Community detection is a fundamental problem in network science with various applications. The problem has attracted much attention and many approaches have been proposed. Among the existing approaches are the latest methods based on Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN) and on statistical modeling of Markov Random Fields (MRF). Here, we propose to integrate the techniques of GCN and MRF to solve the problem of semi-supervised community detection in attributed networks with semantic information. Our new method takes advantage of salient features of GNN and MRF and exploits both network topology and node semantic information in a complete end-to-end deep network architecture. Our extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the new method over state-of-the-art methods and its scalability on several large benchmark problems.

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AIMTo investigate the potential role of microRNA-30a (miR-30a) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).METHODSExpression of miR-30a-3p/5p was analyzed using microarray data and fresh ESCC tissue samples. Both in vitro and in vivo assays were used to investigate the effects of miR-30a-3p/5p on ESCC cell proliferation. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was performed to explore underlying mechanisms involved in ESCC, and then, assays were carried out to verify the potential molecular mechanism of miR-30a in ESCC.RESULTSLow expression of miR-30a-3p/5p was closely associated with advanced ESCC progression and poor prognosis of patients with ESCC. Knock-down of miR-30a-3p/5p promoted ESCC cell proliferation. Increased miR-30a-3p/5p expression inhibited the Wnt signaling pathway by targeting Wnt2 and Fzd2.CONCLUSIONDown-regulation of miR-30a-3p/5p promotes ESCC cell proliferation by activating the Wnt signaling pathway through inhibition of Wnt2 and Fzd2.

Asthma is a chronic disease that threatens public health worldwide. Multiple studies have shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Edaravone (Eda), a free radical scavenger, has been found to have a protective effect against lung injury due to its ability to eliminate reactive oxygen species. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Eda on asthma and the mechanism underlying its actions. An experimental asthma model was induced in mice, before they were treated with different doses of Eda. Measurements of airway responsiveness to methacholine (Mch), cell counts and cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and of the oxidative products and antioxidant enzymes in lung tissue were taken in these asthma model mice and compared with control mice. Protein levels of kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1 (Keap1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) were determined in the lung tissue of normal mice and Nrf2 and HO-1-deficient mice subject to the asthma model to investigate the mechanisms underlying Eda action. The results indicated that Eda effectively reduced airway responsiveness to Mch. The total number of cells and the numbers of eosinophils, lymphocytes and neutrophils in BALF of asthma model mice were also significantly reduced by Eda treatment when compared with normal saline treatment. Eda treatment significantly alleviated perivascular edema, peribronchial inflammation and macrophage infiltration in the alveolar space and decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines released in BALF compared with control. Eda also significantly reduced the levels of oxidative stress markers in BALF and restored the levels of antioxidative enzyme, superoxide dismutase, when compared with control. The Keap1/Nrf2 ratio was significantly decreased with Eda compared with control due to an increase in Nrf2 and a decrease in Keap1 expression. HO-1 expression was increased by Eda. The airway responsiveness of Nrf2-/mice or HO-1-/mice to Mch was significantly higher compared with normal mice treated with Eda. Taken together, the results of the present study show that Eda exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, which suggests a potential use for Eda in reduction of asthma severity. The activated Keap1/Nrf2 pathway and HO-1 may be involved in the anti-asthmatic effect of Eda.

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Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is rare and potentially life-threatening; its etiology remains unclear. Imaging characteristics on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and their prognostic significance have rarely been studied. We sought to determine CMR's prognostic value in PPCM by using T1 and T2 mapping techniques. Methods: Data from 21 PPCM patients from our CMR registry database were analyzed. The control group comprised 20 healthy age-matched females. All subjects underwent comprehensive contrast-enhanced CMR. T1 and T2 mapping using modified Look-Locker inversion recovery and T2 prep balanced steady-state free precession sequences, respectively. Ventricular size and function, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), myocardial T1 value, extracellular volume (ECV), and T2 value were analyzed. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at baseline and during follow-up. The recovered left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was defined as LVEF ≥50% on echocardiography follow-up after at least 6 months of the diagnosis. Results: CMR imaging showed that the PPCM patients had severely impaired LVEF and right ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF: 26.8 ± 10.6%; RVEF: 33.9 ± 14.6%). LGE was seen in eight (38.1%) cases. PPCM patients had significantly higher native T1 and ECV (1345 ± 79 vs. 1212 ± 32 ms, P < 0.001; 33.9 ± 5.2% vs. 27.1 ± 3.1%, P < 0.001; respectively) and higher myocardial T2 value (42.3 ± 3.7 vs. 36.8 ± 2.3 ms, P < 0.001) than did the normal controls. After a median 2.5-year follow-up (range: 8 months-5 years), six patients required readmission for heart failure, two died, and 10 showed left ventricular function recovery. The LVEF-recovered group showed significantly lower ECV (30.7 ± 2.1% vs. 36.8 ± 5.6%, P = 0.005) and T2 (40.6 ± 3.0 vs. 43.9 ± 3.7 ms, P = 0.040) than the unrecovered group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed ECV (OR = 0.58 for per 1% increase, P = 0.032) was independently associated with left ventricular recovery in PPCM. Conclusions: Compared to normal controls, PPCM patients showed significantly higher native T1, ECV, and T2. Native T1, ECV, and T2 were associated with LVEF recovery in PPCM. Furthermore, ECV could independently predict left ventricular function recovery in PPCM.

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Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA), mainly exhibit extracellular matrix loss and condylar cartilage degradation, is the most common chronic and degenerative maxillofacial osteoarthritis; however, no efficient therapy for TMJ-OA exists due to the poor understanding of its pathological progression. MicroRNA (miR)-140-5p is a novel non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) that expressed in osteoarthritis specifically. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of miR-140-5p in TMJ-OA, primary mandibular condylar chondrocytes (MCCs) from C57BL/6N mice were treated with interleukins (IL)-1β or transfected with miR-140-5p mimics or inhibitors, respectively. The expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-13, miR-140-5p, nuclear factor (NF)-kB, Smad3 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β3 were examined by western blotting or quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The interaction between the potential binding sequence of miR-140-5p and the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of Smad3 mRNA was testified by dual-luciferase assay. Small Interfering RNA of Smad3 (Si-Smad3) was utilized to further identify the role of Smad3 mediated by miR-140-5p. The data showed MMP13, miR-140-5p and NF-kB increased significantly in response to IL-1β inflammatory response in MCCs, meanwhile, Smad3 and TGF-β3 reduced markedly. Moreover, transfection of miR-140-5p mimics significantly suppressed the expression of Smad3 and TGF-β3 in MCCs, while miR-140-5p inhibitors acted in a converse manner. As the luciferase reporter of Smad3 mRNA observed active interaction with miR-140-5p, Smad3 was identified as a direct target of miR-140-5p. Additionally, the expression of TGF-β3 was regulated upon the activation of Smad3. Together, these data suggested that miR-140-5p may play a role in regulating mandibular condylar cartilage homeostasis and potentially serve as a novel prognostic factor of TMJ-OA-like pathology.