DGW1, encoding an hnRNP-like RNA binding protein, positively regulates grain size and weight by interacting with GW6 mRNA.

Grain size and weight determine rice yield. Although numerous genes and pathways involved in regulating grain size have been identified, our knowledge of post-transcriptional control of grain size remains elusive. In this study, we characterize a rice mutant, decreased grain width and weight 1 (dgw1), which produces small grains. We show that DGW1 encodes a member of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) family protein and preferentially expresses in developing panicles, positively regulating grain size by promoting cell expansion in spikelet hulls. Overexpression of DGW1 increases grain weight and grain numbers, leading to a significant rise in rice grain yield. We further demonstrate that DGW1 functions in grain size regulation by directly binding to the mRNA of Grain Width 6 (GW6), a critical grain size regulator in rice. Overexpression of GW6 restored the grain size phenotype of DGW1-knockout plants. DGW1 interacts with two oligouridylate binding proteins (OsUBP1a and OsUBP1b), which also bind the GW6 mRNA. In addition, the second RRM domain of DGW1 is indispensable for its mediated protein-RNA and protein-protein interactions. In summary, our findings identify a new regulatory module of DGW1-GW6 that regulates rice grain size and weight, providing important insights into the function of hnRNP-like proteins in the regulation of grain size.

Higher baseline alanine aminotransferase level is associated with lower live birth rate after freeze-thawed embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to explore whether an elevated ALT level before pregnancy is associated with a reduction in live birth rate after IVF-FET. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Shiyan People's Hospital, China between January 2019 and December 2019. PATIENTS: Women aged ≤ 40 years. INTERVENTION(S): Freeze-thawed embryo transfer (FET). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The live birth rate, which was defined as the delivery of a live baby after 24 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: The analysis included 365 FET cycles. There was a significant difference between groups in the live birth rate (p < .05), which was highest for the low ALT tertile and lowest for the high ALT tertile. Multiple regression analysis with adjustment for multiple potential confounders revealed that the odds of live birth were decreased for each one standard deviation increase in ALT (OR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.42-0.75, p < .0001) and lower for the high ALT tertile than for the low ALT tertile (OR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.19-0.75, p = .0055). Smooth curve fitting showed an inverse relationship between ALT and live birth rate. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that relatively small elevations in baseline serum ALT level can have a clinically relevant impact on the success of FET.

A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor using trimetallic nanozyme as signal amplification for NT-proBNP sensitive detection.

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem trigged by a heart circulation disorder. Early detection and diagnosis are conducive to the prevention and treatment of HF. N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) is considered to be a sensitive diagnostic biomarker of HF. In this study, we constructed a NT-proBNP sandwich electrochemical immunosensor by using electroplated gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) as the substrate and utilizing rough-surfaced trimetallic Au@PdPt nanozymes (Au@PdPt RTNs) as current signal amplification. The Au NPs as substrate material modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) have excellent conductivity and biocompatibility, which not only accelerate electron transfer rate, but also improve the loading capacity of primary antibody (Ab1). Moreover, the Au@PdPt RTNs were synthesized by a one-pot method and used as the labels to bound with secondary antibodies (Ab2) via the Pt-N. The large specific surface area and excellent catalytic properties for H2O2 of Au@PdPt RTNs can effectively enhance the stability and sensitivity of the immunosensor. With the favorable cooperation of Au NPs and Au@PdPt RTNs, the constructed immunosensor exhibited a wide concentration range from 0.1 pg mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1 and a low detection limit of 0.046 pg mL-1. Furthermore, the accuracy of the analysis of NT-proBNP in diluted human serum samples was satisfactory. The results revealed the electrochemical immunosensor has a prospective application in clinical detection.

Effects and safety of acne vulgaris with external application of herbal medicines: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris (AV) is a common dermatologic disease. The morbidity is increasing annually. External application of herbal medicines (EAHM) has been pervasively used in the therapy of AV. EAHM , as the traditional Chinese therapy, is widely applied in clinical trials for AV. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of EAHM in the therapy for AV. METHODS: We will conduct an electronic search of 13 databases from their inception to May, 2020, including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, SpringerLink, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Wanfang China database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, as well as China's Conference Papers Database and China Dissertation database. Other valid search strategies will also be retrieved to complete this review. All randomized controlled trials in which EAHM was used for the treatment of AV will be adopted. Two researchers will select eligible studies respectively according to a predefined protocol. Methodological quality will be assessed with Cochrane risk of bias by means of RevMan V.5.3.5 software. RESULTS: This systematic view will present a high-quality synthesis based on current evidence of EAHM intervention for AV patients. CONCLUSION: The summary of our systematic view will provide evidence to judge whether EAHM is an effective and safe intervention for AV patients.

Effective removal of heavy metals from water using porous lignin-based adsorbents.

Multifunctional composite materials are the key to improving removal capacity and environmental utility. Here, the adsorbent (SLCA) was obtained by free-radical polymerization of acrylic acid with sodium lignosulfonate and citric acid. FTIR, SEM, TGA and XPS characterization methods were used to prove the structure and properties of SLCA adsorbents. The maximum uptake capacities of the optimized SLCA adsorbent is 276 mg g-1 of Cu2+ and 323 mg g-1 of Pb2+, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm and the second-order kinetic model were established to illustrate that the capture of Cu2+ and Pb2+ by the adsorbent belongs to chemisorption on the monolayer. XPS analysis confirmed that complexation and electrostatic attraction are the mechanism of pollutant removal. Not only that, as-resulting adsorbent revealed no significant adsorption cycle efficiency reduction even after 5 runs of sorption-desorption cycle, manifesting that it is of great stability and could be regarded as a promising candidate adsorbent. The purpose of this research was to develop a green lignin-based adsorbent with strong environmental protection and regeneration ability based on cheap polyacrylic resin.

Four-channel toroidal crystal x-ray imager for laser-produced plasmas.

The motion law of complex fluids under extreme conditions is an important aspect of high energy density physics research. It has been demonstrated that using multi-channel curved crystals and a framing camera to observe the laser-produced target pellets doped with tracer elements is an appropriate method for investigating this law. This paper presents a feasible design scheme for a multi-channel toroidal imager, with the ray trace model used to verify the rationality of the evaluation method and the aberration of single toroidal crystal imaging. We demonstrate that the field of view (FOV) consistency of the four-channel Ge(400) toroidal crystal imager is less than 50 µm, while the best spatial resolution is ∼4 µm and the FOV of each channel is >2.2 mm.

Construction of a Lignosulfonate-Lysine Hydrogel for the Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions.

Industrial wastewater has brought great disaster to water bodies and soils and seriously affected the growth of crops. It is necessary to prepare a stable, effective, and sustainable treatment agent to control water pollution to obtain clean water. The adsorption effect of a lignosulfonate-lysine hydrogel (CLS-Lys adsorbent) on heavy metal ions (Cu2+ and Co2+) in water is studied. In the synthesis experiment, a response surface method is used to optimize the content of sodium lignosulfonate, lysine, initiator, and cross-linker. The CLS-Lys adsorbent is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, and zeta potential analysis. The performance of the CLS-Lys adsorbent under different influencing factors is studied. The kinetic and isothermal models of the CLS-Lys adsorbent are established. The results show that the main adsorption model of the CLS-Lys adsorbent is chemical adsorption, accompanied by electrostatic adsorption. These two ions have a competitive adsorption relationship, and when the two ions are present at the same time, they inhibit each other. In addition, the CLS-Lys adsorbent has good adsorption and analytical regeneration performance. It is an economic and effective adsorbent and has a broad application prospect.

Effects and safety of herbal medicines on patients with overactive bladder: A protocol for a systematic view and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common disease in the urinary system. The morbidity is increasing annually. Herbal medicines have been pervasively used in the therapy of OAB. However, systematic review or meta-analysis has not been found to assess the effects and safety of herbal medicines in curing OAB at present. Hence, the systematic review is conducted to scientifically and methodically evaluate the value of its effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines on OAB. METHODS: We will collect all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines on OAB. The RCTs will be searched from the electronic databases, including 7 English databases, consisting of PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, SpringerLink, and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), and 4 Chinese databases, namely Wanfang Chinese database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), others valid search strategy will be adopted. All the RCTs will be assessed from the databases establishment to July 2019. We will perform the meta-analysis of RCTs when the dissertation is appropriate. We will conduct an assessment including data synthesis, bias risk, and subgroup analysis by means of Review Manager software (RevMan) V.5.3.5 software while the setting condition is met. RESULTS: This systematic view and meta-analysis will generate a summary based on the current relevant research to calculate the effects and safety of herbal medicines in promoting the therapy of OAB. Furthermore, it will provide a high-quality synthesis for participants who use herbal medicine to cure OAB. CONCLUSION: The summary of our systematic view will verify whether herbal medicines intervention could be an effective and safety approach in curing OAB.

Construction of magnetic lignin-based adsorbent and its adsorption properties for dyes.

The magnetic lignin-based adsorbent (Fe3O4/C-ACLS) has been successfully prepared and applied to adsorbing azo dyes Congo red, Titan yellow and Eriochrome blue black R. The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), vibration sample magnetometer (VSM), Raman spectroscopy and elemental analysis. In the process of adsorption, five kinds of influencing factors and recycling regeneration were discussed, and the adsorption mechanisms such as kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics were explored. The results show that Fe3O4/C-ACLS can remove 98%, 92% and 99% of Congo red, Titan yellow and Eriochrome blue black R, respectively. Under the same conditions, the removal rate was 87%, 84% and 88% after 5 times adsorption cycle, respectively. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order kinetics, Elovich model and intraparticle diffusion model were studied, and the results show that the adsorption process conforms to pseudo-second-order kinetics model, and the diffusion rate is controlled by many steps. The results of isotherm model and thermodynamics show that the adsorption process is consistent with Langmuir model and is mainly a spontaneous chemical endothermic process of monolayer.

Toward Mechanically Stable Silicon-Based Anodes Using Si/SiO x@C Hierarchical Structures with Well-Controlled Internal Buffer Voids.

Low conductivity and structural degradation of silicon-based anodes lead to severe capacity fading, which fundamentally hinders their practical application in Li-ion batteries. Here, we report a scalable Si/SiO x@C anode architecture, which is constructed simultaneously by sintering a mixture of SiO/sucrose in argon atmosphere, followed by acid etching. The obtained structure features highly uniform Si nanocrystals embedded in silica matrices with well-controlled internal nanovoids, with all of them embraced by carbon shells. Because of the improvement of the volumetric efficiency for accommodating Si active spices and electrical properties, this hierarchical anode design enables the promising electrochemical performance, including a high initial reversible capacity (1210 mAh g-1), stable cycling performance (90% capacity retention after 100 cycles), and good rate capability (850 mAh g-1 at 2.0 A g-1 rate). More notably, the compact heterostructures derived from micro-SiO allow high active mass loading for practical applications and the facile and scalable fabrication strategy makes this electrode material potentially viable for commercialization in Li-ion batteries.

Carbon composite lignin-based adsorbents for the adsorption of dyes.

Carbon composite lignin-based adsorbent were prepared through hydrothermal method with glucose as carbon source, calcium lignosulfonate and triethylene tetramine as raw materials, respectively. The optimum synthesis conditions were determined by investigating the addition of carbon and triethylene tetramine. The adsorbent was used for the adsorption of azo dyes Congo red and Eriochrome blue black R, and the five factors affecting the adsorption were discussed, including pH of dyes, initial concentration, adsorption time, adsorption temperature and adsorbent dosage. The corresponding adsorption mechanism such as pseudo first order kinetics, pseudo second order kinetics, intraparticle diffusion, Langmuir adsorption isotherm, Freundlich isotherm, Temkin isotherm, Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherm, thermodynamics were also studied. When the dye concentration is 40 mg L-1, Congo red and Eriochrome blue black R dye removal rates reach 99%. Moreover, the adsorption process of two kinds of dyes follow the pseudo second order kinetics and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.

Breakdown current density in h-BN-capped quasi-1D TaSe3 metallic nanowires: prospects of interconnect applications.

We report on the current-carrying capacity of the nanowires made from the quasi-1D van der Waals metal tantalum triselenide capped with quasi-2D boron nitride. The chemical vapor transport method followed by chemical and mechanical exfoliation were used to fabricate the mm-long TaSe3 wires with the lateral dimensions in the 20 to 70 nm range. Electrical measurements establish that the TaSe3/h-BN nanowire heterostructures have a breakdown current density exceeding 10 MA cm(-2)-an order-of-magnitude higher than that for copper. Some devices exhibited an intriguing step-like breakdown, which can be explained by the atomic thread bundle structure of the nanowires. The quasi-1D single crystal nature of TaSe3 results in a low surface roughness and in the absence of the grain boundaries. These features can potentially enable the downscaling of the nanowires to lateral dimensions in a few-nm range. Our results suggest that quasi-1D van der Waals metals have potential for applications in the ultimately downscaled local interconnects.

Measurement Matrix Optimization and Mismatch Problem Compensation for DLSLA 3-D SAR Cross-Track Reconstruction.

With a short linear array configured in the cross-track direction, downward looking sparse linear array three-dimensional synthetic aperture radar (DLSLA 3-D SAR) can obtain the 3-D image of an imaging scene. To improve the cross-track resolution, sparse recovery methods have been investigated in recent years. In the compressive sensing (CS) framework, the reconstruction performance depends on the property of measurement matrix. This paper concerns the technique to optimize the measurement matrix and deal with the mismatch problem of measurement matrix caused by the off-grid scatterers. In the model of cross-track reconstruction, the measurement matrix is mainly affected by the configuration of antenna phase centers (APC), thus, two mutual coherence based criteria are proposed to optimize the configuration of APCs. On the other hand, to compensate the mismatch problem of the measurement matrix, the sparse Bayesian inference based method is introduced into the cross-track reconstruction by jointly estimate the scatterers and the off-grid error. Experiments demonstrate the performance of the proposed APCs' configuration schemes and the proposed cross-track reconstruction method.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 overexpression is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is the key enzyme in the transformation of folic acid metabolites. MTHFD2 overexpression plays a key role in the progression of human cancers, and depletion of MTHFD2 has shown potential antitumor activities in several types of cancer. However, the role of MTHFD2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been investigated. AIMS: To investigate the expression of MTHFD2 in HCC patients, and its associated clinical implications and possible functions in HCC. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect MTHFD2 expression in liver tissues from HCC patients, then associations of MTHFD2 expression with demographic and clinicopathologic features were analysed. The effects of siRNA interference of MTHFD2 on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and migration were investigated in HCC cell lines. RESULTS: Significant overexpression of MTHFD2 was observed in HCC tissues, and overexpression of MTHFD2 was correlated with TNM stage, tumor microembolus, tumor metastasis, recurrence and the time of recurrence (P<0.05) in HCC patients. siRNA-mediated silencing of MTHFD2 inhibited migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression in HCC cell lines, but no obvious effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis or cell cycle distribution were detected. CONCLUSIONS: MTHFD2 is overexpressed in HCC, and is associated with poor prognosis and cellular features connected to metastatic disease.

Dramatic antitumor effects of the dual mTORC1 and mTORC2 inhibitor AZD2014 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as a critical effector in cell growth, proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, and autophagy through direct interaction with mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1) and mTORC2 (mTOR complex 2). The mTOR axis is aberrantly activated in about 50% of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases and thus has become an attractive target for drug development in this disease. Allosteric inhibitors of mTORC1, rapamycin and its derivatives have been used to study in patients with HCC but have not shown significant clinical utility, likely because of the lack of inhibition of mTORC2. In the present study, we describe that AZD2014, a small molecular ATP-competitive inhibitor of mTOR, was a highly potent inhibitor of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in human HCC cells, which led to a more thorough inhibition of mTORC1 than rapamycin, and the inhibition of mTORC2 prevented the feedback activation of AKT signaling. Compared with rapamycin, AZD2014 resulted in more profound proliferation suppression, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy in HCC cells. Notably, we found blockage of both mTORC1 and mTORC2 by AZD2014 to be more efficacious than blockage of mTORC1 alone by rapamycin in inhibiting the migration, invasion and EMT progression of HCC cells. In conclusion, our current results highlight mechanistic differentiation between rapamycin and AZD2014 in targeting cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, migration, invasion and EMT progression, and provide support for further investigation of AZD2014 as an antitumor agent for the treatment of HCC in clinic.

[The preliminary study on the function of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its correlation with clinical parameters. METHOD: Fluorogenic quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) was used to measure the MTHFD2 mRNA expression. The MTHFD2 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining in cancerous tissues and adjacent noncancerous counterparts. The relationship of MTHFD2 expression, clinicopathological parameters and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was subsequently analysed. RESULTS: The MTHFD2 mRNA expression in cancerous tissues was higher than that in adjacent noncancerous counterparts (31/47) (P<0.05). The positive rate of MTHFD2 protein in cancerous tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent noncancerous counterparts (69.5% vs. 33.9%) (P<0.05). MTHFD2 overexpression was found to correlate with clinical pathological parameters such as tumor metastasis, recurrence and poor prognosis (P<0.05). The patients with overexpressed MTHFD2 had shorter tumor-free survival time. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of MTHFD2 in HCC may be a risk factor of tumor metastasis and recurrence. MTHFD2 could be a new biomarker for prognosis of HCC.