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C26H26N6O5, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 10.9393(1) Å, b = 16.8724(2) Å, c = 13.5836(2) Å, β = 102.843(1)°, V = 2444.43(5) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0318, wRref(F2) = 0.0827, T = 173 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (3 + 1) -dimensional time-fractional KdV–Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation and modified KdV equation with variable coefficients, which have very crucial applications in various areas, such as fluid dynamics, plasma physics and so on, are studied via unified and generalised unified method in this work. Solitary, soliton, elliptic, singular (periodic type) and non-singular (soliton-type) solutions of these two equations are extracted using the unified method. Otherwise, polynomial solutions in double-wave form and rational solutions in double-soliton form of the modified KdV equation with variable coefficients are acquired by exploiting the generalised unified method. The dynamical demeanours of these solutions help to comprehend the physical phenomena reflected by the equations, are depicted and analysed graphically for specific values of randomly undetermined parameters, which are diverse in each solution. The outcomes show that these two methods are quite trustworthy and effective to explore numerous solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. We recognise that two approaches have never been utilised to study these two equations and work carried out in this paper is fresh and handy. Compared to previous methods, more comprehensive solutions can be obtained using them in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating miRNAs (cirmiRNAs) can be packaged into the exosomes, participating in intercellular communication, which affects the malignant progression and therapy resistance of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC). Currently, immune checkpoint inhibitors that regulate T‐cell function, especially antibodies against programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1) or its ligand PD‐L1, are emerging as new promising therapy for TNBC patients. However, only very limited patients showed complete or partial response to anti‐PD‐1 treatment. Dysfunction of CD8+ T cells is one of the key reasons for the immune escape of TNBC. The regulation of exosome‐derived cirmiRNAs on CD8+ T cells in TNBC deserves more investigation. Here, the cirmiR‐20a‐5p level was significantly upregulated in the plasma of TNBC patients and culture supernatant of TNBC cells. High abundance of cirmiR‐20a‐5p was correlated with a worse prognosis of TNBC. cirmiR‐20a‐5p was secreted in the form of exosomes by TNBC cells. Exosomal cirmiR‐20a‐5p was internalized into CD8+ T cells and resulted into the dysfunction of CD8+ T. A mechanism study uncovered that cirmiR‐20a‐5p targeted the nuclear protein ataxia‐telangiectasia (NPAT) and decreased NPAT expression in CD8+ T cells. An in vivo xenograft mouse model showed that cirmiR‐20a‐5p conferred TNBC to anti‐PD‐1 treatment resistance. Collectively, these findings indicated that cirmiR‐20a‐5p released by TNBC cells via exosome promotes cancer cell growth and leads to the immunosuppression by inducing CD8+ T cell dysfunction. This study suggests that targeting cirmiR‐20a‐5p might be a novel strategy for overcoming the resistance of TNBC to anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) coupling method was used to simulate the pneumatic transport of pebble particles in a three-blade spiral tube. The results showed that the flow field distribution rotated along the circumference after loading. The maximum velocity of the flow field after loading was manifested as rotation along the circumference. In addition, the swirl intensity decreased exponentially with the increase in conveying distance, and the maximum swirl intensity had a saturation value. After reaching the saturation value, it is not evident that increasing the initial air velocity significantly affected swirl variation. The smaller the pitch, the greater the initial swirl intensity. The swirling flow was conducive to the fluidization of particles, but it would bring a significant energy loss. Increasing the swirl can increase the degree of particle dispersion. There is an optimal tangential airflow velocity, which allows the particles to fully spin and stay in the suspension zone without being thrown onto the pipe wall by excessive centrifugal force. At this time, the energy efficiency reaches the highest level. A 5.87 m/s velocity was deemed the optimal tangential airflow velocity for conveying 3 mm particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, on the basis of molecular hybridization, a series of 4,6-dihydrazone pyrimidine derivatives containing the pyridine moiety were synthesized, structurally characterized, and evaluated in vitro for their antitumor activity. According to the results, all the tested compounds demonstrated broad-spectrum antitumor activity against selected tumor cell lines (MCF-7, BGC-823, A549, and BEL-7402) and no obvious toxicity toward normal cells HL-7702. In particular, compounds 10a and 10f were found to be the most promising antitumor agents among the tested compounds against BGC-823 cells (IC50 = 9.00 μM and 7.89 μM) and BEL-7402 cells (IC50 = 6.70 μM and 7.66 μM), respectively. Compounds 10a and 10f exhibited higher potency against BGC-823 and BEL-7402 than the positive control 5-FU (IC50 = 15.18 μM and 15.81 μM). Further mechanism investigations demonstrated that compounds 10a and 10f could significantly increase the level of cellular ROS and induce early apoptosis of BGC-823 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the DNA binding results from UV/Vis, CD spectroscopy, and molecular docking studies indicated that 10a and 10f bind with DNA via groove binding and partial intercalation. These results demonstrated that 10a and 10f may serve as novel lead compounds for the discovery of more dihydrazone pyrimidine derivatives with improved antitumor potency and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatic conveying is widely used in coal mining. As the lowest conveying velocity of materials, the pickup velocity is the key to the study of gas–solid two-phase flow. In this study, the pickup velocity of pebble particles was experimentally investigated. When the particle size is 3–9 mm, the airflow velocity was found to suitably describe the results as a function of the pickup velocity and have a high correlation. When the swirl number is 0.2, the optimal swirl number was found for which the highest particle pickup ratio was observed. Based on four different methods, namely, visual observation, mass weighing, coefficient of difference analysis, and determination of the peak-average ratio of the pressure drop in the flow field to measure the pickup velocity of the spraying material, the results showed that the accuracy of the particle pickup velocity obtained through visual observation was the lowest, and when the mass–loss rate of the particle was selected as the measurement index of the pickup velocity, the accuracy was the highest. The results will help to realize the long-distance transportation of spraying materials in inclined roadway under the shaft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease with many immune dysfunctions including T helper type 1 cell (Th1) polarization and regulatory T cells (Tregs) deficiency. This study aimed to determine the effects of TLR4 on Treg differentiation and the cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with ITP. We found that expression of TLR4 on monocytes was significantly decreased in patients with active ITP than that in healthy controls and it had positive correlation with platelet count. However, there was no expression of TLR4 on CD4+ T cells. The result of further experimentsin vitroshowed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation could enhance TLR4 expression on monocytes. Additionally, activation of TLR4 with LPS could promote differentiation of Treg cells and anti-TLR4 attenuated this effect. There was no significant difference about Th17 cells among three subgroups. However, the Th17/Treg cell ratio was decreased after stimulation with LPS and increased with anti-TLR4. Moreover, activation of TLR4 with LPS could significantly promote the secretion of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFB1), while anti-TLR4 significantly suppressed the secretion of them. Nevertheless, the secretion of IL-17A did not reach the statistical difference among three subgroups. In summary, decreased TLR4 appears to cause Tregs abnormality in ITP by modulating Tregs differentiation and immunoregulatory cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immune thrombocytopenia ( ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disorder, and loss of immune tolerance has been implicated in ITP pathogenesis. CD8+CD28− suppressor (Ts) cells have an immunosuppression function and are involved in several autoimmune disorders. However, the role of Ts cells in ITP is currently not clear. Here, flow cytometry was used to detect the CD8+CD28−CD127− proportion, which was decreased in active ITP patients compared with that of controls. Function analysis showed that immunosuppression of CD8+CD28− Ts cells in ITP patients was impaired. Mechanistic studies have shown that CD8+CD28− Ts cells from controls can downregulate CD80 and upregulate LILRB4 (ITL3) and LILRB2 (ILT4) expression on CD14+ monocytes, whereas these abilities were not found in Ts cells from ITP patients. Furthermore, Inducible T-cell costimulatory ( ICOS) expression on the Ts cell surface after activation was decreased whereas programmed death 1 and interleukin 10 expression was not changed in ITP patients compared with those of controls. In summary, the down-regulated quantity and function of Ts cells in active patients indicated that a Ts defect was involved in ITP. Moreover, decreased ICOS expression and the loss of the ability to regulate co-stimulator expression on antigen-presenting cells partly explained the defective Ts-mediated suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD72 is a co-receptor of B cells and regulates B cell activation. Although aberrant expression of CD72 has been reported in primary immune thrombocytopenia ( ITP), it is uncertain whether this aberrant expression is restricted to specific B cell subsets. Furthermore, the mechanisms that regulate CD72 expression are unknown. In this study, we found higher frequency of CD19+ B cells, CD19+CD27+ memory B cells and lower frequency of CD19+CD27− naive B cells in active ITP patients compared with controls and patients in remission. CD72 expression on CD19+CD27+ cells was upregulated in active ITP patients and correlated with platelet count and anti-platelet autoantibodies. In vitro, CD40L could specifically induce CD72 upregulation on CD19+CD27+ B cells. In combination with CD40L, interleukin ( IL) 10 and BAFF (also termed TNFSF13B) further enhanced CD72 expression on CD19+CD27+ B cells, whereas IL21 reduced CD72 upregulation. CD72 mRNA expression after CD40L stimulation was increased in ITP patients and controls. Significant increase of CD40L on CD4+ T cells was correlated with CD72 expression on CD19+CD27+ B cells in ITP patients. In conclusion, upregulation of CD72 expression on CD27+memory B cells might take part in the pathogenesis of ITP. Elevated CD40L on CD4+ cells combined with cytokines might contribute to the upregulation of CD72 expression on CD27+memory B cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder that is characterized by low platelet count. Glucocorticoids (GCs) resistance is a great challenge in the treatment of ITP. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a widely studied protein, which is associated with drug resistance. However, in ITP, the functional activity and immune regulation mechanism of P-gp remain uncertain. In this study, we evaluated the expression and functional activity of P-gp in different lymphocyte subsets, explored the correlation between P-gp function and GCs resistance and investigated the role of P-gp in ITP pathogenesis. Results indicated that the functional activity and mRNA level of P-gp were significantly higher in GCs-nonresponsive patients than in GCs-responsive patients with ITP. However, these differences in P-gp were only significant in CD8+ T cells. P-gp function was related to disease activity rather than GCs therapy. P-gp was involved in secreting granzyme B and perforin, maintaining autoreactive lymphocytes survival and enhancing autologous platelets lysis in ITP. In conclusion, over-functional P-gp might play an important role in the pathogenesis of ITP and induce GCs resistance in nonresponsive ITP patients. The blockage of P-gp could be a promising therapeutic approach for GCs-resistant patients with ITP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TMEVPG1 is a long noncoding RNA, which can promote Interferon gamma (IFNG) transcript as an enhancer. It has been reported that plasma IFNG concentration was elevated and partly due to dysregulation of micro RNAs in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, the effect of long noncoding RNA on IFNG expression in ITP is currently not well understood. To explore whether TMEVPG1 is involved in ITP, this study examined the TMEVPG1 expression and analyzed the association between TMEVPG1 transcript and IFNG expression in patients with ITP and healthy controls. The result showed that TMEVPG1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from active ITP patients were lower than in that of healthy controls. Further activation for 24 hin vitroresulted in decreased TMEVPG1 while elevated IFNG mRNA and protein expressions in activated PBMCs compared with un-activated PBMCs both in ITP patients and healthy controls. However, TMEVPG1 and IFNG mRNA had same up-regulated tendency after short-time activation (1, 2 and 4 h) in healthy controls. In addition, we detected T helper 1 (Th1) cell associated transcription factors T-bet, STAT1 and STAT4 mRNA levels, and found T-bet mRNA expression was lower in PBMCs from ITP patient in remission compared with healthy controls. In conclusion, we speculated that TMEVPG1 could promote IFNG transcription, and IFNG over-expression negative feedback regulated on TMEVPG1 expression, which resulted in decreased TMEVPG1 in ITP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), signaling through CXCR4, is implicated in megakaryopoiesis and platelet production. SDF-1 rs2297630 is a functional polymorphism in linkage disequilibrium with other functional variants in SDF-1. This study aimed to investigate the role of SDF-1 rs2297630 in chronic ITP. The genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and confirmed by direct sequencing. Immature platelet fraction (IPF) was performed using Sysmex XE-2100. Anti-platelet autoantibodies were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The main characteristics at diagnosis and the outcome of chronic ITP in 201 Chinese patients were retrospectively reviewed. There was no significant difference in either genotype or allelic distribution between ITP patients and the controls (p= 0.114;p= 0.787). However, both heterozygote (GA) and homozygote minor allele (AA) patients had significantly increased megakaryocyte quantity compared to homozygote genotype (GG) patients at diagnosis (p =0.011). The mean IPF values of GA and AA genotype patients were higher than those observed in the GG genotype patients when platelet counts ≤50 × 109/L at diagnosis (p= 0.007). Patients with GA and AA genotype showed a higher response rate to standard treatments than patients with GG genotype (p< 0.001). In particular, GA and AA genotype patients had a significantly increased chance of responding to steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and thrombopoietin analogs (p= 0.007;p= 0.029;p= 0.034, respectively). No significant difference was found between anti-platelet antibodies and genotypes (p= 0.296). In summary, the SDF-1 rs2297630 was associated with platelet production and treatment response in Chinese patients with chronic ITP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]