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The indications for percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) and percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) are painful vertebral compression fractures. Our study is to assess the risk–benefit ratio of PKP/PVP surgery in the patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) without receiving antimyeloma therapy. The clinical data of 426 consecutive patients with NDMM admitted to our center from February 2012 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The baseline data, postoperative pain relief, the proportion of recurrent vertebral fractures, and survival time were compared between the PKP/PVP surgical group and the nonsurgical group in the NDMM patients. Of the 426 patients with NDMM, 206 patients had vertebral fractures (206/426, 48.4%). Of these, 32 (32/206, 15.5%) underwent PKP/PVP surgery for misdiagnosis of simple osteoporosis prior to diagnosis of MM (surgical group), and the other 174 (174/206, 84.5%) did not undergo surgical treatment prior to definitive diagnosis of MM (non-surgical group). The median age of patients in the surgical and nonsurgical groups was 66 and 62 years, respectively (p = 0.01). The proportion of patients with advanced ISS and RISS stages was higher in the surgical group (ISS stage II + III 96.9% vs. 71.8%, p = 0.03; RISS stage III 96.9% vs. 71%, p = 0.01). Postoperatively, 10 patients (31.3%) never experienced pain relief and 20 patients (62.5%) experienced short-term pain relief with a median duration of relief of 2.6 months (0.2–24.1 months). Postoperative fractures of vertebrae other than the surgical site occurred in 24 patients (75%) in the surgical group, with a median time of 4.4 months postoperatively (0.4–86.8 months). Vertebral fractures other than the fracture site at the first visit occurred in 5 patients (2.9%) in the nonoperative group at the time of diagnosis of MM, with a median time of 11.9 months after the first visit (3.5–12.6 months). The incidence of secondary fractures was significantly higher in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (75% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.001). The time interval between the first visit and definitive diagnosis of MM was longer in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (6.1 months vs. 1.6 months, p = 0.01). At a median follow-up of 32 months (0.3–123 months), median overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (48.2 months vs. 66 months, p = 0.04). Application of PKP/PVP surgery for pain relief in NDMM patients without antimyeloma therapy has a limited effect and a high risk of new vertebral fractures after surgery. Therefore, patients with NDMM may need to have their disease controlled with antimyeloma therapy prior to any consideration for PKP/PVP surgery.

Production of hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water, two of the most abundant natural resources on Earth, offers one of the most promising pathways for carbon neutrality

To evaluate myocardial viability in patients with myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) via dual-energy computed tomography myocardial blood pool imaging (DECT MBPI).Between September 2017 and January 2019, we prospectively recruited 59 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who developed MIRI after revascularization during invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Then, they received DECT MBPI, SPECT, and PET sequentially within 1 week after the onset of MIRI. A total of 1003 myocardial segments of 59 patients were recruited for this study. The iodine reduction areas and delayed enhancement areas were calculated by cardiac iodine map with SPECT rest myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) + PET myocardial metabolism imaging (MMI) as reference criteria. The paired sample t-test was used to measure the difference of the myocardial iodine value. Cohen's Kappa analysis was used to test the consistency among different observers. ROC analysis was used to calculate the myocardial viability of DECT MBPI.ROC showed the AUCs of DECT MBPI iodine value to identify a normal myocardium, an ischemic myocardium, and an infarcted myocardium were 0.957, 0.900, and 0.906 (p0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DECT MBPI in identifying an ischemic myocardium were 87.6%, 89.3%, and 97.9% (p0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DECT MBPI in identifying an infarcted myocardium were 88.9%, 92.2%, and 98.6% (p0.001). The cutoff value for DECT MBPI to differentiate between an ischemic and a normal myocardium was 0.84 mg I/mL. The cutoff value for DECT MBPI to differentiate between an infarct and a normal myocardium was 2.01 mg I/mL.DECT MBPI can be used to assess myocardial viability in patients with MIRI with high sensitivity and specificity.• Dual-energy computed tomography myocardial blood pool imaging (DECT MBPI) can evaluate myocardial viability of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). • DECT MBPI is a non-invasive and timesaving method for evaluation on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients with acute myocardial infarction after coronary intervention.

Granular waste rocks filled in goaf can replace coal seams to support roofs, thus reducing the extent of overlying strata movement, and thus reducing the environment damage caused by coal mining. To better to control the compression-induced deformation (CID) of waste rocks for backfill (WRBs), a loose material, it is feasible to apply lateral cyclic loads on granular waste rocks in advance. In order to study the effect of lateral cyclic loading on granular waste rocks, by utilising pre-lateral cyclic loading and axial loading, the deformation of granular waste rocks under load was tested on a compression simulation experimental platform for solid backfill materials. Furthermore, the changes in displacement, stress and mass of granular waste rocks during lateral cyclic loading were attained. The test results showed that (1) the loading stress progressively increased with the growth of the loading displacement, in which the rising process was divided into three stages according to the rate of loading. (2) With the increase in number of loading cycles, the rate of increase of stress in stage I increased and the stress reached increasingly higher levels; at the same time, stage II was gradually shortened. Eventually, only a single stage prevailed as the stress rapidly reached its preset maximum value, and the final displacement of the samples gradually declined. (3) The axial stress-strain curves of the samples exhibited a quasi-exponential relationship. Through lateral cyclic loading, the relative density of WRBs was significantly improved, and their deformation resistance was strengthened. (4) During backfill mining, lateral cyclic loads were applied to granular waste rocks, which improved the bearing capacity thereof and reduced strata movement and surface subsidence. This is beneficial to the protection of the surface environment and surrounding buildings.

Breast cancer (BC) has threatened women worldwide for a long time, and novel treatments are needed. Ferroptosis is a new form of regulated cell death that is a potential therapeutic target for BC. In this study, we identified Escin, a traditional Chinese medicine, as a possible supplement for existing chemotherapy strategies. Escin inhibited BC cell growth in vitro and in vivo, and ferroptosis is probable to be the main cause for Escin-induced cell death. Mechanistically, Escin significantly downregulated the protein level of GPX4, while overexpression of GPX4 could reverse the ferroptosis triggered by Escin. Further study revealed that Escin could promote G6PD ubiquitination and degradation, thus inhibiting the expression of GPX4 and contributing to the ferroptosis. Moreover, proteasome inhibitor MG132 or G6PD overexpression could partially reverse Escin-induced ferroptosis, when G6PD knockdown aggravated that. In vivo study also supported that downregulation of G6PD exacerbated tumor growth inhibition by Escin. Finally, our data showed that cell apoptosis was dramatically elevated by Escin combined with cisplatin in BC cells. Taken together, these results suggest that Escin inhibits tumor growth in vivo and in vitro via regulating the ferroptosis mediated by G6PD/GPX4 axis. Our findings provide a promising therapeutic strategy for BC.

Elastic rings are common rotor supporting structure, which have been widely used in aeroengine rotor-support system. However, large inertia force and gyroscopic moment may occur during the operation of aeroengine, which may lead to contact between elastic ring and bearing pedestal, and then introduce variable stiffness into the rotor-support system. In this paper, a mathematical model of variable stiffness of elastic ring is proposed and this model is subsequently verified by comparison with simulation analysis and experimental results. Based on this model, a variable stiffness model of an elastic ring-supported rotor is developed by coupling the kinetic equations of the rotor with the deformation of the combined support. Then, the spectrum cascades are used to analyze the dynamic characteristics of the rotor system. In addition, the influences of the variable stiffness of elastic ring on the critical speed of the system are also examined. Finally, some simulation results are verified by experiments on a combined test bench of an elastic ring-supported rotor.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related disease characterized by cartilage degeneration. TNFR1-associated death domain protein (TRADD) is a key upstream molecule of TNF-α signals but its role in OA pathogenesis is unknown. This study aimed to verify that whether inhibition of TRADD could protect against chondrocyte necroptosis and OA, and further elucidate the underlying mechanism. We demonstrated that TNF-α-related OA-like phenotypes including inflammation response, extracellular matrix degradation, apoptosis, and necroptosis in chondrocytes were inhibited by TRADD deficiency. Furthermore, TRADD interacted with TRAF2 and knockdown of TRADD suppressed the activation of RIPK1-TAK1-NF-κB signals and restored impaired autophagy. ICCB-19, the selective inhibitor of TRADD, also attenuated necroptosis in chondrocytes. Mechanismly, ICCB-19 blocked the phosphorylation of TAK1-NF-κB signals and restored impaired autophagy, whereas inhibiting autophagic process with 3-Methyladenine compromised these effects of ICCB-19. The in vivo study showed that the intra-articular injection of ICCB-19 rescued the expression of collagen alpha-1(II) chain and LC3, and mitigated the cartilage degeneration of OA mice. This study demonstrates that TRADD mediates TNF-α-induced necroptosis and OA-like phenotypes of chondrocytes and suggests that ICCB-19 suppresses chondrocyte damage and cartilage degeneration by inhibiting TNF-α-TRADD-mediated signals and dysregulation of autophagy in chondrocytes. ICCB-19 may serve as an important option for OA therapy.

Chronic gastritis (CG) and osteoporosis (OP) are common and occult diseases in the elderly and the relationship of these two diseases have been increasingly exposed. We aimed to explore the clinical characteristics and shared mechanisms of CG patients combined with OP. In the cross-sectional study, all participants were selected from BEYOND study. The CG patients were included and classified into two groups, namely OP group and non-OP group. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to evaluate the influencing factors. Furthermore, CG and OP-related genes were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the GEO2R tool and the Venny platform. Protein–protein interaction information was obtained by inputting the intersection targets into the STRING database. The PPI network was constructed by Cytoscape v3.6.0 software again, and the key genes were screened out according to the degree value. Gene function enrichment of DEGs was performed by Webgestalt online tool. One hundred and thirty CG patients were finally included in this study. Univariate correlation analysis showed that age, gender, BMI and coffee were the potential influencing factors for the comorbidity (P

Background Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with apparent extraintestinal manifestations, including in the oral cavity. Oral epithelial dysplasia, an exclusive histopathological diagnosis that is used to predict malignant transformation, has never been reported with ulcerative colitis. Herein, we report a case with ulcerative colitis that was diagnosed via extraintestinal manifestations of oral epithelial dysplasia and aphthous ulceration. Case presentation A 52-year-old male suffering from ulcerative colitis came to our hospital complaining of pain on his tongue with a history of 1 week. Clinical examination revealed multiple painful oval ulcers on the ventral surfaces of the tongue. Histopathological examination indicated ulcerative lesion and mild dysplasia in the adjacent epithelium. Direct immunofluorescence demonstrated negative staining along the junction of the epithelium and lamina propria. Immunohistochemical staining with Ki-67, p16, p53 and podoplanin was used to rule out the reactive cellular atypia to inflammation and ulceration of the mucosa. A diagnosis of aphthous ulceration and oral epithelial dysplasia was made. The patient was treated with mouthwash (composed of lidocaine, gentamicin and dexamethasone) and triamcinolone acetonide oral ointment. Oral ulceration healed after one week of treatment. At the 12-month follow-up, minor scarring was observed on the right ventral surface of the tongue, and the patient felt no discomfort in the oral mucosa. Conclusion Oral epithelial dysplasia might also occur in patients with ulcerative colitis despite the low incidence, which should broaden the understanding of oral manifestations of ulcerative colitis.

Highly efficient gene knockout (KO) editing of CRISPR–Cas9 has been achieved in iPSCs, whereas homology-directed repair (HDR)-mediated precise gene knock-in (KI) and high-level expression are still bottlenecks for the clinical applications of iPSCs. Here, we developed a novel editing strategy that targets introns. By targeting the intron before the stop codon, this approach tolerates reading frameshift mutations caused by nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated indels, thereby maintaining gene integrity without damaging the non-HDR-edited allele. Furthermore, to increase the flexibility and screen for the best intron-targeting sgRNA, we designed an HDR donor with an artificial intron in place of the endogenous intron. The presence of artificial introns, particularly an intron that carries an enhancer element, significantly increased the reporter expression levels in iPSCs compared to the intron-deleted control. In addition, a combination of the small molecules M3814 and trichostatin A (TSA) significantly improves HDR efficiency by inhibiting NHEJ. These results should find applications in gene therapy and basic research, such as creating reporter cell lines.

In this paper, we propose a random noise suppression and super-resolution reconstruction algorithm for seismic profiles based on Generative Adversarial Networks, in anticipation of reducing the influence of random noise and low resolution on seismic profiles. Firstly, the algorithm used the residual learning strategy to construct a de-noising subnet to accurate separate the interference noise on the basis of protecting the effective signal. Furthermore, it iterated the back-projection unit to complete the reconstruction of the high-resolution seismic sections image, while responsed sampling error to enhance the super-resolution performance of the algorithm. For seismic data characteristics, designed the discriminator to be a fully convolutional neural network, used a larger convolution kernels to extract data features and continuously strengthened the supervision of the generator performance optimization during the training process. The results on the synthetic data and the actual data indicated that the algorithm could improve the quality of seismic cross-section, make ideal signal-to-noise ratio and further improve the resolution of the reconstructed cross-sectional image. Besides, the observations of geological structures such as fractures were also clearer.

As a fundamental characteristic of physical entities, waveparticle duality describes whether a microscopic entity exhibits wave or particle attributes depending on the specific experimental setup. This assumption is premised on the notion that physical properties are inseparable from the objective carrier. However, after the concept of the quantum Cheshire cats was proposed, which makes the separation of physical attributes from the entity possible, the premise no longer holds. Furthermore, an experimental demonstration of the separation of the wave and particle attributes inspired by this scenario remains scarce. In this work, we experimentally separated the wave and particle attributes of a single photon by exploiting the quantum Cheshire cat concept for the first time. By applying a weak disturbance to the evolution of the system, we achieve an effect similar to the quantum Cheshire cat and demonstrated the separation of the wave and particle attributes via the extraction of weak values. Our work provides a new perspective for the indepth understanding of waveparticle duality and promotes the application of weak measurements in fundamentals of quantum mechanics., Comment: 12 pages,4 figures, published in Light: Science & Applications

The purpose of this research was to identify mechanisms by which cultural cognitions were linked to parenting cognitions and practices in acculturating Chinese communities in the United States. In particular, parenting cognitions (sense of investment and parental satisfaction) were examined in relation to Chinese-American mothers’ cultural cognitions (Chinese and U.S. cultural orientation and both individualism and collectivism) and their role involvement and time involvement with their children. Parenting cognitions were also tested as potential mediators in the relationships between cultural cognitions and parental involvement. Path analyses demonstrated that stronger Chinese cultural orientation was associated with increased parental sense of investment and both time and role involvement. Their U.S. cultural orientation was negatively associated with parental time and role involvement. Collectivism was associated with increased parental investment and parental satisfaction. In addition, parental sense of investment mediated the association between Chinese cultural orientation and parental role involvement. The results demonstrated specific processes by which acculturation was linked to parenting cognitions and practices. The findings have implications for further conceptualizing complex bicultural identifications and their impact within the acculturating Chinese community, as well as understanding more broadly how specific cultural orientations and values manifest in parenting practices across acculturating communities.

Many geotechnical engineering problems in the cold region, including cracking of pavements, damage to the foundations of structures, and fracture of pipelines are blamed due to the deformation and failure of frozen soils. In this study, cryogenic suction is used as one of the constitutive variables together with the solid-phase stress to model the joint influence of temperature and confining pressure on the constitutive behaviour of frozen soils. A nonlinear relationship is proposed to link cryogenic cohesion with cryogenic suction, to consider the strength increase due to the lowering of temperature. In the space of the solid-phase stress and cryogenic suction, loading-collapse yield surface, subloading surface, and unified hardening parameter are then integrated to produce a novel multisurface constitutive model for frozen soil. The proposed model can predict the mechanical behaviours such as softening/hardening and dilation/compression of frozen soil under various temperatures and stresses. Some special characteristics of frozen soil, including the deformation induced by ice segregation and softening related to pressure melting, can also be well explained by this model. The developed model is validated by using several triaxial compression test results of different frozen soils in the literature.

Machine learning methods are a novel way to predict and rank donors' willingness to donate blood and to achieve precision recruitment, which can improve the recruitment efficiency and meet the challenge of blood shortage. We collected information about experienced blood donors via short message service (SMS) recruitment and developed 7 machine learning-based recruitment models using PyCharm-Python Environment and 13 features which were described as a method for ranking and predicting donors’ intentions to donate blood with a floating number between 0 and 1. Performance of the prediction models was assessed by the Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score in the full dataset, and by the accuracy in the four sub-datasets. The developed models were applied to prospective validations of recruiting experienced blood donors during two COVID-19 pandemics, while the routine method was used as a control. Overall, a total of 95,476 recruitments via SMS and their donation results were enrolled in our modelling study. The strongest predictor features for the donation of experienced donors were blood donation interval, age, and donation frequency. Among the seven baseline models, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Support vector machine models (SVM) achieved the best performance: mean (95%CI) with the highest AUC: 0.809 (0.806–0.811), accuracy: 0.815 (0.812–0.818), precision: 0.840 (0.835–0.845), and F1 score of XGBoost: 0.843 (0.840–0.845) and recall of SVM: 0.991 (0.988–0.994). The hit rate of the XGBoost model alone and the combined XGBoost and SVM models were 1.25 and 1.80 times higher than that of the conventional method as a control in 2 recruitments respectively, and the hit rate of the high willingness to donate group was 1.96 times higher than that of the low willingness to donate group. Our results suggested that the machine learning models could predict and determine the experienced donors with a strong willingness to donate blood by a ranking score based on personalized donation data and demographical details, significantly improve the recruitment rate of blood donors and help blood agencies to maintain the blood supply in emergencies.

Vermicompost is a commonly used organic fertilizer that can effectively improve the fertility and structure of saline soil. However, the effect of vermicompost on the growth of halophytes in coastal saline soil, especially under flooding conditions, is obscure. We conducted two greenhouse experiments in which seeds and seedlings, respectively, of the Suaeda salsa were subjected to no flooding, episodic flooding, or continuous flooding, crossed with or without vermicompost addition, in a factorial design. Continuous flooding decreased seed germination and seedling biomass of S. salsa. Under no flooding or episodic flooding, vermicompost addition significantly increased seed germination and seedling growth in S. salsa, but vermicompost addition had no significant effects under continuous flooding. Vermicompost addition increased the stability of soil aggregates and decreased soil electrical conductivity, thereby improving the soil quality. Our results suggest that vermicompost addition could be an effective strategy for enhancing the population growth of S. salsa in saline soil and benefit the restoration of the S. salsa community in the Yellow River Delta, China.

As an excellent microwave absorption material, the in-depth study of carbon-based nanofibers’ absorbing mechanism is of great significance for subsequent applications. In this paper, carbon/SiO2 core-sheath nanofibers with Co-Fe nanoparticles embedded in were synthesized by electrospinning and carbonization. The morphology, microstructure, magnetic properties, and microwave absorption performance of the composite nanofibers were characterized in detail. The results show that the maximum reflection loss (RL) could reach to −59.6 dB, and the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (RL

In this paper, silver nanowires/polyaniline (Ag/PANI) composites were prepared by an in situ synthesis method. Interestingly, the permittivity changed from positive to negative along with the formation of percolation network. The plasma oscillations of free electrons from the network made a dominant effect on the negative permittivity behavior. Further investigation revealed that the composites with negative permittivity presented inductive character. The polymer-based epsilon-negative composites can be applied to electromagnetic shielding, flexible electronic devices, and stretchable sensors.

Hyperbranched polyethylenimines (hPEIs) have diverse biological applications; however, the intrinsic toxicity is a major concern in developing hPEI-based biomaterials. This work reports the synthesis, properties, and an application as a biocompatible hPEI-based material, namely, fluorescent oxidized hPEI polymeric nanoparticles (F-ohPEIs). The synthesis was achieved through oxidation of hPEI with H2O2 and subsequent cross-linking with formaldehyde, imparting to F-ohPEIs’ desired properties such as remarkably reduced positive charge density, hydrolytic degradability, low cytotoxicity, strong fluorescence emission, and stability. Furthermore, as an application, F-ohPEI demonstrated the ability to selectively respond to cupric ion in a wide concentration range of 0.02 ~ 10 μM with a low limit of detection of 0.013 μM. The synthesis strategy along with the F-ohPEI nanoparticles developed in this work is expected to find promising application in fabricating biocompatible hPEI-based biomaterials.

The deficiency of N-P availability in soil is a primary cause for crop yield and nutrient loss. Since plant-beneficial microbial symbiosis is an eco-friendly method for compensating this negative effect, understanding the interconnection between endophytic fungus colonization and mineral nutrient accumulation in edible parts of crop is important in agricultural production. In this study, we focused on the effects of endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris on the absorption and distribution of 14 essential mineral elements in vegetative organs (root and shoot) and reproductive organs (grain) of rice during its growing period with reduced N-P fertilizer application, as well as the changes in yield, quality, and mineral nutrition of rice grains. The possible mechanisms including the transcriptional level of the transport-related genes and the structure of endophytic community were also investigated. The results indicated that the P. liquidambaris significantly increased the accumulation of N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo, and Se in rice grains by 20.5%, 18.9%, 18.2%, 9.5%, 17.9%, 13.3%, and 17.1%, respectively, accompanied by the significant increase in yield (23.8%) and protein content (17.3%). These beneficial effects were attributed to the enhancement formation of iron plaque, the upregulation of nutrient transporters genes, and the altered endophyte community by P. liquidambaris symbiosis. In conclusion, P. liquidambaris could promote the partition of nutrients to the grains by increasing the efficiency of nutrient uptake and remobilization. Our results suggest P. liquidambaris symbiosis as a useful candidate for improving the mineral nutrition, quality, and yield of rice grains under N-P-deficient field condition.

Cervical carcinoma (CC) has been associated with high morbidity, poor prognosis, and high intratumor heterogeneity. Necroptosis is the significant cellular signal pathway in tumors which may overcome tumor cells’ apoptosis resistance. To investigate the relationship between CC and necroptosis, we established a prognostic model based on necroptosis-related genes for predicting the overall survival (OS) of CC patients. The gene expression data and clinical information of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We identified 43 differentially expressed necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in CESC by examining differential gene expression between CESC tumors and normal tissues, and 159 NRGs from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis illustrated that the genes identified were mainly related to cell necrosis, extrinsic apoptosis, Influenza A, I − kappaB kinase/NF − kappaB, NOD − like receptor, and other signaling pathways. Subsequently, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen for NRGs that were correlated with patient prognosis. A prognostic signature that includes CAMK2A, CYBB, IL1A, IL1B, SLC25A5, and TICAM2 was established. Based on the prognostic model, patients were stratified into either the high-risk or low-risk subgroups with distinct survival. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the predictive accuracy of the model. In relation to different clinical variables, stratification analyses were performed to demonstrate the associations between the expression levels of the six identified NRGs and the clinical variables in CESC. Immunohistochemical (IHC) validation experiments explored abnormal expressions of these six NRGs in CESC. We also explored the relationship between risk score of this necroptosis signature and expression levels of some driver genes in TCGA CESC database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Significant relationships between the six prognostic NRGs and immune-cell infiltration, chemokines, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and immune checkpoints in CESC were discovered. In conclusion, we successfully constructed and validated a novel NRG signature for predicting the prognosis of CC patients and might also play a crucial role in the progression and immune microenvironment in CC.

Natural killer (NK) cells mediate antibody dependent cytotoxic killing of cancer cells via cross-linking FcγR on NK cells with IgG-Fc. Studies have shown that the single-hinge cleaved IgGs (scIgGs) have dysfunctional Fc and failed engagement with FcγRs on immune cells. However, little is known about how scIgGs impact on antitumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we revealed a significant association of tumor scIgGs with tumor progression and poor outcomes of breast cancer patients (n = 547). Using multiple mouse tumor models, we demonstrated that tumor scIgGs reduced NK cell cytotoxic activities and resulted in aggressive tumor progression. We further showed that an anti-hinge specific monoclonal antibody (AHA) rescued the dysfunctional Fc in scIgGs by providing a functional Fc and restored NK cell cytotoxic activity. These findings point to a novel immunotherapeutic strategy to enhance Fc engagement with FcγRs for activation of anticancer immunity.

Herein a double shells structure was proposed to overcome the drawbacks such as poor heat resistance, incomplete insulation and high core loss coating of iron-based soft magnetic composites (SMCs) with single shell structure. The surface of the iron powder was coated with a double shells structure composed of an inner phosphate coating and an outer SiO2 coating through phosphating and hydrolysis successively. Subsequently, the effects of different SiO2 addition amount on the microstructure of iron powder and magnetic properties of SMCs were studied. The introduction of SiO2 in the double shells structure inhibited the decomposition and failure of phosphating layer after being annealed at a high temperature. The iron powder coated with the phosphate-SiO2 insulating layer was still effective after annealing in a N2 atmosphere at 570 °C, achieving the purpose of eliminating residual stress and improving magnetic properties. The optimal process parameters were set at 0.2 wt% phosphoric acid and 0.5 wt% tetraethyl orthosilicate to fabricate the phosphate-SiO2 double shells. The iron-based SMCs presented excellent magnetic properties with Bs of 1.29 T and Ps of 169.2 W/kg (measured at 1 T and 1 kHz). In addition, the core loss of SMCs introduced with SiO2 is 83% lower than that of SMCs produced by the phosphating process. This paper provides a feasible method for improving the magnetic properties of SMCs.