Genetic Variations in the Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Pathway May Improve Predictive Power for Overall Survival in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), a known immune suppressor, plays an important role in tumor progression and overall survival (OS) in many types of cancers. We hypothesized that genetic variations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TGF-β1 pathway can predict survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after radiation therapy. Materials and Methods: Fourteen functional SNPs in the TGF-β1 pathway were measured in 166 patients with NSCLC enrolled in a multi-center clinical trial. Clinical factors, including age, gender, ethnicity, smoking status, stage group, histology, Karnofsky Performance Status, equivalent dose at 2 Gy fractions (EQD2), and the use of chemotherapy, were first tested under the univariate Cox's proportional hazards model. All significant clinical predictors were combined as a group of predictors named "Clinical." The significant SNPs under the Cox proportional hazards model were combined as a group of predictors named "SNP." The predictive powers of models using Clinical and Clinical + SNP were compared with the cross-validation concordance index (C-index) of random forest models. Results: Age, gender, stage group, smoking, histology, and EQD2 were identified as significant clinical predictors: Clinical. Among 14 SNPs, BMP2:rs235756 (HR = 0.63; 95% CI:0.42-0.93; p = 0.022), SMAD9:rs7333607 (HR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.22-6.41; p = 0.015), SMAD3:rs12102171 (HR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.46-1.00; p = 0.050), and SMAD4: rs12456284 (HR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.43-0.92; p = 0.016) were identified as powerful predictors of SNP. After adding SNP, the C-index of the model increased from 84.1 to 87.6% at 24 months and from 79.4 to 84.4% at 36 months. Conclusion: Genetic variations in the TGF-β1 pathway have the potential to improve the prediction accuracy for OS in patients with NSCLC

Effect of Ultrasonic Shot Peening on Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of Mg Alloy Sheet

Magnesium alloys are regarded as the most promising structure materials in transportation and aerospace fields because of their low densities and high specific strengths. However, the unsatisfactory mechanical performance and corrosion resistance restrict their applications. Grain refinement is an effective way to improve the mechanical properties and widen the applications. Among which, ultrasonic shot peening shows a great potential in producing refined grains or even nanocrystalline. A nanocrystalline forms at the surface after ultrasonic shot peening treatment. The formed nanocrystalline has been proved to dramatically affect the mechanical properties, such as hardness, mechanical stress, wear resistance and fatigue life. In this dissertation, the microstructure evolution of AZ31 Mg alloy after the ultrasonic shot peening as well as its effect on the mechanical properties are investigated. The grain size, the twin structure, the surface roughness and the residual stress distribution after ultrasonic shot peening are characterized. A gradient nanostructure is achieved through ultrasonic shot peening and the thickness of this gradient nanostructure increases with prolonging the treated time. The grains at the top surface after 5 min treatment is refined to 45 nm and further refined to 42 nm for 10 min and 37nm for 15 min treatment from the XRD result. A lamellar nanocrystalline is below the top surface and a lot of tensile twins are found at the heavily deformed grains below the nanocrystalline layer. Below the twinned layer, a residual stress is distributed as deep as 400 µm in the matrix. A rough surface is obtained and the surface roughness of the 5 min treated sample was 5.934 µm, increased to 6.161 µm for10 min and 6.236 µm for 15 min. The nanocrystalline leads to the improvement of the microhardness, from 65 HV of the as-received to 123 HV, 127 HV and 145 HV for 5 min, 10 min and 15 min treatment, respectively. The tensile stress and compression stress are also improved remarkably. The yield stress is increased from 127.7 MPa of as-received to 198 MPa of 10 min treated sample and the compression stress is improved from 73 MPa to 100 MPa. The improved yield stress is attributed to the grain refinement and the work hardening of the nanocrystalline. The wear resistance of AZ31 Mg alloy is improved greatly after ultrasonic shot peening process. The coefficient of friction and the wear rate of the ultrasonic shot peening treated sample are both lower than that of as-received. The width of the wear track of ultrasonic shot peening treated is also narrower than that of as-received, and the worn surface has a lower surface roughness. In as-received samples, abrasion and oxidation dominate the wear mechanism at low sliding speed and low applied load. The increase of sliding speed or applied load resulted in the delamination. Severe wear such as thermal softening happens with the further increase of load value or sliding speed. In ultrasonic shot peening treated samples, oxidation, the abrasion and delamination are also existing while no severe wear is found. The improved wear resistance of the ultrasonic shot peened sample is due to the improved hardness and a higher activity of oxidation during wear process. The nanocrystalline on the top surface leads to the transition boundary between the mild wear and severe wear to a higher sliding speed and higher applied load. The corrosion resistance of AZ31 Mg alloy before and after ultrasonic shot peening is tested in 3.5 % NaCl solution. The corrosion resistance after ultrasonic shot peening is reduced greatly because of the Fe particles at the top surface, which was exfoliated from the shot during the treating process. After a 40 µm thick polishing, Fe particles are removed totally and the corrosion resistance is improved, compared with that of as-received. The anodic current density of the nanocrystallized surface after polishing is reduced because of the compression residual stress and a rapid formation of protective layer. Meanwhile, the grain boundary acts as a physical barrier for corrosion and reduces the corrosion rate

Nucleolus disassembly and distribution of segregated nucleolar material in prophase of root-tip meristematic cells in Triticum aestivum L.

This paper presents details of the process of nucleolar disassembly, studied by conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in wheat root cells. In early prophase, chromatin condensation and irregular nucleolar morphology are observed, with many small particles appearing around the nucleolus. In middle prophase, the nucleolus radiates outwards; in late prophase, the fine structure of the nucleolus disappears and nucleolar material diffuses away. Using “en bloc” silver-staining to distinguish between nucleoli and chromatin, we observed that the dispersed nucleolar material aggregates around the chromatin, forming a sheath-like perichromosomal structure that coats the chromosomes in late prophase

Development of the molecular markers for identifying red pericarp trait in rice

Red rice attracts people′s attention greatly for its special nutritional value.Red pericarp phenotype of rice is controlled by two pairs of dominant genes,Rc and Rd,on non-homologous chromosomes,and rice pericarp will be red only while Rc and Rd genes are both present.In this study we developed two molecular markers,namely Rc(+5150)and Rd(+276),directly on key loci of Rc/rc allele and Rd/rd allele affecting the rice pericarp color.The results show that the two molecular markers could discriminate the different genotypes of Rc/rc and Rd/rd.This study provides an important help for breeding red rice new varieties quickly and efficiently by using molecular marker-assisted selection

Research on optimal germination and emergence conditions forgiant embryo riceseeds

In order to find the optimal germination and emergence conditions of giant embryo rice seed,‘Shangshida No.5’ giant embryo rice seeds were used as theexperiment material,and their optimal germination and emergencerates were investigated.In this study five kinds of soaking methods and three water proportions on ‘Shangshida No.5’ rice seed were designed.The results showed that average germination rate of the seeds soaked for 48 hours with water changing per 12 hours and 1:4.5 water proportions(seed:water,weight)was the highest one,reached to 96.17%,and was higher than obviouslycontinuous soaking without water changing and intermittent soaking;And there was highly significant positive correlation between optimal germination rate and emergencerate of giant embryo rice seed(P0.01).The operating mode of continuous soaking for 48 hours with water changing per 12 hours might meet not only giant embryo rice seeds to larger water requirements in the soaking seed,and could well avoid alcohol poisoning caused by anaerobic respiration of the seeds,thus improving the giant embryo rice seeds germination rate

Genotyping of 10 blast resistance genes in 22 rice varieties by molecular marker

Genotyping of 10 blast resistance genes,which were cloned from 22 leading rice cultivars or new bred rice strains grown mainly in Shanghai,was carried out by using molecular marker detection technology for clearing these genes' distribution in the 22 rice cultivars or strains. The results showed that 22 rice cultivars or strains all contained rice blast resistance genes Pi 36、Pi 37、Pi-d 2 and Pib,while the distributions of Pi-kh、Pi 9、Pi 2、Pi-ta and Pikm were different in above different rice cultivars or strains. And all the rice samples detected did not contain Pi 25

RNA-Seq Reveals the mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs Expression Profile of Knee Joint Synovial Tissue in Osteoarthritis Patients

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease common in the elderly population and imposes significant health and economic burden. Total joint replacement is the only currently available treatment but does not prevent cartilage degeneration. The molecular mechanism of OA, especially the role of inflammation in disease progression, is incompletely understood. We collected knee joint synovial tissue samples of eight OA patients and two patients with popliteal cysts (controls), measured the expression levels of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in these tissues by RNA-seq, and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key pathways. In the OA group, 343 mRNAs, 270 lncRNAs, and 247 miRNAs were significantly upregulated, and 232 mRNAs, 109 lncRNAs, and 157 miRNAs were significantly downregulated. mRNAs potentially targeted by lncRNAs were predicted. Nineteen overlapped miRNAs were screened based on our sample data and GSE 143514 data. Pathway enrichment and functional annotation analyses showed that the inflammation-related transcripts CHST11, ALDH1A2, TREM1, IL-1β, IL-8, CCL5, LIF, miR-146a-5p, miR-335-5p, lncRNA GAS5, LINC02288, and LOC101928134 were differentially expressed. In this study, inflammation-related DEGs and non-coding RNAs were identified in synovial samples, suggesting that competing endogenous RNAs have a role in OA. TREM1, LIF, miR146-5a, and GAS5 were identified to be OA-related genes and potential regulatory pathways. This research helps elucidate the pathogenesis of OA and identify novel therapeutic targets for this disorder

Experimental and Numerical Investigation into the Stability Behaviour of Cable-Stiffened Steel Columns

A cable-stiffened steel column (CSSC) possesses superior stability behaviour compared to ordinary compression columns. In the past, the research emphasis has focused on the behaviours of stiffened columns under axial compression; investigations into their behaviour under eccentric loading is scant. This study aims to examine the buckling behaviour of CSSCs under eccentric loading using experimental and numerical investigations. The effects of pretension in cables and eccentricity on stability behaviours were studied. According to the current investigation, it can be demonstrated that the capacities of CSSCs are higher than those of ordinary compression columns. It has also been illustrated that both the buckling loads and modes of CSSCs can be changed by changing the load eccentricity; however, the modes of ordinary columns cannot be changed. These results could be of theoretical and engineering significance in the exploration of the behaviours of cable-stiffened columns

A cooperative ITS study on green light optimisation using an integrated traffic, driving, and communication simulator

Cooperative ITS is enabling vehicles to communicate with the infrastructure and each other, to provide improvements in traffic safety, traffic control, and traffic management. Researchers from fields of information technology, communication, and traffic engineering are involved in the development of applications to achieve these goals. One challenge is the testing of such systems and their impact in a large scale. Real-world implementation is mostly limited to test vehicles or test stations, simulation studies lack the human factor, and driving simulation experiments are limited to a single. In this paper, we present a system, integrating a traffic and communication simulators with a multi-user driving simulator that can overcome these drawbacks and provides a low-cost testing environment for new developments V2V and V2I applications in a controlled, but realistic way.</p