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Antibiotic residues accumulation in the environment endangers ecosystems and human health. There is an urgent need for a facile and efficient strategy to detect antibiotics. Here, we report a photoluminescent sensor array based on protein-stabilized gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) for the detection of two families of antibiotics, tetracyclines and quinolones. The nanoclusters were synthesized with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA), respectively. They had different interactions with seven kinds of antibiotics and exhibited diverse photoluminescence (PL) responses, which were analyzed by linear discriminant analysis and ExtraTrees algorithms. The sensor array performed well in both classification and quantification of seven antibiotics. And the quantitative results of all antibiotics obtained R2 of no less than 0.99 at 0–100 μM when using suitable regression models. Additionally, the sensor array was able to distinguish antibiotic mixtures and multiple interfering substances, and it also kept 100% classification accuracy in river water samples. Moreover, test paper assisted by a smartphone was applied for quick detection of antibiotics, with good performance in both HEPES buffer and river water. These studies reveal great potential for the point-of-use analysis of antibiotics in environmental monitoring. [Display omitted] • The first nanoclusters-based photoluminescent sensor array for quinolones is developed. • Seven antibiotics of tetracyclines and quinolones are successfully identified. • ExtraTrees algorithm is first employed for antibiotics detection. • Test paper assisted by a smartphone is used to identify antibiotics in river water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount and type of intraoperative fluid in patients with pulmonary resection currently are controversial. This study evaluated the dose–response relationship between intraoperative fluid administration and postoperative outcomes in minimally invasive lobectomy patients. A retrospective analysis of adult patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy between May 2016 and April 2017 was performed. The primary exposure variables were intraoperative total fluid infusion rate and intraoperative colloid infusion rate. The observation outcomes were postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), acute kidney injury, in-hospital mortality, postoperative length of stay, and costs. Univariate analyses and multivariate analyses were performed. In 446 patients all resections were minimally invasive lobectomies. Two hundred one PPCs were observed in 172 patients. Binary logistics regression analysis demonstrated that compared with the moderate group of intraoperative total fluid infusion rate, the risk for PPCs was significantly increased at restrictive (odds ratio [OR], 2.202; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.189–4.078; p = 0.012), moderately liberal (OR, 2.743; 95% CI, 1.451–5.184; p = 0.002), and liberal (OR, 2.609; 95% CI, 1.278–5.328; p = 0.008) groups. Compared with the moderate group of intraoperative colloid infusion rate, the risk for PPCs significantly increased at no colloid (OR, 2.095; 95% CI, 1.193–3.680; p = 0.010) and restrictive (OR, 2.911; 95% CI, 1.443–5.873; p = 0.003) groups. In patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy the infusion rates of intraoperative total fluid and intraoperative colloid were all significantly associated with PPCs. Both restrictive and liberal intraoperative fluid administration were related to adverse effects on postoperative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Glass sand replaces the fine aggregate in concrete, and rice husk ash replaces the cementitious material in concrete. • Glass sand reduces the compressive strength of concrete. • After 28 days of curing, rice husk ash increased the strength of concrete. • Rice husk ash enhances the toughness of glass sand concrete. The use of glass sand and rice husk ash in concrete production can not only save natural river sand resources and promote the recycling of waste, but also reduce or even eliminate the alkali–silica reaction produced by glass sand and cement slurry through the pozzolanic effect of rice husk ash. The mechanical properties of glass sand concrete and glass sand concrete containing rice husk ash were tested through a series of experiments to study the applicability of adding glass sand/rice husk ash to concrete. The experimental results show that the addition of glass sand reduces the water absorption and compressive strength of ordinary concrete but improves the splitting tensile strength, shear strength, and cyclic compression performance of ordinary concrete. Meanwhile, rice husk ash can greatly enhance the later compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of glass sand concrete. The optimal replacement rate is 15%—replacement rates of 30% and 45% are unsuitable for structural concrete. In addition, although rice husk ash reduces the shear strength and cyclic compression performance of glass sand concrete, rice husk ash can effectively enhance the crack resistance of glass sand concrete. The results of this study provide a reference of the mechanical properties of rice husk ash glass sand concrete and provide a basis for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study aimed to compare the survival rates after lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection for the eighth edition of the tumor, node, metastasis classification for stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Patients who underwent lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection for stage IA NSCLC were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. A Cox regression model and propensity-matched analysis were used. The overall survival (OS) rates and lung cancer–specific survival (LCSS) rates among the three groups were compared by tumor size. Results A total of 16,819 patients met our criteria. Although the OS rate was better for lobectomy than for wedge resection, no statistical differences in the LCSS rate were identified among the three treatment groups of patients with tumors that were 1.0 cm or smaller. For tumors from 1.1 to 2.0 cm, lobectomy and segmentectomy showed no statistical differences in the LCSS rate, but both conferred better OS and LCSS rates than wedge resection. For tumors from 2.1 to 3.0 cm, the OS and LCSS rates were better for lobectomy than for segmentectomy or wedge resection, but similar for segmentectomy and wedge resection. Conclusions Lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection are comparable oncologic procedures for patients with stage IA NSCLC that is 1.0 cm or smaller. For tumors from 1.1 to 2.0 cm, lobectomy and segmentectomy could lead to equivalent survival rates but showed better survival rates than that observed with wedge resection. For tumors from 2.1 to 3.0 cm, lobectomy is still the standard surgical procedure; for patients who are unsuitable candidates for lobectomy, segmentectomy and wedge resection show similar survival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rubber particles replace part of the fine aggregate in concrete. • The behavior of rubber concrete and fiber rubber concrete after high temperature was studied. • Under the same conditions, the damage degree of rubber concrete containing fiber is less than that of pure rubber concrete. • The sensitivity of strain rate effect to rubber concrete containing fiber is obviously greater than that of rubber concrete. Waste tires cause serious environmental problems, such as pollution, which can be reduced by mechanically grinding rubber tires into powder to obtain rubber particles. These components are then used in equal mass (20%) to replace fine aggregate to manufacture rubber concrete (RC), a new type of environmentally friendly building material. This study explored the performance of RC and different volume fractions (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%) basalt-polypropylene fiber-reinforced rubber concrete (BPRC) under elevated temperatures through a series of experiments on mass, relative dynamic elastic modulus, static compressive strength, and dynamic compressive strength. The experimental results showed that with increasing temperature, mass loss in RC and BPRC gradually increased, their relative dynamic elastic moduli slowly decreased. Their static compressive and dynamic compressive strengths reflected different degrees of loss, the strength loss temperature node of pure rubber concrete is earlier and the loss degree is more. The best performance was shown by the BPRC with 1% and 1.5% volume ratios of basalt and polypropylene fibers, respectively. Mixing basalt and polypropylene fibers into RC is beneficial to improvements in its performance after an increase in temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a carbothermal ammonia reduction (CAR) strategy for one-pot preparation of highly efficient and durable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst composed of earth abundant early transition metals. In this strategy, resin is applied both as the pre-binder and carbon source, and Pluronic F127 as the structure-directing agent. Upon annealing in NH 3 , the Mo-containing precursor on Ni foam undergoes the CAR, and simultaneously Ni from the substrate diffuses out, resulting in the formation of a quaternary complex structure of molybdenum-nickel bimetallic carbonitride (MoNiNC). The as-prepared electrode showed outstanding HER performance with an overpotential of 150 mV at 50 mA cm −2 and maintained steady hydrogen bubble evolution for continuous 48 h. Our strategy offers a quick and simple way to fabricate earth-abundant HER electrode with highly efficient and durable electrocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite some published papers analyzing the prognostic role of forkhead-box A1 (FOXA1) in breast cancer, it has not yet been considered as an established prognostic factor in clinical practice. The present meta-analysis evaluated the prognostic value of FOXA1 in breast cancer. Methods PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched for relevant published literature that evaluated the correlation between FOXA1 and breast cancer. Either a fixed or random effect model was applied to estimate the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for FOXA1 prognosis in breast cancer. Result A total of nine articles comprising 6386 breast cancer patients met the inclusion criteria. Among these nine studies, five studies and four studies investigated the prognostic association with disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS), respectively. Meta-analysis results suggested that high FOXA1 expression was positively associated with DFS (pooled HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.23–0.81; P < 0.05) and OS (pooled HR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.26–0.60; P < 0.05) in breast cancer patients. No publication bias was discovered by Begg's test in this meta-analysis. Conclusion The results from this meta-analysis indicated that elevated FOXA1 expression level was associated with better outcome in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background & aims The association between dietary vitamin A, retinol intake and blood retinol level and gastric cancer risk has been investigated by many studies. However, the results of these studies were controversial. The aim of our study was to systematically assess this issue. Methods PUBMED and EMBASE were searched, supplemented with manual-screening for relevant publications. Meta-analyses were performed to evaluate the association between vitamin A, retinol dietary intake or blood retinol level and gastric cancer risk. Results Thirty-one studies were included in this meta-analysis. Comparing the highest with the lowest categories, vitamin A intake significantly reduced gastric cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.52–0.84), whereas a marginally inverse association was found between retinol intake (pooled RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.87–1.03) or blood retinol level (pooled RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.73–1.05) and gastric cancer risk. Interestingly, the results of subgroup analysis indicated that high vitamin A intake and blood retinol level were associated with reduced gastric cancer risk in Western countries, while a marginally inverse association was found between retinol and gastric cancer risk in Western countries. Conclusions Vitamin A intake was inversely associated with gastric cancer risk, while no significant association was found with retinol intake or blood retinol level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (N-OMCs) were prepared via a two-step approach, using resorcinol (R) and formaldehyde (F) as the carbon precursor and dicyandiamide (DCD) as the nitrogen precursor. In this approach, dicyandiamide, formaldehyde and resorcinol were pre-polymerized in the first step using a basic catalyst to produce DCD-RF resol. The DCD-RF resol was mixed with a solution of triblock copolymer Pluronic F127 followed by the addition of an acid catalyst to facilitate the self-assembly and condensation in the second step. After calcination, N-OMCs were obtained and further characterized by nitrogen sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The well-prepared N-OMCs were evaluated for the catalytic dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane and exhibited superior catalytic performances and excellent stability over 72 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background & aims: Association between zinc intake and digestive tract cancers risk has been reported in several epidemiological studies, while the results were controversial. The aim of our study was to get a systemic review of this issue. Methods: PUBMED and EMBASE were searched up to April 2013, supplemented with manual-screening for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers independently extracted data from eligible studies, risk ratio (RR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs for the highest versus lowest categories of zinc intake was adopted. Either a fixed- or a random-effects model was adopted to estimate overall odds ratios. Besides, dose–response, subgroup, and publication bias analyses were applied. Results: Nineteen studies with approximately 400,000 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled relative risk (RR) of overall digestive tract cancers for the highest versus lowest categories of zinc intake was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70–0.96; p = 0.013). Comparing the highest with lowest categories, higher zinc intake was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.92; p = 0.002), while zinc intake was not statistically associated with gastric cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.64–1.29; p = 0.581) or esophageal cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.44–1.17; p = 0.187). However, subgroup analyses showed that zinc intake was significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk and gastric cancer risk in Asia, but not in America and Europe. Conclusions: Dietary zinc intake was inversely associated with digestive tract cancers, especially colorectal cancer risk in this study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new two-step method is developed for the synthesis of resorcinol–formaldehyde polymer and carbon with highly ordered mesoporous structures. For this method, resorcinol and formaldehyde is pre-polymerized in the first step under the presence of a basic catalyst to produce resorcinol–formaldehyde resol. Then, the resorcinol–formaldehyde resol is mixed with Pluronic F127 solution followed by the addition of an acid catalyst to allow the rapid self-assembly and condensation in the second step. Compared with the early reported evaporation-induced self-assembly method as well as the one-step liquid phase self-assembly method, in the present two-step liquid method the self-assembly and condensation process can be carried out rapidly by using low amount of base and acid catalysts at room temperature. After the activation by CO2, the carbon materials maintained ordered mesostructure, and the BET surface area enlarged to 2660m2/g and total pore volume increased to 2.01cm3/g. The CO2 activation not only creates micropores within the carbon frameworks but also enlarges the mesopores by elimination of the carbon pore walls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fluid inclusions commonly exist in the cracks of rock masses. From a microscopic point of view, the fluid inclusion plane (FIP) is the crack plane while the fluid inclusion line (FIL) is the intersecting line between a specific plane (horizontal or different) and the FIP. These microscopic compositions or structures not only provide valuable information on the deformations and/or fractures of rocks but also reflect the trend, length and width of cracks. This paper presents the digital image analysis of fluid inclusions in rocks and discusses the characteristics of FILs. For the image analysis, the original digital images photographed by the microscope equipped with a digital camera on a heating–freezing platform were first converted into grayscale images and then broken into blocks using quadtree decomposition and region segmentation. For each block, the inflection point, derivative, frequency and color-based methods were used to detect the edges of fluid inclusions. To better define the boundaries of fluid inclusions, the dilation, erosion, seed filling, boundary connection and smoothing techniques were used to, respectively, extend edges, connect discontinuous points, fill pores in the outlines, eliminate irrelative parts in neighboring positions, smoothen projecting parts around the outlines and aggregate smaller inclusions into larger ones. After the boundaries of fluid inclusions were defined, the blocks were re-assembled and the edge points and lines of fluid inclusions were then defined in a global coordinate system. Based on the geometrical properties of the fluid inclusions, such as the centroid positions, areas and long-axis directions, FILs and their configuration parameters (such as length, mean width and abundance) were obtained with the least-squares method. All of these procedures were coded into a program and could be automatically run. The digital image analyses of fluid inclusions may provide valuable information about the relationships between the FIL networks and the crack properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study deals with the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic response of a cylindrical lined tunnel in a poroelastic medium when subjected to the joint action of a thermal and mechanical source. With the fractional-order thermoelasticity theory, the fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic model is presented based on the equations of motion, fluid flux, and fractional heat conductivity. The soil is regarded as a saturated porothermoelastic medium and solved by the generalized energy equation of porothermoelasticity with fractional derivative. Furthermore, the lining structure is equivalent to the elastic material by the theory of thermoelastic shell. The study derives the temperature increment, displacement, stresses, and pore water pressure by using the differential operator decomposition method and the Laplace transform method. The influences of the fractional derivative parameter on the responses are discussed and the numerical results compared with the results of the theory of saturated porous medium and the cavity without lining. • The generalized heat conduction equation with fractional derivatives is established. • The lining structure is equivalent to elastic material by utilizing the theory of thermoelastic shell. • The influences of the fractional derivative parameter on the responses are also discussed. • Numerical results are compared with the results of saturated porous medium and the cavity without lining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the impact of surface roughness on the cyclic shear characteristics of the Soil-Rock Mixture and concrete interface, a series of cyclic shear tests were conducted using a large indoor direct shear apparatus. The effects of three concrete surface roughness coefficients JRC (0.4, 9.5, 16.7), five rock content levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%), and three cyclic shear displacement amplitudes (1, 3, 6 mm) on interface cyclic shear stress and Soil-Rock Mixture shear deformation were analyzed. A Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BoBiLSTM) model was proposed, utilizing Bayesian optimization and k-fold cross-validation for hyperparameter tuning to streamline the model parameter selection process and enhance the prediction accuracy of the stress-strain relationship under cyclic loading. The experimental results show that, under five rock content levels, as the concrete surface roughness coefficient and cyclic shear displacement amplitude increase, the interface average peak shear stress increases accordingly. The interface average peak shear stress of the sample with 75% rock content is the highest; in terms of vertical displacement, the sample with 50% rock content has the maximum displacement, while the sample with 25% rock content has the minimum. The two types of samples show different soil deformation patterns in the two shear directions during the cyclic shearing process; as the shear displacement amplitude increases from 1 mm to 3 mm and 6 mm, the greater the concrete surface roughness, the smaller the change in shear stiffness and damping ratio. Compared to traditional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models, the BoBiLSTM model demonstrated improvements in the average metrics of R 2 , RMSE, and MAPE by 0.32%, 57.25%, and 72.32%, respectively. • Conducted large-scale direct shear tests on soil-rock mixture-concrete interface under cyclic loading. • Investigated the impact of roughness, stone content, and shear displacement amplitude on the interface shear performance. • Established a data-driven model to predict the stress-strain relationship under cyclic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autoimmunity plays an important role in schizophrenia (SCZ). Autoantibodies against SFT2D2 have been reported in patients with SCZ; however, the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to describe an autoimmune model, namely, mice immunized against SFT2D2-peptides. ApoE −/− and WT mice (C57BL/6) were immunized four times (day 0, day 14, day 21, day 35) with SFT2D2 peptide or KLH via subcutaneous injection. Behavioral tests were conducted after the third immunization, and immunochemistry of brain tissue were performed after the sacrifice of the mice. Active immunization with KLH-coupled SFT2D2-derived peptides in both WT and ApoE −/− (compromised blood-brain barrier) mice led to high circulating levels of anti-SFT2D2 IgG. While there was no detectable deficit in WT mice, impaired pre-pulse inhibition, motor impairments, and reduced cognition in ApoE −/− mice, without signs of anxiety and depression were observed. In addition, immunohistochemical assays demonstrated that activated microglia and astrocytes were increased but neuronal dendritic spine densities were decreased, accompanied by increased expression of complement molecule C4 across brain regions in ApoE −/− mice. In model mice with compromised blood-brain barrier, endogenous anti-SFT2D2 IgG can activate glial cells and modulate synaptic plasticity, and induce a series of psychosis-like changes. These antibodies may reveal valuable therapeutic targets, which may improve the treatment strategies for a subgroup of SCZ patients. • Schizophrenia-related antibody anti-SFT2D2 induces psychiatric-like behaviors and cognitive deficits in mice. • Exposure of mouse brains to anti-SFT2D2 antibody causes microglial activation. • Anti-SFT2D2 antibodies reduce spines and synapses in mice. • C4 expression is associated with dendritic spine loss and microglial activation across brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the prognostic impact of lymph node (LN) dissection on sublobar resection for stage IA non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors ≤2 cm. Methods All patients who underwent sublobar resection for stage IA NSCLC tumors ≤2 cm were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Patients were classified into no-LN dissection and LN dissection groups, and the latter was subclassified by the extent of LN dissection (1-3 regional LNs or ≥4 regional LNs). These groups were compared in terms of lung cancer–specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) rates. Propensity score–matched comparative analysis and a Cox regression model were used. Results A total of 3269 patients met our criteria, including 1459 (44.6%) who underwent no LN dissection, 891 (27.3%) who underwent dissection of 1 to 3 regional LNs, 919 (28.1%) who underwent dissection of ≥4 regional LNs. Compared with no LN dissection, LN dissection was associated with more favorable LCSS and OS rates in patients who underwent sublobar resection for stage IA tumors ≤2 cm. More extensive regional LN dissection (≥4 regional LNs) was associated with better LCSS and OS rates compared with less extensive regional LN dissection (1 to 3 regional LNs). A multivariable analysis of our patient population revealed independent associations of no LN dissection and less extensive regional LN dissection with poorer LCSS and OS rates compared with overall LN dissection and more extensive regional LN dissection, respectively. Conclusions This propensity score–matched analysis reveals an association of LN dissection, particularly more extensive regional LN dissection (≥4 regional LNs), with better survival rates in patients who undergo sublobar resection for stage IA NSCLC tumors ≤2 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Galangin has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. • Galangin prevents hepatocellular carcinoma through multiple anti-cancer mechanisms. • The anti-cancer effects of galangin mainly include anti-proliferation, induction of apoptosis and autophagy, inhibition of metastasis. • Moreover, it could protect normal cells and prevent the effects of genotoxic carcinogens. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers and has a high mortality rate in less developed countries, especially in China. Galangin (GA), one of the most important and naturally active flavonoids, extracted primarily from the root of Alpinia officinarum Hance, has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of HCC. It is a substance with defensive actions and a broad range of biological properties, including inhibitory effects on bacteria, fungi, viruses, the control of hypertension and diabetes, and chemoprevention of several cancers. Experiments have shown that GA prevents HCC through multiple anti-cancer mechanisms, anti-genotoxic activity against environmental and dietary carcinogens; anti-proliferative effects through reversal of the Warburg effect in HCC; arrest of the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase; induction of apoptosis via stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway; induction of autophagy; and inhibition of angiogenesis, metastasis, and multidrug resistance (MDR). In addition, synergistic effects with other chemotherapy drugs have been demonstrated. Therefore, this review is focused on the anti−HCC mechanisms of GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The fully coupling thermo-hydro-elastodynamic model is established based on generalized thermoelastic theory. • The propagation of thermoelastic wave in porous media at finite velocity can be realized by introducing three relaxation times. • The stress coefficient in the interface between lining and soil is established. The thermo-hydro-mechanical response of a partially sealed circular tunnel in saturated rock subject to inner water pressure with high temperature is investigated by the fully coupling thermo-hydro-mechanical model. The tunnel is assumed to be partially sealed, and the partially permeable condition of the boundary of tunnel is established using the Darcy' law. Furthermore, a stress coefficient depending on the volume fraction of the pore fluid is quoted to establish the stress coordination conditions at the boundary of tunnel, and the solutions of temperature increment, displacement, pore water pressure and stress are obtained in the domain of Laplace transform. Based on the Crump method taking inverse Laplace transform, the numerical solution to the problem is presented. Numerical results are displayed graphically and analyzed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ordered mesoporous alumina with crystalline framework walls has been fabricated using a repeated nanocasting strategy. Mesoporous silica and mesoporous carbon were successively employed as the exotemplates. Constrained by the rigid carbon template structure, the alumina precursor in the channels of the carbon template could be well crystallized by elevating the temperature in an inert atmosphere, yielding γ-Al2O3 with ordered mesoporous structure upon the carbon template removal. The resulting alumina sample displays a faithfully negative replication both in the pore arrangement and particle morphology of the carbon template, thus a positive replication of the original silica template. The mean pore sizes of the alumina replicas can be tuned from 4.8nm to 6.2nm through choosing mesoporous silicas with different pore sizes as the templates. The ordered structure maintained stable until 750°C, above which it was significantly destroyed due to the overgrowth of the alumina nanocrystallites and the phase transformation-associated constraint. Besides the hexagonally ordering, a 3D cubic ordered mesoporous alumina with γ-alumina framework walls has also been prepared using cubic CMK-8 as the template. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pore structure is an important factor that affects both vapor adsorption and water absorption performances of the expanded perlite insulation mortar. This study aims to explore the change in the pore structure of the expanded perlite insulation mortar in heat-rain cycles and investigate the effects on capillary water absorption and vapor adsorption performances. The expanded perlite insulation mortar specimens was subjected to 160 heat-rain cyclic test, and the distribution characteristics of the pore structures of the specimens after different heat–rain cycles in vacuum saturated water absorption, capillary water absorption, and vapor adsorption processes were measured via nuclear magnetic resonance. According to the test results, the pores with a size of greater than 1 μm in the expanded perlite insulation mortar determined the variation in total pores. The pore size can be classified into different ranges according to the performance in capillary water absorption and vapor adsorption. The calculated results of the fractional dimension suggest that the structure variation rules of different types of pores can be characterized by the fractional dimension. The relationship between the macro-performance parameters and the micro-structure can be established by using the fractional dimension as the linkage to provide reference for the hydrothermal evaluation of the whole expanded perlite external thermal insulation composite system. • The evolution of the pore structure of ETICS EP was measured by NMR. • The variation of adsorption and water absorption properties in aging process was analyzed. • The fractal dimension was used to characterize the pore structure of ETICS EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The objective of this study was to systematically assess the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and risk of breast cancer and uterine leiomyoma. Methods Standard meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis were conducted based on electronic databases. Results No significant association was observed between total urinary phthalate metabolites and risk of breast cancer or uterine leiomyoma. However, MECPP was positively associated with breast cancer risk, and DEHP metabolites were associated with increased risk of breast cancer as well as uterine leiomyoma. Enrichment pathway analysis suggested p53 signaling pathway, mechanism of gene regulation by PPARα, apoptotic signaling in response to DNA damage and ATM signaling pathway might be involved to account for the association. Conclusion Significantly positive association was observed between DEHP metabolites and risk of breast cancer and uterine leiomyoma, especially for MECPP in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies showed that HOXA1 can promote or suppress the transcription of target genes via binding to their promoter region, therefore regulating the development and progression of various cancers. However, the biological function of HOXA1 in bladder cancer (Bca) remains unknown. qRT-PCR and Western blot assay was performed to measure the mRNA protein level of HOXA1 in Bca cells. CCK-8 and cell colony formation assay were carried out to detect cell proliferation ability. Wound healing assay was applied to detect cell migration ability, while transwell assay was applied to detect cell invasion ability. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying HOXA1. In this study, we discovered that HOXA1 mRNA and protein was dramatically increased in Bca tissues and cells compared to matched normal tissues and normal bladder epithelial cell. Enhanced HOXA1 expression was positively correlated with bigger tumor size and lymphatic metastasis, causing shorter overall survival to Bca patients. Knockdown of HOXA1 obviously impaired cell proliferation and metastasis ability. Further experiments proved that HOXA1 could strength the transcription of SMAD3 via binding to the promoter region of SMAD3. In conclusion, our study suggested that HOXA1 contributed to the growth and metastasis of Bca and it might serve as a tumor biomarker for Bca treatment and prognosis monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to play critical roles in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis of lung cancer. However, the biological functions and related mechanisms of lncRNAs are unclear. In addition, the EMT-based prognosis prediction in lung cancer still lacks investigation. Here, we established the methodology of identifying critical metastasis-related lncRNAs using comprehensive datasets of cancer transcriptome, genome and epigenome, and also provided tools for prognosis prediction in lung cancer. Initially, important mesenchymal marker genes were identified to compose the tumor mesenchymal score, which predicted patient prognosis in lung cancer, especially lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The score was also correlated with several crucial biological and physiological processes, such as tumor immune and hypoxia. Based on the score, lung cancer patients was classified into epithelial and mesenchymal subtypes, and lncRNAs which exhibited expressional dysregulation, promotor methylation alteration and copy number variation between the two subtypes in LUAD were identified and underwent further prognostic analyses. Finally, we identified 14 lncRNAs as EMT-related and significant biomarkers in prognosis prediction of LUAD. As validation, lncRNA RBPMS-AS1 was proven to be co-expressed with epithelial biomarkers, suppressive for A549 cell migration, invasion and EMT, and also significantly associated with better outcomes of LUAD patients, suggesting the potential of RBPMS-AS1 to serve as a lncRNA epithelial biomarker in metastasis of LUAD. Based on the identified lncRNAs, an EMT-linked lncRNA prognostic signature was further established. Taken together, our study provides robust predictive tools, potential lncRNA targets and feasible screening strategies for future study of lung cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mutations of genes are crucial events in tumorigenesis and development, the association between gene mutations and lung cancer metastasis is still largely unknown. The goal of this study is to identify driver and novel genes associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis. Candidate genes were identified using a novel comprehensive analysis, which was based on bioinformatics technology and meta-analysis. Firstly, EGFR , KRAS , ALK , TP53 , BRAF and PIK3CA were identified as candidate driver genes. Further meta-analysis identified that EGFR (Pooled OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.19, 1.50; P <.001) and ALK (Pooled OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.22, 1.89; P <.001) mutations were associated with distant metastasis of NSCLC. Besides, ALK (Pooled OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.71, 3.38; P <.001) mutation was associated with lymph node metastasis of NSCLC. In addition, thirteen novel gene mutations were identified to be correlated with NSCLC metastasis, including SMARCA1 , GGCX , KIF24 , LRRK1 , LILRA4 , OR2T10 , EDNRB , NR1H4 , ARID4A , PRKCI , PABPC5 , ACAN and TLN1. Furthermore, elevated mRNA expression level of SMARCA1 and EDNRB was associated with poor overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), respectively. Additionally, pathway and protein-protein interactions network analyses found the two genes were correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. In conclusion, mutations of EGFR and ALK were significantly correlated with NSCLC metastasis. In addition, thirteen novel genes were identified to be associated with NSCLC metastasis, especially SMARCA1 in LUAD and EDNRB in LUSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]