Search

Histology slide, tissue microbes, and the host gene expression can be independent prognostic factors of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the underlying associations and biological significance of these multimodal omics remain unknown. Here, we comprehensively profiled the matched pathological images, intratumoral microbes, and host gene expression characteristics in 527 patients with CRC. By clustering these patients based on histology slide features, we classified the patients into two histology slide subtypes (HSS). Onco‐microbial community and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) were also significantly different between the two subtypes (HSS1 and HSS2) of patients. Furthermore, variation in intratumoral microbes–host interaction was associated with the prognostic heterogeneity between HSS1 and HSS2. This study proposes a new CRC classification based on pathological image features and elucidates the process by which tumor microbes–host interactions are reflected in pathological images through the TIME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder distinguished by a swift cognitive deterioration accompanied by distinctive pathological hallmarks such as extracellular Aβ (β‐amyloid) peptides, neuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), sustained neuroinflammation, and synaptic degeneration. The elevated frequency of AD cases and its proclivity to manifest at a younger age present a pressing challenge in the quest for novel therapeutic interventions. Numerous investigations have substantiated the involvement of C/EBPβ in the progression of AD pathology, thus indicating its potential as a therapeutic target for AD treatment. Aims: Several studies have demonstrated an elevation in the expression level of C/EBPβ among individuals afflicted with AD. Consequently, this review predominantly delves into the association between C/EBPβ expression and the pathological progression of Alzheimer's disease, elucidating its underlying molecular mechanism, and pointing out the possibility that C/EBPβ can be a new therapeutic target for AD. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed across multiple databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and so on, utilizing predetermined keywords and MeSH terms, without temporal constraints. The inclusion criteria encompassed diverse study designs, such as experimental, case–control, and cohort studies, restricted to publications in the English language, while conference abstracts and unpublished sources were excluded. Results: Overexpression of C/EBPβ exacerbates the pathological features of AD, primarily by promoting neuroinflammation and mediating the transcriptional regulation of key molecular pathways, including δ‐secretase, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), acidic leucine‐rich nuclear phosphoprotein‐32A (ANP32A), transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1), and Forkhead BoxO (FOXO). Discussion: The correlation between overexpression of C/EBPβ and the pathological development of AD, along with its molecular mechanisms, is evident. Investigating the pathways through which C/EBPβ regulates the development of AD reveals numerous multiple vicious cycle pathways exacerbating the pathological progression of the disease. Furthermore, the exacerbation of pathological progression due to C/EBPβ overexpression and its molecular mechanism is not limited to AD but also extends to other neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Conclusion: The overexpression of C/EBPβ accelerates the irreversible progression of AD pathophysiology. Additionally, C/EBPβ plays a crucial role in mediating multiple pathways linked to AD pathology, some of which engender vicious cycles, leading to the establishment of feedback mechanisms. To sum up, targeting C/EBPβ could hold promise as a therapeutic strategy not only for AD but also for other degenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Recurrent giant cell tumor (RGCT) of the spine represents a clinical challenge for surgeons, and the treatment strategy remains controversial. This study aims to describe the long‐term follow‐up outcomes and compare the efficacy of en bloc spondylectomy versus piecemeal spondylectomy in treating RGCT of the thoracolumbar spine. Methods: A total of 32 patients with RGCT of the thoracolumbar spine treated from June 2012 to June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 15 patients received total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) with wide or marginal margin while 17 patients received total piecemeal spondylectomy (TPS) with intralesional margin. Postoperative Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Score (ECOG‐PS), Frankel classification and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) were evaluated after surgery. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and differences were analyzed with the log‐rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed with Cox regression to identify the independent prognostic factors affecting RFS. Results: During a median follow‐up of 41.9 ± 17.5 months, all patients with compromised neurologic functions exhibit significant improvement, with the mean ECOG‐PS decreasing from 1.5 ± 1.3 to 0.13 ± 0.3 (p < 0.05). Among the 17 patients treated with TPS, eight patients developed local recurrence after a median time of 15.9 ± 6.4 months and four patients died from progressive disease. On the other hand, local recurrence were well managed with TES, since only one out of 15 patients experienced local relapse and all patients are alive with satisfied function at the latest follow‐up. The median RFS for patients receiving TES and TPS are 75.0 months (95% CI: 67.5–82.5 m) and 38.3 months (95% CI: 27.3–49.3 m) respectively (p = 0.008). Multivariate analysis shows that the Ki67 index (p = 0.016), resection mode (p = 0.022), and denosumab (p = 0.039) are independent risk factors affecting RFS. Conclusions: TES with wide/marginal margin should be offered to patients with RGCT whenever feasible, given its long‐term benefits in local control and symptom alleviation. Additionally, patients with lower Ki67 index and application of denosumab tend to have a better prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Load‐bearing biological staggered composites, like nacre, teeth, and bone, possess an exceptional combination of material properties like high stiffness and high toughness. To date, most of the analytical research are for nacre‐like bio‐inspired staggered composites, with highly overlapped platelets. But the collagen fibril‐like staggered composites, with slender or barely overlapped platelets, are out of their scope. This motivates this work. In this paper, based on the previous research, according to the elastic‐viscoelastic corresponding principle, an analytical model for dynamic properties of general bio‐inspired staggered composites is presented. Moreover, the effect of loading frequency in a wide range is studied. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparison with existing models and finite element simulations. Besides, parametric analyses and sensitivity analysis are conducted thoroughly. The results reveal that besides the platelet concentration and the platelet aspect ratio, the platelet overlap ratio also influences the damping behavior of bio‐inspired staggered composites to a certain extent; for biological/biomimetic composites with a larger overlap ratio, higher loss modulus is possible to be achieved, and the optimal aspect ratio is mostly within [5, 30]. These findings are of great significance to the optimal design of bio‐inspired engineering materials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cGAS‐STING pathway plays an important role in host defense by sensing pathogen DNA, inducing type I IFNs, and initiating autophagy. However, the molecular mechanism of autophagosome formation in cGAS‐STING pathway‐induced autophagy is still unclear. Here, we report that STING directly interacts with WIPI2, which is the key protein for LC3 lipidation in autophagy. Binding to WIPI2 is necessary for STING‐induced autophagosome formation but does not affect STING activation and intracellular trafficking. In addition, the specific interaction between STING and the PI3P‐binding motif of WIPI2 leads to the competition of WIPI2 binding between STING and PI3P, and mutual inhibition between STING‐induced autophagy and canonical PI3P‐dependent autophagy. Furthermore, we show that the STING‐WIPI2 interaction is required for the clearance of cytoplasmic DNA and the attenuation of cGAS‐STING signaling. Thus, the direct interaction between STING and WIPI2 enables STING to bypass the canonical upstream machinery to induce LC3 lipidation and autophagosome formation. Synopsis: STING‐induced autophagy does not depend on ULK1 complex and PIK3C3 complex. Here, we report that STING directly interacts with WIPI2 and brings WIPI2 to STING‐positive vesicles. Our results reveal a mechanism by which WIPI2 is recruited to phagophore for LC3 lipidation and phagophore expansion during STING‐induced autophagosome formation. STING brings WIPI2 to STING‐positive vesicles for autophagosome formation during STING‐induced autophagy.STING and PI3P competitively bind to WIPI2, which leads to mutual inhibition between STING‐induced autophagy and PI3P‐dependent autophagy.STING‐WIPI2 interaction is required for autophagy‐dependent clearance of cytoplasmic DNA and the attenuation of cGAS‐STING signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review systematically synthesized evidence on the association between structural language ability and behaviors of concern (BoC) in autism. Four databases were searched for studies that included >10 autistic participants, measures of structural language (content and/or form of language) and BoC, and an analysis of their association. BoCs included self‐injurious behavior (SIB), aggression, tantrums, and externalizing behavior. Methodological quality of studies were assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Forty‐five publications (n = 11,961) were included. Forty studies were cross‐sectional and five were prospective cohort studies. Over 70% of the studies investigating expressive language and SIB (n = 10), aggression (n = 5), tantrums (n = 3), and externalizing behavior (n = 17) reported an inverse association, where lower expressive language ability was associated with increased BoC. Eleven out of sixteen studies of combined expressive and receptive language reported an inverse relationship with SIB or aggression. All outcomes were rated as moderate to very low certainty of evidence. This review highlights evidence showing an inverse association between expressive or combined language ability and SIB, and externalizing behavior in autism. However, further high‐quality studies that use standardized, consistent measures of language and behavior and investigate longitudinal associations are needed. Early detection and support for reduced structural language difficulties have substantial potential to assist in reducing BoC. Lay Summary: The presence of language difficulties in autistic individuals have been thought to be linked with higher levels of behaviors of concern (BoC) (e.g., self‐injurious behavior, aggression, tantrums). Our research found expressive language difficulties were most consistently linked with self‐injurious and externalizing behaviors, however, receptive language difficulties did not have consistent links with any BoC. Information from this review can inform prioritization of interventions goals, support needs and prognostication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciation among populations connected by gene flow is driven by adaptation to different environments, but underlying gene–environment associations remain largely unknown. Here, 162 individuals from 32 populations were sampled to obtain 191,648 independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the genomes of two closely related spruce species, Picea asperata and Picea crassifolia, which occur on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and in surrounding regions. Using the SNP data set, genotype–environment associations and demographic modelling were used to examine local adaptation and genetic divergence between these two species. While morphologically similar, the two Picea species were genetically differentiated in multiple analyses. These species diverged despite continuous gene flow, and their initial divergence was dated back to the late Quaternary. The effective population sizes of both species have expanded since their divergence, as confirmed by niche distribution simulations. A total of 6365 genes were associated with the tested environmental variables; of these, 41 were positively selected in P. asperata and were mainly associated with temperature, while 83 were positively selected in P. crassifolia and were primarily associated with precipitation. These results deepen our understanding of the adaptive divergence and demographic histories of these two spruce species and highlight the importance of genomic data in deciphering the environmental selection underlying Quaternary interspecific divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of macromolecules and materials immobilized in the detection zone of test strips for indicator capture and focusing in label‐free lateral flow assays (LFAs) is described, with emphasis on its future use in low number multiplexing. Several materials such as polyelectrolytes, functionalized mesoporous silica micro‐ and nanoparticles, chemically modified cellulose or glass fibre (GF) membranes and molecularly imprinted polymer gels coated onto membranes were studied in model assays, before the most promising materials were combined with antibody‐gated indicator delivering (gAID) sensor materials. Cellulose, nitrocellulose and GF membranes were used as supports and highly fluorescent dyes of different charge states as model indicators. Combination of the best performing capture materials with gAID systems made it possible to distinctly increase the sensitivity and reduce the measurement uncertainty in the LFA testing of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) in aqueous samples. In addition, dual‐plexing of PETN and 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) was realized on a single test strip containing two dedicated capture zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The autophagic ubiquitin‐like protein LC3 functions through interactions with LC3‐interaction regions (LIRs) of other autophagy proteins, including autophagy receptors, which stands out as a promising protein–protein interaction (PPI) target for the intervention of autophagy. Post‐translational modifications like acetylation of Lys49 on the LIR‐interacting surface could disrupt the interaction, offering an opportunity to design covalent small molecules interfering with the interface. Through screening covalent compounds, we discovered a small molecule modulator of LC3A/B that covalently modifies LC3A/B protein at Lys49. Activity‐based protein profiling (ABPP) based evaluations reveal that a derivative molecule DC‐LC3in‐D5 exhibits a potent covalent reactivity and selectivity to LC3A/B in HeLa cells. DC‐LC3in‐D5 compromises LC3B lipidation in vitro and in HeLa cells, leading to deficiency in the formation of autophagic structures and autophagic substrate degradation. DC‐LC3in‐D5 could serve as a powerful tool for autophagy research as well as for therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern technology constantly requires smaller, more efficient lithium–oxygen batteries (LOBs). To meet this need, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is used to create an innovative cathode design with both a hierarchical porous nanostructure and a 3D flexible macroscopical morphology. This method employs architectural optimization to further improve cathodic ORR and OER performance via heteroatom doping, surface‐sprouted carbon nanofibers (CNFs) grafting, and boundary exposing. The cathode consists of a 3D hierarchical porous graphene foam (PGF), along with RuO2 nanoparticles impregnated and nitrogen doped CNFs (RuO2@NCNFs), where the PGF serves as a structural support and cathodic current collector, and the RuO2@NCNFs work as a superior bi‐functional catalyst. The cathode delivers an outstanding discharge capacity of 8440 mAh gcathode−1 while maintaining a recharge plateau at ≈4.0 V, and can cycle for over 700 rounds without obvious degeneration under a fixed capacity. Notably, this free‐standing cathode can be directly used in LOBs without the need for additional substrates or current collectors. Therefore, the current densities and capacities herein are calculated based on the total weight of the cathodes. These results demonstrate the RuO2@NCNFs‐PGF cathode's remarkable potential for LOB applications, and this rational cathodic structure may be extended to other highly efficient catalyst applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To curb the spread of the COVID‐19 virus, the use of face masks such as disposable surgical masks and N95 respirators is being encouraged and even enforced in some countries. The widespread use of masks has resulted in global shortages and individuals are reusing them. This calls for proper disinfection of the masks while retaining their protective capability. In this study, the killing efficiency of ultraviolet‐C (UV‐C) irradiation, dry heat, and steam sterilization against bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), fungi (Candida albicans), and nonpathogenic virus (Salmonella virus P22) is investigated. UV‐C irradiation for 10 min in a commercial UV sterilizer effectively disinfects surgical masks. N95 respirators require dry heat at 100 °C for hours while steam treatment works within 5 min. To address the question on safe reuse of the disinfected masks, their bacteria filtration efficiency, particle filtration efficiency, breathability, and fluid resistance are assessed. These performance factors are unaffected after 5 cycles of steam (10 min per cycle) and 10 cycles of dry heat at 100 °C (40 min per cycle) for N95 respirators, and 10 cycles of UV‐C irradiation for surgical masks (10 min per side per cycle). These findings provide insights into formulating the standard procedures for reusing masks without compromising their protective ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous studies have shown that the Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can regulate metastasis and development of ovarian cancer. However, its specific mechanism has yet to be fully revealed. In this study, an RNA‐seq approach was adopted to compare the differences in mRNA levels in ovarian cancer cells being given or not given ADSCs. The mRNA level of paired box 8 (PAX8) changed significantly and was confirmed as an important factor in tumour‐inducing effect of ADSCs. In comparison with the ovarian cancer cells cultured in the common growth medium, those cultured in the medium supplemented with ADSCs showed a significant increase of the PAX8 level. Moreover, the cancer cell growth could be restricted, even in the ADSC‐treated group (P <.05), by inhibiting PAX8. In addition, an overexpression of PAX8 could elevate the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, Co‐IP assays in ovarian cancer cells revealed that an interaction existed between endogenous PAX8 and TAZ. And the PAX8 levels regulated the degradation of TAZ. The bioluminescence images captured in vivo manifested that the proliferation and the PAX8 expression level in ovarian cancers increased in the ADMSC‐treated group, and the effect of ADSCs in promoting tumours was weakened through inhibiting PAX8. Our findings indicate that the PAX8 expression increment could contribute a role in promoting the ADSC‐induced ovarian cancer cell proliferation through TAZ stability regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many healthcare workers (HCWs) have been confirmed to be infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 in China. A retrospective, single‐center study was conducted. The median age of the 132 HCWs with COVID‐19 was 32 years, with 92 (69.7%) being females. There were 47 (35.6%) doctors, 72 (54.6%) nurses, and 13 (9.9%) other HCWs. Ten of the 132 patients (7.6%) had underlying diseases. The most common symptoms of illness onset were fever (70, 53.0%), cough (66, 50.0%), and fatigue (58, 43.9%). All patients were categorized into mild or moderate COVID‐19 type on admission to hospital, and five (3.8%) progressed to the severe COVID‐19 type. Sixty‐six HCWs patients were included in both the early and later discharged group. In the logistic analysis, the later discharged patients had a longer time for illness onset to hospital admission (per 1 day; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03–1.18; p =.006), a higher proportion of >3 onset symptoms clustering (OR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.27–7.62; p =.01), and a higher percentage of other HCWs (OR, 6.20; 95% CI, 1.49–25.80; p =.01). HCW patients were young female nurses with fewer comorbidities, and most were mild or moderate COVID‐19 type. The later discharged patients exhibited characteristics of longer time for illness onset to hospitalization and clustering of onset symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Autoimmunity in plants has been found in numerous hybrids as a form of hybrid necrosis and mutant panels. Uncontrolled cell death is a main cellular outcome of autoimmunity, which negatively impacts growth. Its occurrence highlights the vulnerable nature of the plant immune system. Genetic investigation of autoimmunity in hybrid plants revealed that extreme variation in the immune receptor repertoire is a major contributor, reflecting an evolutionary conundrum that plants face in nature. In this review, we discuss natural variation in the plant immune system and its contribution to fitness. The value of autoimmunity genetics lies in its ability to identify combinations of a natural immune receptor and its partner that are predisposed to triggering autoimmunity. The network of immune components for autoimmunity becomes instrumental in revealing mechanistic details of how immune receptors recognize cellular invasion and activate signaling. The list of autoimmunity‐risk variants also allows us to infer evolutionary processes contributing to their maintenance in the natural population. Our approach to autoimmunity, which integrates mechanistic understanding and evolutionary genetics, has the potential to serve as a prognosis tool to optimize immunity in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of positioning techniques, a large amount of trajectory data has been produced. Matching vehicles with mobile phones using different trajectories can benefit many applications, such as driving behaviour analysis and travel mode split. Moreover, as a privacy attack method, it can provide theoretical inspiration for privacy protection theory. To address this problem, a new trajectory matching framework for processing massive Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and cellular signalling data is proposed. Information entropy was adopted to address the movement frequency of trajectories and then the infrequent vehicles and phones that did not meet the threshold were pruned. Next, an effective matching algorithm was devised to match the trajectories of vehicles and mobile phones. Moreover, to solve the problem of obtaining a small number of matching results, a data augmentation algorithm was proposed to add new, matching records. Last, a classification model was constructed with LightGBM to determine whether the vehicle matches the phone. Experimental results on real datasets show that the framework outperforms typical techniques in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The data obtained by data augmentation have distribution characteristics similar to those of the original data. The proposed classification model achieves an accuracy of 93.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐frequency waves are closely related to magnetospheric energy dissipation processes. The Cassini spacecraft explored Saturn's magnetosphere for over 13 years, until September 2017, covering a period of more than a complete solar cycle. Using this rich heritage data set, we systematically investigated key physical parameters of low‐frequency waves in Saturn's magnetosphere, including their local time distribution and the dependence on solar activity. We found that the wave activity peaked in the near noon sector. For the nightside, the wave intensity also appeared to peak pre and postmidnight. Due to the limited local time coverage for each solar phase, we were not able to draw a firm conclusion on the wave's dependence on solar activity. In general, the wave power showed a monotonically decreasing trend toward larger distances in nightside sectors especially during the declining phase, which implied that low‐frequency waves mainly originate from the relatively inner regions of the magnetosphere. On the dayside, stronger waves were mostly located at/within ∼25 Rs, near the magnetopause. The study shows a global picture of low‐frequency waves in Saturn's magnetosphere, providing important implications for how magnetospheric energy dissipates into Saturn's polar ionosphere and atmosphere.Key Points: Using the complete Cassini magnetometer data set, we present the global picture of ultralow frequency waves in Saturn's magnetosphereThe wave power shows a rapid decrease beyond 25 RS in both the morning and afternoon sectorsThe wave activity peaks in noon sector, implying that these waves could be driven by the solar wind interaction with Saturn's magnetopause [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with metabolic syndrome. Worryingly, it has been increasingly reported among nonobese patients. This study aims to analyse patient characteristics of biopsy‐proven NAFLD in an Asian cohort and explore differences stratified by body mass index (BMI). Methods: Clinical, laboratory, and histological data were collected from 263 adults with biopsy‐proven NAFLD. Patients with and without obesity (BMI cut‐off 25) were compared. The ability to predict advanced liver fibrosis with three non‐invasive scores, the NAFLD Fibrosis score (NFS), Fibrosis‐4 (FIB4), and the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), was compared. Results: Obese subjects had a lower mean age (49.5 ± 12.5 vs 54.0 ± 12.9 years, P = 0.017), a higher prevalence of diabetes (52.4% vs 36.8%, P = 0.037), and a higher waist circumference (113.9 ± 16.0 cm vs 87.0 ± 18.4 cm, P = 0.022). The prevalence of dyslipidaemia (68.0% vs 61.4%, P = 0.353) and hypertension (61.7% vs 49.1%, P = 0.190) was comparable between the two groups. The distribution of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (63.1% versus 61.4%, P = 0.710) and advanced fibrosis (31.6% versus 26.3%, P = 0.447) were also similar in both groups. All three non‐invasive scores (NFS, FIB4, and APRI) performed poorly in predicting advanced fibrosis in nonobese patients with NAFLD. The FIB4 was the most accurate non‐invasive score in predicting advanced fibrosis in the obese group. Conclusions: Obese and nonobese patients are equally at risk of NASH and advanced fibrosis. While the FIB4 is the most accurate non‐invasive score in predicting advanced fibrosis among obese individuals, further research is warranted to develop a nonobese specific score to correctly identify nonobese NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring multiple molecular probes simultaneously establishes their correlations and reveals the holistic mechanism. Current fluorescence imaging, however, is limited to about four colors because of typically circa 100‐nm spectral width. Herein, we show that molecular supracence imparts superior spectral resolution, resolving eight colors in 300‐nm width, about 37.5‐nm per color. A recently discovered light‐molecule interacting phenomenon, supracence only measures molecular emission above its excitation energy due to entanglement between atomic quantum system and electronic quantum system. As such, supracence takes advantage of sharp spectral edge of a single pathway and excitation specificity to produce narrow bands, whereas fluorescence has to deal with multiple pathways spilling out low‐energy long tail, that causes poor resolution. Thus, supracence enables myriad innovative molecular spectroscopy and microscopic imaging with profound impact broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ellagic acid (EA) has been reported to have antiproliferative and antioxidant properties, but its function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been investigated yet. In the current study, EA was found have a significant anti‐tumor activity in ESCC. In specific, EA inhibited ESCC cell survival in both of a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manner. And our results showed that EA promoted ESCC cell apoptosis, including inducing the cleavages of PARP, and inhibiting the expression of anti‐apoptotic proteins. In mechanistic, EA markedly suppressed STAT3‐driven luciferase activity, and inhibited both of the endogenous and cytokines‐induced STAT3 activation in ESCC cells. Further investigations indicated that EA could significantly upregulate SHP‐1 expression, a negative modulator of STAT3 signaling. In contrast, knockdown of SHP‐1 could attenuate the effects of EA on inhibiting ESCC cell survival. Moreover, we found that EA could inhibit RNF6 expression, an E3 of SHP‐1, and overexpressing RNF6 could also significantly attenuate the effects of EA on inhibiting ESCC cell survival, which further revealed that EA could inhibit STAT3 signaling by modulating RNF6/SHP‐1 axis. Our present study indicated that EA could be as a novel STAT3 inhibitor for the treatment of ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The currently understood principles about light–molecule interactions are limited, and thus scientific scope beyond current theories is rarely harvested. Herein we demonstrate supracence phenomena, in which the emitted photons have more energy than the absorbed photons. The extra energy comes from couplings of the absorbed and emitted photon to molecular phonons, whose potentials are constantly exchanging with molecular quantum energy and the environment. Thus, supracence is a linear optical process rather than a nonlinear optical process, such as second harmonic generation. Because supracence results in cooled molecular phonons and thus cooled molecules, behavior opposite to that of hot fluorescing emitters is expected. This report reveals certain supracence principles while contrasting fluorescence with supracence in high‐resolution imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor protein p53‐inducible nuclear protein 2 (TP53INP2) has been reported to participate in autophagy by interacting with autophagosome‐localized autophagy‐related protein 8 (Atg8) family proteins, including LC3. Here, we uncover a novel function for TP53INP2 in the autophagic degradation of proteins. We identify the ubiquitin‐interacting motif (UIM) of TP53INP2 that mediates its binding to ubiquitin and ubiquitinated proteins. TP53INP2 lacking the UIM is able to displace autophagic adaptor p62 from LC3, which leads to accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins in cells. Furthermore, overexpression of TP53INP2 lacking the UIM sensitizes cells to chloroquine treatment. Our findings indicate that TP53INP2 may act as a novel autophagic adaptor through recruiting ubquitinated substrates to autophagosomes for degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myc‐positive diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma has lower curative efficacy and long‐term survival than its negative counterpart, even when treated with R‐CHOP regimen. The present study aims to determine whether the use of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a consolidation therapy can improve the curative efficacy in this type of patients after achieving the best effect of chemotherapy for the first time. The data of 50 patients with Myc‐positive diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma were retrospectively analyzed. Autologous transplantation was performed for 23 patients, while transplantation was not performed for 27 patients. The clinicopathological features and survival conditions were compared. The 1‐year and 3‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) rates were 66.7% ± 0.9% and 57.7% ± 1.0%, respectively, in the non transplantation group, and 100% and 82.1% ± 0.1%, respectively, in the transplantation group (P = .021). The 1‐year overall survival (OS) rate for these two groups was 88.7% ± 0.6% vs 100%, respectively, while the 3‐year OS rates for these two groups was 78.6% ± 0.1% vs 91.3% ± 0.1%, respectively (P = .176). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation performed after chemotherapy is a risk factor for OS. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a consolidation therapy in the early stage can improve the prognosis of patients with Myc‐positive diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) sense microbial patterns and activate innate immunity against attempted microbial invasions. The leucine‐rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR‐RK) FLS2 and EFR, and the LRR receptor protein (LRR‐RP) receptors RLP23 and RLP42, respectively, represent prototypical members of these two prominent and closely related PRR families.We conducted a survey of Arabidopsis thaliana immune signaling mediated by these receptors to address the question of commonalities and differences between LRR‐RK and LRR‐RP signaling.Quantitative differences in timing and amplitude were observed for several early immune responses, with RP‐mediated responses typically being slower and more prolonged than those mediated by RKs. Activation of RLP23, but not FLS2, induced the production of camalexin. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that RLP23‐regulated genes represent only a fraction of those genes differentially expressed upon FLS2 activation. Several positive and negative regulators of FLS2‐signaling play similar roles in RLP23 signaling. Intriguingly, the cytoplasmic receptor kinase BIK1, a positive regulator of RK signaling, acts as a negative regulator of RP‐type immune receptors in a manner dependent on BIK1 kinase activity.Our study unveiled unexpected differences in two closely related receptor systems and reports a new negative role of BIK1 in plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: To explore the relationship between plasma iron levels and gestational diabetes mellitus, as well as its impact on macrosomia. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively compared ferritin level and other characteristics between pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pregnant women without GDM. The correlation between the levels of plasma ferritin, glucose and hemoglobin was explored. Meanwhile, we assessed the risk factors of macrosomia. Furthermore, we explored the relationship between ferritin level and the incidence of macrosomia. Results: A total of 793 pregnant women were enrolled in the present study, of which 92 pregnant women had GDM and 701 pregnant women were healthy. Meanwhile, 51 pregnant women gave birth to infants with macrosomia and another 742 women had normal infants. Compared with non‐GDM women, pregnant women with GDM were older, with higher pre‐pregnancy body mass index, plasma ferritin, fasting plasma glucose, 1‐h postprandial glucose, 2‐h plasma glucose and hemoglobin. In addition, our results showed a significant positive correlation between the levels of ferritin and fasting plasma glucose when ferritin levels were >70 ng/mL. Our results also showed that pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity, a high concentration of ferritin, as well as abnormal levels of fasting plasma glucose, 1‐h plasma glucose and 2 h plasma glucose were risk factors for macrosomia. Furthermore, as the level of ferritin increased, so did the incidence of macrosomia. Conclusions: The current study provides evidence that pregnant women with high levels of ferritin might be prone to GDM. In addition, a high level of ferritin might be an independent risk factor for macrosomia. Therefore, the negative effect of iron supplementation in non‐anemic pregnant women might be noteworthy. Previous studies showed that, high plasma ferritin level might be associated with oxidative stress, and could induce GDM.In the present study, high plasma ferritin levels in pregnant women are found to be significantly associated with macrosomia, and therefore may be a risk factor for macrosomia. Moreover, as the levels of plasma ferritin increased, so were the incidences of macrosomia enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serial electron crystallography has been developed as a fully automated method to collect diffraction data on polycrystalline materials using a transmission electron microscope. This enables useful data to be collected on materials that are sensitive to the electron beam and thus difficult to measure using the conventional methods that require long exposure of the same crystal. The data collection strategy combines goniometer translation with electron beam shift, which allows the entire sample stage to be probed. At each position of the goniometer, the locations of the crystals are identified using image recognition techniques. Diffraction data are then collected on each crystal using a quasi‐parallel focused beam with a predefined size (usually 300–500 nm). It is shown that with a fast and sensitive Timepix hybrid pixel area detector it is possible to collect diffraction data of up to 3500 crystals per hour. These data can be indexed using a brute‐force forward‐projection algorithm. Results from several test samples show that 100–200 frames are enough for structure determination using direct methods or dual‐space methods. The large number of crystals examined enables quantitative phase analysis and automatic screening of materials for known and unknown phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron diffraction tomography (EDT) has emerged as a successful tool for ab initio atomic structure determination of nanometre‐sized crystals. However, lattice parameters obtained from EDT data are often of lower accuracy than those from powder X‐ray data, owing to experimental errors and data‐processing methods. This work describes a lattice‐parameter refinement method for EDT data using two‐dimensional diffraction vectors and shows that the accuracy of lattice‐parameter determination can be improved significantly. It is also shown that the method is tolerant to sample displacement during data collection and to geometric distortions in the electron diffraction patterns due to lens imperfections. For the data sets tested, the method reduces the 95% confidence interval of the worst errors in angles from ±1.98 to ±0.82° and the worst relative errors of the unit‐cell lengths from ±1.8% to ±1.3%, compared with the conventional method using clustering of three‐dimensional diffraction vectors. The improvement is attributed to the fact that the new method makes use of the positions of two‐dimensional diffraction spots, which can be determined with high accuracy, and disregards the position of the central beam, the orientation of the rotation axis and the angles of the diffraction frames, whose errors all contribute to the errors for lattice‐parameter determination using the three‐dimensional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED) method has the capability of providing fast three‐dimensional electron diffraction data collection on existing and future transmission electron microscopes; unknown structures could be potentially solved and refined using cRED data collected from nano‐ and submicrometre‐sized crystals. However, structure refinements of cRED data using SHELXL often lead to relatively high R1 values when compared with those refined against single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data. It is therefore necessary to analyse the quality of the structural models refined against cRED data. In this work, multiple cRED data sets collected from different crystals of an oxofluoride (FeSeO3F) and a zeolite (ZSM‐5) with known structures are used to assess the data consistency and quality and, more importantly, the accuracy of the structural models refined against these data sets. An evaluation of the precision and consistency of the cRED data by examination of the statistics obtained from the data processing software DIALS is presented. It is shown that, despite the high R1 values caused by dynamical scattering and other factors, the refined atomic positions obtained from the cRED data collected for different crystals are consistent with those of the reference models refined against single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data. The results serve as a reference for the quality of the cRED data and the achievable accuracy of the structural parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inflammation is involved in many human pathologies, including osteoarthritis (OA). Hydrogen (H2) is known to have anti‐inflammatory effects; however, the bioavailability of directly administered H2 gas is typically poor. Herein, a local delivery system that can provide a high therapeutic concentration of gaseous H2 at inflamed tissues is proposed. The delivery system comprises poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) microparticles that contain magnesium powder (Mg@PLGA MPs). Mg@PLGA MPs that are intra‐muscularly injected close to the OA knee in a mouse model can act as an in situ depot that can evolve gaseous H2 continuously, mediated by the cycle of passivation/activation of Mg in body fluids, at a concentration that exceeds its therapeutic threshold. The analytical data that are obtained in the biochemical and histological studies indicate that the proposed Mg@PLGA MPs can effectively mitigate tissue inflammation and prevent cartilage from destruction, arresting the progression of OA changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2,3-diaminophenazine bis-urea fluorescent probe monomer ( 1) was developed. It responds to phenylphosphate and phosphorylated amino acids in a ratiometric fashion with enhanced fluorescence accompanied by the development of a redshifted emission band arising from an excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) process in the hydrogen-bonded probe/analyte complex. The two urea groups of 1 form a cleft-like binding pocket ( Kb>1010 L2 mol−2 for 1:2 complex). Imprinting of 1 in presence of ethyl ester- and fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-protected phosphorylated tyrosine (Fmoc-pTyr-OEt) as the template, methacrylamide as co-monomer, and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker gave few-nanometer-thick molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on silica core microparticles with excellent selectivity for the template in a buffered biphasic assay. The supramolecular recognition features were established by spectroscopic and NMR studies. Rational screening of co-monomers and cross-linkers allowed to single out the best performing MIP components, giving significant imprinting factors (IF>3.5) while retaining ESPT emission and the ratiometric response in the thin polymer shell. Combination of the bead-based detection scheme with the phase-transfer assay dramatically improved the IF to 15.9, allowing sensitive determination of the analyte directly in aqueous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serial electron crystallography is being developed as an alternative way to collect diffraction data on beam-sensitive polycrystalline materials. Merging serial diffraction data from a large number of snapshots is difficult, and the dynamical nature of electron diffraction prevents the use of existing methods that rely on precise measurement of kinematical reflection intensities. To overcome this problem, an alternative method that uses rank aggregation to combine the rankings of relative reflection intensities from a large number of snapshots has been developed. The method does not attempt to accurately model the diffraction intensity, but instead optimizes the most likely ranking of reflections. As a consequence, the problem of scaling individual snapshots is avoided entirely, and requirements for the data quality and precision are low. The method works best when reflections can be fully measured, but the benefit over measuring partial intensities is small. Since there were no experimental data available for testing rank-based merging, the validity of the approach was assessed through a series of simulated serial electron diffraction datasets with different numbers of frames and varying degrees of errors. Several programs have been used to show that these rank-merged simulated data are good enough for ab initio structure determination using several direct methods programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation is one of the most important components in the water and energy cycles. Radars are considered the best available technology for observing the spatial distribution of precipitation either from the ground since the 1980s or from space since 1998. This study, for the first time ever, compares and evaluates the only three existing spaceborne precipitation radars, i.e., the Ku-band precipitation radar (PR), the W-band Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), and the Ku/Ka-band Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). The three radars are matched up globally and intercompared in the only period which they coexist: 2014-2015. In addition, for the first time ever, TRMM PR and GPM DPR are evaluated against hourly rain gauge data in Mainland China. Results show that DPR and PR agree with each other and correlate very well with gauges in Mainland China. However, both show limited performance in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) known as the Earth's third pole. DPR improves light precipitation detectability, when compared with PR, whereas CPR performs best for light precipitation and snowfall. DPR snowfall has the advantage of higher sampling rates than CPR; however, its accuracy needs to be improved further. The future development of spaceborne radars is also discussed in two complementary categories: (1) multifrequency radar instruments on a single platform and (2) constellations of many small cube radar satellites, for improving global precipitation estimation. This comprehensive intercomparison of PR, CPR, and DPR sheds light on spaceborne radar precipitation retrieval and future radar design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Management of benign biliary stricture is challenging. Endoscopic therapy has evolved as the first-line treatment for various benign biliary strictures. However, covered self-expandable metal stents (CSEMS) have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of benign biliary stricture. With this goal, we conducted the present systemic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic stenting with CSEMS in the treatment of benign biliary stricture. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis by searching PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase databases. Results In total, 37 studies (1677 patients) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Pooled stricture resolutions were achieved in 83% of cases. Median stent dwelling time was 4.4 months, with median endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography sessions of 2.0. Stricture recurrence at 4-year follow up was 11% (95% CI, 8-14%). Pooled complication rate was 23% (95% CI, 20-26%). Conclusions Placement of CSEMS is effective in the treatment of benign biliary stricture with relatively short stenting duration and low long-term stricture recurrence rate. However, more prospectively randomized studies are required to confirm the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two electrodes for anodic water oxidation made by direct synthesis of inorganic catalysts onto conductive carbon fibre sheets are evaluated. As catalysts two Co- and Sb-containing phases were tested, that is, Co3Sb4O6F6 and the new compound CoSbO4. The compounds express large differences in their morphology: CoSbO4 grows as thin needles whereas Co3Sb4O6F6 grows as larger facetted crystals. Despite the smaller surface area the latter compound shows a better catalytic performance. When the compound Co3Sb4O6F6 was used it gave a low increase of +0.028 mV h−1 at an overpotential of η=472 mV after 10 h and a stability of +0.48 mV h−1 at an overpotential of η=488 mV after 60 h. The leakages of Co and Sb were negligible and only <0.001 at % Co and approximately 0.02 at % Sb were detected in the electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Endoscopic biliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been increasingly used to treat unresectable malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). We aimed to perform this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety for the treatment of malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) and its impact on patient's survival. Methods A comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted. A meta-analysis was performed by extracting the data from the included studies with regard to technical effectiveness, overall survival, adverse events and mortality of endoscopic RFA. Results A total of nine studies comprising 263 patients with MBO were included in the analysis. There was a significant increase in the diameter of stricture (3.446 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.356-3.536 mm) after the endoscopic biliary RFA. The overall survival time was 9.62 months, with pooled 30-day, 90-day and 2-year mortality rates of 2% (95% CI 0.5-5.9%), 21% (95% CI 5-37%), and 48% (95% CI 37-59%), respectively. The pooled rate of adverse events was 17% (95% CI 10-25%), and most complications were mild and managed conservatively. Severe adverse events occurred in three patients (two deaths due to hemobilia and one with partial liver infarction). Conclusions Endoscopic biliary RFA is effective and generally safe in the management of unresectable biliary malignancies, and may improve patients' overall survival. Prospective, randomized controlled studies are required to further support the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyproline-rich glycopeptides (HypSys) are small signalling peptides containing 18-20 amino acids. The expression of IbpreproHypSys, encoding the precursor of IbHypSys, was induced in sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas cv. Tainung 57) through wounding and IbHypSys treatments by using jasmonate and H2O2. Transgenic sweet potatoes overexpressing (OE) and silencing [RNA interference (RNAi)] IbpreproHypSys were created. The expression of the wound-inducible gene for ipomoelin ( IPO) in the local and systemic leaves of OE plants was stronger than the expression in wild-type (WT) and RNAi plants after wounding. Furthermore, grafting experiments indicated that IPO expression was considerably higher in WT stocks receiving wounding signals from OE than from RNAi scions. However, wounding WT scions highly induced IPO expression in OE stocks. These results indicated that IbpreproHypSys expression contributed towards sending and receiving the systemic signals that induced IPO expression. Analysing the genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway demonstrated that lignin biosynthesis was activated after synthetic IbHypSys treatment. IbpreproHypSys expression in sweet potato suppressed Spodoptera litura growth . In conclusion, wounding induced the expression of IbpreproHypSys, whose protein product was processed into IbHypSys. IbHypSys stimulated IbpreproHypSys and IPO expression and enhanced lignin biosynthesis, thus protecting plants from insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of a complicated pseudo-decagonal (PD) quasicrystal approximant in the Al-Co-Ni alloy system, denoted as PD1, was solved by the strong-reflections approach on three-dimensional rotation electron diffraction (RED) data, using the phases from the known PD2 structure. RED shows that the PD1 crystal is primitive and orthorhombic, with a = 37.3, b = 38.8, c = 8.2 Å. However, as with other approximants in the PD series, the superstructure reflections (corresponding to c = 8.2 Å) are much weaker than those of the main reflections (corresponding to c = 4.1 Å), so it was decided to solve the PD1 structure in the smaller primitive unit cell first, i.e. with unit-cell parameters a = 37.3, b = 38.8, c = 4.1 Å and space group Pnam. A density map of PD1 was calculated from only the 15 strongest unique reflections. It contained all 31 Co/Ni atoms and many weaker peaks corresponding to Al atoms. The structure obtained from the strong-reflections approach was confirmed by applying direct methods to the complete RED data set. Successive refinement using the RED data set resulted in 108 unique atoms (31 Co/Ni and 77 Al). This is one of the most complicated approximant structures ever solved by electron diffraction. As with other approximants in the PD series, PD1 is built of characteristic 2 nm wheel clusters with fivefold rotational symmetry, which agrees with results from high-resolution electron microscopy images. The simulated electron diffraction patterns for the structure model are in good agreement with the experimental electron diffraction patterns obtained by RED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaCu3Ti4O12 ( CCTO) powders have been synthesized by the molten salt method using NaCl as the flux. The effects of the synthesis temperature on their crystal structures and micromorphologies were investigated in this study. A new secondary phase, Na2Ti6O13, was found in the as-synthesized powders when the temperature exceeds 800°C. Na2Ti6O13 and CuO secondary phases result in a significant increase in the dielectric constant and a certain increase in the dielectric loss. 800°C is a suitable synthesis temperature to prepare CCTO ceramics with relatively good dielectric performance using NaCl as the molten salt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Findings What is the central question of this study? The enzyme system that is responsible for extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover is the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which can be blocked by the tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs). Whether renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) is able to ameliorate post-myocardial infarction left ventricular remodelling through attenuation of ECM via regulation of MMP activity and/or the MMP-TIMP complex remains unknown., What is the main finding and its importance? Renal sympathetic denervation has therapeutic effects on post-myocardial infarction left ventricular remodelling, probably by attenuating the ECM through regulation of the MMP9-TIMP1 complex in the transforming growth factor-β1 (a profibrotic cytokine that accelerates ECM remodelling after ischaemia) signalling pathway., Whether renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) is able to ameliorate post-myocardial infarction (post-MI) left ventricular (LV) remodelling by attenuation of the extracellular matrix via regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and/or the MMP-tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) complex remains unknown. Sixty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: normal (N, n = 15), RSD (RSD, n = 15), myocardial infarction (MI, n = 15) and RSD 3 days after MI (MI3d+RSD, n = 20). The bilateral renal nerves were surgically denervated 3 days after MI had been induced by coronary artery ligation. Left ventricular function was assessed using echocardiography and a Millar catheter at 6 weeks post-MI. Plasma noradrenaline, angiotensin II and aldosterone, collagen volume fraction, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), MMP2, MMP9 and TIMP1 in heart tissue were measured 6 weeks after MI. In rats with MI3d+RSD compared with MI rats, RSD improved systolic and diastolic function, resulting in an improvement in ejection fraction ( P < 0.05), fractional shortening ( P < 0.05) and LV internal dimension in systole ( P < 0.05) and diastole ( P < 0.05). Additionally, RSD treatment decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure ( P < 0.05) and increased LV systolic pressure ( P < 0.05) and maximal and minimal rate of LV pressure (both P < 0.05). Meanwhile, RSD reduced collagen content ( P < 0.01). TIMP1 was upregulated ( P < 0.05), whereas MMP2, MMP9 and TGF-β1 were downregulated in the LV of RSD-treated animals ( P < 0.05). Renal sympathetic denervation has therapeutic effects on post-MI LV remodelling, probably owing to effects on the extracellular matrix by regulation of the MMP9-TIMP1 balance in the TGF-β1 signalling pathway. Renal sympathetic denervation may be considered as a non-pharmacological approach for the improvement of post-MI cardiac dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leroux et al. performed a set of experiments reported in our study and claim that they failed to reproduce the thermoresponsive liposomal system containing ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) that could trigger drug release under mild heating. We disagree with their assessments and speculate that the different method used by Leroux et al. to prepare the aqueous ABC is the culprit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelcasting is a colloidal processing method for fabricating high-strength and complex shape ceramic green bodies. However, industry has been reluctant to use the gelcasting technique because the most commonly used gel, acrylamide ( AM), is a neurotoxin. Here, we report an attempt at the gelcasting of fused silica glass using a natural and nontoxic gel, glutinous rice flour ( GRF) as binder. The GRF-based aqueous system was found to behave excellently in the gelcasting process. Flexural strength of fused silica green bodies solidified with only 3 wt% GRF is up to 11.87 MPa. Bulk density and flexural strength of fused silica glass sintered at 1275 °C are 1.75 g/cm3 and 47.02 MPa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small size of micropores (typically <1 nm) in zeolites causes slow diffusion of reactant and product molecules in and out of the pores and negatively impacts the product selectivity of zeolite based catalysts, for example, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts. Size-tailored mesoporosity was introduced into commercial zeolite Y crystals by a simple surfactant-templating post-synthetic mesostructuring process. The resulting mesoporous zeolite Y showed significantly improved product selectivity in both laboratory testing and refinery trials. Advanced characterization techniques such as electron tomography, three-dimensional rotation electron diffraction, and high resolution gas adsorption coupled with hysteresis scanning and density functional theory, unambiguously revealed the intracystalline nature and connectivity of the introduced mesopores. They can be considered as molecular highways that help reactant and product molecules diffuse quickly to and away from the catalytically active sites within the zeolite crystals and, thus, shift the selectivity to favor the production of more of the valuable liquid fuels at reduced yields of coke and unconverted feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of foreign gene was enhanced and prolonged by sustained releasing a target gene to cells from biodegradable dextran-poly(e-caprolactone)-2-hydroxylethylmethacrylate-poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (Dex-PCL-HEMA/PNIPAAm) hydrogel in vitro. Moreover, we have demonstrated that injection of the same hydrogel improved post-infarct ventricular remodeling. Therefore, we hypothesized that intramyocardial injection of plasmid containing the short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) with the same hydrogel enhances the cardioprotective effects superior to either alone or after rat myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, equal volume of phosphate-buffered solution (PBS), 10 μg ACE-shRNA plasmids, hydrogel containing 10 μg negative control ACE-shRNA plasmids and hydrogel containing 10 μg ACE-shRNA plasmids were shortly injected into the infarct area of rats after MI, respectively. We found that ACE-shRNA plasmid-loaded hydrogel extended the duration of gene expression in vivo. Moreover, it was shown that direct intramyocardial injection of ACE-shRNA plasmid-loaded hydrogel significantly decreased the expression of local ACE expression, inhibited cell apoptosis, reduced infarct size, and improved cardiac function compared with the injection of either alone 30 days after MI in rats. These results suggest that injection of ACE-shRNA plasmid-loaded hydrogel into impaired myocardium obtains more cardioprotective effects than either alone in rat with MI by prolonging the gene silencing of ACE. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 3452-3458, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of the high-silica zeolite SSZ-61 using a particularly bulky polycyclic structure-directing agent and the subsequent elucidation of its unusual framework structure with extra-large dumbbell-shaped pore openings are described. By using information derived from a variety of X-ray powder diffraction and electron microscopy techniques, the complex framework structure, with 20 Si atoms in the asymmetric unit, could be determined and the full structure refined. The Si atoms at the waist of the dumbbell are only three-connected and are bonded to terminal O atoms pointing into the channel. Unlike the six previously reported extra-large-pore zeolites, SSZ-61 contains no heteroatoms in the framework and can be calcined easily. This, coupled with the possibility of inserting a catalytically active center in the channel between the terminal O atoms in place of H+, afford SSZ-61 intriguing potential for catalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluorescence brightness of a molecular probe determines whether it can be effectively measured and its water solubility dictates if it can be applied in real-world biological systems. However, molecules brighter than the most efficient fluorescent dyes or particles brighter than quantum dots are hard to come by, especially when they must also be soluble in water. In this report, chromophoric phosphoramidites are used in a solid-state synthesis to construct functional dendrimers. When highly twisted chromophores are chosen and the proper spacers and dendrons are introduced, the resultant dendrimers emit exceptionally bright fluorescence. Chromophores, spacers, and dendrons are stitched together by efficient phosphoramidite reagents, which afford high-yield water-soluble phosphodiester linkages after deprotection. The resulting water-soluble dendrimers are exceptionally bright. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]