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To prolong the service life of flexible electronic materials, polymeric matrixes with excellent self-healing capability and integrated mechanical properties are highly desirable, but the balance between the self-healing capability and mechanical properties is a grand challenge. Here, polyrotaxanes as sliding crosslinkers and dynamic disulfide bonds are incorporated into the main chains of polyurethane (PU) via one-pot synthesis, which endows the PU with polydisperse hard/soft segments, high density of self-healing points and energy dissipation. Based on this judicious molecular design, the PU elastomers exhibit exceptional mechanical properties, such as high stretchability (1167 % with a tensile strength of 3.49 MPa), high fracture energy (20,775 J m

Metal oxides are promising electrode candidates for supercapacitor due to their high theoretical capacitance, good reversibility, and low cost. However, they show inferior specific capacitance and power density because of their sluggish ion diffusion kinetics and intrinsically poor electrical conductivity within the solid phase. Herein, heterostructured ZnCo

Herein, a facial stratagem for the large-scale synthesis of NiO/C nanosheets used as magnetic adsorbents is proposed by using nanoscale coordination polymers (nanoCPs) as precursors. The NiO nanoparticles (NPs) scattered on the NiO/C nanosheets have an untrasmall size (~3 nm) as well as uniform dispersion, since the Ni2+ ions are preassembled into the nanoCPs precursors by coordination bonds and transformed to NiO NPs in situ under the restriction of carbon layers. Thanks to the small size and spatially uniform distribution of NiO NPs, fully exposed carbon matrix containing part of graphene structures, and the high specific surface area of the special nanosheet structure, the magnetic NiO/C nanosheets have an a great breakthrough in the adsorption performance toward Congo Red (CR) among many reported NiO-based materials. The maximum adsorption capacity for CR is up to 2000 mg/g, and the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics are also systematically studied. Moreover, the NiO/C nanosheets can be separated from water and reused simply by an external magnetic field. The NiO/C nanosheets with low cost and extraordinary adsorption ability have great potential in water pollution treatment area.

A novel supercapacitor material was synthesized from SiO2-coated Co3O4 and CuO nanoparticles. These nanocapsules provided large specific surface area, fast electron transport, good mechanical stability and high electrochemical activity. The specific capacitance at 1 A g−1 was 835.4 F g−1, and it had excellent cycling performance.

We designed a facile and green self-assembly route for the large-scale production of bimetallic coordination polymer–Zn(MAA)2/Pd(II) nanoribbons by employing two terminal units with distinct hard–soft properties of the smallest semi-rigid methacrylate anion (MAA−) to combine with two different metal ions. The COO− (chemically hard base) served as the initial unit, which was applied to coordinate with the Zn2+ ions for constructing the host network of this Janus CPs by facilely adjusting the proportion of ethanol/water to control the degree of solvation. After soaking in an ethanol solution of PdCl2, the alkene units (chemically soft base) act as secondary donors to load the soft noble metal Pd2+ ions and form Zn(MAA)2/Pd(II) nanoribbons, which are ideal precursors of ZnO/PdO nanoribbons. By pyrolyzing the dual metal ion equipped Zn(MAA)2/Pd(II) precursors, ZnO nanoribbon supported PdO nanoparticles (NPs) with a well-defined structure were facilely fabricated on a large scale. Furthermore, the as-obtained ZnO/PdO nanoribbons exhibit efficient catalytic performance for the reduction of 4-NP, which can convert 99.3% of the substrates within 6 min. This superior catalytic performance may be attributed to the well-dispersed PdO nanoparticles as well as the absence of additional agents introduced a green synthetic method.

Large-scale Ni-based nano-sized coordination polymers (Ni-nCPs) are facilely constructed by a self-assembled approach at room temperature and atmosphere pressure. In this strategy, we use only the environmentally friendly solvents of water and ethanol, and the synthesis of 2D Ni-nCPs via a self-assembly route appears close to the “green chemistry” concept. In addition, the morphologies of the Ni-nCPs can be easily adjusted by the water/ethanol ratio. Owing to its unique 2D ultrathin nature and large specific surface area, Ni-nCPs-1 achieves a great number of channels for the transport of electrons and ions and electrochemically redox active sites for a faradaic reaction. Therefore, battery-type Ni-nCPs-1 electrodes have a bright prospect in energy storage, and can reach an outstanding specific capacitance value as high as 1066.9 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. Additionally, the asymmetric supercapacitor (Ni-nCPs-1//active carbon) displays a high energy density of 47.9 W h kg−1 at a power density of 440 W kg−1 and an excellent long-term cycle stability. This work may open up a new path in advanced electrode materials for efficient and real-time energy storge applications.

Wei Wang,1 Yulian Li,2 Qinghai Ma,3 Haicheng Yan,3 Wuyun Su11Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, People’s Republic of ChinaPurpose: DANCR plays an important role in various types of cancer. However, its role in gliomas remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the role of DANCR in gliomas.Methods: DANCR expression was measured by qRT-PCR, and expression of LGR5, PI3K, AKT, and phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) was detected by western blotting. The combination of miR-216a and DANCR was quantified by Luciferase reporter assays. Proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle, migration and invasion, and angiogenesis of glioma cells were measured by MTT, flow cytometry, Transwell, and Tube formation assays, respectively.Results: DANCR expression was significantly higher in glioma cells than in normal human astrocytes. Silencing of DANCR inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of glioma cells, promoted apoptosis, blocked the cell cycle at the G1/S transition, and reduced LGR5, PI3K, and p-AKT expression. We identified miR-216a as a direct target of DANCR. Silencing of DANCR in glioma cells increased miR-216a expression. Further, miR-216a suppression increased proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis and inhibited apoptosis of glioma cells transfected with DANCR-targeting siRNA. In addition, miR-216a suppression compromised inhibition of the G1/S transition caused by DANCR silencing. Furthermore, suppression of miR-216a increased accumulation of LGR5, PI3K, AKT, and p-AKT in glioma cells transfected with DANCR-targeting siRNA.Conclusion: DANCR modulates growth and metastasis by targeting the miR-216a/LGR5 axis and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Keywords: glioma, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, DANCR, miR-216a

CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) with ultrasmall size (∼3.6 nm) and a highly-dispersed pattern embedded in a silica matrix were obtained in situ through a calcination process of organic copper salt. By means of rational selection of reactants, organic copper salt was introduced into Si–O–Si networks via covalent bonding during the sol–gel process under neutral conditions without any additional catalyst. The introduction of organic copper salt via covalent bonding as well as the compact Si–O–Si networks allowed for the formation of highly dispersed and ultrasmall sized CuO NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the obtained silica complex had spherical morphology and well-dispersed small sized CuO NPs. The as-obtained CuO@SiO2 nanocomposites exhibited good catalytic property on the reduction of organic dye with NaBH4 as the reducing agent.

The development of high-efficiency metal oxide electrode materials with high reaction kinetics and excellent conductivity are a cutting-edge strategy to obtain high-performance energy storge devices. Forming oxygen vacancy on the surface of the metal oxide tune electronic structure is a feasible approach to boost the electroactive of metal oxides for supercapacitor. Herein, an effective solution reduction method is reported for tuning the electronic structure of Co3O4 nanoribbons reacting with NaBH4 to enhance the faradaic redox reaction for high electrochemical performance. The vacancy-rich defects can endow more electroactive sites and reduce the electrical resistance for the enhanced supercapacitor performance. Therefore, compared to pristine Co3O4 (347.4 F g-1), the reduced Co3O4 (R-Co3O4) shows a high specific capacitance (Cs, 464.9 F g-1) and a reduced charge transfer resistance. The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC, R-Co3O4// active carbon) exhibits an energy density of 18.6 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 400 W kg-1 and excellent cycling stability. Such a feasible approach realizes the electronic tuning by creating oxygen vacancy that provides sufficient active sites and activates the fast faradaic redox reaction with enhanced energy storge ability of redox-active electrode materials.

Rho-related BTB domain (RhoBTB) proteins belong to Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases). Their putative role implicated in carcinogenesis has been supported by accumulating evidence. However, their expression pattern and potential role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain unclear. We profiled RHOBTB mRNA expression via the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) database. Survival analysis was conducted with GEPIA2 and UALCAN. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to validate RHOBTB genes as independent prognostic indicators in the LAML cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Data regarding expression in different subtypes and relationships with common disease-related genes were retrieved from UALCAN. Co-expressed genes were screened out and subsequently subjected to functional enrichment analysis. We observed aberrant transcription levels of RHOBTB genes in AML patients. RHOBTB2 was identified as a prognostic candidate for overall survival (OS), independent of prognosis-related clinical factors and genetic abnormalities. Moreover, RHOBTB2 expression was increased in non-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) subtypes, patients without FLT3 mutation and PML/RAR fusion, and imparted a positive correlation with the expression of FLT3, FHL1, and RUNXs. Co-expressed genes of RHOBTB2 were enriched in functional pathways in AML. Our findings suggest that RHOBTB2 might be a novel biomarker and independent prognostic indicator in AML and provide insights into the leukemogenesis and molecular network of AML.

Exploring porous carbon (PC)-based materials from low-cost, renewable precursors has always been a challenging objective, since they meet the demands of next-generation supercapacitors and electrochemical devices. Herein, hierarchical multi-heteroatoms co-doped PC (MHPC) materials are successfully achieved by the carbonization and activation of tea waste that used as the self-template. The natural structure of the tea leaves combined with the activation strategy favor the formation of special hierarchical MHPC materials, which are constructed by ultrathin MHPC nanosheets. In addition, the heteroatomic doped carbon derived from organic compounds in tea leaves can act as an ideal precursor to fabricate the resultant heteroatomic functionalized carbon nanosheets. Such heteroatoms content of carbon nanosheets are adjustable by altering pyrolysis condition to effectively enhance the electrochemical performance of PC. After activation by KOH, the as-prepared MHPC, especially MHPC-3 (weight ratio of KOH/pre-carbonized tea waste is 3:1) has a superior supercapacitance of up to 170 and 132 F g−1 at current density of 0.5 and 10 A g−1 in KOH electrolyte, and an excellent capacitance retention of ∼94.8% over 14,000 cycles at 3 A g−1. The result reported here provides valuable guidelines of high-performance energy storge devices from natural sources at the industrial scale.

Low-generation poly(amido amine) (PAMAM)-grafted carbon fibers (CFs) emerged as a new reinforcement for improving the mechanical properties of fiber composites. In this work, hybrid reinforcement, which could greatly enhance the surface roughness and wettability of CF, was prepared via growing PAMAM onto fiber surface by in situ polymerization.The modified surface morphology and chemical composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic contact angle analysis test, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Experimental results indicated PAMAM dendrimers grown on the CF significantly enhanced interfacial properties of the resulting composites. In addition, compared with the desized CF composites, the CF grafted with PAMAM composites exhibited 34.65% enhancement in the interfacial shear strength.

3D hierarchical CuS architectures consisting of 1D nanotubes have been synthesized by the combination of the self-assembly method and a simple solvothermal process. The hierarchical structures not only provide a large number of active sites on the surfaces, but also integrate the advantages of 1D nanotubes for molecular or ionic transport and 3D for mechanical stability. The hierarchical CuS architectures can be a Fenton-like catalyst with excellent catalytic performance. The degradation rate constant k of 3D hierarchical CuS is 8.37 × 10−2 min−1 at the concentration of rhodamine B (RhB) of 50 mg/mL under visible light irradiation.

CoO-C nanowires can be large-scale synthesized with the Co(MAA)2 nanowires as precursors, which are fabricated by a simple self-assembled process at room temperature. Since the Co2+ ions are uniformly distributed in the precursor at molecular level, the generated CoO nanoparticles are well dispersed in the whole carbon nanowires. Such “brick and cement” hybrid structures of CoO and carbon are regarded as reasonable structures to achieve supercapacitor with high specific capacitance and outstanding cycle performance. To investigate the effect of heating rates on the electrochemistry performance, CoO-C nanowires with different heating rates are prepared in the atmosphere of nitrogen. The as-prepared CoO-C electrode shows the highest specific capacity of 187 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g. More importantly, the cyclic stability of the CoO-C hybrid electrode is extraordinary. Over 90% of the capacitance is retained after a long cycle exceeding 12,000 cycles.

A degradation of organic dyes catalyst with stable structure and efficient performance, SiO2 coated Co3O4 and Ag nanocapsules have been successfully prepared by the simple in-situ method and template method, which shown excellent catalytic performance for degrade methyl orange dye in solution. The degradation rate constant (k) of Co3O4@SiO2-Ag was 0.150 min−1. The combination of two metals and the hollow mesoporous structure significantly improved the catalytic performance of the material.

In the present study, the efficacy and clinical outcomes of stereotactic aspiration combined with the Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) method were evaluated retrospectively for patients with large cystic brain metastases. This combined method aims to decrease the tumor weight (volume) and increase the possible radiation dose. The present study involved 48 patients who were diagnosed with cystic metastatic brain tumors between January 2008 and December 2012 in the Department of Neurosurgery of Nanfang Hospital Southern Medical University (Guangzhou, China). Every patient underwent Leksell stereotactic frame, 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided stereotactic cyst aspiration and Leksell GKRS. Subsequent to the therapy, MRI was performed every 3 months. The results indicated that 48 cases were followed up for 24-72 months, with a mean follow-up duration of 36.2 months. Following treatment, 44 patients (91.7%) exhibited tumor control and 4 patients (8.3%) experienced progression of the local tumor. During this period, 35 patients (72.9%) succumbed, but only 2 (4.2%) of these succumbed to the brain metastases. The total local control rate was 91.7% and the median overall survival time of all patients was 19.5 months. The 1-year overall survival rate was 70.8% and the 2-year overall survival rate was 26.2%. In conclusion, these results indicated that the method of stereotactic cyst aspiration combined with GKRS was safe and effective for patients with large cystic brain metastases. This method is effective for patients whose condition is too weak for general anesthesia and in whom the tumors are positioned at eloquent areas. This method enables patients to avoid a craniotomy, and provides a good tumor control rate, survival time and quality of life.

To develop PEGylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a sustained release drug delivery system. Oxaliplatin was incorporated into inner cavity of PEGylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-PEG) using nano-extraction. Oxaliplatin release rates from MWCNT-PEG-Oxaliplatin were investigated using dialysis tubing. Cytotoxicity of oxaliplatin, MWCNT-Oxaliplatin and MWCNT-PEG-Oxaliplatin were evaluated in HT29 cell by MTT assay, Pt-DNA adducts formation, γ-H2AX formation and cell apoptosis assay. Loading of oxaliplatin into MWCNT-PEG was ~43.6%. Sustained release occurred to MWCNT-PEG-Oxaliplatin, with only 34% of oxaliplatin released into medium within 6 h. In MTT assay, MWCNT-PEG-Oxaliplatin showed slightly decreased cytotoxic effect when cell viability was assessed at 12 and 24 h. A drastic increase of cytotoxicity was found when cell viability was assessed at 48 and 96 h. Pt-DNA adducts formation, γ-H2AX formation and cell apoptosis assay results showed the same trend as the MTT assay, suggesting sustained-release for MWCNT-Oxaliplatin and MWCNT-PEG-Oxaliplatin formulations. PEGylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be used as sustained release drug delivery system, thus remarkably improving cytotoxicity of oxaliplatin on HT-29 cells.