PTFE Stent Membrane Based on the Electrospinning Technique and Its Potential for Replacing ePTFE.

Expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE), obtained by the paste extrusion-stretching method, is a commonly used stent membrane material for the treatment of arterial stenosis or aneurysm in clinical practice. However, the structure of ePTFE is nonfibrous, which is not friendly to cells, and the equipment consumes a lot of energy and often requires the use of flammable and toxic lubricants. In this study, electrospinning was used to prepare PTFE vascular stent membranes, following plasma treatment, dopamine, and heparin grafting to obtain an anticoagulant surface.

The dual action of glioma-derived exosomes on neuronal activity: synchronization and disruption of synchrony.

Seizures represent a frequent symptom in gliomas and significantly impact patient morbidity and quality of life. Although the pathogenesis of tumor-related seizures is not fully understood, accumulating evidence indicates a key role of the peritumoral microenvironment. Brain cancer cells interact with neurons by forming synapses with them and by releasing exosomes, cytokines, and other small molecules.

Proteomic and miRNA profiling of radon-induced skin damage in mice: FASN regulated by miRNAs.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and considered as a serious carcinogen to humans. Continuous radioactive decay of this gas emits high-energy alpha particles. Long-term radon exposure induces oxidative stress and inflammatory response, which results in chronic lung diseases.

Carbonized Silk Nanofibers in Biodegradable, Flexible Temperature Sensors for Extracellular Environments.

Temperature is one of the key parameters for activity of cells. The trade-off between sensitivity and biocompatibility of cell temperature measurement is a challenge for temperature sensor development. Herein, a highly sensitive, biocompatible, and degradable temperature sensor was proposed to detect the living cell extracellular environments.

The correlation between chronic exposure to particulate matter and spontaneous abortion: A meta-analysis.

Background: Spontaneous abortion (SAB) brings serious physical and psychological sequelae to women and their families. Though a growing body of individual studies have suggested the possible linkage between chronic particulate matter (PM) exposure and risks of SAB, the provided results were rather contradictory. We therefore performed an evidence-based meta-analysis.

Rac1 Promotes Cell Motility by Controlling Cell Mechanics in Human Glioblastoma.

The failure of existing therapies in treating human glioblastoma (GBM) mostly is due to the ability of GBM to infiltrate into healthy regions of the brain; however, the relationship between cell motility and cell mechanics is not well understood. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM), live-cell imaging, and biochemical tools to study the connection between motility and mechanics in human GBM cells. It was found thatRac1 inactivation by genomic silencing and inhibition with EHT 1864 reduced cell motility, inhibited cell ruffles, and disrupted the dynamics of cytoskeleton organization and cell adhesion.

Metabolomic Analysis of Radiation-Induced Lung Injury in Rats: The Potential Radioprotective Role of Taurine.

Radiation-induced lung injury is a major dose-limiting toxicity that occurs due to thoracic radiotherapy. Metabolomics is a powerful quantitative measurement of low-molecular-weight metabolites in response to environmental disturbances. However, the metabolomic profiles of radiation-induced lung injury have not been reported yet.

The chronic effect of amorphous silica nanoparticles and benzo[]pyrene co-exposure at low dose in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells.

As the main components of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and benzo[]pyrene (B[]P) have attracted increasing attention recently. However, co-exposure to SiNPs and B[]P causes pulmonary injury by aggravating toxicity an unknown mechanism.

Luminescent ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes acted as radiosensitizer for pancreatic cancer by enhancing radiation-induced DNA damage.

: Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal malignancy which ranks 4th most common cause of cancer death in US and 6th in China. Novel drugs are required to improve the survival and prognosis of patients. : Ruthenium(II) complexes with variation number of DIP ligand were synthesized and further adopted as radiosensitizer for pancreatic cancer.

Expression profiles of long non-coding RNA in mouse lung tissue exposed to radon.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) exert biological functions by interacting with RNAs, proteins, and DNA. Although lung damage associated with radon exposure was attributed to disturbances in microRNA and protein expression, the influence of radon on lncRNA is at present not known. The aim of this study was to (1) examine the effect of radon on lncRNA-mediated expression of transcription factors in mRNA in mouse lung tissue and (2) determine potential function and targets.

Effects of radon on miR-34a-induced apoptosis in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells.

Radon exposure is known to be the second most frequent cause followed by tobacco exposure for lung cancer development. In lung cancer development, microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating various target genes associated with this disease. It is well-established that apoptosis is involved in the elimination of cancer cells.

Adipocytes promote cholangiocarcinoma metastasis through fatty acid binding protein 4.

Background: The early occurrence regional nodal and distant metastases cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the major reasons for its poor prognosis. However, the related mechanisms are largely elusive. Recently, increasing evidences indicate that adipocytes might be involved in the proliferation, homing, migration and invasion of several malignancies.

Circular RNA profiles in mouse lung tissue induced by radon.

Background: Radon is a known human lung carcinogen, whose underlying carcinogenic mechanism remains unclear. Recently, circular RNA (circRNA), a class of endogenous non-protein coding RNAs that contain a circular loop, was found to exhibit multiple biological effects. In this study, circRNA profiles in mouse lung tissues between control and radon exposure were analyzed.

Mechanisms underlying melatonin-mediated prevention of fenvalerate-induced behavioral and oxidative toxicity in zebrafish.

The neurotoxic effects attributed to the pesticide fenvalerate (FEN) are well-established. The aim of this study was to determine whether melatonin (MLT) was able to protect against FEN-induced behavior, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and neurogenesis using zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. Zebrafish exposed to 100 μg/L FEN for 120 h exhibited decreased swimming activity accompanied by downregulated expression of neurogenesis-related genes (Dlx2, Shha, Ngn1, Elavl3, and Gfap), suggesting that neurogenesis were impaired.

Effects of melatonin on mechanisms involved in hypertension using human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Changes in diurnal rhythmicity in blood pressure (BP) are associated with hypertension and consequent cardiovascular damage. The involvement of diurnal rhythmicity as a pathogenic factor in hypertension is not fully understood. Since the hormone melatonin (MLT) regulates circadian rhythm, it was also of interest to determine whether this hormone played a role in hypertension-related alterations in circadian rhythm.

Fluorescent microspheres for one-photon and two-photon imaging of mesenchymal stem cells.

Stem cell-mediated therapy has emerged as a novel regenerative treatment for tissue repair in the last decade. However, noninvasive monitoring of stem cells remains a grand challenge for stem cell-based regenerative medicine for the complete understanding of the function and the behaviors of cells. Herein, acridine orange, a fluorescent dye was encapsulated into polymer nanospheres based on double emulsions.

Source contributions to total concentrations and carcinogenic potencies of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in ambient air: a case study in Suzhou City, China.

The potential source categories and source contributions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in ambient air from Suzhou City, China, were performed by principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). The carcinogenic potencies of PCDD/Fs were quantitatively apportioned based on the positive matrix factorization-toxic equivalent concentration (PMF-TEQ) method. The results of the present study were summarized as follows.

PCDD/Fs distribution characteristics and health risk assessment in fly ash discharged from MSWIs in China.

This study provided distribution and health risk information of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in fly ash from 4 municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) in four seasons from four sites, including Zhengzhou City in Henan Province, Chuzhou City in Anhui Province, Jilin City in Jilin Province and Zibo City in Shandong Province. The toxic equivalent concentration (I-TEQ) values of PCDD/Fs ranged from 0.0707 to 0.

Composition profiles and health risk of PCDD/F in outdoor air and fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration and adjacent villages in East China.

In present study, composition profiles and health risk of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in outdoor air and fly ash from domestic waste treatment center (DWTC) were studied. In addition, the composition profiles and health risk of PCDD/F in outdoor air from adjacent villages were researched and used to quantitatively analyze the difference between onsite workers and adjacent villagers. Moreover, the difference between old intake method and new inhalation dosimetry method in the process of assessing the health risk of PCDD/Fs in outdoor air was quantitatively compared and analyzed.

Analysis of the miRNA-mRNA networks in malignant transformation BEAS-2B cells induced by alpha-particles.

The aim of this study was to determine the toxicity induced by irradiation with alpha-particles on malignant transformation of immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) using miRNA-mRNA networks. The expression of BEAS-2B cells was determined by measuring colony formation, mtDNA, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and ROS levels. Changes in BEAS-2B cell gene expression were observed and quantified using microarrays that included an increase in 157 mRNA and 20 miRNA expression and a decrease in 77 mRNA and 48 miRNA.

Synergistic effect of radon and sodium arsenite on DNA damage in HBE cells.

Human epidemiological studies showed that radon and arsenic exposures are major risk factors for lung cancer in Yunnan tin miners. However, biological evidence for this phenomenon is absent. In this study, HBE cells were exposed to different concentrations of sodium arsenite, different radon exposure times, or a combination of these two factors.

A novel role of long non-coding RNAs in response to X-ray irradiation.

In the present study, the role of lncRNAs in response to radiation-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress were explored to improve our understanding of the biological pathways activated upon radiation-induced toxicity. The toxicity of X-ray radiation on human bronchial epithelial cell lines (HBE) was determined through a dose-dependent increase in ROS production and γ-H2AX formation and changes to lncRNA expression was observed and quantified using lncRNA-specific microarrays. 115 lncRNAs expression was increased in a dose-dependent manner following X-ray irradiation.

Down-regulation of let-7 microRNA increased K-ras expression in lung damage induced by radon.

Radon has long been recognized as a human carcinogen leading to lung cancer, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Recent studies have shown that the let-7 microRNA and K-ras play an important role in the development of various cancers. However, the exact role between let-7 and K-ras in radon induced lung damage has not been explored so far.

MG132 enhances the radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Radiotherapy is a common treatment modality for lung cancer, however, radioresistance remains a fundamental barrier to attaining the maximal efficacy. Cancer cells take advantage of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) for increased proliferation and decreased apoptotic cell death. MG132 (carbobenzoxyl-leucinyl-leucinyl-leucinal‑H), a specific and selective reversible inhibitor of the 26S proteasome, has shown anticancer effect in multiple types of cancers.