Summary Objective Disruptions of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis are key events in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). MicroRNA-140 (miRNA-140) is expressed specifically in cartilage and ...regulates ECM-degrading enzymes. Our objective in this study was to determine if intra-articular injection of miRNA-140 can attenuate OA progression in rats. Design miRNA-140 levels in human normal and OA cartilage derived chondrocytes and synovial fluid were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After primary human chondrocytes were transfected with miRNA-140 mimic or inhibitor, PCR and western blotting were performed to quantify Collagen II, MMP-13, and ADAMTS-5 expression. An OA model was induced surgically in rats, and subsequently treated with one single intra-articular injection of miRNA-140 agomir. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery, OA progression were evaluated macroscopically, histologically, and immunohistochemically in these rats. Results miRNA-140 levels were significantly reduced in human OA cartilage derived chondrocytes and synovial fluid compared with normal chondrocytes and synovial fluid. Overexpressing miRNA-140 in primary human chondrocytes promoted Collagen II expression and inhibited MMP-13 and ADAMTS-5 expression. miRNA-140 levels in rat cartilage were significantly higher in the miRNA-140 agomir group than in the control group. Moreover, behavioural scores, chondrocyte numbers, cartilage thickness and Collagen II expression levels in cartilage were significantly higher, while pathological scores and MMP-13 and ADAMTS-5 expression levels were significantly lower in the miRNA-140 agomir group than in the control group. Conclusion Intra-articular injection of miRNA-140 can alleviate OA progression by modulating ECM homeostasis in rats, and may have potential as a new therapy for OA.
When deformed beyond their elastic limits, crystalline solids flow plastically via particle rearrangements localized around structural defects. Disordered solids also flow, but without obvious ...structural defects. We link structure to plasticity in disordered solids via a microscopic structural quantity, “softness,” designed by machine learning to be maximally predictive of rearrangements. Experimental results and computations enabled us to measure the spatial correlations and strain response of softness, as well as two measures of plasticity: the size of rearrangements and the yield strain. All four quantities maintained remarkable commonality in their values for disordered packings of objects ranging from atoms to grains, spanning seven orders of magnitude in diameter and 13 orders of magnitude in elastic modulus. These commonalities link the spatial correlations and strain response of softness to rearrangement size and yield strain, respectively.
Four extreme haze episodes occurred in October 2014 in the North China Plain (NCP). To clarify the formation mechanism of hazes in autumn, strengthened observations were conducted in Beijing from 5 ...October to 2 November. The meteorological parameters, satellite data, chemical compositions and optical properties of aerosols were obtained. The hazes originated from the NCP, developing in the southwest and northeast directions, with the highest concentration of PM2.5 of 469 mu g m-3 in Beijing. The NCP was dominated by a weak high pressure system during the haze episode, which resulted in low surface wind speed and relatively stagnant weather. Moreover, the wind slowed down around Beijing city. The secondary aerosols NO3- was always higher than that of SO42-, which indicated the motor vehicles played a more important part in the hazes in October 2014, even though the oxidation rate from SO2 to SO42- was faster than that of NOx to NO3-. Sudden increases of the concentrations of organic matter, Cl- and BC (black carbon) before each haze episode implied that regional transport of pollutants by biomass burning was important for haze formation during autumn. A satellite map of fire points and the backward trajectories of the air masses also indicated this pollution source. The distinct decrease in the PBL (planetary boundary layer) height during four haze episodes restrained the vertical dispersion of the air pollutants. Water vapor also played a vital role in the formation of hazes by accelerating the chemical transformation of secondary pollutants, leading to hygroscopic growth of aerosols and altering the thermal balance of the atmosphere.
Summary
Background
Tinea capitis is still common in developing countries, such as China. Its pathogen spectrum varies across regions and changes over time.
Objectives
This study aimed to clarify the ...current epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis in China.
Methods
A multicentre, prospective descriptive study involving 29 tertiary hospitals in China was conducted. From August 2019 to July 2020, 611 patients with tinea capitis were enrolled. Data concerning demography, risk factors and fungal tests were collected. When necessary, the pathogens were further identified by morphology or molecular sequencing in the central laboratory.
Results
Among all enrolled patients, 74·1% of the cases were in patients aged 2–8 years. The children with tinea capitis were mainly boys (56·2%) and were more likely than adults to have a history of animal contact (57·4% vs. 35·3%, P = 0·012) and zoophilic dermatophyte infection (73·5% vs. 47%). The adults were mainly female (83%) and were more likely than children to have anthropophilic agent infection (53% vs. 23·9%). The most common pathogen was zoophilic Microsporum canis (354, 65·2%), followed by anthropophilic Trichophyton violaceum (74, 13·6%). In contrast to the eastern, western and northeastern regions, where zoophilic M. canis predominated, anthropophilic T. violaceum predominated in central China (69%, P < 0·001), where the patients had the most tinea at other sites (20%) and dermatophytosis contact (26%) but the least animal contact (39%). Microsporum ferrugineum was the most common anthropophilic agent in the western area, especially in Xinjiang province.
Conclusions
Boys aged approximately 5 years were the most commonly affected group. Dermatologists are advised to pay more attention to the different transmission routes and pathogen spectra in different age groups from different regions.
What is already known about this topic?
Tinea capitis is an infection of the scalp and hair caused by dermatophytes and is still common in developing countries. Prepubertal children are mainly affected.
The pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis varies across different geographical areas and changes over time.
Nationwide prospective epidemiological surveys of tinea capitis in China are rare and out of date.
What does this study add?
This study provides data concerning the epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis in contemporary China.
Boys aged approximately 5 years were most commonly affected and were more likely than adults to have zoophilic dermatophyte infection.
The main pathogens of tinea capitis in China are zoophilic dermatophytes, mainly Microsporum canis. In contrast to the other regions, the predominant pathogens in central China are anthropophilic dermatophytes.
Plain language summary available online
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death, reflecting the need for better understanding the oncogenesis, and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for the ...malignancy. Emerging evidence suggests that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) have malfunctioning roles in tumorigenesis. Our recent study demonstrated that small nucleolar RNA 42 (SNORA42) was overexpressed in lung tumors. Here, we investigate the role of SNORA42 in tumorigenesis of NSCLC. We simultaneously assess genomic dosages and expression levels of SNORA42 and its host gene, KIAA0907, in 10 NSCLC cell lines and a human bronchial epithelial cell line. We then determine in vitro functional significance of SNORA42 in lung cancer cell lines through gain- and loss-of-function analyses. We also inoculate cancer cells with SNORA42-siRNA into mice through either tail vein or subcutaneous injection. We finally evaluate expression level of SNORA42 on frozen surgically resected lung tumor tissues of 64 patients with stage I NSCLC by using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assay. Genomic amplification and associated high expression of SNORA42 rather than KIAA0907 are frequently observed in lung cancer cells, suggesting that SNORA42 overexpression is activated by its genomic amplification. SNORA42 knockdown in NSCLC cells inhibits in vitro and in vivo tumorigenicity, whereas enforced SNORA42 expression in bronchial epitheliums increases cell growth and colony formation. Such pleiotropy of SNORA42 suppression could be achieved at least partially through increased apoptosis of NSCLC cells in a p53-dependent manner. SNORA42 expression in lung tumor tissue specimens is inversely correlated with survival of NSCLC patients. Therefore, SNORA42 activation could have an oncogenic role in lung tumorigenesis and provide potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for the malignancy.
Abstract Autophagy is a cellular response against stresses which include the infection of viruses and bacteria. We unravel that Dengue virus-2 (DV2) can trigger autophagic process in various infected ...cell lines demonstrated by GFP-LC3 dot formation and increased LC3-II formation. Autophagosome formation was also observed under the transmission electron microscope. DV2-induced autophagy further enhances the titers of extracellular and intracellular viruses indicating that autophagy can promote viral replication in the infected cells. Moreover, our data show that ATG5 protein is required to execute DV2-induced autophagy. All together, we are the first to demonstrate that DV can activate autophagic machinery that is favorable for viral replication.
Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) activity in China was surveyed to assess its current status. A record number of HCTs (21 884: 16 631 allogeneic (76%) and 5253 autologous (24%)) were reported ...by 76 centers in China between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2016. HCT trends included continued growth in transplant activity, a continued rapid increase in haploidentical donors (HID), and slower growth for unrelated donors, matched-related donors (MRD) and cord blood transplantation (CBT). The proportion of HID HCT among allogeneic HCTs increased from 29.6% (313/1062) in 2008 to 48.8% (1939/3975) in 2015, even 51.7% (1157/2237) in the first half of 2016. During this time frame, the proportion of MRD HCTs among allogeneic HCTs decreased from 48.1% (511/1062) to 33.0% (332/3975). The proportion of unrelated donor HCTs among allogeneic HCTs decreased from 20.4 (216/1062) to 13.6% (540/3975). The proportion of CBTs among allogeneic HCTs was increased from 2.1% (22/1062) to 4.2% (184/3975). HCTs have been increasing continuously for all indications except chronic myelogenous leukemia. Severe aplastic anemia is a common HCT indication among non-malignant diseases in China. The number of cases of allogeneic HCT for this disorder has increased annually, from 59 (5.6%) in 2008 to 569 (14.3%) in 2015, even 334 (14.9%) in the first half year in 2016. This survey clearly shows recent trends for HCTs in China.
The topology of pure Bi is controversial because of its very small (∼10 meV) band gap. Here we perform high-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy measurements systematically on 14-202 ...bilayer Bi films. Using high-quality films, we succeed in observing quantized bulk bands with energy separations down to ∼10 meV. Detailed analyses on the phase shift of the confined wave functions precisely determine the surface and bulk electronic structures, which unambiguously show nontrivial topology. The present results not only prove the fundamental property of Bi but also introduce a capability of the quantum-confinement approach.
Abstract
We present a spectral study of the black hole candidate MAXI J1348−630 during its 2019 outburst, based on monitoring observations with Insight-HXMT and Swift. Throughout the outburst, the ...spectra are well fitted with power-law plus disk-blackbody components. In the soft-intermediate and soft states, we observed the canonical relation
L
∝
T
in
4
between disk luminosity
L
and peak color temperature
T
in
, with a constant inner radius
R
in
(traditionally identified with the innermost stable circular orbit). At other stages of the outburst cycle, the behavior is more unusual, inconsistent with the canonical outburst evolution of black hole transients. In particular, during the hard rise, the apparent inner radius is smaller than in the soft state (and increasing), and the peak color temperature is higher (and decreasing). This anomalous behavior is found even when we model the spectra with self-consistent Comptonization models, which take into account the upscattering of photons from the disk component into the power-law component. To explain both anomalous trends at the same time, we suggest that the hardening factor for the inner-disk emission was larger than the canonical value of ≈1.7 at the beginning of the outburst. A more physical trend of radii and temperature evolution requires a hardening factor evolving from ≈3.5 at the beginning of the hard state to ≈1.7 in the hard-intermediate state. This could be evidence that the inner disk was in the process of condensing from the hot, optically thin medium and had not yet reached a sufficiently high optical depth for its emission spectrum to be described by the standard optically thick disk solution.
A solar cell based on the n-MoS
2
/i-SiO
2
/p-Si heterojunction is fabricated. The device exhibits a high power-conversion efficiency of 4.5% due to the incorporation of a nano-scale SiO
2
buffer ...into the MoS
2
/Si interface. The present device architectures are envisaged as potentially valuable candidates for high-performance photovoltaic devices.
A solar cell based on the n-MoS
2
/i-SiO
2
/p-Si heterojunction is fabricated.
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