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The emerging of single‐atom catalysts (SACs) offers a great opportunity for the development of advanced energy storage and conversion devices due to their excellent activity and durability, but the actual mass production of high‐loading SACs is still challenging. Herein, a facile and green boron acid (H3BO3)‐assisted pyrolysis strategy is put forward to synthesize SACs by only using chitosan, cobalt salt and H3BO3 as precursor, and the effect of H3BO3 is deeply investigated. The results show that molten boron oxide derived from H3BO3 as ideal high‐temperature carbonization media and blocking media play important role in the synthesis process. As a result, the acquired Co/N/B tri‐doped porous carbon framework (Co–N–B–C) not only presents hierarchical porous structure, large specific surface area and abundant carbon edges but also possesses high‐loading single Co atom (4.2 wt.%), thus giving rise to outstanding oxygen catalytic performance. When employed as a catalyst for air cathode in Zn‐air batteries, the resultant Co–N–B–C catalyst shows remarkable power density and long‐term stability. Clearly, our work gains deep insight into the role of H3BO3 and provides a new avenue to synthesis of high‐performance SACs.

Traditional genome alignment methods based on dynamic programming are often a. computational expensive, b. unable to compare the genomes of distant species and c. unable to deal with low information regions. We are presenting an information-theoretic approach for pairwise genome local alignment. Our method, the expert model aligner, the XMAligner, relies on the expert model compression algorithm. To align two sequences, XMAligner first compresses one sequence to measure the information content at each position in the sequence. Then the sequence is compressed again but this time with the background knowledge from the other sequence to obtain the conditional information content. The information content and the conditional information content from the two compressions are examined. Similar regions in the compressed sequence should have the conditional information content lower than the individual information content. The method is applied to align the genomes of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium knowlesi against other three Plasmodium genomes with different levels of diversity. Despite the differences in nucleotide composition of the reference sequences, the conserved regions found by XMAligner in three alignments are relatively consistent. A strong correlation was found between the similar regions detected by the XMAligner and the hypothetical annotation of Plasmodium species. The alignment results can be integrated into the DNAPlatform for visualisation.

This paper introduces a novel algorithm for biological sequence compression that makes use of both statistical properties and repetition within sequences by maintaining a panel of experts to predict the probability distribution of the next symbol in the sequence to be encoded. Expert probabilities are combined to obtain the final distribution. Experiments show that our algorithm outperforms existing compressors on typical DNA and protein sequence datasets while maintaining a practical running time. The resulting information sequence provides insight for further study of the biological sequence. We demonstrate a number pattern discovery tasks using our model.

Light, one of the most important natural resources for plant species, significantly influences the biomass yield and nutrient uptake capacity in plants. However, the impacts of light treatment on the toxicity of metals in soils has rarely been reported. Light irradiation treatments were performed to evaluate the influence of red, yellow, and blue lights on the concentrations and fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the rhizosphere soils of Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that monochromatic red light significantly raised the levels of DOM and proportions of hydrophilic fractionations in the rhizosphere of A. thaliana relative to the control, while monochromatic blue light had the opposite effect. Moreover, the proportions of hydrophobic acid, which can mobilize Cd effectively, also raised with increasing doses of red light, which stimulated Cd mobilization. The application of yellow light not only increased the levels of hydrophobic acid in monochromatic red light treatment, but also decreased the proportion of hydrophobic fractions in monochromatic blue light treatment, partially weakening the negative impacts of pure blue light on soil Cd activation. Moreover, DOM from the combined red, yellow, and blue lights resulted in a significantly stronger Cd extraction efficiency compared with the other light irradiation treatments, consequently enhancing the Cd phytoextraction efficiency of A. thaliana. The findings of this study demonstrated that a suitable light combination can enhance the phytoremediation effect of A. thaliana by activating soil Cd, and this method can be extrapolated to the real field, where light irradiation can be easily applied.

The prevalence of location-based big data opens up a new research frontier of estimating origin–destination commuting matrix for cities where granular flow data are not yet available from official sources. However, investigations into estimation errors and potential correction methods have been rare in the literature. To address the research gap, this paper first compares the performance of two estimated commuting matrices for Shanghai, derived by two distinct matrix estimation methods, namely a big-data approach using mobile phone signalling data and a discrete choice model for simulating the residential location of commuters. The empirical results indicate an outstanding analytical complementarity of the two approaches. A novel method is then proposed for mitigating the errors associated with the big-data approach. The proposed method features a selective blending of the big-data based flow estimation and the model-based estimation. By comparing the blended flow with benchmark travel statistics, we find that the proposed method would significantly reduce the estimation errors and hence improve the robustness of the estimated matrix. It is expected that the proposed method will set a new standard for correcting potential errors in big-data based flow estimation.

BackgroundThe present study aimed to validate the protect effect of Kangxian pill (KXP) on chronic hepatic injury (CHI) and investigate its potential mechanism by network pharmacology-based prediction and experimental verification in vivo . MethodsThe effect of KXP in the treatment of carbon tetrachloride (CCL 4 )-induced CHI is investigated by calculating liver index, measuring AST and ALT levels and performing HE staining. Targets of active ingredients of KXP were predicted in TCSMP and targets of chronic liver injury were searched in DisGeNET, OMIM and GeneCards databases. We obtain some pivotal targets of KXP for the treatment of CHI by intersecting the targets of KXP and CHI. Subsequently, we performed gene ontology (GO) functional and pathways enrichment analyses, as well as conducted networks based on potential targets to determine the core targets and representative pathways.We further validated expressions of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, Bax, Bcl2, PI3K, Akt, and pAkt according to the potential molecular mechanisms analyzed based on network pharmacology analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the levels of AST and ALT in serum decreased after treatment with KXP. HE staining also revealed that KXP could improve hepatocyte abnormality in vivo . A total of 81 potential targets of KXP in the treatment of CHI were identified through network pharmacology analysis. After integrating potential targets, function enrichment, representative pathways and networks, we identified PI3K, AKT1,BCL2, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 as potential targets, which may play a vital role in the KXP treatment. The experimental results also showed that KXP could down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and Bax, and up-regulate the PI3K and p-Akt protein expression i n vivo .ConclusionsOur results suggest that KXP could alleviate CHI through regulating inflammation and apoptosis and provide deep insight into the hepato-protective mechanisms.

Root pruning can impact the nutrient uptake capacity, photosynthetic efficiency, transpiration rate, root pressure, and biomass yield of various plants, which influence phytoremediation. A series of root pruning treatments with different combinations of direction (two-side pruning and four-side pruning) and intensity (10%, 25%, and 33% pruning) were performed on Celosia argentea. All two-side pruning treatments, regardless of intensity, decreased the dry biomass of the C. argentea roots at the end of the experiment relative to that of the control, and the lowest value occurred in the two-side-33% pruning treatment. However, the two-side-10% and two-side-25% pruning treatments stimulated the growth rate of the plant leaves significantly by 58.6% and 41.4%, respectively, relative to that of the control, and even offset the weight loss of the plant roots. Contrastingly, the two-side-33% pruning treatment reduced the biomass yield of leaves by 24.1%. For the four-side pruning treatments, low intensity increased the dry weight of both the plant roots and leaves, while both decreased under high intensity root pruning. The dry weight, Cd content, pigment level, and photosynthetic efficiency in the four-side-10% treatment were higher than those in the other treatments during the experiment, thereby corresponding to the best phytoremediation effect. Except for the two-side-33% pruning treatment, all the treatments increased the phytoremediation efficiency of C. argentea, thereby indicating that root pruning with a suitable combination of direction and intensity can positively influence the Cd removal ability of C. argentea.

Backgroundcardiac myxoma is a common benign tumor of the heart. It can have any presentation such as mitral stenosis, embolization. The best treatment is surgical resection.Case presentationA 30-year-old man presented with 2-days of right renal colic and chest tightness, dyspnea. He was diagnosed as renal infarction through ultrasound in another hospital and received some analgesic drugs. But the symptoms didn’t resolved and he came to our ICU(Intensive Care Medicine). We performed the ultrasonography and found a mass in the right atrium computed tomography angiography cofirmed it, and it was cross-valve growth, irregular shape, and slight enhancement of the enhanced edge, consider myxoma. Multiple non-reinforced areas were seen in the right renal cortex and medulla, right renal artery embolization, right renal infarction might be considered. The patient was taken to the operating room for emergent myxoma resection, renal artery thrombectomy.ConclusionMyxomas should be in differential diagnosis in patient present with thromboembolism. Early diagnosis and surgical are crucial treatment in deal with myxoma.

High levels of car dependence have caused tremendous challenges for sustainable transport development. Transport planners, therefore, seek ways of replacing motor vehicles, as well as increasing the proportion of active travel. The bike-sharing scheme can be seen as an effective way of doing so, particularly in Asian cities. The aim of this paper is to investigate users’ perspectives on the development of bike-sharing using Shanghai as an example. Semi-structured interviews are used to examine the main factors motivating and impeding the development of the bike-sharing scheme in Shanghai. Our findings show that convenience, saving time and financial savings are the major motivations; whereas problems with bicycles being poorly maintained and abused by users, operational issues, financial issues and an unsuitable business model are the major obstacles. In addition, the findings also suggest that a public and private partnership could be the best option for running a sustainable bike-sharing scheme with clear areas of responsibility. Financial incentives, a bicycle-friendly infrastructure, regular operational management and supportive policies should be prioritised. In order to achieve the targets set by the Shanghai Master Plan 2035, transport planners and policymakers should integrate the bike-sharing scheme within the wider active travel system.

Background: The pathological features of severe cardiac injury induced by COVID-19 and relevant clinical features is unknown. Methods: This autopsy cohort study, including hearts from 26 deceased patients hospitalized in intensive care unit due to COVID-19, was conducted at four sites in Wuhan, China. Cases were divided into neutrophil-infiltration group and no-neutrophil group according to histopathological identification of neutrophilic infiltrates or not. Findings: Among 26 cases, four cases had active myocarditis with histopathological examination. All cases with myocarditis accompanied with extensive neutrophil infiltration, while cases without myocarditis did not. Detection rates of interleukin-6 (100% vs 4.6%) and tumor necrosis factor-α (100% vs 31.8%) in neutrophil-infiltration group were significantly higher compared to no-neutrophil group (p

Although a growing body of research has explored the relationship between neighbourhood natural outdoor environments and mental health, most studies have measured neighbourhood natural outdoor environments from a bird’s-eye perspective, rather than measuring the visual experience of green and blue space that individuals have at the ground level. In addition, few studies have investigated how different dimensions of neighbourhood social cohesion mediates the relationship between the natural outdoor environment and mental health. To bridge these gaps, we examined the relationship between neighbourhood natural outdoor environments and individuals’ mental health in Guangzhou, China, using a combination of questionnaire survey data, streetscape and remote-sensing metrics, and multilevel structural equation modelling. More particularly, this study explored the mediating effects of three dimensions of neighbourhood social cohesion (i.e. neighbourhood attachment, neighbourly interaction, and community participation). The results indicate that neighbourhood green space and blue space are both positively associated with individuals’ mental health. Neighbourhood street greenery exerts beneficial effects on mental health, directly by its visual effect, and indirectly by improving neighbourhood attachment and community participation. Neighbourhood street-view blue space and surrounding green (blue) space also has a positive influence on mental health, but it does so in a direct manner only. This study contributes to our knowledge by estimating the mediating impacts of three dimensions of neighbourhood social cohesion and applying both streetscape and remote-sensing metrics of visible green space and blue space within neighbourhoods.

The links between transport development and economic growth have been widely discussed in the field of transport governance and economics. However, the existing studies have not included an institutional variable when exploring the role of transport development in innovation disparities within a region. In order to fill the research gap, this paper examines whether transport development and the institution of intellectual property rights (IPRs) can assist in understanding disparities between cities in terms of innovation, using the Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR) as a case study. The impact mechanism is twofold. Firstly, transport development can affect institutions, including IPRs protection, which in turn has an influence on innovation. Secondly, evidence from existing economic literature suggests a link between transport development and innovation through economic agglomeration, production factors and industrial flows. We first employ ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to test the basic associations between transport development and innovation. We then apply two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis to address endogeneity and add a spatial model to examine neighbour effects. The findings show that IPRs protection has a positive effect on patenting and research and development (R&D), while the roles played by transport development stock and density in patenting and R&D are more mixed. Moreover, our findings on neighbour effects show that agglomeration economies exist in the YRDR. These findings have important policy implications regarding urban agglomeration for both the YRDR specifically and China overall.

In this study, the artificially intensified sewage with different levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were prepared, and the changes in weight and strength, as well as the micro morphology, mineral compositions and pore structure of concrete specimens immersed in the artificially intensified sewage and water were investigated in comparison. In parallel, the COD, pH, H2S and O2 values, as well as the microbial species and contents of sewage were monitored in the corrosion process. Furthermore, the microbial structure and activities within biofilm developed on concrete surface were also analyzed. The results indicated that the increase of COD concentration of sewage from 300 to 9000 mg/L led to the decline of sewage pH from 6.4 to 2.3 and increase of biofilm thickness from 300 to 800 μm, as well as the substantial growth of dominant microorganisms (Bacteroidete, Proteobacteria, etc.). The drop of pH level and O2 concentration within biofilm also indicated the high activities of sulfate-reducing and sulfur-oxidizing reaction. Correspondingly, after 150 days of immersion both the mass loss and strength decline rate of concrete increased from 0.32% to 1.78% and from 10.6% to 31.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the microstructure of the specimens in sewage became loose and porous. The CH content of specimens in sewage was significant lower than that of specimens in water, and both the cumulative mercury quantity and harmful macropore proportion of specimens in intensified sewage were significantly larger than that of specimens in water, which indicated the chemical reaction between CH and some acid substance. Overall, the sewage concentration increased by 30 times can triple the corrosion rate of concrete. The results obtained are expected to explore a fast and realistic method to simulate the concrete corrosion in full flow sewer pipes.

SnO2 nanocrystals with an average partiaxsxddccle size around 50 nm were prepared by using hydrothermal method. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) data show that the doping of Eu3+ with concentrations ranging from 0 to 2 mol% resulted in a slight decrease of size from 50 to 35 nm. The High Resolution Transmittance Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) results of 1 mol% doping sample provide that the crystals size is around 38 nm and the interplanar spacing is 0.34 nm characterized for (110) planes of SnO2. Moreover, the peak shape and relative intensity of Eu3+ emission upon a direct and indirect excitation indicate the presence of two sites around Eu3+ ions, that are in the D2h sites of SnO2 and on the surface of nanocrystals. The Eu3+ ions located in different sites are selectivity excited. An optimizing of synthesis parameters can promote the incorporation of Eu3+ ions in SnO2 crystal lattice. Specially, the doping leads to the growth of crystallites along (101) preferred plane. The competition between red and orange emission as a function of Eu3+ contents was also considered. Under indirect excitation, the asymmetric ratio between 5D0-7F2 and 5D0-7F1 transitions of Eu3+ ions is unaltered at 0.3 in the range of Eu concentrations from 0.5 to 2 mol% achieved for the first time. PL spectra and decay measurements give evidence about the strong energy transfer between SnO2 and Eu3+ ions.

The organic matter features of the Laiyang Group in Lingshan Island were systematically studied by means of sedimentology, sedimentary geochemistry and organic geochemistry and integrating with typical outcrop observation in Lingshan Island, Laoshan Yakou-Baxiandun area and Jiaolai Basin and the previous research on the elemental geochemistry of Lingshan Island and the organic geochemistry of Jiaolai Basin. In Jiaolai Basin, the terrestrial strata of fluvial and lacustrine facies and alluvial fan facies were developed in the Early Cretaceous Laiyang period. The organic geochemistry studies on the deposits show that the source rock samples from the Shuinan section are mainly of saprolite(Type Ⅰ)and humus and saprolite (Type Ⅱ1), have entered the hydrocarbon generation threshold and are in the thermal mature stage; while in the Lingshan Island, LaoshanYakou-Baxiandun areas, marine strata dominated by deep sea gravity flow and deep water traction current deposits were developed in the Early Cretaceous Laiyang period. Meanwhile the elemental geochemical studies on siltstones and shales of Lingshan Island reveal that its sedimentary setting is a marine reducing environment, and the organic geochemical research shows that samples from Lingshan Island belong to the humic(Type Ⅲ)and humic and sapropel (Type Ⅱ1)types in high to over mature stage, and the turbidites of Lingshan Island may have completed the process of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion. © 2019, OIL & GAS GEOLOGY Editorial Board. All right reserved.

Cancer immunotherapy with antibodies against immune checkpoints has made impressive advances in the last several years. The most relevant drugs target programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) expressed on T cells or its ligand, the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), expressed on cancer cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). Unfortunately, cancer patients with HIV infection are usually excluded from cancer clinical trials, because there are concerns about the safety and the anti-tumoral activity of these novel therapies in patients with HIV infection. Several retrospective studies and some case reports now support the notion that antibodies against immune checkpoints are safe and active in cancer patients with HIV infection, but prospective data in these patients are lacking. In addition, signs of antiviral activity with increase in CD4 T cell counts, plasma viremia reduction or decrease in the viral reservoir have been reported in some of the patients treated, although no patient achieved a complete clearance of the viral reservoir. Here we briefly summarize all clinical cases reported in the literature, as well as ongoing clinical trials testing novel immunotherapy drugs in cancer patients with HIV infection.

The social impacts of transport systems and new transport infrastructure have often been overlooked and undervalued, partly because the relationship between transport and social equity is indirect and difficult to quantify. Researchers have usefully investigated the relationship between transport and social exclusion, focusing on aspects such as access to opportunities and activities by different population cohorts such as income, class, age, ethnicity and gender. The analysis has focused on addressing the imbalance in the distributional effects of transport provision and accessibility planning has often been a central tool in analysis. This paper seeks to build on the aforementioned research, employing Amartya Sen’s Capabilities Approach as a theoretical framework to explore how an individual’s capabilities and functionings differ in relation to transport. Beijing is used as a case study, with analysis from three stations on the Beijing subway line 1 and its extension to the Batong line, namely Guomao, Sihui and Tuqiao. Martha Nussbaum’s Central Human Capabilities Approach is used to frame the analysis. The results show that functionings and capabilities differ according to an individual’s socio-economic characteristics and geographical location, meaning that both the opportunities to participate in life and also the actual activities themselves differ. This is an important distinction that the Capabilities Approach offers, and it is useful to consider if the potential for achieving improved social equity is to be realised.

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a hybrid superconducting-semiconducting (S-Sm) circuit consisting of eight planar and ballistic Nb-In0.75Ga0.25As-Nb Josephson junctions. E-beam lithography was used to fabricate the Josephson junctions on an InGaAs chip. In contrast to our previous studies on long junctions that were fabricated by photolithography, in this study, we observe the induced superconductivity in an In0.75Ga0.25As quantum well at higher temperatures, between T= 0.3 and 1.4 K (3He cryostat temperature range). The induced superconducting gap of & #x0394;ind= 0.65 meV was measured at lowest base temperature T= 300 mK. The effect of temperature and magnetic fields B on the induced superconductivity are presented. Our results suggest that our In0.75Ga0.25As heterojunctions is a promising scalable material system for quantum processing and computing applications.

Cells isolated from human first trimester umbilical cord perivascular layer (hFTM-PV) tissues display the pluripotent characteristics of stem cells. In this study, we examined whether hFTM-PV cells can differentiate into islet-like clusters (ILCs) in vitro, and whether transplantation of the hFTM-PV cells with and without differentiation in vitro can alleviate diabetes in nude mice. The hFTM-PV cells were differentiated into ILCs in vitro through a simple stepwise culture protocol. To examine the in vivo effects of the cells, the hFTM-PV cells with and without differentiation in vitro were transplanted into the abdominal cavity of nude mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Blood glucose levels, body weight, and the survival probability of the diabetic nude mice were then statistically analyzed. The hFTM-PV cells were successfully induced into ILCs that could release insulin in response to elevated concentrations of glucose in vitro. In transplantation experiments, we observed that mice transplanted with the undifferentiated hFTM-PV cells, embryonic body-like cell aggregations, or ILCs all demonstrated normalized hyperglycemia and showed improved survival rate compared with those without cell transplantation. The hFTM-PV cells have the ability to differentiate into ILCs in vitro and transplantations of undifferentiated and differentiated cells can alleviate STZ-induced diabetes in nude mice. This may offer a potential cell source for stem cell-based therapy for treating diabetes in the future.

Immunotherapy has become a key element in the treatment of several tumors, such as lung carcinoma and melanoma. Immunotherapy, unlike classical chemotherapy and targeted drugs, may yield long-term survival, even in patients who stop treatment due to toxicity. This fact has generated considerable excitement and a real shift in the paradigm of cancer treatment. However, only a small subset of patients benefit from immunotherapy. Survival curves show that most patients have progression of the disease in the first months after starting immunotherapy, followed by a slower decrease over the first 3 years, until curves reach a plateau. This early progression suggests the presence of mechanisms for primary resistance. In addition, some patients have tumor relapse after years of response, suggesting that there is also acquired resistance in a small subset of patients. Resistance mechanisms are now being elucidated. PD-L1 expression in tumor and immune cells correlates with higher chances of response, but melanoma patients with PDL1 negative tumors can also respond. Several studies have demonstrated an increased probability of clinical benefit when tumors are infiltrated by CD8 T cells, have a high mutation burden or have an interferon gamma signature. But none of these factors has been implemented in the clinical practice, since more studies confirming their value are needed, as well as the development of standardized techniques.

The II melanoma translational meeting of the Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM) was held in Barcelona, Spain, at the Hospital Universitari Quiron-Dexeus on November 3 rd , 2016. The conference featured leaders in the fields of oncology, immunology and dermatology, all working at both national and international levels on basic research with direct applications to the clinical setting. The objective was to present cutting edge research on melanoma, mainly from Spanish research groups, but also from some international groups, with the aim of generating a network for future national and international collaborations. During a single day, fifteen speakers, seven biologists and eight clinicians, with a special focus on translational research, outlined the main findings of their ongoing studies. The moderators in every session were recognized GEM oncologists who guided discussion from the clinical point of view regarding the preclinical data presented. Herein, we summarize the main topics discussed during the meeting.

The programmed death (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab has been recently approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma. We evaluated the clinical activity of pembrolizumab in melanoma patients treated under the Spanish Expanded Access Program.

© 2015 American Chemical Society. In this paper, we simulate temperature reductions during heat-wave events and during typical summer conditions from the installation of highly reflective "cool" roofs in the Chinese megacity of Guangzhou. We simulate temperature reductions during six of the strongest historical heat-wave events over the past decade, finding average urban midday temperature reductions of 1.2 °C. In comparison, we simulate 25 typical summer weeks between 2004 and 2008, finding average urban midday temperature reductions of 0.8 °C, indicating that air temperature sensitivity to urban albedo in Guangzhou varies with meteorological conditions. We find that roughly three-fourths of the variance in air temperature reductions across all episodes can be accounted for by a linear regression, including only three basic properties related to the meteorological conditions: mean daytime temperature, humidity, and ventilation to the greater Guangzhou urban area. While these results highlight the potential for cool roofs to mitigate peak temperatures during heat waves, the temperature reductions reported here are based on the upper bound case, which increases albedos of all roofs (but does not modify road albedo or wall albedo).

Biot2-S is a mouse cancer-testis antigen gene that was identified using the cross-reactive serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) technique in the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University. To express BIOT2-S and generate its antibody for further investigation, the Biot2-S prokaryotic recombinant expression vector Biot2-S/pGEX6P-1 was constructed with Escherichia coli DH5α as a cloning vector, and BIOT2-S was expressed in E. coli Rosetta (DE3). The recombinant BIOT2-S was expressed in the form of an inclusion body and the targeted recombinant BIOT2-S was produced at the level of approximately 25% total bacterial proteins after being induced with optimum conditions (0.2 mM isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside for 6 h at 37°C). The target protein was purified by glutathione S-transferase (GST)-trap FF affinity chromatography and detected by western blot. The purified recombinant protein was further confirmed by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry after removal of the GST-tags. Then the purified BIOT2-S was used to immunize adult rabbits to generate its antibody. The antibody was purified and its specificity determined. The titer of the antibody was shown to reach 10(4) and the antibody was demonstrated to be able recognize the corresponding protein in the testes of mouse and chicken; the tumor cell lines CT-26 and S180 also reacted with the antibody. This study provides a valuable foundation for further research on the cancer-testis antigen BIOT2-S.

All melanoma patients must be confirmed histologically and resected according to Breslow. Sentinel node biopsy must be done when tumor is over 1 mm or if less with high-risk factors. Adjuvant therapy with interferon must be offered for patients with high-risk melanoma and in selected cases radiotherapy can be added. Metastatic melanoma treatment is guided by mutational BRAF status. BRAF wild type patients must receive anti-PD1 therapy and BRAF mutated patients BRAF/MEK inhibitors or anti-PD1 therapy. Up to 10 years follow up is recommended for melanoma patients with dermatologic examinations and physical exams.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-01T22:56:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_6810_DISSERTAÇÃO MIRLEIDE.pdf: 851069 bytes, checksum: 3438683e9e330a460bfb3678a0690764 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-09 Araújo Cáo, Mirleide. Autohemoterapia em ratos (rattus norvegicus): efeito sobre o nível do nível do fator de necrose tumoral (tnf-α) e leucócitos. 2013. 46p. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências Veterinárias) - Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Alegre, ES, 2013. A auto-hemoterapia (AH), utilizada a mais de 30 anos é um procedimento antigo que nos últimos anos, está entre aos estudos que envolvem medicina humana e veterinária. Ela tem a proposta de estimular o aumento dos macrófagos de modo a combater bactérias, vírus e células cancerosas. Pelo estimulo do sistema retículoendotelial, a medula óssea produz mais monócitos que vão colonizar os tecidos orgânicos e recebem então a denominação de macrófago. Por esta razão foi testado quatificamente o Tnf-α para avaliar o sistema de defesa em ratos que poderia ser empregado, como uma alternativa para contribuir com a imunogenicidade e niveis de proteção em animais de companhia. O TNF-α quando liberado em baixas concentrações age nas células endoteliais promovendo vasodilatação, estimulando a secretarem um grupo de citocinas que tem ação quimiotáxica em relação aos leucócitos, promovendo, um processo inflamatório local que possibilita o combate a quadros infecciosos. Foram serão utilizados 16 ratos hígidos, da linhagem Wistar, de peso médio e idades iguais. Os animais foram divididos em dois grupos experimentais, G1 o grupo controle e G2 o grupo AH. Foram retirados sague para realização do Leucograma, teste de Elisa e da Autohemoterapia, antes da aplicação (M1), 8 horas após aplicação (M2) e 7 dias após aplicação (M3). Para quatificação de TNF-α foi utilizado o kit de ELISA, e a intensidade da cor foi medido a 450 nm. Ao se avaliar nesse trabalho os valores de Fator de Necrose Tumoral (TNF-α) presente, bem como o leucograma de ratos submetidos a dois procedimentos de AH, os resultados revelaram que há um aumento na produção de TNF-α, após a aplicação da AH e que o número de linfócitos e monócitos também aumenta nos momento M2, com uma uma redução na produção de células em M3. Com base no conjunto de dados obtidos neste trabalho, houve alteração nos níveis de TNF-α, com aumento 8 horas e 7 dias após o procedimento de AH. Em relação ao leucograma há aumento do número de células, como os linfócitos e monócitos 8 horas e 7 dias após a aplicação da AH.

It is widely acknowledged that there is a need for molecular profiling in non-small-cell lung cancer. For example, treatment based on EGFR mutation status has attained successful results. However, in spite of excellent initial response to oral EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), progression-free survival is still limited. Current research has focused mostly on acquired resistance mechanisms, such as overexpression of AXL and loss of the Mediator MED12. In this review, in contrast, we discuss adaptive, rather than acquired, resistance. Adaptive resistance can occur almost immediately after starting targeted therapy through a rapid rewiring of cancer cell signaling. By losing ERK negative feedback on receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) expression, cancer cells are exposed to the stimuli of several ligands, and the ensuing activation of several RTKs reprograms all the canonical signaling pathways. The overexpression of several RTKs was observed in breast cancer cell lines treated with a MEK inhibitor and in BRAF(V600E) melanoma cell lines treated with BRAF inhibitors. This rebound effect of overexpression of several RTKs, including ERBB3, also occurs in lung cancers driven by Kras or EGFR mutations when treated with MEK, PI3K or dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. Synthetic lethality can be effectively induced by co-targeting these overexpressed RTKs. We speculate that in patients with EGFR mutations, adaptive resistance occurs in a significant proportion of patients. Rebiopsies performed hours after starting treatment with EGFR TKIs can identify which RTKs are overexpressed after treatment. Efficient co-targeting of these RTKs can induce synthetic lethality and help overcome the limited effect of EGFR TKI monotherapy.

SETTING Tuberculosis (TB) hospital in Beijing, China. OBJECTIVE To describe perspectives of patients and physicians regarding the incorporation of smoking cessation interventions as part of TB treatment. DESIGN Seven focus groups were conducted with 39 patients and 17 physicians. RESULTS Patients were more receptive to physicians' advice to quit smoking due to increased concerns about their health after becoming ill with TB. However, patients indicated that they might start smoking again after they recovered from TB. Patients' attempts to quit smoking may have been inhibited by exposure to smoking at the TB facility. Physicians had low levels of knowledge regarding the effect of smoking on TB. Many doctors, particularly those who smoked, did not view smoking cessation as an integral part of TB treatment. CONCLUSION Despite the presence of a 'teachable moment', TB patients experience significant barriers to quitting smoking. Patient education in TB treatment programs should address the specific effects of smoking on TB and the general health benefits of cessation. Smoke-free policies should be strictly enforced in TB facilities. Successful integration of smoking cessation interventions within TB treatment regimens may require that providers adopt smoking cessation as an essential part of TB treatment.

We report the preparation of Mg$_{1-x}$B$_{2}$ (0$\le$x$\le$0.5) compounds with the nominal compositions. Single phase MgB$_{2}$ was obtained for x=0 sample. For 0$, Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures