An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most proficient professional antigen-presenting cells, which play crucial roles in priming the immune responses.However, some research suggests that inflammatory DCs, an additional subset of DCs, which differentiate from inflammatory monocytes during infection or inflammatory conditions, involves in the regulation of immune responses.In recent years, the role of inflammatory DCs in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma has aroused full attention.Here is a review about the role of inflammatory DCs in different types of immune responses and the relationship between inflammatory DCs and bronchial asthma.
Key words:
Inflammatory dendritic cells; Innate immunity; Cellular immunity; Bronchial asthma
By means of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) and high-angle annular dark-field image technique (HAADF), morphological, structural and compositional characteristics of the precipitates in the Mg-4Y-3Nd alloy aged at 200°C for different periods of time have been studied. On the basis of HREM observations, an atomic structural model for the β’-precipitate with an orthorhombic unit cell has been proposed. The characteristic distribution of the precipitates which are rich in rare-earth elements (Y, Nd) has been clearly revealed by the HAADF imaging technique.
<p><b>Sex ratio is a critical parameter in the population dynamics and ecology of a species. Changes in population sex ratio can influence sexual selection and individual behaviour, which ultimately impact reproductive rates and population viability. For territorial species, sex ratio variation can influence territorial behaviour, and thus, the pattern of activity areas where animals acquire critical resources to perform biological processes. However, empirical studies addressing population consequences of sex ratio through behaviour and patterns of activity are rare. A biased sex ratio has been recognized as a major factor contributing to extinction in small populations, due to the vulnerability to environmental, demographic, and genetic stochasticity.</b></p> <p>Species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) are prone to sex ratio biases because hatchling sex ratios are influenced by thermal conditions during embryonic development. A warming climate poses an increasing concern for the population viability of species with TSD, because rapidly shifting temperatures may strongly skew offspring sex ratios. Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are long-lived reptiles endemic to New Zealand. They are particularly at risk based on their rare pattern of TSD, where males hatch at higher nest temperatures.</p> <p>Since the late 1990s, there has been an increasing male bias in a small, isolated tuatara population on North Brother Island. Survival and body condition of adult tuatara have declined, with a steeper rate of decline in females. Population viability analyses predicted the extinction of this population under the previous demographic parameters. However, longer term studies are needed to examine whether the sex ratio ultimately fluctuates around a more balanced sex ratio despite fluctuations based on the climate, or if the male bias becomes more extreme under climate warming.</p> <p>I explored the effects of a male biased sex ratio on population dynamics and viability of tuatara on North Brother Island using updated survey data over 30 years. I estimated the current sex ratio, body condition, survival rates, and population size and temporal trends in these parameters. In addition, I quantified tuatara activity areas on North Brother Island and in two translocated populations, which can reflect resource competition and the effects of sex ratio and population density. Then, I performed behavioural observations on captive populations to investigate how dominance is associated with intra-specific interactions to understand the implications of a male bias for population viability. Lastly, I updated the population viability of North Brother tuatara population based on the recent population parameters.</p> <p>There has been a continual male bias over 30 years in the North Brother Island tuatara population. Survival and body condition have declined over time, with a steeper rate of decline in females. In my recent data, I found a decrease in population size, as well as a further lengthening of the female breeding cycle. By contrast, the male bias has become less skewed over time in new cohorts of this population after 2005. Also, there has been an increase in male body condition and in survival of both sexes in new cohorts. The activity areas in males are larger than females, and activity areas became larger more recently under a smaller population size. Behavioural observations on captive tuatara showed larger males had an advantage in accessing females based on smaller distances to females, males had dominance over females through maintaining larger activity areas, and males and larger individuals had dominance in aggressive interactions. Based on the updated population parameters, the population viability analysis predicted a lower probability of extinction for this tuatara population than previous studies. However, the low female fecundity and the likely further skewed male bias under a warming climate could drive this population to extinction at a rapid rate if demographic parameters further shift.</p> <p>This project revealed how a male bias can influence individual behaviour and patterns of activity areas, and impact parameters, such as body condition, survival and population size, and ultimately, influence population viability. As more new cohorts enter this population, the population could experience a less skewed sex ratio and improved survival over time. Therefore, longer-term monitoring of the North Brother Island tuatara population is needed to investigate the lagged impact of environmental temperature on sex ratio and other population parameters, as well as population viability. Changes in sex ratio can be an early indicator of decline due to the effects of climate warming for species with TSD, an issue that thus far has not been detected in other tuatara populations. This study provides implications for the conservation and management of other species with TSD, which can also be prone to skewed sex ratios in a warming climate.</p>
Multi-model predictive control has become an effective method for nonlinear system. But the traditional multi-model has large tracking error compared with desired output when it is used to solve the operating condition with large scale transition. To solve this problem, this paper presents a new structure of multi-model called multi-hierarchical model. The new structure consists of many layers that each layer is constituted of different number of multiple models. In each layer, multi-model is obtained by partial least squares method after k-means clustering algorithm divides the global working spaces into desired parts. Because of this special structure, the models chose from different layers can deal with the operating condition changed with large scale. At the end of this paper, experiments are carried on the pH neutralization process which is a MIMO nonlinear system and the simulation results demonstrate that the multi-hierarchical model is superior to single-hierarchical model with smaller model tracking error faster convergence speed and better stability.
Paclitaxel resistance is a challenging factor in chemotherapy resulting in poor prognosis and cancer recurrence. Signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 3 (STAT3), a key transcription factor, performs a critical role in cancer development, cell survival and chemoresistance, while its inactivation overwhelms drug resistance in numerous cancer types including lung cancer. Additionally, the fucosyltransferase 4 (FUT4) is a crucial enzyme in post-translational modification of cell-surface proteins involved in various pathological conditions such as tumor multidrug resistance (MDR). The P-glycoprotein (P-GP) is the well-known ABC transporter member that imparts drug resistance in different cancer types, most notably paclitaxel resistance in lung cancer cells. LncRNA-MALAT1 exerts a functional role in the cancer development as well as the drug resistance and is linked with STAT3 activation and activity of FUT4. Moreover, STAT3-mediated induction of P-GP is well-documented. Natural compounds of Sesquiterpene Lactone (SL) family are well-known for their anticancer properties with particular emphasis over STAT3 inhibitory capabilities. In this study, we explored the positive correlation of MALAT1 with STAT3 and FUT4 activity in paclitaxel resistant A549 (A549/T) lung cancer cells. Additionally, we investigated the anticancer activity of two well-known members of SLs, alantolactone (ALT) and Brevilin A (Brv-A), in A549/T lung cancer cells. ALT and Brv-A induced apoptosis in A549/T cells. Furthermore, these two natural SLs suppressed MALAT1 expression, STAT3 activation, and FUT4 and P-GP expression which are the hallmarks for paclitaxel resistance in A549 lung cancer cells. The inhibition of MALAT1 enhanced the competence of these SLs members significantly, which accounted for the growth inhibition as well as anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects of ALT and Brv-A. These findings suggest SLs to be the promising agents for overcoming paclitaxel resistance in A549 lung cancer cells.
Background: Tumor-associated antigen overexpression, which has been reported in many types of cancers, may trigger autoantibody secretion. The present study was designed to test whether levels of circulating autoantibodies to survivin protein-derived antigens is altered in liver, esophageal, breast, and lung cancers. Methods: Patients with liver (144), esophageal (159), breast (124), and lung cancers (267), and healthy volunteers (362) were recruited for the study, and serum samples were collected for ELISA autoantibody analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, survivin autoantibody levels were significantly higher in serum from patients with breast cancer and lung cancer, but were significantly lower in serum from patients with liver cancer (p < 0.05). In stage I and II lung cancer, the best-fit areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.731 (standard error [SE] = 0.023; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.687–0.776) and the sensitivity, with 90% specificity, was 23.7%. Conclusion: Analysis across four types of malignancies revealed that the survivin autoantibody had good specificity and sensitivity in lung cancer. Circulating autoantibodies to survivin could be a potential biomarker for the early lung cancer diagnosis.
Abstract Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the characteristics of low immune cell infiltration, high expression of tumor programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), and abundant cancer stem cells. Systemic toxicity of traditional chemotherapy drugs due to poor drug selectivity, and chemotherapy failure due to tumor drug resistance and other problems, so it is particularly important to find new cancer treatment strategies for TNBC with limited treatment options. Both the anti-tumor natural drugs curcumin and ginsenoside Rg3 can exert anti-tumor effects by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells, reducing PD-L1 expression, and reducing cancer stem cells. However, they have the disadvantages of poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and weak anti-tumor effect of single agents. We used vinyl ether bonds to link curcumin (Cur) with N-O type zwitterionic polymers and at the same time encapsulated ginsenoside Rg3 to obtain hyperbranched zwitterionic drug-loaded micelles OPDEA-PGED-5HA@Cur@Rg3 (PPH@CR) with pH response. In vitro cell experiments and in vivo animal experiments have proved that PPH@CR could not only promote the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and increase the CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells by inducing ICD in tumor cells but also reduce the expression of PD-L1 in tumor tissues, and reduce cancer stem cells and showed better anti-tumor effects and good biological safety compared with free double drugs, which is a promising cancer treatment strategy.
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