Fuxianhuiid ventral nerve cord and early nervous system evolution in Panarthropoda.

Panarthropods are typified by disparate grades of neurological organization reflecting a complex evolutionary history. The fossil record offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct early character evolution of the nervous system via exceptional preservation in extinct representatives. Here we describe the neurological architecture of the ventral nerve cord (VNC) in the upper-stem group euarthropod Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (South China).

Seven major genomic deletions of vaccinia virus Tiantan strain are sufficient to decrease pathogenicity.

Attenuated strain TTVAC7, as a multi-gene-deleted vaccinia virus Tiantan strain (VTT), was constructed by knocking out parts of non-essential genes related to virulence, host range and immunomodulation of VTT, and by combining double marker screening with exogenous selectable marker knockout techniques. In this study, shuttle vector plasmids pTC-EGFP, pTA35-EGFP, pTA66-EGFP, pTE-EGFP, pTB-EGFP, pTI-EGFP and pTJ-EGFP were constructed, which contained seven pairs of recombinant arms linked to the early and late strong promoter pE/L, as well as to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as an exogenous selectable marker. BHK cells were co-transfected/infected successively with the above plasmids and VTT or gene-deleted VTT, and homologous recombination and fluorescence plaque screening methods were used to knock out the gene fragments (TC: TC7L ∼ TK2L; TA35: TA35L; TA66: TA66R; TE: TE3L ∼ TE4L; TB: TB13R; TI: TI4L; TJ: TJ2R).

IL-6 Plays a Crucial Role in HBV Infection.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine mainly produced by activated monocytes, has broad pleiotropic actions that affect the functions of a variety of lymphoid cells. The roles of IL-6 in regulating immunity to infections are currently being defined. Remarkably, IL-6-mediated cellular and humoral immune responses play a crucial role in determining the outcome of viral infection.

The association between three IL-6 polymorphisms and HBV-related liver diseases: a meta-analysis.

Background: A quantity of case-control studies have been performed to address the association between the three interleukin-6 (IL-6) polymorphisms (-572G/C, -597G/A and -174G/C) and the risk of HBV related liver diseases. However, previous research results are inconsistent. We conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the correlation between these IL-6 polymorphisms and HBV related liver diseases.

Towards determining the afferent sites of perception feedback on residual arms of amputees with transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

The coordination and combination of motion and sensation are critical to realize a natural and precise control of prosthetic hands. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) is one of possible methods to develop an intuitive perception feedback for limb amputees. However, the perception afferent sites would be a critical issue that is still unexplored in depth.

The Effect of Viscous Air Damping on an Optically Actuated Multilayer MoS₂ Nanomechanical Resonator Using Fabry-Perot Interference.

We demonstrated a multilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanomechanical resonator by using optical Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometric excitation and detection. The thin circular MoS₂ nanomembrane with an approximate 8-nm thickness was transferred onto the endface of a ferrule with an inner diameter of 125 μm, which created a low finesse F-P interferometer with a cavity length of 39.92 μm.

Decreased expression of long non-coding RNA GAS5 indicates a poor prognosis and promotes cell proliferation and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating vimentin.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Recent studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key in carcinogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of lncRNA GAS5 in HCC tissues and to define the role of growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) in the regulation of hepatoma cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis.

SAP deficiency mitigated atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE(-/-) mice.

Objective: Serum amyloid P conpoent (SAP), a member of the pentraxin family, interact with pathogens and cell debris to promote their removal by macrophages and neutrophils and is co-localized with atherosclerotic plaques in patients. However, the exact mechanism of SAP in atherogenesis is still unclear. We investigated whether SAP influence macrophage recruitment and foam cell formation and ultimately affect atherosclerotic progression.

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a multifunctional cytokine with both immunosuppressive and anti-angiogenic properties and it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cancer. A number of studies have examined the association between its promoter -1082/-819/-592 polymorphism and risk of lung cancer. However, the results are inconsistent and inconclusive.

A Graphene-Based Bimorph Structure for Design of High Performance Photoactuators.

A photoactuator based on a tubular-shaped graphene composite bimorph is fabricated and shows reversible photoactuation with fast response and large deformation (deformation angle of ca. 479° in only 3.6 s), which is mostly attributed to the interfacial thermal stress.

Pulsed 980 nm short wavelength infrared neural stimulation in cochlea and laser parameter effects on auditory response characteristics.

Background: Auditory neural stimulation with pulsed infrared radiation has been proposed as an alternative method to activate the auditory nerves in vivo. Infrared wavelengths from 1800-2150 nm with high water absorption were mainly selected in previous studies. However, few researchers have used the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) for auditory nerve stimulation and limited pulse parameters variability has been investigated so far.

Anti-thyroid drug-induced lupus: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a case of drug-induced lupus (DIL) on a Chinese woman caused by methimazole (MMI). This report discusses DIL associated with MMI and briefly reviewed the literature concerning to anti-thyroid DIL.

Feed-Forward Reciprocal Activation of PAFR and STAT3 Regulates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR), a G-protein-coupled receptor, has been implicated in tumorigenesis, but its contributions to metastatic progression have not been investigated. Here, we show that PAFR is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as in breast, colorectal, and gastric carcinomas. Expression of PAFR correlates closely with clinical stages, survival time, and distant metastasis.

Activation of Slit2-Robo1 signaling promotes liver fibrosis.

Background & Aims: The secretory protein Slit2 and its receptor Robo1 are believed to regulate cell growth and migration. Here, we aimed to determine whether Slit2-Robo1 signaling mediates the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.

Methods: Serum levels of Slit2 in patients with liver fibrosis were determined by ELISA.

Deficiency of NOX1 or NOX4 Prevents Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Mice through Inhibition of Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) play a key role in liver injury and fibrosis. Previous studies demonstrated that GKT137831, a dual NOX1/4 inhibitor, attenuated liver fibrosis in mice as well as pro-fibrotic genes in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) as well as hepatocyte apoptosis. The effect of NOX1 and NOX4 deficiency in liver fibrosis is unclear, and has never been directly compared.

Portable Detection of Melamine in Milk Using a Personal Glucose Meter Based on an in Vitro Selected Structure-Switching Aptamer.

Melamine detection in milk and other foods has attracted much attention since the discovery that melamine-adulterated food causes severe kidney damage. Although many methods have been developed to detect melamine, few methods can provide quantitative results using an affordable and portable device that is suitable for home use or field application. To achieve this goal, we herein report the first in vitro selection of a melamine responsive aptamer using a structure-switching method.

A Reconfigurable Sound Wave Decomposition Filterbank for Hearing Aids Based on Nonlinear Transformation.

Hearing impaired people have their own hearing loss characteristics and listening preferences. Therefore hearing aid system should become more natural, humanized and personalized, which requires the filterbank in hearing aids provides flexible sound wave decomposition schemes, so that patients are likely to use the most suitable scheme for their own hearing compensation strategy. In this paper, a reconfigurable sound wave decomposition filterbank is proposed.

A superarmored lobopodian from the Cambrian of China and early disparity in the evolution of Onychophora.

We describe Collinsium ciliosum from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte in South China, an armored lobopodian with a remarkable degree of limb differentiation including a pair of antenna-like appendages, six pairs of elongate setiferous limbs for suspension feeding, and nine pairs of clawed annulated legs with an anchoring function. Collinsium belongs to a highly derived clade of lobopodians within stem group Onychophora, distinguished by a substantial dorsal armature of supernumerary and biomineralized spines (Family Luolishaniidae). As demonstrated here, luolishaniids display the highest degree of limb specialization among Paleozoic lobopodians, constitute more than one-third of the overall morphological disparity of stem group Onychophora, and are substantially more disparate than crown group representatives.

An UPLC-MS/MS method for the quantitation of vortioxetine in rat plasma: Application to a pharmacokinetic study.

In this work, a simple, sensitive and fast ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of vortioxetine in rat plasma. Plasma samples were processed with a protein precipitation. The separation was achieved by an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (2.

Performance analysis of the beam shaping method on optical auditory neural stimulation in vivo.

Previous research has shown that infrared neural stimulation (INS) could be an alternative approach to evoke auditory neural activities. The laser beam property of the fiber output is a considerable aspect of INS, and the corresponding effects on auditory responses in vivo deserve further discussions. The paper presents a beam-shaped infrared laser stimulation method of auditory nerves.

Antidepressant-like effects of oleoylethanolamide in a mouse model of chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is an endocannabinoid analog that belongs to a family of endogenous acylethanolamides. Increasing evidence suggests that OEA may act as an endogenous neuroprotective factor and participate in the control of mental disorder-related behaviors. In this study, we examined whether OEA is effective against depression and investigated the role of circulating endogenous acylethanolamides during stress.

Dasatinib enhances cisplatin sensitivity in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells via suppression of PI3K/AKT and Stat3 pathways.

The clinical efficacy of cisplatin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treatment remains undesirable. Src, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase involved in multiple fields of tumorigenesis, recently has been indicated as a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of solid tumors including ESCC. However, whether inhibition of Src activity can increase cisplatin efficacy in ESCC cells remains unknown.

Gapped domain walls, gapped boundaries, and topological degeneracy.

Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between (2+1)D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which (2+1)D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely, which (1+1)D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness.

P-selectin-mediated platelet adhesion promotes tumor growth.

Blood platelets foster carcinogenesis. We found that platelets are accumulated in human tumors. P-selectin deficiency and soluble P-selectin abolish platelet deposition within tumors, decreasing secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenesis, thereby suppressing tumor growth.

Detection of protein biomarker using a blood glucose meter.

mHeath technologies are recognized to play important roles in the future of personal care and medicine. However, their full potentials have not been reached, as most of current technologies are restricted to monitoring physical and behavioral parameters, such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and physical movement, while direct monitoring of biomarkers in body fluids can provide much more accurate and useful information for medical diagnostics. A major barrier to realizing the full potential of mHealth is the high costs and long cycles of developing mHealth devices capable of monitoring biomarkers in body fluids.