Engineering asymmetric steady-state Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering in macroscopic hybrid systems

Generation of quantum correlations between separate objects is of significance both in fundamental physics and in quantum networks. One important challenge is to create the directional "spooky action-at-a-distanc" effects that Schr\"{o}dinger called "steering" between two macroscopic and massive objects. Here, we analyze a generic scheme for generating steering correlations in cascaded hybrid systems in which two distant oscillators with effective masses of opposite signs are coupled to a unidirectional light field, a setup which is known to build up quantum correlations by means of quantum back-action evasion. The unidirectional coupling of the first to the second oscillator via the light field can be engineered to enhance steering in both directions and provides an active method for controlling the asymmetry of steering. We show that the resulting scheme can efficiently generate unconditional steady-state Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering between the two subsystems, even in the presence of thermal noise and optical losses. As a scenario of particular technological interest in quantum networks, we use our scheme to engineer enhanced steering from an untrusted node with limited tunability (in terms of interaction strength and type with the light field) to a trusted, highly tunable node, hence offering a path to implementing one-sided device-independent quantum tasks.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Unconditional steady-state entanglement in macroscopic hybrid systems by coherent noise cancellation

The generation of entanglement between disparate physical objects is a key ingredient in the field of quantum technologies, since they can have different functionalities in a quantum network. Here we propose and analyze a generic approach to steady-state entanglement generation between two oscillators with different temperatures and decoherence properties coupled in cascade to a common unidirectional light field. The scheme is based on a combination of coherent noise cancellation and dynamical cooling techniques for two oscillators with effective masses of opposite signs, such as quasi-spin and motional degrees of freedom, respectively. The interference effect provided by the cascaded setup can be tuned to implement additional noise cancellation leading to improved entanglement even in the presence of a hot thermal environment. The unconditional entanglement generation is advantageous since it provides a ready-to-use quantum resource. Remarkably, by comparing to the conditional entanglement achievable in the dynamically stable regime, we find our unconditional scheme to deliver a virtually identical performance when operated optimally.Comment: Final version; 6 pages, 3 figures + Supplemental Materia

A novel porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vector system that stably expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein as a separate transcription unit

Abstract Here we report the rescue of a recombinant porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) carrying an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter gene as a separate transcription unit. A copy of the transcription regulatory sequence for ORF6 (TRS6) was inserted between the N protein and 3′-UTR to drive the transcription of the EGFP gene and yield a general purpose expression vector. Successful recovery of PRRSV was obtained using an RNA polymerase II promoter to drive transcription of the full-length virus genome, which was assembled in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). The recombinant virus showed growth replication characteristics similar to those of the wild-type virus in the infected cells. In addition, the recombinant virus stably expressed EGFP for at least 10 passages. EGFP expression was detected at approximately 10 h post infection by live-cell imaging to follow the virus spread in real time and the infection of neighbouring cells occurred predominantly through cell-to-cell-contact. Finally, the recombinant virus generated was found to be an excellent tool for neutralising antibodies and antiviral compound screening. The newly established reverse genetics system for PRRSV could be a useful tool not only to monitor virus spread and screen for neutralising antibodies and antiviral compounds, but also for fundamental research on the biology of the virus.This study was funded by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U0931003/L01) and the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (2011AA10A208) to EMZ, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31302103) to WCB, the European Community’s Seventh Frame-work Programme (PoRRSCon, FP7-KBBE-2009-3-245141) and the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (MCINN) (BIO2010-16075) to FA and LE.Peer Reviewe

A study of multinucleated giant cells in esophageal cancer

Objectives: To evaluate the occurrence, abundance, distribution, nature and clinical significance of multi-nucleated giant cell (MGC) in esophageal cancer. Materials and methods: MGCs were examined with conventional pathology, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in 107 esophageal cancer tissues. The findings were correlated to pathological diagnosis and clinical behavior of the cancers. Results: MGCs were identified in 31.7% (34/107) of the cases. MGCs were positive for CD11c, CD11b, CD32, CD16, HLA-DR and MMP9, and negative for CD163, CD206 and CD64 giving a molecular profile of proinflammatory M1 but not immunosuppressive M2. MGCs were significantly related to decreased lymph node metastasis (p = 0.011), low pTNM stage (p = 0.044), favorable survival (p = 0.04), squamous cell cancer type rather than other histopathological subtypes (p = 0.020) and associated to better differentiation (p = 0.063). Conclusions: MGCs belong to M1 macrophage and perform phagocytosis and scavenging of cancer cells that would benefit patients' survival and could serve as a prognostic marker

Particulate matter 2.5 causally increased genetic risk of autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Growing evidence suggested that particulate matter (PM) exhibit an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the causal association between PM and ASD risk remains unclear. Methods We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses, using instrumental variables (IVs) sourced from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) databases. We employed three MR methods: inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median (WM), and MR-Egger, with IVW method serving as our primary MR method. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the stability of these findings. Results The MR results suggested that PM2.5 increased the genetic risk of ASD (β = 2.41, OR = 11.13, 95% CI: 2.54–48.76, P < 0.01), and similar result was found for PM2.5 absorbance (β = 1.54, OR = 4.67, 95% CI: 1.21–18.01, P = 0.03). However, no such association was found in PM10 (β = 0.27, OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.72–2.36, P = 0.38). After adjusting for the false discovery rate (FDR) correction, our MR results remain consistent. Sensitivity analyses did not find significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy. Conclusions Our findings indicate that PM2.5 is a potential risk factor for ASD. Effective strategies to mitigate air pollutants might lead to a reduced incidence of ASD

Potential of Tamarind Shell Extract against Oxidative Stress In Vivo and In Vitro

Tamarind shell is rich in flavonoids and exhibits good biological activities. In this study, we aimed to analyze the chemical composition of tamarind shell extract (TSE), and to investigate antioxidant capacity of TSE in vitro and in vivo. The tamarind shells were extracted with 95% ethanol refluxing extraction, and chemical constituents were determined by ultra-performance chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The free radical scavenging activity of TSE in vitro was evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method. The antioxidative effects of TSE were further assessed in 2,2-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-stimulated ADTC5 cells and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-exposed zebrafish. A total of eight flavonoids were detected in TSE, including (+)-catechin, taxifolin, myricetin, eriodictyol, luteolin, morin, apigenin, and naringenin, with the contents of 5.287, 8.419, 4.042, 6.583, 3.421, 4.651, 0.2027, and 0.6234 mg/g, respectively. The ORAC assay revealed TSE and these flavonoids had strong free radical scavenging activity in vitro. In addition, TSE significantly decreased the ROS and MDA levels but restored the SOD activity in AAPH-treated ATDC5 cells and t-BHP-exposed zebrafish. The flavonoids also showed excellent antioxidative activities against oxidative damage in ATDC5 cells and zebrafish. Overall, the study suggests the free radical scavenging capacity and antioxidant potential of TSE and its primary flavonoids in vitro and in vivo and will provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of tamarind shell

Colorectal cancer–associated T cell receptor repertoire abnormalities are linked to gut microbiome shifts and somatic cell mutations

ABSTRACTAs with many diseases, tumor formation in colorectal cancer (CRC) is multifactorial and involves immune, environmental factors and various genetics that contribute to disease development. Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiome is linked to the occurrence and development of CRC, and these microorganisms are important for immune maturation. However, a systematic perspective integrating microbial profiling, T cell receptor (TCR) and somatic mutations in humans with CRC is lacking. Here, we report distinct features of the expressed TCRβ repertoires in the peripheral blood of and CRC patients (n = 107) and healthy donors (n = 30). CRC patients have elevated numbers of large TCRβ clones and they have very low TCR diversity. The metagenomic sequencing data showed that the relative abundance of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), Escherichia coli and Dasheen mosaic virus were elevated consistently in CRC patients (n = 97) compared to HC individuals (n = 30). The abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia intestinalis was reduced in CRC (n = 97) compared to HC (n = 30). The correlation between somatic mutations of target genes (16 genes, n = 79) and TCR clonality and microbial biomarkers in CRC had been investigated. Importantly, we constructed a random forest classifier (contains 15 features) based on microbiome and TCR repertoires, which can be used as a clinical detection method to screen patients for CRC. We also analysis of F. nucleatum-specific TCR repertoire characteristics. Collectively, our large-cohort multi-omics data aimed to identify novel biomarkers to inform clinical decision-making in the detection and diagnosis of CRC, which is of possible etiological and diagnostic significance

GASC1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by inhibiting the degradation of ROCK2

10.1038/s41419-021-03550-wCell Death and Disease12325

Targeted sequencing of circulating cell-free DNA in stage II-III resectable oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a disease biomarker in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that can be used for treatment response evaluation and early detection of tumour recurrence. Methods Matched tumour tissue, pre- and post-surgery plasma and WBCs obtained from 17 ESCC patients were sequenced using a panel of 483 cancer-related genes. Results Somatic mutations were detected in 14 of 17 tumour tissues. Putative harmful mutations were observed in genes involved in well-known cancer-related pathways, including PI3K-Akt/mTOR signalling, Proteoglycans in cancer, FoxO signalling, Jak-STAT signalling, Chemokine signalling and Focal adhesion. Forty-six somatic mutations were found in pre-surgery cfDNA in 8 of 12 patients, with mutant allele frequencies (MAF) ranging from 0.24 to 4.91%. Three of the 8 patients with detectable circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) had stage IIA disease, whereas the others had stage IIB-IIIB disease. Post-surgery cfDNA somatic mutations were detected in only 2 of 14 patients, with mutant allele frequencies of 0.28 and 0.36%. All other somatic mutations were undetectable in post-surgery cfDNA, even in samples collected within 3-4 h after surgery. Conclusion Our study shows that somatic mutations can be detected in pre-surgery cfDNA in stage IIA to IIIB patients, and at a lower frequency in post-surgery cfDNA. This indicates that cfDNA could potentially be used to monitor disease load, even in low disease-stage patients