Effect of MiR-10b on Cervical Cancer Rats Through mTOR/P70S6K Signaling Pathway.

The purpose of this experiment was to observe the biological effect and mechanism of miR-10b on cervical cancer (CC) rats. For this purpose, the rat model of CC was established and divided into three groups (Inhibitors/ Mimics/Control). The miR-10b transfection efficiency was analyzed via RT-PCR in cervical tissues in each group. The content of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ was detected. The levels of IL-8, TNF-ß, IL-6, (CAT, SOD, and MDA were determined via ELISA, and the apoptosis of cervical tissues was detected usingTUNEL assay. The expressions of Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and the mTOR/P70S6K pathway genes and proteins were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Results showed that miR-10b was significantly increased in the Mimics group and decreased in the Inhibitors group. The content of IL-8, TNF-ß, IL-6, CAT and MDA was raised, while that of SOD notably declined in the Inhibitors group. There were remarkably more apoptotic cells in the Mimics group, dominated by gliocytes, and fewer apoptotic cells in the Inhibitors group, with increased content of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+. The Bcl-2, mTOR, and P70S6K mRNA expressions in the Inhibitors group were up-regulated than those in the other two groups, and the Caspase-3 gene in the Mimics group was increased and close to that in the control group. In the Mimics group, the mTOR and P70S6K protein were remarkably lower than those in the Inhibitors group. In conclusion, miR-10b can inhibit the occurrence and development of CC in rats by suppressing mTOR/P70S6K signaling, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and increasing the level of immune factors.

Molecular Ferroelectric-Based Flexible Sensors Exhibiting Supersensitivity and Multimodal Capability for Detection.

Although excellent dielectric, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties matched with or even surpassing those of ferroelectric ceramics have been recently discovered in molecular ferroelectrics, their successful applications in devices are scarce. The fracture proneness of molecular ferroelectrics under mechanical loading precludes their applications as flexible sensors in bulk crystalline form. Here, self-powered flexible mechanical sensors prepared from the facile deposition of molecular ferroelectric [C(NH2 )3 ]ClO4 onto a porous polyurethane (PU) matrix are reported. [C(NH2 )3 ]ClO4 -PU is capable of detecting pressure of 3 Pa and strain of 1% that are hardly accessible by the state-of-the-art piezoelectric, triboelectric, and piezoresistive sensors, and presents the ability of sensing multimodal mechanical forces including compression, stretching, bending, shearing, and twisting with high cyclic stability. This scaling analysis corroborated with computational modeling provides detailed insights into the electro-mechanical coupling and establishes rules of engineering design and optimization for the hybrid sponges. Demonstrative applications of the [C(NH2 )3 ]ClO4 -PU array suggest potential uses in interactive electronics and robotic systems.

Long non-coding RNA AC023794.4-201 exerts a tumor-suppressive function in laryngeal squamous cell cancer and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker.

After the expression level of lncRNA AC023794.4-201 was upregulated in 2 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) cell lines (AMC-HN-8 and TU-212) and LSCC xenografts, the biological function of lncRNA AC023794.4-201 in LSCC was further investigated using in vitro and in vivo experiments, such as cell function experiments and nude mice transplantation. In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the expression level of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) AC023794.4-201 were decreased in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, particularly in cases of LSCC with lymphatic metastasis. Moreover, low expression levels of AC023794.4-201 were revealed to be an adverse prognostic factor for patients with LSCC. In the present study, lentiviruses were used to overexpress AC023794.4-201 before a series of cell function assays were performed and a xenograft nude mouse model was constructed, in order to further investigate the functions of AC023794.4-201 in LSCC. AC023794.4-201 inhibited the proliferation and the cloning capacity of LSCC cells compared with the negative control group as indicated by real-time cell analysis and the plate colony formation assay. Flow cytometry and transwell migration assays demonstrated that AC023794.4-201 inhibited the migration, induced cell cycle arrest and increased the apoptotic rate of LSCC cells. The results of the in vivo studies demonstrated that AC023794.4-201 significantly inhibited the growth of LSCC xenografts, and promoted apoptosis. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that AC023794.4-201 may exert tumor-suppressive functions in the progression of LSCC and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for LSCC.

A Sensorless Predictive Current Controlled Boost Converter by Using an EKF with Load Variation Effect Elimination Function.

To realize accurate current control for a boost converter, a precise measurement of the inductor current is required to achieve high resolution current regulating. Current sensors are widely used to measure the inductor current. However, the current sensors and their processing circuits significantly contribute extra hardware cost, delay and noise to the system. They can also harm the system reliability. Therefore, current sensorless control techniques can bring cost effective and reliable solutions for various boost converter applications. According to the derived accurate model, which contains a number of parasitics, the boost converter is a nonlinear system. An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is proposed for inductor current estimation and output voltage filtering. With this approach, the system can have the same advantages as sensored current control mode. To implement EKF, the load value is necessary. However, the load may vary from time to time. This can lead to errors of current estimation and filtered output voltage. To solve this issue, a load variation elimination effect elimination (LVEE) module is added. In addition, a predictive average current controller is used to regulate the current. Compared with conventional voltage controlled system, the transient response is greatly improved since it only takes two switching cycles for the current to reach its reference. Finally, experimental results are presented to verify the stable operation and output tracking capability for large-signal transients of the proposed algorithm.

An optimal current observer for predictive current controlled buck DC-DC converters.

In digital current mode controlled DC-DC converters, conventional current sensors might not provide isolation at a minimized price, power loss and size. Therefore, a current observer which can be realized based on the digital circuit itself, is a possible substitute. However, the observed current may diverge due to the parasitic resistors and the forward conduction voltage of the diode. Moreover, the divergence of the observed current will cause steady state errors in the output voltage. In this paper, an optimal current observer is proposed. It achieves the highest observation accuracy by compensating for all the known parasitic parameters. By employing the optimal current observer-based predictive current controller, a buck converter is implemented. The converter has a convergently and accurately observed inductor current, and shows preferable transient response than the conventional voltage mode controlled converter. Besides, costs, power loss and size are minimized since the strategy requires no additional hardware for current sensing. The effectiveness of the proposed optimal current observer is demonstrated experimentally.

Silencing of CXCR4 blocks progression of ovarian cancer and depresses canonical Wnt signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) was considered to be an important factor in cancer cell metastasis. This study was aimed to examine the expression of CXCR4 in ovarian cancer and determine the functions and the possible mechanisms of CXCR4 in the progression of ovarian cancer. METHODS: CXC chemokine receptor 4 messenger RNA expression in normal ovarian tissues, malignant epithelial ovarian tumors, and 3 ovarian cancer cell lines was analyzed. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the protein expression of CXCR4 and ß-catenin in normal and malignant ovarian tissues. The effect of CXCR4 inhibition on cell proliferation and invasion was determined. RESULTS: CXC chemokine receptor 4 was highly expressed in malignant ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer cell lines, and the different expression of CXCR4 was observed between the ovarian cancers with lymph node metastasis and without lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, The CXCR4 expression was correlated with ß-catenin expression in ovarian tissues. Moreover, knockdown of CXCR4 could obviously reduce proliferation and invasion of ovarian cancer cell and inhibit Wnt target genes and mesenchymal markers such as vimentin and SLUG expression. CONCLUSIONS: CXC chemokine receptor 4 plays a critical role in the metastasis of human ovarian cancer possibly through modulating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. CXC chemokine receptor 4 is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of ovarian cancer.