AQP3-mediated activation of the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway curtails gallstone formation in mice by inhibiting inflammatory injury of gallbladder mucosal epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory injury of gallbladder mucosal epithelial cells affects the development of cholelithiasis, and aquaporin 3 (AQP3) is an important regulator of inflammatory response. This study reports a mechanistic insight into AQP3 regulating gallstone formation in cholelithiasis based on high-throughput sequencing. METHODS: A mouse model of cholelithiasis was induced using a high-fat diet, and the gallbladder tissues were harvested for high-throughput sequencing to obtain differentially expressed genes. Primary mouse gallbladder mucosal epithelial cells were isolated and induced with Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to mimic an in vitro inflammatory injury environment. Cell biological phenotypes were detected by TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay, flow cytometry, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and Trypan blue staining. In addition, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) determined the production of inflammatory factors in mouse gallbladder mucosa. RESULTS: Whole-transcriptome sequencing data analysis identified 489 up-regulated and 1007 down-regulated mRNAs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that AQP3 was significantly down-regulated in mice with cholelithiasis. AQP3 might also confer an important role in LPS-induced gallbladder mucosal injury. Overexpression of AQP3 activated the AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) / SIRT1 (sirtuin-1) signaling pathway to reduce LPS-induced inflammatory injury of the gallbladder mucosa epithelium, thereby ameliorating gallbladder damage and repressing gallstone formation in mice. CONCLUSION: Data from our study highlight the inhibitory role of AQP3 in gallbladder damage and gallstone formation in mice by reducing inflammatory injury of gallbladder mucosal epithelial cells, which is achieved through activation of the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway.

Characterization of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and development of a CAF-based risk model for triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast Cancer (TNBC) is a highly malignant cancer with unclear pathogenesis. Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) vitally influence tumor onset and progression. Thus, this research aimed to identify distinct subgroups of CAF using single-cell and TNBC-related information from the GEO and TCGA databases, respectively. The primary aim was to establish a novel predictive model based on the CAF features and their clinical relevance. Moreover, the CAFs were analyzed for their immune characteristics, response to immunotherapy, and sensitivity to different drugs. The developed predictive model demonstrated significant effectiveness in determining the prognosis of patients with TNBC, TME, and the immune landscape of the tumor. Of note, the expression of GPR34 was significantly higher in TNBC tissues compared to that in other breast cancer (non-TNBC) tissues, indicating that GPR34 plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of TNBC. In summary, this research has yielded a novel predictive model for TNBC that holds promise for the accurate prediction of prognosis and response to immunotherapy in patients with TNBC.

A Non-Equal Time Interval Incremental Motion Prediction Method for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships.

Recent technological advancements facilitate the autonomous navigation of maritime surface ships. The accurate data given by a range of various sensors serve as the primary assurance of a voyage's safety. Nevertheless, as sensors have various sample rates, they cannot obtain information at the same time. Fusion decreases the accuracy and reliability of perceptual data if different sensor sample rates are not taken into account. Hence, it is helpful to increase the quality of the fusion information to precisely anticipate the motion status of ships at the sampling time of each sensor. This paper proposes a non-equal time interval incremental prediction method. In this method, the high dimensionality of the estimated state and nonlinearity of the kinematic equation are taken into consideration. First, the cubature Kalman filter is employed to estimate a ship's motion at equal intervals based on the ship's kinematic equation. Next, a ship motion state predictor based on a long short-term memory network structure is created, using the increment and time interval of the historical estimation sequence as the network input and the increment of the motion state at the projected time as the network output. The suggested technique can lessen the effect of the speed difference between the test set and the training set on the prediction accuracy compared with the traditional long short-term memory prediction method. Finally, comparison experiments are carried out to validate the precision and effectiveness of the proposed approach. The experimental results show that the root-mean-square error coefficient of the prediction error is decreased on average by roughly 78% for various modes and speeds when compared with the conventional non-incremental long short-term memory prediction approach. Additionally, the proposed prediction technology and the traditional approach have virtually the same algorithm times, which may fulfill the real engineering requirements.

Fault Diagnosis for Complex Equipment Based on Belief Rule Base with Adaptive Nonlinear Membership Function.

Fault diagnosis of complex equipment has become a hot field in recent years. Due to excellent uncertainty processing capability and small sample problem modeling capability, belief rule base (BRB) has been widely used in the fault diagnosis. However, previous BRB models almost did not consider the diverse distributions of observation data which may reduce diagnostic accuracy. In this paper, a new fault diagnosis model based on BRB is proposed. Considering that the previous triangular membership function cannot address the diverse distribution of observation data, a new nonlinear membership function is proposed to transform the input information. Then, since the model parameters initially determined by experts are inaccurate, a new parameter optimization model with the parameters of the nonlinear membership function is proposed and driven by the gradient descent method to prevent the expert knowledge from being destroyed. A fault diagnosis case of laser gyro is used to verify the validity of the proposed model. In the case study, the diagnosis accuracy of the new BRB-based fault diagnosis model reached 95.56%, which shows better fault diagnosis performance than other methods.

NLRP3 inflammasome up-regulates major histocompatibility complex class I expression and promotes inflammatory infiltration in polymyositis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the role of the nucleotide-binding-domain -and leucine-rich repeat -containing (NLR) family, pyrin-domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the pathogenesis of polymyositis (PM). METHODS: Immunochemistry was performed to analyze the NLRP3, caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) expression in the muscle tissue of PM patients. Rat model of PM and C2C12 cell were used to investigate the potential role of NLRP3 inflammasome in PM. RESULTS: The percentage of CD 68+ macrophages, and the expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1 and IL-1ß in the muscle tissue were elevated in 27 PM patients. LPS/ATP treatment resulted in activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and secretion of IL-1ß as well as interferons (IFNs) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the Raw 264.7 macrophages. Meanwhile, LPS/ATP challenged activation of NLRP3 inflammasome induced overexpression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), a key molecular of PM in the co-cultured C2C12 cells. The effect was decreased by treatment of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MCC950 or siRNA of NLRP3 inflammasome. These findings suggested certain levels of IL-1ß rather than IFNs up-regulated MHC-I expression in C2C12 cells. IL-1ß blockade using neutralizing IL-1ß monoclonal antibody or siRNA of IL-1ß suppressed MHC-I overexpression. In vivo, NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition by MCC950 reduced the expression of NLRP3, IL-1ß and MHC-I in the muscle tissue of PM modal rats. Also, it attenuated the intensity of muscle inflammation as well as the CRP, CK, and LDH levels in the serum. CONCLUSION: NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1ß axis may play an important role in the development of PM. Inhibition of NLRP3 activation may hold promise in the treatment of PM.

Modulating Multiarticular Energy during Human Walking and Running with an Unpowered Exoskeleton.

Researchers have made advances in reducing the metabolic rate of both walking and running by modulating mono-articular energy with exoskeletons. However, how to modulate multiarticular energy with exoskeletons to improve the energy economy of both walking and running is still a challenging problem, due to the lack of understanding of energy transfer among human lower-limb joints. Based on the study of the energy recycling and energy transfer function of biarticular muscles, we proposed a hip-knee unpowered exoskeleton that emulates and reinforces the function of the hamstrings and rectus femoris in different gait phases. The biarticular exo-tendon of the exoskeleton assists hamstrings to recycle the kinetic energy of the leg swing while providing hip extension torque in the swing phase. In the following stance phase, the exo-tendon releases the stored energy to assist the co-contraction of gluteus maximus and rectus femoris for both hip extension and knee extension, thus realizing the phased modulation of hip and knee joint energy. The metabolic rate of both walking (1.5 m/s) and running (2.5 m/s) can be reduced by 6.2% and 4.0% with the multiarticular energy modulation of a hip-knee unpowered exoskeleton, compared to that of walking and running without an exoskeleton. The bio-inspired design method of this study may inspire people to develop devices that assist multiple gaits in the future.

Performance Evaluation of Complex Equipment Considering Resume Information.

It is of great significance to obtain the performance state of complex equipment to protect equipment and maintain its normal operation. The majority of the performance evaluation methods are based on test data, but resume information is not considered. With its wide applicability and completeness, the resume information can be used in the comprehensive evaluation of equipment in various non-testing situations. By incorporating resume information into the performance evaluation of complex equipment, the flexible use of test data and resume information can result in a more comprehensive and accurate evaluation. Therefore, this paper focuses on the evaluation method of complex equipment performance based on evidential reasoning (ER) considering resume information. In order to unify the test data and resume information in the same framework, a novel method is proposed to transform them into the ER-based performance evaluation. On this basis, according to the index types, different reliability calculation methods are put forward, with one being based on the first-order fitting coefficient of variation, and the other being based on average time to failure; the index weight is analyzed based on the method of expert weight construction. Then, the transformed information with reliability and weight are fused by the ER rule. Finally, a performance evaluation case of a certain inertial measurement unit (IMU) is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Elevated levels of NLRP3 inflammasome in serum of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy are associated with disease severity.

This study aims to compare the levels of NLRP3 inflammasome and its related cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-17), in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), non-inflammatory chronic polyneuropathy, and functional neurological disorders. The results showed elevated NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-17 levels in serum but not in CSF of CIDP, compared to the other groups. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between NLRP3 inflammasome level and each cytokine. We also found a positive correlation between serum NLRP3 inflammasome level and disease severity in CIDP patients. Taken together, these results suggested that NLRP3 inflammasome could act as a potential biomarker to diagnose CIDP and assess the severity of the disease.

Temperature-controlled resistive sensing of gaseous H2S or NO2 by using flower-like palladium-doped SnO2 nanomaterials.

Palladium-doped SnO2 nanomaterials, with palladium in fractions from 0 to 10 mol% were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and XPS. Their gas sensing properties were studied in two temperature ranges of 75-95 °C and 160-210 °C. The sensor using 5 mol% Pd-doped SnO2 exhibits temperature-dependent sensing property. NO2 can be detected at 80 °C, while H2S is preferably detected at 180 °C. The response to 10 ppm H2S is 50 times higher than that of the undoped sample. Its detection limit is 500 ppb. For NO2, the sensor exhibited strong response and a lower detection limit of 20 ppb. In view of the selective detection of H2S and NO2 by regulating the temperature, palladium-doped SnO2 has great prospects in the detection of H2S and NO2. Graphical abstract Schematic of the gas sensing mechanism of the S-5% Pd doped SnO2.

Simultaneous knockdown of YAP and TAZ increases apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells under hypoxic condition.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the common malignant tumors of the digestive system and its five-year survival rate is low. Hypoxia is an important feature of HCC, which can promote cell death resistance. However, the key regulator of HCC cell survival remains elusive in the hypoxic condition. Emerging researches have showed that the Hippo signaling pathway is involved in the initiation and progression of HCC. Here, we provide evidence that key downstream effectors YAP and its paralog TAZ play vital role in apoptosis resistance of HCC cells under hypoxia. Knockdown of YAP or TAZ does not affect the survival of HCC cells in normoxic and hypoxic microenvironment. In addition, the rate of apoptosis by knockdown or inhibition of both YAP and TAZ under hypoxic condition is largely higher than which under normoxia. In conclusion, simultaneous knockdown or inhibition of YAP and TAZ promote apoptosis of HCC cells dramatically. To our knowledge, this is the first research to explore the role of both YAP and TAZ in HCC hypoxic microenvironment in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, it may be useful for establishing novel targeted therapies of HCC, especially subtypes with plenty of hypoxic areas.

Investigation of the localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag@SiO2 core-shell nanocubes and its application in high-performance blue organic light-emitting diodes.

A blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with silica-coated silver nanocubes (Ag@SiO2 NCs) inserted at the hole transporting layer/emission layer interface is reported. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of the Ag@SiO2 NCs were characterized by the measured absorption spectra, stable-stated and transient photoluminescence, and calculated dipole radiation power. The results suggest that the Ag NCs significantly improved the radiation intensity of the nearby excitons due to their sharp corners and edges, but had less impact on the radiation rate of the excitons. The exciton recombination zone in the blue OLED was confirmed by a group of devices with an ultra-thin yellow emission layer located at different places, which helped to figure out the distribution of the excitons around the Ag@SiO2 NCs and deeply understand the coupling between the excitons and the Ag@SiO2 NCs. In our blue OLED, an appropriate distance between the Ag NCs and the excitons was realized by the SiO2 coating layer and the exciton distribution, which greatly improved the energy transfer between the excitons and the Ag NCs. In addition, the LSPR enhanced electric field around the Ag@SiO2 NCs improved the carrier injection at the hole transporting layer/emission layer interface and increased the current density of the blue OLED. Finally, the blue OLED with a simple triple layer structure achieved a high current efficiency of 51.1 cd A-1.

RBBP6 increases radioresistance and serves as a therapeutic target for preoperative radiotherapy in colorectal cancer.

Radiotherapy (RT) can be used as preoperative treatment to downstage initially unresectable locally rectal carcinoma, but radioresistance and recurrence remain significant problems. Retinoblastoma binding protein 6 (RBBP6) has been implicated in the regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis and chemoresistance both in vitro and in vivo. The present study investigated whether the inhibition of RBBP6 expression would improve radiosensitivity in human colorectal cancer cells. After SW620 and HT29 cells were exposed to radiation, the levels of RBBP6 mRNA and protein increased over time in both cells. Moreover, a significant reduction in clonogenic survival and a decrease in cell viability in parallel with an obvious increase in cell apoptosis were demonstrated in irradiated RBBP6-knockdown cells. Transfection with RBBP6 shRNA improved the levels of G2-M phase arrest, which blocked the cells in a more radiosensitive period of the cell cycle. These observations indicated that cell cycle and apoptosis mechanisms may be connected with tumor cell survival following radiotherapy. In vivo, the tumor growth rate of nude mice in the RBBP6-knockdown group was significantly slower than that in other groups. These results indicated that RBBP6 overexpression could resist colorectal cancer cells against radiation by regulating cell cycle and apoptosis pathways, and inhibition of RBBP6 could enhance radiosensitivity of human colorectal cancer.

Assessment of Single-Barrel Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass in Treatment for Adult Patients with Ischemic-Type Moyamoya Disease.

BACKGROUND Moyamoya disease (MMD) is an idiopathic disease caused by progressive steno-occlusion of the distal internal carotid artery. Ideal surgical treatment for adult patients with ischemic-type MMD has not been achieved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of single-barrel superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass in treatment for adult patients with ischemic-type MMD by analyzing clinical and radiological data retrospectively. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present study included 37 patients with non-hemorrhagic MMD, including 21 women and 16 men (21~55 years old, mean age 38.1 years). The bypass surgery was performed on 56 sides in the 37 patients. The clinical charts, angiographic revascularization, and hemodynamic changes were reviewed at 6-60 months after surgery. RESULTS Among the 37 patients, the clinical symptoms and signs of 32 patients were improved or stabilized. Five patients had complications, including 2 cases of acute cerebral infarction, 1 case of epidural hematoma, and 1 case of transient speech disturbance, and 1 patient died. Follow-up computed tomography perfusion (CTP) revealed that cerebral blood flow (CBF) was markedly improved after surgery (P<0.05). Time to peek (TTP) and mean transit time (MTT) were significantly decreased after surgery (P<0.05). No significant change in cerebral blood volume (CBV) was found after surgery (P>0.05). Postoperative patency was clearly verified in 52 bypasses (92.8%) of 56 bypasses on follow-up DSA imaging. CONCLUSIONS Single-barrel STA-MCA bypass can be considered as an effective surgical treatment, which exhibits satisfactory clinical efficacy in ischemic-type MMD patients.

PHD/HIF-1 upregulates CA12 to protect against degenerative disc disease: a human sample, in vitro and ex vivo study.

Intervertebral disc degeneration is a major cause of low back pain. The nucleus pulposus (NP) is an important intervertebral disc component. Recent studies have shown that carbonic anhydrase 12 (CA12) is a novel NP marker. However, the mechanism by which CA12 is regulated and its physiological function are unclear. In our study, CA12, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and HIF-2α expression levels were examined in 81 human degenerated NP samples using real-time RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot. Rat NP cells were cultured in a hypoxic environment, and hypoxia-induced CA12 expression was examined. Rat NP cells were treated with HIF-1α siRNA or the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) inhibitor dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) to evaluate the role of PHD/HIF-1 in regulating CA12 expression. Rat NP cells were treated with CA12 siRNA to determine the function of CA12. A rat ex vivo model was established to confirm that PHD, HIF-1, and CA12 have important roles in disc degeneration. We found that CA12 was significantly downregulated in degenerated human NP samples at the mRNA and protein levels. CA12 expression sharply increased by ~30-fold in response to hypoxia. The expression of HIF-1α, but not HIF-2α, also decreased in degenerated human NP samples and was positively correlated with CA12 expression. HIF-1α knockdown under hypoxia reduced the CA12 mRNA and protein expression levels. DMOG treatment increased HIF-1α and CA12 expression. CA12 knockdown significantly inhibited anabolic protein expression, whereas catabolic enzymes remained unchanged. The ex vivo experiments supported our in vitro studies of the role of PHD/HIF-1/CA12. In conclusion, CA12 is downregulated in degenerated NPs, and its expression may be regulated by the PHD/HIF-1 axis. Decreased CA12 expression may lead to decreased extracellular matrix synthesis, which contributes to degenerative disc disease progression.

Influence of Residue Soil on the Properties of Fly Ash-Slag-Based Geopolymer Materials for 3D Printing.

This study investigates the impact of residue soil (RS) powder on the 3D printability of geopolymer composites based on fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag. RS is incorporated into the geopolymer mixture, with its inclusion ranging from 0% to 110% of the combined mass of fly ash and finely ground blast furnace slag. Seven groups of geopolymers were designed and tested for their flowability, setting time, rheology, open time, extrudability, shape retention, buildability, and mechanical properties. The results showed that with the increase in RS content, the fluidity of geopolymer mortar decreases, and the setting time increases first and then decreases. The static yield stress, dynamic yield stress, and apparent viscosity of geopolymer mortar increase with the increase in RS content. For an RS content between 10% and 90%, the corresponding fluidity is above 145 mm, and the yield stress is controlled within the range of 2800 Pa, which meets the requirements of extrusion molding. Except for RS-110, geopolymer mortars with other RS contents showed good extrudability and shape retention. The compressive strength of 3D printing samples of geopolymer mortar containing RS has obvious anisotropy.

Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae-Induced Pneumonia: Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors.

Purpose: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is closely related to respiratory tract infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and prognostic factors of CRKP-induced pneumonia in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients. Methods: A single-centre, retrospective case-control study on COPD patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation and CRKP-induced pneumonia was conducted from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022. The mortality rate of acute exacerbation due to CRKP-induced pneumonia was investigated. The patients were divided into the CRKP-induced pneumonic acute exacerbation (CRKPpAE) group and the non-CRKP-induced pneumonic acute exacerbation (non-CRKPpAE) group, and the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors were compared using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 65 AECOPD patients were included, composed of 26 patients with CRKPpAE and 39 patients with non-CRKPpAE. The mortality rate of CRKPpAE was 57.69%, while non-CRKPpAE was 7.69%. Compared with non-CRKPpAE, a history of acute exacerbation in the last year (OR=8.860, 95% CI: 1.360-57.722, p=0.023), ICU admission (OR=11.736, 95% CI: 2.112-65.207, p=0.005), higher NLR levels (OR=1.187, 95% CI: 1.037-1.359, p=0.013) and higher D-dimer levels (OR=1.385, 95% CI: 1.006-1.905, p=0.046) were independently related with CRKPpAE. CRKP isolates were all MDR strains (26/26, 100%), and MDR strains were also observed in non-CRKP isolates (5/39, 12.82%). Conclusion: Compared with non-CRKPpAE, CRKPpAE affects the COPD patient's condition more seriously and significantly increases the risk of death.

Temperature-dependent molecular sieving of fluorinated propane/propylene mixtures by a flexible-robust metal-organic framework.

The electronics industry necessitates highly selective adsorption separation of hexafluoropropylene (C3F6) from perfluoropropane (C3F8), which poses a challenge due to their similar physiochemical properties. In this work, we present a microporous flexible-robust metal-organic framework (Ca-tcpb) with thermoregulatory gate opening, a rare phenomenon that allows tunable sieving of C3F8/C3F6. Remarkably, the temperature-dependent adsorption behavior enhances the discrimination between the larger C3F8 and the smaller C3F6, resulting in unprecedented C3F6/C3F8 selectivity (over 10,000) compared to other well-known porous materials at an optimal temperature (298 K). Dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrate that high-purity C3F8 (over 99.999%) could be obtained from a C3F6/C3F8 (10:90) mixture under ambient conditions. The unique attributes of this material encompass exceptional adsorption selectivity, remarkable structural stability, and outstanding separation performance, positioning it as a highly promising candidate for C3F6/C3F8 separation. Single-crystal structural analysis of C3F6-loaded Ca-tcpb and theoretical calculations elucidate the host-guest interaction via multiple intermolecular interactions.

Ppb-level unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine detection based on In2O3 hollow microspheres with Nd doping.

As one of main high-energy fuels for rocket launching, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and its decomposition products do harm to environment and human health. It is significant to develop a device to monitor its leakage. In this work, a UDMH gas sensor based on In2O3 hollow microspheres with Nd dopant was fabricated. The pure, 1.0 mol%, 3.0 mol% and 5.0 mol% Nd doped In2O3 were synthesized via one-step solvothermal method. Among them, 3.0% Nd-In2O3 based sensor exhibits the highest response toward UDMH vapor. Its response value to 100 ppm UDMH is 183.3 at optimal working temperature of 250 °C, 6.8 times higher than that of pure In2O3 (26.8). Besides high response to UDMH, the 3% Nd-In2O3 based sensor represents excellent selectivity, rapid response speed (2 s) and ultra-low theoretical LOD to UDMH (0.28 ppb). The improved gas sensing performance via Nd doping could be attributed to the enhanced specific surface area, increased concentration of adsorbed oxygen and improved adsorption capacity for UDMH molecular on the surface. The excellent sensing performance of Nd doped In2O3 hollow microspheres makes it a promising candidate for real-time UDMH detection.

Three-dimensional evaluation of alveolar bone and pharyngeal airway dimensions after mandibular dentition distalization in patients with Class III malocclusion: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To three-dimensionally evaluate changes of the alveolar bone around the mandibular anterior teeth and pharyngeal airway dimensions in adults with Class III malocclusion before and after orthodontic treatment of mandibular dentition distalization. METHODS: In this retrospective study, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 20 patients with Class III malocclusion who underwent mandibular dentition distalization were obtained both before and after treatment. Three-dimensional changes of the thickness and vertical marginal bone levels around mandibular incisors and canines were assessed and compared. And airway volumes of the palato-, glosso-, laryngopharynx and the minimum axial area were measured and compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: A significant decrease of lingual bone thickness of mandibular incisors, partial labial and lingual bone thickness of canines were observed (P < 0.05). The reduction in root length of incisors and canines, labial and lingual vertical marginal bone levels were significant after orthodontic treatment. No significant correlations between mandibular dentition distalization and pharyngeal airway dimensions were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular dentition distalization could result in the loss of alveolar bone around anterior teeth in Class III malocclusion, especially for the cervical marginal bone. Pharyngeal airway dimensions were not affected to a high extent after distalization. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospctively registered.

miR-147b is an oncomiR acting synergistically with HIPK2 to promote pancreatic carcinogenesis.

MicroRNAs (miRs, miRNAs) are known players in the regulatory network of pancreatic tumorigenesis, but the downstream effectors remain poorly characterized. This study addressed this issue based on in silico prediction, in vitro experiments, and in vivo validation. The differentially expressed PCa-related miRNAs and bioinformatics tools predicted downstream regulators. The expression of miR-147b was examined in PCa cell lines. Putative targets of miR-147b were predicted by a publicly available database and confirmed by luciferase activity assay. Mimic/inhibitor, siRNA/overexpression plasmid, or pifithrin-α (p53 inhibitor) were delivered into PCa cells to assess the effect of miR-147b, HIPK2, and p53 on malignant phenotypes of PCa cells. AntagomiR-147b and shRNA targeting HIPK2 were introduced to xenograft-bearing nude mice for in vivo experiments. The expression of miR-147b was significantly increased in PCa cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-147b promoted the malignant phenotypes of PCa cells and inhibited their apoptosis. HIPK2 was confirmed as a target gene of miR-147b. Inhibiting miR-147b could promote HIPK2 expression and potentially activate the p53 pathway, inhibiting PCa cell growth. In vivo experiments suggested that miR-147b inhibition suppressed the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice, while HIPK2 knockdown counteracted its effect. Collectively, our work reveals a novel miR-147b-mediated carcinogenic regulatory network in PCa that may be a viable target for PCa treatment.