Pan-cancer analysis of NUP155 and validation of its role in breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis.

NUP155 is reported to be correlated with tumor development. However, the role of NUP155 in tumor physiology and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has not been previously examined. This study comprehensively investigated the expression, immunological function, and prognostic significance of NUP155 in different cancer types. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that NUP155 was upregulated in 26 types of cancer. Additionally, NUP155 upregulation was strongly correlated with advanced pathological or clinical stages and poor prognosis in several cancers. Furthermore, NUP155 was significantly and positively correlated with DNA methylation, tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and stemness score in most cancers. Additionally, NUP155 was also found to be involved in TIME and closely associated with tumor infiltrating immune cells and immunoregulation-related genes. Functional enrichment analysis revealed a strong correlation between NUP155 and immunomodulatory pathways, especially antigen processing and presentation. The role of NUP155 in breast cancer has not been examined. This study, for the first time, demonstrated that NUP155 was upregulated in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) cells and revealed its oncogenic role in BRCA using molecular biology experiments. Thus, our study highlights the potential value of NUP155 as a biomarker in the assessment of prognostic prediction, tumor microenvironment and immunotherapeutic response in pan-cancer.

Ultralow-power all-optical switching via a chiral Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

It is a challenge for all-optical switching to simultaneous achieve ultralow power consumption, broad bandwidth and high extinction ratio. We experimentally demonstrate an ultralow-power all-optical switching by exploiting chiral interaction between light and optically active material in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We achieve switching extinction ratio of 20.0 ± 3.8 and 14.7 ± 2.8 dB with power cost of 66.1 ± 0.7 and 1.3 ± 0.1 fJ/bit, respectively. The bandwidth of our all-optical switching is about 4.2 GHz. Moreover, our all-optical switching has the potential to be operated at few-photon level. Our scheme paves the way towards ultralow-power and ultrafast all-optical information processing.

Amino Acid Metabolism-Related lncRNA Signature Predicts the Prognosis of Breast Cancer.

Background and Purpose: Breast cancer (BRCA) is the most frequent female malignancy and is potentially life threatening. The amino acid metabolism (AAM) has been shown to be strongly associated with the development and progression of human malignancies. In turn, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert an important influence on the regulation of metabolism. Therefore, we attempted to build an AAM-related lncRNA prognostic model for BRCA and illustrate its immune characteristics and molecular mechanism. Experimental Design: The RNA-seq data for BRCA from the TCGA-BRCA datasets were stochastically split into training and validation cohorts at a 3:1 ratio, to construct and validate the model, respectively. The amino acid metabolism-related genes were obtained from the Molecular Signature Database. A univariate Cox analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and a multivariate Cox analysis were applied to create a predictive risk signature. Subsequently, the immune and molecular characteristics and the benefits of chemotherapeutic drugs in the high-risk and low-risk subgroups were examined. Results: The prognostic model was developed based on the lncRNA group including LIPE-AS1, AC124067.4, LINC01655, AP005131.3, AC015802.3, USP30-AS1, SNHG26, and AL589765.4. Low-risk patients had a more favorable overall survival than did high-risk patients, in accordance with the results obtained for the validation cohort and the complete TCGA cohort. The elaborate results illustrated that a low-risk index was correlated with DNA-repair-associated pathways; a low TP53 and PIK3CA mutation rate; high infiltration of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and M1 macrophages; active immunity; and less-aggressive phenotypes. In contrast, a high-risk index was correlated with cancer and metastasis-related pathways; a high PIK3CA and TP53 mutation rate; high infiltration of M0 macrophages, fibroblasts, and M2 macrophages; inhibition of the immune response; and more invasive phenotypes. Conclusion: In conclusion, we attempted to shed light on the importance of AAM-associated lncRNAs in BRCA. The prognostic model built here might be acknowledged as an indispensable reference for predicting the outcome of patients with BRCA and help identify immune and molecular characteristics.

Broadband gradient impedance matching using an acoustic metamaterial for ultrasonic transducers.

High-quality broadband ultrasound transducers yield superior imaging performance in biomedical ultrasonography. However, proper design to perfectly bridge the energy between the active piezoelectric material and the target medium over the operating spectrum is still lacking. Here, we demonstrate a new anisotropic cone-structured acoustic metamaterial matching layer that acts as an inhomogeneous material with gradient acoustic impedance along the ultrasound propagation direction. When sandwiched between the piezoelectric material unit and the target medium, the acoustic metamaterial matching layer provides a broadband window to support extraordinary transmission of ultrasound over a wide frequency range. We fabricated the matching layer by etching the peeled silica optical fibre bundles with hydrofluoric acid solution. The experimental measurement of an ultrasound transducer equipped with this acoustic metamaterial matching layer shows that the corresponding -6 dB bandwidth is able to reach over 100%. This new material fully enables new high-end piezoelectric materials in the construction of high-performance ultrasound transducers and probes, leading to considerably improved resolutions in biomedical ultrasonography and compact harmonic imaging systems.

Effects of iron on growth and intracellular chemical contents of Microcystis aeruginosa.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of iron on the growth, physiology and photosynthesis of cyanobacteria. METHODS: A gradient of iron concentrations was employed to investigate the growth, photo-pigments (chlorophyll A and phycocyanin), and cell chemical contents (C, N, P) of Microcystis aeruginosa in response to different iron additions. RESULTS: The specific growth rate during the exponential growth phase, as well as the cell chlorophyll A and the phycocyanin content, was limited by iron below 12.3 tmol Fe x L(-1). The growth was inhibited when the iron concentration was at 24.6 micromol Fe x L(-1). The cell chlorophyll A and the phycocyanin content were saturated when the iron concentration was above 12.3 micromol Fe x L(-1) and declined slightly at 24.6 micromol Fe x L(-1). At a low iron concentration (about 6.15 micromol Fe x L(-1) and less), the cell nitrogen and carbohydrate content were iron limited, and the variation of the cell phosphorus content was similar to that of the nitrogen and carbohydrate, with a transition point of 12.3 micromol Fe x L(-1). CONCLUSION: The variation of cynobacteria growth is synchronous with that of the photo-pigments or the cell chemical content, and there exist relationships among photosynthesis, growth and internal chemical content, which could be useful for the growth estimation from the cell characteristics.

Heavy metal contamination in a typical mining town of a minority and mountain area, South China.

This study was conducted in Dachang, a small mining town in Gaungxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. A total of 23 farmland soil samples and two atmospheric samples of particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM(10)) were collected in this town. ICP-MS was used to analyze for 20 elements in each of the samples. All of the samples contained some level of heavy metals. The most commonly detected heavy metals detected in the soil samples were: Cd (up to 29.0 mg kg(-1)), As (up to 776 mg kg(-1)), Sb (up to 36.8 mg kg(-1)), Pb (up to 582 mg kg(-1)), Zn (up to 1379 mg kg(-1)) and Cu (up to 156 mg kg(-1)), Mn (up to 1476 mg kg(-1)). The PM(10) content in air samples exceeded the Chinese standard by nearly ten-fold. The most commonly detected heavy metals detected in the PM(10) atmospheric samples were Cd (up to 210 mg kg(-1)), As (up to 15239 mg.kg(-1)), Sb (up to 445 mg kg(-1)), Pb (up to 8053 mg kg(-1)), Zn (up to 13151 mg kg(-1)) and Cu (up to 673 mg kg(-1)), Mn (up to 2826 mg kg(-1)), Mo (up to 120 mg kg(-1)). All of these heavy metals are associated with significant human health effects ranging from reduced intelligent quotients (IQs) in children (cf. Pb) to cancer (e.g., Cd and As). Müller Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) were used to assess the findings. The results to the two assessments showed the same ranking: Cd > As > Sb > Pb > Zn > Cu > Mn, which would imply that the particulate matter in ambient air was the source of the contamination in the soil. The correlation analysis supported this inference. Upon further examination, ore transportation through the town was identified as the most likely source of contamination. Therefore, steps should be taken to improve the management of the ore transportation in order to protect the farmland and the health of the residents.

Health risk evaluation for the inhabitants of a typical mining town in a mountain area, South China.

A previous study investigated metal contamination in farmland and the air in a typical mining town of Guangxi, South China. In this study, the health risks associated with exposure to this contamination that were evaluated for the following routes of exposure are reported: inhalation, dermal contact, ingestion of dust, and ingestion of homegrown vegetables. The findings demonstrated that the inhabitants were at high risk for noncancer effects posed by some of the metals. The total hazard index (THI) of all the pathways was 145 for adults and 560 for children, which were far higher than the normative level 1. The noncancer risk mainly came from air PM(10) pollution through inhalation and ingestion routes of exposure. However, vegetable ingestion also made a noticeable contribution to HI of about 7 for adults and 22 for children. The metals that posed the greatest noncancer risks were Mn for inhalation, and ingestion of dust and vegetables. The total cancer risks of the inhabitants were 1 x 10(-1) (adult) and 3 x 10(-1) (child), which far exceeded the acceptable carcinogen risk of 10(-4) approximately 10(-6) for regulatory purposes. The cancer risk in the village is mainly (97%) associated with As exposure by inhalation and ingestion of dust. However, consumption of vegetables is also associated with a significant cancer risk of up to 2 x 10(-3) for adults and 8 x 10(-3) for children. The cancers associated with this exposure are estimated to be lung cancer and skin cancer. Air particulate-matter pollution was the main source of noncancer risk and cancer risk and originated from vehicular transport of ore through the community. The risk could be tested by a specifically designed epidemiological study.

Influence of material parameters on acoustic wave propagation modes in ZnO/Si bi-layered structures.

The influences of material properties on acoustic wave propagation modes in ZnO/Si bi-layered structures are studied. The transfer matrix method is used to calculate dispersion relations, wave field distributions, and electromechanical coupling coefficients of acoustic wave propagation modes in ZnO/Si bi-layered systems, in which the thickness of the substrate is of the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the propagating wave modes. The influences of the thin film parameters on the acoustic wave propagation modes and their electromechanical coupling coefficients of the wave modes also are obtained. In addition, some experimental results for characterizing the wave propagation modes and their frequencies have also been obtained, which agree well with the theoretical predictions.