NDRG2 Ameliorates Hepatic Fibrosis by Inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad Pathway and Altering the MMP2/TIMP2 Ratio in Rats

Liver fibrosis is a worldwide clinical issue. It has been well established that activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are responsible for excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in chronically damaged livers. The identification of key elements that control HSCs activation will help to further our understanding of liver fibrosis and improve the outcome of clinical treatment. This study demonstrates that N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a potential regulator of liver fibrosis as NDRG2 mRNA and protein levels were reduced during HSCs activation. In addition, enhanced NDRG2 expression reduced Smad3 transcription and phosphorylation, which inhibited HSCs activation by blocking the TGF-β1 signal. Moreover, NDRG2 contributed to an increase in the ratio of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) to tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2), which may facilitate the degradation of the ECM. In dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced fibrotic rat livers, adenovirus-mediated NDRG2 overexpression resulted in decreased ECM deposition and improved liver function compared with controls. In conclusion, the present findings indicate that the modulation of NDRG2 is a promising strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis

Snow cover duration trends observed at sites and predicted by multiple models

The 30-year simulations of seasonal snow cover in 22 physically based models driven with bias-corrected meteorological reanalyses are examined at four sites with long records of snow observations. Annual snow cover durations differ widely between models, but interannual variations are strongly correlated because of the common driving data. No significant trends are observed in starting dates for seasonal snow cover, but there are significant trends towards snow cover ending earlier at two of the sites in observations and most of the models. A simplified model with just two parameters controlling solar radiation and sensible heat contributions to snowmelt spans the ranges of snow cover durations and trends. This model predicts that sites where snow persists beyond annual peaks in solar radiation and air temperature will experience rapid decreases in snow cover duration with warming as snow begins to melt earlier and at times of year with more energy available for melting

Genetics and Breeding of Fruit Trees

“Genetics and Breeding of Fruit Trees”, published in Horticulturae, is a collection of 11 manuscripts focusing on commercially important fruit crops, such as apple, peach, pear, kiwi, persimmon, blueberry, and red bayberry [...

Research on the Reform of Undergraduate Computer Courses Based on OBE Model

Computer public course is a compulsory course for college students, which plays a very important role in students' future study and work. Therefore, practice and application must be the main body in teaching. University undergraduate computer public courses should make full use of the characteristics of the course, use the OBE model to guide the teaching output, take "facing the society, aiming at the post, strengthening ability, assisting major" as the guiding ideology, establish the teaching concept of "teachers as the leading role" and "students as the main body", so as to create high-quality teaching links of computer public courses

Multi-hole fiber based surface plasmon resonance sensor operated at near-infrared wavelengths

We propose a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a single mode optical fiber with six air holes. A thin gold film and a TiO2 film are deposited on the walls of air holes. Due to high refractive index of TiO2 the proposed sensor can operate at near-infrared (IR) wavelengths. The characteristics of the sensor were numerically investigated based on the finite-element method (FEM). The numerical results indicate that the optical loss spectrum of SPR sensor can be tuned easily by changing the thicknesses of gold and TiO2 layers. The refractive-index resolution of 2.7×10-5 (sensitivity S ~ 370/RIU) for aqueous analytes can be achieved

Long period fiber grating and high sensitivity refractive index sensor based on hollow eccentric optical fiber

We have demonstrated experimentally a long period fiber grating (LPFG) written in a hollow eccentric optical fiber (HEOF). A high-quality LPFG with no structural deformation was fabricated using a highfrequency CO2 laser with a low energy density of 0.896 J/mm2. The LPFG writing parameters showed only a weak dependence on orientation of the fiber core to the writing beam. The liquid-filled HEOF LPFG has a high refractive index sensitivity of 1005 nm/RIU over a refractive index range of 1.422-1.441. The good performance and easy fabrication of the HEOF LPFG indicate that it is a promising platform for novel in-fiber microfluidic devices