The relationships between cochlear nerve health and AzBio sentence scores in quiet and noise in postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant users.

Objectives: This study investigated the relationships between the cochlear nerve (CN) health and sentence-level speech perception outcomes measured in quiet and noise in postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant (CI) users.

Design: Study participants included 24 postlingually deafened adult CI users with a Cochlear Nucleus device. For each participant, only one ear was tested.

A Novel Delivery Approach of Clinical Inner Ear Gene Therapy.

Background: To create and develop a delivery approach for clinical inner ear gene therapy, we conducted a study of trans-round window membrane (RWM) microinjection using a pipetting microneedle via transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES).

Methods: The implementation of the trans-RWM microinjection surgery involved seven cadaveric specimens, and the surgical procedures and the pipetting microneedle were developed and optimized. The TEES procedures included tympanic cavity visualization, RWM exposure, stapes footplate perforation, and trans-RWM microinjection.

Contrastive adaptation effects along a voice-nonvoice continuum.

Adaptation to the environment is a universal property of perception across all sensory modalities. It can enhance the salience of new events in an ongoing background and helps maintain perceptual constancy in the face of variable sensory input. Several contrastive adaptation effects have been identified using sounds within the categories of human voice and musical instruments.

HMGB3 and SUB1 Bind to and Facilitate the Repair of -Alkylguanine Lesions in DNA.

-Alkyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (-alkyl-dG) is a major type of minor-groove DNA lesions arising from endogenous metabolic processes and exogenous exposure to environmental contaminants. The -alkyl-dG lesions, if left unrepaired, can block DNA replication and transcription and induce mutations in these processes. Nevertheless, the repair pathways for -alkyl-dG lesions remain incompletely elucidated.

Assessment of Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation During Long-Term Exposure to High Altitude in Normal Subjects by Ultrasonography.

Purpose: To evaluate changes in dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) during short-term and long-term exposure to high altitude with ultrasonography, and also study the sex differences in the response of CA to altitude.

Methods: We assessed the differences in dynamic CA and measured with Doppler ultrasound of the bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA), vertebral artery (VA), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the values of basic information within 48 hours and at 2 years after arrival at Tibet in 65 healthy Han young Chinese volunteers, meanwhile, we compared the resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of the right MCA at inhale oxygen 8 minutes when a newcomer with 2 years after arrival at Tibet.

Results: With 2 years of altitude exposure, the SaO of all subjects was above 90%, the mean PEF, DAP, and HR values decreased, HGB increased compared within 48 hours in same-gender groups.

MXSGD alleviates CsA-induced hypoimmunity lung injury by regulating microflora metabolism.

Context: Ma Xing Shi Gan Decoction (MXSGD) is a traditional remedy for treating lung injuries that was developed by the Typhoid and Fever School of Pharmaceutical Biology. It has antitussive and expectorant effects, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, regulates the body's immunity, etc.

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate whether MXSGD can ameliorate cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced hypoimmunity lung injury by regulating microflora metabolism.

Mouse Models of Orofacial Clefts: SHH and TGF-β Pathways.

Birth defects have always been one of the most important diseases in medical research as they affect the quality of the birth population. Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are common birth defects that place a huge burden on families and society. Early screening and prevention of OFCs can promote better natal and prenatal care and help to solve the problem of birth defects.

Pan-cancer analysis of the tumorigenic role of Fanconi anemia complementation group D2 (FANCD2) in human tumors.

Monoubiquitination of FANCD2 is a central step in the activation of the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway after DNA damage. Defects in the FA pathway centered around FANCD2 not only lead to genomic instability but also induce tumorigenesis. At present, few studies have investigated FANCD2 in tumors, and no pan-cancer research on FANCD2 has been conducted.

Promoter R-Loops Recruit U2AF1 to Modulate Its Phase Separation and RNA Splicing.

R-loops and guanine quadruplexes (G4s) are secondary structures of nucleic acids that are ubiquitously present in cells and are enriched in promoter regions of genes. By employing a bioinformatic approach based on overlap analysis of transcription factor chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data sets, we found that many splicing factors, including U2AF1 whose recognition of the 3' splicing site is crucial for pre-mRNA splicing, exhibit pronounced enrichment at endogenous R-loop- and DNA G4-structure loci in promoter regions of human genes. We also revealed that U2AF1 binds directly to R-loops and DNA G4 structures at a low-nM binding affinity.

Phase Separation Modulates the Formation and Stabilities of DNA Guanine Quadruplex.

In the presence of monovalent alkali metal ions, G-rich DNA sequences containing four runs of contiguous guanines can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) structures. Recent studies showed that these structures are located in critical regions of the human genome and assume important functions in many essential DNA metabolic processes, including replication, transcription, and repair. However, not all potential G4-forming sequences are actually folded into G4 structures in cells, where G4 structures are known to be dynamic and modulated by G4-binding proteins as well as helicases.

Monocytes reprogrammed by tumor microparticle vaccine inhibit tumorigenesis and tumor development.

Unlabelled: Tumor microparticles (T-MPs) are considered as a tumor vaccine candidate. Although some studies have analyzed the mechanism of T-MPs as tumor vaccine, we still lack understanding of how T-MPs stimulate a strong anti-tumor immune response. Here, we show that T-MPs induce macrophages to release a key chemotactic factor CCL2, which attracts monocytes to the vaccine injection site and enhances endocytosis of antigen.

Targeted Proteomic Analysis of Small GTPases in Radioresistant Breast Cancer Cells.

Radiation therapy benefits more than 50% of all cancer patients and cures 40% of them, where ionizing radiation (IR) deposits energy to cells and tissues, thereby eliciting DNA damage and resulting in cell death. Small GTPases are a superfamily of proteins that play critical roles in cell signaling. Several small GTPases, including RAC1, RHOB, and RALA, were previously shown to modulate radioresistance in cancer cells.

Polymerase η Recruits DHX9 Helicase to Promote Replication across Guanine Quadruplex Structures.

DNA polymerase η (Pol η) catalyzes accurate bypass of ultraviolet light-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, and it also functions in several other related processes, including bypassing DNA with unusual structures. Here, we performed unbiased proteome-wide profiling of Pol η-interacting proteins by using two independent approaches, i.e.

Voice disadvantage effects in absolute and relative pitch judgments.

Absolute pitch (AP) possessors can identify musical notes without an external reference. Most AP studies have used musical instruments and pure tones for testing, rather than the human voice. However, the voice is crucial for human communication in both speech and music, and evidence for voice-specific neural processing mechanisms and brain regions suggests that AP processing of voice may be different.

A Quantitative Proteomic Approach for the Identification of DNA Guanine Quadruplex-Binding Proteins.

DNA sequences of high guanine (G) content have the potential to form G quadruplex (G4) structures. A more complete understanding about the biological functions of G4 DNA requires the investigation about how these structures are recognized by proteins. Here, we conducted exhaustive quantitative proteomic experiments to profile the interaction proteomes of G4 structures by employing different sequences of G4 DNA derived from the human telomere and the promoters of c- and c- genes.

VEZF1-guanine quadruplex DNA interaction regulates alternative polyadenylation and detyrosinase activity of VASH1.

Vascular endothelial zinc finger 1 (VEZF1) plays important roles in endothelial lineage definition and angiogenesis. Vasohibins 1 and 2 (VASH1 and VASH2) can form heterodimers with small vasohibin-binding protein (SVBP) and were recently shown to regulate angiogenesis by acting as tubulin detyrosinases. Here, we showed that VEZF1 binds directly with DNA guanine quadruplex (G quadruplex, G4) structures in vitro and in cells, which modulates the levels of the two isoforms of VASH1 mRNA.

YY1 interacts with guanine quadruplexes to regulate DNA looping and gene expression.

The DNA guanine quadruplexes (G4) play important roles in multiple cellular processes, including DNA replication, transcription and maintenance of genome stability. Here, we showed that Yin and Yang 1 (YY1) can bind directly to G4 structures. ChIP-seq results revealed that YY1-binding sites overlap extensively with G4 structure loci in chromatin.

Efficient Aerobic Oxidation of Ethyl Lactate to Ethyl Pyruvate over VO/g-CN Catalysts.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN)-supported VO catalysts were prepared by the impregnation pyrolysis method, and their physicochemical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis, TGA, N adsorption, and H-TPR. These catalysts exhibit extremely high activity and selectivity in the aerobic oxidation of ethyl lactate to ethyl pyruvate. The excellent catalytic performance derives from the high surface-chemisorbed oxygen species.

[Community structure and distribution pattern of small mammals in agricultural area of Yunnan Province, China.].

To understand the characteristics of community structure and spatial distribution of small mammals in agricultural area of Yunnan Province, a systematic investigation was carried out in 104 quadrats of 25 regions in Yunnan Province from August 2010 to April 2018 by rat trap night method. The spatial variation of community characteristics along environmental gradients was analyzed by community ecological indicators. The results showed that a total of 3240 small mammals were captured and cold be classified into 42 species in 21 genera, 9 families, and 4 orders.

Richter's syndrome of the central nervous system diagnosed concurrently with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Central nervous system (CNS) infiltration of Richter's syndrome (RS) is rare and only a few cases were discussed. Of these published cases, either they were accompanied with lymph node involvement or with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). To our knowledge, this is the first published case of RS of the brain and meninges diagnosed concurrently with CLL in the absence of any evidence of lymphoma outside of the CNS.

A Molecular Rotor-Based Halo-Tag Ligand Enables a Fluorogenic Proteome Stress Sensor to Detect Protein Misfolding in Mildly Stressed Proteome.

Cellular stress leads to disruption of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) that is associated with global misfolding and aggregation of the endogenous proteome. Monitoring stress-induced proteostasis deficiency remains one of the major technical challenges facing established sensors of this process. Available sensors use solvatochromic fluorophores to detect protein aggregation in forms of soluble oligomers or insoluble aggregates when cells are subjected to severe stress conditions.

AgHalo: A Facile Fluorogenic Sensor to Detect Drug-Induced Proteome Stress.

Drug-induced proteome stress that involves protein aggregation may cause adverse effects and undermine the safety profile of a drug. Safety of drugs is regularly evaluated using cytotoxicity assays that measure cell death. However, these assays provide limited insights into the presence of proteome stress in live cells.

Neuroprotective effect of resveratrol against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity.

As the major neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), excessive extracellular glutamate (Glu) can activate the Glu receptors and neuronal calcium (Ca2+) overload, then produce neurotoxicity, which is a common pathway for neuronal injury or death, and is associated with acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it has been a therapeutic strategy to investigate neuroprotective effects against Glu-induced neurotoxicity for treating both acute and chronic forms of neurodegeneration. Resveratrol (Res), as a naturally occurring polyphenol mainly found in grapes and red wine, has shown a neuroprotective effect in a variety of experimental models for neurodegenerative diseases in vitro and in vivo.

MSU-S mesoporous materials: an efficient catalyst for isomerization of alpha-pinene.

MSU-S((BEA)) and MSU-S((Y)) mesoporous molecular sieves with different Si/Al ratios were prepared and characterized by XRD, XRF, N(2) adsorption, (27)Al MAS NMR, NH(3)-TPD and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-pyridine adsorption. Their catalytic behavior for the liquid phase isomerization of alpha-pinene has been investigated and compared with conventional zeolites and mesoporous molecular sieves. The activity correlates well with the amount of the accessible acid sites on the catalyst surface.

[Clinicopathology analysis of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in soft tissue].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of soft tissue mesenchymal chondrosarcoma.

Methods: The clinical material, pathological and immunohistochemical characteristics (reaction to LCA, CD3, CD20, CD45RO, CD79a, CD99, NSE, S-100, Syn, CgA, CK7, CK19, EMA, Coll-II, Sarcomeric-Actin, Desmin, Ki-67,P53) of 2 cases of soft tissue mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in Jishuitan Hospital between 1995 and 2005 were reviewed and followed up.

Results: The two patients were both females.