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We previously identified the important role of RIN1 expression in the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The role of RIN1 in ccRCC malignancy and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that ccRCC cells and tissues expressed more RIN1 than normal controls. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that RIN1 enhanced ccRCC cell growth, migration and invasion abilities in vitro and promoted tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that RIN1 has an activating effect on EGFR signaling in ccRCC. In addition, we unveil Rab25, a critical GTPase in ccRCC malignancy, as a functional RIN1 interacting partner. Knockdown of Rab25 eliminated the augmentation of carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion by ectopic RIN1. We also confirmed that RIN1 and Rab25 expression correlates with the overall-survival of ccRCC patients from TCGA. These findings suggest that RIN1 plays an important oncogenic role in ccRCC malignancy by activation of EGFR signaling through interacting with Rab25, and RIN1 could be employed as an effective therapeutic target for ccRCC.

Objective Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) is frequent complication post-liver transplantation and is closely related to recipient's mortality and morbidity. We sought to develop a nomogram for predicting incidence of EAD. Methods Based on multivariate analysis of donor, recipient, and operation data of 199 liver transplants from deceased donors between 2013 and 2015, we identified 5 significant risk factors for EAD to build a nomogram. The model was subjected to prospective validation with a cohort of 42 patients who was recruited between January and June 2016. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation was showed by the calibration curve. Results Incidence rate of EAD in the training set and validation cohort were 55.91% (104/199) and 54.76% (23/42), respectively. In the training set, according to the results of univariable and multivariable analysis, 5 independent risk factors including donor gender, donor serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase level, donor serum urea level, donor comorbidities (respiratory, cardiac, and renal dysfunction), and recipient Model for End-stage Liver Disease score were identified and assembled into the nomogram. The AUC of internal validation using bootstrap resampling and prospective validation using the external cohort of 42 patients was 0.74 and 0.60, respectively. The calibration curves for probability of EAD showed acceptable agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation. According to the score table, the probability of EAD was under 30% when the total point tally was under 72. But when the total was up to 139, the risk of EAD increased to 60%. Conclusion We've established and validated a nomogram that can provide individual prediction of EAD for liver transplant recipients. The practical prognostic model may help clinicians to qualify the liver graft accurately, making a more reasonable allocation of organs.

Objective: To study the correlation of ultrasound vascularization index and flow index of thyroid cancer with tumor malignancy. Methods: A total of 140 patients with thyroid nodule who accepted surgical resection in our hospital between May 2013 and June 2016 were selected as the research subjects, the patients with malignant thyroid nodule were included in the malignant group of the research and patients with benign thyroid nodule were included in the benign group of research. Three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography was conducted before operation to determine vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI); tumor tissues were collected after operation to detect the expression of angiogenesis as well as cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion-related molecules. Results: VI, FI and VFI levels of tumor tissue of malignant group were significantly higher than those of benign group; VEGF, MK, Ang-2, IGF-II, Bcl-2, Livin, Wip1, S100A4, TCF, β-catenin and SATB1 protein expression in tumor tissue of malignant group were significantly higher than those of benign group and positively correlated with VI, FI and VFI levels while CCNG2 and p27 protein expression were significantly lower than those of benign group and negatively correlated with VI, FI and VFI levels. Conclusion: Ultrasound vascularization index and flow index of thyroid cancer increase significantly and are closely related to the angiogenesis as well as cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion.

In this study, novel macro porous Ni2+-imprinted chitosan foam adsorbents (F-IIP) were prepared using sodium bicarbonate and glycerine to obtain a porogen for adsorbing nickel ions from aqueous solutions. The use of the ion-imprinting technique for adsorbents preparation improved the nickel ion selectivity and adsorption capacity. We characterised the imprinted porous foam adsorbents in terms of the effects of the initial pH value, initial metal ion concentration, and contact time on the adsorption of nickel ions. The adsorption process was described best by Langmuir monolayer adsorption models, and the maximum adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir equation was 69.93mgg-1. The kinetic data could be fitted to a pseudo-second-order equation. Our analysis of selective adsorption demonstrated the excellent preference of the F-IIP foams for nickel ions compared with other coexisting metal ions. Furthermore, tests over five cycle runs suggested that the F-IIP foam adsorbents had good durability and efficiency.

// Jun Lu 1, * , Jin-Huan Wei 1, * , Zi-Hao Feng 1, * , Zhen-Hua Chen 1, * , Yong-Qian Wang 2 , Yong Huang 1 , Yong Fang 1 , Yan-Ping Liang 1 , Jun-Jie Cen 1 , Yi-Hui Pan 1 , Bing Liao 3 , Wen-Fang Chen 3 , Wei Chen 1 , Jun-Hang Luo 1 1 Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China 2 Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China 3 Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jun-Hang Luo, email: luojunh@mail.sysu.edu.cn Keywords: miR-106b-5p, stemness, Wnt signalling, tumorigenesis, renal cell carcinoma Received: October 29, 2016 Accepted: February 06, 2017 Published: February 21, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: To examine the role of miR-106b-5p in regulating the cancer stem-cell-like phenotype in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC). Experimental Design: Real-time PCR was performed to evaluate miR-106b-5p levels in ccRCC cell lines and patients specimens. A series of in vivo and in vitro assays were performed to confirm the effect of miR-106b-5p on ccRCC stemness phenotype. Results: ccRCC cells and tissues expressed more miR-106b-5p than normal controls. Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that overexpression of miR-106b-5p in ccRCC cells increased the spheres formation ability and the proportion of side population cells. Ectopic expression of miR-106b-5p in ccRCC cells increased tumour growth rates and the number of metastatic colonies in the lungs by using an orthotopic kidney cancer model and a tail vein injection model, respectively. Mechanistic studies revealed that, miR-106b-5p has an activating effect on Wnt/β-catenin signalling. miR-106p-5p overexpression simultaneously targets multiple negative regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, namely, LZTFL1, SFRP1 and DKK2. In addition, we also confirmed that miR-106b-5p and its targets expression correlates with the overall-survival of ccRCC patients from TCGA. Conclusions: These findings suggest that miR-106b-5p mediates the constitutive activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, likely serving as a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC.

DEC1 has been reported to regulate the expression of multiple target genes, participate in cell differentiation, apoptosis, aging and the development and progression of numerous tumors, but the detailed effects and possible mechanisms of DEC1 in ovarian cancer (OC) remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and mechanism of function of DEC1 in OC. The present results demonstrated that DEC1 was highly expressed in OC tissues and cell lines using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry, and high expression of DEC1 was negatively associated with the prognosis of patients with OC. In addition, knockdown of DEC1 significantly inhibited proliferation in SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells compared with control. DEC1 knockdown also induced apoptosis and increased the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in OC cells. The results suggested that knockdown of DEC1 inhibited OC cell migration and invasion via regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related protein. It was also found that DEC1 knockdown significantly inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Collectively, the current results indicated that knockdown of DEC1 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis in OC cells via modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Thus, DEC1 may participate in malignant progression of OC, and may be a target for treatment and diagnosis of OC.

We aimed to establish a discriminative gene-expression-based classifier to predict survival outcomes of T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) patients. After exploring global gene-expression profiles of progressive (n = 22) vs. progression-free (n = 28) T-LBL patients, 43 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified. Then an eleven-gene-based classifier was established using LASSO Cox regression based on NanoString quantification. In the training cohort (n = 169), high-risk patients stratified using the classifier had significantly lower progression-free survival (PFS: hazards ratio 4.123, 95% CI 2.565-6.628; p 0.001), disease-free survival (DFS: HR 3.148, 95% CI 1.857-5.339; p 0.001), and overall survival (OS: HR 3.790, 95% CI 2.237-6.423; p 0.001) compared with low-risk patients. The prognostic accuracy of the classifier was validated in the internal testing (n = 84) and independent validation cohorts (n = 360). A prognostic nomogram consisting of five independent variables including the classifier, lactate dehydrogenase levels, ECOG-PS, central nervous system involvement, and NOTCH1/FBXW7 status showed significantly greater prognostic accuracy than each single variable alone. The addition of a five-miRNA-based signature further enhanced the accuracy of this nomogram. Furthermore, patients with a nomogram score ≥154.2 significantly benefited from the BFM protocol. In conclusion, our nomogram comprising the 11-gene-based classifier may make contributions to individual prognosis prediction and treatment decision-making.

Background The predictive model of postsurgical recurrence for solitary early hepatocellular carcinoma (SE-HCC) is not well established. The aim of this study was to develop a novel model for prediction of postsurgical recurrence and survival for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm. Patients and Methods Data from 1,081 patients with HBV-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm who underwent curative liver resection from 2003 to 2016 in our center were collected retrospectively and randomly divided into the derivation cohort (n = 811) and the internal validation cohort (n = 270). Eight hundred twenty-three patients selected from another four tertiary hospitals served as the external validation cohort. Postsurgical recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) predictive nomograms were generated. The discriminatory accuracies of the nomograms were compared with six conventional hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging systems. Results Tumor size, differentiation, microscopic vascular invasion, preoperative α-fetoprotein, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, albumin-to-bilirubin ratio, and blood transfusion were identified as the risk factors associated with RFS and OS. RFS and OS predictive nomograms based on these seven variables were generated. The C-index was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79–0.87) for the RFS-nomogram and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83–0.91) for the OS-nomogram. Calibration curves showed good agreement between actual observation and nomogram prediction. Both C-indices of the two nomograms were substantially higher than those of the six conventional HCC staging systems (0.54–0.74 for RFS; 0.58–0.76 for OS) and those of HCC nomograms reported in literature. Conclusion The novel nomograms were shown to be accurate at predicting postoperative recurrence and OS for patients with HBV-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm after curative liver resection.

Increasing evidences have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently involved in various cancers. However, the expression and function of lncRNA DRAIC in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unknown. In this study, we found that DRAIC was significantly increased in NPC tissues. Increased expression of DRAIC was positively correlated with advanced clinical stages of NPC patients. Functional assays revealed that ectopic expression of DRAIC enhances NPC cell growth, migration and invasion. DRAIC knockdown represses NPC cell growth, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, we identified two miR-122 binding sites on DRAIC. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the binding of DRAIC to miR-122. Via binding of miR-122, DRAIC upregulated the expression of miR-122 target SATB1, which was abolished by the mutation of miR-122 binding sites on SATB1. Moreover, the oncogenic roles of DRAIC on NPC were reversed by the mutation of miR-122 binding sites on SATB1, simultaneous overexpression of miR-122, or depletion of SATB1. In addition, the expression of SATB1 was also increased and positively associated with that of DRAIC in NPC tissues. In conclusion, these findings revealed the important roles of DRAIC-miR-122-SATB1 axis in NPC and suggested that DRAIC may be a potential therapeutic target for NPC.

Soft pneumatic actuators are widely used for achieving sophisticated motions. However, to achieve extending, bending, bending-twisting and winding in a class of actuator is challenging. Here, we propose a programmable design to enable soft actuators to execute such complex motions. These motions are mainly owing to adjusting structure parameters, the position and angle of the elastic layer and the strain limiting layer. In addition, various deformation modes of actuators are demonstrated by our prototypes. By tuning the structure parameters, the deformation of actuators is explored and becomes more sophisticated and dexterous. Moreover, winding actuator shows a more stable grasping performance, which can grasp objects of different shapes and weights. We further demonstrate that by combining different forms of soft actuators, crawling soft robots with different functions can be developed. This programmable design method guides the fabrication of actuators and robots, making them promising candidates for more complex motions and new and innovative applications.

The high flexibility and adaptability of the soft actuator have attracted wide attention. However, under the stimulation of the external environment, the complex and controllable movement of materials remain a challenge. In this work, we make a bilayer composite film simply and quickly by depositing silicone rubber (Ecoflex00-30) on the side of the plant parchment. It spontaneously controls deformation and responds sensitively in the water. This bilayer composite film exhibits a good stable actuation effect and reversibility in a humid environment or in water. We cut the strips of plant parchment into different fiber directions and control the lateral gradient in the thickness direction to achieve complex and controllable motion (bending, S-shaped, -shaped and spiral). Inspired by the plant tendrils, we design and built a soft gripper that can achieve 30 times its own weight in the water, demonstrating promising bioinspired applications.

Mesoderm development is a finely tuned process initiated by the differentiation of pluripotent epiblast cells. Serine/threonine kinase 40 (STK40) controls the development of several mesoderm-derived cell types, its overexpression induces differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) toward the extraembryonic endoderm, and Stk40 knockout (KO) results in multiple organ failure and is lethal at the perinatal stage in mice. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological functions of STK40 in mesoderm differentiation remain elusive. Here, we report that Stk40 ablation impairs mesoderm differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, STK40 interacts with both the E3 ubiquitin ligase mammalian constitutive photomorphogenesis protein 1 (COP1) and the transcriptional regulator proto-oncogene c-Jun (c-JUN), promoting c-JUN protein degradation. Consequently, Stk40 knockout leads to c-JUN protein accumulation, which, in turn, apparently suppresses WNT signaling activity and impairs the mesoderm differentiation process. Overall, this study reveals that STK40, together with COP1, represents a previously unknown regulatory axis that modulates the c-JUN protein level within an appropriate range during mesoderm differentiation from mESCs. Our findings provide critical insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating the c-JUN protein level and may have potential implications for managing cellular disorders arising from c-JUN dysfunction.

From the perspective of waste utilization, the invasive species, Eupatorium adenophorum was used to prepare biochar, which was then loaded with iron/nickel bimetals. Compared with pure biochar, the biochar-loaded nano-iron/nickel bimetals have a significant effect on the removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) from water, and their degradation rate can be increased by 39.7%-71.6% under different conditions. Several factors can influence the removal of 2,4,6-TCP, including the load ratio, pH of the solution, concentration of 2,4,6-TCP, and coexisting ions in water (HCO3−, SO42−, NO3−). Based on the density functional model (DET), Ni can activate H2 (produced in the reaction between nano-Fe and H2O) to convert to H*, which can then substitute Cl. The activation energy is 109.5 kJ/mol, indicating the reaction is easy to take place.

Aim: To study the expression of EIF5A2 in urinary tract urothelial carcinoma and its clinicopathological features and prognosis. Methods: EIF5A2 expression was detected via immunohistochemistry in 101 patients. Results: Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the EIF5A2 low expression group had significantly longer overall survival (OS; p

The present study aimed to evaluate the utility of the extent of change (C) and change rate (Cr) of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) prior to and after treatment in evaluating the early therapeutic efficacy of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treatment. A total of 145 patients with AMI who received regular MI treatment were enrolled in the present study. Patients were divided into the effective group and the ineffective group based on the early therapeutic efficacy. The values of two parameters, namely the serum levels of cTnI and hs-CRP, were collected prior to and after AMI treatment. Data were analyzed by using the t-test, Chi-squared test, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Compared with those in the ineffective group, the values of cTnI and hs-CRP after treatment [cTnI(post) and hs-CRP(post)], as well as their C and Cr values, were significantly decreased in the effective group (P

Understanding the structure–property relationship of polyurethane (PU) binders is of critical importance in the construction engineering applications. A series of rapid room temperature-curable PU binders were prepared using polyoxypropylene glycol as the soft segments, along with polymethylene polyphenylene isocyanate and 4,4′-methylene-bis(2-chlorobenzenamine) as the hard segments. This work investigated the influence of the hard segment content (40 wt%, 45 wt%, and 50 wt%) and the soft segment molecular weight (1000 g/mol, 2000 g/mol, 3000 g/mol, and 4000 g/mol) on the microphase structure of the PU binders. Their influence on the compressive behaviors, flexural behaviors, impact strengths, and slant shear strengths of the PU-based polymer concretes was also investigated. Structural characterization revealed that increasing either the hard segment content or the larger soft segment molecular weight effectively enhanced hydrogen bonding as well as microphase separation. Our results also demonstrated that a higher hard segment content resulted in better mechanical performance and shorter pot life. In addition, the PU-based polymer concrete using 2000 g/mol polyoxypropylene glycol reached optimal mechanical performance when the hard segment was held constant. Hence, varying the hard segment content and soft segment length can be an effective method to adjust the engineering performance of PU-based polymer concrete.

Eggshell provides a relatively independent and stable internal environment for embryo growth and development, and is also a source of calcium ions required for embryo development. Eggshells of good quality can reduce the risk of food safety to a certain extent, and can also reduce the economic losses caused by broken eggshells and improve economic efficiency. At the same time, the process of eggshell formation is also a classic biomineralization model. In this study, the 600K high-density SNP chip of chicken was used to perform SNP typing on several groups obtained by the reciprocal cross between Bailaihang and Dongxiang green-shell hens. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray crystal diffraction were used to determine the ultrastructure and eggshell ultrastructure. Crystal structure, explain its genetic basis, and explore the relationship between eggshell ultrastructure and crystal structure. This study believes that the DERA gene plays an important role in regulating the growth of eggshell crystals. There are three possible ways of action: one is to provide energy for the synthesis of uterine tissue cell matrix protein and its transport with ions; the second is to reduce the stress of high Ca2+ concentration stress, maintain cell activity, and for the growth of eggshell crystals Stably provide the required Ca2+; third, by regulating the concentration of ATP in the uterine fluid, the effect on the growth of eggshell crystals.

To study the chemical composition of the extract of cedar pine needle methylene chloride. Methods: The paper used silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography to separate and purify, and carried out structural identification based on physical and chemical properties and spectral data. At the same time, gallic acid was preliminarily separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the separation conditions of gallic acid were determined, and the content change of gallic acid after tannin was acid-decomposed was determined, proving that the extract may contain decomposable hydrolysis Tannin or compound tannin. Results: Five compounds were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of cedar pine needles, which were identified as: ferulic acid (1), osthol (2), β-phenylacrylic acid (3), paeonol (4), Magnolol (5). Conclusion: All compounds except Compound 5 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

// Yi Lin 1, * , Ertao Zhai 2, * , Bing Liao 3, * , Lixia Xu 1 , Xinhua Zhang 2 , Sui Peng 1 , Yulong He 2 , Shirong Cai 2 , Zhirong Zeng 1 , Minhu Chen 1 1 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R.China 2 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R.China 3 Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R.China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Shirong Cai, email: caisrteam@163.com Zhirong Zeng, email: zengzhirong@vip.163.com Keywords: autocrine, VEGF, proliferation, Apatinib, gastric cancer Received: December 16, 2015 Accepted: December 25, 2016 Published: January 03, 2017 ABSTRACT Background: Tumor cells produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which interact with the membrane or cytoplasmic VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) to promote cell growth in an angiogenesis-independent fashion. Apatinib, a highly selective VEGFR2 inhibitor, is the only effective drug for patients with terminal gastric cancer (GC) who have no other chemotherapeutic options. However, its treatment efficacy is still controversy and the mechanism behind remains undetermined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of autocrine VEGF signaling in the growth of gastric cancer cells and the efficacy of Apatinib treatment. Methods: The expression of phosphor VEGFR2 in gastric cancer cell lines was determined by real-time PCR, immunofluorescence, and Western blot. The gastric cancer cells were administrated with or without recombination human VEGF (rhVEGF), VEGFR2 neutralizing antibody, U73122, SU1498, and Apatinib. The nude mice were used for xenograft tumor model. Results: we found that autocrine VEGF induced high VEGFR2-expression, promoted phosphorylation of VEGFR2, and further enhanced internalization of pVEGFR2 in gastric cancer cells. The autocrine VEGF was self-sustained through increasing VEGF mRNA and protein expression. It exerted pro-proliferative effect through a PLC-ERK1/2 dependent pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that in VEGFR2 overexpressing gastric cancer cells, Apatinib inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and delayed xenograft tumor growth in vivo . However, these effects were not observed in VEGFR2 low expressing gastric cancer cells. Conclusion: These results suggested that autocrine VEGF signaling promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation and enhances Apatinib treatment outcome in VEGFR2 overexpression gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo . This study would enable better stratification of gastric cancer patients for clinical treatment decision.

It is still a challenge to disperse yellow iron oxides in organic media due to their susceptible aggregation, which limits their application in ceramic material area. In order to achieve colloidal stabilization in organic liquid, yellow iron oxides were dispersed in ethanol with p[methyl methacrylate-r-butyl methacrylate-r-N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) methacrylamide] random copolymers (PMBAs) based on amino groups as anchoring groups and alkyl as solvent chains by reversible-addition fragmentation chain-transfer radical (RAFT) polymerization. The effect of PMBAs on viscosity, rheological properties and dispersion stability was investigated. In the presence of PMBAs, yellow iron oxide dispersion performed excellent colloidal stability and low viscosity with high solid loadings. Furthermore, it is suggested that PMBAs have outstanding dispersion ability, retarding yellow iron oxides aggregating and keeping it stable for more than 60 days at ambient temperature. This study reveals that PMBAs might find promising application in material dispersion area.

RNA interference has been considered as an effective gene silencing method in basic and preclinical investigations. The aims of the present study were to construct a lentiviral vector expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting the murine CC chemokine receptor 3 (mCCR3), and to investigate its effects on the proliferation and apoptosis of mouse eosinophils. A recombinant lentiviral vector expressing four fragments of mouse CCR3 shRNA (pLVX‑mCCR3‑1+2+3+4‑shRNA) was constructed using subcloning techniques. This novel lentivirus was then packaged into 293T cells by co‑transduction with plasmids, including Baculo p35, pCMV R8.2 and VSV. The interference effects of the vector were verified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analyses. The effects of the interference on the proliferation and apoptosis of mouse eosinophils were investigated using 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑5‑(3‑carboxymethoxyphenyl)‑2‑(4‑sulfophenyl)‑2H‑tetrazolium and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling methods, respectively. The results of the PCR and western blot analyses confirmed that the novel recombinant vector, pLVX‑mCCR3‑1+2+3+4‑shRNA, had high efficiency in inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression levels of mCCR3 in mouse eosinophils. The downregulation of mCCR3 significantly inhibited proliferation of the eosinophils. Furthermore, the present study found that the downregulation of mCCR3 significantly promoted apoptosis of the eosinophils. Therefore, the downregulation of mCCR3 led to the inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in mouse eosinophils. The predominant characteristics of allergic rhinitis are eosinophil infiltration and release of inflammatory mediators, which appear in a variety of clinical manifestations. The results of the present study indicate that mCCR3 silencing may serve as a putative approach for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Seven new clerodane diterpenoids, dodovisnoids A−G (1–7), were isolated from Dodonaea viscosa. The structures of these compounds were identified by extensive spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of 1, 2, and 6 were assigned by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 1 is an unprecedented clerodane diterpenoid possessing a new carbon skeleton that could biogenetically derive from 5,10-secoclerodane. Compounds 2–5 are rare cyclopropyl-modified clerodanes and 6 is the first dinor-clerodane featuring an alkynyl moiety. Compounds 4–7 showed antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in vitro.

Self-matt coating of waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) was synthesized by combining prepolymer and self-emulsification methods. The emulsion was fabricated from both hydroxy carboxylic acid and aminosulfonic acid types of hydrophilic chain-extending agents, in which the 2-[(2-aminoethyl) amino] ethane sulphonate sodium (AAS salt) was produced in laboratory. This emulsion demonstrated an excellent matt performance without the addition of extra matting agents after filming. Four different kinds of surface properties were measured on the film: the specular gloss (60° gloss meter), the contact angle (CA), the surface roughness degree (3D Surface Profilometer), and the topography of the coatings surface (SEM). The results showed that tons of spherical particles with diameter in a few micrometers were aggregated on the film surface. The effect of the roughness parameters (R a and R q ) and the average particle size of the emulsions on the specular gloss degree were probed. The research indicated that the emulsion with average particle size in the range of 2.5–3.0 µm and, meanwhile, the film with roughness parameters R a and R q both greater than 1 µm could attain the best matt effect. The WBPU emulsions showed good physical and mechanical properties, and were introduced into wood varnish for matting purpose.

The adsorption of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution by chitosan (CTS) and its triethylenetetramine derivative beads (CCTS) was investigated in a batch adsorption system. Chitosan beads were crosslinked with epichlorohydrin and then grafted with triethylenetetramine to obtain sorbents that are insoluble in aqueous acidic solution and improve adsorption capacity, respectively. Elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to analyze the structure and characteristics of chitosan and its derivative. It showed that the derivative of chitosan possessed good stability in acidic solution and achieved optimal adsorption capacity at pH higher than 4.5 and the max adsorption capacity of chitosan and chitosan derivate were 58.09 and 91.44 mg/L, respectively. Their adsorption processes could be best described by the pseudo second-order model, which suggested that the rate-limiting step may be the chemical adsorption rather than the mass transport. The experimental data of adsorption of Ni 2+ by chitosan derivate was fitted well by the Langmuir isotherm model with a high correlation coefficient (R 2 > 0.99), showing that monolayer adsorption took place on the surface of chitosan derivate absorbents, while the adsorption isotherm was well fitted by Freundlich for chitosan. Furthermore, the chitosan derivate exhibited good adsorption performance after regeneration for 5 cycles. At last, FTIR and XPS analysis showed that both the nitrogen and oxygen functional groups were involved in the adsorption of Ni 2+ .

Low concentrations of imatinib (IM) in bone marrow cells have been linked with poor prognosis in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which may be caused by the emergence of ATP-binding cassette transporter B1 (ABCB1) mutations. The aim of present study was to investigate how clinical outcomes vary among patients with different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ABCB1. A total of 48 adult patients with CML and higher than median ABCB1 mRNA levels were selected for testing of ABCB1 SNPs. In 28 of the 48 patients, the IM concentration and expression levels of human organic cation transporter 1 (hOCT1) and ABCB1 in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) were also tested. Correlations between treatment outcomes and IM concentration or the SNP status of ABCB1 were analyzed. Patients were classified by therapeutic response as major molecular response (MMR) (n=11), complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) (n=19) and non-CCyR (n=18) groups. It was found that the concentration of IM in BMMCs of the CCyR group was significant higher than that of the resistant groups (P=0.013). In addition, the IM concentration was positively correlated with the expression of hOCT1 mRNA (R=0.456, P=0.033), but negatively correlated with the expression of ABCB1 mRNA (R=−0.491, P=0.015). Furthermore, the mRNA expression level of ABCB1 was not associated with therapeutic response, but SNPs of the ABCB1 gene were associated with the response to IM. In conclusion, the concentration of IM in BMMCs may be regulated by the ABCB1 gene, and SNPs of the ABCB1 gene predict the therapeutic response to IM in patients with CML.

At present, several researchers mainly focus on the synthesis of new micro-cross-linking structure, or explore the effect of cross-linkers with different molecular weight and similar structure on the performance of cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers. In order to explore the influence of the different molecular structure of the cross-linker on the performance of polycarboxylate superplasticizers, two kinds of cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized in this study. These two superplasticizers incorporated either a linear cross-linker triethylene glycol diethyl ether or a cyclic cross-linker 3,9-divinyl-2,4,8,10-tetroxyspiro[5,5] undecane as one of the monomers. Then the polymers were respectively coded as SPT and SPD. Furthermore, the dispersion performance of the cross-linked polymers was evaluated by cement slurry fluidity tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization. Consequently, cementitious mixtures incorporating SPT had better dispersibility than those incorporating conventional comb-type polycarboxylate superplasticizers (SPC) and SPD. In addition, the XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), hydration heat, and setting time tests confirmed that SPT exhibited a stronger retardation effect on cement hydration than that was provided by SPD. It was also found that SPT enhanced the compressive strength of concrete, compared to SPC and SPD. This study provides a reference for the development of cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizer.

The development of poultry farming as a basic industry is driven by this form of development, and agricultural development technology has been greatly improved, which is of great significance for the development of agricultural production. It can be said that in this Under this new form of conditions, people's ideas have also undergone great changes. In the process of agricultural production development, one of the most important influencing factors is to promote the rapid development of poultry farming while also promoting Its stable, healthy and sustainable development. Therefore, it is an important task to achieve green and environmentally friendly farming in the poultry industry and promote the sustainable development of the poultry industry. This article will conduct a series of analyses on how to achieve green and environmentally friendly farming. At the same time, in order to explore the relationship between eggshell colour, composition and structure and eggshell quality, the paper selected 98 normal eggs produced by hens with green environmental protection, and then the quality of the eggshell was measured; then the eggshell colour was determined the instrument measures the colour of the eggshell and explores the deposition rule of the eggshell pigment. Then use the same batch of eggshells to determine the composition of the eggshells, and finally divide them into three groups of strong, medium and weak according to the strength of the eggshells. Take 5 eggshells in each group to observe the microstructure and crystal structure. The study found that the deposition law of eggshell pigments: biliverdin IX and protoporphyrin IX in the eggshell both reached the maximum secretion in the final stage of eggshell formation, and they may be regulated by the same factors. Eggshell colour has a certain relationship with egg weight, eggshell strength, eggshell thickness and Hastelloy unit.

Groundwater barriers are extensively used for absorbing and blocking heavy-metal contaminants in groundwater. Experiments were conducted to characterize and evaluate the adsorption and migration of Pb(II) through a novel fly ash-bentonite blocking wall. Laboratory analyses included column diffusion, digestion and centrifuge tests to determine the permeability, adsorption, diffusion, and form of Pb(II). By diffusion and column tests, the effective diffusion coefficient of the blocking wall was estimated to be 4.47 × 10−10 m2 s−1 and the stable seepage velocity of Pb(II) was obtained to be 3.55 × 10−9 m s−1. These tests were used to determine the service life of the fly ash-bentonite mixture, which is shown to be superior to other bentonite mixtures, including silt, loess-silt, and kaolin. The service life is a function of the thickness, retardation factor, design breakthrough concentration, and upstream head.

A modified plastic concrete cut-off wall was synthesized using different mass ratios of silica fume (0–21.3%) and constant cement content (8%) based on the conventional soil-bentonite cut-off wall. The slump test, hydraulic conductivity and mechanical performance were analysed to determine the optimal material ratio. The hydraulic conductivity of the optimal sample could meet the anti-seepage requirement (~10-9 m/s). The amended plastic concrete cut-off wall could obtain the appropriate compressive strength (0.896 MPa) and a low elastic modulus (1244.5 MPa). The characterization of the clayey soil materials and modified plastic concrete cut-off walls were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, which demonstrated that the clayey soil mainly contained quartz and feldspar (anorthite). The pozzolanic reaction between the silica fume and calcium hydroxide and the refinement of the pore structure could increase the compressive strength and reduce the hydraulic conductivity. Microscale three-dimensional real geometry images of the modified plastic concrete for cut-off walls were obtained from X-ray microcomputed tomography. The internal structural parameters were analysed through pore-scale modelling. The hydraulic conductivity and velocity fields were simulated using the lattice Boltzmann method. The results showed that most of the pores and throats in the modified plastic concrete for cut-off walls were micropores and microflow paths (diameter ≤ 5 μm), and the connected porosity was approximately 25.89%. The simulated hydraulic conductivity was in good agreement with the measured value, and the velocity fields indicated that the microflow paths were tortuous and complex. The silica fume-modified plastic concrete for cut-off walls enabled the realization of the requirements for good control of the water seepage in hydraulic engineering construction applications at a low cost.

Hydroxyapatite/attapulgite (HA/A) composite was prepared in this study and used for remediation of Pb2+ in aqueous solution and contaminated soil. The adsorption performance and mechanism of Pb2+ were investigated through adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms in batch experiments and characteristics identification of material by FTIR, XPS and XRD analysis. The results showed that HA/A possessed a good removal efficiency of Pb2+ from solution with adsorption capacity of higher than 400 mg/g with increasing of pH to 6. In addition, the kinetics features of Pb2+ adsorption by HA/A were modeled better by pseudo second-order model and the adsorption isotherms of Pb2+ onto HA/A were primely fitted by Langmuir isotherm, obtained a maximum adsorption amount of 421.94 mg/g at 25℃, indicating that chemisorption on the monolayer surface of HA/A took place. Furthermore, adsorption mechanism and reaction pathway of Pb2+ were interpreted based on characterization analysis of material and adsorption kinetics and isotherms. Finally, the HA/A was applied as a passivator as for immobilization of lead in polluted soil. Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure experiments for determination of Pb forms were conducted and the results revealed that the acid extractable form of Pb could be efficiently converted to reducible or residual fractions after addition of HA/A. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests indicated that HA/A composite had significant immobilization performance on lead-contaminated soil with a reduce of 58.75 % of the TCLP extracted lead content in soil after 60 days of passivation when the dosage of HA/A composite was 2%.

a water treatment agent for white pulp of pomelo peel was developed using commercial Pomelo as raw material, which laid a foundation for the further development and utilization of Pomelo Peel. Indeed adsorption Cu2+, Fe3+ as an index, the effect of modification on the basis of single factor experiment research on the use of sodium hydroxide concentration, pH, adsorbent, adsorption process the time required to the influence of factors such as the adsorption effect, orthogonal experiment as the main experimental method to determine the modification of pomelo peel white pulp desorption process using the adsorption effect of again. The results showed that the modified water treatment agent had higher adsorption efficiency for Cu2+ and Fe3+ in water, and had favourable reabsorption ability, it can be reused and has higher adsorption efficiency. The developed water treatment agent for white pulp of Pomelo Peel has laid a foundation for the adsorption of Cu2+ and Fe3+ in water, the efficient utilization of white pulp of pomelo peel and the invention of production equipment.

A series of semi-gloss waterborne polyurethane-polyacrylate (PUA) hybrid dispersions containing different weight ratios of styrene/butyl acrylate monomers were first synthesized by solution polymerization and then phase inversion. The average particle size of PUA dispersions particle was analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement. Its core-shell morphology was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), whose structure was also confirmed by FTIR and nuclear magnetic resonance carbon spectroscopy (13C-NMR). The surface morphology of the PUA films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties of the PUA films were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, and the core-shell hybrid latex films showed phase separation behaviors. The results showed that the PUA films had a self-rough surface, and exhibited excellent adhesion strengths and good hardness.

This work investigates the fabrication and improvement of the polyurethane (PU)-based polymer concrete (PC) for rapid cementitious runway repair. To overcome the low strength and moduli typically exhibited by the PU binders, the ground glass fiber (GGF) particles were employed to enhance the final mechanical parameters of the PU-based PC. A series of laboratory characterization and mechanical tests were conducted to analyze the structure and properties of the PU/GGF composites and the PU-based PC. The experimental results ascertain the enhancing mechanism of GGF particles, and a suitable GGF content is obtained. The present work reveals that the GGF particles can be a reinforcing filler for the PU-based PC.

A novel blocking wall was synthesized using fly ash and bentonite with strong adsorption capability. The optimized material ratio of the blocking wall was determined by penetration tests, shear tests and adsorption tests. The morphologies and stabilities of blocking wall samples with optimized material ratio were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy spectrum analysis (EDS), and erosion tests, the adsorption capability of blocking wall with optimized material ratio was investigated by adsorption kinetic and isotherm tests, the migration and penetration time of Cd pollutants in blocking wall with optimized material ratio were investigated by penetration tests and numerical simulations. Results indicated that the optimized fly ash/bentonite ratio (in mass) of blocking wall was 5:1. The permeability coefficient was 1.11 × 10−8 m s−1 and the maximum adsorption rate was 98.38%. Meanwhile, Cd2+ adsorbed on the blocking wall homogeneously; the alkali corrosion resistance of the blocking wall was higher than its acid corrosion resistance, and its resistance to organic pollutants and solutions with high Cd2+ concentrations were high. The adsorption process can be described by the Quasi-first-order kinetics and the Freundlich equation. Specifically, the overall adsorption efficiency was simultaneously affected by liquid membrane diffusion and particle diffusion and the adsorption process is an endothermic one dominated by physical adsorption. Additionally, Cd2+ penetration through the wall was dominated by molecular diffusion. The variation of permeability coefficient was inversely proportional to the initial concentration of Cd2+. The penetration of Cd2+ at initial concentration of 500 mg L−1 through the blocking wall needs 40 years.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the effect of probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and infancy in preventing atopic dermatitis in children. METHODS: RevMan5.3 was used to perform a Meta analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effect of probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and infancy in preventing atopic dermatitis in children published between January 2008 and May 2018 across the world. A subgroup analysis was conducted according to the type of probiotics for intervention, follow-up time, time of probiotic supplementation, and study areas. RESULTS: A total of 22 articles were selected, with 3 280 cases in the intervention group and 3 281 cases in the control group. The results of pooled effect size showed that probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and/or infancy significantly reduced the incidence rate of atopic dermatitis (RR=0.81, 95% CI:0.70-0.93, P < 0.05). According to the subgroup analysis, the intervention with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium had a significant effect (RR=0.68, 95% CI:0.52-0.90, P < 0.05); probiotic supplementation during both pregnancy and infancy also had a significant effect (RR=0.77, 95% CI:0.66-0.90, P < 0.05); probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and/or infancy had a better effect in preventing atopic dermatitis in children aged ≤ 2 years than in those aged > 2 years (RR=0.74, 95% CI:0.61-0.90, P < 0.05); probiotic supplementation had a significant effect in Australia (RR=0.83, 95% CI:0.73-0.96, P < 0.05) and Europe/the United States (RR=0.74, 95% CI:0.61-0.91, P < 0.05). Heterogeneity was mainly due to follow-up time (I(2)=62.7%) and time of probiotic supplementation (I(2)=53.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and infancy helps to prevent atopic dermatitis in children, and mixed Lactobacillus-Bifidobacterium intervention has a better effect.

A new series of poly (AA-co-β-CD-A-co-TPEG) (PACDs) copolymers were prepared by the copolymerization of a novel monovinyl β-cyclodextrin monomer (β-CD-A), acrylic acid and isoprenyl oxy polyethylene glycol (TPEG-2400), which could be used as superplasticizers and shown excellent dispersion ability. Therefore, this work mainly investigated the adsorption behavior, dispersing properties as well as hydration behavior of cement pastes. Optical microscopy was employed to describe dispersing performance. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TGA/DTG were utilized to account for the cement hydration process. We found that the PACDs with β-CD-A exhibited outstanding dispersion ability. In addition, the performances of the PACDs were monitored by evaluating the setting time and fluidity of the cement paste. The results clearly shown that the setting time was longer and slump loss was smaller than that of PACD0 that without β-CD-A. Therefore, PACDs with the proper content of β-CD pendants had excellent performances due to the steric hindrance of the CD moieties.

Background: Peripheral blood inflammation factor neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), platelet and nutritional factor albumin (ALB) have recently been proposed as prognostic markers in solid tumors. The current study the impact of those hematological parameters and oncologic outcomes in patients with operable head and neck squamous carcinoma cancer (HNSCC) using database approach were evaluated. Methods: 198 patients with oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers receiving multimodality protocols between 2012 and 2014 were included. Neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet and albumin from the last phlebotomy before treatment were identified. Patients were risk-stratified and were tested for association with survival and disease-control outcomes. Results: 5-year LRC were decreased (p=0.004, respectively) for 140 patients with NLRpre-treatment 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 locoregional recurrence (LRC). External validity evaluated by studying another 57 patients from other hospital confirmed the reliability of prediction model. Conclusion: Pre-treatment NLR elevation and platelet >248×109/L are promising predictors of prognosis in patients with operable HNSCC. The analyses performed show that pre-treatment hematological inflammatory markers and platelet-based Nomograms provide a distinct risk stratification. Further works should be complete to elucidate the utility of anti-inflammatory and anti- platelet treatments in modifying risk in peri-operation HNSCC patients. Funding Statement: This study is sponsored by grants from Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission (Grant No.2019336033). Medical Health Science Project of Hangzhou (Grant No. OO20190775). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was in accordance with Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Research Ethic Committees of Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University medical college and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University Medical College. Both the institutional review board approved data extraction was performed from an existing HNSCC.

Background: Adults with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) generally benefit from treatment with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)-like regimens, but approximately 40% will relapse after such treatment. We evaluated the value of CpG methylation in predicting relapse for adults with T-LBL treated with ALL-like regimens. Methods: A total of 549 adults with T-LBL from 27 medical centers were included in the analysis. Using the Illumina Methylation 850K Beadchip, 44 relapse-related CpGs were identified from 49 T-LBL samples by two algorithms, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selector Operation (LASSO) and Support Vector Machine-Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE). We built a four-CpG classifier using LASSO Cox regression based on association between the methylation level of CpGs and relapse-free survival (RFS) in the training cohort (n=160).The four-CpG classifier was validated in the internal testing cohort (n=68) and independent validation cohort (n=321). Findings: The four-CpG-based classifier discriminated T-LBL patients at high risk of relapse in the training cohort from those at low risk (p

Background: Pretreatment evaluation of tumor biology and microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are important to predict prognosis and plan treatment. We aimed to develop nomograms based on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict microvascular invasion (MVI), tumor differentiation, and immunoscore. Methods: This retrospective study included 273 patients with HCC who underwent preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. Patients were assigned to two groups: training (N = 191) and validation (N = 82). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate clinical variables and MRI features' associations with MVI, tumor differentiation and immunoscore. Nomograms were developed based on features associated with these histopathological features in the same training cohort, then validated, and evaluated. Findings: Predictors of MVI included tumor size (P = 0.002), rim enhancement (P = 0.017), percent reduction in T1 images (T1D%; P = 0.043), and standard deviation of apparent diffusion coefficient (P = 0.028), while capsule (P = 0.007), mean relaxation time on the hepatocellular phase (T1E; P < 0.001), and alpha-fetoprotein levels (P = 0.003) predicted tumor differentiation. Predictors of immunoscore included the radiologic score (P = 0.001) constructed by tumor number, intratumoral vessel, margin, capsule, rim enhancement, T1D%, relaxation time on plain scan (T1P) and T1E, and serum alpha-fetoprotein (P = 0.027) and alanine aminotransferase levels (P = 0.028). Three nomograms achieved high C-index in predicting MVI (0.754, 0.746), tumor differentiation (0.758, 0.699) and immunoscore (0.737, 0.726) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Interpretation:MRI-based nomograms effectively predict tumor behaviors in HCC and may assist clinicians in prognosis prediction. Funding: This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81771908, 81571750, 81801703), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 81825013) and the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 2018A030310282). Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethical Approval: The Institutional Ethic Review Board has approved our study, and informed consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.

Inflammation is a very common and important basic pathological process. There is still a great need for the isolation of effective anti-inflammatory agents from plants. In this paper, five new isobutylamides, zanthoxylumamides E-I (1-5), and four known isobutylamides (6-9) were isolated from Zanthoxylum nitidum var. tomentosum (Rutaceae). Chiral resolution of seven racemic isobutylamides (1-4 and 6-8) was successfully performed, and the absolute configurations of two stereoisomers of 1-4 were validated by ECD and NMR. The obtained isobutylamides were evaluated in vitro anti-inflammatory activity with the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of nitric oxide (NO) in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Compound 8 exhibited significant inhibition of LPS-induced NO production. The underlying molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory activity of 8 revealed that it suppressed the NO production through the modulation of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) signaling pathways.

A high-efficiency hollow BiOCl@CeO2 heterostructured microspheres with type-II staggered-gap type was successfully synthesized by precipitation-hydrothermal process loaded with BiOCl nanoparticles on CeO2 microspheres. XRD, FT-IR, EDS, SEM, HRTEM and XPS results show that the prepared materials have good crystallization, morphology and retain hollow spherical structure of CeO2. Batch experiments indicate that the photocatalytic performance of BiOCl@CeO2 towards Tetracycline (TC) is superior to pure BiOCl or CeO2 owing to the distinctive hollow structures and the formed heterostructure between BiOCl and CeO2. Cyclic experiment exhibits that the optimal BiOCl@CeO2 photocatalyst can still photodegrade more than 80% of TC in 120 min after 4 cycles. Additionally, the reactive oxidation species (ROS) trapping experiments reveal that the critical ROS include photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide radical anions ( O2−). Finally, the possible degradation pathways of TC and enhanced photodegradation mechanism was systematically discussed. On this basis, the hollow BiOCl@CeO2 heterostructured microspheres provide a new alternative with great potential in efficient visible-light-driven photodegradation of persistent organic pollutants.

The mechanical, vibrational and thermodynamic characteristics of Ni2Ta were systematically investigated by means of density functional theory. The fully relaxed structure parameters were agreed well with the available experimental measured datas and published theoretical results. The single crystal elastic constants， polycrystalline modulus, Possion's ratio σ and Vickers hardness Hv were obtained. The anisotropic characters were studied by plotting the 3D surface contour of shear modulus and Young's modulus. Using the finite displacement method, the phonon dispersion curves and the phonon density of states were reported for the first time. The infrared-active and Raman phonon modes at the Г point were assigned and discussed. Finally, the thermodynamic characteristics such as isochoric specific heat capacities Cv and Debye temperature θD were predicted by the phonon density of states. Based on these exceptional properties, it was expected that Ni2Ta could be a promising intermetallic compound with high temperature and corrosion resistant performance.

Two new coumarinolignoids, sapiumins D (1) and E (2), a new lignanoid, lariciresinol 9′-benzoate (3), together with six known coumarinolignoids (4–9) and eight known lignanoids (10–17), were isolated from the stems and leaves of Sapium discolor. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including NMR, MS, and single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Compounds 5, 10, 11, and 13 significantly inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 microglial cells, with IC50 values in the range of 2.13–11.37 μM.

Seventeen compounds, including three new pairs of coumarinolignoid enantiomers, (7' S,8' S)-sapiumins A-C (1a-3a) and (7' R,8' R)-sapiumins A-C (1b-3b), six new taraxerane triterpenoids, sapiumic acids A-F (4-9), and five known taraxerane triterpenoids (10-14), were isolated from an ethanol extract prepared from the stems and leaves of Sapium discolor. The structures of 1-9 and their relative configurations were determined by spectroscopic data analysis, and the absolute configurations of the coumarinolignoids 1a/1b-3a/3b and triterpenoids 6-9 were assigned using experimental and calculated ECD data. Compounds 1a/1b-3a/3b are the first coumarinolignoids to be reported from the genus Sapium. Among all the isolates, compounds 1b, 2a/2b, 3a/3b, and 6-9 inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells, with IC50 values of 1.7-15.3 μM.