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Low‐energy light, endowing with excellent characteristics of lower energy, fewer side reactions, more abundance in solar light. The scenario has been developed for the fabrication of indenone through a low‐energy green light driven radical annulation reaction between α‐keto acids and internal alkynes using Rhodamine 6G as photocatalyst. Various kinds of substrates are suitable for this methodology, affording the corresponding indenones in a greener and efficient manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk for suffering immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)‐associated myocarditis increases in patients with pre‐existing conditions and the mechanisms remain to be clarified. Spatial transcriptomics, single‐cell RNA sequencing, and flow cytometry are used to decipher how anti‐cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen‐4 m2a antibody (anti‐CTLA‐4 m2a antibody) aggravated cardiac injury in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) mice. It is found that anti‐CTLA‐4 m2a antibody increases cardiac fibroblast‐derived C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 1 (Cxcl1), which promots neutrophil infiltration to the myocarditic zones (MZs) of EAM mice via enhanced Cxcl1‐Cxcr2 chemotaxis. It is identified that the C–C motif chemokine ligand 5 (Ccl5)‐neutrophil subpopulation is responsible for high activity of cytokine production, adaptive immune response, NF‐κB signaling, and cellular response to interferon‐gamma and that the Ccl5‐neutrophil subpopulation and its‐associated proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines promoted macrophage (Mφ) polarization to M1 Mφ. These altered infiltrating landscape and phenotypic switch of immune cells, and proinflammatory factors synergistically aggravated anti‐CTLA‐4 m2a antibody‐induced cardiac injury in EAM mice. Neutralizing neutrophils, Cxcl1, and applying Cxcr2 antagonist dramatically alleviates anti‐CTLA‐4 m2a antibody‐induced leukocyte infiltration, cardiac fibrosis, and dysfunction. It is suggested that Ccl5‐neutrophil subpopulation plays a critical role in aggravating anti‐CTLA‐4 m2a antibody‐induced cardiac injury in EAM mice. This data may provide a strategic rational for preventing/curing ICIs‐associated myocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures of three 1:1 cocrystal forms of etoricoxib {ETR; systematic name: 5‐chloro‐2‐(6‐methylpyridin‐3‐yl)‐3‐[4‐(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyridine, C18H15ClN2O2S} have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction; these are etoricoxib–benzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H6O2 (ETR–Bz), etoricoxib–4‐fluorobenzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H5FO2 (ETR–PFB), and etoricoxib–4‐nitrobenzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H5NO4 (ETR–PNB). Powder X‐ray diffraction and thermal differential scanning calorimetry–thermogravimetry (DSC–TG) techniques were also used to characterize these multicomponent systems. Due to the influence of the corresponding acids, ETR shows different conformations. Furthermore, the energetic contributions of the supramolecular motifs have been established by energy framework studies of the stabilizing interaction forces and are consistent with the thermal stability of the cocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green engineering is an important direction for engineering education, especially in the field of chemical engineering, where green chemical is a necessary guarantee for achieving sustainable development in the industry. How to practice the principles of green engineering in curriculum education is a problem that needs to be faced in engineering education, due to the currently educated persons are the future practitioners. The aim of this study is to integrate green techniques into an undergraduate‐level chemical design course, demonstrating how green engineering principles can be embedded in the curriculum to practice green engineering education, and thus disseminate the sustainability concept, resulting in a framework for achieving sustainable development. According to the training programme and design procedure, each student receives a product process design project and is guided by a teacher through the data review and discussion and then integrates green technologies in all aspects of the design, and the design result is evaluated. The good results of the students' design show that the undergraduate‐level chemical design course can well integrate green engineering principles and green technologies in the design, enhance the green standard of process design, broaden the students' design vision and mobilize their engineering creativity. It is a good form of green engineering education that the integration of engineering green technologies into an undergraduate‐level chemical design course, as demonstrated by the design results, which achieve effective practice of the sustainability concept and develop green education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local dimming technology has largely increased the effective contrast ratio of mini-LED displays. With suitable backlight and algorithm design, these devices are capable of rendering HDR images with extreme quality. A solution for mini-LED backlight optimization is presented in this work. VQS utilizes deterministic light propagation simulation and spectral analysis to predict display quality from design parameters. It provides display system manufacturers and local dimming algorithm developers a framework to easily optimize their designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color fusion is an extremely important part in the reconstruction design of historic and cultural blocks in the process of China's urban historic and cultural blocks transformation. Based on the deep learning algorithm, this paper constructs the color analysis model of cultural blocks, uses the multiscale feature semantic segmentation algorithm analysis technology of dual channel fusion for color research, extracts and analyzes the color of historic and cultural blocks, thus establishes its color fusion model, analyzes the color defects of Tianzifang historic and cultural scenic spot, and proposes to use plants, buildings and pavements to improve the color fusion degree of Shikumen cultural blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) comprising docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF), combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) effectively improves the survival rate of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA‐NPC). Selecting patients whose risk of tumor recurrence and metastasis is high and the appropriate chemotherapy intensity is a concern. We combined tumor‐node‐metastasis staging with the load of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) after IC to select the individualized chemotherapy strength. Methods: The clinical data and prognostic factors of patients with stage III–IV LA‐NPC treated with TPF IC combined with CCRT were analyzed retrospectively. The conventional treatment group received the standard three cycles TPF IC combined with CCRT. For the new treatment group, the cycles of IC were determined according to whether the EBV‐DNA disappeared completely after a certain course of IC, if so, subsequent IC was stopped and the chemoradiotherapy stage was entered. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed at a ratio of 1:1 to balance baseline characteristics. Survival outcomes and adverse events between the conventional treatment group and the new method treatment group were compared. Results: The study included 256 patients, among whom 192 were matched successfully into 96 pairs. The patients were followed up for a median of 51 months. The proportions of patients receiving three, two, and one cycle of IC after PSM in the routine and new treatment cohorts were 93.8%, 3.1%, 3.1% versus 21.9%, 49.0%, 24.0%, respectively. However, their 3‐year distant metastasis‐free survival, local recurrence‐free survival, progression‐free survival, and overall survival did not differ significantly. The incidence of grade 3–4 neutropenia toxicity in CCRT decreased significantly in patients receiving the new treatment method compared with that in the conventional treatment group (p = 0.026). Conclusion: Combining TNM stage and EBV‐DNA load after IC to determine the courses of IC in patients with LA‐NPC did not alter the curative effect but decreased toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The debate on the superiority of single‐ or double‐bundle for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has not ceased. The comparative studies on intra‐articular biomechanics after different surgical reconstructions are rare. This study is to evaluate the biomechanical stress distribution intra‐knee after single‐ and double‐bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by three‐dimensional finite element analysis, and to observe the change of stress concentration under the condition of vertical gradient loads. Methods: In this study, magnetic resonance imaging data were extracted from patients and healthy controls for biomechanical analysis. Patients included in the three models were matched in age and sex. The strength and distribution of induced stresses were analyzed in two frequently used procedures, anatomical single‐bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and anatomical double‐bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, using femoral‐graft‐tibial system under different loads, to mimic a post‐operation mechanical motion. The three‐dimensional finite‐element models for normal ligament and two surgical methods were applied. A vertical force simulating daily walking was performed on the models to assess the interfacial stresses and displacements of intra‐articular tissues and ligaments. The evaluation results mainly included the stress of each part of ligament and meniscus. The stress values of different parts of three models were extracted and compared. Results: The stress of ligament/graft at femoral side of three finite‐element models was significantly higher than at tibial side, while the highest level was observed in single‐bundle reconstruction finite‐element model. With the increase of force, the maximum stress in the medial (7.1–7.1 MPa) and lateral (4.9–7.4 MPa) meniscus of single‐bundle reconstruction finite‐element model shifted from the anterior horn to the central area (p = 0.0161, 0.0479, respectively). The stress was shown to be at a lower level at femoral side and posterior cruciate ligament of intra‐knee in two reconstruction finite‐element models than that in normal finite‐element models, while presented higher level at the tibial side than normal knee (p = 0.3528). The displacement of the femoral side and intra‐knee areas in reconstruction finite‐element models was greater than that in normal finite‐element model (p = 0.0855). Conclusion: Compared with the single‐bundle technique, the graft of double‐bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has better stress dissipation effect and can prevent postoperative meniscus tear more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silver nanowires with different morphology and size have been synthesised via the one‐step solvothermal synthesis method. Three as‐synthesised samples 1–3 with different size have been obtained by changing the crystallisation time of the silver wire. The synthesised strategies for 1–3 provide us with new synthesised methods in designing and obtaining the silver nanowires with desired morphology. For the treatment of oral implant repair infection, the biological activity of silver nanowires 1–3 was evaluated, and the related mechanism was discussed at the same time. Firstly, the CFU assay was conducted to measure the inhibitory activity of silver nanowires 1–3 on the survival of Porphyromonas periodontium. Then, the real time RT‐PCR assay was performed and the relative expression of Porphyromonas periodontium survival gene expression was measured after silver nanowires 1–3 treatment. The CCK‐8 assay was conducted to measure the toxicity of the silver nanowires 1–3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of cross‐linked and physical blends of nitrocellulose (NC) with oxirane‐tetrahydrofuran copolyether (PEOT) in different proportions were prepared using toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI) as a crosslinking agent. The critical mechanical properties were evaluated by a universal material tensile testing machine and the dynamic mechanical thermal analyses (DMA). The reaction mechanism of the crosslinking process as well as the interaction between NC and PEOT were studied through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). It was shown that as the mass fraction of PEOT increases, the Tg of the polymer blends gradually decreases, which can reach as low as −22.3 °C. It was further indicated that the low‐temperature mechanical properties of NC were significantly improved after blending. In comparison to the physical blending polymers, the miscibility between NC and PEOT was improved after cross‐linking reaction with TDI. When the mass fraction of NC was 50 %, the tensile strength of NC/PEOT physical blend and NC/PEOT/TDI cross‐linked blend reaches 20.82 MPa and 24.93 MPa, respectively. The corresponding elongation at break of these two systems was 96.58 % and 102.7 %, which means the toughening effect of PEOT on NC could be enhanced by crosslinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethyl levulinate, one of the main derivatives of levulinic acid (LA), is of significant potential as platform chemicals for bio‐based materials. The esterification of LA was generally carried out in a conventional batch reactor or in a conventional reactive distillation column. However, traditional methods are hard to deal with equilibrium limited reactions and azeotropic issues. Therefore, the inter‐integration reactive distillation with vapor permeation (R‐VP‐D) process, which integrated reaction, vapor permeation, and distillation into one single unit, is proposed in this paper and validated in the pilot‐scale experiments. A comparative study is made between a pilot‐scale RD column with and without VP module. Owing to the water‐selective VP membrane and the ingenious design of related apparatuses, the R‐VP‐D process reveal a superiority in LA conversion of 21.9% maximum higher than RD without VP process and removing of product water about 53.6% from VP module, which indicates its promising industrial application in process intensification field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of people with diabetes mellitus (DM) to respiratory viral infections. Despite the short history of COVID‐19, various studies have shown that patients with DM are more likely to have increased hospitalisation and mortality rates as compared to patients without. At present, the mechanisms underlying this susceptibility are unclear. However, prior studies show that the course of COVID‐19 disease is linked to the efficacy of the host's T‐cell responses. Healthy individuals who can elicit a robust T‐cell response are more likely to limit the severity of COVID‐19. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that an impaired T‐cell response in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) drives the severity of COVID‐19 in this patient population. While there is currently a limited amount of information that specifically addresses T‐cell responses in COVID‐19 patients with T2DM, there is a wealth of evidence from other infectious diseases that T‐cell immunity is impaired in patients with T2DM. The reasons for this are likely multifactorial, including the presence of hyperglycaemia, glycaemic variability and metformin use. This review emphasises the need for further research into T‐cell responses of COVID‐19 patients with T2DM in order to better inform our response to COVID‐19 and future disease outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic activity of metal clusters is closely related with the support; however, knowledge on the influence of the support on the catalytic activity is scarce. We demonstrate that Pt nanoclusters (NCs) anchored on porous TiO2 nanosheets with rich oxygen vacancies (VO‐rich Pt/TiO2) and deficient oxygen vacancies (VO‐deficient Pt/TiO2), display significantly different catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), in which VO‐rich Pt/TiO2 shows a mass activity of 45.28 A mgPt−1 at −0.1 V vs. RHE, which is 16.7 and 58.8 times higher than those of VO‐deficient Pt/TiO2 and commercial Pt/C, respectively. DFT calculations and in situ Raman spectra suggest that porous TiO2 with rich oxygen vacancies can simultaneously achieve reversed charge transfer (electrons transfer from TiO2 to Pt NCs) and enhanced hydrogen spillover from Pt NCs to the TiO2 support, which leads to electron‐rich Pt NCs being amenable to proton reduction of absorbed H*, as well as the acceleration of hydrogen desorption at Pt catalytic sites—both promoting the HER. Our work provides a new strategy for rational design of highly efficient HER catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pre‐emptive pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing is potentially an efficient approach to improve drug safety and efficacy but the target population to test is unclear. Objectives: We aim to describe the prescription pattern of PGx drugs among adult medical outpatients. Methods: We estimated the 5‐year cumulative incidence (CI) for receiving three groups of PGx drugs using competing risks analysis: (i) all PGx drugs, (ii) PGx drugs with guidelines and (iii) PGx drugs with serious clinical effects. Comparisons of CIs were also done by patient characteristics using Gray's test. Results: The 5‐year CIs of receiving any new PGx drug, PGx drug with guidelines and serious clinical effects were 42.6%, 37.3% and 13.7%, respectively. The 5‐year CI of receiving any new PGx drug was higher for patients >40 years old (43.6% vs ≤40 years old 36.0%, P < 2.2 × 10−22), Malays and Indians (50.3% and 49.8% vs Chinese 31.1%, P < 2.2 × 10−22), those who attended one of the following four specialties at the index visit compared to other specialties (infectious diseases [46.2% vs 42.6%, P = 2.9 × 10−4], psychiatry [48.3% vs 42.3%, P = 7.4 × 10−13], renal [49.8% vs 40.9%, P < 2.2 × 10−22], and rheumatology and immunology [54.8% vs 41.7%, P < 2.2 × 10−22]) and those prescribed ≥5 drugs at index visit (51.7% vs 0‐4 drugs 41.7%, P < 2.2 × 10−22). Conclusions: Medical outpatients have a substantial probability of benefiting from pre‐emptive PGx testing and this is higher in certain subgroups of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Tubulointerstitial nephritis antigen‐like 1 (TINAGL1), as a novel matricellular protein, has been demonstrated to participate in cancer progression, whereas the potential function of TINAGL1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. Methods: The expression pattern of TINAGL1 in GC was examined by immunohistochemistry, ELISA, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot. Correlation between TINAGL1 and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was analyzed by the GEPIA website and Kaplan–Meier plots database. The lentivirus‐based TINAGL1 knockdown, CCK‐8, and transwell assays were used to test the function of TINAGL1 in vitro. The role of TINAGL1 was confirmed by subcutaneous xenograft, abdominal dissemination, and lung metastasis model. Microarray experiments, ELISA, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot were used to identify molecular mechanism. Results: TINAGL1 was increased in GC tumor tissues and associated with poor patient survival. Moreover, TINAGL1 significantly promoted GC cell proliferation and migration in vitro as well as facilitated GC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. TINAGL1 expression in GC cells was accompanied with increasing MMPs including MMP2, MMP9, MMP11, MMP14, and MMP16. GEPIA database revealed that these MMPs were correlated with TINAGL1 in GC tumors and that the most highly expressed MMP was MMP2. Mechanically, TINAGL1 regulated MMP2 through the JNK signaling pathway activation. Conclusions: Our data highlight that TINAGL1 promotes GC growth and metastasis and regulates MMP2 expression, indicating that TINAGL1 may serve as a therapeutic target for GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of iron ore spot prices has raised the question whether iron ore spot prices are driven by market fundamentals. We analyse iron ore spot prices over the period 2014–18 while considering a structural break. The results show that China's steel production only affects the volatility of iron ore spot prices. Over the two subsample periods, the mean and volatility of iron ore spot prices are vulnerable to changes in port stock. Overall, in determining iron ore spot prices, the effect of supply fundamentals outweighs that of demand fundamentals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has long been committing to green transition of energy system to alleviate the heavy pollution; however, a quantitative analysis for its impact on air pollution has been lacking. To fill the knowledge gap, this study makes an initial attempt to reveal how green transition of energy system influences China's energy‐related mercury emissions from both individual sector and supply chain perspectives, by using input‐output (IO)‐structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis. Moreover, the aggregated power sector in the original IO tables are further disaggregated into seven types of power sectors to avoid the inherent huge uncertainty related to the aggregation. The results show that green transition in terms of emission factor control and energy mix adjustment has substantially benefited mercury reduction, while energy efficiency improvement has a much weaker effect. The largest consumption‐based mercury reduction brought about by energy green transition happens in sector Construction, with an amount of 49.6 t. This study also finds that the green transition generally makes the production layers less mercury intensive, and the energy‐related mercury emissions are more concentrated in the production layers. Policy suggestions for further enhancing energy green transition's mitigation effects for mercury emissions are comprehensively discussed. Plain Language Summary: China is undergoing an unprecedented green transition towards a more renewable, more efficient, and less polluted energy system. An important question arises on how to quantify the impact of green transition on mercury emissions, a toxic global pollutant to both human health and ecosystem. To this end, an environment‐economy integrated model is developed to link the mercury emissions with the production chain network in China. We find that green transition in terms of "less polluted" and "more renewable" has substantially benefited mercury reduction, while the effect of "more efficient" is much weaker. The green transition brings the largest mercury emission reduction along the upstream supply chains in sector Construction. This study also finds that the green transition generally makes the production layers less mercury intensive. By understanding the green transition's mitigation effects for mercury emissions, more targeted policies could be adopted for China to fulfill the commitment under Minamata Convention. Key Points: We investigate how green transition of energy system impacts China's mercury emissions by using structural decomposition/path analysisGreen transition as emission factors and energy mix change have substantial benefits, while energy efficiency change has a weaker effectGreen transition makes production layers less mercury intensive, and mercury emissions are more concentrated in the production layers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial Comment to Impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on the number of patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy and postoperative adjuvant systematic therapy for upper tract urothelial carcinomas in Japan: A multicenter retrospective study The rates of COVID-19 infection in those who received adjuvant treatment during the pandemic would also allow one to gauge the true COVID-19 morbidity and mortality risks faced by these patients. Tsuruta et al. addressed the critical issue of managing upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC), an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis, in a pandemic setting. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: Although nonuniform memory access architecture provides better scalability for multicore systems, cores accessing memory on remote nodes take longer than those accessing on local nodes. Remote memory access accompanied by contention for internode interconnection degrades performance. Properly mapping threads to cores and data accessed to their nodes can substantially improve performance and energy efficiency. However, an operating system kernel's load‐balancing activity may migrate threads across nodes, which thus messes up the thread mapping. Besides, subsequent data mapping behavior pays for the cost of page migration to reduce remote memory access. Once unsuitable threads are migrated, it is detrimental to system performance. This paper focuses on improving the kernel's internode load balancing on nonuniform memory access systems. We develop a memory‐aware kernel mechanism and policies to reduce remote memory access incurred by internode thread migration. The Linux kernel's load balancing mechanism is modified to incorporate selection policies in the internode thread migration, and the kernel is modified to track the amount of memory used by each thread on each node. With this information, well‐designed policies can then choose suitable threads for internode migration. The purpose is to avoid migrating a thread that might incur relatively more remote memory access and page migration. The experimental results show that with our mechanism and the proposed selection policies, the system performance is substantially increased when compared with the unmodified Linux kernel that does not consider memory usage and always migrates the first‐fit thread in the runqueue that can be migrated to the target central processing unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac rupture and ventricular remodeling are recognized as the severe complications and major risk factors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aims to evaluate the regulatory roles of interleukin‐1 receptor‐associated kinase 3 (IRAK3) and nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) signaling pathway in cardiac rupture and ventricular remodeling. Microarray analysis was performed to screen AMI‐related differentially expressed genes and IRAK3 was identified. The models of AMI were established in male C57BL/6 mice to investigate the functional role of IRAK3. Afterwards, lentivirus recombinant plasmid si‐IRAK3 was constructed for IRAK3 silencing. Next, cardiac function parameters were measured in response to IRAK3 silencing. The regulatory effects that IRAK3 had on myocardial infarct size and the content of myocardial interstitial collagen were analyzed. The regulation of IRAK3 silencing on the NF‐κB signaling pathway was further assayed. The obtained results indicated that highly expressed IRAK3 and activated NF‐κB signaling pathway were observed in myocardial tissues of mouse models of AMI, accompanied by increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2/9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP‐2). Notably, IRAK3 gene silencing inhibited the activation of NF‐κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, IRAK3 gene silencing led to the decreased thickness of infarct area and collagen content of myocardial interstitium, alleviated diastolic, and systolic dysfunctions, as well as, facilitated cardiac functions in mice with AMI, corresponding to decreased expression of MMP‐2/9 expression and increased expression of TIMP‐2. Taken together, silencing of IRAK3 inactivates the NF‐κB signaling pathway, and thereby impeding the cardiac rupture and ventricular remodeling, which eventually prevents AMI progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abnormal expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is associated with human carcinoma. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the function of lncRNA AK002107 in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The differential expression of lncRNAs between HCC and paired nontumor tissues was identified using microarrays, and the correlation between the expression of lncRNA AK002107 and the clinical prognosis of HCC was analyzed. We investigated the role of lncRNA AK002107 in HCC tumor biology in vitro using 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation, and Matrigel invasion assays and in vivo by assessing the growth of xenografted HCC tumors. The potential microRNAs that interact with lncRNA AK002107 were identified using online tools and were verified using PCR and luciferase reporter assay. The levels of TGFBR1, E‐cadherin, and vimentin were determined using western blot assays. We then further investigated the correlation between expression of lncRNA AK002107 with miR‐140‐5p and TGFBR1 expression in HCC tissues. The expression of lncRNA AK002107 is frequently upregulated in HCC samples and cell lines. Patients with HCC who have elevated lncRNA AK002107 expression exhibit poorer overall survival and disease‐free survival. Silencing lncRNA AK002107 expression significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, lncRNA AK002107 directly binds to miR‐140‐5p and significantly inhibits miR‐140‐5p expression. The functions of lncRNA AK002107 in cell growth and tumor invasion are mediated via miR‐140‐5p. lncRNA AK002107 upregulated TGFBR1 expression and then induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting miR‐140‐5p expression. The expression of lncRNA AK002107 inversely correlated with miR‐140‐5p expression and positively correlated with TGFBR1 expression in HCC tissues. In summary, lncRNA AK002107 functions as an oncogene in tumors by inhibiting miR‐140‐5p, targeting TGFBR1, and then inducing EMT. The lncRNA AK002107/miR‐140‐5p/TGFBR1/EMT regulatory network may be a valuable target for the development of novel diagnostic and treatment methods for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Deficiency of testosterone was associated with the susceptibility of atrial fibrillation (AF). Angiotensin‐II (AngII) receptor antagonists were shown to reduce AF by improving atrial electrical remodeling. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of valsartan, an AngII receptor antagonist, on the susceptibility to AF with testosterone deficiency. Methods and Results: Five‐week‐old male ICR mice were castrated and valsartan was administered orally (50 mg/kg/d). High‐frequency electrical stimulation method was used to induce atrial arrhythmia. Patch‐clamp technique was used for recording action potential duration (APD), transient outward potassium current (Ito), sustained outward potassium current (Iksus), and late sodium current (INa‐L). Optical mapping technique was used to examine atrial conduction velocity (CV). The expression of connexin40 (Cx40) and Cx43 were detected by Western blot analysis. The occurrence rate of AF was significantly increased in castrated mice and APDs measured at 50% and 90% repolarization were markedly prolonged in castrated mice than controls, which were alleviated by the administration of valsartan. Valsartan suppressed the increase of INa‐L and rescued the reduction of Ito and Iksus in castrated mice. The left atrial CV in castrated mice was decreased and the expression of Cx43 reduced than controls, which were restored after valsartan treatment. Conclusions: Valsartan reduced the susceptibility of AF in castrated mice, which may be related to the inhibition of action potential prolongation and improvement of atrial conduction impairment. This study indicates that valsartan may represent a useful agent for the prevention of AF pathogenesis in elderly male patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Organic–inorganic coating polypropylene separators were developed by introducing SiO2 nanoparticles through sol–gel process, where polydopamine was used as an intermediate layer. Scanning electron microscopy results showed the coating layers have highly porous structure, which was beneficial for liquid electrolyte uptake. Compared with pristine polypropylene separator, the ceramic separators showed improved thermal stability, higher ionic conductivity, and lower interfacial impedance. The cells employing the ceramic separators delivers excellent discharge capacity (retention = 75%) and coulombic efficiency up to 98% at 2 °C rate after 100 cycles. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46478. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The design and synthesis of efficient metal‐free photoelectrocatalysts for water splitting are of great significance, as nonmetal elements are generally earth abundant and environment friendly. As a typical metal‐free semiconductor, g‐C3N4 has received much attention in the field of photocatalytic water splitting. However, the poor photoinduced hole mobility of g‐C3N4 restrains its catalytic performance. Herein, for the first time, graphdiyne (GDY) is used to interact with g‐C3N4 to construct a metal‐free 2D/2D heterojunction of g‐C3N4/GDY as an efficient photoelectrocatalyst for water splitting. The g‐C3N4/GDY photocathode exhibits enhanced photocarriers separation due to excellent hole transfer nature of graphdiyne and the structure of 2D/2D heterojunction of g‐C3N4/GDY, realizing a sevenfold increase in electron life time (610 μs) compared to that of g‐C3N4 (88 μs), and a threefold increase in photocurrent density (−98 μA cm−2) compared to that of g‐C3N4 photocathode (−32 μA cm−2) at a potential of 0 V versus normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) in neutral aqueous solution. The photoelectrocatalytic performance can be further improved by fabricating Pt@g‐C3N4/GDY, which displays an photocurrent of −133 μA cm−2 at a potential of 0 V versus NHE in neutral aqueous solution. This work provides a new strategy for the design of efficient metal‐free photoelectrocatalysts for water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in childhood. It contains at least four distinct molecular subgroups. The aim of this study is to explore novel diagnostic and potential therapeutic markers within each subgroup of MB, in particular within Group 4, the largest subgroup, to facilitate diagnosis together with gene therapy. One hundred and six MB samples were examined. Tumor subtype was evaluated with the NanoString assay. Several novel tumor related genes were shown to have high subgroup sensitivity and specificity, including PDGFRA, FGFR1, and ALK in the WNT group, CCND1 in the SHH group, and α‐synuclein (SNCA) in Group 4. Knockdown and overexpression assays of SNCA revealed the ability of this gene to inhibit tumor invasion and induce apoptosis. Methylation‐specific PCR and pyrosequencing analysis showed that epigenetic mechanisms, rather than DNA hypermethylation, might play the key role in the regulation of SNCA expression in MB tumors. In conclusion, we identify SNCA as a novel diagnostic biomarker for Group 4 MB. Some other subgroup signature genes have also been found as candidate therapeutic targets for this tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five mono-nuclear silver (I) complexes with 6,7-dicyanodipyridoquinoxaline ligand, namely {[Ag(DPEphos)(dicnq)]NO3}2. CH3OH (1), [Ag(DPEphos)(dicnq)]BF4.CH3OH (2), [Ag(XANTphos) (dicnq)]CF3SO3 (3), {[Ag(XANTphos)(dicnq)]NO3}2 (4) and [Ag(XANTphos)(dicnq)]ClO4.CH2Cl2 (5) {DPEphos = bis[2-(diphenylphosphanyl) phenyl]ether, dicnq = 6,7-dicyanodipyridoquinoxaline, XANTphos = 9,9-dimethyl-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)xanthene} were characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR, 1H NMR, 31P NMR, fluorescence spectra and terahertz time-domain spectra (THz-TDS). In the five complexes the AgI, which is coordinated by two kinds of chelating ligands, adopts four-coordinate modes to generate mono-nuclear structures. The C-H...π interactions lead to formation of a 1D infinite chain for complexes 2 and 3. The crystal packing of complexes 1 and 5 reveal that they form 3D supermolecular network by several pairs of C-H...π interactions. The emissions of these complexes are attributed to ligands-centered [π-π8 ] transition based on both of the P-donor and N-donor ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the out-of-phase blowing effect of ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) under transient depressurization, a two-dimensional periodic sandwich model of AP/HTPB sandwich unsteady combustion was established. The gas-solid two-step total reaction was used to couple the gas-solid boundary layer, and the AP/HTPB step-down temperature criterion was applied. The numerical simulation comparative analysis under the initial combustion pressure 3.5 MPa∼10 MPa and the initial depressurization rate of 1000 MPa/s∼2000 MPa/s was experimented. The results show that under the condition of initial combustion pressure of 3.5 MPa and pressure reduction rate of 1000 MPa/s, the formation of narrow diffusion chemical reaction zone appears in the initial stage of depressurization; when the combustion pressure drops to about 1.7 MPa, the flame appears dual characteristics: diffusion and premixed combustion; when the pressure dropped to 0.1 MPa, the flame is premixed combustion. AP(g) is the main factor causing the out-of-phase blowing effect. During the initial stage of combustion, AP(g) decomposes rapidly and its decomposition product is close to the combustion surface; with the rapid decrease of pressure, the gas-phase heat feedback decreases, leading to the decrease of AP(g) decomposition rate and AP(g) diffusion to the gas phase, which is the initial phase of out-of-phase blowing effect; when the gas phase heat feedback reduced and the temperature is below 750 K, the decomposition of AP(g) is stopped and the undecomposed AP(g) is further diffused to the gas phase region, which exacerbates the out-of-phase blowing effect, leading to the extinguishment of AP/HTPB. The unsteady combustion flame extinction time increases with the initial combustion pressure, and decreases with the initial depressurization rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can provide a fingerprint of molecules with ultrahigh sensitivity, down to the single-molecule level. However, accurate quantitative detection in practical samples using SERS is still a great challenge. Herein, a highly uniform shell-isolated Ag@SiO2 nanoparticle (Ag SHIN) monolayer film was prepared and employed as a substrate for the quantitative determination of melamine in milk samples through shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The Ag SHIN film exhibits excellent reproducibility, high stability, as well as ultrahigh sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.03 ppm. A linear relationship between the Raman intensity and the melamine concentration in a wide range (1 ppb to 5 ppm) was obtained. These results demonstrate that the Ag SHIN monolayer film is a promising and reliable substrate for the quantitative SERS analysis of practical samples. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five mono-nuclear silver(I) complexes with the ligand 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, namely [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]BF4 ( 1), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]CF3SO3 ( 2), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]ClO4 ( 3), [Ag(DPEphos)(dmp)]NO3 ( 4), and [Ag(dppb)(dmp)]NO3 ·CH3OH ( 5) {DPEphos = bis[2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl]ether, dppb = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)benzene, dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline} were characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR, 1H NMR, 31P NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Their terahertz (THz) time-domain spectra were also studied. In these complexes the silver(I), which is coordinated by two kinds of chelating ligands, adopts four-coordinate modes to generate mono-nuclear structures. In complexes 1, 3- 5, offset π ···π weak interactions exist between the neighboring benzene rings. In the 31P NMR spectra, there exist splitting signals (dd), which can be attributed to the coupling of the 107,109Ag-31P. All the emission peaks of these complexes are attributed to ligand-centered excited states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a method to choose the maximum calculation height and the maximum propagation angle of the split-step troposcatter wide-angle parabolic equation (TWAPE) method is presented. The method is implemented with the height and the scatter angle of the troposcatter common volume. The performance of this method is then demonstrated with a few examples which rely heavily on the choosing of the maximum calculation height and the maximum propagation angle. These examples include the comparison of calculated results of TWAPE for choosing different maximum calculated height and maximum propagation angle at frequencies of 3 and 1 GHz, path lengths of 300 and 500 km, respectively. Finally, the seasonal variation mechanism of the troposcatter propagation loss is discussed based on the seasonal variation of the refractive-index structure parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collagen stabilization through irreversible cross-linking is thought to promote hepatic fibrosis progression and limit its reversibility. However, the mechanism of this process remains poorly defined. We studied the functional contribution of lysyl oxidase (LOX) to collagen stabilization and hepatic fibrosis progression/reversal in vivo using chronic administration of irreversible LOX inhibitor β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN, or vehicle as control) in C57Bl/6J mice with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrosis. Fibrotic matrix stability was directly assessed using a stepwise collagen extraction assay and fibrotic septae morphometry. Liver cells and fibrosis were studied by histologic, biochemical methods and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR. During fibrosis progression, BAPN administration suppressed accumulation of cross-linked collagens, and fibrotic septae showed widening and collagen fibrils splitting, reminiscent of remodeling signs observed during fibrosis reversal. LOX inhibition attenuated hepatic stellate cell activation markers and promoted F4/80-positive scar-associated macrophage infiltration without an increase in liver injury. In reversal experiments, BAPN-treated fibrotic mice demonstrated accelerated fibrosis reversal after CCl4 withdrawal. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that LOX contributes significantly to collagen stabilization in liver fibrosis, promotes fibrogenic activation of attenuated hepatic stellate cells, and limits fibrosis reversal. Our data support the concept of pharmacologic targeting of LOX pathway to inhibit liver fibrosis and promote its resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors influencing soil erosion may vary with scale. It remains unclear whether the spatial variation in soil erosion resistance is controlled by regional variables (e.g. precipitation, temperature, and vegetation zone) or by local specific variables (e.g. soil properties, root traits, land use, and farming operations) when the study area enlarges from a hillslope or catchment to the regional scale. This study was performed to quantify the spatial variations in soil erosion resistance to flowing water under three typical land uses along a regional transect on the Loess Plateau and to identify whether regional or local specific variables are responsible for these changes. The results indicated that the measured soil detachment capacities (Dc) of cropland exhibited an irregular trend along the regional transect. The Dc of grassland increased with mean annual precipitation, except for two sites (Yijun and Erdos). The measured Dc of woodland displayed an inverted 'U' shape. The changes in rill erodibility (Kr) of three land uses were similar to Dc, whereas no distinguishable trend was found for critical shear stress (τc). No significant correlation was detected between Dc, Kr and τc, and the regional variables. The spatial variation in soil erosion resistance could be explained reasonably by changes in soil properties, root traits, land use, and farming operations, rather than regional variables. The adjustment coefficient of Kr for grassland and woodland could be well simulated by soil cohesion and root mass density (R² = 0.70, P<0.01), and the adjustment coefficient of critical shear stress could be estimated with aggregate stability (R² = 0.57, P<0.01). The results are helpful for quantifying the spatial variation in soil detachment processes by overland flow and to develop process-based erosion model at a regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid and efficient method for oil constituent estimation in intact sesame seeds was developed through near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and was used to evaluate a sesame germplasm collection conserved in China. A total of 342 samples were scanned by reflectance NIR in a range of 950-1650 nm, and the reference values for oil content and fatty acid (FA) profiles were measured by Soxhlet and gas chromatograph methods. Useful chemometric models were developed using partial least squares regression with full cross-validation. The equations had low standard errors of cross-validation, and high coefficient of determination of cross-validation ( R) values (>0.8) except for stearic acid (0.794). In external validation, r values of oil and FA composition equations ranged from 0.815 (arachidonic acid) to 0.877 (linoleic acid). The relative predictive determinant (RPD) values for all equations were more than 2.0. The whole-seed NIR spectroscopy equations for oil content and FA profiles can be used for sesame seed quality rapid evaluation. The background information of the 4399 germplasm resources and accessions with high linoleic acid content identified in this study should be useful for developing new sesame cultivars with desirable FA compositions in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of near soil surface characteristics on the soil detachment process might be different at different stages of vegetation restoration. This study was performed to investigate the effects of near soil surface factors on the soil detachment process by overland low. Soil samples were collected from two natural grasslands of different ages and subjected to low scouring. The results indicated that the effects of near soil surface characteristics on soil detachment were substantial during vegetation restoration. The total reduction in soil detachment capacity of the 1-yr-old grassland was 98.1%, and of this total, 7.9, 30.0, and 60.2% was attributed to the litter, biological soil crusts (BSCs), and plant roots, respectively. In the 24-yr-old grassland, the soil detachment capacity decreased by 99.0%, of which 13.2, 23.5, and 62.3% were due to litter, BSCs, and plant roots, respectively. Combined with previously published data for a 7-yr-old grassland, the influence of plant litter on soil detachment was demonstrated to increase with restoration time, but soil detachment was also affected by the litter type and composition. The role of BSCs was greater than that of plant litter during the early stages of vegetation recovery. However, its contribution weakened with time. The influence of plant roots accounted for half to two-thirds of the total near soil surface factors, of which >72.6% was attributed to the physical binding effects of roots. The correction coefficients of near soil surface characteristics for rill erodibility were determined for the Water Erosion Prediction Project model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To evaluate the use of endoglin-targeted paramagnetic liposomes in delineating the glioma margins using magnetic resonance (MR) angiogenesis imaging in a rat model. Materials and Methods Four liposome preparations, including nontargeted paramagnetic liposomes (Gd-SLs), isotype control IgG-coupled paramagnetic liposomes (IgG-Gd-SLs), endoglin monoclonal antibody coupled paramagnetic liposomes (MAb-Gd-SLs), and biotinylated antibodies (Bio-MAb)/streptavidin-coupled paramagnetic liposomes (SAv-Gd-SLs) for two-step pretargeting imaging, were formulated. All animal experiments were carried out with the approval of the Shanghai Animal Care. C6 glioma-bearing Sprague-Dawley rats were intravenously injected with gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) or the previously mentioned liposomes ( n = 5) and imaged with MR. T1-weighted MRI was performed before and dynamically repeated after different contrast agents were injected. The enhancement features of the tumors were compared. Results The signal enhancement of the tumor in the two-step pretargeting group increased by 117.9 ± 5.3% at the periphery and 109.2 ± 3.5% in the center ( P = 0.032) at the 8-hour timepoint after SAv-Gd-SLs injection. Ring-like enhancement margins were demonstrated at the periphery of the tumor in the two-step targeted group. The specificity of the targeted liposomes was supported by the competitive study. The signal of peak enhancement using MAb-Gd-SLs was 59% less than that of the two-step group and only slightly higher than the non-targeted groups. Conclusion The two-step endoglin-targeted imaging using biotin-streptavidin interaction was demonstrated to induce intense enhancement of the tumor periphery, which implies that this advanced MR molecular contrast agent may be suitable for accurately delineating glioma tumor margins. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1056-1064. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new hybrid iodoargentates (H2pipe)0.5(α-AgI2) ( 1), (Me2teda)0.5(α-AgI2) ( 2), and (H2dpe)0.5(β-AgI2) ( 3) have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions, whereby the aliphatic organic cations (H2pipe)2+ and (Me2teda)2+ (pipe = piperazine, teda = triethylenediamine) and the conjugated organic cation (H2dpe)2+ [dpe = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene] exhibit different contributions to both the crystal and electronic structures. The (H2pipe)2+ and (Me2teda)2+ cations direct the formation of α-type (AgI2)- polyanionic chains and influence the bandgaps of 1 and 2 indirectly by modulating the iodoargentate anionic structures. By contrast, the (H2dpe)2+ cation directs the formation of a novel β-type (AgI2)- chain and changes the bandgap of 3 directly to make up the bottom of the conduction band. From 1 and 2 to 3, a direct to indirect bandgap transformation and reduced bandgap can be observed (3.74, 2.88, and 1.99 eV for 1- 3, respectively). Relative to the bandgap of bulk AgI2, the bandgaps of 1 and 2 show a blueshift as a result of the quantum confinement effect, whereas the bandgap of 3 shows a redshift owing to the direct participation of the conjugated cation (H2dpe)2+ in adjusting the bandgap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New anhydrous lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [Pr(tip)1.5]2 n ( tip-Pr), [Nd(tip)1.5]2 n ( tip-Nd), [Eu(tip)1.5]2 n ( tip-Eu), and [Eu(OH)(mip)] n ( mip-Eu) (tip=5- tert-butylisophthalate anion, mip=5-methylisophthalate ion), have been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques. MOFs tip-Pr, tip-Nd, and tip-Eu are isostructural anhydrous compounds, and exhibit an unprecedented 3D microporous structure with hexagonal channel arrays. The selectively prepared MOF mip-Eu presents an interpenetrated 3D microporous architecture containing the hydroxyl cluster chains. Solid-state photoluminescence properties at room temperature indicate that both tip-Eu and mip-Eu display the characteristic of the Eu3+ ion spectrum dominated by the 5D0→7FJ ( J=0-4) transition. Compared with mip-Eu, tip-Eu displays the very high solid-state quantum yield (0.62±0.03) and longer lifetime value (0.94±0.01 ms), which is due to the absence of the hydroxyl groups from the solid-state structure of tip-Eu. More importantly, a new method to directly investigate the potential of solid-state lanthanide MOFs for ionic sensing in aqueous solutions has been developed, and successfully applied it to study the potential sensing function of tip-Eu for polyoxometalates (POMs). The possible mechanism for the quenching effect of POMs on the fluorescence of tip-Eu is elucidated by the strongly competitive absorption of the excited light source energy between POMs and tip ligands. The very promise for the highly sensitive sensing for polyoxometalates, together with the characteristic of the reversible fluorescence response, suggest that solid-state tip-Eu can be an excellent candidate for the directly photoluminescent detection of POMs in aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration probably has great effects on the process of soil detachment. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of near soil surface characteristics on soil detachment by overland flow in a 7-yr restored natural grassland. Four treatments were designed to characterize the effects of dead roots, live roots, biological soil crusts (BSCs), and plant litter-stems in succession. For comparison, an undisturbed bare Loess soil was used as a baseline. The testing area (1.0 m in length and 0.1 m in width) of each treatment was subjected to flow scouring under five different shear stresses ranging from 6 to 13 Pa. The results showed that near soil surface properties of plant litter-stem, BSCs, and plant roots enhanced the resistance of soil to water detachment significantly. With these factors subsequently superimposed, soil detachment capacity decreased progressively. Taken together, the 7-yr restored natural grassland would decrease soil detachment capacity by 98.9% compared with the bare Loess soil, in which plant litter-stem, BSCs, and total roots contributed to 30.3, 14.9, and 53.7%, respectively. Furthermore, for the total root effects, chemical bonding of root exudates accounted for 14.7% while physical binding of root systems accounted for 39.0%. Results also indicated that BSCs were unable to protect the soil from detachment when the shear stress was greater than 11 Pa, and tended to accelerate soil erosion. This paper developed an equation for adjusting WEPP's rill erodibility for use in natural succession grassland in the Loess Plateau of China, and the result seemed satisfactory with the Nash- Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficients ranging from 0.28 to 0.77. Further studies are needed to detect the dynamics of near soil surface characteristics with succession age of grassland in the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven novel lanthanide coordination polymers (CPs) with the general formula [Ln2(cpp)3(H2O) ·(H2O)] n [Ln = Pr (cpp-Pr), Nd (cpp-Nd), Sm (cpp-Sm), Eu (cpp-Eu), Tb (cpp-Tb), Er (cpp-Er), and Yb (cpp-Yb)] have been synthesized by hydrothermal reactions of the corresponding lanthanide nitrates and the ligand 3-(4-chlorophenyl)pentanedioic acid (H2cpp). All of the lanthanide CPs were structurally characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, TG analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and their photoluminescent properties were also investigated. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that all of the lanthanide CPs are isostructural. The high coordination numbers and flexible coordination modes of the lanthanide ions, together with the flexible nature of the ligand H2cpp and the steric hindrance effects of the bulky chlorophenyl groups, bestow on the novel lanthanide CPs interesting structural features. Their overall structures can be described as 2D tubular meso-helices, which result from the interweaving of bis(triple-stranded) helical chains. As a result of efficient energy transfer from the ligands to metal ions, cpp-Eu and cpp-Tb are highly luminescent and exhibit intense emission bands in the visible region characteristic of the corresponding lanthanide ions. The solid-state quantum yields and average lifetimes were determined to be 20 ± 3 % and τa(5D0) = 0.43 ± 0.02 ms for cpp-Eu and 39 ± 3 % and τa(5D4) = 0.85 ± 0.01 ms for cpp-Tb. In contrast, cpp-Pr, cpp-Nd, cpp-Sm, cpp-Er, and cpp-Yb all display similar emission spectra originating from the ligand-centered (LC) or ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) excited state in the visible region. In addition, the near-infrared (NIR) emission behavior of cpp-Nd, cpp-Er, and cpp-Yb is also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND This study retrospectively compared the safety and efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with open hepatic resection (HR) in elderly patients (age > 65 years) with very early or early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Elderly patients (n = 180) with very early or early HCC were studied. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before treatment. As an initial treatment, 89 patients were treated by RFA and 91 patients by HR. The survival curves were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. RESULTS The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survivals were 93.2%, 71.1%, and 55.2% for the RFA group and 88.8%, 62.8%, and 51.9% for the HR group, respectively ( P = .305). The corresponding recurrence-free survivals for these 2 groups were 84.1%, 62.7%, and 35.5% and 76.7%, 39.3%, and 33.1%, respectively ( P = .035). On subgroup analysis for tumor ≤ 3 cm, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survivals were 94.2%, 82.6%, and 67.5% for the RFA group and 90.1%, 65.0%, and 55.1% for the HR group, respectively ( P = .038). The corresponding recurrence-free survivals for the 2 groups were 85.5%, 69.1%, and 40.7%, and 82.2%, 40.1%, and 31.8%, respectively ( P = .049). For tumor > 3 cm, there was no significant difference between these 2 groups for overall survivals and recurrence-free survivals ( P = .543, P = .356, respectively). A multivariate regression analysis showed that treatment type was the only significant prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival ( P = .039). CONCLUSIONS There was no difference between the HR and RFA groups for overall survival, but RFA had better efficacy than HR for elderly patients with HCC ≤ 3 cm. Cancer 2013;119:3812-3820. © 2013 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau have called attention to two emerging views of how the Tibetan Plateau has grown. First, deformation in northern Tibet began essentially at the time of collision with India, not 10-20 Myr later as might be expected if the locus of activity migrated northward as India penetrated the rest of Eurasia. Thus, the north-south dimensions of the Tibetan Plateau were set mainly by differences in lithospheric strength, with strong lithosphere beneath India and the Tarim and Qaidam basins steadily encroaching on one another as the region between them, the present-day Tibetan Plateau, deformed, and its north-south dimension became narrower. Second, abundant evidence calls for acceleration of deformation, including the formation of new faults, in northeastern Tibet since ~15 Ma and a less precisely dated change in orientation of crustal shortening since ~20 Ma. This reorientation of crustal shortening and roughly concurrent outward growth of high terrain, which swings from NNE-SSW in northern Tibet to more NE-SW and even ENE-WSW in the easternmost part of northeastern Tibet, are likely to be, in part, a consequence of crustal thickening within the high Tibetan Plateau reaching a limit, and the locus of continued shortening then migrating to the northeastern and eastern flanks. These changes in rates and orientation also could result from removal of some or all mantle lithosphere and increased gravitational potential energy per unit area and from a weakening of crustal material so that it could flow in response to pressure gradients set by evolving differences in elevation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the terminal diazo nitrogen atom, two CN bonds are formed in the bicyclization reaction of the readily available acyclic substrates with diazomethanes as 1,3-dipoles. The tandem 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition/intramolecular aza-addition/oxidative aromatization reaction can tolerate a variety of functional groups and proceeds under mild metal-free conditions to give substituted analogues of withasomnine alkaloids in good to high yields in a single step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reg IV, the latest member of the regenerating gene family, has been documented in different tissues of human and rat, such as the colon, small intestine, stomach, and pancreas. Expression of Reg IV gene in distinct cell types has been correlated with its various functions in regeneration, cell growth and survival, proliferation and differentiation, cell adhesion, and resistance to apoptosis. However, there was no evidence to show whether the Reg IV protein is present in the reproductive system of normal rat. The aim of this study was to reveal the expression patterns of Reg IV in rat ovary and uterus. The expression of Reg IV was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot at mRNA and protein levels, respectively. The localization of Reg IV protein within rat ovary and uterus was investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Our results showed that the expression of Reg IV in ovary was significantly higher than that in the uterus. The strong immunoreactive signals of Reg IV was observed in granulosa cells and oocytes of ovarian follicles, corpus luteum, and interstitial cells in rat ovary; only weak signals were detected in luminal and gland epithelium of rat endometrium. These findings first demonstrate the expression of Reg IV in ovary and uterus of the healthy rat at both mRNA and protein levels. It provides an evidence of Reg IV expression in rat reproductive system, which may help elucidate a potential role in cell growth and proliferation of reproductive system. J. Exp. Zool. 319A:32-38, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The long-term survival outcomes of hepatic resection (HR) compared with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between December 2002 and December 2007, 201 consecutive patients diagnosed with resectable HCC with PVTT received HR as an initial treatment in our center. These patients were compared with 402 case-matched controls selected from a pool of 1798 patients (with a 1:2 ratio) who received TACE as an initial treatment during the study period. PVTT was classified to 4 types: PVTT involving the segmental branches of the portal vein or above (type I), PVTT extending to involve the right/left portal vein (type II), the main portal vein (type III), or the superior mesenteric vein (type IV). RESULTS: The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survivals for the HR and TACE groups were 42.0%, 14.1%, and 11.1% and 37.8%, 7.3%, and 0.5%, respectively ( P < .001). On subgroup analyses, the overall survivals for the HR group were better than the TACE group for type I PVTT, type II PVTT, single tumor, and tumor size >5 cm ( P < .001, P = .002, P < .001, P < .001, respectively), but not for type III PVTT, type IV PVTT, multiple tumors, and tumor size <5 cm ( P = .541, P = .371, P = .264, P = .338, P = .125, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed the type of PVTT and initial treatment allocation were significant prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with TACE, HR provided survival benefits for patients with resectable HCC with PVTT, especially for those with a type I PVTT or a type II PVTT. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]