novel ferroptosis inducer or anti-glioma candidate.

The prognostic impact of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective study.

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is an aggressive and poorly differentiated type of non-small cell lung carcinoma. Because of the rarity of PSC, the efficacy and toxicity of immunotherapy remain unclear. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the treatment of advanced PSC. The study cohort was limited to 33 patients with pathologically confirmed PSC treated with ICIs in four hospitals in China from March 2018 to March 2022. Expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. Categorical variables were compared with the Fisher exact test and survival analysis was conducted with the Kaplan-Meier method. Of the 33 PSC patients, 8 (24.2%) received monotherapy with ICIs and 25 (75.8%) received combination therapy with ICIs. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 36.4% and 78.8%, respectively. The median durations of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6.07 and 21.33 months, respectively. PD-L1 status in 16 available samples was assessed, which included 30.3% PD-L1-positive patients. The ORRs for PD-L1-positive vs. -negative patients were 50.0% and 90.0%, the DCR was 33.3% and 83.3%, and the median PFS was 17.50 and 6.07 months, respectively (p=0.812). The median OS was not reached in PD-L1-positive and -negative patients (p=0.655). The incidence of immune-related adverse (irAEs) was 48.5% and mainly included grade 1 or 2 (39.4%), while the incidence of grade 3 or 4 was 9.1%. Pneumonia (9.1%) and skin rash (9.1%) were the most frequent irAEs. Immunotherapy with ICIs was a promising regimen to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced PSC.

P300-dependent acetylation of histone H3 is required for epidermal growth factor receptor-mediated high-mobility group protein A2 transcription in hepatocellular carcinoma.

High-mobility group protein A2 (HMGA2) is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and contributes to tumor metastasis and poor patient survival. However, the molecular mechanism through which HMGA2 is transcriptionally regulated in HCC cells remains largely unclear. Here, we showed that the expression HMGA2 was upregulated in HCC, and that elevated HMGA2 could promote tumor metastasis. Incubation of HCC cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) could promote the expression of HMGA2 mRNA and protein. Mechanistic studies suggested that EGF can phosphorylate p300 at Ser1834 residue through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in HCC cells. Knockdown of p300 can reverse EGF-induced HMGA2 expression and histone H3-K9 acetylation, whereas a phosphorylation-mimic p300 S1834D mutant can stimulate HMGA2 expression as well as H3-K9 acetylation in HCC cells. Furthermore, we identified that p300-mediated H3-K9 acetylation participates in EGF-induced HMGA2 expression in HCC. In addition, the levels of H3-K9 acetylation positively correlated with the expression levels of HMGA2 in a chemically induced HCC model in rats and human HCC specimens.

HGF/c-MET pathway contributes to cisplatin-mediated PD-L1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cisplatin has been reported to promote the expression of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in some cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism through which PD-L1 is transcriptionally regulated by cisplatin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells remains largely unknown. In the present study, we found that the expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), p-Akt, p-ERK, and PD-L1 was increased in cisplatin-treated SNU-368 and SNU-739 cells. HGF stimulation also increased PD-L1 expression in these cells. Moreover, Inhibition of HGF/c-MET, PI3K/Akt, and MEK/ERK signaling pathways can dramatically block cisplatin or HGF-induced PD-L1 expression in SNU-368 and SNU-739 cells. In vivo, combination PHA665752 with cisplatin significantly reduced tumor weight with increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the tumor. Taken together, our study suggested that HGF/c-Met axis-induced the activation of PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways contributes to cisplatin-mediated PD-L1 expression. These findings may provide an alternative avenue for the treatment of HCC.

[Occurrence regularity and integrated control of leaf miner in safflower].

Leaf miner is one of the major pests on safflower, which causes yield loss and poor quality seriously. "Weihonghua", "nine safflower varieties" and "three chemical insecticides" as materials that used to evaluate variety and regularity of leaf miner, safflower resistant level, and different proportions insecticides in field efficiency test. The results showed that Liriomyza sativae and L. huidobrensis accounted for 80%, the peak period of two pests was all in July; but Phytomyza horticola is relative less, its peak period occured in June. Three were great difference of resistance to leaf miner among safflower varieties, FQ12 and YJ65 expressed higher resistibility to leaf miner by ratio method. With abamectin 2% emulsifiable concentrate diluted for 2 000 times, or the mixture three insecticides(bifenthrin 20% water emulsions, thiamethoxam 25% water dispersible granule, abamectin 2% emulsifiable concentrate=1∶1∶1) diluted for 3 000 times, which were sprayed on leaves at squaring stage and lethal rate was 96% after 48 h in the study. Through comparative study on the variety and regularity of leaf miner, screen for resistant varieties to leaf miner and for high efficiency pesticide. The study provides theoretical basis and reference for integrated pest management of leaf miner.

Adsorption and reactions of propenoic acid and 2-fluoropropanoic acid on Cu(100) and O/Cu(100).

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reaction/desorption have been employed to investigate the adsorption and reaction pathways of CH2=CHCOOH and CH3CHFCOOH on Cu(100) and oxygen-precovered Cu(100) [O/Cu(100)]. In the case of CH2=CHCOOH on O/Cu(100), CH2=CHCOO is the surface intermediate detected between 110 K and 400 K. CH2=CHCOO is adsorbed vertically and can change adsorption sites at a higher temperature. The propenoate (acrylate) decomposes at higher temperatures (>500 K), with formation of >C=C=O (ketenylidene) surface species and gaseous products. On Cu(100), CH2=CHCOOH is adsorbed in dimer form and can dissociate to generate CH2=CHCOO and CH3CHCOO intermediates on the surface. The CH3CHCOO continuously recombines with the H from deprotonation of CH2=CHCOOH, resulting in the formation CH3CH2COO. The co-existing CH2=CHCOO and CH3CH2COO further decompose at ∼550 K to evolve reaction products, but without >C=C=O being detected. On O/Cu(100), CH3CHFCOOH readily deprotonates to form CH3CHFCOO at 120 K. This intermediate reacts on the surface at ∼460 K to evolve gaseous products, also producing CH2=CHCOO. In the case of Cu(100), deprotonation of CH3CHFCOOH occurs at ∼250 K, forming CH3CHFCOO. Without oxygen on the surface, this intermediate decomposes into HF and CH2=CHCOO at ∼455 K.

Genetics and fine mapping of a purple leaf gene, BoPr, in ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala).

BACKGROUND: Due to its variegated and colorful leaves, ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) has become a popular ornamental plant. In this study, we report the fine mapping and analysis of a candidate purple leaf gene using a backcross population and an F2 population derived from two parental lines: W1827 (with white leaves) and P1835 (with purple leaves). RESULTS: Genetic analysis indicated that the purple leaf trait is controlled by a single dominant gene, which we named BoPr. Using markers developed based on the reference genome '02-12', the BoPr gene was preliminarily mapped to a 280-kb interval of chromosome C09, with flanking markers M17 and BoID4714 at genetic distances of 4.3 cM and 1.5 cM, respectively. The recombination rate within this interval is almost 12 times higher than the usual level, which could be caused by assembly error for reference genome '02-12' at this interval. Primers were designed based on 'TO1000', another B. oleracea reference genome. Among the newly designed InDel markers, BRID485 and BRID490 were found to be the closest to BoPr, flanking the gene at genetic distances of 0.1 cM and 0.2 cM, respectively; the interval between the two markers is 44.8 kb (reference genome 'TO1000'). Seven annotated genes are located within the 44.8 kb genomic region, of which only Bo9g058630 shows high homology to AT5G42800 (dihydroflavonol reductase), which was identified as a candidate gene for BoPr. Blast analysis revealed that this 44.8 kb interval is located on an unanchored scaffold (Scaffold000035_P2) of '02-12', confirming the existence of assembly error at the interval between M17 and BoID4714 for reference genome '02-12'. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a candidate gene for BoPr and lays a foundation for the cloning and functional analysis of this gene.

Recessive male sterility in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) caused by loss of function of BoCYP704B1 due to the insertion of a LTR-retrotransposon.

KEY MESSAGE: The LTR-retrotransposon insertion in BoCYP704B1 is proved to be the primary cause of the male sterility in cabbage. Effective allele-specific markers were developed for marker-assisted selection of male sterile gene. 83121A is a spontaneous male sterile mutant identified from cabbage. Genetic analysis indicated that male sterility is controlled by a single recessive gene. Pollen wall formation in the 83121A mutant was severely defective, with a lack of sporopollenin or exine. To understand the mechanisms of male sterility in 83121A, transcription analysis using RNA-Seq was carried out in the buds of the male sterile line 83121A and the male fertile line 83121B, which are near-isogenic lines differing only in the fertility trait. Via expression analysis of differentially expressed genes involved in pollen exine development before the bicellular pollen stage, BoCYP704B1 was identified as a candidate gene, which was approximately downregulated 30-fold in 83121A. BoCYP704B1 is a member of the evolutionarily conserved CYP704B family, which is essential for sporopollenin formation. The BoCYP704B1 transcript is specifically detected in the developing anthers of wild-type cabbage. Further sequence analysis revealed that a 5424-bp long terminal repeat-retrotransposon (LTR-RT) was inserted into the first exon of BoCYP704B1 in 83121A, which is not found in wild-type plants. The insertion of LTR-RT not only reduced the expression of BoCYP704B1 but also altered structure of protein encoded by BoCYP704B1. Moreover, linkage analysis showed that the homozygotic mutational BoCYP704B1 always cosegregated with male sterility. These data suggest that the LTR-RT insertion in BoCYP704B1 hinders sporopollenin formation in 83121A leading to male sterility. The allele-specific markers developed in this study were effective for marker-assisted selection of the male sterile gene.

Normal saline versus heparin for patency of central venous catheters in adult patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Heparin saline (HS) is theoretically superior to normal saline (NS) for maintaining the patency of central venous catheters (CVCs), but the comparative efficacy of them remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of NS versus HS in the maintenance of the patency of CVCs in adult patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the use of NS vs. HS to maintain the permeability of CVCs among adult patients were included in our meta-analysis. References of relevant papers were reviewed manually. No language restriction was applied. Non-human studies were excluded. Pooled relative risk (RR) was calculated using a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. We also performed subgroup analysis examining the effect of the duration of catheter placement on the outcome. All statistical tests were two-sided using a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: Ten RCTs involving 7875 subjects (with analysis at patient, catheter, lumen and line access level) were included in this meta-analysis. Whether in terms of pooled or local analysis (RR with 95% confidence interval spans 1), NS can be equally, if not more effective, in keeping the CVCs open. Of studies reporting secondary outcomes (maneuver needed, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, haemorrhage, central venous thrombosis and catheter-related bloodstream infection), heparinised saline was shown not to be superior to non-heparinised solution. Subgroup analysis in patients with short vs long term CVC placement was consistent with the main outcome partly and in particular for maintenance of catheter patency in patients with a long-term placement i.e. >30 days, the RR was 0.97 (n = 6589; 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.23; P = 0.796). However, for patients in whom the catheter was in place for <30 days, the RR was 1.52 (n = 1286; 95% CI = 1.02 to 2.27; P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this meta-analysis, HS is not superior to NS in reducing CVCs occlusion. But in the short term, the use of HS is slightly superior to NS for flushing catheters from a statistical point of view.

Development of a novel allele-specific Rfo marker and creation of Ogura CMS fertility-restored interspecific hybrids in Brassica oleracea.

KEY MESSAGE: A novel allele-specific Rfo marker was developed and proved to be effective for MAS of Rfo gene in B. oleracea background and six Ogu-CMS fertility-restored interspecific hybrids were created for the first time. Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (Ogu-CMS) has been extensively used for Brassica oleracea hybrid production. However, because of maternal inheritance, all the hybrids produced by CMS lines are male sterile and cannot be self-pollinated, which prohibits germplasm maintenance and innovation. This problem can be overcome by using the Ogu-CMS restorer line, but restorer material is absent in B. oleracea crops. Here, Rfo, a fertility-restored gene of Ogu-CMS, was transferred from rapeseed restorer lines into a Chinese kale Ogu-CMS line using interspecific hybridization combined with embryo rescue. Nine interspecific, triploid plant progenies were identified at morphological and ploidy level, with phenotypes intermediate between those of rapeseed and Chinese kale. Because the Rfo marker (Hu et al., Mol Breeding 22:663-674, 2008) cannot distinguish the Rfo and its homologies under a B. oleracea background, a novel allele-specific Rfo marker was developed based on the BLAST analysis of highly homologous Rfo sequences in B. oleracea. Screening using the novel Rfo marker found that six interspecific hybrids carrying Rfo were also fertile, although fertility varied during different flowering periods. Furthermore, BC1 offsprings with the Rfo gene were selected with the allele-specific Rfo marker and showed restored fertility. These results indicated that the novel allele-specific marker could be used for the MAS of Rfo gene in B. oleracea, and this study lays the foundation for the development of Ogu-CMS restorer material in cabbage and its related other subspecies.

Multi-Target Joint Detection and Estimation Error Bound for the Sensor with Clutter and Missed Detection.

The error bound is a typical measure of the limiting performance of all filters for the given sensor measurement setting. This is of practical importance in guiding the design and management of sensors to improve target tracking performance. Within the random finite set (RFS) framework, an error bound for joint detection and estimation (JDE) of multiple targets using a single sensor with clutter and missed detection is developed by using multi-Bernoulli or Poisson approximation to multi-target Bayes recursion. Here, JDE refers to jointly estimating the number and states of targets from a sequence of sensor measurements. In order to obtain the results of this paper, all detectors and estimators are restricted to maximum a posteriori (MAP) detectors and unbiased estimators, and the second-order optimal sub-pattern assignment (OSPA) distance is used to measure the error metric between the true and estimated state sets. The simulation results show that clutter density and detection probability have significant impact on the error bound, and the effectiveness of the proposed bound is verified by indicating the performance limitations of the single-sensor probability hypothesis density (PHD) and cardinalized PHD (CPHD) filters for various clutter densities and detection probabilities.

Competitive binding between miR-122 and p68 onto hepatitis C viral RNA.

BACKGROUND: Liver-specific microRNA (miR)-122 has been shown to be involved in regulating translation of hepatitis C viral (HCV) RNA. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of miR-122 in regulating HCV RNA translation initiation. MATERIAL/METHODS: In human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2, UV cross-link assay was performed on a large scale to identify RNA-binding proteins with gradient concentrations of miR-122. Analytical ultracentrifugation was then used to separate the translation initiation complexes. All RNA-binding proteins were then identified by Western blotting. RESULTS: The binding of 68 kDa protein (p68) to HCV RNA was suppressed by the addition of miR-122 via the competitive binding assay. Such inhibition can be eliminated by the addition of 2'-O-methylated oligonucleotides. This binding suppression was determined to be specific for miR-122, which used the mature single-stranded RNA to suppress the binding of p68 onto HCV RNA. This binding inhibition was further validated by using authentic miR-122 with conserved regions and mutated sequences. CONCLUSIONS: The binding of p68 onto HCV RNA can be specifically inhibited by miR-122 via a competitive binding process.

[Clinical characteristics of pediatric hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics of pediatric hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), and to improve its understanding so as to reduce the misdiagnosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 26 children with HFRS between January 2009 and December 2012. RESULTS: The age of disease onset was mainly distributed between 7 and 14 years (23 cases, 88%), and the male-to-female ratio was 1.89:l. The clinical manifestations of pediatric HFRS varied. The early symptoms resembled those of a cold, and in the course of HFRS, most patients developed digestive symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pain. The laboratory examinations usually implicated platelet changes, and the imaging examinations revealed polyserous effusions. The prominent complication was myocardial injury. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric HFRS mainly occurs in school-age children, more commonly in males. HFRS does not have typical clinical manifestations or symptoms, so it should be distinguished from cold or appendicitis at the early stage. When applying the fluid replacement therapy, the cardiac function should be carefully monitored in case of heart failure.