Summary
Photosynthetic microalgae can capture solar energy and convert it to bioenergy and biochemical products. In nature or industrial processes, microalgae live together with bacterial communities ...and may maintain symbiotic relationships. In general interactions, microalgae exude dissolved organic carbon that becomes available to bacteria. In return, the bacteria remineralize sulphur, nitrogen and phosphorous to support the further growth of microalgae. In specific interactions, heterotrophic bacteria supply B vitamins as organic cofactors or produce siderophores to bind iron, which could be utilized by microalgae, while the algae supply fixed carbon to the bacteria in return. In this review, we focus on mutualistic relationship between microalgae and bacteria, summarizing recent studies on the mechanisms involved in microalgae–bacteria symbiosis. Symbiotic bacteria on promoting microalgal growth are described and the relevance of microalgae–bacteria interactions for biofuel production processes is discussed. Symbiotic microalgae–bacteria consortia could be utilized to improve microalgal biomass production and to enrich the biomass with valuable chemical and energy compounds. The suitable control of such biological interactions between microalgae and bacteria will help to improve the microalgae‐based biomass and biofuel production in the future.
Vascularization deficiency caused a lot of diseases, such as diabetes ulcer and myocardial infarction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with the self-renewal and multipotent differentiation capacities, ...have been used for many diseases treatment through regulation microenvironment. Numerous studies reported that MSCs transplantation could largely improve cutaneous wound healing via paracrine secretion of growth factors. However, whether MSCs take part in the angiogenesis process directly remains elusive. Previous study proved that autophagy inhibited immunosuppressive function of MSCs and prevented the degradation of MSCs function in inflammatory and senescent microenvironment. Here, we proved that autophagy determines the therapeutic effect of MSCs in cutaneous wound healing through promoting endothelial cells angiogenesis and demonstrated that the paracrine of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in MSCs was required in wound site. We further revealed that autophagy enhanced the VEGF secretion from MSCs through ERK phosphorylation directly. Collectively, we put forward that autophagy mediated paracrine of VEGF plays a central role in MSCs cured cutaneous wound healing and may provide a new therapeutic method for angiogenesis-related diseases.
Chemotherapy is an important treatment modality for gastric cancer (GC); however, it usually fails because of drug resistance, especially multidrug resistance (MDR). Previously, we found a novel ...subset of MDR-associated microRNAs (miRNAs) through high-throughput functional screening. In this report, we investigated the exact roles and mechanisms of miR-23b-3p in the MDR of GC. Using gain or loss-of-function in in vitro and in vivo experiments, we found that overexpression of miR-23b-3p reversed cancer cell resistance to multiple chemotherapeutics in vitro and sensitize tumors to chemotherapy in vivo. Reporter gene assay and western blot analysis showed that ATG12 and HMGB2 were the direct targets of miR-23b-3p. Meanwhile, ATG12 and HMGB2 were positively associated with the occurrence of autophagy. Reducing the expression of these target genes by siRNA or inhibition of autophagy both sensitized GC cells to chemotherapy. These findings suggest that a miR-23b-3p/ATG12/HMGB2/autophagy-regulatory loop has a critical role in MDR in GC. In addition, miR-23b-3p could be used as a prognostic factor for overall survival in GC. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that miR-23b-3p inhibited autophagy mediated by ATG12 and HMGB2 and sensitized GC cells to chemotherapy, and suggested the potential application of miR-23b-3p in drug resistance prediction and treatment.
Itraconazole is an FDA‐approved antifungal agent, which has been reported to possess promising anticancer activities in recent years. This study investigates the antiproliferative effects of ...itraconazole on pancreatic cancer cells and the molecular mechanism of its apoptosis‐inducing effects. In this study, our results showed that itraconazole inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro, and it also significantly inhibited the tumor growth of CFPAC‐1 xenografts in vivo. Itraconazole induced apoptosis through ROS generation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. A Bak‐1 activation dependent apoptosis was identified in CFPAC‐1 cells. These data suggested that itraconazole exhibited antiproliferative effects in pancreatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis through Bak‐1 activation.
Itraconazole inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro, and it also significantly inhibited the tumor growth of CFPAC‐1 xenografts in vivo. Itraconazole induced apoptosis through ROS generation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization.
Abstract
The realization of hybrid superconductor–semiconductor quantum devices, in particular a topological qubit, calls for advanced techniques to readily and reproducibly engineer induced ...superconductivity in semiconductor nanowires. Here, we introduce an on-chip fabrication paradigm based on shadow walls that offers substantial advances in device quality and reproducibility. It allows for the implementation of hybrid quantum devices and ultimately topological qubits while eliminating fabrication steps such as lithography and etching. This is critical to preserve the integrity and homogeneity of the fragile hybrid interfaces. The approach simplifies the reproducible fabrication of devices with a hard induced superconducting gap and ballistic normal-/superconductor junctions. Large gate-tunable supercurrents and high-order multiple Andreev reflections manifest the exceptional coherence of the resulting nanowire Josephson junctions. Our approach enables the realization of 3-terminal devices, where zero-bias conductance peaks emerge in a magnetic field concurrently at both boundaries of the one-dimensional hybrids.
Existing commentaries on government responses to COVID-19 have focused on such factors as competent leadership, policy instruments, or cultural dispositions. Yet, few have provided a synthesis that ...examines how these factors relate to each other. This article fills this gap in the debate by comparing COVID-19 responses among five advanced economies in East Asia: Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan. Although agile actions and competence of top leadership are necessary to confront an unprecedented crisis, they are by themselves insufficient. Equally critical is whether a society has the necessary institutional infrastructure in place when a crisis strikes. Policy instruments are more likely to succeed when existing institutional infrastructure supports their administration and implementation. For an instrument to generate enduring impact, it must be compatible with a polity’s underlying culture; instruments that accommodate the underlying cultural orientations are more likely to elicit public cooperation and voluntary compliance over time. Policy instruments must also address equity issues by reaching marginalized groups across all layers of the population. Progress in emergency management may be visible in mainstream society but masking brewing problems among marginalized groups. A comparison across the five advanced economies in East Asia yields several implications for comparative research and policy.
Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare aggressive malignancy often occurring in the tissues of midline anatomical structures. Except for the pathognomonicBRD3/4–NUT ...rearrangement, the comprehensive landscape of genomic alterations in NMCs has been unexplored.
We investigated three NMC cases, including two newly diagnosed NMC patients in Seoul National University Hospital, and a previously reported cell line (Ty-82). Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing were carried out for these cases, and findings were validated by multiplex fluorescencein situ hybridization and using individual fluorescence probes.
Here, we present the first integrative analysis of whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing and cytogenetic characterization of NUT midline carcinomas. By whole-genome sequencing, we identified a remarkably similar pattern of highly complex genomic rearrangements (previously denominated as chromoplexy) involving theBRD3/4–NUT oncogenic rearrangements in two newly diagnosed NMC cases. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that these complex rearrangements were transcribed as very simpleBRD3/4–NUT fusion transcripts. In Ty-82 cells, we also identified a complex genomic rearrangement involving theBRD4–NUT rearrangement underlying the simple t(15;19) karyotype. Careful inspections of rearrangement breakpoints indicated that these rearrangements were likely attributable to single catastrophic events. Although the NMC genomes had >3000 somatic point mutations, canonical oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes were rarely affected, indicating that they were largely passenger events. Mutational signature analysis showed predominant molecular clock-like signatures in all three cases (accounting for 54%−75% of all base substitutions), suggesting that NMCs may arise from actively proliferating normal cells.
Taken together, our findings suggest that a single catastrophic event in proliferating normal cells could be sufficient for neoplastic transformation into NMCs.
Homogeneous graphene dispersion and suitable interface bonding are two key challenges to realize the high strengthening potential of graphene in metal matrix composites (MMCs). In this study, ...graphene nanosheets (GNSs) with deposited nickel (Ni) nanoparticles were synthesized to simultaneously overcome the two challenges. Ni-coated-GNS-reinforced aluminum (Al) MMCs were fabricated by graphene synthesis, Ni decoration and subsequent powder metallurgy. It was revealed that Ni-coated GNSs exhibited noticeably enhanced strengthening effect compared with graphene reinforcements in most previous studies. With the addition of 1.5 wt% Ni-coated GNSs, the composites exhibited 132% higher strength than that of unreinforced aluminum. The enhancement in Vickers hardness and Young's modulus further confirmed the remarkable strengthening effect. The high strength and high Young's modulus were examined by strengthening models, and a comparison between experimental and theoretical values was reached. The main strengthening mechanisms in the Ni-coated GNSs/Al composites were clarified as dislocation-related ones.
Bacillus widely exists in wet natural environment such as soil, water and air, and is often studied as one of representative microorganisms for microbiologically influenced corrosion(MIC) research. ...In this paper, the growth curve of Bacillus subtilis isolated from marine environment was determined by turbidimetry and its effect on corrosion behavior of 10MnNiCrCu steel was studied by open circuit potential, AC impedance, polarization curve and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The results showed that with the change of the growth curve of Bacillus subtilis(BS), the open circuit potential(E
) shifted positively and then negatively, and the charge transfer resistance shown by AC impedance was much lower than that of the sterile system, increasing first and then decreasing. The polarization curves showed that the corrosion current density in BS medium was obviously higher than that in sterile system. The corrosion morphology observation showed that although a biofilm by BS developed on the steel surface, the localized corrosion of 10MnNiCrCu steel was aggravated due to the acidness of the metabolite itself and the biofilm with access for electrolyte ions.
To assess the diagnostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) with coronary artery involvement and to evaluate whether CCTA could provide ...potentially useful information for selecting the surgical method.
Patients with ATAAD treated from January 2019 to December 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Involvement of the coronary arteries based on CCTA findings were grouped into three major types and five subtypes. Interobserver and intraobserver diagnostic agreement for five subtypes were determined. The patients were divided into the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and non-CABG groups, and the proportions of the five subtypes between the two groups were compared.
A total of 95 patients were enrolled in this study. Interobserver and intraobserver diagnostic agreement were both substantial in the left and right coronary arteries. Overall, the proportions of the five subtypes of coronary artery involvement were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001). The proportion of Type A was elevated in the non-CABG group compared with the CABG group (22.6% versus 71.9%); by contrast, the proportions of Type B1 (35.5% versus 14.1%), Type B2 (19.4% versus 10.9%), Type C1 (6.5% versus 0%), and Type C2 (16.1% versus 3.1%) were elevated in the CABG group.
CCTA is reliable in evaluating coronary artery involvement by ATAAD. The present retrospective study indicated that CABG may be considered if the intimal flap disrupts the coronary orifice and causes luminal stenosis >50%, particularly Type B, or if an intimal tear occurs in the coronary orifice (Type C), which deserve further validation through prospective studies.
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