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A two-photon excited ratiometric fluorescent pH sensor is reported by combining l-cysteine–protected AuNCs (Cys@AuNCs) with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). Cys@AuNCs were synthesized through a one-step self-reduction route and showed pH-responsive photoluminescence at 650 nm. Benefiting from the opposite pH response of Cys@AuNCs and FITC, the fluorescence ratio (F515 nm/F650 nm) of FITC&Cys@AuNCs provided a large dynamic range of 200-fold for pH measurement in the response interval of pH 5.0–8.0. Based on the excellent two-photon absorption coefficient of Cys@AuNCs, the sensor was expected to achieve sensitive quantitation of pH in living cells under two-photon excitation. In addition, colorimetric biosensing based on enzyme-like metal nanoclusters has attracted wide attention due to their low-cost, simplicity, and practicality. It is crucial to develop high catalytic activity nanozyme from the viewpoint of practical application. The synthesized Cys@AuNCs exhibited excellent photoactivated peroxidase-like activity with high substrate affinity and catalytic reaction rate, promising for rapid colorimetric biosensing of field analysis and the control of catalytic reactions by photostimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the prognostic value of the diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)-derived parameters D value, K value, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) parameter apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected extramural venous invasion (EMVI) (mrEMVI) in rectal cancer patients. Methods: Forty patients who underwent MRI for rectal cancer were retrospectively evaluated. DKI-derived parameters D and K were measured using the Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit. Conventional ADC values were measured from the corresponding DWI images. An experienced radiologist evaluated the mrEMVI status on MR images using the mrEMVI scoring system. An independent sample t-test or analysis of variance was used to analyze and compare the measurement data. The x2 test or Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the diagnostic performance of these parameters. Results: Among the 40 patients, MRI showed positive EMVI in 15 patients and negative EMVI in 25 patients. Positive mrEMVI status was associated with age, positive circumferential resection margin, pT-stage, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), distant metastasis, and serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (P = 0.004–0.036). The dispersion coefficient (D) values and ADC values were significantly higher in the mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) group than in the common adenocarcinoma (AC) group (P = 0.001), while kurtosis coefficient (K) values were lower in the MC group than in the AC group (P = 0.022). D values were significantly higher in the KRAS-mutated group than in the wild-type group (P < 0.05), whereas K values were lower in the KRAS-mutated group than in the wild-type group (P < 0.05). All three parameters (D, K, and ADC values) showed good diagnostic performance for discriminating MC from AC. Both the D and K values showed certain diagnostic performance for discriminating KRAS mutation. Conclusion: DKI-derived parameters, conventional ADC values, and mrEMVI are associated with different histopathological prognostic factors. All DKI-derived parameters and conventional ADC values may distinguish MC from AC. DKI-derived parameters may also be used to discriminate KRAS mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Infection is the most common complications of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in treating urinary calculi. However, the risk factors for developing infectious complications after surgery have not been clarified, and the predictive value of some factors is controversial. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for postoperative infectious complications of PCNL. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE to obtain studies reporting risk factors for postoperative infection complications after PCNL. In this review, demographic factors, laboratory test factors, and perioperative factors were evaluated. The odds ratio (OR) or mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the risk factors. A total of 18 studies were included, with a total of 7161 study patients with a mean age of 46.4 to 55.5 years and an incidence of infectious complications after PCNL ranging from 2.4% to 40.4%. Twelve factors were identified as independent risk factors for post-PCNL infection complications (P < 0.05), female (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.23–2.07), positive urine culture (UC) (OR = 3.16, 95% CI 2.11–4.74), positive renal pelvis urine culture (RPUC) (OR = 5.81, 95% CI 1.75–19.32), positive stone culture (SC) (OR = 5.11, 95% CI 1.46–17.89), positive urine leukocyte (OR = 3.61, 95% CI 2.45–5.34), infected stones (OR = 7.00, 95% CI 1.27–38.55), elevated blood leukocyte (MD = 0.71, 95% CI 0.31–1.10), elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (MD = 0.55, 95% CI 0.43–0.66), preoperative stenting (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.10–2.20), multiple puncture access (OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.75–3.82), prolonged operative time (MD = 10 20, 95% CI 4.80–15.60), and postoperative residual stone (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.24–1.98). Female, UC positivity, RPUC positivity, SC positivity, urine leukocyte positivity, infected stones, elevated peripheral blood leukocytes, elevated NLR, preoperative stent implantation, multiple puncture channels, prolonged operation time, and postoperative residual stones were identified as independent risk factors for infection complications after PCNL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bioresponsive polymeric nanocarrier for drug delivery is able to alter its physical and physicochemical properties in response to a variety of biological signals and pathological changes, and can exert its therapeutic efficacy within a confined space. These nanosystems can optimize the biodistribution and subcellular location of therapeutics by exploiting the differences in biochemical properties between tumors and normal tissues. Moreover, bioresponsive polymer-based nanosystems could be rationally designed as precision therapeutic platforms by optimizing the combination of responsive elements and therapeutic components according to the patient-specific disease type and stage. In this review, recent advances in smart bioresponsive polymeric nanosystems for cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy will be summarized. We mainly discuss three categories, including acidity-sensitive, redox-responsive, and enzyme-triggered polymeric nanosystems. The important issues regarding clinical translation such as reproducibility, manufacture, and probable toxicity, are also commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-linked polyphosphazene-based microspheres have great promise for their specific properties and uniform structures and have attracted much attention due to their potential applications. In this research, cross-linked poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-fluorescein) (PCTPF) microspheres were synthesized and used as carriers for drug delivery applications. The successful preparation of the PCTPF microspheres was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The new appeared bands in FT-IR spectra confirmed the successful polymerization between hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) and fluorescein (FLUS). While the SEM results showed that the size of the microspheres was strongly dependent on the mole ratio of HCCP to FLUS. The particle size distribution was determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and the results showed that the decreased mole ratio of HCCP to FLUS increases the size of the microspheres. The crystalline nature of PCTPF microspheres was checked by X-ray diffraction and the results showed the amorphous nature of PCTPF microspheres. The thermal properties of the PCTPF microspheres were examined by thermogravimetric analysis and the results exhibited that the increase in thermal properties was ascribed to the cross-linked covalently bonded structure of PCTPF microspheres. The cross-linking density of the prepared PCTPF microspheres was examined via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and the obtained results suggested that the decreased HCCP:FLUS mole ratio could be more capable to cross-link with HCCP in high density. The prepared PCTPF-3 microspheres were used as drug carriers for the anti-cancer drug "Fluorouracil" (5-FU). 5-FU drug was loaded on the prepared microspheres and their in vitro drug release experiment was performed, in which the results showed that the drug released from the PCTPF-3/5-FU microspheres was in a controlled manner up to 336 h. According to the results, the PCTPF microspheres might be used in cancer therapy as drug carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study was aimed to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (Mini-PCNL) and Standard Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (Standard-PCNL) to determine the optimum option for patients with renal calculi. For publications published between January 2010 and April 2021, a comprehensive search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases was done. The literatures were chosen based on the criteria for inclusion and exclusion. After the data were retrieved and the quality was assessed, the meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager Software (RevMan 5.4.1, Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). We selected 20 trials with a total of 4953 people out of 322 studies. There were 2567 patients treated with Mini-PCNL and 2386 patients treated with Standard-PCNL. Meta-analysis results showed no difference in stone-free rates (SFR, P = 0.93), fever (P = 0.83), and postoperative pain (VAS score) (P = 0.21) between Mini-PCNL and Standard-PCNL. Patients in the Mini-PCNL group experienced shorter hospital stay (P < 0.0001), less hemoglobin drop (P < 0.00001), less blood transfusion (P < 0.00001), higher postoperative tubeless (P = 0.0002), and fewer complications including bleeding (P = 0.01), perforation (P = 0.03), and leakage (P = 0.01). Compared with Standard-PCNL, operative time was longer in the Mini-PCNL group (P = 0.0005). Mini-PCNL had a shorter hospital stay, less hemoglobin drop, less blood transfusion, greater postoperative tubeless, fewer complications, and a longer operational time when compared to Standard-PCNL. SFR, fever, and postoperative pain were similar in both of them. Mini-PCNL may be a superior option for patients with proper size renal calculi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of rock burst grades is an important basis for rock burst prevention measures, and the AE (acoustic emission) features of rocks could reflect the rock burst grades. Taking a railway tunnel in western China as an example, the original rock cores with different rock burst grades were obtained by core drilling method; the cylindrical specimens in a diameter of 50 mm with a height of 100 mm were made from different directions (transverse, oblique, longitudinal) of the original rock cores. The AE features of different directions specimens during indoor uniaxial compression test were obtained. Using the ratio of the cumulative AE energy Eq before the main fracture to the cumulative AE energy E after the final fracture of specimens in different directions, the corresponding new methods for estimating the rock burst grade were proposed respectively; the estimation results were compared with the actual rock burst grades and the estimation results of the traditional rock burst estimation methods. It shows that the estimation accuracy of the method based on Eq/E of specimens in different directions reaches 80%, which is in good agreement with the actual rock burst grades; compared with the traditional rock burst estimation methods, the estimation results of Eq/E-based rock burst estimation methods are more reliable; when Eq/E of specimens in different directions is used to estimate rock burst grades, the reliability of the estimated results from high to low is longitudinal, oblique, and transverse specimen. The results presented herein are important for the prevention and control of rock burst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between vitamin D/calcium and risk of ovarian cancer is still a debatable point. The aim of our study was to systematically investigate the association between vitamin D/calcium, and the risk of ovarian cancer and estimate their dose-response association quantitatively.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant observational studies. Two investigators screened citations and extracted data independently. Data were extracted and the association between vitamin D/calcium and ovarian cancer risk was estimated by calculating pooled relative risks (RRs). Subgroup analyses, publication bias estimation, and dose-response analyses were carried out as well.Results: In total, 21 articles involving 980,008 participants were included in our present study. No significant association was observed between total vitamin D intake and ovarian cancer risk (RR: 1.02; 95% CI, 0.89-1.16, p = 0.81). Further subgroup analysis suggested that neither dietary vitamin D intake (RR: 0.80; 95% CI, 0.62-1.03, p = 0.09) nor supplementary vitamin D intake (RR: 0.98; 95% CI, 0.85-1.13, p = 0.80) was associated with the risk of ovarian cancer. As for calcium, total calcium intake was found to be statistically inversely associated with ovarian cancer risk in case-control studies (RR: 0.73; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86, p < 0.001) but not in cohort studies (RR: 1.05; 95% CI, 0.90-1.24, p = 0.52). Besides, supplementation with calcium plus vitamin D was not effective for the prevention of ovarian cancer (p = 0.98). Of note, dose-response analysis based on cohort studies suggested a potential inverse U-shape relationship between calcium intake (including total calcium and dietary calcium) and ovarian cancer risk, which indicated that low dose of calcium intake might reduce ovarian cancer risk while high dose of calcium intake might not.Conclusions: Taken together, vitamin D could not decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. The role of calcium intake was not proven for reducing ovarian cancer risk. Besides, no evidence showed combinative use of calcium and vitamin D have additional benefits for ovarian cancer prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The association between dietary carbohydrate intake, glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), and risk of gastric cancer (GC) 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 up to March 2015, and either a fixed- or a random-effects model was adopted to estimate overall relative risks (RRs). Dose-response, meta-regression, subgroup, and publication bias analyses were applied. Results: Twenty-six studies with approximately 540,000 participants were finally included in this meta-analysis. High level of dietary carbohydrate intake (pooled RR 1.17, 95 % CI 0.91-1.50), GI (pooled RR 1.17, 95 % CI 0.80-1.69), and GL (pooled RR 1.06, 95 % CI 0.90-1.26) were all nonsignificantly associated with incidence of GC. In addition, no significant dose-response relationship was observed between carbohydrate intake, GI and GL, and the risk of GC. However, further subgroup analyses based on gender and geographic region suggested a significant association between higher carbohydrate intake (pooled RR 1.52, 95 % CI 1.10-2.08), GL (pooled RR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.04-1.92), and GC risk in males subgroup, and between higher carbohydrate intake (pooled RR 1.69, 95 % CI 1.36-2.09) and GC risk in Asian studies. Conclusions: No significant association was found between dietary carbohydrate intake, GI and GL, and risk of GC. However, significantly positive association was observed in the males subgroup and Asian studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis associated in lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was identified to be the first long non-coding RNA as a biomarker of independent prognostic value for early stage non-small cell lung cancer patient survival. In recent years, the association between upregulated tissue MALAT1 level and incidence of various cancers including bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, and renal cancer has been widely discussed. The aim of our present study was to assess the potential prognostic value of MALAT1 in various human cancers. PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched, and eligible studies evaluating the prognostic value of MALAT1 in various cancers were included. Finally, 11 studies encompassing 1216 participants reporting with sufficient data were enrolled in the current meta-analysis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) was 2.05 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.64-2.55, p < 0.01) for overall survival (OS) and 2.66 (95 % CI 1.86-3.80, p < 0.01) for disease-free survival (DFS). In conclusion, high tissue MALAT1 level was associated with an inferior clinical outcome in various cancers, suggesting that MALAT1 might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for various cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly ordered mesoporous carbon-alumina nanocomposites (OMCA) have been synthesized for the first time by a multi-component co-assembly method followed by pyrolysis at high temperatures. In this synthesis, resol phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF resin) and alumina sol were respectively used as the carbon and alumina precursors and triblock copolymer Pluronic F127 as the template. N2-adsorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that, with an increase of the alumina content in the nanocomposite from 11 to 48 wt.%, the pore size increased from 2.9 to 5.0 nm while the ordered mesoporous structure was retained. Further increasing the alumina content to 53 wt.% resulted in wormhole-like structures, although the pore size distribution was still narrow. The nanocomposite walls are composed of continuous carbon and amorphous alumina, which allows the ordered mesostructure to be well preserved even after the removal of alumina by HF etching or the removal of carbon by calcination in air. The OMCA nanocomposites exhibited good thermostability below 1000 °C; at higher temperatures the ordered mesostructure partially collapsed, associated with a phase transformation from amorphous alumina into γ-AlO. OMCA-supported Pt catalysts exhibited excellent performance in the one-pot transformation of cellulose into hexitols thanks to the unique surface properties of the nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to systematically assess the association between dioxin/2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and cancer incidence and mortality. Systematic literature searches were conducted until July 2015 in Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane library to identify relevant studies. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), standard incidence ratio (SIR) or standard mortality ratio (SMR) for cancer incidence or mortality. In addition, dose-response, meta-regression, subgroup, and publication bias analyses were conducted. Thirty-one studies involving 29,605 cancer cases and 3,478,748 participants were included. Higher external exposure level of TCDD was significantly associated with all cancer mortality (pooled SMR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.19, p = 0.04), but not all cancer incidence (pooled RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.97-1.06, p = 0.49). Higher blood level of TCDD was both significantly associated with all cancer incidence (pooled RR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.21-2.04, p = 0.001) and all cancer mortality (pooled SMR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.25-1.69, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis suggested that higher external exposure and blood level of TCDD were both significantly associated with the mortality caused by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In conclusion, external exposure and blood level of TCDD were both significantly associated with all cancer mortality, especially for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]