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Purpose: The neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) regimen for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) primarily consists of anthracyclines and taxanes, and the addition of platinum-based drugs can further enhance the efficacy. However, it is also accompanied by more adverse events, and considering the potential severe and irreversible toxicity of anthracyclines, an increasing number of studies are exploring nonanthracycline regimens that combine taxanes and platinum-based drugs. Methods: The retrospective study included 273 stage II–III TNBC patients who received NACT. The AT group, consisting of 195 (71.4%) patients, received a combination of anthracyclines and taxanes, while the TCb group, consisting of 78 (28.6%) patients, received a combination of taxanes and carboplatin. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the factors influencing pathological complete response (pCR) and residual cancer burden (RCB). The log-rank test was used to assess the differences in event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) among the different treatment groups. Cox regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the factors influencing EFS and OS. Results: After NACT and surgery, the TCb group had a higher rate of pCR at 44.9%, as compared to the AT group at 31.3%. The difference between the two groups was 13.6% (OR = 0.559, 95% CI 0.326–0.959, P = 0.035). The TCb group had a 57.7% rate of RCB 0–1, which was higher than the AT group's rate of 42.6%. The difference between the two groups was 15.1% (OR = 0.543, 95% CI 0.319–0.925, P = 0.024), With a median follow-up time of 40 months, the TCb group had better EFS (log-rank, P = 0.014) and OS (log-rank, P = 0.040) as compared to the AT group. Clinical TNM stage and RCB grade were identified as independent factors influencing EFS and OS, while treatment group was identified as an independent factor influencing EFS, with a close-to-significant impact on OS. Conclusion: In stage II–III triple TNBC patients, the NACT regimen combining taxanes and carboplatin yields higher rates of pCR and significant improvements in EFS and OS as compared to the regimen combining anthracyclines and taxanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The high degree of intratumoral genomic heterogeneity is a major obstacle for glioblastoma (GBM) tumors, one of the most lethal human malignancies, and is thought to influence conventional therapeutic outcomes negatively. The proneural-to-mesenchymal transition (PMT) of glioma stem cells (GSCs) confers resistance to radiation therapy in glioblastoma patients. POLD4 is associated with cancer progression, while the mechanisms underlying PMT and tumor radiation resistance have remained elusive. Method: Expression and prognosis of the POLD family were analyzed in TCGA, the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and GEO datasets. Tumorsphere formation and in vitro limiting dilution assay were performed to investigate the effect of UCHL3-POLD4 on GSC self-renewal. Apoptosis, TUNEL, cell cycle phase distribution, modification of the Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (Comet), γ-H2AX immunofluorescence, and colony formation assays were conducted to evaluate the influence of UCHL3-POLD4 on GSC in ionizing radiation. Coimmunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays were performed to identify POLD4 protein interactors. In vivo, intracranial xenograft mouse models were used to investigate the molecular effect of UCHL3, POLD4 or TCID on GCS. Result: We determined that POLD4 was considerably upregulated in MES-GSCs and was associated with a meagre prognosis. Ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase L3 (UCHL3), a DUB enzyme in the UCH protease family, is a bona fide deubiquitinase of POLD4 in GSCs. UCHL3 interacted with, depolyubiquitinated, and stabilized POLD4. Both in vitro and in vivo assays indicated that targeted depletion of the UCHL3-POLD4 axis reduced GSC self-renewal and tumorigenic capacity and resistance to IR treatment by impairing homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Additionally, we proved that the UCHL3 inhibitor TCID induced POLD4 degradation and can significantly enhance the therapeutic effect of IR in a gsc-derived in situ xenograft model. Conclusion: These findings reveal a new signaling axis for GSC PMT regulation and highlight UCHL3-POLD4 as a potential therapeutic target in GBM. TCID, targeted for reducing the deubiquitinase activity of UCHL3, exhibited significant synergy against MES GSCs in combination with radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Systemic immune-inflammatory markers have a certain predictive role in pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) in breast cancer. However, there is a lack of research exploring the predictive value of markers after treatment. Methods: This retrospective study collected data from 1994 breast cancer patients who underwent NAT. Relevant clinical and pathological characteristics were included, and pre- and post-treatment complete blood cell counts were evaluated to calculate four systemic immune-inflammatory markers: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). The optimal cutoff values for these markers were determined using ROC curves, and patients were classified into high-value and low-value groups based on these cutoff values. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze factors influencing pCR. The factors with independent predictive value were used to construct a nomogram. Results: After NAT, 383 (19.2%) patients achieved pCR. The area under the ROC curve is generally larger for post-treatment markers compared to pre-treatment markers. Pre-treatment NLR and PLR, as well as post-treatment LMR and SII, were identified as independent predictive factors for pCR, along with Ki-67, clinical tumor stage, clinical lymph node stage, molecular subtype, and clinical response. Higher pre-NLR (OR = 1.320; 95% CI 1.016–1.716; P = 0.038), pre-PLR (OR = 1.474; 95% CI 1.058–2.052; P = 0.022), post-LMR (OR = 1.532; 95% CI 1.175–1.996; P = 0.002), and lower post-SII (OR = 0.596; 95% CI 0.429–0.827; P = 0.002) are associated with a higher likelihood of achieving pCR. The established nomogram had a good predictive performance with an area under the ROC curve of 0.754 (95% CI 0.674–0.835). Conclusion: Both pre- and post-treatment systemic immune-inflammatory markers have a significant predictive role in achieving pCR after NAT in breast cancer patients. Indeed, it is possible that post-treatment markers have stronger predictive ability compared to pre-treatment markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate an all-fiber scheme for generating supercontinuum spectrum based on a combination method. The configuration employed a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber for dispersion pre-management, an Yb-doped gain fiber for amplification and a special tapered photonic crystal fiber for supercontinuum generation. This setup allows for the generation of highly coherent supercontinuum with 30-dB bandwidth covering from 800 to 1240 nm as well as dispersive waves at 480 nm and 540 nm. The initial pulses were centered at 1030 nm with average power of 90 mW and repetition rate of 216 MHz. Based on the generated supercontinuum and dispersive waves at 540 nm, an envelope-carrier phase offset frequency with signal to noise ratio up to 37 dB was detected by a standard f-2f interferometer. The high signal to noise ratio shows that the infrared supercontinuum and the dispersive waves were highly coherent. Such a robust supercontinuum source achieved at low energy would promote the application of laser comb in precision measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, society has been progressing and developing rapidly, and the economy has overgrown. The development of rural areas in China has become more and more frequent. However, overexploitation and utilization of land will, on the one hand, lead to the deterioration of rustic soil quality and soil quality. On the other hand, overexploitation and utilization of rural land will also affect the yield and quality of crops. Overexploitation and utilization will hinder the speed of rural economic development. There are also good aspects in land development and utilization, which will promote rural economic growth to a certain extent. Land development and utilization will increase rural income and directly affect rural disposable assets. Focusing on the adverse effects again, some rural areas will suffer certain erosion due to human production and life. It will also cause severe soil erosion, soil quality, and water storage capacity. Simultaneously, this has also become a serious obstacle to ecologically sustainable development and hindering social and economic growth. To clarify the best ways to use rural land and analyze the stoichiometric ecological characteristics of soils in different regions, this paper uses field sampling, investigation and analysis, and soil sample analysis. It also shows that the soil carbon and nitrogen fixation in Chongqing’s mountainous areas has great potential. The ecological system restoration and soil erosion in this area provide sufficient theoretical support. Besides, the research based on the Chinese household financial survey data further analyzes the differences in the asset allocation of rural households. According to the research results, rural household finance is more inclined to low-risk asset allocation. At the same time, the household financial survey data of a particular province is compiled. The influencing factors are as follows: the level of education received, marital status, the number of households, consumption preferences, and housing prices have a significant impact on rural household assets. At the same time, through analysis, it is found that the asset ratio of urban and rural households has apparent effects, including education level and investment preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many kinds of nanoparticles and organic dyes as fluorescent probes have been used in the stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy. Due to high toxicity, photobleaching and non-water solubility, these fluorescent probes are hard to apply in living cell imaging. Here, we report a new fluorescence carbon dots (FNCDs) with high photoluminescence quantum yield (56%), low toxicity, anti-photobleaching and good water-solubility that suitable for live-cell imaging can be obtained by doping fluorine element. Moreover, the FNCDs can stain the nucleolus and tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in the living cell. More importantly, for STED nanoscopy imaging, the FNCDs effectively depleted background signals and improved imaging resolution. Furthermore, the lateral resolution of single FNCDs size under the STED nanoscopy is up to 22.1 nm for FNCDs deposited on a glass slide was obtained. And because of their good water dispersibility, the higher resolution of single FNCDs size in the nucleolus of a living cell can be up to 19.7 nm. After the image optimization steps, the fine fluorescence images of TNTs diameter with ca. 75 nm resolution is obtained living cell, yielding a threefold enhancement compared with that in confocal imaging. Additionally, the FNCDs show excellent photobleaching resistance after 1,000 scan cycles in the STED model. All results show that FNCDs have significant potential for application in STED nanoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton assemblages were investigated in 2015 along the seasonal changes of the Genhe River in the Greater Hinggan Mountains. The survey was performed in June (spring), August (summer), and October (autumn) at nine sampling stations to study the community composition, abundance, and biodiversity. The results showed that 61 species belonging to 16 genera were identified, including Bacillariophyta of 31 species, Dinophyta 2 species, Cyanophyta 2 species, Chlorophyta 20 species, Chrysophyta 2 species, and Cryptophyta 1 species; Besides, Bacillariophyta are dominant species. Shannon-Wiener (H′) and Pielou (J′) indices indicated that phytoplankton community was stable. And these two indices were significantly lower in summer than in spring and autumn. Phytoplankton abundance and biomass show significant differences in each season. The total phytoplankton abundance (1122.3 × 104 ind/L) and biomass (6.5709 mg/L) in summer are much higher than that in spring and autumn. There were few species and low abundance and biomass in the upper reaches of Genhe River; this fact can be explained by the cold climate in the Greater Higgnan Mountains region. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the data. It revealed that Fe3+, Cu2+, pH, and water temperature (WT) were responsible for most of the variation in space in the phytoplankton community. These environmental parameters play an essential role in the community structure variation of phytoplankton in the upper reaches of Genhe River, the strong association between phytoplankton community structure and ecological factors is varied in each season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Tumor suppressor candidate 1 (TUSC1) was recently identified as a potential tumor suppressor in human cancers. However, the expression and potential function of TUSC1 in GBM remain unclear. Herein, we report that TUSC1 is significantly decreased in GBM tissues and cell lines. Patients with high levels of TUSC1 displayed a significant better survival compared with those with low levels of TUSC1. Functional experiments demonstrated that exogenous expression of TUSC1 inhibited GBM cell proliferation and induced G1 phase arrest by down-regulating CDK4. Moreover, overexpression of TUSC1 retarded tumor growth in vivo. Together, our findings revealed that TUSC1 might be a crucial tumor suppressor gene and a novel therapeutic target for GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant gliomas are the most common and devastating primary brain tumors in adults. The rapid invasion of tumor cells into the adjacent normal brain tissues is a major cause of treatment failure, yet the mechanisms that regulate this process remain poorly understood. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as regulators of invasion and metastasis by acting on multiple signaling pathways. In this study, we found that miR-622 is significantly downregulated in glioma tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments showed that increased miR-622 expression reduced glioma cell invasion and migration, whereas decreased miR-622 expression enhanced cell invasion and migration. Moreover, activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), an important transcription factor that regulate tumor invasion, was identified as a direct target of miR-622. Knockdown of ATF2 using small interefering RNA recapitulated the anti-invasive function of miR-622, whereas restoring the ATF2 expression attenuated the function of miR-622 in glioma cells. Furthermore, clinical data indicated that miR-622 and ATF2 were inversely expressed in glioma specimens. Our findings provide insight into the specific biological behavior of miR-622 in tumor invasion and migration. Targeting miR-622/ATF2 axis is a novel therapeutic approach for blocking glioma invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a fully stabilized self-referenced all-solid-state-laser frequency comb based on a home-built Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:CaYAlO4 oscillator, which delivers ultrafast pulses with a pulse duration of 54 fs and an average power of 1.5 W. Free running carrier-envelope phase offset frequency (fceo) is observed with a signal to noise ratio of 40 dB at 100 kHz resolution bandwidth, which is phase-locked to a microwave frequency synthesizer with a residual phase jitter of 370 mrad [1 Hz–1 MHz] and with a standard frequency deviation of 0.8 mHz at 1-s gate time within 3-h, corresponding to the relative frequency instability of 2.9 × 10−18 at 1-s average time. It is the lowest phase noise and the highest frequency stability of fceo obtained in a watt-level all-solid-state bulk laser frequency comb to the best of our knowledge. A 13th repetition rate is simultaneously phase-locked to the same microwave standard with a frequency instability level of 10−12 at 1 s average time. Such fully stabilized power scaling Yb: CaYAlO4 laser frequency combs have great potential for applications in broadband dual comb spectroscopy as well as high loss cases such as long-distance time and frequency transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]