Leaching assessments of toxic metals in waste plasma display panel glass.

Unlabelled: The plasma display panel (PDP) is rapidly becoming obsolete, contributing in large amounts to the electronic waste stream. In order to assess the potential for environmental pollution due to hazardous metals leached from PDP glass, standardized leaching procedures, chemical speciation assessments, and bioavailability tests were conducted. According to the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), arsenic in back glass was present at 4.

Expression of the microRNAs hsa-miR-15a and hsa-miR-16-1 in lens epithelial cells of patients with age-related cataract.

This study aimed to examine and analyze the expression levels of hsa-miR-15a and hsa-miR-16-1 in lens epithelial cells from patients with age-related cataract to understand better the roles of these microRNAs in the pathogenesis of this disease. Lens epithelial cells of 60 age-related cataract patients (including 20 with cortical cataracts, 20 with nuclear cataracts, and 20 with posterior subcapsular cataracts) and 20 normal patients were included in the study. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of hsa-miR-15a-5p, hsa-miR-15a-3p, hsa-miR-16-1-5p, and hsa-miR-16-1-3p.

Chimerically fused antigen rich of overlapped epitopes from latent membrane protein 2 (LMP2) of Epstein-Barr virus as a potential vaccine and diagnostic agent.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is prevalent throughout the world and is associated with several malignant diseases in humans. Latent membrane protein 2 (LMP2) of EBV plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of EBV-associated tumors; therefore, LMP2 has been considered to be a potential immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic target. A multi-epitope-based antigen is a promising option for therapeutic vaccines and diagnoses of such malignancies.

Combinational effect of matrix elasticity and alendronate density on differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells.

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is regulated by multivariate physical and chemical signals in a complicated microenvironment. In this study, polymerizable double bonds (GelMA) and osteo-inductive alendronate (Aln) (Aln-GelMA) were sequentially grafted onto gelatin molecules. The biocompatible hydrogels with defined stiffness in the range of 4-40 kPa were prepared by using polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) as additional crosslinker.

Structural investigation of the A-site vacancy in scheelites and the luminescence behavior of two continuous solid solutions A(1-1.5x)Eu(x)□(0.5x)WO₄ and A(0.64-0.5y)Eu(0.24)Li(y)□(0.12-0.5y)WO₄ (A = Ca, Sr; □ = vacancy).

Scheelite compounds with Eu(3+) substitution are well-known red-phosphors. We prepared and performed a detailed structural characterization of A(1-1.5x)Eu(x)□(0.

Structure evolution in "114" oxides CaBaZn₂Ga(2-x)Al(x)O₇ (x = 0, 1, 2) and layered cationic ordering in tetrahedral sites for CaBaZn₂Al₂O₇.

Rietveld refinements were performed on CaBaZn2Ga(2-x)Al(x)O7 (x = 0, 1, 2) to investigate the site preference of cations in tetrahedral cavities. Tri-valent Ga(3+)/Al(3+) preferred the tetrahedral sites (T1-sites) within the triangular layers. Moreover, a layered type cationic ordering was observed in CaBaZn2Al2O7, where all the T1-sites were occupied by Al(3+).

Development of chromosome-specific markers with high polymorphism for allotetraploid cotton based on genome-wide characterization of simple sequence repeats in diploid cottons (Gossypium arboreum L. and Gossypium raimondii Ulbrich).

Background: Tetraploid cotton contains two sets of homologous chromosomes, the At- and Dt-subgenomes. Consequently, many markers in cotton were mapped to multiple positions during linkage genetic map construction, posing a challenge to anchoring linkage groups and mapping economically-important genes to particular chromosomes. Chromosome-specific markers could solve this problem.

Hierarchical control of coherent gene clusters defines the molecular mechanisms of glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is a highly-aggressive and rapidly-lethal tumor characterized by resistance to therapy. Although data on multiple genes, proteins, and pathways are available, the key challenge is deciphering this information and identifying central molecular targets. Therapeutically targeting individual molecules is often unsuccessful due to the presence of compensatory and redundant pathways, and crosstalk.

Integrative analysis of differentially expressed microRNAs of pulmonary alveolar macrophages from piglets during H1N1 swine influenza A virus infection.

H1N1 swine influenza A virus (H1N1 SwIV) is one key subtype of influenza viruses with pandemic potential. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. MiRNAs relevant with H1N1 SwIV have rarely been reported.

Mitochondrial p32 is upregulated in Myc expressing brain cancers and mediates glutamine addiction.

Metabolic reprogramming is a key feature of tumorigenesis that is controlled by oncogenes. Enhanced utilization of glucose and glutamine are the best-established hallmarks of tumor metabolism. The oncogene c-Myc is one of the major players responsible for this metabolic alteration.

Up-regulation of SALL4 associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer.

Background/aims: SALL4 [encoding the Sal-Like 4 (Drosophila) protein, also known as spalt-like transcription factor 4] plays crucial roles in the development of different cancers, as well as vital embryogenic roles. However, knowledge of its relationship to gastric cancer is limited, and its association with prognosis in gastric cancer has not yet been reported.

Methodology: comprehensive bioinformatics analyses including mRNA expression, gene occurrence, protein/gene interaction, pathway enrichment and biological processes annotation were performed.

In silico modeling predicts drug sensitivity of patient-derived cancer cells.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive disease associated with poor survival. It is essential to account for the complexity of GBM biology to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This complexity is best represented by the increasing amounts of profiling ("omics") data available due to advances in biotechnology.

Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression in primary gliomas and breast cancer brain metastases.

Background: Primary and secondary brain cancers are highly treatment resistant, and their marked angiogenesis attracts interest as a potential therapeutic target. Recent observations reveal that the microvascular endothelium of primary high-grade gliomas expresses prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Breast cancers express PSMA and they frequently form secondary brain tumors.

[Cloning, eukaryotic expression and spatial expression patterns of porcine MNSFbeta].

MNSFbeta (Monoclonal nonspecific suppressor factor beta) is a natural immunosuppressive factor which has been reported to be involved in various biological processes, such as immune responses, cell division, stress response, cell apoptosis, and nuclear transport. However, study on porcine MNSFbeta has been rarely reported. In this study, the full-length sequence of porcine MNSFbeta (GenBank accession number: KF77642500) was predicted in silicon and its cDNA sequence was obtained through RT-PCR from porcine spleen.

Preparation of lutein-loaded particles for improving solubility and stability by Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as an emulsion-stabilizer.

Lutein, a non-provitamin A carotenoid, possesses multiple valuable physiological functions. Unfortunately, its application is limited due to its poor water solubility and instability under adverse conditions. To expand the applied range of lutein, we developed lutein-loaded particles and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and investigated the encapsulation efficiency, aqueous saturation solubility and stability.

The extrinsic coagulation cascade and tissue factor pathway inhibitor in macrophages: a potential therapeutic opportunity for atherosclerotic thrombosis.

Objectives: The coagulation protease cascade plays the central requisite role in initiation of arterial atherothrombosis. However, the relative participation of the extrinsic as compared to the intrinsic pathway is incompletely resolved. We have investigated in vivo the relative importance of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways to define which is more essential to atherothrombosis and therefore the preferable prophylactic therapeutic target.

Novel anti-glioblastoma agents and therapeutic combinations identified from a collection of FDA approved drugs.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a therapeutic challenge, associated with high mortality. More effective GBM therapeutic options are urgently needed. Hence, we screened a large multi-class drug panel comprising the NIH clinical collection (NCC) that includes 446 FDA-approved drugs, with the goal of identifying new GBM therapeutics for rapid entry into clinical trials for GBM.

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK): a novel regulator in cell cycle control, embryonic development, and cancer.

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) functions as a modulator of intracellular signaling and affects various cellular and biological processes, including cell cycle, cell proliferation, apoptosis, spliceosome assembly, gene expression, embryonic development, hematopoiesis, and oncogenesis. In these cellular processes, MELK functions by binding to numerous proteins. In general, the effects of multiple protein interactions with MELK are oncogenic in nature, and the overexpression of MELK in kinds of cancer provides some evidence that it may be involved in tumorigenic process.

High-efficiency liposomal encapsulation of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor leads to improved in vivo toxicity and tumor response profile.

Staurosporine (STS) is a potent pan-kinase inhibitor with marked activity against several chemotherapy-resistant tumor types in vitro. The translational progress of this compound has been hindered by poor pharmacokinetics and toxicity. We sought to determine whether liposomal encapsulation of STS would enhance antitumor efficacy and reduce toxicity, thereby supporting the feasibility of further preclinical development.

Coordination environment evolution of Eu3+ during the dehydration and re-crystallization processes of Sm(1-x)Eu(x)[B9O13(OH)4]·H2O by photoluminescent characteristics.

There are limited photoluminescence (PL) studies for rare earth borates with crystalline water molecules, which are usually supposed to have low PL efficiency because the vibrations of H2O or -OH may lead to emission quenching. We investigated the PL properties of Sm(1-x)Eu(x)[B9O13(OH)4]·H2O (x = 0-1.00) and their dehydrated products α-Sm(1-x)Eu(x)B5O9.

Characterization of porcine P58IPK gene and its up-regulation after H1N1 or H3N2 influenza virus infection.

Background: The 58-kDa inhibitor of the interferon-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (P58IPK) is a cellular protein that is activated during influenza virus infection. Although the function of human P58IPK has been studied for a long time, porcine P58IPK (pP58IPK) has little been studied except for its cloning.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of the pP58IPK gene, determine its subcellular localization, and find its expression change during H1N1 or H3N2 infection.

Preparation of polycaprolactone microspheres-aggregated scaffold with ultra big pores and fuzzy sphere surface by a one-step phase separation method.

A microspheres-aggregated scaffold with ultra big pores (over 300 μm) and fuzzy microspheres is fabricated by incubating polycaprolactone (PCL)/tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution in a -20°C refrigerator, following by freeze-drying. Formation of the scaffold is mainly governed by the crystallization of the PCL polymer at appropriate conditions. All the 10-20% PCL/THF solutions yield the microspheres-aggregated scaffolds when the initial solution temperature is higher than 37°C, whereas the 10-15% solutions form dense membranes when the initial solution temperature is below 25°C.

High-resolution mutational profiling suggests the genetic validity of glioblastoma patient-derived pre-clinical models.

Recent advances in the ability to efficiently characterize tumor genomes is enabling targeted drug development, which requires rigorous biomarker-based patient selection to increase effectiveness. Consequently, representative DNA biomarkers become equally important in pre-clinical studies. However, it is still unclear how well these markers are maintained between the primary tumor and the patient-derived tumor models.

[Research on the composition characteristics of Chinese ancient southern white porcelain].

The southern white porcelain is the rise in our country's pottery, it is later than the development of northern white porcelain, but it is rising stars, blockbuster, well-grounded, keeping continuous. Jingdezhen kiln and Dehua kiln are the most representative kilns among the southern white porcelain kilns. the present paper used EDXRF to test 30 pieces of Song, Yuan and Ming period' Dehua white porcelains and Jingdezhen Yuan dynasty Shufu white porcelains samples to analyze the different characteristics of the bodies and the glaze of these samples in terms of time and space.