miR-199a-5p targets DUSP14 to regulate cell proliferation, invasion and stemness in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) shows the highest morbidity among malignant tumors worldwide. Despite improvements of diagnosis and treatment, patient prognosis remains unfavorable. Therefore, there is a need to discover a novel treatment strategy for NSCLC. DUSP14 is related to various cancers as the regulatory factor for cellular processes. However, its specific roles in NSCLC and the upstream modulator remain largely unclear. Methods: DUSP14 expression patterns within the lung cancer patient cohort from TCGA database were analyzed using UALCAN online tool. Different databases including miRDB, starbase, and Targetscan were employed to screen the upstream regulator of DUSP14. DUSP14 and miR-199a-5p expression was determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot techniques. To confirm binding interaction of DUSP14 with miR-199a-5p, we conducted a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability, migration, and stemness properties were assessed using CCK-8, EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) incorporation, transwell invasion, and sphere formation assays. The effect of DUSP14 silencing on tumorigenesis was assessed with the NSCLC cell xenograft mouse model. Results: Our study discovered that DUSP14 exhibited high expression within NSCLC tumor samples, which is related to the dismal prognostic outcome in NSCLC patients. Silencing DUSP14 impaired NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and tumor sphere formation. Besides, we identified miR-199a-5p as the upstream regulatory factor for DUSP14, and its expression was negatively related to DUSP14 level within NSCLC tissues. Introducing miR-199a-5p recapitulated the function of DUSP14 silencing in NSCLC cell aggressiveness and stemness. Moreover, knocking down DUSP14 efficiently inhibited tumor formation in NSCLC cells of the xenograft model. Conclusions: Our study suggests that DUSP14 is negatively regulated by miR-199a-5p within NSCLC, whose overexpression is required for sustaining NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion and stemness.

Host relationships and biological notes of Cassidinae beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou, China.

The faunal composition, host relationships and biological information of the subfamily Cassidinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) remain poorly known in many Chinese regions. Based on the seven-year field survey, faunal composition and host associations of Cassidinae beetles were systematically compiled for Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. In particular, through direct field observations, detailed biological information, such as life history and behavioural features and host plants were first recorded for 56 species of Cassidinae beetles. We have tripled the number of Cassidinae species in Qiannan. Sixty-nine species of Cassidinae beetles belonging to 17 genera and eight tribes were identified, of which 38 species are newly recorded in Guizhou and 56 are newly recorded in Qiannan. The tribes Leptispini and Notosacanthini were newly recorded in Guizhou. The genera Thlaspidosoma Spaeth, Downesia Baly, Klitispa Uhmann, Platypria Guérin-Méneville, Leptispa Baly and Notosacantha Chevrolat were recorded in Guizhou for the first time. A total of 61 species, 37 genera and 17 families of host plants were collected. Lardizabalaceae and Araliaceae were new host plant families for Cassidinae worldwide. Quantitative food web analysis indicated that Cassidinae species in Qiannan mainly feed on Poaceae, Rosaceae, Convolvulaceae and Lamiaceae. Callispini and Leptispini only feed on monocots, Aspidimorphini, Basiprionotini, Cassidini and Notosacanthini only feed on dicots, while Hispini feed on both monocots and dicots. The feeding patterns and corresponding damage marks of Cassidinae were quite diverse. In addition, the pupal mine-making behaviour of Dactylispaexcisa (Kraatz, 1879), D.similis Chen et T'an, 1985 and D.uhmanni Gressitt, 1950 are worth further study. Although preliminary, our field survey is an essential step in understanding Cassidinae behaviour and Cassidinae-plant interactions.

Full-thickness skin regeneration beneath the exposed titanium mesh in cranioplasty: Two cases report.

RATIONALE: Titanium mesh is one of the most widely used implant materials applied in cranioplasty; however, it has been reported to encounter the risk of progressive scalp thinning and implant exposure over time. Here we present 2 cases of exposed titanium mesh (TM) and unusual phenomena of full-thickness skin regeneration beneath the mesh. PATIENT CONCERNS: Two patients, 1 with an 8-year and 1 with a 2-year history of implant exposure after cranial TM implantation. DIAGNOSES: The patients were diagnosed with scalp ulcers and cranial TM exposure. INTERVENTION: The exposed part of the implant was removed, and the full-thickness skin beneath the mesh was directly used as functional soft tissue coverage to repair the scalp defect. OUTCOMES: Full recovery for both patients with cosmetic satisfaction. LESSONS: Though the exact mechanism of this epithelisation phenomenon beneath the TM remains to be elucidated, it provided a feasible choice for clinicians to reconstruct the scalp's integrity without exerting complicated procedures when dealing with similar cases.

Field survey of Cassidinae beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) and their host plants in southern Guangxi, China.

Few systematic studies have been conducted on the faunal composition and food web structure of Cassidinae of China. During 2013-2019, we systematically investigated Cassidinae beetles and their host plants in the southern Guangxi. A total of 2,255 Cassidinae individuals from 66 species, 23 genera and ten tribes were collected in southern Guangxi. Most species belonged to the tribe Hispini (23 species, 34.8%), followed by the tribe Gonophorini (13 species, 19.7%), Cassidini (eight species, 12.1%) and Aspidimorphini (six species, 9.1%). The others (16 species) belonged to the tribes Anisoderini, Botryonopini, Callispini, Oncocephalini, Notosacanthini and Leptispini. The tribe Notosacanthini was recorded from Guangxi for the first time. The genera Neownesia (Botryonopini), Gonophora (Gonophorini), Micrispa (Gonophorini), Notosacantha (Notosacanthini) and Prionispa (Oncocephalini) were firstly recorded in Guangxi. In total, we obtained 47 newly-recorded species in southern Guangxi and 33 newly-recorded species in the whole Guangxi, of which, Callispafrontalis Medvedev, 1992 was newly recorded in China. Dactylispafeae Gestro (625 individuals) and D.chinensis Weise (565 individuals) were the most common species. A total of 69 species, 53 genera and 19 families of host plants were identified for Cassidinae in southern Guangxi. Many host plant associations are new records for Cassidinae. Quantitative food web analysis indicated that Cassidinae species in southern Guangxi primarily fed on Poaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae and Rosaceae. Generally, the plant-Cassidinae food webs were moderately complex and stable in southern Guangxi. This is the first large contribution to the knowledge of the species composition and host plant diversity of Cassidinae in southern Guangxi.

Polymeric ionic liquid with carboxyl anchored on mesoporous silica for efficient fixation of carbon dioxide.

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) has drawn much attention because of the increasing serious environmental problems. In order to promote the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 to epoxides, a new synthesis strategy for friendly nonmetal catalyst to combine polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) with mesoporous silica (mSiO2) was proposed. By thorough characterizations, those catalysts (mSiO2-PIL-n, n = 1, 2, 3, 4) were verified that PIL with multiply catalytic active sites such as carboxyl group, imidazole ring and Br-, was mainly anchored in mesoporous SiO2 structures. Therefore, mSiO2-PIL-n exhibited excellent catalytic activity for CO2 cycloaddition reaction to epoxides under solventless and cocatalyst-free conditions. Typically, the appropriate PIL loading and specific surface area guaranteed mSiO2-PIL-2 could efficiently catalyze the cycloaddition reaction with 96% yield and 99% selectivity to the target product of propylene carbonate under the conditions of 120 °C, 2 MPa and 6 h. Additionally, the mSiO2-PIL-2 catalyst showed superior recyclability and there was no catalytic activity decrease for 10 runs of recycling due to the tightly anchored PIL on mesoporous SiO2 by copolymerization. And the catalytic activity to other substituted epoxides over mSiO2-PIL-2 was also expanded. Therefore, PIL anchored on mesoporous SiO2 by copolymerization could be a promising synthetic strategy for the efficient catalyst to combine multiple active components in a single catalyst, meanwhile, mSiO2-PIL-n exhibited an appealing catalyst candidate for the effective fixation and utilization of CO2.

Experimental and theoretical investigation for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides catalyzed by potassium and boron co-doped carbon nitride.

Much endeavor has been devoted to efficient heterogeneous catalysts for carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion to high-value chemicals. Meanwhile, the cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides is considered as a green and atom-economy reaction to produce cyclic carbonates. Herein, a series of K, B co-doped CN with various doping contents (K, B-CN-X) were developed by simple one-step calcination of melamine and KBH4. B was confirmed to replace the C site and KN bond was formed, which was verified by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and DFT (density functional theory) calculation. Particularly, K, B-CN-4 displayed the optimal catalytic performance in the presence of Bu4NBr (tetrabutylammonium bromide) cocatalyst for the CO2 cycloaddition with propylene oxide. Besides, K, B-CN-4/Bu4NBr catalyst exhibited good substrate versatility to various epoxides and excellent recycling performance. According to the DFT calculation on CO2 adsorption and experimental results, K, B-CN-4 presented satisfactory catalytic activity due to the enhanced CO2 adsorption after K and B dopings then the possible reaction mechanism was proposed. The promising K, B-CN-X catalyst presented an attractive application due to the simple, eco-friendly synthesis route for the efficient fixation of CO2.

[Effects of cardioplegia with tetrodotoxin on intracellular sodium overload of ischemia/reperfusion cardiomyocytes].

AIM: To investigate the effects of polarizing cardioplegia solution with sodium channel inhibitor tetrodotoxin (TTX) on intracellular free Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in isolated cardiomyocytes of rat. METHODS: Ventricular myocytes with beating were isolated from adult rat hearts by enzymatic dissociation, randomly created in group base, group STH2 (contrast group of ischemia/reperfusion) and group TFX (treated group). Both Group STH2 and group TTX were arrested by St. Thomas No. 2 cardioplegia solution and TTX cardioplegia solution respectively, the arrest/re-beating cell model imitating MIRI being established, and imaged by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) for measuring [Na+]i of cardiomyocytes in different period. The morphology of cardiomyocytes was observed under the inverted microscope. RESULTS: [Na+]i of cardiomyocytes in both group TTX and group STH2 after re-beating was higher than that in group base (P < 0.01), and [Na+]i in group TTX was lower than that in group STH2 (P < 0.01). During arrest, the elevation of [Na+]i in group TTX was lower than that in group STH2. During arrest, the elevation of [Na+]i in group TTX was lower than that in group STH2. Morphologically, after re-beating, the ratio of active cardiomyocytes with normal form in group TTX was higher than that in group STH2 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Contrast depolarized cardioplegia solution, TTX cardioplegia solution could alleviate ischemia reperfusion injury and intracellular Na+ overload of cardiomyocytes.

[Protective effects of polarizing cardioplegia with Na(+) channel inhibitor in ex vivo rat heart preservation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of polarizing cardioplegia with Na(+) channel inhibitor tetrodotoxin (TTX) in ex vivo rat heart preservation. METHODS: Using a Langendorff preparation, Wistar rat hearts were arrested and preserved with St. Thomas (STH) solution (n=10) or with polarizing cardioplegia (TTX, n=10) for 7 h in hypothermic storage (10 degrees Celsius). All the hearts then underwent 30 min of reperfusion. Pre-ischemia and post-ischemia indexes of the rat hearts were determined, including the hemodynamic parameters, myocardial enzymology, ATP content and ultrastructural changes. RESULTS: The recovery of hemodynamic parameters of the hearts in TTX group were better than those in STH group (P<0.01). In comparison with STH group, the leakage of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in TTX group was significantly lower (P<0.05) and ATP level maintained a relative high level with better protected myocardial ultrastructure. CONCLUSION: TTX polarizing cardioplegia provides more effective long-term hypothermic preservation of isolated rat hearts than STH.