Molecular Scalpel to Chemically Cleave Metal-Organic Frameworks for Induced Phase Transition

A bottom-up chemical synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) permits significant structural diversity because of various combinations of metal centers and different organic linkers. However, fabrication generally complies with the classic hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory. This restricts direct synthesis of desired MOFs with converse Lewis type of metal ions and ligands. Here we present a top-down strategy to break this limitation via the structural cleavage of MOFs to trigger a phase transition using a novel "molecular scalpel". A conventional CuBDC MOF (BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) prepared from a hard acid (Cu²⁺) metal and a hard base ligand was chemically cleaved by l-ascorbic acid acting as chemical scalpel to fabricate a new Cu₂BDC structure composed of a soft acid (Cu¹⁺) and a hard base (BDC). Controlled phase transition was achieved by a series of redox steps to regulate the chemical state and coordination number of Cu ions, resulting in a significant change in chemical composition and catalytic activity. Mechanistic insights into structural cleavage and rearrangement are elaborated in detail. We show this novel strategy can be extended to general Cu-based MOFs and supramolecules for nanoscopic casting of unique architectures from existing ones.

Stability of Engineered Ferritin Nanovaccines Investigated by Combined Molecular Simulation and Experiments

Human ferritin is regarded as an attractive and promising vaccine platform because of its uniform structure, good plasticity, and desirable thermal and chemical stabilities. Besides, it is biocompatible and presumed safe when used as a vaccine carrier. However, there is a lack of knowledge of how different antigen insertion sites on the ferritin nanocage impact the resulting protein stability and performance. To address this question, we selected Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 as a model epitope and fused it at the DNA level with different insertion sites, namely, the N- and C-termini of ferritin, to engineer proteins E1F1 and F1E1, respectively. Protein properties including hydrophobicity and thermal, pH, and chemical stability were investigated both by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and by experiments. Both methods demonstrate that the insertion site plays an important role in protein properties. The C-terminus insertion (F1E1) leads to a less hydrophobic surface and more tolerance to the external influence of high temperature, pH, and high concentration of chemical denaturants compared to N-terminus insertion (E1F1). Simulated protein hydrophobicity and thermal stability by MD were in high accordance with experimental results. Thus, MD simulation can be used as a valuable tool to engineer nanovaccine candidates, cutting down costs by reducing the experimental effort and accelerating vaccine design.

Abusive Supervision, Affective Commitment, Customer Orientation, and Proactive Customer Service Performance: Evidence From Hotel Employees in China

Abusive supervision is quite common in the service industry. Employees' proactive customer service performance is essential for the long-term development of service enterprises. This study enriches the antecedents of proactive customer service performance from a new theoretical perspective by incorporating the analysis of abusive supervision into the theoretical framework and fills the research gap between customer orientation and proactive customer service performance. Based on Affective Events Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, this study established the structure equation model between abusive supervision and proactive customer service performance mediated by affective commitment and customer orientation. Utilizing structural equation modeling, a negative association between abusive supervision and proactive customer service performance was found, and affective commitment and customer orientation act as the mediators between abusive supervision and proactive customer service performance. In addition, the implications for future study were also discussed.

A cost-effective plan for global testing - an infection rate stratified, algorithm guided, multiple-level, continuously pooled testing strategy

The most effective measure to prevent or stop the spread of infectious diseases is the early identification and isolation of infected individuals through comprehensive screening. At present, in the COVID-19 pandemic, such screening is often limited to isolated regions as determined by local governments. Screening of potentially infectious individuals should be conducted through coordinated national or global unified actions. Our current research focuses on using resources to conduct comprehensive national and regional regular testing with a risk rate based, algorithmic guided, multiple-level, pooled testing strategy. Here, combining methodologies with mathematical logistic models, we present an analytic procedure of an overall plan for coordinating state, national, or global testing. The proposed plan includes three parts 1) organization, resource allocation, and distribution; 2) screening based on different risk levels and business types; and 3) algorithm guided, multiple level, continuously screening the entire population in a region. This strategy will overcome the false positive and negative results in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and missing samples during initial tests. Based on our proposed protocol, the population screening of 300,000,000 in the US can be done weekly with between 15,000,000 and 6,000,000 test kits. The strategy can be used for population screening for current COVID-19 and any future severe infectious disease when drugs or vaccines are not available.

Self-Propelled and Electrobraking Synergetic Liquid Manipulator toward Microsampling and Bioanalysis

Droplet manipulation is of paramount significance for microfluidics-based biochips, especially for bioanalytical chips. Despite great progresses made on droplet manipulation, the existing bioanalytical methods face challenges in terms of capturing minute doses toward hard-to-obtain samples and analyzing biological samples at low temperatures immediately. To circumvent these limitations, a self-propelled and electric stimuli synergetic droplet manipulator (SES-SDM) was developed by a femtosecond laser microfabrication strategy followed by post-treatment. Combining the inspiration from cactus and Nepenthes pitcher plants, the wedge structure with the microbowl array and silicone oil infusion was endowed cooperatively with the SES-SDM. With the synergy of the ultralow voltage (4.0 V) stimuli, these bioinspired features enable the SES-SDM to transport the droplet spontaneously and controllably, showing the maximum fast motion (15.7 mm/s) and long distance (96.2 mm). Remarkably, the SES-SDM can function at -5 °C without the freezing of the droplets, where the self-propelled motion and electric-responsive pinning can realize the accurate capture and real-time analysis of the microdroplets of the tested samples. More importantly, the SES-SDM can realize real-time diagnosis of excessive heavy metal in water by the cooperation of self-propulsion and electro-brake. This work opens an avenue to design a microsampling (5-20 μL) manipulator toward producing the minute samples for efficient bioanalysis and offers a strategy for microanalysis using the synergistic droplet manipulation.

Short-Range Ordered Iridium Single Atoms Integrated into Cobalt Oxide Spinel Structure for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

Noble metals manifest themselves with unique electronic structures and irreplaceable activity toward a wide range of catalytic applications but are unfortunately restricted by limited choice of geometric structures spanning single atoms, clusters, nanoparticles, and bulk crystals. Herein, we propose how to overcome this limitation by integrating noble metal atoms into the lattice of transition metal oxides to create a new type of hybrid structure. This study shows that iridium single atoms can be accommodated into the cationic sites of cobalt spinel oxide with short-range order and an identical spatial correlation as the host lattice. The resultant Ir_0.06Co_2.94O₄ catalyst exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity than the parent oxide by 2 orders of magnitude toward the challenging oxygen evolution reaction under acidic conditions. Because of the strong interaction between iridium and cobalt oxide support, the Ir_0.06Co_2.94O₄ catalyst shows significantly improved corrosion resistance under acidic conditions and oxidative potentials. This work eliminates the "close-packing" limitation of noble metals and offers promising opportunity to create analogues with desired topologies for various catalytic applications.

PVT1 Expression Is a Predictor for Poor Survival of Prostate Cancer Patients

Objective:

Dysregulation of long noncoding RNA is associated with a variety of cancers and LncRNA has anticancer or carcinogenic activities. PVT1, as a long noncoding RNA, plays an important role in the development of cancer.

Methods:

We use R to download and analyze the data in TCGA database. ROC curve is generated to evaluate the significance of PVT1 expression for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Chi-square test is used to test correlation between PVT1 expression and clinical pathological features. Survival curve and univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis is performed to compare differences in the effect on the survival rate between PVT1 high expression and low expression.

Results:

The expression of PTV1 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues(P<2.2e-16). The difference of PTV1 expression was observed according to vital status (P = 0.0051) and Gleason score (P = 0.0012). The expression of PTV1 is significantly associated with T classification (P < 0.0001), N classification (P = 0.0499), PSA (P = 0.0001), Gleason Score (P < 0.0001), targeted molecular therapy (P = 0.0264) and vital status(P = 0.0036). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.860, which revealed PTV1 expression has excellent diagnostic value in prostate cancer. Patients with high PVT1 expression had a worse prognosis.

Conclusions:

PVT1 expression may be a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of a possible carbon sink from shallow saline-alkaline groundwater in the eastern Hetao Basin of Inner Mongolia in China

The question of how saline-alkaline groundwater can be used as a CO2 sink in arid saline-alkaline areas remains controversial. This study investigates the role of saline-alkaline groundwater as a CO2 sink using a mass balance method, Gibbs diagrams of the hydrochemistry, and carbon isotope (δ13CDIC) measurements. Twenty-eight groundwater samples of varying electrical conductivity (EC; 1.52-52.34 mS cm-1) were collected at different depths (1-2 and 5-25 m) in the Hetao Basin of Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that groundwater ions could be primarily concentrated from water-rock interactions and evaporation, and that there are two main groundwater types: a mixed Na·Ca·Mg-Cl·SO4·HCO3 type and a Na-Cl type. The dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration in samples obtained from a depth of 1-2 m was less than that in samples from 5-25 m, and a downward migration trend of DIC in the groundwater was observed. The DIC concentration exhibited a significant positive correlation with pH (R2 = 0.61, p < 0.05) and the saturation index of carbonates (R2 = 0.93, p < 0.01). Groundwater with a higher pH contained a higher DIC concentration and could provide strong carbon sink potential. The δ13CDIC values of the groundwater samples varied from -21.22‰ to -11.02‰, indicating that DIC was derived from the dissolution equilibrium of pedogenic carbonates and atmospheric/soil CO2. The carbon sequestration of the shallow saline-alkaline groundwater in the Hetao Basin could reach 4.66 × 108 g C a-1, which represents important potential of carbon sink in the biogeochemical cycle.

Acidic preconditioning reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by upregulating the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2

Acid preconditioning (APC) through carbon dioxide inhalation can exert protective effects during acute lung injury (ALI) triggered by ischemia-reperfusion. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as a receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and the novel coronavirus disease-19. Downregulation of ACE2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of severe lung failure after viral or bacterial infections. The aim of the present study was to examine the anti-inflammatory mechanism through which APC alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in vivo and in vitro. The present results demonstrated that LPS significantly downregulated the expression of ACE2, while APC significantly reduced LPS-induced ALI and provided beneficial effects. In addition, bioinformatics analysis indicated that microRNA (miR)-200c-3p directly targeted the 3'untranslated region of ACE2 and regulated the expression of ACE2 protein. LPS exposure inhibited the expression of ACE2 protein in A549 cells by upregulating the levels of miR-200c-3p. However, APC inhibited the upregulation of miR-200c-3p induced by LPS, as well as the downregulation of ACE2 protein, through the NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, although LPS can inhibit the expression of ACE2 by upregulating the levels of miR-200c-3p through the NF-κB pathway, APC inhibited this effect, thus reducing inflammation during LPS-induced ALI.

Elevated high mobility group A2 expression in liver cancer predicts poor patient survival

BACKGROUND

liver cancer is a malignant tumor with a high morbidity and mortality that endangers human health. High mobility group A2 (HMGA2) is a chromosome associated protein that participates in embryogenesis, tissue development, tumorigenesis and development.

OBJECTIVE

to explore the relationship between HMGA2 expression and the clinicopathological parameters and survival of liver cancer patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) data.

METHODS

RNA-sequencing data and the corresponding clinical characteristics of the patients were downloaded from the Atlas database. The Chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between HMGA2 expression and clinical variables. Cox regression analysis was used to compare survival rates between the high- and low-expressing groups; the p-values and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test.

RESULTS

RNA-seq data from 373 cases of liver cancer cases were analyzed. HMGA2 was overexpressed in liver cancer and significantly associated with gender (p = 0.0357), T classification (p = 0.0063), clinical classification (p = 0.0026) and overall survival (p = 0.0386). According to the multivariate analysis, HMGA2 could independently predict overall survival in liver cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

HMGA2 independently predicts poor prognosis in liver cancer and serves as a molecular marker to determine disease prognosis.

Anomalous C-C Coupling on Under-Coordinated Cu (111): A Case Study of Cu Nanopyramids for CO2 Reduction Reaction by Molecular Modelling

Converting CO₂ to high value-added C₂ hydrocarbons by CO₂ reduction reaction attracted attention due to higher energy density, readiness for transportation, and established utilization infrastructure. Herein, it was demonstrated that tailoring the copper catalyst morphology by forming nanopyramids offers alternative routes to promote C₂ production. Using density functional theory calculations, five polycrystalline Cu nanopyramids with various orientations, shapes, and exposing facets were investigated. Three investigated nanopyramids favored the C₂ production to different extents due to anomalous C-C coupling behaviors. The underlying reason for such C-C coupling was the pyramidal effect on under-coordinated Cu (111) surface from the nanopyramids. The pyramidal effect includes improved *CO adsorption, geometrically preferable sites for C-C coupling, and enhanced electron transfer. Based on these results, a C₂ active site screening principle was developed: an extended "square" principle, which can serve as a new morphology design rule for efficient catalyst development.

PGC-1α protects from myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury by regulating mitonuclear communication

The recovery of blood supply after a period of myocardial ischaemia does not restore the heart function and instead results in a serious dysfunction called myocardial ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (IRI), which involves several complex pathophysiological processes. Mitochondria have a wide range of functions in maintaining the cellular energy supply, cell signalling and programmed cell death. When mitochondrial function is insufficient or disordered, it may have adverse effects on myocardial ischaemia‐reperfusion and therefore mitochondrial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress a core molecular mechanism of IRI. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma co‐activator 1α (PGC‐1α) is an important antioxidant molecule found in mitochondria. However, its role in IRI has not yet been systematically summarized. In this review, we speculate the role of PGC‐1α as a key regulator of mitonuclear communication, which may interacts with nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like ‐1 and ‐2 (NRF‐1/2) to inhibit mitochondrial oxidative stress, promote the clearance of damaged mitochondria, enhance mitochondrial biogenesis, and reduce the burden of IRI.

Adenylate kinase 7 is a prognostic indicator of overall survival in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC), a common malignant heterogeneous gynecological tumor, is the primary cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Adenylate kinase (AK) 7 belongs to the adenylate kinase (AK) family and is a cytosolic isoform of AK. Recent studies have demonstrated that AK7 is expressed in several human diseases, including cancer. However, there is a scarcity of reports on the relationship between AK7 and OC. Here, we compared the expression of AK7 in normal and cancerous ovarian tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and used the c2 test to assess the correlation between AK7 levels and the clinical symptoms of OC. Finally, the prognostic significance of AK7 in OC was determined using the Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regression and performed gene set enrichment analysis to detect any relevant signaling pathways. We found that AK7 levels were substantially downregulated in OC than that in normal ovarian tissues (P < .001). Low AK7 levels were related to the patients' age (P = .0093) in OC. The median overall survival (OS) of patients with low AK7-expressing OC was shorter than patients with high AK7-expressing OC (P = .019). The Cox regression analysis (multivariate) identified low AK7 levels were independently related to the prognosis of OC (HR 1.34; P = .048). Our study demonstrated that the downregulated levels of AK7 could serve as an independent prognostic indicator for the OS in OC. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that EMT, apical junction, TGF-b signaling, UV response, and myogenesis were associated in the low AK7 expression phenotype (NOM P < .05).

MicroRNA-520c-3p suppresses vascular endothelium dysfunction by targeting RELA and regulating the AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways

Endothelial injury, which can cause endothelial inflammation and dysfunction, is an important mechanism for the development of atherosclerotic plaque. This study aims to investigate the functional role of miR-520c-3p in vascular endothelium during inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect miR-520c-3p expression in in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after treatment with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Furthermore, the effects of miR-520c-3p overexpression and silencing on cell proliferation, adhesion, and apoptosis were assessed. Bioinformatics analysis and Biotin-labeled miRNA pull-down assay were used to confirm the targets of miR-520-3p. Then, the effects of miR-520c-3p on AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways were detected by western blot. Herein, we observed that the expression level of miR-520c-3p was downregulated in HUVECs under PDGF stimulation. Overexpression of miR-520c-3p not only decreased cell adhesion but also promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis to protect the viability of endothelial cells. It was confirmed that RELA is the target of miR-520c-3p. MiR-520c-3p inhibited the protein phosphorylation of AKT and RELA, and si-RELA reversed the promotion of AKT and RELA protein phosphorylation by anti-miR-520c-3p. In summary, our study suggested that miRNA-520c-3p targeting RELA through AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways regulated the proliferation, apoptosis, and adhesion of vascular endothelial cells. We conclude that miR-520c-3p may play an important role in the suppression of endothelial injury, which could serve as a biomarker and therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.

Investigation on [OH−]-responsive systems for construction of one-dimensional hydroxyapatite via a solvothermal method

The concentration of OH⁻ can directly influence the crystal growth of flexible hydroxyapatite nanofibers in oleic acid-assisted solvothermal reaction systems.

Wntless (Wls): A Prognostic Index for Progression and Patient Survival of Breast Cancer

Background

Wntless (Wls) is an essential protein that is necessary for the secretion of Wnt proteins. While numerous researches have demonstrated that aberrations in Wnt/β-catenin expression lead to tumorigenesis and progression in many cancer types, the effects of Wls in breast cancer (BC) are less studied.

Methods

The mRNA and protein expression of Wls in BC cell lines were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot; the protein expression of patient samples was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The associations between Wls expression and clinicopathological factors as well as survival time, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. Bioinformatics analysis was used to reveal the correlation between Wls genes and associated genes or pathways.

Results

Wls was overexpressed in BC cell lines and tissues. The expression level of Wls was significantly correlated with tumor size, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Ki-67, molecular classification, and follow-up status. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Wls protein expression was negatively correlated with ER and PR, which was confirmed by bioinformatics analysis in mRNA level. However, there were positive relationships with MBNG (modified Black's nuclear grade), tumor size, Ki-67, molecular classification, follow-up, and vital status. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that Wls was an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS in BC patients. Moreover, Wls was a significant prognostic indicator of OS and DFS in a hormone receptor-positive (HR+) subgroup. GSEA showed that estrogen and androgen response, as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways, were up-regulated in the Wls high-expression group.

Conclusion

Overexpression of Wls is a significant marker of worse prognosis in BC and might play a crucial role in the HR+ subgroup.

Topotactically Transformed Polygonal Mesopores on Ternary Layered Double Hydroxides Exposing Under-Coordinated Metal Centers for Accelerated Water Dissociation

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been recognized as potent electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but are lacking in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities due to the sluggish kinetics of water dissociation in alkaline medium. Herein, aiming to simultaneously bolster the HER and OER kinetics, a metal-organic framework (MOF) mediated topotactic transformation tactic is deployed to fabricate holey ternary CoFeNi LDHs on nickel foam, exposing polygonal mesopores with atomistic edge steps and lattice defects. The optimized catalyst requires only an external voltage of 1.49 V to afford the water splitting current density of 10 mA cm^-2 apart from the superb electrolytic stability, far surpassing the benchmark Pt/C||RuO₂ couple. More importantly, mechanistic investigations utilizing advanced spectroscopies in conjunction with density function theory (DFT) understandings unravel while the synergetic effect among under-coordinated metal centers lowers the energy barrier of water dissociation, Fe-doping enables further modulating the d-band density of states (DOS) of Co and Ni in favor of intermediates binding, thereby promoting the intrinsic HER activity. Operando Raman studies reveal negligible structural change of the LDHs during the HER process, whereas for OER the active sites can quickly turn into oxyhydroxides in the presence of lattice defects and under-coordinated metal centers.

Advances on liver cell-derived exosomes in liver diseases

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with diameters ranging from 30 to 150 nm, which contain several donor cell‐associated proteins as well as mRNA, miRNA, and lipids and coordinate multiple physiological and pathological functions through horizontal communication between cells. Almost all types of liver cells, such as hepatocytes and Kupffer cells, are exosome‐releasing and/or exosome‐targeted cells. Exosomes secreted by liver cells play an important role in regulating general physiological functions and also participate in the onset and development of liver diseases, including liver cancer, liver injury, liver fibrosis and viral hepatitis. Liver cell‐derived exosomes carry liver cell‐specific proteins and miRNAs, which can be used as diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets of liver disease. This review discusses the functions of exosomes derived from different liver cells and provides novel insights based on the latest developments regarding the roles of exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.

Two dimensional electrocatalyst engineering via heteroatom doping for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction

The electrocatalytic N₂ reduction reaction (eNRR) - which can occur under ambient conditions with renewable energy input - became a promising synthetic pathway for ammonia (NH₃) and has attracted growing attention in the past few years. Some achievements have been made in the eNRR; however, there remain significant challenges to realize satisfactory NH₃ production. Therefore, the rational design of highly efficient and durable eNRR catalysts with N[triple bond, length as m-dash]N bond activating and breaking ability is highly desirable. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have shown great potential in electrocatalysis for energy conversion and storage. Although most 2D materials are inactive toward the eNRR, they can be activated by various modification methods. Heteroatom doping engineering can impact the charge distribution and spin states on catalytic sites, therefore accelerating the dinitrogen adsorption and protonation process. This review summarises the recent research progress of heteroatom-doped 2D materials, including carbon, molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and metal carbides (MXenes), for the eNRR. In addition, some existing opportunities and future research directions in electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation for ammonia production are discussed.

Prognostic Significance and Related Mechanisms of Hexokinase 1 in Ovarian Cancer

Purpose

Ovarian cancer (OC) has the highest mortality among gynecological malignancies. Therefore, it is urgent to explore prognostic biomarkers to improve the survival of OC patients. One of the most prominent metabolic characteristics of cancer is effective glycolysis. Hexokinase 1 (HK1), as the first rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis, is closely related to cancer progression. However, the role of HK1 in OC remains unclear.

Materials and Methods

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to detect the expression of HK1 in OC patients. The chi-squared test was performed to examine the correlations between HK1 and patients’ clinical characteristics. Survival analyses were undertaken to determine the relationship between HK1 and patient survival, while the univariate/multivariate Cox model was used to evaluate the role of HK1 in patient prognosis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to ascertain the related signaling pathways of HK1. RT-qPCR was implemented to validate the mRNA expression of HK1 in OC cells. MTT was used to detect cell viability after adding 2DG and knocking down HK1 in OC cells. HK1 protein expression was examined by Western blotting. Glucose uptake, lactate production, and ATP assays were undertaken following knockdown of HK1 in OC cells. Colony formation assays were performed to determine OC cell proliferation after HK1 knockdown. Transwell and wound healing assays were carried out to detect the invasion and migration of OC cells after HK1 knockdown.

Results

We found that HK1 expression was increased in OC tissues and cells, and HK1 was related to the clinical characteristics of OC patients. Survival analysis revealed that OC patients in the HK1 overexpression group had poor survival. Moreover, univariant/multivariate analyses showed that HK1 may be an independent biomarker for the poor prognosis of OC patients. OC cell viability and proliferation decreased after knockdown of HK1. Consistently, glucose uptake, lactic acid production, ATP production, invasion, and migration were also decreased. Finally, GSEA enrichment analysis and Western blotting showed that HK1 was involved in MAPK/ERK signaling.

Conclusion

HK1 may be a biomarker for the poor prognosis of OC patients and a potential therapeutic target.

MiRNA-128 and MiRNA-142 Regulate Tumorigenesis and EMT in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through HOXA10

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for more than 90% of all oral cavity cancers, and the 5-year survival rate for OSCC patients remains unsatisfactory. MiRNA-128/miRNA-142 has been reported to work as a tumor suppressor in diverse tumors. However, the biological function of miR-128/miR-142 in OSCC is still unknown.

Methods

The expression of miR-128/miR-142 and homeobox A10 (HOXA10) in OSCC tissues and cells was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The effects of miR-128/miR-142 or HOXA10 on proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), transwell and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The expression levels of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin), proliferation-associated protein ki-67 and HOXA10 were detected by Western blot assay. The interaction between HOXA10 and miR-128/miR-142 was predicted by TargetScan, and then confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results

MiR-128/miR-142 was downregulated in OSCC tissues and cells. Overexpression of miR-128/miR-142 inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT and induced apoptosis in OSCC cells. HOXA10 as the target of miR-128/miR-142 was verified in OSCC cells. Knockdown of HOXA10 also repressed proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT and boosted apoptosis in OSCC cells. Upregulation of miR-128/miR-142 hindered the expression level of HOXA10, while introduction of HOXA10 weakened the effect.

Conclusion

MiR-128/miR-142 suppressed OSCC tumorigenesis and metastasis by targeting HOXA10, providing a new promising therapeutic approach for OSCC patient diagnosis and treatment.

A rare case report of immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing mesenteritis and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare autoimmune disorder involving 1 or multiple organs, most commonly the pancreas, lacrimal glands, and salivary glands. However, IgG4-related sclerosing mesenteritis (SM) involving the small-bowel mesentery is rare. Given that IgG4-related SM usually mimics the imaging characteristics of mesenteric malignancies, its preoperative diagnosis remains challenging. In addition, no specific consensus has been reached regarding the treatment of IgG4-related SM. Therefore, a better understanding of the characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of IgG-related SM is urgently needed. Herein, we report a rare case of IgG-related SM.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital after incidental detection of an abdominal mass on ultrasound imaging, although he reported being generally well. The findings on triple-phase abdominal computed tomography were highly consistent with a malignant mesenteric tumor.

DIAGNOSES

The hallmark histopathological features along with elevated levels of IgG4 (145 mg/dL) and imaging findings were indicative of IgG-related SM.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient was treated surgically. Postoperative histopathological examinations exhibited tissue infiltration with lymphocytes and IgG4-positive plasma cells, as well as fibrosis.

OUTCOMES

Ten days after surgery, the patient was discharged from the hospital, and did not show any clinical sign of IgG-related SM within 1-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This case highlights the mesentery as an uncommon site of involvement as well as how early IgG-related SM can be completely asymptomatic. Thus, this study has advanced our knowledge of IgG-related SM and may improve treatments for similar conditions.

LncRNA FAL1 promotes the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma through regulating the microRNA-761/CRKL pathway

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to elucidate the regulatory effect of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) FAL1 on the tumorigenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to explore its underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression levels of lncRNA FAL1, microRNA-761 and CRKL in 20 pairs of OSCC tissues and adjacent normal oral tissues. Meanwhile, their expressions in OSCC cell lines were also determined by qRT-PCR. The protein expression of CRKL in OSCC tissues was detected by Western blot. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to access the proliferation of SCC25 and HN4 cells transfected with si-FAL1. The binding conditions between lncRNA FAL1 with microRNA-761, and microRNA-761 with CRKL were tested by the Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Gain-of-function experiments were conducted to determine the proliferation of OSCC cells co-transfected with si-FAL1 and microRNA-761 inhibitor. Furthermore, the proliferative potential of OSCC cells was evaluated after co-transfection of si-FAL1 and CRKL overexpression plasmid.

RESULTS

LncRNA FAL1 was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and cell lines. The proliferative capacity of OSCC cells was significantly inhibited by lncRNA FAL1 knockdown. The mRNA expression of microRNA-761 was lowly expressed in OSCC tissues and cell lines. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that lncRNA FAL1 directly bound to microRNA-761. Meanwhile, microRNA-761 expression was negatively regulated by FAL1. CRKL was verified as the target gene of microRNA-761. Both the mRNA and protein levels of CRKL were remarkably upregulated in OSCC tissues and cell lines. CRKL expression was found to be negatively regulated by microRNA-761 in OSCC cells. Lowly expressed microRNA-761 reversed the inhibitory effect of lncRNA FAL1 knockdown on the proliferative potential of OSCC cells. In addition, the overexpression of CRKL reversed the inhibitory effect of lncRNA FAL1 down-regulation on the proliferative potential of OSCC cells as well.

CONCLUSIONS

LncRNA FAL1 is highly expressed in OSCC. Moreover, it promotes the development of OSCC by regulating CRKL expression as a sponge of microRNA-761.

Long non-coding RNA BACE1-AS is an independent unfavorable prognostic factor in liver cancer

Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated deaths with incidence rates continuously on the rise. Biomarkers are urgently required for early diagnosis and better prognostic classification, which is essential for risk stratification and optimizing treatment strategies in clinical settings. By analyzing the data extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database using R, the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 antisense (BACE1-AS) was discovered to have both high diagnostic and prognostic values in liver cancer, which could serve as a promising biomarker in clinical settings. Precisely, lncRNA BACE1-AS is significantly overexpressed in liver cancer and its levels vary within different subgroups, suggesting its tumorigenic role. Furthermore, higher BACE1-AS predicts poorer overall survival and relapse-free survival outcomes. Overall, the present study demonstrated that BACE1-AS may be involved in liver cancer progression and could serve as a promising biomarker for diagnosis and prognostic evaluation.

Reconciling larval and adult sampling methods to model growth across life-stages

Individual growth rates are intrinsically related to survival and lifetime reproductive success and hence, are key determinants of population growth. Efforts to quantify age-size relationships are hampered by difficulties in aging individuals in wild populations. In addition, species with complex life-histories often show distinct shifts in growth that cannot be readily accommodated by traditional modelling techniques. Amphibians are often characterized by rapid larval growth, cessation of growth prior to metamorphosis, and resumption of growth in the adult stage. Compounding issues of non-linear growth, amphibian monitoring programs typically sample larval and adult populations using dissimilar methods. Here we present the first multistage growth model that combines disparate data collected across life-history stages. We model the growth of the endangered Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma bishopi, in a Bayesian framework, that accounts for unknown ages, individual heterogeneity, and reconciles dip-net and drift fence sampling designs. Flatwoods salamanders achieve 60% of growth in the first 3 months of life but can survive for up to 13 years as a terrestrial adult. We find evidence for marked variability in growth rate, the timing and age at metamorphosis, and maximum size, within populations. Average size of metamorphs in a given year appeared strongly dependent on hydroperiod, and differed by >10mm across years with successful recruitment. In contrast, variation in the sizes of emerging metamorphs appeared relatively constant across years. An understanding of growth will contribute to the development of population viability analyses for flatwoods salamanders, will guide management actions, and will ultimately aid the recovery of the species. Our model formulation has broad applicability to amphibians, and likely any stage-structured organism in which homogenous data cannot be collected across life-stages. The tendency to ignore stage-structure or omit non-conforming data in growth analyses can no longer be afforded given the high stakes of management decisions, particularly for endangered or at-risk populations.

GPSM2 Serves as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker for Liver Cancer Survival

Background and Objective:

Liver cancer is a malignancy with a poor prognosis. G protein signaling modulator 2 is mainly related to cell division and cell cycle regulation. In this review, the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 and clinical characteristics of patients with liver cancer has been explored, especially with respect to its prognostic value.

Methods:

G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with liver cancer were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The expression level of G protein signaling modulator 2 RNA-Seq was validated by using Gene Expression Omnibus. Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 expression and clinical characteristics. The threshold value of G protein signaling modulator 2 in the diagnosis of liver cancer was evaluated by a receiver–operating characteristic curve. Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to evaluate the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 and liver cancer prognosis, which included overall and residual-free survival, and explored the prognostic value of G protein signaling modulator 2. Liver cancer survival analyses were validated by using the data of G protein signaling modulator 2 RNA-Seq from the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

Results:

The expression level of G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA was remarkably higher in liver cancer than that in healthy tissues (P < 2.2 × e⁻¹⁶), which was also validated by data from the GSE14520 database. In addition, high G protein signaling modulator 2 expression significantly correlated with histological grade (P = .020), vital status (P < .001), clinical (P = .001), and T stage (P = .001). The receiver–operating characteristic curves showed G protein signaling modulator 2 to be an advantageous diagnostic molecule for liver cancer (area under curve = 0.893). Furthermore, the results of Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves suggested that the upregulation of G protein signaling modulator 2 expression is linked to poor prognosis and G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA could be an independent predictor for liver cancer, which was validated by data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium database.

Conclusions:

G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA was overexpressed in liver cancer, and G protein signaling modulator 2 is an independent prognostic factor. G protein signaling modulator 2 is expected to be a treatment target for cancer.

Biocathodic performance of bioelectrochemical systems operated at low temperature

This study investigated the effects of operational temperature on cathodic performances of five bioelectrochemical reactors operated in parallel at 25-7 °C, and on the biofilm microbial community at the end of tests. Compared with the anodic biofilm, the cathodic biofilm has high stability subjected to temperature shift in the aspect of cathode potentials, redox activities, and internal resistances. The maximum power density was reduced linearly with temperature at a rate of 1.1 W/m³ °C. The bacterial community at 7 °C cathodic biofilm was dominated by four phyla including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes with percentages of 81.7%, 8.9%, 3.3% and 1.3%, and the predominant genera were affiliated with Azoarcus sp. (56.45%), Acidovorax sp. (7.32%), Rhodococcus sp. (5.02%), Halomonas sp. (2.6%). The most vigorous metabolism of cathodic biofilm at low temperature was proposed to be biosynthesis and energy generation. The cathodic biofilm has resilient microbial community to temperature challenges.

Discovering Biomarkers in Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer by Metabolomics

Background and Objective

Metabolomics has recently been applied in the field of oncology. In this study, we aimed to use metabolomics to explore biomarkers in peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Methods

Peritoneal lavage fluid (PLF) of 65 gastric cancer patients and related clinical data were collected from the First Hospital of Jilin University. The metabolic components were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Total ion current (TIC) spectra, principal component analysis (PCA), and the Student's t-test were used to identify differential metabolites in PLF. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to screen the differential metabolites in PLF with a weight of 100%. Cluster analysis was used to evaluate the similarity between samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic ability of the metabolites. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential risk factors for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Results

We found the differential levels of PLF metabolites by LC-MS, TIC spectra, PCA and the t-test. Cluster analysis showed the co-occurrence of metabolites in the peritoneal metastasis group (p<0.05). ROC analysis showed the diagnostic ability of metabolites (p<0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed the potential independent risk factors for peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer patients (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Through the statistical analysis of metabolomics, we found that TG (54:2), G3P, α-aminobutyric acid, α-CEHC, dodecanol, glutamyl alanine, 3-methylalanine, sulfite, CL (63:4), PE-NMe (40:5), TG (53:4), retinol, 3-hydroxysterol, tetradecanoic acid, MG (21:0/0:0/0:0), tridecanoic acid, myristate glycine and octacosanoic acid may be biomarkers for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Glucometabolic Reprogramming in the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Microenvironment: Cause and Effect

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a tumor that exhibits glucometabolic reprogramming, with a high incidence and poor prognosis. Usually, HCC is not discovered until an advanced stage. Sorafenib is almost the only drug that is effective at treating advanced HCC, and promising metabolism-related therapeutic targets of HCC are urgently needed. The “Warburg effect” illustrates that tumor cells tend to choose aerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is closely related to the features of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The HCC microenvironment consists of hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and contributes to tumor glycolysis. In turn, the glycolysis of the tumor aggravates hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and leads to tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and metastasis. In 2017, a mechanism underlying the effects of gluconeogenesis on inhibiting glycolysis and blockading HCC progression was proposed. Treating HCC by increasing gluconeogenesis has attracted increasing attention from scientists, but few articles have summarized it. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms associated with the TME, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis and the current treatments for HCC. We believe that a treatment combination of sorafenib with TME improvement and/or anti-Warburg therapies will set the trend of advanced HCC therapy in the future.

Modified technique of advanced core decompression for treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis

BACKGROUND

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a destructive condition most commonly affecting young and middle-aged patients. The leading consequence of ONFH is often a significant articular disability. Effective joint-preserving surgical treatments are urgently needed for patients with early stage ONFH when outcomes of treatment are in general better than the advanced stage disease.

AIM

To introduce a new surgery procedure called percutaneous expanded core decompression and mixed bone graft technique, which is a new way of joint-preserving surgical treatments.

METHODS

The clinical data of 6 patients with ONFH diagnosed and treated with the procedure called percutaneous expanded core decompression and mixed bone graft technique at The First Hospital of Qiqihar from March 2013 to August 2019 were retrospectively analyzed; the follow-up ended in December 2019.

RESULTS

There were 6 male patients with an average age of 43 years in our study. Gratifying results have been obtained from the comparison of Harris hip score, visual analogue scale, and imaging examination before and after operation.

CONCLUSION

This new modified technique is simple, safe, and reliable. No serious perioperative complications were observed in our cases. Advantages of the single blade expandable reamer are obvious. The adjuvant substance is inexpensive and easy to obtain. Thus, this technique is an effective joint-preserving surgical treatment for patients with early stage of ONFH.

SLC25A11 serves as a novel prognostic biomarker in liver cancer

Liver cancer is a disease with high mortality; it is often diagnosed at intermediate and advanced stages and has a high recurrence rate. ROS restriction and adequate energy supply play significant roles in liver cancer. SLC25A11, a member of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS), regulates electroneutral exchange between 2-oxoglutarate and other dicarboxylates. It transports glutathione (GSH) from the cytoplasm into mitochondria to maintain GSH levels to limit ROS production. Moreover, SLC25A11 is essential for ATP generation in cancers as it regulates NADH transportation from the cytoplasm to mitochondria. The purpose of this research was to investigate the prognostic value of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze the levels of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. Fisher's exact and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the relationship between SLC25A11 expression and clinical characteristics. Finally, we explored the value of SLC25A11 in prognosis by Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves. Our results revealed that SLC25A11 was downregulated in liver cancer compared to normal controls. Low expression of SLC25A11 was associated with clinical stage, vital status, histologic grade, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Liver cancer patients with low SLC25A11 expression had shorter OS and RFS than patients with high SLC25A11 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SLC25A11 was an independent predictor of RFS and OS. In conclusion, this study identified that SLC25A11 serves as a new prognostic marker for liver cancer.

Low-kilovolt x-ray intraoperative radiotherapy for pT3 locally advanced colon cancer: a single-institution retrospective analysis

Background

Patients with locally advanced colon cancer (LACC) treated with surgery had a high risk of local recurrence. The outcomes can vary significantly among patients with pT3 disease. This study was undertaken to assess whether low-kilovolt (kV) x-ray intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) can achieve promising results compared with electron beam IORT (IOERT) and whether specific subgroups of patients with pT3 colon cancer may benefit from low-kV x-ray IORT.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 44 patients with pT3 LACC treated with low-kV x-ray IORT. Clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed to identify patients that could potentially benefit from low-kV x-ray IORT. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Correlation analysis was used to discover the association of multiple factors to the results of treatment represented by the values of OS and PFS.

Results

The median follow-up of patients was 20.5 months (range, 6.1–38.8 months). At the time of analysis, 38 (86%) were alive and 6 (14%) had died of their disease. The 3-year Kaplan-Meier of PFS and OS for the entire cohort was 82.8% and 82.1%, respectively. At median follow-up, no in-field failure within the low-kV x-ray IORT field had occurred. Locoregional and distant failure had occurred in 2 (5%) patients each. The rate of perioperative 30-day mortality was 0%, and the morbidity rate was 11%. Five patients experienced 7 complications, including 4 early complications (30 days) and three late complications (> 30 days) leading early and late morbidity rates of 9% and 7%, respectively.

Conclusion

Patients with LACC who had undergone an additional low-kV x-ray IORT can achieve encouraging locoregional control, PFS, OS, and distant control without an increase in short-term or long-term complications. Low-kV x-ray IORT can be considered as part of management in pT3 LACC.

The Role of Erastin in Ferroptosis and Its Prospects in Cancer Therapy

Erastin was initially discovered as a small molecule compound that selectively kills tumor cells expressing ST and RAS^V12 and was later widely investigated as an inducer of ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is a recently discovered form of cell death caused by peroxidation induced by the accumulation of intracellular lipid reactive oxygen species (L-ROS) in an iron-dependent manner. Erastin can mediate ferroptosis through a variety of molecules including the cystine-glutamate transport receptor (system X_C⁻), the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), and p53. Erastin is able to enhance the sensitivity of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, suggesting a promising future in cancer therapy. We hope that this review will help to better understand the role of erastin in ferroptosis and lay the foundation for further research and the development of erastin-based cancer therapies in the future.

Type II enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma in the duodenum: A rare case report

INTRODUCTION

Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) is a very rare form of lymphoma in the gastrointestinal tract. The proximal jejunum and ileum are the most common sites of EATL, whereas EATL rarely arises in the duodenum, and EATL involving metastasis of the bilateral ovaries is even rarer.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 43-year-old female suffered from upper abdominal pain and weight loss for 3 months.

DIAGNOSIS

Type II EATL.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient was initially treated with chemotherapies, including 4 cycles of the CHOP-E and 2 cycles of the DHAP+ chidamide chemotherapy regimens. However, the patient did not respond well to chemotherapy. Surgical treatment of the duodenal obstruction, with perforation of small intestine and the duodenum, was performed successively.

OUTCOMES

The patient died of septic shock only 1 day after the surgery for the second perforation. Her overall survival was 11 months from the time of initial diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

This case suggests that EALT is highly invasive and its clinical course is very aggressive. Intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, or involvement of extraintestinal organs may occur in EALT patients. Additionally, EALT patients respond poorly to chemotherapy and have an extremely unfavorable prognosis.

Flossing Is Associated with Improved Oral Health in Older Adults

The effect of preventive oral habits is largely unexplored in older individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between home use of flossing and prevalence of periodontal disease and caries in older adults. Five-year incident tooth loss was also evaluated. Data on 686 individuals ≥65 y-old from the Piedmont 65+ Dental Study were examined including: 1) interproximal clinical attachment level (iCAL), 2) interproximal probing depth (iPD), 3) numbers of caries, and 4) missing teeth. Flossing behavior was evaluated according to the Periodontal Profile Class (PPC) system. Five-year follow-up data (n = 375) was evaluated for incident tooth loss. Dichotomous and categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson chi-square tests as well as covariate-adjusted Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. Multiple linear regression compared clinical parameters based on flossing behavior. Elderly flossers had lower (mean, SE) %iCAL≥3 mm (38.2, 2.38 vs. 48.8, 1.56) and %iPD≥4 mm (8.70, 1.41 vs. 14.4, 0.93) compared to nonflossers (P ≤ 0.005). Flossers showed less coronal caries compared to nonflossers (P = 0.02). Baseline number of missing teeth (mean, SE) was 11.5 (0.35) in nonflossers compared to 8.6 (0.53) in flossers (P < 0.0001). Regular dental visitors had lower oral disease levels compared to episodic dental users. The majority of flossers classified into PPC-Stage I (health) whereas nonflossers classified as PPC-Stages V, VI, and VII (disease). At the 5-y follow-up visit, the average tooth loss for flossers was ~1 tooth compared to ~4 teeth lost for nonflossers (P < 0.0001). Among all teeth, molars showed the highest benefit (>40%) for flossing behavior (P = 0.0005). In conclusion, the extent of oral disease for older individuals was significantly less in flossers than in nonflossers. Flossers showed less periodontal disease, fewer dental caries, and loss of fewer teeth over a 5-y period. These findings further support flossing as an important oral hygiene behavior to prevent oral disease progression in older adults.

MT1-MMP activatable fluorogenic probes with enhanced specificity via high-affinity peptide conjugation for tumor imaging

Overlapping substrate specificities within the family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), usually caused by their highly conserved structural topology, increase the potential for a substrate to be cleaved by multiple enzymes within this family, which leads to the decrease in the selectivity of MMP substrate-based probes. To resolve this issue, MT1-MMP activatable fluorogenic probes for tumor detection with enhanced specificity were developed by combining a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) peptide substrate and its specific binding peptide with different lengths of linkers. The specificity of the probes increased profiting from the high affinity of the MT1-MMP specific binding peptide while keeping the ability to amplify the output imaging signals in response to MMP activity with the FRET substrate. Enzyme kinetics analysis clearly demonstrated that the conjugation of P-1 and MT1-AF7p enhanced both the specificity and selectivity of the fluorogenic probes for MT1-MMP, and introducing a linker composed of 12 PEG subunits into these two fragments led to optimized specificity and selectivity of the fluorogenic probe for MT1-MMP. Both in vitro and in vivo results revealed that the imaging probe with the linker composed of 12 PEG subunits based on our designed strategy could be effectively applied for MT1-MMP positive tumor imaging. Since this strategy for enhancing the specificity of protease sensing probes can be applied to other proteases and is not just limited to MT1-MMP, it is an appealing platform to achieve selective tumor imaging.

Assessment of early damage of endometrium after artificial abortion by shear wave elastography

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the application of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the early damage detection through assessing the endometrial elasticity after artificial abortion.

Methods

A total of nulliparous women (20–30 years) who received ultrasonography in our hospital were recruited between January 2017 and December 2017. These women were divided into normal control group (NC; n = 65), after once artificial abortion group (AOAA; n = 68), after twice artificial abortion group (ATAA; n = 61), and after three times or more (range, 3–6) artificial abortion group (ATTMAA; n = 60). SWE was performed to evaluate the endometrium; Young’s modulus of the endometrium was determined and then the endometrial thickness was measured.

Results

Young’s modulus of the endometrium increased in the order of NC group, AOAA group, ATAA group, and ATTMAA group, and Young’s modulus increased with the increase in the number of artificial abortions (p < 0.05). The endometrial thickness in the ATTMAA group was significantly lower than in the NC group, AOAA group, and ATAA group (p < 0.05), but there was no marked difference among the NC group, AOAA group, and ATAA group (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

SWE increases with increasing number of abortions, which may indicate the damage that is done to the endometrium earlier than measurement of the endometrial thickness do.

Application of ultrasound multimodal score in the assessment of endometrial receptivity in patients with artificial abortion

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the value and feasibility of ultrasound multimodal score in the evaluation of endometrial receptivity in patients with artificial abortion (AA).

METHODS

Sixty-eight patients with AA (AA group) and 70 women of the childbearing age without any history of abortion (control group) were recruited between January 2018 and December 2018. All subjects received the examination of endometrium in the middle luteum phase (7-9 days after ovulation) with two-dimensional gray-scale ultrasound, two-dimensional color Doppler ultrasound, and three-dimensional ultrasound, and the quantitative scores were obtained and compared between two groups.

RESULTS

The quantitative score of endometrial receptivity was 10.46 ± 2.99 in the AA group and 13.49 ± 2.21 in the control group showing significant difference (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound multimodal quantitative scores can be used to evaluate the endometrial receptivity of patients with AA.

Electron-State Confinement of Polysulfides for Highly Stable Sodium-Sulfur Batteries

Confinement of polysulfides in sulfur cathodes is pivotal for eliminating the "shuttle effect" in metal-sulfur batteries, which represent promising solutions for large-scale and sustainable energy storage. However, mechanistic exploration and in-depth understanding for the confinement of polysulfides remain limited. Consequently, it is a critical challenge to achieve highly stable metal-sulfur batteries. Here, based on a 2D metal-organic framework (2D MOF), a new mechanism to realize effective confinement of polysulfides is proposed. A combination of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, electrochemical measurements, and theoretical computations reveal that the dynamic electron states of the Ni centers in the 2D MOF enable the interaction between polysulfides and the MOF in the discharge/charge process to be tuned, resulting in both strong adsorption and fast conversion kinetics of polysulfides. The resultant room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries are amongst the most stable reported so far, thus demonstrating that the new mechanism opens a promising avenue for the development of high-performance metal-sulfur batteries.

Effects of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-Associated Antigen 4 Immunoglobulin Combined with Microbubble-Mediated Irradiation on Hemodynamics of the Renal Artery in Rats with Diabetic Nephropathy

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 immunoglobulin (CTLA-4-Ig) can inhibit the effect of B7-1 and improve renal hemodynamics in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Nevertheless, a strategy that could increase the permeation of CTLA-4-Ig through endothelial cells and basement membrane remains to be discovered. We investigated the effect of CTLA-4-Ig combined with microbubble-mediated irradiation on the hemodynamics of renal arteries in DN rats. Rats were treated with CTLA-4-Ig and/or microbubble exposure. After 8 wk of intervention, color Doppler ultrasonography was used to detect peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), mean velocity (MV), systolic acceleration (SAC), pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of the renal artery trunk. The CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure group exhibited significantly higher PSV, EDV and MV than the CTLA-4-Ig group, which had significantly higher values than the non-intervention group. The CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure group exhibited significantly lower SAC, PI and RI than the CTLA-4-Ig group, which had significantly lower values than the non-intervention group. Our results indicate that both CTLA-4-Ig and CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure can reduce the blood flow resistance and improve the blood flow velocity of renal arteries in rats. Moreover, the effect of CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure is better than that of CTLA-4-Ig alone. Our study provides a new, effective and non-invasive strategy for the treatment of DN.