An experimental study on water purification performance of modified volcanic rock ecological concrete.

Eco-concrete is an engineered porous material, often used in pervious pavement and slope protection. Volcanic rock, due to its loose and porous structure, can absorb pollutants and improve the performance of eco-concrete. Here, this study determined the performance of eco-concrete modified with different contents of volcanic rock in sewage purification.

Spatial resolved transcriptomics reveals distinct cross-talk between cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Multiple studies have shown that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote cancer initiation and progression. However, the reprogramming of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cross-talk between TAMs and malignant subclones in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has not been fully characterized, especially in a spatially resolved manner. Deciphering the spatial architecture of variable tissue cellular components in iCCA could contribute to the positional context of gene expression containing information pathological changes and cellular variability.

Growing-season carbon budget of alpine meadow ecosystem in the Qinghai Lake Basin: a continued carbon sink through this century according to the Biome-BGC model.

Background: The alpine meadow is one of the most important ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and critically sensitive to climate change and human activities. Thus, it is crucial to precisely reveal the current state and predict future trends in the carbon budget of the alpine meadow ecosystem. The objective of this study was to explore the applicability of the Biome-BGC model (BBGC) in the Qinghai Lake Basin (QLB), identify the key parameters affecting the variation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and further predict the future trends in carbon budget in the QLB.

CircKDM5B sponges miR-128 to regulate porcine blastocyst development by modulating trophectoderm barrier function.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which exert critical functions in the regulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression, are found in mammalian cells but their functions in mammalian preimplantation embryo development remain poorly understood. Here, we showed that circKDM5B mediated miRNA-128 (miR-128) to regulate porcine early embryo development. We screened circRNAs potentially expressed in porcine embryos through an integrated analysis of sequencing data from mouse and human embryos, as well as porcine oocytes.

Paeoniflorin protects against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury through targeting Hsp90AA1-Akt protein-protein interaction.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Paeonia lactiflora Pall has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, especially having anti-inflammatory, sedative, analgesic and other ethnic pharmacological effects. Moreover, Paeoniflorin is the main active ingredient of the Paeonia lactiflora Pall, and most are used in the treatment of inflammation-related autoimmune diseases. In recent years, studies have found that Paeoniflorin has a therapeutic effect on a variety of kidney diseases.

Identification of Genes Reveals the Mechanism of Cell Ferroptosis in Diabetic Nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the main complications of diabetes. Genomics may reveal the essential pathogenesis of DN. We analyzed datasets to search for key genes to explore pathological mechanisms of DN.

Epididymis cell atlas in a patient with a sex development disorder and a novel gene mutation.

This study aims to characterize the cell atlas of the epididymis derived from a 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) patient with a novel heterozygous mutation of the nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1 (NR5A1) gene. Next-generation sequencing found a heterozygous c.124C>G mutation in NR5A1 that resulted in a p.

A novel resveratrol analog upregulates sirtuin 1 and inhibits inflammatory cell infiltration in acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis (AP), an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, is a complicated disease without specific drug therapy. (R)-4,6-dimethoxy-3-(4-methoxy phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indanone [(R)-TML104] is a synthesized analog of the natural product resveratrol sesquiterpenes (±) -isopaucifloral F. This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of (R)-TML104 on AP.

Chromatin remodeler INO80 mediates trophectoderm permeability barrier to modulate morula-to-blastocyst transition.

Inositol requiring mutant 80 (INO80) is a chromatin remodeler that regulates pluripotency maintenance of embryonic stem cells and reprogramming of somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. However, the roles and mechanisms of INO80 in porcine pre-implantation embryonic development remain largely unknown. Here, we show that INO80 modulates trophectoderm epithelium permeability to promote porcine blastocyst development.

Hesperetin ameliorates diabetes-associated anxiety and depression-like behaviors in rats via activating Nrf2/ARE pathway.

Diabetes-associated affective disorders are of wide concern, and oxidative stress plays a vital role in the pathological process. This study was to investigate the cerebroprotective effects of hesperetin against anxious and depressive disorders caused by diabetes, exploring the potential mechanisms related to activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were intragastrically administrated with hesperetin (0, 50, and 150 mg/kg) for 10 weeks.

Role of Regenerating Islet-Derived Protein 3A in Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Regenerating islet-derived protein 3A (Reg3A), a protein mainly expressed in the digestive system, has been found over-expressed in many kinds of gastrointestinal cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer, therefore has been considered as a promising tumor marker. In recent years, considerable attention has been focused on the tumorigenesis effects of Reg3A, which were mainly manifested as cell proliferation promotion, cell apoptosis inhibition, the regulation of cancer cell migration and invasion. In particular, based on the significant up-regulation of Reg3A during pancreatic inflammation as well as its tumorigenic potential, Reg3A has been considered to play a key role in inflammation-linked pancreatic carcinogenesis.

Tuning extreme learning machine by an improved electromagnetism-like mechanism algorithm for classification problem.

Extreme learning machine (ELM) is a kind of learning algorithm for single hidden-layer feedforward neural network (SLFN). Compared with traditional gradient-based neural network learning algorithms, ELM has the advantages of fast learning speed, good generalization performance and easy implementation. But due to the random determination of input weights and hidden biases, ELM demands more hidden neurons and cannot guarantee the optimal network structure.

Using a targeted ecopharmacovigilance intervention to control antibiotic pollution in a rural aquatic environment.

The "targeted ecopharmacovigilance (EPV)" strategy emphasizes the control of environmental pollution by high-priority hazardous pharmaceuticals from principal pollution sources especially in areas that are high risk as a result of drug administration. We conducted a prospective empirical study to explore the possibility of using a targeted EPV intervention as an optimized management tool for the control of aquatic pollution by antibiotics, a common type of pharmaceutical residue, in a rural area in China. Because of the notably high levels of ofloxacin in the studied aquatic environment and the well-accepted environmental risks posed by fluoroquinolone residues, ofloxacin was selected as the targeted high-priority antibiotic pollutant.

An in vivo anti-tumor effect of eckol from marine brown algae by improving the immune response.

The anti-cancer activities of brown algae and some active extracts or components from brown algae have been demonstrated. But the anti-tumor activities of eckol, a new natural phlorotannin derived from marine brown algae, are poorly understood. In order to investigate the in vivo anti-tumor effect and its potential mechanisms of eckol in a sarcoma 180 (S180) xenograft-bearing animal model, S180 xenograft-bearing mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: model control, and eckol low-dose (0.

A modified comprehensive learning particle swarm optimizer and its application in cylindricity error evaluation problem.

Particle swarm optimizer was proposed in 1995, and since then, it has become an extremely popular swarm intelligent algorithm with widespread applications. Many modified versions of it have been developed, in which, comprehensive learning particle swarm optimizer is a very powerful one. In order to enhance its performance further, a local search based on Latin hypercube sampling is combined with it in this work.

Neuroprotection of quercetin on central neurons against chronic high glucose through enhancement of Nrf2/ARE/glyoxalase-1 pathway mediated by phosphorylation regulation.

Although dietary flavonoid quercetin alleviates diabetes-associated cognitive decline in rodents, the mechanisms are not clearly clarified. This study was designed to investigate whether quercetin showed neuroprotection on central neurons against chronic high glucose through the enhancement of Nrf2/ARE/glyoxalase 1 (Glo-1) pathway. SH-SY5Y cells were divided into 8 groups: normal glucose, high glucose (HG), osmotic pressure control, solvent control, HG plus low, middle, high concentrations of quercetin, or Nrf2 activator (sulforaphane).

Water-Based Black Phosphorus Hybrid Nanosheets as a Moldable Platform for Wound Healing Applications.

Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets with unique biocompatibility and superior optical performance have attracted enormous attention in material science. However, their instability and poor solution-processability severely limit their clinical applications. In this work, we demonstrate the use of silk fibroin (SF) as an exfoliating agent to produce thin-layer BP nanosheets with long-term stability and facile solution-processability.

Diagnostic Value of Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography for Screening Breast Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is a new image examination technology that has developed over the past few years. As CESM technology keeps improving, a current meta-analysis review is needed to systematically evaluate the potential diagnostic value of CESM.

Methods: A total of 18 studies were included in the review.

Protective effects of sarsasapogenin against early stage of diabetic nephropathy in rats.

Rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (AA, family Liliaceae) has been widely used in China for thousands of years to treat febrile diseases and diabetes. Steroidal saponins from AA show good antidiabetes effects and ameliorate diabetic complications. This study was designed to investigate the effects of sarsasapogenin (Sar), a major sapogenin from AA, on diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rats, and to explore the possible mechanisms.

Sarsasapogenin suppresses Aβ overproduction induced by high glucose in HT-22 cells.

The aim of this study is to investigate effects and potential mechanisms of sarsasapogenin (Sar), an active component purified from Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, on high glucose-induced amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide overproduction in HT-22 cells. HT-22 cells were divided into normal glucose; high glucose (HG); HG co-treated with low, middle, and high concentration of Sar (1, 5, 25 μmol/L); and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist (10 μmol/L pioglitazone). After treatment for 24 h, protein expression of Aβ and β-site Aβ precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and activated PPARγ level were determined by Western blot; Aβ42 levels were also measured by using both immunofluorescence and ELISA methods.

Targeted eco-pharmacovigilance for ketoprofen in the environment: Need, strategy and challenge.

Implementing "targeted" eco-pharmacovigilance(EPV) which focuses on individual or specific pharmaceuticals on a prioritised basis is a feasible, economical and customized approach to reduce the environmental concentrations and risks of pharmaceuticals. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) remaining in environment are a kind of priority hazard substances, due to a notable case that diclofenac residues caused the loss of more than 99% of vultures across the Indian sub-continent. Ketoprofen, as another widely used NSAID with comparable or even higher global consumption than diclofenac, in the environment has been shown to present a potential risk to non-target terrestrial and aquatic species.

The enforced expression of c-Myc in pig fibroblasts triggers mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) via F-actin reorganization and RhoA/Rock pathway inactivation.

In previous studies from other labs it has been well demonstrated that the ectopic expression of c-Myc in mammary epithelial cells can induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), whereas in our pilot experiment, epithelial-like morphological changes were unexpectedly observed in c-Myc-expressing pig fibroblasts [i.e., porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs) and porcine dermal fibroblasts (PDFs)] and pig mesenchymal stem cells, suggesting that the same c-Myc gene is entitled to trigger EMT in epithelial cells and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) in fibroblasts.