Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combination with induced pluripotent stem cells-derived neural crest stem cells and growth differentiation factor 5 promotes sciatic nerve regeneration and functional recovery.

The treatment of lengthy peripheral nerve defect is challenging in the field of nerve regeneration. Our previous studies have shown that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) could promote the proliferation, cell viability, and neural differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells-derived neural crest stem cells (iPSCs-NCSCs) and improve the regeneration of damaged peripheral nerve. In this study, the mechanical signal transduction pathway of LIPUS promoting iPSCs-NCSCs proliferation and differentiation was further explored, and the effects of LIPUS combined with iPSCs-NCSCs, perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), and growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) on the repair of peripheral nerve injury were evaluated.

Efficacy of Minocycline in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Rodent and Clinical Studies.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of minocycline for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. While there have been meta-analysis that surveyed the efficacy of minocycline in the treatment of acute stroke, they have some methodological limitations. We performed a new systematic review which was distinct from previous one by adding new outcomes and including new studies.

Correction: Brain-Computer Interface-Based Communication in the Completely Locked-In State.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.

Photoinduced electron transfer and remarkable enhancement of magnetic susceptibility in bridging pyrazine complexes.

Three isostructural coordination polymers of the formula [MCl2(DMSO)2(pz)]n (pz = pyrazine, DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide, M = Mn, Fe and Co for 1-3) were synthesized through the solvothermal reaction of MCl2, DMSO and pz. By introducing DMSO and chloride as electron donor ligands and pz as an accepter, a donor-metal-accepter (D-M-A) system was constructed. Radicals generated by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from a donor to an accepter result in a dramatic change of vibronic absorption spectra in UV regions and remarkable enhancement of magnetic susceptibility.

HigB Reciprocally Controls Biofilm Formation and the Expression of Type III Secretion System Genes through Influencing the Intracellular c-di-GMP Level in .

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems play important roles in bacteria persister formation. Increasing evidence demonstrate the roles of TA systems in regulating virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. The toxin HigB in contributes to persister formation and regulates the expression of multiple virulence factors and biofilm formation.

How bacterial xenogeneic silencer rok distinguishes foreign from self DNA in its resident genome.

Bacterial xenogeneic silencers play important roles in bacterial evolution by recognizing and inhibiting expression from foreign genes acquired through horizontal gene transfer, thereby buffering against potential fitness consequences of their misregulated expression. Here, the detailed DNA binding properties of Rok, a xenogeneic silencer in Bacillus subtilis, was studied using protein binding microarray, and the solution structure of its C-terminal DNA binding domain was determined in complex with DNA. The C-terminal domain of Rok adopts a typical winged helix fold, with a novel DNA recognition mechanism different from other winged helix proteins or xenogeneic silencers.

Phthalate exposure and childhood overweight and obesity: Urinary metabolomic evidence.

Objective: Metabolomics may unravel global metabolic changes in response to environmental exposures and identify important biological pathways involved in the pathophysiology of childhood obesity. Phthalate has been considered an obesogen and contributing to overweight and obesity in children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate changes in urine metabolites in response to the environmental phthalate exposure among overweight or obese children, and to investigate the metabolic mechanisms involved in the obesogenic effect of phthalate on children at puberty.

Polystyrene microplastics alter the behavior, energy reserve and nutritional composition of marine jacopever (Sebastes schlegelii).

Uptake and toxicity of microplastics on marine organisms have been reported elsewhere. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the ecological effects of microplastics on marine organisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of polystyrene microplastics (1 × 10 microspheres per L) on the behavior, energy reserve and nutritional composition of juvenile jacopever (Sebastes schlegelii).

Construction of a Protective Vaccine Against Lipopolysaccharide-Heterologous Strains Based on Expression Profiling of Outer Membrane Proteins During Infection.

is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen, which causes infectious disease in patients with cystic fibrosis and compromised immunity. is difficult to eradicate because of its intrinsic resistance to most traditional antibiotics as well as acquired resistance mechanisms after decades of antibiotic usage. A full understanding of the pathogenesis mechanisms is necessary for the development of novel prevention and treatment strategies.

Toxicities of polystyrene nano- and microplastics toward marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila.

Nano- and microplastics have been shown to cause negative effects on marine organisms. However, the toxicities of nano- and microplastics toward marine bacteria are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of polystyrene nano- and microplastics on the marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila by determining growth inhibition, chemical composition, inorganic nitrogen conversion efficiencies and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Clinicopathological Characteristics of Traumatic Head Injury in Juvenile, Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals.

BACKGROUND Traumatic head injury is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. How clinicopathological features differ by age remains unclear. This epidemiological study analyzed the clinicopathological features of patients with head injury belonging to 3 age groups.

[Protective effect of astrocyte exosomes on hypoxic-ischemic neurons].

Objective: To study the effect of astrocyte exosomes on hypoxic-ischemic neurons.

Methods: Rat astrocytes were cultured in vitro, and differential centrifugation was used to obtain the exosomes from the cell supernatant. Transmission electron microscopy, Nanosight, and Western blot were used for the identification of exosomes.

Evaluating effects of prenatal exposure to phthalates on neonatal birth weight: Structural equation model approaches.

Background: A large body of evidence has shown that phthalate exposure can lower birth weight in animals and human beings. However, there are only limited data on whether phthalates could affect birth weight directly or indirectly through gestational age and pregnancy syndrome.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of prenatal exposure to phthalates on birth weight in neonates and the mediation effects of gestational age and pregnancy syndrome on the association between phthalate exposure and birth weight.

Microplastic pollution in North Yellow Sea, China: Observations on occurrence, distribution and identification.

Microplastics are emerging contaminants and have attracted widespread environmental concerns about their negative effects on the marine ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the abundances, distributions and characteristics of microplastics in surface seawater and sediments from the North Yellow Sea. The results showed that the abundance of microplastics was 545 ± 282 items/m in surface seawater and 37.

In utero and lactational exposure of DEHP increases the susceptibility of prostate carcinogenesis in male offspring through PSCA hypomethylation.

As an ubiquitous environmental endocrine disruptor, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been shown to interfere with the development of reproductive organs and induce pathological changes in prostate. Our previous finding showed that in utero and lactational (IUL) DEHP exposure could disrupt the balance of testosterone and estrogen and increase the susceptibility of prostate carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the early-life specific epigenetic modifications could mediate the effect of DEHP exposure on prostate carcinogenesis in rodents, for epigenetic modifications play important roles in regulating prostate carcinogenesis.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the dissolved and suspended phases of seawater from Sanggou Bay, east China.

The levels and profiles of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dissolved phase (DP) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in seawater of Sanggou Bay (SGB) in four seasons were determined. The distribution and potential sources of these compounds were analyzed, and the ecological risk was assessed. The total concentrations of 14 PBDEs (∑PBDE) in DP and SPM in the surface water ranged from 0.

Regulation of growth, intestinal microbiota, non-specific immune response and disease resistance of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) in biofloc systems.

Bioflocs are not only a source of supplemental nutrition but also provide substantial probiotic bacteria and bioactive compounds, which play an important role in improving physiological health of aquatic organisms. A 60-day experiment was conducted to investigate the growth, intestinal microbiota, non-specific immune response and disease resistance of sea cucumber in biofloc systems with different carbon sources (glucose, sucrose and starch). Control (no biofloc) and three biofloc systems were set up, and each group has three replicates.

Alkylamine-Templated Niccolite Frameworks of [GaM(HCOO)] (M = Fe, Ni): Structure, Magnetism, and Dielectricity.

The five heterometallic formate frameworks [EtA][GaFe(HCOO)] (1; EtA = CHCHNH), [DMA][GaFe(HCOO)] (2; DMA = (CH)NH), [DEtA][GaFe(HCOO)] (3; DEtA = (CHCH)NH), [MA][GaNi(HCOO)] (4; MA = CHNH), and [DMA][GaNi(HCOO)] (5) were synthesized through solvothermal methods. Complexes 1-5 are isotructural, and all crystallize in the trigonal P3̅ c space group. Each metal center is 6-connected, with each HCOO bridging ligand in an anti-anti mode to build a three-dimensional niccolite-like architecture.

Effect of temperature on development and reproduction of the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Acari: Tetranychiae), fed on cassava leaves.

The effect of five constant temperatures (16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 °C) on the development, survival and reproduction of Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) [= Tetranychus urticae Koch (red form)] fed on cassava leaves was examined in the laboratory at 85% relative humidity. Development time of various immature stages decreased with increasing temperature, with total egg-to-adult development time varying from 27.7 to 6.

Retinopathy of Prematurity Among Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants in China: Incidence and Perinatal Risk Factors.

Purpose: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness in children worldwide. This study aimed to determine the incidence and perinatal risk factors for ROP in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) Chinese infants.

Methods: A retrospective study of the medical records of 504 VLBW infants screened for ROP from 2012 to 2015 was performed in West China Second University Hospital.

Ferroelastic Phase Transition and Switchable Dielectric Constant in Heterometallic Niccolite Formate Frameworks.

Four heterometallic formate frameworks templated by various alkylamine cations with the general formula [cat][GaMn(HCOO)] {cat is MA (CHNH) for 1, DMA [(CH)NH] for 2, EtA (CHCHNH) for 3, and DEtA [(CHCH)NH] for 4} have been prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and dielectric studies. All of the complexes have niccolite-like structures, which possess the same [GaMn(HCOO)] anionic framework with binodal (4·6)(4·6) topology; only the counterions in the cavity are different. Complex 4 undergoes a reversible ferroelastic phase transition around 220 K accompanied by a thermally switchable dielectric constant transition triggered by the freezing of the order-disorder DEtA cations.

Ocean acidification increases the toxic effects of TiO nanoparticles on the marine microalga Chlorella vulgaris.

Concerns about the environmental effects of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) on marine ecosystems are increasing. Meanwhile, ocean acidification (OA) has become a global environmental problem. However, the combined effects of NPs and OA on marine organisms are still not well understood.

Design and synthesis of novel C-urea-tetrandrine derivatives with potent anti-cancer activity.

Tetrandrine is a dibenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal plant Stephania tetrandra, with anti-tumor activity. Our previous study identified several derivatives of tetrandrine showing better activities than parental compound against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. To increase diversity and cytotoxic activities of the original compound, a series of novel 14-urea-tetrandrine derivatives were synthesized through structural modification of tetrandrine.

A binary motor imagery tasks based brain-computer interface for two-dimensional movement control.

Objective: Two-dimensional movement control is a popular issue in brain-computer interface (BCI) research and has many applications in the real world. In this paper, we introduce a combined control strategy to a binary class-based BCI system that allows the user to move a cursor in a two-dimensional (2D) plane. Users focus on a single moving vector to control 2D movement instead of controlling vertical and horizontal movement separately.

Design, Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of Fangchinoline Derivatives.

Twenty fangchinoline derivatives were synthesized from the natural product fangchinoline, and their anticancer activities on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line, human prostate cancer PC3 cell line, human melanoma WM9 cell line and human leukaemia HEL and K562 cell lines were evaluated. The biological result showed that those derivatives exhibited potent activities on inhibiting cancer cell growth, and the structure-activity relationships were investigated. Among them, compound , which was protected by benzoyl group in 7-phenolic position and nitrified in 14-position, showed impressive inhibition on all 5 cancer cell lines, especially WM9 cell line, with an IC value of 1.