miRNA-200c-3p deficiency promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in triple-negative breast cancer by activating CRKL expression.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in malignant progression of Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Many studies have confirmed that miRNA-200c-3p is related to EMT. And we found that it is involved in the regulation of EMT, but the exact mechanism is unclear. CRKL is highly expressed in a variety of tumors and plays a role in EMT. In this study, the potential targets of miRNA-200c-3p were searched in miRPathDB, Targetscan and PicTar. And there are 68 potential targets at the intersection of the three databases. Then, bioinformatics and text mining performed by Coremine Medica, and found that among 68 potential targets, CRKL has the strongest correlation with EMT in TNBC. Therefore, we speculated that miRNA-200c-3p involvement in EMT might be related to CRKL. To verify miRNA-200c-3p inhibits the malignant phenotype of TNBC by regulating CRKL, RT‒PCR, western blotting, Clonal formation assays,CCK-8 proliferation assays, transwell invasion assays, Luciferase reporter assay and nude mouse transplantation tumor assay were performed. In this study, we found that miRNA-200c-3p is under-expressed and EMT-related genes are up-regulated in TNBC, and miRNA-200c-3p can inhibit cancer cell proliferation, invasion and the expression of EMT-related genes and proteins in TNBC. Further research confirmed that miRNA-200c-3p could inhibit EMT by inhibiting the expression of CRKL that directly combining CRKL gene.

Exploring influential factors in the self-assessment of life satisfaction among Chinese elderly: a structural equation modeling analysis.

The aging problem is becoming more and more prominent globally. Attention to the quality of life and related health improvement among the elderly has become an important issue in modern society. This study utilized a tracking survey conducted in 2017-2018, involving 9,327 Chinese older adults, to examine health influencing factors, and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the influencing factors on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among older adults in different regions (cities, counties, and villages) in China. This study revealed that economic status, psychological status, personal situation, life behaviors, and child care are important influences on older people's self- assessed life satisfaction. There is a positive correlation between economic status, psychological status, child care and the results of the self-assessment of life satisfaction of the elderly. Psychological status and child care have a greater impact on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among the elderly in urban areas compared to villages and towns. The influence of economic status on the self-assessment of life satisfaction of the elderly is lower in urban areas than in rural areas. There is a significant difference in the influence of personal situations on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among the elderly. Additionally, older individuals tend to report higher levels of self-assessment of life satisfaction. Furthermore, female elderly individuals tend to report higher levels of satisfaction compared to males. Findings from this study indicate that improving health self-assessment in older adults requires targeted efforts based on different geographic areas of life and the age stages of older adults, and more attention needs to be paid to men who are just entering old age.

Resonant exchange of Chiral Majorana Fermions modulated by two parallel quantum dots.

Resonant exchange of the chiral Majorana fermions (MFs) that is coupled to two parallel Majorana zero modes (MZMs) or two parallel quantum dots (QDs) is investigated. We find that, in the two QDs coupling case, the resonant exchange for the chiral MFs is analogous to that in the MZM coupling case. We further propose a circuit based on topological superconductor (TSC), which is formed by the proximity coupling of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) and a s-wave superconductor, to observe the resonant exchange of chiral MFs pairs. The numerical calculations show that the resonant transmission of the chiral MFs can be adjusted by varying the coupling parameters. It is particularly noteworthy that, by only modulating the coupling strength between the two QDs, the resonant exchange may be switched on or off. By adding another MZM, the non-Abelian braidinglike operation can be realized. Therefore, our design scheme may provide another way for non-Abelian braiding operation of MFs and the findings may have potential application value in the realization of topological quantum computers.

The role of Pleistocene dispersal in shaping species richness of sky island wintergreens from the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains.

In addition to topography and climate, biogeographic dispersal has been considered to influence plant diversity in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHM), yet, the mode and tempo of sky island dispersal and its influence on species richness has been little explored. Through phylogenetic analysis of Gaultheria ser. Trichophyllae, a sky island alpine clade within the HHM, we test the hypothesis that dispersal has affected current local species richness. We inferred the dynamics of biogeographic dispersal with correlation tests on direction, distance, occurrence time, and regional species richness. We found that G. ser. Trichophyllae originated at the end of the Miocene and mostly dispersed toward higher longitudes (eastward). In particular, shorter intra-regional eastward dispersals and longer inter-regional westward dispersals were most frequently observed. We detected a prevalence of eastward intra-region dispersals in both glacial periods and interglacials. These dispersals may have been facilitated by the reorganization of paleo-drainages and monsoon intensification through time. We suggest that the timing of dispersal corresponding to glacial periods and the prevalence of intra-region dispersal, rather than dispersal frequency, most influenced the pattern of species richness of G. ser. Trichophyllae. This study facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity in the sky islands within the HHM.

A systematic review on reporting quality of economic evaluations for negotiated glucose-lowering drugs in China national reimbursement drug list.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the reporting quality of existing economic evaluations for negotiated glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) included in China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2013 (CHEERS 2013). METHODS: We performed a systematic literature research through 7 databases to identify published economic evaluations for GLDs included in the China NRDL up to March 2021. Reporting quality of identified studies was assessed by two independent reviewers based on the CHEERS checklist. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to examine the association between reporting quality and characteristics of the identified studies. RESULTS: We have identified 24 studies, which evaluated six GLDs types. The average score rate of the included studies was 77.41% (SD:13.23%, Range 47.62%-91.67%). Among all the required reporting items, characterizing heterogeneity (score rate = 4.17%) was the least satisfied item. Among six parts of CHEERS, results part scored least at 0.55 (score rate = 54.79%) because of the incompleteness of characterizing uncertainty. Results from the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test showed that model choice, journal type, type of economic evaluations, and study perspective were associated with the reporting quality of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: There remains room to improve the reporting quality of economic evaluations for GLDs in NRDL. Checklists such as CHEERS should be widely used to improve the reporting quality of economic researches in China.

Does a perceptual gap lead to actions against digital misinformation? A third-person effect study among medical students.

BACKGROUND: We are making progress in the fight against health-related misinformation, but mass participation and active engagement are far from adequate. Focusing on pre-professional medical students with above-average medical knowledge, our study examined whether and how third-person perceptions (TPP), which hypothesize that people tend to perceive media messages as having a greater effect on others than on themselves, would motivate their actions against misinformation. METHODS: We collected the cross-sectional data through a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey of 1,500 medical students in China during April 2022. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, showed that TPP was negatively associated with medical students' actions against digital misinformation, including rebuttal of misinformation and promotion of corrective information. However, self-efficacy and collectivism served as positive predictors of both actions. Additionally, we found professional identification failed to play a significant role in influencing TPP, while digital misinformation self-efficacy was found to broaden the third-person perceptual gap and collectivism tended to reduce the perceptual bias significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Our study contributes both to theory and practice. It extends the third-person effect theory by moving beyond the examination of restrictive actions and toward the exploration of corrective and promotional actions in the context of misinformation., It also lends a new perspective to the current efforts to counter digital misinformation; involving pre-professionals (in this case, medical students) in the fight.

Illness perceptions in relation to self-management behaviour among elderly patients with COPD: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of self-management behaviour and illness perceptions and to examine illness perceptions in relation to self-management behaviour in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 152 elderly COPD patients were recruited via the convenience sampling method. The COPD Self-Management Scale and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for COPD patients were used to examine self-management behaviour and illness perceptions. Pearson correlation analysis, univariate analysis and hierarchical linear regression analysis were used to explore illness perceptions in relation to self-management behaviour. RESULTS: The mean overall score for self-management behaviour was 2.90 ± 0.39. Among the subscales of self-management behaviour, information management had the lowest score of 2.20 ± 0.76. Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, including educational level, smoking status, type of primary caregiver, home oxygen therapy and COPD duration, were found to be significant determinants of self-management behaviour. After controlling for these variables, several illness perception subscales, including treatment control, personal control, coherence, timeline cyclical and identity, were significantly correlated with self-management behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that elderly COPD patients' self-management behaviour was unsatisfactory and that illness perceptions were significant determinants of self-management behaviour. The findings may contribute to the development of self-management interventions for elderly COPD patients.

A regressive analysis of the main environmental risk factors of human echinococcosis in 370 counties in China.

BACKGROUND: Echinococcosis is a natural focal, highly prevalent disease in China. Factors influencing the spread of echinococcosis are not only related to personal exposure but also closely related to the environment itself. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of environmental factors on the prevalence of human echinococcosis and to provide a reference for prevention and control of echinococcosis in the future. METHODS: Data were collected from 370 endemic counties in China in 2018. By downloading Modis, DEM and other remote-sensing images in 2018. Data on environmental factors, i.e., elevation, land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were collected. Rank correlation analysis was conducted between each environmental factor and the prevalence of echinococcosis at the county level. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze the impact of environmental factors on the prevalence of human echinococcosis at the county level. RESULTS: According to rank correlation analysis, the prevalence of human echinococcosis in each county was positively correlated with elevation, negatively correlated with LST, and negatively correlated with NDVI in May, June and July. Negative binomial regression showed that the prevalence of human echinococcosis was negatively correlated with annual LST and summer NDVI, and positively correlated with average elevation and dog infection rate. The prevalence of human cystic echinococcosis was inversely correlated with the annual average LST, and positively correlated with both the average elevation and the prevalence rate of domestic animals. The prevalence of human alveolar echinococcosis was positively correlated with both NDVI in autumn and average elevation, and negatively correlated with NDVI in winter. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of echinococcosis in the population is affected by environmental factors. Environmental risk assessment and prediction can be conducted in order to rationally allocate health resources and improve both prevention and control efficiency of echinococcosis.

The Efficacy of Recombinant Human Type III Collagen in the Treatment of Atrophic Scars and Its Impact on p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway Proteins.

Objective: To investigate the effects of recombinant human type III collagen on atrophic scars and its impact on the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) signaling pathway. Methods: A total of 94 patients with atrophic scars admitted to our hospital from March 2020 to October 2022 were selected as subjects and evenly divided into a control group and an observation group. The control group (n = 47) received carbon dioxide fractional laser treatment, while the observation group (n = 47) was treated with recombinant human type III collagen dressings in addition to the laser treatment. Clinical efficacy, scar conditions, skin physiological parameters, serum levels of p38MAPK pathway-related proteins, and inflammatory markers were compared between the two groups. Results: The overall effective rate in the observation group was 95.74%, significantly higher than 74.47% in the control group (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) scores, stratum corneum hydration, and transepidermal water loss between the two groups (P > .05). After treatment, the VSS score in the observation group was significantly lower than in the control group (P < .05). Similarly, prior to treatment, there were no significant differences in serum levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MEK1), mitogen-activated protein kinase 2 (MEK2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) between the two groups (P > .05). After treatment, levels of MEK1, MEK2, ERK1, ERK2, IL-10, and TNF-α in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < .05). Conclusion: Recombinant human type III collagen significantly improves the treatment of atrophic scars, effectively ameliorating scar conditions and skin physiology. It also regulates the p38MAPK signaling pathway and reduces inflammation.

Genome-wide evolutionary analysis of TKL_CTR1-DRK-2 gene family and functional characterization reveals that TaCTR1 positively regulates flowering time in wheat.

BACKGROUND: Flowering time has an important effect on regional adaptation and yields for crops. The tyrosine kinase-like (TKL) gene family is widely existed and participates in many biological processes in plants. Furthermore, only few TKLs have been characterized functions in controlling flowering time in wheat. RESULTS: Here, we report that TaCTR1, a tyrosine kinase-like (TKL) gene, regulates flowering time in wheat. Based on identification and evolutionary analysis of TKL_CTR1-DRK-2 subfamily in 15 plants, we proposed an evolutionary model for TaCTR1, suggesting that occurrence of some exon fusion events during evolution. The overexpression of TaCTR1 caused early flowering time in transgenic lines. Transcriptomics analysis enabled identification of mass differential expression genes including plant hormone (ET, ABA, IAA, BR) signaling, flavonoid biosynthesis, phenolamides and antioxidant, and flowering-related genes in TaCTR1 overexpression transgenic lines compared with WT plants. qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of ethylene (ET) signal-related genes (ETR, EIN, ERF) and flowering-related genes (FT, PPD1, CO, PRR, PHY) were altered in TaCTR1-overexpressing wheat compared with WT plants. Metabonomics analysis showed that flavonoid contents were altered. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the results show that TaCTR1 plays a positive role in controlling flowering time by activating various signaling pathways and regulating flowering-related genes, and will provide new insights on the mechanisms of wheat flowering regulation.

Apigenin suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition in high glucose-induced retinal pigment epithelial cell by inhibiting CBP/p300-mediated histone acetylation.

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process implicated in the pathogenesis of retinal fibrosis and the exacerbation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) within retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Apigenin (AP), a potential dietary supplement for managing diabetes and its associated complications, has demonstrated inhibitory effects on EMT in various diseases. However, the specific impact and underlying mechanisms of AP on EMT in RPE cells remain poorly understood. In this study, we have successfully validated the inhibitory effects of AP on high glucose-induced EMT in ARPE-19 cells and diabetic db/db mice. Notably, our findings have identified CBP/p300 as a potential therapeutic target for EMT in RPE cells and have further substantiated that AP effectively downregulates the expression of EMT-related genes by attenuating the activity of CBP/p300, consequently reducing histone acetylation alterations within the promoter region of these genes. Taken together, our results provide novel evidence supporting the inhibitory effect of AP on EMT in RPE cells, and highlight the potential of specifically targeting CBP/p300 as a strategy for inhibiting retinal fibrosis in the context of DR.

The prognostic and immunological role of MCM3 in pan-cancer and validation of prognosis in a clinical lower-grade glioma cohort.

Background: Previous studies have shown that MCM3 plays a key role in initiating DNA replication. However, the mechanism of MCM3 function in most cancers is still unknown. The aim of our study was to explore the expression, prognostic role, and immunological characteristics of MCM3 across cancers. Methods: We explored the expression pattern of MCM3 across cancers. We subsequently explored the prognostic value of MCM3 expression by using univariate Cox regression analysis. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlations between MCM3 and immune-related characteristics, mismatching repair (MMR) signatures, RNA modulator genes, cancer stemness, programmed cell death (PCD) gene expression, tumour mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and neoantigen levels. The role of MCM3 in predicting the response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy was further evaluated in four immunotherapy cohorts. Single-cell data from CancerSEA were analysed to assess the biological functions associated with MCM3 in 14 cancers. The clinical correlation and independent prognostic significance of MCM3 were further analysed in the TCGA and CGGA lower-grade glioma (LGG) cohorts, and a prognostic nomogram was constructed. Immunohistochemistry in a clinical cohort was utilized to validate the prognostic utility of MCM3 expression in LGG. Results: MCM3 expression was upregulated in most tumours and strongly associated with patient outcomes in many cancers. Correlation analyses demonstrated that MCM3 expression was closely linked to immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, MMR genes, RNA modulator genes, cancer stemness, PCD genes and the TMB in most tumours. There was an obvious difference in outcomes between patients with high MCM3 expression and those with low MCM3 expression in the 4 ICB treatment cohorts. Single-cell analysis indicated that MCM3 was mainly linked to the cell cycle, DNA damage and DNA repair. The expression of MCM3 was associated with the clinical features of LGG patients and was an independent prognostic indicator. Finally, the prognostic significance of MCM3 in LGG was validated in a clinical cohort. Conclusion: Our study suggested that MCM3 can be used as a potential prognostic marker for cancers and may be associated with tumour immunity. In addition, MCM3 is a promising predictor of immunotherapy responses.

Reversible Switching Between Microwave Absorption and EMI Shielding of VO2 Composite Foam.

Developing lightweight composite with reversible switching between microwave (MW) absorption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is promising yet remains highly challenging due to the completely inconsistent attenuation mechanism for electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Here, a lightweight vanadium dioxide/expanded polymer microsphere composites foam (VO2/EPM) is designed and fabricated with porous structures and 3D VO2 interconnection, which possesses reversible switching function between MW absorption and EMI shielding under thermal stimulation. The VO2/EPM exhibits MW absorption with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 3.25 GHz at room temperature (25 °C), while provides EMI shielding of 23.1 dB at moderately high temperature (100 °C). This reversible switching performance relies on the porous structure and tunability of electrical conductivity, complex permittivity, and impedance matching, which are substantially induced by the convertible crystal structure and electronic structure of VO2. Finite element simulation is employed to qualitatively investigate the change in interaction between EM waves and VO2/EPM before and after the phase transition. Moreover, the application of VO2/EPM is demonstrated with a reversible switching function in controlling wireless transmission on/off, showcasing its excellent cycling stability. This kind of smart material with a reversible switching function shows great potential in next-generation electronic devices.

Enhancement of Upconversion Luminescence through Three-Dimensional Design of Plasma Ti3O5-Coupled Structural Domain-Limiting Effects.

Upconversion luminescence plays a crucial role in various technological applications, and among the various valence states of lanthanide elements, Ln3+ has the highest stability. The 4f orbitals of these elements are in a fully empty, semifull, or full state. This special 4f electron configuration allows them to exhibit rich discrete energy levels. However, the 4f-4f transition of Ln3+ rare earth ions itself is prohibited, resulting in a lower luminescence efficiency. This limitation greatly hinders the practical application of upconversion luminescence. In this study, we report nanostructured luminescence-enhanced substrate platforms with both semiconductive local surface plasmons and spatially confined domain effects on a single defect semiconductor substrate. By coupling NaYF4:Yb-Er nanoparticle emitters to the surface of Ti3O5 NC-arrays plasmonic nanostructures, an ultrabright luminescence with a 32-fold increase in green emission and a 40-fold increase in red emission was achieved. Furthermore, the fluorescence resonance energy transfer characteristics observed in the R6G/NaYF4/Ti3O5 NC-array composite film enable accurate detection of fluorescent molecules. The results provide an innovative and intelligent approach to enhance the upconversion luminescence intensity of rare-doped nanoparticles and develop highly sensitive molecular detection systems based on the above luminescence enhancement.

The effects of IL-27 and IL-35 gene variation and expression levels on the susceptibility and clinical manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Inflammatory cytokines have crucial roles in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB), and interleukin (IL)-27 and IL-35 have a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effect on many diseases, including infectious diseases. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between IL-27 and IL-35 gene polymorphism, expression levels, and pulmonary TB (PTB) susceptibility. Nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-27 gene (rs181206, rs153109, and rs17855750) and the IL-35 gene (rs4740, rs428253, rs9807813, rs2243123, rs2243135, and rs568408) were genotyped by the SNPscan technique in 497 patients with PTB and 501 controls. There was no significant difference regarding the genotype and allele frequencies of the above SNPs in the IL-27 and IL-35 genes between patients with PTB and controls. Haplotype analysis showed that the frequency of the GAC haplotype in the IL-35 gene was significantly decreased in patients with PTB when compared to controls (p = 0.036). Stratified analysis suggested that the frequency of the IL-27 rs17855750 GG genotype was significantly increased in patients with PTB with fever. Moreover, the lower frequency of the IL-35 rs568408 GA genotype was associated with drug-induced liver injury in patients with PTB. The IL-35 rs428253 GC genotype, as well as the rs4740 AA genotype and A allele, showed significant relationships with hypoproteinemia in patients with PTB. When compared with controls, the IL-27 level was significantly increased in patients with PTB. Taken together, IL-35 gene variation might contribute to a protective role on the susceptibility to PTB, and IL-27 and IL-35 gene polymorphisms were associated with several clinical manifestations of patients with PTB.

High internal phase double emulsions stabilized by modified pea protein-alginate complexes: Application for co-encapsulation of riboflavin and ß-carotene.

The application of many hydrophilic and hydrophobic nutraceuticals is limited by their poor solubility, chemical stability, and/or bioaccessibility. In this study, a novel Pickering high internal phase double emulsion co-stabilized by modified pea protein isolate (PPI) and sodium alginate (SA) was developed for the co-encapsulation of model hydrophilic (riboflavin) and hydrophobic (ß-carotene) nutraceuticals. Initially, the effect of emulsifier type in the external water phase on emulsion formation and stability was examined, including commercial PPI (C-PPI), C-PPI-SA complex, homogenized and ultrasonicated PPI (HU-PPI), and HU-PPI-SA complex. The encapsulation and protective effects of these double emulsions on hydrophilic riboflavin and hydrophobic ß-carotene were then evaluated. The results demonstrated that the thermal and storage stabilities of the double emulsion formulated from HU-PPI-SA were high, which was attributed to the formation of a thick biopolymer coating around the oil droplets, as well as thickening of the aqueous phase. Encapsulation significantly improved the photostability of the two nutraceuticals. The double emulsion formulated from HU-PPI-SA significantly improved the in vitro bioaccessibility of ß-carotene, which was mainly attributed to inhibition of its chemical degradation under simulated acidic gastric conditions. The novel delivery system may therefore be used for the development of functional foods containing multiple nutraceuticals.

A phosphate transporter in VIPergic neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus gates locomotor activity during the light/dark transition in mice.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) encodes time of day through changes in daily firing; however, the molecular mechanisms by which the SCN times behavior are not fully understood. To identify factors that could encode day/night differences in activity, we combine patch-clamp recordings and single-cell sequencing of individual SCN neurons in mice. We identify PiT2, a phosphate transporter, as being upregulated in a population of Vip+Nms+ SCN neurons at night. Although nocturnal and typically showing a peak of activity at lights off, mice lacking PiT2 (PiT2-/-) do not reach the activity level seen in wild-type mice during the light/dark transition. PiT2 loss leads to increased SCN neuronal firing and broad changes in SCN protein phosphorylation. PiT2-/- mice display a deficit in seasonal entrainment when moving from a simulated short summer to longer winter nights. This suggests that PiT2 is responsible for timing activity and is a driver of SCN plasticity allowing seasonal entrainment.

Operation Procedure and Precautions of Lingnan Fire-Needle Therapy in Osteoporosis Model Rats.

Compared to filiform needle therapy, fire-needle therapy has both the stimulation of needles and the warming effect of heat, making it have unexpected effects on some chronic diseases and incurable diseases. Osteoporosis (OP) has a high incidence in postmenopausal women and middle-aged and elderly men, and the treatment cycle is long. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Lingnan fire-needle therapy has shown potential in treating osteoporosis. However, there is still a long way to go before it can be widely used. This article focuses on the application of Lingnan fire-needle therapy in the intervention of OP in rats. It covers the selection of needle tools, acupuncture point selection, positioning of rats' bodies, and fixation methods. We also outline the steps and precautions to be taken during and after needling with fire needles. The experiment was done with three groups: a normal group, a model group, and a fire-needle group, each containing 10 rats. The rats in the fire-needle group were treated with fire-needle intervention for six sessions. After the intervention period, we collected femoral specimens and performed micro-CT scans. The results suggest that fire needling can enhance bone morphology and mineral density in OP rats. This information can serve as a methodological basis for conducting basic research on fire-needle therapy.

High-Pressure Polymorphism in Silver Ferrite Delafossite, AgFeO2.

The delafossites are a class of layered metal oxides that are notable for being able to exhibit optical transparency alongside an in-plane electrical conductivity, making them promising platforms for the development of transparent conductive oxides. Pressure-induced polymorphism offers a direct method for altering the electrical and optical properties in this class, and although the copper delafossites have been studied extensively under pressure, the silver delafossites remain only partially studied. We report two new high-pressure polymorphs of silver ferrite delafossite, AgFeO2, that are stabilized above ∼6 and ∼14 GPa. In situ X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy measurements are used to examine the structural changes across the two phase transitions. The high-pressure structure between 6 and 14 GPa is assigned as a monoclinic C2/c structure that is analogous to the high-pressure phase reported for AgGaO2. Nuclear resonant forward scattering reveals no change in the spin state or valence state at the Fe3+ site up to 15.3(5) GPa.

Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Extracellular Vesicles on Inhibition of Hepatic Fibrosis by Delivering miR-200a.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a common pathological feature of chronic hepatic diseases. We aimed to illuminate the significance of amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (AMSCs-EVs) in HF. METHODS: Human AMSCs-EVs were isolated and identified. HF mice were constructed and treated with EVs. The fibrosis was observed by staining experiments and Western blot (WB) assay. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), and hepatic hydroxyproline (Hyp) were detected to confirm liver function. For the in vitro experiments, human hepatic stellate cells were induced with transforming growth factor-ß and treated with EVs. To measure the degree of HF, the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Collagen I was detected by WB assay, and cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit 8 assay. The levels of miR-200a, Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), and phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 3 (PIK3R3) were detected by WB and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The binding of ZEB1 to PIK3R3 and miR-200a to ZEB1 was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase assays to validate their relationships. RESULTS: Human AMSCs and AMSCs-EVs were obtained. Serum ALT, AST, TBIL, and hepatic Hyp were increased, implying the fibrosis degree was aggravated in HF mice, which was decreased again after EV treatment. EVs inhibited HF degree by reducing α-SMA and Collagen I and promoting cell proliferation. AMSCs-EVs delivered miR-200a into hepatocytes, which up-regulated miR-200a expression, inhibited ZEB1 expression, and reduced its enrichment on the PIK3R3 promoter, therefore inhibiting PIK3R3 expression and alleviating HF. Overexpression of ZEB1 or PIK3R3 attenuated the anti-fibrotic effect of AMSCs-EVs. CONCLUSION: Human AMSCs-derived EVs mediated miR-200a delivery and inhibition of intracellular ZEB1/PIK3R3 axis to exert anti-fibrosis effects.