Numerous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are upregulated or downregulated in retinoblastoma (RB), and that this phenomenon is associated with the modulation of various malignant behaviours during RB occurrence and development. Therefore, the mechanisms that associate deregulated miRNAs with RB initiation and progression must be understood to identify effective therapeutic techniques for patients with RB. In the present study, miR-492 expression was upregulated in RB tissues and cell lines. The effects of miR-492 inhibition on the proliferation and invasion of RB cells were examined using Cell Counting kit-8 and invasion assays. The results revealed that miR-492 downregulation significantly decreased the proliferation and invasion of RB cells. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that large tumour-suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2) was a putative target of miR-492. Luciferase reporter assay, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis demonstrated that LATS2 was a direct target gene of miR-492 in RB cells. In addition, LATS2 expression was downregulated in RB tissues, and its downregulation was inversely correlated with miR-492 level. Furthermore, LATS2-knockdown abrogated the effects of miR-492 downregulation in RB cells. In conclusion, miR-492 inhibition may impede the malignant behaviour of RB by directly targeting LATS2. Therefore, targeting this miRNA may be an effective therapeutic method for treating patients with RB.
Abstract. Migrant seasonal workers manually harvest apples throughout the U.S. using ladders and buckets due to the care required for prevention of bruises and other physical damage. The motions associated with hand harvest have potential to cause musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, shoulder, and back/trunk. A prototype harvest platform was developed, aimed at alleviating occupational injuries and increasing harvest productivity by replacing ladders for reaching high apples. This study evaluated the activities of three harvest methods, i.e., conventional harvest (using ladders and buckets), harvest platform (for high apples only), and combined method (conventional harvest for low and middle apples and harvest platform for high apples) using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method performed by trained researchers. Postures/activities with RULA grand scores > 5 were categorized as awkward (causing occupational injuries); otherwise, they were considered comfortable (not leading to health issues). Experimental results demonstrated that awkward activities in conventional harvest were mainly related to the use of ladders. Activities with the harvest platform were comfortable due to the elimination of ladders and buckets. The combined method significantly decreased the workers’ time spent in awkward postures (from 64% with conventional harvest to 30% with the combined method) by eliminating awkward activities and increased the overall harvest productivity by approximately 40%. Apple growers and workers are therefore suggested to use the combined method to replace conventional harvest. Keywords: Agricultural safety, Apple harvest, Ergonomic analysis, Harvest platform, Migrant seasonal workers, Occupational injuries, Postures.
This study used micro data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2018 to explore the impact of China’s residential clean energy consumption on residents’ subjective well-being. Our research results show that: the more clean energy consumption is present in housing, the stronger the residents’ sense of happiness; furthermore, it can be seen from the results of marginal effects that the increase in residential clean energy consumption increases the probability of residents choosing “relatively happy” and “extremely happy”. Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis found that the increase in residential clean energy consumption increased the happiness of people with housing and low education, and also increased the happiness of residents in central China and middle-aged and elderly residents; the intermediary analysis shows that the use of clean energy in housing improves the health of residents, and improves their quality of life while increasing their expenditure. In addition, central heating affects the relationship between residential clean energy consumption and residents’ well-being. Further analysis shows that there is no non-linear relationship between the increase in residential clean energy consumption and residents’ happiness. This study enriches the research on residential clean energy and provides policy suggestions for improving residents’ living standards and welfare.
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