LIN28 Is Involved in Glioma Carcinogenesis and Predicts Outcomes of Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients

LIN28, an evolutionarily conversed RNA binding protein which can bind to the terminal loops of let-7 family microRNA precursors and block their processing to maturation, is highly expressed in several subsets of tumors that carry poor prognoses, such as ovarian carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, colon carcinoma and germ cell carcinoma. However, there has been no study on the expression of LIN28 in glioma tissues or their importance as a prognostic predictor of glioma patients. This study aimed to examine the expression of LIN28 in glioma and correlate the results to patient outcome. We found that LIN28 expression was significantly higher in the group of patients with a poor prognosis compared to patients with a good prognosis by gene microarray. Log-rank analysis showed patients with higher LIN28 expression level in tumor had a shorter progression-free survival and overall survival times compared to those with lower LIN28 expression level. Similar results were also obtained from the tissue microarray analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed high LIN28 expression was an independent prognostic factor for a shorter progression-free survival and overall survival in GBM patients. Furthermore in vitro experiments showed that down-regulation of LIN28 in U251 and U373 cells caused cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, delayed cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and resulted in fewer colonies compared to controls. Summarily, our data provides a potential target for cancer therapy as an approach to overcome the poor options currently available for GBM patients

Local Resistance in Early Medieval Chinese Historiography and the Problem of Religious Overinterpretation

Official Chinese historiography is a treasure trove of information on local resistance to the centralised empire in early medieval China (third to sixth century). Sinologists specialised in the study of Chinese religions commonly reconstruct the religious history of the era by interpreting some of these data. In the process, however, the primary purpose of the historiography of local resistance is often overlooked, and historical interpretation easily becomes ‘overinterpretation’—that is, ‘fabricating false intensity’ and ‘seeing intensity everywhere’, as French historian Paul Veyne proposed to define the term. Focusing on a cluster of historical anecdotes collected in the standard histories of the four centuries under consideration, this study discusses the supposedly ‘religious’ nature of some of the data they contain

Research and industrialization progress of recovering alumina from fly ash: A concise review

Fly ash, a by-product of high temperature combustion of coal in coal-fired power plants, is one of the most complex and largest amount of industrial solid wastes generated in China. Its improper disposal has become an environmental problem. Now it is widely realized that fly ash should be considered as a useful and potential mineral resource. Fly ash is rich in alumina, making it a potential substitute for bauxite. With the diminishing reserves of bauxite resources, as well as the increasing demand for alumina, recovery of alumina from fly ash has attracted extensive attention world-wide. The present review describes, firstly, the generation and physicochemical properties of high alumina fly ash found in northern China and then focuses on the various alumina recovery technologies, the advantages and disadvantages of these processes, and in particular, the latest industrial developments. Finally, the directions for future research are also considered. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p

Study of extracting alumina from high-alumina PC fly ash by a hydro-chemical process

Alumina extraction from high-alumina pulverized coal (PC) fly ash by a mild hydro-chemical process characterized by a high alkaline sodium aluminate solution was studied. A high alumina extraction efficiency of 96.03% has been achieved. The effects of temperature and reaction time on alumina extraction ratio, the phase transformation and the morphology change of the extraction residues have been investigated. The alumina extracting process involves two steps: transformation from mullite and corundum to an intermediate product aluminasilicate, Na8Al6Si6O24(OH)(2)(H2O)(2), and then from the aluminasilicate to calcium sodium hydrate silicate (NaCaHSiO4). The reaction temperature has been found to be critical for the alumina extraction and especially for the decomposition of the intermediate product Na8Al6Si6O24(OH)(2)(H2O)(2) at high temperatures (&gt;250 degrees C). With the aid of a specially designed rapid real-time sampling device, the kinetics of the decomposition of Na8Al6Si6O24(OH)(2)(H2O)(2) at high temperatures has also been studied and fitted by the Avrami-Erofeev equation. Furthermore, some engineering suggestions about the reactors design and prevention of pipe scaling have been proposed based on the kinetic results. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A novel process for synthesis of tobermorite fiber from high-alumina fly ash

A new two-step process was developed for the synthesis of tobermorite fiber from high alumina fly ash. The results reveal that high alumina extraction efficiency from the fly ash can be achieved In the first step and tobermorite fiber with excellent properties can be produced from the dealuminatton slag in the second step. FETEM images show that typical single crystal fibers with a length of 5-10 mu m and a length-to-diameter ratio of 50-100 have been synthesized successfully. The strength tests after compression molding demonstrate that the compressive and flexural strengths of the products are greater than 0.34 MPa and 0.85 MPa, respectively, with a low bulk density of 218 kg/m(3) and a thermal conductivity of 0.059 W/(m.k). It fully complies with China&#39;s national standards for calcium silicate insulation materials. Therefore, the fibers production is very promising to be used in the building external wall thermal insulation application. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Genome-Wide Identification, Classification and Expression Analysis of m6A Gene Family in Solanum lycopersicum

Advanced knowledge of messenger RNA (mRNA) N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and DNA N6-methyldeoxyadenosine (6 mA) redefine our understanding of these epigenetic modifications. Both m6A and 6mA carry important information for gene regulation, and the corresponding catalytic enzymes sometimes belong to the same gene family and need to be distinguished. However, a comprehensive analysis of the m6A gene family in tomato remains obscure. Here, 24 putative m6A genes and their family genes in tomato were identified and renamed according to BLASTP and phylogenetic analysis. Chromosomal location, synteny, phylogenetic, and structural analyses were performed, unravelling distinct evolutionary relationships between the MT-A70, ALKBH, and YTH protein families, respectively. Most of the 24 genes had extensive tissue expression, and 9 genes could be clustered in a similar expression trend. Besides, SlYTH1 and SlYTH3A showed a different expression pattern in leaf and fruit development. Additionally, qPCR data revealed the expression variation under multiple abiotic stresses, and LC-MS/MS determination exhibited that the cold stress decreased the level of N6 2&prime;-O dimethyladenosine (m6Am). Notably, the orthologs of newly identified single-strand DNA (ssDNA) 6mA writer&ndash;eraser&ndash;reader also existed in the tomato genome. Our study provides comprehensive information on m6A components and their family proteins in tomato and will facilitate further functional analysis of the tomato N6-methyladenosine modification genes

Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients (n = 17).

<p>Abbreviations: IICP, increased intracranial pressure; MTD, mean tumor diameter; GBM, glioblastoma multiforme.</p

Decreased expression of LIN28 mRNA and protein in human glioma cells by siRNA.

<p>U251 and U373 cells were transfected with lentivirus-based small interfering RNA (shLIN28) or the empty plasmid (as the negative control, Control). A,B. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect the LIN28 mRNA and protein expression levels in U251 and U373 cells. C,D. CCK-8 assays were used to determine the effects of LIN28 knockdown on cell proliferation in U251 and U373 cells. E,F. The effects of LIN28 knockdown on cell colony formation in U251 and U373 cells. * <i>p</i><0.05, ** <i>p</i><0.01.</p

Univariate analysis of factors associated with survival and progression(n = 90).

<p>Abbreviations: IICP, increased intracranial pressure; MTD, mean tumor diameter; NA, not applicable; HR, Hazard ratio; OS, overall survival; PFS, progression-free survival.</p