Search

Graphical abstract Abstract Nuclear receptors pregnane X receptor (PXR; NR1I2) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR; NR1I3) play a vital role in regulating CYP3A4. Our previous studies have demonstrated that panaxytriol (PXT) upregulates the expression of CYP3A4 via the PXR regulatory pathway. This study aimed to explore how CAR mediates the regulation of CYP3A4 in the presence of PXT using HepG2 cell, hCAR-overexpressing HepG2 cell and hCAR-silenced HepG2 cell models. In HepG2 cells, PXT induced the expression of CYP3A4 in a concentration-dependent manner (10–80 μM) and the high concentration of PXT (80 μM) upregulated the expression of CAR. The concentrations of PXT (10–40 μM) had no impact on the expression of CAR, but could significantly induce the expression of CYP2B6 target gene by activating CAR. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay also showed that CAR-mediated CYP3A4 luciferase activity can be promoted by 80 μM of PXT (1.54-fold), while 5, 10, 20, and 40 μM of PXT had no influence on CAR-mediated CYP3A4 luciferase activity. In hCAR-overexpressing HepG2 cells, PXT concentrations (10–40 μM) that significantly induced PXR and CYP3A4 in HepG2 cells had no impact on the expression of CYP3A4, CAR and PXR, whereas a high concentration of PXT (80 µM) could weakly induce the mRNA and protein levels of CAR and CYP3A4. Moreover, the expression of PXR and CYP3A4 in hCAR-silenced HepG2 cells was markedly elevated compared with the blank control or with normal HepG2 cells treated with 10–80 μM of PXT. In conclusion, CAR significantly weakens the ability of PXT to induce CYP3A4 expression by repressing the activation of PXR. There may be a cross-talk mechanism between PXR and CAR on the regulation of CYP3A4 in the presence of PXT. Additionally, a high concentration of PXT (80 μM) induced CYP3A4 via the CAR regulatory pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonum cuspidatum (P. cuspidatum) is an herbaceous perennial plant known as Asian knotweed that is used in Chinese medicine due to its active components. Recent studies of the uric acid-lowering activity of P. cuspidatum extracts have mainly focused on analysis of its crude extract or specific chemical components, with limited research about its uric acid-lowering activity in vivo. In present study, monomeric compounds with higher uric acid-lowering ability were isolated from P. cuspidatum extract by column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and tested in a hyperuricemia mouse model and xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition assay in vitro. Structural characterization of the isolated components was performed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and the potential mechanism of decreasing uric acid was analyzed using untargeted metabolomics. Two main novel compounds were isolated and identified, 1-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)butane-1,2,3-triol (compound 1) and 1-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-3-methylbutane-1,2-diol (compound 2), and compounds 1 was proved more significant inhibitory effect on the activity of XOD (p < 0.01) with inhibition of 49.80%. Metabolomics analysis indicated that the fractions (compound 1 and compound 2) affected hyperuricemic mice mainly through changes in galactose metabolism (p = 5.74E-4) and the effects were closely related to metabolic pathways of organic acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism. These results contribute to providing theoretical support for the utilization of P. cuspidatum as a food and medicinal material, which can increase its use as an alternative treatment for hyperuricemia. [Display omitted] • P. cuspidatum extract performed excellent uric acid-lowering activity in hyperuricemic mice. • P. cuspidatum extract ameliorated morphological lesions in the kidney of hyperuricemia model mice. • Two compounds isolated from P. cuspidatum for the first time could inhibit xanthine oxidase in vitro. • P. cuspidatum extract may affect hyperuricemic mice mainly by altering galactose metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here a new type of cold atom interferometry gravimeter based on Bragg diffraction, which is able to increase the gravity measurement sensitivity and stability of common Raman atom gravimeters significantly. By comparing with Raman transition, the principles and advantages of Bragg diffraction-based atom gravimeters have been introduced. The theoretical model for a time-domain Bragg atom gravimeter with atomic incident direction parallels to the wave vector of Bragg lasers has been constructed. Some key technical requirements for an n th-order Bragg diffraction-based atom gravimeter have been deduced, including the temperature of atom cloud, the diameter, curvature radius, frequency, intensity, and timing sequence of Bragg lasers, etc. The analysis results were verified by the existing experimental data in discussion. The present study provides a good reference for the understanding and construction of a Bragg atom gravimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a highly ordered three-dimensional (3D) Co 3 O 4 @NiO hierarchical nanowire arrays supported on nickel foam is fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. The morphologies evolution of Co 3 O 4 @NiO nanoarchitecture reaction times and growth temperature are investigated in detail. When investigated as binder-free electrodes for supercapacitors (SCs), such unique Co 3 O 4 @NiO core-shell hybrid electrodes exhibit ultrahigh specific capacitances, which are several times larger than the pristine Co 3 O 4 electrode. Because of reduced charge transfer resistances of the core-shell structured composites, electron transfer capability is enhanced and the electrochemical performances are improved. This Co 3 O 4 @NiO core-shell nanostructures electrode exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1236.67 F g −1 and excellent cycling stability (5000 cycles) at a current density of 1 A g −1 . The symmetric supercapacitor shows significantly enhanced specific capacitances as high as 720.71 at 1 A g −1 . Moreover, the supercapacitor shows excellent cycling stability with 91.35% capacity retention over 5000 cycles at 1 A g −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe long-lasting haze episode in December 2013 provided a unique opportunity to track the variation of aerosol particles in Shanghai, China. Concentrations and sources of the pollutants varied greatly in severe haze-fog episode (P1), moderate haze episode (P2), and clear episode (P3). Both low wind speed and high relative humidity (RH) during P1 resulted in the high level pollutants of PM 2.5 (240.3 ± 167.9 μg m − 3 ), SO 2 (37.9 ± 20.7 μg m − 3 ), NO 2 (111.5 ± 50.2 μg m − 3 ) and total water-soluble ions (58.73 ± 28.87 μg m − 3 ), indicating a strong accumulation of local pollutants and secondary species formation. During P2, air masses from the north decreased the concentration level of particles (116.1 ± 65.5 μg m − 3 ) and increased the visibility, resulting in a moderate degree of pollution. Most of the pollutants dropped to the lowest concentration levels due to the rainfall in P3, and the haze episode ended at 13 December. Single particle analysis showed that C-rich particles exhibited the highest number percentages (30%) in the samples of P1, S/N-rich species (35%) dominated the particles in the samples of P2, and Al/Si-rich particles (23%) were most abundant in the samples of P3. The TEM-EDS analysis confirmed that particles contained more internally mixed components during P1 and P2 than those during P3, suggesting that the particles during P1 and P2 underwent more intense aging in the atmosphere. The single particle analysis indicated that trace metals may promote the heterogeneous transformation of SO 2 and NO 2 on the surface of the particles during P1, which was in agreement with the highest sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR) and nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) observed in the haze-fog episode. Such information will deepen our understanding on the evolution of haze and fog pollutions in China, which will help the government to establish efficient control strategy for air pollution prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long DNA concatemers have been well developed to fabricate various biosensing platforms for the signal amplification. Herein, this signal amplification strategy was firstly used for an ultrasensitive scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)-based DNA biosensing platform. This platform was constructed through the hybridization of target DNA (TD) with thiol-tethered DNA capture probes (CP), immobilized on the gold substrate surface, and biotinylated DNA signal probes (SP), which formed then the long DNA concatemers through the continuous self-assembly with alternating DNA auxiliary probes (AP). The streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was linked to the long DNA concatemers through biotin-streptavidin interaction. In the HRP-catalyzed reaction, hydroquinone (H 2 Q) was oxidized to benzoquinone (BQ) with H 2 O 2 at the modified substrate surface where sequence-specific hybridization had occurred, and the BQ generated could be monitored by a SECM tip. This platform exhibited a low detection limit of 0.18 aM estimated by the 3σ rule. Combined with DNA microarrays, four kinds of TDs (100 fM) as the models were detected simultaneously by using this proposed strategy, which also demonstrated sufficient selectivity to distinguish specific DNA sequences and good reproducibility. This method opens a promising direction to improve the SECM sensitivity for high-throughput DNA detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to quantify the contribution of different transmission routes of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and determine its transmissibility. Based on the natural history and transmission features of MERS in different countries, a susceptible-exposed-symptomatic-asymptomatic-recovered/death (SEIARD) model and a multi-route dynamic model (MMDM). The SEIARD model and MMDM were adopted to simulate MERS in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Data on reported MERS cases in the two countries were obtained from the World Health Organization. Thereafter, the next generation matrix method was employed to derive the equation for the basic reproduction number (R 0), and the model fitting procedure was adopted to calculate the R 0 values corresponding to these different countries. In South Korea, 'Person-to-Person' transmission was identified as the main mode of MERS transmission in healthcare settings, while in Saudi Arabia, in addition to 'Person-to-Person' transmission, 'Host-to-Host' and 'Host-to-Person' transmission also occurred under certain scenarios, with camels being the main host. Further, the fitting results showed that the SEIARD model and MMDM fitted the data well. The mean R 0 value was 8.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0–28.02) for MERS in South Korea, and for MERS in Saudi Arabia, it was 1.15 and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.86–1.44) for the 'Person-to-Person' and 'Camel-to-Camel' transmission routes, respectively. The SEIARD and MMDM model can be used to simulate the transmission of MERS in different countries. Additionally, in Saudi Arabia, the transmissibility of MERS was almost the same among hosts (camels) and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Dietary fructose promotes diethylnitrosamine-induced liver tumor initiation. • Excessive dietary fructose induces steatotic hepatitis. • Dietary fructose promotes the hepatic progenitor cell proliferation. • Fructose enhances the tumor initiating capability of hepatic progenitor cells. • Dietary fructose promotes the malignant transformation of hepatic progenitor cells. The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-associated liver cancer is rising particularly in western societies. Dietary fructose has been increasingly reported as a significant contributor for the onset of NAFLD. However, the association between a high-fructose diet and liver cancer incidence is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary fructose on liver tumorigenesis. In a mouse model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumor initiation, high-fructose diet was found to significantly increased hepatic lipid deposition and expression of inflammatory cytokines in mouse livers. Besides, DEN administration induced the malignant transformation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) into malignant tumor initiating cells, while DEN + Fructose mice had significantly enriched HPCs with enhanced proliferation, invasion, chemoresistance, and tumorigenic capabilities. This study for the first time demonstrates that fructose promotes liver carcinogenesis via increasing tumorigenic HPCs and inflammatory microenvironment, which warrants precautionary control of the excessive intake of dietary fructose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Isothermal kinetics of reduction and nitridation of ilmenite concentrate by ammonia gas is studied. • Both model–free and model–fitting methods are used to compare the isothermal kinetics. • The mechanism function and apparent activation energy of the reduction and nitridation stages are obtained. • The mechanism on reduction and nitridation is discussed. Low-temperature chlorination is considered a suitable process for ilmenite containing high contents of MgO and CaO. However, reduction carbonization or nitridation is essential to convert titanium oxide to carbide or nitride, which can be enriched by magnetic separation. In this paper, the isothermal reduction–nitridation kinetics of Panzhihua ilmenite concentrate in an ammonia atmosphere was investigated. Both model–free and model–fitting methods were used to compare the isothermal kinetics. The reaction process can be divided into two successive stages: the reduction reaction and the nitridation reaction. The average apparent activation energy for the reduction reaction was 139.63 kJ/mol, obtained by the model–free method. The reduction process can also be subdivided into two stages by the model–fitting method. The chemical reaction (G(α) = 1–(1– α)1/3 = kt) and three–dimensional diffusion (G (α) = [1–(1– α)1/3]2 = kt) were identified as the mechanism function for the reduction process. The activation energies of these two stages were 121.73 kJ/mol and 141.40 kJ/mol, respectively. The function G(α) = 1–(1– α)1/3 = kt , which also corresponds to the chemical reaction mechanism (R 3), exhibited the best fit for the nitridation stage. The corresponding activation energy was 32.10 kJ/mol. Metallic iron and Ti 3 O 5 were formed in the reduction stage, while Ti 3 O 5 was then transformed to Ti(N,O) in the nitridation stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in anti-tumor immune responses. Poor prognosis and declining survival rates have intimate connection with high Treg expression in cancer patients. Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-associated protein (CTLA-4) is one of the most prominent molecules on Treg. In our previous research, we have demonstrated that HCC-derived Tregs can interfere with Dendritic cells (DCs) function and down-modulate CD80/CD86 on DCs in vitro in a cell-contact dependent way. However the mechanism of how HCC-derived Treg affect DC phenotype are not very clear. Therefore, we investigated the function of CTLA-4 in anti-tumor immune responses. Materials and methods We established BABL/C mouse with hepatocellular carcinoma model, and tumor-derived Tregs were purified by magnetic cell sorting using mouse CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cell isolation kit. Splenic DCs were enriched using CD11c-conjugated microbeads. Then splenic DCs co-cultured with tumor-derived Tregs and antibody-blocking experiments was performed. Results In our research, we found the down-modulation of CD80/CD86 on DCs was inhibited by blocking CTLA-4. HCC-derived Tregs down-modulated CD80/CD86 on DCs in a CTLA-4-dependent way. Blockade of CTLA-4 can lead to increase DC-mediated immunity. Conclusion CTLA-4 play a vital role in Treg-mediated immnue inhibition and this discovery can open up new ideas for the development of therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health risk of populations dwelling in the hospital has been a global concern, but has not been adequately examined. PM 2.5 and PM 1 samples were collected in two indoor locations (outpatient department and inpatient department) and one outdoor location (courtyard) of the hospital in Shanghai. The concentrations of size-fractionated trace metals and the morphology of single particles were determined to accurately assess the health risk for populations in the hospital. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 1 were in the order of outpatient department > courtyard > inpatient department. The mean concentrations of PM 1 decreased with floors (first floor: 78.0 μg/m 3 , second floor: 64.1 μg/m 3 , fourth floor: 48.4 μg/m 3 ). However, the mean PM 2.5 concentrations were in the order of first floor (124.0 μg/m 3 ) > fourth floor (91.4 μg/m 3 ) > second floor (90.6 μg/m 3 ), which was likely associated with the number of patients. The PM 2.5 and PM 1 concentrations have begun to increase rapidly from 9:00 am and decreased after 15:00 pm in the first floor, whereas they remain relatively stable in the second and fourth floor. The abundance of Mg, Ca, Al and K in the fine particles and coarse particles were both higher than other elements for all floors. The concentrations of trace metals (e.g., Zn, Ba, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ca, Ti, Na, and K) except Mg and Al in the coarse particles (> 2.5 μm) decreased with floors, whereas Zn, Ba, Fe, and Cr in the fine particles (< 2.5 μm) displayed opposite variation. Trace metals in the first floor were mainly concentrated in the > 2.5 μm and 1–2.5 μm, whereas they chiefly peaked at 0.25–0.5 μm and below 0.25 μm in the second and fourth floor. Single particles analysis showed that mineral particles, soot, and Fe-rich particles were mainly concentrated in the first floor, indicating the impacts of walking of patients, traffic emissions, and food cooking, respectively. Sulfate particles were internally mixed with soot, fly ash and Fe-rich particles in the second floor, which suggested that these sulfate particles probably underwent aging processes during the atmospheric long-range transport. In the fourth floor, fly ash, sulfate particles, Zn-rich particles, and biogenic particles were identified under the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Higher abundance of sulfates and absence of chlorate hinted existence of heterogeneous reactions during long-range transport with the Cl − replaced by SO 4 2 − . The index of average daily intake (ADI), hazard quotient (HQ), and carcinogenic risks (CR) indicated that Cr pose carcinogenic risks to the surrounding populations, while non-carcinogenic risks of Mn, Zn, and Cr were not remarkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A campaign was conducted to assess and compare the air quality at the different metro platforms at Shanghai City, focusing on particulate matter (PM) levels, chemical compositions, morphology and mineralogy, as well as species of iron. Our results indicated that the average PM 2.5 concentrations for the three metro lines were 177.7 μg/m 3 , 105.7 μg/m 3 and 82.5 μg/m 3 , respectively, and the average PM 1 concentrations for the three lines were 122.3 μg/m 3 , 84.1 μg/m 3 and 59.6 μg/m 3 , respectively. Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Sr, Ba and Pb concentrations in all of the sampling sites were significantly higher than that in the urban ambient air, implicating that these trace metals may be associated with the metro systems working. Individual airborne dusts were studied for morphology and mineralogy characteristics. The results revealed that the presence of most individual particles were with no definite shape and most of them were with a large metal content. Furthermore, Fe-rich particles had significantly higher abundance in the metro systems, which were more frequently encountered in the underground lines than the aboveground line. The 2D distribution map of an interested Fe-rich particle showed an uneven Fe distribution, implying that a hollow or core of other substance exists in the particle center during the formation process. Cluster analysis revealed that Fe-rich particles were possibly a mixture of Fe species. Fitting of X-ray absorption near-edge fine structure spectra (XANES) showed the main iron species within the particles collected from the three contrasting metro lines of Shanghai to be hematite, magnetite, iron-metal and mineral Fe. Hematite and mineral Fe were all found in three lines, while magnetite only existed in aboveground metro line. Iron-metal was determined in both the older and younger underground lines, based on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. As diverse Fe species have different physical–chemical characteristics and toxicity, the speciation of Fe-containing metro particles is important in the context of public health and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Reduction and nitridation of V 2 O 3 with clean ammonia gas is investigated. • The phase and microstructure evolution are revealed. • A DFT study systematically reveals the adsorption of NH x and H on the V 2 O 3 (0001) surface. • The reaction route is as follows: V 2 O 3 → VN x O 1– x → VN. Vanadium nitride (VN) has a wide range of application because of its excellent properties, which include high hardness, outstanding wear resistance, and good electrical conductivity. This study investigated the mechanism for the reduction and nitridation of V 2 O 3 with clean ammonia gas, using both experimental and density functional theory (DFT) studies. The experimental results indicated that V 2 O 3 could easily be converted to VN in an ammonia atmosphere at 500–800 °C. The reaction pathway to form VN was V 2 O 3 → VN x O 1– x → VN. Increasing the reaction temperature was conducive to an increase in the N content of VN x O 1– x. A DFT study systematically revealed the adsorption of NH x and H on the V 2 O 3 (0001) surface. The results showed that with the dissociation of NH 3 , its adsorption energy on the surface of vanadium oxide became higher. The whole reaction process could be divided into NH 3 decomposition on the surface and the formation of H 2 O(g). Both of these were endothermic reactions, and the reaction step of generating H 2 O(g) needed a higher temperature. The bonding of V 3c –N facilitated the desorption of O 3c atoms to form H 2 O(g), which explained why VN can be prepared by the reaction of NH 3 and V 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has long been lethal despite the continuous efforts of researchers worldwide to discover and improve therapeutic regimens. Thanks to the emergence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which has strongly reshaped our inherent perspectives on the pathophysiological patterns of disease, research in the field has been reinvigorated. Here, we focus on current understanding of the modes of action of lncRNAs, and review their regulatory roles in metastatic colorectal cancer, and discuss correlated potential lncRNA-based therapeutics. All of the discussed studies share clear and promising perspectives on future diagnostic and therapeutic remedies for metastatic colorectal cancer. • Specific mechanisms of mCRC are yet to be elucidated, and lncRNAs show us new perspectives on this lethal disease. • Many prevalent lncRNAs like MALAT1, XIST and HOTAIR are oncogenic factors in mCRC. • LncRNA-based therapeutics as an emerging industry is developing rapidly and prosperously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol particles were collected during three heavy haze episodes at Shanghai in the winter of 2013. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to study the morphology and speciation of typical metal particles at a single-particle level. In addition, time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) was applied to identify the speciation of the Fe-containing particles. TEM analysis indicated that various metal-containing particles were hosted by sulfates, nitrates, and oxides. Fe-bearing particles mainly originated from vehicle emissions and/or steel production. Pb-, Zn-, and Sb-bearing particles were mainly contributed by anthropogenic sources. Fe-bearing particles were clustered into six groups by ATOFMS: Fe-Carbon, Fe-Inorganic, Fe-Trace metal, Fe-CN, Fe-PO 3, and Fe-NO 3 . ATOFMS data suggested that Fe-containing particles corresponded to different origins, including industrial activities, resuspension of dusts, and vehicle emissions. Fe-Carbon and Fe-CN particles displayed significant diurnal variation, and high levels were observed during the morning rush hours. Fe-Inorganic and Fe-Trace metal particle levels peaked at night. Furthermore, Fe-Carbon and Fe-PO 3 were mainly concentrated in the fine particles. Fe-CN, Fe-Inorganic, and Fe-Trace metal exhibited bimodal distribution. The mixing state of the particles revealed that all Fe-bearing particles tended to be mixed with sulfate and nitrate. The data presented herein is essential for elucidating the origin, evolution processes, and health effects of metal-bearing particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent sensor assay (FSA) was developed by using a fluorescein-labeled aptamer assembled onto Graphene oxide (GO) in order to determine β-lactamase in milk. Under optimal conditions, FSA indicated a detection range from 1 to 46 U/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 U/mL ( R 2 = 0.999, n = 3). In addition, commercial milk samples tainted with β-lactamase were detected by the established FSA with a recovery rate between 96.04 and 119.67%. Additionally, the reliability and sensitivity of FSA was validated by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) with a high correlation of 0.993. Thus, these data, combined with the ease and speed of the assay, suggest that the developed FSA may represent a promising method for monitoring β-lactamase contamination in milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based cermets are of considerable research interest owing to their excellent physical and mechanical properties. In this study, a new process for the reduction and nitridation of Panzhihua ilmenite using NH 3 was proposed to prepare Fe-TiN composites, and the process was deemed feasible by thermodynamic calculations. The final products, Fe and TiN, could be formed based on the reaction conditions. The experimental results validated that metallic Fe could be easily formed, while MgTiO 3 was more difficult to reduce than FeTiO 3. The final products of Fe/TiN/MgO obtained at 1373–1473 K were consistent with those from the thermodynamic analysis. By increasing the reduction temperature or duration, the Fe particles increased in size and mixed with the TiN particles. The elemental content of Mg, Al, and Ca in the magnetic product was 5.85 wt% after magnetic separation. A Fe-TiN cermet was prepared from the magnetic product by hot-pressing (HP) sintering. Fe and TiN were uniformly distributed in the cermet, and the hardness of the obtained cermet reached 18.2 GPa. This work could offer a new approach to the preparation of Fe-based cermets from low-grade ilmenite. [Display omitted] • A novel method for synthesizing Fe–TiN composites from low–grade ilmenite is proposed. • Clean ammonia gas is used as reduction and nitridation agent. • The phase transformation and microstructure evolution of ilmenite during the reduction roasting process are studied. • The Fe–TiN cermet with a hardness of 18.2GPa is prepared by hot pressing (HP) sintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TRIM24 (tripartite motif-containing protein 24) and BRPF1 (bromodomain and PHD finger containing protein 1) are epigenetics "readers" and potential therapeutic targets for cancer and other diseases. Here we describe the structure-guided design of 1-(indolin-1-yl)ethan-1-ones as novel TRIM24/BRPF1 bromodomain inhibitors. The representative compound 20l (Y08624) is a new TRIM24/BRPF1 dual inhibitor, with IC 50 values of 0.98 and 1.16 μ M, respectively. Cellular activity of 20l was validated by viability assay in prostate cancer (PC) cell lines. In PC xenograft models, 20l suppressed tumor growth (50 mg/kg/day, TGI = 53%) without exhibiting noticeable toxicity. Compound 20l represents a versatile starting point for the development of more potent TRIM24/BRPF1 inhibitors. [Display omitted] • Virtual screening and optimization yielded 1-(indolin-1-yl)ethan-1-ones as TRIM24/BRPF1 bromodomain inhibitors. • Representative compound 20l showed promising TRIM24/BRPF1 bromodomain binding affinity. • Compound 20l exhibited antitumor activity in prostate cancer cell lines. • Compound 20l suppressed tumor growth without obvious toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to discuss the diagnostic value of gastric aspirate culture of early-onset sepsis in premature neonates. A retrospective study was conducted for 600 premature neonates of predisposing high-risk factors (gestation age from 28 to 35 weeks) hospitalized in neonatal unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. The culture of gastric aspirate was performed within 24 h after birth. The sepsis group and nonsepsis group were divided by diagnosis given by 3 neonatologists. The specificity of gastric aspirate on diagnosis of sepsis was analyzed. The positive rate of gastric aspirate culture in sepsis group was higher than nonsepsis group (P < 0.05). The incidence of sepsis (P < 0.05) and positive rate of gastric aspirate culture (P < 0.05) were higher after vaginal delivery. Escherichia coli were the dominant bacteria after vaginal delivery. For premature neonates born vaginally, gastric aspirate culture may have diagnostic value for sepsis. • The diagnostic value of gastric aspirate culture for early-onset sepsis has been reported previously but not been officially recommended. • The mode of delivery is not been considered to be the altering factor of early-onset sepsis. • This study suggested that gastric aspirate culture may have better diagnostic value for early-onset sepsis in premature neonates born vaginally. • Vaginal delivery should be included in the consideration for diagnosis and treatment of early-onset sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalized porous polymeric materials have a good potential for adsorption application owing to their abundant porosity, group tunability and chemical stability. Up to now, few studies have been reported on the fluorous porous polymers. Here, we report a solvothermal synthesis of fluorous porous poly methacrylate-divinyl benzene (FPMD) materials through a copolymerization of 2-(perfluorohexyl)ethyl methacrylate (C6Rf) and divinylbenzene (DVB) in an autoclave. Various techniques, such as nitrogen adsorption-desorption, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TG), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and so on have been used to characterize the structure and morphology of the synthesized FPMD samples. It is found that C6Rf could copolymerize with DVB to form porous networks through a solvothermal reaction. The molar ratio of C6Rf and DVB as well as the solvent are closely related to the porosity of the FPMD. The porosity descends and even disappears when increasing the molar ratio of C6Rf/DVB to 1 in case of ethyl acetate as the solvent. While a fluorous solvent of hydrofluoroether (HFE-7300) is used, a FPMD with porous structure can be obtained at the same ratio. The fluorous solvent may favor the stretch of the fluorocarbon chains of C6Rf and thus produce porosity during the copolymerization. HFE-7200 with a lower boiling point has also been used as the fluorous solvent, finding that the pore structure of FPMD transforms to a typical bottle-shape mesopore structure. Pure solvent absorption tests indicate that the adsorption capacities to toluene, isopropanol and hydrofluoroether (HFE-7200) are 4.7, 6.2 and 7.8 ml/g, respectively, on the optimized FPMD material. The absorption capacity of HFE-7200 is higher than that of toluene and isopropanol, illustrating the fluorophilicity of the fluoridated porous materials. Image 1 • Fluorous porous poly methacrylate-divinyl benzene (FPMD) monoliths are obtained. • 2-(Perfluorohexyl)ethyl methacrylate copolymerized with divinylbenzene to FPMD. • Hydrofluoroethers are good solvents for the construction of FPMD. • FPMD exhibits superhydrophobicity, mesoporosity and rich F content. • Absorption capacity to fluorous solvent is higher than toluene in FPMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore a rapid detection technology for detecting heavy metals in soil based on hyperspectral data, this paper took an iron mine in Daye Country, Hubei Province, as the research area, used a FieldSpec4 portable ground object spectrometer to obtain soil spectral reflectance and combine the measured data, and used three spectral transformation methods: first-order differential, second-order differential, and continuum removal. We studied the indirect hyperspectral inversion of heavy metals in reclaimed soils in the iron mine area by using three models: partial least squares regression, support vector machine, and back propagation (BP) neural network. The results show that spectral transformation can effectively highlight the position of spectral characteristic bands and improve the correlation between spectral curves and iron (Fe) element concentration. The partial least squares regression model based on first-order differential had the highest inversion accuracy for Fe element concentration in the study area, R 2 and RMSE were 0.88 and 0.53, respectively. The correlation analysis of soil elements showed that the highest correlation coefficient between Cu and Fe was 0.81. We selected the copper (Cu) element with the largest correlation coefficient with the Fe element as an example and realized the indirect prediction of soil Cu concentration using a linear regression model and BP neural network model. Among them, the model based on BP neural network is better, R 2 was 0.82, RMSE was 0.62, compared with the direct method, the model R 2 increased by about 0.2, and the root mean square error decreased by about 0.1. The effect of the indirect method was better than that of the direct method. We selected the optimum statistical interpolation method for spatial analysis of Fe and Cu concentrations in the soil of the study area and further demonstrated the feasibility of the indirect inversion method of heavy metals in the soil of iron mine areas based on hyperspectral data. These results provide a theoretical basis and new ideas for the application of near-earth sensing technology in soil and for efficient detection of heavy metals in iron ore areas. Unlabelled Image • A specific method for reclaimed soil heavy metal detection is proposed. • The FDR-PLSR model can effectively realize the hyperspectral inversion of soil iron content. • The inversion model of heavy copper based on indirect method is obviously better than that based on direct method. • The correlation of heavy metals in soils was explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]