Best Practices of Liberal Arts Education: Curricula in Liberal Arts Colleges

As the primary example of best practice of liberal arts education, curricula in American liberal arts college have some distinctive features. Guided by the principle of integrating curriculum breadth and depth, both general education and major courses in liberal arts colleges may develop in a balanced way. Even the curriculum implementation at liberal arts colleges is fully reflective of the idea of liberal arts education. Small class sizes enhance students’ participation and promote intimate relations between faculty and students, and teachers’ investment in teaching occupies most of their time, which provides the conditions for high quality teaching. With the full cooperation of faculty, interdisciplinary curricula and majors are being developed continuously. All of these factors contribute to the nature of liberal arts education in liberal arts colleges’ curricula.This research is supported by The National Social Science Fund of China (Education) for young scholars (CIA160216)

SAA1 identified as a potential prediction biomarker for metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via multi-omics approaches

BackgroundMetastasis is the major cause of high recurrence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, there are few reports on effective biomarkers of HCC metastasis. Previous studies have reported that SAA1 may be a predictor and prognostic biomarker for multiple malignant tumors. However, the role of SAA1 in HCC has not yet been investigated.MethodsWe applied RNA sequencing and proteomics analysis to investigate the expression landscape of HCC cell lines and patient serum, respectively. SAA1 is a common key gene and listed as a candidate biomarker of HCC metastasis. It was validated in two cell lines, 107 participants serum, and 63 matched HCC and adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were integrated to explore SAA1 expression among various cell types and organs. The diagnostic and prognostic value of SAA1 in HCC were determined through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan–Meier curves. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were constructed for SAA1, as well as for its co−expressed genes. We further analyzed the correlation between SAA1 and co-expression genes.ResultsWe found 7 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 14 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were related to HCC metastasis. SAA1, a key candidate biomarker, was highly enriched in hepatocytes and liver organ, and it was also highly expressed in HCC cells and the serum and tissues of HCC patients. The results of ROC curve analysis indicated that SAA1 had better predictive values for distinguishing HCC metastasis from non-metastasis. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that HCC patients with higher SAA1 expression had worse overall survival.ConclusionsOur findings provide new insights into HCC metastasis by identifying candidate gene prediction biomarkers for HCC metastasis

DataSheet1_Non-coding ribonucleic acid-mediated CAMSAP1 upregulation leads to poor prognosis with suppressed immune infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma.ZIP

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is well-known for its unfavorable prognosis due to the lack of reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein 1 (CAMSAP1) is a non-centrosomal microtubule minus-end binding protein that regulates microtubule dynamics. This study aims to investigate the specific role and mechanisms of CAMSAP1 in LIHC. We performed systematical analyses of CAMSAP1 and demonstrated that differential expression of CAMSAP1 is associated with genetic alteration and DNA methylation, and serves as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in some cancers, especially LIHC. Further evidence suggested that CAMSAP1 overexpression leads to adverse clinical outcomes in advanced LIHC. Moreover, the AC145207.5/LINC01748-miR-101–3p axis is specifically responsible for CAMSAP1 overexpression in LIHC. In addition to the previously reported functions in the cell cycle and regulation of actin cytoskeleton, CAMSAP1-related genes are enriched in cancer- and immune-associated pathways. As expected, CAMSAP1-associated LIHC is infiltrated in the suppressed immune microenvironment. Specifically, except for immune cell infiltration, it is significantly positively correlated with immune checkpoint genes, especially CD274 (PD-L1), and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Prediction of immune checkpoint blockade therapy suggests that these patients may benefit from therapy. Our study is the first to demonstrate that besides genetic alteration and DNA methylation, AC145207.5/LINC01748-miR-101-3p-mediated CAMSAP1 upregulation in advanced LIHC leads to poor prognosis with suppressed immune infiltration, representing a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as a promising immunotherapy target for LIHC.</p

Effects of alkali activator on the chloride-ion permeability of one-part alkali-activated nickel slag concrete

Herein, the effects of the ionic types and content of alkali activator on the chloride-ion permeability of one-part alkali-activated nickel slag concrete were examined. The NT Build 492 method was adopted to measure the Cl− transport performance. In general, the total Cl− concentration in concrete decreases with the increase of penetration depth; however, the enrichment of Cl− concentration in the sample is not obvious. Anions have more effect on 28-d compressive strength, while cations have more effect on chlorine-ion permeability. For the same Na2O content, SiO32−-activator and Na+-activator perform better than other anions and cations, while OH– and K+ perform worse than other ions. The chloride-ion permeability coefficient (DRCM) of concrete with Na2SiO3 is the lowest and that with KOH is the highest. The DRCM of concrete prepared with KOH is 1.93 times higher than that of concrete prepared with Na2SiO3. When the activator is Na2SiO3, the DRCM of concrete decreases with the increase in Na2O content when the Na2O content is less than 7%. However, when the Na2O content exceeds 7%, the DRCM of concrete increases with the increase in Na2O content

S-allylcysteine suppresses ovarian cancer cell proliferation by DNA methylation through DNMT1

Abstract Background The anti-tumor effects of S-allylcysteine (SAC), a water-soluble garlic derivative, on human ovarian cancer cells have been previous studied in vitro and in vivo models but the precise epigenetic molecular mechanisms are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the epigenetic mechanism of SAC. Methods Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line A2780 was selected. Cell proliferation and cell cycle was analyzed. DNA methylation, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, tumor suppressor gene expressions, as well as protein expression were analyzed. Results SAC could inhibit the proliferation of A2780 cells in dose- and time-dependent manners (the IC50 was 16.25 mmol/L and 5.25 mmol/L at 48 h and 72 h). Treatment of A2780 cells with SAC resulted in G1/S phase arrest. SAC treatment decreased global DNA methylation levels in A2780 cells in a dose-dependent manner. SAC decreased the levels of 5-methylcytosine, DNMT activity, messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of DNMT1. Additionally, SAC treatment resulted in re-expression of the mRNA and proteins of silenced tumor suppressor gene CDKN1A accompany with reduced cell division control 2 expression. Conclusion Our data indicated the potential therapeutic effects of SAC on the human ovarian carcinoma cell line A2780 in vitro. The epigenetic mechanism of action of SAC may have important implications for epigenetic therapy

The Relationship between Parkinson Disease and Brain Tumor: A Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Objective</p><p>Epidemiological studies have investigated the association between Parkinson disease (PD) occurrence and the risk of brain tumors, while the results remain controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the exact relationship between PD and brain tumors.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect and CBM (China Biology Medicine Disc) before February 2016. Eligible studies were those that reported risk estimates of brain tumors among patients with PD or vice versa. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR) of the outcomes. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity.</p><p>Results</p><p>In total, eight studies involving 329,276 participants met our inclusion criteria. The pooled OR was 1.51 (95%CI 1.21–1.89), indicating that PD carried a higher risk of brain tumor. Analyses by temporal relationship found that the occurrence of brain tumor was significantly higher after the diagnosis of PD (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18–2.05), but not statistically significant before PD diagnosis (OR 1.21, 95%CI 0.93–1.58). Subgroup analysis showed that gender differences, ethnicity differences and the characteristic of the tumor (benign or malignant) did not make much change in the association between brain tumor and PD.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Our meta-analysis collecting epidemiological studies suggested a positive association of PD with brain tumors, while the influence of anti-parkinson drugs and ascertainment bias could not be excluded. Further studies with larger sample size and more strict inclusion criteria should be conducted in the future.</p></div