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Despite rapid progress and wide applications of room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials, it is still a great challenge to optimize the RTP activity through rational structural design at a molecular level. Herein, a successful cationic engineering strategy is demonstrated to modulate the crystal flexibility achieving controllable RTP in a new pair of metal halides [APML]ZnCl4 ([APML] = N‐(3‐Aminopropyl)morpholine) and [AEML]ZnCl4 ([AEML] = N‐(2‐Aminoethyl)morpholine). Both halides display blue fluorescence under 365 nm UV. Comparing with longer [APML]+, shorter [AEML]+ significantly enhances crystal rigidity and restrains non‐radiative scattering, boosting photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) from 18.89% to 22.41%. Synchronously, enhanced crystal rigidity significantly promotes the inter‐system crossing from singlet to triplet excited states. As a consequence, [AEML]ZnCl4 displays long‐lived green RTP property with millisecond scale lifetime in contrast to the blank RTP activity of [APML]ZnCl4. Comprehensive investigations demonstrate that the energy transfer between inorganic and organic components greatly changes the redistribution of singlet and triplet excited states, resulting in distinct phosphorescence activity. The different short‐lived blue fluorescence and long‐lived green phosphorescence provide a color‐time‐dual‐resolved luminescent tag with advanced applications in anti‐counterfeiting, etc. This work highlights a new structural engineering strategy to achieve controllable RTP affording a guide to rationally design RTP materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the cutting performance of three different types of Si3N4‐based ceramic tools (Si3N4, Si3N4–SiCw, and Si3N4–SiCw–HfB2) with distinct mechanical properties during turning of ductile cast iron. Si3N4 ceramic tool, characterized by high hardness and low toughness, showed minor micro‐chipping and the highest average flank wear rate during the initial wear stage, leading to a short cutting life of 1679 m. Si3N4–SiCw ceramic tool, with low hardness and high toughness, exhibited the highest average flank wear rate during the middle and final wear stages, resulting a short cutting life (1602 m). In contrast, the Si3N4–SiCw–HfB2 ceramic tool, featuring high hardness and high toughness, demonstrated the lower average flank wear rate during all the wear stages, leading to a longest cutting life (2636 m). The results indicated that the average flank wear rate during the initial wear stage was mainly influenced by toughness, while during the middle and final wear stages, the average flank wear rate was primarily dependent on hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Life‐threatening infections significantly impact the care of children undergoing therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are at risk of severe sepsis due to both host and treatment factors. Our aim was to develop a life‐threatening infection risk prediction model that would allow remote rapid triage of patients to reduce time to first dose of antibiotics and sepsis‐related mortality. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 2068 fever episodes during ALL therapy was used for model building and subsequent internal validation. Results: Three hundred and seventy‐seven patients were treated for ALL in two institutions with comparable critical and supportive care resources. A total of 55 patients accounted for 71 admissions to the critical care unit for sepsis that led to eight septic deaths during a 16‐year study period. A retrospective analysis of risk factors for sepsis enabled us to build a model focused on 13 variables that discriminated admissions requiring critical care well: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of.82; 95% CI.76–.87, p<.001, and Brier score of.033. Significant univariate predictors included neutropenia, presence of symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever during induction or steroid‐based phases, and the lack of any localizing source of infection at time of presentation. Conclusion: We have developed a risk prediction model that can reliably identify ALL patients undergoing treatment who are at a higher risk of life‐threatening sepsis. Clinical applicability can potentially be extended to low‐middle income settings, and its utility should be further studied in real‐world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acinetobacter baumannii is currently posing a serious threat to global health. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent virulence factor of pathogenic Gram‐negative bacteria. To explore the antigenic properties of A. baumannii LPS, four Kdo‐containing inner core glycans from A. baumannii strain ATCC 17904 were synthesized. A flexible and divergent method based on the use of the orthogonally substituted α‐Kdo‐(2→5)‐Kdo disaccharides was developed. Selective removal of different protecting groups in these key precursors and elongation of sugar chain via α‐stereocontrolled coupling with 5,7‐O‐di‐tert‐butylsilylene or 5‐O‐benzoyl protected Kdo thioglycosides and 2‐azido‐2‐deoxyglucosyl thioglycoside allowed efficient assembly of the target molecules. Glycan microarray analysis of sera from infected patients revealed that the 4,5‐branched Kdo trimer was a potential antigenic epitope, which is attractive for further immunological research to develop carbohydrate vaccines against A. baumannii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic surgery for combined tears of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (PHMM) and the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus (AHLM). Methods: Between September 2009 and December 2013, a retrospective investigation was performed on 48 patients (48 knees) with combined tears of PHMM and AHLM who underwent arthroscopic surgery. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnosis in the outpatient department. After admission, other basic examinations were performed. PHMM was treated with partial meniscectomy and AHLM was treated with external–internal suture or partial meniscectomy. Curative effect was evaluated according to Lysholm score and IKDC score. The differences of the functions as well as Lysholm and IKDC scores pre‐ and postoperatively were compared, while the diagnostic accuracy of MRI and arthroscopy for PHMM and AHLM were compared. Results: Seven patients with combined tears of PHMM and AHLM were misdiagnosed during MRI examination when arthroscopy was used as the gold standard. All patients were followed up for an average of 34.58 months (range 10–52 months) and all incisions healed by first intention with no obvious complication. The preoperative and postoperative Lysholm scores were 47.22 ± 2.77 and 87.36 ± 5.45, respectively. The IKDC scores are 54.73 ± 4.65 preoperatively and 89.62 ± 3.71 postoperatively. The positive rates of the diagnosis through MRI and arthroscopic surgery is 85.42% and 100%, respectively. At the last follow‐up, the patients had no pain, weakness, and instability, and tenderness in medial and lateral joint space disappeared. Mcmurray test was weakly positive in four patients. Excellent outcome was achieved in 39 cases, and a good outcome was achieved in five cases; the good to excellent rate was 91.67%. Conclusion: MRI examination of combined tears of PHMM and AHLM may result in misdiagnosis. Arthroscopic primary repair seemed to be an effective surgical option for treatment of combined tears of PHMM and AHLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile synthetic method to access multisubstituted unsymmetric pyrrole and pyrrolin‐4‐one derivatives is disclosed. In the presence of Cu(OAc)2 and KOAc, substituted pyrrole derivatives are produced in good yields (up to 93 %) through oxidative cyclization of enamino esters. Meanwhile, using CuCl2 and TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), pyrrolin‐4‐one derivatives are obtained in excellent yields (up to 94 %) through 1,2‐aryl migration. A wide range of functional groups have been tolerated, and a reliable method for the synthesis of valuable multisubstituted pyrroles and pyrrolin‐4‐ones has been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapidly increasing number of HIV‐1 infections have been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Fujian province of China since 2010. We aimed to investigate the causative factors underlying this surging epidemic. Using immunoassays for HIV‐1 diagnosis and phylogenetic analysis for viral genotyping, we found that the number of MSM infections doubled from 171 in 2011 to 340 in 2013 with a significantly increased prevalent rate from 4.1% to 5.2%. Majority of these increased infections took place in Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou, three large cities in Fujian, mainly among youth, unemployed, business, and well‐educated MSMs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three major HIV‐1 genotypes including CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC, and B/B’ yet the surging MSM infections were primarily associated with the rapid sexual spread of CRF07_BC in addition to CRF01_AE. In particular, there was a significant proportional expansion of CRF07_BC infections among recently infected MSMs from 19% in 2012 to 41.9% in 2013. This increase was accompanied by emergence of complex patterns of viral recombination including multiple hybrid variants derived from CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC. Full‐genome analysis indicated that CRF07_BC in Fujian was likely originated from similar strains previously found among IDUs in Yunnan province but with unique recombination break points. Our findings indicated that HIV‐1 CRF07_BC has adapted for rapid sexual transmission, resulting in the surging HIV‐1 epidemic and the emergence of new recombinant strains among MSMs in Fujian. Our findings have implications to vaccine and passive immunization trials in Fujian with emphasis on the induction of cross‐subtype protective immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of functionalized ionic liquids immobilized onto SBA‐15 mesoporous materials were prepared, characterized and evaluated as catalysts in cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides. Most of these immobilized ILs perform well in the reaction, especially the multifunctional titanium incorporated SBA‐15 immobilized heterogeneous catalysts Ti‐SBA‐15@ILClCH2COO(0.5) and Al‐SBA‐15@ILClCH2COO(0.5). The catalytic tests revealed that Ti‐SBA‐15@ILClCH2COO(0.5) was the best and powerful catalyst in the cycloaddition for the preparation of cyclic carbonates with high to excellent yields. The heterogeneous catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by filtration and reused in six consecutive cycles without significant loss in catalytic activity. The studies demonstrate that the well designed supported catalysts via cooperative catalysis of the supported carrier, anion sites of ILs is a promising platform for construction of novel and highly efficient catalytic transformation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Schiff base compound derived from naphthalene has been synthesized and characterized as an Al3+-selective fluorescent probe. The chemosensor ( L) exhibits high selectively for Al3+ in aqueous solution, even in the presence of biologically relevant cations such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Pb2+ and several transition metal ions. There was no observed interference from anions like Br−, Cl−, HSO3−, SO32−, S2O32−, NO2−, CO32− and AC−. The lowest detection limit for the chemosensor L was found to be 1.89 × 10−8 M with a linear response towards Al3+ over a concentration range of 5 × 10−6 to 4 × 10−5 M. Furthermore, the proposed chemosensor has been used for imaging of Al3+ in two different types of cells with satisfying results, which further demonstrates its value for practical application in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large tumour suppressor 1 ( LATS1) signalling network has been proved to be an essential regulator within the cell, participating in multiple cellular phenotypes. However, it is unclear concerning the clinical significance of LATS1 and the regulatory mechanisms of 17-Allylamino-17- demethoxygeldanamycin (17- AAG) in lung adenocarcinoma ( LAC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation of LATS1 and yes-associated protein ( YAP) expression with clinicopathological characteristics in LAC patients, and the effects of 17- AAG on biological behaviours of LAC cells. Subcutaneous LAC tumour models were further established to observe the tumour growth in nude mice. The results showed that the positive expression of LATS1 was significantly lowered (26.7% versus 68.0%, P < 0.001), while that of YAP was elevated (76.0% versus 56.0%, P = 0.03) in LAC tissues compared to the adjacent non-cancerous tissues; LAST1 expression was negatively correlated with YAP expression ( r = 0.432, P < 0.001) and lymphatic invasion of the tumour ( P = 0.015). In addition, 17- AAG inhibited proliferation and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in LAC cells together with increased expression of E-cadherin and p- LATS1, and decreased expression of YAP and connective tissue growth factor. Tumour volumes and weight were much smaller in 17- AAG-treated groups than those in untreated group ( P < 0.01). Taken together, our findings indicate that decreased expression of LATS1 is associated with lymphatic invasion of LAC, and 17- AAG suppresses growth and invasion of LAC cells via regulation of the LATS1/ YAP pathway in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that we may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human LAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Fe3O4-PES ultrafiltration membranes with different mass ratios of Fe3O4 and PAA were prepared from suspensions, using the phase inversion process. The suspensions consisted of polyether sulfone (PES), dimethyl formamide, polyacrylic acid (PAA), and ferrosoferric oxide (Fe3O4). The separation properties of ultrafiltration membranes with different Fe3O4/PAA mass ratio were investigated by a cross-flow experimental system. The Fe3O4/PAA mass ratio had little effect on the rejection of membranes to BSA. However, the pure water flux had a slight decline and then rised rapidly with the increase of Fe3O4/PAA mass ratio. An interesting phenomenon observed was that the Fe3O4 particles could diffuse into the nonsolvent bath during the formation of membrane, and the amount of Fe3O4 extracted into the nonsolvent bath nearly kept a constant mass ratio to PAA, even if the Fe3O4/PAA proportion was changed. The reasons of this interesting phenomenon were investigated. This result indicates that modified inorganic fillers may be used as the pore-forming agent to prepare the porous membranes like the template leaching method. At the same time, this method does not use any strong acid or base. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on metal-free iodine(III)-promoted synthesis of isoquinolones.

The substrates are prepared by a three-component reaction as is demonstrated for example (IVa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large tumour suppressor 1 (LATS1) signalling network has been proved to be an essential regulator within the cell, participating in multiple cellular phenotypes. However, it is unclear concerning the clinical significance of LATS1 and the regulatory mechanisms of 17-Allylamino-17- demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation of LATS1 and yes-associated protein (YAP) expression with clinicopathological characteristics in LAC patients, and the effects of 17-AAG on biological behaviours of LAC cells. Subcutaneous LAC tumour models were further established to observe the tumour growth in nude mice. The results showed that the positive expression of LATS1 was significantly lowered (26.7% versus 68.0%, P < 0.001), while that of YAP was elevated (76.0% versus 56.0%, P = 0.03) in LAC tissues compared to the adjacent non-cancerous tissues; LAST1 expression was negatively correlated with YAP expression (r = 0.432, P < 0.001) and lymphatic invasion of the tumour (P = 0.015). In addition, 17-AAG inhibited proliferation and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in LAC cells together with increased expression of E-cadherin and p-LATS1, and decreased expression of YAP and connective tissue growth factor. Tumour volumes and weight were much smaller in 17-AAG-treated groups than those in untreated group (P < 0.01). Taken together, our findings indicate that decreased expression of LATS1 is associated with lymphatic invasion of LAC, and 17-AAG suppresses growth and invasion of LAC cells via regulation of the LATS1/YAP pathway in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that we may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human LAC., (© 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.)

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of T-614 versus methotrexate (MTX) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind trial, 489 patients randomly received either T-614 25 mg/day for the first 4 weeks and 50 mg/day for the subsequent 20 weeks (group 1, n = 163), T-614 50 mg/day for 24 weeks (group 2, n = 163), or MTX 10 mg/week for the first 4 weeks and 15 mg/week for the subsequent 20 weeks (n = 163). Clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed at baseline and at 4, 10, 17, and 24 weeks., Results: After 24 weeks of treatment, the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement criteria response rate for patients in T-614 group 2 (63.8%) was not statistically significantly different from that for patients receiving MTX treatment (62.0%), and was superior to that for patients in T-614 group 1 (50.9%). The result of the noninferiority analysis indicated that the efficacy of T-614 (50 mg/day) was not lower than that of MTX by <10%. Rheumatoid factor and IgA, IgG, and IgM demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in all groups. Frequently reported adverse events included hematologic disorder, skin reactions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and transient liver enzyme elevations in the T-614 therapy groups. Side effects in the T-614 groups were generally fewer and milder than in the MTX group, except for skin reactions. There were no prominent cardiovascular adverse events and gastrointestinal ulcers found in the T-614 groups., Conclusion: Results indicate that T-614 therapy 50 mg/day is effective and well tolerated, and represents a new option for the treatment of patients with active RA.