Notch Signaling during Oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved intercellular signaling mechanism that is required for embryonic development, cell fate specification, and stem cell maintenance. Discovered and studied initially in Drosophila melanogaster, the Notch pathway is conserved and functionally active throughout the animal kingdom. In this paper, we summarize the biochemical mechanisms of Notch signaling and describe its role in regulating one particular developmental pathway, oogenesis in Drosophila

Gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) alters the expression and activation of Smad in human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells

Gonadotropin releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) are often used to regress endometriosis implants and prevent premature luteinizing hormone surges in women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation. In addition to GnRH central action, the expression of GnRH and receptors in the endometrium implies an autocrine/paracrine role for GnRH and an additional site of action for GnRHa. To further examine the direct action of GnRH (Leuprolide acetate) in the endometrium, we determined the effect of GnRH on endometrial stromal (ESC) and endometrial surface epithelial (HES) cells expression and activation of Smads (Smad3, -4 and -7), intracellular signals activated by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a key cytokine expressed in the endometrium. The results show that GnRH (0.1 microM) increased the expression of inhibitory Smad7 mRNA in HES with a limited effect on ESC, while moderately increasing the common Smad4 and Smad7 protein levels in these cells (P < 0.05). GnRH in a dose- (0.01 to 10 microM) and time- (5 to 30 min) dependent manner decreased the rate of Smad3 activation (phospho-Smad3, pSmad3), and altered Smad3 cellular distribution in both cell types. Pretreatment with Antide (GnRH antagonist) resulted in further suppression of Smad3 induced by GnRH, with Antide inhibition of pSmad3 in ESC. Furthermore, co-treatment of the cells with GnRH + TGF-beta, or pretreatment with TGF-beta type II receptor antisense to block TGF-beta autocrine/paracrine action, in part inhibited TGF-beta activated Smad3. In conclusion, the results indicate that GnRH acts directly on the endometrial cells altering the expression and activation of Smads, a mechanism that could lead to interruption of TGF-beta receptor signaling mediated through this pathway in the endometrium

An Efficient Synthesis and Photoelectric Properties of Green Carbon Quantum Dots with High Fluorescent Quantum Yield

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)To greatly improve the production quality and efficiency of carbon quantum dots (CQDs), and provide a new approach for the large-scale production of high-quality CQDs, green carbon quantum dots (g-CQDs) with high product yield (PY) and high fluorescent quantum yield (QY) were synthesized by an efficient one-step solvothermal method with 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene as the carbon source and ethylenediamine as the nitrogen dopant in this study. The PY and QY of g-CQDs were optimised by adjusting reaction parameters such as an amount of added ethylenediamine, reaction temperature, and reaction duration. The results showed that the maximum PY and QY values of g-CQDs were achieved, which were 70.90% and 62.98%, respectively when the amount of added ethylenediamine, reaction temperature, and reaction duration were 4 mL, 180 °C, and 12 h, respectively. With the optimised QY value of g-CQDs, white light emitting diodes (white LEDs) were prepared by combining g-CQDs and blue chip. The colour rendering index of white LEDs reached 87, and the correlated colour temperature was 2520 K, which belongs to the warm white light area and is suitable for indoor lighting. These results indicate that g-CQDs have potential and wide application prospects in the field of white LEDs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The Notch Ligand JAG1 Is Required for Sensory Progenitor Development in the Mammalian Inner Ear

In mammals, six separate sensory regions in the inner ear are essential for hearing and balance function. Each sensory region is made up of hair cells, which are the sensory cells, and their associated supporting cells, both arising from a common progenitor. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that govern the development of these sensory organs. Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in the differentiation of hair cells and supporting cells by mediating lateral inhibition via the ligands Delta-like 1 and Jagged (JAG) 2. However, another Notch ligand, JAG1, is expressed early in the sensory patches prior to cell differentiation, indicating that there may be an earlier role for Notch signaling in sensory development in the ear. Here, using conditional gene targeting, we show that the Jag1 gene is required for the normal development of all six sensory organs within the inner ear. Cristae are completely lacking in Jag1-conditional knockout (cko) mutant inner ears, whereas the cochlea and utricle show partial sensory development. The saccular macula is present but malformed. Using SOX2 and p27(kip1) as molecular markers of the prosensory domain, we show that JAG1 is initially expressed in all the prosensory regions of the ear, but becomes down-regulated in the nascent organ of Corti by embryonic day 14.5, when the cells exit the cell cycle and differentiate. We also show that both SOX2 and p27(kip1) are down-regulated in Jag1-cko inner ears. Taken together, these data demonstrate that JAG1 is expressed early in the prosensory domains of both the cochlear and vestibular regions, and is required to maintain the normal expression levels of both SOX2 and p27(kip1). These data demonstrate that JAG1-mediated Notch signaling is essential during early development for establishing the prosensory regions of the inner ear

Insight into the effect of hospital-based prehabilitation on postoperative outcomes in patients with total knee arthroplasty: A retrospective comparative study

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) has become one of the most prevalent joint diseases worldwide, leading to a growing burden of pain and disability as populations age. Although there is consistent evidence to support postoperative rehabilitation and high-intensity prehabilitation for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the clinical outcomes of hospital-based prehabilitation remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a hospital-based prehabilitation program on knee score (KS), function score (FS), and length of stay (LOS) among patients with knee OA after TKA. Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University among patients with primary knee OA. Seventy-two postopearative patients who did not undergo the prehabilitation program were included as the control group, while 68 postoperative patients who underwent the prehabilitation program were assigned to the intervention group. All patients went through the same care after TKA. The KS, FS, and pain levels were measured 5 days before surgery, immediately preceding surgery, immediately after the surgery, and at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively. LOS for each patient was recorded. Results: The new prehabilitation training program significantly improved the KS over time in the intervention group. However, no significant between-group difference was identified in the change of FS. The prehabilitation program also provided shorter LOS. Conclusions: The hospital-based prehabilitation program leads to improved recovery, as indicated by higher KS postoperatively, which may result in improved clinical outcomes of TKA

NH3-Sensing Mechanism Using Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor with AlO(OH) Film

In this study, AlO(OH) (boehmite) film was deposited onto a surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator using a combined sol-gel and spin-coating technology, and prepared and used as a sensitive layer for a high-performance ammonia sensor. The prepared AlO(OH) film has a mesoporous structure and a good affinity to NH3 (ammonia gas) molecules, and thus can selectively adsorb and react with NH3. When exposed to ammonia gases, the SAW sensor shows an initial positive response of the frequency shift, and then a slight decrease of the frequency responses. The sensing mechanism of the NH3 sensor is based on the competition between mass-loading and elastic-loading effects. The sensor operated at room temperature shows a positive response of 1540 Hz to 10 ppm NH3, with excellent sensitivity, selectivity and stability

A novel SW-ESIW slot antenna and its applications in millimeter-wave array design

A novel structure of slot antenna with high gain and compact size for millimeter-wave (mmW) applications is proposed. This is the first attempt to apply slow-wave substrate integrated waveguide (SW-ESIW) to the field of antennas and their arrays. Two slot antenna arrays were designed, fabricated and measured. The measured results are in agreement with the simulation. The removal of dielectric substrate improves the radiation gain. At the same time, the slow wave effect, by means of physical separation of electric and magnetic fields, decreases both the lateral and longitudinal dimensions of the antenna. The SW-ESIW slot antenna can achieve miniaturization while retaining the advantages of high gain of ESIW. The 1 × 4-slot array shows a measured −10 dB bandwidth of 16% (30.5–35.8 GHz) with a measured maximum gain of 11.69 dB. The 4 × 4-slot array achieves a measured −10 dB bandwidth of 7.6% from 31.6 to 34.1 GHz with a measured peak gain of 18.75 dB. In addition, during the operating band, the radiation pattern is stable. Compared with the previously structures, the proposed SW-ESIW antenna structure has a better trade-off between gain and footprint. It can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to different requirements. These performances ensure that the antenna array based on the proposed structure is a promising candidate for millimeter-wave wireless applications including the fifth-generation mobile communications

Unique epidemiological patterns of human infections with H7N9 avian influenza virus discovered by combined risk factor surveillance and epidemiology

Background: An outbreak of a novel human avian influenza (H7N9) [h-H7N9 AI] took place in China from February 2013 to April 2015, with 628 reported cases. However, there were no exact answers on epidemiological patterns and its origin. Purpose: To examine the epidemiological patterns and its origin compared with other influenza outbreaks by combined analysis of risk factor surveillance and epidemiological characteristics, and to explore new surveillance methods for tracking infectious disease outbreaks