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Enhanced cellular therapy has emerged as a novel concept following the basis of cellular therapy. This treatment modality applied drugs or biotechnology to directly enhance or genetically modify cells to enhance the efficacy of adoptive cellular therapy (ACT). Drugs or biotechnology that enhance the killing ability of immune cells include immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) / antibody drugs, small molecule inhibitors, immunomodulatory factors, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), oncolytic virus (OV), etc. Firstly, overcoming the inhibitory tumor microenvironment (TME) can enhance the efficacy of ACT, which can be achieved by blocking the immune checkpoint. Secondly, cytokines or cytokine receptors can be expressed by genetic engineering or added directly to adoptive cells to enhance the migration and infiltration of adoptive cells to tumor cells. Moreover, multi-antigen chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can be designed to enhance the specific recognition of tumor cell-related antigens, and OVs can also stimulate antigen release. In addition to inserting suicide genes into adoptive cells, PROTAC technology can be used as a safety switch or degradation agent of immunosuppressive factors to enhance the safety and efficacy of adoptive cells. This article comprehensively summarizes the mechanism, current situation, and clinical application of enhanced cellular therapy, describing potential improvements to adoptive cellular therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. With the growth and aging of population, the incidence of prostate cancer will increase year by year, which is bound to bring greater economic burden to the society. There has been greater interest in the anticancer effects of statin in recent years. It is controversial whether statin use is associated with the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to explore the effects of statin use and their duration and cumulative dose on the overall incidence of PCa. Method. The study was conducted according to the latest guidelines for PRISMA 2020. We searched PubMed and other databases for studies about the association of statin use with the risk of incident prostate cancer between January 1, 1990, and April 11, 2022. Two independent researchers extracted data and evaluated the quality of the studies. R x64 4.1.2 and random-effects model were used for data statistics. Relative risk (RR) and odds ratio (OR) effective values with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the main results. Results. The results of 6 RCT and 26 cohort studies showed that statins did not significantly associate with the incidence of PCa (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.82–1.08). The similar results were obtained from 9 case-control studies (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.99–1.07). However, statins were associated with a lower risk of Pca (RR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.28–0.70) when the cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) was high. Using statins for more than five years could be associated with a reduced incidence of Pca (RR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.23–0.97). There was a significant heterogeneity in these studies (RCT and cohort study: I2 = 98%, P < 0.01; case-control study: I2 = 72%, P < 0.01). Conclusion. We concluded that statins had a neutral association with the overall risk of PCa. High cDDD and long duration were associated with a lower risk of PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tungsten is one of the most promising candidates for plasma-facing material for fusion. In this experiment, W–TiC–Y 2 O 3 composites were successfully prepared by the wet chemical method. The properties of the W–TiC–Y 2 O 3 composites were studied through field-emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, thermal conductivity, and transient laser thermal shock. During the sintering of the composite powder, TiC and Y 2 O 3 precipitations converted to Y-Ti-O precipitations. After transient laser thermal shock, the composites underwent melting, cracking, and resolidification, resulting in changes in surface morphology and internal structure of the composites. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • W–TiC–Y 2 O 3 composites possessed excellent mechanical property and thermal shock resistance. • Y 2 TiO 5 , Y 2 TiO 6 , and Y 2 TiO 7 improved the mechanical properties of the material at high temperature. • The effect of different power density on material surface was analyzed. • The change of surface morphologies and internal structure due to transient thermal shock were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungsten is a primary material in plasma-facing components (PFCs), but several disadvantages limit its application in fusion reactors. This work examined tungsten–niobium (W–Nb) alloys as potential PFC materials and investigated their response to low-energy helium ion irradiation. W–Nb powders were milled for 25 and 36 h, and the W–Nb samples were exposed to 50 and 80 eV helium ion irradiation with a flux of 1.5 × 10 22 ions/m 2  s at 1230 °C. The sample with a dense structure and obtained after a 25-h milling exhibited enhanced anti-irradiation performance. Sufficient energy can be provided to promote helium ion migration in the matrix, resulting in the formation of nanotendrils. Furthermore, in W–Nb alloys, the Nb-rich regions are more attractive to helium ions and thus provide protection to the tungsten matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Although the prognostic effect of statins on patients with prostate cancer (PCa) has been frequently evaluated, a consistent result is still lacking. We aimed to evaluate the association between statin use and mortality among patients with PCa after definite therapies. Methods. A systematic search of PubMed and other databases for cohort studies about the effect of statins on patients with PCa was performed until April 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using R software version 4.1.2. Results. 24 cohort studies involving 369, 206 participants were finally included. We found statin use significantly reduced the risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) with a pooled hazard ratio (pHR) = 0.76 (95% CI: 0.69–0.84, 18 studies), especially for postdiagnostic statin users: pHR = 0.81 (95% CI: 0.77–0.85) and patients who accepted androgen deprivation therapy (ADT): pHR = 0.69 (95% CI: 0.59–0.81). Statin use was also associated with a 24% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality (ACM): pHR = 0.76 (95% CI: 0.68–0.85, 17 studies), especially for postdiagnostic statin users: pHR = 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78–0.85) and patients treated with ADT: pHR = 0.72 (95% CI: 0.63–0.82) or radiotherapy (RT): pHR = 0.68 (95% CI: 0.50–0.93). Conclusion. In conclusion, the use of statins could promote the prognosis of patients with PCa, especially for postdiagnostic users. For patients who received either ADT or radical prostatectomy (RP), statin use could decrease the PCSM. As for those who received either ADT or RT, statin use could decrease the ACM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death and plays a dual role in distinct cancers. It is elusive to evaluate the activation level of pyroptosis and to appraise the involvement of pyroptosis in the occurrence and development of diverse tumors. Accordingly, we herein established an indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels based on the expression level of genes involved in pyroptosis and tried to elaborated on the association between pyroptosis and tumors across diverse tumor types. We found that pyroptosis related gene transcription levels could predict the prognosis of patients, which could act as either a favorable or a dreadful factor in diverse cancers. According to signaling pathway analyses we observed that pyroptosis played a significant role in immune regulation and tumorigenesis and had strong links with other forms of cell death. We also performed analysis on the crosstalk between pyroptosis and immune status and further investigated the predictive potential of pyroptosis level for the efficacy of immunotherapy. Lastly, we manifested that pyroptosis status could serve as a biomarker to the efficacy of chemotherapy across various cancers. In summary, this study established a quantitative indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels, systematically explored the role of pyroptosis in pan-cancer. These results could provide potential research directions targeting pyroptosis, and highlighted that pyroptosis may be used to develop a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death and plays a dual role in distinct cancers. It is elusive to evaluate the activation level of pyroptosis and to appraise the involvement of pyroptosis in the occurrence and development of diverse tumors. Accordingly, we herein established an indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels based on the expression level of genes involved in pyroptosis and tried to elaborated on the association between pyroptosis and tumors across diverse tumor types. We found that pyroptosis related gene transcription levels could predict the prognosis of patients, which could act as either a favorable or a dreadful factor in diverse cancers. According to signaling pathway analyses we observed that pyroptosis played a significant role in immune regulation and tumorigenesis and had strong links with other forms of cell death. We also performed analysis on the crosstalk between pyroptosis and immune status and further investigated the predictive potential of pyroptosis level for the efficacy of immunotherapy. Lastly, we manifested that pyroptosis status could serve as a biomarker to the efficacy of chemotherapy across various cancers. In summary, this study established a quantitative indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels, systematically explored the role of pyroptosis in pan-cancer. These results could provide potential research directions targeting pyroptosis, and highlighted that pyroptosis may be used to develop a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urinary tumors. The risk of metastasis for patients with RCC is about 1/3, among which 30–40% have lymph node metastasis, and the existence of lymph node metastasis will greatly reduce the survival rate of patients. However, the necessity of lymph node dissection is still controversial at present. Therefore, a new predictive model is urgently needed to judge the risk of lymph node metastasis and guide clinical decision making before operation. Method: We retrospectively collected the data of 189 patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection or enlarged lymph node resection due to suspected lymph node metastasis or enlarged lymph nodes found during an operation in Tongji Hospital from January 2016 to October 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression analyses were used to identify preoperative predictors of pathological lymph node positivity. A nomogram was established to predict the probability of lymph node metastasis in patients with RCC before surgery according to the above independent predictors, and its efficacy was evaluated with a calibration curve and a DCA analysis. Result: Among the 189 patients, 54 (28.60%) were pN1 patients, and 135 (71.40%) were pN0 patients. Three independent impact factors were, finally, identified, which were the following: age (OR = 0.3769, 95% CI = 0.1864–0.7622, p < 0.01), lymph node size according to pre-operative imaging (10–20 mm: OR = 15.0040, 95% CI = 1.5666–143.7000, p < 0.05; >20 mm: OR = 4.4013, 95% CI = 1.4892–7.3134, p < 0.01) and clinical T stage (cT1–2 vs. cT3–4) (OR = 3.1641, 95% CI = 1.0336–9.6860, p < 0.05). The calibration curve and DCA (Decision Curve Analysis) showed the nomogram of this predictive model had good fitting. Conclusions: Low age, large lymph node size in pre-operative imaging and high clinical T stage can be used as independent predictive factors of pathological lymph node metastasis in patients with RCC. Our predictive nomogram using these factors exhibited excellent discrimination and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary system with an unfavorable prognosis. More and more studies have suggested that lipid metabolism could influence the progression and treatment of tumors. However, there are few studies exploring the relationship between lipid metabolism and bladder cancer. This study aimed to explore the roles that lipid metabolism-related genes play in patients with bladder cancer. Methods. TCGA_BLCA cohort and GSE13507 cohort were included in this study, and transcriptional and somatic mutation profiles of 309 lipid metabolism-related genes were analyzed to discover the critical lipid metabolism-related genes in the incurrence and progression of bladder cancer. Furthermore, the TCGA_BLCA cohort was randomly divided into training set and validation set, and the GSE13507 cohort was served as an external independent validation set. We performed the LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression in training set to develop a prognostic signature and further verified this signature in TCGA_BLCA validation set and GSE13507 external validation set. Finally, we systematically investigated the association between this signature and tumor microenvironment, drug response, and potential functions and then verified the differential expression status of signature genes in the protein level by immunohistochemistry. Results. A novel 6-lipidmetabolism-related gene signature was identified and validated, and this risk score model could predict the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. In addition, the prognostic model was tightly related to immune cell infiltration and tumor mutation burden. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that mTOR signaling pathway, G2M checkpoint, fatty acid metabolism, and hypoxia were enriched in patients in the high-risk score groups. Furthermore, 3 therapies specific for bladder cancer patients in different risk scores were identified. Conclusions. In conclusion, we investigated the lipid metabolism-related genes in bladder cancer through comprehensive bioinformatic analysis. A novel 6-gene signature associated with lipid metabolism for predicting the outcomes of patients with bladder cancer was conducted and validated. Furthermore, the risk score model could be utilized to indicate the choice of therapy in bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new quaternary crystalline catalyst was obtained by a mixed hydrothermal method of integrating inorganic semiconductors, titanium oxide cluster (TOC) and molecular redox centers orderly into metal organic framework (MOF) materials. It shows a hydrogen production rate 3711.53 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation, exceeds most of the same type of catalyst reported in recent years, and a favorable stability with. The excellent performance of the CdS/TOC/UiO‐67‐bpy/Co composites due to efficient promotion of photo‐induced carrier separation and migration, and offering abundant active sites for generating hydrogen. This work will help to guide the preparation of new efficient and stable photocatalysts and promote the effective conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of annealing on helium ion irradiation damage of W-Nb composites was studied. • The surface of the Nb-rich regions in the W-Nb composite became rough with larger pores. • The surface morphology of the W-rich regions was unchanged after the heat treatment process. Considering that the plasma-facing materials (PFMs) would be affected by helium ion irradiation, the influence of isochronal annealing at different temperatures on the irradiation damage of W-Nb composites was studied in this work. The microstructure changes of W-Nb composite with ball-milling time of 25 and 36 h before and after isochronal annealing at different temperatures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy. After helium ion irradiation, only the surface of the W-rich regions in the W-Nb composite after ball milling for 36 h had the same fuzz structure as pure W. During the subsequent heat treatment, the density of the fuzz structure on the surface of pure W increased at 900 °C, and gradually decreased with the increase of temperature until it disappears. The composites that underwent ball-milling for 25 and 36 h had the same surface morphology changes. More helium bubbles migrated to the surface of the W-rich regions in the composites at 900 °C. When the temperature rose to 1300 °C, the grain growth occurred in the Nb-rich regions. Notably, the density of fuzz structure in the W-rich regions did not increase significantly during the whole heat treatment process, which might be caused by the increase of helium desorption temperature in the W-Nb composite due to the addition of Nb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]