MiR-155 promotes colitis-associated intestinal fibrosis by targeting HBP1/Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway.

Intestinal fibrosis is the most common complication of Crohn's disease (CD) that is one major disorder of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the precise mechanism remains unclear. MiR-155 has been involved in fibrotic diseases. Here, we determined the role of miR-155 in regulating intestinal fibrosis. MiR-155 levels were significantly up-regulated in CD patients with intestinal stricture CD. The overexpression of miR-155 significantly aggravated TNBS-induced CD-associated intestinal fibrosis. Mechanistically, we identified that HBP1, a negative regulator of the Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway, is a direct target of miR-155. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo experiments suggested that the miR-155/HBP1 axis activates Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway to induce intestinal fibrosis. Taken together, we demonstrated that miR-155 directly targets HBP1 to induce CD-associated intestinal fibrosis via Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway.

Multivariate analyses of the volatile components in fresh and dried turnip (Brassica rapa L.) chips via HS-SPME-GC-MS.

Turnip is a vegetable that has many health promoting effects. To diversify the usage and increase the consumption of turnip, the effects of hot air drying, infrared drying, explosion puff drying and freeze drying (FD) on the volatiles of turnip chips were studied. The volatiles of fresh turnip and dried turnip chips were isolated by HS-SPME-GC-MS and a total of 67 volatiles were identified. However, the volatiles in turnip chips dried by different methods are quite different. Based on principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, the volatiles of fresh turnip were distinguished from those of the dried chips and FD was separated from the other drying methods. As the result of orthogonal projection on latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), isothiocyanato-cyclopropane and (2-isothiocyanatoethyl)-benzene were identified as the characteristic volatiles of fresh turnip. While, 2-azido-2,3,3-trimethyl-butane and hexanal were identified as the characteristic volatiles for FD dried chips.

Effect of exogenous spermine on chilling injury and antioxidant defense system of immature vegetable soybean during cold storage.

The effect of exogenous spermine on chilling injury (CI) and antioxidant defense system of immature vegetable soybean (Glycine max L.) during cold storage were investigated. Freshly harvested immature soybeans were treated with 0.8 mmol/L spermine at room temperature for 20 min and then stored at 5 ± 1 °C or 1 ± 1 °C and 85-95% relative humidity for up to 60 days. Results showed that exogenous spermine alleviated the CI, delayed the gradual decreasing activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and maintained a favourable balance in reactive oxygen species levels at storage period. Although cold temperature (1 ± 1 °C) inhibited the synthesis of l-(malonylamino)-cyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (MACC), raised ethylene production, and resulted in membrane damage, exogenous spermine obviously hindered the accumulation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). It was concluded that exogenous spermine alleviated CI of cold-stored immature soybeans through regulating the antioxidant system and ACC metabolism.

Effect of starch osmo-coating on carotenoids, colour and microstructure of dehydrated pumpkin slices.

Carotenoids in pumpkins are extremely unstable during industrial drying, to avoid the carotenoid degradation, starch omso-coating was subjected to the pretreatment process for dehydrated pumpkin slices. The results showed that starch omso-coating reduced the dehydration rate of pumpkin slices. When coated with corn starch, the retention rates of lutein, α-carotene and ß-carotene in dehydrated pumpkin slices significantly increased by 11.3, 9.0 and 7.7%, respectively, and the provitamin A activity increased by 9.5%. 1% (w/v) modified corn omso-coating gave highest retention rate of total carotenoids (95.5%), while provitamin A activity reached 4148 µg RAE/100 g. In addition, the colour parameters △E and a* values reduced, but L*, b* and H values increased with coated samples. Pearson correlation analysis showed that lutein, α-carotene and ß-carotene were significantly positive correlated with L*, and exhibited negative correlations with △E. The SEM indicated starch granules was attached to tissue gap and caused the film formation of oxygen barrier. It could be concluded that modified corn coating effectively improved the quality of final product.

A panoramic driving perception fusion algorithm based on multi-task learning.

With the rapid development of intelligent connected vehicles, there is an increasing demand for hardware facilities and onboard systems of driver assistance systems. Currently, most vehicles are constrained by the hardware resources of onboard systems, which mainly process single-task and single-sensor data. This poses a significant challenge in achieving complex panoramic driving perception technology. While the panoramic driving perception algorithm YOLOP has achieved outstanding performance in multi-task processing, it suffers from poor adaptability of feature map pooling operations and loss of details during downsampling. To address these issues, this paper proposes a panoramic driving perception fusion algorithm based on multi-task learning. The model training involves the introduction of different loss functions and a series of processing steps for lidar point cloud data. Subsequently, the perception information from lidar and vision sensors is fused to achieve synchronized processing of multi-task and multi-sensor data, thereby effectively improving the performance and reliability of the panoramic driving perception system. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in multi-task processing, the BDD100K dataset is used. The results demonstrate that, compared to the YOLOP model, the multi-task learning network performs better in lane detection, drivable area detection, and vehicle detection tasks. Specifically, the lane detection accuracy improves by 11.6%, the mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) for drivable area detection increases by 2.1%, and the mean Average Precision at 50% IoU (mAP50) for vehicle detection improves by 3.7%.

Predictive biomarkers of disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial disease that cannot be cured, and treatment options for IPF are very limited. Early diagnosis, close monitoring of disease progression, and timely treatment are therefore the best options for patients due to the irreversibility of IPF. Effective markers help doctors judge the development and prognosis of disease. Recent research on traditional biomarkers (KL-6, SP-D, MMP-7, TIMPs, CCL18) has provided novel ideas for predicting disease progression and prognosis. Some emerging biomarkers (HE4, GDF15, PRDX4, inflammatory cells, G-CSF) also provide more possibilities for disease prediction. In addition to markers in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), some improvements related to the GAP model and chest HRCT also show good predictive ability for disease prognosis.

Effect of Plasma-Activated Water (PAW) on the Postharvest Quality of Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris).

Plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment is an effective technique for the quality retention of fresh vegetables with cold atmospheric plasma using controllable parameters. This study investigated the effect of PAW on the postharvest quality of shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). The results displayed that PAW treatment with an activation time of 5, 10, 15, and 20 min reduced the yellowing rate and weight loss of the shepherd's purse during 9 days of storage. Compared with untreated samples, PAW treatment at different times reduced the number of total bacteria, coliform, yeast, and mold by 0.18-0.94, 0.59-0.97, 0.90-1.18, and 1.03-1.17 Log CFU/g after 9 days of storage, respectively. Additionally, the treatments with PAW-5 and PAW-10 better preserved ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents. They also maintained the higher antioxidant and CAT activity and inhibited the formation of terpenes, alcohols, and nitrogen oxide compounds of the shepherd's purse at the end of storage. The microstructural result illustrated that the cells of the shepherd's purse treated with PAW-5 and PAW-10 were relatively intact, with a small intercellular space after storage. This study demonstrated that PAW treatment effectively improved the postharvest quality of shepherd's purse.

MARVELD3 inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell migration by suppressing the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), featured by abatement of cell-cell contact, is related to exacerbating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by inducing metastasis. MAL and relevant proteins for vesicle trafficking and membrane link domain 3 (MARVELD3) is a novel tight junction protein participated in the EMT. There is limited information available about the mechanism of MARVELD3 in NSCLC. In this trial, the inhibition effect of MARVELD3 on human NSCLC cells will be discussed. METHODS: MARVELD3 expression was measured in NSCLC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues. The expression of MARVELD3 and EMT-related genes were examined in transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1-induced NSCLC cells. NSCLC cells with MARVELD3-knockdown and overexpressed were established to analyze the relationship between MARVELD3 and EMT and cell migration. The Wnt/ß-catenin pathway expression was also analyzed in NSCLC cell models and clinic species. RESULTS: Lower protein levels of MARVELD3 were observed in NSCLC samples than para-carcinoma specimens, and the decreased expression of MARVELD3 in NSCLC specimens was associated with tumor metastasis. E-Cadherin and MARVELD3 expression was reduced in TGF-ß1 treated NSCLC cells, whereas increased Vimentin expression was detected. MARVELD3 changed the EMT-related genes and induced cell migration. In addition, Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and target genes, MYC and CCND1, expressions were inhibited in MARVELD3 overexpressed NSCLC cells. CONCLUSIONS: TGF-ß1 induced EMT in human NSCLC cells can be suppressed by MARVELD3 through Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. These results indicate that MARVELD3 might be a potential therapeutic modality useful in the treatment of NSCLC.

HIF-1α/IL-8 axis in hypoxic macrophages promotes esophageal cancer progression by enhancing PD-L1 expression.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis and high mortality. Hypoxic microenvironment has also been proved to be an important feature of tumors. Herein, we mainly studied the influence of hypoxia-treated tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) on EC malignant phenotype and related molecular mechanism. In this paper, we found that hypoxic macrophages contributed to EC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and metastasis. Besides, the hypoxia treatment expedited the transformation of macrophages into M2 polarization. The level of interleukin (IL)-8 was boosted in macrophages after hypoxia treatment. Moreover, hypoxia treatment heightened IL-8 secretion by macrophages via positively regulating hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression. The IL-8 secreted by hypoxic macrophages facilitated EC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and metastasis by elevating ligand of programmed death 1 (PD-L1) expression. In the end, IL-8 also expedited EC tumorigenesis in vivo. In conclusion, HIF-1α/IL-8 axis in hypoxic macrophages could expedite EC advancement by upregulating PD-L1 level, which might deliver a novel thought for EC cure.

Epidemiology of esophageal cancer in 2020 and projections to 2030 and 2040.

Esophageal cancer is a familiar malignancy with high incidence and mortality, and the overall prognosis is poor. The numbers of cases of and deaths from esophageal cancer have risen rapidly in recent decades. It is one of the most malignant cancers, with more than 0.6 million new cases and 0.54 million deaths worldwide in 2020. Here, we present the global epidemiology of esophageal cancer in 2020 and projections to 2030 and 2040 at different geographical levels of continents, regions and countries, and analyze them by gender, race, geographic region and human development index. We summarize the prospects for the esophageal cancer burden and risk factors in different areas, which will be useful for global esophageal cancer clinical therapy and cancer control planning.

On the relationship between valence and arousal in samples across the globe.

Affect is involved in many psychological phenomena, but a descriptive structure, long sought, has been elusive. Valence and arousal are fundamental, and a key question-the focus of the present study-is the relationship between them. Valence is sometimes thought to be independent of arousal, but, in some studies (representing too few societies in the world) arousal was found to vary with valence. One common finding is that arousal is lowest at neutral valence and increases with both positive and negative valence: a symmetric V-shaped relationship. In the study reported here of self-reported affect during a remembered moment (N = 8,590), we tested the valence-arousal relationship in 33 societies with 25 different languages. The two most common hypotheses in the literature-independence and a symmetric V-shaped relationship-were not supported. With data of all samples pooled, arousal increased with positive but not negative valence. Valence accounted for between 5% (Finland) and 43% (China Beijing) of the variance in arousal. Although there is evidence for a structural relationship between the two, there is also a large amount of variability in this relation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Circ_0001821 Affects Proliferation and the Cell Cycle in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Elevating BTRC-Mediated IKBA Ubiquitination.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a fatal human cancer featured with a tendency to metastasis and relapse. Increasing studies have emphasized the critical roles of circular RNAs (circRNA) in ESCC. This study targeted at a novel circRNA and uncovering its function and mechanisms in ESCC. Functional assays were implemented to evaluate proliferation and cell cycle of ESCC cells. Mechanistic analyses were conducted to explore the potential molecular mechanisms in ESCC cells. In vivo assay was also performed. Based on the collected data, circ_0001821 was highly expressed in ESCC cells. Circ_0001821 knockdown retarded ESCC cell proliferation and tumor growth, while promoting G2-M cell cycle arrest. With regard to its mechanism, RUNX3 promoted PVT1 transcription, further upregulating circ_0001821. Moreover, circ_0001821 sponged miR-423-5p to upregulate BTRC, thus promoting IKBA ubiquitination, and circ_0001821 decreased IKBA expression to activate NF-κB signaling pathway. Rescue assays demonstrated that circ_0001821 facilitated ESCC cell proliferation and cell cycle by downregulating IKBA. In summary, RUNX3-induced circ_0001821 switches on NF-κB signaling pathway via diminishing IKBA expression, functionally prompting ESCC cell proliferation and cell cycle. IMPLICATIONS: This study uncovered a novel molecular pathway in ESCC progression, which might provide potential biomarkers for ESCC diagnosis.

Association of optic nerve sheath lesion and brain or meningeal metastasis caused by lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: With the development of imaging, the etiology of ocular lesions caused by lung cancer was not found only intraocular. Neuro-ophthalmological imaging has been found to be useful for the diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis, although few studies have previously been published. Our study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine if there was a the relationship between ocular symptoms and lung cancer metastasis. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis which included patients with ocular lesions and lung cancer on which orbit MRI was performed together with ocular examination during January 2014 to January 2022. Here, we describe the characteristics of intraocular metastasis and optic nerve sheath lesions. RESULTS: A total of 21 lung cancer patients had ocular lesions, of which eight cases had choroidal metastasis; a further eight patients had optic nerve sheath lesions. There was one case (12.5%) of choroidal metastasis with brain or meningeal metastasis, and eight cases (100%) with optic nerve sheath lesions with brain or meningeal metastasis. A total of 75.0% patients with choroidal metastasis did not have any history of known lung cancer, and 25.0% of optic nerve sheath lesions in patients were found before a meningeal metastasis diagnosis. The features of optic nerve sheath lesions included thickening and strengthening of the long segment of the orbital optic nerve sheath with a clear boundary. CONCLUSIONS: The pathway of choroidal and optic nerve sheath lesions was different. Optic nerve sheath lesions were associated with brain and meningeal metastasis. When lung cancer-induced meningeal metastasis is suspected, orbital MRI is recommended to assist in the diagnosis.

Effects of different hydrocolloids on the water migration, rheological and 3D printing characteristics of ß-carotene loaded yam starch-based hydrogel.

The effects of guar gum (GG), xanthan gum (XG), carrageenan gum (CG), xanthan-guar gum blend (XG-GG), chitosan (CS), gum arabic (GA) on the water migration, rheological and 3D printing properties of ß-carotene loaded yam starch-based hydrogel (BCH) were investigated to expand product form of ß-carotene. The results showed that CS addition promoted the migration of weakly bound water to tightly bound water in BCH. Addition of GG, CG, XG-GG, CS and GA enhanced apparent viscosity, G', G'', hardness and gumminess of BCH. CG, XG-GG, CS and GA addition improved printing stability of BCH. The printed objects added with GG and CS displayed smooth lines with fine resolution and higher formability, which showed a more uniform pore distribution and thinner gel skeleton structure. The results of XRD showed that hydrocolloids addition decreased the relative crystallinity of BCH. A combination of physicochemical parameters could be used to discriminate samples through hierarchical cluster analysis.

[Multivariate Analysis of Solid Pulmonary Nodules Smaller than 1 cm in 
Distinguishing Lung Cancer from Intrapulmonary Lymph Nodes].

BACKGROUND: Preoperative diagnosis and differential diagnosis of small solid pulmonary nodules are very difficult. Computed tomography (CT), as a common method for lung cancer screening, is widely used in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical data of patients with malignant pulmonary nodules and intrapulmonary lymph nodes in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of <1 cm solid pulmonary nodules, so as to provide reference for the differentiation of the two. METHODS: Patients with solid pulmonary nodules who underwent surgery from June 2017 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical data of 145 nodules (lung adenocarcinoma 60, lung carcinoid 2, malignant mesothelioma 1, sarcomatoid carcinoma 1, lymph node 81) were collected and finally divided into two groups: lung adenocarcinoma and intrapulmonary lymph nodes, and their clinical data were statistically analyzed. According to the results of univariate analysis (χ² test, t test), the variables with statistical differences were selected and included in Logistic regression multivariate analysis. The predictive variables were determined and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to get the area under the curve (AUC) value of the area under the curve. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that the longest diameter, Max CT value, lobulation sign and spiculation sign were important indicators for distinguishing lung adenocarcinoma from intrapulmonary lymph nodes, and the risk ratios were 106.645 (95%CI: 3.828-2,971.220, P<0.01), 0.980 (95%CI: 0.969-0.991, P<0.01), 3.550 (95%CI: 1.299-9.701, P=0.01), 3.618 (95%CI: 1.288-10.163, P=0.02). According to the results of Logistic regression analysis, the prediction model is determined, the ROC curve is drawn, and the AUC value under the curve is calculated to be 0.877 (95%CI: 0.821-0.933, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: For <1 cm solid pulmonary nodules, among many factors, the longest diameter, Max CT value, lobulation sign and spiculation sign are more important in distinguishing malignant pulmonary nodules from intrapulmonary lymph nodes.

DDX10 promotes human lung carcinoma proliferation by U3 small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein IMP4.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a common tumor and a leading cause of death worldwide. DEAD/H box RNA helicases (DDX) include several family members which regulate mRNA translation in cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrated that DEAD/H box RNA helicase 10 (DDX10) was significantly upregulated in lung cancer tissues compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. METHODS: DDX10 expression was knocked down with shRNA in order to investigate the impact on A549 lung cancer cell growth and related molecular mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. DDX10 expression in lung cancer was assessed using online databases and patient samples. RESULTS: DDX10 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the bioinformatic tool indicated the putative downstream protein U3 small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein 4 (IMP4). Our data showed a positive correlation between IMP4 and DDX10. We found that IMP4 overexpression could reverse the effect of DDX10 knockdown on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that DDX10/IMP4 might be a novel target for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Application of optic neuro-ophthalmology imaging in latent meningeal metastases of lung cancer.

Latent intracranial meningeal metastases (IMM) of lung cancer is difficult to determine, yet it is critical to do so given that it impacts the treatment agent. Studies on this disease are rare, thus necessitating further investigation. As a case study, we will explore the application of optic neuroimaging in IMM. A 62-year-old female patient was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, which had progressed to osseous metastasis. During the course of chemotherapy, the patient had bilateral vision loss and paralysis of extraocular muscles. Ophthalmologists ruled out disease of the retina and suspected intracranial metastasis; however, brain-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography and magnetic resonance venography were normal. Given the patient's severe osteoarthropathy and poor physical condition, she refused to undergo a lumbar puncture examination. Optic neuro-ophthalmology imaging was ultimately used. Utilizing optical coherence tomography, we found that the basement membrane layer in the papilledema was protruding up towards the vitreous cavity. To assist in visualization, the optic nerve sheath was enhanced with optic magnetic resonance imaging. With these methods, the dural metastasis was identified, the treatment agent was changed for the patient, and she had a successful recovery. Thus, optic neuro-ophthalmology imaging should be recommended for patients who are in the latent course of dural metastasis, and it could also be used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy.

Austenite Stability and Deformation Behavior in Medium Mn Steel Processed by Cyclic Quenching ART Heat Treatment.

This study investigated the austenite stability and deformation behavior of cyclic quenching-austenite reverse transformation processed Fe-0.25C-3.98Mn-1.22Al-0.20Si-0.19Mo-0.03Nb medium Mn steel. A number of findings were obtained. Most importantly, the extent of the TRIP effect was mainly determined by an appropriately retained austenite stability rather than its content. Simultaneously, chemical elements were the key factors affecting austenite stability, of which Mn had the greatest impact, while the difference of retained austenite grain size and Mn content resulted in different degrees of retained austenite stability. Additionally, there were still large amounts of strip and granular-retained austenite shown in the microstructure of the CQ3-ART sample after tensile fracture, revealing that the excessively stable, retained austenite inhibited the generation of an extensive TRIP effect.

Hulless Black Barley as a Carrier of Probiotics and a Supplement Rich in Phenolics Targeting Against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Injuries in Human Hepatocarcinoma Cells.

Lactic acid bacteria can provide benefits to human beings and transform phenolic substances to improve their potential functionality. It was of interest to develop black barley as a carrier of probiotics and nutraceutical supplement rich in more antioxidants. Due to fermentation, bacterial counting and free phenolic content in black barley increased to 9.54 ± 0.22 log cfu/mL and 5.61 ± 0.02 mg GAE/mL, respectively. Eleven phenolic compounds, including nine isoflavones and two nitrogenous compounds were characterized using UPLC-QTOF-MS, among which epicatechin, hordatine, and pelargonidin aglycone were largely enriched. Moreover, free phenolic extracts from fermented barley (F-BPE) played a greater role in scavenging DPPH radicals, reducing Fe3+ to Fe2+, and increasing oxygen radical absorbance capacity, compared phenolic extracts from unfermented barley [UF-BPE (1.94-, 1.71-, and 1.35-fold at maximum for F-BPE vs. UF-BPE, respectively)]. In hepatocarcinoma cells, F-BPE also better inhibited ROS production and improved cell viability, cell membrane integrity, SOD activity, and non-enzymatic antioxidant GSH redox status (2.85-, 3.28-, 2.05-, 6.42-, and 3.99-fold at maximum for F-BPE vs. UF-BPE, respectively).

Strengthening Mechanism and Carbide Precipitation Behavior of Nb-Mo Microalloy Medium Mn Steel.

This study investigates the strengthening mechanism and carbide precipitation behavior of medium Mn steel with Nb-Mo microalloy after cyclic quenching and austenite reverse transformation treatment. The results show that the Nb/Mo element not only precipitates (Nb,Mo)C in the grains, hindering the movement of dislocations and increases the strength, but also segregates at the austenite/ferrite grain boundary, thus delaying the transformation from austenite to ferrite. In addition, a large amount of nano-scale cementite is retained after cyclic quenching and austenite reverse transformation, which has a positive effect on the proportion of retained austenite in medium Mn steel. Moreover, the carbides with small size and low Mn content are dissolved, and the decomposed C and Mn content are beneficial to the nucleation of austenite during the intercritical annealing process at a temperature of 690 °C.