Evaluation of exosomal non-coding RNAs in cancer using high-throughput sequencing

Clinical oncologists need more reliable and non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to follow-up cancer patients. However, the existing biomarkers are often invasive and costly, emphasizing the need for the development of biomarkers to provide convenient and precise detection. Extracellular vesicles especially exosomes have recently been the focus of translational research to develop non-invasive and reliable biomarkers for several diseases such as cancers, suggesting as a valuable source of tumor markers. Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by various living cells that can be found in all body fluids including serum, urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, and ascites. Different molecular and genetic contents of their origin such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and glycans in a stable form make exosomes a promising approach for various cancers’ diagnoses, prediction, and follow-up in a minimally invasive manner. Since exosomes are used by cancer cells for intercellular communication, they play a critical role in the disease process, highlighting the importance of their use as clinically relevant biomarkers. However, regardless of the advantages that exosome-based diagnostics have, they suffer from problems regarding their isolation, detection, and characterization of their contents. This study reviews the history and biogenesis of exosomes and discusses non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and their potential as tumor markers in different types of cancer, with a focus on next generation sequencing (NGS) as a detection method. Moreover, the advantages and challenges associated with exosome-based diagnostics are also presented.

THE GENRE OF RIDDLE IN FOLKLORE OF THE TUVANS OF RUSSIA, CHINA, AND MONGOLIA

В статье в сравнительно - сопоставительном плане анализируются загадки тувинцев Китая, России и Монголии, рассматриваются их общие и отличительные особенности. Семантическая наполненность жанра загадки в анклавных традициях тувинского фольклора, а также их прагматика соответствуют идентичным жанрам материнской традиции. Совпадают их общая идейно - тематическая направленность, структура и содержание. В большинстве случаев тувинские загадки сохраняют устойчивую форму, но в то же время в зарубежных традициях отмечаются черты этнолокальной специфики, «вибрирование» фольклорных текстов в рамках общетувинской традиции на уровне лексики. The article analyzes the riddles of Tuvans of China, Russia, and Mongolia in a comparative way, and examines their common and distinctive features. The semantic content of the riddle genre in the enclave traditions of Tuvan folklore, as well as their pragmatics, correspond to the identical genres of the mother tradition. Their General ideological and thematic orientation, structure and content coincide. In most cases, Tuvan riddles retain a stable form, but at the same time, foreign traditions show features of ethnolocal specificity, "vibration" of folklore texts within the framework of the General Tuvan tradition at the level of vocabulary.

Electron Delocalization on the Silicon Nanoparticles Surface

The specific properties of tubular and fullerenlike silicon nanoparticles depend on theirs electronic structure, which is directly related to the surface geometry. Using density functional approach, a novel dual nature of the surface structure of silicon nanotubes which depends on the type of nanotube have been revevaled. The rippled form of the surface has shown to be a favorable one for (n, n) type structure and the most stable form for (n, 0) Si NT is the nanotube with a smooth-walled graphene-like surface. The phenomenon is explained by the relative position of the non-hybridized p orbitals on the surface.

A STUDY OF CORROSION INHIBITON EFFECT OF THIOSEMICARBAZIDE BASED SCHIFF BASE ON ALUMINIUM METAL IN ACIDIC MEDIUM

Corrosion is the destruction of metal surface by the reaction with its environment (humidity, gases, acid, alkaline etc.). In this process metal convert in to the more stable form such as sulphide oxide etc. Corrosion of materials and structures is a hindrance to the development of society as it causes significant loss to the economy, leads to pollution, and leads to serious disasters, hence its prevention and control is of great benefit for the humanity. Addition of corrosion inhibitors is one of the practical and easy methods to protect metals and alloys against attack of corrosion in many industrial environments. In this chapter thiosemicarbazide based Schiff base 2-[(3,4-dihydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)methylidene]hydrazine1-carbothioamide (DHNPMHC) was synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, FT-IR and UV–Vis methods. The inhibition efficiency of Schiff base DHNPMHC against aluminium corrosion in 0.5 M HCl was examined using mass loss measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that DHNPMHC is an effective inhibitor for aluminium corrosion in 0.5 M HCl solution. The inhibition efficiency also increased with concentration of inhibitor increased. Maximum percentage inhibition efficiency 92.6 % (at 4-hour immersion time) is shown at highest concentration of inhibitor 5% (5X10-5M). Adsorption of the inhibitor on the aluminium surface followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. SEM study of aluminium surface in presence of inhibitor and in absence of inhibitor also supports the inhibition of corrosion in acidic medium. All results show that the Schiff base of thiosemicarbazide (DHNPMHC) is excellent corrosion inhibitor for aluminium in 0.5 M HCl.

Political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees: evidence from Pakistan

Purpose This paper aims to examine the association between political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees. The authors use various measures of political connections and uncertainty: political connections (civil and military), political events (elections) and a general measure of political stability (i.e. a world bank index). Design/methodology/approach The authors measure the association between political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees. Audit fees reflect auditors’ perceptions of risk. The authors examine auditors’ business risk, clients’ audit and business risk after controlling for the variables used in prior audit fee research. Findings Results indicate that civil-connected firms pay significantly higher audit fees than non-connected firms owing to the instability of civil-political connections. Military-connected firms pay significantly lower audit fees than non-connected firms owing to the stable form of government. Furthermore, considering high leverage as a measure of clients’ high audit risk and high return-on-assets (ROA) as a measure of clients’ lower business risk, the authors interact leverage and ROA with civil and military connections. The results reveal that these risks moderate the relationship between political connection and audit fees. Election risk is independent of risk associated with political connections. General political stability reinforces the theme that a stable government results in lower risks. Originality/value The authors combine cross-sectional measures of political uncertainty (civil or military connections) with time-dependent measures (general measures of political instability and elections).

“A Nondescript Monster”: Fanny Fern in Transatlantic Print Culture

Fanny Fern (real name Sara Payson Willis Parton) was one of the most profitable American columnists and novelists of the mid-nineteenth century. Fern sustained her celebrity status largely through unauthorised reprints of her articles in American and British papers. Consequently, her public image was for the most part constructed through those reprinted articles, which were usually framed by speculations about her private life. This article examines the implications and limitations of Fern’s efforts to stabilise the dissemination of her public image in periodicals by using the relatively more stable form of the book. As a celebrity, she had limited control over the way she was publicly represented. As a woman in the public sphere, she was particularly vulnerable to slander and libel. The circulation of a spurious biography entitled The Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern (1855), alongside her sanctioned autobiographical novel Ruth Hall, profited from her literary brand while simultaneously undermining it. Examining how these competing narratives about Fern’s private life – one fictionalised, one unauthorised – shaped her literary reputation at home and in England, this paper argues that textual representations as well as material market choices, including book bindings and advertising techniques, shaped authorship in the increasingly commercialised transatlantic literary market of the mid-century in ways that both benefited and imperilled the female writer.

Decoding the Structure of Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids: The Rotational Spectrum of Jet-Cooled Laser-Ablated Thioproline

The broadband rotational spectrum of jet-cooled laser-ablated thioproline was recorded. Two conformers of this system were observed and identified with the help of DFT and ab initio computations by comparison of the observed and calculated rotational constants and 14N quadrupole coupling constants as well as the predicted energies compared to the observed relative populations. These conformers showed a mixed bent/twisted arrangement of the five-membered ring similar to that of the related compound thiazolidine with the N–H bond in axial configuration. The most stable form had the COOH group in an equatorial position on the same side of the ring as N-H. The arrangement of the C=O group close to the N-H bond led to a weak interaction between them (classified as type I) characterized by a noncovalent interaction analysis. The second form had a trans-COOH arrangement showing a type II O–H···N hydrogen bond. In thioproline, the stability of conformers of type I and type II was reversed with respect to proline. We show how the conformation of the ring depends on the function associated with the endocyclic N atom when comparing the structures of isolated thioproline with its zwitterion observed in condensed phases and with peptide forms.

DEVELOPMENT OF CIPROFLOXACIN LOADED THROAT PAINT FOR THE TREATMENT OF STREP THROAT INFECTION

Objective: This study is to enhance the solubility and sustained release of ciprofloxacin (CPX) drug by amplifying the adhesive capability of formulation by forming throat paint for the Streptococcal pharyngitis, a sore throat infection. Methods: Solid dispersion was prepared by solvent evaporation technique, in which three different ratios of Polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) were selected, and the best ratio of solid dispersion was selected after characterization including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with evaluation parameters including % yield, drug content, and drug solubility. In the case of throat paint, out of six different formulations, the best formulation was selected through viscosity, in vitro mucoadhesion, in situ release study, and spreadability parameters. Results: The DSC and SEM data proved that solid dispersion has a different moiety than its ingredients but it is quite a stable form. Formulation MD-2 was selected as the best formulation which able to increase the solubility of the drug by more than 3.5 folds, at the same time it shows the highest rate of drug dissolution of 13.951 μg/ml with % yield (97.199±0.167%) and drug content (96.425%). Throat paint was formed by fusion and trituration process and out of all six formulations F3 was selected as the best formulation on the basis of Viscosity (11932 Centi poise), Spreadability (17.621), Mucoadhesion (3937.481 dyne/cm2), and drug release (90.336±0.6%). Conclusion: Solid dispersion was successfully prepared with 3.5 times of solubility enhancement capability in comparison with pure CPX drug. The throat paint releases the drug (≥3 h) in a sustained manner with high mucoadhesive force.

Solubility and Crystallization of Piroxicam from Different Solvents in Evaporative and Cooling Crystallization

In this work, the solubility of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), piroxicam, is investigated. The polymorphic form II, which is the most stable form at room temperature, was investigated in seven different solvents with various polarities. It has been found that the solubility of piroxicam in the solvents is in the following order: chloroform > dichloromethane > acetone > ethyl acetate > acetonitrile > acetic acid > methanol > hexane. Crystallization of piroxicam from different solvents has been performed with evaporative crystallization and cooling crystallization; the effects of solvent evaporation rate and solute concentration have also been studied. Both form I and form II could be produced in cooling and evaporative crystallization, and no simple link can be identified between the operating parameters and the polymorphic outcome. Results obtained in the present work showed the stochastic nature of the nucleation of different polymorphs as well as the complexity of the crystallization of a polymorphic system.

Subtype-Independent ANP32E Reduction During Breast Cancer Progression in Accordance with Chromatin Relaxation

Background Chromatin state provides a clear decipherable blueprint for maintenance of transcriptional patterns, exemplifying a mitotically stable form of cellular programming in dividing cells. In this regard, genomic studies of chromatin states within cancerous tissues have the potential to uncover novel aspects of tumor biology and unique mechanisms associated with disease phenotypes and outcomes. The degree to which chromatin state differences occur in accordance with breast cancer features has not been established. Methods We applied a series of unsupervised computational methods to identify chromatin and molecular differences associated with discrete physiologies across human breast cancer tumors. Results Chromatin patterns alone are capable of stratifying tumors in association with cancer subtype and disease progression. Major differences occur at DNA motifs for the transcription factor FOXA1, in hormone receptor-positive tumors, and motifs for SOX9 in Basal-like tumors. We find that one potential driver of this effect, the histone chaperone ANP32E, is inversely correlated with tumor progression and relaxation of chromatin at FOXA1 binding sites. Tumors with high levels of ANP32E exhibit an immune response and proliferative gene expression signature, whereas tumors with low ANP32E levels appear programmed for differentiation. Conclusions Our results indicate that ANP32E may function through chromatin state regulation to control breast cancer differentiation and tumor plasticity. This study sets a precedent for future computational studies of chromatin changes in carcinogenesis.