2D reconstruction of small intestine's interior wall.

Examining and interpreting of a large number of wireless endoscopic images from the gastrointestinal tract is a tiresome task for physicians. A practical solution is to automatically construct a two dimensional representation of the gastrointestinal tract for easy inspection. However, little has been done on wireless endoscopic image stitching, let alone systematic investigation.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticle-decorated hydroxyapatite (HA@Ag) poriferous nanocomposites and the study of their antibacterial activities.

Herein, we demonstrate a facile and green rapid approach for the synthesis of uniform poriferous hydroxylapatite [Ca(PO)(OH), HA] and poriferous silver nanoparticle (Ag NPs)-decorated hydroxylapatite (HA@Ag) nanocomposites with excellent antibacterial properties. All the nanocomposites were fully characterized in the solid state various techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), automatic specific surface area and porosity analysis (BET) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results show that HA has a porous rod-like structure, which the HA@Ag nanocomposites retained, and the surface of HA was loaded with globular-like Ag NPs with an average diameter of about 5.

Mass Spectrometry Genotyping of Human Papillomavirus Based on High-Efficiency Selective Enrichment of Nanoparticles.

This work developed a novel spermine-modified nanodiamonds (SP-NDs)-based method to selectively enrich oligonucleotides for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) of human papillomavirus (HPV) virus. Our results showed that SP-NDs can effectively extract and enrich DNA oligonucleotides from sodium dodecyl sulfonate and urea solution. In addition, SP-NDs can also selectively extract oligonucleotides from enzymes digestion products of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment mass polymorphism (PCR-RFMP) of HPV virus.

Protective Effect of Anthocyanin on Paraquat-Induced Apoptosis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Alveolar Type II Cells.

BACKGROUND Paraquat (PQ) can over-accumulate in alveolar epithelial cells. Anthocyanin (An) can exert anti-oxidative properties. The role of An in PQ-induced toxicity is unclear, so we aimed to explore whether An could inhibit epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by PQ in alveolar cells.

Design of a Compact Wireless Multi-Channel High Area-Efficient Stimulator with Arbitrary Channel Configuration.

This paper presents the design of a wireless, implantable, multi-channel, programmable stimulator with arbitrary channel combination. A novel channel management module using a switch array is presented, enabling arbitrary channel configuration with a silicon area reduction of 81%. The chip was fabricated in a 0.

Smartphone-Based Hearing Self-Assessment System Using Hearing Aids With Fast Audiometry Method.

Hearing loss is an irreversible damage. Patients with hearing loss usually use hearing aids or cochlear implants for hearing compensation. Hearing test is used to detect hearing-loss degree in different frequency bands for both ears or for the single ear with hearing loss.

Adaptive Image Enhancement Based on Guide Image and Fraction-Power Transformation for Wireless Capsule Endoscopy.

Good image quality of the wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is the key for doctors to diagnose gastrointestinal (GI) tract diseases. However, the poor illumination, limited performance of the camera in WCE, and complex environment in the GI tract usually result in low-quality endoscopic images. Existing image enhancement methods only use the information of the image itself or multiple images of the same scene to accomplish the enhancement.

CancerSplicingQTL: a database for genome-wide identification of splicing QTLs in human cancer.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a widespread process that increases structural transcript variation and proteome diversity. Aberrant splicing patterns are frequently observed in cancer initiation, progress, prognosis and therapy. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that AS events could undergo modulation by genetic variants.

EZH2 RIP-seq Identifies Tissue-specific Long Non-coding RNAs.

Background: Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes histone methylation at H3 Lys27, and plays crucial roles during development and diseases in numerous systems. Its catalytic subunit EZH2 represents a key nuclear target for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that emerging to be a novel class of epigenetic regulator and participate in diverse cellular processes. LncRNAs are characterized by high tissue-specificity; however, little is known about the tissue profile of the EZH2- interacting lncRNAs.

Twin pregnancy with triple parathyroid adenoma: A case report and review of literature.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is rare during pregnancy. A case of twin pregnancy with three simultaneous parathyroid adenomas at the same time has not been reported. Multiple parathyroid lesions are difficult to diagnose, as pregnant women who insist upon continuing a pregnancy are not able to undergo 99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy, so cases of PHPT are easily unobserved and often can have serious consequences for the patient and the fetus.

Up-regulation and tumor-promoting role of SPHK1 were attenuated by miR-330-3p in gastric cancer.

We intended to clarify the role of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in gastric cancer (GC) using both in vitro and in vivo assays. The study was designed to identify novel therapeutic targets for GC treatment. Differential analysis was utilized to dissect two gene expression omnibus series (GSE49515 and GSE79973) microarray data form Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (https://www.

Rapid Intraspecific Diversification of the Alpine Species (Saxifragaceae) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas.

An increasing number of phylogeographic studies have been conducted for plant species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and its flanking mountains. However, these studies have mainly focused on the determination of glacial refugia and routes of inter-/post-glacial expansions. Rapid intraspecific diversification of plants in this region have not been thoroughly discussed.

MiR-125b suppresses the carcinogenesis of osteosarcoma cells via the MAPK-STAT3 pathway.

The microRNA (miRNA) miR-125b is abnormally expressed in many different types of tumors, including osteosarcoma (OS). How aberrantly expressed miR-125b participates in regulating the initiation and progression of OS is still poorly understood. In the current study, we found that in OS, miR-125b can suppress the expression of MAP kinase kinase 7 (MKK7), which can dephosphorylate and inactivate signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate induces cell apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia by regulating Bcr/Abl-mediated p38-MAPK/JNK and JAK2/STAT3/AKT signalling pathways.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenolic constituent of green tea, possesses remarkable chemopreventive and therapeutic potential against various types of cancer, including leukaemia. However, the molecular mechanism involved in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), especially imatinib-resistant CML cells, is not completely understood. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EGCG on the growth of Bcr/Abl+ CML cell lines, including imatinib-resistant cell lines and primary CML cells.

Photocatalytic degradation of DOM in urban stormwater runoff with TiO nanoparticles under UV light irradiation: EEM-PARAFAC analysis and influence of co-existing inorganic ions.

In situ photocatalytic degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) of stormwater runoff can efficiently improve the aquatic environment quality and relieve the wastewater treatment pressure. In this work, photocatalytic degradation of DOM in TiO (AEROXIDE P-25) photocatalyst under illumination of ultraviolet (UV) light was carried out, considering the influence of various factors like TiO dosage, solution pH along with the existence of co-existing ions (Cu and HPO). Generally, the variations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV-based parameters and peak intensities of fluorescent constituents with UV exposure time fitted perfectly with the pseudo-first-order kinetics model.

Mn doped ZnS QDs modified fluorescence sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer/sol-gel chemistry for detection of Serotonin.

A newly fluorescence probe for detection of Serotonin based on a Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots@silica nanoparticle@molecularly imprinted polymers (QDs@SiO@MIPs) was successfully created. QDs@SiO@MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and fluorescence spectroscopy. A complex was produced between the amino group of QDs@SiO@MIPs and the hydroxyl group of 5-HT when 5-HT rebinding, the energy of the QDs would be transferred to the complex, which led to its fluorescence quenching.

Cobalt oxide nanorods with special pore structure for enhanced ethanol sensing performance.

Cobalt oxide (CoO) nanorods with special pore structure were successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method with proper temperature calcination. The relationship between morphologies, structures and gas sensing properties under different calcination temperature were investigated by using XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS method. The CoO sample calcinated at 300 °C displayed the highest response of 143 and fast response/recovery time to 100 ppm ethanol at relatively low operating temperature of 185 °C.

Implantable Wireless Intracranial Pressure Monitoring Based on Air Pressure Sensing.

A wireless intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring system based on the air pressure sensing is proposed in this work. The proposed system is composed of an implantable ICP sensing device and a portable wireless data recorder. The ICP sensing device consists of an air pressure sensor, an ultra-thin air pouch for pressure sensing, and a low-power dedicated system-on-a-chip (SoC) for the data acquisition control and wireless transmission.

A multiple regression method for genomewide association studies using only linkage information.

Genomewide association studies (GWASs) typically require a base of linkage disequilibrium (LD) to capture quantitative trait locus (QTL) signals. In this study, we tested whether identifying QTLs in the framework of GWAS can be based only on linkage information. Our study sought to validate a method to replace LD with linkage in association studies, and we investigated the statistical power of different heritabilities and the number of QTLs using simulation data.

Enhanced acetone sensing performance of Au nanoparticle modified porous tube-like ZnO derived from rod-like ZIF-L.

Metal oxide semiconductors with a porous hollow structure have received great attention in many fields. In this work, a facile preparation method of porous tube-like ZnO (PT-ZnO) was developed by annealing rod-like ZIF-L at high temperature, and the formation mechanism of the tube-like structure was discussed in detail. The corresponding gas sensing performances were determined adopting acetone as the target gas.

Bactericidal Effect of Various Laser Irradiation Systems on Enterococcus faecalis Biofilms in Dentinal Tubules: A Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the bactericidal effect of various laser irradiation systems on Enterococcus faecalis biofilms in dentinal tubules by using a novel dentin infection model and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).

Background Data: Laser-activated irrigations have been proposed as an adjuvant to conventional protocols of root canal treatment to enhance the smear layer removal, which is a promising protocol for root canal disinfection.

Materials And Methods: E.

Attenuation of TGFBR2 expression and tumour progression in prostate cancer involve diverse hypoxia-regulated pathways.

Background: Dysregulation of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and hypoxic microenvironment have respectively been reported to be involved in disease progression in malignancies of prostate. Emerging evidence indicates that downregulation of TGFBR2, a pivotal regulator of TGF-β signaling, may contribute to carcinogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the biological function and regulatory mechanism of TGFBR2 in PCa remain poorly understood.

Combating Drug-Resistant Fungi with Novel Imperfectly Amphipathic Palindromic Peptides.

Antimicrobial peptides are an important weapon against invading pathogens and are potential candidates as novel antibacterial agents, but their antifungal activities are not fully developed. In this study, a set of imperfectly amphipathic peptides was developed based on the imperfectly amphipathic palindromic structure R (XRXXXRX)R ( n = 1, 2; X represents L, I, F, or W), and the engineered peptides exhibited high antimicrobial activities against all fungi and bacteria tested (including fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans), with geometric mean (GM) MICs ranging from 2.2 to 6.