bfc, a novel serpent co-factor for the expression of croquemort, regulates efferocytosis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Efferocytosis is the process by which phagocytes recognize, engulf, and digest (or clear) apoptotic cells during development. Impaired efferocytosis is associated with developmental defects and autoimmune diseases. In Drosophila melanogaster, recognition of apoptotic cells requires phagocyte surface receptors, including the scavenger receptor CD36-related protein, Croquemort (Crq, encoded by crq).

Force balance reconstruction of orbicularis oris in correction of unilateral cleft lip deformity.

Objectives: Short-term outcome evaluation for the correction of unilateral cleft lip deformity with a new technique.

Methods: Forty-four patients with unilateral cleft lip deformity were included in the study and in which the orbicularis oris muscle was reconstructed to achieve the optimal force balance of reconstructed orbicularis oris. The photometric two-dimensional indexes, including the philtrum oblique angle and asymmetry ratios (lip height, lip width, vertical distance from the white roll to the vermilion bottom at the Cupid's bow point, and vertical distance from the Cupid 's bow points to facial midline), were employed to measure and evaluate the outcome.

Research of Probability-Based Tunneling Magnetoresistive Sensor Static Hysteresis Model.

Tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) sensors have broad application prospects because of their high sensitivity and small volume. However, the inherent hysteresis characteristics of TMR affect its applications in high accuracy scenarios. It is essential to build a model to describe the attributes of hysteresis of TMR accurately.

Optimized scheme for paired transverse corrective forces in S-shaped scoliosis via ultrasound and application in Chêneau brace: a pilot study.

Background: There is currently no consensus on the optimal positions of the transverse corrective forces (TCFs) for scoliosis braces.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore an optimal scheme of placing paired TCF for S-shaped adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and its feasibility in Chêneau brace (CB) treatment.

Study Design: Cross-over feasibility pilot trial.

Association Between SNPs in 1q32.2 and NSCL ± in Han Chinese Population.

Objectives: Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL ± ) is one of the most common birth malformations. Currently, numerous susceptibility SNPs have been reported by GWA studies, however, the replications of them among NSCL ±  from Han Chinese were very limited.

Design: In this study, we selected 16 SNPs around 1q32.

Assessment of anterior chamber angle changes after phacoemulsification with swept-source OCT.

Aim: To assess the changes of anterior chamber angle in patients with shallow anterior chamber after phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, based on anterior segment swept-source optical coherence tomography (AS-SS-OCT) measurements.

Methods: This was a prospective case control study; sixty eyes of sixty case were scheduled for cataract surgery with normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Based on anterior chamber depth (ACD) and gonioscopy findings, the eyes were divided into two groups: group of shallow anterior chamber and narrow angle (SAC group, 30 eyes); and group of normal anterior chamber group with wide angle (NAC group, 30 eyes).

Preoperative pharyngeal depth is associated with postoperative velopharyngeal function following primary cleft palate repair at the age of five and above.

To determine prognostic factors for postoperative velopharyngeal function following the primary cleft palate repair at the age of five and above. This study reviewed patients with cleft palate who had undergone Furlow palatoplasty at age 5 or older from 2009 to 2014. We obtained intraoperative measurements, including velar length, pharyngeal depth, cleft width, maxillary width, cleft palate index (cleft width/maxillary width) and palatopharyngeal ratio (velar length/pharyngeal depth), as well as speech evaluation results at least 1 year after surgery.

Epigenetic inactivation of hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA synthase reduces ketogenesis and facilitates tumor cell motility in clear cell renal carcinoma.

Previously, we have reported that the dysregulation of ketogenesis plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Here, we demonstrate decreased expression of the HMGCS2 gene in ccRCC, a critical enzyme for the synthesis of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB). We found that the reduced transcription of the HMGCS2 gene in ccRCC cells was significantly correlated to a higher relative methylation rate in its promotor region.

Deficiency of the X-inactivation escaping gene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma promotes tumorigenicity by reprogramming glycogen metabolism and inhibiting ferroptosis.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by glycogen-laden, unexplained male predominance, and frequent mutations in the Von Hippel-Lindau () gene and histone modifier genes. Besides, poor survival rates of ccRCC patients seem to be associated with up-regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). However, the mechanism underlying these features remains unclear.

Identification of Key lncRNA-mRNA Pairs and Functional lncRNAs in Breast Cancer by Integrative Analysis of TCGA Data.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in many diseases and are involved in the post-transcriptional regulatory network of tumors. The purpose of this study is to mine new lncRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs and analyze the new mechanism of lncRNA involvement in breast cancer progression. Using breast cancer miRNA and mRNA expression profiling from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we identified 59 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 88 differentially expressed miRNAs, and 1,465 differentially expressed mRNAs between breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast cancer.

Method for a new risk assessment of urban water quality: IFN-SPA.

Water quality is one of the most essential factors to influence human daily life and environment health. Risk assessment of water quality has critical significance to sustainable development of human society and natural systems. Set pair analysis (SPA) methods are widely used in risk assessment, especially in water resources.

Distinguishing NO and N ratio and their microbial source in soil fertilized for vegetable production using a stable isotope method.

Vegetable production systems with excessive nitrogen fertilizer result in severe NO emission. It is pivotal to identify the source of NO for reducing NO emission, but estimating microbial pathways of NO production is very difficult due to the existence of NO reduction. A promising tool can address this problem by using δO and δN of NO to construct a dual isotopocule plot.

Cyclin-dependent kinase like 3 promotes triple-negative breast cancer progression via inhibiting the p53 signaling pathway.

It has been reported that cyclin-dependent kinase like 3 (CDKL3) plays a crucial role in cell proliferation and migration in several cancers. However, the function of CDKL3 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still unclear. In the present study, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to detect the CDKL3 expression.

Insights into the underlying mechanisms of stability working for As(III) removal by Fe-Mn binary oxide as a highly efficient adsorbent.

Fe-Mn binary oxide has received increasing interest in treating As(III)-containing polluted groundwater due to its low cost and environmental friendliness. Although the stability of Fe-Mn binary oxide is as important as its adsorption ability, little is known about whether and why Fe-Mn binary oxide is stable during As(III) removal. In this study, five successive cycles were conducted to evaluate the stability of Fe-Mn binary oxide for As(III) removal.

Loss of Function of Scavenger Receptor SCAV-5 Protects Against Pathogenic Bacteria.

Scavenger receptors play a critical role in innate immunity by acting as the pattern-recognition receptors. There are six class B scavenger receptors homologs in However, it remains unclear whether they are required for host defense against bacterial pathogens. Here, we show that, of the six SCAV proteins, only loss of function protect against pathogenic bacteria SL1344 and PA14 by different mechanism.

How Deviation of Nasal Septum Affects Nasal Appearance in Unilateral Cleft Patients: A Study Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Aim: To quantitatively evaluate the relationship between nasal appearance and nasal septum deviation in unilateral complete cleft patients using cone-beam computed tomography.Method: Cone-beam computed tomography images of 180 patients with unilateral cleft lip/palate from June 2014 to June 2017 were used in the study. None of the subjects had undergone septoplasty.

A Medical Image Registration Method Based on Progressive Images.

Background: Medical image registration is an essential task for medical image analysis in various applications. In this work, we develop a coarse-to-fine medical image registration method based on progressive images and SURF algorithm (PI-SURF) for higher registration accuracy.

Methods: As a first step, the reference image and the floating image are fused to generate multiple progressive images.

[Identifying the Sources of Groudwater NO-N in Agricultural Region of Qingdao].

To increase crops yields, applying large amounts of fertilizers has become increasingly common in agricultural regions, resulting in NO-N groundwater pollution. Agricultural non-point pollution is the main source of groundwater NO-N pollution. To ensure drinking water safety and quality, it is crucial to clarify the sources of NO-N pollution in agricultural regions.

Highly Efficient Biosynthesis of Glycyrrhetinic Acid Glucosides by Coupling of Microbial Glycosyltransferase to Plant Sucrose Synthase.

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a principal bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoid from . Uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) have been widely used to catalyze glycosylation of diverse nature products for the development of potential therapeutic compounds. In this study, we have characterized a UGT109A3 from , which can glycosylate both the free C3 hydroxyl and C30 carboxyl groups of GA to yield a unique 3, 30-O-β-D-diglucoside-GA.

Identification of an Autoantibody Against ErbB-3-Binding Protein-1 in the Sera of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

Background: Studies have shown that autoimmune response contributes to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) development.

Aim: This study aimed to identify autoantibodies in the sera of patients with CHB and to investigate the association of autoimmune response with disease severity in CHB.

Methods: Proteins from human liver carcinoma cell line HepG2 were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis.

The investigation of mRNA vaccines formulated in liposomes administrated in multiple routes against SARS-CoV-2.

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented global public health crisis. It is obvious that SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is needed to control the global COVID-19 public health crisis. Since obvious advantages including fast manufacturing speed, potent immunogenicity and good safety profile, six mRNA vaccines have been used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections in clinic with lipid nanoparticles (LNP) formulation via intramuscular injection.

Uptake and translocation of organophosphate esters by plants: Impacts of chemical structure, plant cultivar and copper.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are normally used as flame retardants, plasticizers and lubricants, but have become environmental pollutants. Because OPEs are normally present alongside heavy metals in soils, the effects of interactions between OPEs and heavy metals on plant uptake of OPEs need to be determined. In this study, we investigated the effects of OPEs chemical structure, plant cultivar and copper (Cu) on the uptake and translocation of OPEs by plants.

Quantification of photocatalytically-generated hydrogen peroxide in the presence of organic electron donors: Interference and reliability considerations.

Photocatalytic HO production is an innovative on-site HO synthesis method to treat organic pollutants through Fenton-like reactions, avoiding the need and potential liability of HO storage and transportation. Accurate quantification of HO is crucial to explore the mechanism of photocatalytic HO production and optimize reaction parameters. In this work, three common HO quantification methods (i.

ARTICLE: Efficacy of Ceramide-Containing Formulations on UV-Induced Skin Surface Barrier Alterations.

The human skin, particularly the stratum corneum, serves as a protective barrier against exogenous factors, including ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and pathogen invasions. The impact of UVR on skin cancer and photoaging has been extensively studied. However, the direct impact of UVR on skin barrier integrity under clinical settings remains poorly explored.

ARTICLE: Alteration to the Skin Barrier Integrity Following Broad-Spectrum UV Exposure in an Ex Vivo Tissue Model.

Dynamic changes to the skin barrier’s molecular structure and ceramide profile are well-documented in skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Pathological and environmental factors have been shown to impair barrier integrity and demonstrate shifts in ceramide composition in the skin. However, the relationship between acute and prolonged sun exposure and its effects on skin barrier homeostasis is insufficiently investigated.