Understanding the Complexity of Temperature Dynamics in Xinjiang, China, from Multitemporal Scale and Spatial Perspectives

Based on the observed data from 51 meteorological stations during the period from 1958 to 2012 in Xinjiang, China, we investigated the complexity of temperature dynamics from the temporal and spatial perspectives by using a comprehensive approach including the correlation dimension (CD), classical statistics, and geostatistics. The main conclusions are as follows (1) The integer CD values indicate that the temperature dynamics are a complex and chaotic system, which is sensitive to the initial conditions. (2) The complexity of temperature dynamics decreases along with the increase of temporal scale. To describe the temperature dynamics, at least 3 independent variables are needed at daily scale, whereas at least 2 independent variables are needed at monthly, seasonal, and annual scales. (3) The spatial patterns of CD values at different temporal scales indicate that the complex temperature dynamics are derived from the complex landform

LncRNA MALAT1 Promotes Cancer Metastasis in Osteosarcoma via Activation of the PI3K-Akt Signaling Pathway

Background/Aims: LncRNAs have been reported to be vital regulators of the progression of osteosarcoma, although the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Methods: The levels of MALAT1 and miR-129-5p expression were measured using qRT-PCR. Cell growth was determined using the CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Cell migration and invasion were detected using the wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. Tumor growth was determined with a xenograft model. Results: MALAT1 was significantly up-regulated in osteosarcoma tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor soft tissues. Overexpression of MALAT1 promoted osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and enhanced tumor growth in a tumor xenograft mouse model. MALAT1 promoted osteosarcoma progression by modulating stem cell-like properties. Moreover, rescue experiment and luciferase reporter assay results indicated that MALAT1 modulates RET expression by sponging miR-129-5p in osteosarcomas. Furthermore, MALAT1 augmented the expression of downstream proteins of the RET-Akt pathway. MALAT1 was consistently significantly increased in osteosarcoma tissues and MALAT1 expression was positively correlated with tumor size and metastasis. High expression of MALAT1 was significantly associated with poor outcomes in patients with osteosarcomas. MALAT1 expression was positively related to RET and negatively related to miR-129-5p in osteosarcoma samples and xenograft tumors. MALAT1 functioned as an oncogenic lncRNA in osteosarcomas and was as an independent prognostic indicator. Conclusion: Our data revealed for the first time that MALAT1 increases stem cell-like properties by up-regulating RET via sponging miR-129-5p, and thus activates the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and provides potential therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma treatment

Dual-emission single sensing element-assembled fluorescent sensor arrays for the rapid discrimination of multiple surfactants in environments

Surfactants are considered as typical emerging pollutants, their extensive use of in disinfectants has hugely threatened the ecosystem and human health, particularly during the pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), whereas the rapid discrimination of multiple surfactants in environments is still a great challenge. Herein, we designed a fluorescent sensor array based on luminescent metal–organic frameworks (UiO-66-NH2@Au NCs) for the specific discrimination of six surfactants (AOS, SDS, SDSO, MES, SDBS, and Tween-20). Wherein, UiO-66-NH2@Au NCs were fabricated by integrating UiO-66-NH2 (2-aminoterephthalic acid-anchored-MOFs based on zirconium ions) with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), which exhibited a dual-emission features, showing good luminescence. Interestingly, due to the interactions of surfactants and UiO-66-NH2@Au NCs, the surfactants can differentially regulate the fluorescence property of UiO-66-NH2@Au NCs, producing diverse fluorescent “fingerprints”, which were further identified by pattern recognition methods. The proposed fluorescence sensor array achieved 100% accuracy in identifying various surfactants and multicomponent mixtures, with the detection limit in the range of 0.0032 to 0.0315 mM for six pollutants, which was successfully employed in the discrimination of surfactants in real environmental waters. More importantly, our findings provided a new avenue in rapid detection of surfactants, rendering a promising technique for environmental monitoring against trace multicontaminants

Correlation between refractive errors and ocular biometric parameters in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Refractive errors are one of the most common ocular conditions among children and adolescents, with myopia showing an increasing prevalence and early onset in this population. Recent studies have identified a correlation between refractive errors and ocular biometric parameters. Methods A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Medline from January 1, 2012, to May 1, 2023. Various ocular biometric parameters were summarized under different refractive states, including axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), corneal curvature (CC), Corneal curvature radius (CR),axial length-to-corneal radius ratio (AL/CR ratio), choroidal thickness (ChT), retinal thickness (RT), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL), and retinal blood density (VD). The differences in these parameters among different refractive states were analyzed using Stata software with fixed or random-effects models, taking into account the assessed heterogeneity level. Results This meta-analysis included a total of 69 studies involving 128,178 eyes, including 48,795 emmetropic eyes, 60,691 myopic eyes, 13,983 hyperopic eyes, 2,040 low myopic eyes, 1,201 moderate myopic eyes, and 1,468 high myopic eyes. The results of our study demonstrated that, compared to the control group (emmetropic group), the myopic group and low, moderate, and high myopic groups showed significant increases in AL, AL/CR ratio, and ACD, while the hyperopic group exhibited significant decreases. Compared to the control group, the myopic group had a significantly increase for CC, while CR, CCT, perifoveal RT, subfoveal ChT, foveal ChT, parafoveal ChT, perifoveal (except nasal) ChT, and pRNFL (except temporal) significantly decreased. Compared to the control group, the hyperopic group had a significantly increase for subfoveal ChT, foveal ChT, parafoveal ChT, perifoveal ChT, and nasal pRNFL. Compared to the control group, the low and moderate myopic groups had a significantly decreases for the CCT, parafoveal RT (except nasal), perifoveal RT (except nasal), and pRNFL (except superior and temporal). Compared to the control group, the high myopic group had a significantly increase for CR, while LT, perifoveal ChT (except nasal), parafoveal RT, perifoveal RT, and pRNFL (except temporal) had significant decreased. Conclusion The changes of ocular biometric parameters in children and adolescents are closely related to refractive errors. Ocular biometric parameters devices, as effective non-invasive techniques, provide objective biological markers for monitoring refractive errors such as myopia