The purpose of the study was to evaluate the value of 2-D shear wave elastography (SWE) of virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ) for ultrasound (US) Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data ...System (BI-RADS) category 4 lesions. One hundred sixteen lesions were subject to conventional US, conventional strain elastography (SE) of elasticity imaging (EI), acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI)-induced SE of virtual touch tissue imaging (VTI) and VTIQ before biopsies. Of the 116 lesions, 69 (59.5%) were benign and 47 (40.5%) were malignant. Significant differences were found between benign and malignant lesions in EI score, VTI score and shear wave speed (SWS) on VTIQ (both p < 0.05). The cut-off values were EI score ≥4, VTI score ≥4 and SWS ≥3.49 m/s, respectively. The diagnostic performance of VTIQ in terms of area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were the highest (i.e., AUROC = 0.907), in comparison with EI, VTI alone or a combination of both. The associated sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 87.2%, 82.6% and 84.5%, respectively. The combination of VTI and VTIQ, however, was similar with US BI-RADS (p = 0.475) in sensitivity in that only two (4.3%) of 47 malignant lesions were misdiagnosed as benign that were BI-RADS category 4b on US. VTIQ is valuable to differentiate benign from malignant BI-RADS category 4 lesions, and the combination of VTI and VTIQ might be useful for patient selection before biopsy.
Autophagy is a conserved degradation pathway that is involved in the maintenance of normal cell differentiation and development. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATG5 gene is an important component of ...the autophagy process. In this study, we identified MgATG5 as an autophagy-related gene in Magnaporthe oryzae that is homologous to ATG5. Using targeted gene replacement, an Mgatg5Δ mutant was generated and fungal autophagy was blocked. Cytological analysis revealed that the mutant had poor fungal morphogenic development, including a shortened aerial hyphae lifespan, decreased conidiation and perithecia formation, delayed conidial germination and appressorial formation, postponement of conidial cytoplasm transfer during appressorium formation, and reduction in formation of the penetration peg. Turnover of endogenous matter in the Mgatg5Δ mutant was also affected, as demonstrated by defects in the formation of conidial lipid droplets, and in the degradation of conidial glycogen deposits during appressorium formation. Lipid droplets and glycogen are necessary to generate adequate turgor in appressoria for invading the host surface. As a result of the decreased appressorium turgor and differentiation in the penetration peg, Mgatg5Δ pathogenicity was deficient in two host plants tested. The developmental and pathogenic phenotypes were restored by the introduction of an intact copy of MgATG5 into Mgatg5Δ, demonstrating that the MgATG5 deletion was responsible for the cellular defects. Taken together, these findings suggest that autophagy promotes cell differentiation through turnover of endogenous matter during fungal development, and is thus essential for the pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus.
•A three-coordinate cuprous complex XantphosCuI was synthesized by substitution reaction.•XantphosCuI undergoes a reversible photochromic transition by alternating UV irradiation.•Fluorescent test ...strip from complex was successfully developed for pyridine sensing.•High selectivity and rapid fluorescence enhancement is the basis of pyridine sensing.•TD-DFT calculations propose a sensing mechanism of charge transfer change.
Photo-functional materials with photochromic and fluorescent properties are very attractive because they have a wide range of applications. The design and research of fluorescent sensing materials for VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are also of great significance and challenge. Herein, we report a three-coordinate cuprous complex, XantphosCuI (1) (Xantphos is 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene), and its reversible photochromism, photoluminescence, and fluorescent sensing for VOCs. The complex 1 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction as an isolated molecule with a triangle CuIP2 coordination geometry. In solution, complex 1 undergoes a reversible photochromic transition by alternating non-irradiation and irradiation with 365 nm UV light. Under UV light excitation, both the powder and doped thin film exhibit broadband photoluminescence emission. TD-DFT computational studies have been conducted to further understand the electronic transition properties of this compound. Based on 1, a fluorescent test strip was developed, and its fast and selective fluorescent sensing of pyridine vapor through enhanced mechanism was successfully realized. When exposed to vapor, the fluorescence of the test strip quickly becomes extremely bright. The fluorescent enhanced mechanism of the material was studied with the assistance of TD-DFT calculations, and it was proposed that the enhancement should be attributed to the charge transfer mechanism transition of the excited state after the coordination increase.
Display omitted
Background： Despite its high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality, sepsis-associated encephalopathy （SAE） is still poorly understood. The aim of this prospective and observational study was to ...investigate the clinical significance of calcium-binding protein A8 （S 100AS） in serum and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 （TRAF6） in peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMCs） in diagnosing SAE and predicting its prognosis. Methods： Data of septic patients were collected within 24 h after Intensive Care Unit admission fi-om July 2014 to March 2015. Healthy medical personnel served as the control group. SAE was defined as cerebral dysfhnction in the presence of sepsis that fulfilled the exclusion criteria. The biochemical indicators, Glasgow Coma Scale, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score II, TRAF6 in PBMC, serum S 100A8, S 10013, and neuron-specific enolase were evaluated in SAE patients afresh. TRAF6 and S 100A8 were also measured in the control group. Results： Of the 57 enrolled patients, 29 were diagnosed with SAE. The S 100A8 and TRAF6 concentrations in SAE patients were both significantly higher than that in no-encephalopathy （NE） patients, and higher in NE than that in controls （3.74 ± 3.13 vs. 1.08 ± 0.75 vs. 0.37 ± 0.14 ng/ml, P 〈 0.01 ; 3.18 ± 1.55 vs. 1.02 ± 0.63 vs. 0.47 ± 0.10, P 〈 0.01）. S 100A8 levels of 1.93 ng/ml were diagnostic of SAE with 92.90% specificity and 69.00% sensitivity in the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve, and the area under the curve was 0.86 （95% confidence interval CI： 0.76-0.95）. TRAF6-relative levels of 1.44 were diagnostic of SAE with 85.70% specificity and 86.20% sensitivity, and the area under the curve was 0.94 （95% CI： 0.88-0.99）. In addition, S 100A8 levels of 2.41 ng/ml predicted 28-day mortality of SAE with 90.00% specificity and 73.70% sensitivity in the ROC curve, and the area under the curve was 0.88. TRAF6 relative levels of 2.94 predicted 28-day mortality of SAE with 80.00% specificity and 68.40% sensitivity, and the area under the curve was 0.77. Compared with TRAF6, the specificity of serum S 100A8 in diagnosing SAE and predicting mortality was higher, although the sensitivity was low. In contrast, the TRAF6 had higher sensitivity for diagnosis. Conclusions： Peripheral blood levels of S 100A8 and TRAF6 in SAE patients were elevated and might be related to the severity of SAE and predict the outcome of SAE. The efficacy and specificity of S 100A8 for SAE diagnosis were superior, despite its weak sensitivity. S100A8 might be a better biomarker for diagnosis of SAE and predicting prognosis.
A slurry-based laser cladding technique was used to repair the SiC coated carbon/carbon composites. The oxidation resistance of repaired samples at 1773 K for 10 h was investigated. Samples were ...characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern, scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscope; its interface characteristics were studied with scratch, thermal shock and internal friction tests. The results show that there is no obvious interface between the newly-formed coating and the original coating, and the newly-formed coating has a much smoother surface. With optimizing parameters, the new coating of 180 μm thickness possesses refined grains, flat surface, dense microstructure and good thermal stability. The number of internal defects in the samples repaired by laser cladding drops, compared with the damaged/undamaged samples. The weight loss of repaired samples decreases by 64.8% in comparison with the damaged ones, and it is almost the same with the undamaged samples according to a test of anti-oxidation behaviors. This is attributed to the enhanced oxidation resistance of dense newly-formed coating, which makes carbon/carbon composites well protected.
The ectonucleotidase CD39 has been regarded as a promising immune checkpoint in solid tumors. However, the expression of CD39 by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells as well as their potential roles and ...clinical implications in human gastric cancer (GC) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that GC-infiltrating CD8+ T cells contained a fraction of CD39hi cells that constituted about 6.6% of total CD8+ T cells in tumors. These CD39hi cells enriched for GC-infiltrating CD8+ T cells with features of exhaustion in transcriptional, phenotypic, metabolic and functional profiles. Additionally, GC-infiltrating CD39hiCD8+ T cells were also identified for tumor-reactive T cells, as these cells expanded in vitro were able to recognize autologous tumor organoids and induced more tumor cell apoptosis than those of expanded their CD39int and CD39-CD8+ counterparts. Furthermore, CD39 enzymatic activity controlled GC-infiltrating CD39hiCD8+ T cell effector function, and blockade of CD39 efficiently enhanced their production of cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α. Finally, high percentages of GC-infiltrating CD39hiCD8+ T cells correlated with tumor progression and independently predicted patients’ poor overall survival. These findings provide novel insights into the association of CD39 expression level on CD8+ T cells with their features and potential clinical implications in GC, and empowering those exhausted tumor-reactive CD39hiCD8+ T cells through CD39 inhibition to circumvent the suppressor program may be an attractive therapeutic strategy against GC.
Display omitted
Display omitted
•A healthy and beneficial Bacillus natto was applied for chestnut fermentation.•Efficient contents of active ingredients from natto-chestnut were achieved.•Natto-chestnut possessed ...excellent fibrinolytic, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities.
Food fermentation can improve food nutritional value and sensory performance, it is considered as an ecofriendly bioprocessing technology. In this work, a fermented natto chestnut food was firstly developed and its active ingredients and functional properties were systematically studied. Through systematic experimental screening, including a single factor experiment and Box-Behnken design, the fermentation parameters of chestnut were optimized and selected. Under the optimal fermentation conditions, fermentation time 56 h, temperature 38 ℃ and 5% inoculum concentration, the fibrinolytic activity of the natto-chestnut reached 6479 IU/g. Meanwhile, higher antioxidant activity of the natto-chestnut was obtained due to the increased contents of total phenolic, total flavonoid and VC. In addition, α-glucosidase inhibition activity was also improved in the natto-chestnut. These results indicated that fermented chestnut could be a new dietary supplement with higher quality and better activities for people′s health.
Background: Hyperthermia has proved successful in treating cutaneous human papillomavirus infectious diseases such as plantar wart and condyloma acuminata (CA). Moreover, this treatment provides ...improved therapeutic efficacy in these conditions as compared with conventional therapies.
Objectives: To investigate the global proteome changes in CA in response to hyperthermia and achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms of hyperthermia therapy against HPV-infectious diseases.
Methods: CA tissue was obtained from patients undergoing pathological examinations. Diagnosis was verified as based on results of both HE staining and HPV-DNA PCR assay. Hyperthermia was achieved with a 44 °C water bath. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by iTRAQ labeling, SCX chromatography and LC-MS/MS assay. Validation of proteomic results was performed using real-time qPCR and western blot, while bioinformatic analysis of DEPs was accomplished by R 3.4.1, STRING and Cytoscape softwares.
Results: In response to hyperthermia, a total of 102 DEPs were identified with 37 being upregulated and 65 downregulated. Among these DEPs, hyperthermia induced proteins involved with anti-viral processes such as OAS1, MX1, BANF1, CANX and AP1S1, whereas it inhibited proteins that participated in cellular metabolism, such as GALT, H6PD, EXOSC4 and EXOSC6; protein translation, such as RPS4Y1; as well as keratinocyte differentiation, such as KRT5, KRT27, KRT75, KRT76 and H2AFY2.
Conclusions: Hyperthermia inhibited enzymes and molecules responsible for metabolism modulation and keratinocyte differentiation in CA tissue, whereas it promoted factors involved in anti-viral responses. Such effects may, in part, contribute to the efficacy of local hyperthermia therapy against HPV infection.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Vacuum-steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) is an emerging blanching method resulting in high efficiency and product quality. However, inconvenient loading, small loading capacity, uneven rinsing and ...imprecise control hinder its application in food industry. Therefore, the current work aimed to design a VSPB machine, including selection of components, building a control system and designing a steam nozzle in order to increase the load capacity and improve device control. For this purpose, a horizontal blanching chamber with internal nozzle was designed and optimized using CFD method. The vacuum chamber design required a more evenly distributed steam inlet. A water-sealing vacuum pump, a cooling device and a hardware system were developed. The distribution of steam released from the nozzle in the chamber was numerically investigated by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, with a velocity uniformity index value of 0.448. The validation blanching test was conducted using garlic scape as the test material. The steam holding time and the number of cycles significantly affected (p < 0.05) the color of the garlic scapes. Peroxidase (POD) activity decreased with the increase of blanching cycles until the enzymes were completely inactivated. VSPB significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the lignin content of the garlic scapes. The findings indicate that the best results were obtained after 2 cycles of VSPB and steam holding time of 30 s.
Hot water and steam thermal blanching are the two most frequently used blanching methods in food processing. Generally, they are used as a pretreatment before drying, freezing or canning of different fruits and vegetables. In current work, an improved vacuum-steam pulsed blanching machine was designed and the validation blanching test with garlic scape as the material indicated that VSPB operation was effective in preventing the synthesis of lignification in garlic scapes. By considering enzyme inactivation, lignification, color, and other quality attributes, 2 cycles of VSPB and steam holding for 30 s were proposed as the optimal VSPB conditions.
•A new type of blanching machine, the horizontal vacuum-steam pulsed blanching machine was developed.•The core components vacuum pump and nozzle are selected and designed respectively.•The control system of the horizontal vacuum-steam pulsed blanching machine is designed and its function realized.•Suitable operating parameters for the blanching machine were obtained through the blanching experiment of garlic scape.
To evaluate the impact of thyroid nodule sizes on the diagnostic performance of thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) and ultrasound patterns of 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) ...guidelines. Total 734 patients with 962 thyroid nodules were recruited in this retrospective study. All nodules were divided into three groups according to the maximal diameter (d < 10 mm, d = 10-20 mm and d > 20 mm). The ultrasound images were categorized based on TIRADS and ATA ultrasound patterns, respectively. A total of 931 (96.8%) and 906 (94.2%) patterns met the criteria for TIRADS and ATA ultrasound patterns. The AUC (0.849) and sensitivity (85.3%) of TIRADS were highest in d = 10-20 mm group. However, ATA had highest AUC (0.839) and specificity (89.8%) in d > 20 mm group. ATA ultrasound patterns had higher specificity (P = 0.04), while TI-RADS had higher sensitivity (P = 0.02). In nodules d > 20 mm, the specificity of ATA patterns was higher than TIRADS (P = 0.003). Our results indicated that nodule sizes may influence the diagnostic performance of TIRADS and ATA ultrasound patterns. The ATA patterns may yield higher specificity than TIRADS, especially in nodules larger than 20 mm.
PDF
