Aqueous two-phase systems coupled with chemometrics-enhanced HPLC-DAD for simultaneous extraction and determination of flavonoids in honey.

In this study, an accurate, rapid, green, and environment friendly method for the extraction and quantitative analysis of flavonoids in honey was established by using the aqueous two-phase extraction combined with the chemometrics-assisted HPLC-DAD. The first purpose of this study was to extract seven flavonoids in five different types of honey using alcohol/salt aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). The system with 2.82 mL sodium citrate (30%), 1.58 mL water, and 3.10 mL isopropanol, showed the highest flavonoids extraction yields in the top phase (87.66-101.50%). Additionally, the three-way array of honey samples based on HPLC-DAD was decomposed mathematically by the alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm to obtain reasonable chromatograms, spectra, and concentration profiles for each analyte. Compared with the traditional solid-phase extraction method, the ATPS-ATLD-based method showed satisfactory spiked recoveries, lower limit of detection, and higher sensitivity, further verifying its accuracy and stability.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Radical C(sp3)-N Cross-Coupling of Activated Racemic Alkyl Halides with (Hetero)aromatic Amines under Ambient Conditions.

The enantioconvergent C(sp3)-N cross-coupling of racemic alkyl halides with (hetero)aromatic amines represents an ideal means to afford enantioenriched N-alkyl (hetero)aromatic amines yet has remained unexplored due to the catalyst poisoning specifically for strong-coordinating heteroaromatic amines. Here, we demonstrate a copper-catalyzed enantioconvergent radical C(sp3)-N cross-coupling of activated racemic alkyl halides with (hetero)aromatic amines under ambient conditions. The key to success is the judicious selection of appropriate multidentate anionic ligands through readily fine-tuning both electronic and steric properties for the formation of a stable and rigid chelating Cu complex. Thus, this kind of ligand could not only enhance the reducing capability of a copper catalyst to provide an enantioconvergent radical pathway but also avoid the coordination with other coordinating heteroatoms, thereby overcoming catalyst poisoning and/or chiral ligand displacement. This protocol covers a wide range of coupling partners (89 examples for activated racemic secondary/tertiary alkyl bromides/chlorides and (hetero)aromatic amines) with high functional group compatibility. When allied with follow-up transformations, it provides a highly flexible platform to access synthetically useful enantioenriched amine building blocks.

Intragastric fish bones migrate into the liver: A case report.

BACKGROUND: A foreign body in the digestive tract is a common disease in the clinic. However, it is rare for a foreign body to migrate into the liver. Most patients are diagnosed before or after perforation of the digestive tract. Laparoscopic removal of intrahepatic foreign bodies is an effective treatment method. CASE SUMMARY: A 55-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital due to fever for 3 d, in addition to pain and discomfort in the right side of his waist. After admission, abdominal computed tomography showed a foreign body in the liver, and gastroscopy did not indicate obvious erosion or ulcers. The patient then underwent laparoscopic surgery. During the operation, an abscess was seen near the gastric antrum and between the caudate lobes of the liver. It was approximately 30 mm × 31 mm × 23 mm in size. The abscess was cut open, and a fish bone was found inside. The fish bone had penetrated the liver and was successfully removed. It was confirmed that the fish bone migrated from the stomach to the liver. CONCLUSION: Although intrahepatic foreign bodies are rare, they should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible to avoid serious complications such as intrahepatic abscess, which may lead to liver resection and even life-threatening events.

Discrimination of the harvesting season of green tea by alcohol/salt-based aqueous two-phase systems combined with chemometric analysis.

The flavor and aroma quality of green tea are closely related to the harvest season. The aim of this study was to identify the harvesting season of green tea by alcohol/salt-based aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) combined with chemometric analysis. In this paper, the single factor experiments (SFM) and response surface methodology (RSM) optimization were designed to investigate and select the optimal ATPS. A total of 180 green tea samples were studied in this work, including 86 spring tea and 94 autumn tea. After the active components in green tea samples were extracted by the optimal ethanol/(NH4)2SO4 ATPS, the qualitative and quantitative analysis was realized based on HPLC-DAD combined with alternating trilinear decomposition-assisted multivariate curve resolution (ATLD-MCR) algorithm, with satisfactory spiked recoveries (86.00 %-112.45 %). The quantitative results obtained from ATLD-MCR model were subjected to chemometric pattern recognition analysis. The constructed partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models showed better results than the principal component analysis (PCA) model, and the R2Xcum values (>0.835) and R2Ycum (>0.937) were close to 1, the Q2cum values were greater than 0.75 (>0.933), and the differences between R2Ycum and Q2cum were not larger than 0.2, indicating excellent cross-validation prediction performance of the models. Furthermore, the classification results based on the hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were consistent with the PCA, PLS-DA and OPLS-DA results, establishing a good correlation between tea active components and the harvesting seasons of green tea. Overall, the combination of ATPS and chemometric methods is accurate, sensitive, fast and reliable for the qualitative and quantitative determination of tea active components, providing guidance for the quality control of green tea.

Bioinformatics analysis of SOXF family genes reveals potential regulatory mechanism and diagnostic value in cancers.

Background: SOXF family genes (SOX7, SOX17, SOX18) have been reported to involved in tumorigenesis and development in previous articles, separately. But data sources, analysis contents and criteria are not same. Here, we focused on SOXF genes to analyze the regulatory mechanisms and diagnostic value at the same standards. Methods: This study analyzed functions, expressions, methylations, and mutations of SOXF genes through public databases including Metascape, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), cBioPortal, Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER), and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. TIMER applies a deconvolution method to infer the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) from gene expression profiles. Metascape combines several biological functions and over 40 independent knowledge bases within one integrated portal. GEPIA analyses RNA sequencing expression data from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) projects. The cBioPortal visualizes and analyses genetic data from cancer studies. Results: This study found that SOXF genes had low expressions in multiple types of cancer, such as lung cancer and breast cancer (ANOVA differential methods, |log2FC| cutoff: 1, q value cutoff: 0.01). The lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients with high expression of SOX7 [HR =0.72 (0.61-0.85), logrank P=8.1e-05) and SOX17 [HR =0.54 (0.45-0.64), logrank P=1.7e-12] had a higher overall survival (OS) rate. Expression of SOX7 was significantly related to the copy number variation (CNV) (P=3.02e-8) and promoter methylation level (P=5.33e-14), while SOX17 was only related to the promoter methylation level (P=3.32e-12). The expression of SOXF genes was positively correlated with CD4+ T cell infiltration (SOX7: P=8.32e-07, SOX17: P=4.93e-06, SOX18: P=1.61e-11). The AUC for cg07660671 site of SOX7, cg15377283 site of SOX17, and cg24199599 site of SOX18 in distinguishing between normal and tumor in LUAD, intestinal cancer, and breast cancer reached 0.9. SOXF genes were mainly involved in transcriptional regulation, and the Wnt signaling pathway and low expression of SOXF genes in tumor tissue had a strong negative correlation with tumor hypoxia (correlation: -0.35, P≤0.001). Conclusions: This study implied that the expression of SOX7 and SOX17 are potential prognosis markers for patients with Lung cancer and the SOXF genes methylation is potential biomarkers for pan-cancer screening. The SOX7 and SOX17 might modulate the Wnt signaling pathway and the expression of SOXF family genes was significantly negatively correlated with tumor hypoxia.

On-chip rapid drug screening of leukemia cells by acoustic streaming.

Rapid and personalized single-cell drug screening testing plays an essential role in acute myeloid leukemia drug combination chemotherapy. Conventional chemotherapeutic drug screening is a time-consuming process because of the natural resistance of cell membranes to drugs, and there are still great challenges related to using technologies that change membrane permeability such as sonoporation in high-throughput and precise single-cell drug screening with minimal damage. In this study, we proposed an acoustic streaming-based non-invasive single-cell drug screening acceleration method, using high-frequency acoustic waves (>10 MHz) in a concentration gradient microfluidic device. High-frequency acoustics leads to increased difficulties in inducing cavitation and generates acoustic streaming around each single cell. Therefore, single-cell membrane permeability is non-invasively increased by the acoustic pressure and acoustic streaming-induced shear force, which significantly improves the drug uptake process. In the experiment, single human myeloid leukemia mononuclear (THP-1) cells were trapped by triangle cell traps in concentration gradient chips with different cytarabine (Ara-C) drug concentrations. Due to this dual acoustic effect, the drugs affect cell viability in less than 30 min, which is faster than traditional methods (usually more than 24 h). This dual acoustic effect-based drug delivery strategy has the potential to save time and reduce the cost of drug screening, when combined with microfluidic technology for multi-concentration drug screening. This strategy offers enormous potential for use in multiple drug screening or efficient drug combination screening in individualized/personalized treatments, which can greatly improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Serum tumor markers for the prediction of concordance between genomic profiles from liquid and tissue biopsy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The concordance between mutations detected from plasma and tissue is critical for treatment choices of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the association of the serum tumor markers with the concordance between blood and tissue genomic profiles from 185 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. The concordance was defined according to 3 criteria. Class 1 included all targetable driver mutations in 8 genes; class 2 included class 1 mutations plus mutations in KRAS, STK11, and TP53; class 3 included class 2 mutations plus tumor mutation burden (TMB) status. RESULTS: Collectively, 150 out of 185 patients had mutations in both tissue and plasma samples, while one patient was mutation-negative for both, resulting a concordance of 81.6%. The concordance rate for class 1 mutations was 80%, and 65% and 69% for class 2 and class 3, respectively. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) or cytokeratin 19 (CYFRA21-1) levels higher than the normal upper limit predicted the concordance of tissue and blood results in class 1 (P=0.005, P=0.011), class 2 (P=0.011, P<0.001), and class 3 (P=0.001, P=0.014). In class 1, the cutoff values of CA19-9 were 30, 36, and 284 U/mL to reach the concordance thresholds of 90%, 95%, and 100%, respectively (P=0.032, P=0.003, P=0.043). For CYFRA21-1, the cutoff values were 6, 18, and 52 µg/L (P=0.005, P=0.051, P=0.354). In class 2, the cutoff values for CYFRA21-1 were 18, 22, and 52 µg/L (P=0.001, P=0.001, P=0.052). In class 3, the cutoff values for CA19-9 were 36, 39, and 85 U/mL (P=0.003, P=0.001, P=0.008). For CYFRA21-1, the cutoff values were 22, 52, and 52 µg/L (P=0.900, P>0.99, P>0.99). When the sum score for 4 serum tumor markers was greater than 35, both class 1, class 2, and class 3 reached a predictive threshold of 90%. CONCLUSIONS: Serum tumor markers can be used as easy and practical clinical predictors of concordance in mutation profiles between blood and tissue samples from patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Oxytocin Regulates Synaptic Transmission in the Sensory Cortices in a Developmentally Dynamic Manner.

The development and stabilization of neuronal circuits are critical to proper brain function. Synapses are the building blocks of neural circuits. Here we examine the effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin on synaptic transmission in L2/3 pyramidal neurons of the barrel field of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1BF). We find that perfusion of oxytocin onto acute brain slices significantly increases the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSC) of S1BF L2/3 pyramidal neurons at P10 and P14, but reduces it at the later ages of P22 and P28; the transition occurs at around P18. Since oxytocin expression is itself regulated by sensory experience, we also examine whether the effects of oxytocin on excitatory synaptic transmission correlate with that of sensory experience. We find that, indeed, the effects of sensory experience and oxytocin on excitatory synaptic transmission of L2/3 pyramidal neurons both peak at around P14 and plateau around P18, suggesting that they regulate a specific form of synaptic plasticity in L2/3 pyramidal neurons, with a sensitive/critical period ending around P18. Consistently, oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) expression in glutamatergic neurons of the upper layers of the cerebral cortex peaks around P14. By P28, however, Oxtr expression becomes more prominent in GABAergic neurons, especially somatostatin (SST) neurons. At P28, oxytocin perfusion increases inhibitory synaptic transmission and reduces excitatory synaptic transmission, effects that result in a net reduction of neuronal excitation, in contrast to increased excitation at P14. Using oxytocin knockout mice and Oxtr conditional knockout mice, we show that loss-of-function of oxytocin affects baseline excitatory synaptic transmission, while Oxtr is required for oxytocin-induced changes in excitatory synaptic transmission, at both P14 and P28. Together, these results demonstrate that oxytocin has complex and dynamic functions in regulating synaptic transmission in cortical L2/3 pyramidal neurons. These findings add to existing knowledge of the function of oxytocin in regulating neural circuit development and plasticity.

Upregulation of XRN2 acts as an oncogene in oral squamous cell carcinoma and correlates with poor prognosis.

BACKGROUD: The 5'-3' exoribonuclease 2 (XRN2) has been reported involved in several tumors. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of XRN2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have not been elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to investigate the expression of XRN2 in OSCC and adjacent noncancerous tissues, which was further identified by western blot and GEPIA2 database analysis. Moreover, the relationship between XRN2 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of OSCC patients was evaluated. In addition, in vitro, the effects of XRN2 on OSCC cells were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay, colony formation assay, apoptosis assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assays. RESULTS: XRN2 was overexpressed in 44 of 77 (57.1 %) OSCC tissues. High expression of XRN2 was significantly associated with tumor differentiation (P=0.003), pathological clinical stage (P=0.045), lymph node metastasis (P=0.041), and poor overall survival (P=0.0013). Furthermore, the multivariate analysis suggested that XRN2 expression(P=0.002) was determined as an independent prognostic factor for patients with OSCC. Additionally, with functional assays in vitro, we found that downregulation of XRN2 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while promoted apoptosis of OSCC cells. Furthermore, knockdown of XRN2 in OSCC cells could increase the expression of E-cadherin but reduce the expression of Vimentin, which changes the characteristic of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). CONCLUSION: XRN2 is significantly overexpressed in OSCC tissues and its upregulation was closely associated with poor prognosis of OSCC patients. XRN2 could be a useful prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

CHNQD-00603 Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells by the miR-452-3p-Mediated Autophagy Pathway.

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic and progressive disease accompanied by bone loss. It is still a challenge to restore the bone structure. The osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) plays a decisive role in bone restoration and regeneration. Marine natural products (MNPs) have multiple biological activities, including anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the exploration of MNPs in osteogenesis is far from sufficient. Methods: We obtained a series of derivatives through structural optimization from 4-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one alkaloid isolated from Scopulariopsis sp. Some preliminary cytological experiments showed that CHNQD-00603, obtained by adding a methoxy group to the position C3 and a hydroxyl group to the position C4 of 4-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one, might promote the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. To further investigate the effects of CHNQD-00603 on BMSCs, we performed a CCK-8 assay and qRT-PCR, alkaline phosphatase staining (ALP), and alizarin red S staining to assess the cytotoxicity and the ability of osteogenic differentiation of CHNQD-00603. The autophagy level was assessed and validated by WB, qRT-PCR, and transmission electron microscopy. Then, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) was added to further examine the role of autophagy. Based on the expression of autophagy-related genes, we predicted and examined the potential miRNAs by bioinformatics. Results: CCK-8 assay showed that CHNQD-00603 at 1 µg/ml did not influence BMSCs activity. However, the proliferation rate decreased from the seventh day. qRT-PCR, ALP staining, ALP activity assay, and Alizarin red S staining showed that the best concentration of CHNQD-00603 to promote osteogenic differentiation was 1 µg/ml. Further investigations indicated that CHNQD-00603 activated autophagy, and the inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA attenuated CHNQD-00603-enhanced osteogenic differentiation. Subsequently, the findings from bioinformatics and qRT-PCR indicated that miR-452-3p might be a regulator of autophagy and osteogenesis. Furthermore, we transfected BMSCs with miR-452-3p NC and mimics separately to further determine the function of miR-452-3p. The data showed that the overexpression of miR-452-3p moderated the level of autophagy and osteogenic differentiation of CHNQD-00603-treated BMSCs. Conclusion: Our data suggested that CHNQD-00603 promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by enhancing autophagy. Meanwhile, miR-452-3p played a regulatory role in this process.

Review and Thinking on Forensic Pathological Changes of Coronavirus-Infected Diseases.

Since the beginning of this century, three types of coronavirus have widely transmitted and caused severe diseases and deaths, which strongly indicates that severe infectious diseases caused by coronavirus infection are not accidental events. Coronavirus-infected diseases are mainly manifested by respiratory symptoms, with multiple organ dysfunctions. Precisely investigating the pathological process, characteristics and pathogenesis of coronavirus-infected diseases will be beneficial for us to understand clinical manifestations and provide targeted suggestions on prophylaxis and treatment. This paper briefly reviews the pathological findings of three known coronavirus-infected diseases, and attempts to construct the pathological spectrum of coronavirus-infected diseases, aiming to provide reference and thinking for autopsy, histopathological examination and animal infection model study of coronavirus-infected diseases.

Patterns of endoscopy during COVID-19 pandemic: a global survey of interventional inflammatory bowel disease practice.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Performance of diagnostic or therapeutic endoscopic procedures in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients can be challenging during a viral pandemic; the main concerns being the safety and protection of patients and health care providers (HCP). The aim of this study is to identify endoscopic practice patterns and outcomes of IBD and coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a worldwide survey of HCP. METHODS: The 20-item survey questionnaire was sent to physician members of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Special Interest Group in Interventional IBD, Chinese IBD Society Endoscopy Interest Group, and the China Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. RESULTS: A total of 141 respondents submitted valid responses. Nighty-five respondents (67.9%) reported that at least 25% of their scheduled emergent endoscopic procedures were canceled or postponed during the pandemic. Fifty-six respondents (40.0%) have performed emergent endoscopy during the pandemic. A few respondents (9/140, 6.4%) estimated that more than 25% of their patients had worsened disease due to delayed or canceled emergent endoscopy procedures. More than 80% of respondents believed that personal protective equipment (PPE) for the endoscopy team, room sterilization, and pre-procedure screening of patients for COVID-19 were necessary. Out of 140 respondents, 16 (11.4%) reported that several of their patients had COVID-19. Eight clinicians (5.7%) reported that they or their endoscopy colleagues developed work-related COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Cancellation of elective and emergent endoscopy in IBD care during the pandemic was common. Few respondents reported that their patients' disease conditions worsened due to the cancellation of the endoscopy procedure. Most respondents voiced the need for proper PPE during the procedure regardless of patients' COVID-19 status and screening the patients for COVID-19.

Correlation between HPV-negative cervical lesions and cervical microenvironment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV)-negative cervical lesions and cervical microenvironment in Inner Mongolia, China, and to find the pathogenic factors of HR HPV-negative cervical lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 74 cases of HR HPV-negative healthy women and 80 cases of patients with cervical lesions (28 cases of LSIL, 49 cases of HSIL and 3 cases of CSCC) were selected as the study group; 26 cases of HPV-positive women and 352 cases of patients with cervical lesions (108 cases of LSIL, 214 cases of HSIL and 30 cases of CSCC) were control group. Questionnaires were collected from the study group and the control group and specimens were collected. Gram staining, hematoxylin and eosin staining microscopy, and substrate colorimetry method were used to detect vaginal micro-ecological indicators; ELISA was used to detect the concentration of SIgA, IgG, IL-2 and IL-10 in vaginal lavage fluid. Genetic testing was used to detect HPV, mycoplasma, and chlamydia infection. The changes of vaginal micro-ecology evaluation index and local immune factor concentration in healthy women and cervical lesions of all grades in the study group and the control group were compared. RESULTS: Patients with cervical lesions, compared with healthy women, had a decrease in dominant lactobacilli and dysbacteriosis (P < 0.05), and this trend became more apparent as the disease progressed. The diversity and concentration of the flora in the HPV-negative group increased, the abnormal composition ratio decreased, and the HPV-positive group showed the opposite trend. As the lesion progressed, H2O2 decreased first and then increased, and the overall trend of SNa, LE, GUS, and GADP increased. The infection rate of trichomoniasis, BV and chlamydia increased and infection rate of Candida decreased. Also, compared with healthy women, patients with cervical lesions showed changes in immune factor concentration (P < 0.05). As the lesion progressed, IL-2 decreased, IL-10 increased, and IL-2/IL-10 decreased. However, IL-2 expression in HPV-negative group was higher than HSIL. SIgA was significantly lower in patients with cervical lesions than in healthy women. IgG had an upward trend in the HPV positive group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that vaginal micro-ecological imbalance and weakening of local cervical immune function are important reasons for the development of cervical lesions. It is expected to inhibit the development of cervical lesions by regulating the balance of vaginal micro-ecology and enhancing local immune function. By detecting Lactobacillus vaginalis, pre-enzyme, IL-2, IL-10, SIgA, it can guide the further diversion of HPV-positive women and predict the development direction of cervical lesions after HPV infection.

Enriched Environment Rearing from Birth Reduced Anxiety, Improved Learning and Memory, and Promoted Social Interactions in Adult Male Mice.

Rearing rodents in an enriched environment (EE), with increased sensory stimulations and social interactions, is a well-established model for naturally increasing neural activity. It is well-known that EE-rearing of rodents from adolescence or during adulthood leads to extensive biochemical, morphological, electrophysiological and behavioral changes. Here, we examine the effects of EE-rearing from birth on adult behavior. Through a battery of assays, we found that mice EE-reared from birth had better acquisition and consolidation of memory, in both aversive-based fear conditioning and reward-based contextual association tasks. Moreover, EE-reared mice showed reduced anxiety in novel environments and enhanced social interactions. Together, these results demonstrated that EE-rearing from birth significantly improved motor ability, learning and memory and sociability, while reducing anxiety. A better understanding of how early environmental influences affect behavior is not only important for understanding neural circuit wiring, but also provides insight into developing more effective intervention programs for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Hypoxia Activates SOX5/Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling by Suppressing MiR-338-3p in Gastric Cancer.

MicroRNAs are known to be important in a variety of cancer types. The specific expression and roles of miR-338-3p in the context of gastric cancer, however, remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that miR-338-3p was expressed significantly lower in established/primary human gastric cancer cells than that in human gastric epithelial cells; miR-338-3p is also decreased in human gastric cancer tissues and was positively associated with the worse prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Enforced expression of miR-338-3p could inhibit cell growth, survival, and proliferation, while inducing cell apoptosis. In addition, miR-338-3p negatively regulated SOX5 expression through directly binding to the 3'-untranslated region of SOX5, and an inverse correlation was found between miR-338-3p and SOX5 messenger RNA expression in gastric cancer tissues. Furthermore, miR-338-3p-induced inactivation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling was greatly abrogated by SOX5 upregulation. Finally, we found that hypoxic conditions were linked with reduced miR-338-3p expression in the context of gastric cancer. In conclusion, miR-338-3p acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer, possibly by directly targeting SOX5 and blocking Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. These findings might provide novel therapeutic targets for gastric cancer.

Thermal transport properties of monolayer MoSe2 with defects.

Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) as one of the ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has attracted considerable attention because of its potential applications in thermoelectric and nano-electronic devices. Here, the thermal conductivity of monolayer MoSe2 and its responses to simulated size and defects are studied by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. With the increase of sample length, the thermal conductivity of monolayer MoSe2 nanoribbons exhibits an enhancement whereas it is insensitive to the width. At room temperature, the thermal conductivities of monolayer MoSe2 along armchair and zigzag directions are 17.758 and 18.932 W (m K)-1, respectively, which are consistent with previous results. The impact of defects on thermal conductivity has also been studied by varying the concentration of the vacancy from 0.1% to 0.5%. The results show that an increase of the defect concentration will greatly suppress the thermal conductivity. The 0.5% defect concentration with a Mo vacancy can result in a thermal conductivity reduction of ∼43%. Such a study would provide a good insight into the tunable thermal transport for potential applications of not only monolayer MoSe2, but also many other TMDs.

Comparison of three second-order multivariate calibration methods for the rapid identification and quantitative analysis of tea polyphenols in Chinese teas using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Retention time shifts in second-order calibration-assisted chromatographic analysis seriously impact the modeling and quantitative accuracies in complex systems. In this work, three second-order methods, i.e. alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm, multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS), alternating trilinear decomposition-assisted multivariate curve resolution (ATLD-MCR), were compared their performance to process liquid chromatographic data in the presence of retention time shifts and overlapped peaks. Firstly, the validation samples contain five tea polyphenols at three concentrate levels within the calibration ranges, helped to understand, visualize and interpret these features of three second-order multivariate methods. Secondly, experimental data were studied concerning the determination of polyphenols in Chinese tea samples by HPLC-DAD. The results showed that all three second-order multivariate methods realized satisfactory quantification for five targeted analytes in Pu-Er ripe tea samples and Green tea samples even with the interference of slight retention time shifts, average recoveries were 91.23% -113.16% for ATLD, 89.96%-115.96% for ATLD-MCR, 90.64%-117.60% for MCR-ALS, respectively. However, ATLD was disappointing in the case of larger time shifts (approx. 4.00 s and 6.40 s) occurring for the quantitative analysis of Black tea and Clinacanthus nutans tea, the average recoveries were just 67.33-84.05%. Relatively, MCR-ALS and ATLD-MCR were more significantly excellent, satisfactory results still can be obtained, the average recoveries for MCR-ALS and ATLD-MCR were in the range of 86.04-117.60% and 89.96-115.96%, respectively.

[Effects of MTA, iRoot SP and AH Plus on proliferation and differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells].

PURPOSE: To explore the effects of MTA, iRoot SP and AH Plus on periodontal ligament stem cells. METHODS: The periodontal ligament stem cells were cloned by limiting dilution culture method. The effects of MTA, iRoot SP and AH Plus on proliferation and apoptosis of periodontal ligament stem cells were detected by MTT and Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining. Alizarin and qRT-PCR were used to evaluate the effect of MTA, iRoot SP and AH plus on osteogenesis of periodontal ligament stem cells. SPSS 21.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: MTA showed mild toxicity at 24 and 48 hours, AH Plus showed mild toxicity at 24 h. iRoot SP was the least (P<0.05) compared to MTA and AH Plus. The effect of three kinds of materials on apoptosis of periodontal ligament stem cells gradually decreased with the prolongation of time. Compared with the control group, the three kinds of materials were toxic at 3 d, the toxicity of MTA was the strongest and the toxicity of iRoot SP was the lowest(P<0.05). Mineralization nodules in MTA and iRoot SP group were significantly higher than those in AH Plus and control group. The expression of OC, RUNX2, COL1A and ALP gene was higher at 7, 14, 21 d than in the control group and the expression of iRoot SP mineralization was the greatest(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The hardened iRoot SP is non-toxic to human periodontal ligament stem cells. Osteogenic ability and mineralization capacity of hardened iRoot SP on human periodontal ligament stem cells are better than MTA.

Difference in vaginal microecology, local immunity and HPV infection among childbearing-age women with different degrees of cervical lesions in Inner Mongolia.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the difference in vaginal microecology, local immunity and HPV infection among childbearing-age women with different degrees of cervical lesions. METHODS: A total of 432 patients were included in this study. Among these patients, 136 patients had LSIL, 263 patients had HSIL and 33 patients had CSCC. These patients were assigned as the research groups. In addition, 100 healthy females were enrolled and assigned as the control group. RESULTS: The microbiological indexes of vaginal secretions were evaluated. Furthermore, the concentrations of SIgA, IgG, IL-2 and IL-10 in vaginal lavage fluid, as well as the presence of HPV, mycoplasma and Chlamydia in cervical secretions, were detected. The results is that: (1) Differences in evaluation indexes of vaginal microecology among all research groups and the control group were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). As the degree of cervical lesions increased, the number of Lactobacillus decreased, and there was an increase in prevalence of bacterial imbalance, and the diversity, density and normal proportion of bacteria was reduced. Furthermore, the incidence of HPV, trichomonads, clue cell and Chlamydia infection increased. Moreover, the positive rate of H2O2 decreased, while the positive rates of SNa and GADP increased. (2) Differences in the ratio of IL-2 and IL-10 in the female genital tract among all research groups and the control group were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: As the degree of cervical lesions increased, IL-2 decreased, IL-10 increased and IL-2/IL-10 decreased, while SIgA and IgG were elevated. The reduction of dominant Lactobacillus in the vagina, impairment of H2O2 function, flora ratio imbalance, pathogen infections, reduction in IL-2/IL-10 ratio, and changes in SIgA and IgG levels could all be potential factors that influenced the pathogenicity of HPV infection and the occurrence and development of cervical lesions.