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  • Hale posted an update 8 months, 4 weeks ago

    The study of individual differences has important implications for furthering our understanding of motor learning and when tailoring interventions for diverse learners at different stages of practice.Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally and is histologically defined as either small cell lung cancer (SCLC) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the latter accounting for 80% of all lung cancers. The 5-year overall survival rate for lung cancer patients is low as it is often discovered at advanced stages when potential cure by surgical resection is no longer an option. To identify a biomarker and target for lung cancer, we performed analysis of multiple datasets of lung cancer gene expression data. Our analyses indicated that the collagen-modifying enzyme Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase Subunit Alpha 1 (P4HA1) is overexpressed in NSCLC. Furthermore, our investigation found that overexpression of enzymes involved in this pathway predicts poor outcome for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Our functional studies using knockdown strategies in lung cancer cell lines in vitro indicated that P4HA1 is critical for lung cancer growth, migration, and invasion. Additionally, diethyl pythiDC (PythiDC), a small molecule inhibitor, decreased the malignant phenotypes of lung cancer cells. Moreover, we found that miR-124 regulates and targets P4HA1 in lung cancer cells. Thus, our study suggests that collagen-modifying enzymes play an important role in lung cancer aggressiveness. Furthermore, our studies showed that P4HA1 is required for lung cancer cell growth and invasion, suggesting its potential as a valid therapeutic target in lung adenocarcinoma.Liver cancer was reported to be the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75%-85% of primary liver cancer. Nevertheless, the concrete molecular mechanisms of HCC progression remain obscure, which is essential to elucidate. The expression profile of RAD54B in HCC was measured using qPCR and western blotting. Moreover, the levels of RAD54B in paraffin-embedded samples were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The effect of RAD54B on HCC progression was testified by in vitro experiments, and in vivo orthotopic xenograft tumor experiments. The mechanisms of RAD54B promoting HCC progression were investigated through molecular and function experiments. Herein, RAD54B are dramatically upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines both on mRNA and protein levels, and RAD54B can servers as an independent prognostic parameter of 5-year overall survival and 5-year disease-free survival for patients with HCC. Moreover, up-regulation of RAD54B dramatically increases the capacity for in vitro cell viability and motility, and in vivo intrahepatic metastasis of HCC cells. Mechanistically, RAD54B promotes the HCC progression through modulating the wnt/β-catenin signaling. Notably, blocking the wnt/β-catenin signaling axis can counteract the activating effects of RAD54B on motility of HCC cells. Besides, further analysis illustrates that DNA amplification is one of the mechanisms leading to mRNA overexpression of RAD54B in HCC. Our findings indicate that RAD54B might be a promising potential prognostic marker and a candidate therapeutic target to therapy HCC.The aim of this study was to determine the effect of abiotic aging of biochars under controlled laboratory conditions on its physicochemical properties and in consequence on their stability. Biochars (BCs) produced at 500 and 700 °C from willow or sewage sludge were incubated at different temperatures (-20, 4, 20, 60, or 90 °C) for 6 and 12 months. Pristine (i.e. immediately after their production) and aged BCs were characterized using a range of complementary methods. As a result of simulated temperature aging, there was a change in all biochar properties studied, with the direction of these changes being determined by both the type of feedstock and biochar production temperature. At all temperatures, aging was the most intense during the first 6 months and led to oxidation of the biochars and removal of the most labile components from them. The intensity of these processes increased with increasing aging temperature. Incubation of the biochars for another 6 months did not have such a significant effect on the biochar properties as that observed during the first months of incubation, which is evidence that the biochars had reached stability. The sewage sludge-derived biochars with a higher mineral content than the willow-derived biochars were less stable. Cytosporone B clinical trial The low-temperature biochars (BC-500) with lower aromaticity were more prone to abiotic oxidation than the high-temperature biochars (BC-700) with higher aromaticity and structurally ordered C. Based on this study, it can be concluded that aging induced changes will be specific for each biochar, i.e. they will depend on both the type of feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. Nonetheless, all biochars will be oxidized to a smaller or greater extent, which will result in an increase in the number of surface oxygen functional groups, an increased degree of their hydrophilicity and polarity, and a decrease in pH.The rapid socioeconomic development has led to severe pollution of urban soils by heavy metals. It is vital to identify and quantify the factors that affect trace-element pollution for better preventing and managing soil pollution. In this study, we collected 179 surface soil samples from Zhangzhou City in a coastal area of south China to determine the concentration of seven heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and used the Nemerow Pollution Index (Pn) to estimate the level of heavy metal pollution in soils. Eighteen environmental factors, including six natural factors (e.g. soil properties, surface topography) and twelve anthropogenic factors (e.g. industry, road network, land use types and landscape pattern), were evaluated with the geodetector statistical method. The results indicate that the heavy metal contamination of soils in Zhangzhou City was highly heterogeneous. We found that the primary influencing factors for heavy metal concentrations were soil organic matter content, agriculture activities, and landscape pattern.

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