Search

Nephroblastoma, also known as Wilms' tumor (WT), is the most common renal tumor that occurs in children. Although the efficacy of treatment has been significantly improved by a series of comprehensive treatments, some patients still have poor prognosis. Myelin and lymphocyte (MAL) protein, a highly hydrophobic integrated membrane‐bound protein, has been implicated in many tumors and is also closely linked to kidney development. However, the relationship between MAL and WT has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the feasibility of MAL as a promising prognosis factor for WT. The differential expression of MAL was investigated using TARGET database and was verified using the Gene Expression Omnibus database and real‐time quantitative PCR. The prognostic ability of MAL was determined using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. Pearson correlation analysis was applied to explore the relationship between MAL expression and methylation sites. The ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms showed that MAL expression was associated with the WT tumor microenvironment. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) indicated that multiple signaling pathways closely associated with tumorigenesis were differentially enriched between the high‐ and low‐MAL groups. In conclusion, our study comprehensively explored the potential of MAL as a prognosis factor for WT. Meanwhile, we also demonstrated that MAL, as a prognostic factor for WT, may be closely related to the tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, covalently linked graphene oxide-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (GO-PEGMEMA-RAFT) and physically mixed GO-PEGMEMA hydrogel nanocomposites are synthesized. Spectroscopic and imaging techniques such as UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy show that the PEGMEMA is successfully grafted on GO sheets. The rheology of the nanocomposites is studied by small angle oscillatory shear, which shows a competition between reinforcement and lubrication behavior of GO. In the case where lubrication effect dominates reinforcement, the covalently linked GO--PEGMEMA-RAFT has higher G' compared to the physically mixed GO--PEGMEMA. Hence, in the covalently linked system, the grafted polymer chains appear to minimize the lubrication effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Blends of nylon 6 and a silsesquioxane additive, aminopropyl isobutyl POSS (APOSS) were prepared containing 0–5% POSS by weight. APOSS was previously demonstrated by us to be an ineffectual additive at concentrations of more than approximately 3% by weight, lacking solubility and favorable interactions with the polymer matrix. Significant reinforcement was only obtained under the extreme confinement and orientation conditions induced by melt-spinning, under which it was suggested the APOSS might undergo forced-assembly into elongated, rebar-like reinforcement structures. In the present work, we show that while the structure–property relationships of these systems, measured by WAXS, DSC and Raman spectroscopy revealed there are no major changes in the chemical structure induced by molecular interactions, rheological and SEM investigations on the APOSS-polymer systems suggest that at temperatures above the APOSS melting point, solubility and dispersion is slightly enhanced. We also show that two conditions seem to be necessary for improvement of properties: i) A sufficient concentration of APOSS needs to exist in the system to diffuse in significant quantities into the matrix upon re-melting; ii) The remaining non-diffused APOSS agglomerates need to be below a critical size around 4 μm in diameter, which does not happen for concentrations above approximately 3%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The main aim of this work is to study the influence of different polymerization temperatures on the polymerization processes of phenol/diaminodiphenylmethane (P-ddm)-based benzoxazines. Small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) are used, and the results reveal the evolution of the rheological behavior of benzoxazine resins during polymerization. Tan δ clearly shows two peaks at lower temperatures and one of them at elevated temperatures. The first low-temperature peak is the ring-opening and the temporary structure of intermolecular hydrogen-bonding, while the second peak, which is much less outstanding in magnitude at higher temperatures, is the actual buildup of a molecular network. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Gastric cancer remains one of the major causes for tumor‐related deaths worldwide. Our study aimed to provide an understanding of primary gastric cancer and prompt its clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: We integrated the expression profiles and overall survival information of primary gastric cancer in TCGA and GEO database and estimated the stromal score of each sample by the estimate R package. Stromal score and clinicopathologic characteristics associated with overall survival were analyzed by using Cox regression and the Kaplan‐Meier method. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and KEGG analysis were performed to explore the potential molecular mechanism in TCGA dataset. The relationship between immunotherapy‐associated markers or immune cell types and stromal score was explored by using Pearson correlation analysis. Results: A total of 796 samples were collected for the analysis. Patients with stromal score‐high showed poor overall survival (P <.01, HR: 1.407, 95% CI: 1.144‐1.731) and identified as an independent prognostic factor. KEGG analysis revealed that stromal score actively involved in diverse tumor‐associated pathways. GSEA analysis also revealed stromal score associated with diverse immune‐related biological processes. Furthermore, stromal score was related with immunotherapy‐associated markers and multiple immune cells. Conclusion: Our results showed that stromal score could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in primary gastric cancer and play an important role in the recognition, surveillance, and prognosis of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the rheological and structural changes induced by uniaxial extensional flows are studied for two aromatic TPUs: an elastomeric (soft) material composed both of hard and soft segments and an amorphous glass (hard) one composed almost exclusively by hard segments. The uniaxial extensional viscosity was measured on a Sentmanat fixture (SER) at single temperature of 175 °C, showing that at high strain rates both materials initially strain-soften before eventually strain-hardening at higher Hencky strains. This effect is smoother and occurs at lower strain rates for the soft TPU. Optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray scattering show this behavior to be related with structural changes induced by the flow. Strain-softening is attributed to the orientation of hard domains in the flow direction. In the soft TPU strain-hardening is caused by the stretching of entangled soft segments but in the hard one it appears to be associated with microcracks and with the development of a hitherto unreported hierarchical structure in the molten material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma is a kind of primary malignant tumor of bone. In recent years, its therapeutic effect and prognostic survival are dissatisfactory. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) reflects immune status of patients, but it is little known in osteosarcoma. Therefore, this study attempts to conduct a comprehensive analysis to explore TIME of osteosarcoma and identify TIME-related subtypes for clinical management and treatment. We successfully established two novel tumor immune infiltration clusters (TIIC) which are characterized by difference of microenvironment and immune-related biological processes. High tumor immune infiltration cluster (H-TIIC) subtypes with higher immune infiltration score shows a better overall survival. Further, the two immune subtypes are shown to differ in immunotherapy and chemotherapy. The results would be helpful for clinical decision in osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative arthritis. Its treatment options are very limited. At present, hypoxia is a prominent factor in OA. This study aimed to re-explore the mechanism between hypoxia and OA, which provides new insights into the diagnosis and therapy of OA. We acquired the OA-related expression profiles of GSE48556, GSE55235, and GSE55457 for our analysis. Using gene set variation analysis (GSVA), we found significant differences in hypoxia. These differences result from multiple pathways, such as the p53 signaling pathway, cell senescence, the NF-kappa B signaling pathway, Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and apoptosis. Meanwhile, the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) showed that hypoxia was significantly associated with the level of immune cell infiltration in the immune microenvironment. Thus, we believe that hypoxia is useful for the diagnosis and treatment of OA. We successfully constructed a novel hypoxia-related index (HRI) based on seven hypoxia-related genes (ADM, CDKN3, ENO1, NDRG1, PGAM1, SLC2A1, VEGFA) by least absolute shrinkage and binary logistic regression of the generalized linear regression. HRI showed potential for improving OA diagnosis through receiver operation characteristic (ROC) analysis (AUC training cohort = 0.919, AUC testing cohort = 0.985). Moreover, we found that celastrol, droxinostat, torin-2, and narciclasine may be potential therapeutic compounds for OA based on the Connectivity Map (CMap). In conclusion, hypoxia is involved in the development and progression of OA. HRI can improve diagnosis and show great potential in clinical application. Celastrol, droxinostat, torin-2, and narciclasine may be potential compounds for the treatment of OA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report on the sensitivity of rheometrical techniques to the nature and size of the interface/interphase in coextruded thermoplastic urethanes (TPUs). In particular, the interphases developed during coextrusion of an amorphous glass (hard) TPU (Isoplast ETPU 301) with one of two elastomeric (soft) TPUs (Estane TPU 58277 and Estane TPU X1175) were studied. Differences in the thickness and nature of the interphase of the two coextruded bilayer films were observed by atomic force microscopy. In one case, the interphase is thicker and rough, and in the other case, it is thinner and flat. Rheology was used in order to probe the type and characteristics of the interphases, with coextruded films having been tested in steady shear, small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS), uniaxial extension, and stress relaxation after a step strain in shear. The results were compared with theoretical predictions assuming zero-thickness interfaces and no interfacial slip. For SAOS and stress relaxation experiments, expressions were deduced in order to enable such a prediction to be made. Of all four rheometrical tests, only stress relaxation after a step shear did not follow the theoretical predictions and, thus, was sensitive enough to detect the presence of the interphase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polymerization mechanism of methylol-functional benzoxazinemonomers is reported using a series of monofunctional benzoxazinemonomers synthesized via a condensation reaction of ortho-, meta-, or para-methylol–phenol,aniline, and paraformaldehyde following the traditional route of benzoxazinesynthesis. A phenol/aniline-type monofunctional benzoxazine monomerhas been synthesized as a control. The structures of the synthesizedmonomers have been confirmed by 1H NMR and FT-IR. The polymerizationbehavior of methylol monomers is studied by DSC and shows an exothermicpeak associated with condensation reaction of methylol groups andring-opening polymerization of benzoxazine at a lower temperaturerange than the control monomer. The presence of methylol group acceleratesthe ring-opening polymerization to give the ascending order of para-, meta-, and ortho-positions in comparison to the unfunctionalized monomer. Furthermore,rheological measurements show that the position of methylol grouprelative to benzoxazine structure plays a significant role in acceleratingthe polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Periprosthetic bone loss following total hip arthroplasty (THA) was a well-known phenomenon. This systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of bisphosphonates (BPs) for decreasing periprosthetic bone resorption. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to March 2018. Randomized controlled trials compared the effects between administrating BPs and placebo or no medication were eligible; the target participants were patients who underwent THA. Mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated by using the random-effects models. Statistical analyses were performed by RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Fourteen trials involving 620 patients underwent THA were retrieved. BPs significantly prevented the loss of periprosthetic bone mineral density at 1 year (MD, 0.06 [95% CI, 0.03 to 0.08], p < 0.001), between 2 and 4 years (MD, 0.04 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.07], p = 0.02), and more than 5 years after THA (MD, 0.08 [95% CI, 0.06 to 0.11], p < 0.001). Both serum bone alkaline phosphatase (MD, − 7.28 [95% CI, − 9.81 to − 4.75], p < 0.001) and urinary N-telopeptide of type I collagen (MD, − 24.37 [95% CI, − 36.37 to − 12.37], p < 0.001) in BP group were significantly lower. Subgroup analyses showed that the third-generation BPs were more effective in decreasing periprosthetic bone loss than the first and second generation within 1 year after THA (p = 0.001). Conclusion: BPs were beneficial to decreasing periprosthetic bone loss. The third-generation BPs showed significantly efficacy for patients in short-term observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]