A non-invasive 25-Gene PLNM-Score urine test for detection of prostate cancer pelvic lymph node metastasis.

Background: Prostate cancer patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) have poor prognosis. Based on EAU guidelines, patients with >5% risk of PLNM by nomograms often receive pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) during prostatectomy. However, nomograms have limited accuracy, so large numbers of false positive patients receive unnecessary surgery with potentially serious side effects.

Non-invasive Urine Test for Molecular Classification of Clinical Significance in Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer Patients.

To avoid over-treatment of low-risk prostate cancer patients, it is important to identify clinically significant and insignificant cancer for treatment decision-making. However, no accurate test is currently available. To address this unmet medical need, we developed a novel gene classifier to distinguish clinically significant and insignificant cancer, which were classified based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk stratification guidelines.

Relationship between changes in the course of COVID-19 and ratio of neutrophils-to-lymphocytes and related parameters in patients with severe . common disease.

To assess the relationship between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and related parameters to the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. Clinical data from 38 COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed, treated and discharged from the Qishan Hospital in Yantai over the period from January to February 2020 were analysed. NLR and procalcitonin (PCT) were determined in the first and fourth weeks after their admission, along with the clinical characteristics and laboratory test results of these patients.

Establishing a Urine-Based Biomarker Assay for Prostate Cancer Risk Stratification.

One of the major features of prostate cancer (PCa) is its heterogeneity, which often leads to uncertainty in cancer diagnostics and unnecessary biopsies as well as overtreatment of the disease. Novel non-invasive tests using multiple biomarkers that can identify clinically high-risk cancer patients for immediate treatment and monitor patients with low-risk cancer for active surveillance are urgently needed to improve treatment decision and cancer management. In this study, we identified 14 promising biomarkers associated with PCa and tested the performance of these biomarkers on tissue specimens and pre-biopsy urinary sediments.

Development and validation of a 25-Gene Panel urine test for prostate cancer diagnosis and potential treatment follow-up.

Background: Heterogeneity of prostate cancer (PCa) contributes to inaccurate cancer screening and diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment. We intended to develop non-invasive urine tests for accurate PCa diagnosis to avoid unnecessary biopsies.

Methods: Using a machine learning program, we identified a 25-Gene Panel classifier for distinguishing PCa and benign prostate.

Identification and characterization of mammaglobin-A epitope in heterogenous breast cancers for enhancing tumor-targeting therapy.

Although targeted therapy has been extensively investigated for breast cancers, a molecular target with broad application is currently unavailable due to the high heterogeneity of these cancers. Mammaglobin-A (Mam-A), which is overexpressed in most breast carcinomas, has been proposed as a promising target. However, the lack of specific targeting moieties due to uncertain binding epitopes hampers further translational study.

An effective hydroxylation route for a highly sensitive glucose sensor using APTES/GOx functionalized AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor.

A highly sensitive glucose sensor based on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) has been fabricated. The hydroxyl groups on the GaN surface were achieved by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide solution (HO) under UV irradiation for the production of hydroxyl radicals. The self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) with terminal amino groups formed on the hydroxylation surface were used as substrates for glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilization.

The adjuvant effect of C(OH) nanoparticles promoting both humoral and cellular immune responses to HCV recombinant proteins.

Hepatitis c virus (HCV) infection is one of major causes for chronic liver diseases worldwide and could lead to death. Development of effective HCV vaccines is a powerful auxiliary method of existing treatments. Adjuvants are necessary for modern vaccines to promote immune responses.

IP-10 and RANTES as biomarkers for pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis and monitoring.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether IP-10 and RANTES plasma levels can be used in diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Methods: Plasma levels of cytokines/chemokines were measured using a Bio-Plex multiplex cytokine assay system in a cohort containing 457 clinically suspected PTB patients including a training set (n = 41)and two independent test sets A (n = 242) and B (n = 174).

Results: Plasma levels of IP-10 and RANTES were significantly higher in PTB patients than healthy controls' in both training and independent test sets (P < 0.

Identification of Functional mimotopes of human Vasorin Ectodomain by Biopanning.

Human vasorin (VASN) as a type I transmembrane protein, is a potential biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma, which could expedite HepG2 cell proliferation and migration significantly . The ectodomain of VASN was proteolytically released to generate soluble VASN (sVASN), which was validated to be the active form. Among several monoclonal antibodies produced against sVASN, the clone V21 was found to bind with the recombinant human sVASN (rhsVASN) with the highest affinity and specificity, and also have inhibitory effects on proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells.

Enhancing performance of Ag-ZnO-Ag UV photodetector by piezo-phototronic effect.

In this work, an ultraviolet (UV) photodetector based on a ZnO nanowires (NWs) array with metal-semiconductor-metal Schottky junction structure was successfully fabricated on a flexible polyester fibre substrate by a low-temperature hydrothermal method. Subjected to a 0.2% tensile strain at -1 V, the and sensitivity of the as-prepared UV photodetector are lifted by 82% and 130%, respectively.

A Panel of Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Using Urine Samples.

Background/aim: Prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis using patient urine samples represents a non-invasive and more convenient method than the conventional biopsy and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. This study intended to identify a biomarker panel to distinguish PCa from benign prostate using urine samples.

Materials And Methods: We identified six biomarkers with differential gene expression in 154 PCa and benign prostate specimens.

Self-powered SBD solar-blind photodetector fabricated on the single crystal of β-GaO.

A Schottky barrier diode (SBD) solar-blind photodetector was fabricated based on the single crystal β-GaO. Cu and Ti/Au were deposited on the top and bottom surface of GaO as Schottky and ohmic contacts, respectively. The SBD exhibits a higher rectification ratio of up to 5 × 10 at ±2 V.

The light-induced pyro-phototronic effect improving a ZnO/NiO/Si heterojunction photodetector for selectively detecting ultraviolet or visible illumination.

In this work, we fabricate a ZnO/NiO/Si heterojunction photodetector, which successfully realizes selective detection of UV or visible light in a single photodetector. In addition, the pyro-phototronic effect has been confirmed as an effective approach for enhancing the performance of photodetectors based on ZnO. The pyro-phototronic effect is carefully studied by comparing with a ZnO/Si heterojunction photodetector under UV and visible illumination at different bias voltages.

A multiple-antigen detection assay for tuberculosis diagnosis based on broadly reactive polyclonal antibodies.

Objectives: Detection of circulating () antigens is promising in Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. However, not a single antigen marker has been found to be widely expressed in all TB patients. This study is aimed to prepare broadly reactive polyclonal antibodies targeting multiple antigen markers (multi-target antibodies) and evaluate their efficacies in TB diagnosis.

An improved gold nanoparticle probe-based assay for HCV core antigen ultrasensitive detection.

A gold nanoparticle probe-based assay (GNPA) was developed for ultrasensitive detection of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen. In the GNPA, after anti-HCV core antigen polyclonal antibodies and single-stranded barcode signal DNA were labeled on gold nanoparticle probe (NP), DNA enzyme was used to degrade the unbound barcode DNAs. The anti-HCV core antigen monoclonal antibodies were coated on magnetic microparticles probe (MMP).

Systematic identification of hepatitis E virus ORF2 interactome reveals that TMEM134 engages in ORF2-mediated NF-κB pathway.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of acute hepatitis E. Open reading frame 2 (ORF2) encodes the capsid protein of HEV, which is the main structural protein and may participate, together with the host factors, in viral entry and egress. However, it is still not clear which host proteins are involved in the interaction with ORF2 and what the functions of these ORF2-interacting proteins are.

Bushen Qiangji Granule () medicated serum inhibits osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts in ankylosing spondylitis by inhibiting the BMP/Smads signal pathway in vitro.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Bushen Qiangji Granule (, BSQJ) in restraining the osteogenic differentiation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) fifibroblasts.

Methods: Hip joint capsules were obtained from AS patients (n=10) receiving total hip replacement and healthy hip joint capsules from patients with hip fracture (n=10) receiving surgery as a control. Finite fifibroblast lines were established from these tissue samples to observe the effect of BSQJ on suppressing osteogenic differentiation of fifibroblasts.

Non-invasive detection of hepatocellular carcinoma serum metabolic profile through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

The present study aims to identify distinctive Raman spectrum metabolic peaks to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a label-free, non-invasive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) test on 230 serum samples including 47 HCC, 60 normal controls (NC), 68 breast cancer (BC) and 55 lung cancer (LC) by mixing Au@AgNRs with serum directly. Based on the observed SERS spectra, discriminative metabolites including tryptophan, phenylalanine, and etc.

Hepatitis C Virus Genotype Analyses in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients and Individuals With Spontaneous Virus Clearance Using a Newly Developed Serotyping Assay.

Background: We developed a novel HCV serotyping assay and detected the genotypes in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and individuals with spontaneous viral clearance (SVC).

Methods: Nine hundred and ninety-seven patients were enrolled in a previous study; their samples were genotyped originally using the molecular assays. Among them, 190 patients achieved sustained virological response; the post-treatment samples were also serotyped.

A novel and simple preparative method for uniform-sized PLGA microspheres: Preliminary application in antitubercular drug delivery.

Particle size has been demonstrated as a key parameter influencing the phagocytosis of drug-loaded PLGA microspheres (MS) by the target cells. However, the current preparative methods were either insufficient in controlling the homogeneity of the produced MS, or requires sophisticated and costly equipment. This study aimed to explore a simple and economical method for uniform PLGA MS preparation.

Asialoglycoprotein receptor facilitates infection of PLC/PRF/5 cells by HEV through interaction with ORF2.

Although the biological and epidemiological features of hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been studied extensively in recent years, the mechanism by which HEV infects cells is still poorly understood. In this study, coimmunoprecipitation, pull-down, and ELISA were used to show that the HEV ORF2 protein interacts directly with the ectodomain of both ASGR1 and ASGR2. Susceptibility to HEV correlated positively with the expression level of surface asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) in cell lines.

Anti-hMAM monoclonal antibodies evaluated in breast and non-breast tissues for differential diagnosis implication.

Purpose: Human mammaglobin (hMAM) is a breast tissue-specific marker that may have potency for the diagnosis of breast cancer. However, there is a lack of commercialization of anti-hMAM antibody made in China.

Methods: Immunoreactivities of 2 self-made monoclonal anti-hMAM antibodies, MEF521 and MDA822, were evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining and compared with imported monoclonal antibody ab81611.

A Cytomegalovirus Peptide-Specific Antibody Alters Natural Killer Cell Homeostasis and Is Shared in Several Autoimmune Diseases.

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV), a ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus, has been associated with several autoimmune diseases. However, the direct role of hCMV in inducing autoimmune disorders remains unclear. Here we report the identification of an autoantibody that recognizes a group of peptides with a conserved motif matching the Pp150 protein of hCMV (anti-Pp150) and is shared among patients with various autoimmune diseases.