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Gastric cancer (GC) was the fourth deadliest cancer in the world in 2020, and about 770,000 people died from GC that year. The death of patients with GC is mainly caused by the metastasis, recurrence, and chemotherapy resistance of GC cells. The cancer stem cell theory defines cancer stem cells (CSCs) as a key factor in the metastasis, recurrence, and chemotherapy resistance of cancer. It considers targeting gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) to be an effective method for the treatment of GC. For GCSCs, genes or noncoding RNAs are important regulatory factors. Many experimental studies have found that some drugs can target the stemness of gastric cancer by regulating these genes or noncoding RNAs, which may bring new directions for the clinical treatment of gastric cancer. Therefore, this review mainly discusses related genes or noncoding RNAs in GCSCs and drugs that target its stemness, thereby providing some information for the treatment of GC.

The anisotropy induced by rock bedding structures is usually manifested in the mechanical behaviors and failure modes of rocks. Brazilian tests are conducted for seven groups of shale specimens featuring different bedding angles. Acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) technologies are used to monitor the in-situ failure of the specimens. Furthermore, the crack morphology of damaged samples is observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results reveal the structural dependence on the tensile mechanical behavior of shales. The shale disk exhibits compression in the early stage of the experiment with varying locations and durations. The location of the compression area moves downward and gradually disappears when the bedding angle increases. The macroscopic failure is well characterized by AE event location results, and the dominant frequency distribution is related to the bedding angle. The b -value is found to be stress-dependent. The crack turning angle between layers and the number of cracks crossing the bedding both increase with the bedding angle, indicating competition between crack propagations. SEM results revealed that the failure modes of the samples can be classified into three types: tensile failure along beddings with shear failure of the matrix, ladder shear failure along beddings with tensile failure of the matrix, and shear failure along multiple beddings with tensile failure of the matrix.

The association between serum soluble Klotho (sKlotho) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) remains controversial, and the influence of hypertension on this association is inconclusive. This study aims to investigate the joint association of sKlotho and hypertension with CKD prevalence in adults with DM. This cross-sectional study included 3,302 adults with DM from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2016). Multivariate logistic regression analysis stratified by hypertension was used to assess the association between sKlotho and CKD prevalence. Moreover, the interaction between hypertension and sKlotho on CKD was evaluated. Among individuals with DM, a significant association between sKlotho levels and CKD prevalence was observed only in those with hypertension. CKD prevalence was significantly lower in individuals with high sKlotho (≥ 806 pg/mL) than in those with low sKlotho (< 806 pg/mL) [adjusted OR = 0.54 (95% CI: 0.41-0.72);  < 0.001]. Moreover, a significant interaction between hypertension and sKlotho on CKD prevalence was observed among adults with DM [Multiplicative scale: OR = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.42-0.99); RERI = -0.80 (95% CI: -1.49 to -0.10); AP = -0.51 (95% CI: -0.90 to -0.12); SI = 0.44 (95% CI: 0.30-0.66)]. Among DM adults, hypertension modified the association between sKlotho levels and CKD prevalence. Both additive and multiplicative interactions were observed between hypertension and sKlotho levels on CKD. The causalities between hypertension, Klotho, and CKD in diabetic patients need further exploration, and underlying mechanisms warrants elucidation.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastasis is a major factor affecting the prognosis of advanced CRC. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), play a crucial role in CRC progression and metastasis by influencing the EMT of tumor cells. LRR binding FLII interacting protein 1, an epigenetic regulatory gene, a cancer-associated gene in a comprehensive analysis of human genome sequences; however, its role in CRC TAMs has not been elucidated. Methods We explored the expression and mechanism of action of LRRFIP1 in TAMs by single-cell transcriptome database analysis, immunostaining, flow cytometry, Western blotting, real-time quantitative PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Transwell assay. Tumor growth and liver metastasis were examined in vivo. Results After knock down LRRFIP1 in TAMs in vitro, M2 phenotype and related cytokine expression were suppressed, whereas the promotion of CRC cell growth, migration, and invasion was inhibited. Interfering with LRRFIP1 did not further inhibit the TAMs phenotype or CRC progression after application of PI3K inhibitors or TGF-β receptor inhibitors. Conclusions LRRFIP1 induces M2-like macrophage polarization via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, contributing to colorectal cancer progression.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major global health challenge, with high incidence and mortality rates. The role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer progression has received considerable attention. The present study aimed to investigate the function and mechanisms underlying the role of lncRNA RP11-197K6.1, microRNA-135a-5p (hsa-miR-135a-5p), and DLX5 in CRC development. Methods We analyzed RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Colorectal Cancer dataset to identify the association between lncRNA RP11-197K6.1 and CRC progression. The expression levels of lncRNA RP11-197K6.1 and DLX5 in CRC samples and cell lines were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting assays. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to confirm the cellular localization of lncRNA RP11-197K6.1. Cell migration capabilities were assessed by Transwell and wound healing assays, and flow cytometry was performed to analyze apoptosis. The interaction between lncRNA RP11-197K6.1 and miR-135a-5p and its effect on DLX5 expression were investigated by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Additionally, a xenograft mouse model was used to study the in vivo effects of lncRNA RP11-197K6.1 on tumor growth, and an immunohistochemical assay was performed to assess DLX5 expression in tumor tissues. Results lncRNA RP11-197K6.1 was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines as compared to that in normal tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with patient survival. It promoted the migration and metastasis of CRC cells by interacting with miR-135a-5p, alleviated suppression of DLX5 expression, and facilitated tumor growth. Conclusion This study demonstrated the regulatory network and mechanism of action of the lncRNA RP11-197K6.1/miR-135a-5p/DLX5 axis in CRC development. These findings provided insights into the molecular pathology of CRC and suggested potential therapeutic targets for more effective treatment of patients with CRC.

Background WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) family members play significant roles in plant growth and development, such as in embryo patterning, stem-cell maintenance, and lateral organ formation. The recently published cotton genome sequences allow us to perform comprehensive genome-wide analysis and characterization of WOX genes in cotton. Results In this study, we identified 21, 20, and 38 WOX genes in Gossypium arboreum (2n = 26, A 2 ), G. raimondii (2n = 26, D 5 ), and G. hirsutum (2n = 4x = 52, (AD) t ), respectively. Sequence logos showed that homeobox domains were significantly conserved among the WOX genes in cotton, Arabidopsis , and rice. A total of 168 genes from three typical monocots and six dicots were naturally divided into three clades, which were further classified into nine sub-clades. A good collinearity was observed in the synteny analysis of the orthologs from At and Dt (t represents tetraploid) sub-genomes. Whole genome duplication (WGD) and segmental duplication within At and Dt sub-genomes played significant roles in the expansion of WOX genes, and segmental duplication mainly generated the WUS clade. Copia and Gypsy were the two major types of transposable elements distributed upstream or downstream of WOX genes. Furthermore, through comparison, we found that the exon/intron pattern was highly conserved between Arabidopsis and cotton, and the homeobox domain loci were also conserved between them. In addition, the expression pattern in different tissues indicated that the duplicated genes in cotton might have acquired new functions as a result of sub-functionalization or neo-functionalization. The expression pattern of WOX genes under different stress treatments showed that the different genes were induced by different stresses. Conclusion In present work, WOX genes, classified into three clades, were identified in the upland cotton genome. Whole genome and segmental duplication were determined to be the two major impetuses for the expansion of gene numbers during the evolution. Moreover, the expression patterns suggested that the duplicated genes might have experienced a functional divergence. Together, these results shed light on the evolution of the WOX gene family, and would be helpful in future research.

In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, traditional labor efficiency evaluation methods have limitations, while computer vision technology shows great potential. This study aims to develop a potential automated construction efficiency evaluation framework. We propose a method that integrates keypoint processing and extraction using the BlazePose model from MediaPipe, action classification with a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network, and construction object recognition with the YOLO algorithm. A new model framework for action recognition and work hour statistics is introduced, and a specific construction scene dataset is developed under controlled experimental conditions. The experimental results on this dataset show that the worker action recognition accuracy can reach 82.23%, and the average accuracy of the classification model based on the confusion matrix is 81.67%. This research makes contributions in terms of innovative methodology, a new model framework, and a comprehensive dataset, which may have potential implications for enhancing construction efficiency, supporting cost-saving strategies, and providing decision support in the future. However, this study represents an initial validation under limited conditions, and it also has limitations such as its dependence on well-lit environments and high computational requirements. Future research should focus on addressing these limitations and further validating the approach in diverse and practical construction scenarios.

Objective Purification and characterization of cancer stem cells (CSCs) can lead to the identification of targets for therapeutic interventions of cancer. With regard to gastric cancer, studies have not yet defined and characterized CSCs. Methods The expression of the cell surface markers CD44 and CD24 was examined in gastric cell lines AGS and gastric cancer tissues from five patients with fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis (FACS). The tumorigenic properties, self-renewal, and differentiated progeny in the two distinct cell populations CD44+CD24+ and CD44−CD24− were identified in vivo serial transplantation and in vitro culture. Real-time RT-PCR was used to assess the expression of sonic hedgehog (SHH), patched 1 (PTCH1), and GLI3 signaling molecules in CD44+CD24+ and CD44−CD24− cells. Results As few as 200 CD44+CD24+ cells injected in NOD–SCID mice were able to generate tumors in 50% of mice (6 of 12), while tumors did not form in mice until at least 10,000 CD44−CD24− cells were injected, where only one of 12 mice formed a tumor, further verifying that CD44+CD24+ gastric cancer cells have the capacity to both self-renew and produce differentiated progeny. Moreover, SHH, PTCH1, and GLI3 mRNA expression increased significantly in the CD44+CD24+ subpopulation when compared with the CD44−CD24− subpopulation. Conclusions These studies strongly suggest that the CD44+CD24+ subpopulation of human gastric cancer cell lines, AGS, is gastric cancer stem cells.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the major source of natural textile fibers. Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in regulating fiber development. The molecular mechanisms of BRs in regulating fiber elongation, however, are poorly understood. pagoda1 (pag1) was identified via an activation tagging genetic screen and characterized by genome walking and brassinolide (BL) supplementation. RNA‐Seq analysis was employed to elucidate the mechanisms of PAG1 in regulating fiber development. pag1 exhibited dwarfism and reduced fiber length due to significant inhibition of cell elongation and expansion. BL treatment rescued its growth and fiber elongation. PAG1 encodes a homolog of Arabidopsis CYP734A1 that inactivates BRs via C‐26 hydroxylation. RNA‐Seq analyses showed that the constitutive expression of PAG1 downregulated the expression of genes involved in very‐long‐chain fatty acids (VLCFA) biosynthesis, ethylene‐mediated signaling, response to cadmium, cell wall development, cytoskeleton organization and cell growth. Our results demonstrate that PAG1 plays crucial roles in regulating fiber development via controlling the level of endogenous bioactive BRs, which may affect ethylene signaling cascade by mediating VLCFA. Therefore, BR may be a critical regulator of fiber elongation, a role which may in turn be linked to effects on VLCFA biosynthesis, ethylene and cadmium signaling, cell wall‐ and cytoskeleton‐related gene expression.

The high density of surface states on silicon has long impeded the development of high‐performance photodetectors, leading to excessive dark leakage currents that adversely affect responsivity and detectivity. Herein, an all‐solution‐processable method is presented for fabricating photodetectors through consecutive spray‐coating of a conductive metal‐organic framework (MOF, Cu3(HHTP)2) and metallic Ti3C2 MXene to form van der Waals dual junctions on a silicon substrate. The heterojunction configuration facilitates unidirectional electron‐hole separation within the Cu3(HHTP)2/Si interface with type I band alignment, while leveraging the potential barrier difference between the Cu3(HHTP)2/Si and Ti3C2/Cu3(HHTP)2 Schottky junctions. The Ti3C2/Cu3(HHTP)2/Si photodetector demonstrates outstanding photoelectric performance, operating in a self‐powered mode with a high specific detectivity of 1.63 × 1012 Jones and a large responsivity of 1.8 A W−1 under 365 nm illumination. It also exhibits an impressive on/off ratio exceeding 3.9 × 104 at an incident light power density of 330 µW cm−2. Additionally, the photodetector maintains excellent responsivity across a broad wavelength range from 365 to 700 nm, spanning ultraviolet to visible light, and sets a new performance benchmark for MOF‐based photodetectors. This work introduces a straightforward, controllable approach for constructing high‐quality van der Waals junctions on semiconductor surfaces, enabling the fabrication of optoelectronic devices with enhanced performance. This work reports an all‐solution processable fabrication approach for fabricating Ti3C2Tx/Cu3(HHTP)2/n‐Si heterojunction as self‐powered photodetectors through the consecutive spray coating a Cu3(HHTP)2 and Ti3C2Tx thin films on n‐type silicon surface, as formed self‐supplied photodetector reveals exceptional responsivity and detectivity. By addressing interfacial defects through band design and structural optimization, this work paves the way for new applications and innovations in optoelectronics.