Bioinformatics Analyses of the Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose

This study was aimed to identify the expression pattern of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to explore its potential correlation with the progression of NSCLC.

Methods

Gene expression profile GSE39345 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Twenty healthy controls and 32 NSCLC samples before chemotherapy were analyzed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs was performed and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed. Particularly, VEGF genes and the VEGF signaling pathway were analyzed. The sub-network was constructed followed by functional enrichment analysis.

Results

Total 1666 up-regulated and 1542 down-regulated DEGs were identified. The down-regulated DEGs were mainly enriched in the pathways associated with cancer. VEGFA and VEGFB were found to be the initiating factor of VEGF signaling pathway. In addition, in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), VEGFA and VEGFB associated sub-network, kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), fibronectin 1 (FN1), transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were found to interact with at least two of the three hub genes. The DEGs in this sub-network were mainly enriched in Gene Ontology terms related to cell proliferation.

Conclusion

EGFR, KDR, FN1, TGFBI and PCNA may interact with VEGFA to play important roles in NSCLC tumorigenesis. These genes and corresponding proteins may have the potential to be used as the targets for either diagnosis or treatment of patients with NSCLC.     

Tetrandrine Ameliorates Traumatic Brain Injury by Regulating Autophagy to Reduce Ferroptosis

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in trauma patients. However, the effects and mechanism of autophagy after TBI remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether tetrandrine could ameliorate TBI through autophagy to reduce ferroptosis. A mice model for TBI was implemented. Behavioral and histomorphological experiments were performed to evaluate outcomes of the mice. The ferroptosis levels was detected by Perls staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to detect malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) levels in the brain tissue. Western blot test was performed to detect Beclin 1, light chain 3 (LC3) II/I, p62, GPX4, SCL7A11, and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) levels, and the expression of LC3B, Beclin 1, GPX4, and FTH1 in the brain tissue was detected by immunofluorescence (IF). The behavioral and histomorphological results demonstrated that tetrandrine improved the neurological function and cerebral edema on days 1, 3, and 7 after TBI. The ELISA results suggested that tetrandrine reduced the MDA concentration and increased GSH concentration on days 1, 3, and 7 after TBI. IF staining and Perls staining reflected that tetrandrine promoted autophagy and inhibited ferroptosis on days 1, 3, and 7 after TBI, respectively. Tetrandrine further improved the neurological function, cerebral edema, autophagy, and ferroptosis on days 1, 3, and 7 after TBI after adding the autophagy inducer rapamycin. The effect of TET in alleviating TBI increased with the increase of time and dose. Tetrandrine ameliorated TBI by regulating autophagy to reduce ferroptosis, providing a new therapeutic strategy for TBI.

     

广东省水质现状及驱动因素

水质现状评估及其驱动因素分析是实现水生态保护、水资源利用和水污染治理的关键,对于水生态系统的可持续发展具有重要意义。以广东省七大流域为研究区,基于2019-2020年间的溶解氧（DO）、透明度（SDD）、悬浮物（SPM）、叶绿素a （Chla）、氨氮（NH₃N）、总氮（TN）、总磷（TP）7个指标的水质监测数据,综合运用单因子指数法（SI）和综合水质指数（WQI）评价方法,分丰水期（N=66）和枯水期（N=54）评估研究区的水质现状,并探讨水质参数与地形、气象、社会经济和土地覆被类型等驱动因素之间的相关关系。SI评估结果显示广东七大流域主要以工业污水、农业面源等造成的Chla和TN浓度超标、部分水体富营养化严重为主,同时伴有溶解氧浓度偏低的问题;WQI评估结果显示研究区有57%以上的采样点属于中等以下水质。Chla、SPM、NH₃N和TP浓度具有显著的季节和驱动因素差异：丰水期的Chla和TP浓度低于枯水期,但SPM和NH₃N浓度高于枯水期。枯水期DO、TN和WQI的显著性影响因子为丰水期的1/3左右;这种季节差异可能是流域内降雨、营养盐负荷和土地覆被类型导致的复杂地表径流及面源污染所致。珠江三角洲河网区、粤西诸河、韩江下游以及粤东诸河练江流域的水质问题突出。未来水生态系统的可持续发展研究可以借助长时间序列、多频次、高分辨率的遥感监测手段和多种数值模拟方法以及常规水质评估模型,探讨气候变化、河岸带产业结构和流域土地利用方式对面源污染的影响,以进一步厘清降雨强度、三产结构和土地利用方式转变对区域水质变化的影响。     

六种金花茶生物学特性的观察

本文对６种金花茶的生物学特性,包括生长特性、开花结果习性、物候期及对环境条件的适应性作了初步报道。     

响应面法优化海洋微生物发酵产生纤溶化合物的培养条件

采用响应面法对海洋微生物长孢葡萄穗霉菌FG216发酵产生纤溶化合物FGFC1 (Fungi fibrinolyticcompound 1)培养条件进行优化.在单因素试验结果的基础上通过Design-Expert软件对培养时间、诱导物添加量、培养温度进行3因素响应面试验设计,以FGFC1产出量为响应值优化菌株FG216的培养条件,并验证响应面预测值与实测值的一致性.结果表明,在培养时间为9d、诱导物添加量为0.5％、培养温度为28℃的最优培养条件下FGFC1产量可达1 978.33 mg/L,实测值与响应面预测值拟合良好,说明通过响应面试验设计对FG216培养条件的优化是有效的.     

The Myocardial Ischemia Evaluated by Real-Time Contrast Echocardiography May Predict the Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: A Large Animal Study

Evidence-based criteria for applying cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy are still scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive value of real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (RT-MCE) in a preclinical canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy who received CRT. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was produced by ligating the first diagonal branch in 20 beagles. Dogs were subsequently divided into two groups that were either treated with bi-ventricular pacing (CRT group) or left untreated (control group). RT-MCE was performed at baseline, before CRT, and 4 weeks after CRT. Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging was used to evaluate the standard deviation of circumferential (Cir12SD), radial (R12SD), and longitudinal (L12SD) strains of left ventricular segments at basal as well as middle levels. Four weeks later, the Cir12SD, R12SD, and myocardial blood flow (MBF) of the treated group were significantly improved compared to their non-CRT counterparts. Furthermore, MBF values measured before CRT were significantly higher in responders than in non-responders to bi-ventricular pacing. Meanwhile, no significant differences were observed between the responder and non-responder groups in terms of Cir12SD, R12SD, and L12SD. A high degree of correlation was found between MBF values before CRT and LVEF after CRT. When MBF value>24.9 dB/s was defined as a cut-off point before CRT, the sensitivity and specificity of RT-MCE in predicting the response to CRT were 83.3% and 100%, respectively. Besides, MBF values increased significantly in the CRT group compared with the control group after 4 weeks of pacing (49.8±15.5 dB/s vs. 28.5±4.6 dB/s, p<0.05). Therefore, we considered that myocardial perfusion may be superior to standard metrics of LV synchrony in selecting appropriate candidates for CRT. In addition, CRT can improve myocardial perfusion in addition to cardiac synchrony, especially in the setting of ischemic cardiomyopathy.     

Extraction and Purification,Structural Characterization and Biological Activity of a Polysaccharide,PRP-1, from Plumeria rubra

Polysaccharides derived from the flowers of Plumeria rubra (PRP) have shown a variety of beneficial effects on improving human health. However, the structural features and bioactivities of PRP remain unclear. A novel neutral polysaccharide (named PRP-1) with a molecular weight of 23 kDa was extracted and purified from the flowers of P. rubra. PRP-1 was consisted of arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose and mannose, with a molar ratio of 1.49: 27.89: 50.24: 13.02: 7.36. The structural characterization based on the methylation and 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance analyses indicated that PRP-1 was composed of →4)-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-Glcp-(1→, →4)-Galp-(1→, →2)-Galp-(1→, t-Gal(p), →4)-Manp-(1→, →4,6)-Manp-(1→, t-Man(p), →2)-Xylp-(1→, and t-Xyl(p). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that PRP-1 possess a compact three-dimensional curling network structure in the terms of morphology. PRP-1 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, which have moderate inhibitory effects on TNF-α and IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, PRP-1 showed ABTS, OH radicals scavenging and the Fe²⁺ chelating effects in a concentration dependent manner. In α-glucosidase inhibition assay, PRP-1 did not exhibit inhibitory activity. Overall, these results provide a scientific basis for the utilization of the flowers of P. rubra as a potential functional food ingredient.