Lymphopenia associated with whole-brain radiotherapy and its effects on clinical outcomes of patients with brain metastases.

There is increasing awareness of radiotherapy's potential side effects, such as lymphopenia. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the association between WBRT and the development of lymphopenia in patients with brain metastases undergoing brain radiotherapy (RT), along with evaluating the corresponding clinical outcomes. Including 116 patients with brain metastases undergoing brain radiotherapy, the study collected the absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) within 2 weeks before brain radiotherapy (pre-radiotherapy, pre-RT), as well as ones at 1 and 2 months after completing RT (post-RT).

Geometric constraint-triggered collagen expression mediates bacterial-host adhesion.

Cells living in geometrically confined microenvironments are ubiquitous in various physiological processes, e.g., wound closure.

Hydrogel-based patient-friendly photodynamic therapy of oral potentially malignant disorders.

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are precursor lesions with an increased risk of malignant transformation. Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated by 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) (ALA-PDT) is a promising therapeutic method in the treatment of OPMDs. However, the clinical application of topical ALA-PDT is restricted by several limitations, including low delivery efficiency, poor comfort, and easy influence by saliva.

Strong underwater adhesion of injectable hydrogels triggered by diffusion of small molecules.

It is challenging for injectable hydrogels to achieve high underwater adhesiveness. Based on this concern, we report a fully physically crosslinked injectable hydrogel composed of gelatin, tea polyphenols and urea, capable of realising smart adhesion to various materials, like glass and porcine skin, in diverse aqueous environments. The urea molecules are designed as crosslinking disruptors for interfering with the formation of hydrogen bonds in the hydrogel, therefore modulating its crosslinking density and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, toughness and adhesive strength.

Specific detection of glucose by an optical weak measurement sensor.

Diabetes is an important public health problem and finding quick testing methods with high accuracy, reliability, and convenience are important to control the blood glucose of diabetic patients. In this study, a sensor based on a weak measurement scheme was developed for the specific detection of glucose for the first time. The detection of glucose using the proposed method was completed by the high sensitivity and resolution of the weak measurement based on optical rotation detection, as well as the change in the optical rotation before and after the specific oxidation of glucose.

The Treatment Effect of Protamine on Severe Coagulopathy in Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: Case Reports and Literature Review.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening disease, which is characterized by severe systemic inflammation with cytokine storm as well as histologic evidence of hemophagocytosis. Besides, coagulopathy and hemorrhages are two common severe complications in HLH patients. Recent literatures indicate that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is one of the important triggers for the disease.

Nrf2/ARE pathway activation is involved in negatively regulating heat-induced apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Hyperthermia, particularly in combination with chemoradiotherapy, is widely used to treat various cancers. However, hyperthermia treatment is often insufficient due to thermo-tolerance. To date, the detailed mechanism underlying thermo-tolerance has not been clarified.

One-step synthesis of amine-functionalized fluorescent silicon nanoparticles for copper(II) ion detection.

Amine-functionalized silicon nanoparticles (A-SiNPs) with intense green fluorescence and photostability are synthesized via a one-step, low-cost hydrothermal method under mild conditions using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as a silicon source and L-ascorbic acid (AA) as a reducing reagent. The amine-rich surface not only improves water dispersability and stability of the A-SiNPs but also offers a specific copper(II) ion (Cu) coordination capability. The as-prepared A-SiNPs can be directly employed for Cu detection in "turn-off" mode, resulting from Cu coordination-induced fluorescence quenching effect.

The association between IGF1 Gene 3'-UTR polymorphisms and cancer risk: A Meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene three prime untranslated region (3'-UTR) polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with cancer risk. However, the conclusions of the relevant studies are not consistent. The present meta-analysis evaluates the relationship between IGF1 gene 3'-UTR polymorphisms (rs5742714, rs6214, and rs6220) and cancer risk.

Fast Start-Up Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cells With Serpentine Microchannel.

Microfluidic microbial fuel cells (MMFCs) are promising green power sources for future ultra-small electronic devices. The MMFCs with co-laminar microfluidic structure are superior to other MMFCs according to their low internal resistance and relative high power density. However, the area for interfacial electron transfer between the bacteria and the anode is quite limited in the typical Y-shaped device, which apparently restricts the current generation performance.

Optimization of a quantum weak measurement system with digital filtering technology.

In this paper, we propose a post-Gaussian filtering theory for weak measurement in the frequency domain, and propose a highly deformed digital filtering technique that can be used to optimize sensors based on weak-frequency measurement techniques. We completed the experimental verification based on the weak measurement total internal reflection sensor. The experimental results show that digital filtering technology can optimize the system in the working range, sensitivity, and resolution of the frequency domain weak measurement system, so that it can reach 0.

Optimization of a quantum weak measurement system with its working areas.

Phase-sensitive weak measurement systems have been receiving an increasing amount of attention. In this paper, we introduce a series of weak measurement working areas. By adjusting the pre-selection and post-selection states and the total phase difference between vertically polarized light and horizontally polarized light, the measurement of the weak value is amplified by several times in one system.

The association between IGF1 gene rs1520220 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis based on 12,884 cases and 58,304 controls.

Background: The rs1520220 polymorphism in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene has been reported to affect cancer susceptibly in several studies. However, the results of the relevant studies are inconsistent. We conduct a current meta-analysis to investigate the association between rs1520220 and cancer susceptibly.

Dual-spectra encoded suspension array using reversed-phase microemulsion UV curing and electrostatic self-assembling.

The rapid growth of demand for high-throughput multiplexed biochips from modern biotechnology has led to growing interest in suspension array based on multi-channel encoded microbeads. We prepare dual-spectra encoded PEGDA microbeads (DSEPM) by reversed-phase microemulsion UV curing method and layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly method. Excitation of the synthesized DSEPM results in two spectra, including fluorescence spectra from quantum dots and laser induced breakdown spectra from nanoparticles with specific elements.

A high-resolution colorimetric immunoassay platform realized by coupling enzymatic multicolor generation with smartphone readout.

A high-resolution colorimetric immunoassay platform has been developed based on enzyme-catalyzed multicolor generation and smartphone-assisted signal readout. The multi-color generation is accomplished in this system through the urease-catalyzed urea hydrolysis-induced color change of the pH indicator phenol red, from yellow to orange to red over pH 6.6 to 8.

The association between BRCA1 gene polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Many studies have reported that BRCA1 polymorphisms are associated with cancer risk, but the results remain controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the relationship between BRCA1 polymorphisms (rs799917, rs1799950, rs1799966, or rs16941) and cancer risk. Relevant studies were identified via a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to July 31, 2017.

Bombesin receptor-activated protein regulates neutrophil elastase-induced mucin5AC hypersecretion in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Bombesin receptor-activated protein (BRAP) is highly expressed in human bronchial epithelial cells. Recent studies have shown that BRAP reduces oxidative stress, inhibits airway inflammation and suppresses nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) activity. Mucus overproduction is an important feature in patients with chronic inflammatory airway diseases.

Inhibition of autophagy enhances heat-induced apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer cells through ER stress pathways.

The occurrence and mechanisms of autophagy induced by heat stress are not well known in lung cancer cells. Here, we have demonstrated that heat stress induces autophagy in A549 and NCI-H460 cells through morphological and biochemical analyses. The inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine, 3-methyladenine and Beclin 1 siRNA enhanced heat-induced apoptosis.

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein mediates cold air inducible airway mucin production through TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Mucus overproduction is an important feature in patients with chronic inflammatory airway diseases and cold air stimulation has been shown to be associated with the severity of these diseases. However, the regulatory mechanisms that mediate excessive mucin production under cold stress remain elusive. Recently, the cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) has been shown to be markedly induced after exposure to cold air.

Cold-inducible RNA binding protein regulates mucin expression induced by cold temperatures in human airway epithelial cells.

Mucus overproduction is an important manifestation of chronic airway inflammatory diseases, however, the mechanisms underlying the association between cold air and mucus overproduction remain unknown. We found that the expression of the cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRP) was increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the present study, we tested whether CIRP was involved in inflammatory factors and mucin5AC (MUC5AC) expression after cold stimulation and investigated the potential signaling pathways involved in this process.

Acid-induced autophagy protects human lung cancer cells from apoptosis by activating ER stress.

An acidic tumor microenvironment exists widely in solid tumors. However, the detailed mechanism of cell survival under acidic stress remains unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify whether acid-induced autophagy exists and to determine the function and mechanism of autophagy in lung cancer cells.

Single-cell exome sequencing reveals single-nucleotide mutation characteristics of a kidney tumor.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common kidney cancer and has very few mutations that are shared between different patients. To better understand the intratumoral genetics underlying mutations of ccRCC, we carried out single-cell exome sequencing on a ccRCC tumor and its adjacent kidney tissue. Our data indicate that this tumor was unlikely to have resulted from mutations in VHL and PBRM1.

Ultrasound microbubbles enhance recombinant adeno-associated virus vector delivery to retinal ganglion cells in vivo.

Rationale And Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction enhances the transduction efficiency of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene into retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of rats and whether it causes relevant adverse effects.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-two adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups with different ultrasound powers, and retinal flat mounts and hematoxylin and eosin staining sections were made for optimization of parameters. A further 70 adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups randomly.

[Construction of plasmid stably expressing shRNA and inhibition of HBV replication and expression].

Aim: To construct the vector stably expressing small hair RNA(shRNA) and investigate the effect of shRNA expressed with DNA vector on HBV replication and expression.

Methods: The vector expressing shRNA designated pU6 was constructed by U6 promoter. The sequence of shRNA targeting on specific region of HBV genome against HBV was designed and synthesized, then cloned into pU6.