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Background: The integration of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with systemic therapy has demonstrated improved survival outcomes in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is limited evidence evaluating the combination of TACE with the systemic regimen of anti-PD-1/L1 inhibitor plus lenvatinib. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with lenvatinib and sintilimab in unresectable HCC patients. Methods: Unresectable HCC patients who received TACE in combination with sintilimab plus Lenvatinib as first-line treatment from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2023 were included for the analysis. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were evaluated by modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. Exploratory biomarker analysis was conducted. Results: The study included 70 patients with unresectable HCC, predominantly male and infected with Hepatitis B. The median follow-up duration for the whole cohort was 13.8 months (95% CI 11.08–16.7). The ORR was 61.4% (95% CI, 49.0%–72.8%) and the DCR was 68.6% (95%CI, 56.4%–79.2%). The median PFS was 13.2 months (95% CI 11.0-NA), with a corresponding 1-year PFS rate of 50.3% (95% CI 39.7%-65.5%). The median OS was not reached, and the 1-year OS rate was 89.3% (95% CI 81.4%–97.9%). The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were fatigue 38.6% (27/70), hypertension 32.9% (23/70), and hand-foot syndrome 31.4% (22/70). Most TRAEs were mild-to-moderate and manageable. In addition, significant predictive value was found in alpha-fetoprotein levels (AFP), with patients showing a level of decrease post-treatment having better PFS. Conclusion: The combination regimen demonstrated promising efficacy in treating unresectable HCC, accompanied by manageable safety profiles. Furthermore, the results of this investigation suggest that AFP holds promise as predictive biomarkers for this treatment strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing acid/base-resistant and low-price microwave-absorbing materials with lighter weight is highly desired for practical applications in extreme environments. Herein, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of the N-doped porous carbon (NC) material with hierarchical pore structure by the spray pyrolysis method. The large specific surface area (SBET = 707.53 m2·g−1) of materials enables multiple scattering of incident electromagnetic waves, and N doping greatly enhances the electrical conductivity of the material. Notably, single-atom Zn can adjust the local electronic structure of adjacent sites such as carbon and nitrogen atoms, induce the center of polarization, and thus change the dielectric and electronic properties of the host material. The porous carbon coating of single-atom Zn avoids the deterioration of electromagnetic parameters caused by the accumulation of magnetic particles under high-temperature pyrolysis. At the same time, they can also be used in various complex environments, such as acidic and basic environments. Ultimately, NC-1000, with high surface area, low density, and good chemical stability, obtained a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −50.5 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) exceeding 5.1 GHz at the thickness of 1.9 mm. After soaking in the strong acid and base solution, the electromagnetic wave absorption performance of the material decreased by < 15%. Widely available raw materials and a simple preparation scheme are expected to expedite industrial mass production for this novel type of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence concerning long-term outcome of robotic liver resection (RLR) and laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is scarce. Methods: This study enrolled all patients who underwent RLR and LLR for resectable HCC between July 2016 and July 2021. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to create a 1:3 match between the RLR and LLR groups. A comprehensive collection and analysis of patient data regarding efficacy and safety have been conducted, along with the evaluation of the learning curve for RLR. Results: Following PSM, a total of 341 patients were included, with 97 in the RLR group and 244 in the LLR group. RLR group demonstrated a significantly longer operative time (median [IQR], 210 [152.0–298.0] min vs. 183.5 [132.3–263.5] min; p = 0.04), with no significant differences in other perioperative and short-term postoperative outcomes. Overall survival (OS) was similar between the two groups (p = 0.43), but RLR group exhibited improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) (median of 65 months vs. 56 months, p = 0.006). The estimated 5-year OS for RLR and LLR were 74.8% (95% CI: 65.4–85.6%) and 80.7% (95% CI: 74.0–88.1%), respectively. The estimated 5-year RFS for RLR and LLR were 58.6% (95% CI: 48.6–70.6%) and 38.3% (95% CI: 26.4–55.9%), respectively. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, RLR (HR: 0.586, 95% CI (0.393–0.874), p = 0.008) emerged as an independent predictor of reducing recurrence rates and enhanced RFS. The operative learning curve indicates that approximately after the 11th case, the learning curve of RLR stabilized and entered a proficient phase. Conclusions: OS was comparable between RLR and LLR, and while RFS was improved in the RLR group. RLR demonstrates oncological effectiveness and safety for resectable HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study comprehensively explores the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approaches, and treatment methods for liver mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN). A retrospective analysis was conducted on seven individuals diagnosed with MCN, admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital between October 2016 and May 2023. Preoperative AFP was negative, while CA19-9 was elevated in two cases. Surgical resection was performed for all patients. The patients showed favorable postoperative recovery. Follow-up revealed an excellent overall survival rate, except for one case of invasive carcinoma resulting in tumor recurrence and metastasis 6 months after surgery. MCN poses a diagnostic challenge due to the absence of distinct clinical and radiological features, leading to potential misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Patients with suspected liver cystic diseases should consider the possibility of MCN. Surgical resection has proven to be a practical approach with satisfactory therapeutic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of different slag content and different curing methods on the carbonation resistance of fly ash- and slag-based geopolymer concrete (FA&SL-GPC), a series of experiments were carried out with slag content (accounting for 10%, 30% and 50% of cementitious materials) and curing methods (standard curing and high temperature curing) as variables. The results show that increasing the slag content is helpful for improving the carbonation resistance properties, microstructure, and carbonation resistance components of FA&SL-GPC substrate. Adopting a standard curing method and prolonging the curing age are more favorable to the carbonation resistance of FA&SL-GPC, and the longer the curing time is, the better. Finally, the carbonation depth prediction model suitable for this experiment is deduced and verified. From the research results, it can be seen that using a high slag content mix and curing under standard conditions is beneficial for the carbonization resistance of GPC structural components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the craft of Tianche, an ancient towering timber structure used in well salt production in Sichuan Province, China. Originating in the Han Dynasty and maturing in the late Qing Dynasty, Tianches can reach heights of up to 110 m and represent a unique craft and structural system that is rare worldwide, yet remains largely unexplored in scholarly research. The Tianches are under threat due to a lack of maintenance and extinction of the craft. This study aims to document and elucidate the procedure and principles of the Tianche craft to help conserve this heritage. The key question is how to employ traditional craft to assemble over 100-m-tall structures from small-sized logs using pre-industrial technology. The study combines anthropological fieldwork and principles of mechanics to analyze the scientific validity and rationality of traditional crafts. The study reveals the principles of the Tianche craft, including mature craft procedure and reliable binding joints. Its advantages, namely self-locking structure, frictional force transmission, and hollow cylindrical columns, enhance the structure's strength and stability and are fundamental for constructing 100-m-tall timber structures. Additionally, the study identifies two limitations of the craft: restricted column diameters and the tendency of the inverted dragon member's tenon to break. This study investigated Tianche timber structures featuring hollow, bundle-like columns with frictional force transmission mechanism, presenting new possibilities beyond mainstream timber structural systems. The findings may contribute to enhancing research on the Tianche craft and could lay the foundation for future conservation practices related to Tianche heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal infections are increasing rapidly, and antifungal agents used in clinics are limited. Therefore, novel antifungal agents with high efficiency are urgently required. In this study, we investigated the antifungal activity of thonningianin A (THA), a natural compound that is widely found in plants. We first determined the activity of THA against Candida albicans, one of the most common fungal pathogens, and found that THA showed antifungal activity against all C. albicans tested, including several fluconazole-resistant isolates. THA also inhibits the growth of non-Candida albicans species. In addition, THA displayed antibiofilm activity and could not only inhibit biofilm formation but also destroy mature biofilms. The in vivo antifungal efficacy of THA was confirmed in a Galleria mellonella infection model. Further studies revealed that THA could enhance intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and regulate the transcription of several redox-related genes. Specifically, caspase activity and expression of CaMCA1, a caspase-encoding gene in C. albicans, were remarkably increased upon THA treatment. Consistent with this, in the presence of THA, the Camca1 null mutant displayed higher survival rates and reduced caspase activity compared to the wild-type or CaMCA1-reintroduced strains, indicating an important role of CaMCA1 in the antifungal activity of THA. Taken together, our results indicate that THA possesses excellent antifungal activity and may be a promising novel antifungal candidate. Key points: • THA exhibits activity against Candida species, including fluconazole-resistant isolates • THA inhibits biofilm formation and destroys mature biofilm • Elevated ROS production and CaMCA1-mediated caspase activity are involved in the antifungal mechanisms of THA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The p–n segment thermoelectric aerogel fiber was fabricated through an alternating coaxial wet-spinning strategy. Resultant alternating p–n segment thermoelectric fiber was electrically connected in series (two p–n pairs with a length of 3 cm) with an outstanding electrical conductivity of 23.76 S m−1. Thermoelectric textile-based self-powered fire warning electronics exhibited sensitivity (trigger time within 1.43 s) and repeatable temperature sensing performance for firefighting clothing. Firefighting protective clothing is a crucial protective equipment for firefighters to minimize skin burn and ensure safety firefighting operation and rescue mission. A recent increasing concern is to develop self-powered fire warning materials that can be incorporated into the firefighting clothing to achieve active fire protection for firefighters before the protective clothing catches fire on fireground. However, it is still a challenge to facilely design and manufacture thermoelectric (TE) textile (TET)-based fire warning electronics with dynamic surface conformability and breathability. Here, we develop an alternate coaxial wet-spinning strategy to continuously produce alternating p/n-type TE aerogel fibers involving n-type Ti3C2Tx MXene and p-type MXene/SWCNT-COOH as core materials, and tough aramid nanofiber as protective shell, which simultaneously ensure the flexibility and high-efficiency TE power generation. With such alternating p/n-type TE fibers, TET-based self-powered fire warning sensors with high mechanical stability and wearability are successfully fabricated through stitching the alternating p–n segment TE fibers into aramid fabric. The results indicate that TET-based fire warning electronics containing 50 p–n pairs produce the open-circuit voltage of 7.5 mV with a power density of 119.79 nW cm−2 at a temperature difference of 300 °C. The output voltage signal is then calculated as corresponding surface temperature of firefighting clothing based on a linear relationship between TE voltage and temperature. The fire alarm response time and flame-retardant properties are further displayed. Such self-powered fire warning electronics are true textiles that offer breathability and compatibility with body movement, demonstrating their potential application in firefighting clothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered mitochondrial function contributes greatly to pathogenesis and progression of colorectal cancer. In this study, we report a functional pool of Src homology 2 domain-containing F (SHF) in mitochondria controlling the response of colorectal cancer cells to radiation therapy. We found that elevated expression of SHF in cancer cells is essential for promoting mitochondrial function by increasing mitochondrial DNA copy number, thus reducing the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to radiation. Mechanistically, SHF binds to mitochondrial DNA and promotes POLG/SSBP1-mediated mitochondrial DNA synthesis. Importantly, SHF loss-mediated radiosensitization was phenocopied by depletion of mitochondrial DNA. Thus, our data demonstrate that mitochondrial SHF is an important regulator of radioresistance in colorectal cancer cells, identifying SHF as a promising therapeutic target to enhance radiotherapy efficacy in colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined with lenvatinib and Gemox chemotherapy as first-line therapy demonstrated high anti-tumor activity against biliary tract cancer in phase II clinical trials. Herein, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in a multicenter real-world study. Methods: Patients with advanced ICC who received PD-1 inhibitor combined with lenvatinib and Gemox chemotherapy were retrospectively screened at two medical centers. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), whereas the secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety. Prognostic factors for survival were analyzed. Results: Fifty-three patients with advanced ICC were included in this study. The median follow-up time was 13.7 (95% confidence interval (CI): 12.9–17.2) months. The median OS and PFS were 14.3 (95% CI: 11.3–NR) and 8.63 (95% CI: 7.17–11.6) months, respectively. The ORR, DCR, and clinical benefit rate were 52.8, 94.3, and 75.5%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the tumor burden score (TBS), tumor-node metastasis classification (TNM) stage, and PD-L1 expression were independent prognostic factors for OS and PFS. All patients experienced adverse events (AEs), 41.5% (22/53) experienced grade 3 or 4 AEs, including fatigue (8/53, 15.1%) and myelosuppression (7/53, 13.2%). No grade 5 AEs were reported. Conclusion: PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib and Gemox chemotherapy represent an effective and tolerable regimen for advanced ICC in a multicenter retrospective real-world study. TBS, TNM stage, and PD-L1 expression can be used as potential prognostic factors for OS and PFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as self-powered sensors to monitor human motion have acquired enormous research interest owing to their low cost and highly efficient mechanical energy-harvesting property. However, development of cellulose fabric-based TENGs with excellent breathability, durability, and shape adaptivity to minimize user discomfort remains a challenge. Herein, a flexible and stretchable cotton fabric-based single-electrode-mode TENG was developed for mechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing to detect human motion behaviors. Breathable cotton/ammonia (95% cotton, 5% spandex) blended composite fabric was employed as flexible electrode in TENG via in situ polymerization of polypyrrole, followed by spattering of silver nanowires. Afterward, the polytetrafluoroethylene layer was coated on the surface as a tribo-negative material. The prepared TENG can maintain a stable output voltage of approximately 0.3 V under a force of 4 N at 2.5 Hz frequency. The resulting TENG also exhibited excellent air permeability of 1329.134 mm/s, moisture permeability of 399.7 g/m2·24 h, and cycle stability (above 4000 cycles) and can act as a wearable and sustainable power source for powering electronic devices. Furthermore, the cotton fabric-based TENG can be attached to the finger, wrist, or elbow as a reusable self-powered strain sensor for motion detection due to its shape adaptivity and durability. This work provides a useful design strategy for fabrication of wearable TENGs for energy harvesting and human motion monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern Gulf of Mexico coast is affected by the North Atlantic hurricane season, which causes storm surge disasters every year and brings serious economic losses to the southern USA; therefore, it is necessary to make an accurate advance prediction of storm surge level. In this paper, a model with simple structure, fast computation speed, and accurate prediction results has been constructed based on nonlinear auto-regressive exogenous (NARX) neural network. Five types of data collected from observation stations are selected as the input factors of the model. To improve the model's computational efficiency, a neuron pruning strategy based on sensitivity analysis is introduced. By analyzing the output weights of the neurons in the hidden layer on the sensitivity of the model prediction output, the model structure can be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, a modular prediction method is introduced based on the tide harmonic analysis data so as to make the model prediction results more accurate. At last, a complete storm surge level prediction model, pruned modular (PM)-NARX, is constructed. In this paper, the model is trained by using historical data and used for storm surge level prediction along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast in 2020. The simulation test results show that the correlation between the predicted data and the observed data is stable above 0.99 at 12 h in advance and the model is able to produce the results within one minute. The prediction speed, accuracy, and stability are higher than those of conventional models. In addition, two sets of follow-up tests show that the prediction accuracy of the model can still maintain a high level. The above can prove that the pruned modular (PM)-NARX model can effectively provide early warning before the storm surge to avoid property damage and human casualties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrated and heterogeneous distribution of gas hydrates have been identified in the gas hydrate production test region in the Shenhu area, South China Sea. The gas hydrate-bearing sediments with high saturation locate at two ridges of submarine canyon with different thickness and saturations just above the bottom simulating reflection. The crossplots of gamma ray, acoustic impedance (P-impedance) and porosity at four sites show that the sediments can be divided into the upper and lower layers at different depths, indicating different geotechnical reservoir properties. Therefore, the depositional environments and physical properties at two ridges are analyzed and compared to show the different characteristics of hydrate reservoir. High porosity, high P-wave velocity, and coarse grain size indicate better reservoir quality and higher energy depositional environment for gas hydrate at Sites W18 and W19 than those at Sites W11 and W17. Our interpretation is that the base of canyon deposits at Sites W18 and W19 characterized by upward-coarsening units may be turbidity sand layers, thus significantly improving the reservoir quality with increasing gas hydrate saturation. The shelf and slope sliding deposits compose of the fine-grained sediments at Sites W11 and W17. The gas hydrate production test sites were conducted at the ridge of W11 and W17, mainly because of the thicker and larger area of gas hydrate-bearing reservoirs than those at Sites W18 and W19. All the results provide useful insights for assessing reservoir quality in the Shenhu area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key summary points: Aim: This study aimed to explore the potential mediating effects of cognitive reserve on the association between frailty and cognition in the older people without dementia. Findings: Negative effect of frailty on cognition was partially mediated by a reduction in cognitive reserve. Message: Our results support the possibility that enhancing cognitive reserve, especially engagement in social and cognitive activities may protect cognitive health against frailty. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the potential mediating effects of cognitive reserve on the association between frailty and cognition in the older people without dementia. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from 3122 community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65-years-old) without dementia of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study in Wales. A 31-item frailty index was used to assess frailty. A cognitive lifestyle score was constructed to evaluate cognitive reserve, which includes participants' educational level, occupational attainment, and engagement in social and cognitive activities in later life. Linear regression and mediation modeling were used to investigate the relationship between frailty and cognition and the mediating effects of cognitive reserve as well as social and cognitive activities, an alterable component of cognitive reserve for older adults. Results: Frailty was negatively associated with cognition. Cognitive reserve was a mediator of the association between frailty and global cognition (− 1.92; 95% CI: − 2.50, − 1.35), as well as individual cognitive domains, with indirect effects contributing to 13-59% of the total effects. Social and cognitive activities have smaller but similar mediating effects on these associations. Conclusions: Negative effect of frailty on cognition was partially mediated by a reduction in cognitive reserve. Our results support the possibility that enhancing cognitive reserve, especially engagement in social and cognitive activities may protect cognitive health against frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has attracted global attention. Meanwhile, CVD has become the leading cause of death in China. Some epidemiological studies have indicated that ambient air pollution may contribute to increased mortality from CVD diseases. Many studies have found a strong association between air pollutants and the risk of CVD deaths in some big cities, but few have focused on the effects of six pollutants in rural areas. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of six air pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10, and SO2) on CVD deaths of rural areas in Anhui Province and to further clarify which populations were susceptible to air pollution. First, the generalized additive models were combined with the distributed lag nonlinear models to evaluate the individual effects of air pollution on CVD deaths in each area. Then, random-effects models were used to aggregate the associations between air pollutants and CVD mortality risk in nine regions. Overall, all six pollutants had a statistically significant effect on the risk of CVD deaths on the lag 07 days. The associations between PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 and daily CVD deaths were strongest, with maximum cumulative RR (lag 07) of 1.91 (1.64–2.18), 2.27 (1.50–3.05), and 2.13 (1.44–2.82). In general, we found that six air pollutants were the important risk factors for CVD and specific CVD deaths in Anhui Province. The elderly were susceptible to PM2.5, PM10, and SO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotransmitter metabolism plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, whether the neurotransmitter metabolism in adolescent MDD is differentiated from adult MDD is still elusive. In the current study, plasma concentrations of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters as well as their metabolites, including tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), kynurenic acid (KYNA), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), norepinephrine (NE), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), glutamine (GLN), glutamate (GLU) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), were measured and compared in two cohorts of subjects (adult cohort: 31 first-episode MDD vs. 35 healthy controls; adolescent cohort: 33 first-episode MDD vs. 30 healthy controls). To assess the effects of antidepressant treatment, we also analyzed the concentrations of these indexes pre- and post-treatment in adult and adolescent cohorts. At baseline, the deficits of neurotransmitter metabolism in adult MDD were manifested in all the neurotransmitter systems. In contrast, for adolescent MDD, the dysregulation of neurotransmission was mainly indicated in the catecholaminergic systems. After antidepressant treatment, adult MDD showed increased TRP, KYN, KYNA and GLU levels, together with decreased levels of 5-HIAA and DOPAC. Adolescent MDD illustrated an increased level of 5-HT and decreased levels of TRP and GABA. The improvements of Hamilton total scores correlated with the changes in plasma TRP and the turnover of KYN/TRP after treatment in all MDD patients. However, these correlations were only manifested in the adult MDD rather than in adolescent MDD patients. The findings highlight the shared and distinguished neurotransmitter pathways in MDD and emphasize the different antidepressant responses between adults and adolescents. Potentially, the neurotransmitters above could serve as diagnostic biomarkers and provide a novel pharmacological treatment strategy for MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid-state fermentation has been increasingly applied in the industrial glutinous rice wine (GRW) production. However, products brewed by this emerging technique possess some deficiencies in flavor quality. Therefore, this study firstly developed and optimized an innovative pulping technique by the synchronously pulping and gelatinizing treatment (Process I) to improve GRW flavor quality, and then revealed the influences of Process I on raw materials properties, oenological parameters, fermentation process, and flavor characteristics of GRW. Results show that Process I significantly (p < 0.05) enriched the soluble solid and crude protein content of glutinous rice milk by improving gelatinization degree and pulping efficiency, which consequently enhanced the microbial growth, glycolysis, and protein decomposition during the GRW fermentation process. GC–MS analysis shows that Process I sequentially significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the esterification and Ehrlich or Harrison pathway during the fermentation process. This contributed to a higher content of key ester and alcohol compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploitation of cotton fabric as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding substrates have attracted a growing interest due to their desirable low carbon footprint, economic feasibility, and sustainability. Herein, a facile strategy was proposed for preparing a cellulose-based multifunctional PNIPAAm/PPy hydrogel/cotton (PPHC) EMI shielding composites with simultaneous high-efficient electro-photo-thermal conversion and comfort regulation functions. The PPHC was fabricated via in situ polymerization conductive PPy hydrogel on cotton substrate followed by deposition of PNIPAAm. Benefiting from the unique interconnected three-dimensional networked conductive structure of PPy hydrogel, the obtained PPHC composites exhibited high conductivity (15 mS/cm), and EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE ~ 40 dB) in the frequency of 8.2–12.3 GHz. Moreover, the PNIPAAm coating endowed the composite fabrics with adjustable wettability performance in response to external temperature, leading to excellent comfort regulation performance. This work provided feasible avenue toward low cost and sustainability cotton-based EMI shielding composites with efficient EMI shielding and comfort regulation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colon cancer cells rely on mitochondrial respiration as major source of energy for supporting their proliferation and invasion, thus promoting colon cancer malignancy and progression. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the prognostic significance of mitochondria-related genes in colon cancer and identified the hub genes that control colon cancer cell mitochondrial respiration and proliferation. We first systematically evaluated the prognostic significance of differentially expressed mitochondria-related genes in colon cancer specimens. Furthermore, a protein–protein interaction network was constructed to explore the hub genes. Eventually, five hub genes were identified, namely, POLG, FASTK, MRPS5, AARS2, and VARS2. Functional analyses showed that all these five hub genes are essential for maintaining mitochondrial respiration and proliferation of colon cancer cells. Mechanistic studies revealed the roles of these five hub genes in modulating mitochondrial DNA expression, that in turn influence mitochondrial respiration. In summary, our study demonstrated that POLG, FASTK, MRPS5, AARS2, and VARS2 may potentially serve as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PbS-based thermoelectric materials have attracted extensive attention in recent years for the advantages of earth abundancy and low cost, which is considered to be a substitute for traditional PbTe material. However, their high thermal conductivity restricts its development. Hence, in order to improve their thermoelectric performance from reducing the thermal conductivity, a kind of dendritic PbS with controlled crystal grain and morphology are obtained by solution synthesis. By adjusting the amount of surfactant (CTAB), the specific formation process of dendrites is regulated. After sintering, the dendritic PbS nanoparticles are easy to form porous structure due to the overlapping and staggered arrangement of dendritic branches. For comparison, we also prepare a kind of regular octahedral PbS and a dense packing arrangement is formed because of the integrity of the octahedral structure. DFT-based Boltzmann transport equation is used to prove the crucial role of porous structure in scattering phonon. Finally, a maximum zT = 1.0 at 773 K in n-type PbS is obtained, which still keep a high-speed growth and is expected to get higher zT value in a higher temperature region. Our work may shed light to other thermoelectric materials from the formation of porous structure to reduce the thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic acquisition guided by the compressive sensing theory can significantly improve seismic data acquisition efficiency and reduce the cost. After reviewing the basic principles of compressive sensing, we propose an optimized random sampling method that can control the maximum sampling interval and improve the design flexibility. We analyze several factors that can introduce reconstruction errors from compressive sensed data and learn that besides sampling method, reconstruction errors increase with decimation degree and the complexity of structures and also depend on the reconstruction workflow. In addition, we provide a basic workflow of the geometry design of compressive sensing acquisition. We analyze the feasibility of the three types of receiving equipment that are widely used in marine environment and discuss the potential cost reduction and efficiency gain. Our field example demonstrates the detailed working process and the feasibility of the combination of random sailing line intervals and random shot intervals and verifies the effect of cost saving and efficiency increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution and its negative effects on health of people have been a global concern. Many studies had found a strong association between air pollutants and risk of death, but few had focused on the effects of six pollutants and rural areas. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of six air pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10, and SO2) on non-accidental and respiratory deaths in rural areas of Anhui Province by adjusting for confounding factors, and to further clarify which populations were susceptible to death associated with air pollution. In the first phase of the analysis, the generalized additive models were combined with the distributed lag non-linear models to evaluate the individual effects of air pollution on death in each area. In the second stage, random-effects models were used to aggregate the associations between air pollutants and mortality risk in nine areas. Overall, six pollutants had the strongest effects on the risk of death on the lag 07 days. The associations between PM2.5 and NO2 and daily non-accidental deaths were strongest, with maximum RR (lag 07): 1.63 (1.37–1.88) and 1.67 (1.37–1.96). The maximum pooled effects of association between six air pollutants and RD were PM2.5, with RR (lag 07): 1.89 (1.45–2.34). PM2.5 and PM10 had significant differences between the elderly and the non-elderly with respectively, RRR: 1.22 (1.04–1.41) and 1.26 (1.11–1.42). In general, we found that six air pollutants were the important risk factors for deaths (deaths from respiratory disease and non-accidental) in rural areas of Anhui Province. PM10 and PM2.5 had a considerable impact on the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the mechanical behavior of 5052 aluminum alloy at different strain rates, uniaxial tensile tests at quasi-static, medium, and high strain rates were carried out using a CMT5305 MTS hydraulic servo universal testing machine, Zwick HTM5020 high-speed tensile testing machine, and Split Hopkinson tensile bar device, and the stress-strain curves of the material were obtained. Then, the fracture morphology and microstructure of the samples were studied and analyzed using macroscopic and microscopic analysis methods to obtain the material's fracture and deformation mechanism. The results show that 5052 aluminum alloy exhibits strain rate sensitivity, and its yield strength and strength limit increase with the increase in strain rate. At different strain rates, the forming properties of the materials are similar. The plastic deformation mechanism is all dislocation slip, and the fracture mechanism is all ductile fracture. However, with the increase in strain rate, the necking phenomenon becomes more remarkable, the dislocation density increases continuously, and the distribution becomes more uniform. The dimples on fracture surface became deeper, and the number of dimples increased, indicating that the plastic deformation of the material increases continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel surface plasmon resonance–based P-gp ligand screening system (SPR-PLSS) combined with lentiviral particle (LVP) stabilization strategy was constructed to screen out potential P-gp inhibitors from natural products. Firstly, we constructed LVPs with high and low expression levels of P-gp. The LVPs can ensure the natural conformation of P-gp based on the principle that LVPs germinated from packaging cells will contain cell membrane fragments and P-gp they carry. Then the LVPs with high P-gp expression for active channel and LVPs with low P-gp expression for reference channel were immobilized on CM5 chip respectively. The affinity detection was thus carried out with the signal reduction on the two channels. The P-gp inhibitors, Valspodar (Val) and cyclosporin (CsA), as positive compounds, were detected to characterize the chip's activity, and the KD of Val and CsA were 14.09 μM and 16.41 μM, respectively. Forty compounds from natural product library were screened using the SPR CM5 chip, and magnolol (Mag), honokiol (Hon), and resveratrol (Res) were screened out as potential P-gp ligands, showing a significant response signal. This work presented a novel P-gp ligand screening system based on LVP-immobilized biosensor to rapidly screen out P-gp ligands from natural product library. Compared with traditional cell experiments which the screening time may take up to several days, our method only takes several hours. Furthermore, this study has also provided solid evidences to support that some complicated membrane proteins would apply to the lentivirus-based SPR screening system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The saturated gain performance of the two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifier (2-P FOPA) in the presence of random dispersion fluctuation as well as fourth-order dispersion coefficient are investigated. The gain spectra of the 2-P FOPA is simulated by solving the coupled equations numerically, considering the dispersion fluctuations along the fiber as a stochastic process with a given standard deviation and correlation length. The gain performance of 2-P FOPA is analysed with the variation of correlation length, standard deviation and fourth-order dispersion coefficient, respectively. It shows that, the gain saturation curves of 2-P FOPA exhibit obvious differences in the presence of dispersion fluctuations and fourth-order dispersion coefficients. The peak gain reduces with the increase of the standard deviation and the reduction is higher in case of shorter correlation lengths, also the variations of 2-P FOPA saturation powers are affected by the standard deviation and correlation length significantly. In addition, the performance of the 2-P FOPA varies greatly while considering the fourth-order dispersion coefficient, where the peak gain remains the same, but the 3 dB bandwidth is wider with considering the fourth-order dispersion coefficient. The numerical analysis is meaningful for the research of 2-P FOPA saturated gain performance, which having attracted great research interests in the optical fiber communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid carbon support is prepared by mixing graphene nanoplates (GNPs) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and modifying them with poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA). Pd nanoparticles are deposited onto the hybrid support by a microwave-assisted ethylene glycol reduction method. The obtained Pd/GNPs-PDDA-CNTs catalyst exhibits a high catalytic activity toward methanol oxidation in alkaline solution. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images show that GNPs and CNTs contact intimately with each other and Pd nanoparticles are uniformly distributed over them. The linear sweeping voltammetry test indicates that Pd/GNPs-PDDA-CNTs has a low onset potential for methanol oxidation, which is attributed to the synergistic interaction between palladium and PDDA, as revealed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement. It is also observed that the poison resistance of the Pd nanocatalyst is improved to some extent due to the modification of the carbon support by the ionic polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thompson sampling is one of the most effective strategies to balance exploration-exploitation trade-off. It has been applied in a variety of domains and achieved remarkable success. Thompson sampling makes decisions in a noisy but stationary environment by accumulating uncertain information over time to improve prediction accuracy. In highly dynamic domains, however, the environment undergoes frequent and unpredictable changes. Making decisions in such an environment should rely on current information. Therefore, standard Thompson sampling may perform poorly in these domains. Here we present collaborative Thompson sampling to apply the exploration-exploitation strategy to highly dynamic settings. The algorithm takes collaborative effects into account by dynamically clustering users into groups, and the feedback of all users in the same group will help to estimate the expected reward in the current context to find the optimal choice. Incorporating collaborative effects into Thompson sampling allows to capture real-time changes of the environment and adjust decision making strategy accordingly. We compare our algorithm with standard Thompson sampling algorithms on two real-world datasets. Our algorithm shows accelerated convergence and improved prediction performance in collaborative environments. We also provide regret analyses of our algorithm in both contextual and non-contextual settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main challenges in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) are currently early mortality, relapse, refractory disease after induction therapy, and drug resistance to ATRA and ATO. In this study, a computational chemogenomics approach was used to identify new molecular targets and drugs for APL treatment. The transcriptional profiles induced by APL were compared with those induced by genetic or chemical perturbations. The genes that can reverse the transcriptional profiles induced by APL when perturbed were considered to be potential therapeutic targets for APL. Drugs targeting these genes or proteins are predicted to be able to treat APL if they can reverse the APL-induced transcriptional profiles. To improve the target identification accuracy of the above correlation method, we plotted the functional protein association networks of the predicted targets by STRING. The results determined PML, RARA, SPI1, HDAC3, CEBPA, NPM1, ABL1, BCR, PTEN, FOS, PDGFRB, FGFR1, NUP98, AFF1, and MEIS1 to be top candidates. Interestingly, the functions of PML, RARA, HDAC3, CEBPA, NPM1, ABL, and BCR in APL have been previously reported in the literature. This is the first chemogenomics analysis predicting potential APL drug targets, and the findings could be used to guide the design of new drugs targeting refractory and recurrent APL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brief bursts of high-frequency spikes are a common firing pattern of neurons. The cellular mechanisms of bursting and its biological significance remain a matter of debate. Focusing on the energy aspect, this paper proposes a neural energy calculation method based on the Chay model of bursting. The flow of ions across the membrane of the bursting neuron with or without current stimulation and its power which contributes to the change of the transmembrane electrical potential energy are analyzed here in detail. We find that during the depolarization of spikes in bursting this power becomes negative, which was also discovered in previous research with another energy model. We also find that the neuron's energy consumption during bursting is minimal. Especially in the spontaneous state without stimulation, the total energy consumption (2.152 × 10−7 J) during 30 s of bursting is very similar to the biological energy consumption (2.468 × 10−7 J) during the generation of a single action potential, as shown in Wang et al. (Neural Plast 2017, 2017a). Our results suggest that this property of low energy consumption could simply be the consequence of the biophysics of generating bursts, which is consistent with the principle of energy minimization. Our results also imply that neural energy plays a critical role in neural coding, which opens a new avenue for research of a central challenge facing neuroscience today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have documented the potential antitumor activities of glaucocalyxin A (GLA), an ent-kaurene diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia japonica. However, the metabolic mechanism underlying the antitumor activity of GLA remains largely unknown. The effects of GLA on the metabolome of human liver cancer cells using GC/MS- and LC/MS-based metabolic profiling have been investigated. An untargeted metabolomics approach in conjunction with orthogonal projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) has been developed to characterize the metabolic modifications induced by GLA treatment in human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721. Results demonstrated that cells cultured in the presence or absence of GLA displayed different metabolic profiles: the treatment induced an increased purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism and a decreased amino acid metabolism. At the same time, GLA treatment induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrested at G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, two representative apoptosis-inducing cytotoxic agents were selected as positive control drugs to validate the reasonableness and accuracy of our metabolomic investigation on GLA. The study displayed a systemic metabolic alteration induced by GLA treatment, showing the impaired physiological activity of SMMC7721 cells, which also indicated anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of GLA. In the meantime, GC/MS- and LC/MS-based metabolomics applied to cell culture enhanced our current understanding of the metabolic response to GLA treatment and its mechanism; such an approach could be transferred to study the mechanism of other anticancer drugs.A systemic metabolic alteration induced by glaucocalyxin A (GLA) treatment of SMMC-7721 cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the H-H equation, this study has proposed the calculation and analysis of energy expenditure for a single neuron which is activated at sup-threshold and subthreshold, as well as the criterion of the energy expenditure of neurons activated sup-threshold and subthreshold, which was the maximum power of a sodium ion pump. Results of the study showed that not only the electrophysiological activities of neurons were strictly restricted by the energy levels in the brain, but also the activities of neurons also had dual nature, meaning that subthreshold neurons were mainly with energy expenditure, while sup-threshold neurons were with both energy absorption and energy expenditure. These new findings were compared with the novel neuro-biophysical models that we have published last year, uncovering that the two models were essentially equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis is an effective method to control the environmental pollution. In this study, the SnO/GO composites were successfully prepared by ultrasound method to improve the photocatalytic activities of SnO. The physical and photophysical properties of the as-prepared SnO/GO samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, field emission on scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission spectroscopy and Raman experiments. The photocatalytic activities of these composites were evaluated by decomposing organic pollutants under UV light irradiation. The degradation rate of the SnO/1.0 wt%GO photocatalyst is about 2 times that of the pure SnO. Then the pure SnO and the SnO/1.0 wt%GO photocatalysts were used in fluorocarbon resin (PEVE) coatings to sterilize the bacterial of the seawater. According to the results, the sterilization rate of the SnO/1.0GO/PEVE coating is about 2.5 times that of the pure PEVE coating. The high photocatalytic sterilization activity of the SnO/GO is attributed to its high electron-hole separation efficiency. This work provides a new approach to address marine biofouling problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mimic the human neck's three degree-of-freedom (DOF) rotation motion, we present a novel bio-inspired cable driven parallel robot with a flexible spine. Although there exists many parallel robotic platform that can mimic the human neck motion, most of them have only two DOF, with the yaw motion being actuated separately. The presented flexible parallel humanoid neck robot employs a column compression spring as the main body of cervical vertebra and four cables as neck muscles to connect the base and moving platform. The pitch and roll movements of moving platform are realized by the two dimensional lateral bending motion of the flexible spring, and a bearing located at the top of the compression spring and embedded in the moving platform is used to achieve the yaw motion of the moving platform. By combing the force and torque balance equations with the lateral bending statics of the spring, inverse kinematics and optimizing the cable placements to minimize the actuating cable force are investigated. Moreover, the translational workspace corresponding to pitch and roll movements and rotational workspace corresponding to yaw movement are analyzed with positive cable tension constraint. Extensive simulations were performed and demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed inverse kinematics and workspace analysis of the novel 3 DOF flexible parallel humanoid neck robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, zinc oxide hollow microspheres were successfully prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal route with the assistance of glucose only using cheap Zn(NO)·6HO as starting materials, followed by a simple calcination treatment. The zinc oxide hollow microspheres were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The prepared zinc oxide hollow microspheres were further employed to fabricate a gas sensor to detect volatile organic pollutants. The gas sensing measurement results revealed that the zinc oxide hollow microsphere sensor showed excellent sensing performances to ppm levels of probe gas ethanol vapor including high response, short response-recovery times and good reversibility. The sensor also showed high response to other ppm levels of volatile organic pollutants such as n-butanol, acetone, methanol, toluene and benzene, implying its promising gas sensor application in detecting volatile organic pollutants. Graphical Abstract: Zinc oxide hollow microspheres, prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal route, based gas sensor showed excellent sensing performances to ppm levels of volatile organic pollutants including high response, short response-recovery times and good reversibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the reports about assaults on women, we take the first step to explore possibility of using off-the-shelf smartphone for physical assault detection. There are several kinds of crime offenses against persons, such as gunshot, battery, abuse, kidnapping and so on, which are distinguished by form, severity, duration, etc. In this paper, we aim at detecting those severe and non-instantaneous physical assaults using accelerometer in smartphone. We collected 100 surveillance videos involving aggravated assaults, and extract the the pattern of actions for an individual under assaulting. The most difficult one among challenges in our design is the extraordinary complexity and diversity of actions under assaulting, which lead to an extremely hard, if not impossible, to perform fine-grained recognition. To this end, we decide to focus on the intensity and irregularity characteristics of aggravated assaults, based on which several features from time domain and frequency domain are extracted. Moreover, we proposed a combinatorial classification scheme considering individuality of user's ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) and universality of differences between ADLs and assaults to most people. The data we used for training and testing are collected from simulated aggravated assaults which are performed by our volunteers in controlled settings. Our experiment results showed that aggravated assaults could be distinguished with the majority of ADLs in our proposed feature space, and our proposed system could correctly detect most instances of aggravated assault (FNR = 11.75 %) with low false alarm rate (0.067 times per day) and short delay (6.89 s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of characterization tests were performed to elucidate the high-cycle fatigue (HCF) behavior in SAE 1050 steel subjected to tensile elastic pre-deformation at different strain rates. In the pre-strained stage, the deformation was maintained constant at 0.16%, which was close to the low yield point at strain rates ranging from 10−5 s−1 to 10−2 s−1. Although pre-deformation occurred entirely in the elastic regime, using different pre-straining rates resulted in the occurrence of heterogeneous microscopic strain at different sites and locations during subsequent fatigue tests. It was found that the effect of pre-straining rate on crack initiation and crack propagation was not monotonous and was influenced by the homogeneity of deformation within grain boundaries, the integrity of the boundary structure, and the fracture toughness. In addition, the rough set theory model was introduced for the attribute reduction of characteristic parameters and provided a scientific basis to establish the fatigue model. The model was able to effectively predict the lifetime of the process of HCF in pre-strained steel. Hence, the pre-straining rate should be an important boundary condition in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

RLIP76, a multidomain protein which is a downstream effector of the small GTP ases RalA and RalB, is known to play a role in biological activities in a variety of malignant cancer cells. However, little study has been done on the role of RLIP76 in CRC. In this study, a RLIP76-targeted siRNA-containing vector was used to investigate the effect of RLIP76 knockdown on cellular functions in human CRC cell line HT29. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis revealed that the expression levels of RLIP76 mRNA and protein in HT29 cells were significantly suppressed after transfection. Our results indicated that RLIP76 downregulation in HT29 CRC cells suppressed cell growth, enhanced cell apoptosis, induced cell cycle arrest, and inhibited cell invasion by decreasing MMP2 expression. Although the mechanisms through which RLIP76 regulates the cellular functions needs further investigation, our results indicate that RLIP76 may represent as a potential target of gene therapy for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CXCL13, an inflammatory factor in the microenvironment, plays a vital role in the progression of inflammatory diseases and tumors. CXCL13 and its receptor CXCR5 have been reported to be associated with poor prognosis of advanced colon cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of CXCL13-CXCR5 axis in colon cancer remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of CXCR5-CXCL13 axis in the growth and invasion of colon cancer cells. Our results showed that CXCL13 promoted the growth, migration, and matrigel invasion of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, CXCL13 increased the expression and secretion of MMP-13, and stimulated the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway. After knockdown of CXCR5 by siRNA, the biological functions of colon cancer cells regulated by CXCL13 were significantly inhibited. In addition, inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway by specific inhibitor LY294002 suppressed the CXCL13-mediated growth, migration, and invasion of colon cancer cells. Together, our findings suggest that CXCL13-CXCR5 axis promotes the growth, migration, and invasion of colon cancer cells, probably via PI3K/AKT pathway. Thus, CXCL13 may be a useful biomarker for the detection and treatment of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a significant task to evaluate the seafloor stability for the exploitation of marine resources and the construction of marine structures. This paper analyzes the impact factors of submarine slope instability using geological and geophysical data of the Baiyun Sag in the Pearl River Mouth Basin and builds the evaluation index system of submarine slope instability. The weight of each index is calculated by analytic hierarchy process method to weaken subjective effect. Gray clustering method is applied to estimate the risk of submarine slope instability in Baiyun Sag qualitatively and quantitatively. The assessment standard is divided into five grades, and the whitening function of each gray cluster is determined by the assessment scheme. The gray evaluation weight vector of each indicator is calculated by the table-dispatching method. The gray assessment value is estimated by making the gray assessment weight vector single value, and the gray grade is determined according to the maximum principle. The evaluation results show quantitatively that the risk grade of submarine slope instability in the Baiyun Sag is medium, and the gray clustering method is reasonable and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer metastasis suppressor gene-1 (BRMS1) is newly discovered tumor metastasis gene, which has been reported to play an important role in the progression of human tumor. However, its role in rectal cancer has never been investigated. In this present study, we evaluated the associated of BRMS1 with colorectal cancer, its value in prognosis, and its role in metastasis of rectal cancer. BRMS1 expression examined in 80 patients and the role of BRMS1 in metastasis was studied using mice model. Our results showed that BRMS1 expression was significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters in rectal cancer patients and overexpression of BRMS1 in rectal cancer xenograft led to decreased growth, invasiveness and metastasis. Our findings indicate that high expression of BRSM1 in rectal cancer plays an essential role in tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation therapy is an integral part of the current therapeutic protocols in colorectal cancer. However, only a small proportion of the patients achieved complete pathological response because of the treatment-induced resistance to radiation. Previous studies have shown that radioresistance is associated with NF-κB activation and that suppression of NF-κB could potentiate the response of colorectal cancer cells to radiotherapy. Icariin, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to suppress NF-κB activity. The present study was carried out to investigate whether icariin could act as a radiosensitizer in colorectal cancer cells and murine model of the colorectal cancer. We also sought to understand the mechanisms underlying the icariin-mediated radiosensitization. Our results showed that icariin enhanced the radiation-mediated anti-proliferative effect both in vitro and in vivo. Further, icariin exerted the anti-proliferative and/or pro-apoptotic effect possibly, by: (1) inducing the cell arrest in G2/M phases of the cell cycle, or by (2) downregulating NF-κB and the anti-apoptotic gene products monitored by this transcription factor. Icariin could also potentiate the efficacy of radiotherapy in the murine model of colorectal cancer. Taken together, these results suggest that the use of icariin may provide with a new approach for sensitizing the radiotherapy in colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between torque and muscle morphological change, which is derived from ultrasound image sequence and termed as sonomyography (SMG), during isometric ramp contraction of the rectus femoris (RF) muscle, and to further compare SMG with the electromyography (EMG) and mechanomyography (MMG), which represent the electrical and mechanical activities of the muscle. Nine subjects performed isometric ramp contraction of knee up to 90% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at speeds of 45, 22.5 and 15% MVC/s, and EMG, MMG and ultrasonography were simultaneously recorded from the RF muscle. Cross-sectional area, which was referred to as SMG, was automatically extracted from continuously captured ultrasound images using a newly developed image tracking algorithm. Polynomial regression analyses were applied to fit the EMG/MMG/SMG-to-torque relationships, and the regression coefficients of EMG, MMG, and SMG were compared. Moreover, the effect of contraction speed on SMG/EMG/MMG-to-torque relationships was tested by pair-wise comparisons of the mean relationship curves at different speeds for EMG, MMG and SMG. The results show that continuous SMG could provide important morphological parameters of continuous muscle contraction. Compared with EMG and MMG, SMG exhibits different changing patterns with the increase of torque during voluntary isometric ramp contraction, and it is less influenced by the contraction speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoliquiritigenin, a chalcone found in licorice root and many other plants, has shown potential antioxidant, estrogenic and antitumor activities. The present study was to investigate urinary metabolism of isoliquiritigenin in Wistar rats by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization TOF-MS (UHPLC-TOF-MS)-based xenometabolomics. Urine samples were collected before and after oral administration of isoliquiritigenin, and analyzed by UHPLC-TOF-MS. After deconvolution, the resulting data matrices were subjected to multivariate data analysis. Projection to latent structures discriminant analysis was performed to screen the metabolites. Fifteen urinary metabolites of isoliquiritigenin were screened out and 13 of them were further identified by Agilent MassHunter Software. The results of this work show that UHPLC-TOF-MS-based xenometabolomics was able to comprehensively identify the metabolites of phytochemicals and may represent a valuable tool for monitoring the food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral separation of iodiconazole, a new antifungal drug, and 12 new structurally related triadimenol analogues were studied by capillary electrophoresis with seven neutral cyclodextrins. It was found that hydroxypropyl- γ-cyclodextrin (HP- γ-CD) was the most effective chiral selector. Furthermore, the influence of the concentration of HP- γ-CD, buffer pH, buffer concentration, temperature, and applied voltage was investigated, and the method was validated. The study of the analyte structure-enantioseparation relationships showed that substitutions in the side chains had important influences on enantiomeric separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]