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Fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) is a mesenchyme-specific heparin-binding growth factor that binds FGF receptor 2 (FGFR2) to regulate numerous cellular and physiological processes. FGF7/FGFR2 signal is associated with gastric cancer progression. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which FGF7/FGFR2 promotes invasion and migration in human gastric cancer. We first demonstrated that increased FGFR2 expression in human gastric cancer tissues was significantly associated with tumor depth and clinical stage in human gastric cancer tissues. Thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) is an extracellular glycoprotein that plays multiple roles in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. Increased expression of THBS1 significantly correlated with tumor differentiation. FGFR2 and THBS1 expression were both increased in cancer tissues as compared with adjacent normal tissues and their expression was positively correlated. In vitro, FGF7 stimulation of cell invasion and migration was partially suppressed by the FGFR2 knockdown. In addition, FGF7/FGFR2 upregulated THBS1, and cell invasion and migration were decreased by knockdown of THBS1. Furthermore, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was predominantly responsible for FGF7/FGFR2-induced THBS1 upregulation. Taken together, our data suggest that FGF7/FGFR2/THBS1 is associated with the regulation of invasion and migration in human gastric cancer.

Abandoned objects on highways pose a significant risk of causing severe traffic accidents. Current abandoned object detection technologies are limited by hardware constraints and real-time processing requirements in complex highway environments. To address these challenges, we propose a Universal foreground extraction framework consisting of Block-based frame selection and Multi-Group foreground Detection, called UBMG, which effectively alleviates false alarms caused by either illumination changes on the highway, traffic targets, or road markings. Specifically, two modules of block preprocessing and adaptive size filtering are first designed, followed by a static target matching module, to extract candidate targets. To accurately distinguish abandoned objects from other entities, a candidate verification strategy is proposed involving traffic target elimination, road noise elimination, and trajectory discrimination. This framework can seamlessly integrate with existing pixel-wise foreground detection algorithms and demonstrate high efficiency in practical applications. In addition, we have established a comprehensive video dataset of highway abandoned objects, named HAO, under various conditions (e.g.,lighting conditions, camera movements, and object occlusions) for thorough evaluation. Extensive experiments on HAO and public ABODA datasets demonstrate that the UBMG framework can perform robust and real-time detection of abandoned objects, especially outperforming the state-of-the-art methods in the HAO dataset and showing good performance on ABODA.

The prevalence of abdominal obesity is increasing dramatically worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the current prevalence of abdominal obesity from the 2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and compare the data with other countries. Waist circumference (WC) of 12,326 Chinese adults (aged 20 years or older) from the 2011 CHNS were analyzed by age group and region. Abdominal obesity was defined as a WC ≥90 cm for men and WC ≥80 cm for women based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for Asians. In 2011, the age-adjusted mean WC was 85.9 cm (95% confidence interval [CI], 85.6–86.2 cm) for men and 80.7 cm (95% CI, 80.4–80.9 cm) for women. Based on the WHO recommendations, the age-adjusted prevalence of abdominal obesity was 44.0% (95% CI, 43.1%–44.8%) overall, 35.3% (95% CI, 34.1%–36.6%) in men, and 51.7% (95% CI, 50.5%–52.9%) in women. Moreover, the age-adjusted prevalence was 44.0% (95% CI, 42.7%–45.2%) in rural populations, 42.5% (95% CI, 40.7%–44.2%) in urban populations, and 45.2% (95% CI, 43.5%–46.9%) in megacity populations. The prevalence in China (35.3% for men and 51.7% for women) was lower than in Japan (50.8% for men) and the United States (43.5% for men and 64.7% for women). Similar results were observed when applying the criteria suggested by the Working Group on Obesity in China. In 2011, the age-adjusted prevalence of abdominal obesity in China was 35.3% in men and 51.7% in women. •In 2011, the mean waist circumference in China was 85.9 cm (men) and 80.7 cm (women).•In 2011, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 35.3% in men and 51.7% in women.•The prevalence in China was lower than in Japan and the United States.

PurposeExploring the reaction mechanisms of K+ and NH4+ at the soil–water interface is of great scientific and practical importance for fertilizer use efficiency and environmental quality. The purpose of this study is to clarify the adsorption mechanisms, forces and energies of K+ and NH4+ in permanently and variably charged soils.MethodsIn combination with the theories of orbital asymmetric hybridization and ionic adsorption kinetics, the miscible displacement technique was employed to discover the cation adsorption kinetics, to identify adsorption forces as well as to evaluate adsorption energies.ResultsThe adsorption mechanism and force studies showed that, the zero-order adsorption kinetics with covalent bonding force presented for both cation in the two differently charged soils at the lowest cation concentrations, while the first-order adsorption kinetics with electrostatic force exhibited at higher cation concentrations. The adsorption energies analyses showed that: (1) the adsorption energies with covalent bond for K+ was higher than that for NH4+, especially in the permanently charged soil; (2) For a given cation type of K+ or NH4+, the adsorption energy with covalent bond in the permanently charged soil was much larger than that in variably charged soil, especially for K+; (3) the electrostatic adsorption energy for K+ was higher than that for NH4+ for the two soils, while the electrostatic adsorption energies in the variably charged soil were often larger than that in permanently charged soil.ConclusionOur study indicated that, the covalent bond adsorption between K+ and surface O-atom could be referred as “polarization induced covalent bonding”, while the covalent bonding adsorption between NH4+ and surface O-atom could be referred as “polarization induced hydrogen bonding”. Those findings provide new theoretical basis for studying the effectiveness of potassium and nitrogen.

Osteoporosis is a major degenerative metabolic bone disease that threatens the life and health of postmenopausal women. Owing to limitations in detection methods and prevention strategy awareness, the purpose of osteoporosis treatment is more to delay further deterioration rather than to fundamentally correct bone mass. We aimed to clarify the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis and optimize treatment plans. Our experiments were based on previous findings that oxidative stress mediates bone metabolism imbalance after oestrogen deficiency. Through energy metabolism-targeted metabolomics, we revealed that purine metabolism disorder is the main mechanism involved in inducing oxidative damage in bone tissue, which was verified via the use of machine-learning data from human databases. Xanthine and xanthine oxidase were used to treat osteoblasts to construct a purine metabolism disorder model. The activity and differentiation ability of osteoblasts decreased after X/XO treatment. Transcriptomic sequencing indicated that autophagic flux damage was involved in purine metabolism-induced oxidative stress in osteoblasts. Additionally, we performed serum metabolomics combined with network pharmacology to determine the pharmacological mechanism of metformin in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. HPRT1 was the potential target filtered from the hub genes, and FoxO1 signalling was the key pathway mediating the effect of metformin in osteoblasts. We also revealed that SIRT3-mediated deacetylation promoted the nuclear localization of FoxO1 to increase the expression of HPRT1. HPRT1 upregulation promoted purine anabolism and prevented the accumulation of ROS caused by purine catabolism to reverse oxidative damage in osteoblasts. We propose that purine metabolism disorder-induced oxidative stress is important for the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The therapeutic mechanism of metformin should be confirmed through subsequent drug optimization and development studies to improve bone health in postmenopausal women.

Akt and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways are involved in germ cell apoptosis and inflammation after testicular heat stress (THS). We observed that after THS induced by the exposure of rat testes to 43 °C for 20 min, their weight decreased, the fraction of apoptotic testicular germ cells significantly increased, and the proliferation of germ cells was inhibited. In addition, THS lowered serum testosterone (T) level, whereas the levels of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were not significantly changed. The ultrastructure of the seminiferous tubules became abnormal after THS, the structure of the blood-testis barrier (BTB) became loose, and the Sertoli cells showed a trend of differentiation. The level of phosphorylated Akt was reduced, whereas the amount of phosphorylated NF-κB p65 was augmented by THS. Wuzi-Yanzong (WZYZ), a classic Chinese medicine prescription for the treatment of male reproductive dysfunctions, alleviated the changes induced by THS. In order to determine the mechanism of action of WZYZ, we investigated how this preparation modulated the levels of T, androgen receptor (AR), erythropoietin (EPO), EPO receptor, and Tyro-3, Axl, and Mer (TAM) family of tyrosine kinase receptors. We found that WZYZ activated the Akt pathway, inhibited the Toll-like receptor/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, and repaired the structure of BTB by regulating the levels of T, AR, TAM receptors, and EPO. In conclusion, these results suggest that WZYZ activates the Akt pathway and inhibits the NF-κB pathway by acting on the upstream regulators, thereby improving spermatogenesis deficit induced by THS.

Neuroinflammation plays a very important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). After activation, microglia produce pro-inflammatory mediators that damage surrounding neurons. Consequently, the inhibition of microglial activation might represent a new therapeutic approach of PD. Vanillin has been shown to protect dopaminergic neurons, but the mechanism is still unclear. Herein, we further study the underlying mechanisms in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PD models. In vivo, we firstly established rat models of PD by unilateral injection of LPS into substantia nigra (SN), and then examined the role of vanillin in motor dysfunction, microglial activation and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. In vitro, murine microglial BV-2 cells were treated with vanillin prior to the incubation of LPS, and then the inflammatory responses and the related signaling pathways were analyzed. The in vivo results showed that vanillin markedly improved the motor dysfunction, suppressed degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and inhibited microglial over-activation induced by LPS intranigral injection. The in vitro studies demonstrated that vanillin reduces LPS-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), IL-1β, and IL-6 through regulating ERK1/2, p38 and NF-κB signaling. Collectively, these data indicated that vanillin has a role in protecting dopaminergic neurons via inhibiting inflammatory activation.

Shahe Reservoir is a key node in the upstream of the North Canal, and the water quality has gradually improved after the implementation of low water operation in 2018. The organic matter(OM) in the sediment decreased from 16.66 to 14.22%.In this study, the FI index and parallel factor method were used to investigate the traceability of OM and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Shahe Reservoir before and during low water level operation(LWLO), and the results showed that the terrestrial source fraction of OM in sediments was mainly related to organic-rich terrestrial plant residues carried by tributaries and overflows/outfalls during the rainy season, and the FI index indicated that the organic matter (OM) in the Shahe Reservoir before and during LWLO in each DOM in the area is derived from authigenic sources of autotrophic microorganisms, algae, etc. The parallel factor method shows that more than most of the pollutants in the DOM are input from endogenous sources and a small proportion of pollutants are input from exogenous sources. Nutrients in both sediment and interstitial water increased during the LWLO, with TN and TP levels increasing by 262.38 and 204.45 mg·kg −1 in sediment, NH 4 + –N, PO 4 3− −P, TN and TP in interstitial water increasing by 0.98, 1.36, 2.07 and 4.33 mg·L −1 , respectively. Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis showed that OM was significantly correlated with nutrients: OM and TN ( p  < 0.01) and OM and TP ( p  < 0.05) in the pre-LWLO; OM and TN and TP ( p  < 0.01) in the LWLO.The results suggested that organic matter pollution control should be mainly carried out from the perspective of endogenous input, focusing on controlling the release of nutrients in sediments.

Background Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) from unrelated donors is one of the successful treatments for acute leukemia in childhood. The most frequent side effect of UCBT is peri-engraftment syndrome (PES), which is directly associated with the greater prevalence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host-disease (aGvHD and cGvHD). In haploidentical stem cell transplantation, posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) has been demonstrated to be an effective method against GvHD. However, the effects of PTCY as a GvHD prophylactic in UCBT had not been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PTCY on the outcomes of UCBT for pediatric acute leukemia. Methods This retrospective study included 52 children with acute leukemia who underwent unrelated single-unit UCBT after myeloablative conditioning regimens. The results from the PTCY and non-PTCY groups were compared. Results The incidence of transplantation-related mortality in non-PTCY and PTCY were 5% and 10% ( p  =  0.525 ), respectively. The incidence of relapse in non-PTCY and PTCY were 5% and 23% ( p  =  0.095 ), respectively. Second complete remission status (CR2) was an independent risk factor for relapse-free survival ( hazard ratio  = 9.782, p  =  0.001 ). The odds ratio for sepsis or bacteremia incidence was significantly greater in the PTCY group (9.524, p  =  0.017 ). PTCY group had increased rates of cytomegalovirus activity and fungal infection. The incidence of PES, aGvHD, cGvHD, and hemorrhagic cystitis in the PTCY group was lower than that in the non-PTCY group, although it was not significantly different. Additionally, higher doses of PTCY (29 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg) were associated with lower incidences of aGvHD and severe GvHD (65% and 29%, respectively) than lower doses (93% and 57%, respectively). Engraftment time and graft failure incidence were similar across groups. Conclusion The results support the safety and efficiency of PTCY as part of PES controlling and GvHD prophylaxis in single-unit UCBT for children with acute leukemia. A PTCY dosage of 29 mg/kg to 40 mg/kg appears to be more effective in GvHD prophylaxis for UCBT patients.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) on post-operative day (POD) 3 and 5 for the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) patients who underwent radical gastrectomy surgery in extended cohort from a prospective bi-center study. Methods Consecutive GA patients who received surgery in the Hunan Cancer Hospital were enrolled as the training cohort, and those from Wuhan Union Hospital were included as external validation cohort. The optimal cutoff concentration of PCT for overall survival (OS) in the training cohort was determined by X-tile. The independent predictive factors for OS were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, the predictive value of elevated PCT was clarified in the validation cohort and propensity score matched cohort, respectively. Results The optimal cutoff concentrations of PCT for OS were 0.67 ng/mL at POD 3 and 0.39 ng/mL at POD 5 in the training cohort (n = 906). Patients with higher PCT concentrations (≥ 0.39 ng/mL) at POD 5 had a significantly worse prognosis whether developing post-operative infections or not. Moreover, a synergistic influence was confirmed in those with elevated PCT concentration and infections. Multivariate analyses confirmed that PCT concentration ≥ 0.39 ng/mL at POD 5 was significantly associated with poorer survival in training cohort (HR: 1.422, 95% CI 1.041–1.943, P  = 0.027), validation cohort (n = 297, HR: 2.136, 95% CI 1.073–4.252, P  = 0.031) and matched cohort (n = 901, HR: 1.454, 95% CI 1.104–1.914, P  = 0.008), separately. Conclusions PCT concentration ≥ 0.39 ng/mL at POD 5 was a reliable predictor for poorer prognosis in GA patients undergoing radical gastrectomy.