Explore the vast range of titles available.

Previous studies provided inconsistent results on the effects of antioxidant nutrient intake on lung cancer prevention. We aimed to evaluate the association between antioxidant consumption from food and supplemental sources and lung cancer incidence. Data were obtained from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial. A total of 98,451 participants were included in the data analysis. We used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between antioxidant intake and lung cancer risk. Dose-response assessments for individual nutrients were conducted. We also selected the model for the best combination of antioxidants for reducing lung cancer risk using machine learning methods. After the median follow-up of 12.2 years, 1642 new cases were identified. Intake of the calculated HRs indicated a trend for a higher quartile of food-based Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (fCDAI) associated with a lower lung cancer risk after adjusting for covariates (HRQ4vs.Q1 = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.79; P for trend < 0.001). Protective effects of dietary antioxidant intake were observed across all individual antioxidant micronutrients except magnesium. Random forests model suggested the dietary intake group of α-carotene, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, selenium, lutein, and zeaxanthin, and β-carotene had the most favorable effects on lung cancer prevention. Higher consumption of antioxidants from food sources has a protective effect against lung cancer, while no effects were shown in the supplemental group. It is recommended to consume a combination of various antioxidants due to the potential benefits from the interaction, while more research should be performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of antioxidant synergic effects on lung cancer risk reduction.

Objective. To develop a method for the rapid isolation of rat RPE cells with high yield and maintain its epithelial state in modified culture system. Methods. The eyeballs were incubated with dispase. The retina was isolated with RPE attached and cut into several pieces. Following a brief incubation in growth medium, large RPE sheets can be harvested rapidly. RPE cells were divided into four groups and cultured for several weeks, that is, (1) in cell culture dishes with 10% FBS containing medium (CC dish-FBS), (2) in petri dishes with 10% FBS containing medium (Petri dish-FBS), (3) in cell culture dishes with N2 and B27 containing medium (CC dish-N2B27), and (4) in petri dishes with N2 and B27 containing medium (Petri dish-N2B27). Morphological and biological characteristics were investigated using light microscopy, Q-PCR, and western blot. Results. The retina would curl inwardly during the growth medium incubation period, releasing RPE sheets in the medium. Compared with low density group (5,000 cells/cm2), RPE cells plated at high density (15,000 cells/cm2) can maintain RPE morphology for a more extended period. Meanwhile, plating RPE cells at low density significantly reduced the expression of RPE cell type-specific genes (RPE65, CRALBP, and bestrophin) and increased the expression of EMT-related genes (N-cadherin, fibronectin, and α-SMA), in comparison with the samples from the high density group. The petri dish culture condition reduced cell adhesion and thus inhibited RPE cell proliferation. As compared with other culture conditions, RPE cells in the petri dish-N2B27 condition could maintain RPE phenotype with increased expression of RPE-specific genes and decreased expression of EMT-related genes. The AKT/mTOR pathway was also decreased in petri dish-N2B27 condition. Conclusion. The current study provided an alternative method for easy isolation of RPE cells with high yield and maintenance of its epithelial morphology in the petri dish-N2B27 condition.

Background: The current literature reports inconsistent associations between dairy product intake and fracture. This study assessed the association between dairy product intake and the risk of fracture among Chinese adults and examined the mediation effects of height and body mass index (BMI) on the association. Methods: Data in 1997–2015 from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were used. Dietary data were collected by a 24-hour dietary recall, and occurrences of fracture were obtained by self-report of participants. Cumulative average intake of daily dairy products was calculated by the sum of the dairy product intake and divided by the total waves of participating in the surveys before fracture. Cox proportion hazard regressions were performed to explore the associations between dairy product intake and the risk of fracture. Mediation analysis models were established to examine the mediation effects of height and BMI on the associations. Results: A total of 14,711 participants were included. Dairy product intake of 0.1–100 g/day was associated with a decreased risk of fracture, while no association was observed among participants with dairy product intake of >100 g/day. The indirect effects of dairy product intake on the fracture mediated by height and BMI were much smaller than the direct effects. Conclusions: Dairy product intake with 0.1–100 g/day is associated with a lower risk of fracture, and the association is mainly a direct result of nutrients in dairy products and much less a result of the mediation effects of height or BMI. Dairy product intake of 0.1–100 g/day might be a cost-effective measure for Chinese adults to decrease fracture incidence.

The cathodic protection provided by epoxy coating/epoxy zinc-rich coatings on defective areas under atmospheric and immersion conditions was studied via a Q235 wire beam electrode (WBE), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and surface morphology analysis. The results showed that the cathodic protection processes under the two test conditions displayed significant differences. The effective protection time of the defective area under the atmospheric condition was 1.7 times that under the immersion condition. Compared with the immersion condition, zinc particles in zinc-rich coatings under the atmospheric condition exhibited higher cathodic protection efficiency. The possible activation mechanism of zinc particles under the two conditions was elucidated.

Recently, 3D printing has become a powerful tool for personal fabrication. However, the price of some materials is still high which limits its applications in home users. To optimize the volume of the model, while not largely affecting the strength of the objects, researchers propose algorithms to divide the model with different kinds of lightweight structures, such as frame structure, honeycomb cell structure, truss structure, medial axis tree. However, these algorithms are not suitable for the model whose internal space needs to be reused. In addition, the structural strength and static stability of the models, obtained with modern 3D model acquirement methods, are not guaranteed. In consequence, some models are too fragile to print and cannot be survived in daily usage, handling, and transportation or cannot stand in a stable. To handle the mentioned problems, an algorithm system is proposed based on cross sections in this work. The structural weak cross sections are enhanced, and structural strong cross sections are adaptively hollowed to meet a given structural strength, static stability, printability, etc., while the material usage is minimized. The proposed algorithm system has been tested on several typical 3D models. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of our system.

Rectal cancer accounts for approximately 40% of colorectal cancer cases, and lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) metastasis in rectal cancer significantly increases the local recurrence rate. Despite its clinical significance, studies on the molecular biology of LPLN metastasis are relatively scarce. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms by identifying hub regulatory genes in LPLN tissues and analyzing differentially expressed genes shared between tumor and pericarcinomatous tissues within our clinical cohort. To investigate the biological functions of these hub regulatory genes, we performed GSEA, GO, and KEGG pathway analyses on mRNA-Seq data. Among the identified hub genes, KLF12 emerged as a pivotal regulatory gene in rectal cancer. We further explored its clinical relevance and biological function. Our findings, validated using public databases, clinical cohort data, and immunohistochemistry (IHC), identified KLF12 as a specific marker for LPLN. Additionally, KLF12 expression exhibited a strong correlation with disease-free survival (DFS). According to clinical data, significant differences in KLF12 expression exist between groups based on factors such as age, gender, tumor location, pathological N stage, and postoperative tumor residue. Both treatment outcomes (DFS) and receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were significantly associated with KLF12 expression. Furthermore, KLF12 demonstrated a strong association with immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint expression, and immunophenoscore (IPS), indicating its potential regulatory role in immunotherapy. Functional molecular experiments revealed that KLF12 overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SW620 cells. In conclusion, leveraging mRNA-Seq data, TCGA database analysis, immune infiltration data, and biological function assessments, we confirmed that KLF12 could serve as an effective predictive marker and potential therapeutic target for LPLN metastasis. These findings suggest that KLF12 may be instrumental in assessing predictive risk and identifying novel therapeutic targets for patients with rectal cancer.

Listeriolysin O (LLO) is the main virulence protein of Listeria monocytogenes (LM), that helps LM escape lysosomes. We previously found that the cellular immune response elicited by L.ivanovii (LI) is weaker than that elicited by LM. We speculated that this may be related to the function of ivanolysin O (ILO). Here, we constructed hemolysin gene deletion strain, LIΔ ilo , and a modified strain, LIΔ ilo :: hly , in which ilo was replaced by hly . Prokaryotic transcriptome sequencing was performed on LI, LIΔ ilo , and LIΔ ilo :: hly . Transcriptome differences between the three strains were compared, and genes and pathways with significant differences between the three strains were analyzed. Prokaryotic transcriptome sequencing results revealed the relationship of ilo to the ribosome, quorum sensing, and phosphotransferase system (PTS) pathways, etc. LIΔ ilo exhibited attenuated biofilm formation ability compared to LI. Biofilm formation was significantly recovered or even increased after replenishing hly . After knocking out ilo , the relative expression levels of some virulence genes, including sigB , prfA , actA , smcL , and virR , were up-regulated compared to LI. After replenishing hly , these genes were down-regulated compared to LIΔ ilo. The trend and degree of such variation were not completely consistent when cultured in media containing only monosaccharides or disaccharides. The results confirmed that hemolysin is related to some important biological properties of Listeria , including biofilm formation and virulence gene expression levels. This is the first comprehensive study on ILO function at the transcriptomic level and the first evidence of a relationship between Listeria hemolysin and biofilm formation.

Background Immunosuppressive status is prevalent in cancer patients and increases the complexity of tumor immunotherapy. It has been found that Listeria -vectored tumor vaccines had the potential ability of two-side regulatory effect on the immune response during immunotherapy. Results The results show that the combined immunotherapy with the LM∆E6E7 and LI∆E6E7, the two cervical cancer vaccine candidate strains constructed by our lab, improves the antitumor immune response and inhibits the suppressive immune response in tumor-bearing mice in vivo, confirming the two-sided regulatory ability of the immune response caused by Listeria -vectored tumor vaccines. The immunotherapy reduces the expression level of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)-inducing factors and then inhibits the phosphorylation level of STAT3 protein, the regulatory factor of MDSCs differentiation, to reduce the MDSCs formation ability. Moreover, vaccines reduce the expression of functional molecules associated with MDSCs may by inhibiting the phosphorylation level of the JAK1-STAT1 and JAK2-STAT3 pathways in tumor tissues to attenuate the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs. Conclusions Immunotherapy with Listeria -vectored cervical cancer vaccines significantly reduces the level and function of MDSCs in vivo, which is the key point to the destruction of immunosuppression. The study for the first to elucidate the mechanism of breaking the immunosuppression.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is one of the most serious pathogens restricting the sustainable development of the sericulture industry. Currently, there is no effective treatment for BmNPV infection in silkworms, and the mechanism underlying BmNPV resistance in silkworms is also not clear. In this study, comparative transcriptome analyses were carried out in midguts of two silkworm varieties, namely BaiyuN, which is a resistance variety, and Baiyu, which is a susceptible variety, at five different time points (i.e., 0, 1, 3, 6, and 9 h) post-BmNPV infection to detect the early-stage transcriptional changes in these silkworms. In total, 1911 and 1577 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the Baiyu and BaiyuN varieties, respectively, involving a total of 48 metabolic pathways. Of these pathways, eight were shared by the Baiyu and BaiyuN varieties in response to BmNPV infection. Notably, four genes (i.e., BGIBMGA08815, BGIBMGA003935, BGIBMGA003571, BGIBMGA010059) were upregulated in the Baiyu variety while downregulated in the BaiyuN variety. The inhibited expression of these four genes in the resistant variety highlighted their potential roles in the resistance of early-stage viral replication. Thus, our study provided a new avenue for the further study of the mechanism underlying BmNPV infection in silkworms and the potential treatment of BmNPV infection.