Pentraxin 3, TNF-α, and LDL-C Are Associated With Carotid Artery Stenosis in Patients With Ischemic Stroke.

Carotid artery stenosis (CAS), typically resulting from atherosclerotic progression, is more common than intracranial atherosclerotic disease in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Prior literature has incompletely established the relationship of Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and CAS complexity and severity. This study aims to more thoroughly evaluate the association of plasma PTX3 levels and the prevalence and severity of CAS in patients with cerebrovascular disease.

Fine particulate matter and cause-specific mortality in the Hong Kong elder patients with chronic kidney disease.

Emerging epidemiologic studies suggested that particulate matter (PM) was a risk factor for the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, few studies were conducted to examine whether PM was associated with cause-specific deaths in the CKD progression. This study aimed to estimate the association between fine particulate matter (PM) and a spectrum of deaths among CKD patients.

Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter and Mortality From Renal Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Hong Kong, China.

Numerous studies have indicated that ambient particulate matter is closely associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, yet the evidence for its association with renal disease remains underrecognized. We aimed to estimate the association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, defined as particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.

The characterization of column heating effect in nanoflow liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS)-based proteomics.

Column heating strategy is often applied in nano-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (nanoHPLC-MS) platform for enhancing the analytical efficiency of peptides or proteins. Nonetheless, the influence effects of column heating in peptides or proteins identification still lack of deep understanding. In this study, a systematic comparison of room temperature (RT) and column heating of nanoHPLC was done.

Enhanced osseointegration of double network hydrogels via calcium polyphosphate incorporation for bone regeneration.

To overcome the low mechanical strength and difficult bonding of hydrogels to bones which are the major limitations of hydrogels used in bone-regeneration, a new type of calcium polyphosphate incorporated into bioinspired alginate/polyacrylic acid (CPP/PAA-Alg) hybrid double network (DN) hydrogel with both high strength and enhanced osseointergration was prepared by a two-step polymerization with alginate and polyacrylic acid for bone regeneration. The morphology, mechanical properties, swelling, biocompatibility, osseointegration and osteogenic ability of this CPP/PAA-Alg DN hydrogel were investigated. The results show that CPP/PAA-Alg DN hydrogel with highly porous microstructure possesses high water absorption capacity and highly strength properties which meet the requirements of bone repairing.

Linking lncRNAs to regulation, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a syndrome characterized by a persistent increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. Due to the lack of specificity in clinical manifestations, patients are usually diagnosed at the late stage of PH, which is hard to treat and often causes right heart failure and death. Furthermore, the regulation and pathogenesis of PH remain obscure.

Rapid and Controllable Design of Robust Superwettable Microchips by a Click Reaction for Efficient -Phthalaldehyde and Glucose Detection.

Superwettable patterns with superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic units have the capacity of enriching and absorbing microdroplets for multifunctional biosensing. Combining the advantages of superwettable micropatterns and a rapid click reaction, we first prepared a film using propargyl methacrylate-ethylene dimethacrylate and then created a superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic micropattern by a rapid thiol-yne click reaction. Due to the high wettability contrast, water droplets tend to be anchored in the superhydrophilic region.

Legume consumption and risk of hypertension in a prospective cohort of Chinese men and women.

Prior data on long-term association between legume consumption and hypertension risk are sparse. We aimed to evaluate whether total legume and subtype intakes prospectively associate with hypertension incidence among 8758 participants (≥30 years) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey 2004-2011. Diet was assessed by interviews combining 3-d 24-h food recalls and household food inventory weighing at each survey round.

A Serotonin-Modulated Circuit Controls Sleep Architecture to Regulate Cognitive Function Independent of Total Sleep in Drosophila.

Both the structure and the amount of sleep are important for brain function. Entry into deep, restorative stages of sleep is time dependent; short sleep bouts selectively eliminate these states. Fragmentation-induced cognitive dysfunction is a feature of many common human sleep pathologies.

Novel lncRNA PSMG3‑AS1 functions as a miR‑143‑3p sponge to increase the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells.

Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered to be important regulators in breast cancer. In the present study, the potential mechanisms and functional roles of lncRNA PSMG3‑antisense (AS)1 were investigated in vivo and in vitro. The relative expression levels of lncRNA PSMG3‑AS1 and microRNA (miR)‑143‑3p were determined using reverse‑transcription quantitative PCR.

Fabrication of iron-dipicolinamide catalyst with Fe-N bonds for enhancing non-radical reactive species under alkaline Fenton process.

Iron dipicolinamide (Fedpa), as an efficient Fenton-like catalyst, was fabricated to excite hydrogen peroxide (HO) for the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). The unique structures and the electronic properties of Fedpa were contributed to its excellent catalytic performance in alkaline Fenton process. Fe was chelated with dpa by four Fe-N bonds leaved two labile sites, which reduced the oxidation potential of dpa[Fe/Fe], dpa[Fe/Fe] or dpa[Fe/Fe] to 0.

Activation of the Intrinsic Pain Inhibitory Circuit from the Midcingulate Cg2 to Zona Incerta Alleviates Neuropathic Pain.

Neuropathic pain is one of the most common and notorious neurological diseases. The changes in cerebral structures after nerve injury and the corresponding contributions to neuropathic pain are not well understood. Here we found that the majority of glutamatergic neurons in the area 2 of midcingulate cortex (MCC Cg2) were inhibited by painful stimulation in male mice.

Bioinspired Soot-Deposited Janus Fabrics for Sustainable Solar Steam Generation with Salt-Rejection.

Inspired by lotus leaves, self-floating Janus cotton fabric is successfully fabricated for solar steam generation with salt-rejecting property. The layer-selective soot-deposited fabrics not only act as a solar absorber but also provide the required superhydrophobicity for floating on the water. With a polyester protector, the prepared Janus evaporator exhibits a sustainable evaporation rate of 1.

Mining of Sucrose Synthases from and Their Application in the Construction of an Efficient UDP-Recycling System.

Sucrose synthase (SUS) plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism in plants. The SUS genes in licorice remain unknown. To reveal the sucrose metabolic pathway in licorice, all the 12 putative SUS genes of were systematically identified by genome mining, and two novel SUSs (GuSUS1 and GuSUS2) were isolated and characterized for the first time.

High-throughput RNA-sequencing identifies mesenchymal stem cell-induced immunological signature in a rat model of corneal allograft rejection.

Objective: The immune rejection mediated by CD4+ T cell and antigen presenting macrophages is the leading cause of corneal transplantation failure. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) possess robust immunomodulatory potentials, and have been shown by us and others to promote corneal allograft survival. However, the immunological mechanism underlying the protective effects of BM-MSCs remains unclear.

Inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer ALDH+ stem-like cells by Disulfiram and Copper treatment through ALDH and ROS modulation.

Background: Disulfiram (DSF) is a drug used for treatment of alcoholism that has also displayed promising anti-cancer activity. It unfolds its effects by inhibiting the enzyme activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) isoforms.

Methods: MTT assay, spheroid formation, clonogenicity assay, qRT-PCR, and ALDH enzyme activity analysis were performed using ovarian cancer cell lines IGROV1, SKOV3 and SKOV3IP1.

NiFeO nanoparticles supported on cotton-based carbon fibers and their application as a novel broadband microwave absorbent.

In this work, NiFeO nanoparticles were successfully supported on cotton-based carbon fibers through a flexible two-step approach consisting of calcination of cotton in a N atmosphere and subsequent hydrothermal reaction. The incorporation of the NiFeO nanoparticles into cotton-based carbon fibers resulted in better impedance matching, leading to better microwave absorption performance than cotton-based carbon fibers and NiFeO nanoparticles. For NiFeO/carbon fibers, reflection loss (RL) values less than -10 dB were obtained in the frequency range of 11.

Clinical application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound after percutaneous renal tumor ablation.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in detecting incomplete ablation and local recurrence of renal tumors after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods: 31 patients were included for RFA treatment and underwent CEUS examination after RFA, ablation zone and contrast distribution in the ablation area were observed, CEUS images were compared with enhanced CT/MRI images to determine the residual tumors and local recurrence of renal tumors.

Results: The average maximum diameters of the tumor and the ablation zone after the first RFA were 32.

Preparation of the Coupling Co-Precipitation and Impregnation Catalyst Ag/Al₂O₃ with High Catalytic Performance in Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with C₃H.

This brief paper reported an Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst of high catalytic performance in C₃H-SCR (selective catalytic reduction with C₃H as the reducer), and demonstrated a new strategy for the preparation of high active Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst by the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation method. The results show that the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation catalyst was higher active than the usual impregnated catalyst in C₃H-SCR of NO with broad active temperature window (420-600 °C), and the highest conversions of NO achieved 91% over the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation catalyst at 500 °C. The porous structure parameter, crystal phase structure, surface acidity property and particle morphology of the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst were characterized by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectra and temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), respectively.

TRIM65 E3 ligase targets VCAM-1 degradation to limit LPS-induced lung inflammation.

Although the adhesion molecules-mediated leukocyte adherence and infiltration into tissues is an important step of inflammation, the post-translational regulation of these proteins on the endothelial cells is poorly understood. Here, we report that TRIM65, an ubiquitin E3 ligase of tripartite protein family, selectively targets vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and promotes its ubiquitination and degradation, by which it critically controls the duration and magnitude of sepsis-induced pulmonary inflammation. TRIM65 is constitutively expressed in human vascular endothelial cells.

Hepatitis B Virus Virions Produced Under Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Treatment Are Mainly Not Infectious Because of Irreversible DNA Chain Termination.

Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) have been widely used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Because viral DNA polymerase lacks proofreading function (3' exonuclease activity), theoretically, the incorporated NAs would irreversibly terminate viral DNA synthesis. This study explored the natures of nascent hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and infectivity of progeny virions produced under NA treatment.

Cancer risk assessment of soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Shanxi, China.

To assess the human cancer risk exposed to soil contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Shanxi province, China, the total 33 samples in the surface soil were collected from 11 cities, and the priority 15 PAHs were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after the soxhlet extraction and silica-alumina column purification. As a result, the levels of ∑PAH in soil varied from 66.2 to 2633 ng/g dry weight (dw) with a mean of 732 ng/g dw, and seven carcinogenic PAHs made up 42-69% of the total priority PAHs and had an average value of 367 (in the range of 33.

The E3 ligase TRIM56 is a host restriction factor of Zika virus and depends on its RNA-binding activity but not miRNA regulation, for antiviral function.

Infection by Zika virus (ZIKV) is linked to microcephaly and other neurological disorders, posing a significant health threat. Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens, but relatively little is understood regarding host intrinsic mechanisms that guard against ZIKV. Here, we show that host tripartite motif-containing protein 56 (TRIM56) poses a barrier to ZIKV infection in cells of neural, epithelial and fibroblast origins.

Salinomycin exerts anti-colorectal cancer activity by targeting the β-catenin/T-cell factor complex.

Background And Purpose: Salinomycin is a well-known inhibitor of human cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which salinomycin targets colorectal CSCs is poorly understood. Here, we have investigated underlying antitumour mechanisms of salinomycin in colorectal cancer cells and three tumour models.