Preoperative NLR and PLR were found to be correlated to unfavorable histopathologic features of cervical cancer. The preoperative NLR, but not PLR, may be used as a potential and easy biomarker for survival prognosis in patients with cervical cancer receiving initial radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy.

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In situmeasurements of the chemical compositions and mechanical properties of kerogen help understand the formation, transformation, and utilization of organic matter in oil shale source rocks. However, the optical diffraction limit prevents attainment of nanoscale resolution using conventional spectroscopy and microscopy. Here, we developed peak force infrared (PFIR) microscopy for multimodal characterization of kerogen in organic shales. PFIR microscopy provides correlative infrared imaging, mechanical mapping, and broadband infrared spectroscopy capabilities with 6 nm spatial resolution within the frequency region of 2400−4000 cm −1 . We have observed nanoscale heterogeneity in the chemical composition, aromaticity, and the level of maturity of the kerogens from source rocks obtained from the Eagle Ford shale play in Texas. The level of aromaticity of the kerogen positively correlates with the local mechanical moduli of the surrounding inorganic matrix, offering insights into the effect of kerogen heterogeneity on the nanoscale mechanical properties of the source rock. Our method and investigation advances the understanding toward the origin and transformation of kerogen in geological settings.

MicroRNAs are involved in tumor initiation and progression by regulating oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Here we found that miR-495 are lower in clinical ESCC tissues than in adjacent non-tumor tissues. Moreover, the lower miR-495 expression correlated with increased lymph node metastasis (LNM), invasion and TNM stage. miR-495 overexpression predicted a favorable outcome in ESCC patients. miR-495 targeted a site in the 3′-UTR of Akt1, and miR-495 levels correlated inversely with Akt1 protein levels in ESCC tissue samples. Overexpression of miR-495 suppressed cell proliferation, blocked G1/S phase transition, and decreased migration and invasion by two ESCC cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Restoration of Akt1 protein levels in miR-495-overexpressing ESCC cells attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-495. In addition, miR-495 suppressed cell cycle transition and the EMT signaling pathway through targeting Akt1, thereby inhibiting ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Our results suggest that miR-495 may act as a tumor suppressor by targeting Akt1 in ESCC.

The proportion of individuals with low affinity anti-Gal increases in the elderly population in comparison with the young population. The possible molecular mechanisms which may result in the age-associated decrease in the antibody affinity are discussed.

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Owing to the better correlation coefficients between CT attenuation value and iodine concentration, GSI may be a preferred method for quantitative measurement compared with TPXI.