Significance of Hypermethylation of Tumor-Suppressor Genes PTGER4 and ZNF43 at CpG Sites in the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer

The status of DNA methylation in primary tumor tissue and adjacent tumor-free tissue is associated with the occurrence of aggressive colorectal cancer (CRC) and can aid personalized cancer treatments at early stages. Tumor tissue and matched adjacent nontumorous tissue were extracted from 208 patients with CRC, and the correlation between the methylation levels of PTGER4 and ZNF43 at certain CpG loci and the prognostic factors of CRC was determined using the MassARRAY System testing platform. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a Chi-square test, and McNemar’s test were used for group comparisons, and Kaplan–Meier curves and a log-rank test were used for prediction. The hypermethylation of PTGER4 at the CpG_4, CpG_5, CpG_15, and CpG_17 tumor tissue sites was strongly correlated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.38–7.73 for RFS, HR = 2.35 and 95% CI = 1.17–4.71 for PFS, HR = 4.32 and 95% CI = 1.8–10.5 for OS]. By contrast, RFS and PFS were significantly longer in the case of increased methylation of ZNF43 at the CpG_5 site of normal tissue [HR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.07–5.08 for RFS, HR = 2.42 and 95% CI = 1.19–4.91 for PFS]. Aberrant methylation at specific CpG sites indicates tissue with aggressive behavior. Therefore, the differential methylation of PTGER4 and ZNF43 at specific loci can be employed for the prognosis of patients with CRC.     

CRISPR/Cas9 Technology and Its Utility for Crop Improvement

The rapid growth of the global population has resulted in a considerable increase in the demand for food crops. However, traditional crop breeding methods will not be able to satisfy the worldwide demand for food in the future. New gene-editing technologies, the most widely used of which is CRISPR/Cas9, may enable the rapid improvement of crop traits. Specifically, CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology involves the use of a guide RNA and a Cas9 protein that can cleave the genome at specific loci. Due to its simplicity and efficiency, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has rapidly become the most widely used tool for editing animal and plant genomes. It is ideal for modifying the traits of many plants, including food crops, and for creating new germplasm materials. In this review, the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, the underlying mechanism, and examples of its use for editing genes in important crops are discussed. Furthermore, certain limitations of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and potential solutions are described. This article will provide researchers with important information regarding the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology for crop improvement, plant breeding, and gene functional analyses.     

A Single Amino Acid Substitution in MIL1 Leads to Activation of Programmed Cell Death and Defense Responses in Rice

Lesion mimic mutants are an ideal model system for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death and defense responses in rice. In this study, we identified a lesion mimic mutant termed miner infection like 1-1 (mil1-1). The mil1-1 exhibited lesions on the leaves during development, and the chloroplasts of mil1-1 leaves were disrupted. Reactive oxygen species were found to accumulate in mil1-1 leaves. Cell death and DNA fragmentation were observed in mil1-1 leaves, indicating that the cells in the spots of mil1-1 leaves experienced programmed cell death. Most agronomic traits decreased in mil1-1, suggesting that the growth retardation in mil1-1 caused reduced per-plant grain yield. However, the mutation of MIL1 activated the expression of pathogen response genes and enhanced resistance to bacterial blight. The MIL1 gene was cloned using the positional cloning approach. A missense mutation 751 bp downstream of ATG was found in mil1-1. The defects of mil1-1 were able to be rescued by delivering a wild-type MIL1 gene into mil1-1. MIL1 encoded hydroperoxide lyase 3 (OsHPL3), and the expression of OsHPL3 was induced via hormone and abiotic stresses. Our findings provide insights into the roles of MIL1 in regulating programmed cell death, development, yield, and defense responses in rice.     

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Induces Adipogenesis via Control of Cilia in Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

During skin aging, the volume of subcutaneous adipose tissue (sWAT) and the adipogenesis potential of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) decrease. It is known that the shortening of cilia length by pro-inflammatory cytokines is related to the decreased adipogenic differentiation of ASCs via increase in Wnt5a/β-catenin. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is known to upregulate heat shock proteins (HSP), which decrease levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we evaluated whether HIFU modulates the cilia of ASCs by upregulating HSP70 and decreasing inflammatory cytokines. HIFU was applied at 0.2 J to rat skin, which was harvested at 1, 3, 7, and 28 days. All results for HIFU-applied animals were compared with control animals that were not treated. HIFU increased expression of HSP70 and decreased expression of NF-κB, IL-6, and TNF-α in sWAT. HIFU decreased the expression of cilia disassembly-related factors (AurA and HDAC9) in ASCs. Furthermore, HIFU increased the expression of cilia assembly-related factors (KIF3A and IFT88), decreased that of WNT5A/β-catenin, and increased that of the adipogenesis markers PPARγ and CEBPα in sWAT. HIFU increased the number of adipocytes in the sWAT and the thickness of sWAT. In conclusion, HIFU could selectively increase sWAT levels by modulating the cilia of ASCs and be used for skin rejuvenation.     

Property and Stability of Astaxanthin Emulsion Based on Pickering Emulsion Templating with Zein and Sodium Alginate as Stabilizer

Astaxanthin loaded Pickering emulsion with zein/sodium alginate (SA) as a stabilizer (named as APEs) was developed, and its structure and stability were characterized. The encapsulation efficiency of astaxanthin (Asta) in APEs was up to 86.7 ± 3.8%, with a mean particle size of 4.763 μm. Freeze-dried APEs showed particles stacked together under scanning electronic microscope; whereas dispersed spherical nanoparticles were observed in APEs dilution under transmission electron microscope images. Confocal laser scanning microscope images indicated that zein particles loaded with Asta were aggregated with SA coating. X-ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transform infrared spectra results showed that intermolecular hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic effect were involved in APEs formation. APEs demonstrated non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior and fit well to the Cross model. Compared to bare Asta extract, APEs maintained high Asta retention and antioxidant activity when heated from 50 to 10 °C. APEs showed different stability at pH (3.0–11.0) and Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ conditions by visual, zeta potential and polydispersity index measurements. Additionally, the first order kinetics fit well to describe APEs degradation at pH 3.0 to 9.0, Na⁺, and K⁺ conditions. Our results suggest the potential application of Asta-loaded Pickering emulsion in food systems as a fortified additive.     

Experiences of Trauma and DNA Methylation Profiles among African American Mothers and Children

Potentially traumatic experiences have been associated with chronic diseases. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm), have been proposed as an explanation for this association. We examined the association of experiences of trauma with epigenome-wide DNAm among African American mothers (n = 236) and their children aged 3–5 years (n = 232; N = 500), using the Life Events Checklist-5 (LEC) and Traumatic Events Screening Inventory—Parent Report Revised (TESI-PRR). We identified no DNAm sites significantly associated with potentially traumatic experience scores in mothers. One CpG site on the ENOX1 gene was methylome-wide-significant in children (FDR-corrected q-value = 0.05) from the TESI-PRR. This protein-coding gene is associated with mental illness, including unipolar depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Future research should further examine the associations between childhood trauma, DNAm, and health outcomes among this understudied and high-risk group. Findings from such longitudinal research may inform clinical and translational approaches to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with epigenetic changes.     

涡流管热冷出口压力比对其性能的影响研究

采用Fluent数值模拟的方法,以R41、R23、R32、R290、R1234yf、R134a为工质对涡流管进行三维数值模拟,得出不同工质涡流管制冷效应、制热效应以及分离效应随热冷出口压力比的变化规律,并以R41为工质分析不同流道数目涡流管性能随热冷出口压力比的变化规律。模拟结果表明:R41的制冷、制热以及分离效应最好,最大分离效应可达5 K左右;不同工质涡流管制热效应以及分离效应随热冷出口压力比的增大而增大,制冷效应随热冷出口压力比的增大而减小;不同热冷出口压力比条件下,随着喷嘴流道数的增加涡流管制冷效应逐渐降低而制热效应逐渐升高。     

AlGaN solar-blind APD with low breakdown voltage

A p-i-i-n type AlGaN heterostructure avalanche photodiodes (APDs) is proposed to decrease the avalanche breakdown voltage and to realize higher gain by using high-Al-content AlGaN layer as multiplication layer and low-Al-content AlGaN layer as absorption layer. The calculated results show that the designed APD can significantly reduce the breakdown voltage by almost 30%, and about sevenfold increase of maximum gain compared to the conventional AlGaN APD. The noise in designed APD is also less than that in conventional APD due to its low dark current at the breakdown voltage point. Moreover, the one-dimensional (1D) dual-periodic photonic crystal (PC) with anti-reflection coating filter is designed to achieve the solar-blind characteristic and cutoff wavelength of 282 nm is obtained.     

激光冲击强化技术的应用现状与发展

激光冲击强化是一种利用激光诱导等离子体冲击波来提高材料疲劳寿命的新型表面改性技术,具有强化效果显著、可控性强、适应性好等优点,对提高结构可靠性和部件疲劳强度、延长材料使用寿命具有重要作用。近年来,该技术受到了广泛重视,得到了快速发展。本文简要介绍了激光冲击强化技术的基本原理、特点与应用领域;总结了国内外激光冲击强化技术的发展状况与研究成果;并针对国内外激光冲击强化技术的现状,提出了一些现在需要解决的强化工艺问题;最后对激光冲击强化技术的应用前景进行了展望。