Hearing loss has been associated with cognitive decline in the elderly and is considered to be an independent risk factor for dementia. One of the most common causes for acquired sensorineural hearing loss is exposure to excessive noise, which has been found to impair learning ability and cognitive performance in human subjects and animal models. Noise exposure has also been found to depress neurogenesis in the hippocampus. However, the effect is mainly attributed to the oxidant stress of noise on the cognitive brain. In the present study, young adult CBA/CAJ mice (between 1.5 and 2 months of age) were briefly exposed a high sound level to produce moderate-to-severe hearing loss. In both the blood and hippocampus, only transient oxidative stress was observed after noise exposure. However, a deficit in spatial learning/memory was revealed 3 months after noise exposure. Moreover, the deficit was correlated with the degree of hearing loss and was associated with a decrease in neurogenesis in the hippocampus. We believe that the observed effects were likely due to hearing loss rather than the initial oxidant stress, which only lasted for a short period of time.

Epidemiological studies have indicated that noise exposure is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the nature of the connection between noise exposure and T2DM remains to be explored.

This study is designed to analyze survival benefit of (neo-) adjuvant radiotherapy to patients with T2-3N0M0 stage esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

Hypoxia is an important factor that causes decreased local disease control as well as increased distant metastases and resistance to radiotherapy in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Gambogic acid (GA), the major active ingredient of gamboge, exerts antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism by which GA inhibits tumor radioresistance remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the radiosensitizing effects of GA on NPC and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Hearing loss often triggers an inescapable buzz (tinnitus) and causes everyday sounds to become intolerably loud (hyperacusis), but exactly where and how this occurs in the brain is unknown. To identify the neural substrate for these debilitating disorders, we induced both tinnitus and hyperacusis with an ototoxic drug (salicylate) and used behavioral, electrophysiological, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to identify the tinnitus-hyperacusis network. Salicylate depressed the neural output of the cochlea, but vigorously amplified sound-evoked neural responses in the amygdala, medial geniculate, and auditory cortex. Resting-state fMRI revealed hyperactivity in an auditory network composed of inferior colliculus, medial geniculate, and auditory cortex with side branches to cerebellum, amygdala, and reticular formation. Functional connectivity revealed enhanced coupling within the auditory network and segments of the auditory network and cerebellum, reticular formation, amygdala, and hippocampus. A testable model accounting for distress, arousal, and gating of tinnitus and hyperacusis is proposed.

Heterostructure ReS2/GaAs was fabricated on a 110-μm (111) GaAs wafer by chemical vapor deposition method. Passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser was demonstrated by employing heterostructure ReS2/GaAs as a saturable absorber (SA). The shortest pulse width of 51.3 ns with a repetition rate of 452 kHz was obtained, corresponding to the pulse energy of 465 nJ and the peak power of 9.1 W. In comparison with the ReS2 Q-switched laser and the GaAs Q-switched laser, the heterostructer ReS2/GaAs Q-switched laser can generate shorter pulse duration and higher pulse energy.

Noise pollution is a major hazardous factor to human health and is likely harmful for vulnerable groups such as pre-term infants under life-support system in an intensive care unit. Previous studies have suggested that noise exposure impairs children's learning ability and cognitive performance and cognitive functions in animal models in which the effect is mainly attributed to the oxidant stress of noise on the cognitive brain. The potential role of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), rather than the oxidant stress, has also been indicated by a depression of neurogenesis in the hippocampus long after a brief noise exposure, which produces only a tentative oxidant stress. It is not clear if noise exposure and NIHL during early development exerts a long term impact on cognitive function and neurogenesis towards adulthood. In the present study, a brief noise exposure at high sound level was performed in neonatal C57BL/6J mice (15 days after birth) to produce a significant amount of permanent hearing loss as proved 2 months after the noise. At this age, the noise-exposed animals showed deteriorated spatial learning and memory abilities and a reduction of hippocampal neurogenesis as compared with the control. The averaged hearing threshold was found to be strongly correlated with the scores for spatial learning and memory. We consider the effects observed are largely due to the loss of hearing sensitivity, rather than the oxidant stress, due to the long interval between noise exposure and the observations.

Radiotherapy is an important strategy for rectal cancer patient treatment. However, the efficiency of radiation is usually poor, especially in patients with advanced stage rectal cancer due to the radio-resistance developed. At the present study, OCT4 was found to play a critical role in radio-resistance development in human rectal cancer cells by improving the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process (EMT). Endogenous OCT4 expression could confer resistant phonotype on human rectal cancer cells, which was supported by the data from clonogenic forming assay and cell cycle arrest recovering experiment. EMT related transcription factor ZEB1 might take part in the radio-resistance induced by OCT4, as its expression could be upregulated by OCT4 and its silence could reverse the OCT4 induced resistance to radiation in SW480 cells. More interestingly, CHK1 was also upregulated in OCT4/ZEB1 dependent manner conferring stronger DNA damage repair activity on cancer cells, which might explain the underlying mechanisms why OCT4/ZEB1 axis could promote the resistance of human rectal cancer cell to radiation. Taken together, our results provided a novel mechanism for radio-resistance development in human rectal cancer cells and a new target to overcome this resistance.

Noise-exposure at levels low enough to avoid a permanent threshold shift has been found to cause a massive, delayed degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in mouse cochleae. Damage to the afferent innervation was initiated by a loss of synaptic ribbons, which is largely irreversible in mice. A similar delayed loss of SGNs has been found in guinea pig cochleae, but at a reduced level, suggesting a cross-species difference in SGN sensitivity to noise. Ribbon synapse damage occurs "silently" in that it does not affect hearing thresholds as conventionally measured, and the functional consequence of this damage is not clear. In the present study, we further explored the effect of noise on cochlear afferent innervation in guinea pigs by focusing on the dynamic changes in ribbon counts over time, and resultant changes in temporal processing. It was found that (1) contrary to reports in mice, the initial loss of ribbons largely recovered within a month after the noise exposure, although a significant amount of residual damage existed; (2) while the response threshold fully recovered in a month, the temporal processing continued to be deteriorated during this period.

Twinfilin1 (TWF1) is an actin monomer-binding protein, which biological function has not yet been fully uncovered. In our previous study, we found by mass spectrometry analysis that TWF1 might be one of the major proteins responsible for milk bio-synthesis and proliferation of bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). The purpose of this study was to explore the possible mechanism by which TWF1 regulates signaling pathways that enhance milk bio-synthesis and proliferation of BMECs. We first explored the effects of TWF1 on milk bio-synthesis and cell proliferation, and analyzed the role of TWF1 on the protein levels of signaling molecules (mTOR, SREBP-1c and Cyclin D1) related to milk bio-synthesis and cell proliferation. Then we determinate the impacts of amino acids (methionine and leucine) and hormones (estrogen and prolactin) on the expressions of TWF1. These results reveal that TWF1 is highly induced by the stimulation of amino acids and hormones and involved in regulation of milk bio-synthesis and cell proliferation via the mTOR pathway in BMECs.

Apoptosis is a common pathway that finally mediated the killing functions of anticancer drugs, which is an important cause of multidrug resistance (MDR). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefit of combination therapy with magnetic nanoparticle of Fe(3)O(4) (MNP(Fe(3)O(4))) and 5-bromotetrandrin (BrTet). Analysis of the apoptosis percentage showed that combination of daunorubicin (DNR) with either MNP(Fe(3)O(4)) or BrTet exerted a potent cytotoxic effect on K562/A02 cells, while MNP(Fe(3)O(4)) and BrTet cotreatment can synergistically enhance DNR-induced apoptosis. Importantly, we confirmed that the distinct synergism effect of that composite on reverse multidrug resistance may owe to the regulation of various proliferative and antiapoptotic gene products, including P53 and caspase-3. Thus our in vitro data strongly suggests a potential clinical application of MNP(Fe(3)O(4)) and BrTet combination on CML.

Large-scale epidemiological surveys suggest that hearing loss (HL) is a significant risk factor for dementia. We previously showed that noise-induced HL (NIHL) impairs hippocampal cognitive function and decreases hippocampal neurogenesis and neuronal complexity, suggesting a causal role of HL in dementia. To further investigate the influence of acquired peripheral HL on hippocampal neurogenesis with the aging process as well as the underlying mechanism, we produced NIHL in male CBA/J mice and assessed hippocampal neurogenesis and microglial morphology in the auditory brain and hippocampus at 4 days post-noise exposure (DPN) or 1, 3, 6, or 12 months post-noise exposure (MPN) by immunofluorescence labeling. We found that the age-related decline in hippocampal neurogenesis was accelerated in mice with NIHL. Furthermore, in mice with NIHL, prolonged microglial activation occurred from 1 MPN to 12 MPN across multiple auditory nuclei, while aggravated microglial deterioration occurred in the hippocampus and correlated with the age-related decline in hippocampal neurogenesis. These results suggest that acquired peripheral HL accelerates the age-related decline in hippocampal neurogenesis and that hippocampal microglial degeneration may contribute to the development of neurodegeneration following acquired peripheral HL.

A novel composite phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage was prepared by adding graphene oxide (GO) to melted disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate (DHPD, Na2HPO4·12H2O), which was then impregnated into expanded vermiculite (EV). Because of the addition of GO, the contact angle between melted DHPD and EV was decreased from 56 to 45°. The maximum latent heat of the composite PCM without GO was 167 J/g, which was improved to 229 J/g by adding 0.2 wt % GO. The phase change temperature of the composite PCM was around 42 °C. The results from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle tests revealed that the improvement in thermal energy storage was achieved because of the reduction of crystal water loss and the increased encapsulation amount of salt hydrates. Thus, the thermal stability of the composite PCM was improved by the addition of GO, which was demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis. The results of all analyses indicate that the addition of a low weight fraction GO can promote the performance of salt hydrates existing in EV.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are thought to have a causal role in a variety of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including age-related hearing loss (AHL). In the current study, we investigated the roles of mtDNA deletions and point mutations in AHL in mitochondrial mutator mice (Polgmut/mut) that were backcrossed onto CBA/CaJ mice, a well-established model of late-onset AHL. mtDNA deletions accumulated significantly with age in the inner ears of Polgmut/mut mice, while there were no differences in mtDNA deletion frequencies in the inner ears between 5 and 17 months old Polg+/+ mice or 5 months old Polg+/+ and Polgmut/mut mice. mtDNA deletions also accumulated significantly in the inner ears of CBA/CaJ mice during normal aging. In contrast, 5 months old Polgmut/mut mice displayed a 238-fold increase in mtDNA point mutation frequencies in the inner ears compared to age-matched Polg+/+ mice, but there were no differences in mtDNA point mutation frequencies in the inner ears between 5 and 17 months old Polgmut/mut mice. Seventeen-month-old Polgmut/mut mice also displayed early-onset severe hearing loss associated with a significant reduction in neural output of the cochlea, while age-matched Polg+/+ mice displayed little or no hearing impairment. Consistent with the physiological and mtDNA deletion test result, 17-month-old Polgmut/mut mice displayed a profound loss of spiral ganglion neurons in the cochlea. Thus, our data suggest that a higher burden of mtDNA point mutations from a young age and age-related accumulation of mtDNA deletions likely contribute to early-onset AHL in mitochondrial mutator mice.

Radiotherapy resistance is now recognized as the major obstacle to the effective therapeutic management of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As a single biomarker has limited effect in stratifying NSCLC patients, this research aimed to identify long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) correlated with radiotherapy response to ameliorate forecast of NSCLC prognosis.

Radiotherapy resistance is a major obstacle in the treatment of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Hypoxia is a critical cause of radioresistance. However, the communication between hypoxic cells and aerobic cells via exosomes during the transfer of radiation resistance remains unclear.

Tanshinone IIA is a natural extract derived from a Chinese medicinal herb with multiple bioactivities; however, whether and how tanshinone IIA protects against colorectal cancer (CRC) are uncertain.

Lymphomas of the orbit and ocular adnexa are histologically heterogeneous and their incidence rate has been increasing lately. However, because of their rarity and diversity, few cases have been analyzed. This study evaluated patients with orbital and ocular adnexal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (OAMALT), who received radiotherapy, and categorized their clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and complications.

To investigate the interobserver variability (IOV) in target volume delineation of definitive radiotherapy for thoracic esophageal cancer (TEC) among cancer centers in China, and ultimately improve contouring consistency as much as possible to lay the foundation for multi-center prospective studies.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the major malignancies worldwide. Emerging evidence has revealed the potential involvement of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in human genetic disorders and cancer, but the role of LOC100505817 remains unknown. Thus, in this study, we isolated tissues from GC patients to characterize the functional importance of LOC100505817 in GC tumorigenesis. We also proposed a hypothesis that the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway by LOC100505817 was regulated by miR-20a-mediated WT1. After the collection of cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were obtained from GC patients, expression of LOC100505817, Wnt/β-catenin pathway- and EMT-related genes was quantified. Ectopic expression and knockdown experiments were applied in order to investigate the protective role of LOC100505817 in the progression of GC. Subsequently, cell viability, flow cytometry for apoptosis and cell cycle were detected via CCK-8, while migration and invasion were determined using scratch test and Transwell assay respectively. Then interactions among LOC100505817, miR-20a and WT1 were explored by dual luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA pull down assay and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. The results found poor expression LOC100505817 was poorly expressed in GC cells and tissues. Overexpressed LOC100505817 resulted in the significant reduction of cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as the expression of Wnt2b, β-catenin, CyclinD1, N-cadherin, Vimentin and snail, while increased cell apoptosis along with the expression of E-cadherin. Wnt/β-catenin pathway and EMT in GC cells were suppressed by LOC100505817 through miR-20a-inhibted WT1. In summary, our results provided evidence suggesting that LOC100505817 inhibits GC through LOC100505817-mediated inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, that leads to the overall restraining of GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion through miR-20a-reduced WT1.