Search

This study aimed to evaluate the survival outcomes of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (NARCT) for early breast cancer. Female patients ≤ 80 years old with unilateral T1-T4 invasive ductal breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and radiation therapy (RT) between 2006 and 2015 were enrolled from SEER database. Baseline differences in clinical and pathological characteristics were evaluated using chi-square test. The survival outcomes were estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis and compared using Cox hazards models. The effects of baseline differences on survival outcome in patients treated with neoadjuvant radiation therapy (NART) and post-operation radiation therapy (PORT) were circumvented by propensity score matching (PSM). Altogether 14,151 patients receiving NAC and RT were enrolled, among whom 386 underwent NART. Based on a 1:4 PSM cohort, NART was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) for the whole cohort. However, among patients receiving breast conserving surgery (BCS) (HR 1.029, P = 0.915 for BCSS; HR 1.003, P = 0.990 for OS) or implant-based immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) (HR 1.039, P = 0.921 for BCSS; HR 1.153, P = 0.697 for OS), those treated with NART had similar survival outcomes compared with patients treated with PORT. In conclusion, NARCT was a safe and feasible approach for patients undergoing BCS and IBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the significance of chemotherapy (CT) among metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC), and to compare the survival outcomes between triple negative MpBC (MpBC-TNBC) and triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC-TNBC). SEER database was indexed to identify female unilateral primary MpBC diagnosed from 2010 to 2017. Patients were classified into neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with response (NAC-response), NAC-no response, adjuvant chemotherapy, and no CT. Breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Cox regression was used to evaluate the independent prognostic factors. A 1:4 propensity score matching method was adopted to balance baseline differences. Altogether 1186 MpBC patients were enrolled, among them 181 received NAC, 647 received adjuvant CT and 358 did not receive any CT. Chemotherapy was an independent favorable prognostic factor. NAC-response and adjuvant CT had a significant or an obvious trend of survival improvement compared with NAC-no response or no CT. MpBC-TNBC was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor compared with IDC-TNBC. Among them, there was significant or trend of survival improvement among all TNBCs receiving NAC or adjuvant CT compared with no CT. Chemotherapy was of important significance to MpBC prognosis and should be integrated in comprehensive treatment for MpBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered VOPO4·2H2O is considered a good electrode material structure for the insertion and extraction of energy storage ions, but the lattice water may affect the electrochemical stability. To provide more active site and more stable layered structure, the lattice water was replaced by tetrahydrofuran (THF), and the THF intercalated VOPO4 was obtained. The interlayer spacing has changed from 7.4 to 6.3 Å after THF intercalation, and the layered structure of VOPO4-THF is well preserved. It offers enhanced structural stability during charge and discharge processes, minimizing electrode degradation. In addition, increasing the oxidation state of pentavalent vanadium in VOPO4-THF is also beneficial for enhancing the capacitance of electrode materials. Combining the stable layered structure with a high oxidation state, VOPO4-THF electrode material exhibits good capacity and long cycle life. Our work convert traditional VOPO4·2H2O electrode into a promising high-performance active electrode for zinc-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A is a pollutant issued from the degradation of plastics such as polycarbonate and epoxy resins, yet actual bisphenol A monitoring in environmental samples is limited. Here we present the electrochemical detection of bisphenol A with a novel composite, MoS2–CoS2/reduced graphene oxide, obtained by a facile two-step hydrothermal process using MoS2 nanoflowers, CoS2 nano-polyhedrons and reduced graphene oxide. Results show that the linear range of the electrochemical sensor is wider, of 0.02–200 μM, and the detection limit is lower, of 2.5 nM, than actual electrochemical sensors. These findings are explained by good conductivity and the presence of abundant active sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme rainfall events have become an increasing component of the annual precipitation in China, which caused amounts of geological disasters, especially in Southwest China. At approximately 7 a.m. (Beijing time) on July 13, 2020, a catastrophic soil and rock landslide occurred in Baima Town, Wulong District, Chongqing, China. With a length of 750 m and a width of 125 m to 260 m, the landslide carried approximately 1.4 × 106 m3 of rock and soil debris and destroyed eight houses, two main roads, a shale gas pipeline, and a large amount of farmland. After the landslide failure, the accumulation zone still deformed responding to continuous rainfall. The failure mechanism of the landslide was analyzed based on the geological conditions, deformation process, and triggering factors. The research shows that the Niuerwan landslide had a complex deformation process. According to the deformation characteristics, the landslide is divided into five parts: the source area, the compression area, the rapid-sliding area, the landslide-affected zone, and the accumulation area. The source area was triggered by continuous torrential rainfall and controlled by mudstone and bedding plane. The variation of the microrelief in the study area has a significant effect on the failure model of the landslide. Precipitation triggered the failure of the steep source area which impacted the middle part. Eventually, a continuous sliding surface developed along with the weak layer, giving rise to catastrophic failure. Moreover, the accumulation area at the steep slope toe rapidly moved downward to form a debris flow under the combined action of the geological conditions and rainfall. The Niuerwan landslide is a complex rainfall-induced landslide with a unique evolution process, which can provide some useful information for the early warning and deformation mechanism of landslides in similar geological settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic properties of pristine graphdiyne nanosheet (GDY) and boron-doped graphdiyne (BGDY) were scrutinized using the first-principles calculation. Furthermore, the adsorption energy, charge transfer, and electrical conductivity variation of the 5-fluorouracil (5FU) drugs on both the GDY and BGDY sheet surfaces were reported and were employed to investigate the binding among them. The tendency of pristine GDY to 5FU drug was already identified to be negligible. Moreover, the band gap energy was changed only around 3.31% after 5FU adsorption on the GDY sheet. The adsorption energy of 5FU on the BGDY was computed in both gas and water solvent media and was about − 32.72 and − 41.96 kcal/mol, respectively. The moderate amount of solvation energy indicates the good solubility of the implemented drugs in the aqueous medium. Moreover, significant transfer of charge from the 5FU to the BGDY sheet results in a substantially positive charge for B, which is a prerequisite of the adsorption of the 5FU molecule with the suitable binding energy. In addition, after 5FU adsorption, the electrical conductivity of BGDY was increased by about 25.5%, and based on this result, the BGDY is a suitable electronic sensor for 5FU detection unlike to pristine GDY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monomethylmercury (MMHg) is a potent toxin that bioaccumulates and magnifies in marine food webs. Recent studies show abundant methylated Hg in deep oceans (>1000 m), yet its origin remains uncertain. Here we measured Hg isotope compositions in fauna and surface sediments from the Mariana Trench. The trench fauna at 7000–11000 m depth all have substantially positive mass-independent fractionation of odd Hg isotopes (odd-MIF), which can be generated only in the photic zone via MMHg photo-degradation. Given the identical odd-MIF in trench fauna and North Pacific upper ocean (<1000 m) biota MMHg, we suggest that the accumulated Hg in trench fauna originates exclusively from MMHg produced in upper oceans, which penetrates to depth by sorption to sinking particles. Our findings reveal little in-situ MMHg production in deep oceans and imply that anthropogenic Hg released at the Earth's surface is much more pervasive across deep oceans than was previously thought. Monomethylmercury is a toxin that humans can be exposed to after consumption of seafood in which it has bioaccumulated. Here the authors show that amphipods in the deepest point of the global ocean contain monomethylmercury with surface origins, suggesting rapid sinking of this toxin on particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrode materials play a crucial role in determining the comprehensive performance of the constructed flexible supercapacitors. Herein, a simple synthesis method was reported to fabricate soft polypyrrole (PPy) hydrogels with in situ-doped sulfonated graphene quantum dots (sGQD). The sulfonic acid groups rimming the graphene quantum dots (GQD) can protonate the nitrogen groups of PPy and form electrostatic interactions, leading to PPy chains cross-linking to form a three-dimensional network which can be gelated into a hydrogel. It is found that sGQD can form transport channels to facilitate fast solvated ion diffusion during charge and discharge process that can contribute to the performance improvement. Since both electrochemical activity and excellent conductivity are reserved, the as-prepared PPy/sGQD-160 hydrogel electrode exhibits an extremely higher specific capacitance (641 F g−1 at current density of 0.2 A g−1) and superior cycle stability compared with PPy hydrogel. In addition, the electrochemical performance of PPy/sGQD hydrogels is gradually improved with the increment of sGQD, which can be ascribed to the high conductivity of sGQD dopant. These results indicate that the obtained PPy/sGQD hydrogels can be considered as a promising electrode material for flexible high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NLRP3 inflammasome is a key contributor to obesity-related insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a principle intracellular energy sensor exerting protective effect against T2D. Strikingly, compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK, considerably inhibited the secretion of IL-1β when THP-1 cells were stimulated with LPS plus palmitic acid (PA). The underlying mechanism was examined with respect to the effect of compound C on NLRP3 inflammasome, a multiprotein complex which controls the processing and production of IL-1β. Interestingly, compound C significantly attenuated the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. This phenomenon was reproduced in AMPK siRNA-transfected THP-1 cells, indicating that compound C exerts this function despite AMPK knockdown. Also, it significantly suppresses the mitochondria-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) required for NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In conclusion, compound C was shown to significantly attenuate the NLRP3 inflammasome despite AMPK knockdown, rendering it as the novel target of compound C. Potentially, compound C attenuates NLRP3 inflammasome through the suppression of mitochondrial ROS production. These findings offer initial evidence into compound C as a novel pharmacological agent with significant therapeutic potential in NLRP3 inflammasome-related disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, and T2D. Thus, further studies are essential to identify the effect of compound C on these diseases in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk fibroin (SF) has the characteristics of non-toxicity, good biocompatibility and low immunogenicity, and exhibits many potential applications in biomaterial fields. In the present work, chemical phosphorylation of SF was carried out via the Maillard reaction using D-glucose-6-phosphate (GP), aiming at increasing the number of binding-sites for calcium ion and promoting the biomimetic mineralization of SF films. Changes in the molecular weight of SF before and after GP grafting were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and SEC chromatogram. Structures, morphologies, and elemental compositions for the fibroin-based films before and after mineralization were evaluated by the means of EDS, SEM, FTIR, and XRD. The results indicated that GP was successfully grafted onto SF surfaces, companying with a slight decrease in the molecular weight. Biomimetic mineralization led to a noticeable deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the film of SF-g-GP, and higher contents of calcium and phosphorous were detected on the mineralized material, revealing that phosphorylation promoted the mineralization processing. Meanwhile, biocompatibility of the obtained SF-g-GP/HAp was above the acceptable level according to ISO 10993-5-2009. The present work provides an alternative to prepare the fibroin-based bone repair materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ternary reduced graphene oxide based Bi2O2CO3/BiOCl (rBB) composite was prepared for the first time via a facile hydrothermal approach. The composite has a carnation-like morphology and consists of self-assembled nanoplates. Due to the unique structure and synergistic effect existing among reduced graphene oxide (rGO), Bi2O2CO3 and BiOCl nanoplates, the rBB composite exhibits good photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of ciprofloxacin, which is much higher than that of previously reported oxygen-containing bismuth compound photocatalyst. The combination of rGO with Bi2O2CO3/BiOCl greatly improves the visible-light-driven catalytic activity of the composite with the highest degradation efficiency achieved at a rGO content of 1.0 wt%. 83% of the degradation efficiency can be retained after five cycles, and no obvious decrease is observed from the third cycle. Photogenerated holes and hydroxyl radicals are proved to be the major oxidative species in the degradation. The photocatalytic performance of rBB toward degradation of Tetracycline, Methyl Blue and Rhodamine B is also found quite desirable, making rBB a promising broad spectrum photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) represent a key emerging technology to resolve the connection issues on, in or around the human body. One of the most important and challenging issues in WBANs is to maximize the network lifetime. Employing additional relaying node to save energy was considered in the literatures available. Different from the related work, we propose a novel adaptive MAC protocol for WBANs named Network Longevity Enhancement by Energy Aware medium access control Protocol (NLEEAP), which reduces energy consumption without introducing additional devices. The procedures in NLEEAP consist of relay request, relay response and superframe adjustment. The relay operation is initiated when the shortage of a node's residual energy occurs. Once the relay succeeds, NLEEAP smoothly switches the network topology from single-hop to multi-hop. Simulations are conducted and the results show the superiority of NLEEAP in energy efficiency compared with that of existing standard of IEEE 802.15.4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We previously identified a novel protein elicitor, PebC1, from Botrytis cinerea and described its enhancement of plant growth, drought tolerance and disease resistance in tomato. Here, we have investigated the defense-associated molecular responses in Arabidopsis thaliana after treatment with recombinant PebC1. PebC1 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant protein treatments improved plant resistance to Botrytis infection and maintained plant defenses for more than 21 days. The purified protein at 10 μg ml activated extracellular medium alkalization (pH) and reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide generation and also induced defense gene expression. Arabidopsis mutants that are insensitive to salicylic acid had increased resistance to Botrytis infection after PebC1 treatment but PebC1 did not affect the resistance of mutants with jasmonic acid and ethylene transduction pathways. The results suggest that PebC1 can function as an activator of plant disease resistance and can promote disease resistance to Botrytis in A. thaliana through the ethylene signal transduction pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We found that the elicitor PevD1 triggered innate immunity in cotton, which plays an important role in future cotton wilt disease control. Abstract: Elicitors can induce defense responses in plants and improve pathogen resistance. PevD1 is a secreted protein from Verticillium dahliae and activates the hypersensitive response and systemic acquired resistance to tobacco mosaic virus in tobacco plants. To investigate the PevD1-induced disease resistance mechanisms in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum), we report that Escherichia coli expressing PevD1 enhanced cotton resistance and the defense response to the fungal pathogen V. dahliae. The results showed that recombinant PevD1 improved cotton resistance when infiltrated at a concentration as low as 4 μg ml, and the highest disease reduction was 38.16 % on the 15th day post V. dahliae inoculation. This protein was able to systemically induce hydrogen peroxide production, nitric oxide generation, lignin deposition, vessel reinforcement and defense enzymes, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase. PevD1 also enhanced the expression of three pathogenesis-related genes, namely, β- 1,3- glucanase, chitinase, and cadinene synthase, and three key genes, PAL, C4H1, and 4CL, from the cotton defense phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway. Our results demonstrated that PevD1 acted as an effector in cotton and V. dahliae interactions and triggered innate immunity in cotton, resulting in the upregulation of defense-related genes, metabolic substance deposition and cell wall modifications. PevD1 is a candidate plant defense activator for cotton wilt disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PevD1, a novel protein elicitor from the pathogenic cotton verticillium wilt fungus, Verticillium dahliae, induced a hypersensitive response in tobacco plants. In this paper, the elicitor was purified and analyzed using de novo sequencing. The protein-encoding pevD1 gene consists of a 468-bp open reading frame that produces a polypeptide of 155 amino acids, with a theoretical molecular weight of 16.23 kDa. The sequence of elicitor protein PevD1 was matched to the genomic sequence (GenBank accession no. ABJE 01000445.1) of a putative protein from V. dahliae strain vdls.17, but a function had not yet been reported. The pevD1 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant protein was characterized for its ability to confer systemic acquired resistance to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Recombinant PevD1-treated plants exhibited enhanced systemic resistance compared to control, including a significant reduction in the number and size of TMV lesions on tobacco leaves. The elicitor protein-induced hydrogen peroxide production, extracellular-medium alkalization, callose deposition, phenolics metabolism, and lignin synthesis in tobacco. Our results demonstrate that elicitor-PevD1 triggers defense responses in intact tobacco plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of symmetrical imidazole- and N-methylated imidazole-based diarylethenes were synthesized, and the structures have been well characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Their photochromism were investigated upon UV/vis light irradiation in DMF solution. A significant red-shift of UV absorption was observed after irradiation with UV light when substituents on the benzene ring (such as methoxyl group) were introduced. But N-methylation on the two imidazole rings will result in a blue-shift of UV absorption. The photophysical properties can be adjusted by changing the substituents, which provides a new strategy for the design of diarylethenes with excellent properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]