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Purpose: To determine whether multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics-based machine learning methods can improve preoperative local staging in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). Methods: Data of patients with histologically confirmed EC who underwent preoperative MRI were retrospectively analyzed and divided into a training or test set. Radiomic features extracted from multiparametric MR images were used to train and test the prediction of deep myometrial invasion (DMI) and cervical stromal invasion (CSI). Two radiologists assessed the presence of DMI and CSI on conventional MR images. A combined model incorporating a radiomic signature and conventional MR images was constructed and presented as a nomogram. Performance of the predictive models was assessed using the area under curve (AUC) in the receiver operating curve analysis and pairwise comparison using DeLong's test with Bonferroni correction. Results: This study included 198 women (training set = 138, test set = 60). Conventional MRI achieved AUCs of 0.837 and 0.799 for detecting DMI and 0.825 and 0.858 for detecting CSI in the training and test sets, respectively. The nomogram achieved AUCs of 0.928 and 0.869 for detecting DMI and 0.913 and 0.937 for detecting CSI in the training and test sets, respectively. The ability of the nomogram to detect DMI and CSI in the two sets was superior to that of conventional MRI (adjusted p < 0.05), except for the ability to detect CSI in the test set (adjusted p > 0.05). Conclusion: A nomogram incorporating radiomics signature into conventional MRI improved the efficacy of preoperative local staging of EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Arterial transit artifact (ATA) observed on arterial spin labeling (ASL) was recently suggested to be associated with improved functional outcomes following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). AIS is a heterogeneous disease with diverse pathogenic mechanisms depending on the stroke subtype. This study aimed to investigate the association between ATA and 3-month functional outcomes in AIS patients according to etiology subtypes. Methods: Consecutive patients with AIS were included. All patients underwent ASL MRI with postlabeling delay (PLD) of 1.5 and 2.5 s. ATA was assessed from the ASL images of both PLDs. Stroke etiologic subtypes were determined according to the modified TOAST (Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) classification. Short-term functional outcomes were evaluated using the 3-month modified Rankin scale (mRS). Log-binomial regression was applied to analyze the association between ATA and functional outcomes at 3 months after stroke. Results: Ninety-eight AIS patients (62.73 ± 13.05 years; 68 men) were finally included. ATA was detected in forty-six patients and most frequently seen in the large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) subtype (35/46). The ATA group exhibited a lower percentage of patients with mRS > 2 compared to the group without ATA (36.5% vs. 19.6%; P < 0.001). ATA was independently associated with better 3-month clinical outcomes (adjusted risk ratio, 0.35[95% CI, 0.16—0.74]) in the multivariate log-binomial regression model. After stratification by TOAST subtypes, a significant association was found between ATA and better outcomes in the LAA subtype (adjusted risk ratio, 0.20[ 95% CI, 0.05—0.72]) but not in cardioembolism and small artery occlusion (SVO) subtype. Conclusion: ATA is associated with better outcomes at 3 months in patients with AIS, especially in the LAA subtype, but this association attenuated in the cardioembolism and SVO subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccidiosis is an intestinal protozoan disease of sheep, that causes substantial economic losses in the industry due to its intestinal protozoan origins. Many anti-protozoan drugs including ionophores, triazines, and sulfonamides have been widely used to treat sheep coccidiosis. Still, anticoccidial resistance and drug residues in edible tissues have prompted an urgent search for alternatives. In this study, the anti-coccidial effectiveness of the Radix dichroae extract was compared to that of the conventional anti-coccidial drug diclazuril. Here, eighteen 45-day-old lambs naturally-infected with Eimeria spp. were randomly allocated in three groups: control group, Radix dichroae extract group and diclazuril group. The results showed that the body weight gain (BWG) during the treatment and withdrawal periods was considerably improved in the coccidiosis-infected sheep treated with Radix dichroae extract and diclazuril compared to the control group, respectively. Additionally, the Radix dichroae extract and diclazuril had fewer oocysts per gram (OPG) than the control group, showing similar anti-coccidial effects on days 14, 21, 28, 35 and 78, respectively. Furthermore, Radix dichroae extract and diclazuril treatment altered the structure and composition of gut microbiota, promoting the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, Alistipes, and Bifidobacterium, while decreasing the abundance of Bacteroidota, Marinilaceae, Helicobacteraceae, and Prevotella. Moreover, Spearman's correlation analysis further revealed a correlation between the OPG and BWG and gut microorganisms. Collectively, the results indicated that Radix dichroae extract had similar anti-coccidial effects as diclazuril, and could regulate gut microbiota balance in growing lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern part of Zhangqiu district in Jinnan City has developed a thick sedimentary formation from the late Paleozoic to the Cenozoic. In this district, relatively well-developed fault structures and magmatic rocks provide good geothermal conditions. Abundant geothermal resources have been discovered in the study area, with three geothermal wells located near the fault zone. Therefore, establishing the genesis model of geothermal resources is significant for their future sustainable development and utilization. Based on hydrochemical and isotopic data of the study area, hydrochemical characteristics, water-rock interaction process, recharge source and formation age of geothermal water have been analyzed in this study. Besides, the elevation of the recharge area, thermal reservoir temperature, and depth of hot water circulation have also been calculated. Research findings show that geothermal water in the study area is composed of Cl·SO4-Na·Ca or SO4·Cl-Ca·Na, whose hydrochemical components mainly come from water-rock dissolution in the similar hydrogeochemical process. The source of water recharge is supplied by atmospheric precipitation, at an elevation from +563 m to +616 m. The 14C apparent age ranges from 5.55 ka to 29.71 ka. The geothermal water is mixed with modern water and ancient water. The chalcedony temperature scale shows that the temperature of geothermal reservoir is at 41.9-52.4 °, with the circulation depth of geothermal water at 622-1,565 m. The study area is a small-opened karst hot reservoir with deep circulation, during which geothermal water is heated up. Formation and enrichment of geothermal water are significantly controlled by fault structures. The geothermal reservoir is of stratified and banded type, belonging to geothermal resources at medium-low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new type of pollutant in the marine environment and terrestrial ecosystems, microplastics have attracted widespread attention. Assessing the ecological risk of microplastics relies on accurately detecting small-sized particles in the environment. Microplastics exhibit unique "fingerprint" characteristics in Raman spectroscopy, making them suitable for rapid identification. In this study, we achieved visualization of microplastics through pseudo-color images generated by Raman spectroscopy imaging. Pseudo-color imaging maps were generated by selecting characteristic peaks and the classical least-squares fitting method was used to visually represent the distribution of different microplastics. The study explored the potential of Raman spectroscopy and its mapping mode in distinguishing various types of mixed microplastics and demonstrated that this approach can identify microplastics in complex environmental samples. Specifically, a cloud-point extraction followed by membrane filtration method was successfully applied to identifying mixed-component microplastics. In summary, the category, quantity, location, and differentiation of microplastics can be accurately analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, which provides a basis for assessing their ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) exert various effects on strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duchesne) yields. In this study, we employed an orthogonal experimental design (T1-T9) with three fertilization treatments (N, P, and K) at three levels to identify an optimal fertilization scheme for strawberry cultivation. The effects of fertilizer combinations the rhizosphere soil microbial community were also explored by using bacterial full-length 16S rRNA and fungal ITS (internal transcribed spacer) sequencing (30 samples for each analysis). The results showed that the average plant height and leaf area of the fertilized groups were 24.6% and 41.6% higher than those of the non-fertilized group (T0). After 60 d of planting, the sucrase activity in the T6 group increased by 76.67% compared to the T0 group, with phosphate fertilizer exerting a more significant impact on sucrase activity. The T6 treatment group had the highest alpha diversity index among bacterial and fungal microorganisms, and had a different microbial community structure compared with the control group. The most abundant bacterial taxa in the strawberry rhizosphere soil were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Acidobacteriota, and the most abundant fungal phyla were Monoblepharomycota, Glomeromycota, and Mucoromycota. Application of the optimal combined fertilizer treatment (T6) significantly increased the abundance of Proteobacteria and altered the abundance of Gemmatimonas compared to other treatment groups. Notably, Gemmatimonas abundance positively correlated with strawberry plant height and soil N, P, and K levels. These findings indicated that the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria could be enhanced by the application of an optimal fertilizer ratio, ultimately improving strawberry agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering human tissue with diverse cell types and architectures remains challenging. The cerebral cortex, which has a layered cellular architecture composed of layer-specific neurons organised into vertical columns, delivers higher cognition through intricately wired neural circuits. However, current tissue engineering approaches cannot produce such structures. Here, we use a droplet printing technique to fabricate tissues comprising simplified cerebral cortical columns. Human induced pluripotent stem cells are differentiated into upper- and deep-layer neural progenitors, which are then printed to form cerebral cortical tissues with a two-layer organization. The tissues show layer-specific biomarker expression and develop a structurally integrated network of processes. Implantation of the printed cortical tissues into ex vivo mouse brain explants results in substantial structural implant-host integration across the tissue boundaries as demonstrated by the projection of processes and the migration of neurons, and leads to the appearance of correlated Ca2+ oscillations across the interface. The presented approach might be used for the evaluation of drugs and nutrients that promote tissue integration. Importantly, our methodology offers a technical reservoir for future personalized implantation treatments that use 3D tissues derived from a patient's own induced pluripotent stem cells. Brain injuries can result in significant damage to the cerebral cortex, and restoring the cellular architecture of the tissue remains challenging. Here, the authors use a droplet printing technique to fabricate a simplified human cerebral cortical column and demonstrate its functionality and potential for future personalized therapy approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is necessary to satisfy the flexible requirements of solar heat storage systems to provide efficient heating and constant-temperature domestic hot water at different periods. A novel heat storage tank with both stratified and mixing functions is proposed, which can realize the integration of stable stratification and rapid mixing modes. In this research, a three-dimensional heat transfer model of the heat storage tank with stratified and mixed dual modes was established, and a thermal performance test system for the tank was built in the State Key Laboratory of Green Building in Western China. Moreover, a new evaluation index representing the mixing speed is proposed. The stratification effect and mixing characteristics of the tank were studied under different comprehensive conditions. The results show that the exergy efficiency of the tank with a stratified pipe can be increased by 10%–15% compared to that of a conventional tank. Additionally, the recommended optimal flow rate range for well-stratified tanks is 4–6 L/min. The mixing nozzle of the tank reduces the mixing reaction coefficient by 0.27 and significantly reduces the mixing time. This study provides critical guidance to meet the flexible thermal needs of users and implement high-performance applications using the stratified and mixing modes of heat storage tanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor microenvironment (TME) promotes pro-tumor and anti-inflammatory metabolisms and suppresses the host immune system. It prevents immune cells from fighting against cancer effectively, resulting in limited efficacy of many current cancer treatment modalities. Different therapies aim to overcome the immunosuppressive TME by combining various approaches to synergize their effects for enhanced anti-tumor activity and augmented stimulation of the immune system. Immunotherapy has become a major therapeutic strategy because it unleashes the power of the immune system by activating, enhancing, and directing immune responses to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer. Phototherapy uses light irradiation to induce tumor cell death through photothermal, photochemical, and photo-immunological interactions. Phototherapy induces tumor immunogenic cell death, which is a precursor and enhancer for anti-tumor immunity. However, phototherapy alone has limited effects on long-term and systemic anti-tumor immune responses. Phototherapy can be combined with immunotherapy to improve the tumoricidal effect by killing target tumor cells, enhancing immune cell infiltration in tumors, and rewiring pathways in the TME from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory. Phototherapy-enhanced immunotherapy triggers effective cooperation between innate and adaptive immunities, specifically targeting the tumor cells, whether they are localized or distant. Herein, the successes and limitations of phototherapy combined with other cancer treatment modalities will be discussed. Specifically, we will review the synergistic effects of phototherapy combined with different cancer therapies on tumor elimination and remodeling of the immunosuppressive TME. Overall, phototherapy, in combination with other therapeutic modalities, can establish anti-tumor pro-inflammatory phenotypes in activated tumor-infiltrating T cells and B cells and activate systemic anti-tumor immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broiler leg diseases are a common abnormal bone metabolism issue that leads to poor leg health in growing poultry. Bone metabolism is a complicated regulatory process controlled by genetic, nutritional, feeding management, environmental, or other influencing factors. The gut microbiota constitutes the largest micro-ecosystem in animals and is closely related to many metabolic disorders, including bone disease, by affecting the absorption of nutrients and the barrier function of the gastrointestinal tract and regulating the immune system and even the brain–gut–bone axis. Recently, probiotic-based dietary supplementation has emerged as an emerging strategy to improve bone health in chickens by regulating bone metabolism based on the gut–bone axis. This review aims to summarize the regulatory mechanisms of probiotics in the gut microbiota on bone metabolism and to provide new insights for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases in broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metastatic breast cancer poses great challenge in cancer treatment. N‐dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is a novel immunoadjuvant that stimulates systemic immune responses when administered intratumourally following local tumour ablation. A combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and GC, referred to as localized ablative immunotherapy (LAIT), extended animal survival and generates an activated B cell phenotype in MMTV‐PyMT mouse mammary tumour microenvironment (TME). However, how T cell populations respond to LAIT remains to be elucidated. Methods: Using depletion antibodies, we studied the contributions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells to the therapeutic effect of LAIT. Using single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNAseq), we analysed tumour‐infiltrating T cell heterogeneity and dissected their transcriptomes upon treatments of PTT, GC, and LAIT (PTT+GC). Results: Loss of CD8+ T cells after LAIT abrogated the therapeutic benefits of LAIT. Ten days after treatment, proportions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in untreated TME were 19.2% and 23.0%, respectively. Upon LAIT, both proportions were increased to 25.5% and 36.2%, respectively. In particular, LAIT increased the proportions of naïve and memory cells from a resting state to an activated state. LAIT consistently induced the expression of co‐stimulatory molecules, type I IFN responsive genes, and a series of antitumor cytokines, Ifng, Tnf, Il1, and Il17 in CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. LAIT also induced immune checkpoints Pdcd1, Ctla4, and Lag3 expression, consistent with T cell activation. Relevant to clinical translation, LAIT also upregulated genes in CD8+ and CD4+ T cells that positively correlated with extended survival of breast cancer patients. Conclusions: Overall, our results reveal that LAIT prompts immunological remodelling of T cells by inducing broad proinflammatory responses and inhibiting suppressive signalling to drive antitumour immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solar‐energy‐driven photoreduction of CO2 has recently emerged as a promising approach to directly transform CO2 into valuable energy sources under mild conditions. As a clean‐burning fuel and drop‐in replacement for natural gas, CH4 is an ideal product of CO2 photoreduction, but the development of highly active and selective semiconductor‐based photocatalysts for this important transformation remains challenging. Hence, significant efforts have been made in the search for active, selective, stable, and sustainable photocatalysts. In this review, recent applications of cutting‐edge experimental and computational materials design strategies toward the discovery of novel catalysts for CO2 photocatalytic conversion to CH4 are systematically summarized. First, insights into effective experimental catalyst engineering strategies, including heterojunctions, defect engineering, cocatalysts, surface modification, facet engineering, and single atoms, are presented. Then, data‐driven photocatalyst design spanning density functional theory (DFT) simulations, high‐throughput computational screening, and machine learning (ML) is presented through a step‐by‐step introduction. The combination of DFT, ML, and experiments is emphasized as a powerful solution for accelerating the discovery of novel catalysts for photocatalytic reduction of CO2. Last, challenges and perspectives concerning the interplay between experiments and data‐driven rational design strategies for the industrialization of large‐scale CO2 photoreduction technologies are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5‐Sulfoisophthalic acid sodium salt (5‐SSIPA) is a crucial intermediate for pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and polyesters. Several acidic groups lead to an unstable crystal structure. Two new polymorphs and three novel solvates were identified during the solvent screening. These crystals were characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopy. The desolvation temperature of solvates was found to be higher than the boiling point of pure solvents, which tentatively indicated the existence of an interaction between solvents and 5‐SSIPA molecules. The phenomenon that the three solvates gradually darkened with desolvation in the hot‐stage microscopic images proved the occurrence of crystal desolvation. The non‐isothermal desolvation kinetics of the 5‐SSIPA solvates was analyzed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decades, machine learning (ML) has impacted the field of electrocatalysis. Modern researchers have begun to take advantage of ML‐based data‐driven techniques to overcome the computational and experimental limitations to accelerate rational catalyst design. Hence, significant efforts have been made to perform ML to accelerate calculation and aid electrocatalyst design for CO2 reduction. This review discusses recent applications of ML to discover, design, and optimize novel electrocatalysts. First, insights into ML aided in accelerating calculation are presented. Then, ML aided in the rational design of the electrocatalyst is introduced, including establishing a data set/data source selection and validation of descriptor selection of ML algorithms validation and predictions of the model. Finally, the opportunities and future challenges are summarized for the future design of electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction with the assistance of ML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the potential active components and corresponding target herb pairs of Radix Ginseng (Renshen) and Radix Bupleuri (Chaihu) in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through network pharmacology and in vitro experiments. Methods. The active components and potential targets of the herb pair of Renshen and Chaihu were screened through a network database system, and Venn analysis was performed with the obtained NAFLD targets. The intersecting targets were analysed for gene ontology (GO) functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathways, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated. Cytoscape software was used to construct active component-target networks of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair. Free fatty acids were added to the HepG2 cell line to create high-fat models that were treated with different concentrations of stigmasterol. The effect of stigmasterol on the lipid metabolism in HepG2 cells and PPARγ-knockdown cells was determined by oil red O staining, Nile red staining, and TG level. PPARγ and UCP-1 mRNA, and protein expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively. Results. Twenty active components obtained from the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair were identified. The herb pair active component-target network showed that both Renshen and Chaihu contained stigmasterol and kaempferol as active components. The PPI network comprised 63 protein nodes. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the targets were mainly involved in lipid metabolism. Eight core targets were identified: AKT1, PPARG, MAPK3, TNF, TP53, SIRT1, STAT3, and PPARA. In vitro experiments demonstrated that stigmasterol reduced lipid accumulation and TG levels in HepG2 cells, and the mechanism may have been related to the activation of the PPARγ-UCP-1 signalling pathway. Conclusion. This study preliminarily illustrated the potential components and corresponding core targets of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair in treating NAFLD. The effect of stigmasterol on the PPARγ-UCP-1 signalling pathway in enhancing lipid metabolism may represent one of the mechanisms of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair in the treatment of NAFLD. The results provide new evidence and research insights to reveal the roles of Renshen and Chaihu in the management of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology, photonics, and immunotherapy are far-reaching technologies with the potential to revolutionize the field of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. While each technology has limitations in cancer treatment, they can be synergized to exert profound impact on the balance and modulation of immunoediting in tumor microenvironment (TME) and in the entire host immune system. We provide our perspectives on how nano-photo-immuno interactions can be used as an effective therapy, particularly when combined with other treatment modalities, such as checkpoint immune therapy, chemotherapy, and TME modulation, to provide a long-term, tumor-specific immunity against tumor metastasis and tumor recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotherapy has provided a new avenue to treat metastatic cancers, which result in ∼90% of cancer related deaths. However, current immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint therapy (ICT), have met with limited success, primarily due to tumor intrinsic and extrinsic factors that inhibit antitumor immune responses. To overcome the immune suppression of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and enhance the tumoricidal activity of ICT, phototherapy, particularly photothermal therapy (PTT), combined with nanomedicine has become a viable option. PTT disrupts target tumor homeostasis, releasing tumor associated antigens (TAAs), tumor specific antigens (TSAs), danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and scarce nutrients required to "feed" activated antitumor immune cells. While nanoparticles localize and specify the phototherapeutic effect, they can also be loaded with immune stimulants, TME modulators, and/or chemotherapeutic agents to greatly enhance immune stimulation and tumor killing. Combining these three technologies, which we term nano-ablative immunotherapy (NAIT), with ICT can greatly enhance their therapeutic effects. In this review, we will discuss the successes and limitations of NAIT + ICT. Specifically, we will discuss how the TME limits tumoricidal activity and what should be considered to overcome these limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) accumulation is a detrimental factor in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries accounting for dementia induced by ischemic stroke. In addition to blood brain barrier (BBB), the glymphatic system mediated by aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) on astrocytic endfeet functions as an important pathway for the clearance of Aβ in the brain. Cerebral I/R induced astrocytic pyroptosis potentially causes the AQP-4 polarization loss and dysfunctional BBB-glymphatic system exacerbating the accumulation of Aβ. Furthermore, Aβ toxicity has been identified as a trigger of pyroptosis and BBB damage, suggesting an amplified effect of Aβ accumulation after cerebral I/R. Therefore, based on our previous work, this study was designed to explore the intervention effects of Tongxinluo (TXL) on astrocytic pyroptosis and Aβ accumulation after cerebral I/R in rats. The results showed that TXL intervention obviously alleviated the degree of pyroptosis by downregulating expression levels of cleaved caspase-11/1, N-terminal gasdermin D, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cleaved IL-1β and abated astrocytic pyroptosis after cerebral I/R. Moreover, TXL intervention facilitated to restore AQP-4 polarization and accordingly relieve Aβ accumulation around astrocytes in ischemic cortex and hippocampus as well as the formation of toxic Aβ (Aβ1–42 oligomer). Our study indicated that TXL intervention could exert protective effects on ischemic brain tissues against pyroptotic cell death, inhibit astrocytic pyroptosis, and reduce toxic Aβ accumulation around astrocytes in cerebral I/R injuries. Furthermore, our study provides biological evidence for the potential possibility of preventing and treating poststroke dementia with TXL in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing high‐value fuels and chemicals via photo/electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) remains an attractive goal to mitigate the negative impact of CO2 emissions and provide a sustainable energy source. The large industrial scale is currently discriminated by the relatively low product selectivity (a high cost is expected for separating the products) and the activity. The selective CO2 reduction into higher‐order multi‐carbon products is desirable from the economic point of view. Yet, most of the reported electrocatalysts have produced C1 and C2 products; however, the production of C3 products is less common. Cu‐based catalysts are the most documented systems to produce C3 products because of the exclusive C−C coupling ability of the Cu system. However, creating multi‐carbon products on non‐Cu catalysts is unfairly discussed. Growing the research activity on non‐Cu catalysts will enrich the categories of alternative catalysts and propose more understanding of the CO2RR mechanism. This should guide the development of more creative catalysts with the optimum configuration for high activity and selectivity for high‐value C3 products. The catalysts′ development progress, including metallic Cu, biphase, or bimetallic Cu, non‐Cu‐based catalysts, has been discussed in light of the catalyst activity and selectivity. Some insights on the reaction mechanism for the desired C3 product (most commonly, n‐propanol) and other C3+ products are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroinflammation-related amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) accumulation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) accounts for cerebral I/R injuries and poststroke dementia. Recently, pyroptosis, a proinflammatory cell death, has been identified as a crucial pathological link of cerebral I/R injuries. However, whether pyroptosis acts as a trigger of Aβ accumulation after cerebral I/R has not yet been demonstrated. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) and glymphatic system mediated by aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) on astrocytic endfeet are important pathways for the clearance of Aβ in the brain, and pyroptosis especially occurring in astrocytes after cerebral I/R potentially damages BBB integrity and glymphatic function and thus influences Aβ clearance and brain homeostasis. In present study, the method of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) was used for building models of focal cerebral I/R injuries in rats. Then, we used lipopolysaccharide and glycine as the agonist and inhibitor of pyroptosis, respectively, Western blotting for detections of pyroptosis, AQP-4, and Aβ1-42 oligomers, laser confocal microscopy for observations of pyroptosis and Aβ locations, and immunohistochemical stainings of SMI 71 (a specific marker for BBB integrity)/AQP-4 and Nissl staining for evaluating, respectively, BBB-glymphatic system and neuronal damage. The results showed that pyroptosis obviously promoted the loss of BBB integrity and AQP-4 polarization, brain edema, Aβ accumulation, and the formation of Aβ1-42 oligomers and thus increased neuronal damage after cerebral I/R. However, glycine could inhibit cerebral I/R-induced pyroptosis by alleviating cytomembrane damage and downregulating expression levels of cleaved caspase-11/1, N-terminal gasdermin D, NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing protein 3), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β and markedly abate above pathological changes. Our study revealed that pyroptosis is a considerable factor causing toxic Aβ accumulation, dysfunctional BBB-glymphatic system, and neurological deficits after cerebral I/R, suggesting that targeting pyroptosis is a potential strategy for the prevention of ischemic stroke sequelae including dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma is a malignancy with poor prognosis. Its incidence rate has been on the rise and it poses high health and economic challenges to different populations. Photothermal therapy (PTT) served as an effective local therapy in treating various tumors, particularly cutaneous carcinoma like melanoma. To fully understand the mechanisms of tumor cell death induced by PTT, we investigated gene expression and immune cells compositions of B16‐F10 tumors after PTT treatment. A total of 256 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with 215 being downregulated and 41 upregulated by PTT. Functional annotation showed that most DEGs involved in immune response and inflammatory response. Immune cells compositions inference revealed changes in many immune cells including regulatory T cells, M2 macrophage and B cells after PTT treatment. Our results help delineate the mechanism of cell death at the transcriptional level triggered by non‐invasive PTT treatment of melanoma without exogenous light absorbing agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a perceptual medical image fusion framework based on morphological component analysis combining convolutional sparsity and pulse-coupled neural network, which is called MCA-CS-PCNN for short. Source images are first decomposed into cartoon components and texture components by morphological component analysis, and a convolutional sparse representation of cartoon layers and texture layers is produced by prelearned dictionaries. Then, convolutional sparsity is used as a stimulus to motivate the PCNN for dealing with cartoon layers and texture layers. Finally, the medical fused image is computed via combining fused cartoon layers and texture layers. Experimental results verify that the MCA-CS-PCNN model is superior to the state-of-the-art fusion strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a perceptual medical image fusion framework based on morphological component analysis combining convolutional sparsity and pulse-coupled neural network, which is called MCA-CS-PCNN for short. Source images are first decomposed into cartoon components and texture components by morphological component analysis, and a convolutional sparse representation of cartoon layers and texture layers is produced by prelearned dictionaries. Then, convolutional sparsity is used as a stimulus to motivate the PCNN for dealing with cartoon layers and texture layers. Finally, the medical fused image is computed via combining fused cartoon layers and texture layers. Experimental results verify that the MCA-CS-PCNN model is superior to the state-of-the-art fusion strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determined the spatial distribution pattern, source, risk level and influencing factor of heavy metal pollution in a typical high-tech industrial development zone of Changsha, China. A total of 123 topsoil samples were excavated from 11 different land-uses. Quite strong pollution (Nemerow) occurred in the whole zone. The Igeo pollution levels were from slight to strong for these elements. Four primary components were extracted from PCA with 79.36% of total variance explained. It could be deduced from the primary components that Cu, Co, Ni normally resulted from electronic industry; As and Cr were affected by both industrial and natural source; Pb and Zn were originated from traffic activities; and Cd was correlated with the activities of General equipment manufacturing industry and pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The concentrations of Pb and Zn decreased from densely populated areas to suburbs, while the high concentrations of the other six elements were mainly found in the industrial lands. Heavy metal concentration was in weak relationship with green cover ratio (GCR) and built time, inferring that increase of GCR might not be contributed to improvement of the heavy metal pollution. While a reasonable spatial planning of land use had positive effects on controlling heavy metal pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant intracranial tumour with the highest proportion and lethality. It is characterized by invasiveness and heterogeneity. However, the currently available therapies are not curative. As an essential environmental cue that maintains glioma stem cells, hypoxia is considered the cause of tumour resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Growing evidence shows that immunotherapy focusing on the tumour microenvironment is an effective treatment for GBM; however, the current clinicopathological features cannot predict the response to immunotherapy and provide accurate guidance for immunotherapy. Based on the ESTIMATE algorithm, GBM cases of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set were classified into high‐ and low‐immune/stromal score groups, and a four‐gene tumour environment‐related model was constructed. This model exhibited good efficiency at forecasting short‐ and long‐term prognosis and could also act as an independent prognostic biomarker. Additionally, this model and four of its genes (CLECL5A, SERPING1, CHI3L1 and C1R) were found to be associated with immune cell infiltration, and further study demonstrated that these four genes might drive the hypoxic phenotype of perinecrotic GBM, which affects hypoxia‐induced glioma stemness. Therefore, these might be important candidates for immunotherapy of GBM and deserve further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bufalin is an anticancer drug extract from traditional Chinese medicine. Several articles about bufalin have been published. However, the literature on bufalin has not yet been systematically studied. This study aimed to identify the study status and knowledge structures of bufalin and to summarize the antitumor mechanism. Data were retrieved and downloaded from the PubMed database. The softwares of BICOMB, gCLUTO, Ucinet 6.0, and NetDraw2.084 were used to analyze these publications. The bufalin related genes were recognized and tagged by ABNER software. Then these BF-related genes were performed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. A total of 474 papers met the search criteria from 2000 to 2019. By biclustering clustering analysis, the 50 high-frequency main MeSH terms/subheadings were classified into 5 clusters. The clusters of drug therapy and the mechanism of bufalin were hotspot topics. A total of 50 genes were identified as BF-related genes. PPI network analysis showed that inducing apoptosis was the main effect of bufalin, and apoptosis-related gene Caspase 3 was the most reported by people. Bufalin could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells through multiple signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT, Hedgehog, MAPK/JNK, Wnt/ β -catenin, TGF- β /Smad, Integrin signaling pathway, and NF-KB signaling pathway via KEGG analysis. Through the quantitative analysis of bufalin literature, we revealed the research status and hot spots in this field and provided some guidance for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purification of 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) was investigated. ODA, which contained impurities, was sublimated and anti‐solvent (ethanol)‐crystallized in N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results revealed that the sublimated crystal was basically identical with the pure ODA sample. The influence of different amounts of ethanol on particle size distribution was analyzed during anti‐solvent crystallization. The morphology of the ODA crystal was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The color of the sample enhanced from a brown powder to a colorless granular crystal. The purity of the sample could be increased from about 30 % to 87 %. With the operations of sublimation and anti‐solvent crystallization, the purity, crystal morphology, and particle size distribution of ODA were significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxyl terminus of Hsc-70-interacting protein (CHIP), as U-box-type ubiquitin ligase, connects the chaperone and proteasome systems and plays a pivotal role in maintaining protein homeostasis in the cytoplasm. CHIP induces the ubiquitination and degradation of diverse oncogenic substrate proteins and therefore involves in the progression of tumorigenesis. In this study, the CHIP expression was examined in different human breast cancer cell lines and a group of breast cancer tissues. We found, for the first time, that CHIP expression was correlated with the molecular subtyping of breast cancer. CHIP was least expressed in the base-like subtype of breast cancer, which are triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) breast cancer predominantly. Accordingly, CHIP expression was evidently decreased in the TNBC MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. Enforced induction of CHIP in the MDA-MB-231 cells exerted no obvious influences on cellular growth and cell cycle. The apoptotic and proliferation cells in hCHIP cells were both reduced compared to the ctrl cells. The mRNA and protein expressions of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were markedly increased in the hCHIP cells compared to that of the ctrl cells. The expression of RelA was significantly reduced in the nuclear extract in hCHIP cells compared to that in the ctrl cells. The protein expressions of IKKβ were markedly decreased in the hCHIP cells compared to the ctrl cells. The reduced cellular proliferation was largely due to the attenuated IKKβ-p65/NF-κB activity. Meanwhile, the invasion ability but not the migration ability was diminished when CHIP was overexpressed in the MDA-MB-231 cells. The activity of MMP2 but not MMP9 was significantly decreased in the hCHIP cells compared to the ctrl cells. Taken together, these observations here provide functional evidence for CHIP behaved as a tumor suppressor in the TNBC breast cancer cells. CHIP influenced diverse biological aspects of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Importantly, CHIP expression is a useful indicator of the molecular subtyping of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microporous metal–organic framework functionalized with in situ generated NHC-CuCl units (1) has been successfully synthesized from a novel imidazolium-containing ligand. In particular, the MOF 1 can catalyze β-boration of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, while the isoreticular version of 1 (1-im) modified with only imidazolium moiety cannot. This work demonstrates for the first time the heterogeneous catalysis of NHC-Cu(i)Cl within a MOF solid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglial activation occurs in divergent neuropathological conditions. Such microglial event has the key involvement in the progression of CNS diseases. However, the transcriptional mechanism governing microglial activation remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the microglial response to traumatic injury-induced neurodegeneration by the 3D fluorescence imaging technique. We show that transcription factors IRF8 and PU.1 are both indispensible for microglial activation, as their specific post-developmental deletion in microglia abolishes the process. Mechanistically, we reveal that IRF8 and PU.1 directly target the gene transcription of each other in a positive feedback to sustain their highly enhanced expression during microglial activation. Moreover, IRF8 and PU.1 dictate the microglial response by cooperatively acting through the composite IRF-ETS motifs that are specifically enriched on microglial activation-related genes. This action of cooperative transcription can be further verified biochemically by the synergetic binding of IRF8 and PU.1 proteins to the composite-motif DNA. Our study has therefore elucidated the central transcriptional mechanism of microglial activation in response to neurodegenerative condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have recently been utilized as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. The metal oxides or hydroxides formed on their surface during the OER process are hypothesized to play an important role. However, their exact role is yet to be elucidated. Here unambiguous justification regarding the active role of oxo(hydroxo) species on O‐Ni(1−x)FexP2 nanosheet with pyrite structure is shown. These O‐Ni(1−x)FexP2 (x = 0.25) nanosheets demonstrate greatly improved OER performance than their corresponding hydroxide and oxide counterparts do. From density function theory (DFT) calculations, it is found that the introduction of iron into the pyrite‐phased NiP2 alters OER steps occurred on the surface. Notably, the partially oxidized surface of O‐Ni(1−x)FexP2 nanosheets is vital to improve the local environment and accelerate the reaction steps. This study sheds light on the OER mechanism of the 3d TMP electrocatalyst and opens up a way to develop efficient and low‐cost electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for over 600 000 deaths annually worldwide. The current study aims to evaluate the value of proto-oncogene PIM1 as a therapeutic target in CRC and investigate the anticancer activity of hispidulin, a naturally occurring phenolic flavonoid compound, against CRC. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that PIM1 was upregulated in CRC tissue. The role of PIM1 as an oncogene was evidenced by the fact that PIM1 knockdown inhibits cell growth, induces apoptosis, and suppresses invasion. Our results showed that hispidulin exerts antitumor activity in CRC through inhibiting the expression of PIM1. Moreover, our findings revealed that hispidulin downregulated the expression of PIM1 by inhibiting JAK2/ STAT3 signaling by generating reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, our in vivo studies showed that hispidulin can significantly inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in CRC. Collectively, our results provide an experimental basis for trialing hispidulin in CRC treatment. PIM1 can be considered a potential therapeutic target in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For increasing scalability and reducing cost, transition metal dichalcogenides-based electrocatalysts presently have been proposed as substitutes for noble metals to generate hydrogen, but these alternatives usually suffer from inferior performance. Here, a Ravenala leaf-like W xC@WS2 heterostructure is grown via carbonizing WS2 nanotubes, whose outer walls being partially unzipped along with the W x C 'leaf-valves' attached to the inner tubes during the carbonization process. This heterostructure exhibits a catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction with low overpotential of 146 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 61 mV per decade, outperforming the performance of WS2 nanotubes and W xC counterparts under the same condition. Density functional theory calculations are performed to unravel the underlying mechanism, revealing that the charge distribution between W xC and WS2 plays a key role for promoting H atom adsorption and desorption kinetics simultaneously. This work not only provides a potential low-cost alternative for hydrogen generation but should be taken as a guide to optimize the catalyst structure and composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the urgent need for clean and sustainable energy, the rapid development of hydrogen-based technologies has started to revolutionize the use of earth-abundant noble-metal-free catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Like the active sites of hydrogenases, the cation sites of pyrite-type transition-metal dichalcogenides have been suggested to be active in the HER. Herein, we synthesized electrodes based on a Se-enriched NiSe2 nanosheet array and explored the relationship between the anion sites and the improved hydrogen evolution activity through theoretical and experimental studies. The free energy for atomic hydrogen adsorption is much lower on the Se sites (0.13 eV) than on the Ni sites (0.87 eV). Notably, this electrode benefits from remarkable kinetic properties, with a small overpotential of 117 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a low Tafel slope of 32 mV per decade, and excellent stability. Control experiments showed that the efficient conversion of H+ into H2 is due to the presence of an excess of selenium in the NiSe2 nanosheet surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the urgent need for clean and sustainable energy, the rapid development of hydrogen-based technologies has started to revolutionize the use of earth-abundant noble-metal-free catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Like the active sites of hydrogenases, the cation sites of pyrite-type transition-metal dichalcogenides have been suggested to be active in the HER. Herein, we synthesized electrodes based on a Se-enriched NiSe2 nanosheet array and explored the relationship between the anion sites and the improved hydrogen evolution activity through theoretical and experimental studies. The free energy for atomic hydrogen adsorption is much lower on the Se sites (0.13 eV) than on the Ni sites (0.87 eV). Notably, this electrode benefits from remarkable kinetic properties, with a small overpotential of 117 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a low Tafel slope of 32 mV per decade, and excellent stability. Control experiments showed that the efficient conversion of H+ into H2 is due to the presence of an excess of selenium in the NiSe2 nanosheet surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]