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PES1 is a new component of telomerase assembly that regulates telomerase activity, telomere length, and cellular senescence., Telomerase defers the onset of telomere shortening and cellular senescence by adding telomeric repeat DNA to chromosome ends, and its activation contributes to carcinogenesis. Telomerase minimally consists of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and the telomerase RNA (TR). However, how telomerase assembles is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that PES1 (Pescadillo), a protein overexpressed in many cancers, forms a complex with TERT and TR through direct interaction with TERT, regulating telomerase activity, telomere length maintenance, and senescence. PES1 does not interact with the previously reported telomerase components Reptin, Pontin, p23, and Hsp90. PES1 facilitates telomerase assembly by promoting direct interaction between TERT and TR without affecting TERT and TR levels. PES1 expression correlates positively with telomerase activity and negatively with senescence in patients with breast cancer. Thus, we identify a previously unknown telomerase complex, and targeting PES1 may open a new avenue for cancer therapy.

Novel superhydrophobic electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with controllable structure and tunable wettability have been achieved through incorporating ZnO nanoparticles and ammonia treatment for PVDF and/or post-chemical treatment on polymer membrane. The maximum WCA (171 ± 1.5°) of the electrospun membrane can be achieved under the condition of adding 8 wt.% ZnO. The controllable micro/nano-structures grown on the electrospun fibers can be regulated by the nano-ZnO loading. The tunable wettability from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic or from superoleophilic to superamphiphobic can be realized through modifying PVDF membranes with aqueous ammonia solution and incorporating 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. Moreover, these superhydrophobic membranes also demonstrated excellent durability, anti-fouling property and oil-water separation ability after dozens of cycles. These promising PVDF nanocomposite membranes with controllable structure and tunable wettability have the potential values in large-scale application of filtration, oil-water separation and antifouling.

Three-dimensional (3D) interpenetrating network structure epoxy composites were fabricated based on the modified carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced flexible polyurethane (PU) sponge. CNTs were first functionalized with polydopamine (PDA) as revealed by TEM imaging, which is formed via the oxidative self-polymerization of dopamine. Then the functionalized CNTs (CNT–PDA) were successfully anchored on the skeleton surfaces of sponge, forming a continuous 3D carbon network. The interfacial interaction between modified PU sponge and epoxy (EP) matrix was significantly enhanced due to the covalent linkage of PDA. Improvement in the thermal stability of CNT–PDA/PU3D/EP composites was observed by TG analysis and related to the CNTs anchored on the skeleton of sponge. The tribological properties of pure EP, PU3D/EP and CNT–PDA/PU3D/EP composites were comparatively investigated in terms of different loads and velocities. Results demonstrated that CNT–PDA/PU3D/EP composites exhibited the best tribological performance owing to the strong interfacial interaction and the 3D carbon network structure. In particular, the wear resistance of CNT–PDA/PU3D/EP composites was 6.2 times and 3 times higher than those of pure EP and PU3D/EP composites under the applied load of 1.6 MPa, respectively.

A robust superamphiphobic epoxy resin (EP)/modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) (MPVDF)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) composite coating has been prepared through the combination of chemical modification and spraying technique. Nanometer silica (SiO 2 , 2.5 wt.%) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs, 2.5 wt.%) were added in the coating to construct the necessary reticulate papillae structures for superamphiphobic surface. The prepared EP composite coating demonstrated high static contact angles (166°, 155°) and low sliding angles (3°, 5°) to water and glycerol, respectively. Moreover, the prepared coating can also retain superhydrophobicity under strongly acidic and alkaline conditions. The brittleness of EP can be avoided by introducing the malleable MPVDF. The wear life of the EP composite coating with 25 wt.% FEP was improved to 18 times of the pure EP coating. The increased wear life of the coating can be attributed to the designed nano/micro structures, the self-lubrication of FEP and the chemical reaction between EP and MPVDF. The anti-corrosion performance of the coatings was investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization. The results showed that the prepared superamphiphobic composite coating was most effective in corrosion resistance, primarily due to the barrier effect for the diffusion of O 2 and H 2 O molecules. It is believed that this robust superamphiphobic EP/MPVDF/FEP composite coating prepared by the facile spray method can pave a way for the large-scale application in pipeline transport.

A functionalization process with dopamine on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) has been carried out in order to enhance the tribological properties of MWNTs/epoxy resin (EP) composites. Dopamine modification is of signality for the performance of MWNTs/EP composites. The hardness and flexural strength of the composites were significantly improved with the incorporation of dopamine modified MWNTs, owning to the enhanced interfacial bonding between MWNTs and EP. Meanwhile, the thermal characterizations indicated that dopamine played an important role in improving the thermal stability of MWNTs/EP composites. More importantly, the friction and wear properties of dopamine modified MWNTs/EP composites were enhanced considerably and its wear rate was 85.8% lower than that of pure EP. Dopamine modified MWNTs were linked with the matrix by strong covalent bond to form a great network structure and impeded the movement of polymer molecule chains in the composites. Then the friction load transmitted efficiently through the network structure and the plastic deformation was restrained as well as the initiation and growth of cracks on the worn surfaces. POLYM. COMPOS., 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

This study successfully developed a simple spray approach to fabricate a robust highly amphiphobic poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) composite coating with high-performance in corrosion-resistance, wear-durable through designing the nano/micro two-tier roughness and fluorinating with materials of the low surface free energy. The highly amphiphobic and tribological properties of the coatings were measured by the contact angle meter and the pin-on-disc tribometer, respectively. It was interested to observe that the composite coating showed superhydrophobic and highly oleophobic simultaneously, with the highest contact angles of water, glycerine and ethylene glycol up to 173 ± 2.1°, 142 ± 2.2° and 139 ± 2.1°, respectively. Moreover, the surfaces of the PPS/FEP composite coatings were investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS). The robust highly amphiphobic coating also showed remarkable durability against strong acid and strong alkali in the pH range from 1 to 14. After 47 h sliding wear test, no failure sign on the PPS/45%FEP/PDMS composite coating was observed. Such unique characteristics were attributed to the synergistic effect of the nano/micro two-tier roughness and fluorinating with low surface free energy groups (–CF 2 –, –CF 3 –).

Developing novel oil–water separation material, especially with uncomplicated fabrication and easily continuous separation procedure, is of great significance for environmental protection, but it is still a worldwide challenge. In this study, we present a simple one-step copolymerization method for fabrication organics coated three-dimensional material based on commercial nickel foam with dopamine and octadecylamine. The as-prepared nickel foam shows high superhydrophobicity with water contact angle (CA) of 154° ± 2°, water shedding angle of 4° ± 1° and superoleophilicity with oil CA of almost 0°. The as-prepared foam can fast and selectively remove oil from water due to its special wettability and porous structure. Besides, the foam can be manipulated to realize oil–water separation with a magnet bar due to its intrinsic magnetism. More interestingly, because of it being lightweight, and softness and toughness performance, the as-prepared foam can continuously remove and collect oil from water surface by folding it to a closed hollow box, which integrates the functions of oil containment boom, oil-absorption material and oil skimmer into one device. We believe that this research can provide a nice idea to design new material and device for practical oil–water separation.

A robust wear/corrosion-resistant superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)/carbon nanofibers (CNFs) composite coating with a water contact angle (WCA) of 164 ± 1.5° and a slide angle of 5 ± 0.2° has been fabricated through the combination of chemical etching and spraying technique. The WCA of the coating still maintains 141 ± 1.2° after 10,000 times rubbing due to the designed internal nano/micro-structure and the slide angle increases from 5 ± 0.2° to 20 ± 0.5°. The prepared coating also demonstrates excellent corrosion-resistance property under strongly acidic or alkaline conditions for 15 days. The wear-resistance of the superhydrophobic coating is approximately 5 times higher than the pure PVDF coating and commercial fluorocarbon coating. These excellent mechanical properties are attributed to the new groups of C C and C C by dehydrofluorination of PVDF and the new β-phase of PVDF by recrystallization of the α-phase. Furthermore, the enhanced adhesive ability of the coating corresponds with Grade 1 according to GB/T9286, mainly because that the interaction force among PVDF macromolecules can be intensified by chemical cross-linking and the hydroxyl groups formed on the surface of the aluminum plate by etching. It is believed that this robust multifunctional superhydrophobic coating may have the potential values in large-scale application.

Oil spillage and industrial oily wastewater have caused severe environmental concerns. A super absorbent material capable of separating oil–water mixtures, especially with a high absorption capacity and mechanical strength, is urgently desired. Here, a common and feasible approach to fabricate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced polyurethane (PU) sponge is presented that shows superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. The method involves the oxidative self-polymerization of dopamine and the reaction of hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) with hydrophobic octadecylamine (ODA). The superhydrophobic stability of the as-prepared sponge with temperatures and in corrosive solutions of different pH is investigated. The as-prepared sponge could quickly and selectively absorb various kinds of oils up to 34.9 times of its own weight, and the absorbed oils can be collected by a simple squeezing process. More interestingly, the mechanical strength of the as-prepared sponge is improved due to the structural reinforcement of CNTs anchored on the sponge skeleton. Furthermore, the recovered sponge could be reused to separate oil–water mixture 150 times while maintaining its high absorption capacity. This promising multifunctional sponge exhibits significant potential as an efficient absorbent in large-scale oil–water separation applications.

Four and a half LIM protein 1 (FHL1) has been characterized as a tumor suppressor in various types of tumor. However, the biological function and underlying mechanism of FHL1 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remain to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that FHL1 inhibits anchorage‑dependent and ‑independent growth of TSCC cells in vitro and tumor growth in nude mice, as determined by cell proliferation and soft agar assays. Knockdown of FHL1 with FHL1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) promoted tumor growth in nude mice. Mechanistically, flow cytometric analysis showed that knockdown of FHL1 promoted G1/S cell cycle progression. Furthermore, expression of cell cycle‑associated regulators, cyclin D and cyclin E, were detected by western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cyclin D and cyclin E were markedly elevated at both the protein and mRNA level in the FHL1 siRNA‑transfected cells. These results suggested that FHL1 has a tumor suppressive role in TSCC and that FHL1 may be a useful target for TSCC gene therapy.

Objective To explore the histologic changes in zygomatic suture with 3-dimensional (3D) zygomatic suture expansion osteogenesis (SEO). Study design The zygomatic bones were drawn by 3D external expansion appliance, and sutures of the zygomatic were extended. Biopsy specimens of the zygomatic bone were collected after 1, 3, 5, and 8 weeks. Each specimen was stained with Triplex staining as well as hematoxylin and eosin (HE), and the histologic changes were evaluated compared with the control section. Results With the 1-week study group, there were visible fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and capillary vessels in the expanded suture tissues. The fibers were connected to the sides of suture in an orderly way. In the 3-week group, active bone formation can be seen in expanded sides. The bone trabeculae were matured and oriented in the direction of distraction in the expanded sides of suture and most of them were collagen fibers; but the tissues of both sides of expanded suture were not in order. New woven bones were found in the histologic sections of the 5-week group. In the 8-week group, reticular and elastic fibers could not be observed, and bones were formed completely. Compared with the histologic examination of the same tissue section and its change in different periods of the biopsy specimen with Triplex staining and HE staining,the method of Triplex staining showed more clearly in collagen, reticular, and elastic fiber examination. The superiority of HE staining was in showing fibrous tissue, shape of cells, and bone formation in various degrees of maturation in rapid SEO. It is suggested that the 2 staining methods might be combined in distinguishing the collagen as well as reticular fibers from fibrin in the same section simultaneously. Conclusions Collagen fibers and new bones were observed to form rapidly in expanded sides with direct SEO. Continual affluent blood supply, integral structure of periosteum and synostoses in the suture, and rapid uniform calcification of the whole new tissues are the histologic characteristics of SEO.