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This paper examines the impact of managerial ability on bank loan contracting. We find that firms with higher‐ability managers obtain more favourable loan contract terms, including lower loan spreads, fewer covenants, and more short‐term maturities. Furthermore, the negative relation between managerial ability and loan spread is concentrated in firms with higher information asymmetry, higher default risk, or lower agency costs of debt. Finally, we find that firms with higher‐ability managers are more likely to choose public bonds over bank loans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade (MAPKKK‐MAPKK‐MAPK) plays a critical role in biotic and abiotic stress responses and abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. A previous study has shown that the ABA‐activated MKK1‐MPK1 cascade is essential in regulating ABA response and stress tolerance in rice. However, the specific MAPKKK upstream of the MKK1‐MPK1 cascade in ABA signalling remains unknown. Here, we identified that MAPKKK28, a previously uncharacterized member of the rice MEKK family, is involved in regulating ABA responses, including seed germination, root growth, stomatal closure, and the tolerance to oxidative stress and osmotic stress. We found that MAPKKK28 directly interacts with and phosphorylates MKK1. Further analysis indicated that the activation of both MKK1 and MPK1 depends on MAPKKK28 in ABA signalling. Genetic analysis revealed that MAPKKK28 functions upstream of the MKK1‐MPK1 cascade to positively regulate ABA responses and enhance tolerance to oxidative and osmotic stress. These results not only reveal a new complete MAPK cascade in plants but also uncover its importance in ABA signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X chromosome‐linked disorder and can be easily misdiagnosed. Here, we report the case of a 69‐year‐old male patient with FD who developed heart failure and showed extremely high pulmonary artery pressure. His initial symptom was recurrent atrial fibrillation. The left and right atrial inner diameters were large, and the ventricular wall was thick. Gene analysis which showed GLA c.215T>C p.Met72Thr mutation and single photon emission computed tomography indicated the diagnosis of FD with coronary microvascular dysfunction. The patient was prescribed anti‐heart failure drugs, including vericiguat. Following the treatment, his heart function and microvascular perfusion significantly improved, which might be due to the beneficial effects of vericiguat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological divergence due to habitat difference plays a prominent role in the formation of new species, but the genetic architecture during ecological speciation and the mechanism underlying phenotypic divergence remain less understood. Two wild ancestors of rice (Oryza rufipogon and Oryza nivara) are a progenitor‐derivative species pair with ecological divergence and provide a unique system for studying ecological adaptation/speciation. Here, we constructed a high‐resolution linkage map and conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of 19 phenotypic traits using an F2 population generated from a cross between the two Oryza species. We identified 113 QTLs associated with interspecific divergence of 16 quantitative traits, with effect sizes ranging from 1.61% to 34.1% in terms of the percentage of variation explained (PVE). The distribution of effect sizes of QTLs followed a negative exponential, suggesting that a few genes of large effect and many genes of small effect were responsible for the phenotypic divergence. We observed 18 clusters of QTLs (QTL hotspots) on 11 chromosomes, significantly more than that expected by chance, demonstrating the importance of coinheritance of loci/genes in ecological adaptation/speciation. Analysis of effect direction and v‐test statistics revealed that interspecific differentiation of most traits was driven by divergent natural selection, supporting the argument that ecological adaptation/speciation would proceed rapidly under coordinated selection on multiple traits. Our findings provide new insights into the understanding of genetic architecture of ecological adaptation and speciation in plants and help effective manipulation of specific genes or gene cluster in rice breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Small animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanners are widely used in current biomedical research. The study aimed to develop high‐efficiency and ultra‐high‐resolution detectors that could be used to develop a small animal PET scanner with high sensitivity and spatial resolution approaching to its physical limit. Methods: Four crystal arrays were fabricated and measured in this study. Crystal arrays 1 and 2 consisted of 38 × 38 gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG) and lutetium–yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals of 0.4 × 0.4 × 20 mm3 size. Crystal array 3 consisted of 16 × 16 GAGG crystals of 0.3 × 0.3 × 20 mm3 size, and crystal array 4 consisted of 24 × 24 LYSO crystals 0.3 × 0.3 × 20 mm3 in size. The crystal arrays were dual‐ended readouts using 8 × 8 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays of 2 × 2 mm2 pixel area. The SiPM array was readout using a signal multiplexing circuit to convert the 64 output signals into four position‐encoding signals. The performances of the four detectors in terms of flood histogram, energy resolution, depth of interaction (DOI) resolution, and timing resolution were measured. Results: The GAGG detectors provided better flood histograms, ∼30% higher photopeak amplitude, ∼20% higher energy resolution, ∼12% worse DOI resolution, and ∼15% worse timing resolution compared with LYSO detectors of the same crystal size. These four detectors provided DOI resolutions of <2 mm, energy resolutions of <22%, and timing resolutions of <1.6 ns. All crystals of 0.4 × 0.4 × 20 mm3 and 0.3 × 0.3 × 20 mm3 could be clearly resolved if the crystal array was 1 mm smaller in the four sides than that in the SiPM array. Conclusions: High DOI resolution PET detectors were developed using both GAGG and LYSO arrays with crystal sizes of 0.3 and 0.4 mm, respectively, and a length of 20 mm. The detectors can be used in the future to develop small animal PET scanners, especially dedicated mouse imaging PET scanners, which can simultaneously achieve high sensitivity and ultra‐high spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The performance of small animal PET scanners depends on the energy window (EW) and timing window (TW). In National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Standards Publication NU 4–2008, detailed procedures of the performance measurements are defined, but the EW and TW are not specified. In this work, the effects of EW and TW on the physical and imaging performance of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology small animal PET (SIAT aPET) will be evaluated. Methods: First, the flood histogram, energy resolution, and timing resolution were measured for a detector of SIAT aPET. Second, the spatial resolutions were measured with different EWs. Third, the sensitivities, the scatter fractions (SFs), and noise equivalent count rates (NECRs) of a mouse‐sized phantom and a rat‐sized phantom, the recovery coefficients (RCs) of rods of different sizes, and the percentage standard deviation (%STD) of the NEMA image quality phantom were measured for different EWs and TWs. Last, images of a hot rod phantom, a mouse heart, and a rat brain were acquired from the scanner with different EWs. Results: The SIAT aPET detectors provided good flood histograms such that all but the corner crystals can be resolved even with lower energies of 250–350 keV, an average energy resolution of 21.1 ± 1.9%, and an average timing resolution of 2.63 ± 0.69 ns. The average spatial resolutions obtained with EWs of 250–350 keV and 450–550 keV are 0.68 mm and 0.75 mm. For EWs of 250–750 keV, 350–750 keV, and 450–750 keV with a fixed TW of 12 ns, the sensitivities at the center of field of view (FOV) are 16.0%, 11.9%, and 8.2%, the peak NECRs of a mouse‐sized phantom are 355.6 kcps, 324.4 kcps, and 249.4 kcps, and the peak NECRs of a rat‐sized phantom are 148.5 kcps, 144.3 kcps, and 117.7 kcps, respectively. For the TWs of 4 ns, 8 ns,12 ns, and 20 ns with a fixed EW of 350–750 keV, the sensitivities at the center of FOV are 9.6%, 11.4%, 11.9%, and 12.2%, the peak NECRs of a mouse‐sized phantom are 260.1 kcps, 311.5 kcps, 324.4 kcps and 324.9 kcps, and the peak NECRs of a rat‐sized phantom are 110.5 kcps, 137.3 kcps, 144.3 kcps, and 142.6 kcps, respectively. Narrowing the EW and TW improves the RCs of rods of all sizes, and the %STD of images obtained with different EWs and TWs are similar. Rods with diameter down to 0.8 mm can be visually resolved from images of the hot rod phantom obtained with different EWs. Images of mouse heart with high spatial resolution and rat brain with detail brain structure were obtained with different EWs. Images of both phantom and in vivo animals obtained with different EWs only showed subtle difference. Conclusion: The performance of SIAT aPET under different EWs and TWs was compared. The EW and TW affect the sensitivity, SF, and NECR but not the spatial resolution and animal images of SIAT aPET, which imply that careful optimization of the EW and TW is not required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) influence tumor progression and patient prognosis, making them attractive therapeutic targets for immunotherapy research. A deeper understanding of immune cell distributions in the TME in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is needed to identify interactions among different immune cell types that might impact the effectiveness of potential immunotherapies. We performed multiplex immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray of samples from 302 patients with HCC to elucidate the spatial distributions of immune cell subpopulations (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD66b+, and CD68+) in HCC and normal liver tissues. We analyzed the associations between different immune subpopulations using Pearson's correlation. G(r) functions, K(r) functions and Euclidean distance were applied to characterize the bivariate distribution patterns among the immune cell types. Cox regression and Kaplan‐Meier analysis were used to evaluate the associations between tumor infiltration by different immune cells and patient outcomes after curative surgery. We also analyzed the relationship between the spatial distribution of different immune cell subpopulations with HCC patient prognosis. We found that the immune cell spatial distribution in the HCC TME is heterogeneous. Our study provides a theoretical basis for HCC immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex interplay among gasotransmitters is of great significance but remains technically challenging. In this study, we present the design and synthesis of a dually responsive BOD‐NH‐SC reporter for probing the dynamic and alternating existence of NO and H2S in living cells. This designed reporter can repeatedly cycle S‐nitrosation and transnitrosation reactions when successively treated with NO and H2S, thus affording the interchange of NIR fluorescence at 645 nm (NO) and NIR II fluorescence at 936 nm (H2S). In light of this unique fluorescence alternation between two colors, we synthesized water‐soluble BOD‐NH‐SC dots to visualize the intracellular dynamics of NO and H2S. These molecular probes thus provide a toolbox to elucidate the interplaying roles of NO and H2S in the complex interaction networks of various signal transduction pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was focused on dual effects of 20 wt % hydrochloric acid etching treatment on cell responses and mechanical properties of a porous titanium with controllable open‐porous structure. The results show that the acid etching induced the formation of a rough surface on the porous titanium, resulting in a remarkable improvement of the MG‐63 osteoblasts adhesion and proliferation on the porous titanium. The surface roughness is found to be mainly dependent on the etching time. As increasing etching time, the surface roughness exhibited a noticeable rise. After etching for 90 min, the best cell response was achieved on the rough surface with a roughness value of 3.7 mm. However, the acid etching treatment displayed a negative effect on the porous titanium strength, and the yield strength was reduced down to 106 MPa as the etching time increased to 150 min. Taking both the cell responses and strength into account, an optimal etching time was determined as 60 min by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here the authors designed and synthesized three branched thiophene polymers with different effective conjugation lengths of thiophene groups, pTPBT, pTPTT, and pTPQT, mainly based on bithiophene, trithiophene, and quadruple thiophene. The electrochemical curves and theoretical calculation results reflect that the oxidation potential of polymers decreased gradually as the conjugation lengths of thiophene groups increased, which is favorable for the appearance of electrochromism. Electrochromic properties demonstrate that pTBTT displays no electrochromism, pTPTT exhibits an unstable one, while pTPQT shows an obvious stable electrochromism between yellow‐orange and blue‐violet colors. These results indicate that thiophene polymers with effective electrochromism should be the smallest conjugation length of quadruple thiophene at least. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2340–2348 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NIR light responsive nanoplatforms hold great promise for on‐demand drug release in precision cancer medicine. However, currently available systems utilize "always‐on" photothermal transducers that lack target specificity, and thus inaccurately differentiate tumors from normal tissues. Developed here is a theranostic nanoplatform featuring H2S‐mediated in situ production of NIR photothermal agents for imaging‐guided and photocontrolled drug release. The system targets H2S‐rich cancers. This nanoplatform shows H2S‐activatable NIR‐II emission and NIR light controllable release of the drug Camptothecin‐11. Upon administering the system to HCT116 tumor‐bearing mice, the tumor is greatly suppressed with minimal side effects, arising from the synergy of the cancer‐specific and NIR light activated therapy. This theranostic nanoplatform thus sheds light on precision medicine with guidance through NIR‐II imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High‐sensitivity and high‐resolution depth‐encoding positron emission tomography (PET) detectors are required to simultaneously improve the sensitivity and spatial resolution of a PET scanner so that the quantitative accuracy of PET studies can be improved. The semi‐monolithic scintillator PET detector has the advantage of measuring the depth of interaction with single‐ended readout as compared to the traditional pixelated scintillator detector, and significantly reducing the edge effect that deteriorates the spatial resolution at edges of the detector as compared to the monolithic scintillator detector if a long rectangular semi‐monolithic detector is used. In this work, depth‐encoding PET detector modules were built by using long rectangular semi‐monolithic scintillators and single‐ended readout by silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays. The performance of the detector modules was measured. Methods: The rectangular semi‐monolithic scintillator detector has an outside dimension of 11.6 × 37.6 × 10 mm3 and consists of 11 polished lutetium‐yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) slices measuring 1 × 37.6 × 10 mm3. The enhanced specular reflector (ESR) was glued on both cross‐sectional surfaces of each crystal slice. For the face opposite to the SiPM array and the two end faces of the detectors, surface treatments with and without black paint were implemented for performance comparison. The bottom face of the semi‐monolithic detector was coupled to a 4 × 12 SiPM array that was grouped along rows and columns separately into 16 signals. The four row signals were used to identify the slices, and the 12 column signals were used to estimate the y (monolithic direction) and z (depth direction) interaction positions. The detector was irradiated at multiple positions with a collimated 511 keV gamma beam. The collimated beam was obtained with electronic collimation by using a 22Na point source and a reference detector. The estimated width of the gamma beam is around 0.5 mm. The flood histogram for crystal slices was measured by using the center of gravity (COG) method. The COG method and the squared COG method were used for y position estimation. The standard deviation of the column signals, the ratio of maximum to the sum of the column signals, and the sum of squared column signals were used for z position estimation. Results: All slices were clearly resolved from the measured flood histograms for both detectors with different crystal surface treatments. The estimated y positions roughly linearly change with the true positions at the middle of the detector until ~5 mm from both ends of the detector. The y and z spatial resolutions of the detectors were estimated for all middle positions located more than 5 mm from both ends of the detector. The squared COG method provides better y position resolution than the COG method. The three z estimation methods provide similar depth of interaction (DOI) resolution. Surface treatment with black paint significantly improves both y and z position resolution but degrades the energy and timing resolution of the detectors. The average full width half maxima (FWHM) spatial resolution is improved from 1.77 to 1.07 mm in the y direction by using the squared COG method and from 2.71 to 1.55 mm in the z direction by using the standard deviation method. The slice‐based average energy resolution degrades from 15.8% to 24.9%. The timing resolution of the entire detector module degrades from 596 to 788 ps. Conclusion: The performance of rectangular semi‐monolithic scintillator PET detectors with two different crystal surface treatments was measured. The detectors provide superior spatial resolution and depth‐encoding capability and can be used to develop small animal and dedicated breast and brain PET scanners that can simultaneously achieve high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel lanthanide complexes [Er (3,4‐DMBA)3(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)(H2O)] (1); [Tb2 (3,4‐DMBA)6(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)2(H2O)] (2); [Eu (3,4‐DMBA)3(3,4‐DMHBA)(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)]2 (3) (3,4‐DMHBA = 3,4‐dimethylbenzoic acid, 5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy =5,5′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine) were successfully synthesized via conventional solution method at room temperature and structurally characterized by single crystal diffraction. The structures of the complexes 1–3 were confirmed on the basis of elemental analysis, coordination titration analysis, IR and XRD. The molecular structures of complexes 2 and 3 are very particular: complex 2 has two same central metal ions but each metal ion has different coordination environment; in structure of the complex 3, there are eight carboxylic acid ligands coordinated to the central metal ions, which have rarely been reported previously. The thermal decomposition mechanism of complexes 1–3 were investigated by the technology of simultaneous TG/DSC‐FTIR. The heat capacities of the complexes were recorded by means of DSC over the range of from 253.15 K to 345.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters, the smoothed values of heat capacities, enthalpy (HT‐H298.15K) and entropy (ST‐S298.15K) were also calculated. The bacteriostatic activities of the complexes were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. What's more, the luminescence properties of complexes 2 and 3 were discussed, and their fluorescence lifetimes as well as the quantum yield of the Eu (III) were measured. To elucidate the energy transfer process of complexes 2 and 3, the energy levels of the relevant electronic states have been estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two novel binuclear lanthanide complexes [Ln(2, 5‐DClBA)3(5,5’‐DM‐2,2’‐bipy)(H2O)]2(5,5’‐DM‐2,2’‐bipy) (Ln=Eu(1), Tb(2)); 2,5‐DClBA=2,5‐dichlorobenzoate; 5,5’‐DM‐2,2’‐bipy=5,5’‐dimethyl‐2,2’‐bipyridine) have been successfully synthesized via conventional solution method and then characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and elemental analysis. These two binuclear complexes differ from other reported binuclear complexes, because the free neutral ligands are not common in crystal structure. The complexes are isomorphic, which have the same coordination number of eight with a distorted square antiprismatic molecular geometry. The binuclear units feature hydrogen bonding (O−H⋅⋅⋅N and C−H⋅⋅⋅Cl) and π‐π stacking interactions assemble the adjacent molecular units into 1D, 2D and 3D supramolecular novel structures. It is worth noting that the novel 1D supramolecular structure is formed by the hydrogen bonding interaction between the nitrogen atoms of free 5,5’‐DM‐2,2’‐bipy ligand and the oxygen atom of the coordination water molecule. The thermal decomposition mechanism of the two complexes were studied by TG/DSC‐FTIR techniques. Additionally, the luminescence spectra and lifetime have been studied in detail. The results indicate that Eu3+ ion and Tb3+ ion could be sensitized by ligands and thus emitted intense characteristic red and green luminescence, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: WW domain‐containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), which has a protein‐interaction domain and is regarded to be a tumor suppressor, has been known to play an important role in anti‐angiogenesis and cancer progression. This study aimed to investigate prognostic values of WWOX expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after hepatectomy. Additionally, we intended to formulate a valuable prognostic nomogram for HCCs. 182 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy from January 2009 to January 2010 were enrolled in our study. qRT‐PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays were then used to determine the expression levels of WWOX. An evaluation of the role of WWOX expression levels in the prognosis and outcome of patients was established. A decrease in the expression of WWOX was found when compared to adjacent tumor‐free tissues, which led to worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and, therefore, was considered as an independent negative factor in the prognosis of HCC. Two nomograms, comprising WWOX, alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), tumor size, and γ‐glutamyltransferase (γ‐GT), were constructed to obtain superior discriminatory abilities than conventional staging systems in terms of C‐index and clinical net benefit on decision curve analysis (DCA) for OS and RFS. Our data suggest that WWOX expression is strongly related to HCC post‐resection aggressiveness and recurrence. Additional advanced and accurate predictive model through the incorporation of WWOX into nomogram could help predict OS or RFS for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The performance of current small animal PET scanners is mainly limited by the detector performance and depth encoding detectors are required to develop PET scanner to simultaneously achieve high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. Among all depth encoding PET detector approaches, dual‐ended readout detector has the advantage to achieve the highest depth of interaction (DOI) resolution and spatial resolution. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is believed to be the photodetector of the future for PET detector due to its excellent properties as compared to the traditional photodetectors such as photomultiplier tube (PMT) and avalanche photodiode (APD). The purpose of this work is to develop high resolution depth encoding small animal PET detector using dual‐ended readout of finely pixelated scintillator arrays with SiPMs. Methods: Four lutetium‐yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) arrays with 11 × 11 crystals and 11.6 × 11.6 × 20 mm3 outside dimension were made using ESR, Toray and BaSO4 reflectors. The LYSO arrays were read out with Hamamatsu 4 × 4 SiPM arrays from both ends. The SiPM array has a pixel size of 3 × 3 mm2, 0.2 mm gap in between the pixels and a total active area of 12.6 × 12.6 mm2. The flood histograms, DOI resolution, energy resolution and timing resolution of the four detector modules were measured and compared. Results: All crystals can be clearly resolved from the measured flood histograms of all four arrays. The BaSO4 arrays provide the best and the ESR array provides the worst flood histograms. The DOI resolution obtained from the DOI profiles of the individual crystals of the four array is from 2.1 to 2.35 mm for events with E > 350 keV. The DOI ratio variation among crystals is bigger for the BaSO4 arrays as compared to both the ESR and Toray arrays. The BaSO4 arrays provide worse detector based DOI resolution. The photopeak amplitude of the Toray array had the maximum change with depth, it provides the worst energy resolution of 21.3%. The photopeak amplitude of the BaSO4 array with 80 μm reflector almost doesn't change with depth, it provides the best energy resolution of 12.9%. A maximum timing shift of 1.37 ns to 1.61 ns among the corner and the center crystals in the four arrays was obtained due to the use of resistor network readout. A crystal based timing resolution of 0.68 ns to 0.83 ns and a detector based timing resolution of 1.26 ns to 1.45 ns were obtained for the four detector modules. Conclusions: Four high resolution depth encoding small animal PET detectors were developed using dual‐ended readout of pixelated scintillator arrays with SiPMs. The performance results show that those detectors can be used to build a small animal PET scanner to simultaneously achieve uniform high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new lanthanide complexes [Ln(4-EBA)3(5,5′-DM-2,2′-bipy)]2·2C2H5OH (Ln = Ho (1), Tb (2), Er (3)); [Ln(4-EBA)3(4-EBAH)(5,5′-DM-2,2′-bipy)]2 (Ln = Eu(4); 4-EBA =4-ethylbenzoate; 5,5′-DM-2,2′-bipy =5,5′-dimethy-2,2′-bipyridine; 4-EBAH = 4-ethylbenzoic acid) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. The single crystal results reveal that complexes 1–3 are isostructural. It is worth noting that the mole ratios of the carboxylate ligands and neutral ligands is 4:1 in complex 4, which is different from the former and has been rarely reported. Nevertheless, all complexes are connected to form 1D chain by π···π wake staking interactions. Additionally, the complexes 2 (Tb(III)) and 4 (Eu(III)) exhibit characteristic luminescent properties, indicating that ligands can be used as sensitizing chromophore in these systems. The thermal decomposition mechanism of the complexes has been investigated by TG/DSC–FTIR technology. Stacked plots of the FTIR spectra of the evolved gases show complexes broken down into H2O, CO2, and other gaseous molecules as well as the gaseous organic fragments. The studies on bacteriostatic activities of complexes show that four complexes have good bacteriostatic activities against Candida albicans but no bacteriostatic activity on Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the complexes 1 to 3 have better bacteriostatic activities on Candida albicans than complex 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lanthanide coordination complexes Er(2,3-DMOBA)3(terpy)(H2O) (1) and [Nd(2,3-DMOBA)3(terpy)(H2O)]2 (2) (2,3-DMOBA = 2,3-dimethoxybenzoate; terpy = 2,2':6',2'-terpyridine) were synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1-, and the mononuclear subunits form a 1D chain structure along the a axis by hydrogen bonds. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c, and the dinuclear subunits are further linked via the offset face-to-face π⋯π weak stacking interactions to form a supramolecular 2D layered structure. Thermal analysis showed that the complexes have three decomposition steps. The first step is the loss of coordination water molecules. The neutral terpy ligands and partial 2,3-DMOBA ligands are lost in the second step. The remaining 2,3-DMOBA ligands are lost in the third step. The 3D stacked plots for the FT-IR spectra of the evolved gases are recorded and the gaseous products are identified by the typical IR spectra obtained at different temperatures from the 3D stacked plots. Meanwhile, the results of the antibacterial action tests show that 1 and 2 have better antibacterial activities to Candida albicans than to Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, complex 2 has better antibacterial action to Candida albicans than complex 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications of mass spectrometry (MS) are rapidly expanding and encompass molecular and cellular biology. MS aids in the analysis of in vivo global molecular alterations, identifying potential biomarkers which may improve diagnosis and treatment of various pathologies. MS has added new dimensionality to medical research. Pioneering gynecologists now study molecular mechanisms underlying female reproductive pathology with MS-based tools. Although benign gynecologic disorders including endometriosis, adenomyosis, leiomyoma, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) carry low mortality rates, they cause significant physical, mental, and social detriments. Additionally, some benign disorders are unfortunately associated with malignancies. MS-based technology can detect malignant changes in formerly benign proteomes and metabolomes with distinct advantages of speed, sensitivity, and specificity. We present the use of MS in proteomics and metabolomics, and summarize the current understanding of the molecular pathways concerning female reproductive anatomy. Highlight discoveries of novel protein and metabolite biomarkers via MS-based technology, we underscore the clinical application of these techniques in the diagnosis and management of benign gynecological disorders. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 36:450-470, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A novel dual-responsive (light and pH) particle based on poly(methacrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid)-poly[1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethane-1,2-diyl bis(2-methylacrylate)]was prepared with the facile method of two-step homogeneous radical polymerization with methacrylic acid as the monomer and 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethane-1,2-diyl bis(2-methylacrylate) as a photodegradable crosslinker. Photolytic assessments were conducted upon irradiation with a UV lamp; this led to particle disintegration caused by cleavage of the photolabile crosslinking points. The light-dependent degradation was investigated through particle size changes, absorption spectra variations, surface morphology changes, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the release of Nile red from the particles after irradiation. The pH dependence of the particle systems induced by the protonation and deprotonation of poly(methacrylic acid) was also confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy. The triggered release of fluorescein diacetate was investigated to demonstrate that the release behavior in cells was light dependent. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44003. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RATIONALE Human genetics studies in African Americans have shown a strong correlation between polymorphisms in the ApoL1 gene and chronic kidney disease (CKD). To gain further insight into the etiology of ApoL1-associated kidney diseases, the determination of circulating levels of both wild type as well as ApoL1 variants could be of significant use. To date, antibodies that discriminate between all three ApoL1variant forms (wild type, G1 and G2) are not available. We aimed to develop a rapid method for detecting and quantifying ApoL1 variants and total levels in plasma. METHODS Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in multiple-reaction monitoring acquisition mode was used to quantify ApoL1. RESULTS We demonstrated that it is feasible to detect and quantify ApoL1 variants (wild type, G1 and G2), and total ApoL1 concentrations in plasma. ApoL1 genotypes determined by LC/MS agreed perfectly with the traditional method DNA sequencing for 74 human subjects. The method exhibited at least three orders of linearity with a lower limit of quantification of 10 nM. Moreover, the method can readily be multiplexed for the quantification of a panel of protein markers in a single sample. CONCLUSIONS The method reported herein obviates the need to perform DNA genotyping of ApoL1 variants, which is of significant value in cases where stored samples are unsuitable for DNA analysis. More importantly, the method could potentially be of use in the early identification of individuals at risk of developing CKD, and for the stratification of patients for treatment with future ApoL1-modifying therapies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel core/sheath glycosylated polyphosphazene nanofibrous membrane for use in protein recognition is fabricated via coaxial electrospinning process with alkyl polyphosphazene as the sheath and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the core, followed by introduction of saccharide residues to the surface of the polyphosphazene nanofibrous membrane using alkyne-azide 'click' chemistry. A glucose/protein binding assay effectively demonstrates that this nanofibrous membrane can selectively recognize Con A while showing almost no binding with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Furthermore, the affinity capability of proteins (BSA and Con A) for the glycosylated polyphosphazene surface is investigated quantitatively using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thiol-ene radical addition reaction has been successfully used to synthesize polyphosphazene derivatives. Poly[bis(allylamino)phosphazene] with pendant allyl groups was reacted with different thiol reagents under UV irradiation. These thiol reagents include 1-pentanethiol, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercapto-1,2-propane-diol, and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-1-thio-β- D-glucopyranose. 1H NMR analyses confirm that the allyl polyphosphazene can be quantitatively modified by the mercaptans. In total, 100% conversion of the allyl groups was reached in <60 min toward the first three mercaptans, whereas about 80% conversion of the allyl groups was reached after 120-min reaction toward the thioglucose. This method is a facile route for the synthesis of functional polyphosphazenes without the needs for protection/deprotection procedures. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a versatile approach to synthesize glycosylated polyphosphazenes with controllable density of glycosyl groups. These glycopolymers have been synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution of poly(dichlorophosphazene) with propargylamine and subsequent 'thiol-yne' click reaction between poly[di(propargylamine)phosphazene] and 2,3,4,6-tetra- O-acetyl-1-thio-β- D-glucopyranose (SH-GlcAc4). The polymers were characterized with FTIR and 1H NMR. We found that the high steric hindrance of SH-GlcAc4 plays a key role in the overall reaction process, and ∼55% of the alkyne groups participate in the 'thiol-yne' click reaction. About 8% of the alkyne groups convert to alkene groups at the end of click reaction. The substitution of alkyne/alkane mixture was conducted to reduce the alkyne density in the side groups of polyphosphazenes and minimize the influences of this steric effect. Mixed-substituent polyphosphazene was synthesized with 2:3 ratio of alkyne and alkane. In this case, almost no alkyne group remains after the 'thiol-yne' click reaction, and thus the glycosylated polyphosphazene is able to form into micelles through self-assembly process. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study has identified HTPAP as a novel metastasis suppressor from chromosome 8p which is often deleted in metastatic HCC. We sought to further evaluate the expression levels of transcript variants of HTPAP (HTPAP-1, HTPAP-2 and HTPAP-3) in 67 HCC tumor tissues and 11 normal liver tissues by RT-PCR with specific TaqMan probes and primer sets, and explore their association with HCC metastasis and survival. We found that the expression levels of three HTPAP transcript variants were quite different in HCCs. Only HTPAP-1 was found to be significantly associated with HCC metastasis ( P = 0.00053), overall survival ( P = 0.0023) and time to recurrence ( P = 0.010) of HCC. Patients with a lower expression of HTPAP-1 were inclined to accompany intrahepatic metastases and tumor thrombi ( P < 0.05) and had a poor prognosis. In vitro, three fusion pEGFP-N1 vectors encoding HTPAP-1, HTPAP-2 and HTPAP-3 were introduced into HCC cells respectively to track HTPAPs' expressions and identify their function. We found overexpression of HTPAP-1 conferred HCC cells reduced ability of invasion without significant impact on cell proliferation, and also displayed a distinct cell location on cell membrane and in cytoplasm, which were different from two other variants. Consequently, HTPAP-1 may be the transcript of HTPAP to exhibit a suppressive role on HCC metastasis, and can be a prognostic marker for HCC. ( Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 583-590) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on the growth and metastasis of human malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are controversial, and the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. The aim of this study was to explore the role of MSC in the progression of HCC. We investigated the effect of MSC on in vitro proliferation and invasion and in vivo tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis of MHCC97-H HCC cells with a high metastatic potential. The mRNA and protein levels of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ1) and MMP, and their association with the effects of MSC on HCC cells were also evaluated. Co-culture of MHCC97-H cells with MSC conditioned medium significantly enhanced in vitro proliferation but inhibited invasiveness. Following MSC treatment of a nude mouse model bearing human HCC, the MSC were predominantly located in the HCC tissues. Compared with controls, MSC-treated mice exhibited significantly larger tumors (3080.51 ± 1234.78 mm vs 2223.75 ± 1000.60 mm, P = 0.045), but decreased cellular numbers of lung metastases (49.75 ± 18.86 vs 227.22 ± 74.67, P = 0.046). Expression of TGFβ1 and MMP-2 was significantly downregulated in the MSC-treated HCC cells. TGFβ siRNA concurrently downregulated expression of TGFβ and MMP-2 in HCC cells and blocked the MSC-induced proliferation and invasiveness of MHCC97-H cells. The MSC enhanced tumor growth but significantly inhibited the invasiveness and metastasis of HCC, possibly through downregulation of TGFβ1. These findings suggest that MSC could be useful in controlling metastatic recurrence of HCC. ( Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 2546-2553) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new complexes [Sm(o-NBA)3bipy]2·2H2O (1) and [Sm(o-BrBA)3bipy]2·2H2O (2) (where o-NBA is o-nitrobenzoic acid, o-BrBA is o-bromobenzoic acid, and bipy is 2,2′-bipyridine) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV, and molar conductance, respectively. The thermal decomposition behaviors of the two complexes were investigated by means of TG–DTG and IR techniques. The thermal decomposition kinetics was studied by using advanced double equal-double steps method, nonlinear integral isoconversional method, and nonlinear differential isoconversional method. The kinetic parameters of the second-step process for the two complexes were obtained, respectively. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 607–616, 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title complex [Dy(p-ClBA)3Phen]2·2H2O was synthesized, where p-ClBA is p-chlorobenzoate and Phen is 1,10-phenanthroline. The complex was characterized by various techniques including elemental analysis, IR, XRD, and molar conductance. The thermal decomposition of the complex was studied under the nonisothermal condition by TG-DTG and IR techniques. The kinetic parameters of dehydration process were obtained from the analysis of DSC curves of the complex by the NL-DIF and Popescu methods, respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 40: 66–72, 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental regulation of picoplankton distribution in the northern South China Sea was examined in winter and summer of 2004. The average abundance of Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus, and heterotrophic bacteria was lower in winter (30, 21, and 780 × 103 cells/cm3, respectively) than in summer (53, 85, and 1 090 × 103 cells/cm3, respectively), but the seasonal pattern was opposite for picoeukaryotic phytoplankton (4 500 and 3 200 cells/cm3 in winter and summer, respectively). Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, and bacteria were most abundant in the nutrient-rich coastal zone and continental shelf, but Prochlorococcus was most abundant in the continental slope and open ocean. The vertical distribution of each photosynthetic group and heterotrophic bacteria changed between the two seasons. Synechococcus populations with apparently different phycoerythrobilin content occurred at many stations in the summer. In addition, two different populations of Prochlorococcus were found: (i) small, weakly fluorescing cells in the surface layer; and (ii) larger, strongly fluorescent cells in the deep layer. The distribution pattern of photosynthetic picoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria depends on environmental effects and their ecophysiological differences. The distribution of Synechococcus appeared to be related to nutrient availability, whereas the distribution of Prochlorococcus appeared to be limited by temperature. Synechococcus was the only picophytoplankton with a consistent strong relationship with bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexes of [Sm2(m-ClBA)6(phen)2] · 2H2O and [Sm2(m-BrBA)6(phen)2] · 2H2O (m-ClBA = m-chlorobenzoate, m-BrBA = m-bromobenzoate, and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. The thermal decomposition processes of the two complexes were studied by means of TG–DTG and IR techniques. Their thermal decomposition kinetics were investigated from the analysis of the TG and DTG curves by jointly using a new method proposed by us and a newly nonlinear isoconversional integral method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 67–74, 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six new lanthanide complexes, with the formula [La(2,6‐DMBA)3(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)(H2O)]2 (1) and [Ln(2,6‐DMBA)3(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)]2 (Ln = Tb(2), Dy(3), Ho(4), Pr(5), Nd(6)) (2,6‐DMBA = 2,6‐dimethylbenzoate, 5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy = 5,5′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine) have been successfully synthesized and characterized. These title complexes have three different structural types. The structure of complex 1(type I) contains coordination water molecules, and the coordination number is 8. The coordination numbers of complexes 2–4 and 5–6 are 8 and 9, showing a distorted square antiprism geometry and distorted monocapped square anti‐prismatic geometry, respectively. However they have the same general formula and they can be all assembled into the same 1D, 2D supramolecular structures via the C‐H···O hydrogen bonding interactions, which is interesting in previous lanthanide complexes. The complexes were analyzed by TG‐DSC/FTIR. In addition, the visible light luminescence experiments of Tb (III) complex was carried out, and the characteristic luminescence behavior of strong green color was shown. And the fluorescence lifetime and intrinsic quantum yield were calculated. The magnetic properties of complexes 2–4 were also studied, and the results showed that complex 3 and complexes 2, 4 have ferromagnetic interactions and antiferromagnetic interactions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel trivalent lanthanide complexes, [Ln(2,3‐DMOBA)3(5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy)]2·C2H5OH (Ln = Eu(1), Sm(2), Gd(3), Ho(4) Er(5), Pr(6), Nd(7)) (2,3‐DMOBA = 2,3‐dimethoxybenzoate, 5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy = 5,5′‐dimethy‐2,2′‐bipyridine), have been successfully synthesized and structurally validated by single crystal diffraction. All complexes discussed herein feature a binuclear structure, and contain only one free ethanol molecule, which is interesting in the lanthanide complexes. The coordination number of center Ln3+ ions is nine, showing a distorted monocapped square anti‐prismatic coordination geometry. Through a pair of alternating identical C‐H···O hydrogen bonding interactions between two 2,3‐DMOBA ligands on the same lanthanum binuclear unit with 5,5′‐DM‐2,2′‐bipy ligands on two neighboring units, the binuclear complexes can form one‐ The thermal analysis of these complexes are investigated by TG‐DSC/FTIR, the result show that the decomposition process of complexes are mainly divided into four stages with the formation of the respective oxides. The visible light emission experiment of complex 1 is carried out, and the characteristic luminescence behavior of intense red light is exhibited. What'more, fluorescence lifetimes as well as the fluorescent quantum yield of complex 1 is calculated. And the magnetic properties of complexes 3–5 are also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the binuclear title complex, [Dy(2)(C(7)H(3)N(2)O(6))(6)(C(12)H(8)N(2))(2)], the Dy(III) ions exhibit a distorted monocapped square-anti-prismatic geometry and are coordinated by seven O atoms of four 3,5-dinitrobenzoate (DNBA) anions and two N atoms of a phenanthroline ligand. The carboxylate groups of the DNBA anions exhibit three coordination modes: bidentate chelating, bidentate chelating-bridging and tridentate chelating-bridging. The center of the mol-ecule is located on a crystallographic center of inversion.