Hsa_circ_0014606 Derived from Exosomes Promotes Gastric Carcinoma Tumorigenesis and Proliferation by Sponging miR-514b-3p to Upregulate HNRNPC.

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor, and due to its insidious onset and limited screening methods, most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease and have a poor prognosis. The circRNA in exosomes has an essential role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, the part of hsa_circ_0014606 within exosomes in gastric cancer progression is unclear. Firstly, we extracted exosomes from the serum of gastric cancer patients and healthy individuals by ultracentrifugation and analyzed the expression of hsa_circ_0014606 in both exosomes; then knocked down hsa_circ_0014606 in vivo and in vitro, respectively, to observe its effect on the physiological function of gastric cancer cells; finally, we used bioinformatics to screen hsa_circ_0014606 targeting miRNAs and mRNAs, and experiments were performed to verify the interrelationship between the three. The results showed that the level of hsa_circ_0014606 in the serum exosomes of gastric cancer patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy population. The knockdown of hsa_circ_0014606 slowed the proliferation of gastric cancer cells, significantly reduced migration and invasion ability, accelerated apoptosis, and reduced tumor size in mice. In addition, the expression of hsa_circ_0014606 was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-514b-3p and positively correlated with the expression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC). In conclusion, hsa_circ_0014606 exerted a pro-cancer effect indirectly through miR-514b-3p targeting gene HNRNPC, and this study provides a new potential target for treating gastric cancer.

Residue analysis and dietary risk assessment of abamectin in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria.

To clarify the residue behavior and possible dietary risk of abamectin in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria, a method was developed for the simultaneous determination of abamectin residues in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The mean recovery of abamectin in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria was 86.48%-107.80%, and the relative standard deviation was 2.07%-10.12%. The detection rates of abamectin residues in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria were 62.50%, 87.50%, and 80.00%, respectively. The residues of abamectin in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria were not more than 0.020, 0.019, and 0.087 mg/kg, respectively. Based on these results, dietary risk assessment showed that the risk content of abamectin residues in long- and short-term dietary exposure for Chinese consumers was 61.57% and 0.41%-1.11%, respectively, indicating that abamectin in fresh corn, bitter melon, and Fritillaria in the market would not pose a significant risk to consumers.

Impacts of Enteral Nutrition Support Based on Multiform Internet Education Mode on Perioperative Nutritional Indexes and Quality of Life of Patients with Gastric Cancer.

Objective: To analyze the application of enteral nutrition support in perioperative gastric cancer patients based on multiform Internet education mode, and to explore the effects of this mode on nutritional indexes such as body weight, total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), prealbumin (PA) and hemoglobin (Hb), and quality of life after intervention. Methods: The data of 80 patients with gastric cancer admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The sample size was determined based on power calculations. According to different clinical intervention modes, they were divided into a control group and an experimental group, with 40 patients in each group. The control group was given routine education mode, and the experimental group was given multiform Internet education mode (This model is based on the hospital diagnosis and treatment platform, and draws up health tweets in the form of video and audio with the help of the data advantages.). After the intervention, the nutrition knowledge scores (psychological health knowledge, treatment and nursing compliance, enteral nutrition support knowledge, and enteral nutrition operation), levels of nutritional indexes (body weight, TP, ALB, PA, and Hb), and the quality of life scores of the two groups were compared. Results: The nutrition knowledge score, nutritional indexes and quality of life scores of the experimental group after intervention were significantly superior than those of the control group (all P = .000). Conclusion: The enteral nutrition support based on a multiform Internet education mode can improve the nutritional knowledge level of patients with gastric cancer, reduce the negative emotions, improve the compliance of nutrition support, supply sufficient nutrition support to the body, alleviate the high metabolic state caused by perioperative stress, reduce the incidence of complications such as infection during perioperative period, and then improve the quality of life of patients. This study provides clinical evidence for the application of enteral nutrition support based on multiform Internet education mode in the perioperative gastric cancer patients, and improves the nutritional status of the body to a large extent.

Residue analysis and dietary risk assessment of picoxystrobin in potato (Solanum tuberosum), citrus fruit (Citrus reticulata Blanco), and Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo.

Picoxystrobin is a systemic fungicide widely used on potato, citrus fruit, and Dendrobium officinale. To provide information for the risk assessment of potato, citrus, and Dendrobium officinale, field experiments combined with QuEChERS and HPLC-MS/MS were performed to detect picoxystrobin. Picoxystrobin had good linearity (R2 > 0.99), the average recovery rate was 75 - 102%, and the relative standard deviation was 1 - 11%. Picoxystrobin was utilized as the test agent in field experiments, and samples were evaluated and analyzed at various times after the final application utilizing random sampling. The results showed that picoxystrobin residuals in potato and citrus (orange meat) were ˂ 0.01 mg kg-1, whereas those in citrus whole fruit, D. officinale (fresh), and D. officinale (dried) were < 0.05 - 0.084, 0.16 - 3.82, and 0.34 - 9.05 mg kg-1, respectively. Based on these results, both the acute risk quotient (2.77%) and chronic risk quotient (8.7%) were ˂100%, and the dietary risk assessment indicated that the intake of picoxystrobin residues in potato, citrus fruit, and D. officinale did not pose a health risk. This study can guide the reasonable use of picoxystrobin in potato, citrus fruit, and D. officinale.

Correlation between serum microRNA-122 and VEGF expression and pregnancy outcome in gestational diabetes mellitus patients.

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) seriously influences the health of mothers and babies, and there are still no effective early diagnostic markers. Therefore, our study planned to probe the correlation between serum microRNA-122 and VEGF expression and pregnancy outcome in GDM patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of the correlation between serum microRNA-122 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and pregnancy outcome in GDM patients. Sixty GDM patients admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Shijiazhuang from January 2021 to October 2022 were included in the research group (RG), and another 60 healthy pregnant women were included in the control group (CG). Serum miR-122 and VEGF levels were quantified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The value of miR-122 and VEGF in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: Serum miR-122 and VEGF levels in the RG were higher relative to the CG. The total occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the RG was higher relative to the CG (P<0.05). Serum miR-122 together with VEGF levels in the poor outcome group was higher relative to the good outcome group (P<0.05). ROC analysis revealed that miR-122 and VEGF could be used to predict adverse pregnancy outcome (P<0.0001). The area under the curve of miR-122 was 0.860, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.793-0.926, and the area under the curve of VEGF was 0.780, 95% CI =0.694-0.866. Serum levels of miR-122, VEGF were positively related with abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight infants, macrogenesis infants, and fetal development abnormalities (P<0.001). Conclusion: The higher serum miR-122 and VEGF levels in GDM patients with satisfactory blood glucose control, the greater the probability of adverse pregnancy outcome, which should be paid attention to by clinicians.

Association between adherence to Eat-Lancet diet and incidence and mortality of lung cancer: A prospective cohort study.

Previous research has shown that adhering to the Eat-Lancet diet (ELD) is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases and mortality. However, the associations between ELD and lung cancer incidence and mortality are unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a prospective cohort study involving 101,755 adults from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) trial in the USA. The ELD score was utilized to assess compliance with the ELD, with higher scores indicating greater compliance. We employed Cox regression analyses to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of ELD score with the incidence and mortality of lung cancer and its subtypes. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the robustness of our findings. In total, 1706 cases of lung cancer and 1217 lung cancer-associated deaths were recorded during the study period. Our analysis revealed that higher ELD scores were significantly associated with a reduced incidence (HRQuartile 4 vs. Quartile 1 : 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.89; ptrend = 0.001) and mortality (HRQuartile 4 vs. Quartile 1 : 0.74; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.93; ptrend = 0.005) of lung cancer in a dose-response manner (all pnonlinearity > 0.05). The reliability of these results was supported by sensitivity analyses. Notably, these associations were primarily observed in non-small-cell lung cancer. In conclusion, our findings suggest that adherence to the ELD may be associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer incidence and mortality.

Mycobacteriophage Derived Lipoarabinomannan Binding Protein for Recognizing Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria.

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) is one family of pathogens usually leading to nosocomial infections. Exploration of high-performance biological recognition agent plays a pivotal role for the development of point-of-care testing device and kit for detecting NTM. Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) is a NTM which has been frequently applied as an alternative model for highly pathogenic mycobacteria. Herein, a recombinant tail protein derived from mycobacteriophage SWU1 infecting M. smegmatis was expressed with Escherichia coli system and noted as GP89. It shows a fist-like structure according to the results of homology modeling and ab initio modeling. It is confirmed as a lipoarabinomannan (LAM) binding protein, which can recognize studied NTM genus since abundant LAM constructed with d-mannan and d-arabinan is distributed over the mycobacterial surface. Meanwhile an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-fused GP89 protein was acquired with a fusion expression technique. Then GP89 and eGFP-fused GP89 were applied to establish a sensitive and rapid method for fluorescent detection of M. smegmatis with a broad linear range of 1.0 × 102 to 1.0 × 106 CFU mL-1 and a low detection limit of 69 CFU mL-1. Rapid and reliable testing of antimicrobial susceptibility was achieved by the GP89-based fluorescent method. The present work provides a promising recognition agent for studied NTM and opens an avenue for clinical diagnosis of NTM-induced infections.

Adherence to the Paleolithic diet and Paleolithic-like lifestyle reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in the United States: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The plant-based paleolithic diet (PD) and the paleolithic-like lifestyle (PLL) may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including colorectal adenomas. These dietary and lifestyle approaches are proposed to exert their effects through mechanisms such as reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin levels. However, whether PD and PLL is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been determined. METHODS: A cohort of 74,721 individuals who participated in the PLCO study were included in this analysis. Adherence to the PD and PLL was assessed using PD and PLL scores, where higher scores indicated greater adherence. Multivariable Cox models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of CRC and its subsites (proximal colon cancer and distal CRC). Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 9.2 years, a total of 694 CRC cases were identified. Participants in the highest compared with the lowest quartiles of PD score had a lower risk of CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.95, Ptrend = 0.009) and proximal colon cancer (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.97, Ptrend = 0.02). A stronger inverse association was observed for PLL score with the risk of CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.81, Ptrend < 0.001), proximal colon (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.83, Ptrend = 0.001) and distal CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48-0.98, Ptrend = 0.03). Subgroup analyses revealed the inverse association of PD score with the risk of CRC was more pronounced in participants with BMI < 30 (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.87) than in those with BMI ≥ 30 (Q4 vs Q1: HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.68-1.67) (Pinteraction = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that adhering to the PD and PLL could be a new option to reduce CRC risk.

Association of diabetes risk reduction diet with renal cancer risk in 101,755 participants: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: There is little prospective evidence exists about whether adherence to a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) is related to a significant reduction in renal cancer risk. We sought to clarify whether adherence to DRRD was associated with a reduced risk of renal cancer in a US population. METHODS: A population-based cohort of 101,755 American adults was identified from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. A DRRD score was calculated to assess adherence to this dietary pattern, where increased scores indicated greater adherence. The relationship between DRRD score and risk of renal cancer was assessed based on the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), which were both calculated using Cox regression. Non-linear association was determined through restricted cubic spline regression. Potential effect modifiers were identified through subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Over a mean follow-up of 8.8 years, 446 renal cancers were detected. In this analysis, the fully adjusted model depicted a notable 29% reduction in the risk of renal cancer among individuals in the highest quartile of DRRD score in comparison with the lowest quartile individuals (HRQ4 vs. Q1: 0.71; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.94; Ptrend = 0.008). This association remained consistent across a series of sensitivity analyses. A non-linear inverse dose-response association between renal cancer risk with DRRD score was observed (Pnonlinearity = 0.026). Subgroup analyses showed that this favorable link was more prominent in participants with low Healthy Eating Index-2015 (Pinteraction = 0.015). Regarding the individual components of DRRD, a decrease in the risk of renal cancer was linked to increased intake of cereal fiber and whole fruit, and lower sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (all Ptrend < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that individuals adhering to DRRD are associated with a reduction in the risk of renal cancer.

Green and Low-temperature Synthesis of Carbon Dots for Simple Detection of Kaempferol.

As a common flavonols, kaempferol (Kae) has a broad market as health food and medicine for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, and anti-cancer properties. In this study, a novel convenient and simple fluorescent sensor based on carbon dots (CDs) for the detection of Kae was developed. The fluorescent CDs, with excellent photo-luminescence (PL) and up-conversion luminescence (UCPL) properties, were successfully prepared by low-temperature oil bath reaction based on ascorbic acid as carbon source at 90 °C in one pot. Under the optimal conditions, the fluorescence (FL) intensity of CDs was gradually quenched by the increasing addition of Kae with a linear relationship between F0/F and Kae concentration in a wide range from 5 µM to 100 µM with a detection limit of 0.38 µM. And this designed sensor was favourably applied for the detection of Kae in actual sample (xin-da-kang tablets). Moreover, the proposed CDs has great application prospects as a drug-sensor for detecting Kae due to its simple operation, economical and green materials, low equipment requirement, and rapid detection.

Bifunctional Hot Water Vapor Template-Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Polymeric Carbon Nitride for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

Regulating bulk polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) into nanostructured PCN has long been proven effective in enhancing its photocatalytic activity. However, simplifying the synthesis of nanostructured PCN remains a considerable challenge and has drawn widespread attention. This work reported the one-step green and sustainable synthesis of nanostructured PCN in the direct thermal polymerization of the guanidine thiocyanate precursor via the judicious introduction of hot water vapor's dual function as gas-bubble templates along with a green etching reagent. By optimizing the temperature of the water vapor and polymerization reaction time, the as-prepared nanostructured PCN exhibited a highly boosted visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. The highest H2 evolution rate achieved was 4.81mmol∙g-1∙h-1, which is over four times larger than that of the bulk PCN (1.19 mmol∙g-1∙h-1) prepared only by thermal polymerization of the guanidine thiocyanate precursor without the assistance of bifunctional hot water vapor. The enhanced photocatalytic activity might be attributed to the enlarged BET specific surface area, increased active site quantity, and highly accelerated photo-excited charge-carrier transfer and separation. Moreover, the sustainability of this environmentally friendly hot water vapor dual-function mediated method was also shown to be versatile in preparing other nanostructured PCN photocatalysts derived from other precursors such as dicyandiamide and melamine. This work is expected to provide a novel pathway for exploring the rational design of nanostructured PCN for highly efficient solar energy conversion.

Residues and Dietary Risk Assessment of Prohexadione-Ca and Uniconazole in Oryza sativa L. and Citrus reticulata Blanco by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

A simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous quantitation of prohexadione-Ca and uniconazole in the field experiment of Oryza sativa L. and Citrus reticulata Blanco was established using solid-phase extraction (SPE) with polymer anion exchange (PAX) and Florisil followed by LC-MS/MS. The method demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 > 0.999 0), trueness (recoveries between 95~105%), precision (CVs between 0.8~12%), sensitivity, and repeatability (LOQ of 0.05 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively). Residue tests were conducted in the field at 12 representative sites in China, revealing final concentrations of prohexadione-Ca and uniconazole in brown rice, rice hull, and rice straw to be below 0.05 mg/kg, while in whole citrus fruit and citrus pulp, they were below 0.01 mg/kg. These were below the maximum residue limits specified in China. The chronic dietary risks of prohexadione-Ca and uniconazole in rice crops and citrus fruits were calculated to be 0.48% and 0.91%, respectively. Our research suggests that the chronic risk associated with the daily consumption of rice crops and citrus fruit at the recommended dosage is acceptable.

Fe-N co-doped coral-like hollow carbon shell toward boosting peroxymonosulfate activation for efficient degradation of tetracycline: Singlet oxygen-dominated non-radical pathway.

Fe-N co-doped coral-like hollow carbon shell (Fe-N-CS) was synthesized via a simply impregnation-pyrolysis method. The Fe-N-CS showed an excellent ability for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS), which could degrade about 93.74% tetracycline (20 mg/L) in 12 min. The Fe-N-CS/PMS system exhibited a good anti-interference capacity of various pH, inorganic anions, HA and different water qualities. More importantly, the Fe nanoparticles were anchored uniformly in the carbon layer, effectively limiting the metal leaching. The quenching tests and electron spin resonance (ESR) manifested that non-radical singlet oxygen (1O2) was the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) for TC degradation. The mechanism study showed that Fe nanoparticles, defect and graphite N played a key role in activating PMS to produce ROS. Moreover, three probable degradation pathways were proposed by using LC-MS measurements. Generally, this work had a new insight for the synthesis of heterogeneous Fe-N-C catalysts in the advanced oxidation process based on PMS.

Peroxymonosulfate activation by Fe-N-S co-doped tremella-like carbocatalyst for degradation of bisphenol A: Synergistic effect of pyridine N, Fe-Nx, thiophene S.

Bisphenol A (BPA) has received increasing attention due to its long-term industrial application and persistence in environmental pollution. Iron-based carbon catalyst activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) shows a good prospect for effective elimination of recalcitrant contaminants in water. Herein, considering the problem about the leaching of iron ions and the optimization of heteroatoms doping, the iron, nitrogen and sulfur co-doped tremella-like carbon catalyst (Fe-NS@C) was rationally designed using very little iron, S-C3N4 and low-cost chitosan (CS) via the impregnation-calcination method. The as-prepared Fe-NS@C exhibited excellent performance for complete removal of BPA (20 mg/L) by activating PMS with the high kinetic constant (1.492 min-1) in 15 min. Besides, the Fe-NS@C/PMS system not only possessed wide pH adaptation and high resistance to environmental interference, but also maintained an excellent degradation efficiency on different pollutants. Impressively, increased S-C3N4 doping amount modulated the contents of different N species in Fe-NS@C, and the catalytic activity of Fe-NS@C-1-x was visibly enhanced with increasing S-C3N4 contents, verifying pyridine N and Fe-Nx as main active sites in the system. Meanwhile, thiophene sulfur (C-S-C) as active sites played an auxiliary role. Furthermore, quenching experiment, EPR analysis and electrochemical test proved that surface-bound radicals (·OH and SO4⋅-) and non-radical pathways worked in the BPA degradation (the former played a dominant role). Finally, possible BPA degradation route were proposed. This work provided a promising way to synthesize the novel Fe, N and S co-doping carbon catalyst for degrading organic pollutants with low metal leaching and high catalytic ability.

LINC00022 acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer progression via sponging miR-375-3p to regulate FOXF1 expression.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). It has been reported that LINC00022 is highly expressed in some typs of cancer and its overexpression indicates poor prognosis. The function of LINC00022 in CRC progression remains unclear and is mainly investigated in the present study. METHODS: LINC00022 expression in CRC tissues was analyzed by using the TNMplot software. LINC00022 expression in CRC cells was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The effects of LINC00022 on the malignant behaviors of CRC cells were detected by a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. Dual-luciferase assays were used to verify the targeting relationship between LINC00022 and miR-375-3p and between miR-375-3p and Forkhead box F1 (FOXF1), followed by the rescue experiment. RESULTS: LINC00022 was highly expressed in CRC tissues compared with paired para-carcinoma tissues (n = 41). CRC cells with LINC00022 knockdown exhibited decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities but increased apoptosis accompanied by decreased protein levels of c-Myc, cyclin D1, cleaved caspase 3, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, and MMP9. Additionally, LINC00022 downregulation in CRC cells suppressed the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as evidenced by decreased vascular endothelial growth factor A levels in LINC00022-silenced cells. The inhibitory effect of LINC00022 knockdown on tumor growth was also observed in an in vivo model. Conversely, LINC00022 overexpression showed that opposite effect. We further demonsrtaed that LINC00022 could upregulate FOXF1 expression through sponging miR-375-3p. Moreover, miR-375-3p knockdown reversed the effects of LINC00022 down-regulation. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00022 may up-regulate FOXF1 expression via competitively binding miR-375-3p, thereby promoting the development of CRC.

Tetracycline removal via adsorption and metal-free catalysis with 3D macroscopic N-doped porous carbon nanosheets: Non-radical mechanism and degradation pathway.

Recently, metal-based carbon materials have been verified to be an effective persulfate activator, but secondary pollution caused by metal leaching is inevitable. Hence, a green metal-free 3D macroscopic N-doped porous carbon nanosheets (NPCN) was synthesized successfully. The obtained NPCN showed high adsorption capacity of tetracycline (TC) and excellent persulfate (PS) activation ability, especially when calcined at 700 °C (NPCN-700). The maximum adsorption capacity of NPCN-700 was 121.51 mg/g by H-bonds interactions. Moreover, the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The large specific surface area (365.27 mg/g) and hierarchical porous structure of NPCN-700 reduced the mass transfer resistance and increased the adsorption capacity. About 96.39% of TC was removed after adding PS. The effective adsorption of the catalyst greatly shortened the time for the target organic molecules to migrate to the catalyst. Moreover, the NPCN-700 demonstrated high reusability with the TC removal rate of 80.23% after 4 cycles. Quenching experiment and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) test confirmed the non-radical mechanism dominated by 1O2. More importantly, the C = O groups, defects and Graphitic N acted as active sites to generate 1O2. Correspondingly, electrochemical measurement revealed the direct electron transfer pathway of TC degradation. Finally, multiple degradation intermediates were recognized by the LC-MS measurement and three possible degradation pathways were proposed. Overall, the prepared NPCN had excellent application prospects for removal of antibiotics due to its remarkable adsorption and catalytic degradation capabilities.

Sex differences in changes in BMI and blood pressure in Chinese school-aged children during the COVID-19 quarantine.

There may be sex differences in BMI and blood pressure levels in school-age children, especially in the face of lifestyle changes. This study aimed to explore sex differences in changes in BMI and blood pressure in Chinese school-aged children during the COVID-19 quarantine. The cohort study of 445 school-aged children examined the change of BMI and blood pressure during the five-month quarantine. Multivariable Cox regression models were created to identify potential predictors of overweight, obesity, and elevated blood pressure (EBP). During the COVID-19 quarantine, the proportion of boys with overweight and obesity increased (P = 0.036), and the proportion of both boys and girls with Pre-EBP and EBP increased (P = 0.004 in boys; P < 0.001 in girls). The multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the setting, eating chili, parents' perception of their child's size and family doting were associated with overweight, obesity, and EBP. The study showed that BMI was more likely to increase in boys, and blood pressure increased in both boys and girls during the COVID-19 quarantine.

A Knowledge-Based Cognitive Architecture Supported by Machine Learning Algorithms for Interpretable Monitoring of Large-Scale Satellite Networks.

Cyber-physical systems such as satellite telecommunications networks generate vast amounts of data and currently, very crude data processing is used to extract salient information. Only a small subset of data is used reactively by operators for troubleshooting and finding problems. Sometimes, problematic events in the network may go undetected for weeks before they are reported. This becomes even more challenging as the size of the network grows due to the continuous proliferation of Internet of Things type devices. To overcome these challenges, this research proposes a knowledge-based cognitive architecture supported by machine learning algorithms for monitoring satellite network traffic. The architecture is capable of supporting and augmenting infrastructure engineers in finding and understanding the causes of faults in network through the fusion of the results of machine learning models and rules derived from human domain experience. The system is characterised by (1) the flexibility to add new or extend existing machine learning algorithms to meet the user needs, (2) an enhanced pattern recognition and prediction through the support of machine learning algorithms and the expert knowledge on satellite infrastructure, (3) the ability to adapt to changing conditions of the satellite network, and (4) the ability to augment satellite engineers through interpretable results. An industrial real-life satellite case study is provided to demonstrate how the architecture could be used. A single blind experimental methodology was used to validate the results generated by our approach.

TFPI2 suppresses breast cancer progression through inhibiting TWIST-integrin α5 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2) participates in carcinogenesis of various tumors, and is associated with poor survival of breast cancer patients. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of TFPI2 on breast cancer progression remains to be investigated. METHODS: The expression level of TFPI2 in breast cancer tissues and cell lines was examined via qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) and immunohistochemistry. CCK8 (Cell Counting Kit-8), colony formation, wound healing or transwell assays were used to detect cell viability, proliferation, migration or invasion, respectively. In vivo subcutaneous xenotransplanted tumor model was established to detect tumorigenic function of TFPI2, and the underlying mechanism was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot. RESULTS: TFPI2 was down-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, and was associated with poor prognosis of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Over-expression of TFPI2 inhibited cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, Twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1) was negatively associated with TFPI2 in breast cancer patients, whose expression was decreased by TFPI2 over-expression or increased by TFPI2 knockdown. Moreover, TWIST1 could up-regulate integrin α5 expression. Functional assays indicated that the inhibition abilities of TFPI2 over-expression on breast cancer progression were reversed by TWIST1 over-expression. In vivo subcutaneous xenotransplanted tumor model also revealed that over-expression of TFPI2 could suppress breast tumor growth via down-regulation of TWIST1-mediated integrin α5 expression. CONCLUSIONS: TFPI2 suppressed breast cancer progression through inhibiting TWIST-integrin α5 pathway, providing a new potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Modified-FOLFIRINOX combined with deep regional hyperthermia in pancreatic cancer: a retrospective study in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy displays significant survival improvements in patients with pancreatic cancer. However, toxicities have hampered enthusiasm for the use of FOLFIRINOX in full dose. In order to increase the tolerability, many researchers focused on the modification of FOLFIRINOX. On the other hand, hyperthermia (HT) has been considered as an effective ancillary treatment for cancer therapy. Up to now, there is no report evaluating combining deep regional hyperthermia (DRHT) with modified-FOLFIRINOX for pancreatic cancer patients. METHODS: In this study, we conducted a retrospective review of pancreatic cancer patients treated with the combination of new form modified-FOLFIRINOX and DRHT (BSD2000). Patients underwent chemotherapy that included low-dose irinotecan (70-130 mg/m2), oxaliplatin (65-70 mg/m2) on day 1 and 5-FU (2400 mg/m2 as a 46 h continuous infusion, no bolus) or capecitabine (CAP) (1000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-10) or tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil potassium (TS-1) (80-120 mg/d twice daily on days 1-10), 2-week schedule. Generally, DRHT treatment was performed weekly, 45 min for each time during chemotherapy. RESULTS: The patients receiving mFOLFIRINOX as the first line chemotherapy combining with DRHT, obtained an improvement in OS and PFS, 17 months (95% CI 1.97-32.03 months) and 4 months (95% CI 0-8.29 months) respectively. Overall, this combination regimen was safe; 17.6% patients suffered from grade 3/4 toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we conducted a retrospective study combining mFOLFIRINOX and DRHT, which was well tolerated. The efficacy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer was encouraging, but further studies would be required to prove its merit, compared with conventional treatment.