Development and validation of Malaysian one stop crisis center service quality instrument (OSCC-Qual) for domestic violence management.

One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC) is a multi-sectorial center aimed to provide medical, social, legal, police and shelter services to survivors of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, sodomy and child abuse. Although OSCCs have been established for almost three decades in different parts of the world including in Malaysia, there is a lack of a validated instrument to measure the service quality rendered in OSCCs. A validated instrument known as OSCC-Qual was developed using a 5-stage approach where (1) in stage 1, group discussions were conducted among all authors to identify potential items for the instrument; (2) in stage 2, content validation was performed by 13 experts using content validity index and modified kappa; (3) in stage 3, exploratory factor analysis was performed by 141 healthcare staff with experience in managing OSCC cases to validate the items as well as to identify the number of factors in the instrument; (4) in stage 4, confirmatory factor analysis was performed by 110 domestic violence survivors to ascertain the validity of the factors and items retained in stage 3 and (5) in stage 5, forward and backward translation into local Malay and Chinese languages was performed. Results: In stage 1, a total of 42 items were identified. No item was deleted in stage 2. In stage 3, a total of 7 factors (i.e., "information provision", "competency of staff", "professionalism", "supportive environment", "attitude of staff", "multi-sectorial coordination" and "tangibles") were identified. Four items were deleted due to poor factor loading. In stage 4, another 3 items were iteratively removed due to poor factor loading. Discriminant validity was good. Conclusion: With the availability of the 7-factor and 35-item OSCC-Qual instrument, it is hoped that the efficiency of OSCC in achieving its philosophical objectives after three decades of implementation can be unraveled and remedial actions can be taken, if necessary.

Enhancing moisture detection in coal gravels: A deep learning-based adaptive microwave spectra fusion method.

The accurate and effective detection of moisture in coal gravels is crucial. Conventional air oven-drying method suffers from prolonged processing times and their disruptive nature. This paper proposes a deep learning-based adaptive fusion method for multiple microwave spectra to non-destructively detect the moisture content of coal gravels. First, a purpose-built free-space measurement platform is employed to acquire microwave spectra of coal samples, encompassing the magnitude and phase spectra of reflection coefficients (S11) and transmission coefficients (S21). Subsequently, a Monte-Carlo cross-validation-based method is adopted to detect and eliminate outliers in the spectra. Furthermore, a novel feature extraction module is proposed, enhancing the traditional U-shaped network using residual learning (ResNet) and the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) to extract and reconstruct subtle spectral features. Inspired by the high-level data fusion, an adaptive spectra fusion method is then introduced that can autonomously balance the contributions between different spectra. The experimental results underscore the advantages of the proposed method, with narrow frequency intervals between 2.50-3.25 GHz, 3.75-4.00 GHz, and 4.75-5.00 GHz exhibiting superior detection accuracy compared to the entire frequency band, achieving R2 = 0.9034, MAE = 1.0254, RMSE = 1.2948 and RPIQ = 6.0630.

Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation based on the theory of "qi ascending and descending movement" on autonomic nervous system and gastrointestinal function in patients after general anesthesia laparoscopic cholecystectomy. / 基于"气机升降"ç†è®ºç»çš®ç©´ä½ç”µåˆºæ¿€å¯¹å ¨éº»è ¹è ”é•œèƒ†å›Šåˆ‡é™¤æœ¯åŽæ‚£è€ è‡ªä¸»ç¥žç»å’Œèƒƒè‚ åŠŸèƒ½çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) based on the theory of "qi ascending and descending movement" in patients after general anesthesia laparoscopic cholecystectomy, so as to explore the impact of TEAS on the autonomic nervous system and gastrointestinal function of patients. METHODS: A total of 204 patients scheduled to undergo general anesthesia laparoscopic cholecystectomy were selected and randomly divided into control, double acupoints and multiple acupoints groups, with 68 cases in each group. For patients in the multiple acupoints group, TEAS was applied at Zusanli (ST36), Tiantu (CV22), Danzhong (CV17), Zhongwan (CV12), Taichong (LR3), and Neiguan (PC6) 30 min before anesthesia induction until the end of the surgery. In the double acupoints group, TEAS was applied only at ST36 and PC6. No electrical stimulation was applied in the control group. The postoperative bloating, bowel sound recovery time, first farting time, first defecation time, length of hospital stay, nausea and vomiting were compared among the three groups. Heart rate variability was monitored by twelve-lead electrocardiogram to evaluate the autonomic nervous function of the patients, including the low frequency power/high frequency power ratio (LF/HF), the standard deviation of all sinus RR intervals (SDNN), and the root mean square of difference between successive normal RR intervals (RMSSD). RESULTS: At 6 h and 24 h after surgery, the symptoms of bloating, nausea and vomiting in the multiple acupoints group and double acupoints group were significantly improved compared to the control group (P<0.05), and the multiple acupoints group was superior to the double acupoints group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the bowel sound recovery time, first farting time, first defecation time, and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter (P<0.05) in the multiple acupoints group and double acupoints group, and the multiple acupoints group was superior to the double acupoints group (P<0.05). At 1 d and 2 d after surgery, compared with the control group, LF/HF was decreased (P<0.05) while SDNN and RMSSD were increased (P<0.05) in the multiple acupoints group and double acupoints group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TEAS treatment based on the theory of "qi ascending and descending movement" can relieve gastrointestinal dysfunction, reduce early postoperative sympathetic nerve excitement and maintain parasympathetic nerve tension in patients after general anesthesia laparoscopic cholecystectomy, thereby promoting gastrointestinal function recovery.

In Vitro Insights into the Role of 7,8-Epoxy-11-Sinulariolide Acetate Isolated from Soft Coral Sinularia siaesensis in the Potential Attenuation of Inflammation and Osteoclastogenesis.

The balance between bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts is essential for the process of bone remodeling. Excessive osteoclast differentiation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of bone diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. In the present study, we examined whether 7,8-epoxy-11-sinulariolide acetate (Esa), a marine natural product present in soft coral Sinularia siaesensis, attenuates inflammation and osteoclastogenesis in vitro. The results indicated that Esa significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model of RAW264.7 cells and suppressed receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-triggered osteoclastogenesis. Esa significantly down-regulated the protein expression of iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-α by inhibiting the NF-κB/MAPK/PI3K pathways and reducing the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Besides, Esa treatment significantly inhibited osteoclast differentiation and suppressed the expression of osteoclast-specific markers such as NFATC1, MMP-9, and CTSK proteins. These findings suggest that Esa may be a potential agent for the maintenance of bone homeostasis associated with inflammation.

Pivotal Role of Geometry Regulation on O-O Bond Formation Mechanism of Bimetallic Water Oxidation Catalysts.

In this study, we highlight the impact of catalyst geometry on the formation of O-O bonds in Cu2 and Fe2 catalysts. A series of Cu2 complexes with diverse linkers are designed as electrocatalysts for water oxidation. Interestingly, the catalytic performance of these Cu2 complexes is enhanced as their molecular skeletons become more rigid, which contrasts with the behavior observed in our previous investigation with Fe2 analogs. Moreover, mechanistic studies reveal that the reactivity of the bridging O atom results in distinct pathways for O-O bond formation in Cu2 and Fe2 catalysts. In Cu2 systems, the coupling takes place between a terminal CuIII -OH and a bridging µ-O⋅ radical. Whereas in Fe2 systems, it involves the coupling of two terminal Fe-oxo entities. Furthermore, an in-depth structure-activity analysis uncovers the spatial geometric prerequisites for the coupling of the terminal OH with the bridging µ-O⋅ radical, ultimately leading to the O-O bond formation. Overall, this study emphasizes the critical role of precisely adjusting the spatial geometry of catalysts to align with the O-O bonding pathway.

Inverse Problem Algorithm-Based Time-Resolved Imaging of Head and Neck Computed Tomography Angiography Contrast Kinetics with Clinical Testification.

This study mitigated the challenge of head and neck CT angiography by IPA-based time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics. To this end, 627 cerebral hemorrhage patients with dizziness, brain aneurysm, stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke diagnosis were randomly categorized into three groups, namely, the original dataset (450), verification group (112), and in vivo testified group (65), in the Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. In the first stage, seven risk factors were assigned: age, CTA tube voltage, body surface area, heart rate per minute, cardiac output blood per minute, the actual injected amount of contrast media, and CTA delayed trigger timing. The expectation value of the semi-empirical formula was the CTA number of the patient's left artery (LA). Accordingly, 29 items of the first-order nonlinear equation were calculated via the inverse problem analysis (IPA) technique run in the STATISTICA 7.0 program, yielding a loss function and variance of 3.1837 and 0.8892, respectively. A dimensionless AT was proposed to imply the coincidence, with a lower AT indicating a smaller deviation between theoretical and practical values. The derived formula was confirmed for the verification group of 112 patients, reaching high coincidence, with average ATavg and standard deviation values of 3.57% and 3.06%, respectively. In the second stage, the formula was refined to find the optimal amount of contrast media for the CTA number of LA approaching 400. Finally, the above procedure was applied to head and neck CTA images of the third group of 65 patients, reaching an average CTA number of LA of 407.8 ± 16.2 and finding no significant fluctuations.

Efficient Noncollinear Antiferromagnetic State Switching Induced by the Orbital Hall Effect in Chromium.

Recently, orbital Hall current has attracted attention as an alternative method to switch the magnetization of ferromagnets. Here we present our findings on electrical switching of the antiferromagnetic state in Mn3Sn/Cr, where despite the much smaller spin Hall angle of Cr, the switching current density is comparable to heavy metal-based heterostructures. However, the inverse process, i.e., spin-to-charge conversion in Cr-based heterostructures, is much less efficient than the Pt-based equivalents, as manifested in the 1 order of magnitude smaller terahertz emission intensity and spin current-induced magnetoresistance. These results in combination with the slow decay of terahertz emission against Cr thickness (diffusion length of ∼11 nm) suggest that the observed magnetic switching can be attributed to orbital current generation in Cr, followed by efficient conversion to spin current. Our work demonstrates the potential of light metals like Cr as efficient orbital/spin current sources for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Four New Diterpenoids from the South China Sea Soft Coral Sinularia nanolobata and DFT-Based Structure Elucidation.

Three new cembranoids (1-3) and a new casbanoid (4), along with three known analogues (5-7), have been isolated from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata collected off Ximao Island. The structures, including the absolute configurations of new compounds, were established using extensive spectroscopic data analysis, time-dependent density functional theory/electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations, and the comparison with spectroscopic data of known compounds. In the in vitro bioassay, compounds 1 and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against human erythroleukemia (HEL) cell lines, with IC50 values of 37.1 and 42.4 µM, respectively.

Measurement of Hyperfine Structure and the Zemach Radius in

We investigate the 2^{3}S_{1}-2^{3}P_{J} (J=0, 1, 2) transitions in ^{6}Li^{+} using the optical Ramsey technique and achieve the most precise values of the hyperfine splittings of the 2^{3}S_{1} and 2^{3}P_{J} states, with smallest uncertainty of about 10 kHz. The present results reduce the uncertainties of previous experiments by a factor of 5 for the 2^{3}S_{1} state and a factor of 50 for the 2^{3}P_{J} states, and are in better agreement with theoretical values. Combining our measured hyperfine intervals of the 2^{3}S_{1} state with the latest quantum electrodynamic (QED) calculations, the improved Zemach radius of the ^{6}Li nucleus is determined to be 2.44(2) fm, with the uncertainty entirely due to the uncalculated QED effects of order mα^{7}. The result is in sharp disagreement with the value 3.71(16) fm determined from simple models of the nuclear charge and magnetization distribution. We call for a more definitive nuclear physics value of the ^{6}Li Zemach radius.

Cell-specific genome-scale metabolic modeling of SARS-CoV-2-infected lung to identify antiviral enzymes.

Computational systems biology plays a key role in the discovery of suitable antiviral targets. We designed a cell-specific, constraint-based modeling technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected lungs. We used the gene sequence of the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 to build a viral biomass reaction (VBR). We also used the mass proportion of lipids between the viral biomass and its host cell to estimate the stoichiometric coefficients of viral lipids in the reaction. We then integrated the VBR, the gene expression of the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2, and the generic human metabolic network Recon3D to reconstruct a cell-specific genome-scale metabolic model. An antiviral target discovery (AVTD) platform was introduced using this model to identify therapeutic drug targets for combating COVID-19. The AVTD platform not only identified antiviral genes for eliminating viral replication but also predicted side effects of treatments. Our computational results revealed that knocking out dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) might reduce the synthesis rate of cytidine-5'-triphosphate and uridine-5'-triphosphate, which terminate the viral building blocks of DNA and RNA for SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our results also indicated that DHODH is a promising antiviral target that causes minor side effects, which is consistent with the results of recent reports. Moreover, we discovered that the genes that participate in the de novo biosynthesis of glycerophospholipids and ceramides become unidentifiable if the VBR does not involve the stoichiometry of lipids.

Characterization of two O-methyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of O-methylated catechins in tea plant.

Tea is known for having a high catechin content, with the main component being (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has significant bioactivities, including potential anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity. The poor intestinal stability and permeability of EGCG, however, undermine these health-improving benefits. O-methylated EGCG derivatives, found in a few tea cultivars in low levels, have attracted considerable interest due to their increased bioavailability. Here, we identify two O-methyltransferases from tea plant: CsFAOMT1 that has a specific O-methyltransferase activity on the 3''-position of EGCG to generate EGCG3''Me, and CsFAOMT2 that predominantly catalyzes the formation of EGCG4″Me. In different tea tissues and germplasms, the transcript levels of CsFAOMT1 and CsFAOMT2 are strongly correlated with the amounts of EGCG3''Me and EGCG4''Me, respectively. Furthermore, the crystal structures of CsFAOMT1 and CsFAOMT2 reveal the key residues necessary for 3''- and 4''-O-methylation. These findings may provide guidance for the future development of tea cultivars with high O-methylated catechin content.

Retraction: Down-regulation of MRPS23 inhibits LPS-induced proliferation and invasion via regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in osteosarcoma cells.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA08973F.].

Eurycomanone stimulates bone mineralization in zebrafish larvae and promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by upregulating AKT/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling.

Background: Eurycomanone (EN) is a diterpenoid compound isolated from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia). Previous studies have confirmed that E. longifolia can enhance bone regeneration and bone strength. We previously isolated and identified ten quassinoids from E. longifolia, and the result displayed that five aqueous extracts have the effects on promotion of bone formation, among whom EN showed the strongest activity. However, the molecular mechanism of EN on bone formation was unknown, and we further investigated in this study. Methods: After the verification of purity of extracted EN, following experiments were conducted. Firstly, the pharmacologic action of EN on normal bone mineralization and the therapeutic effect of EN on Dex-induced bone loss using zebrafish larvae. The mineralization area and integral optical density (IOD) were evaluated using alizarin red staining. Then the vital signaling pathways of EN relevant to OP was identified through network pharmacology analysis. Eventually in vitro, the effect of EN on cell viability, osteogenesis activities were investigated in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and C3H10 cells, and the molecular mechanisms by which applying AKT inhibitor A-443654 in hMSCs. Results: In zebrafish larvae, the administration in medium of EN (0.2, 1, and 5 µM) dramatically enhanced the skull mineralization area and integral optical density (IOD), and increased mRNA expressions of osteoblast formation genes (ALP, RUNX2a, SP7, OCN). Meanwhile, exposure of EN remarkably alleviated the inhibition of bone formation induced by dexamethasone (Dex), prominently improved the mineralization, up-regulated osteoblast-specific genes and down-regulated osteoclast-related genes (CTSK, RANKL, NFATc1, TRAF6) in Dex-treated bone loss zebrafish larvae. Network pharmacology outcomes showed the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways are closely associated with 10 hub genes (especially AKT1), and AKT/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin was selected as the candidate analysis pathway. In hMSCs and C3H10 cells, results showed that EN at appropriate concentrations of 0.008-5 µM effectively increased the cell proliferation. In addition, EN (0.04, 0.2, and 1 µM) significantly stimulated osteogenic differentiation and mineralization as well as significantly increased the protein phosphorylation of AKT and GSK-3ß, and expression of ß-catenin, evidencing by the results of ALP and ARS staining, qPCR and western blotting. Whereas opposite results were presented in hMSCs when treated with AKT inhibitor A-443654, which effectively inhibited the pro-osteogenesis effect induced by EN, suggesting EN represent powerful potential in promoting osteogenesis of hMSCs, which may be closely related to the AKT/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusions: Altogether, our findings indicate that EN possesses remarkable effect on bone formation via activating AKT/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling pathway in most tested concentrations. The translational potential of this article: This study demonstrates EN is a new effective monomer in promoting bone formation, which may be a promising anabolic agent for osteoporosis (OP) treatment.

AHR/TET2/NT5E axis downregulation is associated with the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus and its progression.

The prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is unpredictable. This study aimed to examine the regulatory mechanism of the AHR/TET2/NT5E pathway during SLE progression. The AHR, TET2 and NT5E expression levels were examined in T regulatory cells (Tregs) of patients with SLE. The correlation of AHR, TET2 or NT5E expression levels with the immunosuppressive functions of Tregs was analysed. In patients with SLE, the number of CD4+ IL2RA- FOXP3+ T cell subset was positively correlated with the SLE disease activity index value and negatively correlated with the AHR and TET2 expression levels in CD4+ IL2RA+ FOXP3+ Tregs. Transcriptional profiles of 79 patients with SLE obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE61635 dataset) revealed a significant positive correlation between the mRNA expression levels of AHR and TET2. In silico analysis predicted that the TET2 promoter comprises an AHR-binding site. Kynurenine (KYN) promoted the binding of AHR to the TET2 promoter in Tregs of patients with SLE and Jurkat T cell lines. Furthermore, NT5E expression was significantly downregulated in Tregs of patients with SLE, which can be attributed to the dysregulation of NT5E promoter methylation status induced by downregulated TET2 activity. Furthermore, the Treg immunosuppressive activity, which is mediated through the TET2 and A2AR-adenosine pathways, in the KYN-treated group was approximately two-fold higher than that in the control group. The AHR/TET2/NT5E axis mediates the Treg immunosuppressive activity. These findings provide novel insights for the development of therapeutic approaches for SLE and related autoimmune diseases.

Amelioration of Cholesterol Rich diet-induced Impaired Cognition in AD Transgenic Mice by an LXR Agonist TO901317 Is Associated with the Activation of the LXR-ß-RXR-α-ABCA1 Transmembrane Transport System and Improving the Composition of Lipid Raft.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that LXR agonist can inhibit Aß generation and alleviate Aß-induced various adverse reactions in vivo and in vitro experiments, but the mechanisms have not been clarified. The study aimed to observe the effect of LXR agonist TO901317 on the cognitive function of AD transgenic mice fed with cholesterol-rich diet (CRD), and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods: 32 male 6-month-old double transgenic AD mice were enrolled and randomly divided into 4 groups: control (normal diet) group, CRD treatment group, TO901317 treatment group and GSK2033 treatment group. After 3 month, Morris water maze was for the changes of spatial exploration and memory ability; ELISA was for detecting the production of Aß42 in the brain; the concentration of total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum were detected by cholesterol enzyme colorimetry; Finally, the expression of LXR-ß, RXR-α, ABCA1, caveolin-1, BACE1 and APP at protein level in the brains was measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the learning, memory ability and spatial exploration ability of the mice were more significantly serious in the CRD group (P<0.05); The contents of TC and LDL in the serum and the production of Aß42 in the brains were significantly increased (P<0.05), but HDL was remarkably decreased (P<0.05); The protein levels of LXR-ß, RXR-α and ABCA1 were also significantly decreased (P<0.05); The expression of caveolin-1, APP and BACE1 were evidently increased (P<0.05). However, after treatment with TO901317, the impaired learning and memory and spatial exploration ability of the mice were significantly improved (P<0.05); The contents of TC and LDL in serum and the production of Aß42 in the brains were significantly decreased (P<0.05), but HLD was increased (P<0.05); The protein levels of LXR-ß, RXR-α, ABCA1were all significantly increased (P<0.05), while, the expression of caveolin-1, APP and BACE1 were all significantly decreased (P<0.05). All the changes were reversed by GSK2033 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TO901317 attenuated the more serious impairment of spatial exploration, learning and memory in transgenic AD mice induced by CRD, and the mechanism may be that TO901317 could activate the LXR-ß/RXR-α/ABCA1 transmembrane transport system, promote the cholesterol efflux, and decreased caveolin-1, APP and BACE1, further reduce Aß42 in the brains.

Synthesis and Characterization of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives Based on a Naphthyl Curing Agent.

The incorporation of a naphthyl curing agent (NCA) can enhance the thermal stability of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). In this study, a PSA matrix was synthesized using a solution polymerization process and consisted of butyl acrylate, acrylic acid, and an ethyl acrylate within an acrylic copolymer. Benzoyl peroxide was used as an initiator during the synthesis. To facilitate the UV curing of the solvent-borne PSAs, glycidyl methacrylate was added to introduce unsaturated carbon double bonds. The resulting UV-curable acrylic PSA tapes exhibited longer holding times at high temperatures (150 °C) compared to uncross-linked PSA tapes, without leaving any residues on the substrate surface. The thermal stability of the PSA was further enhanced by adding more NCA and increasing the UV dosage. This may be attributed to the formation of cross-linking networks within the polymer matrix at higher doses. The researchers successfully balanced the adhesion performance and thermal stability by modifying the amount of NCA and UV radiation, despite the peel strength declining and the holding duration shortening. This research also investigated the effects of cross-linking density on gel content, molecular weight, glass transition temperature, and other properties of the PSAs.

Association between heat shock factor protein 4 methylation and colorectal cancer risk and potential molecular mechanisms: A bioinformatics study.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that heat shock factor protein 4 (HSF4) facilitates colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. DNA methylation, a major modifier of gene expression and stability, is involved in CRC development and outcome. AIM: To investigate the correlation between HSF4 methylation and CRC risk, and to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Differences in ß values of HSF4 methylation loci in multiple malignancies and their correlation with HSF4 mRNA expression were analyzed based on Shiny Methylation Analysis Resource Tool. HSF4 methylation-related genes were identified by LinkedOmics in CRC, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed. Protein-protein interaction network of HSF4 methylation-related genes was constructed by String database and MCODE algorithm. RESULTS: A total of 19 CpG methylation loci were identified in HSF4, and their ß values were significantly increased in CRC tissues and exhibited a positive correlation with HSF4 mRNA expression. Unfortunately, the prognostic and diagnostic performance of these CpG loci in CRC patients was mediocre. In CRC, there were 1694 HSF4 methylation-related genes; 1468 of which displayed positive and 226 negative associations, and they were involved in regulating phenotypes such as immune, inflammatory, and metabolic reprogramming. EGFR, RELA, STAT3, FCGR3A, POLR2K, and AXIN1 are hub genes among the HSF4 methylation-related genes. CONCLUSION: HSF4 is highly methylated in CRC, but there is no significant correlation between it and the prognosis and diagnosis of CRC. HSF4 methylation may serve as one of the ways in which HSF4 mediates the CRC process.

Research progress on genetic model of mouse with glaucoma / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Glaucoma, currently the world's first irreversible blindness, is a complex multifactorial disease with a genetic predisposition, and pathologically elevated intraocular pressure is its risk factor. The pathogenesis of glaucoma is not fully understood, and most existing studies are based on animal models, with mice as the main research object, and the pathological damage process of glaucoma is reconstructed through experimental induction means or transgenic manipulation to further investigate the relevant pathogenesis and pathological changes. The technique of experimentally induced construction of glaucoma mouse models has been studied by many scholars and is gradually becoming mature. And as research in molecular biology and genetics has advanced, more and more studies have focused on the disease genes associated with glaucoma, and transgenic mouse models have become a hot topic in recent years. In contrast to experimental manipulation to control a single factor, gene editing is better able to simulate the complex process of disease pathogenesis. This paper focuses on providing a more complete direction and strategy for model selection in the future research by describing the progress of research on relevant transgenic mouse model of glaucoma.

Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid(EgCF) inhibits the migration and phagocytic function of mouse macrophages induced by LPS via inducing cytoskeletal rearrangement / 细胞与分子免疫学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid(EgCF) on the cytoskeletal rearrangement and phagocytosis and the migration of macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS). Methods Peritoneal macrophages of C57BL/6 mice were isolated and cultured in vitro, and divided into control group and LPS group and LPS combined with EgCF group. After 48 hours of treatment, filamentous actin (F-actin) changes were observed with rhodamine-labelled phalloidin staining and fluorescence microscopy; TranswellTM chamber was used to test cell migration ability and flow cytometry to test cell phagocytosis. After 1 hour of treatment, PI3K and AKT, phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), Rac1, guanosine triphospho-Rac1 (GTP-Rac1), WASP and Arp2 protein expressions were detected with Western blot analysis. Results Compared with the control group, after LPS stimulation, macrophages were deformed significantly; pseudopodia increased; actin cytoskeleton increased and was more distributed in pseudopodia; the ability of migration and phagocytosis were significantly improved, and the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, GTP-Rac1, WASP and Arp2 proteins significantly increased. EgCF treatment caused cell shrinkage and disappearance of pseudopodia protrusions of LPS-activated cells, and led to the reduced phagocytic and migratory of cells; the protein expression of PI3K, p-AKT, GTP-Rac1, WASP and Arp2 decreased significantly compared with the LPS group. Conclusion LPS induces the migration and enhances phagocytosis of macrophages while EgCF inhibits these effects, which is related to actin cytoskeleton rearrangement.

Biomolecular Topology: Modelling and Analysis.

With the great advancement of experimental tools, a tremendous amount of biomolecular data has been generated and accumulated in various databases. The high dimensionality, structural complexity, the nonlinearity, and entanglements of biomolecular data, ranging from DNA knots, RNA secondary structures, protein folding configurations, chromosomes, DNA origami, molecular assembly, to others at the macromolecular level, pose a severe challenge in their analysis and characterization. In the past few decades, mathematical concepts, models, algorithms, and tools from algebraic topology, combinatorial topology, computational topology, and topological data analysis, have demonstrated great power and begun to play an essential role in tackling the biomolecular data challenge. In this work, we introduce biomolecular topology, which concerns the topological problems and models originated from the biomolecular systems. More specifically, the biomolecular topology encompasses topological structures, properties and relations that are emerged from biomolecular structures, dynamics, interactions, and functions. We discuss the various types of biomolecular topology from structures (of proteins, DNAs, and RNAs), protein folding, and protein assembly. A brief discussion of databanks (and databases), theoretical models, and computational algorithms, is presented. Further, we systematically review related topological models, including graphs, simplicial complexes, persistent homology, persistent Laplacians, de Rham-Hodge theory, Yau-Hausdorff distance, and the topology-based machine learning models.