This study was aimed to explore the influence of breast cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in migration and invasion of breast cancer cell line MCF-7,and investigate whether hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is involved in this process.Primary breast CAFs and their corresponding normal breast fi-broblasts (NFs) were obtained by collagenase digestion.On the basis of the co-culture,the migration and invasion capacity of MCF-7 cells was compared between CAFs and NFs by Transwell.The differ-ence in the HGF expression between them was detected by ELISA.The secretion of HGF was knocked down by using RNA interference technology in CAFs.Then the changes of migration and invasion ca-pacity of MCF-7 cells were investigated by Transwell.Eventually,we isolated high-purity CAFs and NFs,and the CAFs had a stronger ability in promoting MCF-7 migration and invasion than the NFs.ELISA results demonstrated that CAFs secreted higher HGF,and the capacity of MCF-7 migration and invasion was declined after knocking down the secretion of HGF in CAFs by RNA interference.It is suggested that CAFs can promote MCF-7 migration and invasion through HGF in vitro.
The resolution of conventional optical elements and systems has long been perceived to satisfy the classic Rayleigh criterion.Paramount efforts have been made to develop different types of superresolution techniques to achieve optical resolution down to several nanometres,such as by using evanescent waves,fluorescence labelling,and postprocessing.Superresolution imaging techniques,which are noncontact,far field and label free,are highly desirable but challenging to implement.The concept of superoscillation offers an alternative route to optical superresolution and enables the engineering of focal spots and point-spread functions of arbitrarily small size without theoretical limitations.This paper reviews recent developments in optical superoscillation technologies,design approaches,methods of characterizing superoscillatory optical fields,and applications in noncontact,far-field and label-free superresolution microscopy.This work may promote the wider adoption and application of optical superresolution across different wave types and application domains.
Three small bandgap non-fullerene(SBG NFAs) acceptors,BDTI,BDTI-2 F and BDTI-4 F,based on a carbon-oxygen bridged central core and thieno[3,4-b]thiophene linker,end-capped with varied electronwithdrawing terminal groups,were designed and synthesized.The acceptors exhibit strong absorption from 600 nm to 1000 nm.The optimal device incorporating designed NFA and PTB7-Th polymer donor achieves a power conversion efficiency of 9.11% with near 0 eV HOMO offset.The work presents a case study of efficient non-fullerene solar cells with small HOMO offsets,which is achieved by blending PTB7-Th with fine-tuned SBG acceptor.
Embryonic germ （EG） cells are cultured pluripotent stem cells derived from the primordial germ cells （PGCs） that migrate from the dorsal mesentery of the hindgut to the developing genital ridge. In this study, the morphology of the porcine genital ridge was assessed in embryos harvested on days 22-30 of pregnancy. PGCs from embryos at these stages were cultured to obtain porcine EG cell lines, and EG-like cells were derived from PGCs from embryos harvested on days 24-28 of pregnancy. The EG-like cells expressed Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, SSEA-3, SSEA-4 and alkaline phosphatase （AP）. These cells were able to form embryoid bodies （EBs） in suspension culture and differentiate into cells representative of the three germ layers as verified by a-fetoprotein （AFP）, s-smooth muscle actin （^-SMA）, and Nestin expression. Spontaneous differentiation from the porcine EG-like cells of delayed passage in vitro showed that they could differentiate into epithelial-like cells, mesenchymal-like cells and neuron-like cells. In vitro directed differentiation generated osteocytes, adipocytes and a variety of neural lineage cells, as demonstrated by alizarin red staining, oil red O staining, and immunoftuorescence for neuronal class III [3-tubulin （Tuj 1）, glial fibrillary protein （GFAP） and galactosylceramidase （GALC）, respectively. These results indicate that porcine EG-like cells have the potential for multi-lineage differentiation and are useful for basic porcine stem cell research.
With the help of the coordinate transformation technique, the symplectic dual solv- ing system is developed for multi-material wedges under antiplane deformation. A virtue of present method is that the compatibility conditions at interfaces of a multi-material wedge are expressed directly by the dual variables, therefore the governing equation of eigenvalue can be derived easily even with the increase of the material number. Then, stress singularity on multi-material wedges under antiplane deformation is investigated, and some solutions can be presented to show the validity of the method. Simultaneously, an interesting phenomenon is found and proved strictly that one of the singularities of a special five-material wedge is independent of the crack direction.
Traditional insulation material is thermally insulating and has a low thermal conductivity.The miniaturisation and higher power of electrical devices would generate lots of heat,which have created new challenges to safe and stable operation of the grid.The development of insulating materials with high thermal conductivity provides a new method to solve these problems.The improvement of thermal conductivity would increase the ability to conduct heat and greatly reduce the operating temperature of the electrical equipment,which could reduce the equipment size and extend service life.On the other hand,inorganic thermally conductive particles and the improved thermal conductivity may have great effect on thermal breakdown.In this study,the factors affecting the thermal conductivity of dielectric polymer composites were explored.Intrinsic thermal conductive polymer and particle-filled thermal conductive composites were discussed.Effect of thermal conductivity,shape,size,surface treatment of the particle and prepare process on thermal properties of the composites were illustrated.This study focused on the electrical and thermal properties of thermally conductive epoxy,polyimide and polyethylene composites.Tracking failure caused by thermal accumulation is a typical thermal breakdown phenomenon.The performance of the resistance to tracking failure was studied for these composites.The results showed that thermal conductive particles improved the resistance to tracking failure.Finally,application of thermally conductive epoxy in electrical equipment was discussed.
To evaluate the influence of urban non-uniformity on precipitation, the area of a city was divided into three categories （commercial, high-density residential, and low-density residential） according to the building density data from Landsat satel- lites. Numerical simulations of three corresponding scenarios （urban non-uniformity, urban uniformity, and non-urban） were performed in Nanjing using the WRF model. The results demonstrate that the existence of the city results in more precip- itation, and that urban heterogeneity enhances this phenomenon. For the urban non-uniformity, uniformity, and non-urban experiments, the mean cumulative summer precipitation was 423.09 mm, 407.40 mm, and 389.67 mm, respectively. Urban non-uniformity has a significant effect on the amount of heavy rainfall in summer. The cumulative precipitation from heavy rain in the summer for the three numerical experiments was 278.2 mm, 250.6 mm, and 236.5 mm, respectively. In the non- uniformity experiments, the amount of precipitation between 1500 and 2200 （LST） increased significantly. Furthermore, the adoption of urban non-uniformity into the WRF model could improve the numerical simulation of summer rain and its daily variation.
Yuqiang SONGHongnian LIUXueyuan WANGNing ZHANGJianning SUN
Elevated uric acid causes direct injury to pancreatic β-cells. In this study, we examined the effects of luteolin, an important antioxidant, on uric acid-induced β-cell dysfunction. We first evaluated the effect of luteolin on nitric oxide （NO） formation in uric acid-stimulated Min6 cells using the Griess method. Next, we performed transient transfection and reporter assays to measure transcriptional activity of nuclear factor （NF）-κB. Western blotting assays were also performed to assess the effect of luteolin on the expression of MafA and inducible NO synthase （iNOS） in uric acid-treated cells. Finally, we evaluated the effect of luteolin on uric acidinduced inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion （GSIS） in Min6 cells and freshly isolated mouse pancreatic islets. We found that luteolin significantly inhibited uric acid-induced NO production, which was well correlated with reduced expression of iNOS mRNA and protein. Furthermore, decreased activity of NF-κB was implicated in inhibition by luteolin of increased iNOS expression induced by uric acid. Besides, luteolin significantly increased MafA expression in Min6 cells exposed to uric acid, which was reversed by overexpression of iNOS. Moreover, luteolin prevented uric acidinduced inhibition of GSIS in both Min6 cells and mouse islets. In conclusion, luteolin protects pancreatic β-cells from uric acid-induced dysfunction and may confer benefit on the protection of pancreatic β-cells in hyperuricemiaassociated diabetes.
Ying DingXuhui ShiXuanyu ShuaiYuemei XuYun LiuXiubin LiangDong WeiDongming Su
Water is the important resource to guarantee the existence and development of oases in arid areas. To improve the utilization efficiency of water resources in Manas River Basin, this paper investigated the trends and periods of runoff based on the runoff and climate data for the past 50 years. Subsequently, with the socioeconomic and water resources data, we studied a comprehensive evaluation on the water security in this area. The results indicated that the stream flows in the three hydrological stations of Hongshanzui, Kensiwat and Bajiahu have sig- nificantly increased and undergone abrupt changes, with periods of 18 and 20 years. According to assessment, water security in the Manas River Basin was at an unsafe level in 2008. In criterion layer, the ecological security index and the index of supply-demand situation are both at the relatively secure level; the quantity index and so- cioeconomic index of water resources are at the unsafe level and basic security level, respectively. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable economic and social development within the Manas River Basin, it is vital to take a series of effective measures to improve the status of water security.
Background： Oocyte vitrification is widely used throughout the world, but its clinical efficacy is inconsistent and depends on the vitrification media. This study compared the developmental potential and clinical results of in vivo matured oocytes cryopreserved with different vitrification media. Methods： This retrospective study involved vitrified-warmed oocytes at one in vitro fertilization laboratory. Vitrification media kits comprised the MC kit （ethylene glycol （EG] plus 1,2-propanediol [PROH]）, the KT kit （EG plus dimethyl sulphoxide [DMSO]）, and the Modified kit （EG plus DMSO and PROH kit）. Rates of oocyte survival and subsequent developmental potential were recorded and analyzed. The t-test and the Chi-square test were used to evaluate each method＇s efficacy. Results： Oocyte survival rate was significantly higher for the Modified kit （92.0%） than for the MC kit （88.2%） （P 〈 0.05） and the KT kit （77.3%） （P 〈 0.001）. The rate of high-quality embryo development in the Modified kit group （35.8%） was significantly higher than in the MC kit group （29.0%） and the KT kit group （28.3%） （P 〈 0.001 ）. No significant differences were observed in the clinical pregnancy and implantation rates among the MC, KT, and Modified kit groups （37.2% vs. 30.2% vs. 39.6%; 21.9% vs. 18.8% vs. 27.4%, respectively） （P 〉 0.05）. The high-quality embryo rate per warmed oocyte was significantly higher （23.4%） in the Modified kit group than in the other groups （P 〈 0.001）. The embryo utilization and live birth rates per warmed oocyte were the highest in the Modified kit group, but not significantly （P 〉 0.05）. Conclusions： Modified vitrification media are efficient for oocyte vitrification and. with further verification, may be able to replace commercially available media in future clinical applications.
Mei Li Miao-Miao Wang Hui Liu Ke-Liang Wu Shui-Ying Ma Cheng Li Hai-Bin Zhao Zi-Jiang Chen
