Graphitic carbon nitride alleviates cadmium toxicity to soybeans through nitrogen supply.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising candidate for heavy metal remediation, primarily composed of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). It has been demonstrated that g-C3N4 adjusts rhizosphere physicochemical conditions, especially N conditions, alleviating the absorption and accumulation of Cadmium (Cd) by soybeans. However, the mechanisms by which g-C3N4 induces N alterations to mitigates plant uptake of Cd remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of g-C3N4-mediated changes in N conditions on the accumulation of Cd by soybeans using pot experiments. It also explored the microbiological mechanisms underlying alterations in soybean rhizospheric N cycling induced by g-C3N4. It was found that g-C3N4 significantly increased N content in the soybean rhizosphere (p < 0.05), particularly in terms of available nitrogen (AN) of nitrate and ammonium. Plants absorbed more ammonium nitrogen (NH4⁺-N), the content of which in the roots showed a significant negative correlation with Cd concentration in plant (p < 0.05). Additionally, g-C3N4 significantly affected rhizospheric functional genes associated with N cycling (p < 0.05) by increasing the ratio of the N-fixation functional gene nifH and decreasing the ratios of functional genes amoA and nxrA involved in nitrification. This enhances soybean's N-fixing potential and suppresses denitrification potential in the rhizosphere, preserving NH4⁺-N. Niastella, Flavisolibacter, Opitutus and Pirellula may play a crucial role in the N fixation and preservation process. In summary, the utilization of g-C3N4 offers a novel approach to ensure safe crop production in Cd-contaminated soils. The results of this study provide valuable data and a theoretical foundation for the remediation of Cd polluted soils.

Implications of GCLC in prognosis and immunity of lung adenocarcinoma and multi-omics regulation mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent type of regulated cell death, and has been implicated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Evidence has proved the key role of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) in ferroptosis, but its role in LUAD remains unclear. Herein, we explored the implications of GCLC and relevant genes in LUAD prognosis and immunity as well as underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: This work gathered mRNA, miRNA, DNA methylation, somatic mutation and copy-number variation data from TCGA-LUAD. WGCNA was utilized for selecting GCLC-relevant genes, and a GCLC-relevant prognostic signature was built by uni- and multivariate-cox regression analyses. Immune compositions were estimated via CIBERSORT, and two immunotherapy cohorts of solid tumors were analyzed. Multi-omics regulatory mechanisms were finally assessed. RESULTS: Our results showed that GCLC was overexpressed in LUAD, and potentially resulted in undesirable survival. A prognostic model was generated, which owned accurate and independent performance in prognostication. GCLC, and relevant genes were notably connected with immune compositions and immune checkpoints. High GCLC expression was linked with better responses to anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 treatment. Their possible DNA methylation sites were inferred, e.g., hypomethylation in cg19740353 might contribute to GCLC up-regulation. Frequent genetic mutations also affected their expression. Upstream transcription factors (E2F1/3/4, etc.), post-transcriptional regulation of miRNAs (hsa-mir-30c-1, etc.), lncRNAs (C8orf34-AS1, etc.), and IGF2BP1-mediated m6A modification were identified. It was also found NOP58-mediated SUMOylation post-translational modification. CONCLUSIONS: Together, we show that GCLC and relevant genes exert crucial roles in LUAD prognosis and immunity, and their expression can be controlled by complex multi-omics mechanisms.

Synthesis, characterization, and sensitivity tests of La0.8Ba0.1Bi0.1FeO3 nanoparticles towards a few parts-per-billion of acetone gas.

In the present paper, the La0.8Ba0.1Bi0.1FeO3 powders were synthesized via the auto-combustion method. The optical, the positron annihilation spectroscopy and the gas sensing properties of our sample were investigated simultaneously. FTIR spectrum revealed the antisymmetric deformation vibrations of the Fe-O and Fe-O-Fe bonds inside the octahedron FeO6. The optical bandgap (Egap) of the La0.8Ba0.1Bi0.1FeO3 compound was found to be equal to 2.23 eV. We confirmed by the positron annihilation studies, the existence of open volume defects and vacancy sized defects, at the grain/interfaces between vacancy clusters and grains at the interfaces intersection (triple-lines). Notably, the La0.8Ba0.1Bi0.1FeO3 perovskite exhibits an excellent response toward acetone gas, with ultra-fast response and recovery times to some parts-per-billion (ppb) of this tested gas.

Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia among renal transplant recipients in Beijing Omicron wave.

The novel coronavirus disease-19 had become an unprecedented global health emergency, quickly expanding worldwide. Omicron (B.1.1.529), as a novel variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was initially identified in South Africa and Botswana. Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are a special group and are more vulnerable to viral pneumonia. Thus, this study aimed to assess the incidence and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia that occurred in RTRs with Omicron infection. This single-center case-control study enrolled the RTRs who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection by the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test, which were divided into two groups according to the imaging features of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The parameters were collected by questionnaires and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions. A total of 313 RTRs completed the questionnaires, and 131 were enrolled in this study with a mean age of 42.66 years. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia among the enrolled participants was 76.3%. The first symptoms included fever (89.3%), cough (93.1%), and expectoration (81.7%). From the comparison, the parameters such as age, gender, body mass index, lymphocyte count, and the percent of neutrophils and the basic serum creatinine before SARS-CoV-2 infection were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, age and the basic serum creatinine were independent risk factors for developing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (P < 0.05). Older RTRs with a high level of serum creatinine before SARS-CoV-2 infection were more at risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. More randomized controlled studies are needed.IMPORTANCEThis study aimed to assess the incidence and the risk factors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia that occurred in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) with Omicron infection. In conclusion, older RTRs with a high level of serum creatinine before SARS-CoV-2 infection were more at risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and should be timely treated, in case of severe pneumonia.

Retroperitoneoscopic enucleation adrenalectomy: a viable surgical option for small nonsecreting adrenal tumors with low potential of malignancy.

Laparoscopic total adrenalectomy has become the standard treatment for adrenal mass. Meanwhile, there has been a growing trend toward laparoscopic adrenal-sparing surgery worldwide to avoid the risk and potential complications of adrenal insufficiency. The objectives of this study were to describe a retroperitoneoscopic adrenal tumor enucleation technique, to assess the clinical outcomes of this technique in the treatment of 20-40 mm nonsecreting adrenal tumor (NAT) with low potential of malignancy, and to provide a feasible choice for patients who have preference on resection. This study was a retrospective analysis of 61 patients with low potential of malignancy in 20-40 mm NAT identified at the first imaging examination or during follow-up. All patients were scheduled for planned enucleation adrenalectomy by a single surgeon between July 2016 and December 2020 in Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing, China. In all patients, retroperitoneoscopic surgery was performed via a retroperitoneoscopic process for all the patients. The crucial techniques of enucleation are presented in the video. Safety and feasibility factors of enucleation technique were measured for this study. No blood transfusion or organ injury was registered during the operation. The median operation time was 75 min, and the median blood loss was 35 mL. All operations were successfully performed without open conversion. A total of 58 patients received successful enucleation surgery. Three cases were converted to retroperitoneoscopic total adrenalectomy. In this study, surgical outcomes of retroperitoneoscopic enucleation adrenalectomy as a method to remove adrenal tumors were assessed. This procedure is a feasible and safe technique with the added benefit of preserving the remaining functional adrenal tissue.

Extreme phonon anharmonicity underpins superionic diffusion and ultralow thermal conductivity in argyrodite Ag8SnSe6.

Ultralow thermal conductivity and fast ionic diffusion endow superionic materials with excellent performance both as thermoelectric converters and as solid-state electrolytes. Yet the correlation and interdependence between these two features remain unclear owing to a limited understanding of their complex atomic dynamics. Here we investigate ionic diffusion and lattice dynamics in argyrodite Ag8SnSe6 using synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering techniques along with machine-learned molecular dynamics. We identify a critical interplay of the vibrational dynamics of mobile Ag and a host framework that controls the overdamping of low-energy Ag-dominated phonons into a quasi-elastic response, enabling superionicity. Concomitantly, the persistence of long-wavelength transverse acoustic phonons across the superionic transition challenges a proposed 'liquid-like thermal conduction' picture. Rather, a striking thermal broadening of low-energy phonons, starting even below 50 K, reveals extreme phonon anharmonicity and weak bonding as underlying features of the potential energy surface responsible for the ultralow thermal conductivity (<0.5 W m-1 K-1) and fast diffusion. Our results provide fundamental insights into the complex atomic dynamics in superionic materials for energy conversion and storage.

Global burden of prostate cancer attributable to smoking among males in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the latest global spatio-temporal pattern of prostate cancer burden attributable to smoking can help guide effective global health policy. This study aims to elucidate the trends in smoking-related prostate cancer from 1990 to 2019 using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study data. METHODS: Data on prostate cancer attributable to smoking were extracted from Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019. The numbers and age-standardized rates on smoking-related prostate cancer mortality (ASMR) and disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) were analyzed by year, age, region, country, and socio-demographic index (SDI) level. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to evaluate the temporal trends of ASMR and ASDR from 1990 to 2019. RESULTS: Of all prostate cancer deaths and DALYs globally in 2019, 6% and 6.6% were attributable to smoking, which contributed to 29,298 (95% CI 12,789 to 46,609) deaths and 571,590 (95% CI 253,490 to 917,820) disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019. The number of smoking-related deaths and DALYs showed an upward trend, increasing by half from 1990 to 2019, while ASMR and ASDR declined in five sociodemographic indexes (SDI) regions, with the fastest decline in high SDI regions. For geographical regions, Western Europe and East Asia were the high-risk areas of prostate cancer deaths and DALYs attributable to smoking, among which China and the United States were the countries with the heaviest burden. The ASMR has decreased in all age groups, with the fastest decrease occurring in 75-79 years old. The ASMR or ASDR tended to increase in countries with the lowest SDI, but declined in countries with the highest SDI. The EAPC in ASMR or ASDR was highly negatively correlated with Human Development Index (HDI) in 2019, with coefficients 0.46. CONCLUSION: The number of smoking-related prostate cancer deaths and DALYs continued to increase globally, whereas its ASMR and ASDR have been decreasing. This substantial progress is particularly significant in developed regions and vary across geographic regions. Medical strategies to prevent and reduce the burden should be adjusted and implemented based on country-specific disease prevalence.

Risk Factors of New-onset Diabetes After Renal Transplantation and Prognostic Analysis.

Context: New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is one of the most common complications after renal transplantation and in kidney-transplant recipients is closely related to long-term adverse outcomes for recipients and transplants. The risk factors for NODAT still require exploration. Objectives: The study intended to explore the risk factors for new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) for patients receiving a renal transplantation, to provide a theoretical basis for reducing the incidence rate of NODAT and promoting a better outcome for patients. Design: The research team designed a retrospective study using clinical data of patients receiving renal transplantation at a hospital. Setting: The study took place in the Department of Urology at Xuanwu Hospital at Capital Medical University in Beijing, China. Participants: Participants were 396 patients who had undergone renal transplantation at the hospital, of whom 28 had NODAT syndrome, the NODAT group, and 368 didn't meet the diagnostic criteria for NODAT, the N-NODAT group. Outcome Measures: The research team calculated the incidence rate of NODAT and determined the causes of the disease, evaluated participants' preoperative risk factors-gender, preoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP), preoperative diastolic blood pressure (DBP), height, family history of diabetes, weight, smoking habits, age, drinking habits, pretransplant body mass index (BMI), preoperative fasting blood glucose, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC)-and their postoperative risk factors-acute rejection, use of immunosuppressive agents, blood CsA concentration, blood FK506 concentration, and renal function. Additionally, the team subjected the data in the two groups to univariate, logistic regression analysis and to multivariate, unconditional, logistic regression analysis to discover risk factors for NODAT. Results: Among the 396 participants, 28 had NODAT (7.1%), and 368 didn't suffer NODAT (92.9%). Statistically significant differences existed between the groups in participants' ages (0.013), weights (P = .032), smoking habits (P = .034), drinking habits (P = .034), BMIs (P = .023), preoperative fasting blood glucose (P < .05), preoperative TG (P < .05), and preoperative TC (P < .01). In the univariate logistic regression analysis, significant associations existed between age (P = .016), weight (P = .033), BMI (P = .025), smoking habits (P = .035), drinking habits (P = .043), preoperative fasting blood glucose (P = .048), preoperative TG (P = .049), preoperative TC (P = .009), acute rejection (P = .009), and immunosuppressive agents (P = .012) and the occurrence of NODAT (P < .05). In the multivariate unconditional logistic stepwise regression analysis, acute rejection (P = .011) and use of FK506 in immunotherapy (P = .013) were independent risk factors for NODAT. Conclusions: The risk factors of NODAT include age, weight, BMI, smoking habits, drinking habits, preoperative fasting blood glucose, preoperative TG, preoperative TC, acute rejection and exposure to immunosuppressive agents. Among them, only acute rejection and immunosuppressive agents are modifiable factors. The application of CsA as an immunosuppressive agent after surgery may decrease the incidence rate of NODAT and prolong the longevity of patients receiving renal transplantation.

A nanodiamond chemotherapeutic folate receptor-targeting prodrug with triggerable drug release.

Cancer chemotherapy is often accompanied by severe off-target effects that both damage quality of life and can decrease therapeutic compliance. This could be minimized through selective delivery of cytotoxic agents directly to the cancer cells. This would decrease the drug dose, consequently minimizing side effects and cost. With this goal in mind, a dual-gated folate-functionalized nanodiamond drug delivery system (NPFSSD) for doxorubicin with activatable fluorescence and cytotoxicity has been prepared. Both the cytotoxic activity and the fluorescence of doxorubicin (DOX) are quenched when it is covalently immobilized on the nanodiamond. The NPFSSD is preferentially uptaken by cancer cells overexpressing the folate receptor. Then, once inside a cell, the drug is preferentially released within tumor cells due to their high levels of endogenous of glutathione, required for releasing DOX through cleavage of a disulfide linker. Interestingly, once free DOX is loaded onto the nanodiamond, it can also evade resistance mechanisms that use protein pumps to remove drugs from the cytoplasm. This nanodrug, used in an in vivo model with local injection of drugs, effectively inhibits tumor growth with fewer side effects than direct injection of free DOX, providing a potentially powerful platform to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs in neurogenic bladder of spinal cord injured rats: a transcriptomic analysis.

Background: Growing evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of pathological and physiological processes through various mechanisms. However, the signature of lncRNA expression and the possible roles of lncRNAs in spinal cord injury (SCI) rat neurogenic bladder (NB) have not been comprehensively explored. In this study, the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs were explored in the bladder tissue of SCI rats using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Methods: Twenty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into SCI 1-3 and normal control (NC) groups. The spinal cord was completely transected at the T9-T10 level to establish the SCI model. Bladder tissues were collected on days 7, 14, and 28 after the operation. The expression profiles of lncRNAs were detected by NGS. Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were chosen for qRT-PCR verification to validate the RNA sequencing results. The functions of the predicted target genes were then evaluated using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Results: Compared with the NC group, the SCI 1-3 groups had 468, 117, and 408 DELs [fold change (FC) >2], including 247, 38, and 201 up-regulated and 163, 79, and 207 down-regulated lncRNAs, respectively. Likewise, 6,654, 2,133, and 5,706 mRNAs (FC >2) were differentially expressed between SCI 1-3 and NC rats, of which 4,821, 1,195, and 3,695 were up-regulated, and 1,833, 938, and 2,011 were down-regulated, respectively. Specifically, Miat, Mir155hg, and H19 were significant DELs in all SCI groups. Moreover, GO revealed that the DELs were related to several terms, including immune response, and KEGG was mainly enriched in 10 pathways, such as the transforming growth factor ß signaling pathway. Conclusions: The results revealed the expression profiles and possible roles of lncRNAs in SCI rat NB. This study may help identify possible NB mechanisms following SCI from the perspective of lncRNAs and provides new potential lncRNAs for the early diagnosis and treatment of human NB in the future.

Construction of MicroRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in the Molecular Mechanisms of Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Bleomycin is a common antitumor agent used to treat many different types of malignancies; however, its main side effect is pulmonary fibrosis. The mechanism of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BIPF) has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, to further explore the molecular mechanisms of BIPF, we screened for microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression obtained from BIPF samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Subsequently, we identified the differentially expressed miRNAs and genes that overlapped with the differentially expressed miRNAs target genes, predicted by using the miRWalk database selected as a candidate. The candidate genes were visualized based on Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed. Hub differentially expressed genes were selected and corresponding miRNAs to construct a miRNA-mRNA regulation network. Then, we chose three key miRNAs to study their regulatory relationship in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Finally, mouse lung epithelial cells TC-1 and MLE-12 were treated with bleomycin with qPCR to validate the results of three important hub genes and all key miRNAs. And dual-luciferase report experiment was carried out to verify the interaction of mmu-miR-1946a and serpina3n. The results revealed that the imbalance of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) plays a pivotal role in the occurrence and development of BIPF. In addition, Serpina3n and mmu-miR-1946a were proved interaction and may be involved in the regulation of the balance between MMP-9 and TIMP-1. The experimental results also verify the analysis. Our findings provide new insights into the key mediators and pathways related to the molecular mechanisms of BIPF.

Effect of Temporal Sampling Interval on the Irradiance for Moon-Based Wide Field-of-View Radiometer.

Moon-based Earth radiation observation can provide longer-term, continuous multi-angle measurements for the Earth's outward radiative flux. In addition, the large distance between the Moon and Earth means that the radiation can be monitored by a non-scanning Moon-based Wide Field-of-View (MWFOV) radiometer considering the Earth as one pixel. In order to parameterize the radiometer, studying the effect of the temporal sampling interval on irradiance is of great importance. In this work, based on radiation transfer model, simulated irradiance time series from March 2000 to December 2020 were analyzed. Then, we used them to reveal the effects of the sampling interval on irradiance. The results show that the measurements of the MWFOV radiometer can reveal the variation of irradiance on hourly, daily and monthly time scales, and the high-frequency measurements can reflect the variation of scene types in the MWFOV-viewed area. In order to obtain more meaningful measurements, the radiation resolution of the MWFOV radiometer should be better than 0.5mW∙m-2 with an accuracy of 1% or better in the future actual design, and the sampling interval should be less than 1 h, which can ensure that 97% of the surface area can be sampled more than nine times per day for longwave radiation. The derived results in this study could facilitate Moon-based data processing and the determination of the sampling interval and radiation resolution of an MWFOV under a certain manufacturing cost and error limit.

A Comparison Study of the Effect on IBS-D Rats among Ginger-Partitioned Moxibustion, Mild Moxibustion, and Laser Moxibustion.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that severely affects patients' life. Moxibustion is believed to be an effective way to treat IBS-D. However, the therapeutic effects and the underlying mechanisms in symptom management of IBS-D by different moxibustion therapies remain unclear. METHODS: IBS-D model rats were divided into groups and treated with ginger-partitioned moxibustion (GPM), mild moxibustion (MM), and laser moxibustion (LM) at a temperature of 43°C, respectively. The temperature curves of acupoints were recorded during interventions. The therapeutic effects were evaluated on the basis of general condition, stool, and hematoxylin-eosin staining of the colon tissue. Moreover, the expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptors in both acupoint tissue and colon tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: After moxibustion treatment, the symptoms were improved. The expression of TRPV1 was increased in acupoint tissue and decreased in colon tissue. GPM and MM showed a more significant influence on IBS-D rats compared with LM. The temperature profile of GPM and MM was wave-like, while LM had an almost stable temperature curve. CONCLUSION: GPM, MM, and LM could improve the symptoms in IBS-D rats. Moxibustion might activate TRPV1 channels in the acupoint tissue and induce acupoint functions, which in turn inhibit the pathological activation state of the colon's TRPV1, followed by improvements in abdominal pain and diarrheal symptoms. LM with stable temperature might lead to the desensitization of TRPV1 receptors and the tolerance of acupoint. GPM and MM provided dynamic and repetitive thermal stimulations that perhaps induced acupoint sensitization to increase efficacy. Therefore, dynamic and repetitive thermal stimulation is recommended in the application of moxibustion.

Circulating Tumor Cells: A Promising Biomarker in the Management of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy that arises from the mucosal epithelium of the nasopharynx, and its prognosis is relatively favorable. The 5-year overall survival rate in patients with locally advanced NPC currently exceeds 80%, but the development of individualized diagnosis and treatment at the molecular level is relatively lacking. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is the generic term for tumor cells that are present in the peripheral blood circulation. As a new biomarker with good clinical application prospects, the detection of CTCs has the advantages of being non-invasive, simple, and repeatable. By capturing and detecting CTCs in peripheral blood and monitoring the dynamic variation of its type and quantity, we can assess the biological characteristics of tumor in a timely manner and evaluate the therapeutic effect and prognosis of patients in advance, which will help to develop individualized treatments of tumors. The primary purposes of this review were the clinical application of CTCs in tumor stage determination, treatment efficacy evaluation, and prognosis prediction of NPC. In addition, we estimated the correlation between Epstein-Barr virus infection and CTCs and analyzed the difference in karyotypes and specific markers expressed on CTCs. We believe that our study will provide new insights and biomarkers for the individualized treatment of patients with NPC.

Metabolism Characteristics of Lactic Acid Bacteria and the Expanding Applications in Food Industry.

Lactic acid bacteria are a kind of microorganisms that can ferment carbohydrates to produce lactic acid, and are currently widely used in the fermented food industry. In recent years, with the excellent role of lactic acid bacteria in the food industry and probiotic functions, their microbial metabolic characteristics have also attracted more attention. Lactic acid bacteria can decompose macromolecular substances in food, including degradation of indigestible polysaccharides and transformation of undesirable flavor substances. Meanwhile, they can also produce a variety of products including short-chain fatty acids, amines, bacteriocins, vitamins and exopolysaccharides during metabolism. Based on the above-mentioned metabolic characteristics, lactic acid bacteria have shown a variety of expanded applications in the food industry. On the one hand, they are used to improve the flavor of fermented foods, increase the nutrition of foods, reduce harmful substances, increase shelf life, and so on. On the other hand, they can be used as probiotics to promote health in the body. This article reviews and prospects the important metabolites in the expanded application of lactic acid bacteria from the perspective of bioengineering and biotechnology.

[Corrigendum] Connexin 43 reduces susceptibility to sympathetic atrial fibrillation.

Following the publication of the above article, the authors have realized that the data shown in Fig. 3B were published previously in Fig 1A of following publication, on which several of were co­authors [Shu C, Huang W, Zeng Z, He Y, Luo B, Liu H, Li J and Xu J: Connexin 43 is involved in the sympathetic atrial fibrillation in canine and canine atrial myocytes. Anatol J Cardiol 18: 3­9, 2017]. This error arose inadvertently; the corrected version of Fig. 3, also containing the correct data for Fig. 3B, is shown opposite. The authors are grateful to the Editor of International Journal of Molecular Medicine for allowing them the opportunity to publish this Corrigendum, and stress that this error did not significantly influence either the results or the conclusions of the paper. Furthermore, the authors apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in International Journal of Molecular Medicine 42: 1125-1133, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3648].

LncRNA RNF144A-AS1 Promotes Bladder Cancer Progression via RNF144A-AS1/miR-455-5p/SOX11 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (BC) is the most commonly occurring malignant tumor of the urinary system worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), including lncRNA RNF144A-AS1 (RNF144A-AS1), perform an oncogenic role in BC progression. However, how RNF144A-AS1 is regulated in BC has not been fully investigated, and its role in BC is mostly obscure. In this study, we explore its role in BC progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression level of RNF144A-AS1 in BC tissues was explored via bioinformatics analysis and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We used RNF144A-AS1 siRNA (si-RNF144A-AS1) to inhibit the RNF144A-AS1 level in BC cell lines (J82 and 5637 cells). A series of experimental studies in vitro (CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and Transwell assay) was performed to explore the role of si-RNF144A-AS1 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of J82 and 5637 cells. A BC xenograft model was established, and the effect of si-RNF144A-AS1 on xenograft growth was explored in vivo. The interactions among RNF144A-AS1, miR-455-5p and SOX11 were predicted by bioinformatics miRanda and Targetscan database, and verified by the luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Finally, miR-455-5p inhibitor and si-RNF144A-AS1 were cotransfected into J82 and 5637 cells. RESULTS: RNF144A-AS1 is overexpressed in BC tumors and cells, and its overexpression is correlated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of RNF144A-AS1 markedly suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of J82 and 5637 cells and significantly inhibited xenograft growth in nude mice, compared to si-NC. We found that RNF144A-AS1 serves as a sponge for miR-455-5p. Furthermore, a binding site of miR-455-5p was found in 3' UTR of SOX11 gene, and overexpression of miR-455-5p suppressed SOX11 levels. RNF144A-AS1 knockdown markedly decreased SOX11 expression levels, while miR-455-5p inhibitor restored this repressive effect. Restoration of SOX11 could reverse this repressive effect of RNF144A-AS1 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings underline the critical role of RNF144A-AS1 in BC development, and our study reveals for the first time that RNF144A-AS1 promotes BC progression via the RNF144A-AS1/miR-455-5p/SOX11 axis.

Epitaxial Growth of GaN on Magnetron Sputtered AlN/Hexagonal BN/Sapphire Substrates.

Magnetron sputtering is adopted to deposit ~25 nm thick AlN on the surface of hexagonal BN(h-BN)/sapphire substrates, followed by epitaxial GaN growth on top of the AlN/h-BN/sapphire substrate using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system. Compared to GaN grown on the h-BN/sapphire surface directly, this method results in a continuous and smooth GaN film with a smaller root mean square roughness. Besides, the introduction of the sputtered AlN layer reduces the dislocation density of GaN by 35.7%. We provide a pathway of GaN epitaxy on the h-BN surface, which significantly improves its surface morphology and crystal quality.

Predictive Values of Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index for Long-Term Survival in High-Risk Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the associations between the preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients who received intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) after transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from 387 high-risk NMIBC patients between January 2004 and December 2014. PNI was calculated as total lymphocyte count (109/L)×5+albumin concentration (g/L). SII was calculated as neutrophil count (109/L)×platelet count (109/L)/lymphocyte count (109/L). The cutoff values of PNI and SII were determined through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. OS and CSS were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Log rank test was used to compare differences between the groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the predictive values of PNI and SII for OS and CSS. Additionally, highest-risk NMIBC patients were also divided into low or high groups according to PNI and SII. The OS and CSS of highest-risk NMIBC patients were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the Log rank test. RESULTS: The patients were divided into two groups according to the cutoff values of PNI (<50.17 vs ≥50.17) and SII (<467.76 vs ≥467.76). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that low PNI and high SII were associated with poorer OS and CSS in high-risk NMIBC patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that PNI and SII were independent predictive factors for OS and CSS. Kaplan-Meier analysis also revealed that low PNI and high SII were related to poorer OS and CSS in highest-risk NMIBC patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that preoperative PNI and SII, based on standard laboratory measurements, may be useful noninvasive, inexpensive and simple tools for predicting the long-term survival of high-risk NMIBC patients who received intravesical instillation of BCG after TURBT.

MicroRNA expression profile in the spinal cord injured rat neurogenic bladder by next-generation sequencing.

BACKGROUND: An increasing amount of evidence has indicated that microRNAs (miRs) are involved in most biological conditions, including the neurogenic bladder (NB). However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated these miR expressions in spinal cord-injured (SCI) rat NB. The goal of the study was to explore the miR expression profile in the SCI rat NB by next-generation sequencing (NGS). METHODS: Female Wistar rats underwent spinal cord transection at T9-10 and were randomly divided into the SCI-1, SCI-2 and SCI-3 groups (n=5 for each group) whose bladder tissues were collected 1, 2, and 4 weeks after transection, respectively. The normal rats were used as the normal control (NC) group. MiRs microarray assays were used to detect the differentially expressed miRs between the groups by NGS, which was then verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Those significantly differently expressed miRs were analyzed with Gene Ontology categories and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes bioinformatical analyses. RESULTS: Compared with the NC group, 96, 28 and 51 miRs were downregulated in the rats' bladder in the SCI-1, SCI-2, and SCI-3 groups, respectively, and 133, 49, and 76 miRs were upregulated respectively. Specifically, miR-21-5p was the most significantly upregulated miR in all SCI groups. Also, 121 miRs (SCI-1 vs. SCI-2), 98 miRs (SCI-1 vs. SCI-3), and 26 miRs (SCI-2 vs. SCI-3) were of significantly different expression. Furthermore, a large set of genes implicated in essential signaling pathways were targeted by these miRs, including PI3K-Akt, MAPK, Rap1, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathways, along with the tight junction and metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first demonstration of differentially expressed miRs, which may potentially serve as new molecular targets in the SCI rat NB.