Synthesis of ZnO/Si Hierarchical Nanowire Arrays for Photocatalyst Application.

ZnO/Si nanowire arrays with hierarchical architecture were synthesized by solution method with ZnO seed layer grown by atomic layer deposition and magnetron sputtering, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the as-grown tree-like arrays was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under ultraviolet light at ambient temperature. The comparison of morphology, crystal structure, optical properties, and photocatalysis efficiency of the two samples in different seeding processes was conducted.

Osteoarthritis and the risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Previous observational studies have suggested a potential relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with conflicting results. We aimed to provide a systematic and quantitative summary of the association between OA and the risk of CVD. We searched Medline and EMBASE to retrieve prospective and retrospective studies that reported risk estimates of the association between OA status and CVD risk.

CD8 T Cells Utilize Highly Dynamic Enhancer Repertoires and Regulatory Circuitry in Response to Infections.

Differentiation of effector and memory CD8 T cells is accompanied by extensive changes in the transcriptome and histone modifications at gene promoters; however, the enhancer repertoire and associated gene regulatory networks are poorly defined. Using histone mark chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing, we mapped the enhancer and super-enhancer landscapes in antigen-specific naive, differentiated effector, and central memory CD8 T cells during LCMV infection. Epigenomics-based annotation revealed a highly dynamic repertoire of enhancers, which were inherited, de novo activated, decommissioned and re-activated during CD8 T cell responses.

A Structure Identification and Toxicity Assessment of the Degradation Products of Aflatoxin B₁ in Peanut Oil under UV Irradiation.

Aflatoxins, a group of extremely hazardous compounds because of their genotoxicity and carcinogenicity to human and animals, are commonly found in many tropical and subtropical regions. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is proven to be an effective method to reduce or detoxify aflatoxins. However, the degradation products of aflatoxins under UV irradiation and their safety or toxicity have not been clear in practical production such as edible oil industry.

Three-dimensional cell culture models for investigating human viruses.

Three-dimensional (3D) culture models are physiologically relevant, as they provide reproducible results, experimental flexibility and can be adapted for high-throughput experiments. Moreover, these models bridge the gap between traditional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures and animal models. 3D culture systems have significantly advanced basic cell science and tissue engineering, especially in the fields of cell biology and physiology, stem cell research, regenerative medicine, cancer research, drug discovery, and gene and protein expression studies.

Analysis of codon usage patterns in Ginkgo biloba reveals codon usage tendency from A/U-ending to G/C-ending.

As one of the most ancient tree species, the codon usage pattern analysis of Ginkgo biloba is a useful way to understand its evolutionary and genetic mechanisms. Several studies have been conducted on angiosperms, but seldom on gymnosperms. Based on RNA-Seq data of the G.

A comparative investigation between paclitaxel nanoparticle- and nanocrystal-loaded thermosensitive PECT hydrogels for peri-tumoural administration.

For in situ thermosensitive hydrogels, it is a big challenge to achieve high drug loading, long-term local retention, and effective drug release simultaneously. To address these issues, we combined the strategy of drug nanocrystals (NCs) and thermosensitive hydrogels with higher gel strength. In particular, we developed paclitaxel NC-based hydrogels using PECT, a thermosensitive polymer synthesized by us (PTX-NC-PECT), and a nanoparticle-based system was used as the control (PTX-NP-PECT).

Comprehensively priming the tumor microenvironment by cancer-associated fibroblast-targeted liposomes for combined therapy with cancer cell-targeted chemotherapeutic drug delivery system.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) not only support tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis by reciprocal cellular cross-talk with cancer cells, but also remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM) and architecture of tumor microenvironment. This leads to poor tumor penetration of traditional chemotherapeutic nanomedicines and resulting drug resistance. In this study, we use a novel tumor stroma-targeted nanovehicle (FH-SSL-Nav) to specifically eradicate CAFs, promote tumor penetration of nanomedicines and cut off the stroma's support to cancer cells.

Observation of Parity-Time Symmetry in Optically Induced Atomic Lattices.

We experimentally demonstrate PT-symmetric optical lattices with periodical gain and loss profiles in a coherently prepared four-level N-type atomic system. By appropriately tuning the pertinent atomic parameters, the onset of PT-symmetry breaking is observed through measuring an abrupt phase-shift jump between adjacent gain and loss waveguides. The experimental realization of such a readily reconfigurable and effectively controllable PT-symmetric waveguide array structure sets a new stage for further exploiting and better understanding the peculiar physical properties of these non-Hermitian systems in atomic settings.

Combination therapeutics in complex diseases.

The biological redundancies in molecular networks of complex diseases limit the efficacy of many single drug therapies. Combination therapeutics, as a common therapeutic method, involve pharmacological intervention using several drugs that interact with multiple targets in the molecular networks of diseases and may achieve better efficacy and/or less toxicity than monotherapy in practice. The development of combination therapeutics is complicated by several critical issues, including identifying multiple targets, targeting strategies and the drug combination.

Bioinformatics and Microarray Analysis of miRNAs in Aged Female Mice Model Implied New Molecular Mechanisms for Impaired Fracture Healing.

Impaired fracture healing in aged females is still a challenge in clinics. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in fracture healing. This study aims to identify the miRNAs that potentially contribute to the impaired fracture healing in aged females.

EnhancerAtlas: a resource for enhancer annotation and analysis in 105 human cell/tissue types.

Motivation: Multiple high-throughput approaches have recently been developed and allowed the discovery of enhancers on a genome scale in a single experiment. However, the datasets generated from these approaches are not fully utilized by the research community due to technical challenges such as lack of consensus enhancer annotation and integrative analytic tools.

Results: We developed an interactive database, EnhancerAtlas, which contains an atlas of 2,534,123 enhancers for 105 cell/tissue types.

[The integrity study on PEG-PCL micelles transcellular transported across MDCK epithelial cell monolayer using FRET technology].

The integrity of poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) micelles transcellular transported across madin-darby canine kidney(MDCK) epithelial cells was investigated. Fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer I(FITC) was conjugated to PEG-PCL and the product PEG-PCL-FITC was identified by fluorescence spectra. Two micelles were prepared using the thin-film hydration method: 3,3’-dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO) and 1,1’-dioctadecyl-3,3,3’,3’-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) co-loaded PEG-PCL micelles (DiO-DiI-M), DiI loaded and PEG-PCL-FITC contained micelles(FITC-DiI-M).

Cryptotanshinone induces melanoma cancer cells apoptosis via ROS-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and impairs cell migration and invasion.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer because it is highly frequency of drug resistance and can spread earlier and more quickly than other skin cancers. The objective of this research was to investigate the anticancer effects of cryptotanshinone on human melanoma cells in vitro, and explored its mechanisms of action. Our results have shown that cryptotanshinone could inhibit cell proliferation in human melanoma cell lines A2058, A375, and A875 in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Hierarchical NiO Nanoflake Arrays on Nickel Foam as a Supercapacitor Electrode with High Capacitance and High Rate Capability.

In this paper, we report a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating hierarchical NiO nanoflake arrays on nickel foam. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope are employed to study the morphology and structure of the as-synthesized NiO materials. Galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements demonstrate that the hierarchical NiO nanocomposite displays excellent capacitive behavior between the potential range of -0.

Potential Metabolic Biomarkers to Identify Interstitial Lung Abnormalities.

Determining sensitive biomarkers in the peripheral blood to identify interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) is essential for the simple early diagnosis of ILAs. This study aimed to determine serum metabolic biomarkers of ILAs and the corresponding pathogenesis. Three groups of subjects undergoing health screening, including healthy subjects, subjects with ILAs, and subjects who were healthy initially and with ILAs one year later (Healthy→ILAs), were recruited for this study.

10.8 kW spectral beam combination of eight all-fiber superfluorescent sources and their dispersion compensation.

We report an 8-element spectral beam combination of Yb-doped all fiber superfluorescent sources around 1070 nm wavelength. Each source consists of a 60 mW front-end and a 1.5 kW three-stage fiber amplifier chain.

The Use ofa Hydrophobic Binding Peptide Modified Lipid Nanocarrier Improving Tumor Distribution and Antitumor Efficacy.

In addition to showing the specific interaction between a generalized ligand and its receptor and the electrostatic effect between positive cell-penetrating peptides and negative cell membranes, our last study demonstrated the hydrophobic interactivity between a hydrophobic binding peptide (HBP) and biomembranes to be favorable in drug delivery. To yield more evidence for this new strategy and to find more effective HBPs, here we designed and established a novel nanomedicine associated with cyclosporin A (CsA) because this peptide is electrically neutral, highly hydrophobic, very stable in vivo and safe at the given dose. First, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies showed a strong hydrophobic interaction between the CsA molecules and the lipid membrane.

Selective inhibition of EZH2 by ZLD10A blocks H3K27 methylation and kills mutant lymphoma cells proliferation.

EZH2 (Enhancer of zeste homolog 2) is the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which is involved in repressing gene expression by methylating lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27) and regulates cell proliferation. EZH2 overexpression is implicated in tumorigenesis and has been a candidate oncogene in several tumor types. Recently, point mutations of EZH2 at Tyr641 and Ala677 were identified in diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, where they drive H3K27 hypertrimethylation and cancer progression.

Flow-dependent myosin recruitment during Drosophila cellularization requires zygotic dunk activity.

Actomyosin contractility underlies force generation in morphogenesis ranging from cytokinesis to epithelial extension or invagination. In Drosophila, the cleavage of the syncytial blastoderm is initiated by an actomyosin network at the base of membrane furrows that invaginate from the surface of the embryo. It remains unclear how this network forms and how it affects tissue mechanics.

[Gray correlation analysis of the impact of land use type on soil physical and chemical properties in the hilly area of central Sichuan, China.].

A case study was conducted in a small watershed of Sichuan hilly basin. In order to eva-luate the effect of land use type on soil characteristics, the soil physical and chemical properties of the 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil layers were analyzed through comparison between bare land and four land use types i.e.