Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in fish from two developed regions of China: Occurrence, influencing factors and implication for human exposure via consumption.

The risk associated with human exposure to short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) via dietary intake are of great concern because of the bioaccumulation potential of SCCPs in biota and adverse effects. Fish are an important food source for human beings. However, there is a paucity of studies on human exposure to SCCPs via fish consumption.

Qishen Yiqi Drop Pill, a novel compound Chinese traditional medicine protects against high glucose-induced injury in cardiomyocytes.

Objective: Qishen Yiqi Drop Pill (QSYQ) has been recognized as a potential protective agent for various cardiovascular diseases. However, the effect of QSYQ in cardiac complications associated with diabetes is not clear currently. In this study, we investigate whether QSYQ could exert cardiac protective effects against high glucose-induced injuries in cardiac H9c2 cells.

Identification and Compensation Technique of Non-Uniform Temperature Field for Lamb Wave-and Multiple Sensors-Based Damage Detection.

Lamb wave-based damage detection for large-scale composites is one of the most prosperous structural health monitoring technologies for aircraft structures. However, the temperature has a significant effect on the amplitude and phase of the Lamb wave signal so that temperature compensation is always the focus problem. Especially, it is difficult to identify the damage in the aircraft structures when the temperature is not uniform.

Nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of class IIa histone deacetylases regulates somatic cell reprogramming.

Class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a subfamily of HDACs with important functions in development and adult tissue homeostasis. As opposed to other HDACs, they lack catalytic function and bind transcription factors to recruit transcriptional co-regulators, mostly co-repressors such as nuclear receptor co-repressor (NCoR)/silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT). Class IIa HDACs enhance mouse somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by repressing the function of the pro-mesenchymal transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2), which is upregulated during this process.

Dysregulated Expression of Circular RNAs Serve as Prognostic and Clinicopathological Markers in Cancer.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) as prognostic biomarkers have spurred considerable interest in several types of tumors. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the clinicopathological and prognostic values of circRNAs in human cancer. We systematically searched PubMed Central (PMC), PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, CBM and the Cochrane Library databases up to Nov 29, 2018.

Silencing LGR6 Attenuates Stemness and Chemoresistance via Inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Ovarian Cancer.

Leucine-rich-repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptors (LGRs) have been widely found to be implicated with development and progression in multiple cancer types. However, the clinical significance and biological functions of LGR6 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. In this study, LGR6 expression was mainly examined by immunohistochemistry.

Transcriptome analysis revealed ameliorative effect of probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15 against subclinical necrotic enteritis induced hepatic inflammation in broilers.

Subclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE) broadly occurs in boilers, which reduces the growth performance by causing serious economic and social problems. The following study was conducted to better understand the molecular mechanism of the SNE on liver inflammation and to examine the innovative prevention of Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15 upon SNE. The research was based on the regulatory molecular mechanism of Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15, and its effect on liver inflammatory pathways in the broiler with SNE infection.

Male workers' exposure characteristics of ΣPCDD/F from a municipal solid waste incinerator in south China through hair analysis.

Human hair, flue gas and fly ash from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) in south China were collected and analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF). The ΣPCDD/F level in hair from male workers were higher than those from residents. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) suggested that ΣPCDD/F in flue gas is an external source of male workers' hair ΣPCDD/F.

Neural Stem Cells of Parkinson's Disease Patients Exhibit Aberrant Mitochondrial Morphology and Functionality.

Emerging evidence suggests that Parkinson's disease (PD), besides being an age-associated disorder, might also have a neurodevelopment component. Disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis has been highlighted as a crucial cofactor in its etiology. Here, we show that PD patient-specific human neuroepithelial stem cells (NESCs), carrying the LRRK2-G2019S mutation, recapitulate key mitochondrial defects previously described only in differentiated dopaminergic neurons.

miR-186-5p promotes cell growth, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma by targeting PTEN.

Objective: To explore the expression of miR-186-5p in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and its possible function associated with cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

Methods: MiR-186-5p expression levels in LUAD samples, human LUAD cell lines H1299 and NCI-H1975, and normal human lung epithelial cell line BEAS-IB were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). H1299 and NCI-H1975 cells were transfected with miR-186-5p mimic or miRNA negative control.

Modeling Parkinson's disease in midbrain-like organoids.

Modeling Parkinson's disease (PD) using advanced experimental in vitro models is a powerful tool to study disease mechanisms and to elucidate unexplored aspects of this neurodegenerative disorder. Here, we demonstrate that three-dimensional (3D) differentiation of expandable midbrain floor plate neural progenitor cells (mfNPCs) leads to organoids that resemble key features of the human midbrain. These organoids are composed of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs), which produce and secrete dopamine.

[Molecular genetic diagnosis of a carrier with rare α-thalassemia mutations].

Objective: To explore the cause of inconsistent genotypes for an α-thalassemia carrier by using two commercial genotyping kits.

Methods: GAP-PCR and PCR-reverse dot blotting (PCR-RDB) were employed to determine the genotype of the carrier, while Sanger sequencing was used to verify the results.

Results: Sequencing analysis demonstrated that the subject has carried a α1 globin gene with a 3.

Guidelines for Fluorescent Guided Biallelic HDR Targeting Selection With PiggyBac System Removal for Gene Editing.

The development of new and easy-to-use nucleases, such as CRISPR/Cas9, made tools for gene editing widely accessible to the scientific community. Cas9-based gene editing protocols are robust for creating knock-out models, but the generation of single nucleotide transitions or transversions remains challenging. This is mainly due to the low frequency of homology directed repair, which leads to the screening of a high number of clones to identify positive events.

Vasculogenic Mimicry Formation Is Associated with Erythropoietin Expression but Not with Erythropoietin Receptor Expression in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), as an endothelium-independent cancer microcirculation, has been observed in many malignancies including cervical cancer. Erythropoietin (EPO) and erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R) could produce an angiogenic effect to promote cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) progression. However, the association between VM formation and EPO/EPO-R expression in CSCC is poorly explored.

DBU-mediated annulation of 2-aryl-3-nitro-2H-chromenes with 1,3-cyclohexanediones for the synthesis of benzofuro[2,3-c]chromenone derivatives.

The DBU-mediated annulations of 2-aryl-3-nitro-2H-chromenes with 1,3-cyclohexanediones have been developed. This reaction involves a highly efficient domino sequence consisting of regioselective intermolecular Michael addition, intramolecular nucleophilic addition and aromatization as key unit steps. The reaction appears to be general for a variety of 2-aryl-3-nitro-2H-chromenes and tolerates the presence of aromatic moieties with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents.

Wearable Fiber-Based Organic Electrochemical Transistors as a Platform for Highly Sensitive Dopamine Monitoring.

Fiber-based organic electrochemical transistors (FECTs) provide a new platform for the realization of an ultrafast and ultrasensitive biosensor, especially for the wearable dopamine (DA)-monitoring device. Here, we presented a fully filament-integrated fabric, it exhibited remarkable mechanical compatibility with the human body, and the minimum sensing unit was an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) based on PVA- co-PE nanofibers (NFs) and polypyrrole (PPy) nanofiber network. The introduction of NFs notably increased the specific surface area and hydrophilicity of the PA6 filament, resulting in the formation of a large area of intertwined PPy nanofiber network.

Selenium alleviated chromium stress in Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Pekinensis) by regulating root morphology and metal element uptake.

Excessive chromium (Cr) causes toxicity to plants, while the beneficial effects of selenium (Se) have been verified in plants under various adverse conditions. Under Cr stress, the impacts of exogenous Se on root morphology and metal element uptake were investigated in root of Chinese cabbage by cellular and biochemical approaches. Exogenous Se alleviated Cr-induced irreversible damage to root morphology, plasma membrane integrity and ultrastructure of root tip cells.

Piezoelectric Transducer-Based Structural Health Monitoring for Aircraft Applications.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is being widely evaluated by the aerospace industry as a method to improve the safety and reliability of aircraft structures and also reduce operational cost. Built-in sensor networks on an aircraft structure can provide crucial information regarding the condition, damage state and/or service environment of the structure. Among the various types of transducers used for SHM, piezoelectric materials are widely used because they can be employed as either actuators or sensors due to their piezoelectric effect and vice versa.

3D Cultures of Parkinson's Disease-Specific Dopaminergic Neurons for High Content Phenotyping and Drug Testing.

Parkinson's disease (PD)-specific neurons, grown in standard 2D cultures, typically only display weak endophenotypes. The cultivation of PD patient-specific neurons, derived from induced pluripotent stem cells carrying the LRRK2-G2019S mutation, is optimized in 3D microfluidics. The automated image analysis algorithms are implemented to enable pharmacophenomics in disease-relevant conditions.

Production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) through the alternative Δ8-desaturase pathway.

An important alternative source of fish oil is its production by plants through metabolic engineering. To produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in peanut through the alternative Δ8-pathway, a plant expression vector containing five heterologous genes driven by the constitutive 35S promoter respectively, namely, ∆9-elongase (Isochrysis galbana), ∆8-desaturase (Euglena gracilis), ∆5-desaturase (Mortierella alpina), ∆15-desaturase (Arabidopsis thaliana) and ∆17-desaturase (Phytophthora infestans) were transferred into peanut through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The gas chromatography results indicated that the average content of EPA in the leaves of the transgenic lines was 0.

Phylogeography and Molecular Species Delimitation of n. sp., a New Root-Lesion Nematode in Israel on Pepper ().

Root-lesion nematodes of the genus parasitize the roots of numerous plants and can cause severe damage and yield loss. Here, we report on a new species, n. sp.

Levosimendan in patients with low cardiac output syndrome undergoing cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Levosimendan is an inotropic agent that has been shown in small studies to treat low cardiac output syndrome in cardiac surgery. However, large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been recently published and presented neutral results. We sought to determine the effect of levosimendan on mortality in adults with low ejection fraction undergoing cardiac surgery.

CFTR variants and renal abnormalities in males with congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens (CUAVD): a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Purpose: CFTR variant is the main genetic contributor to congenital (unilateral/bilateral) absence of the vas deferens (CAVD/CUAVD/CBAVD). We performed a systematic review to elucidate the genetic link between CFTR variants, CUAVD, and the associated risk of renal abnormality (RA).

Methods: We searched relevant databases for eligible articles reporting CFTR variants in CUAVD.

Adverse reaction and rational use of paracetamol tablets and its drug content detection based on spectral test.

Paracetamol and amantadine hydrochloride tablet is a commonly used drug to relieve the common cold. Its main ingredient is 4-Acetamidophenol. The safety of acetaminophen containing cold drugs has attracted more and more attention in recent years.