Search

Background This study evaluated the predictive value of gene signatures for biochemical recurrence (BCR) in primary prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Methods Clinical features and gene expression profiles of PCa patients were attained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets, which were further classified into a training set (n = 419), a validation set (n = 403). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox (LASSO‐Cox) method was used to select discriminative gene signatures in training set for biochemical recurrence‐free survival (BCRFS). Selected gene signatures established a risk score system. Univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors about BCRFS were performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression models. A nomogram based on multivariate analysis was plotted to facilitate clinical application. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses were then executed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Results Notably, the risk score could significantly identify BCRFS by time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic (t‐ROC) curves in the training set (3‐year area under the curve (AUC) = 0.820, 5‐year AUC = 0.809) and the validation set (3‐year AUC = 0.723, 5‐year AUC = 0.733). Conclusions Clinically, the nomogram model, which incorporates Gleason score and the risk score, could effectively predict BCRFS and potentially be utilized as a useful tool for the screening of BCRFS in PCa., In this work, we established the risk score consisting of six gene signatures, which can predict biochemical recurrence in primary prostate cancer. Clinically, the nomogram model, which incorporates the Gleason score and the risk score, could effectively predict BCRFS and potentially be utilized as a useful tool for the screening of BCRFS in PCa.

The volatile oil of Mentha haplocalyx is widely used in medicine, food, and cosmetics. However, a large amount of its residue after steam extraction of volatile oil is abandoned, resulting in a waste of resources. The method of aqueous two-phase flotation coupled with preparative high-performance liquid chromatography was established for the separation and purification of nonvolatile active compounds from Mentha haplocalyx for the first time. The parameters of the two-phase aqueous flotation were optimized. Under the optimal conditions including flotation solvent PEG 1000 aqueous solution (1:1, w/w), pH 5, (NH4 )2 SO4 concentration of 350 g/L in aqueous phase, N2 flow rate of 20 mL/min, and flotation time of 20 min, the flotation efficiency of linarin, hesperidin, and didymin was 82.24, 76.38, and 89.33%, respectively. The linarin and hesperidin with the high purities of 95.8 and 97.2%, respectively, were obtained by using preparative high performance liquid chromatography. The neuroprotective effect of linarin against H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress in rat hippocampal neurons was investigated. The experimental result indicated that linarin could alleviate H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress. The work indicated that the combination of aqueous two-phase flotation and preparative high performance liquid chromatography is a feasible and practical method for the purification of nonvolatile active substances from Mentha haplocalyx, which would provide a reference process for the comprehensive utilization of M. haplocalyx. Especially, linarin might be used as a good source of natural neuroprotectants.

BACKGROUND Anal abscess is an important complication of anal fissure (AF), whereas interleukin-6R (IL-6R) has been implicated in the development of abscess. In this study, we aimed to explore the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of miRNAs on IL-6R and other inflammatory factors related to the induction of anal abscess in AF. METHODS Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis were performed to identify the possible regulatory relationships between IL-6R and miR-124/miR-125a by comparing the differentiated expression of miR-125a, miR-124, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and IL-4 among different groups of AF patients. RESULTS IL-6R messenger RNA (mRNA) was identified as a target gene of miR-124 because the luciferase activity in cells cotransfected with wild-type IL-6R and miR-124 mimics was significantly reduced. In addition, the expression of IL-6R mRNA and protein was significantly inhibited in the presence of miR-124 or an IL-6R inhibitor, confirming the presence of a negative regulatory relationship between miR-124 and IL-6R. Moreover, miR-124 and inflammatory factors were differentially expressed in AF patients carrying different genotypes of rs531564 polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS miR-124 and inflammatory factors TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-4 may be used as indicators of anal abscess development in AF patients. In addition, miR-124 polymorphism rs531564 is involved with the pathogenesis of anal abscess in AF patients, and the presence of rs531564 may increase the incidence of anal abscess via upregulating the expression of IL-6R, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-4.

Reliable monitoring of metabolites in biofluids is critical for diagnosis, treatment, and long‐term management of various diseases. Although widely used, existing enzymatic metabolite assays face challenges in clinical practice primarily due to the susceptibility of enzyme activity to external conditions and the low sensitivity of sensing strategies. Inspired by the micro/nanoscale confined catalytic environment in living cells, the coencapsulation of oxidoreductase and metal nanoparticles within the nanopores of macroporous silica foams to fabricate all‐in‐one bio‐nanoreactors is reported herein for use in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐based metabolic assays. The enhancement of catalytical activity and stability of enzyme against high temperatures, long‐time storage or proteolytic agents are demonstrated. The nanoreactors recognize and catalyze oxidation of the metabolite, and provide ratiometric SERS response in the presence of the enzymatic by‐product H2O2, enabling sensitive metabolite quantification in a “sample in and answer out” manner. The nanoreactor makes any oxidoreductase‐responsible metabolite a candidate for quantitative SERS sensing, as shown for glucose and lactate. Glucose levels of patients with bacterial infection are accurately analyzed with only 20 µL of cerebrospinal fluids, indicating the potential application of the nanoreactor in vitro clinical testing., Inspired by the spatially confined micro‐/nano‐environment in living cells, a plasmonic bio‐nanoreactor is developed by the coencapsulation of enzyme and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering tags within macroporous silica foams. The nanoreactor shows enhanced biocatalytic activity and stability, and thus the capability of molecular recognition and detection provides an all‐in‐one optical biosensor for reliable in vitro metabolic testing.

Understanding the nucleation process is very important in growing polymer nanowires as it plays a decisive role in determining the crystal structure and size distribution. Polymer chain conformation determines whether the polymer chains could assemble to nuclei or not. Here, chain conformation and the nucleation process were controlled to grow 3,6-bis-(thiophen-2-yl)-N,N′-bis(2-decyl-1-tetradecyl)-1,4-dioxo-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DT-PDBT-TT) nanowires. We changed the conformation of DT-PDBT-TT in solution and controlled the nucleation process by using a main solvent:cosolvent system. The main solvent was a low boiling point good solvent, and the cosolvent was consisted of two high boiling point solvents with different solubility. In fact, the chain conformation in the pristine solution was changed by choosing different main solvents (with H-bond, π–π or none interaction with the main chain) and temperatures. The absorption spectrum and TEM images showed that trichloro ethylene (TCE) was the best main solvent because it has H-bond interaction with the polymer main chain and DT-PDBT-TT conformation in it approaching unimer coil conformation, which is beneficial to grow nanowires. Mixed o-dichlorobenzene (ODCB) and anisole (AS) with different ratios were used to changing the solubility step by step to control nucleation process. Only when marginal cosolvent (ODCB:AS = 1:1) was added, could it decrease the nuclei number and avoided the aggregates simultaneously. As the main solvent evaporated slowly, the nucleation and growth happened, leading to the nanowires formation. The resulting nanowires were about 63 nm in width and one to two microns in length. The width of the DT-PDBT-TT structures suggests that the polymer chains are oriented along the fibril axis. Our results indicated that there are two requirements for the nanowire formation, (1) the polymer chain conformation should approach unimer coil; (2) the nucleation density should be optimized, not too much and no aggregation happened. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018

Long coherence lengths (CLs) of crystals and proper intermixed phase amount guarantee charge transport and exciton dissociate efficiently, which is crucial for organic solar cells (OSCs) to achieve high device performance. However, extending CLs usually reduces the intermixed phase, leading to an insufficient interface for exciton dissociation. Herein, a strategy using a binary polymer with different molecular weights as donor is employed, that is, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) with high (P3HT-H) and low (P3HT-L) molecular weight are blended as donor, and (5Z,5'Z)-5,5'-(((4,4,9,9-tetraoctyl-4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene-2,7-diyl)bis(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-7,4-diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(3-ethyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) (O-IDTBR) is used as acceptor. In kinetics, the entanglements of P3HT-H are relieved due to the higher molecular diffusivity of P3HT-L. In thermodynamics, the miscibility of P3HT-L/O-IDTBR, P3HT-H/O-IDTBR, and P3HT-L/P3HT-H blends increases in turn. Hence, P3HT forms a more ordered structure with longer CLs after adding P3HT-L, which also drives O-IDTBR dispersed in P3HT crystalline regions diffuse to the O-IDTBR crystalline regions to further self-organize. Consequently, the CLs of both P3HT and O-IDTBR are extended, while keeping the intermixed phase amount proper. The optimized microstructure boosts device performance from 7.03% to 7.80%, which is one of the highest values reported for P3HT/O-IDTBR blends. This is a novel way to solve the conflict mentioned above, which may provide guidance to finely regulating the morphology of the active layer.

This paper assessed the evidence of Panax notoginseng preparations in patients suffering from UAP using meta-analysis and systematic review methods. Methods were according to the Cochrane Handbook and analysed using Revman 5.3. A search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE, Chinese national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Vip information database, Wanfang data and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed) was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of P. notoginseng preparations on UAP regardless of blinding, sex and language. The outcomes include all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, cardiovascular events, UAP symptoms, improvement of electrocardiogram and adverse events. Eighteen RCTs including 1828 patients were identified. The level of reporting is generally poor. Among 18 studies, 16 studies were prescribed P. notoginseng injections, and two studies were oral P. notoginseng preparations. Reduction of cardiovascular events (RR:0.35;95% CI:0.13 to 0.94), alleviation of angina pectoris symptoms (RR:1.23;95% CI 1.18 to 1.29), improvement of ECG (RR:1.22;95% CI 1.15 to 1.28) and reduced frequency of angina pectoris (MD:-1.48; 95% CI -2.49 to -0.48) were observed. Cardiac mortality and duration of angina pectoris were not statistically significant. Panax notoginseng is beneficial to UAP patients; the results of these reviews may have important implications to clinical work. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background: Nitrogen (N) application significantly increases maize yield; however, the unreasonable use of N fertilizer is common in China. The analysis of crop yield gaps can reveal the limiting factors for yield improvement, but there is a lack of practical strategies for narrowing yield gaps of household farms. The objectives of this study were to assess the yield gap of summer maize using an integrative method and to develop strategies for narrowing the maize yield gap through precise N fertilization.; Results: The results indicated that there was a significant difference in maize yield among fields, with a low level of variation. Additionally, significant differences in N application rate were observed among fields, with high variability. Based on long-term simulation results, the optimal N application rate was 193 kg ha-1 , with a corresponding maximum attainable yield (AYmax ) of 10 318 kg ha-1 . A considerable difference between farmers' yields and AYmax was observed. Low agronomic efficiency of applied N fertilizer (AEN ) in farmers' fields was exhibited.; Conclusion: The integrative method lays a foundation for exploring the specific factors constraining crop yield gaps at the field scale and for developing strategies for rapid site-specific N management. Optimization strategies to narrow the maize yield gap include increasing N application rates and adjusting the N application schedule. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The selection of sensitizer and its existence in the blend films are important to the performance of all-polymer ternary solar cells. Herein, all-polymer ternary solar cell devices, which used poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′] dithiophene-alt-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxy-late] (PTB7-Th) as donor, poly[[N,N-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-napthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)−2,6-diyl]-alt-5, 5′-(2,2′-bithiophene)] (N2200) as acceptor and poly[N−900-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(40,70-di-2-thienyl-20,10,30-benzothiadiazole) (PCDTBT) as sensitizer, are successfully demonstrated. The intermolecular interaction between donor PTB7-Th and sensitizer PCDTBT may lead to aggregation of PTB7-Th which decreases domain sizes and enlarges D/A effective interface area. In addition, the PCDTBT molecules also extend light absorption and cascaded energy levels of the ternary blend system. As a result, with 15% PCDTBT we get a power conversion efficiency of 5.11%, almost 20% higher than control device due to more favored exciton dissociation and higher charge transport efficiency. This study reveals a promising way to achieve high efficiency all-polymer solar cells using a low-band gap polymer PCDTBT. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1811–1819

The close π–π stacking and the high J-aggregation during the formation of fibrillar morphology in films of the poly[[2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)−2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-diyl]-alt–[[2,2′-(2,5-thiophene)bis-thieno[3,2-b]thiophen]-5,5′-diyl]] (PDPPTT-T) are demonstrated via blending with polystyrene (PS). The hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of PDPPTT-T is decreased from 16.7 nm in the neat solution to 12.7 nm in the blend solution at the ratio of 1/20(PDPPTT-T/PS). This phenomenon suggests that blending PS is beneficial for the disentanglement of PDPPTT-T. The disentanglement of PDPPTT-T facilitates the formation of fibrillar morphology. The growth of the fibrils occurs along the molecular backbones and the width of the fibrils is parallel to the π–π stacking direction. The disentanglement of PDPPTT-T helps the molecules adjust conformation to improve J-aggregation and decrease the π–π stacking distance. The maximum absorption is red-shifted from 825 nm to 849 nm and the relative intensity of J-aggregation (the 0-0/0-1 ratio) is increased from 1.19 to 1.60. The π–π stacking distance decreases from 3.57 to 3.52 A. The charge-carrier mobility will be improved in the fibrillar morphology with close π–π stacking and high J-aggregation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 838–847

Huan-Nao-Yi-Cong-Fang (HNYCF) is a potential prescription in treating Alzheimer's disease. Seven constituents [ferulic acid (FA), 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (THSG), berberine hydrochloride (BHCl), emodin, ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), ginsenoside Re (Re) and ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1)] have been used as quality chemical markers of HNYCF owing to their biological significance and high contents in crude plant materials. This study explored the metabolites of the seven bioactive components in rat plasma to give useful data for further study of the action mechanism of HNYCF. LC/MS-IT-TOF was used to simultaneously characterize the metabolites of the seven components. Using the combination of MetID Solution 1.0 software and accurate mass measurements, the metabolites of HNYCF were reliably characterized. Their structures were elucidated based on the accurate MS2 spectra and comparisons of their changes in accurate molecular masses and fragment ions with those of parent compounds. A total of five parent active compounds (BHCl, emodin, Rg1, Rb1 and Re) and 10 metabolites were found from the rat plasma 2 h after oral administration of HNYCF dosage, of which two metabolites of emodin were observed for the first time. The proposed metabolic pathways of the bioactive components in the rat plasma are helpful for further studies on the pharmacokinetics and real active compound forms of this drug. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We have investigated the effect of solvent-polymer interaction on the morphology, crystallinity, and device performance of poly-(3-hexylthiophene) (p3ht) and poly{2,7-(9,9-didodecyl-fluorene)-alt-5,5-[4,7-bis(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothia-diaole]} (pf12tbt) blend system. 3-hexylthiophene (3-ht), which had the similar structural units with both donor and acceptor materials, was chosen as the solvent additive to be added into the main solvent chlorobenzene (cb), to adjust the solvent-polymer interaction. with the 3-ht percentage increasing from 5 to 30% in cb solution, the solvent-polymer interaction between polymer and solvent molecules decreased slightly according to the calculated solubility parameters () and interaction parameters ((12)). as a result, nanoscale phase-separated and interconnected morphology with decreased domain size of both donor and acceptor was formed. meanwhile, the order of p3ht molecule was enhanced which resulted from the extended film drying time and increased molecular planarity after incorporation of 3-ht. the power conversion efficiency (pce) had a gradual improvement to 1.08% as the 3-ht percentage reached 10%, which can be attributed to the enhanced short-circuit current (j(sc)) and fill factor (ff). however, when the 3-ht percentage exceeded 20%, the decreased j(sc) and ff ultimately decreased the pce. (c) 2014 wiley periodicals, inc. j. polym. sci., part b: polym. phys. 2015, 53, 288-296

Trace amount (1% to 5%) of polymers [polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)] are utilized as additives to manipulate the cold crystallization of [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) thin films. Highly crystalline PCBM films made up of well-connected domains and isolated spherulites with tunable size are produced by adjusting the type, molecular weight, and amount of polymer additives. In the nucleation stage, the polymer additives are demonstrated to have a depressing effect on PCBM nucleation. In the growth stage, we suggest that the PCBM growth rate is determined by PCBM molecular diffusion, which is demonstrated to have close correlations with the molecular mobility and crystallinity of the polymer.

According to data collected from a field experiment of controlled drainage in Yinnan Irrigation District, this paper analyses the amount of drainage water and variation of salt and water balance. Compared with traditional drainage, it is found that the volume of drainage water is obviously reduced by controlled drainage. The groundwater table in the controlled drainage areas is 1.8 cm higher than that in the traditional drainage areas. If drainage velocity is used to substitute for the volume of drainage water, the total volume of drainage water drained from controlled drainage areas is on average 50% less than that from traditional drainage areas. At the same time, the volume of underground drainage water decreases by 46%. By analysing the balance between salt and water in the controlled drainage areas, the introduced amount of salt is less than the discharged amount of salt, so salt and water are still kept in good status. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A partir des donnees de l'experience au champ du drainage controle dans la zone d'irrigation de Yinnan, cet article analyse la quantite d'eau de drainage et la variation de l'equilibre du sel et de l'eau. Compare au drainage traditionnel, on constate que le drainage controle permet clairement de reduire le volume de l'eau de drainage. Le niveau de la nappe dans les secteurs de drainage controle est 1.8 cm plus haut que dans les secteurs traditionnels. Si on substitue la vitesse de drainage au volume, le volume total des eaux de drainage est inferieur en moyenne de 50% dans les secteurs de drainage controle. En meme temps, le volume de l'eau souterraine drainee diminue de 46%. En analysant l'equilibre entre le sel et l'eau dans les secteurs controles, la quantite de sel introduite est inferieure a la quantite lessivee, ainsi le sel et l'eau sont maintenus a un bon niveau. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.