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Background and purpose Telangiectatic osteosarcoma (TOS), a rare variant of osteosarcoma, may be easily misdiagnosed as aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). The aims of this study were to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic factors of TOS by reviewing our experience with TOS and to develop a diagnostic model that may distinguish TOS from ABC. Materials and methods We identified 51 cases of TOS treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from March 2001 to January 2016 and reviewed their records, imaging information and pathological studies. A diagnostic model was developed to differentiate TOS and ABC by Bayes discriminant analysis and was evaluated. The log-rank test was used to analyze the prognostic factors of TOS and to compare the outcome differences between TOS and other high-grade osteosarcoma subtypes. Results The multi-disciplinary diagnostic method employed that combined clinical, imaging, and pathological studies enhanced the diagnostic accuracy. Age 18 years or younger and pathologic fracture were more common among the TOS patients than among the ABC patients (P = .004 and .005, respectively). The average white blood cell (WBC), platelet, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) values of the TOS patients were higher than those of the ABC patients ( P = .002, .003, .007, and .007, respectively). Our diagnostic model, including the aforementioned factors, accurately predicted 62% and 78% of the TOS patients in the training and validation sets, respectively. The 5-year estimates of event-free survival and overall survival of the TOS patients were 52.5 ± 9.4% and 54.9 ± 8.8%, respectively, which were similar to those of patients with other osteosarcoma subtypes ( P = .950 and .615, respectively). Tumor volume and the LDH level were predictive prognostic factors ( P = .040 and .044) but not the presence of pathologic fracture or misdiagnosis ( P = .424 and .632, all respectively). Conclusions The multi-disciplinary diagnostic method and diagnostic model based on predictive factors, i.e. , age, the presence of pathologic fracture, and platelet, LDH, ALP and WBC levels, aided the differentiation of TOS and ABC. Smaller tumors and normal LDH levels were associated with better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After thermal treatment at 120 °C in the presence of hydrochloric acid (thermal-acid treatment), soybean protein increased its water-insoluble network structure due to the molecular rearrangement and aggregation of unfolded protein molecules, which improved its water resistance. Modification with various crosslinkers, namely glyoxal, polyisocyanate, a glyoxal–polyisocyanate combination, waterborne epoxy latex and modified polyamide, were employed to further enhance the water resistance of the thermal-acid treated soybean protein (TSP). FTIR and DSC analyses confirmed that all of the crosslinkers could chemically react with the TSP, but the crosslinking degree varied with crosslinker species. The positive effect of crosslinker species on the water resistance and thermal stability of the TSP as evaluated by a boiling water-insoluble test and TGA analysis was in the order modified polyamide > glyoxal–polyisocyanate > polyisocyanate > epoxy latex > glyoxal. In addition, wood flour-reinforced soybean protein-based composites were successfully fabricated to investigate the possibility of manufacturing acceptable biocomposites using crosslinked and thermal-acid treated soybean protein. FTIR analysis, SEM observation and tensile property evaluation showed that all crosslinkers except glyoxal could react with wood flour to form various chemical bonds at the protein–wood interface and therefore significantly improve the water resistance and tensile strength of the obtained composites. The extent of improvement depended on the crosslinker species and crosslinking mechanism. Modified polyamide was the most preferable crosslinker for commercial applications because its modified composite had good tensile strength and the best water resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to extend the applications of wood composites and products bonded by soybean protein adhesive from interior to exterior fields of application, this study proposes a novel approach for improving the water resistance of soybean protein-based wood adhesives using thermo-chemical treatment of soybean protein. The soybean protein formed stable three-dimensional networks due to repolymerization or self-crosslinking during thermo-chemical treatment, confirmed by both increases in the water-insoluble content of the treated soybean protein and the improved hydrothermal-aged wet bond strength of the resulting soybean protein adhesive. Thermo-chemical treatment in the presence of 1 wt% sodium sulfite (which cleaves disulfide bonds) and 1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate (which destroys the hydrophobic interactions of proteins) released active groups buried within the globular structure of soybean protein via unfolding. This release both promoted the repolymerization of the soybean protein molecules and exposed more active sites for effective crosslinking by the post-added crosslinker EMPA. Plywood bonded by the optimal soybean protein adhesive possessed a good hydrothermal-aged bond strength of 1.22 MPa, exceeding the value required for structural use according to the JIS K6806-2003 commercial standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cinobufagin, a major component of cinobufacini (huachansu), is an important cardenolidal steroid. Several studies have suggested that cinobufagin has potent anti-cancer effects. The present study examines the apoptosis-inducing activity and the underlying mechanism of action of cinobufagin in osteosarcoma (OS) cells. Our results showed that cinobufagin potently inhibited the proliferation of U2OS, MG63 and SaOS-2 cells. Significant increases in G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in OS cells were also observed. The expression levels of several apoptotic proteins were assessed after cinobufagin treatment in U2OS cells. Among them, xIAP, cIAP-1, survivin and Bcl-2 levels decreased remarkably, while the levels of Bax and cleaved-PARP increased. Furthermore, we validated the inhibition of GSK-3β/NF-κB signaling following cinobufagin treatment. Western blots showed a decrease in nuclear p65 protein expression after exposure to different concentrations of cinobufagin, while the phosphorylation of GSK-3β was simultaneously increased. Transduction with constitutively active forms of GSK-3β could protect against the downregulation of p65 and upregulation of cleaved-PARP that are induced by cinobufagin treatment. However, combined treatment with cinobufagin and SB216367 resulted in a significant reduction in p65 and an increase in cleaved-PARP in U2OS cells. Altogether, these results show that cinobufagin is a promising agent for the treatment of OS. These studies are the first to reveal the involvement of the GSK-3β/NF-κB pathway in cinobufagin-induced apoptosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Europium doped gadolinium orthoborate nanorods and nanoribbons were morphology-controlled grown on the porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template surface via a hydrothermal process combined with high-temperature calcination. The morphologies, crystal structures and luminescent properties of the as-prepared nanomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The morphologies of the nanomaterials were controlled by the calcination temperature. If calcined at 1000°C, the morphology of the GdBO3:Eu3+ one-dimensional materials is nanorods; when calcined at 800 and 600°C, the shapes of the Eu-doped GdBO3 are nanoribbons. If treated at 900°C, the as-prepared samples are composed of nanorods and nanoribbons. The changed morphologies of the as-prepared nanomaterials obtained from different calcination temperatures were explained according to the structural phase transition of GdBO3. The PL spectrum shows that the characteristic emission of GdBO3:Eu3+ one-dimensional nanomaterials is the 5D0 → 7F1 transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]