Computer-aided diagnosis in predicting the invasion depth of early colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic resection (ER) is widely applied to treat early colorectal cancer (CRC). Predicting the invasion depth of early CRC is critical in determining treatment strategies. The use of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) algorithms could theoretically make accurate and objective predictions regarding the suitability of lesions for ER indication based on invasion depth. This study aimed to assess diagnostic test accuracy of CAD algorithms in predicting the invasion depth of early CRC and to compare the performance between the CAD algorithms and endoscopists. METHODS: Multiple databases were searched until June 30, 2022 for studies that evaluated the diagnostic performance of CAD algorithms for invasion depth of CRC. Meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy using a bivariate mixed-effects model was performed. RESULTS: Ten studies consisting of 13 arms (13,918 images from 1472 lesions) were included. Due to significant heterogeneity, studies were stratified into Japan/Korea-based or China-based studies. For the former, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the CAD algorithms were 0.89 (95% CI 0.86-0.91), 62% (95% CI 50-72%), and 96% (95% CI 93-98%), respectively. For the latter, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.94 (95% CI 0.92-0.96), 88% (95% CI 78-94%), and 88% (95% CI 80-93%), respectively. The performance of the CAD algorithms in Japan/Korea-based studies was not significantly different from that of all endoscopists (0.88 vs. 0.91, P = 0.10) but was inferior to that of expert endoscopists (0.88 vs. 0.92, P = 0.03). The performance of the CAD algorithms in China-based studies was better than that of all endoscopists (0.94 vs. 0.90, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The CAD algorithms showed comparable accuracy for prediction of invasion depth of early CRC compared to all endoscopists, which was still lower than expert endoscopists in diagnostic accuracy; more improvements should be achieved before it can be extensively applied to clinical practice.

Pre-procedure oral administration of pronase improves efficacy of lugol chromoendoscopy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma screening: a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chromoendoscopy with Lugol's staining is used to screen for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Its efficacy is greatly limited by unstandardized defoaming preparation. This study aimed to confirm whether pre-procedure oral administration of pronase could improve the diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy in high-risk patients being screened for early ESCC. METHODS: A total of 955 patients at-risk were prospectively recruited for screening for ESCC. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to groups with or without (control group) pronase administration. Endoscopic diagnosis of early ESCC was based on the presence of pink-color sign in Lugol's unstained area, and a biopsy was routinely conducted if the Lugol's unstained lesion was larger than 0.5 cm. The early cancer detection rate was used as the primary endpoint. RESULTS: Pre-procedure oral administration of pronase improved mucosal visibility during Lugol chromoendoscopy (P = 0.008). There were no differences in the number of Lugol's unstained lesions between the 2 groups (23.27% [111/477] vs. 25.11% [120/478], P = 0.508). Meaningfully, the detection rate of ESCC (confirmed by histopathology) was significantly higher in the pronase group than in the control group (27.03% [30/111] vs. 17.50% [21/120], P = 0.041), as well as the detection rate of lesions with pink-color sign during chromoendoscopy (35.14% [39/111] vs. 13.33% [16/120], P < 0.001). The diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy had improved with the use of pronase (area under the curve = 0.85 vs. 0.69, P = 0.019), accompanied by an increased sensitivity (86.67% vs. 47.62%, P = 0.004). There was no difference in the adverse events between the 2 groups (P = 0.793). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-procedure oral administration of pronase significantly increased the detection rate of early ESCC and optimized the diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy, which should be recommended during routine endoscopic screening for early ESCC in high-risk patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Pronase improves efficacy of Lugol chromoendoscopy screening on esophageal cancerous lesions (NCT02030769).

Hypertonic solution as an optimal submucosal injection solution for endoscopic resection of gastrointestinal mucosal lesions: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Based on different physicochemical properties, common submucosal injection solutions could be classified into three categories: normal saline solution (NS), hypertonic solution (HS), and viscous solution (VS). We compared the efficacy and safety of various categories of solutions in this network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to identify the optimal submucosal injection fluid. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for RCTs that compared the efficacy and safety of NS, HS, and VS during endoscopic resection for gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal lesions. Pairwise and network analyses were conducted to determine the ranking of different fluids. RESULTS: Thirteen RCTs were included in the final analysis with 1637 patients (1639 lesions). HS outperformed NS in rates of en bloc (pooled relative risk [RR] 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.90), overall bleeding (pooled odds ratio [OR] 0.33; 95% CI 0.10-0.88; lesions >10 mm OR 4.65 × 10-2 ; 95% CI 1.10 × 10-3 -0.46), and intraoperative bleeding (lesions >10 mm OR 7.10 × 10-6 ; 95% CI 4.30 × 10-18 -0.26). HS showed the highest probability of ranking first in each outcome except for the volume of injection. Although VS was superior to NS in rates of en bloc, overall, and intraoperative bleeding in the lesions >10 mm subgroup, and required less fluid in pooled analysis, it ranked last in cost of submucosal injection solution. CONCLUSIONS: Both HS and VS were superior to NS in comparisons of efficacy and safety. Considering the better performance and potentially low cost, HS might be an optimal choice during gastrointestinal endoscopic resection, especially for colorectal endoscopic mucosal resection.

Unraveling the Intricate Roles of Exosomes in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Comprehensive Review of Physiological Significance and Pathological Implications.

Exosomes, as potent intercellular communication tools, have garnered significant attention due to their unique cargo-carrying capabilities, which enable them to influence diverse physiological and pathological functions. Extensive research has illuminated the biogenesis, secretion, and functions of exosomes. These vesicles are secreted by cells in different states, exerting either protective or harmful biological functions. Emerging evidence highlights their role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) by mediating comprehensive interactions among diverse cell types. This review delves into the significant impacts of exosomes on CVD under stress and disease conditions, including coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction, heart failure, and other cardiomyopathies. Focusing on the cellular signaling and mechanisms, we explore how exosomes mediate multifaceted interactions, particularly contributing to endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in CVD pathogenesis. Additionally, exosomes show great promise as biomarkers, reflecting differential expressions of NcRNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs), and as therapeutic carriers for targeted CVD treatment. However, the specific regulatory mechanisms governing exosomes in CVD remain incomplete, necessitating further exploration of their characteristics and roles in various CVD-related contexts. This comprehensive review aims to provide novel insights into the biological implications of exosomes in CVD and offer innovative perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of CVD.

The Transcriptional Cell Atlas of Testis Development in Sheep at Pre-Sexual Maturity.

Sheep testes undergo a dramatic rate of development with structural changes during pre-sexual maturity, including the proliferation and maturation of somatic niche cells and the initiation of spermatogenesis. To explore this complex process, 12,843 testicular cells from three males at pre-sexual maturity (three-month-old) were sequenced using the 10× Genomics ChromiumTM single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) technology. Nine testicular somatic cell types (Sertoli cells, myoid cells, monocytes, macrophages, Leydig cells, dendritic cells, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and leukocytes) and an unknown cell cluster were observed. In particular, five male germ cell types (including two types of undifferentiated spermatogonia (Apale and Adark), primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, and sperm cells) were identified. Interestingly, Apale and Adark were found to be two distinct states of undifferentiated spermatogonia. Further analysis identified specific marker genes, including UCHL1, DDX4, SOHLH1, KITLG, and PCNA, in the germ cells at different states of differentiation. The study revealed significant changes in germline stem cells at pre-sexual maturation, paving the way to explore the candidate factors and pathways for the regulation of germ and somatic cells, and to provide us with opportunities for the establishment of livestock stem cell breeding programs.

Mo2 C Nanoparticles Embedded in Carbon Nanowires with Surface Pseudocapacitance Enables High-Energy and High-Power Sodium Ion Capacitors.

Electrochemical sodium-ion storage technologies have become an indispensable part in the field of large-scale energy storage systems owing to the widespread and low-cost sodium resources. Molybdenum carbides with high electron conductivity are regarded as potential sodium storage anode materials, but the comprehensive sodium storage mechanism has not been studied in depth. Herein, Mo2 C nanowires (MC-NWs) in which Mo2 C nanoparticles are embedded in carbon substrate are synthesized. The sodium-ion storage mechanism is further systematically studied by in/ex situ experimental characterizations and diffusion kinetics analysis. Briefly, it is discovered that a faradaic redox reaction occurs in the surface amorphous molybdenum oxides on Mo2 C nanoparticles, while the inner Mo2 C is unreactive. Thus, the as-synthesized MC-NWs with surface pseudocapacitance display excellent rate capability (a high specific capacity of 76.5 mAh g-1 at 20 A g-1 ) and long cycling stability (a high specific capacity of 331.2 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 over 1500 cycles). The assembled original sodium ion capacitor displays remarkable power density and energy density. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the sodium storage mechanism of Mo2 C materials, and constructing pseudocapacitive materials is an effective way to achieve sodium-ion storage devices with high power and energy density.

Comparing N-acetylcysteine with sodium thiosulfate for relieving symptoms caused by Lugol's iodine chromoendoscopy: a randomized, double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lugol's iodine chromoendoscopy is an important method to detect esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Sodium thiosulfate solution (STS) has been used to neutralize iodine after Lugol's chromoendoscopy; however, it is not available in many medical centers. The aim of the current study was to assess the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine solution (NAC) for relieving symptoms caused by Lugol's iodine chromoendoscopy. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive either STS or NAC after spraying Lugol's iodine solution on the esophagus. The neutralizing effects for residual iodine in the esophagus and gastric mucous pool were observed. The primary endpoint was the intensity of retrosternal pain and/or heartburn measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) score 30 minutes after chromoendoscopy. Secondary endpoints were the rate of patients with any adverse symptom, rate of moderate to severe retrosternal discomfort occurring, and heart rate variability between time points before and after chromoendoscopy. RESULTS: The neutralization rates for residual iodine between the NAC and STS groups were not significantly different (P > .999). The difference of median VAS scores between the NAC and STS groups 30 minutes after chromoendoscopy was .0 (P = .719; 95% confidence interval, .0-.0), and the 95% confidence interval higher limit was .0, which was less than our prespecified margin of .5, concluding an noninferiority of NAC with regard to STS. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the rate of patients with any adverse symptom, rate of moderate to severe retrosternal discomfort, or heart rate variability at 5 minutes or 30 minutes after chromoendoscopy. CONCLUSION: As a very easily accessible reagent in clinical circumstances, NAC can also alleviate mucosal irritation symptoms induced by Lugol's chromoendoscopy at similar efficacy as STS and can be routinely recommended. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT04764643.).

Clinical benefit of tunnel endoscopic submucosal dissection for esophageal squamous cancer: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely accepted as a primary treatment modality for dysplastic and early cancerous lesions of the GI tract. However, prolonged procedure time and life-threatening adverse events remain obstacles to the successful treatment of esophageal cancer. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of tunnel ESD (T-ESD) with conventional ESD (C-ESD) for superficial esophageal squamous neoplasms. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter trial was conducted at 5 hospitals in China. Patients with esophageal squamous neoplasms were enrolled and randomly assigned to undergo C-ESD or T-ESD. Randomization was stratified by tumor location and circumference extent (<1/2 or ≥1/2). The primary endpoint was procedure time. RESULTS: Between January and July 2018, 160 patients were enrolled. One hundred fifty-two patients (76 in the C-ESD group and 76 in the T-ESD group) were included in the final analysis. The median procedure time was 47.3 minutes (interquartile range, 31.7-81.3) for C-ESD and 40.0 minutes (interquartile range, 30.0-60.0) for T-ESD (P = .095). However, T-ESD specifically reduced the median procedure time 34.5% (29.5 minutes) compared with C-ESD for lesions ≥1/2 circumference (P < .001). Among the multiple secondary outcomes, muscular injury was less frequent in the T-ESD group compared with the C-ESD group (18.4% vs 38.2%, P = .007), but complete healing of artificial mucosal defect in 1-month follow-up was more common in the T-ESD group than the C-ESD group (95.9% vs 84.7%, P =.026). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that T-ESD results in shorter procedure time, specifically for lesions ≥1/2 circumference of the esophagus. In addition, T-ESD has a better safety profile indicated by less frequent muscular injury and improved healing of artificial mucosal defects caused by ESD procedures. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT03404921.).

A facile surface alloy-engineering route to enable robust lithium metal anodes.

Li-rich alloys have been developed as advanced artificial SEI layers to suppress the formation of Li dendrites and parasitic reactions on the Li metal anode. Here, we systematically investigated the role of Li-rich alloys on Li deposition and decomposition of electrolyte molecules by DFT simulations. We found that the alloy surfaces exhibit self-smoothing behavior for suppressing the nucleation of lithium dendrites. This behavior is derived from the surface-localized free electrons (namely, the localized Li-affinity) of the Li-rich alloy SEI surfaces. Furthermore, the electron transfer between the electrolyte molecules and anode surface was efficiently reduced by the Li-rich alloys. The Li-rich alloys with low Li s states at the Fermi level and the high surface work function exhibit low reducibility to the electrolytes. Our findings herein provide a systematical understanding of Li-rich alloy functional layers, which are of great significance for advanced Li metal batteries.

Uncommon variant of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage in an infant with sudden death: a case report and review of the literature.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD) is encountered less frequently in infancy than various other congenital cardiac anomalies. We present a 4-week-old boy with a hitherto unreported variant of TAPVD who died suddenly soon after presentation to our emergency department. At autopsy, we found both pulmonary veins draining abnormally into the pulmonary artery and an atrial septal defect. We wish to emphasize that examination of the major vessels and their connections should be done in situ in all autopsies of unexpected deaths in infants and children, even if there were no symptoms and signs in the ante-mortem period and despite the clinical picture not being suggestive of TAPVD.

A global analysis of CNVs in Chinese indigenous fine-wool sheep populations using whole-genome resequencing.

BACKGROUND: Copy number variation (CNV) is an important source of genetic variation that has a significant influence on phenotypic diversity, economically important traits and the evolution of livestock species. In this study, the genome-wide CNV distribution characteristics of 32 fine-wool sheep from three breeds were analyzed using resequencing. RESULTS: A total of 1,747,604 CNVs were detected in this study, and 7228 CNV regions (CNVR) were obtained after merging overlapping CNVs; these regions accounted for 2.17% of the sheep reference genome. The average length of the CNVRs was 4307.17 bp. "Deletion" events took place more frequently than "duplication" or "both" events. The CNVRs obtained overlapped with previously reported sheep CNVRs to variable extents (4.39-55.46%). Functional enrichment analysis showed that the CNVR-harboring genes were mainly involved in sensory perception systems, nutrient metabolism processes, and growth and development processes. Furthermore, 1855 of the CNVRs were associated with 166 quantitative trait loci (QTL), including milk QTLs, carcass QTLs, and health-related QTLs, among others. In addition, the 32 fine-wool sheep were divided into horned and polled groups to analyze for the selective sweep of CNVRs, and it was found that the relaxin family peptide receptor 2 (RXFP2) gene was strongly influenced by selection. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we constructed a genomic CNV map for Chinese indigenous fine-wool sheep using resequencing, thereby providing a valuable genetic variation resource for sheep genome research, which will contribute to the study of complex traits in sheep.

Genome-wide association studies detects candidate genes for wool traits by re-sequencing in Chinese fine-wool sheep.

BACKGROUND: The quality and yield of wool determine the economic value of the fine-wool sheep. Therefore, discovering markers or genes relevant to wool traits is the cornerstone for the breeding of fine-wool sheep. In this study, we used the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform to re-sequence 460 sheep belonging to four different fine-wool sheep breeds, namely, Alpine Merino sheep (AMS), Chinese Merino sheep (CMS), Aohan fine-wool sheep (AHS) and Qinghai fine-wool sheep (QHS). Eight wool traits, including fiber diameter (FD), fiber diameter coefficient of variance (FDCV), fiber diameter standard deviation (FDSD), staple length (SL), greasy fleece weight (GFW), clean wool rate (CWR), staple strength (SS) and staple elongation (SE) were examined. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to detect the candidate genes for the eight wool traits. RESULTS: A total of 8.222 Tb of raw data was generated, with an average of approximately 8.59X sequencing depth. After quality control, 12,561,225 SNPs were available for analysis. And a total of 57 genome-wide significant SNPs and 30 candidate genes were detected for the desired wool traits. Among them, 7 SNPs and 6 genes are related to wool fineness indicators (FD, FDCV and FDSD), 10 SNPs and 7 genes are related to staple length, 13 SNPs and 7 genes are related to wool production indicators (GFW and CWR), 27 SNPs and 10 genes associated with staple elongation. Among these candidate genes, UBE2E3 and RHPN2 associated with fiber diameter, were found to play an important role in keratinocyte differentiation and cell proliferation. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment results, revealed that multitude significant pathways are related to keratin and cell proliferation and differentiation, such as positive regulation of canonical Wnt signaling pathway (GO:0090263). CONCLUSION: This is the first GWAS on the wool traits by using re-sequencing data in Chinese fine-wool sheep. The newly detected significant SNPs in this study can be used in genome-selective breeding for the fine-wool sheep. And the new candidate genes would provide a good theoretical basis for the fine-wool sheep breeding.

Peroxidase-mimetic activity of a nanozyme with uniformly dispersed Fe3O4 NPs supported by mesoporous graphitized carbon for determination of glucose.

A Fe3O4/mesoporous graphitized carbon (Fe3O4/m-GC) composite was prepared through a facile calcination method with iron-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) as a sacrificial template. After carbonization, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the mesoporous carbon support, resulting in spatial structural stability. The mesoporous carbon support obtained was highly graphitized and exhibited eminent electrical conductivity, which accelerated the electron transfer between the Fe3O4 nanoparticles by Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox cycles and m-GC by C = Csp2/C-Csp3 redox cycles, leading to the excellent peroxidase-mimetic activity of Fe3O4/m-GC. Km values for tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 were 26.8 and 15.8 times lower than that of natural horseradish peroxidase, respectively. Taking advantage of the peroxidase-mimetic activity of Fe3O4/m-GC, a colorimetric assay was fabricated for detecting glucose in the range 0.5 ~ 200 µM, with a limit of detection of 0.24 µM. Fig 1 A Schematic illustration of the preparation process of Fe3O4/m-GC, B schematic illustration of a proposed synergistic catalytic mechanism of TMB oxidation by Fe3O4/m-GC.

A multivariate prediction model for high malignancy potential gastric GI stromal tumors before endoscopic resection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic resection is becoming an option in the management of gastric GI stromal tumors (GISTs). Although no consensus has been reached, patients with high malignancy potential GISTs are generally considered to be surgical candidates. However, no systematic preoperative evaluation strategy has yet been developed. The current study was performed to develop a preoperative multivariate model to predict the malignant potential of gastric GISTs. METHODS: This study consisted of 2 stages. First, a multivariate prediction model for gastric GISTs smaller than 5 cm was developed using a multivariate logistic regression analysis in a retrospective cohort. Next, the prediction model was validated further in a validation cohort of gastric GISTs. RESULTS: In the developing stage, 275 patients were included. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that independent risk factors for high malignancy potential gastric GISTs smaller than 5 cm were tumor size ≥2 cm (according to cutoff value), an irregular tumor shape, and mucosal ulceration (P < .05). Based on accordant regression coefficients, 3 risk factors were weighted with point values: 1 point for mucosal ulceration, 2 points for an irregular tumor shape, and 3 points for tumor size ≥2 cm. In the validation stage, 186 patients were included. The area under the curve of the prediction model was .80 (95% confidence interval, .73-.85), which was significantly higher than that of tumor size alone (P = .034). CONCLUSIONS: The independent risk factors for high malignancy potential gastric GISTs smaller than 5 cm were tumor size larger than 2 cm, an irregular tumor shape, and mucosal ulceration. These factors could be used to predict malignancy potential of gastric GISTs in a simple combination.

ADAR1p150 Forms a Complex with Dicer to Promote miRNA-222 Activity and Regulate PTEN Expression in CVB3-Induced Viral Myocarditis.

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADAR) are enzymes that regulate RNA metabolism through post-transcriptional mechanisms. ADAR1 is involved in a variety of pathological conditions including inflammation, cancer, and the host defense against viral infections. However, the role of ADAR1p150 in vascular disease remains unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of ADAR1p150 and its role in viral myocarditis (VMC) in a mouse model. VMC mouse cardiomyocytes showed significantly higher expression of ADAR1p150 compared to the control samples. Coimmunoprecipitation verified that ADAR1p150 forms a complex with Dicer in VMC. miRNA-222, which is involved in many cardiac diseases, is highly expressed in cardiomyocytes in VMC. In addition, the expression of miRNA-222 was promoted by ADAR1p150/Dicer. Among the target genes of miRNA-222, the expression of phosphatase-and-tensin (PTEN) protein was significantly reduced in VMC. By using a bioinformatics tool, we found a potential binding site of miRNA-222 on the PTEN gene's 3'-UTR, suggesting that miRNA-222 might play a regulatory role. In cultured cells, miR-222 suppressed PTEN expression. Our findings suggest that ADAR1p150 plays a key role in complexing with Dicer and promoting the expression of miRNA-222, the latter of which suppresses the expression of the target gene PTEN during VMC. Our work reveals a previously unknown role of ADAR1p150 in gene expression in VMC.

An indel polymorphism within pre-miR3131 confers risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Polymorphisms in pre-miRNAs may affect its expression, then have effect on its target mRNAs and be associated with cancer susceptibility. In this study, we evaluated the association of an indel polymorphism rs57408770 in pre-miR-3131 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility in a Chinese population. The contribution of rs57408770 to HCC risk was investigated in two independent case-control sets (1051 HCC and 1058 controls). Logistic regression analysis showed that the insertion allele of rs57408770 was significantly associated with an increased risk for HCC occurrence in both case-control studies. Moreover, the results of genotype-phenotype correlation analysis from both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the insertion allele was significantly correlated with higher expression of mature miR-3131 comparing with the deletion allele. The RNA-Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation assay results indicated that rs57408770 could affect the expression level of mature miR-3131 probably through disturbing the binding of splicing factor SRp20 with pre-miR-3131. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-3131 displayed a proliferation promoting and anti-apoptosis effect on HCC cell lines, suggesting that miR-3131 may act as a proto-oncogene in HCC. Finally, human genome-wide gene expression profile assay was used to screen the targets of miR-3131. The overexpressed miR-3131 could lead to a significant decrease of DTHD1 and XAF1 mRNA level. Taken together, our findings provided evidence that rs57408770 may play a functional role in the carcinogenesis of HCC by affecting SRp20 binding with pre-miR-3131 and affecting the expression of mature miR-3131, subsequently affecting the expression of DTHD1 and XAF1, thus confers risk for HCC.

Mesoporous NiS2 Nanospheres Anode with Pseudocapacitance for High-Rate and Long-Life Sodium-Ion Battery.

It is of great importance to exploit electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with low cost, long life, and high-rate capability. However, achieving quick charge and high power density is still a major challenge for most SIBs electrodes because of the sluggish sodiation kinetics. Herein, uniform and mesoporous NiS2 nanospheres are synthesized via a facile one-step polyvinylpyrrolidone assisted method. By controlling the voltage window, the mesoporous NiS2 nanospheres present excellent electrochemical performance in SIBs. It delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 692 mA h g-1 . The NiS2 anode also exhibits excellent high-rate capability (253 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1 ) and long-term cycling performance (319 mA h g-1 capacity remained even after 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g-1 ). A dominant pseudocapacitance contribution is identified and verified by kinetics analysis. In addition, the amorphization and conversion reactions during the electrochemical process of the mesoporous NiS2 nanospheres is also investigated by in situ X-ray diffraction. The impressive electrochemical performance reveals that the NiS2 offers great potential toward the development of next generation large scale energy storage.

MicroRNA-20b suppresses the expression of ZFP-148 in viral myocarditis.

Viral myocarditis is a common cardiovascular disease, which seriously endangers the health of people and even leads to sudden unexpected death. MicroRNAs play very important roles in various physical and pathological processes including cardiogenesis and heart diseases. In recent years, miR-20b has been implicated in various diseases such as breast cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, cardiovascular diseases. However, the function of miR-20b in the pathological progress of viral myocarditis has not been reported. In this study, we found that miR-20b was up-regulated in mouse heart tissues post Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. Bioinformatics analysis identified ZFP-148, a transcription factor that plays essential roles in the regulation of virus replication, is one of the predicted targets of miR-20b. MiR-20b expression was found to be up-regulated and ZFP-148 protein level was markedly repressed during viral myocarditis. Further studies demonstrated that miR-20b directly binds to the 3'-UTR of ZFP-148 and suppresses its translation. Moreover, aberrant expression of miR-20b promoted the expression of anti-apoptosis proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, suggesting that altered gene expression might promote cardiomyocytes survival in viral myocarditis. Our findings indicated that miR-20b might be a potential therapeutic target for CVB3-induced viral myocarditis and a useful marker for the diagnosis of viral myocarditis.