Synthesis of porous starch xerogels modified with mercaptosuccinic acid to remove hazardous gardenia yellow.

Mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) molecules were inserted into potato starch, leading to the breaking of intrinsic H-bonds within macromolecular chains of starch and the formation of intermolecular H-bonds between MSA and starch, which could be verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-TR). MSA modified porous starch xerogels (PSX/MSA) were obtained after freeze-drying the MSA modified starch, and they were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), exhibiting the intriguing porous structure due to the separation of starch chains by MSA molecules. The PSX/MSA were then used as the adsorbents to remove gardenia yellow (GY), a natural colorant with genotoxicity.

[Identification and expression pattern of cathepsin family in silkworm (Bombyx mori)].

Silkworm is a holometabolous insect of Lepidoptera. During metamorphosis, significant morphological changes happen including the dissociation of old tissues and remodeling of new tissues. It has been reported that cathepsins are involved in these processes.

Quantum Hall effect in black phosphorus two-dimensional electron system.

The development of new, high-quality functional materials has been at the forefront of condensed-matter research. The recent advent of two-dimensional black phosphorus has greatly enriched the materials base of two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs). Here, we report the observation of the integer quantum Hall effect in a high-quality black phosphorus 2DES.

Human embryonic stem cells derived from abnormal blastocyst donated by Marfan syndrome patient.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line was derived from abnormal blastocyst donated by Marfan syndrome patient after preimpantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment. DNA sequencing analysis confirmed that the hESC line carried the heterozygous deletion mutation, c.3536delA, of FBN1 gene.

[Body composition investigation of 2321 Shenzhen government and enterprise staffs].

Objective: To understand the laws of human body composition change and the status of the overweight and obesity of government and enterprise staffs.

Methods: In July 2013 - January 2014, 2321 adults more than 20-year-old healthy check-up crowd with complete human body composition and height as well as weight data in a medical center in Shenzhen were collected by convenience sampling method.

Results: The overweight rates of male and female were 46.

Epigenetic inactivation of follistatin-like 1 mediates tumor immune evasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Follistatin like-1 (FSTL1) is a secreted glycoprotein involved in a series of physiological and pathological processes. However, its contribution to the development of cancer, especially the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), remains to be elucidated. We aimed to investigate the dysregulation of FSTL1 and its possible function in NPC.

Tailored Therapy Versus Empiric Chosen Treatment for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Meta-Analysis.

Although various regimens are empirically accepted for Helicobacter pylori eradication, the efficacy might be declined by multiple individual factors. The necessity of a personalized eradication therapy still remains controversial. The aim of the study was to compare tailored therapy with empiric chosen regimens.

Prognostic role of the long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 in various cancers: A meta-analysis.

Several studies have investigated the correlation between the expression of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) and cancer prognosis, with inconsistent results. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to identify the potential correlation after pooling data from eligible studies. PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched for eligible studies on the prognostic role of MALAT1 in cancer, from inception to January, 2015.

Alternative Use of DNA Binding Domains by the Neurospora White Collar Complex Dictates Circadian Regulation and Light Responses.

In the Neurospora circadian system, the White Collar complex (WCC) of WC-1 and WC-2 drives transcription of the circadian pacemaker gene frequency (frq), whose gene product, FRQ, as a part of the FRQ-FRH complex (FFC), inhibits its own expression. The WCC is also the principal Neurospora photoreceptor; WCC-mediated light induction of frq resets the clock, and all acute light induction is triggered by WCC binding to promoters of light-induced genes. However, not all acutely light-induced genes are also clock regulated, and conversely, not all clock-regulated direct targets of WCC are light induced; the structural determinants governing the shift from WCC's dark circadian role to its light activation role are poorly described.

Potential Role of Circulating MiR-21 in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Digestive System Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Recent evidences indicate that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit aberrant expression in the plasma of patients suffering from cancer compared to normal individuals, suggesting that it may be a useful noninvasion diagnostic method. MiR-21 plays crucial roles in carcinogenesis and can be served as a biomarker for the detection of various cancers. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the potential role of miR-21 for digestive system cancer.

Integrative Proteomics and Metabolomics Analysis of Insect Larva Brain: Novel Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of Insect Wandering Behavior.

Before metamorphosis, most holometabolous insects, such as the silkworm studied here, undergo a special phase called the wandering stage. Insects in this stage often display enhanced locomotor activity (ELA). ELA is vital because it ensures that the insect finds a safe and suitable place to live through the pupal stage.

Clinical role of circulating miR-223 as a novel biomarker in early diagnosis of cancer patients.

Background: Current diagnostic procedures of cancers are invasive and non-specific. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have become promising molecular markers for gastric cancer (GC) predication. However, there have been inconsistencies in the literature regarding the suitability of circulating miRNAs for early detection of cancers.

Alcohol intake and Helicobacter pylori infection: a dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies.

Unlabelled: Background Alcohol intake has been suggested to have an impact on the development of many chronic diseases. How alcohol intake may modulate risk of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, however, remains a subject open for investigation.

Epigenetic downregulation of the ISG15-conjugating enzyme UbcH8 impairs lipolysis and correlates with poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

We identified the UBE2L6 gene, encoding the ISG15-conjugating enzyme UbcH8, as one gene significantly downregulated by promoter hypermethylation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Reduced expression of the UbcH8 protein correlated with poor outcome in NPC patients. Restored expression of UBE2L6 suppressed proliferation and colony formation in NPC cells, while inducing apoptosis.

Lymphocyte CD64 increased in patients with chronic HBV infection.

CD64 was up-regulated in infection diseases, but there was no report about the change of CD64 in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a dynamic change of CD 64 index and to judge the value to antiviral treatment. 96 CHB patients were enrolled and selected 33 healthy adults as control.

Multidimensional endotypes of asthma: topological data analysis of cross-sectional clinical, pathological, and immunological data.

Background: Incomplete understanding of mechanisms and clinicopathobiological heterogeneity in asthma hinders research progress. Pathogenic roles for T-helper-type 17 (Th17) cells and invariant T cells implied by murine data have yet to be assessed in man. We aimed to investigate the role of Th17 and mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in airway inflammation; to characterise associations between diverse clinical and immunological features of asthma; and to identify novel multidimensional asthma endotypes.

Regulatory T cells and IL-17(+) T helper cells enhanced in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis B is a worldwide infectious disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV), it leaded to millions of deaths every year, HBV mainly through immune response to damage liver cells. The purpose of this study was to judge the value of Regulatory T cells (Treg) and IL-17(+) T helper cells (Th17) in different chronic HBV infection stages. 96 patients with chronic HBV infection were enrolled and selected 33 healthy adults as control.

Detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Morocco (North Africa) using a multiplex methylation-specific PCR biomarker assay.

Background: Silencing of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) or activation of oncogenes by, e.g., aberrant promoter methylation, may be early events during carcinogenesis.

Cytochrome b5 reductase 2 suppresses tumor formation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by attenuating angiogenesis.

Background: Cytochrome b5 reductase 2 (CYB5R2) is a potential tumor suppressor that inhibits cell proliferation and motility in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Inactivation of CYB5R2 is associated with lymph node metastasis in NPC. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms contributing to the anti-neoplastic effects of CYB5R2.

Sustained Changes of Treg and Th17 Cells During Interferon-α Therapy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a worldwide infectious disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV mainly damages liver cells through immune response. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were dynamic changes of Treg and Th17 cells and to judge the value of these indicators to antiviral treatment.

A Statistical Analysis of Term Occurrences in Radiology Reporting.

To compare term occurrences in free-text radiology reports and RSNA reporting templates, we selected five templates from an RSNA reporting template library and their corresponding free-text reports as a test set, and employed the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to find out whether the terms in RSNA reporting templates match those terms appearing in corresponding free-text radiology reports. The results show that most terms in free-text radiology reports are covered by RSNA reporting templates. By assessing the terminology coverage of existing templates, this study may benefit the growth of the RSNA reporting template library.

MiR-141 Inhibits Gastric Cancer Proliferation by Interacting with Long Noncoding RNA MEG3 and Down-Regulating E2F3 Expression.

Background: MiR-141 and long noncoding RNA MEG3 have been independently reported to be tumor suppressor genes in various cancers. However, their expression has never been previously associated with gastric cancer (GC).

Aims: To investigate the interaction of miR-141 and MEG3 in GC.

Bi-content micro-collagen chip provides contractility-based biomechanical readout for phenotypic drug screening with expanded and profiled targets.

Phenotypic screening has regained momentum in the pharmaceutical industry owing to its success over target-based screening. Most phenotypic screening relies on nonspecific biochemical readouts regarding cellular viability, which hampers the discovery of novel drug mechanisms of action (MOAs). Here we present a Contractility-based bi-Content micro-Collagen Chip (3CChip), which establishes cellular contractility as a biomechanics-related phenotype for drug screening.

[Expression of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase from Bombyx mori by baculovirus expression system].

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (Serca) is responsible for transporting Ca2+ into the endoplasmic reticulum and maintaining a suitable calcium environment in cells. The suitable calcium environment created by BmSerca is vital for the growth and development of silkworm. With a large molecular weight and 10 transmembrane domains, Serca is very difficult to express in Escherichia coli expression system.

The Interaction Between MiR-141 and lncRNA-H19 in Regulating Cell Proliferation and Migration in Gastric Cancer.

Background/aims: Non-coding RNAs including miRNA and lncRNA had been reported to regulate gene expression and were both related to cancer progression. MicroRNA-141 (miR-141) has been reported to play a role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and H19 has also been demonstrated to promote malignancy in various cancers. We aimed to determine the correlation between miR-141 and H19 and their roles in gastric cancer in this study.