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We report a facile approach to fabricate a novel membrane electrode based on unique Ni@Ni(OH) 2 coaxial core-sheath structures for electrochemical energy storage application in this work. The Ni nanowire membranes, prepared from vacuum filtration of Ni nanowires with unique embossments, can be used as excellent precursors for preparing Ni@Ni(OH) 2 membranes by an electrochemical cyclic voltammetry method. After electrochemical treatment, a layer of amorphous Ni(OH) 2 was obtained on the surface of Ni nanowires. An important property of the as-synthesized Ni@Ni(OH) 2 membranes is that it can be directly utilized for electrochemical energy storage applications without the need for binders or additional conducting additives. The Ni@Ni(OH) 2 electrode demonstrates a high volumetric capacity (111.1 C cm −3 at 0.12 A cm −3 ), excellent rate capability (83.1 C cm −3 at 1.92 A cm −3 ), and cycling stability at a high current density (78% capacity retention after 1500 cycles at 1.92 A cm −3 ). This fabrication method is very simple and paves a new route for designing membrane electrodes based on similar structures for high-performance electrochemical energy storage electrodes.

// Dan Han 1, * , Gang Wu 1, * , Chan Chang 1 , Fang Zhu 1 , Yin Xiao 1 , Qiuhui Li 1 , Tao Zhang 1 , Liling Zhang 1 1 Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Liling Zhang, e-mail: lily-1228@hotmail.com Keywords: breast cancer, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cells, disulfiram Received: February 19, 2015 Accepted: September 20, 2015 Published: October 16, 2015 ABSTRACT Disulfiram (DSF), an anti-alcoholism drug, has been reported as an inhibitor of NF-κB. NF-κB is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and self-renewal of breast cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this study, we treated MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with TGF-β to induce EMT and cancer stem-like features and studied whether DSF can reverse this process. We found that DSF inhibited TGF-β induced EMT in breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Also, DSF inhibited EMT-associated stem-like features, migration and invasion of tumor cells as well as tumor growth in xenograft model. The activation of NF-κB was linked with EMT and stem-like cells. We conclude that DSF can suppress NF-κB activity and downregulate ERK/NF-κB/Snail pathway, leading to reverse EMT and stem-like features. Our data suggest that DSF inhibits EMT and stem-like properties in breast cancer cells associated with inhibition of the ERK/NF-κB/Snail pathway.

In this work, we reported a simple method to fabricate novel free-standing stiff carbon-based composite films with excellent mechanical properties and superhydrophobic behaviors. The free-standing stiff carbon composite films based on reduced graphene oxide/glassy carbon (rGO/GC) were prepared by the combination of in-situ polymerization and carbonization process. The obtained composite films exhibited excellent mechanical properties by the addition of rGO nanosheets. It was found that incorporating 0.5 wt.% of rGO sheets in GC precursors resulted in enhancements of 99% in strength (202.6 MPa) and 184% in modulus (33.8 GPa), respectively. More interestingly, carbon nanoarrays were uniformly grown on the surface of composite films by the incorporation of rGO sheets. Superhydrophobic surfaces of carbon films were subsequently formed through functionalizing carbon nanoarrays with Trichloro(1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl)silane. Contact angle (CA) analysis suggested that superhydrophobic surfaces with a CA as high as 155° could be formed through optimizing the fabrication process.

The oxidized bamboo pulp fiber yarns were prepared by the HNO3 /H3PO4-NaNO2 oxidation system. The effects of the oxidation concentration and reaction time on the weight loss, the carboxyl content and the breaking strength of the bamboo pulp fiber yarns were studied and the aggregation structure was investigated by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed an increase in carboxyl content and a decrease in breaking strength of oxidized bamboo pulp fiber yarns with increasing concentration of oxidant and reaction time. The breaking strength of oxidized bamboo fiber yarns was damaged seriously once the reaction time was more than 120 min or the concentration of oxidant was greater than 1.0%. The crystallinity of bamboo pulp fibers increased slightly under low oxidation degree but decreased with higher oxidation degree.

A facile hydrothermal method has been presented to prepare free-standing nanoporous Cu foils (NPCFs) having a thickness of ~1.4 μm and an area of up to ~10 cm2, which were grown on the inwall of a Teflon-lined autoclave by assembling and reducing CuxO nanoparticle intermediates and then peeling themselves off in the cooling period of the reaction. The pore sizes of NPCFs can be adjusted by varying the reaction time. It is observed that the NPCFs with water absorbed inside their nanopores show excellent flexibility while dried ones exhibit a highly hydrophobic nature. Compared with commercially available Cu foils, the as-synthesized NPCFs show enhanced ability to absorb light over a wide range of wavelengths from 200 to 1000 nm because of their nanoporosity. The highest absorbance and the biggest enhancement can reach 86% at 300 nm and 43% at 575 nm, respectively. The smooth side of NPCFs with a hemisphere-like surface demonstrates outstanding surface-enhanced Raman scattering performance by employing Rhodamine 6G as the probe molecule, which agrees well with the results of finite-difference time-domain simulation.

The desired control of particle size, doping element composition, and surface structure of carbon dots (CDs) are vital for understanding the fluorescence mechanism and exploring their potential applications. Herein, nitrogen-doped CDs (N-doped CDs) have been synthesized with tartaric acid and various alkylol amines (monoethanolamine, biethanolamine and triethanolamine) under microwave irradiation. A systematic investigation was performed to characterize the N-doped CDs. It is found that with increasing nitrogen proportion, the fluorescent quantum yield and lifetime of N-doped CDs increases, whereas cell toxicity decreases. In other words, N-doped CDs synthesized by tartaric acid and monoethanolamine have the highest nitrogen content, the highest fluorescent quantum yield, the longest lifetime and the lowest cell toxicity. A corresponding mechanism has been proposed. Moreover, as-synthesized N-doped CDs have been applied for selectively detecting the Fe(3+) ion and writing letters as a fluorescent ink.

We have previously shown that oxidative stress plays a causal role in beta cell dysfunction induced by fat. Here, we address whether the proinflammatory kinase inhibitor of (nuclear factor) κB kinase β (IKKβ), which is activated by oxidative stress, is also implicated. Fat (oleate or olive oil) was infused intravenously in Wistar rats for 48 h with or without the IKKβ inhibitor salicylate. Thereafter, beta cell function was evaluated in vivo using hyperglycaemic clamps or ex vivo in islets isolated from fat-treated rats. We also exposed rat islets to oleate in culture, with or without salicylate and 4(2′-aminoethyl)amino-1,8-dimethylimidazo(1,2-a)quinoxaline; BMS-345541 (BMS, another inhibitor of IKKβ) and evaluated beta cell function in vitro. Furthermore, oleate was infused in mice treated with BMS and in beta cell-specific Ikkb-null mice. 48 h infusion of fat impaired beta-cell function in vivo, assessed using the disposition index (DI), in rats (saline: 1.41 ± 0.13; oleate: 0.95 ± 0.11; olive oil [OLO]: 0.87 ± 0.15; p

Quantification and size distribution characterization of subvisible particles in parenteral biopharmaceutics, present as both proteinaceous and nonproteinaceous particles in the size range from 0.1 to 100 μm, are important for biopharmaceutical industry due to their potential safety and efficacy implications. Although a number of analytical techniques are available to count and size subvisible particles, characterization of particles ≤2 μm remains a significant challenge due to technical limitations of existing particle counting instruments. In this article, we demonstrate the ability of an optimized flow cytometry system to detect and quantify size distribution of subvisible particles without additional labeling that includes the critical submicron range in biopharmaceutical formulations. In addition, these qualitative and quantitative determinations are performed in a high-throughput manner using sample volumes that allow statistically significant evaluations. This approach can be used not only to ascertain the quality of therapeutic protein products but also to evaluate numerous conditions during the screening of drug candidates and their prospective formulations.

The efficacy and safety of chidamide, a new subtype-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, have been demonstrated in a pivotal phase II clinical trial, and chidamide has been approved by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) as a treatment for relapsed or refractory peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). This study sought to further evaluate the real-world utilization of chidamide in 383 relapsed or refractory PTCL patients from April 2015 to February 2016 in mainland China. For patients receiving chidamide monotherapy (n = 256), the overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 39.06 and 64.45%, respectively. The ORR and DCR were 51.18 and 74.02%, respectively, for patients receiving chidamide combined with chemotherapy (n = 127). For patients receiving chidamide monotherapy and chidamide combined with chemotherapy, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 129 (95% CI 82 to 194) days for the monotherapy group and 152 (95% CI 93 to 201) days for the combined therapy group (P = 0.3266). Most adverse events (AEs) were of grade 1 to 2. AEs of grade 3 or higher that occurred in ≥5% of patients receiving chidamide monotherapy included thrombocytopenia (10.2%) and neutropenia (6.2%). For patients receiving chidamide combined with chemotherapy, grade 3 to 4 AEs that occurred in ≥5% of patients included thrombocytopenia (18.1%), neutropenia (12.6%), anemia (7.1%), and fatigue (5.5%). This large real-world study demonstrates that chidamide has a favorable efficacy and an acceptable safety profile for refractory and relapsed PTCL patients. Chidamide combined with chemotherapy may be a new treatment choice for refractory and relapsed PTCL patients but requires further investigation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13045-017-0439-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

GTPase RhoA and its downstream Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinases (ROCKs) are frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Inhibition of the RhoA/ROCK pathway blocks angiogenesis mediated by the vascular endothelial growth factor, which led us to investigate the role of this pathway in vasculogenic mimicry (VM) - a process by which aggressive cancer cells form vessel-like structures that provide adequate blood supply for tumor growth. We showed that the expression of RhoA and its effector kinases ROCK1/2 was much higher in human osteosarcoma (OS) tissues and the human OS cell line U2OS than in nontumorous tissues and cell line hFOB 1.19 using western blot analysis and real-time PCR. Inhibition of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway by the pharmacological inhibitor fasudil reduced vascular-like channels of U2OS cells in Matrigel. Furthermore, we used rhodamine-phalloidin immunofluorescence, wound healing assay, and transwell migration assay to examine the effect of fasudil on tumor cell plasticity and motility, both of which play key roles in VM formation. Finally, we explored the underlying mechanisms of fasudil-induced VM destruction. In this context, we showed that the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway is a novel regulator in VM of U2OS OS cells and suggest that fasudil in conjunction with established treatments may present a novel therapeutic strategy for OS.

Sudden deaths without any specific clinical sign occurred among one year old young ones on Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) farms in Hainan province, China, during winter and spring in 2012 - 2013. The autopsy showed that the internal organs seemed normal except full of clear ascites in abdominal cavity. There were total six bacterial species isolated, Edwardsiella tarda, Proteus penneri, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter asburiae, Citrobacter freundii and Micrococcus luteus from either the heart bloods or the spleens and livers. The virulence of isolated strains was tested by intraperitoneal inoculation in female Chinese edible frogs (Rana rugulosa or Hoplobatrachus rugulosus). The six-day mortality revealed that E. tarda was the most pathogenic, whereas P. penneri and E. asburiae exhibited no infection at all, and the rest demonstrated similar inconspicuous toxicity. All these findings suggest that E. tarda would be the principal suspect causing death of Siamese crocodile. The sensitivities of the E. tarda isolates were tested against 20 kinds of antimicrobial drugs. The results showed that ceftazidime, norfloxacin and amikacin were highly sensitive to the isolates of E.tarda.

Nischarin, a novel integrin binding protein, has been demonstrated its negative effects on cell migration and invasion. However, the biological role of Nischarin in breast cancer has not been fully elucidated yet. Our study aimed to analyze the association between Nischarin expression and clinical features of breast cancer patients, and further investigate the role of Nischarin in breast cancer cells apoptosis, migration and invasion. Results showed that Nischarin expression was significantly lower in breast cancer tissues (37.8%, 23/67) than in normal tissues (61.8%, 21/34; P

Drug-related adverse events in â Ľ5% of patients (DOCX 21Â kb)

Methods (DOCX 16Â kb)

Patientsâ baseline characteristics (DOCX 16Â kb)

A hybrid molecular simulation study is reported to examine adsorption and diffusion of CO2 and CH4 in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The structure flexibility of ZIF-8 is described using a recently developed force field (Zhang, L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 3722). The simulated adsorption isotherms in rigid and flexible ZIF-8 are nearly identical and agree well with experimental data; thus, the effect of structure flexibility on adsorption is indiscernible. In remarkable contrast, the effect on diffusion is significant. No diffusive motion is observed for CO2 and CH4 in rigid ZIF-8; by incorporating structure flexibility, however, the predicted diffusivities are close to experimental and simulated data reported in the literature. From the analysis of free energy, CO2 has a lower barrier for diffusion than CH4 and hence a higher diffusivity. With increasing loading, CO2 and CH4 exhibit different trends. CO2 diffusivity slightly decreases due to enhanced steric hindrance; however, CH4 diffusivi...

Leukemic stem cells of acute myeloid leukemia patients carrying NPM1 mutation are candidates for targeted immunotherapy

Li-ion batteries are a key technology for multiple clean energy applications. In this study, Cu2O nanowires were obtained by the reduction of cupric acetate with pyrrole. The resulting Cu2O nanowires exhibited excellent reversible capacities of 470 mAh g−1 at rate of 1 C after 100 cycles. The results show that the Cu2O nanowires had more capacity than materials previously reported. No fading was observed over 100 cycles of charging and discharging. The compound metal Cu and incorporation of the conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPy) improved the conductivity of Cu2O and enhanced the stability of the electrode during cycling. The results from this study imply that Cu2O nanowires with high capacity and good cycle retention could be excellent candidates as anode materials for Li-ion rechargeable batteries.

Novel free-standing stiff all carbon films based on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/glassy carbon (GC) with excellent performance were fabricated. MWNTs, as excellent reinforcing materials, were successfully dispersed in polyimide (PI) matrix by in situ polymerization. The resultant MWNT/PI nanocomoposite films were used as precursors and underwent carbonization process. As a result, all carbon constituted MWNT/GC composite films were obtained. Mechanical results showed the maximum 3-point bending strength and modulus reached 575.5 MPa and 7.7 GPa respectively, improved by 54% and 78% compared to those of neat GC films. This method is simple, and the free-standing composite films can be prepared in large scales, which hold great potential in many applications.

Background ENKTL is a subtype of mature T cell and NK cell lymphoma, with a higher incidence in Asia than in Europe and North America. Pts with rr-ENKTL have a poor prognosis after failing an L-asparaginase-based regimen, and lack effective treatment. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is one of the mechanisms and characteristics of ENKTL, which induces immune tolerance of tumor by upgrading PD-L1 expression in tumor cells. Blocking the PD-1 pathway could, therefore, be an effective treatment for ENKTL. A Phase 2 trial is being conducted to evaluate CS1001, a first full-length, fully human immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) mAb directed against PD-L1, in pts with rr-ENKTL. Method This is a multicenter, single-arm, Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate CS1001 monotherapy in rr-ENKTL. Pts aged 18-75 years with rr-ENKTL after failing prior asparaginase-based chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy were eligible if they had ECOG performance status (PS) ≤ 1, adequate organ function and bone marrow function, and at least one measurable or evaluable lesion. All the pts will receive CS1001 1200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 2 years, until disease progression, intolerance, etc. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) assessed by an independent radiological review committee (IRRC) per Lugano 2014 criteria. Key secondary endpoints included ORR by investigators, complete and partial response rate, time to response, duration of response (DoR) and progression-free survival, overall survival and safety. Adverse events (AEs) were summarized according to NCI CTCAE v4.03. Result As of June 17, 2019, 29 pts (male: 16, 55.2%; median age: 44 years, range 30-74) were enrolled. Twenty (20, 69.0%) pts entering the study had an ECOG PS of 1. Twenty-two (22, 75.9%) pts had Stage IV of disease at screening. Eight (8, 27.6%) pts received 2 lines of prior systemic therapy and 6 (20.7%) pts received ≥3 lines of prior systemic therapy. The median duration of follow-up was 5.55 (range, 0.69-12.19) months. Among the 22 efficacy-evaluable pts, the investigator-assessed ORR was 40.9%. A total of 7 (31.8%) pts achieved complete response (CR), and 2 (9.1%) pts had partial response (PR); 1 additional pt achieved PR after pseudo-progression. The DoR ranged from 0.03+ to 8.61+ months; median DoR was not achieved. All CR pts were still in remission. The IRRC assessments were not available at the time of data cut-off. The median duration of treatment was 11.7 (range, 2.9 to 53.0) weeks. Fifteen (15, 51.7%) pts remained on treatment and 14 (48.3%) had discontinued from study treatment (12 due to progressive disease, 2 due to AEs). The majority of pts (25, 86.2%) had treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs), of whom 21 (72.4%) pts reported treatment-related AEs (TRAEs). The most frequently reported (≥10%) TRAEs were pyrexia (6, 20.7%), blood thyroid stimulating hormone increased (4, 13.8%), white blood cell count decreased (4, 13.8%), and rash (3, 10.3%). Three (3, 10.3%) pts reported Grade (G) ≥3 TRAEs. Two (2) G5 AEs (death and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) were reported in 2 pts; none was assessed as related to CS1001 by the investigators. Serious AEs were observed in 5 (17.2%) pts, and 1 of them (sinus node dysfunction) was assessed as related to CS1001 by the investigator. Immune-related AEs (irAEs) were reported in 5 pts, including a G3 rash and the remaining irAEs were G1. TEAEs that led to permanent treatment discontinuation occurred in 2 (6.9%) pts, which included haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (G5) and facial nerve disorder (G2). No death or permanent discontinuation due to AEs were assessed as related to the study drug. After data cut-off date, 3 additional pts reached response assessment time point, of which 2 pts achieved CR, resulting in ORR of 44% (11/25) and a CR rate of 36% (9/25). The updated data will be reported at the ASH conference. Conclusion In this study, CS1001 was shown to be active with a high CR rate and durable response, and was generally well-tolerated in pts with rr-ENKTL. The preliminary safety and efficacy profile of CS1001 support further exploration and development of CS1001 in rr-ENKTL pts. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy and safety of intradialytic exercise for haemodialysis patients.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesDatabases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, were screened from inception to March 2017.Eligibility criteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety of intradialytic exercise versus no exercise in adult patients on haemodialysis for at least 3 months. A minimum exercise programme period of 8 weeks.Data extractionStudy characteristics and study quality domains were reviewed. Studies were selected, and data extracted by two reviewers.Data analysisThe pooled risk ratios and mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs for dichotomous data and continuous data were calculated, respectively.ResultsA total of 27 RCTs involving 1215 subjects were analysed. Compared with no exercise, intradialytic exercise increased dialysis adequacy (Kt/V) (MD 0.07, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.12, p=0.02) and maximum volume of oxygen that the body can use during physical exertion peak oxygen consumption (MD 4.11, 95% CI 2.94 to 5.27, pConclusionsIntradialytic exercise resulted in benefits in terms of improving haemodialysis adequacy, exercise capacity, depression and quality of life for haemodialysis.

Bamboo pulp fiber as one of new promising green fiber was widely used in clothing, medical, automotive, construction, transportation, and many other areas. However, bamboo pulp fiber also has many defects such as larger shrinkage, lower wet strength, fabric wrinkle, and the poor ability to keep type. In this study, a green modification method for bamboo fiber was applied to overcome above-mentioned drawback and verified by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and solid-state CP/MAS 13C nuclear magnetic resonance respectively. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that oxidation treatment can cause fibers edge damage and denudation after modification, but can introduce the carboxyl groups to C6 position of pure bamboo cellulose macromolecular. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that the fibers’ crystalline structure was not changed throughout the modification process. The oxidation treatment processes can be interpreted as following: amino groups of silk fibroin first react with the carboxyl group and are connected to the fibers though C–N covalent bond, and then a smooth silk fibroin film was formed on the surface of fibers by crosslinking reaction of itself.

Background: Pathological complete response (pCR) is a proposed surrogate endpoint for predicting long-term clinical benefit on endpoints such as event-free survival (EFS) or overall survival (OS). The CTNeoBC meta-analysis did not validate the surrogacy of pCR for EFS or OS, and there is no precedent for its use as a regulatory endpoint in oncology. Use of the accelerated approval pathway has been proposed for neoadjuvant therapies that substantially improve pCR as a means to expedite widespread access to highly effective therapies for high-risk, early breast cancer. Potential risks of this approach include approving an agent that ultimately does not demonstrate clinical benefit and, in the interim, exposing curable patients to the toxicity of therapy without certainty of benefit. To mitigate the risks of this pathway, enrollment to neoadjuvant trials intended to support accelerated approval should be restricted to patients presenting with high-risk early-stage breast cancer. The 5-year EFS rate by breast cancer subtype in the CTNeoBC meta-analysis population is presented. Methods: We identified 12 neoadjuvant randomized trials (N = 12,993) with pCR clearly defined and long-term follow-up available for EFS and OS. Trials included AGO 1 (n = 668), ECTO (n = 1355), EORTC 10994/BIG 1-00 (n = 1856), GeparDuo (n = 907), GeparQuattro (n = 1495), GeparTrio (n = 2072), GeparTrio-Pilot (n = 285), NOAH (n = 234), NSABP B18 (n = 760), NSABP B27 (n = 2411), PREPARE (n = 733), and TECHNO (n = 217). The key objective of this analysis was to establish a definition of “high-risk” based on the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the 5-year EFS rate in the different clinical breast cancer subtypes (hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive and triple-negative) analyzed by tumor stage and tumor grade at presentation. Results: The 5-year EFS rate was less than 65% in all the breast cancer subtypes with stage III disease. For patients with stage II disease, the impact of tumor grade varied by hormone receptor status. Patients with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, regardless of HER2 status had a poor prognosis that was independent of tumor grade. For patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors, regardless of HER2 status, high grade histology was associated with an increased risk of recurrence. 5-year Event-Free Survival Rate (EFS) 5-year EFS Rate Estimate (95% confidence interval)TNMStage IIStage III Grade IIGrade IIIGrade IIGrade IIIHormone Receptor + HER2-83% (80%, 85%)71% (65%, 77%)63% (58%, 69%)51% (42%, 59%)HER2+ HR+81% (75%, 86%)69% (60%, 76%)50% (41%, 59%)48% (37%, 59%)HER2+ HR-61% (51%, 70%)66% (57%, 73%)58% (46%, 69%)46% (36%, 55%)Triple Negative66% (58%, 72%)72% (67%, 76%)38% (27%, 48%)37% (29%, 45%) Conclusions: This analysis estimated the 5-year EFS rate in the breast cancer subtypes from the CTNeoBC meta-analysis population. The HER2-positive population in the meta-analysis was at particularly high risk because most of the patients had locally advanced breast cancer and only 39% of these patients received trastuzumab therapy. We propose defining less than 75% 5-year EFS rate as “high-risk” for the purposes of designing neoadjuvant trials that intend to use pCR to support accelerated approval. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P5-17-01.

In this work, the NH 3 gas sensors based on chemically reduced graphene oxide (CRG) have been fabricated and studied. Aniline was used to reduce graphene oxide (GO) in order to obtain CRGs attached with different states of polyaniline (PANI), i.e., acid-doped PANI attached CRG, de-doped PANI attached CRG and free CRG. These various products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmittance electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Furthermore, gas sensing properties of gas sensors based on these CRGs were studied. And the results suggested that free CRG exhibited excellent response to NH 3 and showed high sensitivity to NH 3 with the concentrations at parts-per-million (ppm) level. The sensors based on free CRG exhibited a response of 37.1% when exposure to 50 ppm of NH 3 . And they showed excellent recovery in comparison with the acid-doped CRG, as well. Above all, free CRG can be considered as an excellent sensing material for the detection of NH 3 . In addition, the sensing device can be easily fabricated by drop drying method, which holds great potential in various gas sensing fields, due to its miniature, low cost and portable characteristics.

A molecular simulation study is reported for the adsorption of normal alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol) in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The effects of force fields, atomic charges, and framework flexibility are systematically examined and compared with experimental data. Among three force fields (UFF, AMBER, and DREIDING), DREIDING has the best agreement with experiment. The atomic charges and framework flexibility are found to have negligible effects. The four alcohols exhibit S-shaped isotherms without hysteresis loop, as attributed to adsorption at different preferential sites. At a low pressure, cluster formation is observed near the organic linker (2-methylimidazolate) in ZIF-8; with increasing pressure, cage-filling occurs in the large sodalite cage. The interaction between alcohol and ZIF-8 framework is enhanced as the chain length of alcohol increases; thus, the isosteric heat of adsorption rises with chain length. The simulation study provides microscopic insight in...

We have successfully fabricated dense and large-scale ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays by hydrothermal growth in Zn-NH3 � H2O system by the addition of zinc nitrate. The characterizations demonstrate that the asprepared sample has a large dimension of ZnO NR arrays with a density of ∼105/μm 2 and an aspect ratio of ∼100. It is supposed that the high density is attributed to the double-nucleation phenomenon related to the zinc salt solution and oxidation of substrate, and the high aspect ratio relies on sufficient zinc source for c-axis growth. A possible growth mechanism was proposed. The photocatalytic studies of the ZnO NR arrays displayed high photocatalytic efficiency and stability. This facile strategy for the preparation of discretionary dimensions of ZnO NR arrays can be applicable to the photocatalytic field for manifold cycles.

Atomistic simulation is reported for micro-phase separation and H2 diffusion in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) multiblock copolymers with varying PEO segment length. The simulated densities of copolymers agree well with available experimental data with only 1–2% deviations. A strong interaction exists between PEO segments as evidenced by the sharp peaks in radial distribution functions. With increasing PEO segment length, the fractional free volume marginally increases, PEO and PBT segments tend to be more immiscible and segregated domain size increases. This is consistent with experimental and theoretical studies in the literature. The mobility of PBT segments is almost one order of magnitude smaller than that of PEO segments. With increasing PEO segment length, the mobility of PEO–PBT copolymers is enhanced. For H2 diffusion in PEO–PBT copolymers, the diffusivity increases with increasing PEO segment length, as experimentally observed. This simulation study provides atomis...

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been detected in pancreatic beta cells and in insulin-sensitive tissues, such as adipose and liver, in obesity-linked rodent models of type 2 diabetes. The contribution of ER stress to pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes is unclear. We hypothesised that increased chaperone capacity protects beta cells from ER stress and dysfunction caused by obesity and improves overall glucose homeostasis.We generated a mouse model that overproduces the resident ER chaperone GRP78 (glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa) in pancreatic beta cells under the control of a rat insulin promoter. These mice were subjected to high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 20 weeks and metabolic variables and markers of ER stress in islets were measured.As expected, control mice on the HFD developed obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. In contrast, GRP78 transgenic mice tended to be leaner than their non-transgenic littermates and were protected against development of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and ER stress in islets. Furthermore, islets from transgenic mice had a normal insulin content and normal levels of cell-surface GLUT2 (glucose transporter 2) and the transgenic mice were less hyperinsulinaemic than control mice on the HFD.These data show that increased chaperone capacity in beta cells provides protection against the pathogenesis of obesity-induced type 2 diabetes by maintaining pancreatic beta cell function, which ultimately improves whole-body glucose homeostasis.

Background: Pathologic complete response (pCR) is a proposed surrogate endpoint for predicting long-term clinical benefit on endpoints such as disease-free survival (DFS), event-free survival (EFS), or overall survival (OS). A meta-analysis is needed to establish the magnitude of pCR improvement on a trial level that results in improved DFS, EFS, or OS. Methods: We identified 12 neoadjuvant randomized trials (N = 13,125) with pCR clearly defined and long-term follow-up available for EFS and OS. Trials included AGO 1 (n = 668), ECTO (n = 1355), EORTC 10994/BIG 1–00 (n = 1856), GeparDuo (n = 907), GeparQuattro (n = 1495), GeparTrio (n = 2072), GeparTrio-Pilot (n = 285), NOAH (n = 234), NSABP B18 (n = 760), and NSABP B27 (n = 2411), PREPARE (n = 733), and TECHNO (n = 217). Key objectives of the meta-analysis were to determine: (1) the relationship of pCR to EFS and OS, (2) the definition of pCR that correlates best with long-term outcome, (3) the breast cancer subtypes in which pCR is best correlated with long-term outcome and (4) the magnitude of pCR effect needed to improve EFS and OS. We compared three pCR definitions: absence of invasive cancer and in situ cancer in the breast and axillary nodes (ypT0ypN0), absence of invasive cancer in the breast and axillary nodes with DCIS allowed (ypT0/isypN0), and absence of invasive cancer in the breast with DCIS allowed irrespective of nodal involvement (ypT0/is). Results: Overall 13%, 18% and 22% of patients achieved a pCR defined as ypT0ypN0, ypT0/isypN0, and ypT0/is, respectively. Eradication of tumor from both the breast and lymph nodes (ypT0ypN0 or ypT0/isypN0) was better associated with improved EFS and OS compared to eradication of tumor from the breast alone (ypT0/is). Patients who achieved a pCR (ypT0/isypN0) had an improved EFS (HR = 0.48) and OS (HR = 0.36) compared to those who did not. pCR was uncommon in patients with low-grade hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumors (7%) and more common in the following tumor subtypes: high-grade HR+ (16%), triple negative (34%), HR+/HER2+ (30%), and hormone receptor-negative (HR−)/HER2+ (50%). Patients with more aggressive tumor subtypes who achieved pCR had greater EFS compared to patients who did not achieve pCR as follows: HR+ high grade (HR = 0.27), HR+/HER2+ (HR = 0.58), HR−/HER2+ (HR = 0.25), and triple negative (HR = 0.24). A trial level analysis on the relationship between pCR effect size and EFS did not show a correlation. Conclusions: Individual patients who attain a pCR, defined as either ypT0ypN0 or ypT0/isypN0, have a more favorable long-term outcome. The data show comparable EFS or OS regardless of the presence or absence of DCIS. For consistency, a standard pCR definition (ypT0ypN0 or ypT0/isypN0) should be used in future trials. Impact of pCR effect is limited to patients with HR+/grade 3, HR−/HER2−, and HER2+ tumors. This meta-analysis did not establish the magnitude of increase in pCR rate needed to predict the superiority of one regimen over another in terms of EFS or OS. This may be due to low pCR rates and the heterogeneity of the patient population included in this meta-analysis. The absolute magnitude of improvement in pCR rate needed to impact long-term outcome may be greater than the observed difference in these trials and may vary according to breast cancer subtype. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr S1-11.

Graphene is an ideal candidate for gas sensing due to its excellent conductivity and large specific surface areas. However, it usually suffers from sheet stacking, which seriously debilitates its sensing performance. Herein, we demonstrate a three-dimensional conductive network based on stacked SiO

Recently, carbon dots (CDs) have been playing an increasingly important role in industrial production and biomedical field because of their excellent properties. As such, finding an efficient method to quickly synthesize a large scale of relatively high purity CDs is of great interest. Herein, a facile and novel microwave method has been applied to prepare nitrogen doped CDs (N-doped CDs) within 8 min using L-glutamic acid as the sole reaction precursor in the solid phase condition. The as-prepared N-doped CDs with an average size of 1.64 nm are well dispersed in aqueous solution. The photoluminescence of N-doped CDs is pH-sensitive and excitation-dependent. The N-doped CDs show a strong blue fluorescence with relatively high fluorescent quantum yield of 41.2%, which remains stable even under high ionic strength. Since the surface is rich in oxygen-containing functional groups, N-doped CDs can be applied to selectively detect Fe(3+) with the limit of detection of 10(-5) M. In addition, they are also used for cellular bioimaging because of their high fluorescent intensity and nearly zero cytotoxicity. The solid-phase microwave method seems to be an effective strategy to rapidly obtain high quality N-doped CDs and expands their applications in ion detection and cellular bioimaging.

Thin, robust, lightweight and flexible supercapacitors (SCs) have aroused growing attentions nowadays due to the rapid development of flexible electronics. Graphene-polyaniline (PANI) hybrids are attractive candidates for high performance SCs. In order to utilize them in real devices, it is necessary to improve the capacitance and the structure stability of PANI. Here we report a hierarchical three-dimensional structure, in which all of PANI nanofibers (NFs) are tightly wrapped inside reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheet skeletons, for high-performance flexible SCs. The as-fabricated film electrodes with this unique structure showed a highest gravimetric specific capacitance of 921 F/g and volumetric capacitance of 391 F/cm3. The assembled solid-state SCs gave a high specific capacitance of 211 F/g (1 A/g), a high area capacitance of 0.9 F/cm2 and a competitive volumetric capacitance of 25.6 F/cm3. The SCs also exhibited outstanding rate capability (~75% retention at 20 A/g) as well as excellent cycling stability (100% retention at 10 A/g for 2000 cycles). Additionally, no structural failure and loss of performance were observed under the bending state. This structure design paves a new avenue for engineering rGO/PANI or other similar hybrids for high performance flexible energy storage devices.

Purpose: The prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) detected in breast cancer patients is currently under debate. Different time points of blood collections and various CTC assays have been used in the past decades. Here, we conducted the first comprehensive meta-analysis of published literature on the prognostic relevance of CTC, including patients with early and advanced disease. Experimental Design: A comprehensive search for articles published between January 1990 and January 2012 was conducted; reviews of each study were conducted and data were extracted. The main outcomes analyzed were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in early-stage breast cancer patients, as well as progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in metastatic breast cancer patients. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random and the fixed-effects models. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Results: Forty-nine eligible studies enrolling 6,825 patients were identified. The presence of CTC was significantly associated with shorter survival in the total population. The prognostic value of CTC was significant in both early (DFS: HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.19–3.75; OS: HR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.22–3.48) and metastatic breast cancer (PFS: HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.52–2.09; OS: HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.09–2.60). Further subgroup analyses showed that our results were stable irrespective of the CTC detection method and time point of blood withdrawal. Conclusion: Our present meta-analysis indicates that the detection of CTC is a stable prognosticator in patients with early-stage and metastatic breast cancer. Further studies are required to explore the clinical utility of CTC in breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 18(20); 5701–10. ©2012 AACR.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction. However, its causal role has not been established in vivo. Our objective was to determine the causal role of ER stress and its link to oxidative stress in glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction in vivo.Healthy Wistar rats were infused i.v. with glucose for 48 h to achieve 20 mmol/l hyperglycaemia with or without the co-infusion of the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol (TPO), or the chemical chaperones 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) or tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA). This was followed by assessment of beta cell function and measurement of ER stress markers and superoxide in islets.Glucose infusion for 48 h increased mitochondrial superoxide and ER stress markers and impaired beta cell function. Co-infusion of TPO, which we previously found to reduce mitochondrial superoxide and prevent glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction, reduced ER stress markers. Similar to findings with TPO, co-infusion of PBA, which decreases mitochondrial superoxide, prevented glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction in isolated islets. TUDCA was also effective. Also similar to findings with TPO, PBA prevented beta cell dysfunction during hyperglycaemic clamps in vivo and after hyperglycaemia (15 mmol/l) for 96 h.Here, we causally implicate ER stress in hyperglycaemia-induced beta cell dysfunction in vivo. We show that: (1) there is a positive feedback cycle between oxidative stress and ER stress in glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction, which involves mitochondrial superoxide; and (2) this cycle can be interrupted by superoxide dismutase mimetics as well as chemical chaperones, which are of potential interest to preserve beta cell function in type 2 diabetes.

In this work, we explore the idea of using mathematical models to build design space for the primary drying portion of freeze-drying process. We start by defining design space for freeze-drying, followed by defining critical quality attributes and critical process parameters. Then using mathematical model, we build an insilico design space. Input parameters to the model (heat transfer coefficient and mass transfer resistance) were obtained from separate experimental runs. Two lyophilization runs are conducted to verify the model predictions. This confirmation of the model predictions with experimental results added to the confidence in the insilico design space. This simple step-by-step approach allowed us to minimize the number of experimental runs (preliminary runs to calculate heat transfer coefficient and mass transfer resistance plus two additional experimental runs to verify model predictions) required to define the design space. The established design space can then be used to understand the influence of critical process parameters on the critical quality attributes for all future cycles.

Microstructure and permeation in a polymer membrane are closely related to residual solvent during membrane fabrication. In this study, we conduct atomistic simulation to investigate the effects of residual solvent on free volume distribution and H2 permeation in a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1). The interaction energies of three solvents (CHCl3, CH3OH, and H2O) with PIM-1 are predicted to be −16.3, −9.6, and −7.0 kcal/mol, respectively, which are in good agreement with available experimental data. On this basis, a structure–property relationship is proposed between interaction energy and the critical volume of solvent. The cyano and dioxane groups in PIM-1 interact preferentially with CH3OH and H2O; however, the carbon atoms interact more strongly with CHCl3. The mobility of residual solvent is found to decrease in the order of H2O > CH3OH > CHCl3. Upon comparison, the mobility of PIM-1 chains is smaller but facilitated by solvent due to the cooperative interactions between polymer and solven...

As the first example of enantiopure homochiral zeolites, silicogermanates SU-32 can be synthesized in right- (SU-32a) or left-handed (SU-32b). These rare chiral zeolites provide beautiful benchmark structures to examine the microscopic properties of chiral molecules in the helical channels with only a single handedness. We report a molecular simulation study to investigate the enantioselective adsorption and diffusion of S-/R-glycidol enantiomers in SU-32a and SU-32b. S-glycidol is found to interact with SU-32a more strongly than R-glycidol and preferentially adsorbed in SU-32a, and the opposite is observed in SU-32b. The enantiomeric excess of S-/R-glycidol racemic mixture in SU-32a and SU-32b is up to 25% and slightly decreases with increasing temperature. For pure enantiomers, S-glycidol diffuses faster in SU-32a and slower in SU-32b, whereas the reverse is true for R-glycidol. The free energy analysis suggests that S-glycidol encounters a lower barrier to diffuse in SU-32a but a higher one in SU-32b. For S-/R-glycidol racemic mixture, the diffusion difference between two enantiomers becomes negligible as loading increases. This study reveals that enantiopure SU-32a and SU-32b have distinct enantioselectivity for glycidol enantiomers, particularly the selective adsorption, and might be useful for chiral separation.

We report a molecular simulation study for gas permeation in two membranes constructed from polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1 and PIM-7). With rigid ladder polymer chains, the membranes posses approximately 47.7 and 46.6% fractional free volumes (FFVs) in PIM-1 and PIM-7, respectively. The voids in the membranes have a diameter up to 9 A and are largely interconnected. The sorption and diffusion of four gases (H2, O2, CH4 and CO2) were calculated by Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. The solubility coefficients increase in the order of H2

Experimental measurements and fully atomistic simulations are carried out to examine the CO 2 -induced plasticization of a polyimide membrane synthesized from 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA). With increasing feed pressure, the permeability of CO 2 in the 6FDA-ODA membrane initially decreases, crosses a minimum, and then increases. The plasticization pressure is estimated to be at approximately 8 atm. The radial distribution functions between CO 2 and polyimide atoms reveal that the imide groups are the preferential sorption sites, followed by the ether and CF 3 groups. The experimental and simulated sorption isotherms of CO 2 are in fairly good agreement. At low loadings, CO 2 molecules are largely trapped with small mobility. With increasing loading, the polyimide membrane exhibits a depressed glass transition temperature, a dilated volume and an increased fractional free volume. In addition, larger and more interconnected voids appear and the mean radius of voids increases from 2.5 to 3.3 A with increasing CO 2 loading. Consequently, the mobility of both CO 2 molecules and polymer chains is enhanced. Based on molecular displacement, the percentages of three types of motions (jumping, trapped, and continuous) are estimated for CO 2 in the membrane. The continuous motion contributes predominantly to CO 2 diffusion. At a high loading, the ether groups in the polyimide chains exhibit a significant effect on plasticization. It is therefore suggested that the plasticization could be suppressed by substituting the ether groups. The microscopic information of this study is particularly useful for the quantitative understanding of plasticization.

Distribution of different malignant lymphoma subtypes varies substantially in different geographic regions, even in different districts in China. In order to estimate the epidemiologic characteristics of malignant lymphoma in Hubei, China, we retrospectively analyzed a total number of 2027 newly diagnosed cases from April 2009 to April 2014 in a single institution according to the 2008 WHO classification. The median diagnosis age of all these lymphoma patients was 53 (1–99) years, and the median ages for non-(NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) were 54 (1–99) years and 38 (5–84) years, respectively. Among the included patients, mature B-cell neoplasms occupied 61.3%, mature T- and NK-cell neoplasms accounted for 21.0%, precursor lymphoid cell neoplasms made up 4.5%, and HL constituted 8.0%. The most common subtype of NHL was diffuse large B cell lymphoma (41.3%), followed by NK/T cell lymphoma (13.4%), extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) (8.0%), follicular lymphoma (6.6%), lymphoblastic lymphoma (4.9%), and mantle cell lymphoma (4.0%). Mixed cellularity lymphoma ranked first among classical HL subtypes, and there is a bimodal median age distribution revealed by our study, which is different from results reported by other regions of China. Most subtypes revealed male predominance while MALT lymphoma showed a slight female predominance. Extranodal lymphomas most frequently involved gastrointestinal tract, sinonasal region, and Waldeyer ring. In summary, the distribution of lymphoma subtypes in Hubei of China is similar to that of Asian populations, as well as other regions of China, but distinct from the Western countries.

Crossed molecular beam experiments and accurate quantum scattering calculations have been carried out for the polyatomic H + CD 4 → HD + CD 3 reaction. Unprecedented agreement has been achieved between theory and experiments on the energy dependence of the integral cross section in a wide collision energy region that first rises and then falls considerably as the collision energy increases far over the reaction barrier for this simple hydrogen abstraction reaction. Detailed theoretical analysis shows that at collision energies far above the barrier the incoming H-atom moves so quickly that the heavier D-atom on CD 4 cannot concertedly follow it to form the HD product, resulting in the decline of reactivity with the increase of collision energy. We propose that this is also the very mechanism, operating in many abstraction reactions, which causes the differential cross section in the backward direction to decrease substantially or even vanish at collision energies far above the barrier height.

The p24 protein family have multiple functions in protein transport in the early secretory pathway. In this study we examined the role of p24 proteins in insulin transport. Several members were detected in insulinoma cell lines and rat islets and expression levels positively correlated with insulin abundance, particularly for p24delta1 and p24beta1. Knocking down p24delta1 in insulinoma cell lines, which also resulted in the concomitant knock-down of other family members, impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, decreased total cellular insulin content and reduced proinsulin biosynthesis. There was no effect on overall protein biosynthesis or ER stress. These results suggest that p24delta1 and possibly other p24 family proteins are required for normal insulin biosynthesis and subsequent secretion in pancreatic beta-cells.

Chronic hyperglycemia contributes to pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction during the development of type 2 diabetes. Treatment of pancreatic beta-cells with prolonged high glucose concentrations has been shown to reduce insulin promoter activity and insulin gene expression. Here, we examined the effect of high glucose on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway activation and insulin production in INS-1 832/13 pancreatic beta-cells. Treatment of cells with 25 mm glucose for 24-48 h decreased insulin mRNA and protein levels and reduced the proinsulin translation rate, which was accompanied by enhanced unfolded protein response pathway activation (XBP-1 mRNA splicing and increased phospho-eIF2alpha, CHOP, and active ATF6 levels). Overexpressing the ER chaperone GRP78 partially rescued high glucose-induced suppression of proinsulin levels and improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with no effect on insulin 2 mRNA levels. Under these conditions, there was little effect of GRP78 overexpression on ER stress markers. Knockdown of GRP78 expression under basal glucose conditions reduced cellular insulin levels and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Thus, GRP78 is essential for insulin biosynthesis, and enhancing chaperone capacity can improve beta-cell function in the presence of prolonged hyperglycemia. In contrast, overexpression of the ER chaperone and oxidoreductase protein-disulfide isomerase (PDI) reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and induced ER stress resulting from the accumulation of proinsulin in the ER. These results suggest a role for both GRP78 and PDI in insulin biosynthesis, although an excess of PDI disrupts normal proinsulin processing.

A series of modified montmorillonites including Zn2+ loaded montmorillonite (Zn/MMT), Ce3+ loaded montmorillonite (Ce/MMT) and Zn2+-Ce3+ loaded montmorillonites (Zn-Ce/MMT) were prepared by an ion-exchange reaction, and characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The specific surface areas, zeta potentials and antibacterial activity of the modified montmorillonites were also investigated. Zinc and cerium were proved to be present as bivalent zinc state and trivalent cerium state in the modified montmorillonites. For the modified montmorillonites, the d001 basal spacings increased and the particles were formed of irregular shapes. The antibacterial activity of the modified montmorillonites was enhanced with the increase of specific surface areas and zeta potentials, and Zn2+-Ce3+ loaded montmorillonites displayed obvious synergistic antibacterial effect. When Zn/Ce atomic ratio was 1.24, the Zn-Ce/MMT showed high antibacterial efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, possessing the MIC against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Mucor of 1500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg·L−1, respectively.

Ag+-Na+ exchange equilibrium for carrier (sodium zirconium phosphate) was investigated at 60°C, and the chemical compositions and structure of carrier and silver-carried zirconium phosphate (AgZrP) were investigated by EDX and XRD. The silver valence state and antibacterial activity of AgZrP were also studied. The Ag+ exchange was favorable over the whole Ag+ concentration range. The molecular formulae of carrier [NaZr2(PO4)3.H2O] and AgZrP [Ag0.5Na0.5Zr2(PO4)3.H2O] have been determined, and the silver of AgZrP was in an ionic state. Both carrier and AgZrP displayed hexagonal crystal structures, but Ag+ exchange resulted in the increase of interplanar spacing and lattice parameter c, and the crystal orientation of AgZrP was affected by the existence of Ag+. Moreover, 100 mg.l-1 of AgZrP possessed high antibacterial activity and was capable of killing all the Escherichia coli and more than 99.9% of the Staphylococcus aureus within 8.0 h of contact. Furthermore, AgZrP showed a broad-spectrum and long-acting antibacterial activity.