Negative refraction in hyperbolic hetero-bicrystals

We visualized negative refraction of phonon polaritons, which occurs at the interface between two natural crystals. The polaritons-hybrids of infrared photons and lattice vibrations-form collimated rays that display negative refraction when passing through a planar interface between the two hyperbolic van der Waals materials: molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) and isotopically pure hexagonal boron nitride (h¹¹BN). At a special frequency ω₀, these rays can circulate along closed diamond-shaped trajectories. We have shown that polariton eigenmodes display regions of both positive and negative dispersion interrupted by multiple gaps that result from polaritonic-level repulsion and strong coupling.

Genetic variants in the calcium signaling pathway participate in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer through the tumor microenvironment

Background

Cancer risk is influenced by calcium signaling in intracellular and intercellular signaling pathways. However, the relationship between the calcium signaling pathway and colorectal cancer risk remains unknown. We aim to evaluate the role of genetic variants in calcium signaling pathway genes in colorectal cancer risk through the tumor microenvironment.

Methods

An analysis of genetic variants in the calcium signaling pathway was conducted using a case-control study that included 1150 colorectal cancer patients and 1342 non-cancer patients. Using the regression model, we assessed whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) increase the risk of colorectal cancer. We also performed a dual luciferase reporter gene assay using HCT116 cell lines and DLD1 cell lines to demonstrate the regulatory relationship between SNP and candidate risk gene. We evaluated the expression of candidate risk gene in different populations. In addition, we also evaluated candidate risk gene and 22 immune cells correlation studies.

Results

There was a significant association between the PDE1C rs12538364 T allele and colorectal cancer risk [odds ratio (OR) = 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.30 - 1.90, P = 3.07 × 10^-6, P _FDR = 0.004]. Mutation of intron region rs1538364 C to T locus reduces promoter activity of PDE1C in DLD1 and HCT116 cell lines (P < 0.05). We identified that PDE1C is significantly down-regulated in colorectal cancer, closely associated with 22 immune cells. Finally, we found that PDE1C could be the biomarker for individual immunotherapy of colorectal cancer.

Conclusion

According to our findings, PDE1C may be a key factor contributing to colorectal cancer, thus improving individual immunotherapy for the disease. The potential mechanism by which polymorphisms in the calcium signaling pathway genes may participate in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer through the tumor microenvironment.

Conjugated Polymers in Solution: A Physical Perspective

Excellent progress has been made in the optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers by controlling solution-state aggregation. However, due to the wide variety and complex structures of conjugated polymers, it is still challenging to fully understand the complex aggregation process and microstructures both in solution and in the solid state. This Perspective focuses on the chain conformations and the aggregation of conjugated polymers in solution. We discuss the factors in detail which affect solution-state aggregation and microstructures from the perspective of polymer physics in solutions, including chemical structures and environmental conditions. Based on the understanding of multiple interactions of conjugated polymers in solution, strategies to regulate solid-state microstructures and obtain high-performance polymer-based devices from solution-state aggregation are summarized.

Cbl-b inhibited CD4+ T cell activation by regulating the expression of miR-99a/miR-125b

The molecular regulation of T cell activation has always been a hot topic in immunology. It has been reported that Cbl-b inhibits T cell activation, but the specific molecular mechanism especially for transcriptional regulation has not been very clear so far. Our present study showed that ablation of Cbl-b resulted in the increased expression of miR-99a and miR-125b, and the antagonism of miR-99a or miR-125b could inhibit the Cbl-b^-/- T cell over-activation partly. Further study demonstrated that Cbl-b could bind and ubiquitinate SHP-2 in the activated T cells. The activation of SHP-2 deficient T cells was significantly inhibited. Western blot showed that SHP-2 could dephosphorylate HOXA10, and HOXA10 could enter the nucleus under the stimulation of anti-CD3 antibody alone in Cbl-b deficient T cells. Luciferase reporter assay and CUT&Tag qPCR showed that HOXA10 could regulate the expression of miR-99a/miR-125b. Real-time PCR and western blot further indicated that miR-99a/miR-125b functioned on PI3K/AKT pathway to regulate T cell activation. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Cbl-b ubiquitinated SHP-2 to arrest HOXA10-mediated CD4⁺ T cell activation by regulating the expression of miR-99a/miR-125b and their function on PI3K/AKT pathway, which might providing a new explanation for the regulation of T cell activation and potential new idea for autoimmune diseases and tumor immunotherapies.

ABC-Type, Bola-Form Giant Surfactants: Synthesis and Self-Assembly

Due to the fast phase separation kinetics and small feature size, the self-assembly of giant molecules has attracted lots of attention. However, there is not much study on multicomponent giant surfactants. In this work, through a modular synthetic strategy, different polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based molecular nanoparticles are installed with diverse functionalities (hydrophobic octavinyl POSS (VPOSS), hydrophilic dihydroxyl-functionalized POSS (DPOSS), and omniphobic perfluoroalkyl-chain-functionalized POSS (FPOSS)) on the ends of one polystyrene (PS) chain to build up a series of triblock bola-form giant surfactants denoted as XPOSS-PS_n -FPOSS (X represents V or D). The target molecules are prepared by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), esterification, as well as Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and thiol-ene "click" reactions. These macromolecules are thoroughly characterized by combined technologies including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analyses. It is revealed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that VPOSS-PS_n -FPOSS adopts a two-phase separation scenario where VPOSS and POSS are segregated in one phase. DPOSS-PS_n -FPOSS with a third hydrophilic DPOSS shows a three-phase separation scenario, where highly ordered phase structures are difficult to develop owing to the competition of mutual phase separation processes and may be trapped in kinetically metastable states.

Subtypes analysis and prognostic model construction based on lysosome-related genes in colon adenocarcinoma

Background: Lysosomes are essential for the development and recurrence of cancer. The relationship between a single lysosome-related gene and cancer has previously been studied, but the relationship between the lysosome-related genes (LRGs) and colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) remains unknown. This research examined the role of lysosome-related genes in colon adenocarcinoma. Methods: 28 lysosome-related genes associated with prognosis (PLRGs) were found by fusing the gene set that is differently expressed between tumor and non-tumor in colon adenocarcinoma with the gene set that is related to lysosomes. Using consensus unsupervised clustering of PLRGs, the colon adenocarcinoma cohort was divided into two subtypes. Prognostic and tumor microenvironment (TME) comparisons between the two subtypes were then made. The PLRGs_score was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) method to quantify each patient's prognosis and provide advice for treatment. Lastly, Western Blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to identify MOGS expression at the protein level in colon adenocarcinoma tissues. Results: PLRGs had more somatic mutations and changes in genetic level, and the outcomes of the two subtypes differed significantly in terms of prognosis, tumor microenvironment, and enrichment pathways. Then, PLRGs_score was established based on two clusters of differential genes in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, and external verification was performed using the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Then, we developed a highly accurate nomogram to enhance the clinical applicability of the PLRGs_score. Finally, a higher PLRGs_score was associated with a poorer overall survival (OS), a lower tumor mutation burden (TMB), a lower cancer stem cell (CSC) index, more microsatellite stability (MSS), and a higher clinical stage. MOGS was substantially elevated at the protein level in colon adenocarcinoma as additional confirmation. Conclusion: Overall, based on PLRGs, we identified two subtypes that varied significantly in terms of prognosis and tumor microenvironment. Then, in order to forecast patient prognosis and make treatment suggestions, we developed a diagnostic model with major significance for prognosis, clinical relevance, and immunotherapy. Moreover, we were the first to demonstrate that MOGS is highly expressed in colon adenocarcinoma.

Medical image segmentation based on self-supervised hybrid fusion network

Automatic segmentation of medical images has been a hot research topic in the field of deep learning in recent years, and achieving accurate segmentation of medical images is conducive to breakthroughs in disease diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. In medicine, MRI imaging technology is often used to image brain tumors, and further judgment of the tumor area needs to be combined with expert analysis. If the diagnosis can be carried out by computer-aided methods, the efficiency and accuracy will be effectively improved. Therefore, this paper completes the task of brain tumor segmentation by building a self-supervised deep learning network. Specifically, it designs a multi-modal encoder-decoder network based on the extension of the residual network. Aiming at the problem of multi-modal feature extraction, the network introduces a multi-modal hybrid fusion module to fully extract the unique features of each modality and reduce the complexity of the whole framework. In addition, to better learn multi-modal complementary features and improve the robustness of the model, a pretext task to complete the masked area is set, to realize the self-supervised learning of the network. Thus, it can effectively improve the encoder's ability to extract multi-modal features and enhance the noise immunity. Experimental results present that our method is superior to the compared methods on the tested datasets.

Analysis of the effects of isolation piles on the basal stability of foundation pits against upheaval based on continuous velocity fields

The upper bound limit analysis method is one of the main approaches to check the basal stability of foundation pits against upheaval. However, existing studies have often failed to consider the effects of external supporting structures, including isolation piles and others, on basal stability against upheaval. This study derives a formula for the coefficient of basal stability against upheaval under the action of isolation piles by simplifying the pile-soil relationship and systematically examines the impact of isolation pile parameters on basal stability against upheaval using the theory of continuous velocity fields and the upper bound limit analysis method. A comparison of simulation results indicates that this technique can accurately identify the variation trend of basal stability against upheaval under the influence of isolation piles and achieve high calculation precision under the operating conditions of wide foundation pits and short isolation piles. Accordingly, a moderate increase in isolation pile parameters produces a significant supporting effect for narrowed foundation pits. Whereas for wide foundation pits, the supporting capacity of isolation piles can be maximized when pile length equals excavation depth.

[Pars plana vitrectomy techniques guiding by the pathological anatomy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment]

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a retinal vitreous disease, with increasing incidence in recent years. Pars plana vitrectomy is one of the most common treatments for RRD. To prevent re-detachment after the primary surgery and guarantee the visual outcome of the patients, we highlight the techniques for RRD during the PPV, including the surgical skills to manipulate the breaks, peripheral retina and vitreous base, meanwhile, empathized on the posterior vitreous detachment and posterior vitreous cortex. The aim is to increase the rate of anatomical re-attachment and to improve visual function.

Case Report: A case of radioactive iodine-refractory thyroid cancer accompanying cervical lymph node metastasis treated with US-guided RFA combined with 125I seed implantation

Background

Local control of metastases is critical to improving the life quality of patients with radioactive iodine-refractory (RAIR) thyroid cancer accompanying regional lymph node metastasis.

Case report

The reported patient suffered from RAIR thyroid cancer accompanying poorly controlled cervical lymph node metastasis. The patient’s lesions were controlled through 125I seed implantation combined with ultrasound-guided radio-frequency ablation (US-guided RFA). Such a combination therapy has not been reported to date.

Conclusion

This study found US-guided RFA combined with 125I seed implantation to be safe and effective for the control of cervical local metastases in patients with RAIR thyroid cancer.

Comparisons of soil organic carbon enrichment and loss in sediments among red soil, black soil, and loess in China

Water erosion could cause wide and serious soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, but differences in SOC loss and enrichment in sediments among red soil, black soil, and loess in China have received less attention. This study investigates the transport of sediments and generation regulation of runoffs during the erosion process by collecting data from indoor or outdoor artificial simulated rainfall experiments and selecting typical regional rainfall intensity and slope gradient for bare cultivate soil slopes as well as 5–8 m length and 1.5–2 m width runoff plots or soil pans. Then, the change in SOC loss for the three widely distributed and seriously eroded soils, from south to north in China, is clarified. Results show that the stable value and growth rate of soil and SOC loss rates followed the following order: black soil < red soil < loess. The SOC loss rate of loess was more sensitive to rainfall intensity and slope gradient than those of the two other soils. The SOC enrichment ratio (ERocs) of the sediments of the red soil and loess soil is higher than that of the black soil, and this difference increases as the soil loss rate decreases. ERocs generally has a negative exponential relationship with soil loss, but it has a negative logarithmic relationship with soil loss for the loess soil with high aggregate and clay contents. SOC and clay content determine the SOC enrichment in sediments for different soils. In addition, this study provides recommendations for improving SOC dynamic models for soil under water erosion.

Selecting an Appropriate Experimental Animal Model for Cholangiocarcinoma Research

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive biliary tree malignancy with intrahepatic and extra-hepatic subtypes that differ in molecular pathogeneses, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, treatment, and prognosis. The overall prognosis and patient survival remains poor because of lack of early diagnosis and effective treatments. Preclinical in vivo studies have become increasingly paramount as they are helpful not only for the study of the fundamental molecular mechanisms of CCA but also for developing novel and effective therapeutic approaches of this fatal cancer. Recent advancements in cell and molecular biology have made it possible to mimic the pathogenicity of human CCA in chemical-mechanical, infection-induced inflammatory, implantation, and genetically engineered animal models. This review is intended to help investigators understand the particular strengths and weaknesses of the currently used in vivo animal models of human CCA and their related modeling techniques to aid in the selection of the one that is the best for their research needs.

[High expression of MYBL2 promotes progression and predicts a poor survival outcome of prostate cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the correlation of MYB proto-oncogene like 2 (MYBL2) with biological behaviors and clinical prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODS

We detected Mybl2 mRNA expression in 45 pairs of PCa and adjacent tissues using real-time quantitative PCR, and analyzed the correlation of high (23 cases) and low expression (22 cases) of Mybl2 with clinicopathological features and prognosis of the patients using nonparametric test, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox regression. The results were verified by analysis of the data from Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) microarray database, and the molecular pathways were identified by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The CIBERPORT algorithm was used to identify the correlations between Mybl2 expression and tumor microenvironment of PCa. We also tested the effects of MYBL2 knockdown on proliferation and invasion of PCa cell lines using cell counting kit-8 and Transwell assays and observed the growth of PC3 cell xenograft with MYBL2 knockdown in nude mice and the expression levels of Ki-67 in the xenograft using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Mybl2 expression was significantly elevated in PCa tissues in close correlation with Gleason score and clinical and pathological stage of the tumor (P < 0.01) but not with the patients' age. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a significant negative correlation of high Mybl2 expression with recurrence-free survival (P < 0.05), but not with the overall survival of the patients. The data from TCGA suggested that clinical and pathological stages were independent prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival, and our data indicated that clinical stage and Gleason score were independent prognostic factors of PCa (P < 0.05). GSEA suggested that Mybl2 expression was related with the pathways involving immune function, cell adhesion, and cytokine secretion; CIBERPORT analysis suggested the involvement of Mybl2 expression with memory B cells and resting mast cells (P < 0.05). In LNCaP and PC-3 cells, MYBL2 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion (P < 0.05); in the tumor-bearing nude mice, the xenografts derived from PC-3 cells with MYBL2 knockdown exhibited a lowered mean tumor weight and positivity rate for Ki67 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Mybl2 is an oncogene related with multiple pathological indicators of PCa and can serve as a potential prognostic marker as well as a therapeutic target for patients with PCa.

A phase III randomized, controlled trial of nedaplatin versus cisplatin concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

We evaluated the non-inferiority of nedaplatin-based and cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer patients.

DESIGN

Patients aged 28-82 years with pathologically diagnosed cervical cancer (stage IB-IVA) were randomly chosen for the study. Patients in both the cisplatin and nedaplatin groups received radiotherapy and weekly intravenous nedaplatin 30 mg/m² or cisplatin 40 mg/m² concurrently.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty patients who received treatment between 10 May 2018 and 31 August 2020 were included. The 3-year overall survival in the nedaplatin group (median 30.5 months) was not significantly different from that in the cisplatin group (28.5 months; hazard ratio 0.131, 95% confidence interval 0.016-1.068; P = 0.058). No significant differences in hematological toxicity were observed between the two groups. Vomiting (40 versus 61), nausea (44 versus 67), and anorexia (52 versus 71) were more common in the cisplatin group whereas effects on liver function, including total bilirubin (7 versus 3), alanine aminotransferase (7 versus 2), and aspartate aminotransferase (6 versus 2), were more common in the nedaplatin group. Four patients in the cisplatin group had grade I creatinine elevation, whereas none in the nedaplatin group had abnormal creatinine levels. Two patients in the nedaplatin group discontinued concurrent chemotherapy because of infusion, and one patient in the cisplatin group discontinued treatment because of infusion-induced dizziness.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that nedaplatin has a milder gastrointestinal reaction but a more significant effect on liver function than cisplatin. In patients with cervical cancer, nedaplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy could serve as an alternative treatment to cisplatin.

MM-UNet: A multimodality brain tumor segmentation network in MRI images

The global annual incidence of brain tumors is approximately seven out of 100,000, accounting for 2% of all tumors. The mortality rate ranks first among children under 12 and 10th among adults. Therefore, the localization and segmentation of brain tumor images constitute an active field of medical research. The traditional manual segmentation method is time-consuming, laborious, and subjective. In addition, the information provided by a single-image modality is often limited and cannot meet the needs of clinical application. Therefore, in this study, we developed a multimodality feature fusion network, MM-UNet, for brain tumor segmentation by adopting a multi-encoder and single-decoder structure. In the proposed network, each encoder independently extracts low-level features from the corresponding imaging modality, and the hybrid attention block strengthens the features. After fusion with the high-level semantic of the decoder path through skip connection, the decoder restores the pixel-level segmentation results. We evaluated the performance of the proposed model on the BraTS 2020 dataset. MM-UNet achieved the mean Dice score of 79.2% and mean Hausdorff distance of 8.466, which is a consistent performance improvement over the U-Net, Attention U-Net, and ResUNet baseline models and demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Analysis of the Prognostic Significance and Immune Infiltration of the Amino Acid Metabolism-Related Genes in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Amino acid metabolization is verified to be a part in the progression of cancer. However, genes related to the amino acid metabolism have not been identified in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). A systematic prognostic model of COAD becomes a pressing need. Among genes related to the amino acid metabolism, RIMKLB, ASPG, TH, MTAP, AZIN2, PSMB2, HDC, ACMSD, and PSMA8 were identified to construct a risk model. Kaplan–Meier (K–M) analyses demonstrated that the high-risk group achieved a poor prognosis. Area under the respective ROC (AUC) values indicated the robustness of the model. To highlight its clinical value, multivariate Cox was used to obtain the optimal variables to construct a nomogram. A higher tumor mutation burden was observed in the high-risk group. However, the low-risk group had a stronger immune infiltration. Seven molecular subtypes were found by consensus cluster. Twenty-two hub genes were identified related to the ESTIMATE score using WGCNA. In brief, our research constructed a stable prognostic model related to the amino acid metabolism in COAD, revealing its connection to the immune microenvironment. The model guided the outcome of COAD and the direction of immunotherapy.

Room-Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries: Rules for Catalyst Selection and Electrode Design

Seeking an optimal catalyst to accelerate conversion reaction kinetics of room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries is crucial for improving their electrochemical performance and promoting the practical applications. Herein, theoretical calculations of interfacial interactions of catalysts and polysulfides in terms of the surface adsorption state, interfacial ions migration, and electronic concentration around the Fermi level are systematically proposed as guiding principles of catalyst selection for RT Na-S batteries. As a case, MoN catalyst is accurately selected from transition metal nitrides with different d orbital electrons, and for experiment, it is introduced into the carbon nanofibers as a dual-functioning host (MoN@CNFs). The MoN@CNFs can effectively anchor polysulfides and accelerate their conversion reaction. In addition, for the sodium anode, the MoN@CNFs can also induce uniform deposition of Na and inhibit dendrite growth, which are supported by in situ characterizations and finite element simulation technique. As a result, the as-prepared RT Na-S battery displays high reversible capacity of 990 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1 after 100 cycles and long lifespan over 1500 cycles at 2 A g^-1 . Even with high S loading of 5 mg cm^-2 , the RT Na-S battery still exhibits a high areal capacity of 2.5 mAh cm^-2 .

N7-methylguanosine-related lncRNAs: Predicting the prognosis and diagnosis of colorectal cancer in the cold and hot tumors

Background: 7-Methylguanosine(m7G) contributes greatly to its pathogenesis and progression in colorectal cancer. We proposed building a prognostic model of m7G-related LncRNAs. Our prognostic model was used to identify differences between hot and cold tumors.

Methods: The study included 647 colorectal cancer patients (51 cancer-free patients and 647 cancer patients) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We identified m7G-related prognostic lncRNAs by employing the univariate Cox regression method. Assessments were conducted using univariate Cox regression, multivariate Cox regression, receiver operating characteristics (ROC), nomogram, calibration curves, and Kaplan-Meier analysis. All of these procedures were used with the aim of confirming the validity and stability of the model. Besides these two analyses, we also conducted half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), immune analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The entire set of m7G-related (lncRNAs) with respect to cold and hot tumors has been divided into two clusters for further discussion of immunotherapy.

Results: The risk model was constructed with 17 m7G-related lncRNAs. A good correlation was found between the calibration plots and the prognosis prediction in the model. By assessing IC50 in a significant way across risk groups, systemic treatment can be guided. By using clusters, it may be possible to distinguish hot and cold tumors effectively and to aid in specific therapeutic interventions. Cluster 1 was identified as having the highest response to immunotherapy drugs and thus was identified as the hot tumor.

Conclusion: This study shows that 17 m7G-related lncRNA can be used in clinical settings to predict prognosis and use them to determine whether a tumor is cold or hot in colorectal cancer and improve the individualization of treatment.

Surgical Treatment of SplenicFlexure Colon Cancer: Analysisof Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes of Three DifferentSurgical Procedures

Background

The aim of this study was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of splenic flexure colectomy (SFC), left hemicolectomy (LHC) and extended left hemicolectomy (ELHC) for splenic flexure colon cancer.

Methods

Between January 2011 and December 2018, 117 patients with splenic flexure cancer were enrolled in the study. We retrospectively compared the postoperative, pathological and long-term outcomes of patients with splenic flexure cancer.

Results

Of the 117 patients, 73 (62.4%) underwent SFC, 22 (18.8%) underwent LHC, and 22 (18.8%) underwent ELHC. No statistically significant differences were found among the groups regarding postoperative complications, pathological data or recurrence. No metastatic lymph nodes at the root of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were observed; lymph node metastasis appeared at the root of the middle colic artery (MCA), but in a low proportion of cases (4.4%). Looking at long-term prognosis, no differences were observed among the three groups regarding both 5-year overall survival (94.0% vs 90.2% vs 94.1%) and disease-free survival (88.2% vs 90.2% vs 83.0%).

Conclusion

Our retrospective review suggests that splenic flexure colectomy in minimally invasive surgery is a safe and effective treatment option for splenic flexure colon cancer. The rate of metastatic lymph nodes at the root of the central artery and gastroepiploic arcade node was relatively low.

VN and SeS2 embedded porous carbon-nanofiber film as a free-standing electrode for improved Li-SeS2 batteries

We design a vanadium nitride (VN) modified porous carbon nanofiber film as the host to load SeS₂ as the cathode (SeS₂@VN/CNFs) for improving Li storage capacity. The conductive porous carbon nanofibers can accommodate active SeS₂ and release the volume change. The introduced VN nanoparticles can chemically anchor the intermediate species and improve the utilization of SeS₂. As a result, the SeS₂@VN/CNFs cathode displays a superior electrochemical performance including a high reversible capacity of 806 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 C and good long-term cycling stability in Li-SeS₂ batteries.

[Knobloch syndrome: a case report]

A 5-year-old girl came to the Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital in May 2021 because of her poor eyesight after birth. The physical examination showed that she had high myopia, esotropia, horizontal tremor, and high myopia retinopathy of both eyes. After inquiring about her medical history, we found that the baby's occipital cystic mass swelled after birth, and CT examination showed that the occipital skull plate defect with meningocele, but without treatment, at present, the occipital mass had subsided by itself. Considering the eye manifestations and skull changes of the child, it may be conformed to Knobloch syndrome, after the detection of V4 by full exon gene, it was found that the child had the compound heterozygous variation of pathogenic gene COL18A1, and Knobloch syndrome was definite, Knobloch syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disease with typical features of high myopia, retinal detachment and occipital encephalocele. At present, there is no clear treatment plan, and gene therapy may be an effective treatment for Knobloch syndrome in the future.

Major risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma: Report from the National COVID-19 Cohort Collaborative (N3C)

8008

Background: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM), an age-dependent neoplasm of antibody-producing plasma cells, have compromised immune systems due to multiple factors that may increase the risk of severe COVID-19. The NCATS’ National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) is a centralized data resource representing the largest multi-center cohort of ̃12M COVID-19 cases and controls nationwide. In this study, we aim to analyze risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity and death in MM patients using the N3C database. Methods: Our cohort included MM patients within the N3C registry diagnosed with COVID-19 based on positive PCR or antigen tests or ICD-10–CM. The outcomes of interest include all-cause mortality (including discharge to hospice) during the index encounter, and clinical indicators of severity (hospitalization/ED visit, use of mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/ECMO). Results: As of 09/10/2021, the N3C registry included 690371 cancer patients, out of which 17791 were MM patients (4707 were COVID-19+). The mean age at diagnosis was 65.9yrs, 57.6% were >65yo, 46.4% were females, and 21.8% were Blacks. 25.6% had a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score of ≥2. 55.6% required an inpatient or ED visit, and 3.65% required invasive ventilation. 11.4% developed acute kidney injury during hospitalization. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed histories of pulmonary disease (OR 2.2; 95%CI: 1.7-2.8), renal disease (OR 1.8; 95%CI: 1.4-2.4), and black race (p<0.001) were associated with higher risk of severity. Interestingly, smoking status was significantly associated with a lower risk of severity (OR 0.7; 95%CI: 0.5-0.9). Further, protective association was also observed between COVID-19 severity and blood or marrow transplant (BMT) (OR 0.52; 95%CI: 0.4-0.7), daratumumab therapy (OR 0.64; 95%CI: 0.42-0.99) and COVID-19 vaccination (OR 0.28; 95%CI: 0.18-0.44). IMiDs were associated increase in the risk of COVID-19 severity (OR 2.1; 95%CI: 1.6-2.7). 2.3% of N3C-myeloma COVID-19+ patients died within the first 10 days, while 4.95% died within 30 days of COVID-19 hospitalization. Overall, the survival probability was 90.5% across the course of the study. Multivariate cox proportional hazard model showed that CCI score ≥2 (HR 4.4; 95%CI: 2.2-8.8), hypertension (HR 1.6; 95%CI: 1.02-2.4), IMiD (HR 2.6; 95%CI: 1.8-3.8) and proteasome inhibitor (HR 1.6; 95%CI: 1.1-2.5) therapy were associated with worse survival. COVID-19 vaccination (HR 0.195; 95%CI: 0.09-0.45) and BMT (HR 0.65; 95%CI: 0.4-0.995) were associated with lower risk of death. Conclusions: We have identified previously unpublished potential risk factors for COVID-19 severity and death in MM as well as validated some published ones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest nationwide study on multiple myeloma patients with COVID-19.

PD-1 inhibitor in combination with fruquintinib therapy for initial unresectable colorectal cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND

PD-1 inhibitors in combination with fruquintinib have not previously been reported as neoadjuvant therapy for patients with colorectal cancer. In this case report, the combination of a PD-1 inhibitor and fruquintinib demonstrated good efficacy in patients with MSI-H colorectal cancer.

CASE SUMMARY

The patient was a young man in his 30s who had MSI-H type colon cancer. The patient underwent four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy with a PD-1 inhibitor combined with fruquintinib before surgery, resulting in regression of the mass and a successful surgery.

CONCLUSION

Some patients with colorectal cancer have the MSI-H type, and the first-line chemotherapy regimen is not effective. However, PD-1 monoclonal antibody immunotherapy has a good therapeutic effect, which can be improved by combination therapy with fruquintinib. We recommend that patients with a history of colon or rectal cancer receive universal MSI testing; then, neoadjuvant therapy should be used.

ApoE-mediated systemic nanodelivery of granzyme B and CpG for enhanced glioma immunotherapy

The response of malignant glioma to immunotherapy remains gloomy due to its discrete immunological environment and poor brain penetration of immunotherapeutic agents. Here, we disclose that ApoE peptide-mediated systemic nanodelivery of granzyme B (GrB) and CpG ODN co-stimulates enhanced immunotherapy of murine malignant LCPN glioma model. ApoE peptide-functionalized polymersomes encapsulating GrB (ApoE-PS-GrB) could effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier-mimicking endothelial cell monolayer in vitro and further be taken up by LCPN cells, inducing strong immunogenic cell death (ICD). The co-administration of ApoE-PS-GrB and ApoE-PS-CpG in orthotopic LCPN glioma-bearing mice co-stimulated cytokine production, maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) while reduction of regulatory T lymphocytes (T_reg) and M2 phenotype macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, leading to greatly delayed tumor progression and significantly prolonged survival time compared with all controls. The ApoE-mediated systemic nanodelivery of GrB and CpG ODN opens a new pathway for potent immunotherapy of malignant glioma.

An Open-Ended Ni3 S2 -Co9 S8 Heterostructures Nanocage Anode with Enhanced Reaction Kinetics for Superior Potassium-Ion Batteries

Sulfides are perceived as promising anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity and structural diversity. Nonetheless, the poor structural stability and sluggish kinetics of sulfides lead to unsatisfactory electrochemical performance. Herein, Ni₃ S₂ -Co₉ S₈ heterostructures with an open-ended nanocage structure wrapped by reduced graphene oxide (Ni-Co-S@rGO cages) are well designed as the anode for PIBs via a selective etching and one-step sulfuration approach. The hollow Ni-Co-S@rGO nanocages, with large surface area, abundant heterointerfaces, and unique open-ended nanocage structure, can reduce the K⁺ diffusion length and promote reaction kinetics. When used as the anode for PIBs, the Ni-Co-S@rGO exhibits high reversible capacity and low capacity degradation (0.0089% per cycle over 2000 cycles at 10 A g^-1 ). A potassium-ion full battery with a Ni-Co-S@rGO anode and Prussian blue cathode can display a superior reversible capacity of 400 mAh g^-1 after 300 cycles at 2 A g^-1 . The unique structural advantages and electrochemical reaction mechanisms of the Ni-Co-S@rGO are revealed by finite-element-simulation in situ characterizations. The universal synthesis technology of bimetallic sulfide anodes for advanced PIBs may provide vital guidance to design high-performance energy-storage materials.

Immunotherapy of Malignant Glioma by Noninvasive Administration of TLR9 Agonist CpG Nano-Immunoadjuvant

Immunotherapy with toll like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist CpG ODN offers an emergent strategy to treat life-threatening malignant glioma. CpG is typically applied invasively by intracranial and intrathecal administration which induces not only poor compliance and lessened potency but also possibly strong adverse effects and immunotoxicity. Here, it is reported that immunotherapy of murine LCPN glioma is greatly boosted by polymersome-steered intravenous and intranasal brain delivery of CpG. CpG is efficiently loaded in apolipoprotein E peptide-directed polymersomes to give blood-brain barrier permeable and glioma and cervical lymph node-homing CpG nano-immunoadjuvant (t-NanoCpG) which strongly stimulates the maturation of dendritic cells, antigen cross-presentation, and production of proinflammatory cytokines in vivo. Intriguingly, both intravenous and intranasal administration of t-NanoCpG brings about significant survival benefits in murine LCPN glioma-bearing mice while free CpG and nontargeted CpG nano-immunoadjuvant (NanoCpG) afford modest therapeutic effects. Moreover, combination of t-NanoCpG with radiotherapy further boosts the immunotherapeutic effects leading to more improved survival rate of mice. This intelligent brain-permeable nano-immunoadjuvant provides a new, minimally invasive and highly potent strategy for immunotherapy of glioma.

PHF5A Contributes to the Maintenance of the Cancer Stem-like Phenotype in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Regulating Histone Deacetylase 8

OBJECTIVE

Cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) are closely associated with tumor recurrence, metastasis, and drug-resistance. PHD-finger domain protein 5A (PHF5A) is related to tumorigenesis and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The role and regulatory mechanism of PHF5A in CSLCs of NSCLC remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the biological characteristics of CSLCs and the role of PHF5A in maintaining stemness of NSCLC.

METHODS

H1299-spheres and A549-spheres were obtained by oncosphere-forming assay and CSLCs by flow cytometry. Expression of CD133, aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1, E-cadherin, vimentin, PHF5A, and histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) was tested using immunofluorescence staining, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were employed to determine proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of CSLCs and adherent monolayer cells in NSCLC. We regulated PHF5A expression and HDAC activity in CSLCs to explore the mechanism of PHF5A in stemness maintenance and analyzed expression of target proteins in NSCLC tissues.

RESULTS

Compared with monolayer cells, CSLCs showed a decreased response to cisplatin-mediated inhibition of proliferation, increased migration and invasion, and high expression of PHF5A and HDAC8, accompanied by EMT marker alterations. Targeted knockdown of PHF5A in CSLCs of NSCLC resulted in diminished stemness phenotypes and HDAC8 expression, whereas inhibition of HDAC activity affected stemness maintenance. Moreover, the expression of target proteins showed consistent changes in NSCLC tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with monolayer cells, cancer stem-like phenotype properties of NSCLC were altered, PHF5A was involved in stemness maintenance of CSLCs, and this process may be related to the activation of HDAC8.

Effect of Molecular Architecture and Symmetry on Self-Assembly: A Quantitative Revisit Using Discrete ABA Triblock Copolymers

The inherent statistical heterogeneities associated with chain length, composition, and architecture of synthetic block copolymers compromise the quantitative interpretation of their self-assembly process. This study scrutinizes the contribution of molecular architecture on phase behaviors using discrete ABA triblock copolymers with precise chemical structure and uniform chain length. A group of discrete triblock copolymers with varying composition and symmetry were modularly synthesized through a combination of iterative growth methods and efficient coupling reactions. The symmetric ABA triblock copolymers self-assemble into long-range ordered structures with expanded domain spacings and enhanced phase stability, compared with the diblock counterparts snipped at the middle point. By tuning the relative chain length of two end blocks, the molecular asymmetry reduces the packing frustration, and thus increases the order-to-disorder transition temperature and enlarges the domain sizes. This study would serve as a quantitative model system to correlate the experimental observations with the theoretical assessments and to provide quantitative understandings for the relationship between molecular architecture and self-assembly.

Resveratrol modulates the gut microbiota of cholestasis in pregnant rats

This study aims to investigate the effect of resveratrol on intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and its effect on the gut microbiome profiles, thus contributing to the potential therapeutic strategies for ICP. ICP rat models were established by injecting 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE) subcutaneously from the thirteenth day of gestation for four days and then treated with EE (D group, n=5), resveratrol (R group, n=5), or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; U group, n=5) from the seventeenth to the twentieth day of gestation. Fecal samples were analyzed with 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing. In results: the gut microbiota of pregnant rats was characterized with reduced alpha diversity (Chao1 index), and significant variation in the microbiota structure (ANOSIM) was also observed after being treated with EE. The richness of four phyla and ten genera was upregulated, and five phyla and ten genera were downregulated by EE treatment. The dysbiosis of Bilophila, Ruminococcus, and Actinobacteria caused by EE treatment was reversed by resveratrol administration. There was a correlation between total bile acid and alanine aminotransferase in ICP rats. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis results suggested that the secondary bile acid biosynthesis was decreased, and the alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism was increased after being treated with EE in pregnant rats. In conclusion, EE treatment could lead to gut microbiome dysbiosis and bile acid metabolism dysregulation in pregnant rats. Resveratrol could partially rescue gut microbiota dysbiosis and improve the biochemical characteristics caused by EE treatment.

Ablation of Cbl-b and c-Cbl in dendritic cells causes spontaneous liver cirrhosis via altering multiple properties of CD103+ cDC1s

The Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (Cbl) family proteins are E3 ubiquitin ligases implicated in the regulation of various immune cells. However, their function in dendritic cells (DCs) remains unclear. To investigate the role of Cbl family members in DCs, we created dendritic cell double-deficient Casitas B lymphoma-b (Cbl-b) and Casitas B lineage lymphoma (c-Cbl) mice by crossing Cbl-b^−/− mice with c-Cbl^flox/flox CD11c-Cre⁺ mice. We found that specific deletion of Cbl-b and c-Cbl in CD11c⁺ cells, predominantly in DCs, led to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and accumulation of systemic conventional Type I DCs (cDC1s) due to enhanced cell proliferation and decreased cell apoptosis. In addition to a change in DC number, double knockout (dKO) cDC1s exhibited a partially activated status as indicated by high basal expression levels of certain cytokines and possessed an enhanced capacity to prime T cells. After adoptive transfer, dKO cDC1s could drive liver fibrosis too. In further experiments, we demonstrated that Cbl-b and c-Cbl could target signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), a transcriptional repressor for the pro-apoptotic protein Bim, to promote ubiquitination-mediated degradation and cell apoptosis in cDC1s. Further extensive experiments revealed that Cbl-b mediated K27-linked ubiquitination of lysine 164 of STAT5a while c-Cbl induced K29-linked ubiquitination of lysine 696 of STAT5a and K27-linked ubiquitination of lysine 140 and 694 of STAT5b. Thus, our findings indicate a functional redundancy of Cbl-b and c-Cbl in cDC homeostasis and maturation.