Propofol affects the biological behavior of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells via ERK1/2-MMP-2/9 signaling pathway

Purpose: To investigate the effect of propofol on the biological behavior of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells, and the mechanism of action involved. Methods: SKOV3 cells cultured in vitro were randomly divided into control group, fat emulsion group, low-dose propofol group (LDPG, 25 μmol/L), medium-dose propofol group (MDPG) (50 μmol/L) and high-dose propofol group (HDPG) (100 μmol/L). Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry, while Transwell assay was used to measure the migration and invasion abilities of the cells. The protein levels of ERK1/2, MMP-2, MMP-9 were assayed with Western blotting. Moreover, the cells were transfected with siERK, and the regulatory effect of propofol on ERK1/2-MMP-2/9 signaling pathway was determined. Results: Apoptosis in HDPG was significantly reduced, relative to MDPG, while migration and invasion were enhanced, relative to MDPG (p < 0.05). Moreover, MMP-2, ERK1/2, and MMP-9 proteins were significantly higher in MDPG and HDPG than in control, fat emulsion and LDPGs (p < 0.05), and were upregulated in HDPGs, relative to MDPG (p < 0.05). In contrast, propofol did not up-regulate these proteins in siRNA-treated cells. Conclusion: Propofol enhances the migration, proliferation, and invasive ability SKOV3 cells, and upregulates the expressions of MMP-2, ERK1/2, and MMP-9 in these cells, via a mechanism related to the activation of ERK1/2-MMP-2/9 signaling route. These properties provide novel leads for the development of new drugs for ovarian cancer Keywords: Propofol, ERK1/2-MMP-2/9 signal route, Ovarian cancer, Biological behavio

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling in Human Breast Tissue by Illumina TruSeq Methyl Capture EPIC Sequencing and Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip Microarray

A newly-developed platform, the Illumina TruSeq Methyl Capture EPIC library prep (TruSeq EPIC), builds on the content of the Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip Microarray (EPIC-array) and leverages the power of next-generation sequencing for targeted bisulphite sequencing. We empirically examined the performance of TruSeq EPIC and EPIC-array in assessing genome-wide DNA methylation in breast tissue samples. TruSeq EPIC provided data with a much higher density in the regions when compared to EPIC-array (~2.74 million CpGs with at least 10X coverage vs ~752 K CpGs, respectively). Approximately 398 K CpGs were common and measured across the two platforms in every sample. Overall, there was high concordance in methylation levels between the two platforms (Pearson correlation r = 0.98, P \u3c 0.0001). However, we observed that TruSeq EPIC measurements provided a wider dynamic range and likely a higher quantitative sensitivity for CpGs that were either hypo- or hyper-methylated (β close to 0 or 1, respectively). In addition, when comparing different breast tissue types TruSeq EPIC identified more differentially methylated CpGs than EPIC-array, not only out of additional sites interrogated by TruSeq EPIC alone, but also out of common sites interrogated by both platforms. Our results suggest that both platforms show high reproducibility and reliability in genome-wide DNA methylation profiling, while TruSeq EPIC had a significant improvement over EPIC-array regarding genomic resolution and coverage. The wider dynamic range and likely higher precision of the estimates by the TruSeq EPIC may lead to the identification of novel differentially methylated markers that are associated with disease risk

SOAL: Second-order Online Active Learning

National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under IDM Futures Funding Initiativ

Second-order online active learning and its applications

Singapore National Research Foundation under International Research Centre @ Singapore Funding Initiativ

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in human breast tissue by Illumina TruSeq methyl capture EPIC sequencing and infinium methylationEPIC beadchip microarray

A newly-developed platform, the Illumina TruSeq Methyl Capture EPIC library prep (TruSeq EPIC), builds on the content of the Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip Microarray (EPIC-array) and leverages the power of next-generation sequencing for targeted bisulphite sequencing. We empirically examined the performance of TruSeq EPIC and EPIC-array in assessing genome-wide DNA methylation in breast tissue samples. TruSeq EPIC provided data with a much higher density in the regions when compared to EPIC-array (~2.74 million CpGs with at least 10X coverage vs ~752 K CpGs, respectively). Approximately 398 K CpGs were common and measured across the two platforms in every sample. Overall, there was high concordance in methylation levels between the two platforms (Pearson correlation r = 0.98, P < 0.0001). However, we observed that TruSeq EPIC measurements provided a wider dynamic range and likely a higher quantitative sensitivity for CpGs that were either hypo- or hyper-methylated (β close to 0 or 1, respectively). In addition, when comparing different breast tissue types TruSeq EPIC identified more differentially methylated CpGs than EPIC-array, not only out of additional sites interrogated by TruSeq EPIC alone, but also out of common sites interrogated by both platforms. Our results suggest that both platforms show high reproducibility and reliability in genome-wide DNA methylation profiling, while TruSeq EPIC had a significant improvement over EPIC-array regarding genomic resolution and coverage. The wider dynamic range and likely higher precision of the estimates by the TruSeq EPIC may lead to the identification of novel differentially methylated markers that are associated with disease risk

Distributed multi-task classification: A decentralized online learning approach

National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under IDM Futures Funding Initiativ

Insight into the efficient oxidation of methyl-ethyl-ketone over hierarchically micro-mesostructured Pt/K-(Al)SiO 2 nanorod catalysts: Structure-activity relationships and mechanism

Hierarchically micro-mesostructured Pt/K-Al-SiO2 catalysts with regular nanorod (Pt/KA-NRS) and spherical nanoflower-like (Pt/KA-SNFS) morphologies were prepared. The existence of Al atoms generates Brønsted acid sites and reduces silanol groups over the supports, promoting the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and stability of catalysts. Potassium atoms balance the negative charge of supports and enhance O2 mobility. The Pt/KA-NRS catalysts exhibit unexceptionable low temperature activity, CO2 selectivity, and stability for MEK oxidation. Amongst, 0.27 wt.% Pt/KA-NRS completely converts MEK at just 170 °C (activation energy as low as 37.22 kJ·mol−1), more than 100 °C lower than other typical Pt/Pd supported catalysts reported in the literature. Diacetyl and 2,3-butandiol are the main intermediates during MEK activation, which convert into H2O and CO2 through aldehydes and acids. The excellent catalytic activity of Pt/KA-NRS is ascribed to their regular morphology, high Pt0 content and dispersion, excellent MEK adsorption capacity and superior O2/CO2 desorption capability under low temperature