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The switch machine, an essential element of railway infrastructure, is crucial in maintaining the safety of railway operations. Traditional methods for fault diagnosis are constrained by their dependence on extensive labeled datasets. Semi-supervised learning (SSL), although a promising solution to the scarcity of samples, faces challenges such as the imbalance of pseudo-labels and inadequate data representation. In response, this paper presents the Semi-Supervised Adaptive Matrix Machine (SAMM) model, designed for the fault diagnosis of switch machine. SAMM amalgamates semi-supervised learning with adaptive technologies, leveraging adaptive low-rank regularizer to discern the fundamental links between the rows and columns of matrix data and applying adaptive penalty items to correct imbalances across sample categories. This model methodically enlarges its labeled dataset using probabilistic outputs and semi-supervised, automatically adjusting parameters to accommodate diverse data distributions and structural nuances. The SAMM model's optimization process employs the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) to identify solutions efficiently. Experimental evidence from a dataset containing current signals from switch machines indicates that SAMM outperforms existing baseline models, demonstrating its exceptional status diagnostic capabilities in situations where labeled samples are scarce. Consequently, SAMM offers an innovative and effective approach to semi-supervised classification tasks involving matrix data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc (Zn) is a crucial trace element essential for human growth and development, particularly for reproductive health. Previous research has shown a decrease in serum zinc concentration with age and individuals with conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and diabetes mellitus. However, the specific effects of zinc deficiency on the female reproductive system, especially ovarian function, are not fully understood. In our study, we observed a significant reduction in the total number of follicles and mature follicles in the zinc deficiency group. This reduction correlated with decreased level of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and abnormal gene expression affecting hormone secretion regulation. Furthermore, we found that zinc deficiency disrupted mitochondrial dynamics, leading to oxidative stress in the ovaries, which further inhibited autophagy and increased ovarian apoptosis. These changes ultimately resulted in the failure of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and reduced oocyte quality. Meanwhile, administration of zinc glycine effectively alleviated the oocyte meiotic arrest caused by dietary zinc deficiency. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that dietary zinc deficiency can affect hormone secretion and follicle maturation by impairing mitochondrial function and autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients infected with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) bacteremia in hospital have high morbidity and mortality. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of pneumonia and nonpneumonia-related AB bloodstream infections (AB BSIs) and explored the possible independent risk factors for the incidence and prognosis of pneumonia-related AB BSIs. Methods: A retrospective monocentric observational study was performed. All 117 episodes of hospital-acquired AB bacteremia sorted into groups of pneumonia-related AB BSIs (n = 45) and nonpneumonia-related AB BSIs (n = 72) were eligible. Univariate/multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent risk factors. The primary outcome was the antibiotic susceptibility in vitro of pneumonia-related AB BSIs group. The secondary outcome was the independent risk factor for the pneumonia-related AB BSIs group. Results: Among 117 patients with AB BSIs, the pneumonia-related group had a greater risk of multidrug resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB) infection (84.44%) and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) infection (80%). Polymyxin, minocycline and amikacin had relatively high susceptibility rates (> 80%) in the nonpneumonia-related group. However, in the pneumonia-related group, only polymyxin had a drug susceptibility rate of over 80%. Univariate analysis showed that survival time (day), CRAB, MDRAB, length of hospital stay prior to culture, length of ICU stay prior to culture, immunocompromised status, antibiotics used prior to culture (n > = 3 types), endotracheal tube, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, PITT, SOFA and invasive interventions (n > = 3 types) were associated with pneumonia-related AB bacteremia. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that recent surgery (within 1 mo) [P = 0.043; 0.306 (0.098–0.962)] and invasive interventions (n > = 3 types) [P = 0.021; 0.072 (0.008–0.671)] were independent risk factors related to pneumonia-related AB bacteremia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that length of ICU stay prior to culture [P = 0.009; 0.959 (0.930–0.990)] and recent surgery (within 1 mo) [P = 0.004; 0.260 (0.105–0.646)] were independent risk factors for mortality in patients with pneumonia-related AB bacteremia. The Kaplan‒Meier curve and the timing test showed that patients with pneumonia-related AB bacteremia had shorter survival time compared to those with nonpneumonia-related AB bacteremia. Conclusions: Our study found that A. baumannii had a high rate of antibiotic resistance in vitro in the pneumonia-related bacteremia group, and was only sensitive to polymyxin. Recent surgery was a significantly independent predictor in patients with pneumonia-related AB bacteremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional therapeutic treatment of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is negatively influenced by the development of tumor cell drug resistant, and systemic toxicity of therapeutic agents due to off‐target activity. In accordance with research findings, nanoparticles (NPs) responsive to the tumor microenvironment (TME) have been discovered for providing opportunities to selectively target tumor cells via active targeting or Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect. The combination of the TME control and therapeutic NPs offers promising solutions for improving the prognosis of the TNBC because the TME actively participates in tumor growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. The NP‐based systems leverage stimulus‐responsive mechanisms, such as low pH value, hypoxic, excessive secretion enzyme, concentration of glutathione (GSH)/reactive oxygen species (ROS), and high concentration of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to combat TNBC progression. Concurrently, NP‐based stimulus‐responsive introduces a novel approach for drug dosage design, administration, and modification of the pharmacokinetics of conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the strengths, limitations, applications, perspectives, and future expectations of both novel and traditional stimulus‐responsive NP‐based drug delivery systems for improving outcomes in the medical practice of TNBC. This article is categorized under:Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging TechnologiesNanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in BiologyTherapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To seek an effective anti‐lung cancer drug, a total of 14 derivatives were synthesized and characterized. The anti‐lung cancer effect of peiminine derivatives were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results of MTT and cell apoptosis assays showed that in comparison with peiminine and its other derivatives, compound 1c (indole‐3‐acetic acid‐peiminine ester) exhibited the highest activity with an IC50 value of 12.78 ± 0.64 μM. Compound 1c (10 μM) significantly reduced the levels of IL‐6, TNF‐α, and IL‐1β in A549 cells. In addition, the qRT‐PCR results showed that compound 1c (10 μM) reduced the mRNA levels of TNF‐α, mTOR, Bcl‐2, Akt1, PI3K, and p65 and increased those of Bax and caspase‐9. Next, the anti‐lung cancer activity of compound 1c (5 mg/kg) was evaluated in A549‐bearing nude mice. It was revealed that the tumor size and weight were significantly inhibited after treatment with compound 1c. And the levels of IL‐6, TNF‐α, and IL‐1β were decreased in mouse tumors. Finally, the latent mechanism of compound 1c was explored by western blot analysis. It was revealed that compound 1c could decrease the expressions of NF‐κB, Bcl‐2, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR and increase the expressions of Bax and caspase‐9 abundance. In conclusion, compound 1c exhibits an inhibitory effect on lung cancer, which was found to occur via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/NF‐κB signaling pathway, thus representing a potential new lead compound for application in lung cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the research on the new generation of intelligent rail transit system, the prevention of train collision accidents is still a focus. Virtual coupling technology controls the running speed and interval distance of two or more trains cooperatively through Train-to-Train (T2T) direct communication technology. The aim is to form a coordinated logical system and jointly complete the train control and dispatching. In this paper, a virtual coupling train formation control method based on the model predictive control (MPC) framework is proposed. From the establishment of the virtual coupling system, the construction of an MPC model and decoupling method, how to integrate virtual coupling technology into the rail transit train collision protection is studied. The safety and reliability of the system are calculated through fault tree and the method of constructing reliability function. The research shows that if virtual coupling technology is used for train collision protection, the overall safety and reliability of the train control system is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivery of RNA using nanomaterials has emerged as a new modality to expand therapeutic applications in biomedical research. However, the delivery of RNA presents unique challenges due to its susceptibility to degradation and the requirement for efficient intracellular delivery. The integration of nanotechnologies with RNA delivery has addressed many of these challenges. In this review, we discuss different strategies employed in the design and development of nanomaterials for RNA delivery. We also highlight recent advances in the pharmaceutical applications of RNA delivered via nanomaterials. Various nanomaterials, such as lipids, polymers, peptides, nucleic acids, and inorganic nanomaterials, have been utilized for delivering functional RNAs, including messenger RNA (mRNA), small interfering RNA, single guide RNA, and microRNA. Furthermore, the utilization of nanomaterials has expanded the applications of functional RNA as active pharmaceutical ingredients. For instance, the delivery of antigen-encoding mRNA using nanomaterials enables the transient expression of vaccine antigens, leading to immunogenicity and prevention against infectious diseases. Additionally, nanomaterial-mediated RNA delivery has been investigated for engineering cells to express exogenous functional proteins. Nanomaterials have also been employed for co-delivering single guide RNA and mRNA to facilitate gene editing of genetic diseases. Apart from the progress made in RNA medicine, we discuss the current challenges and future directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male infertility is a major reproductive disorder, which is clinically characterized by highly heterogeneous phenotypes of abnormal sperm count or quality. To date, five male patients with biallelic loss-of-function (LOF) variants of PARN-like ribonuclease domaincontaining exonuclease 1 (PNLDC1) have been reported to experience infertility with nonobstructive azoospermia. The aim of this study was to identify the genetic cause of male infertility with oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia (OAT) in a patient from a Chinese Han family. Whole-exome and Sanger sequencing analyses identified a homozygous LOF variant (NM_173516.2, c.142C>T, p.Gln48Ter) in PNLDC1. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that the spermatozoa of the patient with OAT had an irregular head phenotype, including microcephaly, head tapering, and globozoospermia. Consistently, peanut agglutinin staining of the spermatozoa revealed a complete or partial loss of the acrosome. Furthermore, the disomy rate of chromosomes in the patient's spermatozoa was significantly increased compared with that of a fertile control sample. We reported an LOF variant of the PNLDC1 gene responsible for OAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in single‐cell sequencing technology have made it possible to measure multiple paired omics simultaneously in a single cell such as cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE‐seq) and single‐nucleus chromatin accessibility and mRNA expression sequencing (SNARE‐seq). However, the widespread application of these single‐cell multiomics profiling technologies has been limited by their experimental complexity, noise in nature, and high cost. In addition, single‐omics sequencing technologies have generated tremendous and high‐quality single‐cell datasets but have yet to be fully utilized. Here, single‐cell multiomics generation (scMOG), a deep learning‐based framework to generate single‐cell assay for transposase‐accessible chromatin (ATAC) data in silico is developed from experimentally available single‐cell RNA‐seq measurements and vice versa. The results demonstrate that scMOG can accurately perform cross‐omics generation between RNA and ATAC, and generate paired multiomics data with biological meanings when one omics is experimentally unavailable and out of training datasets. The generated ATAC, either alone or in combination with measured RNA, exhibits equivalent or superior performance to that of the experimentally measured counterparts throughout multiple downstream analyses. scMOG is also applied to human lymphoma data, which proves to be more effective in identifying tumor samples than the experimentally measured ATAC data. Finally, the performance of scMOG is investigated in other omics such as proteomics and it still shows robust performance on surface protein generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CNF/PEI composite hydrogel (CPH) was prepared by chemical crosslinking using wheatstraw-based CNF and PEI as materials. The SEM results show that the micromorphology of die composite hydrogel was a honeycomb-like macroporous network structure. FTIR and elemental analysis show that CPH carried a large amount of amino groups. The adsorption of Cr(VI) results show that the pH 2 is optimal pH. The adsorption kinetics conform to the quasi-secondary kinetics model, the adsorption isothermal equation conforms to the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity is 117.1 mg/g and 123.5 mg/g at 25, 35 °C based on Langmuir model, respectively. After three adsorption-desorption cycles, its adsorption capacity is above 70% compared with the control group, indicating that CPH hydrogel has certain regeneration and recycling properties. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of agricultural wastes and the treatment of Cr(VI) pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A forest fire is a destructive disaster that is difficult to handle and rescue and can pose a significant threat to ecosystems, society, and humans. Since driving factors and their effects on forest fires change over time and space, exploring the spatiotemporal patterns of forest fire occurrence should be addressed. To better understand the patterns of forest fire occurrence and provide valuable insights for policy making, we employed the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to investigate the varying spatiotemporal correlations between driving factors (vegetation, topography, meteorology, social economy) and forest fires in Anhui province from 2012 to 2020. Then we identified the dominant factors and conducted the spatiotemporal distribution analysis. Moreover, we innovatively introduced nighttime light as a socioeconomic driving factor of forest fires since it can directly reflect more comprehensive information about the social economy than other socioeconomic factors commonly used in previous studies. This study applied remote sensing data since the historical statistic data were not detailed. Here, we obtained the following results. (1) There was a spatial autocorrelation of forest fires in Anhui from 2012 to 2020, with high-high aggregation of forest fires in eastern cities. (2) The GTWR model outperformed the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model and the Geographically Weighted Regression model (GWR), implying the necessity of considering temporal heterogeneity in addition to spatial heterogeneity. (3) The relationships between driving factors and forest fires were spatially and temporally heterogeneous. (4) The forest fire occurrence was mainly dominated by socioeconomic factors, while the dominant role of vegetation, topography, and meteorology was relatively limited. It's worth noting that nighttime light played the most extensive dominant role in forest fires of Anhui among all the driving factors in the years except 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal apoptosis can lead to uncontrolled cell growth, aberrant homeostasis or the accumulation of mutations. Therapeutic agents that re-establish the normal functions of apoptotic signaling pathways offer an attractive strategy for the treatment of breast cancer. Baicalin (BA) is one of the natural compounds with anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis activities against numerous tumor cells. However, low bioavailability restricts the clinical application of BA. In order to improve its therapeutic efficacy and study the mechanism of actions, active targeting delivery systems were developed for targeting tumor environment and selective cell killing effects. It emphasized on the construction of folate-conjugated albumin nanoparticles loaded with baicalin (FA-BSANPs/BA) and mechanisms of which on the promotion of breast cancer apoptosis. The physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of FA-BSANPs/BA were investigated. Cell experiments were carried out to study the targeted anti-breast cancer effects of FA-BSANPs/BA and its mechanism. The results showed that FA-BSANPs/BA was successfully constructed with stable structural characteristics and sustained release effects. Cellular uptake and MTT showed that it increased targeted uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity. Flow cytometry and western blot confirmed that it promoted apoptosis by increasing the expression of caspase-8 and ROS, and decreasing the level of Bid. It is suggested that the pro-apoptotic mechanism of FA-BSANPs/BA is related to regulation of key proteins in extrinsic apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, FA-BSANPs/BA is a good delivery carrier and significantly inhibits the breast cancer growth compared with free BA. The mechanism of FA-BSANPs/BA promoting apoptosis of breast cancer may be due to its action on the caspase-8/Bid/ROS pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Numerous variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) have been identified by whole exome sequencing in clinical practice. However, VUSs are not currently considered medically actionable. Objective To assess the splicing patterns of 49 VUSs in 48 families identified clinically to improve genetic counselling and family planning. Methods Forty-nine participants with 49 VUSs were recruited from the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to preliminarily predict the splicing effects of these VUSs. RT-PCR and minigene analysis were used to assess the splicing patterns of the VUSs. According to the results obtained, couples opted for different methods of reproductive interventions to conceive a child, including prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Results Eleven variants were found to alter pre-mRNA splicing and one variant caused nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, which resulted in the reclassification of these VUSs as likely pathogenic. One couple chose to undergo in vitro fertilisation with PGT treatment; a healthy embryo was transferred and the pregnancy is ongoing. Three couples opted for natural pregnancy with prenatal diagnosis. One couple terminated the pregnancy because the fetus was affected by short-rib thoracic dysplasia and harboured the related variant. The infants of the other two couples were born and were healthy at their last recorded follow-up. Conclusion RNA splicing analysis is an important method to assess the impact of sequence variants on splicing in clinical practice and can contribute to the reclassification of a significant proportion of VUSs. RNA splicing analysis should be considered for genetic disease diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of a balloon compression day-surgery operation under the guidance of spiral computed tomography (CT) three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Methods: The clinical efficacy and related indexes of 380 patients with trigeminal neuralgia treated by a spiral CT-guided balloon compression day-surgery operation in the pain department of Beijing TianTan Hospital, from October 2017 to March 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Five patients failed due to foramen ovale puncture or in placing the balloon; two patients had ineffective results after the operation and re-entered the hospital for secondary balloon compression. The initial effective rate of the operation in the 380 patients was 98.16%. All patients were discharged on the day of the operation, the average operation time was 26.46 ± 12.15min, and the average interval from the completion of the operation to discharge was 2.67 ± 0.95 h. During the follow-up period (1--41 months), 12 patients had pain recurrence, and a Kaplan--Meier analysis revealed that the cumulative pain-free recurrence survival rate at 41 months after the operation was 80.64%. No complications related to foramen ovale puncture occurred. Conclusion: The spiral CT-guided balloon compression day-surgery operation is safe, effective, and worthy of clinical promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To maximize the performance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in photothermal conversion textiles, the green and efficient methods for the preparation of highly concentrated and stable aqueous dispersion of CNTs need to be urgently developed. Herein, the aqueous dispersion of CNTs with exceeding high concentration limits (over 100 mg/mL) is synthesized by an eco-friendly one-step hydrothermal method with the assistance of ionic liquid crystals (ILC). CNTs non-covalently wrapped by ILC can exist in various forms, such as well-dispersed dispersion, conductive slurry, thixotropic gel, and deformable dough. Particularly, the highly concentrated dispersion has excellent dispersion stability and remains stable even after 60 days of resting. Due to the cationic head group of ILC, the positively charged dispersion was electrostatically self-assembled to prepare photothermal textiles with excellent mechanical robustness and chemical stability, which can be applied to multiple harsh working conditions. This research shows an efficient and feasible method for the non-destructive dispersion of CNTs at high concentrations and also provides a reference for photothermal conversion applications of CNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peimisine is one of the alkaloids in Fritillariae ussuriensis Bulbus, which has anti‐acute lung injury effect. In order to obtain compounds with superior bio‐activity, 14 new derivatives were obtained from peimisine, and the better activity compounds were screened by MTT method. It was found that boc‐leucine mono peimisine ester monoamide (compound G, 25 μg/ml) had increased cell survival rate and reduced the TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and iNOS levels in RAW 264.7 by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated. In vivo, LPS (10 mg/kg) was given intraperitoneally to establish ALI model, and compound G (2.5 or 10 mg/kg) was injected into mice as the experimental group. The results showed that after the compound G (10 mg/kg) treatment, the Wet / Dry ratio of the lung was reduced, and the expression of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and iNOS was inhibited. Meanwhile, compound G (10 mg/kg) could increase the content of IκB protein and reduce the content of p65 protein in lung tissue by Western blot analysis, which may play an anti‐acute lung injury role by inhibiting the activity of NF‐κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, compound G could attenuate LPS‐induced ALI in mice and it may become a new approach to treat ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer among women. Baicalin has been shown to inhibit breast cancer proliferation, but poor aqueous solubility and unknown mechanism of action limit its application. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effects of baicalin-loaded folic acid-modified albumin nanoparticles (FA-BSANPs/BA) in breast cancer MCF-7 cells and its relationship with autophagy and ROS-mediated p38 MAPK and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. Cell viability was detected by MTT assay. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy were used to detect cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy. Western blot was used to detect protein expression. Results: Compared with the control and free baicalin groups, FA-BSANPs/BA inhibited viability of MCF-7 cells and increased cells in S phase, apoptotic bodies, pro-apoptotic proteins, autophagy markers and autophagosomes. These effects could be reversed when combined with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. FA-BSANPs/BA increased the levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK, inhibited the levels of phosphorylated Akt and mTOR, and increased the level of ROS in MCF-7 cells. The effects of FA-BSANPs/BA could be reversed or enhanced using inhibitors of Akt, mTOR, p38 MAPK and ROS scavengers. Conclusions: Encapsulation in folate albumin nanoparticles improved the antiproliferative activity of baicalin. FA-BSANPs/BA induced autophagy and apoptosis via ROS-mediated p38 MAPK and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in human breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemotherapeutic drugs are associated with toxic effects. Metastasis is the leading cause of death in breast cancer patients. Aim: To evaluate the antitumor effect of paclitaxel (PTX) combined with psoralen-loaded polymeric lipid nanoparticles (PSO-PLNs) in triple-negative breast cancer. Methods: After treatment of samples, cell viability, apoptosis, migration, invasion, expression of proteins in the IRAK1/NF-κB/FAK signal pathway, biodistribution and pathological characteristics were detected. Results: Compared with the control group, the PTX + PSO-PLNs group showed increased apoptosis and reduced migration, invasion and expression of phosphorylated IRAK1 and NF-κB, with significant inhibition of tumor growth and lung metastases and no obvious toxicity. Conclusion: Combined administration of PTX and PSO-PLNs exerted a synergistic effect and significantly inhibited the growth and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the top-ranked cancers for incidence and mortality worldwide. The biggest challenges in breast cancer treatment are metastasis and drug resistance, for which work on molecular evaluation, mechanism studies, and screening of therapeutic targets is ongoing. Factors that lead to inflammatory infiltration and immune system suppression in the tumor microenvironment are potential therapeutic targets. Interleukin-1 is known as a proinflammatory and immunostimulatory cytokine, which plays important roles in inflammatory diseases. Recent studies have shown that interleukin-1 cytokines drive the formation and maintenance of an inflammatory/immunosuppressive microenvironment through complex intercellular signal crosstalk and tight intracellular signal transduction, which were found to be potentially involved in the mechanism of metastasis and drug resistance of breast cancer. Some preclinical and clinical treatments or interventions to block the interleukin-1/interleukin-1 receptor system and its up- and downstream signaling cascades have also been proven effective. This study provides an overview of IL-1-mediated signal communication in breast cancer and discusses the potential of IL-1 as a therapeutic target especially for metastatic breast cancer and combination therapy and current problems, aiming at enlightening new ideas in the study of inflammatory cytokines and immune networks in the tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) involved in breast cancer metastasis and chemoresistance has been increasingly recognized. However, it is necessary to search for more effective strategies to inhibit EMT thereby increase the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs. Emodin has a potential in overcoming tumor drug resistance and restraining the development of EMT, but the poor internalization into breast cancer cells limited the application. Results: MCF-7/ADR cells have more EMT characteristics than MCF-7 cell. EMT in MCF-7/ADR cells promotes the development of drug resistance via apoptosis resistance and facilitating the expression of P-gp. The anti-cancer effect of DOX enhanced by the decreasing of drug resistance protein P-gp and apoptosis-related proteins after EMT inhibited in MCF-7/ADR cells. E-PLNs increase the cellular uptake of EMO and restore DOX sensitivity in MCF-7/ADR cells by inhibiting EMT. Conclusion: E-PLNs inhibit EMT to enhance the sensitivity of breast cancer to DOX. The combination of E-PLNs and DOX can improve the efficacy of DOX in the treatment of breast cancer, which provides a new method to prevent or delay clinical drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-step pretreatment using sequential dilute acid/alkali was applied in this study to improve the hydrolysis of corncobs. 88.6% of the hemicellulose was selectively removed by dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis (DA) in the first step, 88% of the lignin was effectively extracted by sodium hydroxide in the second step. Consequently, a high content of glucan (74.4%), corresponding to 94.6% recovery, remained in the pretreated biomass. The substrate enzymatic digestibilities (SED) of the two-step pretreated biomass were 64%, 80%, 91%, and 93% after 72 h hydrolysis with enzyme loadings of 5, 10, 15, and 20 FPU/g substrate, respectively, which were much higher than those of the DA-pretreated material. The ethanol concentration after the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process at 15% (w/w) solids loading reached 52 g/L, equivalent to 77.2% of the theoretical ethanol yield based on an untreated corncobs glucan content. The changes to the chemical and physical structures of the residues detected by SEM, FTIR, and the DPv test were correlated with the improved enzymatic digestibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, environmental pollution and energy shortage have aroused people's wide concern. Here we report that S‐doped BiOCl photocatalyst was successfully fabricated via a simple solvothermal process. The as‐obtained S‐doped BiOCl photocatalysts were investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption‐desorption, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra. The photocatalytic performance of the S‐doped BiOCl photocatalyst with different S contents was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of cationic dye (Rhodamine‐B (RhB)) and anionic dye (Congo red (CR)). The results reveal that all the S‐doped BiOCl samples possess better photocatalytic activity than pure BiOCl. Specifically, the degradation rate of S(6 %)‐BiOCl sample for RhB and CR was 99 % and 90 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance of the S‐doped BiOCl sample was investigated. The results show that the S(6 %)‐BiOCl sample possesses an excellent NH3 yield of 108.6 μmol g−1 h−1. Moreover, the S(6 %)‐BiOCl catalysts have excellent recyclability and stability. This work provides a facile and accessible pathway to design effective photocatalysts for both photocatalytic degradation and nitrogen fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunting for natural compounds that can modulate the structure of the intestinal flora is a new hotspot for colitis‐associated cancer (CAC) prevention or treatment. Alisol B 23-acetate (AB23A) is a natural tetracyclic triterpenoid found in Alismatis rhizoma which is well known for dietary herb. Alismatis rhizoma is often used clinically to treat gastrointestinal diseases in China. In this study, we investigated the potential prevention of AB23A in male mouse models of azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced CAC. AB23A intervention alleviated the body weight loss, disease activity index, colon tumor load, tissue injury, and inflammatory cytokine changes in CAC mice. AB23A intervention leads to remarkable reductions in the activation of TLR, NF-κB and MAPK. AB23A significantly decreased the phosphorylation of p38, ERK, and JNK and up-regulated mucin-2 and the expression of tight junction proteins. The gut microbiota of AB23A-interfered mice was characterized with high microbial diversity, the reduced expansion of pathogenic bacteria, such as Klebsiella , Citrobacter , and Akkermansia , and the increased growth of bacteria including Bacteroides , Lactobacillus , and Alloprevotella. These data reveal that AB23A has the potential to be used to treat CAC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The genetic causes of the majority of cases of female infertility caused by premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) are unknown. Objective To identify the genetic causes of POI in 110 patients. Methods Whole-exome sequencing was performed on 110 patients with POI, and putative disease-causative variants were validated by Sanger sequencing. Bioinformatic and in vitro functional analyses were performed for functional characterisation of the identified candidate disease-causative variants. Results We identified two homozygous variants (NM_001040274: c.150_151del (p.Ser52Profs*7), c.999A>G (p.Ile333Met)) in SYCP2L in two patients, which had co-segregated with POI in these families. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that the two variants are deleterious, and in vitro functional analysis showed that mutant SYCP2L proteins exhibited mislocalisation and loss of function. Conclusions SYCP2L is a novel gene found to be responsible for human POI. Our findings provide a potential molecular marker for POI and improve the understanding of the genetic basis of female infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor cells, inflammatory cells and chemical factors work together to mediate complex signaling networks, which forms inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME). The development of breast cancer is closely related to the functional activities of TME. This review introduces the origins of cancer-related chronic inflammation and the main constituents of inflammatory microenvironment. Inflammatory microenvironment plays an important role in breast cancer growth, metastasis, drug resistance and angiogenesis through multifactorial mechanisms. It is suggested that inflammatory microenvironment contributes to providing possible mechanisms of drug action and modes of drug transport for anti-cancer treatment. Nano-drug delivery system (NDDS) becomes a popular topic for optimizing the design of tumor targeting drugs. It is seen that with the development of therapeutic approaches, NDDS can be used to achieve drug-targeted delivery well across the biological barriers and into cells, resulting in superior bioavailability, drug dose reduction as well as off-target side effect elimination. This paper focuses on the review of modulation mechanisms of inflammatory microenvironment and combination with nano-targeted therapeutic strategies, providing a comprehensive basis for further research on breast cancer prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alismatis rhizoma (AR), which is the dried rhizome of Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juz. (Alismataceae), is an important component of many famous Chinese formulas for hypoglycemic. This study aimed to evaluate the insulin resistance (IR) alleviating effects of AR triterpenes (ART) and ART component compatibility (ARTC, the mixture of 16-oxo-alisol A, 16-oxo-alisol A 23-acetate, 16-oxo-alisol A 24-acetate, alisol C, alisol C 23-acetate, alisol L, alisol A, alisol A 23-acetate, alisol A 24-acetate, alisol L 23-acetate, alisol B, alisol B 23-acetate, 11-deoxy-alisol B and 11-deoxy-alisol B 23-acetate) in high-fat diet-induced IR mice and plamitate-treated IR C2C12 cells, respectively. A dose of 200 mg/kg of ART was orally administered to IR mice, and different doses (25, 50, and 100 μg/ml) of ARTC groups were treated to IR C2C12 cells. IPGTT, IPITT, body weight, Hb1AC, FFA, TNF- α , MCP-1, and IR-associated gene expression (p-AMPK, p-IRS-1, PI3K, p-AKT, p-JNK, and GLUT4) were measured in IR mice. Glucose uptake, TNF- α , MCP-1, and IR-associated gene expression were also measured in IR C2C12 cells. Results showed that ART alleviated high-fat diet-induced IR in the skeletal muscle of mice, and this finding was further validated by ARTC. This study demonstrated that ART presented a notable IR alleviating effect by regulating IR-associated gene expression, and triterpenes were the material basis for the IR alleviating activity of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) is still challenging due to the highly stable N–N triple bond. Herein, orthorhombic phase H-Bi5O7I microspheres with abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs) were successfully prepared via a simple calcination and hydrogen reduction strategy. Based on the combined bismuth-rich strategy and the introduction of OVs in H-Bi5O7I, a remarkable photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance was achieved under visible light irradiation in the absence of any organic scavengers or noble-metal cocatalysts. H-Bi5O7I exhibits an NH4+ generation rate of 162.48 μmol g−1 h−1, which is 2.0 and 7.4 times higher than that of Bi5O7I and BiOI. It is because H-Bi5O7I with abundant OVs has a more proper band gap, better electron capturing ability and more effective separation and transfer rate for the photogenerated charge carriers. This study may provide a new direction and useful insight for the design of defect assisted N2 fixation photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem that a dielectric elastomer generator (DEG) requires an external high voltage bias supply to improve the autonomy and security of the power generation system so that it could adapt to a changeable environment, and to improve the efficiency of power generation, based on the simulation research and analysis of three traditional self-biasing circuits, a new self-biasing circuit integrated with a self-supplementary circuit has been proposed in this paper. Under the same input conditions, the maximum output potential of the new self-biasing circuit is 2.23 times that of the traditional circuit. The pumping capability of the self-biasing circuit is greatly improved. At the same time, based on this circuit, in order to explore the factors affecting the energy conversion of the DEG, the overall electromechanical parameters of the circuit are compared and optimized by simulation experiments in this paper. The simulation and experimental results show that the capacitance-to-strain ratio of DEG and the mechanical frequency should be as large as possible within the safe range to obtain larger output potential, and the capacitance of charge pump should be 0.75 times of the capacitance of DEG in the initial state to improve efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aerial applications require unmanned aerial systems operate in safe zones because of the presence of obstacles or security regulations. It is a non-trivial task to generate a smooth trajectory satisfying both dynamic constraints and motion limits of the unmanned vehicles while being inside the safe zones. Then the task becomes even more challenging for real-time applications, for which computational efficiency is crucial. In this study, we present a safe flying corridor navigation method, which combines jerk limited trajectories with an efficient testing method to update the position setpoints in real time. Trajectories are generated online and incrementally with a cycle time smaller than 10 μs, which is exceptionally suitable for vehicles with limited onboard computational capability. Safe zones are represented with multiple interconnected bounding boxes which can be arbitrarily oriented. The jerk limited trajectory generation algorithm has been extended to cover the cases with asymmetrical motion limits. The proposed method has been successfully tested and verified in flight simulations and actual experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a lack of prospective studies for the long-term results of percutaneous pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) of the Gasserian ganglion in the treatment of patients with medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN).Methods and results: We prospectively observed the outcomes of 28 idiopathic TN patients (between July 2013 and July 2016) who received CT-guided percutaneous PRF treatment of the Gasserian ganglion. All of the patients had stopped responding to drug therapy before PRF treatment. The effective treatment standard was a reduction in the pain numeric rating scale (NRS) by ≥50% after the procedure. The postoperative NRS score decreased gradually from preoperative 7.6±0.8 months to 1.5±2.4, 0.2±0.4, 0.2±0.4, 0.1±0.4, and 0.1±0.4 at 1, 3, and 6 months and 1 and 2 years after the PRF treatment. The response rates at 1, 3, and 6 months were 85.7%, and the rates at 12 months and 2 years were maintained at 78.6%. No serious side effects were observed.Conclusion: CT-guided PRF invention is an effective and safe technique for medically intractable idiopathic TN patients. This minimally invasive alternative treatment has the potential as a first-line therapy for TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), an X-linked recessive genetic disorder of sex development, is caused by mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, and is characterized by partial or complete inability of specific tissues to respond to androgens in individuals with the 46, XY karyotype. This study aimed to investigate AR gene mutations and to characterize genotype-phenotype correlations. Ten patients from unrelated families, aged 2-31 years, were recruited in the study. Based on karyotype, altered hormone profile, and clinical manifestations, nine patients were preliminarily diagnosed with complete AIS and one with partial AIS. Genetic analysis of AR gene revealed the existence of 10 different mutations, of which five were novel (c.2112 C>G[p.S704R], c.2290T>A[p.Y764N], c.2626C>T[p.Q876X], c.933dupC[p.K313Qfs*28], and c.1067delC[p.A356Efs*123]); the other five were previously reported (c.1789G>A[p.A597T], c.2566C>T[p.R856C], c.2668G>A[p.V890M], c.2679C>T[p.P893L], and c.1605C>G[p.Y535X]). Regarding the distribution of these mutations, 60.0% were clustered in the ligand-binding domain of AR gene. Exons 1 and 8 of AR gene each accounted for 30.0% (3/10) of all mutations. Most of the truncation mutations were in exon 1 and missense mutations were mainly located in exons 4-8. Our study expands the spectrum of AR gene mutations and confirms the usefulness of AR gene sequencing to support a diagnosis of AIS and to enable prenatal or antenatal screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study described here focuses on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel hot-rolled medium-Mn steel (Fe-0.25C-4Mn-1.88Al-0.6Si-0.04Nb-0.08V, wt%) that contained only 4 wt% Mn and modest Al content of 1.88 wt%. It was found that a relatively high content (25-53 vol%) of retained austenite was obtained by intercritical annealing process. With increase in intercritical annealing temperature from 700 to 740 and to 760 °C, retained austenite fraction increased from 25.1 to 53.2% and then decreased to 46.1%. Besides, mechanical stability of retained austenite in 700-760 °C intercritically annealed steels decreased with increase in intercritical annealing temperature. The 720 °C intercritically annealed steel yielded excellent mechanical properties with yield strength of 766 MPa, tensile strength of 951 MPa, total elongation of 48.6% and PSE of 46.22 GPa·%, achieved by a high volume fraction of retained austenite (46%) with relatively high mechanical stability. Thus, the 4% Mn steel present in this study indicated excellent mechanical properties of medium-Mn steels can be achieved using low alloy content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: RNA contains diverse modifications that exert an important influence in a variety of cellular processes. So far, more than 150 modifications have been identified in various RNA species, mainly in ribosomal RNA (rRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA). In contrast to rRNA, tRNA, and mRNA, the known modifications in small RNA species have been primarily limited to 2′‐O‐ribose methylation in plants and inosine in mammals. The methylation of small RNAs in mammals is still unclear. Current methods widely used in the characterization of small RNAs are mainly based on the strategy of nucleic acid hybridization and sequencing, which cannot characterize modifications in small RNAs. Herein, we have systematically investigated modifications in small RNAs composed of 16–28 nucleotides (nt) by establishing an effective isolation and neutral enzymatic digestion of small RNAs in combination with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS/MS). This method allowed us to simultaneously detect 57 different types of nucleoside modification. By using this approach, we revealed 24 modifications in small RNAs comprising 16–28 nt from human cells. In addition, we found that the obesity‐associated protein (FTO) may demethylate N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) and N6,2′‐O‐dimethyladenosine (m6Am) in small RNAs of 16–28 nt. Our study demonstrates the existence of diverse modifications in small RNAs composed of 16–28 nt, which may promote in‐depth understanding of the regulatory roles of noncoding RNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genetic causes of the majority of male and female infertility caused by human non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) with meiotic arrest are unknown. Objective: To identify the genetic cause of NOA and POI in two affected members from a consanguineous Chinese family. Methods: We performed whole-exome sequencing of DNA from both affected patients. The identified candidate causative gene was further verified by Sanger sequencing for pedigree analysis in this family. In silico analysis was performed to functionally characterise the mutation, and histological analysis was performed using the biopsied testicle sample from the male patient with NOA. Results: We identified a novel homozygous missense mutation (NM_007068.3: c.106G>A, p.Asp36Asn) in DMC1, which cosegregated with NOA and POI phenotypes in this family. The identified missense mutation resulted in the substitution of a conserved aspartic residue with asparaginate in the modified H3TH motif of DMC1. This substitution results in protein misfolding. Histological analysis demonstrated a lack of spermatozoa in the male patient's seminiferous tubules. Immunohistochemistry using a testis biopsy sample from the male patient showed that spermatogenesis was blocked at the zygotene stage during meiotic prophase I. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report identifying DMC1 as the causative gene for human NOA and POI. Furthermore, our pedigree analysis shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance for NOA and POI caused by DMC1 in this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel extracellular bioflocculant fromBacillus mucilaginosusMY6-2 was obtained by alcohol precipitation, dialysis and lyophilisation. The chemical analysis indicated that the bioflocculant was mainly composed of extracellular polysaccharide (named EPS MY6-2). Monosacchride composition result analysed by Gas chromatography indicated that EPS MY6-2 was mainly composed of Man, Glc, Gal, GlcA and GalA. The result of flocculating characteristics indicated that pH, EPS dosage and cation supplement had evident effect on flocculating activity of EPS MY6-2. The biosorption of iron ions from aqueous solution was tested with respect to pH, initial metal ion concentration and EPS dosage. The optimum biosorption conditions were as follows: pH 5.0, initial ion concentration from 200 to 800 mg/L and EPS dosage of 60 mg/L ion solution. The adsorption rates are maintained above 95% under these conditions. The adsorption data provided an excellent fit to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, implying that the binding of the iron ions took place as a monolayer on the surface of the EPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

hMLH1 is one of the mismatch genes closely related to the occurrence of gastric cancer. Epigenetic regulation may play more important roles than gene mutations in DNA damage repair genes to drive carcinogenesis. In this article, we discuss the role of epigenetic changes, especially histone modifications in the regulation of hMLH1 alternative splicing. Our results showed that hMLH1 delEx10, delEx11, delEx10-11, delEx16 and delEx17 transcripts were ubiquitous in sporadic Chinese gastric cancer patients and gastric cancer cell lines. Lower level of H4K16ac and H3ac was detected in hMLH1 exon 10-11 region in gastric cancer cell lines when compared with human gastric mucosal epithelial cell line GES-1. A significant decrease of hMLH1 delEx11 and delEx10-11 was observed in gastric cancer cell lines after trichostatin A treatment. H3K36me3 and H3K4me2 levels were lower in hMLH1 exon 10-11 and exon 16-17 regions in gastric cancer lines when compared with GES-1. Aberrant transcripts such as hMLH1 delEx11 and delEx10-11 were significantly higher in gastric cancer cell lines after small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of SETD2 (the specific methyltransferase of H3K36). The hMLH1 delEx10 and delEx10-11 transcripts were increased after interference of SRSF2. Taken together, our study demonstrates that lower level of histone acetylation and specific histone methylation such as H3K36me3 correlate with aberrant transcripts in hMLH1 exon 10-11 region. SRSF2 may be involved in these specific exons skipping as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Strain engineering" has been widely used to tailor the physical properties of layered materials, like graphene, black phosphorus, and transition-metal dichalcogenides. Here, we exploit thermal strain engineering to construct two dimensional (2D) WS2 in-plane heterojunctions. Kelvin probe force microscopy is used to investigate the surface potentials and work functions of few-layer WS2 flakes, which are grown on SiO2/Si substrates by chemical vapor deposition, followed by a fast cooling process. In the interior regions of strained WS2 flakes, work functions are found to be much larger than that of the unstrained regions. The difference in work functions, together with the variation of band gaps, endows the formation of heterojunctions in the boundaries between inner and outer domains of WS2 flakes. This result reveals that the existence of strain offers a unique opportunity to modulate the electronic properties of 2D materials and construct 2D lateral heterojunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the chiral self-assembly of rubrene molecules on a semi-metallic Bi(111) surface using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The absolute configuration of isolated rubrene enantiomers was identified from high-resolution images. Two types of homochiral domains of rubrene monomers and hexamers were observed, respectively. For rubrene monomers, chiral separation was spontaneous with each chiral monomer appearing in their respective domain. For rubrene hexamers, two levels of organization chirality were recorded: one is six heterochiral rubrene molecules arranged alternatively in a rubrene hexamer; and the other is a homochiral arrangement of individual hexamers. After annealing at 350 K, a large area of supramolecular self-assembled L- and R-type triangular heterochiral hexamers was obtained at the narrow terrace of Bi(111). Moreover, a molecular chiral inversion from the L-(R-) type to the R-(L-) type occurs during the formation of the hexamer domain structure and can be attributed to the enhanced intermolecular interactions governed by the intensive intermolecular extrusion at the narrow terrace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of the dispersion and size of metallic nanoparticles, as well as metal-support interaction, is of vital importance to enhance the catalytic performance of supported metal nanocatalysts. In this work, carbon-supported boron-promoted Ni nanocatalysts (B-Ni) were synthesized via an in situ self-reduction process of hybrid borate-intercalated NiAl-layered double hydroxide/carbon nanocomposites, and the promotional effect of boron on the catalytic performance of Ni nanocatalysts formed in liquid phase hydrodechlorination of chlorobenzene was studied. A series of XRD, TEM, STEM, XPS, low temperature N2 adsorption, and H2 chemisorption results revealed that the resulting spherical B-modified Ni nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed and anchored tightly on the surface of the carbon support. A suitable amount of boron was essential for the formation of highly dispersed and uniform nanoparticles and pronounced surface Ni-B interaction, as well as strong Ni-B-support interactions, accounting for the significantly enhanced hydrodechlorination activity, in comparison with a B-free Ni catalyst. Moreover, as-synthesized B-Ni nanocatalysts exhibited good stability, without obvious aggregation and loss of active species after five recycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trigeminal neuralgia ( TN) is a pain syndrome characterized by pain in the trigeminal area often accompanied by a brief facial spasm or tic. The purpose of our study was to investigate the efficacy and clinical utility of CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency ( PRF) for treatment of TN. Patients who were diagnosed with severe TN between September 2010 and October 2010 at Beijing Tiantan Hospital were included. Pulsed radiofrequency treatment ( PRFT) was employed to treat TN. To verify the accurate needle position, a thin-section cranial CT scan was performed by using a multidetector CT scanner. Three-dimensional reconstruction was performed to visualize the location of the needle and the foramen ovale. A total of 20 patients were included in the study. Seven patients (35%) had favorable outcome 1 year after the PRFT. The numeric rating scale in the 7 patients with good outcome was significantly lower than the 13 patients with bad outcome at 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks after the treatment. The remaining 13 patients had residual pain 2 weeks after the PRFT and had to receive radiofrequency thermocoagulation ( RFTC). In conclusion, the results of our study demonstrate that CT-guided PRFT is not an effective method of pain treatment for idiopathic TN as compared with conventional RFTC. However, CT-guided PRFT is associated with less complication than RFTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbon-coated Li2FeSiO4 (Li2FeSiO4/C) material was synthesized through a liquid-phase-assisted method. The obtained sample can be used as an anode material for aqueous lithium-ion batteries. The aqueous electrolyte cell system used in this study delivers a capacity of approximately 90 mA h g−1 based on the total weight of the anode material Li2FeSiO4/C and an export voltage of 1.2 V. The aqueous electrolyte cell system also exhibits excellent cycling stability with a capacity loss of less than 10% after 30 cycles and a high coulombic efficiency of almost 100% in the preliminary 30 cycles. This study provides the most promising anode material for aqueous lithium-ion batteries because of its environmental inertness and low cost and since Fe and Si are among the most abundant and inexpensive elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]