Ursolic acid, the main component of blueberry cuticular wax, inhibits Botrytis cinerea growth by damaging cell membrane integrity.

Cuticular wax has been reported to play an essential role in resisting pathogens in various fruits. This study investigated the antifungal ability of the components in blueberry cuticular wax. We showed that the cuticular wax of blueberry inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea and ursolic acid (UA) was the key antifungal compound. UA inhibited B. cinerea growth in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, UA increased extracellular conductivity and cellular leakage in B. cinerea, deformed the mycelial morphology, and destroyed cell ultrastructure. We also demonstrated that UA stimulated the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inactivated ROS scavenging enzymes. These results indicate that UA may exert antifungal effects against B. cinerea by disrupting cell membrane integrity. Thus, UA has significant potential as an agent for the control of gray mold in blueberry.

Effect of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty combined with arthroscopic debridement on knee osteoarthritis and analysis of risk factors of deep venous thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical effect of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty combined with arthroscopic debridement on knee osteoarthritis and the risk factors leading to deep venous thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: Data of 110 patients with knee osteoarthritis admitted to The People's Hospital of Wenjiang Chengdu for surgical treatment from February 2019 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the surgical treatment methods, 58 patients treated with unicompartmental knee arthroplasty were included in the control group. The remaining 52 patients with combined treatment of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and arthroscopic knee debridement were included in the observation group. The therapeutic effect, knee joint function score, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, time required for knee flexion of 90°, length of hospital stay, and incidence of postoperative DVT were compared between the two groups 1 month after the operation. Risk factors leading to the development of DVT were analyzed. RESULTS: One month after the operation, the overall response rate, knee joint function score, and VAS score in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group. The time required for knee flexion of 90° and length of hospital stay were shorter and the incidence of DVT was lower in the observation group than those in the control group. According to the occurrence of DVT, patients were divided into a DVT group and a non-DVT group. The univariate analysis revealed that age, body mass index, history of diabetes, coagulation parameters, and surgical methods were related to the occurrence of DVT. The logistics regression analysis revealed that age, body mass index, coagulation parameters, and surgical methods were independent risk factors affecting the occurrence of postoperative DVT. CONCLUSION: The combined treatment of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and arthroscopic debridement can significantly improve knee joint function and bone metabolism and reduce the incidence of postoperative DVT of patients with knee osteoarthritis, achieving a more satisfactory therapeutic effect.

Aromatic Polyketides from the Mangrove-Derived Streptomyces sp. SCSIO 40069.

A chemical investigation of Streptomyces sp. SCSIO 40069 resulted in the isolation of a series of aromatic polyketides with rare skeletons, including five new compounds RM18c-RM18g (1-5) and three known ones (6-8). Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by diverse methods, including HRMS and NMR spectra, chemical reaction, Snatzke's method, quantum mechanical-nuclear magnetic resonance (QM-NMR), and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1, 2, 4b, and 8 displayed moderate or weak antibacterial activities.

κ-Selenocarrageenan Oligosaccharides Prepared by Deep-Sea Enzyme Alleviate Inflammatory Responses and Modulate Gut Microbiota in Ulcerative Colitis Mice.

κ-Selenocarrageenan (KSC) is an organic selenium (Se) polysaccharide. There has been no report of an enzyme that can degrade κ-selenocarrageenan to κ-selenocarrageenan oligosaccharides (KSCOs). This study explored an enzyme, κ-selenocarrageenase (SeCar), from deep-sea bacteria and produced heterologously in Escherichia coli, which degraded KSC to KSCOs. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses demonstrated that purified KSCOs in hydrolysates were composed mainly of selenium-galactobiose. Organic selenium foods through dietary supplementation could help regulate inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This study discussed the effects of KSCOs on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in C57BL/6 mice. The results showed that KSCOs alleviated the symptoms of UC and suppressed colonic inflammation by reducing the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and regulating the unbalanced secretion of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10). Furthermore, KSCOs treatment regulated the composition of gut microbiota, enriched the genera Bifidobacterium, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Ruminococcus and inhibited Dubosiella, Turicibacter and Romboutsia. These findings proved that KSCOs obtained by enzymatic degradation could be utilized to prevent or treat UC.

H2S-mediated balance regulation of stomatal and non-stomatal factors responding to drought stress in Chinese cabbage.

Increased evidence has shown that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a novel gasotransmitter, could enhance drought resistance in plants by inducing stomatal closure, with concurrent enhancement of photosynthetic efficiency, but little is known about the mechanism behind this contradictory phenomenon. This study examined the regulating mechanism of H2S in response to drought stress from stomatal and non-stomatal factors in Chinese cabbage. The results showed that exogenous H2S could increase the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and alleviate the damage caused by drought stress. It also regulated the expression in transcriptional level and the activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (BrRuBisCO) under drought stress. The large subunit of BrRuBisCO was found to be modified by S-sulfhydration, which might be the reason for its increased enzyme activity. The fluxes of Cl-, K+, and H+ in the guard cells were detected by non-invasive micro-test techniques while under drought stress. The results indicated that H2S signaling induced a transmembrane Cl- and H+ efflux and inhibited K+ influx, and the Cl- channel was the main responders for H2S-regulated stomatal movement. In conclusion, H2S signal not only activated the ion channel proteins located in the guard cell membrane to induce stomatal closure, but also regulated the transcriptional expression and the activity of RuBisCO, a non-stomatal factor to enhance the photosynthetic efficiency of leaves. There is therefore a beneficial balance between the regulation of H2S signaling on stomatal factors and non-stomatal factors due to drought stress, which needs to be better understood to apply it practically to increase crop yields.

Efficient removal of Congo red and methylene blue using biochar from Medulla Tetrapanacis modified by potassium carbonate.

Biochar (BC) prepared from Medulla Tetrapanacis was recognized as having potential in environmental remediation because of its porous texture, abundant chemical surface groups and mineral composition. In this study, a novel modified biochar (KBC) derived from Medulla Tetrapanacis achieved efficient adsorption of Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB). Characterization results suggested that the modification had little effect on the group distribution of KBC, but a dramatic expansion of specific surface area was observed on KBC (1180.45 m2/g) compared to BC (198.51 m2/g). KBC exhibited a maximum sorption of 584.17 mg/g for CR and 318.01 mg/g for MB. Kinetic and isotherm studies revealed sorption of CR and MB by KBC was chemosorption, which occurred on the monolayer surface. The comprehensive analysis also provided the basis for the application of KBC to practical production. These outcomes suggested that KBC may become a new option for the effluent treatment.

Application of the Novel Grading System of Invasive Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma in a Real Diagnostic Scenario: A Brief Report of 9353 Cases.

Introduction: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer proposed a novel grading system of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma (IPA), but the application of this grading system and its genotypic characterization in the real diagnostic scenario has never been reported. Methods: We prospectively collected and analyzed the clinicopathological and genotypic features of a cohort of 9353 consecutive patients with resected IPA, including 7134 patients with detection of common driver mutation. Results: In the entire cohort, 3 (0.3%) of lepidic, 1207 (19.0%) of acinar, and 126 (23.6%) of papillary predominant IPAs were diagnosed as grade 3. In chronological order, an evident downtrend of the proportion of grade 2 was observed in chronological order. Conversely, the diagnostic ratio of grade 1 (8.0%-14.5%) and grade 3 (27.9%-32.3%) experienced a gradual rise. EGFR mutation was more frequently detected in grade 2 (77.5%) and grade 1 (69.7%) IPA than grade 3 (53.7%, p < 0.001), whereas the mutation rates of KRAS, BRAF, ALK, and ROS1 were higher in grade 3 IPA. More importantly, the rate of EGFR mutation gradually fell as the proportion of high-grade components increased, to 24.3% in IPA with more than 90% high-grade components. Conclusions: The grading system for IPA could be applied to stratify patients with different clinicopathological and genotypic features in a real diagnostic scenario.

Clinical Significance of Plasma Soluble MICB in Children With EBV-associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a potentially fatal systemic inflammation disease in children. The most common cause is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence B (MICB) is a membrane protein inducibly expressed upon cellular stress, viral infection, or malignant transformation, thus marking these cells for clearance through natural killer group 2 member D-positive lymphocytes. MICB can be released into plasma through several mechanisms, reducing NK cell cytotoxicity. METHODS: We conducted clinical research on HLH patients and cell research in vitro. In the retrospective clinical part, 112 HLH patients (including EBV-HLH group and non-EBV-HLH group), 7 infectious mononucleosis patients, and 7 chronic active EBV infection patients were treated in Beijing Children's Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, from January 2014 to December 2020, were enrolled in this study. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods, and lactate dehydrogenase release tests were used to examine the expression of MICB mRNA, the soluble MICB (sMICB) levels, and the activity of NK cells in those patients. In vitro research, MICB overexpression-vector virus, MICB knockdown-vector virus, and empty-vector virus were transfected into two kinds of target cells, such as K562 and MCF7. The level of sMICB and NK cell killing activity between other groups was compared. Finally, we compared NK92 cell killing activity in different concentrations of sMICB. RESULTS: In clinical studies, compared with the non-EBV-HLH group, the EBV-HLH group had lower NK cell killing activity (P < 0.05). The level of sMICB in the EBV-HLH group was significantly higher than in non-EBV-HLH, infectious mononucleosis, and chronic active EBV infection patients (P＜0.05). A high level of sMICB was associated with poor treatment response and poor prognosis (P＜0. 05). Cellular studies showed that an increased level of membrane MICB could positively correlate with the killing activity of NK92 cells (P＜0. 05), and a high level of sMICB (1250 to 5000pg/ml) could reduce the killing activity of NK92 cells (P < 0.05). A high level of sMICB (2500pg/ml) could increase the release of cytokines from NK92 cells. CONCLUSION: The expression level of sMICB in EBV-HLH patients increased, and a high level of sMICB at the initial onset indicated a poor treatment response. The killing activity of NK cells in EBV-HLH patients decreased more significantly. The high level of sMICB may inhibit the killing activity but increase the release of cytokines of NK92 cells.

Structural characterization of a sulfated polysaccharide from Ishige okamurae and its effect on recovery from immunosuppression.

A sulfated polysaccharide from the brown alga Ishige okamurae Yendo, designated IOY, was successfully isolated by anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses demonstrated that IOY was a fucoidan, that consisted of →3)-α-l-Fucp-(1→, →4)-α-l-Fucp-(1→, →6)-ß-d-Galp-(1 â†’ and →3)-ß-d-Galp-(1 â†’ residues with sulfate groups at C-2/C-4 the of (1 â†’ 3)-α-l-Fucp and C-6 the of (1 â†’ 3)-ß-d-Galp residues. IOY possessed a potent immunomodulatory effect in vitro as measured by lymphocyte proliferation assay. The immunomodulatory effect of IOY was further investigated in vivo using immunosuppressed mice induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX). The results showed that IOY significantly increased the spleen and thymus indexes and alleviated CTX-induced spleen and thymus damage. Furthermore, IOY had a significant effect on hematopoietic function recovery and promoted the secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). Notably, IOY reversed CD4+ and CD8+ T cell reduction and improved immune response. These data indicated that IOY had vital in immunomodulatory function and could be used as drug or functional food to lessen chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression.

Perfluorinated compound correlation between human serum and drinking water in Beijing City: Is drinking water a significant contributor?

Perfluorinated compounds (PFASs) are a new artificial chemical. Due to its substantial toxicity and complex degradation in the natural environment, monitoring PFASs has become a hot issue for many researchers. Currently, the relationship between the concentration of PFASs in serum and the concentration of PFASs in drinking water is unclear. This paper aims to study the concentration levels of PFASs in drinking water and residents' serum in Beijing and the relationship between them. The results show that the concentration of PFASs in Beijing drinking water is low, and the average concentrations of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were 2.57 ±â€¯0.69 ng/L and 0.30 ng/L, respectively, which were lower than the limits specified in China's newly introduced Standards for drinking water quality (GB 5749-2022). In the serum of Beijing residents, PFOA and PFOS were the two PFASs with the highest concentration. Spearman correlation analysis showed that perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and PFOS concentrations were positively correlated with age, and PFHxS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFOS varied with sex. At the same time, the correlation analysis also showed no correlation between PFAS in drinking water and serum, indicating that drinking water was not the main factor causing the physical burden of PFAS in Beijing residents. The HI method was used to assess the health risks of PFASs to human beings. The risk entropy of all PFASs for human hepatotoxicity and reproductive toxicity is below 1.

Effect of various types of photodynamic therapy on inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions in patients with acne: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that photodynamic therapy (PDT) is safe and effective in treating acne vulgaris. The present study aimed to evaluate various PDTs on inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions in patients with acne by a network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: The researchers of this paper searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases from inception to March 2022 to identify suitable RCTs. The included studies were evaluated for methodological quality using the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. Twenty-one RCTs were included, with a total sample size of 898 participants. RESULTS: Network meta-analysis (NMA) revealed that indocyanine green (ICG) + near-infrared (NIR) diode laser, ICG+830 nm light-emitting diode (LED), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) + 520 nm LED, and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) + sunlight demonstrated obvious curative effects in patients with acne vulgaris. Importantly, ICG+NIR diode laser provided the greatest improvement in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions (surface under the cumulative ranking curve [SUCRA]: 84.4% and 93.5%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the NWM and SUCRA ranking, ICG + NIR diode laser can be considered more effective in treating acne than the other PDTs of the RCTs. However, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of the present study.

Serum cytokine pattern in children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

This study aimed to compare the serum levels of 34 cytokines of children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and explored the specific cytokine pattern of HLH subtypes and the relationship between cytokine levels and prognosis. This retrospective study assessed the clinical data and cytokine levels of newly diagnosed children with HLH in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2017 to December 2021. A total of 101 children were enrolled in the study. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-18 increased in more than 90% of patients, and MIP-1α, SDF-1α, IP-10, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1 RA, and TNF-α increased at different levels in more than 50% of patients. The levels of IL-10 in EBV-HLH increased significantly, followed by IFN-γ and IL-18, while IL-10 and IFN-γ in CAEBV-HLH had a slight increase. Except for IL-10, the levels of IL-6, Eotaxin, IL-13, IL-18, IFN-γ, and MIP-1ß in Rh-HLH increased significantly. F-HLH had significantly high IL-10 levels and a slight increase in IL-13. We showed that various cytokines could assist in differentiating HLH subtypes with ROC curve analysis. When IL-10/IL-6 was 1.37, the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing EBV-HLH were higher than 80% (AUC = 0.837, p < 0.001). The effect of cytokine ratio on classifying HLH subtypes (17/22, 77.3%) was more significant than the single cytokine (5/22, 22.7%). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of children with F-HLH was the lowest during the follow-up. The 3-year OS of patients with EBV-HLH and CAEBV-HLH was significantly higher than that with F-HLH (88.1% ± 5.0% vs. 94.1% ± 5.7% vs. 57.1% ± 14.6%, p = 0.017). Cox proportional hazards model revealed that elevated GM-CSF and MCP-1, as well as CNS involvement, were independent risk factors for poor outcomes for patients with HLH. Various cytokines play important roles in HLH. Different subtypes of HLH have their specific cytokines pattern, and the ratio of cytokines may be more significant in differentiating HLH subtypes than the single one. Elevated GM-CSF and MCP-1 could be useful biomarkers for a poor prognosis for patients with HLH.

Selective removal behavior of lead and cadmium from calcium-rich solution by MgO loaded soybean straw biochars and mechanism analysis.

Modified biochars has great potential for removing heavy metals from aquatic environments, but the removal of heavy metals by biochars is usually significantly affected by the co-presence of the macro amount of metal ions, such as Ca. Enhancing the ion exchange capacity of biochar by increasing its alkali metal content is a very prospective method to improve its selectivity. In this paper, MgO loaded biochar (MBC) was synthesized by co-pyrolysis of soybean straw and MgCl2·6H2O for selective remove Pb and Cd from calcium-rich wastewater. MBC exhibited excellent selective adsorption performance for Pb and Cd in calcium-rich wastewater due to the successful loading of MgO. The adsorption capacities of MBC for Pb and Cd were 582.57 and 167.40 mg/g, and the removal efficiency of Ca below 2.5% with an initial concentration of 800 mg/L. The ion exchange capacities of Pb and Cd enhanced almost 27 and 23 times than BC. By analyzing the results of BET, XRD, SEM-EDS, XPS and FTIR, the adsorption mechanisms of MBC were mainly including ion exchange, precipitation with minerals, and interaction with oxygen-containing functional groups. The easy preparation method and high selective adsorption capacity makes MBC an ideal alternative for efficiently selective removal Pb and Cd from calcium-rich wastewater.

Arabidopsis AGAMOUS-LIKE16 and SUPPRESSOR OF CONSTANS 1 collaborate to regulate of genome-wide expression and flowering time.

Flowering transition is tightly coordinated by complex gene regulatory networks, in which AGAMOUS-LIKE 16 (AGL16) plays important roles. Here, we identified the molecular function and binding properties of AGL16 and demonstrated its partial dependency on SUPPRESSOR OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) function in regulating flowering. AGL16 bound to promoters of more than 2000 genes via CArG-box motifs with high similarity to that of SOC1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Approximately seventy flowering genes involved in multiple pathways were potential targets of AGL16. AGL16 formed a protein complex with SOC1 and shared a common set of targets. Intriguingly, only a limited number of genes were differentially expressed in the agl16-1 loss-of-function mutant. However, in the soc1-2 knockout background, AGL16 repressed and activated the expression of 375 and 182 genes, respectively, with more than a quarter bound by AGL16. Corroborating these findings, AGL16 repressed the flowering time more strongly in soc1-2 than in the Col-0 background. These data identify a partial inter-dependency between AGL16 and SOC1 in regulating genome-wide gene expression and flowering time, while AGL16 provides a feedback regulation on SOC1 expression. Our study sheds light on the complex background dependency of AGL16 in flowering regulation, thus providing additional insights into the molecular coordination of development and environmental adaptation.

Differences in the pathogenicity of Chinese virulent genotype GIIa and GIIb porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strains and the humoral immune status of one- and two-month-old weaned pigs infected with these strains.

We evaluated differences in the pathology and humoral immune status in one- and two-month-old weaned pigs infected with virulent Chinese genotype GIIa and GIIb strains of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). All pigs infected with the GIIa strain developed severe diarrhea (100%), while the morbidity of the GIIb strain in one- and two-month-old weaned pigs was 80% (4/5) and 40% (2/5), respectively. There was no significant difference in IgA, IgG, or virus-neutralizing (VN) antibody levels associated with GIIa and GIIb in one-month-old weaned pigs (P > 0.05), but in two-month-old weaned pigs, the IgA, IgG, and VN antibody levels associated with GIIa were significantly higher than those associated with GIIb (P < 0.05).

Single-cell RNA sequencing in orthopedic research.

Although previous RNA sequencing methods have been widely used in orthopedic research and have provided ideas for therapeutic strategies, the specific mechanisms of some orthopedic disorders, including osteoarthritis, lumbar disc herniation, rheumatoid arthritis, fractures, tendon injuries, spinal cord injury, heterotopic ossification, and osteosarcoma, require further elucidation. The emergence of the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technique has introduced a new era of research on these topics, as this method provides information regarding cellular heterogeneity, new cell subtypes, functions of novel subclusters, potential molecular mechanisms, cell-fate transitions, and cell‒cell interactions that are involved in the development of orthopedic diseases. Here, we summarize the cell subpopulations, genes, and underlying mechanisms involved in the development of orthopedic diseases identified by scRNA-seq, improving our understanding of the pathology of these diseases and providing new insights into therapeutic approaches.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Profiles of Breast Carcinoma with Neuroendocrine Features.

BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features includes neuroendocrine neoplasm of the breast and invasive breast cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of this disease according to the fifth edition of the World Health Organization classification of breast tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 87 patients with breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features treated in the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2001 to January 2022 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. RESULTS: More than half of the patients were postmenopausal patients, especially those with neuroendocrine neoplasm (62.96%). There were more patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative and hormone receptor positive tumors, and most of them were Luminal B type (71.26%). The multivariate analysis showed that diabetes and stage IV disease were related to the progression-free survival of breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features patients (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features tended to be human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative and hormone receptor positive tumors, most of them were Luminal B type, and the related factors of progression-free survival were diabetes and stage IV disease.

(S)-N-Benzyl-1-phenyl-3,4-dihydroisoqunoline-2(1H)-carboxamide Derivatives, Multi-Target Inhibitors of Monoamine Oxidase and Cholinesterase: Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity.

A series of (S)-1-phenyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline-2(1H)-carboxamide derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activity against monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and-B, acetylcholine esterase (AChE), and butyrylcholine esterase (BChE). Four compounds (2i, 2p, 2t, and 2v) showed good inhibitory activity against both MAO-A and MAO-B, and two compounds (2d and 2j) showed selective inhibitory activity against MAO-A, with IC50 values of 1.38 and 2.48 µM, respectively. None of the compounds showed inhibitory activity against AChE; however, 12 compounds showed inhibitory activity against BChE. None of the active compounds showed cytotoxicity against L929cells. Molecular docking revealed several important interactions between the active analogs and amino acid residues of the protein receptors. This research paves the way for further study aimed at designing MAO and ChE inhibitors for the treatment of depression and neurodegenerative disorders.

LncRNA MALAT1 Regulates Hyperglycemia Induced EMT in Keratinocyte via miR-205.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical to cutaneous wound healing. When skin is injured, EMT activates and mobilizes keratinocytes toward the wound bed, therefore enabling re-epithelialization. This process becomes dysregulated in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate many biological processes. LncRNA-metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) influences numerous cellular processes, including EMT. The objective of the current study is to explore the role of MALAT1 in hyperglycemia (HG)-induced EMT. The expression of MALAT1 was found to be significantly upregulated, while the expression of miR-205 was downregulated in diabetic wounds and high-glucose-treated HaCaT cells. The initiation of EMT in HaCaT cells from hyperglycemia was confirmed by a morphological change, the increased expression of CDH2, KRT10, and ACTA2, and the downregulation of CDH1. The knockdown of MALAT1 was achieved by transfecting a small interfering RNA (SiRNA). MALAT1 and miR-205 were found to modulate HG-induced EMT. MALAT1 silencing or miR-205 overexpression appears to attenuate hyperglycemia-induced EMT. Mechanistically, MALAT1 affects HG-induced EMT through binding to miR-205 and therefore inducing ZEB1, a critical transcription factor for EMT. In summary, lncRNA MALAT1 is involved in the hyperglycemia-induced EMT of human HaCaT cells. This provides a new perspective on the pathogenesis of diabetic wounds.

Dynamic Multi-Objective Optimization in Brazier-Type Gasification and Carbonization Furnace.

With the special porous structure and super-long carbon sequestration characteristic, the biochar has shown to have potential in improving soil fertility, reducing carbon emissions and increasing soil carbon sequestration. However, the biochar technology has not been applied on a large scale, due to the complex structure, long transportation distance of raw materials, and high cost. To overcome these issues, the brazier-type gasification and carbonization furnace is designed to carry out dry distillation, anaerobic carbonization and have a high carbonization rate under high-temperature conditions. To improve the operation and maintenance efficiency, we formulate the operation of the brazier-type gasification and carbonization furnace as a dynamic multi-objective optimization problem (DMOP). Firstly, we analyze the dynamic factors in the work process of the brazier-type gasification and carbonization furnace, such as the equipment capacity, the operating conditions, and the biomass treated by the furnace. Afterward, we select the biochar yield and carbon monoxide emission as the dynamic objectives and model the DMOP. Finally, we apply three dynamic multiobjective evolutionary algorithms to solve the optimization problem so as to verify the effectiveness of the dynamic optimization approach in the gasification and carbonization furnace.