关键词： RNA-sequence (seq)   liver cancer   alternative splicing   biomarker  

摘要： Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant liver disease in the world. Existing screening and early diagnosis methods are not highly sensitive for HCC, and patients are likely to develop the disease to the middle and advanced stages before being diagnosed. Therefore, finding new and efficient diagnosis and treatment methods has become an urgent problem. We aimed at finding and verifying new liver cancer markers by combining informatics analysis with experimental exploration to provide new ideas and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical liver cancer. We used two different bioinformatic pipelines to analyze sequencing data of clinical liver cancer samples and identify differentially expressed genes and key variants after combining them with The Cancer Genome Atlas sequencing data. Then, we explored the functions and mechanisms of the key variants to identify potential liver cancer markers. Through bioinformatic analysis of sequencing data, 139 differentially expressed genes were found, including 53 upregulated genes and 86 downregulated genes. Through enrichment and alternative splicing event analysis of sequencing data, we found nine key variants with exon skipping events. Metallothionein lE (MT1E)-203 was found to be a key variant that influenced cell proliferation through the p53 cell cycle pathway through cell viability and proliferation assays, and MT1E-203 lost the ability to bind two zinc ions due to exon skipping according to the structure prediction of MT1E-203. MT1E-203 is a potential biomarker for HCC and may play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

关键词： SODIS   SOPAS   Continuous-flow systems   Large-scale water supply   Photothermal and photocatalytic   nanomaterials   Resistant microorganisms  

摘要： Gastrointestinal waterborne diseases, continue to stand out among the most lethal diseases in developing countries, because of consuming contaminated water taken from unsafe sources. Advances made in recent decades in methods of solar water disinfection (SODIS) have shown that SODIS is an effective and inexpensive method of providing drinking water, capable of substantially reducing the prevalence and mortality of waterborne diseases. The increased impact of SODIS in communities lacking drinking water services depends on a successful upgrade from conventional SODIS (based on PET bottle reactors) in high flow continuous flow systems for solar water disinfection (CFSSWD). This review aimed to identify the main limitations of conventional SODIS that hinder its application as a large-scale drinking water supply strategy, and to propose ways to overcome these limitations (without making it economically inaccessible) based on the current frontier of advances technological. It was found that the successful development of the CFSSWD depends on overcoming the current limitations of conventional SODIS and the development of systems whose configurations allow combining the properties of solar pasteurization (SOPAS) and SODIS. Different improvements need to be made to the main components of the CFSSWD, such as increasing the performance of solar radiation collectors, photo and thermal reactors and heat exchangers. The integration of disinfection technologies based on photocatalytic and photothermal nanomaterials also needs to be achieved. The performance evaluation of the CFSSWD should be made considering resistant microorganisms, such as the environmental resistance structures of bacteria or protozoa (spores or (oo) cysts) as targets of disinfection approaches.

关键词： amino acids   antinutrients   aquatic animals   digestibility   feed   fish   land plants   nutrients   plant   protein metabolism   rainbow trout   rape-seed   toxins  

摘要： The effective inclusion of rapeseed protein products as fishmeal alternatives in diets for carnivorous fish is still limited. Previous studies observed restrictions in both nutrient utilization and feed intake. Contents of nitrogen-free extracts (NfE) and anti-nutritive substances (ANFs) were made responsible for the latter mentioned limitations. Consequently, a highly purified rapeseed protein isolate with high protein content and low levels of both NfE and ANF was investigated in this study. In the first experiment, digestibility of the rapeseed protein isolate was determined. In the second experiment, the fishmeal portion (190 g kg(-1)) of a control diet was gradually replaced by rapeseed protein isolate to 33%, 66% and 100% of digestible protein and energy. Diets were fed twice per day to apparent satiation to triplicate groups of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). After 56 days of feeding, growth performance and health parameters were evaluated. Protein digestibility of the rapeseed protein isolate was 95.2%, and up to 66% of dietary fishmeal could be replaced without significantly affecting growth or health parameters. Total replacement of fishmeal led to significantly reduced feed intake and consequently reduced growth performance.

关键词： Interfacial rheology   Emulsion   Poppy seed protein   Oil   water interface  

摘要： This study was systematically investigated the bulk and interfacial rheological properties of the poppy seed proteins as new source of plant proteins for healthier diets. Results revealed that low molecular weight of proteins (> 15 kDa) might contribute to the emulsion stability. The droplet size increased inversely with protein band density in the 10-15 kDa range. The pH value of the most stable emulsion was pH 3.0. An increasing trend of emulsion activity was observed for decreasing pH values which perhaps could be attributed to an opening of protein conformational structures. The optical microscopy results showed that the decrease in pH resulted in a better storage stability as promoting the formation of a more uniform distribution and smaller oil droplets. We conclude that present study puts forth a major contribution to plant protein research by demonstrating its ability to make stable emulsion as a function of pH at the O/W interface.

关键词： Arab women   Diabetes prevention   Social media  

摘要： Aims/Introduction This 6-month interventional study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different educational programs among Saudi women with prediabetes referred by primary care. Materials and Methods A total of 253 (100 group education program [GEP], 84 WhatsApp education program [WEP] and 69 control group [CG]) eligible participants were invited to take part in the study, out of whom 120 received intervention (40 GEP, 43 WEP and 37 CG). GEP participants received focused, individualized lifestyle modification advice with bimonthly support sessions, WEP participants received the same intervention, but delivered through social media (WhatsApp). The CG received standard care. Anthropometrics, biochemical profiles and macronutrient intake were measured at baseline, and 3 and 6 months. The primary end-points were glycated hemoglobin and weight, with lipids and dietary changes as secondary outcomes. Results Glycated hemoglobin significantly improved in all groups post-intervention (GEP baseline 6.0 +/- 0.2 vs 6 months 5.5 +/- 0.54;P < 0.001, WEP 6.0 +/- 0.26 vs 5.3 +/- 0.51;P < 0.001, CG 6.0 +/- 0.37 vs 5.7 +/- 0.49;P < 0.001), but with no difference in between-group comparisons (P = 0.33). Within-group comparisons showed a reduction in weight, but only in the GEP group (90.6 kg +/- 27.3 vs 84.8 kg +/- 24.3;P < 0.01), and this was significant in between-group comparison (P = 0.003). Significant between-group comparisons with respect to energy (g) intake (P = 0.005) were also observed, as well as triglycerides (P < 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.001), all in favor of the GEP group. Conclusions Diabetes prevention programs, whether delivered through a focused educational group, social media or standard care, are equally efficacious in improving glycated hemoglobin levels among Saudi women with prediabetes, but a focused educational group was more effective in terms of successful weight loss.

关键词： low-carbohydrate   diets   high-fat   insulin resistance   obesity   type-2 diabetes   dietary guidelines   eating patterns  

摘要： The decades-long dietary experiment embodied in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) focused on limiting fat, especially saturated fat, and higher carbohydrate intake has coincided with rapidly escalating epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) that are contributing to the progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other diet-related chronic diseases. Moreover, the lack of flexibility in the DGA as it pertains to low carbohydrate approaches does not align with the contemporary trend toward precision nutrition. We argue that personalizing the level of dietary carbohydrate should be a high priority based on evidence that Americans have a wide spectrum of metabolic variability in their tolerance to high carbohydrate loads. Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and T2D are conditions strongly associated with insulin resistance, a condition exacerbated by increased dietary carbohydrate and improved by restricting carbohydrate. Low-carbohydrate diets are grounded across the time-span of human evolution, have well-established biochemical principles, and are now supported by multiple clinical trials in humans that demonstrate consistent improvements in multiple established risk factors associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently recognized a low carbohydrate eating pattern as an effective approach for patients with diabetes. Despite this evidence base, low-carbohydrate diets are not reflected in the DGA. As the DGA Dietary Patterns have not been demonstrated to be universally effective in addressing the needs of many Americans and recognizing the lack of widely available treatments for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and T2D that are safe, effective, and sustainable, the argument for an alternative, low-carbohydrate Dietary Pattern is all the more compelling.

关键词： Alternative material   Titanium nitride   Refractive index sensor   Surface plasmon polaritons   MIM   CMOS  

摘要： This article presents an ultra-compact refractive index sensor based on titanium nitride (TiN), a well-known alternative plasmonic material. The designed sensor consists of a straight waveguide, coupled with a groove and a Square-Ring Resonator (SRR). In addition, nanosized TiN dots are embedded in the waveguide and groove to enhance sensing performance. The spectral characteristics of the proposed sensor are numerically analyzed using the Finite Element Method (FEM). After extensive simulations, the most optimal structure provides a maximum sensitivity of 1074.88 nm/RIU and a Figure of Merit (FOM) of 32.4 and proves to be tolerant against probable real-life manufacturing defects. Furthermore, the incorporation of TiN equips the illustrated sensor with numerous advantages, for example, immunity to oxidation, optical tunability, capability to endure high-temperature, and compatibility with the standard Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication process. The major pitfall of traditional plasmonic metals is that the metals lack all these qualities, limiting real-life implementations of plasmonic devices. Therefore, the proposed model is superior to the conventional Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) setup and is expected to facilitate the development of practical, robust sensors.

关键词： genetics of adaptation   Hill-Robertson interference   pesticide or drug mixtures   population genetics   resistance management  

摘要： The use of multiple pesticides or drugs can lead to a simultaneous selection pressure for resistance alleles at different loci. Models of resistance evolution focus on how this can delay the spread of resistance through a population, but often neglect how this can also reduce the probability that a resistance allele spreads. This neglected factor has been studied in a parallel literature as selective interference. Models of interference use alternative constructions of fitness, where selection coefficients from different loci either add or multiply. Although these are equivalent under weak selection, the two constructions make alternative predictions under the strong selection that characterizes resistance evolution. Here, simulations are used to examine the effects of interference on the probability of fixation and time to fixation of a new and strongly beneficial mutation in the presence of another strongly beneficial allele with variable starting frequency. The results from simulations show a complicated pattern of effects. The key result is that, under multiplicativity, the presence of the strongly beneficial allele leads to a small reduction in the probability of fixation for the new beneficial mutation up to similar to 10%, and a negligible increase in the average time to fixation up to similar to 2%, whereas under additivity, the effect is more substantial at up to similar to 50% for the probability of fixation and similar to 100% for the average time to fixation. Consequently, the effect of interference is only an important feature of resistance evolution under additivity. Current evidence from studies of experimental evolution provides widespread support for the basic features of additivity, which suggests that interference may afford resistance a different pattern of evolution than other adaptations: rather than the gradual and simultaneous selection of many alleles with small effects, the rapid evolution of resistance may involve the sequential selection

关键词： Solar energy   Hydrogen   Wastewater treatment   Desulfurization   Sulfide   Sulfate  

摘要： An alternative technology has been sought for highly efficient and sustainable hydrogen production and wastewater treatment worldwide. This paper is focused on the intersection of solar energy, wastewater treatment and hydrogen production. The solar thermo-assisted and electron-donor alternative strategy was conducted for water-splitting redox chemistry to target highly efficient hydrogen production and effective wastewater treatment. The thermodynamic calculation displays that the solar thermal application and shuttle sulfide electron donor alternative are favorable for the hydrogen production and sulfide-to-sulfate oxidation by the falling trend in the potential (from 1.5V to 0.6V). The curves revealed that high current peaks in the low potential range were dominated by the thermal-assisted process and the alternative of the oxidation half-reaction. The experiments illustrated that solar thermal utilization and sulfide donors were dominant factors for the high efficiencies. Under the outdoor sunlight, the high hydrogen production rate and sulfide conversion efficiency were experimentally achieved at rates of 0.25 mL/h H-2 and 93% sulfide-to-sulfate oxidation, reasonably more than that of the direct electrochemical water splitting to hydrogen (nearly no evolution) under the same applied bias (<1.2V). The system realized that one sustainable technology conducts simultaneously both highly efficient hydrogen production and highly effective water treatment. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.