MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that play fundamental roles in diverse biological and pathological processes by targeting the expression of specific genes. Here, we identified 38 ...methylation‐associated miRNAs, the expression of which could be epigenetically restored by cotreatment with 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine and trichostatin A. Among these 38 miRNAs, we further analyzed miR‐34b, miR‐127‐3p, miR‐129‐3p and miR‐409 because CpG islands are predicted adjacent to them. The methylation‐silenced expression of these miRNAs could be reactivated in gastric cancer cells by treatment with demethylating drugs in a time‐dependent manner. Analysis of the methylation status of these miRNAs showed that the upstream CpG‐rich regions of mir‐34b and mir‐129‐2 are frequently methylated in gastric cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues, and their methylation status correlated inversely with their expression patterns. The expression of miR‐34b and miR‐129‐3p was downregulated by DNA hypermethylation in primary gastric cancers, and the low expression was associated with poor clinicopathological features. In summary, our study shows that tumor‐specific methylation silences miR‐34b and miR‐129 in gastric cancer cells.
In the long history of traditional Chinese medicine, single herbs and complex formulas have been suggested to increase lifespan. However, the identification of single molecules responsible for ...lifespan extension has been challenging. Here, we collected a list of traditional Chinese medicines with potential longevity properties from pharmacopeias. By utilizing the mother enrichment program, we systematically screened these traditional Chinese medicines and identified a single herb, Psoralea corylifolia, that increases lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Next, twenty-two pure compounds were isolated from Psoralea corylifolia. One of the compounds, corylin, was found to extend the replicative lifespan in yeast by targeting the Gtr1 protein. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, RNA sequencing data showed that corylin ameliorates cellular senescence. We also examined an in vivo mammalian model, and found that corylin extends lifespan in mice fed a high-fat diet. Taken together, these findings suggest that corylin may promote longevity.
•Feasibility of using H2/CO2 for biological bromate reduction is proved for the first time.•Efficient bromate removal (> 95 %) is achieved in a H2/CO2-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR).•In situ ...gas fermentation for fatty acid production occurs in MBfR.•Fatty acids are the primary electron donors for bromate reduction.•A new avenue of utilising captured CO2 for contaminant remediation is promising.
Bromate, a carcinogenic contaminant generated in water disinfection, presents a pressing environmental concern. While biological bromate reduction is an effective remediation approach, its implementation often necessitates the addition of organics, incurring high operational costs. This study demonstrated the efficient biological bromate reduction using H2/CO2 mixture as the feedstock. A membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was used for the efficient delivery of gases. Long-term reactor operation showed a high-level bromate removal efficiency of above 95 %, yielding harmless bromide as the final product. Corresponding to the short hydraulic retention time of 0.25 d, a high bromate removal rate of 4 mg Br/L/d was achieved. During the long-term operation, in situ production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) by gas fermentation was observed, which can be regulated by controlling the gas flow. Three sets of in situ batch tests and two groups of ex situ batch tests jointly unravelled the mechanisms underpinning the efficient bromate removal, showing that the microbial bromate reduction was primarily driven by the VFAs produced from in situ gas fermentation. Microbial community analysis showed an increased abundance of Bacteroidota group from 4.0 % to 18.5 %, which is capable of performing syngas fermentation, and the presence of heterotrophic denitrifiers (e.g., Thauera and Brachymonas), which are known to perform bromate reduction. Together these results for the first time demonstrated the feasibility of using H2/CO2 mixture for bromate removal coupled with in situ VFAs production. The findings can facilitate the development of cost-effective strategies for groundwater and drinking water remediation.
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Background
Despite recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology of cancer cachexia, prevention/treatment of this debilitating disease remains an unmet medical need.
Methods
We developed an ...integrated, multi‐tiered strategy involving both in vitro and in vivo muscle atrophy platforms to identify traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)‐based anti‐cachectic agents. In the initial screening, we used inflammatory cytokine‐induced atrophy of C2C12 myotubes as a phenotypic screening platform to assess the protective effects of TCMs. The selected TCMs were then evaluated for their abilities to protect Caenorhabditis elegans from age‐related reduction of mobility and contractility, followed by the C‐26 colon adenocarcinoma mouse model of cachexia to confirm the anti‐muscle atrophy effects (body/skeletal muscle weights, fibre size distribution, grip strengths, and serum IL‐6). Transcriptome analysis, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblotting were performed to gain understanding of the potential mechanism(s) by which effective TCM protected against C26 tumour‐induced muscle atrophy.
Results
Of 29 widely used TCMs, Dioscorea radix (DR) and Mu Dan Pi (MDP) showed a complete protection (all P values, 0.0002) vis‐à‐vis C26 conditioned medium control in the myotube atrophy platform. MDP exhibited a unique ability to ameliorate age‐associated decreases in worm mobility, accompanied by improved total body contractions, relative to control (P < 0.0001 and <0.01, respectively), which, however, was not noted with DR. This differential in vivo protective effect between MDP and DR was also confirmed in the C‐26 mouse model. MDP at 1000 mg/kg (MDP‐H) was effective in protecting body weight loss (P < 0.05) in C‐26 tumour‐bearing mice without changing food or water intake, accompanied by the restoration of the fibre size distribution of hindleg skeletal muscles (P < 0.0001) and the forelimb grip strength (P < 0.05). MDP‐treated C‐26‐tumour‐bearing mice were alert, showed normal posture and better body conditions, and exhibited lower serum IL‐6 levels (P = 0.06) relative to vehicle control. This decreased serum IL‐6 was associated with the in vitro suppressive effect of MDP (25 and 50 μg/mL) on IL‐6 secretion into culture medium by C26 cells. RNA‐seq analysis, followed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and/or immunoblotting, shows that MDP's anti‐cachectic effect was attributable to its ability to reverse the C‐26 tumour‐induced re‐programming of muscle homoeostasis‐associated gene expression, including that of two cachexia drivers (MuRF1 and Atrogin‐1), in skeletal muscles.
Conclusions
All these findings suggest the translational potential of MDP to foster new strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of cachexia. The protective effect of MDP on other types of muscle atrophy such as sarcopenia might warrant investigations.
High reliability and wide color gamut light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that use composite quantum dot films (CQDFs) protected by chip-scale package (CSP) structures are presented. CQDFs containing ...CdZnSeS/ZnS core-shell QDs and the K
SiF
:Mn
phosphors were mixed with silicone gel and used as color converters in the CSP QD-LEDs. The CSP QD-LEDs, used for backlight displays, transmitted through a color filter and exhibited ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020 of approximately 86% (a National Television System Committee value of 115%). Furthermore, we performed a long-term reliability analysis test on the CSP QD-LEDs for 2352 h to verify whether the optical performance of CSP QD-LEDs does not significantly degrade relative to that of a conventional plastic leaded chip carrier QD-LEDs. We implemented a highly reliable package technology that can protect the QDs, solve the moisture/oxygen problems in defective QD-LEDs, and produce a backlight source for display with a wide color gamut.
Soluble phenylenevinylene polymers containing tetraphenylethene units are synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of 4‐triphenylvinylphenyl‐2.2paracyclophane‐1,9‐diene in the presence ...of the second generation Grubbs’ initiator. Various polymer molecular weights can be obtained by altering the monomer to initiator ratio. Isomerization is successfully conducted in dilute polymer solution under a UV light irradiation. The as‐prepared polymers with longer chain lengths show relatively strong emission with a photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 43% in solution. Aggregation induced emission is observed for the polymers containing the cis–trans microstructures when the water fraction reached 80% in water/THF mixture. The morphologies of the polymers containing the cis–trans and trans microstructures are distinctive which reveal sphere‐like particles and network‐like structures, respectively. These polymers are promising candidates for potential uses in fluorescence applications.
Soluble phenylenevinylene polymers containing tetraphenylethene units are synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization. Isomerization is successfully conducted in dilute polymer solution. Aggregation induced emission is observed for the polymers containing the cis–trans microstructures. The morphologies of the polymers containing the cis–trans and trans microstructures reveal spherical particles and network‐like structures, respectively.
•Methane-dependent selenate reduction was achieved in a membrane biofilm reactor.•Oxygen supply rate plays either stimulatory or suppressive role in selenate reduction.•Selenate reduction rate was ...enhanced when a proper and limited oxygen rate was supplied.•Excessive oxygen supply rate would suppress selenate reduction rate.
Although methane (CH4) has been proven to be able to serve as an electron donor for bio-reducing various oxidized contaminants (e.g., selenate (SeO42−)), little is known regarding the roles of oxygen in methane-based reduction processes. Here, a methane-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was established for evaluating the effects of oxygen supply rates on selenate reduction performance and microbial communities. The oxygen supply rate played a dual role (stimulatory or suppressive effect) in selenate reduction rates, depending on the presence or absence of dissolved oxygen (DO). Specifically, selenate reduction rate was substantially enhanced when an appropriate oxygen rate (e.g., 12 to 184 mg/L.d in this study) was supplied but with negligible DO. The highest selenate reduction rate (up to 34 mg-Se/L.d) was obtained under an oxygen supply rate of 184 mg/L.d. In contrast, excessive oxygen supply rate (626 mg/L.d) would significantly suppress selenate reduction rate under DO level of 3 mg/L. Accordingly, though the high oxygen supply rate (626 mg/L.d) would promote the expression of pmoA (5.9 × 109 copies g−1), the expression level of narG (a recognized gene to mediate selenate reduction) would be significantly downregulated (6.1 × 109 copies g−1), thus suppressing selenate reduction. In contrast, the expression of narG gene significantly increased to 2.8 × 1010 copies g−1, and the expression of pmoA gene could still maintain at 1.1 × 109 copies g−1 under an oxygen supply rate of 184 mg/L.d. High-throughput sequencing targeting 16S rRNA gene, pmoA, and narG collectively suggested Methylocystis acts as the major aerobic methanotroph, in synergy with Arthrobacter and Variovorax which likely jointly reduce selenate to selenite (SeO32−), and further to elemental selenium (Se0). Methylocystis was predominant in the biofilm regardless of variations of oxygen supply rates, while Arthrobacter and Variovorax were sensitive to oxygen fluctuation. These findings provide insights into the effects of oxygen on methane-dependent selenate reduction and suggest that it is feasible to achieve a higher selenate removal by regulating oxygen supply rates.
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Background
The 23‐valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is indicated for adults who have a high risk of pneumonia; however, its effectiveness in patients with prostate cancer who are at ...a risk of pneumonia because of age and cancer treatments, including androgen‐deprivation therapy, is unknown.
Methods
Between 2000 and 2010, 38,735 patients with prostate cancer were diagnosed in Taiwan. After exclusions and exact matching for age, previous pneumonia, and influenza vaccination, 2188 vaccinated patients and 2188 unvaccinated patients were recruited. The incidence density of all‐cause bacterial pneumonia hospitalizations was analyzed.
Results
Over 7 years of follow‐up, patients who received the PPSV23 had a significantly lower incidence density, with 142.8 per 1000 person‐years versus 162.0 per 1000 person‐years for unvaccinated patients. More patients in the vaccinated cohort were never hospitalized for pneumonia compared with those in the unvaccinated cohort (64.2% vs 62.2%, respectively). After adjusting for the Charlson comorbidity index, cancer treatment modalities, and socioeconomic levels, the risk of pneumonia‐related hospitalization in the PPSV23 vaccination cohort was 0.48 times lower than that in the unvaccinated cohort (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.48; P = .046). For patients who received the influenza vaccination, subgroup analysis demonstrated that PPSV23 vaccination significantly decreased the risk (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.45; P < .001). Compared with unvaccinated controls, PPSV23‐vaccinated patients had a lower cumulative incidence for the first occurrence of pneumonia‐related hospitalization (34.49% vs 36.36%; P = .178) and higher overall survival (47.5% and 42.3%, respectively; P < .001).
Conclusions
Vaccination of elderly patients who have prostate cancer with the relatively common and inexpensive PPSV23 can decrease the risk of pneumonia and prolong survival.
Elderly patients and those undergoing treatments for cancer, such as androgen‐deprivation therapy or chemotherapy, are at increased risk of developing pneumonia that requires hospitalization. In elderly patients who have prostate cancer, vaccination with the 23‐valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is associated with lower rates of pneumonia‐related hospitalization and better survival outcomes compared with unvaccinated patients.
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