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To efficiently process the massive amount of sensor data, it is demanding to develop a new paradigm. Inspired by neurobiological systems, an infrared near‐senor reservoir computing (RC) system, consisting of infrared sensors and memristors based on single‐crystalline LiTaO3 and LiNbO3 (LN) thin film respectively, is demonstrated. The analog memristor is used as a reservoir in the RC system to process sensor signals with spatiotemporal characteristics. LN crystal structure stacked with oxygen octahedra provides favorable conditions for reliable Mott variable‐range hopping conduction, which provides the memristor with tens of thousands of reservoir states within a large dynamic range. With the characteristics, the analog sensor signals with high data fidelity can be directly fed to the memristive reservoir, and the spatiotemporal features can be separated and mapped. The system demonstrated a dynamic gesture perception task, achieving an accuracy of 99.6%, which highlights the great application potential of the memristor in signal sensor processing and will advance the application of artificial intelligence in sensor systems. Crystal ion slicing techniques are used to fabricate a single‐crystalline thin film for both the memristor and sensor, which opens up the possibility of realizing monolithic integration of a memristor‐based near‐sensor computing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: A stent-assisted coil (SAC) is a safe and effective treatment modality for some complex intracranial aneurysms, especially for wide neck aneurysms. However, some wide neck aneurysms with a tough angle and located in the posterior communicating artery (PCoA) are challenging to treat with a SAC. This study aimed to examine and discuss the swinging-tail technique for treating wide neck aneurysms located in the PCoA using a SAC by Prof. Lv. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our institutional clinical database and identified nine patients with neck aneurysms located in the PCoA, and these patients underwent the swinging-tail technique by Prof. Lv, which is a novel technique of releasing a stent, from June 2016 to September 2021. Results: In this study, nine patients underwent SAC treatment using the swinging-tail technique by Prof. Lv. Aneurysmal complete occlusion was observed in every patient without any complications, as shown by immediate postoperative angiography. Additionally, the modified Rankin scale was monitored for clinical outcomes in the follow-up. One patient died postoperatively due to severe SAH with an intraventricular hemorrhage. Four of nine patients underwent imaging follow-up, demonstrating the complete occlusion of aneurysms; eight patients underwent clinical follow-up and achieved a favorable clinical outcome (modified Rankin scale score: 0–2). Conclusion: The SAC treatment for wide neck aneurysms located in the PCoA can be challenging for operators because of the specific location, resulting in inadequate vessel wall apposition by antegrade stenting via the ipsilateral vessel. In this circumstance, the swinging-tail technique may be a feasible and effective choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative differential resistance (NDR) in memristor has attracted considerable attention due to its nonlinear dynamic characteristic accompanied by resistive switching behavior. Here, we demonstrated the voltage-programmable NDR effect in an Au/LNO/Pt memristor based on a single-crystalline lithium niobate (SC-LNO) thin film tuned by low-energy Ar+ irradiation. A typical N-Shape NDR behavior occurs in reverse bias and can be programmed by changing the positive sweeping voltage. Moreover, thickness-dependent of the NDR behavior was also investigated. Thanks to the merit of the SC-LNO thin film, our memristor reveals excellent uniformity and reproducibility with low cycle-to-cycle variation (down to 1.82% for Ipeak and 2.94% for Vvalley). The carrier transport mechanism of our device is attributed to the interplay of trap-controlled space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) and the Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling. The transition from bulk-limited conduction (SCLC) to interfacial one (FN) tuned by Ar+ irradiation is crucial for our NDR devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the current associated factors of dietary knowledge and behavior, the intake and nutritional status in malignancy Chinese inpatients, and the malnutrition causes involved in dietary nutrition knowledge level and behavior, providing recommendations to patients for nutrition education and intervention.Method: Five hundred and thirty-five participants from 18 hospitals were investigated by a questionnaire related to dietary knowledge and behavior. Physicians asked and recorded the level of dietary intake and appetite scoring of the participants. The nutritional risk screening with the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) and the dietary survey by 24 h dietary recalls were completed by a dietitian. Besides, the target energy intake and the target protein intake were calculated by the "rule of thumb" recommended by ESPEN guideline, comparing the difference between the actual intake and target intake.Results: According to the questionnaire, 95.2% of participants thought it was important to have a good dietetic habit, and nearly half of them have searched for guides on how to diet; 70% of the patients had no clear idea of what was a scientific diet; 82% of patients had contradictory dietary knowledge; 64.2% of patients would listen to the opinion of the attending physician when a contradiction happened. The main three ways of learning about healthy diet were attending physician, network, and TV, respectively, with the values 26.0, 18.5, and 16.1%. Importantly, 99.6% of patients have made mistakes about dietary knowledge, for example, crab, chicken, lamb, fish, and prawns should not be eaten in their concept. In addition, more than 90% of participants have taken Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, sea cucumber, ginseng, Cordyceps sinensis, and so on. Ninety-three percent of the patients never reached a qualified nutrition education. Besides, 15.6% of the participants had nutritional risk (NRS-2002 ≥ 3). The actual daily energy intake was 1169.20 ± 465.97 kcal, which was significantly less than target energy intake (P < 0.01), amounting to 65.3% of the target requirements. The actual daily protein intake was 46.55 ± 21.40 g, which was significantly less than target protein intake (P < 0.01), amounting to 74.44%. On the other hand, 69% of the participants were "Not too bad, Ok, Good, or Very good" according to the records of physicians, while 34% of them did not reach 60%of the target requirements through dietary survey.Conclusion: The survey indicated that cancer patients had poor understanding of the scientific dietary nutrition and were in low level of normative nutritional education among Chinese malignancy inpatients. Dietary intake of most cancer patients decreased, and the actual intake cannot be revealed by NRS-2002 score or the physicians' inquiry. It is necessary to enhance the cooperation between dietitians and physicians and develop nutrition education to improve the level of dietary knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A micro-channel heat sink is a promising cooling method for high power integrated circuits (IC). However, the understanding of such a micro-channel device is not sufficient, because the tools for studying it are very limited. The details inside the micro-channels are not readily available. In this letter, a micro-channel heat sink is comprehensively studied using the integrated temperature sensors. The highly sensitive thin film temperature sensors can accurately monitor the temperature change in the micro-channel in real time. The outstanding heat dissipation performance of the micro-channel heat sink is proven in terms of maximum temperature, cooling speed and heat resistance. The temperature profile along the micro-channel is extracted, and even small temperature perturbations can be detected. The heat source formed temperature peak shifts towards the flow direction with the increasing flow rate. However, the temperature non-uniformity is independent of flow rate, but solely dependent on the heating power. Specific designs for minimizing the temperature non-uniformity are necessary. In addition, the experimental results from the integrated temperature sensors match the simulation results well. This can be used to directly verify the modeling results, helping to build a convincing simulation model. The integrated sensor could be a powerful tool for studying the micro-channel based heat sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A V o reservoir is introduced on single-crystalline LiNbO 3 film by Ar+ irradiation. • Reliable resistive switching with low temporal and spatial variations is realized. • Abundant synaptic functions included short- and long-term plasticity are emulated. • Residual-channel-guided channel reconstruction enhances the switching uniformity. Typical filament-type memristors suffer from temporal and spatial variations in the resistive switching due to stochastic filament formation, which hinders the implementation of memristive synapses in neuromorphic computing. In this work, the memristor based on Ar+-irradiated single-crystalline LiNbO 3 (SC-LNO) thin film is reported. The high-quality SC-LNO thin films contribute to the formation of more concentrated and robust oxygen vacancy channels (OVCs) and lead to reliable self-rectifying resistive switching behaviors with an ultra-low device-to-device variability of ∼2.80% and cycle-to-cycle variability of ∼2.25%, as well as long retention time at multilevel resistance states (>3 × 104 s), stable endurance performance (>105 cycles), excellent environmental stability (>6 months), and good analog switching linearity. Furthermore, abundant synaptic plasticity characteristics including paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), post-tetanic potentiation (PTP), long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and associative learning, are also successfully emulated using this device as an electronic synapse. The spontaneous decay process right after applied voltage pulses and the long-term nonvolatility characteristics in Ar+-irradiated SC-LNO memristor indicate the existence of residual OVCs, which serves to guide the reconstruction of OVCs during repeated switching and to further enhances the uniformity of device switching characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature fluctuation in a single-phase microchannel heat sink (MCHS) is investigated using the integrated temperature sensors with deionized water as the coolant. Results show that the temperature fluctuation in single phase is not negligible. The causes of the temperature fluctuation are revealed based on both simulation and experiment. It is found that the inlet temperature fluctuation and the gas bubbles separated out from coolant are the main causes. The effect of the inlet temperature fluctuation is global, where the temperatures at different locations change simultaneously. Meanwhile, the gas bubble effect is localized where the temperature changes at different locations are not synchronized. In addition, the relation between temperature fluctuation and temperature gradient is established. The temperature fluctuation increases with the temperature gradient accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pain is a common symptom in patients with cancer, and comprehensive assessments of pain are crucial for decision-making of treatment regimens. This study aimed to compare the practicality of the novel digital multi-dimension Botong score (BTS) and the brief pain inventory (BPI) for evaluating cancer-related pain. Methods: This randomized crossover trial enrolled patients with cancer-related pain at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Shandong First Medical University between July and December 2022. The participants were randomized 1:1 to BTS evaluation followed by BPI or vice versa. The consistency of BTS and BPI was analyzed, including pain score and the impact of pain on emotions and sleep. The convenience, patient preference, and the filling time of the two tools were compared. The accuracy of BTS in detecting breakthrough pain and neuropathic pain was analyzed. Results: A total of 308 patients with cancer-related pain were screened and 233 were finally included in the analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficients of pain score for BTS and BPI (4 relevant questions) were 0.583 for the worst pain score within 24 h, 0.394 for the mildest pain score within 24 h, 0.551 for the average pain score within 24 h, and 0.511 for the current pain score, respectively (all P < 0.01), indicating a positive correlation between the BTS and BPI pain scores. BTS was superior to BPI for filling time, convenience, and patient preference (191.03 vs. 256.76, 7.70 vs. 6.78, 7.58 vs. 6.70; all P < 0.01). The accuracy of BTS in detecting breakthrough pain and neuropathic pain was 98.28% and 97.42%, respectively. Conclusion: Pain scores evaluated by BTS have a positive correlation with those evaluated by BPI. BTS reduces the filling time, is more convenient to use, and is more favored by patients. In addition, BTS could help identify breakthrough pain and neuropathic pain. Clinical Trial Registration: Chictr.org.cn, identifier: ChiCTR220062624. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To confirm non‐inferiority and test potential superiority of capecitabine/cisplatin (XP) over 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)/cisplatin (FP) as first‐line treatment for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in Chinese patients. Methods: In open‐label phase III ML17032 trial, AGC (stage IIIA–IV) patients with or without metastases were randomized 1:1 to receive cisplatin (80 mg/m2/day intravenous [IV] day 1) with either capecitabine (1000 mg/m2/day oral [PO] twice daily [BID], days 1–14; XP) or 5‐FU (800 mg/m2/day continuous IV days 1–5; FP) every 3 weeks. The primary objective was to confirm the non‐inferiority of XP over FP for progression‐free survival (PFS). Results: The intent‐to‐treat (ITT) population included 126 Chinese patients (XP–62, FP–64; 67.5% male, mean age 54.7 years). The primary analysis was performed on the per‐protocol (PP) population (105 patients; XP–51, FP–54; 65.7% male). Median PFS in the XP and FP groups was 7.2 and 4.5 months, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for PFS was 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32–0.83, P = 0.006). Unadjusted HR for PFS in the ITT population was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.42–0.94, P = 0.022). The most frequent drug‐related grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were neutropenia (XP–20.7%, FP–17.7%) and gastrointestinal disorders (XP–19.0%, FP–19.4%). The overall incidence of grade 3/4 AEs (XP–43.1%, FP–46.8%), serious AEs (XP–1.7%, FP–3.2%), and AEs related to treatment discontinuation (XP–10.3%, FP–16.1%) were comparable. Conclusion: XP had a similar safety profile and may demonstrate superiority for PFS compared to FP as first‐line treatment of Chinese patients with AGC (NCT02563054). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Pemetrexed and docetaxel are established therapies in second line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Comparative data, concerning the two agents in the designated settings, however, are lacking in Chinese patients who account for the largest lung cancer population in the world. Methods and patients: We designed and performed a multi-center, randomized, exploratory clinical trial of pemetrexed compared with docetaxel in second line chemotherapy in Chinese NSCLC patients. Eligible patients with histological or cytological diagnosis of stage IIIB or IV NSCLC, who were not suitable for curative therapy and had failed from prior first line chemotherapy regimen for at least 4 weeks, were randomized to receive either pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 intravenously day 1 with vitamin B12, folic acid, and dexamethasone, or docetaxel 75 mg/m2 intravenously day 1 with dexamethasone. Both regimens were implemented once every 21 days for 2 cycles. This study was designed to be a non-inferiority trial that compared tumor response for overall response rate (ORR) between the two drugs as primary endpoint. The secondary endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores and toxicities. Results: 260 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy of either pemetrexed (132 patients) or docetaxel (128 patients). 106 patients in pemetrexed arm and 102 patients in docetaxel arm were evaluable for efficacy. The efficacy of pemetrexed was equivalent to that of docetaxel in the second-line treatment for Chinese NSCLC (ORR: pemetrexed vs. docetaxel = 9.4% vs. 4.9, p = 0.285, DCR: pemetrexed vs. docetaxel = 67.2% vs. 69.6%, p = 0.685). And pemetrexed seemed to slightly promote patients'' average KPS score when comparing with docetaxel, although the difference was without statistical significance (changes of average KPS scores: pemetrexed vs. docetaxel = 0.28 ± 5.93 vs. -1.67 ± 8.57, p = 0.149). Patients receiving pemetrexed experienced significantly lower incidences of grade 3/4 neutropenia (7.0% vs. 27.6%, p < 0.001) and leucocytopenia (4.7% vs. 22.8%, p < 0.001) than those who received docetaxel. Also, there were lower incidences of alopecia, stomatitis, and neural abnormality for patients receiving pemetrexed than those receiving docetaxel. Incidence of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase elevation, however, was higher in pemetrexed arm than in docetaxel arm (32.3% vs. 14.9%, p = 0.013). In addition, age ≥ 60 patients benefit from pemetrexed with equivalent efficacies yet much lower toxicities compared to docetaxel (DCR: pemetrexed vs. docetaxel = 66.67% vs. 81.58%, p = 0.146; grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities: pemetrexed vs. docetaxel = 17.25% vs. 39.6%, p = 0.016). Conclusion: Treatment with pemetrexed resulted in equivalent efficacy outcomes and better safety profiles compared with docetaxel in second-line therapy for advanced NSCLC in Chinese lung cancer population. And age ≥ 60 patients may benefit from second-line single pemetrexed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Preparation of cellulose monolith with graded porous structure through TIPS. • The graded porous structure of the material improves the mass transfer performance of CM-AO. • Excellent adsorption performance of uranyl ions in radioactive nuclear wastewater. The development and application of new and efficient adsorption materials are key issues in the treatment of nuclear wastewater. This paper introduces a novel hierarchical porous amidoxime cellulose monolith synthesized through thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). The inherent hydrophilicity of cellulose, combined with the graded porous structure achieved through TIPS (with a specific surface area of 10.36 m2/g), endows the material with strong mass transfer ability. The adsorption properties of this amidoxime cellulose monolith for uranyl ions were evaluated in both batch and flow-through column adsorption scenarios. Remarkably, the adsorption saturation was achieved within a concise period of 13 h in batch adsorption. The hierarchical porous structure of the amidoxime cellulose monolith exhibited exceptional adsorption performance for uranyl ion, achieving a removal rate of 99.99 %. Moreover, this removal rate was sustained for 200 min, and the monolith proved recyclable for at least 5 cycles in flow-through column adsorption tests involving nuclear wastewater. When used for adsorption in real wastewater environments, the material achieved the removal of over 99.96 % of total α and β radioactivity. These findings underscore the high efficiency of the newly developed hierarchical porous amidoxime cellulose monolith in uranyl ion adsorption. They emphasize its substantial potential for the efficient adsorption and removal of uranyl ion from nuclear wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new kind of continuous composite beam that consists of steel box-girder and ultra-high-performance concrete waffle slab. The ultra-high-performance concrete helps increase the ultimate capacity and span of structure while reducing the risk of cracking that occurs with ordinary concrete. In order to investigate the mechanical properties of this new type of composite structure, two scaled specimens were designed and tested. One was a steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam, whereas the other, as a control specimen, was a prestressed steel-concrete continuous composite beam. The test results indicate that the bending capacity of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam is 1.2 times that of steel-concrete continuous composite beam; the cracking strength of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam is larger than 20 MPa, much higher than the conventional one; the crack development pattern of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam has its own characteristics, and the cracks appeared in ultra-high-performance concrete slab dominated by micro-cracks with smaller length are numerous and intensive. A finite element model was developed to predict the behavior of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam. Comparing the numerical and experimental results indicates that, generally, the numerical model can simulate the structural behavior of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam reasonably. Based on the numerical model, a series of parameter analyses were performed, which indicate that the strength grade of steel, web, and bottom plate thickness play an important role in improving the bending capacity of steel–ultra-high-performance concrete continuous composite beam; the axial tensile strength of ultra-high-performance concrete, rib, and top plate height of ultra-high-performance concrete slab can enhance the bending capacity to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green's function are combined to investigate the co-modulation effect of endohedral Au atom and anchor S atoms on C 20 . In this paper, anchor atoms Au and S are used, respectively, to connect the endohedral fullerene C 20 with Au nanowires, respectively. Both density of states and transmission coefficient as functions of energy and voltage are investigated to evaluate the spin interaction between molecular orbital and itinerant electrons and explain the influence on current–voltage dependence of C 20 . The results show that different combination of endohedral and anchor atoms can promote or inhibit the transmission probability of itinerant electrons. Co-modulation cannot only present more abundant transmission properties but also form spin asymmetric transmission peaks that may perform new nano circuit functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inorganic pyrophosphatase gene (PPA1) encodes inorganic pyrophosphatase, an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate to orthophosphate, and has been revealed to be dysregulated in several types of human cancer. However, the role of PPA1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has not yet been determined. The present study detected PPA1 expression and investigated its clinical significance in ICC. Tissue microarray blocks containing 93 ICC specimens were constructed. The protein expression of PPA1 in these specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry. PPA1 was overexpressed in 49.5% of the ICC specimens and was significantly associated with large tumor size, positive margins, T stage, lymph nodal metastases, poorly differentiated tumors and advanced disease stage. Furthermore, PPA1 expression was an indicator of future recurrence and poor survival in patients with ICC. Increased expression of PPA1 is a common event in human ICC and is significantly associated with a poor outcome in patients with ICC, suggesting a potential role for PPA1 in the development and progression of ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thirty to 40 % of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients developed higher hypertriglyceridemia in the process of treatment with bexarotene. And bioinformatics studies discovered that the expression of slc10a2 was increased in high-grade hypertriglyceridemia patients. So, we will explore the mechanism which may involve in this process.Methods: We constructed slc10a2 overexpressed A549 cells and H1299 cells as cell models, normal A549 cells and H1299 cells as control. Then we explored the effects of slc10a2 on A549 cells and H1299 cells behaviors, including proliferation, invasion and apoptosis. The expression of apoptotic related genes and anti-cancer genes also been detected.Results: We found that the proliferation and migration were inhibited and the apoptosis of NSCLC cells was accelerated by bexarotene. In addition, overexpressed slc10a2 in NSCLC cells can further suppress the proliferation and migration, and promote apoptosis under the treatment of bexarotene. On the contrary, the opposite results were obtained after slc10a2 gene was silenced in NSCLC cells treated with bexarotene. Moreover, the expression of caspase 3, caspase 7, PTEN, P21, P53, LKB1, TSC2 were increased and the expression of Bcl-2, cyclin D1, c-FLIP were declined in NSCLC cells and slc10a2 overexpressed NSCLC cells with the treatment of bexarotene, and the opposite situations were seen after slc10a2 gene was silenced in NSCLC cells. The further studies revealed the increased expression of slc10a2 activated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), then up-regulated PTEN expression and down-regulated mTOR expression.Conclusion: These results suggest that bexarotene inhibits the viability of lung cancer cells via slc10a2/PPARγ/PTEN/mTOR signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Poly(cyclic imide dioxime) nanoparticles are fabricated by graft polymerization. • A break through utilization ratio of functional groups was obtained. • Bonding mechanism of poly(cyclic imide dioxime) with uranyl ion was investigated. Fibrous adsorption material with amidoxime (AO) group is widely considered as the most prospect of industrial application in uranium (U) extraction from seawater. However, the challenge of the AO-based adsorbents is that the utilization of AO has encountered bottle-neck of less than 1/100, which is far from saturated for decades. Herein, we construct porous structure in raspberry-like nanofibers (NFs) with rearranged AO groups cyclic imide dioxime (CID) nanoparticles (CID NFs) to improve the AO utilization ratio during U adsorption. By adjusting the size of the CID nanoparticles in NF, the area of the functional groups can be maximum exposed, which resulted in a breakthrough of the AO utilization ratio with high adsorption capacity. In simulated seawater with a U concentration of 330 ppb, the highest AO utilization ratio can reach 1/31. After adsorption in natural seawater for 87 days, the adsorption capacity of U was determined to be 11.39 mg-U/g-ads with AO utilization ratio of 1/74. Furthermore, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) fits and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra suggested that the mechanism of AO bind uranyl ion was a tridentate binding model with CID. Density functional theory (DFT) computational studies proved that the tridentate binding model was the most stable combination. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) found that the generation of smaller free-volume holes in CID NFs have a certain cooperative binding in space on U adsorption. The CID NFs with unique nano morphology, and special CID chemical structure provide a new idea and potentiality for a novel design of U adsorbents in future U extraction from seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of premature ovarian failure (POF), a condition causing amenorrhea and hypergonadotropic hypoestrogenism in women before the age of 40, has been increasing in recent years. As an irreversible pathological change, improved treatment strategies for this disease are urgently needed. In this study, a type of microRNA ( miR-17-3p) was used to guide the differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into hormone-sensitive ovarian epithelial (OSE)-like cells in vitro. To prevent their morphological transformation into fibroblast-like cells, MiR-17-3p, a microRNA that suppresses vimentin expression, was transfected into human iPS cells. Subsequently, these cells were successfully induced into OSE-like cells in vitro after treatment with estrogen and cell growth factors. Compared with controls, iPS cells transfected with miR-17-3p expressed higher levels of epithelial markers ( cytokeratin 7, AE1, AE3, and E-cadherin) and estrogen receptors ( ERα and ERβ) while levels of mesenchymal markers ( fibronectin, vimentin, and N-cadherin) lowered after the induction. The human iPS cell-derived OSE-like cells were then injected into cyclophosphamide-induced POF model mice to determine their potential benefit as grafts to repair ovarian tissues. The OSE-like cells survived within POF mouse ovaries for at least 14 days in vivo. Compared with the negative controls, expressions of cytokeratin 7 and ERβ proteins were elevated while fibronectin and vimentin levels in ovarian tissues were downregulated in the OSE-like cell transplantation group. Moreover, the ovarian weight and plasma E2 level increased over time in the transplantation with OSE-like cells, compared with control groups. Hence, we can draw the conclusion that iPS cells can be induced to differentiate into OSE-like cells in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We isolated ovarian cancer-initiating cells from human primary ovarian tumor tissues. [•] Low miRNA-155 in OCICs correlates with CLDN1 overexpression. [•] We confirmed CLDN1 mRNA to be a novel target of microRNA-155. [•] MiR-155 overexpression specifically inhibits OCIC proliferation and invasion. [•] MiR-155 transfection decreases OCIC xenograft tumor growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Many tumors metabolise the majority of the glucose that they take up through glycolysis even in the presence of an adequate oxygen supply. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A) is the critical enzyme that catalyses the transformation of pyruvate to lactate. We demonstrate that LDH-A reduction can suppress the tumorigenicity of intestinal-type gastric cancer (ITGC) cells by downregulating Oct4 both in vitro and in vivo. A statistical analysis of 661 ITGC specimens showed a significant correlation between LDH-A and Oct4 expression. Moreover, patients with low LDH-A/negative Oct4 expression exhibited better overall survival than patients with other combinations. We conclude that the close correlation of LDH-A and Oct4 may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for ITGC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ims: EphB2 is a member of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase family that has been involved in the regulation of cytoskeleton organization and cell migration in various cell types. Its role and regulation in carcinogenesis is controversial, especially in gastric cancer. We detected EphB2 expression and determined its clinical significance and explored its underlying molecular mechanism in gastric cancers. Methods: Tissue microarray blocks containing primary gastric cancer, lymph node metastases, and adjacent normal mucosa specimens obtained from 337 Chinese patients were constructed. Expression of EphB2 in these specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Mutation analysis at the A9 tract in exon 17 and loss of heterozygosity analysis at the EphB2 gene locus were carried out in 13 sporadic EphB2-negative gastric cancers. Results: Complete loss of EphB2 expression was observed in 177 (52.5%) of the 337 primary tumor and 41 (82%) of the 50 nodal metastases. Loss of EphB2 expression was significantly associated with advanced T stage, nodal metastasis, advanced disease stage, and poor histological differentiation. Loss of EphB2 expression correlated significantly with poor survival rates in both univariate and multivariate analysis. No frameshift mutation, but a higher frequency of allelic loss, was found in EphB2-negative primary and metastatic tumor samples. Conclusions: Frequent deletion and decreased expression of EphB2 protein suggested it as a negative biomarker for gastric carcinogenesis and a potential predictor of the outcome of patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where chronic hepatitis B infection is an important aetiological factor. Assessing the efficacy and safety of new therapeutic options in an Asia-Pacific population is thus important. We did a multinational phase III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients from the Asia-Pacific region with advanced (unresectable or metastatic) hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Between Sept 20, 2005, and Jan 31, 2007, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had not received previous systemic therapy and had Child-Pugh liver function class A, were randomly assigned to receive either oral sorafenib (400 mg) or placebo twice daily in 6-week cycles, with efficacy measured at the end of each 6-week period. Eligible patients were stratified by the presence or absence of macroscopic vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread (or both), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and geographical region. Randomisation was done centrally and in a 2:1 ratio by means of an interactive voice-response system. There was no predefined primary endpoint; overall survival, time to progression (TTP), time to symptomatic progression (TTSP), disease control rate (DCR), and safety were assessed. Efficacy analyses were done by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00492752. Findings: 271 patients from 23 centres in China, South Korea, and Taiwan were enrolled in the study. Of these, 226 patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=150) or to the placebo group (n=76). Median overall survival was 6·5 months (95% CI 5·56–7·56) in patients treated with sorafenib, compared with 4·2 months (3·75–5·46) in those who received placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0·68 [95% CI 0·50–0·93]; p=0·014). Median TTP was 2·8 months (2·63–3·58) in the sorafenib group compared with 1·4 months (1·35–1·55) in the placebo group (HR 0·57 [0·42–0·79]; p=0·0005). The most frequently reported grade 3/4 drug-related adverse events in the 149 assessable patients treated with sorafenib were hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR; 16 patients [10·7%]), diarrhoea (nine patients [6·0%]), and fatigue (five patients [3·4%]). The most common adverse events resulting in dose reductions were HFSR (17 patients [11·4%]) and diarrhoea (11 patients [7·4%]); these adverse events rarely led to discontinuation. Interpretation: Sorafenib is effective for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in patients from the Asia-Pacific region, and is well tolerated. Taken together with data from the Sorafenib Hepatocellular Carcinoma Assessment Randomised Protocol (SHARP) trial, sorafenib seems to be an appropriate option for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Funding: Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spatially modulated full polarization imaging is the method of modulating the polarization information of a target into a single interferogram, which has a good real-time feature. Since polarization modulation lenses are made of birefringent crystals, they will produce chromatic dispersion. Therefore, the interference fringes on the interferogram will become blurred, affecting the subsequent demodulation processing. It is necessary to determine the bandwidth limit of the incident light. Based on these considerations, this paper analyses the distribution of the polarization information in the frequency domain and proposes a method of determining the bandwidth limit based on the pixel size in the frequency domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special engineering material, poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) wires and cables are widely applied in the containment vessel of nuclear power plant and vulnerable to long-term cumulative effects of multiple complex factors. Wherein, thermo-oxidative aging in high temperature environment for a long time is the key factor to lead to the degradation even failure of PEEK cables. Therefore, in this work, PEEK cables were subjected to thermo-oxidative aging for different times at 310 °C and the effects on the physicochemical properties of PEEK were investigated. Furthermore, the aging life expectancy of PEEK cables was effectively predicted by the innovative artificial accelerated aging model with breaking elongation as evaluation parameter. The results revealed the thermal stability and crystallinity of PEEK samples declined significantly with the extension of aging time. Prolonged thermo-oxidative aging can accelerate the oxidation decomposition and change the sample morphologies. Moreover, the scratch resistance and bending strength of PEEK cables were significantly weakened after 480 h aging. The final prediction suggested that the service life expectancy of PEEK cable samples can reach 73 years at the working temperature of 90 °C. • Crystallization behavior for the durability of materials in service. • The deeper morphologies of PEEK cables after combustion for the degree of degradation and mechanism. • Brittle-ductile transition fosters strategy knowledge of mechanical performance. • Evaluating their service life expectancy based on the artificial accelerated aging model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Annexin-1 contributes to the pathological consequence and sequelae of most serious human diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although diverse roles in carcinogenesis have been postulated, its role in human gastrointestinal cancers still remains controversial.Methods: The mRNA and protein expression profiles of ANXA1 were studied in human esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, colorectal, liver, and bile duct cancers using Real-Time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Gain/loss-of-function by pcDNA3.1-ANXA1 and ANXA1-shRNA was performed in gastric cancer cells.Results: ANXA1 was widely expressed in adult gastrointestinal tissue. All methods showed that ANXA1 was down-regulated in esophageal, gastric, and bile duct cancers, but up-regulated in pancreatic cancer. Forced ANXA1 expression in gastric cancer cells leads to cell growth inhibition and concomitantly modulates COX-2 expression. We confirm loss of ANXA1 and overexpression of COX-2 in clinical gastric cancer, suggesting that the anti-proliferative function of ANXA1 against COX-2 production might be lost.Conclusions: ANXA1 expression is "tumor-specific" and might play a multifaceted role in cancer development and progression. ANXA1 was widely expressed in normal gastrointestinal epithelium, suggesting its role in the maintenance of cellular boundaries. Furthermore, ANXA1 regulates GC cell viability via the COX-2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The putative tumor metastasis suppressor 1(MTSS1) is an actin-binding scaffold protein that has been implicated to play an important role in carcinogenesis and cancer metastasis, yet its role in the development of gastric cancer has not been well illustrated. In this study, we detected MTSS1 expression and explored its clinical significance in gastric cancer.Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed using tissue microarrays containing gastric adenocarcinoma specimens from 1,072 Chinese patients with normal adjacent mucosa, primary gastric cancer and lymph node (LN) metastasis and specific antibody against MTSS1. MTSS1 mRNA and protein expression were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The clinical follow-up was done in the 669 patients living in Shanghai that was chose from the 1072 cases.Results: Complete loss of MTSS1 expression was observed in 751 cases (70.1%) of the 1,072 primary tumors and 103 (88%) of 117 nodal metastases; and loss of MTSS1 expression was significantly associated with poorly differentiated tumors, large tumor size, deep invasion level, the presence of nodal metastases and advanced disease stage. Moreover, multivariate analysis demonstrated that loss of MTSS1 expression correlated significantly with poor survival rates (RR = 0.194, 95% CI = 0.144-0.261, P < 0.001).Conclusions: MTSS1 expression decreased significantly as gastric cancer progressed and metastasized, suggesting MTSS1 may serve as a useful biomarker for the prediction of outcome of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]