Plasmonic photoluminescence for recovering native chemical information from surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has attracted tremendous interests as a highly sensitive label-free tool. The local field produced by the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) dominates the overall enhancement of SERS. Such an electromagnetic enhancement is unfortunately accompanied by a strong modification in the relative intensity of the original Raman spectra, which highly distorts spectral features providing chemical information.

Discovery of genome-wideSNPs by RAD-seqand the genetic diversity of captive hog deer (Axis porcinus).

The hog deer (Axis porcinus) is a small deer whose natural habitat is the wet or moist tall grasslands in South and Southeast Asia. Wild populations have dramatically decreased in recent decades. While wild hog deer were recently acknowledged to be extinct in China, a few captive populations have been maintained.

Anticancer and anti-angiogenic activities of extract from Actinidia eriantha Benth root.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The roots of Actinidia eriantha Benth (AER) are commonly used traditional folk medicine for the treatment of gastric carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and breast carcinoma. Besides, the anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory effects of AER polysaccharides on tumor-bearing mice have been reported previously.

Aim Of The Study: This work was carried out to investigate the anticancer and anti-angiogenic activities of AER.

Modified biliary-enteric anastomosis for congenital choledochal cyst: clinical and prognostic analysis of 91 cases.

Purpose: To report our experience with a modified biliary-enteric anastomosis procedure for the surgical treatment of congenital choledochal cysts.

Methods: Between January 2009 and December 2013, 91 children (19 boys, 72 girls; ages, 6-145 months) with congenital choledochal cysts were treated with our modified surgical procedure in our hospital. Of these patients, 69 had type I cysts, and 22 had type IV B cysts.

DIORAMA enhances efficiency of a mass casualty incident: System and experimentation.

In this paper we show DIORAMA efficiency in a simulated Mass Casualty Incident drill. As shown by our results DIORAMA system has achieved orderly transport of patients from site of injury to collection point, all red before the yellow were transported (no order was obeyed in the paper drills). We also show that DIORAMA system was used by responders with very short training time and by responders that are not familiar with each other.

[Physicochemical Properties and Antibacterial Effect of Silver Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Environmental and Laboratorial Conditions].

This study aimed to understand how the physicochemical properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) affected its toxicity in the aquatic environment. The morphologies of oleylamine-coated AgNPs (4 nm) under environmental and laboratory water conditions were studied under transmission electron microscopy, and the results showed oleylamine-coated AgNPs formed big aggregates in the environmental water samples after 12 h equilibration. Dynamic light scattering results also showed that oleylamine-coated AgNPs had larger hydrodynamic size in all water samples as compared to its primary size (4 nm).

Construction of a thermo-sensitive pRI857 vector for efficient DNA capturing in Escherichia coli.

Objectives: To establish a positive cloning system with a zero background for high-throughput DNA cloning purpose.

Results: The cloning vector, pRI857, and the genomic-library construction vector, pRI857-BAC, were constructed based on the mechanism of expression of the thermo-sensitive cI857 repressor gene that can stringently repress the P promoter and kanamycin resistance gene (P-kan ) at 30 °C, but have no effect on P-kan gene at 37 °C or at higher temperatures. When the pRI857 vectors were transformed into E.

Wavelength-locked vectorial fiber laser manipulated by Pancharatnam-Berry phase.

We report a wavelength-locked cladding-pumped ytterbium-doped fiber laser that can simultaneously emit radially and azimuthally polarized beams based on Pancharatnam-Berry phase optical elements. Multi-wavelength free running operation of the radially and azimuthally polarized laser beams can be switched to a single-wavelength one assisted by volume Bragg grating, with wavelength locked at around 1053.4 nm and spectral linewidth of 0.

MiR-375 suppresses invasion and metastasis by direct targeting of SHOX2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common histological type in China. MicroRNAs are endogenously expressed in mammals and play a significant role in tumor invasion and metastasis by targeting potential downstream genes. In the present study, microarray analysis showed that miR-375 expression was distinctly downregulated in ESCC compared with that in normal esophageal epithelium tissues.

Gremlin-1 Concentrations Are Correlated with the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND Gremlin-1, a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist, is up-regulated in osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, we aim to evaluate the correlation between gremlin-1 concentrations and the onset and severity of OA. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed this cross-sectional study in a population of 212 patients with knee OA and 125 healthy controls.

Nitric oxide coupling to generate NO promoted by a single-heme system as examined by density functional theory.

Bacteria utilize a heme/non-heme enzyme system to detoxify nitric oxide (NO) to NO. In order to probe the capacity of a single-heme system to mediate this NO-to-NO transformation, various scenarios for addition of electrons, protons, and a second NO molecule to a heme nitrosyl to generate NO were explored by density functional theory calculations. We describe, utilizing this single-heme system, several stepwise intermediates along pathways that enable the critical N-N bond formation step yielding the desired Fe-NO product.

Enforced expression of hsa-miR-125a-3p in breast cancer cells potentiates docetaxel sensitivity via modulation of BRCA1 signaling.

Epigenetic gene inactivation by microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a key role in malignant transformation, prevention of apoptosis, drug resistance and metastasis. It has been shown that miR-125a is down-regulated in HER2-amplified and HER2-overexpressing breast cancers (BCa), and this miRNA is believed to serve as an important tumor suppressor. miR-125a has two mature forms: hsa-miR-125a-3p and hsa-miR-125a-5p.

MiR-630 inhibits invasion and metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most aggressive malignancies and has a high incidence in China. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNAs that regulate multiple tumorigenic processes, including proliferation, invasion, metastasis and prognosis. Using miRNA expression profiling analysis, we found that miR-630 was markedly down-regulated in three ESCC tissue samples compared with that in paired normal esophageal tissues.

[Contribution of Particle Size and Surface Coating of Silver Nanoparticles to Its Toxicity in Marine Diatom Skeletonema costatum].

Due to the unique antibacterial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely used in commercial applications. In this study, the toxicity of three kinds of AgNPs with different sizes and surface coatings to marine diatom Skeletonema costatum (S. costatum) was studied, which was one of the dominant species in estuarine and coastal areas.

Evaluation of a Scalable Information Analytics System for Enhanced Situational Awareness in Mass Casualty Events.

We investigate the utility of DIORAMA-II system which provides enhanced situational awareness within a disaster scene by using real-time visual analytics tools and a collaboration platform between the incident commander and the emergency responders. Our trials were conducted in different geographical areas (feature-rich and featureless regions) and in different lighting conditions (daytime and nighttime). DIORAMA-II obtained considerable time gain in efficiency compared to conventional paper based systems.

Environmental concentration of carbamazepine accelerates fish embryonic development and disturbs larvae behavior.

Environmental pollution caused by pharmaceuticals has been recognized as a major threat to the aquatic ecosystems. Carbamazepine, as the widely prescribed antiepileptic drug, has been frequently detected in the aquatic environment and has created concerns about its potential impacts in the aquatic organisms. The effects of carbamazepine on zebrafish embryos were studied by examining their phenotype, behavior and molecular responses.

MiR-143-3p functions as a tumor suppressor by regulating cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting QKI-5 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to contribute to carcinogenesis. MiR-143-3p has been identified to function as a tumor suppressor in several tumors, but the role of miR-143-3p in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been intensively investigated. Our aim was to evaluate the potential role of miR-143-3p in the progression of ESCC.

MicroRNA-142-5p contributes to Hashimoto's thyroiditis by targeting CLDN1.

Background: MicroRNAs have the potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in autoimmune diseases. However, very limited studies have evaluated the expression of microRNA profile in thyroid gland related to Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT).

Methods: MicroRNA microarray expression profiling was performed and validated by quantitative RT-PCR.

Impact of silver nanoparticles on marine diatom Skeletonema costatum.

When silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used commercially at a large scale, they infiltrate the environment at a rapid pace. However, the impact of large quantities of AgNPs on aquatic ecosystems is still largely unknown. In aquatic ecosystems, the phytoplanktons have a vital ecological function and, therefore, the potential impact of AgNPs on the microalgae community has elicited substantial concern.

Practical carbon-carbon bond formation from olefins through nickel-catalyzed reductive olefin hydrocarbonation.

New carbon-carbon bond formation reactions expand our horizon of retrosynthetic analysis for the synthesis of complex organic molecules. Although many methods are now available for the formation of C(sp(2))-C(sp(3)) and C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) bonds via transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkyl organometallic reagents, direct use of readily available olefins in a formal fashion of hydrocarbonation to make C(sp(2))-C(sp(3)) and C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) bonds remains to be developed. Here we report the discovery of a general process for the intermolecular reductive coupling of unactivated olefins with alkyl or aryl electrophiles under the promotion of a simple nickel catalyst system.

Intrinsic resistance to sunitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Aim: Although targeting angiogenesis with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, primary, intrinsic resistance to the VEGFR inhibitor sunitinib is not fully understood in a subset of metastatic RCC (mRCC) patients.

Methods: Between 2008 and 2012, a total of 134 patients with mRCC were treated with first-line sunitinib at one of six tertiary centers. Patients in whom progressive disease was the best response were classified as the intrinsic resistance group.

The Annexin a2 Promotes Development in Arthritis through Neovascularization by Amplification Hedgehog Pathway.

The neovascularization network of pannus formation plays a crucial role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Annexin a2 (Axna2) is an important mediating agent that induces angiogenesis in vascular diseases. The correlation between Axna2 and pannus formation has not been studied.

The regulation of cancer cell migration by lung cancer cell-derived exosomes through TGF-β and IL-10.

Tumorigenesis has been considered to be as a result of abnormal cell-cell communication. It has been proposed that exosomes act as communicators between tumors and their microenvironment and have been demonstrated to be involved in tumorigenesis and subsequent metastasis. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of exosomes in these processes remains elusive.

Primary intratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma: A case report and literature review.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) that primarily occurs in the testes is particularly rare, with only retrospective studies and sporadic cases reported in the literature. The present study describes the case of a large, primary intratesticular RMS (ITRMS) that was treated with a radical inguinal orchiectomy (RIO) and a regimen of chemotherapy. The study also presents a review of the literature regarding primary ITRMSs, aiming to elucidate the clinical characteristics and optimal treatment of the disease.