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Dielectric loss is an important way to eliminate electromagnetic pollution. In order to achieve high dielectric loss, a graphene film reduced graphene oxide-N doped graphene (rGO-NG) was constructed from graphene oxide-Ni@polydopamine (GO-Ni@PDA) via the in situ synthesis of hollow graphene spheres between graphene sheets. This in situ was achieved by means of electrostatic self-assembly and metal-catalyzed crystallization. Owing to the synergetic effect of multi-nanocavities and multi-defects, the prepared rGO-NG film shows an average shielding effectiveness (SE) of 50.0 dB in the range of 8.2–12.4 GHz with a thickness of 12.2 μm, and the SE reflection is only 7.3 dB on average. It also exhibits an average dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) of 23.1, which is 26 and 105 times higher than those of rGO and rGO-Ni, respectively. This work provides a simple but effective route to develop high performance graphene-based materials for application as an electromagnetic interference shielding film in today’s electronic devices.

The chemisorption and catalysis of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) are effective strategies to suppress the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, multisize CoS 2 particles intercalated/coated-montmorillonite (MMT) as an efficient sulfur host is synthesized. As expected, the obtained S/CoS 2 @MMT cathode achieves an absorption-catalysis synergistic effect through the polar MMT aluminosilicate sheets and the well-dispersed nano-micron CoS 2 particles. Furthermore, efficient interlamellar ion pathways and interconnected conductive network are constructed within the composite host due to the intercalation/coating of CoS 2 in/on MMT. Therefore, the S/CoS 2 @MMT cathode achieves an outstanding rate performance up to 5 C (~548 mAh·g -1 ) and a high cycling stability with low capacity decay of 0.063 and 0.067% per cycle for 500 cycles at 1 and 2 C, respectively. With a higher sulfur loading of 4.0 mg·cm -2 , the cathode still delivers satisfactory rate and cycling performance. It shows that the CoS 2 @MMT host has great application prospects in Li-S batteries.

CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy (HEA) has great potential for engineering application due to its good ductility and high fracture toughness at low temperature. It can be deposited on components as coatings to take advantage of its excellent properties and reduce the cost. In this study, CoCrFeNiMn HEA coatings were deposited on 316L stainless steel substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technique, and a series of transient thermal shock tests were performed. It was found that the coatings contained two main phases: a face-centered cubic (FCC) solid solution phase and a flocculent oxides phase. The elemental contents of Co, Cr, Fe, and Ni were close to equal atomic percentage in the coating, while Mn was reduced significantly. The oxygen was mainly distributed in the dark flocculent oxides phase. After transient thermal shock tests, these two phases remained stable, but some tiny cracks appeared on the surface. Meanwhile, the microhardness of the coating after transient thermal shock tests also showed stable, ∼ 420 HV. Weibull statistics were used to analyze the reliability of the microhardness, and the Weibull modulus m was distributed from 9 to 15. The CoCrFeNiMn HEA coating exhibited high phase stability and excellent properties under transient thermal shock, making it have service advantages in extreme environments, especially in the fields of the development of future nuclear and aerospace structural materials.

Background Microvascular invasion (MVI) is essential for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, MVI is hard to evaluate in patients without sufficient peri-tumoral tissue samples, which account for over a half of HCC patients. Methods We established an MVI deep-learning (MVI-DL) model with a weakly supervised multiple-instance learning framework, to evaluate MVI status using only tumor tissues from the histological whole slide images (WSIs). A total of 350 HCC patients (2917 WSIs) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAHSYSU cohort) were divided into a training and test set. One hundred and twenty patients (504 WSIs) from Dongguan People’s Hospital and Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University (DG-SD cohort) formed an external test set. Unsupervised clustering and class activation mapping were applied to visualize the key histological features. Results In the FAHSYSU and DG-SD test set, the MVI-DL model achieved an AUC of 0.904 (95% CI 0.888–0.920) and 0.871 (95% CI 0.837–0.905), respectively. Visualization results showed that macrotrabecular architecture with rich blood sinus, rich tumor stroma and high intratumor heterogeneity were identified as the key features associated with MVI ( +), whereas severe immune infiltration and highly differentiated tumor cells were associated with MVI (−). In the simulation of patients with only one WSI or biopsies only, the AUC of the MVI-DL model reached 0.875 (95% CI 0.855–0.895) and 0.879 (95% CI 0.853–0.906), respectively. Conclusion The effective, interpretable MVI-DL model has potential as an important tool with practical clinical applicability in evaluating MVI status from the tumor areas on the histological slides. Graphical abstract

Five undescribed triterpenoids, two unusual omphalane-type sesquiterpenoids together with twenty-five known compounds were isolated from the leaves and stems of Rhododendron minutiflorum Hu. The absolute configurations of 1-3 and 6 were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Compounds 6-7 feature the rare omphalane-type sesquiterpene skeleton and are verified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis for the first time. In the biological activity assay, most of the triterpenoids have different degrees of inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, with IC

The chemisorption and catalysis of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) are effective strategies to suppress the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, multisize CoS

The redefinition of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has caused a revolution in clinical practice, and the characteristics of patients with steatosis but not MAFLD remain unclear. The aims were to compare the diagnosis rate of MAFLD in NAFLD using different steatosis methods and explore the features of non-MAFLD-NAFLD and MAFLD-non-NAFLD.A cross-sectional study enrolling consecutive individuals was conducted at three medical centers in southern China from January 2015 to September 2020. Steatosis was evaluated by liver biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), ultrasound, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and fatty liver index (FLI). Fibrosis was assessed by the NAFLD fibrosis score, transient elastography, or shear wave elastography.The study enrolled 14,985 Chinese adults. The agreement of MAFLD and NAFLD diagnoses were 83% for FLI, 95% for ultrasound, 94% for both CAP and MRI-PDFF, and 95% for liver biopsy. The body mass index, blood pressure and lipid levels among non-MAFLD-NAFLD patients were similar metabolic parameters (p0.05 for all), but not the alanine aminotransferase and the proportion of patients with insulin resistance, which were significantly higher in non-MAFLD-NAFLD with significant fibrosis.The new MAFLD definition ruled out 5-17% of NAFLD cases. NAFLD and MAFLD-NAFLD involved more severe metabolic abnormalities than MAFLD and MAFLD-non-NAFLD. Non-MAFLD-NAFLD patients with significant fibrosis had more severe liver injury and increased glycemic dysregulation within the normal range. Attention should be paid to its progression.

Background Hydatidiform moles exhibit a distinctive gross appearance of multiple vesicles in the placenta. The advances in cytogenetic technologies have helped uncover novel entities of hydatidiform moles and enabled elaborate diagnoses. However, management of a vesicular placenta with a coexistent live fetus poses a bigger challenge beyond hydatidiform moles. Case presentation A 33-year-old woman was referred to our department for suspected hydatidiform mole coexistent with a live fetus at 24 weeks’ gestation. The patient had conceived through double embryo transplantation, and first-trimester ultrasonography displayed a single sac. Mid-trimester imaging findings of normal placenta parenchyma admixed with multiple vesicles and a single amniotic cavity with a fetus led to suspicion of a singleton partial molar pregnancy. After confirmation of a normal diploid by amniocentesis and close surveillance, the patient delivered a healthy neonate. Preliminary microscopic examination of the placenta failed to clarify the diagnosis until fluorescence in situ hybridization showed a majority of XXY sex chromosomes. The patient developed suspected choriocarcinoma and achieved remission for 5 months after chemotherapy, but relapsed with suspected intermediate trophoblastic tumor. Conclusion We report a rare case of twin pregnancy comprising a partial mole and a normal fetus that resembled a singleton partial molar pregnancy. Individualized care is important in conditions where a vesicular placenta coexists with a fetus. We strongly recommend ancillary examinations in addition to traditional morphologic assessment in such cases.

Background: The consistency in steatosis grading between magnetic resonance imaging-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) before and after treatment remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of steatosis grading between MRI-PDFF and CAP using liver biopsy as standard and to evaluate the value of monitoring changes in steatosis grading with CAP during follow-up utilizing MRI-PDFF as a reference. Methods: Consecutive patients from a biopsy cohort and a randomized controlled trial were included in this study and classified into 3 groups (the biopsy, orlistat treatment, and routine treatment subgroups). Hepatic steatosis was measured via MRI-PDFF and CAP at baseline and at the 6th month; the accuracy and cutoffs were assessed in the liver biopsy cohort at baseline. Results: A total of 209 consecutive patients were enrolled. MRI-PDFF and CAP showed comparable diagnostic accuracy for detecting pathological steatosis [⩾S1, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.984 and 0.972, respectively]; in contrast, CAP presented significantly lower AUCs in grades S2–3 and S3 (0.820 and 0.815, respectively). The CAP values correlated well with the MRI-PDFF values at baseline and at the 6th month ( r = 0.809 and 0.762, respectively, both p Conclusions: CAP has decreased value for the initial screening of moderate-severe steatosis and is limited in monitoring changes in steatosis during treatment. The confirmation of steatosis grading with MRI-PDFF remains necessary.

Catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde (HCHO) at ambient temperature is an effective method for indoor HCHO removal. In this study, Ni/Co-Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with different molar ratios were successfully synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method. Their structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET)-specific surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), respectively. The catalytic activity results show that Ni/Co-LDHs with the Ni/Co ratio of 1:2 exhibited enhanced activity for HCHO decomposition. The removal efficiency of indoor HCHO was up to 99.7% at ambient temperature, and it remained highly stable without any obvious deactivation even after a reaction time of 800 min. The abundant hydroxyl groups were favorable for catalytic activity, which could not only enrich the adsorption of HCHO on the surface of catalysts, but also directly react with HCHO to obtain CO2 and H2O. Moreover, the redox cycles of Ni3+/Ni2+ and Co3+/Co2+ would provide more reactive oxygen species and therefore promote catalytic reaction. This work can provide a new insight into LDH-based catalysts for low-concentration HCHO removal in practical application.

A novel method to prepare crosslinked acrylate self-matting coatings is introduced in this study. Pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PET4A) was used as a cross-linker to synthesize a series of self-matting crosslinked acrylate coatings (PETs). The gloss value of the PET films was found to decrease as the amount of the cross-linker increased at the three typical incident angles of 20°, 60°, and 85°. Furthermore, the factors that affect glossiness including phase separation, cross linking density, the film-forming temperature, and the film-forming thickness were investigated. PET films provided a transparency of 84% with only 5 wt% of PET4A addition and exhibited a gloss of 5.0 (60°), which illustrates the advantage of using PETs in low-gloss aqueous coatings. In addition, the results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that the PET films exhibit excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, the PET emulsions exhibited a narrow particle size distribution, with a zeta potential of approximately −30.0 mV, revealing their excellent storage stability.

This paper takes China’s port and shipping companies as an example to analyze the factors related to the proportion of mixed-change in the port industry, and whether it undertakes the social affairs is related to the equity ratio. By the empirical analysis, the non-state-owned shares of shipping companies are higher and the equity is more dispersed. For the more profitable port companies, they have lower intention for mixed reform. However, if the benefits of state-owned companies are too bad, private companies will not be interested. Only when the benefits of state-owned companies are within a certain range, for state-owned companies and private companies are both more willing to carry out mixed reform. The better the social benefits of the company, the better it will be to optimize the trend of the company’s shareholding structure toward the non-state-owned shares.

Jing Ye,1,* Bing Liao,2,* Xiaohua Jiang,1 Zhihuai Dong,1 Sunhong Hu,1 Yuehui Liu,2 Mang Xiao1 1Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuehui Liu; Mang Xiao Email liuyuehuiclark@21cn.com; joelxm@zju.edu.cnBackground: Peripheral blood inflammation factor neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet count (PLT) and nutritional factor serum albumin (ALB) have been proposed as prognostic markers of head and neck squamous carcinoma cancer (HNSCC) in recent years. In the current study, nomogram predict models based on pre-treatment hematological parameters and a modified risk-stratified score system have been built.Methods: A total of 197 patients with oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers receiving multimodality treatment between 2012 and 2014 were included. The pre-treatment ALB, neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet count (PLT) were detected. Cancer-specific survival and locoregional recurrence (LRC) by 5 years’ follow-up in the cases were obtained. To integrate clinical characteristics, we propose a modified risk-stratified score system. Kaplan–Meier method, proportional hazards COX model, logistic models were used to establish nomograms within external validation.Results: Five-year LRC was decreased (p=0.004) for 140 patients with pre-treatment NLR < 2.77. Five-year LRC and 5-year cancer-specific survival were decreased (p=0.031, p=0.021) with pre-treatment PLT ≥ 248× 109/L. Comparison of univariate parametric models demonstrated that pre-treatment NLR evaluation and PLT> 248× 109/L were better among tested models. On Bayesian information criteria (BIC) analysis, the optimal prognostic model was then used to develop nomograms predicting 3- and 5-year LRC. The external validation of this predictive model was confirmed in 57 patients from another hospital.Conclusion: Pre-treatment NLR elevation and PLT> 248× 109/L are promising predictors of prognosis in patients with operable HNSCC. Nomograms based on the pre-treatment hematological markers and modified risk-stratified score system provide distinct risk stratifications. There results provided the feasibility of anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet treatments for HNSCC patients.Keywords: head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet count, albumin, nomogram

Background: Among head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) has the worst prognosis. Iron metabolism, which plays a crucial role in tumor progression, is mainly regulated by alterations to genes and post-transcriptional processes. The recent discovery of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has expanded the realm of previously undiscovered post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanisms in eukaryotes. Many studies have demonstrated that m6A methylation represents a distinct layer of epigenetic deregulation in carcinogenesis and tumor proliferation. However, the status of m6A modification and iron metabolism in HPSCC remains unknown. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis, sample analysis, and transcriptome sequencing were performed to evaluate the correlation between m6A modification and iron metabolism. Iron metabolic and cell biological analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of the m6A reader YTHDF1 on HPSCC proliferation and iron metabolism. Transcriptome-wide m6A-seq and RIP-seq data were mapped to explore the molecular mechanism of YTHDF1 function in HPSCC. Results: YTHDF1 was found to be closely associated with ferritin levels and intratumoral iron concentrations in HPSCC patients at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital. YTHDF1 induced-HPSCC tumorigenesis depends on iron metabolism in vivo in vitro. Mechanistically, YTHDF1 methyltransferase domain interacts with the 3'UTR and 5'UTR of TRFC mRNA, then further positively regulates translation of m6A-modified TFRC mRNA. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses validated the finding showing that TFRC is a crucial target gene for YTHDF1-mediated increases in iron metabolism. Conclusion: YTHDF1 enhanced TFRC expression in HPSCC through an m6A-dependent mechanism. From a therapeutic perspective, targeting YTHDF1 and TFRC-mediated iron metabolism may be a promising strategy for HPSCC.

Six new quassinoids, named kumulactone F (1), kumulactone G (2), kumulactone H (4), kumulactone I (5), kumulactone J (6), and kumulactone K (7), a pair of undescribed epimers α- and β-nigakihemiacetal G (3), 15 known quassinoids (8-22), and a mixture of the known compounds α- and β-neoquassin (23) were separated from the dried stems of the medical plants Picrasma quassioides. The chemical structures of all of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic data analyses (HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD)). Biologically, compounds 9 and 21 showed toxicity toward the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama with potent activity even equal to that of the positive control (Abamectin), compound 11 exhibited an excellent neuroprotective effect against SH-SY5Y cells which were pretreated by H2O2 with potent activity equal to that of the positive control (Trolox), and none of them showed cytotoxic activity toward the HeLa or A549 cell lines (IC50 > 100 μM).

Thiol-ene click reactions are more oxygen tolerant alternative to the conventional (meth)acrylate chemistry that is frequently used for the rapid production of photopolymerized networks with numerous desirable properties. To attain a high curing efficiency while maintaining the advantages of thiol-ene systems, a castor oil-based hyperbranched urethane acrylate was employed in this work as a primary oligomer for UV-curable coating formulation. Subsequently, a tetrathiol monomer (PETMP) was introduced into the coating formulation to obtain a thiol-ene system. The effects of PETMP loadings on the UV-curing kinetics and final polymer properties were systematically investigated. Consequently, thiol-ene based films with excellent flexibility and water resistance were obtained as a result of the high efficient thiol-ene photopolymerization. The double bond conversion of the thiol-ene system was found to increase with the addition of more PETMP. Impressively, with the incorporation of 5 wt% PETMP, the resultant UV-cured film had the best acid resistance and exhibited a double bond conversion of 93.6%, a pencil hardness of 6H, a water absorption of 0.76%. Additionally, all of the prepared films were completely transparent and possessed good microstructures. These thiol-ene based films may provide insight into the preparation of high-performance UV-curable coatings with excellent flexibility.

Lignin was used herein to prepare chemical grouting materials as replacements for petroleum-based epoxy precursors. Demethylation, phenolation, and hydroxymethylation were conducted and the products were characterized via FT-IR, 1H NMR, and GPC. A quantitative NMR method was used to study the precise changes in the functional group composition. Raw lignin (RL), demethylated lignin (DML), phenolated lignin (PHL), and hydroxymethylated lignin (HML) were respectively reacted with epichlorohydrin to synthesize various lignin epoxy resin (LEP), including raw lignin epoxy resin (RLEP), demethylated lignin epoxy resin (DMLEP), phenolated lignin epoxy resin (PHLEP), and hydroxymethylated lignin epoxy resin (HMLEP). With LEP as feedstocks, new grouting materials were prepared and the effects of the RLEP content and the LEP variants were investigated. The results demonstrated that the prepared lignin epoxy grouting resin had outstanding viscosity and mechanical properties with RLEP content up to 16%, and this performance greatly exceeded the industry standard. DMLEP, PHLEP, and HMLEP were able to provide better tensile properties, heat-resistance, chemical-resistance and curing performance compared with that achieved with RLEP. Overall, lignin has displayed great potential in replacing petroleum-based materials for the preparation of high-performance chemical grouting materials.

Fluoride removal from aqueous solution by adsorption using fly ash cenospheres (FAC) modified with paper mill lime mud (LM) as composite adsorbent had been investigated. The characterization of FAC and composite adsorbent were analyzed by Scanning electron spectroscope (SEM), Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Brunauer emmett teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), which demonstrated that the porous structure of composite adsorbent was obtained after surface modification. Adsorption of fluoride on modified fly ash cenospheres was fitted with pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the effects of F− concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage and temperature on the removal efficiency. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the adequacy of the mathematical models. The Nonelectrostatic model of modified fly ash cenospheres adsorbing fluoride was built through the Generalized composite method, indicating that two inner-spherical complexes, ≡SF and ≡SOHF−, were formed in the adsorption process by means of the ligand exchange and surface complexation. Optimization of the adsorption conditions enabled the realization of the practical needs for fluoride contaminated water.

The structural, elastic, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of α, β, and h-CuGaO2 were investigated based on first-principles calculations. The obtained lattice parameters were in good...

The issue, high glass-forming abilities (GFAs) in solute-absent multicomponent metallic glasses (MGs), has been investigated by systematic experimental measurements coupled with theoretical calculations in the Cu34Zr14Ti36Pd16 quaternary alloy. It is found that the synergetic contribution of some atomic- and cluster-level structural features leads to the high GFA in this quaternary composition. At the atomic scale, Pd and Ti addition decreases the size gaps between Cu and Zr atoms, and increases the atomic packing efficiency; at the cluster scale, there are more icosahedral or icosahedral-like local structures, and the cluster regularity is enhanced because of the optimization of both topological and chemical distributions in clusters. The present work provides an in-depth understanding of GFAs in multicomponent alloys, and will shed light on the development of more MGs with high GFAs.

Selective oxidation of sulfides into sulfoxides or sulfones is an important transformation in organic synthesis. Activated carbon supported Nb-based catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method and then characterized by the XRD, TEM and XPS. The characterization results indicate Nb species is amorphous Nb2O5. The catalysts were applied for the catalytic oxidation of sulfides in aqueous phase with H2O2 as the oxidant. Sulfides could be converted into the corresponding sulfoxides or sulfones with high conversion and selectivity at room temperature. The recycling experiments showed the Nb2O5/AC catalysts exhibited good reusability. They could be recycled for 10 times without obvious loss of activity and selectivity.

Cross-linked sustained-release polycarboxylate superplasticizers (SPs) are superior alternative to the comb-type polycarboxylate SPs due to they offer both a high fluidity and a good retention effect for concrete slurry. In this context, a series of cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized using acrylic acid, methylallyl polyoxyethylene ether and four different cross-linkers containing ester groups, respectively. The key difference among these four cross-linkers is their molecular weights because they each possessed the different ethoxy content. The fluidity and fluidity retention tests, adsorption performance and scanning electron microscope tests showed that the cross-linked superplasticizers offered good dispersing effects and excellent slump performance. Excitingly, the maximum flow reached up to 394 mm at a water-cement ratio of 0.35 and this high fluidity could be simultaneously maintained for 2 h, which facilitated concrete transport over long distances, therefore improving the practical workability of concrete. Furthermore, it was found that the superplasticizers derived from cross-linkers with higher ethoxy group contents provided cement paste samples with improved fluidity. Evaluation of the hydration heat and setting time demonstrated that the cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers could delay the hydration of cement and the final setting time had been extended by 4 h in comparation with blank samples. After 3, 7 and 28 d, the compressive strength of the cement mortar was improved with increases of molecular weight of the cross-linker in the cross-linked superplasticizers due to the elevation of ethoxy content.

Intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNBs) are a group of rare lesions with uncertain clinical findings and imaging features. We aim to investigate the clinicopathological features and imaging findings of IPNBs on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). From February 2005 to March 2018, 30 patients with pathologically confirmed IPNBs were retrospectively identified in our hospital. Demographic, clinical, and pathological data, CEUS and CECT features and surgical strategies were analyzed. The most common clinical manifestations were abdominal pain (53.3%), jaundice (23.3%), and acute cholangitis (10.0%). Among all lesions, 5/30 (16.7%) lesions presented as dilated bile ducts only, while 13/30 (43.3%) lesions presented as dilated bile ducts with intraductal papillary masses, and 12/30 (40.0%) presented as solid masses with dilated bile ducts. For the 20 patients who underwent both CEUS and CECT, 18 lesions were hyperenhanced on CEUS, and 17 lesions were hyperenhanced on CECT in the arterial phase. In total, 16 and 18 lesions showed washout in the portal and late phases on CEUS, while the corresponding number of lesions that showed washout in the portal and late phases on CECT were 11 and 13. Twelve lesions (40.0%) showed atypical hyperplasia, while 16/30 (53.3%) lesions underwent malignant transformations. There are 3 major forms of IPNBs on grayscale ultrasound, including diffusely dilated bile ducts without visible mass; focal dilated bile duct with intraductal papillary masses; and solid mass surrounded by dilated bile ducts. The enhancement patterns of IPNBs on CEUS and on CECT were consistent. IPNB has a high malignant potential, and patients should be treated with surgical resection after the diagnosis is established.

The synthesis, characterization and properties of novel amphoteric polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCs) are highlighted in this work. Specifically, two classes of amphoteric PCs were pre...

New prognostic factors are needed to establish indications for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in first complete remission (CR1) for T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) patients. We used microarray to compare T-LBL tissue samples (n = 75) and fetal thymus tissues (n = 20), and identified 35 differentially expressed miRNAs. Using 107 subjects as the training group, we developed a five-miRNA-based classifier to predict patient survival with LASSO Cox regression: lower risk was associated with better prognosis (disease-free survival (DFS): hazard ratio (HR) 4.548, 95% CI 2.433–8.499, p

A new chlorinated diphenyl ether, ethyl dichloroasterrate (1), and a new sesquilignan, mappilignan A (2), along with two known diphenyl ethers (3 and 4) and one known sesquilignan (5), were isolated from the stems of Mappianthus tomentosus. The structures of 1−5 were assigned by spectroscopic data analysis and by comparison with literature data. The absolute configuration of 2 was established using experimental and calculated ECD data. Compound 2 displayed inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglial cells, with IC50 value of 38.87 ± 2.27 μM.

Summary Background Identification of high-risk localised renal cell carcinoma is key for the selection of patients for adjuvant treatment who are at truly higher risk of reccurrence. We developed a classifier based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to improve the predictive accuracy for renal cell carcinoma recurrence and investigated whether intratumour heterogeneity affected the precision of the classifier. Methods In this retrospective analysis and multicentre validation study, we used paraffin-embedded specimens from the training set of 227 patients from Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) with localised clear cell renal cell carcinoma to examine 44 potential recurrence-associated SNPs, which were identified by exploratory bioinformatics analyses of a genome-wide association study from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (KIRC) dataset (n=114, 906 600 SNPs). We developed a six-SNP-based classifier by use of LASSO Cox regression, based on the association between SNP status and patients' recurrence-free survival. Intratumour heterogeneity was investigated from two other regions within the same tumours in the training set. The six-SNP-based classifier was validated in the internal testing set (n=226), the independent validation set (Chinese multicentre study; 428 patients treated between Jan 1, 2004 and Dec 31, 2012, at three hospitals in China), and TCGA set (441 retrospectively identified patients who underwent resection between 1998 and 2010 for localised clear cell renal cell carcinoma in the USA). The main outcome was recurrence-free survival; the secondary outcome was overall survival. Findings Although intratumour heterogeneity was found in 48 (23%) of 206 cases in the internal testing set with complete SNP information, the predictive accuracy of the six-SNP-based classifier was similar in the three different regions of the training set (areas under the curve [AUC] at 5 years: 0·749 [95% CI 0·660–0·826] in region 1, 0·734 [0·651–0·814] in region 2, and 0·736 [0·649–0·824] in region 3). The six-SNP-based classifier precisely predicted recurrence-free survival of patients in three validation sets (hazard ratio [HR] 5·32 [95% CI 2·81–10·07] in the internal testing set, 5·39 [3·38–8·59] in the independent validation set, and 4·62 [2·48–8·61] in the TCGA set; all p Interpretation Our six-SNP-based classifier could be a practical and reliable predictor that can complement the existing staging system for prediction of localised renal cell carcinoma recurrence after surgery, which might enable physicians to make more informed treatment decisions about adjuvant therapy. Intratumour heterogeneity does not seem to hamper the accuracy of the six-SNP-based classifier as a reliable predictor of recurrence. The classifier has the potential to guide treatment decisions for patients at differing risks of recurrence. Funding National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Foundation of China, and Guangzhou Science and Technology Foundation of China.

A novel hydrolysable cationic monomer of quaternary ammonium dialkyl maleate was synthesized and subsequently copolymerized with acrylic acid and isobutenyl polyethylene glycol to successfully yield an amphoteric polycarboxylate superplasticizer (APC). The effects of the APC on cement particles were systematically investigated. The fluidity, fluidity retention and mechanical properties were measured to evaluate the performances of the APC and compared with those of a polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE). In addition, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and scanning electron microscopy characterization were performed to investigate the influences of the APC on cement particles from microscopic level. Furthermore, the interactions of the APC with cement particles were also investigated via adsorption, hydration heat and zeta potential measurements. It was found that the introduction of a hydrolysable cationic monomer could improve the micro-structure and delay the hydration of cement. Moreover, the APC could increase the cement paste fluidity and fluidity retention.

Fluorescein has been found as an efficient visible-light-induced oxidase mimic and its catalytic performance is group-dependent. Herein, a facile colorimetric strategy for β-galactosidase (β-gal) was developed using fluorescein di β-D-galactopyranoside (FDG) as a probe based on the analyte induced change in oxidase mimicking activity of fluorescein derivatives. FDG doesn’t possess any visible-light-induced oxidase activity and can generate fluorescein and fluorescein mono β-D-galactopyranoside (FMG) in the presence of β-gal. The in situ generated fluorescein and FMG possess high oxidase-like activities under visible-light illumination and could catalyze the oxidation of 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) upon short irradiation by light-emitting diode (LED) lamp. Thus, the β-gal activity can be selectively detected in linear range from 0.10 to 12.9 μg mL−1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.04 μg mL−1. We further integrated with the visual detection of α-fetoprotein antigen (AFP) based on the corresponding colorimetric signal induced by β-gal-linked colorimetric immunoassay, a LOD of 0.08 ng mL−1 could be achieved. Significantly, our proposed assay provides a facile sensing platform based on the change in enzyme mimicking activity induced by analytes. In addition, this optical method works without complex synthesis procedure and efficiently avoids participation of unstable H2O2 as an oxidant. Therefore, the present work not only shows the excellent assay performance in β-gal and tumor biomarker detection, but also opens up a new avenue for its application in practical optical sensing.

Lifestyle risk factors have been associated with increased all-cause and cause-specific mortality, but the influence of reverse causation has been underappreciated as a limitation in epidemiological studies.Prospective cohort study including 457,021 US adults from the National Health Interview Survey 1997-2013 linked to the National Death Index records through December 31, 2015. Multivariable Cox models were performed to examine the association of lifestyle risk factors with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Participants with prevalent diseases and the first 2, 5, 10, and 15 years of follow-up were excluded to account for reverse causation.During 4,441,609 person-years, we identified 60,323 total deaths. Heavy alcohol drinking (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.16), smoking (HR 1.78; 95% CI 1.74 to 1.83) and lack of physical activity (HR 1.51; 95% CI 1.47 to 1.54) were associated with increased all-cause mortality. Overweight was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.86 to 0.90). After exclusion of participants with diseases and first 10 years of follow-up, associations changed to: heavy alcohol drinking (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.43), smoking (HR 1.99; 95% CI 1.87 to 2.11), lack of physical activity (HR 1.21; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.27), and overweight (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.10).Methods to account for reverse causation suggest different effects of reverse causation on the associations between lifestyle risk factors and mortality. Exclusion of participants with diseases at baseline, and exclusion of 5-10 years of follow-up may be necessary to mitigate reverse causation.

Mental distress has a high global prevalence and is associated with poor health outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the relationship between mental distress and the risk of 10 chronic diseases using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).Cross-sectional data from the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 BRFSS were analyzed. The association between mental distress based on the number of days of poor mental health and the risk of 10 chronic diseases, namely obesity, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, kidney disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, skin cancer, and other cancers, were assessed by logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses stratified by age and sex were also conducted.Positive associations between mental distress and chronic diseases were observed. We also found a dose-response gradient between mental distress levels and the risk of all chronic diseases except skin cancer. In respondents aged 18-44 years reporting ≥23 days/month of mental distress, there has the largest odds ratio between mental distress levels and each chronic disease. Moreover, mental distress was associated with higher risks of obesity and arthritis in women relative to men.Mental distress was positively associated with chronic diseases. Age and sex are crucial in this relationship. Further studies with longitudinal data are needed to clarify the direction of this association.

Background: Emerging as the most abundant posttranscriptional internal mRNA modification in eukaryotes, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has gathered tremendous scientific interest in recent years. However, no study addresses the role of m6A modification in ferroptosis. Here, we showed that m6A modifications are decreased in RSL3-induced ferroptosis in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC). We found that AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), one of the m6A demethylases, is the primary factor involved in aberrant m6A modification. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis, sample analysis, cell biological analyses and transcriptome sequencing were performed to evaluate the correlation between m6A modification and ferroptosis as well as molecular mechanism of ALKBH5 function. Transcriptome-wide m6A-seq and RIP-seq data and following m6A dot blot, MeRIP-qPCR, RIP-qPCR and dual luciferase reporter assays were mapped to screen and validate the candidate targets of ALKBH5. Results: ALKBH5-knockdown impaired ferroptotic cell death in HPSCC. However, overexpression of ALKBH5 has an opposite effect, suggesting that ALKBH5 is a positive regulator of ferroptosis. Mechanistically, ALKBH5-mediated m6A demethylation led to a post-transcriptional inhibition of NFE2L2/NRF2, the central player in the regulation of antioxidant molecules in cells, at two m6A residues in the 3ʹ-UTR. Therefore, knocking down ALKBH5 subsequently increases the expression levels of NFE2L2/NRF2 and increased cell resistance to ferroptosis. In addition, m6A -mediated NFE2L2/NRF2 stabilization relied on the m6A reader IGF2BP2. Conclusion: ALKBH5 functions as a tumor suppresser through ferroptosis in HPSCC. ALKBH5 destabilizes NFE2L2/NRF2 expression in HPSCC through an m6A-IGF2BP2-dependent mechanism. Together, our work uncovers a critical link between ALKBH5-NFE2L2/NRF2 and ferroptosis, providing insight into the functional importance of the reversible mRNA m6A methylation and its modulators in HPSCC. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. LY21H160031), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 62071415, No.81903160), Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission Grants (No. 2019336033 and No. 2020367813). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: According to the protocol approved by the Ethical Review Committee of the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University. Patient tissue samples were obtained with informed consent. The in vivo assay using nude mice was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Zhejiang University college of Medicine. All animal studies were carried out in accordance with Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources guidelines and approved by the University Committee on the Use and Care of Animals at the Zhejiang University.

BACKGROUND: Microvascular invasion (MVI) has a significant effect on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its preoperative identification is challenging. Radiomics features extracted from medical images, such as magnetic resonance (MR) images, can be used to predict MVI. In this study, we explored the effects of different imaging sequences, feature extraction and selection methods, and classifiers on the performance of HCC MVI predictive models. METHODS: After screening against the inclusion criteria, 69 patients with HCC and preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images were enrolled. In total, 167 features were extracted from the MR images of each sequence for each patient. Experiments were designed to investigate the effects of imaging sequence, number of gray levels (Ng), quantization algorithm, feature selection method, and classifiers on the performance of radiomics biomarkers in the prediction of HCC MVI. We trained and tested these models using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). RESULTS: The radiomics model based on the images of the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) had better predictive performance than those based on the arterial phase (AP), portal venous phase (PVP), and pre-enhanced T1-weighted images [area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) =0.792 vs. 0.641/0.634/0.620, P=0.041/0.021/0.010, respectively]. Compared with the equal-probability and Lloyd-Max algorithms, the radiomics features obtained using the Uniform quantization algorithm had a better performance (AUC =0.643/0.666 vs. 0.792, P=0.002/0.003, respectively). Among the values of 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128, the best predictive performance was achieved when the Ng was 64 (AUC =0.792 vs. 0.584/0.697/0.677/0.734, P

To retrospectively assess the value of the combination of conventional ultrasound and shear-wave elastography (SWE) in evaluating the segmental heterogeneity of liver fibrosis in biliary atresia (BA) patients after Kasai portoenterostomy. A total of 35 BA patients with liver segmental deformation were enrolled. The segmental deformation was assessed by conventional ultrasound followed with SWE examinations for evaluating the liver stiffness. Liver biopsy was performed in 11 patients in the region of SWE measurement and liver fibrosis was assessed using the Metavir classification. Aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) was calculated for comparison. The correlations between serum biochemical tests with SWE values were evaluated. Spearman’s rank coefficient test was performed to evaluate the correlation between variables. The SWE values of the biopsy segments had significant positive correlations with liver fibrosis severity (r = 0.828, p = 0.001), which was better than APRI (r = 0.366, p = 0.242). The levels of bilirubin and transaminase showed significant correlations with the SWE values at hypertrophic segments in all patients (r from 0.336 to 0.576, all p

Three new tyramine-type alkamides (