Transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter for the diagnosis of colorectal polyps in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND The severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and lipid metabolism are related to the occurrence of colorectal polyps.Liver-controlled attenuation parameters(liver-CAPs)have been established to predict the prognosis of hepatic steatosis patients.AIM To explore the risk factors associated with colorectal polyps in patients with NAFLD by analyzing liver-CAPs and establishing a diagnostic model.METHODS Patients who were diagnosed with colorectal polyps in the Department of Gastroenterology of our hospital between June 2021 and April 2022 composed the case group,and those with no important abnormalities composed the control group.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to predict the diagnostic efficiency.Differences were considered statistically significant when P<0.05.RESULTS The median triglyceride(TG)and liver-CAP in the case group were significantly greater than those in the control group(mmol/L,1.74 vs 1.05;dB/m,282 vs 254,P<0.05).TG and liver-CAP were found to be independent risk factors for colorectal polyps,with ORs of 2.338(95%CI:1.154–4.733)and 1.019(95%CI:1.006–1.033),respectively(P<0.05).And there was no difference in the diagnostic efficacy between liver-CAP and TG combined with liver-CAP(TG+CAP)(P>0.05).When the liver-CAP was greater than 291 dB/m,colorectal polyps were more likely to occur.CONCLUSION The levels of TG and liver-CAP in patients with colorectal polyps are significantly greater than those patients without polyps.Liver-CAP alone can be used to diagnose NAFLD with colorectal polyps.

Wideband spectrum sensing using step-sampling based on the multipath nyquist folding receiver

Wideband spectrum sensing with a high-speed analog-digital converter(ADC) presents a challenge for practical systems.The Nyquist folding receiver(NYFR) is a promising scheme for achieving cost-effective real-time spectrum sensing,which is subject to the complexity of processing the modulated outputs.In this case,a multipath NYFR architecture with a step-sampling rate for the different paths is proposed.The different numbers of digital channels for each path are designed based on the Chinese remainder theorem(CRT).Then,the detectable frequency range is divided into multiple frequency grids,and the Nyquist zone(NZ) of the input can be obtained by sensing these grids.Thus,high-precision parameter estimation is performed by utilizing the NYFR characteristics.Compared with the existing methods,the scheme proposed in this paper overcomes the challenge of NZ estimation,information damage,many computations,low accuracy,and high false alarm probability.Comparative simulation experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed architecture in this paper.

Cell division cyclin 25C knockdown inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma development by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress

BACKGROUND Cell division cyclin 25C(CDC25C)is a protein that plays a critical role in the cell cycle,specifically in the transition from the G2 phase to the M phase.Recent research has shown that CDC25C could be a potential therapeutic target for cancers,particularly for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).However,the specific regulatory mechanisms underlying the role of CDC25C in HCC tumorigenesis and development remain incompletely understood.AIM To explore the impact of CDC25C on cell proliferation and apoptosis,as well as its regulatory mechanisms in HCC development.METHODS Hepa1-6 and B16 cells were transduced with a lentiviral vector containing shRNA interference sequences(LV-CDC25C shRNA)to knock down CDC25C.Subsequently,a xenograft mouse model was established by subcutaneously injecting transduced Hepa1-6 cells into C57BL/6 mice to assess the effects of CDC25C knockdown on HCC development in vivo.Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated using a Cell Counting Kit-8 cell proliferation assays and wound healing assays,respectively.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related molecules(glucose-regulated protein 78,X-box binding protein-1,and C/EBP homologous protein)was measured in both cells and subcutaneous xenografts using quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR)and western blotting.Additionally,apoptosis was investigated using flow cytometry,qRT-PCR,and western blotting.RESULTS CDC25C was stably suppressed in Hepa1-6 and B16 cells through LV-CDC25C shRNA transduction.A xenograft model with CDC25C knockdown was successfully established and that downregulation of CDC25C expression significantly inhibited HCC growth in mice.CDC25C knockdown not only inhibited cell proliferation and migration but also significantly increased the ER stress response,ultimately promoting ER stress-induced apoptosis in HCC cells.CONCLUSION The regulatory mechanism of CDC25C in HCC development may involve the activation of ER stress and the ER stress-induced apoptosis signaling pathway.

TWAS facilitates gene-scale trait genetic dissection through gene expression,structural variations,and alternative splicing in soybean

A genome-wide association study(GWAS)identifies trait-associated loci,but identifying the causal genes can be a bottleneck,due in part to slow decay of linkage disequilibrium(LD).A transcriptome-wide association study(TWAS)addresses this issue by identifying gene expression-phenotype associations or integrating gene expression quantitative trait loci with GWAS results.Here,we used self-pollinated soybean(Glycine max[L.]Merr.)as a model to evaluate the application of TWAS to the genetic dissection of traits in plant species with slow LD decay.We generated RNA sequencing data for a soybean diversity panel and identified the genetic expression regulation of 29286 soybean genes.Different TWAS solutions were less affected by LD and were robust to the source of expression,identifing known genes related to traits from different tissues and developmental stages.The novel pod-color gene L2 was identified via TWAS and functionally validated by genome editing.By introducing a new exon proportion feature,we significantly improved the detection of expression variations that resulted from structural variations and alternative splicing.As a result,the genes identified through our TWAS approach exhibited a diverse range of causal variations,including SNPs,insertions or deletions,gene fusion,copy number variations,and alternative splicing.Using this approach,we identified genes associated with flowering time,including both previously known genes and novel genes that had not previously been linked to this trait,providing insights complementary to those from GWAS.In summary,this study supports the application of TWAS for candidate gene identification in species with low rates of LD decay.

Exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells protect the injured spinal cord by inhibiting pericyte pyroptosis

Mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)transplantation is a promising treatment strategy for spinal cord injury,but immunological rejection and possible tumor formation limit its application.The therapeutic effects of MSCs mainly depend on their release of soluble paracrine factors.Exosomes are essential for the secretion of these paracrine effectors.Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes(BMSC-EXOs)can be substituted for BMSCs in cell transplantation.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.In this study,a rat model of T10 spinal cord injury was established using the impact method.Then,30 minutes and 1 day after spinal cord injury,the rats were administered 200μL exosomes via the tail vein(200μg/mL;approximately 1×106 BMSCs).Treatment with BMSC-EXOs greatly reduced neuronal cell death,improved myelin arrangement and reduced myelin loss,increased pericyte/endothelial cell coverage on the vascular wall,decreased bloodspinal cord barrier leakage,reduced caspase 1 expression,inhibited interleukin-1βrelease,and accelerated locomotor functional recovery in rats with spinal cord injury.In the cell culture experiment,pericytes were treated with interferon-γand tumor necrosis factor-α.Then,Lipofectamine 3000 was used to deliver lipopolysaccharide into the cells,and the cells were co-incubated with adenosine triphosphate to simulate injury in vitro.Pre-treatment with BMSC-EXOs for 8 hours greatly reduced pericyte pyroptosis and increased pericyte survival rate.These findings suggest that BMSC-EXOs may protect pericytes by inhibiting pyroptosis and by improving blood-spinal cord barrier integrity,thereby promoting the survival of neurons and the extension of nerve fibers,and ultimately improving motor function in rats with spinal cord injury.All protocols were conducted with the approval of the Animal Ethics Committee of Zhengzhou University on March 16,2019.

Anti-hepatoma Effect of DC2.4 Cells Transfected with Tumor-Associated Antigen Cdc25C In Vitro

Objective Cell division cyclin 25 homolog C(Cdc25C)is a tumor-associated antigen candidate gene,and this may be used as an effective target in cancer treatment.The present study aims to evaluate the lysis effect of cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs)induced by dendritic cell line DC2.4 overexpressing Cdc25C,and the feasibility of Cdc25C as a component in hepatoma immunotherapy.Methods The mouse Cdc25C gene was ligated into a lentiviral vector,and transfected into DC2.4 cells.The DC2.4 cell phenotype and cytokine secretion were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA,respectively.CD8^(+)T cells were sorted from the spleens of C57BL/6 mice using a magnetic bead sorting kit obtained from Miltenyi Biotech,Germany,and co-cultured with DC2.4 cells for one week as effector cells.Then,IL-2,granzyme B and perforin were detected in the CTL culture medium by ELISA.Next,time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay was used to detect the immune killing effect of Cdc25C-specific CTLs on target cells.Meanwhile,the effect of blocking MHC-I sites on target cells with a monoclonal anti-MHC-I antibody was evaluated.Results The results revealed that Cdc25C could be stably overexpressed in DC2.4 cells by LV-Cdc25C infection.DC2.4 cells transfected with LV-Cdc25C secreted more IL-6,IL-12,TNF-αand IFN-γ,and had higher expression levels of CD40,CD86,CCR7 and MHC-II than unaltered DC2.4 cells.The elevated Cdc25C in dendritic cells also further increased the secretion of IL-2,granzyme B and perforin to elicit Cdc25C-specific CTLs,and induced the higher cytotoxicity in Hepa1-6 cell lines(P<0.05),but this had no effect on the target cells when MHC-I monoclonal antibodies were blocked.Conclusion DC2.4 cells transfected with LV-Cdc25C can induce specific CTLs,and result in a strong cellular immune response.The dendritic cells that overexpress Cdc25C may be useful for hepatoma immunotherapy.

SoySNP618K array:A high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism platform as a valuable genomic resource for soybean genetics and breeding

Innovations in genomics have enabled the development of low-cost,high-resolution,single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)genotyping arrays that accelerate breeding progress and support basic research in crop science.Here,we developed and validated the Soy SNP618 K array(618,888 SNPs)for the important crop soybean.The SNPs were selected from whole-genome resequencing data containing 2,214 diverse soybean accessions;29.34%of the SNPs mapped to genic regions representing 86.85%of the 56,044annotated high-confidence genes.Identity-by-state analyses of 318 soybeans revealed 17 redundant accessions,highlighting the potential of the Soy SNP618 K array in supporting gene bank management.The patterns of population stratification and genomic regions enriched through domestication were highly consistent with previous findings based on resequencing data,suggesting that the ascertainment bias in the Soy SNP618 K array was largely compensated for.Genome-wide association mapping in combination with reported quantitative trait loci enabled fine-mapping of genes known to influence flowering time,E2 and Gm PRR3 b,and of a new candidate gene,Gm VIP5.Moreover,genomic prediction of flowering and maturity time in 502 recombinant inbred lines was highly accurate(>0.65).Thus,the Soy SNP618 K array is a valuable genomic tool that can be used to address many questions in applied breeding,germplasm management,and basic crop research.

Laboratory astrophysics with laser-driven strong magnetic fields in China

In this paper, the recent studies of laboratory astrophysics with strong magnetic fields in China have been reviewed.On the Shenguang-II laser facility of the National Laboratory on High-Power Lasers and Physics, a laser-driven strong magnetic field up to 200 T has been achieved. The experiment was performed to model the interaction of solar wind with dayside magnetosphere. Also the low beta plasma magnetic reconnection(MR) has been studied. Theoretically, the model has been developed to deal with the atomic structures and processes in strong magnetic field. Also the study of shock wave generation in the magnetized counter-streaming plasmas is introduced.