The potential mechanisms of neuroblastoma in children based on bioinformatics big data.

Background: In recent years, miRNAs have become a research hotspot, which is related to the occurrence and development of a variety of malignant tumors, but there are few studies in neuroblastoma. In this study, the differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in neuroblastoma were identified and analyzed using bioinformatics, and their biological functions and related signaling pathways were examined. Methods: The neuroblastoma miRNA chip GSE121513 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the data of 95 neuroblastoma samples and normal fetal adrenal neuroblastoma samples were analyzed to screen the differential miRNAs. The target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted using |log fold change (FC)| ≥4. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses were performed to construct a protein-protein interaction network and identify the core target genes. Results: A total of 91 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified (P<0.05, |logFC| ≥1), including 52 upregulated and 39 downregulated miRNAs. The target genes of the differential miRNAs (P<0.05, |logFC| ≥4) were pretested, and 602 target genes were obtained. Functional analysis showed that these genes were mainly located in the extracellular matrix region of proteins, and were involved in the negative regulation of cytoplasmic translation, mRNA 3'-untranslated region (UTR) binding, and binding to nucleic acid to inhibit the activity of translation factors. They were also involved in RNA degradation, adhesion pathways, and the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signaling pathway. Ten key target genes were identified via protein interaction network screening. Conclusions: The differential miRNAs may be related to the occurrence of neuroblastoma were screened.

[Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in Surface Water and Sediments of Haizhou Bay, Lianyungang].

In recent years, microplastics have emerged as a new marine pollutant and have attracted wide research attention. As the main activity areas of human beings in the coastal environment, gulfs have always been the hotspots of marine pollution. However, the distribution of microplastics in most small and medium-sized coastal environments has been rarely reported in China. To understand the characteristics of microplastic pollution in small and medium-sized inshore bays in China, the main types, abundance, and spatial distribution characteristics of microplastics in the surface water and sediments in Haizhou Bay of Jiangsu province were studied by qualitative and quantitative methods. The results showed that the abundances of microplastics in the surface water and sediments of Haizhou Bay were (2.60±1.40) n·m-3 and (0.33±0.26) n·g-1, respectively. In the domestic offshore environment, the abundance of microplastics was at a low level in the surface water, but at a high level in the sediments in Haizhou Bay (0.33-545.00 n·m-3 and 0.07-2.58 n·g-1, respectively). The range of size distribution of microplastics in water and sediments was 0.08-13.48 mm and 0.04-14.74 mm, respectively. More than 60% of the microplastics in water and sediments were small particles of sizes less than 2.00 mm. The shape of microplastics in Haizhou Bay was mainly fibrous, accounting for 92%. The main colors were blue and black, accounting for 70%. The materials were mainly man-made fibers and PET, accounting for 79.4%. There was a significant correlation between the distribution of microplastics in surface water and suspended matter concentration (P<0.05). The distribution of microplastics in sediments was affected by many factors, and its distribution pattern between the distribution of microplastics in surface water and the distribution of particle size in sediments was quite different. Through analysis of the morphological characteristics and composition of microplastics, the results showed that the microplastics in Haizhou Bay mainly come from mariculture and coastal land sources.

Brain pathways of pain empathy activated by pained facial expressions: a meta-analysis of fMRI using the activation likelihood estimation method.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to summarize and analyze the brain signal patterns of empathy for pain caused by facial expressions of pain utilizing activation likelihood estimation, a meta-analysis method. DATA SOURCES: Studies concerning the brain mechanism were searched from the Science Citation Index, Science Direct, PubMed, DeepDyve, Cochrane Library, SinoMed, Wanfang, VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and other databases, such as SpringerLink, AMA, Science Online, Wiley Online, were collected. A time limitation of up to 13 December 2016 was applied to this study. DATA SELECTION: Studies presenting with all of the following criteria were considered for study inclusion: Use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, neutral and pained facial expression stimuli, involvement of adult healthy human participants over 18 years of age, whose empathy ability showed no difference from the healthy adult, a painless basic state, results presented in Talairach or Montreal Neurological Institute coordinates, multiple studies by the same team as long as they used different raw data. OUTCOME MEASURES: Activation likelihood estimation was used to calculate the combined main activated brain regions under the stimulation of pained facial expression. RESULTS: Eight studies were included, containing 178 subjects. Meta-analysis results suggested that the anterior cingulate cortex (BA32), anterior central gyrus (BA44), fusiform gyrus, and insula (BA13) were activated positively as major brain areas under the stimulation of pained facial expression. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that pained facial expression alone, without viewing of painful stimuli, activated brain regions related to pain empathy, further contributing to revealing the brain's mechanisms of pain empathy.

Four new diterpenes from Aphanamixis polystachya.

Four novel diterpenes possessing rare five-membered peroxide ring, aphanaperoxides E-H (1-4), were isolated from stem bark of Aphanamixis polystachya. Their structures including the absolute configuration were elucidated by spectroscopic data and CD analysis. The cytotoxicities of the isolated compounds against a panel of human cancer cell lines were evaluated.

Characterization of aromatic glycosides in the extracts of Trollius species by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS) was used to investigate the MS fragmentation behaviors of flavone C-glycosides present in the extracts of five Trollius species. In this study, the primary MS fragmentation pathways and key diagnostic fragment ions of flavone C-glycosides were systematically investigated and summarized to distinguish different types of derivatives and to trace other analogs in Trollius species. This method was useful, rapid, efficient and sensitive and allowed the simultaneous identification of different types of flavone C-glycosides present in other medicinal plants. The features of the MS fragmentation of these compounds indicated that the product ions were primarily the result of cleavage in the saccharide moiety, followed by hydrogen rearrangement and dehydration. In this study, thirty-six components including thirty-two flavone C-glycosides, two flavone O-glycosides and two phenylethanoid glycosides, were identified in the extracts of five Trollius species. Eleven of the flavone C-glycosides were identified by comparison with reference standards, and twenty-one flavone C-glycosides were tentatively identified based on their retention times, exact mass information and fragment ions. Two potentially new flavone C-glycosides (2″-O-vanilloylorientin and 2″-O-feruloylvitexin) were successfully characterized based on the summarized fragmentation pathways, and six known flavone C-glycosides (2″-O-glucosylvitexin, 2″-O-acetylorientin, 2″-O-acetylvitexin, 3″-O-acetylorientin, 3″-O-acetylvitexin and 6″-O-acetylvitexin) were identified in these plant species for the first time. In conclusion, the fragmentation pathways proposed in this paper were helpful for the identification of different types of flavone C-glycosides when no reference standards were available.

Two new flavone C-glycosides from Trollius ledebourii.

Two new flavone C-glycosides, trollisin A (1) and trollisin B (2), along with seven known flavonoids, isoswertisin (3), isoswertiajaponin (4), orientin (5), 2″-O-ß-L-galactopyranosylvitexin (6), 2″-O-ß-L-galactopyranosylorientin (7), neodiosmin (8) and acacetin-7-O-neohesperidoside (9) were isolated from the flowers of Trollius ledebourii REICHB. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on spectral analysis, including MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR experimentation.

[A comprehensive prevention programs on AIDS, HBV and syphilis among pregnant women and couples experienced premarital medical examination].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive prevention programs on HIV, HBV and syphilis transmission from mother to child and between premarital couples. METHODS: HIV, HBV and syphilis were screened among pregnant women with interventional measure for infected women; HIV, HBV and syphilis (TP) were screened among premarital couples with medical advice. RESULTS: The HIV, HBsAg and TP positive rates were 8.4‰ (111/13 280), 54‰ (711/13 186) and 12.8‰ (159/12 401) respectively among pregnant women and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 73.8‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate (P < 0.001). The positive rates of HIV, HBsAg and TP were 17.6‰ (464/26 324), 95.3‰ (1826/19 152) and 18.6‰ (355/19 099) respectively among premarital couples and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 131.5‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate alone (P < 0.001). Comprehensive prevention was more economical than prevention for HIV alone. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive strategies for prevention of HIV, HBV and syphilis was feasible, effective and economical that could help to actively conduct the preventive measures.

Dichlorido(dimethyl-formamide-κO)[1,4,7-tris-(2-cyano-ethyl)-1,4,7-triaza-cyclo-nonane-κN,N,N]nickel(II).

The title complex, [NiCl(2)(C(15)H(24)N(6))(C(3)H(7)NO)], is isomorphous with the Co(II) analogue. Three N-atom donors from the facially coordinating triaza macrocyclic ligand, one O-atom donor from dimethyl-formamide and two Cl(-) anions surround the Ni(II) ion in a distorted octa-hedral coordination geometry. Inter-molecular C-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter-actions link the complex mol-ecules into a three-dimensional supra-molecular architecture.