Search

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics are commonly used in various industries. Adding suitable additives is an effective way to improve the performance of ZTA ceramics. However, the common reinforcement in ZTA, chromia (Cr2O3), tends to volatilize at high temperature in the presence of oxygen, limiting ceramic densification. Consequently, additional amounts of Cr2O3 are typically limited to below 1 wt%. In this study, spark plasma sintering was utilized to inhibit the volatilization of Cr2O3. Dense ZTA ceramics with high Cr2O3 content (from 1 to 10 wt%) were prepared at 1350 °C. The impact of the solid solution on the structure and properties of the ceramics was investigated. The findings demonstrate that the high Cr2O3 solution can regulate the grain size in the matrix, leading to an enhancement in both hardness and fracture toughness. The optimum performance of the sample was obtained with a 5 wt% dosage of Cr2O3, where the maximum values of Vickers hardness and fracture toughness were 20.66 GPa and 6.37 MPa m1/2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebrovascular disease is the leading cause of disability and death, and ischemic stroke accounts for most stroke cases. However, few effective drugs are available for the treatment of ischemic stroke; thus, there is an urgent need to develop effective drugs to treat ischemic stroke. DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) is clinically approved as an anti-ischemic drug in China, but its potential hepatotoxicity limits its use. G-3702 (a structural analogue of NBP) is synthesized with the boron hydroxyl group replacing carbonyl group. G-3702 significantly enhanced the survival of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats, decreased neurobehavioral deficit scores and cerebral infarct volume, comparable with NBP, which was also supported by tissue damage assessment, immunohistochemistry staining, biochemical parameters and ELISA assay. G-3702 showed better anti-stroke activity than NBP according to 1H NMR spectroscopy-based metabolomics analysis, demonstrating the feasibility of metabolomics approach to assess drug efficacy. G-3702 markedly ameliorated energy metabolism, attenuated oxidative and inflammatory stress during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). G-3702 exhibited good neuroprotective effects against I/R induced injury and favorable little possibility of hepatotoxicity, which made it a promising anti-stroke drug and better NBP alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permeability decrease caused by the increase in effective stress notably influences the development of tight sandstone reservoirs. Therefore, it is necessary to study permeability stress sensitivity characteristics. Permeability stress sensitivity evaluation experiments of tight sandstone were conducted. On this basis, the influencing factors were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cast thin section (CTS) and high-pressure mercury intrusion (HPMI). The results show that permeability decreases with increasing effective stress and that the decreasing trend gradually slows. After the effective stress is restored, permeability cannot be fully recovered. The microscopic pore structure has an important influence on stress sensitivity. According to the characteristics of the capillary force curve, the pore structure can be divided into three types: intergranular, dissolved and micro pore types. Reservoirs of the intergranular pore type have a low permeability stress sensitivity, and permeability slightly decreases with increasing effective stress, followed by reservoirs of the dissolved pore type, and those of the micro pore type have the highest permeability stress sensitivity. In addition, petrological characteristics also influence permeability stress sensitivity. The contents of flexible lithic fragments and clay mineral interstitial material are positively correlated with reservoir permeability stress sensitivity, and those of quartz skeleton particles and siliceous interstitial material are negatively correlated with the latter. A better understanding of permeability stress sensitivity and its influencing factors can provide a reference for the development of tight sandstone reservoirs influenced by it. • The permeability of tight sandstone decreases significantly with the increase of effective stress. • The compression resistance of rock components can affect stress sensitivity of permeability. • The microscopic pore structure is analyzed by means of SEM, CTS and HPMI. • Permeability is significantly affected by stress in the pore structure with small pore-throat radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods for detecting unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) pose challenges for rapid analyses due to the need for complex pretreatment and expensive instruments. Here, we developed an intelligent platform for facile and low-cost analysis of UFAs by combining a smartphone-assisted colorimetric sensor array (CSA) based on MnO 2 nanozymes with "image segmentation-feature extraction" deep learning (ISFE-DL). Density functional theory predictions were validated by doping experiments using Ag, Pd, and Pt, which enhanced the catalytic activity of the MnO 2 nanozymes. A CSA mimicking mammalian olfactory system was constructed with the principle that UFAs competitively inhibit the oxidization of the enzyme substrate, resulting in color changes in the nanozyme-ABTS substrate system. Through linear discriminant analysis coupled with the smartphone App "Quick Viewer" that utilizes multihole parallel acquisition technology, oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), and their mixtures were clearly discriminated; various edible vegetable oils, different camellia oils (CAO), and adulterated CAOs were also successfully distinguished. Furthermore, the ISFE-DL method was combined in multicomponent quantitative analysis. The sensing elements of the CSA (3 × 4) were individually segmented for single-hole feature extraction containing information from 38,868 images of three UFAs, thereby allowing for the extraction of more features and augmenting sample size. After training with the MobileNetV3 small model, the determination coefficients of OA, LA, and ALA were 0.9969, 0.9668, and 0.7393, respectively. The model was embedded in the smartphone App "Intelligent Analysis Master" for one-click quantification. We provide an innovative approach for intelligent and efficient qualitative and quantitative analysis of UFAs and other compounds with similar characteristics.

Splicing factor proline- and glutamine-rich (SFPQ) regulates transcripts in skeletal muscle metabolism and tumorigenesis. As osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor characterized by genome instability, such as MYC amplification, this study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of SFPQ in OS. Expression of SFPQ in OS cell lines and human OS tissues was detected using quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses. The oncogenic role of SFPQ in OS cells and murine xenograft models and the underlying mechanism of SFPQ on the c-Myc signaling pathway were assessed in vitro and in vivo . Results showed that SFPQ expression was upregulated and correlated with poor prognosis in OS patients. SFPQ overexpression promoted the malignant biological behavior of OS cells, while its knockdown markedly reduced the oncogenic function of OS. Additionally, depletion of SFPQ inhibited OS growth and bone destruction in nude mice. SFPQ overexpression induced malignant biological behaviors, which could be rescued by the depletion of c-Myc. These results suggest an oncogenic role of SFPQ in OS, possibly through the c-Myc signaling pathway., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2023.)

Exploring stable and durable cathodes for cost-effective reversible aqueous batteries is highly desirable for grid-scale energy storage applications, but significant challenges remain. Herein, we disclosed an ultrastable Cu 2+ intercalation chemistry in mass-produced exfoliated NbS 2 nanosheets to build ultralong lifespan aqueous batteries with cost advantages. Anisotropic interplanar expansion of NbS 2 lattices balanced dynamic Cu 2+ incorporation and the highly reversible redox reaction of Nb 4+ /Nb (4-δ)+ couple were illuminated by operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy, affording an extraordinary capacity of approximately 317 mAh g -1 at 1 A g -1 and a good stability of 92.2% capacity retention after 40000 cycles at 10 A g -1 . Impressively, a budget NbS 2 ||Fe hybrid ion cell involving an aqueous electrolyte/Fe-metal anode is established and provides a reliable energy supply of 225.4 Wh kg -1 at 750 W kg -1 , providing insights for building advanced aqueous battery systems for large-scale applications.

Cyclin D2 (CCND2) is abnormally overexpressed in many tumor types and has been associated with tumor cell proliferation. Although the important role of miR-1297 is well established, the molecular mechanism between CCND2 and miR-1297 in osteosarcoma (OS) has not been determined. In the present study, we found CCND2 was highly expressed in OS cells, and its downregulation suppressed cell proliferation, resulting in G1 phase cell cycle arrest. In contrast, miR-1297 was lowly expressed in OS compared to normal tissue. Several data platforms predicted that CCND2 was a target of miR-1297, which was validated by a dual-luciferase reporter assay that revealed miR-1297 could bind with CCND2-3'UTR. miR-1297 overexpression greatly inhibited CCND2 protein expression and exerted the same phenotypic effect as CCND2 downregulation in OS cells. Furthermore, miR-1297 inhibition could also be rescued by CCND2. Nude mice injected cells stable overexpressing miR-1297 OS cells showed lower size and tumor weight. Moreover, lower fluorescence activity recorded by in vivo imaging system and bone erosion revealed by microCT in the miR-1297 group demonstrated miR-1297 inhibited OS tumor growth via CCND2. Our findings demonstrated that miR-1297 can inhibit proliferation and tumor growth in OS by directly targeting CCND2, which indicates that miR-1297 may represent a novel therapeutic target for OS., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2022.)

Objective: Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone malignancy, associated with frequent recurrence and lung metastasis. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are pivotal in regulating several aspects of cancer biology. Nonetheless, interaction between RBPs and the osteosarcoma immune microenvironment is poorly understood. We investigated whether RBPs can predict prognosis and immunotherapy response in osteosarcoma patients., Methods: We constructed an RBP-related prognostic signature (RRPS) by univariate coupled with multivariate analyses and verified the independent prognostic efficacy of the signature. Single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) along with ESTIMATE analysis were carried out to investigate the variations in immune characteristics between subgroups with various RRPS-scores. Furthermore, we investigatedpossible small molecule drugs using the connectivity map database and validated the expression of hub RBPs by qRT-PCR., Results: The RRPS, consisting of seven hub RBPs, was an independent prognostic factor compared to traditional clinical features. The RRPS could distinguish immune functions, immune score, stromal score, tumor purity and tumor infiltration by immune cells in different osteosarcoma subjects. Additionally, patients with high RRPS-scores had lower expression of immune checkpoint genes than patients with low RRPS-scores. We finally identified six small molecule drugs that may improve prognosis in osteosarcoma patients and substantiated notable differences in the contents of these RBPs., Conclusion: We evaluated the prognostic value and clinical application of an RBPs-based prognostic signature and identified promising biomarkers to predict immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy response in osteosarcoma., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor that occurs frequently in children and adolescents and has a propensity for drug resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to identify potential target genes to predict metastasis and survival in patients with osteosarcoma. We analyzed gene expression profiles and corresponding clinical data of patients with osteosarcoma in the Gene Expression Omnibus database and identified 202 genes that were differentially expressed between osteosarcoma cells and normal osteoblasts. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses identified four risk genes that affected osteosarcoma prognosis: MCAM, ENPEP, LRRC1, and CPE . Independent prognostic analyses and clinical correlation studies showed that the four risk genes constituted an independent prognostic signature that correlated with survival and clinical parameters including age and distant metastasis. In a single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, risk scores based on the prognostic signature correlated with tumor infiltration by immune cells and immune functions in osteosarcoma. A subsequent analysis showed that the expression levels of the four genes in the prognostic signature were predictive of overall survival and metastasis-free survival of patients with osteosarcoma. Furthermore, Human Cancer Metastasis Database and qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated that the four risk genes are overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. In summary, we developed and validated a four-gene prognostic signature that may be useful in osteosarcoma diagnosis and metastasis prediction., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2021.)