Accumulating evidence have suggested that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to regulate diverse tumorigenic processes. Recently, a novel lncRNA LINC01939 was underexpressed and emerged as a ...tumor suppressive lncRNA in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the biological function and molecular mechanism of LINC01939 in GC. We found that LINC01939 expression was significantly downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of LINC01939 was correlated with tumor metastasis and shorter survival in GC patients. Functionally, LINC01939 overexpression remarkably inhibited the invasion and migration of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC01939 regulated the expression of early growth response 2 (EGR2) protein by competitively binding to miR-17-5p. Upregulation of miR-17-5p reversed GC metastasis and EMT process caused by LINC01939 by rescue analysis. Taken together, these results suggested that LINC01939 repressed GC invasion and migration by functioning as a ceRNA for miR-17-5p to regulate EGR2 expression. Our findings provided a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target for GC patients.
Fluid flow and convective heat mass transfer in membrane-formed parallel-plates channels are investigated. The membrane-formed channels are used for liquid desiccant air dehumidification. The liquid ...desiccant and the air stream are separated by the semi-permeable membrane to prevent liquid droplets from crossing over. The two streams, in a cross-flow arrangement, exchange heat and moisture through the membrane, which only selectively permits the transport of water vapor and heat. The two flows are assumed hydrodynamically fully developed while developing thermally and in concentration. Different from traditional method of assuming a uniform temperature (concentration) or a uniform heat flux (mass flux) boundary condition, the real boundary conditions on membrane surfaces are numerically obtained by simultaneous solution of momentum, energy and concentration equations for the two fluids. Equations are then coupled on membrane surfaces. The naturally formed boundary conditions are then used to calculate the local and mean Nusselt and Sherwood numbers along the channels. Experimental work is performed to validate the results. The different features of the channels in comparison to traditional metal-formed parallel-plates channels are disclosed.
A cross flow hollow fiber membrane bundle is used for liquid desiccant air dehumidification. The turbulent fluid flow and conjugate heat and mass transfer across the bundle considering interactions ...between neighboring fibers are investigated. In the bundle, the process air flows across the fiber bundle and salt solution flows inside the fibers packed in the shell. Heat and moisture are exchanged through the membranes. Two structured arrangements: in-line and staggered, are considered. Due to the periodicity of the fluid flow and heat and mass transfer across the bundle, two representative periodic unit cells which include 2–3 neighboring fibers simultaneously, are selected as the calculation domains. Turbulence in the shell side is considered. The governing equations for fluid flow and heat and mass transfer in tube side, membrane side, and shell side are coupled together and solved numerically with a self-built code. The fundamental data of friction factor, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers on both the tube and the shell sides are then obtained and experimentally validated.
Methane and carbon dioxide are known greenhouse gases, and the conversion of these two C1-building blocks into useful fuels and chemicals is a subject of great importance. By solid-state NMR ...spectroscopy, we found that methane and carbon dioxide can be co-converted on a zinc-modified H–ZSM-5 zeolite (denoted as Zn/H–ZSM-5) to form acetic acid at a low temperature range of 523–773 K. Solid-state 13C and 1H MAS NMR investigation indicates that the unique nature of the bifunctional Zn/H–ZSM-5 catalyst is responsible for this highly selective transformation. The zinc sites efficiently activate CH4 to form zinc methyl species (−Zn–CH3), the Zn–C bond of which is further subject to the CO2 insertion to produce surface acetate species (−Zn–OOCCH3). Moreover, the Brønsted acid sites play an important role for the final formation of acetic acid by the proton transfer to the surface acetate species. The results disclosed herein may offer the new possibility for the efficient activation and selective transformation of methane at low temperatures through the co-conversion strategy. Also, the mechanistic understanding of this process will help to the rational design of robust catalytic systems for the practical conversion of greenhouse gases into useful chemicals.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of non-specific inflammatory bowel disease that mainly affects the colon. Recently, UC has become a significant social and economic problem worldwide. Baitouweng ...decoction (BD), a traditional Chinese medicine described in the “Treatise on Febrile Diseases”, has been used for centuries to treat intestinal diseases. However, its underlying mechanism remains largely unexplored.
In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of BD on autophagy for repairing the colonic barrier in DSS-induced colitis mice and explored its role in regulating the autophagic signaling pathway AMPK/mTOR.
Mice with colitis were treated with 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days. The effectiveness of BD in treating DSS-induced colitis was evaluated through body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, pathological changes, organ index, and proportion of blood cells. Moreover, intestinal epithelial permeability was analyzed by examining FITC-dextran leakage, the bacterial load of mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and bacterial infiltration of colon tissues. Barrier function was evaluated by assessing the number and proportion of colonic goblet cells and the expression of tight junction proteins, including ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin. Furthermore, the levels of autophagy were assessed by examining the number of autophagosomes and the expression of the autophagy-related proteins LC3, Beclin1, and P62. Additionally, network pharmacology research was conducted to analyze the potential mechanisms underlying the medicinal effects, as indicated by the role of AMPK/mTOR in regulating the autophagic signaling pathway.
BD improved colitis symptoms in mice by restoring body weight and colon length and reducing inflammatory cell infiltration. Additionally, BD decreased the diffusion of FITC-dextran and bacterial translocation in MLNs, as well as bacterial infiltration of the colonic mucosa. The number and proportion of colonic goblet cells, the expression of ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin, and the levels of autophagy were also increased by BD. Network pharmacology analysis suggested that BD might affect intestinal autophagy through the AMPK signaling pathway, which was confirmed by the activation of AMPK phosphorylation and the downregulation of mTOR expression following BD treatment.
Our study demonstrated that BD repaired the intestinal epithelial barrier in DSS-induced colitis mice by activating AMPK phosphorylation and inhibiting mTOR expression to promote autophagy.
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•The therapeutic effect of Baitouweng decoction in DSS-induced UC mice.•Baitouweng decoction repaired the damaged intestinal barrier in DSS-induced UC mice.•Baitouweng decoction enhanced autophagy in DSS-induced colitis mice.•Baitouweng decoction repaired the damaged intestinal barrier in DSS-induced UC mice in an are autophagy-dependent manner.•Baitouweng decoction plays a therapeutic role in repairing the intestinal epithelial barrier by promoting autophagy through regulating the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.
Gut microbiome is integral to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. A novel probiotic Lactobacillus intestinalis (L. intestinalis) exerts a protective effect against dextran sodium sulfate‐induced ...colitis in mice. Based on flow cytometry, colitis‐associated Th17 cells are the target of L. intestinalis, which is supported by the lack of protective effects of L. intestinalis in T cell‐null Rag1−/− mice or upon anti‐IL‐17‐A antibody‐treated mice. Although L. intestinalis exerts no direct effect on T cell differentiation, it decreases C/EBPA‐driven gut epithelial SAA1 and SAA2 production, which in turn impairs Th17 cell differentiation. Cometabolism of L. intestinalis ALDH and host ALDH1A2 contributed to elevated biosynthesis of retinoic acid (RA), which accounts for the anti‐colitis effect in RAR‐α ‐mediated way. In a cohort of ulcerative colitis patients, it is observed that fecal abundance of L. intestinalis is negatively associated with the C/EBPA‐SAA1/2‐Th17 axis. Finally, L. intestinalis has a synergistic effect with mesalazine in alleviating murine colitis. In conclusion, L. intestinalis and associated metabolites, RA, have potential therapeutic effects for suppressing colonic inflammation by modulating the crosstalk between intestinal epithelia and immunity.
By improving retinoic acid synthesis, a novel probiotic L. intestinalis exerts a protective effect against colitis. Retinoic acid triggers epithelial gene alteration, including SAA1, SAA2, and C/EBPA, to downregulate RORγt+ Th17 cells. L. intestinalis and its associated metabolite, retinoic acid, have potential therapeutic effects for suppressing colonic inflammation.
The main objective of this study was the source attribution of the water-soluble oxidative potential of PM2.5 in Xiamen, China. Mean concentrations of individual water-soluble trace elements varied ...within a wide range from <1 ng m−3 to >100 ng m−3 between November 2015 and May 2018. Their fractional solubility ranged from <5% to >70%, depending mainly on the origin, followed by meteorological conditions and atmospheric aging. The annual mean value of the volume-normalized dithiothreitol activity (DTTv) in PM2.5 between January 2017 and May 2018 in the urban area (0.632 ± 0.299 nmol min−1 m−3) was higher than in the suburban area (0.562 ± 0.247 nmol min−1 m−3) (p < 0.05), which was consistent with the spatial difference of transition metals and carbon species. DTTv were lower in summer than in winter (p < 0.05), consistent with the variations in Cu and Mn, which accounted for more than 94% of the reconstructed DTTv. DTTv could not be predicted well by lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and hazard index (HI), because the main contributors to HI (V, Ni, and Mn) and LCR (Cr(VI) and V) were different from those of DTTv. Based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) and the multiple linear regression (MLR) models, the identified sources of DTTv at the urban/suburban sites were as follows: vehicle exhaust + biomass burning (39.9%/24.2%), primary organic aerosol (19.5%/23.9%), secondary nitrate/chlorine (10.5%/18.4%), secondary sulfate + ship emissions (18.2%/7.8%), mineral dust (2.3%/20.0%), and coal combustion (9.7%/5.6%). The results differed from those for PM2.5, LCR and HI, which had larger contributions from coal combustion and secondary sulfate + ship emission.
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•Element solubility depended mainly on pollution sources, followed by meteorological conditions and possible chemical aging.•Seasonal changes in DTTv were mainly controlled by water-soluble Cu and Mn.•DTTv could not be predicted well by LCR and HI due to their different key drivers.•Source apportionments of DTTv were different from PM2.5, LCR and HI.
This study investigated the protective effect of lobetyolin (LBT), a Q-marker isolated from the roots of
Platycodon grandiflorum
(Radix Platycodi), against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in human ...embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Results showed that LBT at 20 μM significantly prevented cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity by improving the viability of HEK293 cells, decreasing levels of MDA, and decreasing GSH content triggered by cisplatin. It also suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Molecular docking analysis revealed a strong binding affinity between LBT and the NF-κB protein, with a docking fraction of − 6.5 kcal/mol. These results provide compelling evidence suggesting a potential link between the visualization analysis of LBT and its protective mechanism, specifically implicating the NF-κB signaling pathway. LBT also reduced the expression level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), phosphorylation NF-κB and IκBα in HEK293 cells which were increased by cisplatin exposure, leading to inhibition of inflammation. Furthermore, western blotting showed that LBT antagonized the up-regulation of Bax, cleaved caspase 3, 8, and 9 expression and inhibited the MAPK signaling pathway by down-regulating phosphorylation JNK, ERK, and p38, partially ameliorating cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in HEK293 cells. Therefore, these results indicate that LBT has potentially protected renal function by inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis.
In order to explore the performance, kinetics characteristics and enhancement mechanisms in anammox process under ferrous iron enhanced conditions, a laboratory-scale UASB anammox reactor has been ...built up and operated for 534 days. Experimental results showed that the Anammox process was successfully started up in a short operation period and the TNRE reached 83.34 ± 2.96% with a maximum total nitrogen removal rate of 14.4 kg m
−3
d
−1
after long-term operated under influent Fe(II) concentration of 5.3 mg L
−1
. Simulation results using different kinetic models showed that the Stover–Kincannon model and the Grau second-order model were useful for describing the anammox performance under Fe(II) enhanced conditions. Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) act a pivotal part in the granulation of Anammox sludge and the improvement of anammox activity. Iron improved the hydrophobicity of the sludge by reducing the PN/PS ratios, and also increased the Anammox granular diameter. The granular diameter of higher than 2.00 accounted for 58.3% of the total sludge. At the same time, the presence of iron decreased EPS levels, and also decreased the iron adsorption ability to sludge. More iron was transported into Anammox, which improved the nitrogen removal ability in the Anammox reactor.
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