Identification and verification of a prognostic signature based on a miRNA–mRNA interaction pattern in colon adenocarcinoma

The expression characteristics of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) are involved in regulating various biological processes. To achieve these functions, ncRNA and a member of the Argonaute protein family form an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The RISC is directed by ncRNA, especially microRNA (miRNA), to bind the target complementary mRNAs and regulate their expression by interfering with mRNA cleavage, degradation, or translation. However, how to identify potential miRNA biomarkers and therapeutic targets remains unclear. Here, we performed differential gene screening based on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and annotated meaningful differential genes to enrich related biological processes and regulatory cancer pathways. According to the overlap between the screened differential mRNAs and differential miRNAs, a prognosis model based on a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-based Cox proportional hazards regression analysis can be established to obtain better prognosis characteristics. To further explore the therapeutic potential of miRNA as a target of mRNA intervention, we conducted an immunohistochemical analysis and evaluated the expression level in the tissue microarray of 100 colorectal cancer patients. The results demonstrated that the expression level of POU4F1, DNASE1L2, and WDR72 in the signature was significantly upregulated in COAD and correlated with poor prognosis. Establishing a prognostic signature based on miRNA target genes will help elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of COAD and provide novel potential targets for RNA therapy

Forebrain Engraftment by Human Glial Progenitor Cells Enhances Synaptic Plasticity and Learning in Adult Mice

SummaryHuman astrocytes are larger and more complex than those of infraprimate mammals, suggesting that their role in neural processing has expanded with evolution. To assess the cell-autonomous and species-selective properties of human glia, we engrafted human glial progenitor cells (GPCs) into neonatal immunodeficient mice. Upon maturation, the recipient brains exhibited large numbers and high proportions of both human glial progenitors and astrocytes. The engrafted human glia were gap-junction-coupled to host astroglia, yet retained the size and pleomorphism of hominid astroglia, and propagated Ca2+ signals 3-fold faster than their hosts. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was sharply enhanced in the human glial chimeric mice, as was their learning, as assessed by Barnes maze navigation, object-location memory, and both contextual and tone fear conditioning. Mice allografted with murine GPCs showed no enhancement of either LTP or learning. These findings indicate that human glia differentially enhance both activity-dependent plasticity and learning in mice.Video Abstrac

Terahertz technology in intraoperative neurodiagnostics: A review

Terahertz (THz) technology offers novel opportunities in biology and medicine, thanks to the unique features of THz-wave interactions with tissues and cells. Among them, we particularly notice strong sensitivity of THz waves to the tissue water, as a medium for biochemical reactions and a main endogenous marker for THz spectroscopy and imaging. Tissues of the brain have an exceptionally high content of water. This factor, along with the features of the structural organization and biochemistry of neuronal and glial tissues, makes the brain an exciting subject to study in the THz range. In this paper, progress and prospects of THz technology in neurodiagnostics are overviewed, including diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease, myelin deficit, tumors of the central nervous system (with an emphasis on brain gliomas), and traumatic brain injuries. Fundamental and applied challenges in study of the THz-wave – brain tissue interactions and development of the THz biomedical tools and systems for neurodiagnostics are discussed

Spatial–seasonal characteristics and influencing factors of dissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter in Poyang Lake

As the largest organic carbon pool in water, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays a key role in the carbon cycle. In inland rivers and lakes, DOC is closely related to chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) with optical attenuation. In this study, the spatial distribution and seasonal variations of DOC and CDOM in Poyang Lake in 2014–2016 were investigated. The results demonstrated that the DOC concentration in Poyang Lake had a range of 1.34–5.56 mg/L with an average of 2.12 ± 0.54 mg/L. The absorption coefficient of CDOM at 355 nm had a range of 1.24–5.70 m−1 with an average of 2.71 ± 0.83 m−1. In terms of the spatial distribution, the concentrations of DOC and CDOM in the south of Poyang Lake were higher than those in the north of the lake. In terms of seasonal variations, the concentrations of DOC and CDOM were higher in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. The absorption coefficients of CDOM and DOC concentrations in Poyang Lake exhibited a significant linear correlation. The correlation between DOC and CDOM in some sections of Poyang Lake varied spatially and seasonally. The highest correlation was observed in wetland waters of the southern Poyang Lake in spring, while there was no significant correlation in northern section of the lake in most of the periods. The results revealed that water level, precipitation and the vegetation cover pattern had determining effects on the spatial heterogeneity of DOC and CDOM. The spectral characteristic parameters demonstrated that the main source of the CDOM in Poyang Lake was from terrestrial input

Experimental Study and Application of Controlled Low-Strength Materials in Trench Backfilling in Suqian City, China

When backfilling narrow spaces, controlled low-strength materials (CLSM) can be used to achieve an effective backfilling effect. The pipeline engineering in Yahnghe Avenue of Suqian, China, provides a favorable on-site condition for the use of CLSM. However, no guidance exists for the determination of the material mixture ratio of CLSM for this geological condition. Laboratory tests were performed to investigate the basic physical parameters of excavated soil and the optimal mixture ratio of CLSM. Results indicate that the sand and silt account for 29.76% and 57.23% of the weight of excavated soil, respectively. As the water content increases (from 40% to 50%), the flowability of the CLSM approximately shows a linear increase (slumps values from 154.3 mm to 269.75 mm for 9% cement content), while its compressive strength shows a linear decreasing trend (from 875.3 KPa to 468.3 KPa after curing for 28 days); as the cement content increases (from 6% to 12%), the flowability approximately shows a linear decreasing trend (from 238.8 mm to 178.5 mm for 45% water content), while the compressive strength shows a linear increasing trend (from 391.6 KPa to 987.6 KPa after curing for 28 days). By establishing the relationship between compressive strength/flowability and the water–cement ratio, the optimal material ratio is determined to be 9% cement content and 40–43% water content. The engineering application results indicate that the use of CLSM can achieve efficient and high-quality backfilling effects for pipeline trenches. The findings of this research may provide a reference for the application of CLSM in fields with similar geological conditions

Optical Absorption Characteristics, Spatial Distribution, and Source Analysis of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter in Wetland Water around Poyang Lake

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is an important part of aquatic ecosystems and plays a key role in the biogeochemical cycle. In this study, CDOM absorption spectrum curves and water quality parameters from 30 sampling sites in the wetlands of Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Province, China, were collected in October 2016. The optical absorption characteristics and spatial distribution of CDOM, the correlation between the absorption coefficient of CDOM at a wavelength of 355 nm (ag(355)), and the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were analyzed. Spectral characteristic parameters—namely, E2/E3 (the ratio of the CDOM absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 250 nm to the CDOM absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 365 nm), SUVA254 (the ratio of the CDOM absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 254 nm to the DOC concentration), and spectral slopes—were used to infer the composition and sources of CDOM in the Poyang Lake wetlands. The results showed the following: (1) the CDOM absorption spectrum of water of the Poyang Lake wetlands presented significant spatial variation, showing a trend of south > west > north > east; (2) there was a strong linear correlation between the CDOM absorption coefficient and the DOC concentration in the water of the Poyang Lake wetlands (ag(355) = 1.075DOC–0.659 (r2 = 0.723, p n = 30)); (3) the analysis of the spectral characteristic parameters E2/E3, SUVA254, and spectral slopes showed that the CDOM in the Poyang Lake wetlands has relatively high aromaticity and molecular weight, which were shown to be mainly affected by terrestrial inputs. The results showed that the molecular weight and aromaticity of CDOM were higher in the south of the lake than in other parts