Material Tensors and Pseudotensors of Weakly-Textured Polycrystals with Orientation Measure Defined on the Orthogonal Group

Material properties of polycrystalline aggregates should manifest the influence of crystallographic texture as defined by the orientation distribution function (ODF). A representation theorem on material tensors of weakly-textured polycrystals was established by Man and Huang (2012), by which a given material tensor can be expressed as a linear combination of an orthonormal set of irreducible basis tensors, with the components given explicitly in terms of texture coefficients and a number of undetermined material parameters. Man and Huang\u27s theorem is based on the classical assumption in texture analysis that ODFs are defined on the rotation group SO(3), which strictly speaking makes it applicable only to polycrystals with (single) crystal symmetry defined by a proper point group. In the present study we consider ODFs defined on the orthogonal group O(3) and extend the representation theorem of Man and Huang to cover pseudotensors and polycrystals with crystal symmetry defined by any improper point group. This extension is important because many materials, including common metals such as aluminum, copper, iron, have their group of crystal symmetry being an improper point group. We present the restrictions on texture coefficients imposed by crystal symmetry for all the 21 improper point groups and we illustrate the extended representation theorem by its application to elasticity

Serum amyloid P down-regulates CCL-1 expression, and inhibits Ras/MAPK signaling and development of breast cancer

Purpose: To investigate the role of serum amyloid component P (SAP) on Ras/MAPK pathway in the development of breast cancer (BC) via regulation of chemokine (CC motif) ligand 1 (CCL-1).Methods: Breast cancer (BC) and metastasis models were established using SAP-Tg transgenic mice and WT C57BL/6 mice. The effect of SAP on growth and metastasis was observed. Differentially expressed proteins in SAP-Tg and C57BL/6 serum were analyzed, and further determined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The effect of SAP on CCL1/Ras/MAPK signaling pathway was studied by immunoblotting.Results: Compared with WT control, SAP-Tg BC model showed a significant reduction in tumor volume and prolonged survival (p < 0.05). In the lung metastasis model, SAP-Tg mice showed a decreased number of nodules on the organ surface (p < 0.05). Protein microarray screening results showed that SAP inhibited CCL-1 expression (p < 0.05). CCL-1 mRNA level in SAP-Tg mice was significantly lower than WT control (p < 0.05). After stimulating RAW cells (mouse macrophage line) with SAP recombinant protein, ELISA results showed that CCL-1 secretion significantly decreased (p < 0.05). In both models, P38 and ERK1/2 activation in SAP-Tg mice were significantly lower than that in C57BL/6 mice.Conclusion: SAP inhibits the growth and metastasis of BC, possibly by reducing the secretion of CCL- 1 and inhibiting Ras/MAPK signaling pathway, thus suggesting a possible treatment strategy for breast cancer.Keywords: Serum amyloid component P (SAP), chemokine (CC motif) ligand 1 (CCL-1), Breast cancer, NF-κB, Ras/MAPK signaling pathwa

Retracted “Serum amyloid P down-regulates CCL-1 expression, and inhibits Ras/MAPK signaling and development of breast cancer”

This article previously published in Volume 17 Issue 16 of this journal in September 2017 has been retracted in line with the guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE,http://publicationethics.org/ resources/guidelines). Retraction: Ding S, Li H, Li X, Wang W, Du X, Dong G, Zhang P. Serum amyloid P down-regulates CCL-1 expression, and inhibits Ras/MAPK signaling and development of breast cancer. Trop J Pharm Res 2017; 16(9):2089-2095 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v16i9.7 To the editor: The figures in the paper were plagiarized partly from an earlier published article, Qi et al, P-selectinmediated tablet adhesion promoters tumor growth. Oncotarget 2015;30:6(9):6584–6596, and data from a master's thesis submitted by Bin Li under the supervision of Professor Lijing Wang and Professor Cuiling Qi. Sincerely, Cuiling Qi and Lijing Wang

Challenges of refractive cataract surgery in the era of myopia epidemic: a mini-review

Myopia is the leading cause of visual impairment in the world. With ever-increasing prevalence in these years, it creates an alarming global epidemic. In addition to the difficulty in seeing distant objects, myopia also increases the risk of cataract and advances its onset, greatly affecting the productivity of myopes of working age. Cataract management in myopic eyes, especially highly myopic eyes is originally more complicated than that in normal eyes, whereas the growing population of cataract with myopia, increasing popularity of corneal and lens based refractive surgery, and rising demand for spectacle independence after cataract surgery all further pose unprecedented challenges to ophthalmologists. Previous history of corneal refractive surgery and existence of implantable collamer lens will both affect the accuracy of biometry including measurement of corneal curvature and axial length before cataract surgery, which may result in larger intraocular lens (IOL) power prediction errors and a compromise in the surgical outcome especially in a refractive cataract surgery. A prudent choice of formula for cataract patients with different characteristics is essential in improving this condition. Besides, the characteristics of myopic eyes might affect the long-term stability of IOL, which is important for the maintenance of visual outcomes especially after the implantation of premium IOLs, thus a proper selection of IOL accordingly is crucial. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of the impact of myopia epidemic on treatment for cataract and to discuss new challenges that surgeons may encounter in the foreseeable future when planning refractive cataract surgery for myopic patients

Distinct Roles of Distress and Coping Capacity in the Effects of Psychological Stress on Energy Intake and Percentage of Energy from Macronutrients

The aim of this study was to explore the association of perceived stress on energy intake and percentage of energy from macronutrients. We examined cross-sectional data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey among Chinese adults. Perceived stress scale was used to assess psychological stress, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to calculate the two latent variable scores: distress factor and coping factor of perceived stress. Combined two-level random effect model and structural equation modeling were used to explore the association between distress, coping, and energy intake. The study involved 6865 adults with an average age of 46.9 years. The intake of energy was 2047.9 ± 666.6 kcal/d, 51.1% from carbohydrate and 35.2% from fat. Neither distress nor coping capacity had an association with energy intake. The coping factor score was positively associated with the sum of percentage of energy intake from carbohydrate and fat (%C&F) in females (β = 0.149, p = 0.015) but not in males. Compared to the lowest tertile, %C&F of females with a coping factor score in the medium and top tertiles were 0.44 and 0.81 significantly higher, respectively (pmedium = 0.0013, ptop < 0.0001). Psychological stress was positively associated with %C&F in females. It was insufficient capacity to cope with stress that led to unhealthy eating behavior

CB1 Receptor Negative Allosteric Modulators as a Potential Tool to Reverse Cannabinoid Toxicity

Peer reviewe

CD151 Drives Cancer Progression Depending on Integrin α3β1 through EGFR Signaling in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background Tetraspanins CD151, a transmembrane 4 superfamily protein, has been identified participating in the initiation of a variety of cancers. However, the precise function of CD151 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Here, we addressed the pro-tumoral role of CD151 in NSCLC by targeting EGFR/ErbB2 which favors tumor proliferation, migration and invasion. Methods First, the mRNA expression levels of CD151 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines were measured by RT-PCR. Meanwhile, CD151 and its associated proteins were analyzed by western blotting. The expression levels of CD151 in NSCLC samples and its paired adjacent lung tissues were then verified by Immunohistochemistry. The protein interactions are evaluated by co-immunoprecipitation. Flow cytometry was applied to cell cycle analysis. CCK-8, EdU Incorporation, and clonogenic assays were used to analyze cell viability. Wound healing, transwell migration, and matrigel invasion assays were utilized to assess the motility of tumor cells. To investigate the role of CD151 in vivo, lung carcinoma xenograft mouse model was applied. Results High CD151 expression was identified in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and its high expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Further, knockdown of CD151 in vitro inhibited tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Besides, inoculation of nude mice with CD151-overexpressing tumor cells exhibited substantial tumor proliferation compared to that in control mice which inoculated with vector-transfected tumor cells. Noteworthy, we found that overexpression of CD151 conferred cell migration and invasion by interacting with integrins. We next sought to demonstrate that CD151 regulated downstream signaling pathways via activation of EGFR/ErbB2 in NSCLC cells. Therefore, we infer that CD151 probably affects the sensitivity of NSCLC in response to anti-cancer drugs. Conclusions Based on these results, we demonstrated a new mechanism of CD151-mediated tumor progression by targeting EGFR/ErbB2 signaling pathway, by which CD151 promotes NSCLC proliferation, migration, and invasion, which may considered as a potential target of NSCLC treatment

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel bi-gold mitocans in lung cancer cells

Mitochondria are promising drug target for cancer treatment. We previously demonstrated that a bi-gold compound BGC2a was more potent than the mono-gold drug auranofin in suppressing cancer cells due to increased gold atom number that led to higher drug accumulation in and thereby inhibition of mitochondria. To exploit the potential of this new strategy, we further designed and synthesized a series of bi-gold mitocans, the compounds targeting mitochondria. The results showed that most of the newly synthesized mitocans exhibited obviously lower IC50 than auranofin, an old drug that is repurposed in clinical trials for cancer treatment. The best mitocan C3P4 was nearly 2-fold more potent than BGC2a in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells and mantle cell lymphoma Jeko-1 cells, exhibiting substantial colony formation-suppressing and tumor-suppressing effects in A549 cells xenograft model. C3P4 induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner and arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. The mechanistic study showed that C3P4 significantly increased the global reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide level, and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential. C3P4 preferentially accumulated in mitochondria as measured by the gold content and substantially inhibited oxygen consumption rate and ATP production. These results further validated our hypothesis that targeting mitochondria would be promising to develop more potent anticancer agents. C3P4 may be further evaluated as a drug candidate for lung cancer treatment

Nutritional Quality of Pre-Packaged Foods in China under Various Nutrient Profile Models

This study used various nutrient profile models (NPMs) to evaluate the nutritional quality of pre-packaged foods in China to inform future food policy development. Nutrition data for pre-packaged foods were collected through FoodSwitch China in 2017–2020. The analyses included 73,885 pre-packaged foods, including 8236 beverages and 65,649 foods. Processed foods (PFs) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) accounted for 8222 (11.4%) and 47,003 (63.6%) of all products, respectively. Among the 55,425 PFs and UPFs, the overall proportion of products with an excessive quantity of at least one negative nutrient was 86.0% according to the Chilean NPM (2019), 83.3% for the Pan American Health Organization NPM (PAHO NPM), and 90.6% for the Western Pacific Region NPM for protecting children from food marketing (WPHO NPM), respectively. In all NPMs, 70.4% of PFs and UPFs were identified as containing an excessive quantity of at least one negative nutrient, with higher proportions of UPFs compared to PFs. Food groups exceeding nutrient thresholds in most NPMs included snack foods, meat and meat products, bread and bakery products, non-alcoholic beverages, confectionery, and convenience foods. In conclusion, PFs and UPFs accounted for three-fourths of pre-packaged foods in China, and the majority of PFs and UPFs exceeded the threshold for at least one negative nutrient under all three NPMs. Given the need to prevent obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases, efforts are warranted to improve the healthiness of foods in China through evidence-based food policy

Analysis on the intention and influencing factors of free influenza vaccination among the elderly people aged 70 and above in Hangzhou in 2022

BackgroundAlthough influenza vaccination is recommended for people aged 70 and above in Hangzhou, and the vaccine is provided free of charge, the elderly influenza vaccination rate is still low. The purpose of this study was to understand the barriers and motivations of older people in deciding to receive free influenza vaccine through questionnaires.MethodsThe method of stratified random sampling was adopted to take samples. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the elderly aged 70 years and above by face-to-face interview or telephone interview.ResultsA total of 11,663 elderly people aged 70–100 years were successfully and effectively interviewed. 85.98% of the respondent were willing to get the influenza shot, 8.91% were unwilling to get the influenza shot, and 5.11% were on vaccine hesitancy. The people of age of 70–79 years old (hesitancy: OR70~79 = 0.668, 95%CI: 0.571 0.782, Unwilling: OR70 − 79 = 0.755, 95%CI: 0.622 0.916), primary school degree or below (hesitancy: ORSecondary school degree or above = 1.467, 95%CI: 1.249 1.724, Unwilling: ORSecondary school degree or above = 1.255, 95%CI: 1.028 1.535), remote areas (hesitancy: ORnear central urban area = 2.111, 95%CI: 1.604 2.778, ORcentral urban area = 2.957, 95%CI: 2.255 3.877, Unwilling: ORnear central urban area = 1.687, 95%CI: 1.230 2.313. ORcentralurbanarea = 2.218, 95%CI: 1.626 3.027), and convenient for movement (hesitancy: ORyes = 0.494, 95%CI: 0.420 0.580, Unwilling: ORyes = 0.585, 95%CI: 0.480 0.713), understanding of the free vaccine policy (hesitancy: ORunderstand = 0.204, 95%CI: 0.171 0.245, Unwilling: ORunderstand = 0.164, 95%CI: 0.128 0.210), influenza knowledge level≥ 13 points (hesitancy: OR≥13points = 0.628, 95%CI: 0.533 0.739, Unwilling: OR≥13points = 0.538, 95%CI: 0.437 0.662), influenza vaccine knowledge level≥ 12 points (hesitancy: OR≥12points = 0.422, 95%CI: 0.350 0.508, Unwilling: OR≥12points = 0.370, 95%CI: 0.290 0.472), and social trust level ≥ 12 points (hesitancy: OR≥12points = 0.134, 95%CI: 0.112 0.160, Unwilling: OR≥12points = 0.220, 95%CI: 0.180 0.269) are more willing to receive free influenza vaccine.ConclusionThe proportion of elderly people aged 70 and above who are willing to receive free influenza vaccine is high in Hangzhou. But the level of knowledge about influenza, vaccine and trust in society is low. The government should continue to improve the elderly's awareness and trust in society through medical staff, family members, television and radio media, and guide the elderly to actively vaccinate against influenza. Effective publicity should be carried out through the above channels to guide the elderly to actively vaccinate against influenza