Functional Effects of let-7g Expression in Colon Cancer Metastasis.

MicroRNA regulation is crucial for gene expression and cell functions. It has been linked to tumorigenesis, development and metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, the let-7 family has been identified as a tumor suppressor in different types of cancers. However, the function of the let-7 family in CRC metastasis has not been fully investigated. Here, we focused on analyzing the role of let-7g in CRC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) genomic datasets of CRC and detailed data from a Taiwanese CRC cohort were applied to study the expression pattern of let-7g. In addition, in vitro as well as in vivo studies have been performed to uncover the effects of let-7g on CRC. We found that the expression of let-7g was significantly lower in CRC specimens. Our results further supported the inhibitory effects of let-7g on CRC cell migration, invasion and extracellular calcium influx through store-operated calcium channels. We report a critical role for let-7g in the pathogenesis of CRC and suggest let-7g as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment

Assembling a cellulase cocktail and a cellodextrin transporter into a yeast host for CBP ethanol production

Background: Many microorganisms possess enzymes that can efficiently degrade lignocellulosic materials, but donot have the capability to produce a large amount of ethanol. Thus, attempts have been made to transform suchenzymes into fermentative microbes to serve as hosts for ethanol production. However, an efficient host for aconsolidated bioprocess (CBP) remains to be found. For this purpose, a synthetic biology technique that cantransform multiple genes into a genome is instrumental. Moreover, a strategy to select cellulases that interactsynergistically is needed.Results: To engineer a yeast for CBP bio-ethanol production, a synthetic biology technique, called “promoter-basedgene assembly and simultaneous overexpression” (PGASO), that can simultaneously transform and express multiplegenes in a kefir yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus KY3, was recently developed. To formulate an efficient cellulasecocktail, a filter-paper-activity assay for selecting heterologous cellulolytic enzymes was established in this study andused to select five cellulase genes, including two cellobiohydrolases, two endo-β-1,4-glucanases and onebeta-glucosidase genes from different fungi. In addition, a fungal cellodextrin transporter gene was chosen totransport cellodextrin into the cytoplasm. These six genes plus a selection marker gene were one-step assembledinto the KY3 genome using PGASO. Our experimental data showed that the recombinant strain KR7 could expressthe five heterologous cellulase genes and that KR7 could convert crystalline cellulose into ethanol.Conclusion: Seven heterologous genes, including five cellulases, a cellodextrin transporter and a selection marker,were simultaneously transformed into the KY3 genome to derive a new strain, KR7, which could directly convertcellulose to ethanol. The present study demonstrates the potential of our strategy of combining a cocktailformulation protocol and a synthetic biology technique to develop a designer yeast host

Attention-based Learning for Sleep Apnea and Limb Movement Detection using Wi-Fi CSI Signals

Wi-Fi channel state information (CSI) has become a promising solution for non-invasive breathing and body motion monitoring during sleep. Sleep disorders of apnea and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) are often unconscious and fatal. The existing researches detect abnormal sleep disorders in impractically controlled environments. Moreover, it leads to compelling challenges to classify complex macro- and micro-scales of sleep movements as well as entangled similar waveforms of cases of apnea and PLMD. In this paper, we propose the attention-based learning for sleep apnea and limb movement detection (ALESAL) system that can jointly detect sleep apnea and PLMD under different sleep postures across a variety of patients. ALESAL contains antenna-pair and time attention mechanisms for mitigating the impact of modest antenna pairs and emphasizing the duration of interest, respectively. Performance results show that our proposed ALESAL system can achieve a weighted F1-score of 84.33, outperforming the other existing non-attention based methods of support vector machine and deep multilayer perceptron

TGF-β1 modulates microglial phenotype and promotes recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating form of stroke that results from the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, leading to a mass of blood within the brain parenchyma. The injury causes a rapid inflammatory reaction that includes activation of the tissue-resident microglia and recruitment of blood-derived macrophages and other leukocytes. In this work, we investigated the specific responses of microglia following ICH with the aim of identifying pathways that may aid in recovery after brain injury. We used longitudinal transcriptional profiling of microglia in a murine model to determine the phenotype of microglia during the acute and resolution phases of ICH in vivo and found increases in TGF-β1 pathway activation during the resolution phase. We then confirmed that TGF-β1 treatment modulated inflammatory profiles of microglia in vitro. Moreover, TGF-β1 treatment following ICH decreased microglial Il6 gene expression in vivo and improved functional outcomes in the murine model. Finally, we observed that patients with early increases in plasma TGF-β1 concentrations had better outcomes 90 days after ICH, confirming the role of TGF-β1 in functional recovery from ICH. Taken together, our data show that TGF-β1 modulates microglia-mediated neuroinflammation after ICH and promotes functional recovery, suggesting that TGF-β1 may be a therapeutic target for acute brain injury

Participative leadership congruence and employee task performance : the intermediate roles of person-unit fit and unit-member exchange

Purpose – Participate leadership's influence on employee task performance has garnered significant attention in a rapidly evolving organizational landscape. This study explores the multilevel dynamics of participative leadership congruence between unit managers and direct supervisors and its effects on employee task performance. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on two longitudinal studies based on the firms randomly selected from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ) database, the research observes the mediating role of Person-Unit fit and the moderating influence of Unit-Member Exchange in the participative leadership-performance relationship. Findings – Results indicate that participative leadership congruence positively affects employee task performance, with Person-Unit fit serving as a mediator and Unit-Member Exchange as a moderator. Originality/value – The study extends leadership literature by highlighting the significance of leadership alignment across levels and the interplay between psychological and social factors in improving employee performance

Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotubes and their Polymer Nanocomposites: A Review

Thermally conductive polymer composites offer new possibilities for replacing metal parts in several applications, including power electronics, electric motors and generators, heat exchangers, etc., thanks to the polymer advantages such as light weight, corrosion resistance and ease of processing. Current interest to improve the thermal conductivity of polymers is focused on the selective addition of nanofillers with high thermal conductivity. Unusually high thermal conductivity makes carbon nanotube (CNT) the best promising candidate material for thermally conductive composites. However, the thermal conductivities of polymer/CNT nanocomposites are relatively low compared with expectations from the intrinsic thermal conductivity of CNTs. The challenge primarily comes from the large interfacial thermal resistance between the CNT and the surrounding polymer matrix, which hinders the transfer of phonon dominating heat conduction in polymer and CNT. This article reviews the status of worldwide research in the thermal conductivity of CNTs and their polymer nanocomposites. The dependence of thermal conductivity of nanotubes on the atomic structure, the tube size, the morphology, the defect and the purification is reviewed. The roles of particle/polymer and particle/particle interfaces on the thermal conductivity of polymer/CNT nanocomposites are discussed in detail, as well as the relationship between the thermal conductivity and the micro- and nano-structure of the composite

Isoflavones prevent bone loss following ovariectomy in young adult rats

Soy protein, a rich source of phytoestrogens, exhibit estrogen-type bioactivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if ingestion of isoflavones before ovariectomy can prevent bone loss following ovariectomy. Twenty-four nulliparous Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. In the normal diet groups, a sham operation was performed on Group A, while ovariectomy was performed on Group B. For Groups C and D, all rats were fed with an isoflavone-rich (25 mg/day) diet for one month, then bilateral ovariectomy were performed. In the rats in Group C, a normal diet was begun following the ovariectomy. The rats in Groups D continued to receive the isoflavone-rich diet for two additional months postoperatively. All rats were sacrificed 60 days after surgery. The weight of bone ash of the long bones and whole lumbar spine were determined. A histological study of cancellous bone was done and biochemical indices of skeletal metabolism were performed and analyzed. The markers of bone metabolism exhibited no significant changes. When compared with the sham-operated rats fed a normal diet, the bone mass of ovariectomized rats decreased significantly; pre-ovariectomy ingestion of an isoflavone-rich diet did not prevent bone loss. The bone mass of rats treated with an isoflavone-rich diet for three months was higher than controls two months after ovariectomy

Nucleocapsid Protein as Early Diagnostic Marker for SARS

Serum samples from 317 patients with patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were tested for the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-associated coronavirus, with sensitivities of 94% and 78% for the first 5 days and 6–10 days after onset, respectively. The specificity was 99.9%. N protein can be used as an early diagnostic maker for SARS

Improving Voice Outcomes After Thyroid Surgery – Review of Safety Parameters for Using Energy-Based Devices Near the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve

Technological advances in thyroid surgery have rapidly increased in recent decades. Specifically, recently developed energy-based devices (EBDs) enable simultaneous dissection and sealing tissue. EBDs have many advantages in thyroid surgery, such as reduced blood loss, lower rate of post-operative hypocalcemia, and shorter operation time. However, the rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury during EBD use has shown statistically inconsistent. EBDs generate high temperature that can cause iatrogenic thermal injury to the RLN by direct or indirect thermal spread. This article reviews relevant medical literatures of conventional electrocauteries and different mechanisms of current EBDs, and compares two safety parameters: safe distance and cooling time. In general, conventional electrocautery generates higher temperature and wider thermal spread range, but when applying EBDs near the RLN adequate activation distance and cooling time are still required to avoid inadvertent thermal injury. To improve voice outcomes in the quality-of-life era, surgeons should observe safety parameters and follow the standard procedures when using EBDs near the RLN in thyroid surgery