Occupational survey-based evidence of health status and welfare problems of workers with pneumoconiosis in China.

Background: Pneumoconiosis is the most dangerous occupational disease in China. According to unofficial records, nearly million migrant workers were affected by pneumoconiosis in 2011, with the number increasing annually. Among them, a large number of migrant workers suffering from pneumoconiosis were not medically diagnosed.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus-like Particles Produced by a Single Recombinant Baculovirus Generate Anti-S Antibody and Protect against Variant Challenge.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has highlighted the need for the rapid generation of efficient vaccines for emerging disease. Virus-like particles, VLPs, are an established vaccine technology that produces virus-like mimics, based on expression of the structural proteins of a target virus. SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus where the basis of VLP formation has been shown to be the co-expression of the spike, membrane and envelope structural proteins.

Redescription and phylogenetic position of the terrestrial ciliates Gastrostylides dorsicirratus and Heterourosomoida lanceolata (Hypotricha, Dorsomarginalia).

The morphology and infraciliature of two soil hypotrichous ciliates, Heterourosomoida lanceolata (Shibuya, 1930) Singh and Kamra, 2015 and Gastrostylides dorsicirratus (Foissner, 1982) Foissner, 2016, were investigated using live observation and protargol staining. The Chinese population of H. lanceolata differs slightly from other populations in the body size in vivo, the relative length of the adoral zone, the number of right and left marginal cirri, the total number of dorsal bristles, and the number of micronuclei.

Bluetongue virus capsid protein VP5 perforates membranes at low endosomal pH during viral entry.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a non-enveloped virus and causes substantial morbidity and mortality in ruminants such as sheep. Fashioning a receptor-binding protein (VP2) and a membrane penetration protein (VP5) on the surface, BTV releases its genome-containing core (VP3 and VP7) into the host cell cytosol after perforation of the endosomal membrane. Unlike enveloped ones, the entry mechanisms of non-enveloped viruses into host cells remain poorly understood.

Sialic Acid Binding Sites in VP2 of Bluetongue Virus and Their Use during Virus Entry.

Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member of the genus, is transmitted by biting midges (gnats, Culicoides sp.) and is one of the most widespread animal pathogens, causing serious outbreaks in domestic animals, particularly in sheep, with high economic impact. The non-enveloped BTV particle is a double-capsid structure of seven proteins and a genome of 10 double-stranded RNA segments.

Six Cs of pandemic emergency management: A case study of Taiwan's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A review of the disaster literature indicates that emergency responses to pandemics are often understudied; the current COVID-19 crisis provides an important opportunity to improve awareness and understanding about this and other contagious and disruptive diseases. With this in mind, this study examines Taiwan's response to COVID-19 because it was successful in spite of a high probability of contagion. The paper first explores the assertion that cognition, communication, collaboration, and control are vital for effective disaster response; it then indicates the need to consider two additional Cs: confidence (trust of government's competency) and coproduction (public participation in disaster transmission prevention).

The Effects of La Doping on the Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties of NiIn-Type MnCoGeLa (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03) Alloys.

In this experiment, a series of MnCoGeLa (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03) alloy samples were prepared using a vacuum arc melting method.

Nonprofit capacities and emergency management during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from a Taiwan-based international nonprofit organization.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have been struggling to maintain their operations, while others are able to coordinate with partners to provide programs and services locally and globally. This study explores how NPOs are able to survive and actively engage in local and global COVID-19 responses by investigating the organizational capacities of the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Taiwan-based international NPO. This study employs interview data and secondary data from a variety of sources to answer the research questions.

Morphology and molecular phylogeny of a new hypotrich ciliate, Anteholosticha songi nov. spec., and an American population of Holosticha pullaster (Müller, 1773) Foissner et al., 1991 (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia).

A new urostylid ciliate, Anteholosticha songi nov. spec., isolated from forest soil in Tibet, and an American population of Holosticha pullaster (Müller, 1773) Foissner et al.

A novel support vector machine ensemble model for estimation of free lime content in cement clinkers.

Free lime (f-CaO) content is a crucial quality parameter for cement clinkers in rotary cement kiln. Due to lack of hardware sensors, f-CaO content in cement clinker is mostly obtained by offline laboratory measurement, making timely control rather difficult and even impossible. In this work, a soft sensor approach named as support vector machine ensemble (ESVM) model is proposed to estimate f-CaO content.

No time for composting: Subjective time pressure as a barrier to citizen engagement in curbside composting.

Citizen engagement in waste management and recycling programs is crucial in achieving environmental sustainability. Existing studies have explored the determinants of waste management and recycling behavior as well as the adoption of selected waste management and recycling programs at both the individual and organizational levels. However, existing research has not explored, from a civic engagement perspective, why individuals who possess selected waste management and recycling tools fail to use them.

Detecting microstructural white matter abnormalities of frontal pathways in children with ADHD using advanced diffusion models.

Studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have documented alterations in the attention and executive system in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While abnormalities in the frontal lobe have also been reported, the associated white matter fiber bundles have not been investigated comprehensively due to the complexity in tracing them through fiber crossings. Furthermore, most studies have used a non-specific DTI model to understand white matter abnormalities.

The miR155HG/miR-185/ANXA2 loop contributes to glioblastoma growth and progression.

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of astrocytoma among adult brain tumors. Multiple studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in acting as molecular sponge for competing with microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate downstream molecules in tumor progression. We previously reported that miR155 host gene (miR155HG), an lncRNA, and its derivative miR-155 promote epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in glioma.

Fstl1/DIP2A/MGMT signaling pathway plays important roles in temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma.

Temozolomide was recognized as the first-line therapy for glioblastoma to prolong the survival of patients noticeably, while recent clinical studies found that some patients were not sensitive to temozolomide treatment. The possible mechanisms seemed to be methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT), mismatch repair, PARP, etc. And the abnormal expression of MGMT might be the most direct factor.

Mapping the pH Sensors Critical for Host Cell Entry by a Complex Nonenveloped Virus.

Bluetongue virus (BTV), in the family , is an insect-borne, double-capsid virus causing hemorrhagic disease in livestock around the world. Here, we elucidate how outer capsid proteins VP2 and VP5 coordinate cell entry of BTV. To identify key functional residues, we used atomic-level structural data to guide mutagenesis of VP2 and VP5 and a series of biological and biochemical approaches, including site-directed mutagenesis, reverse genetics-based virus recovery, expression and characterization of individual recombinant mutant proteins, and various and assays.

MiRNA-139-3p inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration of human glioma cells by targeting MDA-9/syntenin.

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Although these tumors are aggressive and frequently lethal, there are currently few therapeutic approaches available to prolong patient survival. MicroRNAs play important roles in regulating the expression of genes that control diverse cellular processes.

Exosomal transfer of miR-151a enhances chemosensitivity to temozolomide in drug-resistant glioblastoma.

Chemoresistance blunts the effect of Temozolomide (TMZ) in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Whether exosomal transfer of miRNAs derived from TMZ-resistant GBM cells could confer TMZ resistance remains to be determined. qPCR was used to determine miR-151a expression in two TMZ-resistant GBM cell lines.

Morphology, morphogenesis, and phylogeny of an Anteholosticha intermedia (Ciliophora, Urostylida) population from the United States.

A distinct population of Anteholosticha intermedia was isolated from soil in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, USA, and its morphology, morphogenesis and molecular phylogeny investigated by microscopic observations of live and protargol-prepared specimens and analyses of the sequence of small subunit (SSU) rDNA. Our population closely resembles the populations from Austria and Korea. Members of the genus Anteholosticha have been regarded as ontogenetically diverse, which is confirmed by the present work.

RelB, a good prognosis predictor, links cell-cycle and migration to glioma tumorigenesis.

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) exhibits an important role in inflammation and tumorigenesis. The key regulatory protein of the pathway, RELB Proto-Oncogene, NF-KB Subunit (relB), is overexpressed and associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of malignant tumors. However, the molecular features and clinical signature of relB expression in gliomas remains to be elucidated.

Suprathreshold fiber cluster statistics: Leveraging white matter geometry to enhance tractography statistical analysis.

This work presents a suprathreshold fiber cluster (STFC) method that leverages the whole brain fiber geometry to enhance statistical group difference analyses. The proposed method consists of 1) a well-established study-specific data-driven tractography parcellation to obtain white matter tract parcels and 2) a newly proposed nonparametric, permutation-test-based STFC method to identify significant differences between study populations. The basic idea of our method is that a white matter parcel's neighborhood (nearby parcels with similar white matter anatomy) can support the parcel's statistical significance when correcting for multiple comparisons.

The EZH2 inhibitor GSK343 suppresses cancer stem-like phenotypes and reverses mesenchymal transition in glioma cells.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the catalytic unit of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) which epigenetically silences many genes involved in tumor-suppressive mechanisms via the trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3). We recently found that overexpression of EZH2 was associated with poor outcome of glioblastoma (GBM). In this study, we examined the antitumor effects of the EZH2 inhibitor GSK343 on glioma cells and .

EZH2 alteration driven by microRNA-524-5p and microRNA-324-5p promotes cell proliferation and temozolomide resistance in glioma.

Recent data have been shown that EZH2 is a critical oncogene via the repression of tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. In our study, we performed a genome-wide miRNA screen with a bioinformatics analysis to identify EZH2 specific miRNAs. Of these miRNAs, miR-524-5p and miR-324-5p were decreased in glioma tissues, and confered poor prognosis for glioma patients.

MicroRNA-520d-5p inhibits human glioma cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest by directly targeting PTTG1.

Glioma accounts for the majority of primary malignant brain tumors in adults and is highly aggressive. Although various therapeutic approaches have been applied, outcomes of glioma treatment remain poor. Acquiring a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms is essential to the design of effective therapeutic strategies.

MicroRNA-141-3p promotes glioma cell growth and temozolomide resistance by directly targeting p53.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary malignancy in the brain and confers a uniformly poor prognosis. MicroRNAs have been shown to activate or inhibit tumorigenesis. Abnormalities in the p53 signaling pathway are found in various cancers and correlate with tumor formation.

MicroRNA-105 inhibits human glioma cell malignancy by directly targeting SUZ12.

Glioma accounts for the majority of primary malignant brain tumors in adults and is highly aggressive. Although various therapeutic approaches have been applied, outcomes of glioma treatment remain poor. MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that function as regulators of gene expression.