Analysis of gut microbiota diversity in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients.

BACKGROUND: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease. Recent studies have found that the gut microbiota may play an important role in inducing HT, but there are no systematic studies on the changes in the gut microbiota during the development of HT. METHODS: In this study, 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology in combination with the Kruskal-Wallis test, CCA/RDA analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, and other statistical methods were used to analyze the effects of age, gender, hormones, and other environmental factors on gut microbiota by comparing the differences in the microbiota at different stages of HT development. RESULTS: The results showed that there were differences in the gut microbiota composition between healthy people (HCA) and in patients with HT. Lachnoclostridium, Bilophila, and Klebsiella were enriched in the HCA group, while Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae, Bifidobacterium, Shuttleia, and Clostriworthdia were enriched in the HT group. Environmental factors analysis revealed that the Bifidobacterium and Klebsiella were two groups of bacteria that have undergone dramatic changes in HCA and HT, and mainly affected by gender. Romboutsia and Haemophilus regulated by the hormone of free triiodothyronine (FT3) may promote the development of HT, while Faecalibacterium and Lachnospiraceae regulated by free thyroxine (FT4) may protect the host. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive studies have shown that gender is an important factor affecting gut microbial composition, but with the development of HT, hormones, age, and TSH begin to become dominant factors.

A Nano Refractive Index Sensing Structure for Monitoring Hemoglobin Concentration in Human Body.

This paper proposes a nanosensor structure consisting of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide with a rectangular root and a double-ring (SRRDR) with a rectangular cavity. In this paper, the cause and internal mechanism of Fano resonance are investigated by the finite element method (FEM), and the transport characteristics are optimized by changing various parameters of the structure. The results show that the structure can achieve double Fano resonance. Due to the destructive disturbance between the wideband mode of the inverted rectangle on the bus waveguide and the narrowband mode of the SRRDR, the output spectrum of the system shows an obvious asymmetric Fano diagram, and the structural parameters of the sensor have a great influence on the Fano resonance. By changing the sensitive parameters, the optimal sensitivity of the refractive index nanosensor is 2280 nm/RIU, and the coefficient of excellence (FOM) is 76.7. In addition, the proposed high-sensitivity nanosensor will be used to detect hemoglobin concentration in blood, which has positive applications for biosensors and has great potential for future nanosensing and optical integration systems.

Refractive Index and Alcohol-Concentration Sensor Based on Fano Phenomenon.

A novel nano-refractive index sensor based on the Fano resonance phenomenon is proposed in this paper. The sensor consists of the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide and a V-ring cavity with a groove (VRCG). We analyzed the performance of the nanoscale sensor using the finite element method. The simulation results show that the asymmetry of the geometric structure itself is the main factor leading to Fano resonance splitting. In Fano splitting mode, the Fano bandwidth of the system can be significantly reduced when the sensor sensitivity is slightly reduced, so that the figure of merit (FOM) of the sensor can be substantially improved. Based on the above advantages, the sensor's sensitivity in this paper is as high as 2765 nm/RIU, FOM = 50.28. In addition, we further applied the sensor to alcohol concentration detection. The effect is good, and the sensitivity achieves about 150. This type of sensor has a bright future in the precision measurement of solution concentrations.

A Nanoscale Sensor Based on a Toroidal Cavity with a Built-In Elliptical Ring Structure for Temperature Sensing Application.

In this article, a refractive index sensor based on Fano resonance, which is generated by the coupling of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide structure and a toroidal cavity with a built-in elliptical ring (TCER) structure, is presented. The finite element method (FEM) was employed to analyze the propagation characteristics of the integral structure. The effects of refractive index and different geometric parameters of the structure on the sensing characteristics were evaluated. The maximum sensitivity was 2220 nm/RIU with a figure of merit (FOM) of 58.7, which is the best performance level that the designed structure could achieve. Moreover, due to its high sensitivity and simple structure, the refractive index sensor can be applied in the field of temperature detection, and its sensitivity is calculated to be 1.187 nm/℃.

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Graphite Powder Film for Wearable Pressure Sensors with High Sensing Performance.

With the continuous progress of artificial intelligence and other manufacturing technologies, there is promising potential for wearable piezoresistive sensors in human physiological signal detection and bionic robots. Here, we present a facile solution-mixing process to fabricate a multiwalled carbon nanotube/graphite powder (MWCNT@Gp) film, which has high sensitivity and great linearity and is more oriented to flexible piezoresistive sensors. The sensor consists of two parts: a spinosum microstructure shaped by a sandpaper template and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the top substrate and interdigital electrodes as the bottom substrate. The experiments we have conducted show that these two parts provide good protection to the MWCNTs@Gp film and improve sensor sensitivity. Additionally, the sensitivity of the optimal ratio of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphite powder is analyzed. The 5%MWCNT@5%Gp composites were found to have relatively good conductivity, which is convenient for the fabrication of conductive films of piezoresistive sensors. Finally, we conducted application experiments and found that the flexible piezoresistive sensor can detect minute signals of human motion and different pressure points. This indicates the feasibility of portable sensors in electronic skin and smart devices.

High-Property Refractive Index and Bio-Sensing Dual-Purpose Sensor Based on SPPs.

A high-property plasma resonance-sensor structure consisting of two metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguides coupled with a transverse ladder-shaped nano-cavity (TLSNC) is designed based on surface plasmon polaritons. Its transmission characteristics are analyzed using multimode interference coupling mode theory (MICMT), and are simulated using finite element analysis (FEA). Meanwhile, the influence of different structural arguments on the performance of the structure is investigated. This study shows that the system presents four high-quality formants in the transmission spectrum. The highest sensitivity is 3000 nm/RIU with a high FOM* of 9.7 × 105. In addition, the proposed structure could act as a biosensor to detect the concentrations of sodium ions (Na+), potassium ions (K+), and the glucose solution with maximum sensitivities of 0.45, 0.625 and 5.5 nm/mgdL-1, respectively. Compared with other structures, the designed system has the advantages of a simple construction, a wide working band range, high reliability and easy nano-scale integration, providing a high-performance cavity choice for refractive index sensing and biosensing devices based on surface plasmons.

Refractive Index Sensor Based on a Metal-Insulator-Metal Bus Waveguide Coupled with a U-Shaped Ring Resonator.

In this study, a novel refractive index sensor structure was designed consisting of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide with two rectangular baffles and a U-Shaped Ring Resonator (USRR). The finite element method was used to theoretically investigate the sensor's transmission characteristics. The simulation results show that Fano resonance is a sharp asymmetric resonance generated by the interaction between the discrete narrow-band mode and the successive wide-band mode. Next, the formation of broadband and narrowband is further studied, and finally the key factors affecting the performance of the sensor are obtained. The best sensitivity of this refractive-index sensor is 2020 nm/RIU and the figure of merit (FOM) is 53.16. The presented sensor has the potential to be useful in nanophotonic sensing applications.

Evaluation of Disease Activity of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by D-dimer Combined with Red Blood Cell Distribution Width.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the value of D-dimer combined with red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in evaluating the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: A total of 105 SLE patients confirmed in our hospital from July 2018 to September 2020 were collected as the SLE group, and 60 healthy persons matched in age and gender during the same period were collected as the control group. According to the SLEDAI score, SLE patients were divided into SLE active group and SLE inactive group, and RDW and D-Dimer levels were detected. RESULTS: The level of RDW in the SLE active group [14.8 (13.4, 16.8)] was significantly higher than that in the SLE inactive group [13.4 (12.6, 14.37)] and control group [12.3 (12, 12.7)], with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The D-dimer level in the SLE active group was 1.36 (0.9, 2.25) mg/L, which was significantly higher than that in SLE inactive group [0.34 (0.22, 0.52)] mg/L and control group [0.15 (0.08, 0.19)] mg/L, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Both RDW and D-dimer were positively correlated with the SLEDAI score (r = 0.393, p = 0.000), (r = 0.483, p = 0.000). The results of receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of RDW and D-Dimer alone was 0.875 and 0.954, respectively, while the area under the curve of RDW combined with D-Dimer was the largest, 0.984. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of RDW and D-dimer are closely related to the disease activity of SLE patients, and RDW combined with D-dimer is more valuable in assessing the disease activity of SLE patients.

Diagnostic value of urinary microprotein concentration for patients with negative urinary protein test results and positive urinary casts on microscopic examination.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between positive urinary casts on microscopic examination and urinary microprotein concentration in the case of negative urinary protein test results. This study also investigated the diagnostic value of urinary microprotein examination. SUBJECTS: A total of 949 samples that were analyzed with a UF-1000i Urine Analyzer and returned cast alarm results were categorized into two groups, a positive and negative group, according to qualitative urinary protein sulfosalicylic acid test results. Then, 54 samples with negative protein test results but positive cast results according to microscopic examination were selected as the study group; 60 normal people with healthy physical examination results were selected as the control group. Both groups underwent urinary microprotein tests, including urinary microalbumin (mAlb), α1-microglobulin (A1M), transferrin (TRU), and immunoglobulin G (IgG). T tests were used to evaluate mean differences between groups and chi-square tests were used to calculate ratio differences between groups. RESULTS: (a) Microscopic examinations of the positive and negative protein groups revealed no statistically significant difference in cast detection rate (P = .421). (b) Among the 54 samples in the study group, 37 were found to have abnormal casts, while in the remaining 17 samples, only hyaline casts were detected. (c) The detection levels of mAlb, A1M, and IgG in the study group were significantly higher than the control group (P values < .05). CONCLUSION: Urinary microprotein test should be included in the re-examination rules for routine tests for patients with negative protein results and positive casts under microscopic examination.

[Influence of human activities on groundwater environment based on coefficient variation method].

Groundwater system in the plain area of Beijing can be divided into six subsystems. Due to the different hydrogeological conditions of the subsystems, the degrees to which human activities affect the subsystems are also diverse. In order to evaluate the influence of human activities on each subsystem, the first and second aquifer with relatively poor water quality were chosen to be the evaluating positions, based on the data of groundwater sampled in September, 2011. With respect to human activities affect index such as total hardness, TDS, sulfate and ammonium, variation coefficient methods were used to calculate the weight of each index. Then scores were obtained for each index with national standard as reference, and superposition calculations were used to gain comprehensive scores, finally the groundwater quality conditions were evaluated. Contrast analyses were used to evaluate the incidence of human activities with groundwater subsystems as evaluation unit and water quality partitions as evaluation factors. The results indicate that the influence of human activities on the first aquifer is greater than that of the second aquifer, the Yongding river groundwater subsystems and the Chaobai river groundwater subsystems are affected more than other groundwater subsystems.

N'-(3-Hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)-4-methyl-benzohydrazide.

The title compound, C(15)H(14)N(2)O(2), was obtained from the reaction of 3-hy-droxy-benzaldhyde and 4-methyl-benzo-hydrazide in methanol. In the mol-ecule, the benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 2.9 (3)°. In the crystal, N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into layers parallel to (101). The crystal packing also exhibits π-π inter-actions between the aromatic rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.686 (4) Å].

Promyelocytic leukemia protein interacts with werner syndrome helicase and regulates double-strand break repair in γ-irradiation-induced DNA damage responses.

We show here that γ-irradiation leads to the translocation of endogenous Werner syndrome helicase (WRN) from nucleoli to nucleoplasmic DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), and WRN plays a role in damage repair. The relocation of WRN after irradiation was perturbed by promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) knockdown and enhanced by PML IV overexpression. PML IV physically interacted with WRN after irradiation. Amino acids (a.a.) 394 to 433 of PML were necessary for this interaction and the nucleoplasmic translocation of WRN and were involved in DSB repair and cellular sensitivity to γ-irradiation. Taken together, our results provide molecular support for a model in which PML IV physically interacts with and regulates the translocation of WRN for DNA damage repair through its 394-433 a.a. domain.

p53 Suppresses lung resistance-related protein expression through Y-box binding protein 1 in the MCF-7 breast tumor cell line.

Lung resistance-related protein (LRP) has roles in multi-drug resistance of tumor cells. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate LRP expression in tumor cells is an important research area. A putative p53 response element in the LRP promoter has been found. Thus, p53-related regulation of LRP expression was explored in this study. We first demonstrated that p53 overexpression inhibited LRP expression both at the protein and mRNA levels. Then, using a dual-luciferase reporter assay, we located the p53 response element to the Y-box (-263~-407) of the LRP promoter, the YB-1 binding site, but not the putative p53 response element. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed p53 could bind to the Y-box of the LRP promoter through interaction of p53 with YB-1. YB-1 coexpression with p53 facilitated p53-induced suppression of endogenous LRP expression in MCF-7 cells. HDAC2, a corepressor of p53, was found to also interact with YB-1, and this interaction was mediated by p53. These results showed that the p53-HDAC2 transcriptional repressor complex can bind to the Y-box of the LRP promoter and repress LRP expression through interaction with YB-1. p53-related suppression of LRP expression was completely reversed by doxorubicin treatment and Adr, whereas CP and VP-16 treatment induced LRP expression increased significantly. Inhibition of LRP expression by siRNA facilitated Adr induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. All these findings indicated that loss of p53-related suppression of LRP may be the reason for LRP expression increase, and, therefore, chemotherapy resistance in tumor cells.

Functional proteomic analysis of promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies in irradiation-induced MCF-7 cells.

It is well established that promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs) play important roles in DNA damage responses (DDR). After irradiation, PML NBs dynamically recruit or release important proteins involved in cell-cycle regulation, DNA repair and apoptosis. As PML protein is the key molecule of PML NBs' dynamic assembling, we aimed to characterize the PML-interacting proteins in (60)Co-irradiated MCF-7 cells. A proteomic approach using CoIP, mono-dimensional electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry, allowed us to identify a total of 124 proteins that may associate with PML after irradiation. Bioinformatic analysis of the identified proteins showed that most of them were related to characterized PML functions, such as transcriptional regulation, cell-cycle regulation, cell-death regulation and response to stress. Four proteins, B23, MVP, G3BP1 and DHX9, were verified to co-localize with PML differentially before and after ionizing radiation (IR) treatment. The proteins identified in this study will significantly improve our understanding of the dynamic organization and multiple functions of PML NBs in DDR.