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The electrochemical reduction of CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels is a promising but challenging method to realize the carbon cycle. In this work, a serials of transition metal trimer clusters supported on g-C3N4 catalysts (M3@g-C3N4, M=Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Ru) for electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) toward C1 and C2 products were systemically studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results show that CO2 could be adsorbed and activated effectively on M3@g-C3N4 from adsorption configurations and electronic structures analyses. Cu3@g-C3N4 is a promising electrocatalyst for CH4 production with a limiting potential of -0.42V. Cr3@g-C3N4, Fe3@g-C3N4, and Co3@g-C3N4 produce a low limiting potential of -0.64V, -0.45V, and -0.64V for C2H4 production, respectively. Hydrogen evolution reaction is refrained on Cu3@g-C3N4, Cr3@g-C3N4, and Co3@ g-C3N4. Our works provides useful insights into transition metal trimer cluster catalysts with enhanced activity and selectivity in CO2RR.

Ligands are the most commonly used means to control the regioselectivity of organic reactions. It is very important to develop new regioselective control methods for organic synthesis. In this study, we designed and synthesized a single-atomic-site catalyst (SAC), namely, Cu1-TiC, with strong electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) effects by studying various reaction mechanisms. π cloud back-donation to the alkyne on the metal catalytic intermediate was enhanced during the reaction by using transient electron-rich characteristics. In this way, the reaction achieved highly linear-E-type regioselective conversion of electronically unbiased alkynes and completely avoided the formation of branched isomers (ln:br >100:1, TON up to 612, 3 times higher than previously recorded). The structural elements of the SACs were designed following the requirements of the synthesis mechanism. Every element in the catalyst played an important role in the synthesis mechanism. This demonstrated that the EMSI, which is normally thought to be responsible for the improvement in catalytic efficiency and durability in heterogeneous catalysis, now first shows exciting potential for regulating the regioselectivity in homogeneous catalysis.

Precisely controlled synthesis is one of the key issues for single-atom catalysts (SACs) due to isolated atoms have high surface-free-energy toward aggregation. Here, we propose a facile cooperativ...

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (C-SACs) demonstrate great potential in various key electrochemical reactions. Nevertheless, the development of facile and economical strategies is highly appealing yet challenging given that the commonly used pyrolysis method has strict requirements on the structure and composition of precursors. Here, we demonstrate for the first time a facile and low-cost pyrolysis strategy assisted by molten salts at high temperature for preparing porous C-SACs with well-dispersed Co-N4 sites directly from a Chlorella precursor. Based on the X-ray absorption fine structure results and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy images, we show that single atom Co-N4 moieties are anchored on a carbon matrix. A porous structure with a large specific surface area (2907 m2 g−1) and atomically dispersed active sites of Co provide the as-prepared Co-N/C-SAC with excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for the ORR. The electrochemical measurements show that the half-wave potential and limited current density of this material are 0.83 V vs. RHE and 5.5 mA cm−2, respectively, which are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C.

Currently, pyrolysis as the most widely used method still has some key issues not well resolved for synthesis of carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (C-SACs), e.g., the sintering of metal atoms at high temperature as well as the high cost and complicated preparations of precursors. In this report, molten salts are demonstrated to be marvellous medium for preparation of C-SACs by pyrolysis of small molecular precursors (ionic liquid). The ultrastrong polarity on one hand establishes robust interaction with precursor and enables better carbonization, resulting in largely enhanced yield. On the other hand, the aggregation of metal atoms is effectively refrained while no nanoparticle or cluster is formed. By this strategy, a C-SAC with atomically dispersed Fe-N4 sites and a high specific area over 2000 m2 g−1 is obtained, which illustrates high ORR activity in both acid and alkaline media. Moreover, this SAC exhibits superior methanol tolerance and stability after acid soaking at 85 °C for 48 h. It is believed that the molten-salts-assisted pyrolysis can be developed into a routine strategy as it not only can largely simply the synthesis of C-SACs, but also can be extended to prepare other types of SACs.

Herein, a 7.35 wt% Co loading C-SAC is synthesized by pyrolysis of Co-MOF-74 in a strongly polar molten salt system. In dye-sensitized solar cells, this SAC based counter electrode shows higher photoelectric conversion efficiency than the Pt counter electrode. This work provides new insights for the preparation and application of C-SACs.

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (C-SACs) are promising candidates for numerous electrocatalysis reactions. However, the controllable and economical synthesis of C-SACs remains a challenge since most of the examples were synthesized via multi-procedures and required elaborate selection of precursors, as well as severe sintering of the metal atoms as well. Herein, through high temperature carbonization in molten salts, we for the first time demonstrate a facile and low-cost strategy for the direct transformation of raw biomass into porous C-SACs with well-defined Fe–N4 sites (termed as Fe–N/C-SAC). The high polarity of molten salts mentioned above can provide a unique environment in which the aggregation of metal atoms is strictly restricted, and instead they are trapped by N atoms from the precursor of pig liver, a cheap raw biomass containing abundant proteins. As an ORR catalyst in an alkaline medium, Fe–N/C-SAC not only exhibits a considerable onset potential (Eonset = 0.89 V vs. RHE) but also gives a high limiting current density (5.64 mA cm−2 at 0.6 V), which is comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (5.80 mA cm−2). In addition, this C-SACs also illustrate excellent stability and methanol tolerance.

Background Lung cancer features extremely high rates of morbidity and mortality. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), obtained by bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar perfusion, can provide information on the cellular components of the lung microenvironment to assist with diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Methods BALF was performed using a flexible bronchofiberscope. Exosomes were collected by ultracentrifugation. ELISA detected the amount of E-cadherin. Transmission electron microscopic, ELISA and WB were conducted to identify the existence of the exosomes. Transwell and Wound healing assays were used to detect the ability of migration and invasion. Results We identified the existence of exosomes in BALF. Furthermore, we observed larger amounts of E-cadherin in the BALF obtained from patients with lung cancer than in the control obtained from the healthy side of pneumonia. Exosomes from lung cancer groups promoted the migration and invasion of A549 cancer cells. Conclusion The exosomes from lung cancer BALF promoted the migration and invasion of A549 cancer cells by carrying E-cadherin. E-cadherin on the surface of exosomes may act through a VE-cadherin dependent mechanism and induce lung cancer metastasis.

Herein, coal-based composites embedded with CoO nanoparticles and Co–Nx dual sites are constructed and used for triiodide reduction in a dye-sensitized solar cell. Concentrated hydrochloric acid is first provided to pretreat coal so as to eliminate interference from other metal impurities. The ash-rich coal with addition of cobalt phthalocyanine and pyrolyzed at 800 °C (denoted as Coal-10 wt % CoPc-800) as the counter electrode shows a much enhanced activity for triiodide reduction reaction with the power conversion efficiency of 8.32%, which is better than that of the Coal-800 counter electrode (7.83%), and also exceeds that of the Pt counterpart (8.02%), revealing the generated Co–Nx and CoO nanoparticles sites derived from CoPc can synergistically boost the electrochemical activity. In particular, a significantly enhanced electrochemical performance is achieved after introducing an additional 33 wt % TiO2 binder into the above-mentioned Coal-10 wt % CoPc-800 (denoted as Coal-10 wt % CoPc-800-33 wt % Ti...

A facile template-free in situ self-activation approach for the multiple active components synergistically driven porous carbon was presented via a feasible annealing process. The biomass-derived carbon without additional activation reagents was fabricated using K-rich pomelo peel (PP) as the carbon source, which possesses a high electric conductivity where abundant functional hetero-metal atoms are doped into the carbon framework that playing the role of catalytic graphitization. The K+ that exists within the biomass can induce self-activation during pyrolysis apart from the activating gases during the pyrolysis process. The resulting electrocatalyst of PP-850 (PP was pyrolyzed at 850 °C in an N2 atmosphere) with abundant heteroatoms possesses a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.81% as the counter electrode (CE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) compared with the CEs calcinated at other temperatures and a similar PCE with Pt counterpart (8.24%) based on the liquid I3−/I− electrolyte. The better electrocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effect between self-activation and the co-doping of nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus all together in a carbon matrix. Due to the feasibility of large-scale production, rich heteroatom doping, the PP-derived carbon, which simplifies the procedure and decreases the cost, has a potential application for an alternative electrocatalyst for high-performance photovoltaic devices.

Herein, a 7.35 wt% Co loading C-SAC is synthesized by pyrolysis of Co-MOF-74 in a strongly polar molten salt system. In dye-sensitized solar cells, this SAC based counter electrode shows higher photoelectric conversion efficiency than the Pt counter electrode. This work provides new insights for the preparation and application of C-SACs.

The refractory nature and proneness to recurrence of lung cancer are related to the proliferation and differentiation of lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs). This paper aims to explore the effect of aquaporin-3 (AQP3) on the functions of LCSCs, and its molecular mechanism in regulating the differentiation and apoptosis of LCSCs through the Wnt/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/β-catenin pathway.The stem cells were selected and the cell lines with low expression of AQP3 were constructed, followed by transcriptome sequencing. LCSCs were transfected with empty lentivirus in the control group and transfected with AQP3 shRNA in the interference group, and the low expression of AQP3 was inhibited using the Wnt pathway inhibitor XAV939 in the interference+inhibitor group. The expressions of AQP3, Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway genes, stemness genes, differentiation-related markers and apoptosis proteins in LCSCs were detected.In the interference group, the pathway genes were highly expressed. The genes in the interference group were enriched in the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. In the interference group, the expressions of β-catenin, GSK-3β and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were significantly higher, while the expression of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) was significantly lower (p0.05). The expression of Wnt5α had no difference. In the interference group, the expressions of stemness-related genes were obviously higher, while the expression of CDK2 had no difference (p=0.471). The interference group had higher expressions of differentiation markers.AQP3 can reduce the differentiation and inhibit the apoptosis of LCSCs through reducing the expressions of Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway-related genes such as β-catenin, GSK-3β and STAT3, thereby affecting the tumor progression.

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (C-SACs) demonstrate great potential in various key electrochemical reactions. Nevertheless, the development of facile and economical strategies is highly appealing yet challenging given that the commonly used pyrolysis method has strict requirements on the structure and composition of precursors. Here, we demonstrate for the first time a facile and low-cost pyrolysis strategy assisted by molten salts at high temperature for preparing porous C-SACs with well-dispersed Co-N

To explore the effect of aquaporin-3 (AQP3) on the functions of lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs), and its molecular mechanism in regulating the differentiation and apoptosis of LCSCs through the Wnt/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/β-catenin pathway.The stem cells were selected and the cell lines with low expression of AQP3 were constructed, followed by transcriptome sequencing. LCSCs were transfected with empty lentivirus in control group and transfected with AQP3 shRNA in interference group, and the low expression of AQP3 was inhibited using the Wnt pathway inhibitor XAV939 in interference + inhibitor group. The expressions of AQP3, Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway genes, stemness genes, differentiation-related markers and apoptosis proteins in LCSCs were detected.In interference group, the pathway genes were highly expressed. The genes in interference group were enriched in the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. In interference group, the expressions of β-catenin, GSK-3β and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were significantly higher, while the expression of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) was significantly lower (p0.05). The expression of Wnt5α had no difference. In interference group, the expressions of stemness-related genes were obviously higher, while the expression of CDK2 had no difference (p=0.471). Interference group had higher expressions of differentiation markers.In conclusion, AQP3 can reduce the differentiation and inhibit the apoptosis of LCSCs through reducing the expressions of Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway-related genes such as β-catenin, GSK-3β and STAT3, thereby affecting the tumor progression.

A graphitic carbon matrix decorated with highly dispersed metallic nanocrystals and ash components is fabricated via a facile self-sacrificed template strategy derived from brown coal. The variation of the morphology and structure, as well as the influence of annealing temperature and acid treatment of coal-derived catalysts on the electrocatalytic activity are investigated. The as-made Coal-800 counter electrode with robust structural stability shows remarkable photovoltaic and electrocatalytic performance, achieves a high power conversion efficiency of 9.03%, which is superior to that of Pt counter electrode (8.24%). The synergistic effect of the heteroatom-doped Coal-800 catalyst containing the ash components and Ca nanocrystals endows this graphitic carbon covering structure with outstanding catalytic performance, which may be the active species for the triiodide reduction reaction. This work not only demonstrates that brown coal-derived composite is a strong candidate to solve the issues related with the Pt counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells but also sheds light on the exploration of low-cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts that can be applied to energy-related applications.

It is challenging to capture N-glycopeptides with high recovery and high specificity from complicated biosystems. Herein, we present a facile and economical procedure to generate a novel self-assembling 4-Mercaptobenzene boronic acid functionalized and Au-doped Straticulate C3N4 (MASC), with enhanced affinity capability towards glycopeptides. The materials possess low pH value adaptation, high hydrophilicity and stability, good repeatability and recyclability, and provided high selectivity (1:100), low limit of detection (0.33 fmol/μL), high enrichment efficiency (~ 80%) and high recovery rate (~ 90%) towards glycopeptides. The materials can capture glycopeptides unbiasedly, as demonstrated by the identification of 37 glycopeptides from IgG and 21 glycopeptides from horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The performance of MASC on human urine and serum glycoproteome analysis was also tested. An average of 1465 glycopeptides from 839 glycoproteins and 1553 glycopeptides from 884 glycoproteins were identified from female and male urine samples in a single mass spectrometry analysis. O-glycopeptides from human urine were also significantly enriched. Additionally, 463 glycopeptides assigned to 209 glycoproteins were identified from 5 μL of human serum. All of these results indicate that MASC presents a good performance and applicability in the field of glycoproteomic research.

The assembly between carbon materials and transition metals has been proved to be a feasible strategy to synthesize electrocatalysts with good activity and stability, especially those with carbon-encapsulated core–shell structures that were prepared through multiple processes. Via direct pyrolysis of kelp, we demonstrate in our work the successful synthesis a composite consisting of electrochemically active and graphene-encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles embedded in N, P, S codoped carbon three-dimensional matrix. This biomass-derived electrocatalyst is low-cost and more facile in preparation, and its typical structural features like hierarchical pore structure, high specific area and heteroatom doping enable it to serve as not only a promising cathode material for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells but also a counter electrode material for triiodide reduction reaction (TIRR) in dye-sensitized solar cells. More importantly, the unique structure of multilayer-graphene-encapsulated cobalt nanopart...

HOXD antisense growth associated long noncoding RNA (HOXD-AS1) was reported to be dysregulated and exert crucial roles in tumorigenesis and progression of multiple malignancies. However, the role and mechanism of action of HOXD-AS1 in the carcinogenesis and progression of non-small lung cell cancers (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. HOXD-AS1, miR-133a and Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) mRNA expression were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Cell counting kit-8, wound healing and transwell invasion assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities, respectively. Luciferase assays were used to investigate binding seeds between miR-133b and HOXD-AS1. Western blot assay were performed to detect protein expression. Here higher expression of HOXD-AS1 was found in NSCLC tumor tissues compared with normal lung tissues, and was associated with lymph node metastasis, high tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, and poor overall survival rate of patients with NSCLC. Knockdown of HOXD-AS1 significantly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Additionally, we found that miR-133b was a direct downstream target of HOXD-AS1 in NSCLC. miR-133b inhibition reverse the inhibitory effect of HOXD-AS1 knockdown on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, HOXD-AS1 positively regulated the expression of MMP-9 (a target of miR-133b) in NSCLC cells. These results suggest that HOXD-AS1 might be a potential prognostic biomarker and a novel therapeutic target for treating NSCLC.

The heteroatom-doped carbon materials as metal-free catalysts show great potential for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to the high electrocatalytic activity, low cost, long-term stability, and environmental friendliness. Utilizing biomass as precursors has offered facile and extremely low-cost strategy to large-scale fabrication of highly efficient carbon materials with abundant pore structures and elements. In this work, tea residue was used as precursor to synthesize nitrogen (N) and fluorine (F) co-doped porous carbon materials via one-step annealing process without any activation or post-treatment. The morphology, pore structure, elemental composition of our sample as well as its electrocatalytic performance in ORR were studied. This biomass-based carbon materials has high specific surface area (855.6 m2 g−1) and hierarchical pore structure, which can offer abundant active sites and meanwhile is favorable to ion diffusion of liquid electrolyte. Secondly, the heteroatoms (especially F) doping can induce charge redistribution thanks to the electronegativity difference, which can facilitate electron transfer in ORR. When compared to commercial Pt/C, our catalyst shows a higher limited current density and a high electron transfer number of about 3.8. Finally, the catalyst also demonstrates excellent methanol tolerance in the alkaline medium. Our work provides an economical and facile strategy to synthesize efficient electrocatalyst for ORR.

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of obstructive lung disease characterized by long-term breathing problems and poor airflow. COPD can progress to persistent decline of pulmonary function. This study explored the effect of CXCL10 on COPD induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and its underlying mechanism. MATERIAL AND METHODS Wild-type (WT) mice were randomly assigned into 3 groups: the control group, the CS group, and the intervention group. Mice in the CS group were exposed to CS and mice in the CXCL10 group were exposed to CS and CXCL10 neutralizing antibody. At 24 h after the last CS exposure, body weight and lung functions of each mouse were recorded. Mice were then anesthetized for collecting bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), keratinocyte chemotactic factor (KC), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in supernatant and lung homogenate were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. For in vitro experiments, human bronchial epithelial cells 16HBE were stimulated with different concentrations of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and CXCL10. Cell viability and levels of inflammatory cytokines in the cell supernatant were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and ELISA assay, respectively. RESULTS Our data showed significant weight loss and reduction of lung functions in mice in the CS group compared with those in the control group and intervention group. Increased levels of IL-6, KC, and MCP-1 in BALF and lung homogenate were observed in mice in the model group compared to those in the control group and intervention group. In vitro experiments also confirmed that CXCL10-neutralizing antibody can inhibit CSE-induced cell necrosis and activation of inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS Inhibited CXCL10 protects against COPD progression by decreasing secretion of inflammatory factors, which provides a new direction for the clinical prevention and treatment of COPD.

A low-cost and widely available natural resource of pomelo peel (PP) was used as a precursor to fabricate multiple active components synergistically driven heteroatom-doped porous carbon in counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. The electrocatalyst was prepared via a ZnCl2 activation combined with a post-carbonization process under an N2 atmosphere (noted as PPA). The resulting PPA counter electrode with well-defined porosity and abundant heteroatoms possesses a very similar high power conversion efficiency of 8.29% compared with Pt counterpart (8.24%) based on the liquid I3−/I− electrolyte. Furthermore, PPA has a strong acid resistance, after PPA was treated with 2 M HCl (noted as PPE), only resulting in a slightly decreased PCE (8.13%), the little change of photovoltaic performance is mainly ascribed to the stable structure and powerful interaction between metals and support that display excellent electrocatalytic activities. The superior electrochemical performance is attributable to the synergistic effect of chemical activation and heteroatom-doping of PP-derived porous carbon coupled with well-defined pores and uniformly distributed elemental composition. Given these excellent electrocatalytic properties, structural stability, facile to large-scale preparation, the porous heteroatom doping carbon has a potential application for an alternative electrocatalyst of triiodide reduction reaction (IRR) in practical high-performance DSC devices.

A rational design and the metal coordination environment regulating of single-atom catalysts (SACs) in specific catalytic reaction remain great challenges. The oxygen defective support can be employed as traps to capture metal species, which provides an effective pathway to synthesize SACs. Here, we propose a counterions-assisted oxygen-driven defect capture (CODC) strategy to fabricate a series of atomically dispersed Co-based catalysts with different electronic and coordination environments. When serving as cathode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), the triiodine reduction reaction (IRR) activity is very sensitive to the coordination structure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the intrinsic electronic distributions, electron-donating ability, and energy level position determine the coordination behavior and catalytic performance of SACs. Our findings not only define an efficient synthetic strategy to a broad class of M-NxCy based SACs for highly-efficient IRR, but also provide an insight for exploring coordination-sensitive reaction from the atomic view.

The development of highly efficient catalysts for cathodes remains an important objective of fuel cell research. Here, we report Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles assembled on a polypyrrole/graphene oxide electrocatalyst (Co 3 O 4 /Ppy/GO) as an efficient catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The catalyst was prepared via the hydrothermal reaction of Co 2+ ions with Ppy-modified GO. The GO, Ppy/GO, and Co 3 O 4 /Ppy/GO were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The incorporation of Ppy into GO nanosheets resulted in the formation of a nitrogen-modified GO porous structure, which acted as an efficient electron-transport network for the ORR. With further anchoring of Co 3 O 4 on Ppy/GO, the as-prepared Co 3 O 4 /Ppy/GO exhibited excellent ORR activity and followed a four-electron route mechanism for the ORR in alkaline solution. An onset potential of −0.10 V vs. a saturated calomel electrode and a diffusion limiting current density of 2.30 mA/cm 2 were achieved for the Co 3 O 4 /Ppy/GO catalyst heated at 800 °C; these values are comparable to those for noble-metal-based Pt/C catalysts. Our work demonstrates that Co 3 O 4 /Ppy/GO is highly active for the ORR. Notably, the Ppy coupling effects between Co 3 O 4 and GO provide a new route for the preparation of efficient non-precious electrocatalysts with hierarchical porous structures for fuel cell applications.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most often diagnosed cancers globally. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that play essential roles in tumorigenesis and progression of CRC. Here we evaluated the effects of miR-141-3p on growth, cetuximab sensitivity, migration and invasion of CRC cells. We found that miR-141-3p negatively regulated the proliferation, migration and invasion in CRC cells. In addition, miR-141-3p enhanced the cetuximab sensitivity of CRC cells by EGFR suppression. Moreover, miR-141-3p improved cetuximab-induced apoptosis in CRC cells. Furthermore, miR-141-3p altered the expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, snail and Vimentin, indicating miR-141-3p might play a role on epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Luciferase reporter assay showed that EGFR was the direct binding site of miR-141-3p and the expression levels of p-EGFR, Raf-1, pAKT and p-ERK1/2 were regulated by miR-141-3p. After down-regulation of EGFR by siRNA in CRC cells, the effects of miR-141-3p on proliferation, migration and invasion were reversed. miR-141-3p played important roles in CRC growth and response to cetuximab treatment, and might function as a potential biomarker to predict cetuximab response.

The facile enrichment of glycopeptides or glycoproteins poses great challenges for glycoproteomic research. In this study, a novel hydrophilic material, named zwitterionic hydrophilic L-cysteine derivatized straticulate-C

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by emphysema and/or obstructive bronchiolitis. Deficiency in vitamin D3 (VD3), which regulates gene expression through binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR), is associated with high risks of COPD susceptibility. Alveolar macrophages (AM), which are generated during early ontogeny and maintained in alveoli by self-renewal in response to cytokine GM-CSF, are positively correlated with severity of emphysema. However, whether and how VD3, VDR and AM interact to contribute to COPD pathogenesis at the molecular and cellular levels are largely unknown. Methods We used systems biology approaches to analyze gene expression in mouse macrophages from different tissues to identify key transcription factors (TF) for AM and infer COPD disease genes. We used RNA-seq and ChIP-seq to identify genes that are regulated by VD3 in AM. We used VDR-deficient (Vdr−/−) mice to investigate the role of VD3-VDR axis in the pathogenesis of COPD and characterized the transcriptional and functional alterations of Vdr−/− AM. Findings We find that VDR is a key TF for AM and a COPD disease gene. VDR is highly expressed in AM and in response to VD3 inhibits GM-CSF-induced AM proliferation. In Vdr−/− AM, genes involved in proliferation and immune response are upregulated. Consistently, Vdr−/− mice progressively accumulate AM and concomitantly develop emphysema without apparent infiltration of immune cells into the lung tissue. Intratracheal transfer of Vdr−/− AM into wildtype mice readily induces emphysema. The production of reactive oxygen species at basal level and in response to heme or lipopolysaccharide is elevated in Vdr−/− AM and suppressed by VD3 in wildtype AM. Interpretation These results show that the VD3-VDR axis is critical to counteract GM-CSF-induced AM proliferation and defect in this regulation leads to altered AM homeostasis and function. Our findings identify that VD3 deficiency contributes to emphysema by altering AM function without contributing to bronchiolitis. Our findings also suggest possibilities of modulating the VD3-VDR axis for inhibiting emphysema in COPD patients.

This work proposes a mild and environmentally-friendly approach to prepare a highly efficient functional graphene (termed as AGO-hv) using methods of ozone oxidation, solvothermal synthesis, and photoreduction. The use of ozone oxidation in the first step can effectively increase the interlaminar distance between graphite oxide sheets, and create active sites for nucleophilic attack on the epoxy carbon from ammonia. The amino groups were successfully grafted on the surface of graphene as evidenced by the amidation reaction, with a maximum nitrogen content of 10.46 wt% and a C/N molar ratio of 8.46. After further photoreduction of the aminated graphite oxide (AGO), the residual oxygen functionalities, such as C-OH, were effectively removed and the conductivity of the graphene sheet was further recovered. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.51% based on AGO-hv counter electrode (CE), close to that of Pt counterpart (7.79%). The experimental results indicated that the amidation and photoreduction processes were significantly facilitated by the initial ozonization of graphene oxide, and this process significantly improved the electrochemical activity and the conductivity of graphene oxide. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that AGO-hv had the lowest ionization energy (a better electron-donating ability) and also suitable binding energy with I atoms as well. The combination of ozonization, amination and photoreduction is an efficient route to obtain electrocatalysts with desired compositional distributions and performance for triiodide reduction reaction in DSCs.

One of the major challenges associated with fuel cells is the design of highly efficient electrocatalysts to reduce the high overpotential of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here we report Polyaniline (PANI) based micro/nanomaterials with or without transition metals, prepared by the emulsion polymerization and subsequent heat treatment. PANI microspheres with the diameter of about 0.7 µm have been prepared in basic (NH 3 solution) condition, using two different types of surfactant (CTAB, SDS) as the stabilizer, ammonium persulphate (APS) as oxidant with aniline/surfactants molar ratio at 1/1 under the hydrothermal treatment. PANI nanorods, Fe PANI, and Fe Co PANI have been synthesized in acidic (HCl) medium with aniline/surfactants molar ratio at 1/2 and polymerization carried out without stirring for 24 h. Products mainly Fe Co PANI have shown high current density with increasing sweep rate and excellent specific capacitance 1753 F/g at the scan rate of 1 mV/s. Additionally, it has shown high thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Fe PANI has been investigated for excellent performance toward ORR with four electron selectivity in the basic electrolyte. The PANI-based catalysts from emulsion polymerization demonstrate that the method is valuable for making non-precious metal heterogeneous electrocatalysts for ORR or energy storage and conversion technology.

In this work, a facile one-step approach is reported for using ZIF-67 as a sacrificial template in the synthesis of a counter electrode (CE) catalyst for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Porous nanocomposites of Co, CoO and N-doped graphitic carbon were synthesized by controlling the carbonization temperature of the templates in a N2 atmosphere. The characterization of the structure of the products indicated that cobalt nanoparticles were embedded in an N-doped graphitic carbon matrix, (a core-shell structure termed Co@NGC) while cobalt and cobalt oxide nanoparticles were exposed on the external surface of the carbon (termed Co/CoO). In particular, the chemical stability of the nanostructure of the Co@NGC was superior to Co/CoO with respect to etching by strong acids such as hydrochloric acid (HCl, 0.1 M). The DSC performance of ZIF-67-850 (pyrolyzed at 850 °C) employed as a CE resulted in a photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.92%, which was close to a Pt CE (8.18%) in the liquid I3−/I− redox couple electrolyte. The excellent performance of ZIF-67-850 can be attributed to the synergetic effects between the Co and CoO coupled with the nitrogen doped graphitic carbon. The cost-effective porous Co/CoO and Co@NGC nanocomposites exhibit great potential for application as high performance CE in solar cells.

Absract Utilization of metal oxide/supports interface structures could generate high- performance electrochemical materials for clean energy storage and conversion. However, designing the metal oxide/supports interfaces with highly enhanced conductivity and cycle durability remains a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate an in-situ growth technique to synthesize a Sn/SnO 2 @C composite with nano-Sn species attached on surface of carbon spheres (denoted as Sn/SnO 2 @C) during the carbonization of a sol-gel precursors of tin (IV) tetrachloride pentahydrate (SnCl 4 ·5H 2 O) and Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (Sn 4+ -RF) in N 2 . We investigate the nucleation and crystal growth of Sn/SnO 2 from Sn 4+ -RF precursor to Sn/SnO 2 @C composite with the variation of the concentration of acid value and heat-treatment temperature. Sn/SnO 2 @C-(1.0, 800) composite as supercapacitor electrode achieves a maximum specific capacitance of 906.8 F g −1 at a scan rate of 1 mV s −1 in 6 M KOH solution, and an excellent cycle durability of 2000 cycles at 5 A g −1 . The electrochemical performances demonstrate that charge storage occurs in Sn/SnO 2 @C mainly due to redox reactions between the binary oxidation states: Sn↔Sn(OH) 6 2− (IV) in basic electrolyte, hierarchical porosity and Sn/SnO 2 @C distinct structure, which is formed in situ. The work provides new insights into the rational design of Sn@C composites electrode materials for pseudocapacitor and other electrochemical devices.

Following the publication of the above article, the authors have realized that an error was made in the Acknowledgements section in this paper; this research was not, in fact, supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of Jilin (Project no. 83657488), as had been stated. The authors regret their oversight in providing this incorrect information in the Acknowledgements section of their paper. They thank the Editor of Molecular Medicine Reports for allowing them the opportunity to publish this corrigendum, and apologize to the readership of the Journal for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular Medicine Reports 9: 763-767, 2014; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2013.1850].

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease with poorly understood molecular and cellular mechanisms. By using systems biology approaches and transcriptional analysis, we identify that vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a key transcription factor for regulating alveolar macrophage (AM) homeostasis and function. VDR is highly expressed in AM and in response to vitamin D3 mediates inhibition of GM-CSF-induced AM proliferation. VDR-deficient (Vdr-/-) mice progressively accumulate AM and concomitantly develop emphysema without apparent infiltration of immune cells into the lung tissue. Intratracheal transfer of Vdr-/- AM into wildtype mice readily induces emphysema. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at basal level and in response to heme or lipopolysaccharide is elevated in Vdr-/- AM and suppressed by vitamin D3 in wildtype AM. These results show that vitamin D3-VDR axis regulates AM homeostasis and function and defect in this regulation results in emphysema. Our findings identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which vitamin D3, VDR, and AM interact to contribute to specific COPD pathology and provide new insights into modulating this pathway for inhibiting emphysema in COPD patients. Funding Statement: This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grants AI69208 and CA197605, Ivan R. Cottrell Professorship and Research Fund, and the Koch Institute Support (core) Grant P30-CA14051 from the National Cancer Institute. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: All protocols were approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University. All experiments were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. In addition, written informed consent was obtained from each subject.

Background The long noncoding RNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) was reported to be involved in the initiation and development of multiple cancers. However, the detailed biological role of CRNDE in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the biological function and underlying molecular mechanism of CRNDE in NSCLC. Materials and methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to detect the expression of CRNDE in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, wound-healing, and transwell invasion assays were applied to detect cell proliferation, colony formation, cycle arrest progression, migration and invasion, respectively. Novel targets of CRNDE were selected with bioinformatics software and were confirmed using luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. To detect the role of CRNDE in vivo tumorigenesis, tumor xenografts were created. Results CRNDE expression is remarkably upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Upregulated CRNDE expression was positively associated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis and poor overall survival of patients with NSCLC. Function assays demonstrated that knockdown of CRNDE significantly inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasionin vitro, and decreased the xenograft tumor volume and weight in vitro. We uncovered that miR-338-3p is a downstream target of CRNDE and that miR-338-3p inhibition partially reversed the CRNDE depletion-mediated inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in NSCLC cells. Conclusion These findings indicated that CRNDE functions as an oncogene that exerts important regulatory roles in NSCLC progression via sponging miR-338-3p.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), LL22NC03-N64E9.1, and its effect on the phenotype of lung cancer cells and tissues using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA sequencing data and other publicly available profiling data. MATERIAL AND METHODS The lung cancer dataset GSE30219 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository. Differentially expressed lncRNA, LL22NC03-N64E9.1, in 48 lung cancer tissue samples and adjacent normal lung tissues, normal lung cell lines BEAS-2B and A549, and lung cancer cell lines, H1703, and H292, were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (qRT-PCR). Interference efficiency was performed using small interfering RNA (siRNA). Tumor levels of lncRNA, LL22NC03-N64E9.1, and clinicopathological parameters were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Analysis of the GSE30219 test cohort showed that lncRNA, LL22NC03-N64E9.1 expression was significantly increased in lung cancer. In clinical tissue samples, the level of LL22NC03-N64E9.1 in patients with lung cancer was significantly increased compared with adjacent normal lung tissues (P0.001). The level of LL22NC03-N64E9.1 in patients with lung cancer was significantly correlated with tumor size and TNM stage (P0.05), but not with age, sex and the presence of lymph node metastasis (P0.05). In the H292 cells, following knockdown of LL22NC03-N64E9.1, cell proliferation and cloning were reduced. CONCLUSIONS Expression of lncRNA, LL22NC03-N64E9.1, promoted proliferation of lung cancer cells in vitro, was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and was associated with increased overall survival (OS), tumor size, and tumor stage in patients with lung cancer.

It is challenging to capture N-glycopeptides with high recovery and high specificity from complicated biosystems. Herein, we present a facile and economical procedure to generate a novel self-assembling 4-Mercaptobenzene boronic acid functionalized and Au-doped Straticulate C

The facile enrichment of glycopeptides or glycoproteins poses great challenges for glycoproteomic research. In this study, a novel hydrophilic material, named zwitterionic hydrophilic L-cysteine derivatized straticulate-C3N4 composites (LCAC), were synthesized and evaluated for the enrichment of N-glycopeptides. LCAC exhibited good biocompatibility, excellent hydrophilicity and selectivity, by virtue of the large surface of C3N4 and the zwitterionic property offered by cysteine. LCAC demonstrated excellent performance for N-glycopeptide enrichment with the sensitivity of 0.033 fmol/µL, selectivity of 1:100, and high recovery rate (∼85%). The performance of LCAC was demonstrated by the identification of 35 N-glycopeptides from IgG, as well as capturing 1809 human urine N-glycopeptides corresponding to 876 N-glycoproteins. Comparing the LCAC with our developed phenylboronic acid functionalized material showed a certain complementary due to the different binding mechanism. The simple production and enhanced hydrophilic properties make the material a promising choice for glycoproteomics researches.

Butein is a flavonoid isolated from the bark of Rhus verniciflua Stokes and the flowers of Butea monosperma, and is known to be a potential therapeutic drug for treating inflammation and cancer. Cyclooxygenase (COX) converts arachidonic acid to prostanoids, and increased expression of its isoform, COX‑2, has been observed in lung cancer tissue. The aim of the present study was to investigate expression alteration of COX‑2 in A549 lung cancer cells following butein treatment at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. It was observed that COX‑2 mRNA and protein levels were significantly downregulated in the butein treatment group in comparison with the control group (P

Sprouty (Spry) proteins have been implicated in cancer progression, but their role in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype of lethal and aggressive breast cancer, is unknown. Here, we reported that Spry1 is significantly expressed in TNBC specimen and MDA-MB-231 cells. To understand Spry1 regulation of signaling events controlling breast cancer phenotype, we used lentiviral delivery of human Spry1 shRNAs to suppress Spry1 expression in MDA-MB-231, an established TNBC cell line. Spry1 knockdown MDA-MB-231 cells displayed an epithelial phenotype with increased membrane E-cadherin expression. Knockdown of Spry1 impaired MDA-MB-231 cell migration, Matrigel invasion, and anchorage-dependent and -independent growth. Tumor xenografts originating from Spry1 knockdown MDA-MB-231 cells grew slower, had increased E-cadherin expression, and yielded fewer lung metastases compared to control. Furthermore, suppressing Spry1 in MDA-MB-231 cells impaired the induction of Snail and Slug expression by EGF, and this effect was associated with increased EGFR degradation and decreased EGFR/Grb2/Shp2/Gab1 signaling complex formation. The same phenotype was also observed in the TNBC cell line MDA-MB-157. Together, our results show that unlike in some tumors, where Spry may mediate tumor suppression, Spry1 plays a selective role in at least a subset of TNBC to promote the malignant phenotype via enhancing EGF-mediated mesenchymal phenotype.

Additional file 1. Suppression of Spry4 promotes cancer stem cell properties in breast cancer cell lines.