Learning meaningful representation of single-neuron morphology via large-scale pre-training.

Summary: Single-neuron morphology, the study of the structure, form, and shape of a group of specialized cells in the nervous system, is of vital importance to define the type of neurons, assess changes in neuronal development and aging and determine the effects of brain disorders and treatments. Despite the recent surge in the amount of available neuron morphology reconstructions due to advancements in microscopy imaging, existing computational and deep learning methods for modeling neuron morphology have been limited in both scale and accuracy. In this paper, we propose MorphRep, a model for learning meaningful representation of neuron morphology pre-trained with over 250 000 existing neuron morphology data.

Galactose-based polymer-containing phenylboronic acid as carriers for insulin delivery.

The galactose-based polymer is a promising drug delivery material. Herein, a new galactose-based block copolymer, termed as 6-O-vinyl sebacic acid-D-galactopyranosyl ester block 3-acrylamide phenylboric acid p(OVNG-b-AAPBA) was successfully synthesized by 'block copolymer' method. The structure of p(OVNG-b-AAPBA) was proved by nuclear magnetic hydrogen spectrum (1 HNMR) and infrared (IR), the thermal stability was observed by thermogravimetric analyzer, and the molecular weights (Mw and Mn) were demonstrated by Gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Fabrication of ultrasmall WS quantum dots-coated periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles for intracellular drug delivery and synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy.

Introduction: The consolidation of different therapies into a single nanoplatform has shown great promise for synergistic tumor treatment. In this study, a multifunctional platform by WS quantum dots (WQDs)-coated doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs-DOX@WQDs) nanoparticles were fabricated for the first time, and which exhibits good potential for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy.

Materials And Methods: The structure, light-mediated drug release behavior, photothermal effect, and synergistic therapeutic efficiency of PMOs-DOX@WQDs to HCT-116 colon cancer cells were investigated.

Heat shock factor 2 is associated with the occurrence of lung cancer by enhancing the expression of heat shock proteins.

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly lung cancer. Heat shock proteins and their upstream heat shock factors are involved in the occurrence of cancer and have been widely researched. However, the role of heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) in lung cancer remains unclear.

Quantitative assessment of the diagnostic role of CDH13 promoter methylation in lung cancer.

In order to explore the association between cadherin 13 (CDH13) gene promoter methylation and lung carcinoma (LC) risk, we carried out a meta-analysis with searching of PubMed, Web of Science. Ultimately, 17 articles were identified and analysised by STATA 12.0 software.

A novel neurotoxin from venom of the spider, Brachypelma albopilosum.

Spiders have evolved highly selective toxins for insects. There are many insecticidal neurotoxins in spider venoms. Although a large amount of work has been done to focus on neurotoxicity of spider components, little information, which is related with effects of spider toxins on tumor cell proliferation and cytotoxicity, is available for Brachypelma albopilosum venom.

Meta-analysis of the MDM2 T309G polymorphism and gastric cancer risk.

Background: Mdm2 binds to the amino-terminus of p53 to induce its degradation and a single nucleotide polymorphism in the MDM2 promoter region (T309G) has been reported to increase the risk of several carcinomas, such as gastric cancer. However, the results of published studies to analyze the association between MDM2 T309G and gastric cancer havve often conflicted.

Methods: To better illustrate the filiation between MDM2 T309G and gastric cancer, we performed a meta-analysis.

Lentivirus-mediated shRNA interference targeting cyclooxygenase-2 inhibits growth of human non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), one isoform of cyclooxygenase proinflammatory enzymes, plays an important role in tumor development and progression. Researches of human cancers have revealed high expression levels of COX-2 in a variety of cancers including lung cancer. The mechanism of COX-2 in the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells is not well understood.