microRNA-181a-5p impedes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of retinoblastoma cells by targeting the NRAS proto-oncogene

Objectives: Accumulating research have reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in Retinoblastoma (RB). Nonetheless, the function and underlying mechanism of miR-181a-5p in RB remain ambiguous. Methods: The relative expression levels of miR-181a-5p and NRAS mRNA were detected by quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). RB cell proliferation was measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and 5′-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) assays. Transwell assays and flow cytometry were performed to detect the migration, invasion, and apoptosis of RB cells. The interaction between miR-181a-5p and NRAS was explored using luciferase experiments, western blotting, and qRT-PCR. Results: miR-181a-5p expression was found to be decreased in RB tissues and cell lines, and its expression was correlated with unfavorable pathological features of the patients. In vitro experiments revealed that miR-181a-5p reduced RB cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while enhancing apoptosis. Further research confirmed that NRAS is a direct target of miR-181a-5p. miR-181a-5p inhibited NRAS expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Co-transfection of pcDNA-NRAS or NRAS small interfering RNA (siRNA) reversed the effects of miR-181a-5p mimics or miR-181a-5p inhibitors on RB cells. Conclusion: miR-181a-5p was significantly downregulated during the development of RB, and it suppressed the malignant behaviors of RB cells by targeting NRAS

Changes in the Physical–Chemical Properties and Volatile Flavor Components of Dry-Cured Donkey Leg during Processing

In order to explore the quality variation and flavor formation of dry-cured donkey leg, the changes in physical-chemical composition, lipolytic, free amino acids content and volatile flavor compounds were investigated in this study. Six fresh, trimmed hind legs with average weight of 8.12 ± 0.8 kg were taken from male Dezhou donkeys slaughtered at the age of 24 months with the average live weight of 240 kg. The entire processing time was eight months long including six stages, specifically: cooling, salting, air-drying, fermenting and aging. Samples were collected at 0 d, 10 d, 20 d, 30 d, 65 d, 105 d and 165 d of processing. The results showed that the pH value remained stable in the range of 6.2~6.6. The moisture and water activity significantly decreased (p < 0.05) during processing. The chloride content, ash, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and peroxide value (POV) significantly increased (p < 0.05), from 0.45% to 12.39%, from 3% to 17%, from 1.43 mg/kg to 8.98 mg/kg and from 1.39 g/100 g to 5.26 g/100 g, respectively. The thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) value reached its highest value of 0.39 mg MDA/kg at the end of the salting stage and then decreased to 0.34 mg MDA/kg. Eighteen free amino acids and fifteen free fatty acids were detected, and their contents were significantly increased during processing (p < 0.05). Volatile compounds were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among 114 volatile compounds detected in dry-cured donkey leg, aldehydes, esters, alkane and alcohols were more abundant in the final products, with relative concentrations of 41.88%, 5.72%, 5.35% and 5.25%, respectively. Processing significantly affected the physical-chemical properties, which could contribute to the formation of flavor substances of dry-cured donkey leg

The Research Field of Meat Preservation: A Scientometric and Visualization Analysis Based on the Web of Science

Meat plays a significant role in human diets, providing a rich source of high-quality protein. With advancements in technology, research in the field of meat preservation has been undergoing dynamic evolution. To gain insights into the development of this discipline, the study conducted an analysis and knowledge structure mapping of 1672 papers related to meat preservation research within the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) spanning from 2001 to 2023. And using software tools such as VOSviewer 1.6.18 and CiteSpace 5.8.R3c allowed for the convenient analysis of the literature by strictly following the software operation manuals. Moreover, the knowledge structure of research in the field of meat preservation was synthesized within the framework of “basic research—technological application—integration of technology with fundamental research,” aligning with the research content. Co-cited literature analysis indicated that meat preservation research could be further categorized into seven collections, as well as highlighting the prominent role of the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of plant essential oils in ongoing research. Subsequently, the future research direction and focus of the meat preservation field were predicted and prospected. The findings of this study could offer valuable assistance to researchers in swiftly comprehending the discipline’s development and identifying prominent research areas, thus providing valuable guidance for shaping research topics

Fiber Surface/Interfacial Engineering on Wearable Electronics.

Funder: Henry Royce Institute for Advanced MaterialsSurface/interfacial engineering is an essential technique to explore the fiber materials properties and fulfil new functionalities. An extensive scope of current physical and chemical treating methods is reviewed here together with a variety of real-world applications. Moreover, a new surface/interface engineering approach is also introduced: self-assembly via π-π stacking, which has great potential for the surface modification of fiber materials due to its nondestructive working principle. A new fiber family member, metal-oxide framework (MOF) fiber shows promising candidacy for fiber based wearable electronics. The understanding of surface/interfacial engineering techniques on fiber materials is advanced here and it is expected to guide the rational design of future fiber based wearable electronics

Fiber Surface/Interfacial Engineering on Wearable Electronics

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-05-18, rev-recd 2021-06-29, pub-electronic 2021-08-21Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Henry Royce Institute for Advanced MaterialsFunder: EPSRC; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266; Grant(s): EP/R00661X/1, EP/P025021/1, EP/P025498/1Funder: Short Research Visits UK Fluids Network; Grant(s): EP/N032861/1Abstract: Surface/interfacial engineering is an essential technique to explore the fiber materials properties and fulfil new functionalities. An extensive scope of current physical and chemical treating methods is reviewed here together with a variety of real‐world applications. Moreover, a new surface/interface engineering approach is also introduced: self‐assembly via π–π stacking, which has great potential for the surface modification of fiber materials due to its nondestructive working principle. A new fiber family member, metal‐oxide framework (MOF) fiber shows promising candidacy for fiber based wearable electronics. The understanding of surface/interfacial engineering techniques on fiber materials is advanced here and it is expected to guide the rational design of future fiber based wearable electronics

The effects of pH, temperature, and buffer concentration on the self-assembling behavior, secondary structure, and surface hydrophobicity of donkey and bovine β-casein

The self-assembling behavior, secondary structure, and surface hydrophobicity of purified donkey β-casein in terms of pH, temperature, and buffer concentration were investigated in comparison with commercial bovine β-casein. Critical micelle concentration of both β-caseins decreased with the lowering of pH (pH 8.0–6.0) and the increasing temperatures (25–50 °C). Critical micelle temperature of both β-caseins increased moving from pH 6.0 to 8.0 and aggregates larger than micelles formed at pH 6.0 that is close to their isoelectric point. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the maximum surface hydrophobicity was achieved at pH 6.0. The secondary structure was examined using circular dichroism spectroscopy, highlighting an increase of α-helix content and a decrease of unordered structures with the decrease of pH and increase of temperature. This work provides insights on parameters promoting molecular interactions involved in donkey β-CN self-association, useful to develop nanocarriers for encapsulating bioactive compounds in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications

DNA Polymorphism of Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Protein-3 Gene and Its Association with Cashmere Traits in Cashmere Goats

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) gene is important for regulation of growth and development in mammals. The present investigation was carried out to study DNA polymorphism by PCR-RFLP of IGFBP-3 gene and its effect on fibre traits of Chinese Inner Mongolian cashmere goats. The fibre traits data investigated were cashmere fibre diameter, combed cashmere weight, cashmere fibre length and guard hair length. Four hundred and forty-four animals were used to detect polymorphisms in the hircine IGFBP-3 gene. A 316-bp fragment of the IGFBP-3 gene in exon 2 was amplified and digested with HaeIII restriction enzyme. Three patterns of restriction fragments were observed in the populations. The frequency of AA, AB and BB genotypes was 0.58, 0.33 and 0.09 respectively. The allelic frequency of the A and B allele was 0.75 and 0.25 respectively. Nucleotide sequencing revealed a C>G transition in the exon 2 region of the IGFBP-3 gene resulting in R158G change which caused the polymorphism. Least squares analysis revealed a significant effect of genotypes on cashmere weight (p0.05). The animals of AB and BB genotypes showed higher cashmere weight, cashmere fibre length and hair length than the animals possessing AA genotype. These results suggested that polymorphisms in the hircine IGFBP-3 gene might be a potential molecular marker for cashmere weight in cashmere goats

Downregulation of p70S6K Enhances Cell Sensitivity to Rapamycin in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

It has been demonstrated that mTOR/p70S6K pathway was abnormally activated in many cancers and rapamycin and its analogs can restrain tumor growth through inhibiting this pathway, but some tumors including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) appear to be insensitive to rapamycin in recent studies. In the present study, we explored the measures to improve the sensitivity of ESCC cells to rapamycin and identified the clinical significance of the expression of phosphorylated p70S6K (p-p70S6K). The results showed that, after downregulating the expression of p70S6K and p-p70S6K by p70S6K siRNA, the inhibitory effects of rapamycin on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and tumor growth were significantly enhanced in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, p-p70S6K had strong positive expression in ESCC tissues and its expression was closely related to lymph node metastasis and the TNM staging. These results indicated that p-p70S6K may participate in the invasion and metastasis in the development of ESCC and downregulation of the expression of p-p70S6K could improve the sensitivity of cells to rapamycin in ESCC