[Expression of METTL14 in epithelial ovarian cancer and the effect on cell proliferation, invasion and migration of A2780 and SKOV3 cells]

Objective: To study the expression of methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14) in epithelial ovarian cancer and its clinical significance, and to explore the effect of METTL14 expression on the proliferation, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect METTL14 expression in tumor tissue samples, and analyze the relationships among METTL14 expression, clinicopathological factors, and prognosis in ovarian cancer. Lentiviral vectors and small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used to up-regulate and down-regulate the METTL14 expression in ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and SKOV3, respectively. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was used to detect the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) content in ovarian cancer cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing assay, and transwell assay were used to examine the function of METTL14 expression in the cells. Results: (1) The IHC score of METTL14 protein was 6.2±3.7 in 20 samples of ovarian cancer tissues and 3.3±2.5 in 15 samples of normal ovarian tissues, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-2.64, P=0.012). Among the patients who suffered from ovarian cancer, there were 69 cases with high expression of METTL14 protein (IHC score≥6), accounting for 57.0% (69/121), and the cases with low expression of METTL14 protein (IHC score<6) accounting for 43.0% (52/121). Compared with the patients with low expression of METTL14, the patients with high expression of METTL14 had later stages, higher rates of lymph node metastasis, abdominal metastasis, and more ascite amount. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high METTL14 expression than the low expression (P=0.009). (2) LC-MS/MS data showed that the relative expression of m6A in A2780 and SKOV3 cells in the lentivirus (LV)-METTL14 group were 0.213±0.024 and 0.181±0.018, which were significantly higher than those in the LV-normal control (NC) group (0.109±0.022 and 0.128±0.020; all P<0.05). While the relative expression of m6A in A2780 and SKOV3 cells in the si-METTL14 group were 0.063±0.012 and 0.069±0.015, which were significantly lower than the expression in si-NC group of 0.108±0.014 and 0.121±0.014 (all P<0.05). CCK-8 assay showed that the absorbance values were significantly lower in the si-METTL14 group compared with the si-NC group at 36, 48, 60 hours (all P<0.05); while were significantly increased in the LV-METTL14 group compared with the LV-NC group at 48, 60 hours (all P<0.01). Scratch wound assays showed that the migration rate of the si-METTL14 group was lower than those of the si-NC group, while the LV-METTL14 group were higher than the LV-NC group by 24 hours, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01). Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell migration and invasion assays. After cultivated for 24 hours, the invasion cell number and the migration cell number in the si-METTL14 group were less than those in the si-NC group. While the invasion cell number and the migration cell number in the LV-METTL14 group were more than those in the LV-NC group, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01). Conclusion: Patients with high METTL14 expression have a worse prognosis in ovarian cancer, which may increase the m6A modification of ovarian cancer cells and promote cells proliferation, invasion and migration.

Measurement of jet fragmentation in Pb+Pb and pp collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The distributions of transverse momentum and longitudinal momentum fraction of charged particles in jets are measured in Pb+Pb and pp collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The distributions are measured as a function of jet transverse momentum and rapidity. The analysis utilises an integrated luminosity of 0.14 nb - 1 of Pb+Pb data and 4.0 pb - 1 of pp data collected in 2011 and 2013, respectively, at the same centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per colliding nucleon pair. The distributions measured in pp collisions are used as a reference for those measured in Pb+Pb collisions in order to evaluate the impact on the internal structure of jets from the jet energy loss of fast partons propagating through the hot, dense medium created in heavy-ion collisions. Modest but significant centrality-dependent modifications of fragmentation functions in Pb+Pb collisions with respect to those in pp collisions are seen. No significant dependence of modifications on jet p T and rapidity selections is observed except for the fragments with the highest transverse momenta for which some reduction of yields is observed for more forward jets.

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in ZH→ℓ(+)ℓ(-)bb production with the D0 detector in 9.7 fb(-1) of pp collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson produced in association with a Z boson in 9.7 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at √s = 1.96 TeV. Selected events contain one reconstructed Z→e(+)e(-) or Z→μ(+)μ(-) candidate and at least two jets, including at least one jet identified as likely to contain a b quark. To validate the search procedure, we also measure the cross section for ZZ production in the same final state. It is found to be consistent with its SM prediction. We set upper limits on the ZH production cross section times branching ratio for H→bb at the 95% C.L. for Higgs boson masses 90 ≤ M(H) ≤ 150 GeV. The observed (expected) limit for M(H) = 125 GeV is 7.1 (5.1) times the SM cross section.

Structural analysis of pulsed magnets considering interface characteristics

The aim of traditional designs of pulsed magnets is to keep the von-Mises stress on the midplane less than the ultimate tensile strength of materials. However, recently failed high-field experiments showed that some short circuits occurred at the magnet end, which is most possibly caused by the axial displacement of wires. This indicates that the former design is inadequate and accurate axial mechanical analysis of magnets is necessary. In this paper, a finite element model of pulsed magnets considering interface characteristics is proposed. Both the contact status and interfacial friction between the conductor layers and reinforcements can be accounted for Simulations are conducted with a failed 95 T dual-coil prototype, which was originally designed with the self-developed Pulsed Magnet Design Software (PMDS) software. The simulation results show that all the originally expected separations calculated by the PMDS software disappear due to the compression. This makes the calculated maximal von-Mises stress of the inner four reinforcement layers about 600 MPa less than the former designs. The influence of the interfacial friction is also presented. Besides, the simulations show that the maximum axial displacement at the magnet end is up to 8 mm at the designed peak field, which is deadly to the insulations. Hence, we suggest that the axial displacement at the magnet end should also be one design objective of pulsed magnets. At last, the factors affecting the axial displacement are analyzed.

Electrical detection of current generated spin in topological insulator surface states: Role of interface resistance

Current generated spin polarization in topological insulator (TI) surface states due to spin-momentum locking has been detected recently using ferromagnet/tunnel barrier contacts, where the projection of the TI spin onto the magnetization of the ferromagnet is measured as a voltage. However, opposing signs of the spin voltage have been reported, which had been tentatively attributed to the coexistence of trivial two-dimensional electron gas states on the TI surface which may exhibit opposite current-induced polarization than that of the TI Dirac surface states. Models based on electrochemical potential have been presented to determine the sign of the spin voltage expected for the TI surface states. However, these models neglect critical experimental parameters which also affect the sign measured. Here we present a Mott two-spin current resistor model which takes into account these parameters such as spin-dependent interface resistances, and show that such inclusion can lead to a crossing of the voltage potential profiles for the spin-up and spin-down electrons within the channel, which can lead to measured spin voltages of either sign. These findings offer a resolution of the ongoing controversy regarding opposite signs of spin signal reported in the literature, and highlight the importance of including realistic experimental parameters in the model.

Precision measurement of the ratio B(t→Wb)/B(t→Wq) and extraction of V(tb)

We present a measurement of the ratio of top quark branching fractions R=B(t→Wb)/B(t→Wq), where q can be a d, s, or b quark, in the lepton+jets and dilepton tt final states. The measurement uses data from 5.4 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We measure R=0.90±0.04, and we extract the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element |V(tb)| as |V(tb)|=0.95±0.02, assuming unitarity of the 3×3 CKM matrix.

Conditioned medium from a cell strain derived from a patient with mastocytosis induces the development of mature human mast cells in vitro from normal human bone marrow

Mature human mast cells were obtained from human bone marrow in a coculture system using conditioned medium from a human mastocytosis cell strain. These cells expressed the high-affinity IgE receptor and were tryptase, chymase and carboxypeptidase positive.

Ionic Liquid Based Gel Electrolyte Compositions for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Konarka Technologies has developed efficient electrolyte compositions based on nonvolatile ionic liquids. The electrolyte compositions were subsequently gelled using a metal ion complexation technique, without compromising the photovoltaic performance of the dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photovoltaic performance of the gel electrolyte incorporated DSSCs is quite stable for extended period of time even in the absence of sealing. Detailed results on performance and stability of the gel electrolyte incorporated DSSCs are presented.

Observation of Light-by-Light Scattering in Ultraperipheral Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter describes the observation of the light-by-light scattering process, γγ→γγ, in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The analysis is conducted using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.73  nb^{-1}, collected in November 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy E_{T}^{γ}>3  GeV and pseudorapidity |η_{γ}|<2.4, diphoton invariant mass above 6 GeV, and small diphoton transverse momentum and acoplanarity. After applying all selection criteria, 59 candidate events are observed for a background expectation of 12±3 events. The observed excess of events over the expected background has a significance of 8.2 standard deviations. The measured fiducial cross section is 78±13(stat)±7(syst)±3(lumi)  nb.

Search for Magnetic Monopoles and Stable High-Electric-Charge Objects in 13 Tev Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for magnetic monopoles and high-electric-charge objects is presented using 34.4  fb^{-1} of 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015 and 2016. The considered signature is based upon high ionization in the transition radiation tracker of the inner detector associated with a pencil-shape energy deposit in the electromagnetic calorimeter. The data were collected by a dedicated trigger based on the tracker high-threshold hit capability. The results are interpreted in models of Drell-Yan pair production of stable particles with two spin hypotheses (0 and 1/2) and masses ranging from 200 to 4000 GeV. The search improves by approximately a factor of 5 the constraints on the direct production of magnetic monopoles carrying one or two Dirac magnetic charges and stable objects with electric charge in the range 20≤|z|≤60 and extends the charge range to 60<|z|≤100.

Search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson produced in association with a hadronically decaying vector boson in pp collisions at [Formula: see text] TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for Higgs boson decays to invisible particles is performed using 20.3 [Formula: see text] of pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The process considered is Higgs boson production in association with a vector boson ([Formula: see text] or Z) that decays hadronically, resulting in events with two or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No excess of candidates is observed in the data over the background expectation. The results are used to constrain VH production followed by H decaying to invisible particles for the Higgs boson mass range [Formula: see text] GeV. The 95 % confidence-level observed upper limit on [Formula: see text] varies from 1.6 pb at 115 GeV to 0.13 pb at 300 GeV. Assuming Standard Model production and including the [Formula: see text] contribution as signal, the results also lead to an observed upper limit of 78 % at 95 % confidence level on the branching ratio of Higgs bosons decays to invisible particles at a mass of 125 GeV.

Wild type p53 sensitizes soft tissue sarcoma cells to doxorubicin by down-regulating multidrug resistance-1 expression

BACKGROUND

p53 mutations occur in almost half of all soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and may contribute to multidrug resistance (MDR) in patients with STS. Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most active single agents in STS but is less effective in STS with p53 mutations. The effect of reintroducing wild type (wt) p53 into STS cells harboring p53 mutations on the cytotoxicity of DOX in vitro and in vivo was studied.

METHODS

The following cell lines were used in this study: SKLMS-1 STS cells, which do not express wt p53; two wt p53 stable transfectant cells derived from SKLMS-1 cells; and SKLMS-1 transfectant cells from a p53 temperature-sensitive mutant that expresses wt p53 at 32 degrees C and mutant p53 at 38 degrees C. The cytotoxicity of Dox was examined by [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazzol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenltetrazolium] (MTT) and clonogenetic assay, and the effect of reintroducing wt p53 on tumor suppression by Dox was evaluated with a tumorigenicity assay. DNA fragmentation was used to detect apoptosis. MDR-1 P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression was detected by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of protein levels and by Northern blot analysis of mRNA levels, respectively. The intracellular accumulation of Dox was detected by flow cytometric analysis.

RESULTS

The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of Dox for the SKLMS-1 wt p53 transfectants decreased 16-fold compared with SKLMS-1 parental cells expressing mutant p53. Colony formation of SKLMS-1 cells after Dox treatment also was inhibited by wt p53 reintroduction. The tumorigenicity of SKLMS-1 cells was inhibited by wt p53 reintroduction alone or by Dox treatment alone and was inhibited further when p53 introduction was combined with Dox treatment in severe combined immunodeficient mice. Although no difference in DNA fragmentation, Bax expression, or Bcl-2 expression was detected among wt p53 transfectants and parental SKLMS-1 cells after Dox treatment, MDR-1 P-gp expression was decreased in wt p53 transfectants compared with parental SKLMS-1 cells. Furthermore, higher intracellular accumulations of Dox were found in wt p53 transfectants than that in SKLMS-1 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Reintroduction of wt p53 into STS cells harboring p53 mutations can enhance their chemosensitivity to Dox through the inhibition of MDR-1 P-gp expression. Thus, the combination of p53 gene therapy and chemotherapy may increase the therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of patients with STS.

The 4(3)Pig and 6(3)Pig States of Na2: Observation and Assignment

Two 3Pig states of Na2 have been observed in the 35 000-38 000 cm-1 energy region by pulsed perturbation facilitated optical-optical double resonance (PFOODR) fluorescence excitation spectroscopy and assigned to the 5dpi and 6dpi (the fourth and sixth according to the energy rank at Re) 3Pig Rydberg states, respectively. Molecular constants and RKR potential curves are reported. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Long-wavelength cutoff filters of a new type

A method for the design of cutoff filters is proposed that is based on the use of light at nonnormal angles of incidence and on the use of coating materials with a large dispersion of the optical constants. The optical constants are presented of several films made from indium tin oxide--a material that satisfies this requirement. The filtering is due to absorption, critical angle effects, or both. The theory of this type of filter is described, and the calculated performance of two long-wavelength cutoff filters based on the use of indium tin oxide films is given. The angular performance and the producibility of one of these filters are examined. Some applications for these filters are considered, and the feasibility of producing similar filters for other spectral regions is discussed.

Theoretical investigation on peripheral ligands of oxygen-evolving center in photosystem II

The interaction between the Mn-cluster and its peripheral ligands in oxygen-evolving center is still unclear. Theoretical investigation on the coordination of histidine, H(2)O, and CI to Mn2O2 units in OEC is conducted. The following conclusions are obtained: (i) both histidine and H(2)O molecule, bound to the two Mn ions, respectively, are vertical to the Mn2O2 plane, and maintain a large distance; (ii) the two H(2)O molecules cannot bind to the same Mn2O2 unit. Based on Mn-cluster structure in OEC, we theoretically predict that two H(2)O molecules bind to the two Mn ions at the "C"-shaped open end in S(0) state, while two His residues at the closed end. Cl ion can only terminally ligate at the open end. Individual valence for the four Mn ions in S(0) state is assigned.

Measurement of the charge asymmetry in semileptonic Bs0 decays

We have performed the first direct measurement of the time-integrated flavor untagged charge asymmetry in semileptonic Bs0 decays ASLs,unt by comparing the decay rate of Bs0-->micro+Ds-nuX, where Ds- -->phipi- and phi-->K+K-, with the charge-conjugate Bs0 decay rate. This sample was selected from 1.3 fb-1 of data collected by the D0 experiment in run II of the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We obtain ASLs,unt=[1.23+/-0.97(stat)+/-0.17(syst)]x10(-2). Assuming that Deltam(s)/Gamma(s)>>1, this result can be translated into a measurement of the CP-violating phase in Bs0 mixing: DeltaGamma(s)/Deltam(s)tanphi(s)=[2.45+/-1.93(stat)+/-0.35(syst)]x10(-2).

MicroRNA-489 targets XIAP to inhibit the biological progression of ovarian cancer via regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

OBJECTIVE

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a deathful malignant tumor in women worldwide, and its poor prognosis mainly results from metastasis. Recently, microRNA (miRNA/miR) has been found to exert crucial functions in the progression of multiple tumors by affecting expressions of their targets. However, the biological roles and the potential mechanism of miR-489 in OC need further elucidation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to confirm the miR-489 expressions in OC tissue samples and cell lines. The functions of miR-489 were analyzed by performing functional assays, such as MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and transwell assays. The downstream target of miR-489 was confirmed by TargetScan and luciferase reporter assay. Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of indicators associated with the down-stream signaling pathway.

RESULTS

MiR-489 was prominently downregulated in OC tissues and cells, and the decreased miR-489 expression was related to malignant clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis of OC patients. Functional assays demonstrated that miR-489 could suppress OC cell viability, invasion, and migration. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) was identified as a target of miR-489 and partially regulated the functions of miR-489 in OC. Moreover, we found that miR-489 inhibits OC progression via regulating phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway (PI3K/AKT) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated that miR-489 inhibited OC development by directly binding to XIAP and regulating PI3K/Akt and EMT signal pathways, and miR-489 might serve as a promising biomarker for OC treatment in the future.

A prototype of an anchoring and extending intestinal micro-robot and an in vitro experiment

In order to minimize the invasiveness of intestinal disease diagnosis and surgery, we propose an anchoring and extending micro-robot. The gait of the micro-robot was designed according to the biomechanical features of the intestinal tract. The locomotion condition showed that the anchoring capability and extending ability should be balanced to enhance locomotion efficiency. The mechanical and control system was designed and fabricated under the requirements of the locomotive model. The assembled micro-robot was 90 mm in length and 13 mm in diameter. The micro-robot prototype was tested in in vitro experiments; its locomotion efficiency was approximately 100% in an ideal environment, but around 50% in a pig's small bowel (20 mm in diameter). The in vitro experiment results demonstrated that the gait is feasible for locomotion in the small bowel although the diameter of the small bowel is a limiting factor.

Suppression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Expression by Targeting the Bcr-Abl Oncogene and Protein Tyrosine Kinase Activity in Bcr-Abl-positive Leukaemia Cells

Studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a major and potent inducer of angiogenesis, is directly triggered by the disease-related oncogene Bcr-Abl in Bcr-Abl-positive cells. In this study, inhibition of Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase activity by imatinib significantly decreased VEGF expression in Bcr-Abl-positive K562 cells in vitro Imatinib treatment in vivo of nude mice xenografted with K562 cells resulted in a significant reduction in tumour size and microvessel density compared with untreated tumours. In addition, interfering with Bcr-Abl oncogene expression with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) not only induced a specific reduction of Bcr-Abl mRNA and protein expression, but also efficiently inhibited the expression of VEGF in K562 cells. Combined treatment with imatinib and Bcr-Abl-targeting siRNAs resulted in an enhanced effect on VEGF suppression in K562 cells. The combined application of Bcr-Abl-targeting siRNAs and imatinib may provide a potent novel therapeutic approach for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Expression and activity of V-H+ -ATPase in gill and kidney of marbled eel Anguilla marmorata in response to salinity challenge

The full-length complementary (c)DNA of vacuolar-type-H(+) -ATPase B1 gene (vhab1) in marbled eel Anguilla marmorata with 1741 base pairs (bp) was identified. It contained a 1512 bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide with 503 amino acids (55·9 kDa), an 83 bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and a 146 bp 3'-UTR. The expression levels of A. marmorata vhab1 in gill and kidney of A. marmorata were evaluated at different intervals during the exposure to various salinities (0, 10 and 25). The results indicated that the expression levels of A. marmorata vhab1 messenger (m)RNA in gill and kidney had a significant increase and reached the highest level at 1 h in brackish water (BW, salinity 10) group and 6 h in seawater (SW, salinity 25) group. Therefore, salinity did affect the relative expression level of A. marmorata vhab1 mRNA in gills, which exhibited the enhancement by c. 44 times in SW group when compared with that in fresh water. No remarkable difference in the expression of A. marmorata vhab1 mRNA was observed after 15 days of SW exposure (P > 0·05). V-H(+) -ATPase activity exhibited an increase by two- to three-fold when compared with that in gill and kidney from the control group. The consequence primarily suggested that A. marmorata vhab1 gene product in elvers from A. marmorata plays an important role in adaptation response to SW.

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector during 2011 data taking

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the 2011 data taking period is described. During 2011 the LHC provided proton-proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and heavy ion collisions with a 2.76 TeV per nucleon-nucleon collision energy. The ATLAS trigger is a three level system designed to reduce the rate of events from the 40 MHz nominal maximum bunch crossing rate to the approximate 400 Hz which can be written to offline storage. The ATLAS jet trigger is the primary means for the online selection of events containing jets. Events are accepted by the trigger if they contain one or more jets above some transverse energy threshold. During 2011 data taking the jet trigger was fully efficient for jets with transverse energy above 25 GeV for triggers seeded randomly at Level 1. For triggers which require a jet to be identified at each of the three trigger levels, full efficiency is reached for offline jets with transverse energy above 60 GeV. Jets reconstructed in the final trigger level and corresponding to offline jets with transverse energy greater than 60 GeV, are reconstructed with a resolution in transverse energy with respect to offline jets, of better than 4 % in the central region and better than 2.5 % in the forward direction.