Waterwheel-inspired high-performance hybrid electromagnetic-triboelectric nanogenerators based on fluid pipeline energy harvesting for power supply systems and data monitoring.

In this work, a self-powered system based on a triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid pipeline energy harvesting module is demonstrated. Rabbit fur and poly tetra fluoroethylene (PTFE) are used as triboelectric electrodes to fabricate disk-type soft-contact triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) instead of traditional direct-contact TENGs to collect the mechanical energy of water flow and convert it into electrical energy. This design has a stable electrical output and gives an improved durability. Its simple fabrication process enables excellent potential for practical applications in industry. In addition, the hybridization of electromagnetic generator module and TENGs module to form a triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (TEHNG) can improve the electrical output performance, especially the current output. TEHNG cannot only power small electronic devices, such as lighting systems, but also collect independent fluid energy and monitor data signals simultaneously in harsh environments, such as fluid energy harvesting in industrial production pipelines and temperature and humidity in fluid environments. This work provides an efficient strategy to harvest multiple energies simultaneously, significantly increasing the yield and promoting the application of TENGs in engineering.

miR-144 negatively regulates the effect of CCNB1 protein on the biological behavior of hepatoma cells.

Liver cancer poses a great threat to the life safety of patients, which is a common malignant tumor worldwide. This study aims to explore the effect of miR-144 negatively regulating CCNB1 on the biological behavior of liver cancer cells, including the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of liver cancer cells, so as to provide a sufficient biological basis for the treatment of liver cancer. A 3 armour hospital at the records of 100 patients with liver cancer in 2015-2019 as the research object, and resection of the liver cancer cells and tissue adjacent to carcinoma as the research samples, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the organization of miR-144 gene and detect CCNB1 protein expression level, and by using a technique called RNA interference to silence the CCNB1 gene, and try to transfer by transfection CCNB1 protein, thus all kinds of biological behaviour of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The liver tissue of miR-144 is low, the level of gene expression CCNB1 protein expression level is higher, the expression level in liver cancer cells directly influences the curative effect of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, the miR-144 gene can negative regulation CCNB1 protein, through this kind of negative adjustment to the biological behavior of liver cancer cells have a profound impact.

Research progresses in roles of LncRNA and its relationships with breast cancer.

Some progresses have been made in research of long non-coding RNA (hereunder referred to as LncRNA) related to breast cancer. Lots of data about LncRNA transcription concerning breast cancer have been obtained from large-scale omics research (e.g. transcriptomes and chips). Some LncRNAs would become indices for detecting breast cancer and judging its development and prognosis. LncRNAs may affect genesis and development of breast cancer in multiple ways. Perhaps they could develop into potential targets for treating breast cancer if they are carcinogenic. Like those from other studies of breast cancer, many data gained from omics research remain to be validated by much experimental work. For instance, it is still necessary to demonstrate reliability of LncRNAs as indices for diagnosing breast cancer and judging its prognosis (particularly for various subtypes of breast cancer), effectiveness and feasibility of these genes for treating breast cancer as targets. In this paper, recent years' literatures about LncRNAs which are related to breast cancer are summarized and sorted out to review the research progresses in relationships between LncRNAs and breast cancer.

SILAC and LC-MS/MS identification of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus proteins that contribute to mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell infection.

Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) causes meningitis in both humans and animals. Some dissociative proteins of SEZ are cytotoxic to mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (mBMECs) and may contribute to the penetration of SEZ across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this study, the ability of SEZ to penetrate across an in vitro BBB model was confirmed. We used stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) to label SEZ proteins with heavy or light isotope-tagged amino acids, along with LC-MS/MS to determine which SEZ proteins were involved in interactions with mBMECs. The efficiency of SEZ protein isotope labeling was 94.7 %, which was sufficient for further analysis. Forty-nine labeled peptides were identified as binding to mBMECs, which matched to 25 SEZ proteins. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that most of these proteins were cytoplasmic. These proteins may have functions in breaching the host BBB, and some of them are known virulence factors in other bacteria. Indirect immunofluorescence results indicated that SEZ enolase had binding activity toward mBMECs. Protective test results showed that enolase was a protective antigen against SEZ infection. This research is the first application of SILAC combined with LC-MS/MS to identify SEZ proteins that may contribute to the infection of mBMECs and potentially show functions related to breaching the BBB. The outcomes provide many future avenues for research into the mechanism of SEZ-induced meningitis.

Pulse Diagnosis Signals Analysis of Fatty Liver Disease and Cirrhosis Patients by Using Machine Learning.

OBJECTIVE: . To compare the signals of pulse diagnosis of fatty liver disease (FLD) patients and cirrhosis patients. METHODS: After collecting the pulse waves of patients with fatty liver disease, cirrhosis patients, and healthy volunteers, we do pretreatment and parameters extracting based on harmonic fitting, modeling, and identification by unsupervised learning Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and supervised learning Least squares Regression (LS) and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) with cross-validation step by step for analysis. RESULTS: There is significant difference between the pulse diagnosis signals of healthy volunteers and patients with FLD and cirrhosis, and the result was confirmed by 3 analysis methods. The identification accuracy of the 1st principal component is about 75% without any classification formation by PCA, and supervised learning's accuracy (LS and LASSO) was even more than 93% when 7 parameters were used and was 84% when only 2 parameters were used. CONCLUSION: The method we built in this study based on the combination of unsupervised learning PCA and supervised learning LS and LASSO might offer some confidence for the realization of computer-aided diagnosis by pulse diagnosis in TCM. In addition, this study might offer some important evidence for the science of pulse diagnosis in TCM clinical diagnosis.

TLR4 knockdown by miRNA-140-5p improves tendinopathy: an in vitro study.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine whether TLR4 knockdown induced by miRNA-140-5p improves tendinopathy in an in vitro experiment. Material and methods: Extraction of tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) from SD rats was performed using TGF-ß1 to develop a tendinopathy cell model. In the first step, we knocked down TLR4 by si-TLR4 to investigate TLR4 in tendinopathy development, and the next we used miRNA-140-5p to investigate miRNA-140-5p in tendinopathy development. The inflammatory factors and Hyp concentration were evaluated by ELISA assay; the cell viability was measured by MTT assay; the cell apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL and/or flow cytometry. The relative mRNA was measured by RT-qPCR assay; the relative proteins expression was evaluated by cellular immunofluorescence and/or WB assay. The correlation between miRNA-140-5p and TLR4 was analyzed by Luciferase reporter assay. Results: With miRNA-140-5p overexpression or TLR4 knockdown, the cell viability was significantly increased with cell apoptosis depressing compared with the Model group (p < 0.05, respectively). Meanwhile, the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 and Hyp concentration were significantly improved (p < 0.05, respectively), whereas the TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB(p65) protein expression levels were significantly depressed with TLR4 knockdown by si-TLR4 or miRNA-140-5p which target TLR4. Conclusions: The present results showed that TLR4 knockdown induced by miRNA-140-5p or si-TLR4 improved tendinopathy in an in vitro cell experiment.

Bidirectional communication of the gut-brain axis: new findings in Parkinson's disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are the two chronic inflammatory diseases that are increasingly affecting millions of people worldwide, posing a major challenge to public health. PD and IBD show similarities in epidemiology, genetics, immune response, and gut microbiota. Here, we review the pathophysiology of these two diseases, including genetic factors, immune system imbalance, changes in gut microbial composition, and the effects of microbial metabolites (especially short-chain fatty acids). We elaborate on the gut-brain axis, focusing on role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of PD and IBD. In addition, we discuss several therapeutic strategies, including drug therapy, fecal microbiota transplantation, and probiotic supplementation, and their potential benefits in regulating intestinal microecology and relieving disease symptoms. Our analysis will provide a new understanding and scientific basis for the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for these diseases.

Oxygen-regulated spontaneous solid electrolyte interphase enabling ultra-stable solid-state Na metal batteries.

Solid-state sodium metal batteries utilizing inorganic solid electrolytes (SEs) hold immense potentials such as intrinsical safety, high energy density, and environmental sustainability. However, the interfacial inhomogeneity/instability at the anode-SE interface usually triggers the penetration of sodium dendrites into the electrolyte, leading to short circuit and battery failure. Herein, confronting with the original nonuniform and high-resistance solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) at the Na-Na3Zr2Si2PO12 interface, an oxygen-regulated SEI innovative approach is proposed to enhance the cycling stability of anode-SEs interface, through a spontaneous reaction between the metallic sodium (containing trace amounts of oxygen) and the Na3Zr2Si2PO12 SE. The oxygen-regulated spontaneous SEI is thin, uniform, and kinetically stable to facilitate homogenous interfacial Na+ transportation. Benefitting from the optimized SEI, the assembled symmetric cell exhibits an ultra-stable sodium plating/stripping cycle for over 6600 h under a practical capacity of 3 mAh cm-2. Quasi-solid-state batteries with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode deliver excellent cyclability over 500 cycles at a rate of 0.5 C (1 C = 117 mA cm-2) with a high capacity retention of 95.4%. This oxygen-regulated SEI strategy may offer a potential avenue for the future development of high-energy-density solid-state metal batteries.

Core concomitant symptoms reported by the patients with breast cancer in postoperative endocrine treatment and the demand for acupuncture therapy： a network-based cross-sectional study. / ä¹³è ºç™Œæœ¯åŽå† åˆ†æ³Œæ²»ç–—æ‚£è€ æŠ¥å‘Šçš„æ ¸å¿ƒä¼´éšç—‡çŠ¶åŠå¯¹é’ˆç¸æ²»ç–—çš„éœ€æ±‚ï¼šä¸€é¡¹åŸºäºŽç½‘ç»œçš„æ¨ªæ–­é¢ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the most common concomitant symptoms and the urgent demand of solution in the breast cancer patients undergoing postoperative endocrine treatment, as well as the acceptance and expectation of acupuncture in the patients so as to provide the scientific data for promoting the application of acupuncture in the breast cancer patients. METHODS: Breast cancer patients treated in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2022 to March 2023 were randomly selected as the subjects. Using "questionnaire star" website, the questionnaire was conducted to investigate the relevant concomitant symptoms of the patients in postoperative endocrine treatment and the questions related to acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: In this study, 229 questionnaires were distributed and 211 valid ones were collected, with the response rate of 92.1%. Among these patients, the first three common symptoms were sleep disorders (157 cases, 74.4%), hot flashes (138 cases, 65.4%) and joint / muscle pain (118 cases, 55.9%)；the top three symptoms to be solved the most urgently were sleep disorders (131 cases, 62.1%), joint / muscle pain (62 cases, 29.4%) and hot flashes (45 cases, 21.3%). 79.1% of the patients (167 cases) were willing to receive acupuncture treatment because of the high expectations on its potential effect (93%). 20.9% of them (44 cases) refused acupuncture because they were worried not to be treated by the experienced physicians of TCM (52%) or afraid of needling feelings (48%). The average expectation value of acupuncture treatment was 4.02 points (5 points for the total score) among patients willing to receive acupuncture treatment. The main purposes of receiring acupuncture for the patients undergoing endocrine treatment were to strengthen the immune function (92%), reduce the adverse reactions (83%), and improve the physical condition (75%), et al. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disorder is one of the most concerned symptoms in endocrine treatment for the patients after breast cancer surgery. The patients highly expect for acupuncture treatment even though some patients dislike the needling sensation. How to provide the acceptable and high-quality acupuncture services for cancer patients will be one of the major directions of acupuncture research in the future.

Impact of tumour location and surgical approach on recurrence-free and cancer-specific survival analysis in patients with ureteric tumours.

UNLABELLED: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Pathological stage, lymph node metastasis and tumour grade have been established as prognostic factors for upper-tract urothelial carcinoma, but there are few studies to date assessing location within the ureter as a prognostic factor. There are also few studies comparing surgical approaches to radical nephroureterectomy (NU), partial ureterectomy and endoscopic resection (ENDO) with regard to oncological outcomes. This study did not find any prognostic significance for tumour location or surgical approach with regard to outcomes in patients with ureteric tumours. Although NU is the standard treatment for invasive ureteric tumours, partial ureterectomy and ENDO can safely be performed in selected patients. Despite the risk of a shorter time to recurrence, ENDO can be recommended in low grade, non-invasive ureteric tumours but only with close, thorough surveillance practices. OBJECTIVE: • To assess the impact of tumour location within the ureter and the impact of surgical approach on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) with regard to ureteric tumours. PATIENTS AND METHODS: • Data were retrospectively reviewed from 60 patients with isolated primary ureteric tumours, treated at a single tertiary referral centre. • Patients were treated with radical nephroureterectomy (NU, n= 33), partial ureterectomy (n= 17) or endoscopic resection (ENDO, n= 10). • Kaplan-Meier curves were used for the analysis of RFS and CSS after surgery, stratified by tumour location and surgical approach. RESULTS: • With a median follow-up of 29 months, tumour location was not associated with disease recurrence (P= 0.423). • The ENDO group had shorter time to disease recurrence. • There were no significant differences in the probability of CSS with regard to either tumour location or surgical approach (P= 0.523 and P= 0.904, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: • Tumour location or surgical approach were not significant predictors of oncological outcomes in patients with ureteric tumours. • Although NU is standard treatment for invasive ureteric tumours, partial ureterectomy and ENDO can safely be performed in selected patients. Despite the risk of a shorter time to recurrence, ENDO can be recommended in low grade, non-invasive ureteric tumours. • All urothelium-preserving approaches require thorough surveillance.

A cone-beam computed tomography study on strategic uprighting of mandibular molars using a biocreative reverse curve system.

Objective: To analyze the overall treatment effects in terms of the amount of uprighting with changes in the three-dimensional positions of the mandibular posterior teeth after applying the biocreative reverse curve (BRC) system. Methods: Thirty-four patients (mean age, 20.5 ± 8.56 years) were treated using the BRC system (mean period, 8.17 ± 2.19 months). Cone-beam computed tomography was performed before treatment and after treatment with the BRC system. The three-dimensional movement of each tooth was analyzed in the coordinate system at points on the crown and root apex. A paired t-test was used to analyze the treatment effects of the BRC system. Results: The application of the BRC system spanning from the first premolar to the second molar resulted not only in buccal and distal uprighting, but also in increased buccal and distal tipping of the teeth. The premolars and the first molar were extruded, and the second molar was intruded. Conclusions: When the BRC system is applied, simultaneous distal and buccal uprighting of the premolars and molars can be achieved bilaterally using a temporary skeletal anchorage device without unnecessary movement of the anterior teeth.

Characterization and function of biomarkers in sunitinib-resistant renal carcinoma cells.

OBJECTIVE: Sunitinib is a first-line drug in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, but patients will inevitably develop drug resistance after 6-15 months of systematic treatment, which seriously affects the prognosis in KIRC. METHODS: During the study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to perform a systematic bioinformatics analysis,so that we could determine the genes (DEGs) which are differentially expressed between sunitinib-sensitive and sunitinib-resistant RCC (SRRC) cells. RESULTS: A total of 31 DEGs were identified. Gene ontology (GO) was used to analyze the function of DEGS. These DEGs were found mainly enriched in organic aniontransmembrane transporter. The Cytohubba plug-in, STRING database and Cytoscape software were involved to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and the pivot genes were identified by single-gene and multi-gene Cox regression analysis. Finally, DDX58 and MX2 were identified as prognostic genes. Survival analysis was performed by using prognostic nomogram, prognostic histogram and GEPIA database to verify the relationship between DDX58 and MX2 expression and survival. The relationship between the two pivot genes and the prognosis of patients was further verified by using the KM survival analyses and Time Dependency ROC curve analyses from TCGA database. Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that, in tumor tissues and normal tissues, DDX58 and MX2 were differentially expressed. The expression of these two genes have relationship with the immune checkpoint. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of SRRC, as well as the selection of therapeutic and prognostic biomarkers for SRRC.

High level nitrosamines in rat faeces with colorectal cancer determined by a sensitive GC-MS method.

N-nitrosamines (NAs) are common toxic substances that have a strong correlation with many human diseases, such as liver damage and cancer. However, there is a lack of studies on methods involving the detection of NAs in biological samples, possibly owing to the interference of complex biological matrices and the influence of endogenous NAs. In this work, solid-phase extraction with mixed solid phases and adsorption sedimentation were used to successfully establish a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for detecting eight NAs in rat faeces. Chromatographic separation of analytes was performed with Agilent VF-WAXms (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm) GC columns. The LLOQs of eight NAs were set to the concentration of 0.5 ng/g and the obtained standard curves were linear, and correlation coefficients (r) were ≥ 0.99 for samples with concentration ranges of 0.5-500 ng/g. The inter and intra-assay precisions were< 15% for all analytes in the quality control samples, and the accuracies ranged from 88.67% to 108.33%. The extraction recoveries were above 78.56% for seven NAs, and a significant matrix effect was not observed. The application of this method revealed that the levels of NAS in the faeces of rats with colorectal cancer were higher than those of normal rats. Additionally, the effect of a high nitrite diet on NAs in faeces was analysed; the results confirmed that a high nitrite diet might contribute to an abnormal increase in NAs. Our work provides an analytical method for further in vivo study of NAs. Furthermore, a pilot study on the relationship between NAs and colorectal cancer was completed.

Vertically Aligned Silicon Carbide Nanowires/Boron Nitride Cellulose Aerogel Networks Enhanced Thermal Conductivity and Electromagnetic Absorbing of Epoxy Composites.

With the innovation of microelectronics technology, the heat dissipation problem inside the device will face a severe test. In this work, cellulose aerogel (CA) with highly enhanced thermal conductivity (TC) in vertical planes was successfully obtained by constructing a vertically aligned silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs)/boron nitride (BN) network via the ice template-assisted strategy. The unique network structure of SiC NWs connected to BN ensures that the TC of the composite in the vertical direction reaches 2.21 W m-1 K-1 at a low hybrid filler loading of 16.69 wt%, which was increased by 890% compared to pure epoxy (EP). In addition, relying on unique porous network structure of CA, EP-based composite also showed higher TC than other comparative samples in the horizontal direction. Meanwhile, the composite exhibits good electrically insulating with a volume electrical resistivity about 2.35 × 1011 Ω cm and displays excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss of - 21.5 dB and a wide effective absorption bandwidth (< - 10 dB) from 8.8 to 11.6 GHz. Therefore, this work provides a new strategy for manufacturing polymer-based composites with excellent multifunctional performances in microelectronic packaging applications.

Endovascular Aneurysm Treatment with the Numen Coil Embolization System: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Open-Label Multicenter Noninferiority Trial in China.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the safety and efficacy of the Numen coil compared with the Axium coil in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: Because CATCH (Coil Application Trial in China) is a prospective randomized controlled open-label noninferiority trial conducted in 10 centers across China, patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized 1:1 to either a test group (Numen) or a control group (Axium). The primary outcome was based on successful aneurysm occlusion at 6 months follow-up, whereas secondary outcomes included technical success, the recanalization and retreatment rates, and the rate of serious adverse events (SAEs) at 6 months and 12 months follow-up. RESULTS: Between August 2017 and December 2019, 350 patients presenting with 350 aneurysms were enrolled and randomized. Per-protocol analysis showed that the successful aneurysm occlusion rate at 6 months was 91.18% for the test group compared with 91.85% in the control group, with a difference of -0.68% (P = 0.8419), and the overall mortality during the 30-day follow-up period was 1.19% and 1.81% in the test and control group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.6837), whereas the SAE incidence during the 12-month follow-up period was 12.50% and 17.47% in the test and control groups, respectively, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.2222). CONCLUSIONS: This trial showed that the Numen coil was noninferior to the Axium coil in terms of intracranial aneurysm embolization and can be considered as a safe and effective coil for treating patients with intracranial aneurysm in clinical practice.

Removal of a long PVC pipe strangulated in the penis by hot-melt method.

INTRODUCTION: Penile incarceration for erotic or autoerotic purposes has been reported in a wide range of age groups, and often presents a significant challenge to urologic surgeons. No ready method has been reported for removing a polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe entrapped on the penis. AIM: To present our experience in using hot-melt method to remove a constricted PVC pipe on the penis. METHODS: A long melting split was made on the PVC pipe entrapped on the penis by using the long narrow branch of forceps heated on a gas stove. RESULTS: The heated forceps was able to make a melt split on the PVC pipe. Consequently, the PVC pipe was removed by pulling the edges of the pipe apart without much difficulty. The total operation time was 20 minutes. CONCLUSION: Penile incarceration is a urologic emergency, for which resourcefulness is required in some unexpected cases. Hot-melting has proved to be an easy and effective method for removing penile strangulation by a PVC pipe. To our knowledge, it is the first report about the removal of PVC pipe entrapped on a penis.

Removal of an encrustation catheter impacted in the prostatic urethra by holmium laser.

It is difficult to withdraw an encrusted urinary catheter, especially when it is impacted in the prostatic urethra. This article reports our experience with removing an encrusted urethral catheter using holmium laser through the suprapubic cystostomy tract.

Platelet Distribution Width and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The association between platelet distribution width (PDW) and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients has received little attention. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled HD patients in a single center from January 1, 2008, to December 30, 2011. The primary and secondary endpoints were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. The association between PDW and mortality was estimated by Cox regression model. RESULTS: Of 496 patients, the mean age was 52.5 ± 16.6 years, and the Charlson comorbidity index was 4.39 ± 1.71. During the follow-up period of 48.8 ± 6.7 months, 145 patients (29.2%) died, including 74 (14.9%) cardiovascular deaths. 258 (52.0%) with PDW < 16.31% were in the low group and 238 (48.0%) in those with PDW ≥ 16.31% according to cut-off for all-cause mortality by receiving-operator characteristics. After adjusting for confounding factors, high PDW values were independently associated with higher risk of all-cause (hazards ratio (HR) = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-6.82) and cardiovascular deaths (HR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.44-3.63) in HD patients. When comparing with quartile 1 of PDW, quartile 4 of PDW was independently associated with a higher risk of all-cause (HR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.18-5.30) and cardiovascular deaths (HR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.49-3.76) in HD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline PDW was independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in HD patients.

Hypermethylation of DHRS3 as a Novel Tumor Suppressor Involved in Tumor Growth and Prognosis in Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of DHRS3 in human cancer remains unclear. Our study explored the role of DHRS3 in gastric cancer (GC) and its clinicopathological significance and associated mechanisms. MATERIALS: Bisulfite-assisted genomic sequencing PCR and a Mass-Array system were used to evaluate and quantify the methylation levels of the promoter. The expression levels and biological function of DHRS3 was examined by both in vitro and in vivo assays. A two-way hierarchical cluster analysis was used to classify the methylation profiles, and the correlation between the methylation status of the DHRS3 promoter and the clinicopathological characteristics of GC were then assessed. RESULTS: The DHRS3 promoter was hypermethylated in GC samples, while the mRNA and protein levels of DHRS3 were significantly downregulated. Ectopic expression of DHRS3 in GC cells inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro, decreased tumor growth in vivo. DHRS3 methylation was correlated with histological type and poor differentiation of tumors. GC patients with high degrees of CpG 9.10 methylation had shorter survival times than those with lower methylation. CONCLUSION: DHRS3 was hypermethylated and downregulated in GC patients. Reduced expression of DHRS3 is implicated in gastric carcinogenesis, which suggests DHRS3 is a tumor suppressor.

Altered metabolic state impedes limb regeneration in salamanders.

Salamanders are unique among tetrapods in their ability to regenerate their limbs throughout life. Like other poikilothermic amphibians, salamanders also show a remarkable capacity to survive long periods of starvation. Whether the physiological reserves necessary for tissue regeneration are preserved or sacrificed in starved salamanders is unknown. In the current study, we maintained Iberian ribbed newts ( Pleurodeles waltl) under extreme physiological stress to assess the extent of regeneration and identify the molecular and cellular changes that may occur under such conditions. After 19 months of complete food deprivation, the animals exhibited extensive morphological and physiological adaptations but remained behaviorally active and vigilant. Autophagy was elevated in different tissues and the transformed gut microbiota indicated remodeling of the intestinal tract related to autophagy. Upon limb amputation in animals starved for 21 months, regeneration proceeded with progenitor cell proliferation and migration, leading to limb blastema formation. However, limb outgrowth and patterning were substantially attenuated. Blockage of autophagy inhibited cell proliferation and blastema formation in starved animals, but not in fed animals. Hence, tissue autophagy and the regenerative response were tightly coupled only when animals were under stress. Our results demonstrate that under adverse conditions, salamanders can exploit alternative strategies to secure blastema formation for limb regeneration.