A Nonlinear Maximum Correntropy Information Filter for High-Dimensional Neural Decoding

Neural signal decoding is a critical technology in brain machine interface (BMI) to interpret movement intention from multi-neural activity collected from paralyzed patients. As a commonly-used decoding algorithm, the Kalman filter is often applied to derive the movement states from high-dimensional neural firing observation. However, its performance is limited and less effective for noisy nonlinear neural systems with high-dimensional measurements. In this paper, we propose a nonlinear maximum correntropy information filter, aiming at better state estimation in the filtering process for a noisy high-dimensional measurement system. We reconstruct the measurement model between the high-dimensional measurements and low-dimensional states using the neural network, and derive the state estimation using the correntropy criterion to cope with the non-Gaussian noise and eliminate large initial uncertainty. Moreover, analyses of convergence and robustness are given. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by applying it on multiple segments of neural spiking data from two rats to interpret the movement states when the subjects perform a two-lever discrimination task. Our results demonstrate better and more robust state estimation performance when compared with other filters.

Expression of autophagy and apoptosis-related factors in the periodontal tissue of experimental diabetic rats: a histomorphometric, microtomographic and immunohistochemical study

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the expression of autophagy-related factors microtubule-associated protein l light chain 3 (LC3) and the apoptosis-related factors BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) and B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in the periodontal tissue of experimental diabetic rats. These data were used to explore the potential mechanism in diabetes-induced periodontal tissue lesions.

Methods

A total of 32 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into diabetes (group D, n = 16) and control groups (group N, n = 16). The diabetic group was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 1% streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg) and the control group was injected with citrate buffer (0.1mol/L). Rats were sacrificed after 4 and 8 weeks of feeding and collected as D1, N1 groups and D2, N2 groups, and the maxilla were retained for analysis. The changes in periodontal tissue structure were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The expression and distribution of LC3, Bax and Bcl-2 in the periodontium of the rats was detected by immunohistochemical (SP) staining.

Results

Diabetic rats showed several changes compared to control animals including sparse alveolar bone trabecular structure, loss of the lamina dura and absorption of the local alveolar bone. The positive expression level of LC3 in the gingival epithelial, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone of group D1 was significantly higher than in the N1, N2 and D2 groups (P < 0.05). The level of Bax expression in the group D2 rats was significantly higher than those in the N1, N2 and D1 groups (P < 0.05), while the positive degree of Bcl-2 was significantly lower than those of other groups (P < 0.001). LC3 was negatively correlated with Bax and was irrelevant with Bcl-2; Bcl-2 was not correlated with Bax.

Conclusions

The expression of LC3, Bax and Bcl-2 changes in the periodontal tissue of diabetic rats may indicate that autophagy and apoptotic are involved in the process of periodontal tissue damage in diabetic rats. These changes may be one of the mechanisms of periodontal tissue lesions.

[Analysis of maternal mortality trend and age-period-cohort model in China from 1992 to 2017]

Objective: To understand the trend of maternal mortality in China from 1992 to 2017, and to evaluate the effects of age, period and cohort of maternal mortality by using the age-period-cohort (APC) model. Methods: The data of maternal mortality in China from 1992 to 2017 were collected from the Global Burden of Disease project. The maternal mortality rate was adopted to describe the trend of death. The APC model and the estimable function algorithm were used to evaluate the impact of age, period and birth cohort factors on maternal mortality risk in China. Results: From1992 to 2017, the maternal mortality rate in China fluctuated slightly and then continued to decline and finally increased slightly. During this period, the net drift was -10.00% per year (95%CI:-10.92% to -9.08% per year), and all the local drifts were lower than zero in all age groups of 10-54 years old (P<0.05). The results of the APC model analysis showed that the maternal mortality risk of women in their life stage showed a trend of rapid decrease, then a slow climb and finally a rapid increase. The period relative risk and cohort relative risk of maternal mortality both showed a monotonous decreasing trend. Conclusion: From 1992 to 2017, the maternal mortality rate in China generally shows a downward trend, and the risk of maternal mortality has significant age, period and cohort effects.

Transient Study of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Ge2Sb2Te5 Phase Change Film Morphology

Femtosecond laser-induced crystallization and ablation of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) phase change film is investigated by reflectivity pump-probing technology. Below the ablation threshold, the face-centered cubic structure (FCC) state in the central area can be formed, and cylindrical rims are formed in the peripheral dewetting zone due to the solidification of transported matter. The time of surface temperature dropping to the crystallization point needs about 30 ps for 5.86 mJ/cm² and 82 ps for 7.04 mJ/cm², respectively. At higher laser fluence, crystallization GST island structures appear in the central ablation region due to the extremely short heating time (100 ps). Furthermore, crystallization rate is faster than the ablation rate of the GST film, which is caused by different reflectivity.

Amygdalin and Benzoic Acid on the Influences of the Soil Environment and Growth of Malus hupehensis Rehd. Seedlings

Crop rotation in fruit trees is an effective approach for addressing some of the problems of continuous cropping. To determine whether aged peach orchard soil is suitable for planting apple trees, we studied the effects of two substances abundant in aged peach orchard soil-amygdalin and benzoic acid-on the soil microbial community structure, soil enzyme activity, and the growth of Malus hupehensis Rehd. seedlings. Soils treated with amygdalin (T1), benzoic acid (T2), and a mixed solution of amygdalin and benzoic acid (T3) were used to plant M. hupehensis Rehd. seedlings. Compared with fallow (control) soil, the soil microbial community structure, soil enzyme activities, and root protective enzyme activities, leaf chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate decreased in the three treatments. The biomass and root index of M. hupehensis Rehd. seedlings significantly decreased. Compared with T3, the plant height, ground diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, root length, root surface area, root volume, and root respiration rate of M. hupehensis Rehd. seedlings in T2 in 2015 (2016 in parentheses) decreased by 19.3% (12.6%), 8.7% (7.1%), 21.2% (13.3%), 9.1% (19.6%), 7.9% (25.3%), 40.7% (28.8%), 46.2% (21.1%), and 44.2% (27.5%), respectively. Compared with T3, the same variables in T1 in 2015 (2016 in parentheses) decreased by 34.9% (16.7%), 27.6% (9.8%), 53.6% (19.4%), and 50% (20.5%), 24.1% (31.4%), 55.1% (37.6%), 63.2% (28.2%), and 47.0% (28.7%), respectively. Thus, the inhibitory effect of T3 was the strongest, followed by T2 and T1. In sum, amygdalin and benzoic acid are harmful substances in aged peach orchard soil that inhibit the growth of M. hupehensis Rehd. seedlings.

Mathematical Analysis and Micro-Spacing Implementation of Acoustic Sensor Based on Bio-Inspired Intermembrane Bridge Structure

A biomimetic study on the auditory localization mechanism of Ormia ochracea was performed to improve the localization ability of small acoustic systems. We also present a microscale implementation of an acoustic localization device inspired by the auditory organ of the parasitic O. ochracea. The device consists of a pair of circular membranes coupled together with an elastic beam. The coupling serves to amplify the difference in magnitude and phase between the two membranes' responses as the incident angle of the sound changes, allowing directional information to be deduced from the coupled device response. The research results show that the intermembrane bridge structure improves the sound source localization and directional weak acoustic signal acquisition of sound detectors. The recognition rate of the phase difference and amplitude ratio was greatly improved. The theoretical resolution of the incident angle of the sound source can reach 2° at a phase difference recognition rate of 5°. The sound source's optimal identification frequency range for the coupling device based on the intermembrane bridge bionic structure is 300 Hz to 1500 Hz.

In-situ porcine corneal matrix hydrogel as ocular surface bandage

PURPOSE

Bioactive substrates can be used therapeutically to enhance wound healing. Here, we evaluated the effect of an in-situ thermoresponsive hydrogel from decellularized porcine cornea ECM, COMatrix (COrnea Matrix), for application as an ocular surface bandage for corneal epithelial defects.

METHODS

COMatrix hydrogel was fabricated from decellularized porcine corneas. The effects of COMatrix hydrogel on attachment and proliferation of human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) were evaluated in vitro. The effect of COMatrix on the expressions of the inflammatory genes, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 was assessed by RT-PCR. The in-situ application and also repairing effects of COMatrix hydrogel as an ocular bandage was studied in a murine model of corneal epithelial wound. The eyes were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and slit-lamp microscopy in vivo and by histology and immunofluorescence post-mortem.

RESULTS

In vitro, COMatrix hydrogel significantly enhanced the attachment and proliferation of HCECs relative to control. HCECs exposed to COMatrix had less induced expression of TNF-α (P < 0.05). In vivo, COMatrix formed a uniform hydrogel that adhered to the murine ocular surface after in-situ curing. Corneal epithelial wound closure was significantly accelerated by COMatrix hydrogel compared to control (P < 0.01). There was significant increase in the expression of proliferation marker Ki-67 in wounded corneal epithelium by COMatrix hydrogel compared to control (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

COMatrix hydrogel is a naturally derived bioactive material with potential application as an ocular surface bandage to enhance epithelial wound healing.

Hierarchical Dynamical Model for Multiple Cortical Neural Decoding

Motor brain machine interfaces (BMIs) interpret neural activities from motor-related cortical areas in the brain into movement commands to control a prosthesis. As the subject adapts to control the neural prosthesis, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), upstream of the primary motor cortex (M1), is heavily involved in reward-guided motor learning. Thus, considering mPFC and M1 functionality within a hierarchical structure could potentially improve the effectiveness of BMI decoding while subjects are learning. The commonly used Kalman decoding method with only one simple state model may not be able to represent the multiple brain states that evolve over time as well as along the neural pathway. In addition, the performance of Kalman decoders degenerates in heavy-tailed nongaussian noise, which is usually generated due to the nonlinear neural system or influences of movement-related noise in online neural recording. In this letter, we propose a hierarchical model to represent the brain states from multiple cortical areas that evolve along the neural pathway. We then introduce correntropy theory into the hierarchical structure to address the heavy-tailed noise existing in neural recordings. We test the proposed algorithm on in vivo recordings collected from the mPFC and M1 of two rats when the subjects were learning to perform a lever-pressing task. Compared with the classic Kalman filter, our results demonstrate better movement decoding performance due to the hierarchical structure that integrates the past failed trial information over multisite recording and the combination with correntropy criterion to deal with noisy heavy-tailed neural recordings.

Transcriptomic investigation of embryonic pectoral muscle reveals increased myogenic processes in Shitou geese compared to Wuzong geese

1.Embryonic stages before birth are crucial for poultry muscle development, as this determines muscle mass in adulthood. This study characterised the distinction in embryonic pectoral muscle development between Wuzong (WZE, small) and Shitou (STE, large) geese (two indigenous goose breeds in Guangdong Province, China) at embryonic days 15 (E15), 23 (E23) and the day of hatching (P1) to gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of muscle development.2.The results showed that STE had significantly higher myofibre density during E15-P1 and had significantly larger myofibre diameter at E15 than WZE. By RNA-sequencing analysis, 19 507 genes were detected, and 7121 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified.3.Gene expression distinctions between breeds began increasing from E23, and WZE had different gene expression profiles compared to STE. A GO analysis of DEGs indicated that myo-genes involved at E15 may influence distinct pectoral muscle development characteristics between WZE and STE. The RT-qPCR results were consistent with the RNA-sequencing analysis. Four muscle structure protein coding genes (MYL2, MYL3, TNNI2 and TNNC2 and three other functional genes (CAV3, CACNA1S and NOS1) were identified in a predicted interaction network. These functional genes may interact with muscle structural protein coding genes to regulate embryonic pectoral muscle development in WZE and STE geese.4.The study revealed that STE and WZE had divergent embryonic pectoral muscle development patterns and these differences may begin before E15.

Synthesis and defect engineering of molybdenum oxides and their SERS applications

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has been developed into a cross-disciplinary analytical technology through exploring various materials' Raman vibrational modes with ultra-high sensitivity and specificity. Although conventional noble-metal based SERS substrates have achieved great success, oxide-semiconductor-based SERS substrates are attracting researchers' intensive interest due to their merits of facile fabrication, high uniformity and tunable SERS characteristics. Among all the SERS active oxide semiconductors, molybdenum oxides (MoO_x) possess exceptional advantages of high Raman enhancement factor, environmental stability, recyclable detection, etc. More interestingly, the SERS effect of the MoO_x SERS substrates may involve both the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism and the chemical enhancement mechanism, which is determined by the stoichiometry and morphology of the material. Therefore, the focus of this review will be on two critical points: (1) synthesis and material engineering methods of the functional MoO_x material and (2) MoO_x SERS mechanism and performance evaluation. First, we review recent works on the MoO_x preparation and material property tuning approaches. Second, the SERS mechanism and performance of various MoO_x substrates are surveyed. In particular, the performance uniformity, enhancement factor and recyclability are evaluated. In the end, we discuss several challenges and open questions related to further promoting the MoO_x as the SERS substrate for monitoring extremely low trace molecules and the theory for better understanding of the SERS enhancement mechanism.

Quantitative agreement between dynamical rocking curves in ultrafast electron diffraction for x-ray lasers

Electron diffraction through a thin patterned silicon membrane can be used to create complex spatial modulations in electron distributions. By precisely varying parameters such as crystallographic orientation and wafer thickness, the intensity of reflections in the diffraction plane can be controlled and by placing an aperture to block all but one spot, we can form an image with different parts of the patterned membrane, as is done for bright-field imaging in microscopy. The patterned electron beams can then be used to control phase and amplitude of subsequent x-ray emission, enabling novel coherent x-ray methods. The electrons themselves can also be used for femtosecond time resolved diffraction and microscopy. As a first step toward patterned beams, we demonstrate experimentally and through simulation the ability to accurately predict and control diffraction spot intensities. We simulate MeV transmission electron diffraction patterns using the multislice method for various crystallographic orientations of a single crystal Si(001) membrane near beam normal. The resulting intensity maps of the Bragg reflections are compared to experimental results obtained at the Accelerator Structure Test Area Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (ASTA UED) facility at SLAC. Furthermore, the fraction of inelastic and elastic scattering of the initial charge is estimated along with the absorption of the membrane to determine the contrast that would be seen in a patterned version of the Si(001) membrane.

Abnormal macrophage polarization impedes the healing of diabetes-associated tooth sockets

Patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often experience delayed tooth extraction socket (TES) healing. Delayed healing is often associated with an aberrant inflammatory response orchestrated by either M1 pro-inflammatory or M2 anti-inflammatory macrophages. However, the precise mechanism for the attenuated TES healing remains unclear. Here we used diet-induced T2DM mice as a model to study TES. Compared with the control group, the T2DM group showed delayed TES healing and diminished expression of osteogenic and angiogenic genetic profiles. Meanwhile, we detected a more inflammatory profile, with more M1 macrophages and TNF-α expression and less M2 macrophages and PPARγ expression, in TES in the T2DM group when compared to control mice. In vitro co-culture models showed that M1 macrophages inhibited the osteogenic capacity of bone marrow stromal cells and the angiogenic capacity of endothelial cells while M2 macrophages showed an opposite effect. In addition, we constructed a gelatin/β-TCP scaffold with IL-4 to induce macrophage transformation towards M2 polarization. In vitro analyses of the hybrid scaffold revealed sustained release of IL-4 and a phenotype switch to M2 macrophages. Finally, we demonstrated that sustained IL-4 release significantly increased expression of osteogenic and angiogenic genetic profiles and improved TES healing in T2DM mice. Together, we report that increased M1 and decreased M2 macrophage polarization may be responsible for delayed TES healing in T2DM patients through abnormal expression of TNF-α and PPARγ. This imbalance negatively influences osteogenesis and angiogenesis, two of the most important biological factors in bone wound healing. Enhancing M2 macrophage polarization with IL-4 delivery system may represent a potential strategy for promoting the healing of TES in T2DM patients.

A highly stable metal–organic framework with cubane-like clusters for the selective oxidation of aryl alkenes to aldehydes or ketones

A novel MOF with cubane-like clusters was prepared based on an electron-deficient triazine derivative, and it exhibits excellent thermal and chemical stability and can be used for the selective oxidation of aryl alkenes to aldehydes or ketones in mild conditions.

Research on Bone Age Automatic Judgment Algorithm Based on Deep Learning and Hand X-ray Image

Objective: To learn the depth of paper using feature extraction, combined with critical areas of heat syndrome and related information, X-ray image of hand to analyze bone age children. Methods: The thesis of the X-ray image data preprocessing left hand, the use of depth of depth neural network learning methods, combined with clinical data skeletal age evaluation model to evaluate the effectiveness of the test model. Results: X-ray image of hand artificial feature extraction, combined SVM classification, automatic assessment of skeletal age. The method of automatic assessment of bone age SVM-based feature primarily artificial, SIFT features extracted image, LBP features, characteristics of GCLM, these features are combined, and then used to train the SVM, have some ability to automatically assess bone age assessment based on SVM. Conclusion: This topic X-ray image based on the hand bones, computer vision, machine learning to extract the relevant methods, pretreatment and segmentation of X-ray images of the hand bones, characterized by automatic assessment of bone age, lack the core image of the sample problem.

Gene dosage manipulation alleviates manifestations of hereditary PAX6 haploinsufficiency in mice

In autosomal dominant conditions with haploinsufficiency, a single functional allele cannot maintain sufficient dosage for normal function. We hypothesized that pharmacologic induction of the wild-type allele could lead to gene dosage compensation and mitigation of the disease manifestations. The paired box 6 (PAX6) gene is crucial in tissue development and maintenance particularly in eye, brain, and pancreas. Aniridia is a panocular condition with impaired eye development and limited vision due to PAX6 haploinsufficiency. To test our hypothesis, we performed a chemical screen and found mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors to induce PAX6 expression in normal and mutant corneal cells. Treatment of newborn Pax6-deficient mice (Pax6Sey-Neu/+ ) with topical or systemic MEK inhibitor PD0325901 led to increased corneal PAX6 expression, improved corneal morphology, reduced corneal opacity, and enhanced ocular function. These results suggest that induction of the wild-type allele by drug repurposing is a potential therapeutic strategy for haploinsufficiencies, which is not limited to specific mutations.

Task Learning Over Multi-Day Recording via Internally Rewarded Reinforcement Learning Based Brain Machine Interfaces

Autonomous brain machine interfaces (BMIs) aim to enable paralyzed people to self-evaluate their movement intention to control external devices. Previous reinforcement learning (RL)-based decoders interpret the mapping between neural activity and movements using the external reward for well-trained subjects, and have not investigated the task learning procedure. The brain has developed a learning mechanism to identify the correct actions that lead to rewards in the new task. This internal guidance can be utilized to replace the external reference to advance BMIs as an autonomous system. In this study, we propose to build an internally rewarded reinforcement learning-based BMI framework using the multi-site recording to demonstrate the autonomous learning ability of the BMI decoder on the new task. We test the model on the neural data collected over multiple days while the rats were learning a new lever discrimination task. The primary motor cortex (M1) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) spikes are interpreted by the proposed RL framework into the discrete lever press actions. The neural activity of the mPFC post the action duration is interpreted as the internal reward information, where a support vector machine is implemented to classify the reward vs. non-reward trials with a high accuracy of 87.5% across subjects. This internal reward is used to replace the external water reward to update the decoder, which is able to adapt to the nonstationary neural activity during subject learning. The multi-cortical recording allows us to take in more cortical recordings as input and uses internal critics to guide the decoder learning. Comparing with the classic decoder using M1 activity as the only input and external guidance, the proposed system with multi-cortical recordings shows a better decoding accuracy. More importantly, our internally rewarded decoder demonstrates the autonomous learning ability on the new task as the decoder successfully addresses the time-variant neural patterns while subjects are learning, and works asymptotically as the subjects' behavioral learning progresses. It reveals the potential of endowing BMIs with autonomous task learning ability in the RL framework.

Proliferation, migration and invasion of triple negative breast cancer cells are suppressed by berbamine via the PI3K/Akt/MDM2/p53 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-associated mortality among women worldwide, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Berbamine (BBM) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of leukopenia without any obvious side effects. Recent reports found that BBM has anti-cancer effects. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of BBM on TNBC cell lines and the underlying molecular mechanism. MDA-MB-231 cells and MCF-7 cells, two TNBC cell lines, were treated with various concentrations of BBM. A series of bioassays including MTT, colony formation, EdU staining, apoptosis, trypan blue dye, wound healing, transwell, ELISA and western blotting assays were performed. The results showed that BBM significantly inhibited cell proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells (P<0.05; IC₅₀=22.72 µM) and MCF-7 cells (P<0.05; IC₅₀=20.92 µM). BBM (20 µM) decreased the apoptosis ratio (percentage of absorbance compared with the control group) by 28.4±3.3% (P<0.05) in MDA-MB-231 cells, and 62.4±24.6% (P<0.05) in MCF-7 cells. In addition, BBM inhibited cell migration and invasion of TNBC cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of PI3K, phosphorylated-Akt/Akt, COX-2, LOX, MDM2 and mTOR were downregulated by BBM, and the expression of p53 was upregulated by BBM. These results indicated that BBM may suppress the development of TNBC via regulation of the PI3K/Akt/MDM2/p53 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathways. Therefore, BBM might be used as a drug candidate for the treatment of TNBC in the future.

Alterations in immune and antioxidant gene networks by gamma-d-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid in bovine mammary epithelial cells are attenuated by in vitro supply of methionine and arginine

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor 1 (NOD1) is a cytosolic pattern recognition receptor with a crucial role in the innate immune response of cells triggered by the presence of compounds such as gamma-d-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP) present in the peptidoglycan of all gram-negative and certain gram-positive bacteria. Methionine (Met) and arginine (Arg) are functional AA with immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effect of increased Met and Arg supply on mRNA abundance of genes associated with innate immune response, antioxidant function, and AA metabolism during iE-DAP challenge in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC). Primary BMEC (n = 4 per treatment) were precultured in modified medium for 12 h with the following AA formulations: ideal profile of AA (control), increased Met supply (incMet), increased Arg supply (incArg), or increased supply of Met plus Arg (incMetArg). Subsequently, cells were challenged with or without iE-DAP (10 μg/mL) for 6 h. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4. Greater mRNA abundance of NOD1, the antioxidant enzyme SOD1, and AA transporters (SLC7A1 and SLC3A2) was observed in the incMet cells after iE-DAP stimulation. Although increased Met alone had no effect, incMetArg led to greater abundance of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, and the antioxidant enzyme GPX1 after iE-DAP stimulation. The increased Arg alone downregulated NOD1 after iE-DAP stimulation, coupled with a downregulation in the AA transporters mRNA abundance (SLC7A1, SLC7A5, SLC3A2, and SLC38A9), and upregulation in GSS and KEAP1 mRNA abundance. Overall, the data indicated that increased supply of both Met and Arg in the culture medium were more effective in modulating the innate immune response and antioxidant capacity of BMEC during in vitro iE-DAP stimulation.

Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A3 is increased in IBD patients and functions as an anti-inflammatory modulator

Growing evidence shows that a homozygous 6·7-kb deletion of the novel anti-inflammatory molecule leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A3 (LILRA3) is associated with many autoimmune disorders. However, its effects on pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have yet not been clarified. LILRA3 is mainly expressed in monocytes, whereas its effects on biological behaviors of monocytes have not been systematically reported. In our study, to investigate the association between LILRA3 polymorphism and IBD susceptibility, LILRA3 polymorphism was assessed in 378 IBD patients and 509 healthy controls. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were employed to detect the LILRA3 expression in IBD patient blood and intestinal samples. The human U937 monocyte cell line was employed to establish LILRA3 over-expressing cells and the effects of LILRA3 on the biological behaviors of U937 cells were systematically explored. Although no association of the polymorphism with IBD development was found, LILRA3 expression was markedly increased in IBD patients compared with healthy controls. Over-expression of LILRA3 in monocytes led to significant decreases in secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6. Additionally, LILRA3 abated monocyte migration by reducing the expression of several chemokines and enhanced monocyte phagocytosis by increasing CD36 expression. Furthermore, LILRA3 promoted monocyte proliferation through a combination of Akt and extracellular receptor kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk/MEK) signaling pathways. We report for the first time, to our knowledge, that LILRA3 is related to IBD and functions as an anti-inflammatory modulator in U937 cells.

Photodissociation of aqueous I 3 - observed with liquid-phase ultrafast mega-electron-volt electron diffraction

Developing femtosecond resolution methods for directly observing structural dynamics is critical to understanding complex photochemical reaction mechanisms in solution. We have used two recent developments, ultrafast mega-electron-volt electron sources and vacuum compatible sub-micron thick liquid sheet jets, to enable liquid-phase ultrafast electron diffraction (LUED). We have demonstrated the viability of LUED by investigating the photodissociation of tri-iodide initiated with a 400 nm laser pulse. This has enabled the average speed of the bond expansion to be measured during the first 750 fs of dissociation and the geminate recombination to be directly captured on the picosecond time scale.

Down-regulation of lncRNA PCGEM1 inhibits cervical carcinoma by modulating the miR-642a-5p/LGMN axis

LncRNA PCGEM1 (PCGEM1) has been reported to exert essential effects on the development and progress of various tumors, while the detailed effects and possible mechanisms of PCGEM1 in cervical carcinoma remain unknown. In the present study, PCGEM1 was over-expressed in cervical carcinoma cells as evidenced by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. Knockdown of PCGEM1 significantly repressed proliferation, migration, and invasion, while induced G1 arrest in cervical carcinoma cells. In addition, PCGEM1 was predicted to target miR-642a-5p by bioinformatics software, which was further confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Besides, RT-qPCR assay indicated that miR-642a-5p expression was decreased in cervical carcinoma cells and knockdown of PCGEM1 could accelerate miR-642a-5p expression. Moreover, inhibition of miR-642a-5p partly abolished the functions of PCGEM1 knockdown on proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion of cervical carcinoma cells. Furthermore, miR-642a-5p could bind to the 3'-UTR of LGMN, which was over-expressed in the cervical carcinoma cells. Suppression of LGMN partly restored the functions of miR-642a-5p inhibitor on proliferation, cell cycle distribution, migration and invasion in the cervical carcinoma cells treated with the PCGEM1 shRNA. Taken together, our data indicated that knockdown of PCGEM1 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion in cervical carcinoma by modulating the miR-642a-5p/ LGMN axis.

Comparison Between Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy and Fenestration in the Treatment of Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Background

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic and prognostic effects of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression (PTED) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS).

Material/Methods

One hundred eighty-eight patients with DLSS were randomly divided into the fenestration and the PTED group for decompression treatment. Operative time, incision length, amount of blood loss, length of hospitalization, and rates of complications in the 2 groups were compared. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the first postoperative day. All patients were assessed preoperatively and the treatment effects at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association Score (JOA) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The modified MacNab criteria were used to assess patient satisfaction 1 year after surgery at the last follow-up.

Results

Patients who underwent PTED had shorter incisions, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stays than those in the fenestration group, but operative times and complication rates were similar in the 2 groups. Moreover, CT scanning and MRI revealed similar treatment effects in the 2 groups. Compared with preoperative status, improvements in VAS, ODI, and JOA scores occurred at different times after surgery in the 2 groups. In particular, all 3 scores in the PTED group were higher than those in the fenestration group at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. There were no significant differences in MacNab scores between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

PTED is safer and more effective than traditional fenestration for management of DLSS.

Reinforcement Learning based Decoding Using Internal Reward for Time Delayed Task in Brain Machine Interfaces

Reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm interprets neural signals into movement intentions with the guidance of the reward in Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). Current RL algorithms generally work for the tasks with immediate rewards delivery, and lack of efficiency in delayed reward task. Prefrontal cortex, including medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC), has been demonstrated to assign credit to intermediate steps, which reinforces preceding action more efficiently. In this paper, we propose to simulate the functionality of mPFC activities as intermediate rewards to train a RL based decoder in a two-step movement task. A support vector machine (SVM) is adopted to verify if the subject expects a reward due to the accomplishment of a subtask from mPFC activity. Then this discrimination result will be utilized to guide the training of the RL decoder for each step respectively. Here, we apply the Sarsa-style attention-gated reinforcement learning (SAGREL) as the decoder to interpret motor cortex(M1) activity to action states. We test on in vivo primary motor cortex (M1) and mPFC data collected from rats, where the rats need to first trigger the start and then press lever for rewards using M1 signals. SAGREL using intermediate rewards from mPFC activities achieves a prediction accuracy of 66.8% ± 2.0.% (mean ± std) %, which is significantly better than the one using the reward by the end of trial (45.9.% ± 1.2%). This reveals the potentials of modelling mPFC activities as intermediate rewards for the delayed reward tasks.

Estimating Neural Modulation via Adaptive Point Process Method in Brain-machine Interface

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) translate neural signals into digital commands to control external devices. During the use of BMI, neurons may change their activity corresponding to the same stimuli or movement. The changes are represented by the neural tuning parameters which may change gradually and abruptly. Adaptive algorithms were proposed to estimate the time-varying parameters in order to keep decoding performance stable. The existing methods only searched new parameters locally which failed to detect the abrupt changes. Global search helps but requires the known boundary of estimated parameter which is hard to be defined in many cases. We propose to estimate the neural modulation parameter by the global search using adaptive point process estimation. This neural modulation parameter represents the similarity between the kinematics and the neural preferred hyper tuning direction with finite range [0,1]. The preferred hyper tuning direction is then decoupled from the neural modulation parameter by gradient descent method. We apply the proposed method on real data to detect the abrupt change of the neural tuning parameter when the subject switched from manual control to brain control mode. The proposed method demonstrates better tracking on the neural hyper tuning parameters than local searching method and validated by KS statistical test.

Next-Generation Sequencing Revealed Disease-Causing Variants in Two Genes in a Patient With Combined Features of Spherocytosis and Antley-Bixler Syndrome With Genital Anomalies and Disordered Steroidogenesis

Conventionally, patients with combined rare diseases are often difficult to diagnose. This is because some clinicians tend to consider the multiple disease symptoms as the presentation of a complicated “syndrome.” This pattern of thinking also confines their way of filtering pathogenic mutations. Some real pathogenic mutations might be ignored due to not covering all disease presentations. Here we report the case of a girl who was suffering from spherocytosis and Antley-Bixler syndrome with genital anomalies and disordered steroidogenesis. She remained undiagnosed even after targeted gene detection before. However, after performing next-generation sequencing and analyzing the sequencing data, we identified two mutations: c.2978T > A in ANK1 and c.1370G > A in POR. Our findings and experiences in diagnosing these mutations could contribute to the existing knowledge on the clinical and genetic diagnosis of patients with disease presentations in multiple systems.

Organocatalyzed [2+2] Cycloaddition Reactions between Quinone Imine Ketals and Allenoates

A new cycloaddition reaction of quinone imine ketals (QIKs), which could be utilized to the construction of functionalized azaspirocyclics under mild conditions, is described. This transformation involved a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction between QIKs and allenoates catalyzed by DABCO, and then treatment with 1 N HCl in one-pot. The strategy could provide a practical route to access azetidine-fused spirohexadienones in good to excellent yields and with high E-selectivity.

[Effects of dazomet fumigation on growth, biological characteristics of Malus hupehensis seedlings and soil environment]

In this study, we examined the effects of dazomet fumigation with different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 g·kg^-1) on the microbial characteristics of continuous cropping soil and growth of Malus hupehensis seedling in greenhouse and open-field pot. The results showed that all the treatment of dazomet fumigation could promote the growth of M. hupehensis seedlings in continuous cropping soil, with 0.2 g·kg^-1 treatment showing the strongest effect. Compared to the control, plant height, stem diameter, dry weight of M. hupehensis seedlings in 0.2 g·kg^-1 dazomet fumigation were increased by 192.9% and 91.8%, 72.8% and 60.1%, 196.8% and 195.0%, 138.5% and 130.7%, respectively in greenhouse and open-field. The root related indices (root length, root area, root volume, root respiration rate) were significantly promoted. The activities of SOD, POD, CAT in roots were increased by 114.6% and 118.5%, 123.5% and 107.6%, 164.6% and 175.6% respectively compared with the control, whereas the content of malondialdehyde was significantly lowered. Soil bacterial content, fungal content, copy number of Fusarium oxysporum gene and soil enzyme activity were significantly decreased with the increasing dazomet concentrations. In conclusion, 0.2 g·kg^-1 dazomet fumigation could increase the biomass of M. hupehensis seedlings in continuous cropping, improve soil environment, and effectively alleviate the continuous cropping obstacle. Therefore, 0.2 g ·kg^-1 dazomet fumigation could be given priority during the reconstruction of old apple orchards.

[Progress of researches on the role of neutrophil extracellular traps in the immune responses against parasites]

Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) is a type of bead-like, fibrous and reticular substances that is actively released by activated inflammatory neutrophils during the stage of infections or inflammatory responses. NET, which is composed of chromatin DNA and multiple intracellular protein components, may wrap pathogens to limit their diffusions. Meanwhile, NET may kill pathogens via a wide range of antibacterial proteins, which is considered as the third antibacterial mechanism of neutrophils, in addition to phagocytosis and degranulation. Recent studies have shown the involvement of NET in the immune response against parasitic infections. This review summarizes the advances of NETs in the immune responses against parasitic infections, so as to provide insights into the elucidation of the pathogenesis and development of therapeutics of parasitic diseases.

Contributions of Lactobacillus plantarum PC170 administration on the recovery of gut microbiota after short-term ceftriaxone exposure in mice

This study aimed to determine the impact of Lactobacillus plantarum PC170 concurrent with antibiotic treatment and/or during the recovery phase after antibiotic treatment on the body weight, faecal bacterial composition, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration, and splenic cytokine mRNA expression of mice. Orally administrated ceftriaxone quantitatively and significantly decreased body weight, faecal total bacteria, Akkermansia muciniphila, and Lactobacillus plantarum, and faecal SCFAs concentration. Ceftriaxone treatment also dramatically altered the faecal microbiota with an increased Chao1 index, decreased species diversities and Bacteroidetes, and more Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. After ceftriaxone intervention, these changes all gradually started to recover. However, faecal microbiota diversities were still totally different from control by significantly increased α- and β-diversities. Bacteroidetes all flourished and became dominant during the recovery process. However, mice treated with PC170 both in parallel with and after ceftriaxone treatment encouraged more Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria, and the diversity by which to make faecal microbiota was very much closer to control. Furthermore, the expression of splenic pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α mRNA in mice supplemented with PC170 during the recovery phase was significantly lower than natural recovery. These results indicated that antibiotics, such as ceftriaxone, even with short-term intervention, could dramatically damage the structure of gut microbiota and their abilities to produce SCFAs with loss of body weight. Although such damages could be partly recovered with the cessation of antibiotics, the implication of antibiotics to gut microbiota might remain even after antibiotic treatment. The selected strain PC170 might be a potential probiotic because of its contributions in helping the host animal to remodel or stabilise its gut microbiome and enhancing the anti-inflammatory response as protection from the side effects of antibiotic therapy when it was administered in parallel with and after antibiotic treatment.

Metformin promotes the osseointegration of titanium implants under osteoporotic conditions by regulating BMSCs autophagy, and osteogenic differentiation

Osteoporosis is a common bone disorder with adverse effects on oral osseointegration, and the effects of metformin on bone metabolism have received increasing attention. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that metformin promoted osteogenesis of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osseointegration of titanium implants. BMSCs were treated with metformin to assess autophagic capacity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, anti-aging ability, and osteogenic differentiation. To determine its potential application in peri-implant of the maxilla, metformin was injected around the implant each day, immediately after the implant was embedded into the tooth socket. The results showed that metformin increased the autophagic capacity and decreased ROS production of osteoporotic BMSCs under hypoxia and serum deprivation (H/SD) culturing conditions. Metformin treatment significantly enhanced stemness properties and mineralized nodule formation, and increased the expression of osteogenic markers, including runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), osteocalcin (OCN), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Moreover, metformin substantially accelerated the formation of new bone, ameliorated the bone microarchitecture and promoted osseointegration of the dental implant. Collectively, metformin induces an osteogenic effect around the implant. Considering the widespread use of metformin, the results of the present study might promote a novel understanding of the positive effects of local metformin delivery on alveolar ridge defect, and have potential clinical application for the acceleration of osseointegration.

[Analysis of Pulmonary Microbial Diversity in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer Based on High-throughput Sequencing Technology]

背景与目的

肺部微生物组与肺部疾病的发生密切相关，微生物可从多方面促进肿瘤的发生与发展。既往研究证实肺癌患者肺部微生物组较健康人发生了变化，但关于不同类型肺癌患者中肺部微生物组的微生物组成尚未明确。本研究旨在探讨不同组织学类型肺癌间的微生物组相关性及差异性。

方法

采用Illumina HiSeq高通量测序技术对晚期肺癌患者痰样本进行细菌V3-V4区的16S rDNA测序及生物信息学分析。

结果

经物种分类分析发现肺癌患者痰样本中以链球菌属、奈瑟氏菌属、普雷沃氏菌属为主。腺癌（adenocarcinoma, AD）组以链球菌属及奈瑟氏菌属为主，小细胞肺癌（small cell lung cancer, SCLC）组以奈瑟氏菌属为主，鳞状细胞癌（squamous cell carcinoma, SCC）组以链球菌属为主，混合型小细胞肺癌（combined small cell lung cancer, C-SCLC）组以链球菌属为主。

结论

不同组织学类型肺癌的肺部细菌微生物组结构及组成存在差异性，不同组织学类型肺癌间优势菌群有所不同，本研究丰富了肺癌肺部细菌微生物组学数据。

MiR-127-3p targets KIF3B to inhibit the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Recently, increased microRNAs have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of human cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this study, we focused on the function of microRNA-127-3p (miR-127-3p) associated with OSCC carcinogenesis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

MiR-127-3p and KIF3B expressions were observed via quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or Western blot in OSCC. The functions of mR-127-3p and KIF3B were investigated through MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and transwell assays. And luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the relationship between mR-127-3p and KIF3B.

RESULTS

First, down-regulation of miR-127-3p was identified in OSCC, which was associated with malignant clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in OSCC patients. Functionally, overexpression of miR-127-3p led to inhibition of cell proliferation and metastasis in OSCC. Further, KIF3B was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-127-3p. Moreover, upregulation of KIF3B was also observed in OSCC, which promoted tumorigenesis of OSCC. In particular, the upregulation of KIF3B partially attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-127-3p on the development of OSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-127-3p targeted KIF3B to inhibit the development of OSCC through suppressing cell proliferation, migration and invasion.