A High-Throughput and Logarithm-Serial-Dilution Microfluidic Chip for Combinational Drug Screening on Tumor Organoids.

Tumor organoids are biological models for studying precision medicine. Microfluidic technology offers significant benefits for high throughput drug screening using tumor organoids. However, the range of concentrations achievable with traditional linear gradient generators in microfluidics is restricted, generating logarithmic drug concentration gradients by adjusting the channel ratio in the chip is confined to single-drug dilution chips, significantly restricting the application of microfluidics in drug screening.

An integrated microfluidic device for sorting of tumor organoids using image recognition.

Tumor organoids present a challenge in drug screening due to their considerable heterogeneity in morphology and size. To address this issue, we proposed a portable microfluidic device that employs image processing algorithms for specific target organoid recognition and microvalve-controlled deflection for sorting and collection. This morphology-activated organoid sorting system offers numerous advantages, such as automated classification, portability, low cost, label-free sample preparation, and gentle handling of organoids.

DDX18 influences chemotherapy sensitivity in colorectal cancer by regulating genomic stability.

Chromosomal Instability (CIN) encompasses approximately 65 %-70 % of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, playing a pivotal role in tumor progression. However, controversies persist regarding the molecular characteristics and treatment strategies associated with these patients. Integrative colorectal cancer proteogenomic analysis identified DDX18 in colorectal cancer.

 (Gesneriaceae), a new species from north Guizhou, China.

A new lithophytic species, T.Deng, F.Wen & R.

 (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China.

F.Wen & R.B.

Long noncoding RNA Gm2694 drives depressive-like behaviors in male mice by interacting with GRP78 to disrupt endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various biological processes and implicated in the regulation of neuronal activity, but the potential role of lncRNAs in depression remains largely unknown. Here, we identified that lncRNA Gm2694 was increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male mice subjected to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). The down-regulation of Gm2694 in the mPFC alleviated CSDS-induced depressive-like behaviors through enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission.

Knockdown of POLQ interferes the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration.

Background: DNA Polymerase Theta (POLQ) is a DNA polymerase involved in error-prone translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) and error-prone repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), whose function in hepatocellular carcinoma has not been investigated.

Methods: In the present study, both the data collected from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and our group's results showed higher POLQ expression in HCC tissues than the para-cancerous tissues, which was associated with higher malignancy and poor prognosis. POLQ knockdown HCC cell model (shPOLQ) was constructed along with the corresponding negative control (shCtrl) through lentivirus infection for loss-of-function study.

Quantitative control of noise in mammalian gene expression by dynamic histone regulation.

Fluctuation ('noise') in gene expression is critical for mammalian cellular processes. Numerous mechanisms contribute to its origins, yet the mechanisms behind large fluctuations that are induced by single transcriptional activators remain elusive. Here, we probed putative mechanisms by studying the dynamic regulation of transcriptional activator binding, histone regulator inhibitors, chromatin accessibility, and levels of mRNAs and proteins in single cells.

[Short-term effect of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for children with high-risk neuroblastoma: an analysis of 24 cases].

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in children with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 24 children with high-risk NB who were diagnosed and treated with IMRT in the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, from April 2018 to December 2020. The medical data included age, radiotherapy dose, times of radiotherapy, laboratory examination results, adverse reactions, and survival.

The retention characteristics for water-soluble and water-insoluble particulate matter of five tree species along an air pollution gradient in Beijing, China.

The air purification potential of plants has been widely studied and recognized. However, their specific capacities in retaining water-soluble (WSPM) and water-insoluble (WIPM) atmospheric particulate matter (PM) are still unclear. In order to recommend tree species with high air phytoremediation ability, the retention characteristics for WSPM and WIPM of five tree species under different haze pollution levels and PM retention durations in Beijing were evaluated after introducing ultrasonic cleaning procedure to the conventional leaf cleaning methods.

An efficient and precise method for generating knockout cell lines based on CRISPR-Cas9 system.

Although the efficiency and versatility of CRISPR-Cas9 system has been greatly improved over conventional genome editing methods such as zinc finger or TALEN, it is still time-consuming and labor-intensive for screening knockout/knock-in cell clones due to differences of the targeted location or efficacies of guide RNAs (gRNAs). Here, we adapted a targeted knock-in strategy with CRISPR-Cas9 system and characterized the efficiency for generating single or double knockout cell lines. Specifically, a homology-arm based donor cassette consisting of genes encoding a fluorescence protein and antibiotic selection marker driven by a constitutive promoter was co-transfected with a gRNA expressing unit.

Optimization of Factor Combinations for Stem Cell Differentiations on a Design-of-Experiment Microfluidic Chip.

Directed differentiation of stem cells plays a vital role in cell replacement therapy. Many activators and inhibitors targeting different signaling pathways have been identified to contribute to each step of differentiation. Most studies relied on empirically optimizing the combinations of the aforementioned factors for each step to optimize the efficiency of differentiation, which are time-consuming and nonsystematic.

(Lamiaceae), a new species from the limestone areas of northern Guizhou, China.

(Lamiaceae), a new species found in the limestone areas of northern Guizhou, China, is described and illustrated in this paper. Based on its tubular-campanulate calyx, this taxon should be a member of sect. Paraphlomis Prain.

(Crassulaceae) identifying a new stonecrop species in SE Guizhou, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence.

We describe and illustrate (Crassulaceae), a new species of stonecrop found in the limestone areas of SE Guizhou, China. Based on the presence of adaxially gibbous carpels and follicles, this taxon belongs to sect. Sedum S.

(Gesneriaceae), a new species from southeastern Guizhou, China.

R.B.Zhang & F.

Effective targeted therapy based on dynamic monitoring of gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer.

With the rapid development of precision medicine, next generation sequencing (NGS) has provided the ability to decode tumors at the DNA level. In treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), it is of great importance to identify epidermal growth factor receptor () mutations and drug resistance mechanisms in the late stages. A Chinese Han male patient (64 years old) who was initially diagnosed with EGFR-19-deletion-positive advanced NSCLC had a satisfactory clinical response after treatment with erlotinib.

Calycosin Inhibits Intestinal Fibrosis on CCD-18Co Cells via Modulating Transforming Growth Factor-β/Smad Signaling Pathway.

Background: Intestinal fibrosis is the major complication of Crohn's disease (CD). There are no other good treatments for CD except surgery and remains a refractory disease. Calycosin (CA), the active component of astragalus membranaceus, has been reported the potential effect on lung fibrosis and renal fibrosis.

Inhibition effect of phytoestrogen calycosin on TGF-β-induced hepatic stellate cell activation, proliferation, and migration via estrogen receptor β.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of calycosin on hepatic stellate cell (HSC) function and to explore whether the drug exerts its effect through the estrogen receptor. HSC proliferation and migration were measured by MTT assay and transwell chamber assay, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA, COL-I, and ERβ were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting.

A low serum Tat-interacting protein 30 level is a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of Tat-interacting protein 30 (HTATIP2/TIP30) levels alone and in combination with α-fetoprotein (AFP) for the evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. ELISA and immunohistochemical measurements on the serum and tissue of HTATIP2/TIP30 protein from HCC patients and normal controls were made. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses of AFP and HTATIP2/TIP30 were performed, as well as logistic regression analysis of APF combined with HTATIP2/TIP30.

Approximated maximum adsorption of His-tagged enzyme/mutants on Ni2+-NTA for comparison of specific activities.

By approximating maximum activities of six-histidine (6His)-tagged enzyme/mutants adsorbed on Ni2+-NTA-magnetic-submicron-particle (Ni2+-NTA-MSP), a facile approach was tested for comparing enzyme specific activities in cell lysates. On a fixed quantity of Ni2+-NTA-MSP, the activity of an adsorbed 6His-tagged enzyme/mutant was measured via spectrophotometry; the activity after saturation adsorption (Vs) was predicted from response curve with quantities of total proteins from the same lysate as the predictor; Vs was equivalent of specific activity for comparison. This approach required abundance of a 6His-tagged enzyme/mutant over 3% among total proteins in lysate, an accurate series of quantities of total proteins from the same lysate, the largest activity generated by enzyme occupying over 85% binding sites on Ni2+-NTA-MSP and the minimum activity as absorbance change rates of 0.

Fluorometric titration assay of affinity of tight-binding nonfluorescent inhibitor of glutathione S-transferase.

To determine inhibition constant (K(i)) of tight-binding inhibitor, the putative method estimated an apparent K(i) from the response of initial rates to total concentrations of the inhibitor considering its depletion during binding for conversion into the true K(i), but was impractical with glutathione S-transferase of sophisticated kinetics. A fluorometric titration assay of dissociation constant (K(d)) was thus proposed. Schistosoma japonicum glutathione S-transferase (SjGST) action on a nonfluorescent divalent pro-inhibitor and glutathione yielded a divalent product in active site to act as a tight-binding inhibitor, whose binding quenched fluorescence of SjGST at 340 nm under the excitation at 280 nm.

microRNA-141 is involved in a nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related genes network.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs and have been implicated in the pathology of various diseases, including cancer. Here we report that the miRNA profiles have been changed after knockdown of one of the most important oncogene c-MYC or re-expression of a candidate tumor suppressor gene SPLUNC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Both c-MYC knockdown and SPLUNC1 re-expression can down-regulate microRNA-141 (miR-141).

Promoter methylation inhibits BRD7 expression in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck malignancy with high occurrence in South-East Asia and Southern China. Recent findings suggest that epigenetic inactivation of multiple tumor suppressor genes plays an important role in the tumourigenesis of NPC. BRD7 is a NPC-associated bromodomain gene that exhibits a much higher-level of mRNA expression in normal than in NPC biopsies and cell lines.

Effect of SPLUNC1 protein on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Epstein-Barr virus.

Short palate, lung and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1) gene coded a secreted protein found at the surface of nasopharyngeal epithelium, which may be an innate immunity defensive molecular and a risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we observed the effects of SPLUNC1 on the Gram negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, evaluated the ability of SPLUNC1 protein binding to lipopolysaccharide. To observe the effect of SPLUNC1 protein on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), we raised three EBV-transformed B-lymphocyte lines and treated the cells by SPLUNC1 protein; cellular disruption, apoptosis, EBV DNA content, and viral oncogene expression were analyzed.