Titanium Dioxide and Calcium Sulfate Whiskers Are Used for the Preparation of High Performance Polypropylene and Reduce White Pollution.

The anti-aging agent TiO2-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and the mechanical strengthening agent CSW-PAN were prepared by radical polymerization using rutile nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2) and anhydrous calcium sulfate whisker (CSW) as raw materials. The structures of TiO2-PAN and CSW-PAN were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Simultaneously, the mechanical properties, aging properties, and thermal stability of TiO2-PAN/CSW-PAN/polypropylene (PP) composites were studied, and the results showed that the surfaces of nano-titanium dioxide and calcium sulfate whiskers were successfully grafted with acrylonitrile. Owing to the introduction of new elements, such as acrylonitrile, nano-titanium dioxide and calcium sulfate whiskers have anti-aging properties. In comparison of the impact strength and tensile strength of TiO2-PAN/PP and TiO2-PAN/CSW-PAN/PP before aging, it can be proven that adding CSW-PAN can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of TiO2-PAN/CSW-PAN/PP. After 1000 h of aging, the tensile strength of the ternary composite TiO2-PAN/CSW-PAN/PP was 19.88 MPa when the addition amount of TiO2-PAN and CSW-PAN was 3%. Moreover, the impact strength of the ternary composite material TiO2-PAN/CSW-PAN/PP after 1000 h of aging is even better than that of non-aging pure PP materials, proving that the service life of improved PP products is extended, unnecessary waste and environmental pollution can be relieved, and the needs of specific engineering fields can be met.

Establishment of a neutralization assay for Nipah virus using a high-titer pseudovirus system.

OBJECTIVE: To construct a high-titer Nipah pseudovirus packaging system using the HIV lentivirus backbone vector and establish a safe neutralization assay for Nipah pseudovirus in biosafety level 2 facilities. METHODS: Nipah virus (NiV) fusion protein (F) and glycoprotein (G) recombinant expression plasmids, psPAX2, and pLenti CMV Puro LUC (w168-1) were transiently transfected into 293T cells for 72 h for the generation of a NiV pseudovirus. The neutralization ability of Nipah virus F and G protein antibodies was assessed using the pseudovirus. RESULTS: A NiV pseudovirus was constructed using 293T cells. The ideal mass ratio of plasmid psPAX2: w168-1: F: G for transfection was determined to be 4:4:1:1. The specificity of recombinant F and G protein expression was indicated by indirect immunofluorescence and western blotting. The pseudovirus particles showed obvious spikes under a transmission electron microscope. The NiV pseudovirus titer was 4.73 × 105 median tissue culture infective dose per mL, and the pseudovirus could be effectively neutralized by polyclonal antibodies specifically targeting the F and G proteins respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A NiV pseudovirus was successfully generated using HIV vector systems, and was used as a platform for a safe and reliable pseudovirus-based neutralizing assay that can be performed in biosafety level 2 facilities.

Polymer Carbon Nanodots: A Novel Electrochemiluminophore for Dual Mode Detection of Ferric Ions.

The development of simple and effective dual-mode analytical methods plays crucial regulatory roles in the discrimination of relevant target species, because of their built-in cross reference correction and high accuracy. In this work, a novel polymer carbon nanodots (PCNDs) prepared from a facile one-pot hydrothermal procedure using readily available l-tryptophan and l-phenylalanine as precursors, showed excellent aqueous solubility and blue fluorescence property with a high quantum yield of 29%. Moreover, the PCNDs was demonstrated to be a robust luminophore with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency of 43% was achieved by using K2S2O8 as a coreactant. The spooling ECL spectroscopy was employed to take insight into excited states responsible for the potential-dependent ECL emissions. Most importantly, when introduced into construction of the fluorescence and ECL dual mode sensing platform, for the first time, the PCNDs displayed prominent performance for the detection of ferric ions (Fe3+). The ferric ions could be quantified ranging from micromolar to millimolar with a detection limit of 0.22 and 5.3 µM, respectively. Such a dual-functional sensing platform also exhibits excellent selectivity, reproducibility and stability. Results from this work indicate that PCNDs showing great promise as a bright luminophore for the fabrication of low-cost, high-performance dual-signal readout platforms for ferric ions determination.

Near-Infrared Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence from Simple Copper Nanoclusters for Sensitive Alpha-Fetoprotein Sensing.

Exploiting low cost, water-soluble, and near-infrared (NIR) emissive electrochemiluminophores (ECLphores) is significantly important for biological applications. In this study, bright and NIR electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) emissive copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) were synthesized through a facile one-pot wet chemical reduction method. ECL properties of obtained Cu NCs were examined in the presence of potassium persulfate, resulting in maximum intensity at 735 nm, at least 135 nm red-shifted with respect to all other Cu NCs. Electrochemistry, photoluminescence (PL), and spooling ECL spectroscopies were used to track NIR ECL emission of Cu NCs ascribed to the monomeric excited states. Due to the abundant binding sites of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to anchor target biomolecules, a sandwich-type ECL immunosensor was thus fabricated using such BSA-templated Cu NCs as tags and alpha fetoprotein antigen (AFP) as a model protein for the first time. Without assisting any signal amplification strategies, the proposed NIR ECL biosensor exhibited a wide linear range (1-400 ng mL-1) and low detection limit (0.02 ng mL-1) as well as superior selectivity and reproducibility and was successfully applied in real human serum sample determination. This work sets the stage for the development of novel non-noble metal nanoclusters for large-scale and emerging nanotechnology applications.

Comprehensive virome analysis of the viral spectrum in paediatric patients diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Among hospitalized children suffering from community-acquired pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the most common pathogens. MP often exists as a co-infection with bacteria or viruses, which can exacerbate the clinical symptoms. We investigated the pathogen spectrum in MP-positive and MP-negative samples from hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections in Beijing, China. METHOD: This study included 1038 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates obtained between April, 2017 and March, 2018 from hospitalized children under 6 years of age with respiratory tract infections. To explore the impact of MP infection on the composition of the pathogen spectrum, 185 nasopharyngeal aspirates (83 MP-positive/102 MP-negative) were randomly selected for next-generation sequencing and comprehensive metagenomics analysis. Real-time PCR was used to detect and verify common respiratory viruses. RESULTS: Of the 1038 samples, 454 (43.7%) were infected with MP. In children < 6 years of age, the MP infection rate gradually increased with age, with the highest rate of 74.2% in 5-6-year-olds. The results of metagenomics analysis revealed 11 human, animal and plant virus families, and bacteriophages, including common respiratory viruses, enteroviruses and anelloviruses. The virus family with the highest number of reads in both MP-positive and MP-negative samples was the Pneumoviridae, and the number of reads for human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in MP-positive samples was higher than that in MP-negative samples. Among the 83 MP-positive samples, 47 (56.63%) were co-infected with viruses, the most common of which was influenza virus (IFV). The durations of hospitalization and fever were higher in patients with MP co-infection than MP single infection, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The viral family with the highest number of reads in both groups was Pneumoviridae, and the number of reads matched to HRSV in MP-positive samples was much higher than MP-negative samples. Co-infection of MP and IFV infection were the most cases.

Research on Stray-Light Suppression Method for Large Off-Axis Three-Mirror Anastigmatic Space Camera.

The stray-light suppression of a large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera has been a hot topic, and this study proposes a composite stray-light suppression strategy that effectively suppresses stray light using the combination of a baffle, retaining ring, and internal antistray light measures. Additionally, the light barrier of the third mirror with a three-layered structure was designed to further optimize the composite stray-light suppression system. At the stray-light simulation analysis stage, in view of the limitations of the Torrance-Sparrow scattering analysis model, an analysis model with wide adaptability is proposed, which can be applied to the stray-light simulation analysis of large-size mirrors with rough surfaces. The simulation results indicate that the point source transmittance of the composite stray-light suppression strategy proposed in this paper is of the order of 10-5 before installing the light barrier of the third mirror, and the veiling glare index of the full field of view is less than 5.8%. After installing the light barrier of the third mirror, the point source transmittance reached the order of 10-8, and the veiling glare index of the full field of view was less than 1.31%. Moreover, the influence of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function of the system was less than 2.3%. The modulation transfer function test of the large-width off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera in a simulated vacuum on-orbit environment was completed, and the test results indicated that the negative impact of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function was less than 3.6%. Moreover, an out-of-field imaging test of the space camera was conducted and the results showed that the image was clear, and the SNR reached 80 dB. The simulation and experimental results prove that the solution in this study can effectively solve the problem of stray-light suppression for large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space cameras.

Preparation of high-performance anti-aging polypropylene by modified nano-TiO2 and calcium sulfate whisker grafted acrylonitrile composite PP.

By employing the radical polymerization method, acrylonitrile (AN) was grafted on the surface of nano titanium dioxide (TiO2), and the calcium sulfate whisker (CSW) was modified using the coupling agent KH570 to provide ultraviolet (UV)-absorption capacity. The prepared TiO2-PAN and CSW-PAN materials can improve the anti-aging performance and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) and meet the application requirements of high-performance polypropylene. Further, the obtained PP composites show prolonged service life and application scope, which can effectively reduce white waste and avoid both resource waste and environmental pollution.

KIF26B and CREB3L1 Derived from Immunoscore Could Inhibit the Progression of Ovarian Cancer.

Background: Ovarian cancer (OV) is characteristic of high incidence rate and fatality rate in the malignant tumors of female reproductive system. Researches on pathogenesis and therapeutic targets for OV need to be continued. This study mainly analyzed the immune-related pathogenesis and discovered the key immunotherapy targets for OV. Methods: WGCNA was used for excavating hub gene modules and hub genes related to the immunity of OV. Enrichment analysis was aimed to analyze the related pathways of hub gene modules. Biological experiments were used for exploring the effect of hub genes on SKOV3 cells. Results: We identified two hub gene modules related to the immunoscore of OV and found that these genes in the modules were related to the extracellular matrix and viral infections. At the same time, we also discovered six hub genes related to the immunity of OV. Among them, KIF26B and CREB3L1 can affect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SKOV3 cells by the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Conclusions: The local infection or inflammation of ovarian may affect the immunity of OV. KIF26B and CREB3L1 are expected to be potential targets for the immunotherapy of OV.

Knockdown of lncRNA MALAT1 induces pyroptosis by regulating the miR­124/SIRT1 axis in cervical cancer cells.

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role and downstream mechanism of long non­coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis­associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) in the process of cervical cancer cell pyroptosis. The effect of inhibiting lncRNA MALAT1 on cervical cancer cells was determined using primary cells isolated from patients and U14 cervical tumor­bearing nude mice. The level of lncRNA MALAT1 expression and cell viability were determined for relationship analysis. Pyroptosis was then investigated in HeLa cells with lncRNA MALAT1 knockdown or overexpression with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Bioinformatics tools were used to identify downstream factors of lncRNA MALAT1, which were subsequently verified by gain­ or loss­of­function analyses in the process of cervical cancer cell pyroptosis. It was observed that the level of lncRNA MALAT1 was markedly higher in cervical carcinoma cells compared with expression in paracarcinoma cells, and knockdown of lncRNA MALAT1 induced cervical cancer cell death through pyroptosis. By contrast, overexpression of lncRNA MALAT1 blocked LPS­induced pyroptosis. These results, combined with bioinformatics statistical tools, demonstrated that the microRNA (miR)­124/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) axis may affect the progression of cervical cancer at least partly by mediating the effect of lncRNA MALAT1 on the pyroptosis of cervical cancer cells. In conclusion, the lncRNA MALAT1/miR­124/SIRT1 regulatory axis in cervical cancer cells may mediate pyroptosis and may provide potential targets against the progression of cervical cancer.

Research Progress of Bifunctional Oxygen Reactive Electrocatalysts for Zinc-Air Batteries.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) have several advantages, including high energy density, cheap price and stable performances with good application prospects in the field of power batteries. The charging and discharging reactions for the air cathode of ZABs are the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively, which play an important role in the whole performance of ZAB. Due to the cost and limited reserves of highly active precious metal catalysts, it is crucial to design alternative efficient and stable dual-functional non-precious metal catalysts. In the present review, we present a systematic summary of the recent progress in the use of transition metal-based electrocatalysts as alternatives to precious metals for the positive poles of ZAB air. Combined with state-of-the-art in situ characterization technologies, a deep understanding of the catalytic mechanism of OER/ORR provided unique insights into the precise design of excellent synthetic non-precious metal catalysts from the perspective of atomic structure. This review further shows that the hybrid electric battery is a new strategy to improve the efficiency of the hybrid electric battery, which could be available to alleviate the problem of resource shortage. Finally, the challenges and research trends for the future development of ZABs were clearly proposed.

Human metapneumovirus in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to described the epidemiology and genotypic diversity of Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the prevalence of HMPV in hospitalized children with Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in Beijing, China. METHODS: From April 2018 to March 2019 and from September 2020 to August 2021, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from hospitalized children with ARTIs in Beijing were collected and subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction tests for HMPV. Then genotyping, detection of 15 common respiratory viruses and clinical characteristics were analyzed on HMPV positive samples. RESULTS: 7.9% (124/1572) enrolled pediatric patients were identified as having HMPV infection, and the majority of children under the age of 5 (78.2%, 92/124), From April 2018 to March 2019. The detection rate of HMPV in spring and winter is significantly higher than that in summer and autumn. The co-infection rate were 37.1% (46/124), the most common co-infected virus were parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV-3). The main diagnosis of HMPV infection was pneumonia (92.7%,115/124), most patient have cough and fever. Of 78 HMPV-positive specimens, A2b (82.1%,64/78) were the main epidemic subtypes. Hospitalized children with HMPV genotype A infection had a higher viral load compared to genotype B. During the COVID-19 outbreak, Among 232 samples, only 4 cases were HMPV-positive. After statistical test, the detection rate of HMPV during the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased significantly compared with that before the epidemic (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: HMPV is an important cause of ARTIs in children under 5 years old. The epidemic peak is generally in winter and spring, and the A2b subtype is the most common. However, under the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the HMPV infection of hospitalized children with ARTIs has decreased significantly.

Combination of Immune-Related Genomic Alterations Reveals Immune Characterization and Prediction of Different Prognostic Risks in Ovarian Cancer.

With the highest case-fatality rate among women, the molecular pathological alterations of ovarian cancer (OV) are complex, depending on the diversity of genomic alterations. Increasing evidence supports that immune infiltration in tumors is associated with prognosis. Therefore, we aim to assess infiltration in OV using multiple methods to capture genomic signatures regulating immune events to identify reliable predictions of different outcomes. A dataset of 309 ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma patients with overall survival >90 days from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was analyzed. Multiple estimations and clustering methods identified and verified two immune clusters with component differences. Functional analyses pointed out immune-related alterations underlying internal genomic variables potentially. After extracting immune genes from a public database, the LASSO Cox regression model with 10-fold cross-validation was used for selecting genes associated with overall survival rate significantly, and a risk score model was then constructed. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses among cohorts were performed systematically to evaluate prognostic efficiency among the risk score model and other clinical pathological parameters, establishing a predictive ability independently. Furthermore, this risk score model was compared among identified signatures in previous studies and applied to two external cohorts, showing better prediction performance and generalization ability, and also validated as robust in association with immune cell infiltration in bulk tissues. Besides, a transcription factor regulation network suggested upper regulatory mechanisms in OV. Our immune risk score model may provide gyneco-oncologists with predictive values for the prognosis and treatment management of patients with OV.

LncRNA MALAT1 Accelerates Cervical Carcinoma Proliferation by Suppressing miR-124 Expression in Cervical Tumor Cells.

Emerging studies have clarified the critical role of LncRNA MALAT1 in various pathological progressions. Here, we identified its positive relationship with cervical carcinoma proliferation. Cervical carcinoma has been considered as one of the most malignant tumors among female. Thus, our study was designed to investigate the underlying mechanism of LncRNA MALAT1 on cervical tumor cell proliferation. We observed that miR-124 was the potential target of LncRNA MALAT1 in cervical tumor cell lines (Hela, C-33A, Caski, and SiHa), the expression level of which is negatively correlated with LncRNA MALAT1 in cervical tumor cells, tissues of cervical patients, and mice. Gain- or loss-of-function analyses in cervical tumor cells have further verified the regulatory role of MALAT1 on miR-124. Additionally, the proliferation of cervical carcinoma was inhibited by miR-124 overexpression, whereas it was blocked by LV-MALAT1 transfection. In vivo assays, overexpression of miR-124, or knockdown of MALAT1 exhibited beneficial effects on tumor weight, size, and volume, together with elevating the survival rate, tightly related with the progression of cervical cancer. In conclusion, LncRNA MALAT1 disabled the effects of miR-124 as an inhibitory sponge, accelerating the progression of cervical carcinoma.

Identification and Analysis of Potential Autophagy-Related Biomarkers in Endometriosis by WGCNA.

Background: Endometriosis is a serious gynecological disorder characterized by debilitating pain, infertility and the establishment of innervated endometriosis lesions outside the uterus. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are pivotal in endometriosis. The work screened autophagy-related genes (ATGs) as potential biomarkers to reveal new molecular subgroups for the early diagnosis of endometriosis. Materials and Methods: The gene lists of ATGs from five databases were integrated. Then, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to map the genes to the gene profile of endometriosis samples in GSE51981 to obtain functional modules. GO and KEGG analyses were performed on the ATGs from the key modules. Differentially expressed ATGs were identified by the limma R package and further validated in the external datasets of GSE7305 and GSE135485. The DESeq2 R package was utilized to establish multifactorial network. Subsequently, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to identify new molecular subgroups. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to confirm the differential expression of hub ATGs, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were applied to assess the diagnostic value of hub ATGs in 40 clinical samples and human primary endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Results: We screened 4 key modules and 12 hub ATGs and found the key genes to be strongly correlated with endometriosis. The pathways of ATGs were mainly enriched in autophagy, apoptosis, ubiquitin-protein ligase binding, and MAPK signaling pathway. The expression levels of EZH2 (Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2) and RND3 (also known as RhoE) had statistically significant changes with higher values in the endometriosis group compared with the controls, both in the tissue samples and primary ESCs. Besides, they also showed higher specificity and sensitivity by the receiver operating characteristic analysis and Spearman correlation analysis for the diagnosis of endometriosis. The TF-mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA multifactorial network was successfully constructed. Four new molecular subgroups were identified, and we preliminarily showed the ability of IQCG to independently differentiate subgroups. Conclusion: EZH2 and RND3 could be candidate biomarkers for endometriosis, which would contribute to the early diagnosis and intervention in endometriosis.

LNC00115 Mediates Cisplatin Resistance by Regulating the miR-7/ERK Signalling Pathway in Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer has one of the highest mortality rates among all gynaecological malignancies, and increasing evidence suggests that lncRNAs are widely involved in the development of ovarian tumours. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of the LNC00115/miR-7/ERK axis in the cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: The expression of miR-7 and LNC00115 in ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues was detected by qRT-PCR. The ovarian cancer cell lines were constructed by overexpressing or knocking down the expression of LNC00115 or miR-7. CCK-8, transwell invasion, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and luciferase reporter assays were carried out to identify the targets of LNC00115 and explore its roles and mechanisms in ovarian cancer. A nude mouse model was established, and the expression of LNC00115, miR-7 and ERK was detected. The changes in the tumours and body weights of the nude mice were measured. RESULTS: LNC00115 was upregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, LNC00115 promoted the cisplatin resistance, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells. LNC00115 was shown to directly target miR-7, and miR-7 was downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. miR-7 inhibited the cisplatin resistance, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells and directly targeted ERK. ERK was overexpressed in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells and ovarian cancer tissues. In animal experiments, overexpression of LNC00115 enhanced the cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells, while miR-7 had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, LNC00115 sponged miR-7 to increase the expression of ERK, which in turn enhanced the cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: Our data clarify the mechanism by which the LNC00115/miR-7/ERK axis promotes cisplatin resistance and provide a new clinical strategy for combating cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.

Evaluation of left ventricular myocardial movement in rats by velocity vector imaging.

AIM: To use velocity vector imaging (VVI) technology to evaluate the correlation between the apical four-chamber view and short-axis myocardial movement in rats. METHODS: We used 25 10-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats to measure the myocardium peak systolic velocity (Vs; cm/s), peak diastolic velocity (Vd; cm/s), peak systolic strain (SR; %), peak systolic strain rate (SRs; 1/s), and peak diastolic strain rate (SRd; 1/s) from the apical four-chamber view of the left ventricle (LV) and the parasternal mitral valve (PMV)-level short-axis view, and to analyze the correlation between myocardial motion in corresponding views of the two sections. RESULTS: Comparing the myocardial motion between the lateral wall's basal segment in the apical four-chamber view of the LV and the lateral wall of the PMV-level short-axis view revealed that the Vd was positively correlated (r = 0.59, p<0.01), as was SRs (r = 0.68, p<0.05). Comparing the myocardial motion between the lateral wall's middle segment in the apical four-chamber view of the LV and the lateral wall of the PMV-level short-axis view demonstrated that Vd, SRs, and SRd were positively correlated (r = 0.63, 0.82, 0.79, respectively, all p<0.01). Our comparison of myocardial motion between the posterior septum's basal segment in the apical four-chamber view of the LV and the posterior septum of PMV-level short-axis view showed that Vd and SRs were positively correlated (r = 0.57, 0.68, respectively, both p<0.01). Comparing the myocardial motion between the posterior septum's middle segment in the apical four-chamber view of the LV and the posterior septum of the PMV-level short-axis view revealed that Vs, Vd, SR, and SRd were positively correlated (r = 0.89, 0.63, 0.64, 0.6, respectively, all p<0.01), and the SRs also had a significant positive correlation (r = 0.53, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: VVI technology could be a valuable tool for evaluating the myocardial walls motion of the apical four-chamber view of the rat LV.

Immune Characterization of Ovarian Cancer Reveals New Cell Subtypes With Different Prognoses, Immune Risks, and Molecular Mechanisms.

Ovarian cancer (OV) is a considerable threat to the health of women due to its complex mechanisms and atypical symptoms. Various currently available treatments fail to substantially increase the survival rate of OV patients. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is gaining attention due to its role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. This study mainly investigated the immune characteristics of OV by CIBERSORT and MCP-counter. We reclassified OV into four TME cell subtypes with different prognoses and evaluated the infiltration of the cells in each subtype. The immune risk of diverse subtypes was evaluated based on the immunoscore calculated by Cox regression analysis. The molecular mechanisms and hallmark pathways of the four subtypes were analyzed. The results indicate that the immune procancer cell subtype is associated with the worst prognosis, closely related to the high immune risk group, and characterized by low expression of checkpoints and MHC class I and II molecules, high expression of hypoxia-related genes, high enrichment of the EMT and hypoxia pathways, and low enrichment of the DNA repair and interferon α response pathways. This study contributes to the investigation of immune mechanisms and identifies more effective targets for immunotherapy of OV.

Identification and Analyzation of Differentially Expressed Transcription Factors in Endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis is interpreted as the existence of endometrium outside the uterine cavity, such as ovaries, fallopian tubes and pelvic cavity. Dysmenorrhea, abnormal menstruation, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain are the primary symptoms of endometriosis. Although there are many theories about the origin of endometriosis, the exact factor of the disease has not been confirmed. Therefore, many other mechanisms are still worth exploring. Materials and Methods: The gene lists of the transcription factors (TFs) were selected from the intersections of three databases. The limma R package was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of GSE6364 and GSE7305 and the DEGs intersected with the TFs to obtain the differentially expressed TFs (DETFs). Subsequently, one-way ANOVA and Student's t-test were used to analyze the expression of DETFs in different phases of the endometrium and the endometrium of the infertile and fertile females with endometriosis, respectively. Enrichment analysis and PPI network were performed to reveal the molecular mechanisms of endometriosis. Finally, the plotROC R package was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of hub TFs for the diagnosis of endometriosis. Results: A total of 54 DETFs were screened out in endometriosis. The expression of up-regulated DETFs was gradually increased from the early secretory to the proliferative phase of the endometrium. Most up-regulated DETFs increased expression in the endometrium of infertile females. The pathways of DETFs were mainly enriched in stem cell differentiation, transcription activity, steroid hormone receptor activity and herpes simplex virus. Two hub TFs (RUNX2 and BATF) and two sub-networks were finally acquired from the PPI network. RUNX2 and BATF also had high diagnostic value in endometriosis. Conclusion: We discovered and analyzed 54 DETFs that were closely related to endometriosis, which would contribute to explore new mechanisms of endometriosis and search for new diagnostic markers and effective therapeutic targets.