[Gemcitabine long-term maintenance chemotherapy benefits patients with survival: a multicenter, real-world study of advanced breast cancer treatment in China]

Objective: This study collected a real-world data on survival and efficacy of gemcitabine-containing therapy in advanced breast cancer. Aimed to find the main reasons of affecting the duration of gemcitabine-base therapy in advanced breast cancer patients. Methods: Advanced breast cancer patients who received gemcitabine-base therapy from January 2017 to January 2019 were enrolled(10 hospitals). The clinicopathological data, the number of chemotherapy cycles and the reasons for treatment termination were collected and analyzed. To identify the reasons related with continuous treatment for advanced breast cancer and the factors which affect the survival and efficacy. Results: A total of 224 patients with advanced breast cancer were enrolled in this study, with a median age of 52 years (26-77 years), 55.4%(124/224) was postmenopausal. Luminal type were 83 cases, TNBC were 97 cases, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER's-2) overexpression were 44. At the analysis, 224 patients who received the gemcitabine-based regimens were evaluated, included 5 complete reponse (CR), 77 partial response (PR), 112 stable disease (SD) and 27 progressive disease (PD). The objective response rate (ORR) was 36.6%(82/224). Seventy patients had serious adverse diseases, including leukopenia (9), neutrophilia (49), thrombocytopenia (15), and elevated transaminase (2). The median follow-up time was 41 months (26~61 months), and the median PFS was 5.6 months. The reasons of termination treatment were listed: disease progression were 90 patients; personal reasons were 51 patients; adverse drug reactions were 18 patients; completed treatment were 65 patients. It was found that progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in patients receiving >6 cycles than that in patients with ≤6 cycles (8.2 months vs 5.4 months, HR=2.474, 95% CI: 1.730-3.538, P＜0.001). Conclusions: Gemcitabine-based regimen is generally well tolerated in the Chinese population and has relatively ideal clinical efficacy in the real world. The median PFS is significantly prolonged when the number of treatment cycles are appropriately increased.

Design and experiments of a compact electrostatic low energy beam transport with a double Einzel-lens for a transportable neutron source

A transportable, compact, accelerator-based neutron source is under development at Xian Jiaotong University. An electrostatic low energy beam transport (LEBT) structure with a double Einzel-lens setup was adopted due to its short length and low power consumption. It can transport a pulsed proton beam to the radio frequency quadrupole with a required beam current of 15 mA and an energy of 30 keV. We performed detailed structure optimization and beam tracking to achieve beam matching and small emittance growth. In addition, the fast chopper, beam steering, and diagnostic devices are integrated into the LEBT. The fabrication and assembly of the proton injector have been completed, and beam commissioning was carried out to measure the beam current and Twiss parameters. The design strategy, beam simulation, and experimental results are presented and discussed in this paper.

[Analysis on the secondary attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and the associated factors]

Objective: To evaluate the secondary attack rates of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and the associated factors. Methods: A total of 328 primary cases and 40 146 close contacts of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant routinely detected in local areas of Jiangsu Province from February to April 2022 were selected in this study, and those with positive nucleic acid test results during 7 days of centralized isolation medical observation were defined as secondary cases. The demographic information and clinical characteristics were collected, and the secondary attack rate (SAR) and the associated factors were analyzed by using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: A total of 1 285 secondary cases of close contacts were reported from 328 primary cases, with a SAR of 3.2% (95%CI: 3.0%-3.4%). Among the 328 primary cases, males accounted for 61.9% (203 cases), with the median age (Q1, Q3) of 38.5 (27, 51) years old. Among the 1 285 secondary cases, males accounted for 59.1% (759 cases), with the median age (Q1, Q3) of 34 (17, 52) years old. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the higher SAR was observed in the primary male cases (OR=1.632, 95%CI: 1.418-1.877), younger than 20 years old (OR=1.766, 95%CI: 1.506-2.072),≥60 years old (OR=1.869, 95%CI: 1.476-2.365), infected with the BA.2 strain branch (OR=2.906, 95%CI: 2.388-3.537), the confirmed common cases (OR=2.572, 95%CI: 2.036-3.249), and confirmed mild cases (OR=1.717, 95%CI: 1.486-1.985). Meanwhile, the higher SAR was observed in the close contacts younger than 20 years old (OR=2.604, 95%CI: 2.250-3.015),≥60 years old (OR=1.287, 95%CI: 1.052-1.573) and exposure for co-residence (OR=27.854, 95%CI: 23.470-33.057). Conclusion: The sex and age of the primary case of the Omicron variant, the branch of the infected strain, case severity of the primary case, as well as the age and contact mode of close contacts are the associated factors of SAR.

De-Linker-Enabled Exceptional Volumetric Acetylene Storage Capacity and Benchmark C2 H2 /C2 H4 and C2 H2 /CO2 Separations in Metal-Organic Frameworks

An ideal adsorbent for separation requires optimizing both storage capacity and selectivity, but maximizing both or achieving a desired balance remain challenging. Herein, a de-linker strategy is proposed to address this issue for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Broadly speaking, the de-linker idea targets a class of materials that may be viewed as being intermediate between zeolites and MOFs. Its feasibility is shown here by a series of ultra-microporous MOFs (SNNU-98-M, M=Mn, Co, Ni, Zn). SNNU-98 exhibit high volumetric C₂ H₂ uptake capacity under low and ambient pressures (175.3 cm³  cm^-3 @ 0.1 bar, 222.9 cm³  cm^-3 @ 1 bar, 298 K), as well as extraordinary selectivity (2405.7 for C₂ H₂ /C₂ H₄ , 22.7 for C₂ H₂ /CO₂ ). Remarkably, SNNU-98-Mn can efficiently separate C₂ H₂ from C₂ H₂ /CO₂ and C₂ H₂ /C₂ H₄ mixtures with a benchmark C₂ H₂ /C₂ H₄ (1/99) breakthrough time of 2325 min g^-1 , and produce 99.9999 % C₂ H₄ with a productivity up to 64.6 mmol g^-1 , surpassing values of reported MOF adsorbents.

Rational regulation of acetylene adsorption and separation for ultra-microporous copper-1,2,4-triazolate frameworks by halogen hydrogen bonds

It is well known that the introduction of exposed fluorine (F) sites into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can effectively promote acetylene (C₂H₂) adsorption via C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds. However, such super strong hydrogen bonding interactions usually lead to very high acetylene adsorption enthalpy and thus require more energy during the adsorbent regeneration process. As the same group elements, chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br) and iodine (I) also can act as hydrogen bond acceptors but with relatively weak forces. So, it is speculated that the decoration of Cl, Br or I sites on the pore surface of MOF adsorbents may enhance acetylene adsorption but with lower energy consumption. Herein, ultra-microporous MOFs constructed by Cu₄X₄ (X = Cl, Br, I) motifs and 1,2,4-triazolate linkers, namely, [Cu₈X₄(TRZ)₄]_n (TRZ = 3,5-diethyl-1,2,4-triazole or detrz for SNNU-313-X, and 3,5-dipropyl-1,2,4-triazole or dptrz for SNNU-314-X), provide an ideal platform to investigate the effect of C-H⋯X (X = Cl, Br, I) hydrogen bonding on C₂H₂ adsorption and purification performance. Benefiting from the small pore size and pore environment, the C₂H₂ uptake and separation properties of this series of MOFs are systematically regulated. Detailed gas adsorption results show that with the same organic linker, the C₂H₂ uptake and separation (C₂H₂/C₂H₄ and C₂H₂/CO₂) performance decrease clearly with the electronegativity of halogen ions (SNNU-313-Cl > SNNU-313-Br > SNNU-313-I). With the same halogen ion, the gas adsorption decreases with the bulk of decorated alkyl groups (SNNU-313-Cl > SNNU-314-Cl). Remarkably, SNNU-313/314 series MOF adsorbents exhibit moderate C₂H₂ uptake capacity and high separation ability, but the C₂H₂ adsorption enthalpies are much lower than those of MOF materials with exposed F sites. Dynamic fixed-bed column breakthrough experiments and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations further indicate the critical effects of halogen hydrogen bonds on acetylene adsorption and separation. Overall, this work demonstrated an effective regulation of acetylene adsorption and separation by rational C-H⋯X hydrogen bonding, which may provide a new route for the exploration of energy-efficient acetylene adsorbent materials.

[Clinical and endoscopic characteristics of gastrointestinal mantle cell lymphoma]

Objective: To study the clinical and endoscopic features of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Methods: The clinical data and endoscopic characteristics of 20 patients with gastrointestinal MCL treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University and the Digestive Endoscopy Center of Guizhou Medical University from January 2011 to January 2021 were collected, and the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the tumor were observed. Meanwhile, 44 cases of non-gastrointestinal MCL in the above two hospitals in the same period were also enrolled. The clinical and endoscopic differences between the two groups were compared. Results: Among the 20 patients with gastrointestinal MCL, the male to female ratio was 4∶1 (16/4), the average age was (60.3±9.7) years, and 11 patients (55.0%, 11/20) were over 60 years old. The main clinical manifestations of 20 patients at the onset of the disease were bloody stool or black stool in 9 cases (45.0%), abdominal pain in 8 cases (40.0%). Moreover, 5.0% (1/20) had B symptoms (fever, night sweat and weight loss). The most frequently involved site was colorectum (50.0%). Endoscopic findings showed mucosal polypoid lesions in 13 cases (65.0%, 13/20), involving multiple intestinal segments, with polyp diameter of 0.2-3.5 cm. Two cases (10%) were in stage Ⅲ and 18 cases (90%) were in stage Ⅳ according to Ann Arbor staging. Seven cases (35.0%, 7/20) had the involvement of the peritoneal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes, 9 cases (45.0%, 9/20) had the involvement of the superficial lymph nodes in 45.0% (9/20), and 4 cases (20%, 4/20) had other extranodal invasion. Splenomegaly accounted for 35.0% (7/20). CD20, Bcl-2 and CD5 were positive or strongly positive in all gastrointestinal MCL tumor cells in 20 cases. Cyclin D1 was positive or strongly positive, accounting for 90.0% (18/20). The sex-determining region of Y chromosome-related high-mobility-group box 11 (SOX11) was positive or strongly positive, accounting for 65.0% (13/20). The positive index of Ki-67 was 5%-80%. Twenty cases (100%, 20/20) were followed up. The median follow-up was 41.2 months (1-74 months). There was no significant difference in the 3-year overall survival rate between the gastrointestinal MCL patients (70.0%) and non-gastrointestinal MCL patients (72.7%) (χ²=0.051, P=0.822). Conclusions: Abdominal discomfort is the main symptom of gastrointestinal MCL, which often occurs in the colorectum and often presents with multiple polypoid lesions. There are relatively few cases with B symptoms and extranodal invasion, and the prognosis is not different from that of patients with non-gastrointestinal MCL.

[Relationship between opacity of cytomegalovirus retinitis lesion borders and aqueous viral load among patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between lesion features of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, including lesion size and degree of opacity of lesion borders, and aqueous CMV-DNA load in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: It was a retrospective case series study. Data of patients diagnosed as CMV retinitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital from January 2018 to October 2020 were reviewed. Lesion size was detected by ultra-wide-field fundus image and measured by ImageJ, an image processing and analysis software. Opacity of lesion borders was evaluated by a masked reader. The CMV retinitis lesions were divided into 3 types according to the opacity degree of the border of the lesions: suspected active lesion mildly to moderately opacified lesion and severely opacified lesion. All eyes were diagnosed as active cytomegalovirus retinitis. CMV-DNA in aqueous humor was detected at the first visit and at the end of the induction period of antiviral drugs. CMV-DNA load was quantitatively detected by polymerase chain reaction after 100 μl of aqueous humor was extracted, and were converted to common logarithmic representations. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between lesion area, opacity degree of lesion border and aqueous humor CMV-DNA load. Results: A total of 71 eyes from 46 patients were included and 26 was male and 20 was female. The age of the patients was 27(13, 33)years. The active lesion size of CMV retinitis was 40(12, 65) disc areas. Eight eyes (11.3%) had a suspected active lesion, 51 eyes (71.8%) had a mildly to moderately opacified lesion border, and 12 eyes (16.9%) had a severely opacified border. At the first visit, 67 eyes (94.4%) were CMV-positive, and the CMV-DNA load was 2.04×10⁴ (6.24× 10², 1.48 ×10⁵) copies/ml. After 2 weeks of induction therapy, the viral load was 2.47×10² (1.08× 10, 6.87 ×10³) copies/ml. The correlation analysis showed that the CMV-DNA load in aqueous humor was significantly correlated with the lesion border opacity both at presentation and 2 weeks after intravitreal antiviral treatment (r=0.765, P<0.001; r=0.761, P<0.001), but was not related with the size of active fundus lesions (r=0.209, P=0.095; r=0.220, P=0.078). Conclusion: Degrees of lesion border opacity can reflect levels of aqueous viral load of CMV retinitis in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and can become a useful measurement for investigation of CMV retinitis activity.

[Potential application of improved hard tissue section technique in the clinical pathological diagnosis of bone and bone marrow]

Objective: To discuss the application value of hard tissue section in the clinicopathology diagnosis. Methods: From March 2021 to December 2021, bone slices of 19 patients (1 patient with osteochondroma, 2 patients with chondrosarcoma, 4 patients with osteosarcoma, 2 patients with fibrous dysplasia, 2 patients with bone metastasis from thyroid papillary carcinoma, 2 patients with osteomyelitis, 4 patients with giant cell tumor of bone, 2 patients with Ewing sarcoma) and 16 hemopathy patients were collected from the Department of Pathology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital. Of the osteopathy patients, there were 14 male and 5 female with a median age of 31 (10-66) years. Meanwhile, there were 7 male and 9 female with a median age of 28 (16-65) years among these hemopathy patients. Thirty-five cases were treated with modified hard tissue slicing technique and paraffin embedding technique, respectively. The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods for clinical diagnosis of bone disease were compared by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining (H&E staining), immunohistochemical staining (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Sanger sequencing. Results: The improved resin-embedded method showed better histological morphology and cell structure. Besides, the expression of Ki67, SATB2, CD34, SMA, CD68,MPO,CD4 and CD33 in immunohistochemical staining in bone tissues which were embedded in resin were more clear in the accurate positive localization than those using paraffin-embedded. MDM2 of FISH exhibited a higher fluorescence intensity and more accurate location. Meanwhile, both methods treated with Sanger sequencing met the requirements of DNA purity and mutation detection. Conclusion: The improved hard tissue section method is simple and short time-consuming, which is suitable for optimizing the clinical bone and bone marrow pathological diagnosis process.

Unexpected expression of heat-activated transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in winter torpid bats and cold-activated TRP channels in summer active bats

The ability to sense temperature changes is crucial for mammalian survival. Mammalian thermal sensing is primarily carried out by thermosensitive transient receptor potential channels (Thermo-TRPs). Some mammals hibernate to survive cold winter conditions, during which time their body temperature fluctuates dramatically. However, the underlying mechanisms by which these mammals regulate thermal responses remain unclear. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and the Western blotting, we found that Myotis ricketti bats had high levels of heat-activated TRPs (e.g., TRPV1 and TRPV4) during torpor in winter and cold-activated TRPs (e.g., TRPM8 and TRPC5) during active states in summer. We also found that laboratory mice had high mRNA levels of cold-activated TRPs (e.g., Trpm8 and Trpc5) under relatively hot conditions (i.e., 40 °C). These data suggest that small mammals up-regulate the expression of cold-activated TRPs even under warm or hot conditions. Binding site analysis showed that some homeobox (HOX) transcription factors (TFs) regulate the expression of hot- and cold-activated TRP genes and that some TFs of the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) family regulate warm-sensitive and cold-activated TRP genes. The dual-luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that TFs HOXA9, POU3F1, and POU5F1 regulate TRPC5 expression, suggesting that Thermo-TRP genes are regulated by multiple TFs of the HOX and POU families at different levels. This study provides insights into the adaptive mechanisms underlying thermal sensing used by bats to survive hibernation.

Amide-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks Coupled with Open Fe/Sc Sites for Efficient Acetylene Purification

Acetylene (C₂H₂) purification is of great importance for many chemical synthesis and processes. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely used for gas adsorption and separation due to their variable structure and porosity. However, the exploitation of ideal MOF adsorbents for C₂H₂ keeps a challenging task. Herein, a combination of open metal sites (OMSs) and Lewis basic sites (LBSs) in robust MOFs is demonstrated to effectively promote the C₂H₂ purification performance. Accordingly, SNNU-37(Fe/Sc), two isostructural MOFs constituted by [Fe₃O(COO)₆] or [Sc₃O(COO)₆] trinuclear clusters and amide-functionalized tricarboxylate linkers, were designed with extra-stable 3,6-connected new architectures. Derived from the coexistence of high-density OMSs and LBSs, the C₂H₂ adsorption amounts of SNNU-37(Fe/Sc) are much higher than those values for C₂H₄ and CO₂. Theoretical IAST selectivity values of SNNU-37(Fe) are 2.4 for C₂H₂/C₂H₄ (50/50, v/v) and 9.9 for C₂H₂/CO₂ (50/50, v/v) at 298 K and 1 bar, indicating an excellent C₂H₂ separation ability. Experimental breakthrough curves also revealed that SNNU-37(Fe) could effectively separate C₂H₂/C₂H₄ and C₂H₂/CO₂ under ambient conditions. GCMC simulations further indicate that open Fe or Sc sites and amide groups mainly contribute to stronger adsorption sites for C₂H₂ molecules.

Scapular bone grafting with allograft pin fixation for repair of bony Bankart lesions: A biomechanical study

BACKGROUND

Severe bony Bankart lesions are a difficult challenge in clinical treatment and research. The current treatment methods consist mostly of Latarjet-Bristow surgery and its modified procedures. While good results have been achieved, there are also complications such as coracoid fracture, bone graft displacement, and vascular and nerve injury.

AIM

To analyze the techniques and biomechanical properties of transversely fixing a bone block from the scapular spine using bone allograft pins with suture threads to repair bony Bankart lesions.

METHODS

Fresh human shoulder joint specimens and a cadaver specimen model for scapular bone grafting with allograft pin fixation for repair of bony Bankart lesions were used. When the humeral rotation angles were 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°, and the axial loads were 30 N, 40 N, and 50 N, the humerus displacement was studied by biomechanical experiments.

RESULTS

When the angle of external rotation of the humerus was 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°, with axial loads of 30 N, 40 N, and 50 N, the data of the normal control group, allograft pin repair group, and titanium alloy hollow screw repair group were compared with each other by the q-test, which showed that there were no statistically differences among the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The joints repaired with bone block from the scapular spine transversely fixed with allograft bony pins to repair bony Bankart lesions show good mechanical stability. The bone block has similar properties to normal glenohumeral joints in terms of biomechanical stability.

[Effect of high-fat diet on respiratory function and diaphragm fibers in mice and its mitochondrial mechanism]

Objective: To investigate the effect of high-fat diet (HFD) on respiratory function and its mitochondrial mechanism in mice. Methods: Twenty 4-week-old healthy male C57BL/6 mice were divided by simple random grouping into two groups, 10 mice for each group. Mice were raised with normal diet (NFD) and HFD for 16 weeks, respectively, and weighed once every two weeks. At the end of the intervention, respiratory parameters were measured by whole-body plethysomography, serum and diaphragm tissue lipid species were measured, diaphragm tissue was stained to observe diaphragmmatic morphology, muscle fiber phenotype and mitochondrial ultrastructure. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and immunoblotting were used to detect myosin heavy chain(MHC) and mitochondrial dynamics-related genes and protein expression. Results: The baseline body weights of NFD and HFD mice were (19.17±0.59) and (19.12±0.64) g, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (P=0.857). After 16 weeks of feeding, the body weight of mice in the HFD group was (41.28±2.21) g, which was higher than NFD group [(27.14±0.53) g, P<0.001]. The peak inspiratory flow rate, tidal volume and minute ventilation of mice in the HFD group were (5.72±0.64) ml/s, (0.23±0.04) ml and (97.49±21.68) ml, respectively, which were lower than NFD group [(7.70±1.52) ml/s, (0.31±0.07) ml and (129.99±28.87) ml, respectively, all P values<0.05]. Penh value was 1.16±0.07, which was higher than NFD group (0.98±0.09, P<0.001). The diaphragmatic triglyceride content of mice in the HFD group was (20.43±6.36) mmol/mg, which was higher than NFD group [(11.62±1.78) mmol/mg] (P=0.003), and lipid droplets were deposited in the diaphragm fibers. The percentage of MHC-Ⅰ muscle fibers in the diaphragm of mice in the HFD group was 13.33%±2.95%, which was lower than NFD group (19.20%±1.23%, P=0.034). The mitochondria of the diaphragm in the NFD group were arranged in rows with clear structures, while in the HFD group showed swelling, cristae breakage and vacuoles. The relative expression level of mitochondrial fusion protein 2 in the diaphragm of the HFD group was 0.61±0.16, which was lower than NFD group (1.28±0.03, P<0.001); the relative expression of mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 were 1.18±0.06 and 0.91±0.11, respectively, both higher than NFD group (0.61±0.07 and 0.60±0.04, respectively, P<0.001). Conclusion: HFD impairs respiratory function in mice by the mechanism associated with the MHC-Ⅰ muscle fibers decrease and the mitochondrial dynamics imbalance of diaphragm.

Tuning the Pore Surface of an Ultramicroporous Framework for Enhanced Methane and Acetylene Purification Performance

Both methane (CH₄) and acetylene (C₂H₂) are important energy source and raw chemicals in many industrial processes. The development of an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly separation and purification strategy for CH₄ and C₂H₂ is necessary. Ultramicroporous metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have shown great success in the separation and purification of small-molecule gases. Herein, the synergy effect of tritopic polytetrazolate and ditopic terephthalate ligands successfully generates a series of isoreticular ultramicroporous cadmium tetrazolate-carboxylate MOF materials (SNNU-13-16) with excellent CH₄ and C₂H₂ purification performance. Except for the uncoordinated tetrazolate N atoms serving as Lewis base sites, the pore size and pore surface of MOFs are systematically engineered by regulating dicarboxylic acid ligands varying from OH-BDC (SNNU-13) to Br-BDC (SNNU-14) to NH₂-BDC (SNNU-15) to 1,4-NDC (SNNU-16). Benefiting from the ultramicroporous character (3.8-5.9 Å), rich Lewis base N sites, and tunable pore environments, all of these ultramicroporous MOFs exhibit a prominent separation capacity for carbon dioxide (CO₂) or C2 hydrocarbons from CH₄ and C₂H₂. Remarkably, SNNU-16 built by 1,4-NDC shows the highest ideal adsorbed solution theory CO₂/CH₄, ethylene (C₂H₄)/CH₄, and C₂H₂/CH₄ separation selectivity values, which are higher than those of most famous MOFs with or without open metal sites. Dynamic breakthrough experiments show that SNNU-16 can also efficiently separate the C₂H₂/CO₂ mixtures with a gas flow rate of 4 mL min^-1 under 1 bar and 298 K. The breakthrough time (18 min g^-1) surpasses most best-gas-separation MOFs and nearly all other metal azolate-carboxylate MOF materials under the same conditions. The above prominently CH₄ and C₂H₂ purification abilities of SNNU-13-16 materials were further confirmed by the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations.

Specific Gene Co-variation Acts Better Than Number of Concomitant Altered Genes in Predicting EGFR-TKI Efficacy in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

There occurs huge heterogeneity in clinical outcomes for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). The purpose of this study was to indicate genetic biomarkers predicting primary resistance of EGFR-TKIs in these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using a next-generation sequencing panel with 168 cancer-related genes, matched tumor biopsy and plasma samples before treatments from patients with NSCLC were analyzed. Patients taking EGFR-TKIs were followed-up with imaging examination. Correlation of co-alterative genes with progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 48 patients treated with EGFR-TKIs, 46 (95.83%) had at least 1 genetic co-variant beyond EGFR mutation. Multivariate analysis indicated that RB1, PIK3CA, and ERBB2 co-alterations, rather than number of co-alterative genes, were independently associated with poorer PFS. Grouping patients by specific gene status showed best likelihood ratio χ², Akaike information criterion, and Harrell concordance index. The median PFS for patients in group A (less genetic co-variations and wild specific genes), group B (more genetic co-variations and wild specific genes), group C (less genetic co-variations and altered specific genes), and group D (more genetic co-variations and altered specific genes) were 10.4, 9.13 (vs. group A; P = .3112), 6.33 (vs. group B; P = .0465), and 3.90 (vs. group C; P = .0309) months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed a high concomitant genetic alteration rate in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Specific gene variants were more important than number of altered genes in predicting poor PFS, and may help select patients needing new treatment strategies.

Suppressed nuclear envelope proteins activate autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells during cyclic stretch application

Dysfunctions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play crucial roles in vascular remodeling in hypertension, which correlates with pathologically elevated cyclic stretch due to increased arterial pressure. Recent researches reported that autophagy, a life-sustaining process, was increased in hypertension. However, the mechanobiological mechanism of VSMC autophagy and its potential roles in vascular remodeling are still unclear. Using renal hypertensive rats in vivo and FX5000 stretch application Unit in vitro, the autophagy of VSMCs was detected. The results showed that LC3II remarkably enhanced in hypertensive rats and 15% cyclic stretch (mimic the pathologically increased mechanical stretch in hypertension), and the activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was suppressed in 15% cyclic stretch. Administration of autophagy inhibitors, bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine, repressed VSMC proliferation efficiently, but did not affect the degradation of two important nuclear envelope (NE) proteins, lamin A/C and emerin. Using RNA interference to decline the expression of lamin A/C and emerin, respectively, we discovered that autophagy was upregulated under both static and 5% cyclic stretch conditions, accompanying with the decreased mTOR activity. During 15% cyclic stretch application, mTOR inhibition was responsible for autophagy elevation. Chloroquine administration in vivo inhibited the expression of PCNA (marker of proliferation) of abdominal aorta in hypertensive rats. Altogether, these results demonstrated that pathological cyclic stretch suppresses the expression of lamin A/C and emerin which subsequently represses mTOR pathway so as to induce autophagy activation. Blocking autophagic flux may be a practicable way to relieve the pathological vascular remodeling in hypertensive.

[Research progress on the epigenetic mechanisms of inverse relationship between Alzheimer's disease and cancer onset]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the aging population. It is characterized by massive deposition of extracellular β-amyloid peptide and formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Cancer is also an age-related disease. Some epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between AD and the onset of various types of cancers, that is, the risk of cancer in patients with AD is reduced, and vice versa. Epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in the development of AD and cancer. In this article, we will review the recent research advances on the epigenetic mechanisms of AD and cancer onset, and provide new ideas for rethinking the relevance of AD and cancer with a "holistic concept".

Multimetal Incorporation into 2D Conductive Metal-Organic Framework Nanowires Enabling Excellent Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Benzylamine to Benzonitrile

As an important organic intermediate, benzonitrile (BN) is widely involved in organic synthetic chemistry and pharmaceutical and dyestuff industries. However, the exploration of a more efficient and controllable synthesis technique and the corresponding greener catalysts for the synthesis of BN still poses a great challenge. Herein, with multimetallic two-dimensional conductive metal-organic frameworks (2D cMOF) as anodic electrocatalysts, we develop a green, convenient, and highly efficient electrochemical synthesis strategy for BN. Thanks to the intrinsic 2D electrically conductive structure and the optimized the multimetallic coupling catalytic effect, the resulting multimetallic 2D cMOFs exhibit excellent benzylamine (BA) electrooxidation performance. Especially, the trimetallic 2D cMOF (NiCoFe-CAT) requires an ultralow potential of 1.29 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) to achieve a 10 mA·cm^-2 current density, which indicates the fastest reaction and the most favorable thermodynamic condition. A very high yield (0.058 mmol·mg^-1·h^-1) and faradic efficiency (∼87%) of benzonitrile are both achieved during the BA electrooxidation reaction at 1.45 V. The reaction mechanism investigations indicated that the various redox mediators of M^II/M^III (Ni, Co, Fe) may be regarded as multimetal active species to promote BA conversion. Also, the excellent cycling durability of multimetallic 2D cMOFs further promotes their potential practical applications. These electrocatalytic performances are considered excellent and nearly surpass all other reported Ni-based inorganics or MOF-based electrocatalysts for the electrocatalytic oxidation of benzylamine.

Mimic of Ferroalloy To Develop a Bifunctional Fe-Organic Framework Platform for Enhanced Gas Sorption and Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

It is well-known that the formation of ferroalloy with the addition of the second or third metal during the steel-making process usually can improve the performance of the iron. Inspired by ferroalloy materials, it is speculated that the pore environment, framework charge, and catalytic properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could be optimized dramatically via the introduction of ferroalloy-like inorganic building blocks. However, different to ferroalloy, the accurate integration of different metals into one MOF platform is still challenging. Herein, taking advantages of the good compatibility for metals in trigonal prismatic trinuclear cluster, a series of Fe-based alloy-like [M₃O(O₂C)₆] motifs (M₃ = Fe₃, Fe_1.5Ni_1.5, Fe_1.5Co_1.5, Fe_1.5Ti_1.5, FeCoNi, and FeTiCo) are successfully generated, which further lead to a robust Fe-MOF material family (SNNU-5s). These multicomponent MOFs not only provide a good chance to explore the impact of pore environment on gas adsorption/separation but also offer an opportunity to the efficient electrocatalytic reaction directly. Accordingly, compared with the SNNU-5-Fe parent structure, the pore characters of heterometallic SNNU-5 MOFs are clearly regulated by the type of alloy-like building blocks. SNNU-5-FeTi displays more superior gas separation performance for CO₂/CH₄, C₂H₂/CH₄, C₂H₄/CH₄, and C₂H₂/CO₂ gas mixtures. What is more, benefited from the multimetallic active sites and their catalytic synergy, FeCoNi-ternary alloy-like cluster-based SNNU-5 MOF material exhibits an exceptional oxygen evolution reaction activity in aqueous solution at pH = 13, which delivers a low overpotential (η_j=10 = 317 mV), a fast reaction kinetics (Tafel slope = 37 mV dec^-1), and excellent catalytic stability. This facile multialloy-like building block strategy holds promise to accurately design and improve the performance of MOFs, as well as open an avenue to understand the related mechanisms.

Convergent genomic signatures of high-altitude adaptation among domestic mammals

Abundant and diverse domestic mammals living on the Tibetan Plateau provide useful materials for investigating adaptive evolution and genetic convergence. Here, we used 327 genomes from horses, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs living at both high and low altitudes, including 73 genomes generated for this study, to disentangle the genetic mechanisms underlying local adaptation of domestic mammals. Although molecular convergence is comparatively rare at the DNA sequence level, we found convergent signature of positive selection at the gene level, particularly the EPAS1 gene in these Tibetan domestic mammals. We also reported a potential function in response to hypoxia for the gene C10orf67, which underwent positive selection in three of the domestic mammals. Our data provide an insight into adaptive evolution of high-altitude domestic mammals, and should facilitate the search for additional novel genes involved in the hypoxia response pathway.

Design of a Multifunctional Indium-Organic Framework: Fluorescent Sensing of Nitro Compounds, Physical Adsorption, and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes

The detection of nitro compounds and removal of organic dyes remain urgent issues because they are poisonous to humans. Taking advantage of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, we demonstrate herein an indium-organic framework (InOF) exhibiting sensitive fluorescence sensing of nitro compounds, prominent dye capture, and excellent photodegradation of dyes. By using 4,4',4″-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyltri-p-aminobenzoate (TATAB), an amino-functionalized BTB-like linker, the 3D SNNU-110 structure ({[In₃OCl(H₂O)₂(TATAB)₂]}_n) is formed. SNNU-110 shows a 3,6-connected 3,6T22 topology with TATAB and [In₃O(CO₂)₆] tricapped trigonal-prismatic clusters as 3- and 6-connected nodes. Thanks to the fluorescence properties and amine recognition sites of TATAB, SNNU-110 exhibits excellent performance of fluorescence quenching for six electron-deficient nitroaromatics. The intercrossing 1D channels in SNNU-110 formed from the a- and b-axis directions with dimensions of about 18 Å × 11 Å can capture diverse cationic, anionic, or neutral dyes effectively. What is more, the existence of an inorganic [In₃O] cluster enable SNNU-110 to be a good photocatalyst. Upon irradiation with a 300 W xenon lamp, SNNU-110 shows outstanding photocatalytic activity toward rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB), and there was almost no degradation. The catalytic activity can retain about 94.6% (RhB) and 93.1% (MB), respectively. Overall, SNNU-110 fully demonstrates the power of multicomponent MOFs, which provide a feasible route for the design of functional materials toward to pollutant identification and removal applications.

The Origin and Population History of the Endangered Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

The origin and population history of the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) remain largely unavailable and/or controversial. We here integrate analyses of multiple genomic markers, including mitochondrial (mt) genomes, Y-chromosomes, and autosomes of 54 golden monkey individuals from all three geographic populations (SG, QL, and SNJ). Our results reveal contrasting population structures. Mt analyses suggest a division of golden monkeys into five lineages: one in SNJ, two in SG, and two in QL. One of the SG lineages (a mixed SG/QL lineage) is basal to all other lineages. In contrast, autosomal analyses place SNJ as the most basal lineage and identify one QL and three SG lineages. Notably, Y-chromosome analyses bear features similar to mt analyses in placing the SG/QL-mixed lineage as the first diverging lineage and dividing SG into two lineages, while resembling autosomal analyses in identifying one QL lineage. We further find bidirectional gene flow among all three populations at autosomal loci, while asymmetric gene flow is suggested at mt genomes and Y-chromosomes. We propose that different population structures and gene flow scenarios are the result of sex-linked differences in the dispersal pattern of R. roxellana. Moreover, our demographic simulation analyses support an origin hypothesis suggesting that the ancestral R. roxellana population was once widespread and then divided into SNJ and non-SNJ (SG and QL) populations. This differs from previous mt-based "mono-origin (SG is the source population)" and "multiorigin (SG is a fusion of QL and SNJ)" hypotheses. We provide a detailed and refined scenario for the origin and population history of this endangered primate species, which has a broader significance for Chinese biogeography. In addition, this study highlights the importance to investigate multiple genomic markers with different modes of inheritance to trace the complete evolutionary history of a species, especially for those exhibiting differential or mixed patterns of sex dispersal.

MicroRNA-135b alleviates MPP+-mediated Parkinson's disease in in vitro model through suppressing FoxO1-induced NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis

The present study focused on the novel roles and the underlying mechanisms of miR-135b in pyroptosis of MPP⁺-induced Parkinson's disease (PD). We established an in vitro PD model induced by MPP⁺. Our results demonstrated miR-135b was lower while FoxO1 was inversely higher in MPP⁺-treated SH-SY5Y and PC-12 cells. Luciferase reporter assay showed FoxO1 was a downstream target of miR-135b. MiR-135b mimics suppressed MPP⁺-induced pyroptosis and the upregulation of TXNIP, NLRP3, Caspase-1, ASC, GSDMD^Nterm and IL-1β. Moreover, FoxO1 overexpression had no effect on miR-135b but reversed its own downregulation caused by miR-135b mimics. Meanwhile, overexpression of FoxO1 abolished the inhibitory effects of miR-135b on pyroptosis and reversed the downregulation of pyroptotic genes and LDH release. In summary, miR-135b played a protective role in Parkinson's disease via inhibiting pyroptosis by targeting FoxO1. MiR-135b might serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Out of Southern East Asia of the Brown Rat Revealed by Large-Scale Genome Sequencing

The geographic origin and migration of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) remain subjects of considerable debate. In this study, we sequenced whole genomes of 110 wild brown rats with a diverse world-wide representation. We reveal that brown rats migrated out of southern East Asia, rather than northern Asia as formerly suggested, into the Middle East and then to Europe and Africa, thousands of years ago. Comparison of genomes from different geographical populations reveals that many genes involved in the immune system experienced positive selection in the wild brown rat.

[Transmission cluster and network of HIV-1 CRF01_AE strain in China, 1996-2014]

Objective: To understand the transmission patterns and risk factors of HIV-1 strain CRF01_AE subtypes in China, and to provide guidance for the implementation of precise intervention. Methods: A total of 2 094 CRF01_AE pol sequences were collected in 19 provinces in China between 1996 and 2014. Phylogenetic tree was constructed by PhyML 3.0 software to select the transmission clusters. Transmission network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.6.0, which was further used for exploring of the major risk factors. Results: Of the 2 094 sequences, 12.18% (255/2 094) were in clusters. A total of 82 transmission clusters were identified. The numbers of clusters and contained sequences in intra-provincial transmission (61, 173) were significantly more than those in inter-provincial transmission (21, 82). The ratio of transmission clustering in MSM increased over time from 2.41% (2/83) during 1996-2008 to 23.61% (72/305) during 2013-2014, showing a significant upward trend (χ(2)=27.800, df=1, P=0.000). The proportion of MSM with inter-provincial transmission clusters were higher than those with intra-provincial transmission clusters, which increased from 0.67% (2/297) during 1996-2008 to 6.36%(30/472) during 2013-2014, showing a significant upward trend (χ(2)=20.276, df=1, P=0.000). The transmission rate in homosexuals of the inter-transmission clusters (86.59%, 71/82) was higher than that of intra-provincial transmission clusters (56.65%, 98/173), and the difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=22.792, P=0.000). The proportion of inter-provincial transmission clusters with more than 2 transmission routes (33.33%, 7/21) was higher than that of intra-provincial clusters (13.11%, 8/61), and the difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=4.273, P=0.039). Results from the transmission network analysis indicated that the proportion of high risk population (degree≥4) with inter-provincial transmission clusters (51.22%, 42/82) was significantly higher than that with intra-provincial transmission clusters (26.59%, 46/173), and the difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=14.932, P=0.000). Inter-provincial clusters were mainly detected in and and MSM. Conclusions: Complex transmission networks were found for HIV-1 CRF01_AE strains in the mainland of China. Inter-provincial transmission clusters increased rapidly, MSM played an important role in the wide spread of the strain. More researches in transmission networks are needed to guide the precision intervention.

[Effect of a novel cold atmospheric plasma jet treatment with different temperatures on resin-dentin bonding]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of different treatment temperatures of a novel cold atmospheric plasma jet treatment on the resin-dentin bonding.

METHODS

(1) Fifty-two freshly extracted, non-carious and intact third molars were collected. The occlusal one-third of the crown was removed by means of a water-cooled low-speed Isomet saw. One dentin disc [(900 ±100) μm] was prepared for each tooth. The fifty-two dentin discs were randomly divided into control group and experimental groups, of which four were in control group, and forty-eight were divided into four experimental groups according to the different treatment temperatures (4 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C) of the novel radio-frequency atmospheric-pressure glow discharge (RF-APGD) plasma jet, twelve in each group. Each experimental group was divided into three subgroups according to different treatment time (10 s, 20 s and 30 s), with four in each subgroup. The occlusal one-third of the crown was removed by means of a water-cooled low-speed Isomet saw. The morphology of demineralized dentin surfaces was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. (2) Twenty unerupted, non-carious and intact third molars were randomly divided into five groups, four in each group: control group, untreated; 4 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C experimental groups, each group was treated with the RF-APGD plasma jet for 20 s. The micro-tensile resin dentin bond strength was tested after 20 s RF-APGD plasma jet treatment with different temperatures, using a universal mechanical machine.

RESULTS

(1) The field emission scanning electron microscopy results indicated that when compared with the control group, a 10 s RF-APGD plasma jet treatment with 30 °C and 20 °C collapsed the collagen scaffold. Collagen fibrils maintained an uncollapsed three-dimensional structure after the 4 °C RF-APGD plasma jet treatment for even 30 s treatment. (2) The microtensile resin dentin bond strength results of the 4 °C RF-APGD plasma jet treatment group (57.8±0.7) MPa were significantly higher than that of the control group [(47.4±0.5) MPa] and 10 s, 20 s and 30 s RF-APGD plasma treatment group [(51.9±0.7) MPa,(29.7±1.0) MPa and (22.2±1.5) MPa] with statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the micro-tensile bond strength increased about 21.9% and 9.5% after 4 °C and 10 °C RF-APGD plasma jet treatment, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Compared with other treatment temperatures, this novel RF-APGD plasma jet treatment with the temperature of 4 °C can preserve the three-dimensional morphology of demineralized dentin better, and can improve the resin-dentin bonding.

Differential expression of mRNA-miRNAs related to intramuscular fat content in the longissimus dorsi in Xinjiang brown cattle

In this study, we examined the role of mRNAs and miRNAs in variations in intramuscular fat content in the longissimus dorsi muscle in Xinjiang brown cattle. Two groups of Xinjiang brown cattle with extremely different intramuscular fat content in the longissimus dorsi were selected for combined of miRNA and mRNA analysis using an RNA-Seq. In total, 296 mRNAs and 362 miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed, including 155 newly predicted miRNAs, 275 significantly upregulated genes, 252 significantly upregulated miRNAs, 21 significantly downregulated genes and 110 significantly downregulated miRNAs. The combined miRNA and mRNA analysis identified 96 differentially expressed miRNAs and 27 differentially expressed mRNAs. In all, 47 upregulated miRNAs had a regulatory effect on 14 differentially downregulated target genes, and 49 downregulated miRNAs had a regulatory effect on 13 upregulated target genes. To verify the sequencing results, 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 10 differentially expressed miRNAs were selected for qRT-PCR. The qRT-PCR results confirmed the sequencing results. The results of this study shed light on the molecular regulation of bovine adipose tissue, which might help with the development of new strategies for improving meat quality and animal productivity in beef cattle to provide healthier meat products for consumers.

Rapid Evolution of Genes Involved in Learning and Energy Metabolism for Domestication of the Laboratory Rat

The laboratory rat, widely used in biomedical research, is domesticated from wild brown rat. The origin and genetic mechanism underlying domestication of the laboratory rat remain largely elusive. In the present study, large scale genomes supported a single origin for the laboratory rat, possibly from a sister group to wild rats from Europe/Africa/Middle East. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses uncovered many artificially selected genes (e.g., FOXP2, B3GAT1, and CLOCK) involved in the nervous system. These genes associate with learning ability and regulation of circadian rhythm, which likely enabled the successful domestication of the laboratory rat. Particularly, many genes, including mitochondrial genes responsible for energy metabolism, displayed a substantially increased expression in the brain of laboratory rats compared with wild rats. Our findings demystify the origin and evolution of this model animal, and provide insight into the process of its domestication.

Expression of UCA1 and MALAT1 long-chain non-coding RNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues is predictive of patient prognosis

INTRODUCTION

The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) urothelial cancer associated 1 (UCA1) and metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) are known to impact cancer cell regulation. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the expression of these lncRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and disease prognosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The expression of UCA1 and MALAT1 lncRNAs was assessed in ESCC and adjacent carcinoma tissues (5 cm away from the tumor) and evaluated in relation to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients. This prospective study included 100 ESCC patients who were admitted to the First Hospital of Yulin City between January 2007 and January 2014.

RESULTS

The expression levels of UCA1 and MALAT1 lncRNAs in ESCC tissues were significantly higher than those in adjacent carcinoma tissues, and there were statistically significant differences in TNM staging between the patients with high lncRNA expression and low lncRNA expression. The OS and DFS of patients with high UCA1 and MALAT1 lncRNA expression levels were significantly shorter than those with low expression levels. Furthermore, the OS and DFS of ESCC patients appeared to be correlated with TNM staging.

CONCLUSIONS

These results imply that the up-regulation of UCA1 and MALAT1 lncRNAs in ESCC tissues can impact the degree of tumor progression and is predictive of postoperative survival. Therefore, the expression levels of these lncRNAs can be used as measurement indexes to determine the prognosis of ESCC patients.

Development and Standardization of a New Cognitive Assessment Test Battery for Chinese Aphasic Patients: A Preliminary Study

Background:

Nonlinguistic cognitive impairment has become an important issue for aphasic patients, but currently there are few neuropsychological cognitive assessment tests for it. To get more information on cognitive impairment of aphasic patients, this study aimed to develop a new cognitive assessment test battery for aphasic patients, the Non-language-based Cognitive Assessment (NLCA), and evaluate its utility in Chinese-speaking patients with aphasia.

Methods:

The NLCA consists of five nonverbal tests, which could assess five nonlinguistic cognitive domains such as visuospatial functions, attention test, memory, reasoning, and executive functions of aphasic patients. All tests are modified from the nonverbal items of the current existed tests with some changes to the characteristics of Chinese culture. The NLCA was tested in 157 participants (including 57 aphasic patients, 50 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 50 normal controls), and was compared with other well-established relative neuropsychological tests on the reliability, validity, and utility.

Results:

The NLCA was fully applicable in the MCI patients and the normal controls, almost working in the aphasic patients (57/62 patients, 91.9%). The NLCA scores were 66.70 ± 6.30, 48.67 ± 15.04, and 77.58 ± 2.56 for the MCI group, the aphasic group, and the control group, respectively, and a significant difference was found among three groups (F = 118.446, P < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha of the NLCA as an index of internal consistency was 0.805, and the test-retest and interrater reliability was adequate (r=0.977 and r= 0.970, respectively). The correlations of the cognitive subtests and their validation instruments were between 0.540 and 0.670 (all P < 0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that the coefficient of internal consistency of each subtest itself was higher than other subtests. When choosing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of <26 as the diagnostic criteria of cognitive impairment, the area under the curve for all participants in the control and MCI groups was 0.942 (95% confidence interval: 0.895–0.989), and an optimal cutoff point of 75.00 seemed to provide the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. Age (r = −0.406, P < 0.001) was the main influence factor for the NLCA.

Conclusions:

The NLCA could efficiently differentiate the cognitive impairment patients from the normal controls and is a reliable and valid cognitive assessment test battery to specially find nonlinguistic cognitive function for aphasic patients.

Influence of Working Temperature on The Formation of Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers

Temperature is an important parameter during electrospinning, and virtually, all solution electrospinning processes are conducted at ambient temperature. Nanofiber diameters presumably decrease with the elevation of working fluid temperature. The present study investigated the influence of temperature variations on the formation of polymeric nanofibers during single-fluid electrospinning. The surface tension and viscosity of the fluid decreased with increasing working temperature, which led to the formation of high-quality nanofibers. However, the increase in temperature accelerated the evaporation of the solvent and thus terminated the drawing processes prematurely. A balance can be found between the positive and negative influences of temperature elevation. With polyacrylonitrile (PAN, with N,N-dimethylacetamide as the solvent) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, with ethanol as the solvent) as the polymeric models, relationships between the working temperature (T, K) and nanofiber diameter (D, nm) were established, with D = 12598.6 - 72.9T + 0.11T ² (R = 0.9988) for PAN fibers and D = 107003.4 - 682.4T + 1.1T ² (R = 0.9997) for PVP nanofibers. Given the fact that numerous polymers are sensitive to temperature and numerous functional ingredients exhibit temperature-dependent solubility, the present work serves as a valuable reference for creating novel functional nanoproducts by using the elevated temperature electrospinning process.

Genetic variation in glia-neuron signalling modulates ageing rate

The rate of behavioural decline in the ageing population is remarkably variable among individuals. Despite the considerable interest in studying natural variation in ageing rate to identify factors that control healthy ageing, no such factor has yet been found. Here we report a genetic basis for variation in ageing rates in Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that C. elegans isolates show diverse lifespan and age-related declines in virility, pharyngeal pumping, and locomotion. DNA polymorphisms in a novel peptide-coding gene, named regulatory-gene-for-behavioural-ageing-1 (rgba-1), and the neuropeptide receptor gene npr-28 influence the rate of age-related decline of worm mating behaviour; these two genes might have been subjected to recent selective sweeps. Glia-derived RGBA-1 activates NPR-28 signalling, which acts in serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons to accelerate behavioural deterioration. This signalling involves the SIR-2.1-dependent activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, a pathway that modulates ageing. Thus, natural variation in neuropeptide-mediated glia-neuron signalling modulates the rate of ageing in C. elegans.

A Normalization-Free and Nonparametric Method Sharpens Large-Scale Transcriptome Analysis and Reveals Common Gene Alteration Patterns in Cancers

Heterogeneity in transcriptional data hampers the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and understanding of cancer, essentially because current methods rely on cross-sample normalization and/or distribution assumption—both sensitive to heterogeneous values. Here, we developed a new method, Cross-Value Association Analysis (CVAA), which overcomes the limitation and is more robust to heterogeneous data than the other methods. Applying CVAA to a more complex pan-cancer dataset containing 5,540 transcriptomes discovered numerous new DEGs and many previously rarely explored pathways/processes; some of them were validated, both in vitro and in vivo, to be crucial in tumorigenesis, e.g., alcohol metabolism (ADH1B), chromosome remodeling (NCAPH) and complement system (Adipsin). Together, we present a sharper tool to navigate large-scale expression data and gain new mechanistic insights into tumorigenesis.

Red blood cell distribution width and ischaemic stroke

The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of red blood cell (RBC) size heterogeneity, which is easily calculated by dividing the SD of erythrocyte volumes for the mean corpuscular volume. Recent reporter suggested that, besides haematological diseases and anaemia, many human disorders may be closely associated with the elevated RDW. A literature review has revealed the RDW may be closely related to the development of ischaemic stroke, carotid artery atherosclerosis and cerebral embolism. Higher RDW could independently predict adverse outcomes in patients in these conditions.

An integrated method for the identification of novel genes related to oral cancer

Cancer is a significant public health problem worldwide. Complete identification of genes related to one type of cancer facilitates earlier diagnosis and effective treatments. In this study, two widely used algorithms, the random walk with restart algorithm and the shortest path algorithm, were adopted to construct two parameterized computational methods, namely, an RWR-based method and an SP-based method; based on these methods, an integrated method was constructed for identifying novel disease genes. To validate the utility of the integrated method, data for oral cancer were used, on which the RWR-based and SP-based methods were trained, thereby building two optimal methods. The integrated method combining these optimal methods was further adopted to identify the novel genes of oral cancer. As a result, 85 novel genes were inferred, among which eleven genes (e.g., MYD88, FGFR2, NF-κBIA) were identified by both the RWR-based and SP-based methods, 70 genes (e.g., BMP4, IFNG, KITLG) were discovered only by the RWR-based method and four genes (L1R1, MCM6, NOG and CXCR3) were predicted only by the SP-based method. Extensive analyses indicate that several novel genes have strong associations with cancers, indicating the effectiveness of the integrated method for identifying disease genes.

Theoretical study of the spectroscopic and nonlinear optical properties of trans- and cis-4-hydroxyazobenzene

We investigate the molecular structure, vibrational and electronic absorption spectra, and electronic hyperpolarizabilities of trans and cis isomers of 4-hydroxyazobenzene (HOAB) via density functional theory. Results show that the azo dye exhibits a high third-order nonlinear optical response and good optical transparency. Both the basis set and the functional are important influences on the results obtained when calculating the absorption spectrum and NLO response. We also study the effect of the solvent on the electronic absorption spectrum to assess the ability of the functional to reproduce the experimental spectrum in combination with a suitable solvent model. Our calculations show that the SMD model of Truhlar et al. handles the electrostatic and the non-electrostatic effects of hydrogen-bonding solvents on the absorption spectrum better than the traditional polarizable continuum model does. In addition, our results indicate that the dye trans-HOAB exhibits a high second hyperpolarizability and excellent optical transparency. Also, although the second hyperpolarizability of cis-HOAB is much lower than that of trans-HOAB, it is non-negligible when calculating the optical nonlinearity of HOAB under an optical pump. We also examine the effect of frequency dispersion on second harmonic generation. This study provides the basis for further research on the spectroscopic and nonlinear optical properties of novel azo dyes and other π-conjugated compounds.

Insights Into the Evolution of Chemoreceptor Genes Superfamily in Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae)

All living organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria, use the olfactory system to recognize chemicals or pheromone from their environment. Insects detect a volatile substance using odorant receptors (ORs) or gustatory receptors (GRs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs). The gene families of the olfactory system in Acari are still not clear. In this study, we identified seven ORs, one GR, and five IRs from the transcriptome of the storage mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae Schrank. No olfactory coreceptor was found in this transcriptome. Phylogenetic analysis of these gene families with other Arthropoda species revealed the conservation of carbon dioxide receptors in all tested flying insects and T. putrescentiae Most of these ORs and GRs were unique to three mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae Giles, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Aedes aegypti L.), Ixodes scapularis Say and Pediculus humanus L., indicating their involvement in specific aspects of both gustatory and olfactory perception. Some clades contained receptors obtained from all tested insect vector species, indicating a degree of conservation among some vector-dependent OR lineages. IRs family was a highly dynamic and independent original of the chemoreceptor genes subfamily. Our findings would make it possible for future research on the chemosensory recognition mechanism in Acari.

Dynamical control on helicity of electromagnetic waves by tunable metasurfaces

Manipulating the polarization states of electromagnetic (EM) waves, a fundamental issue in optics, attracted intensive attention recently. However, most of the devices realized so far are either too bulky in size, and/or are passive with only specific functionalities. Here we combine theory and experiment to demonstrate that, a tunable metasurface incorporating diodes as active elements can dynamically control the reflection phase of EM waves, and thus exhibits unprecedented capabilities to manipulate the helicity of incident circular-polarized (CP) EM wave. By controlling the bias voltages imparted on the embedded diodes, we demonstrate that the device can work in two distinct states. Whereas in the “On” state, the metasurface functions as a helicity convertor and a helicity hybridizer within two separate frequency bands, it behaves as a helicity keeper within an ultra-wide frequency band in the “Off” state. Our findings pave the way to realize functionality-switchable devices related to phase control, such as frequency-tunable subwavelength cavities, anomalous reflectors and even holograms.