Natural uORF variation in plants.

Taking advantage of natural variation promotes our understanding of phenotypic diversity and trait evolution, ultimately accelerating plant breeding, in which the identification of causal variations is critical. To date, sequence variations in the coding region and transcription level polymorphisms caused by variations in the promoter have been prioritized. An upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) regulates gene expression at the post-transcription or translation level. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that natural uORF variations shape phenotypic diversity. This opinion article highlights recent researches and speculates on future directions for natural uORF variation in plants.

Toluene decomposition by non-thermal plasma assisted CoOx - γ-Al2O3: The relative contributions of specific energy input of plasma, Co3+ and oxygen vacancy.

Cobalt oxide (CoOx) is a common catalyst for plasma catalytic elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the catalytic mechanism of CoOx under radiation of plasma is still unclear, such as how the relative importance of the intrinsic structure of the catalyst (e.g., Co3+ and oxygen vacancy) and the specific energy input (SEI) of the plasma for toluene decomposition performance. CoOx - Î³-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared and evaluated by toluene decomposition performance. Changing the calcination temperature of the catalyst altered the content of Co3+ and oxygen vacancies in CoOx, resulting in different catalytic performance. The results of the artificial neural network (ANN) models presented that the relative importance of three reaction parameters (SEI, Co3+, and oxygen vacancy) on the mineralization rate and CO2 selectivity were as follows: SEI > oxygen vacancy > Co3+ , and SEI > Co3+ > oxygen vacancy, respectively. Oxygen vacancy is essential for mineralization rate, and CO2 selectivity is more dependent on Co3+ content. Furthermore, a possible reaction mechanism of toluene decomposition was proposed according to the analysis results of in-situ DRIFTS and PTR-TOF-MS. This work provides new ideas for the rational design of CoOx catalysts in plasma catalytic systems.

Removal of Gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds by a Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes/Peroxymonosulfate Wet Scrubber.

In this study, a wet scrubber coupled with a persulfate-based advanced oxidation process [carbocatalysts/peroxymonosulfate (PMS)] was demonstrated to efficiently remove gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The removal efficiency of a representative VOC, styrene, was stable at above 98%, and an average mineralization rate was achieved at 76% during 2 h. The removal efficiency of the carbocatalysts/PMS wet scrubber for styrene was much higher than that of pure water, carbocatalysts/water, or PMS/water systems. Quenching experiments, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, in-situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that singlet oxygen (1O2) and oxidative complexes are the main reactive oxygen species and that both contributed to styrene removal. In particular, carbonyl groups (C═O) in the carbocatalyst were found to be the active sites for activating PMS during styrene oxidation. The role of 1O2 was discovered to be benzene ring breaking and a possible non-radical oxidation pathway of styrene was proposed based on time-of-flight mass spectroscopy which was further verified by DFT calculations. In particular, the electron transfer process of multi world carbon nanotubes-PMS* in styrene oxidation was further studied in-depth by experiments and DFT calculations. The unstable vinyl on styrene was simultaneously degraded by the oxidative complexes and 1O2 into benzene, and finally oxidized by 1O2 into H2O and CO2. This study provides an effective method for VOC removal and clearly illustrates the complete degradation mechanism of styrene in a nonradical PMS-based process by a wet scrubber.

Metastatic Pattern of Breast Cancer by Histologic Grade: A SEER Population-based Study.

Population-based estimates of the differences -in metastatic pattern, incidence, and prognosis of breast cancer patients by histologic grade at breast cancer diagnosis are lacking. Patients with breast cancer and metastases at the time of diagnosis were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariable logistic and Cox regression were performed to determine the effect of histologic grade on the presence of metastases at diagnosis and all-cause mortality. We identified a population-based sample of adult patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2010 and 2015 for whom the presence or absence of metastases was known. We depicted the landscape of metastatic pattern of breast cancer histologic grade that the percentage of bone metastasis was decreasing with higher histologic grade, while the percentages of lung and brain metastasis were increasing. Higher histologic grade was associated with a greater incidence of all metastatic lesions. Median durations of survival with distant metastasis were 41 months (Grade I), 34 months (Grade II), 21 months (Grade III), 13 months (Grade IV), and 16 months (unknown histologic grade). Grade III and unknown histologic grade represent the most common part of patients with metastatic disease, but not for breast cancer patients without metastasis. In multivariate analysis, Grade II, III, IV, and unknown histologic grade were associated with significantly greater odds of patients with metastatic disease to any distant site, compared with Grade I, but not to bone. Grade III was associated with increased all-cause mortality among patients having metastases to any sites, bone, brain, liver, and lung compared with Grade I, but not Grade II and Grade IV. Breast cancer histologic grades are associated with distinct patterns of metastatic spread and notable differences in survival.

Nitrogen-rich layered carbon for adsorption of typical volatile organic compounds and low-temperature thermal regeneration.

Carbon-based adsorbents with a high adsorption capacity and low price have been widely used in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but the poor gas selectivity and reusability limit their industrial applications. In this work, disc-like nitrogen-rich porous carbon materials (HAT-Xs) were synthesized to remove typical VOCs via adsorption. By controlling the synthesis temperature from 450 to 1000 °C, the C/N ratio of the HAT-Xs increased from 1.85 to 12.56. The HAT-650 synthesized at 650 °C with the high specific surface area of 305 m2 g-1 exhibits the highest adsorption capacity of 141 mg g-1 for ethyl acetate (which is 3.2 times for that of activated carbon), and 39.4 mg g-1 for n-hexane, 48.6 mg g-1 for toluene. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption is physical adsorption and that the interior surface diffusion is the main rate-determining step during the adsorption progress, the interior surface diffusion rate of ethyl acetate on HAT-650 is 1.455 mg g-1 min-0.5. At the same time, the desorption and reuse tests show that HAT-650 has excellent reusability with low desorption and regeneration temperature of 120 °C, and high desorption efficiency of 95.2% and that it could be a promising ethyl acetate adsorbent for industrial applications.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals MFGE8-HAPLN3 Fusion as a Novel Biomarker in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. The lack of effective targeted therapies for TNBC remains a profound clinical challenge. Fusion transcripts play critical roles in carcinogenesis and serve as valuable diagnostic and therapeutic targets in cancer. The present study aimed to identify novel fusion transcripts in TNBC. METHODS: We analyzed the RNA sequencing data of 360 TNBC samples to identify and filter fusion candidates through SOAPfuse and ChimeraScan analysis. The characteristics, including recurrence, fusion type, chromosomal localization, TNBC subgroup distribution, and clinicopathological correlations, were analyzed in all candidates. Furthermore, we selected the promising fusion transcript and predicted its fusion type and protein coding capacity. RESULTS: Using the RNA sequencing data, we identified 189 fusion transcripts in TNBC, among which 22 were recurrent fusions. Compared to para-tumor tissues, TNBC tumor tissues accumulated more fusion events, especially in high-grade tumors. Interestingly, these events were enriched at specific chromosomal loci, and the distribution pattern varied in different TNBC subtypes. The vast majority of fusion partners were discovered on chromosomes 1p, 11q, 19p, and 19q. Besides, fusion events mainly clustered on chromosome 11 in the immunomodulatory subtype and chromosome 19 in the luminal androgen receptor subtype of TNBC. Considering the tumor specificity and frameshift mutation, we selected MFGE8-HAPLN3 as a novel biomarker and further validated it in TNBC samples using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Further, we successfully identified three types of MFGE8-HAPLN3 (E6-E2, E5-E3, and E6-E3) and predicted the ORF of E6-E2, which could encode a protein of 712 amino acids, suggesting its critical role in TNBC. CONCLUSIONS: Improved bioinformatic stratification and comprehensive analysis identified the fusion transcript MFGE8-HAPLN3 as a novel biomarker with promising clinical application in the future.

Mn-CeOx/MeOx(Ti, Al)/cordierite preparation with ultrasound-assisted for non-methane hydrocarbon removal from cooking oil fumes.

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) which contains a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is noxious not only to the environment but also to human health. Among COFs, the Non-methane Hydrocarbon (NMHC) removal rate is an index of the removal rate of COFs in the latest COFs purification standard (DB 11/1488-2018). Ultrasonic treatment can assist the synthesis of catalysts by creating "cavitation", which can improve the surface microtopography of catalysts. The research results in this paper revealed that the NMHC conversion of catalysts with ultrasonic treatment increased significantly. Besides, the samples that coated TiO2 had a higher conversion of NMHC than that coated Al2O3 because TiO2 has better oxidation performance than Al2O3. According to the XPS, SEM, EDS and BET data, because of the enhancement of interaction of the active components of catalysts caused by ultrasonic intervention, T-UU-CTAB exhibited the best catalytic performance, which attributed to the high levels of Mn4+/Mn3+, Ce4+/Ce3+ and Oads/Olatt, more developed pore structure owing to the smaller particle size, higher dispersion of active components, larger specific surface area and larger total pore volume produced by the ultrasonic treatment. Moreover, the conversion of NMHC over T-UU-CTAB is 93.6% at 400 °C.

Cordierite-supported metal oxide for non-methane hydrocarbon oxidation in cooking oil fumes.

Cooking emission is an important reason for the air quality deterioration in the metropolitan area in China. Transition metal oxide and different loading of manganese oxide supported on cordierite were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and were used for non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) oxidation in cooking oil fumes (COFs). The effects of different calcination temperature and different Mn content were also studied. The SEM photographs and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption revealed 5 wt% Mn/cordierite had the best pore structure and the largest number of the weak and moderate basic sites so it showed the best performance for NMHC oxidation. XRD analysis exhibited 5 wt% Mn/cordierite had the best dispersion of active phase and the active phase was MnO2 when the calcination temperature was 400℃ which were good for the catalytic oxidation of NMHC.

Novel synthesis of MeOx (Ni, Cu, La)@Nano-Co3O4 from combination of complexation and impregnation in ultrasonic intervention for low temperature oxidation of toluene under microwave radiation.

Nano-metal binary oxides were prepared by the combined method of complexation and impregnation in ultrasonic intervention for low temperature catalytic oxidation of toluene under microwave radiation. Activity differences of prepared samples were evaluated using the removal rate and the mineralization rate as assessment criteria. Results show that the sample derived from the introduction of La and intervention of ultrasonic presents the best catalytic performance, which the removal rate of 80% can be obtained at 120°C and the mineralization rate of 97% can be obtained at 210°C. Compared with the worst sample at low temperature, maximum increases of removal rate and mineralization rate using the sample of La-Co (US) are 3.47 and 11.79 times respectively. Lowest values of T90 based on removal rate and mineralization rate are 140°C and 195°C, respectively. Compared with the sample that ultrasonic treatment is not applied in impregnation process, maximum increases of removal rate and mineralization rate using the sample of La-Co (US) are 17.43% and 85.19% respectively. Moreover, Diagrams of XRD, EDX and TEM indicate that metal binary oxides nano-particles are synthesized successfully. The data of SEM and XPS manifests that the sample of La-Co (US) possesses the smallest particle size distribution, the highest levels of the Co2+/Co3+ and the Olatt/Oads. In addition, significant differences of catalytic activities are not observed after three cycles indicating that the sample possesses good stability and recycling.

Removal of volatile odorous organic compounds over NiAl mixed oxides at low temperature.

In this paper, a series of NiAl hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTLCs) were prepared by the urea-decomposition method. Removal of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and methyl mercaptan (CH4S) over the hydrotalcite-derived oxides (HTO) at low temperature was studied. The Ni3Al-HTO exhibited higher catalytic activities than Ni3Al mixed oxides prepared by physical mixing method (Ni3Al-PM) or impregnation/calcination method (Ni3Al-IC). Based on the characterization, it was found that desulfurization activities are closely tied to the surface acid-base properties of catalysts. CO2-TPD indicates that the basic characteristic of the Ni3Al-HTO is prominent. XPS results showed that there was a strong interaction between Ni and Al element on Ni3Al-HTO. The first principle calculation based on density function theory was applied with the aim to study the change of basic sites. The results showed that Ni3Al-HTO presents a half-metallic characteristic. Electron transfer from the Al and O atom to the Ni atom was observed, which is helpful for the transfer of electrons from the surface and improves the catalytic activity. Analysis of the DRIFT spectra suggests that sulfate species was formed by the action of surface basic sites, resulting in the formation of H2O on the surface.

Enhancement effects of ultrasound assisted in the synthesis of NiAl hydrotalcite for carbonyl sulfide removal.

Ultrasonic effect in the synthesis of catalysts of NiAl oxides prepared starting from the coprecipitation method of a hydrotalcite structure was evaluated in this work. Removal of carbonyl sulfide (COS) at low temperature over the hydrotalcite-derived oxides was studied. The samples were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption techniques, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). It is found that hydrotalcite treated with ultrasonic has smaller average crystallite size and higher particle dispersion compared to hydrotalcite without ultrasonic treatment. As a result, mixed oxides derived from hydrotalcite treated with ultrasonic show more developed pore structure which is good for the physical adsorption of gaseous pollutant. The result of desulfuration test showed that removal efficiency of COS on the NiAl mixed oxides prepared by ultrasonic method (30min) is greater than that on the catalyst prepared without the ultrasonic irradiation assistance with the same aging time. One important reason for the high activity is that when the ultrasonic is used the number of weak basic sites (OH(-) groups) and moderate basic sites (M-O) was increased, whereas the number of strong basic sites (O(2-)) was decreased. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment promoted the COS hydrolysis and suppress the poisoning of the catalyst.

Potential role of microRNA-21 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Accumulating evidences indicate that microRNA-21(miR-21) show significant high concentration in plasma of gastric cancer (GC) patients compared to normal individuals, suggesting that it may be a useful novel diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer. Therefore, we aimed to assess the potential diagnostic value of miR-21 for gastric cancer in this study. METHODS: Literature database including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, SciVerse, Science Direct, Scopus, BioMed Central, Biosis previews,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Technology of Chongqing (VIP), and Wan Fang DATA were searched for publications concerning the diagnostic value of miR-21 for GC without language restriction. The quality of each study was scored with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). Then, data were retrieved from any qualified article hits and subject to meta-analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used to check the overall test performance. Evidence of heterogeneity was evaluated using the Chi-square and I (2) test. RESULTS: Five studies with a total 251 GC patients and 184 control individuals were included in this meta-analysis. All of the included studies are of high quality (QUADAS score$13). The summary estimates revealed that the pooled sensitivity is 66.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 55.0%-76.3%) and the specificity is 83.1% (95% CI: 69.4%-91.5%). In addition, the area under the summary ROC curve (AUC) is 0.80. CONCLUSION: The current evidence suggests that miR-21 has potential diagnostic value with a moderate sensitivity and specificity for GC. More prospective studies on the diagnostic value of miR-21 for GC are needed in the future.