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Yiran Ma, Xinyi Zhao, Jian Li, Qi ShenSchool of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, ChinaAbstract: The aim of this research was to increase the oral bioavailability of daidzein by the formulations of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with daidzein. Amongst the various traditional and novel techniques of preparing daidzein-loaded PLGA nanoparticles, daidzein-loaded phospholipid complexes PLGA nanoparticles and daidzein-loaded cyclodextrin inclusion complexes PLGA nanoparticles were selected. The average drug entrapment efficiency, particle size, and zeta potential of daidzein-loaded phospholipid complexes PLGA nanoparticles and daidzein-loaded cyclodextrin inclusion complexes PLGA nanoparticles were 81.9% ± 5%, 309.2 ± 14.0 nm, -32.14 ± 2.53 mV and 83.2% ± 7.2%, 323.2 ± 4.8 nm, -18.73 ± 1.68 mV, respectively. The morphological characterization of nanoparticles was observed with scanning electron microscopy by stereological method and the physicochemical state of nanoparticles was valued by differential scanning calorimetry. The in vitro drug-release profile of both nanoparticle formulations fitted the Weibull dynamic equation. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that after oral administration of daidzein-loaded phospholipid complexes PLGA nanoparticles and daidzein-loaded cyclodextrin inclusion complexes PLGA nanoparticles to rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg, relative bioavailability was enhanced about 5.57- and 8.85-fold, respectively, compared to daidzein suspension as control. These results describe an effective strategy for oral delivery of daidzein-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and might provide a fresh approach to enhancing the bioavailability of drugs with poor lipophilic and poor hydrophilic properties.Keywords: daidzein, phospholipid complexes, cyclodextrin inclusion complexes, PLGA, nanoparticles

Background: Gonadotropin precisely controls mammalian reproductive activities. Systematic analysis of the mechanisms by which epigenetic modifications regulate the synthesis and secretion of gonadotropin can be useful for more precise regulation of the animal reproductive process. Previous studies have identified many differential m 6 A modifications in the GnRH-treated adenohypophysis. However, the molecular mechanism by which m 6 A modification regulates gonadotropin synthesis and secretion remains unclear., Results: Herein, it was found that GnRH can promote gonadotropin synthesis and secretion by promoting the expression of FTO. Highly expressed FTO binds to Foxp2 mRNA in the nucleus, exerting a demethylation function and reducing m 6 A modification. After Foxp2 mRNA exits the nucleus, the lack of m 6 A modification prevents YTHDF3 from binding to it, resulting in increased stability and upregulation of Foxp2 mRNA expression, which activates the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway to promote gonadotropin synthesis and secretion., Conclusions: Overall, the study reveals the molecular mechanism of GnRH regulating the gonadotropin synthesis and secretion through FTO-mediated m 6 A modification. The results of this study allow systematic interpretation of the regulatory mechanism of gonadotropin synthesis and secretion in the pituitary at the epigenetic level and provide a theoretical basis for the application of reproductive hormones in the regulation of animal artificial reproduction., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) provide efficient directional transport (OATP1B3-P-gp) from the blood to the bile that serves as a key determinant of hepatic disposition of the drug. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of effective means to evaluate the disposal ability mediated by transporters. The present study was designed to identify a suitable endogenous biomarker for the assessment of OATP1B3-P-gp function in the liver. We established stably transfected HEK293T-OATP1B3 and HEK293T-P-gp cell lines. Results showed that azelaic acid (AzA) was an endogenous substrate for OATP1B3 and P-gp using serum pharmacology combined with metabolomics. There is a good correlation between the serum concentration of AzA and probe drugs of rOATP1B3 and rP-gp when rats were treated with their inhibitors. Importantly, after 5-fluorouracil-induced rat liver injury, the relative mRNA level and expression of rOATP1B3 and rP-gp were markedly down-regulated in the liver, and the serum concentration of AzA was significantly increased. These observations suggest that AzA is an endogenous substrate of both OATP1B3 and P-gp, and may serve as a potential endogenous biomarker for the assessment of the function of OATP1B3-P-gp for the prediction of changes in the pharmacokinetics of drugs transported by OATP1B3-P-gp in liver disease states., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Climate policies can have a significant impact on the economy. However, these policies have often been associated with uncertainty. Quantitative assessment of the socioeconomic impact of climate policy uncertainty is equally or perhaps more important than looking at the policies themselves. Using a deep learning algorithm-the MacBERT model-this study constructed indices of Chinese climate policy uncertainty (CCPU) at the national, provincial and city levels for the first time. The CCPU indices are based on the text mining of news published by a set of major newspapers in China. A clear upward trend was found in the indices, demonstrating increasing policy uncertainties in China in addressing climate change. There is also evidence of clear regional heterogeneity in subnational indices. The CCPU dataset can provide a useful source of information for government actors, academics and investors in understanding the dynamics of climate policies in China. These indices can also be used to investigate the empirical relationship between climate policy uncertainty and other socioeconomic factors in China., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The metal-semiconductor heterojunction is imperative for the realization of electrically driven nanolasers for chip-level platforms. Progress in developing such nanolasers has hitherto rarely been realized, however, because of their complexity in heterojunction fabrication and the need to use noble metals that are incompatible with microelectronic manufacturing. Most plasmonic nanolasers lase either above a high threshold (10 1 -10 3  MW cm -2 ) or at a cryogenic temperature, and lasing is possible only after they are removed from the substrate to avoid the large ohmic loss and the low modal reflectivity, making monolithic fabrication impossible. Here, for the first time, record-low-threshold, room-temperature ultraviolet (UV) lasing of plasmon-coupled core-shell nanowires that are directly grown on silicon is demonstrated. The naturally formed core-shell metal-semiconductor heterostructure of the nanowires leads to a 100-fold improvement in growth density over previous results. This unprecedentedly high nanowire density creates intense plasmonic resonance, which is outcoupled to the resonant Fabry-Pérot microcavity. By boosting the emission strength by a factor of 100, the hybrid photonic-plasmonic system successfully facilitates a record-low laser threshold of 12 kW cm -2 with a spontaneous emission coupling factor as high as ≈0.32 in the 340-360 nm range. Such architecture is simple and cost-competitive for future UV sources in silicon integration., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Acute administration of MK-801 (dizocilpine), an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, can establish animal models of psychiatric disorders. However, the roles of microglia and inflammation-related genes in these animal models of psychiatric disorders remain unknown. Here, we found rapid elimination of microglia in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC) of mice following administration of the dual colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R)/c-Kit kinase inhibitor PLX3397 (pexidartinib) in drinking water. Single administration of MK-801 induced hyperactivity in the open-field test (OFT). Importantly, PLX3397-induced depletion of microglia prevented the hyperactivity and schizophrenia-like behaviors induced by MK-801. However, neither repopulation of microglia nor inhibition of microglial activation by minocycline affected MK-801-induced hyperactivity. Importantly, microglial density in the PFC and HPC was significantly correlated with behavioral changes. In addition, common and distinct glutamate-, GABA-, and inflammation-related gene (116 genes) expression patterns were observed in the brains of PLX3397- and/or MK-801-treated mice. Moreover, 10 common inflammation-related genes ( CD68 , CD163 , CD206 , TMEM119 , CSF3R , CX3CR1 , TREM2 , CD11b , CSF1R , and F4/80 ) with very strong correlations were identified in the brain using hierarchical clustering analysis. Further correlation analysis demonstrated that the behavioral changes in the OFT were most significantly associated with the expression of inflammation-related genes ( NLRP3 , CD163 , CD206 , F4/80 , TMEM119 , and TMEM176a ), but not glutamate- or GABA-related genes in PLX3397- and MK-801-treated mice. Thus, our results suggest that microglial depletion via a CSF1R/c-Kit kinase inhibitor can ameliorate the hyperactivity induced by an NMDAR antagonist, which is associated with modulation of immune-related genes in the brain.

Overexpression of the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) enzyme induces angiogenesis, which eventually leads to metastasis and tumor growth. The crucial role of TP in cancer development makes it an important target for anticancer drug discovery. Currently, there is only one US-FDA-approved drug, i.e., Lonsurf, a combination of trifluridine and tipiracil, for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, numerous adverse effects are associated with its use, such as myelosuppression, anemia, and neutropenia. Since the last few decades, the discovery of new, safe, and effective TP inhibitory agents has been rigorously pursued. In the present study, we evaluated a series of previously synthesized dihydropyrimidone derivatives 1 - 40 for their TP inhibitory potential. Compounds 1 , 12 , and 33 showed a good activity with IC 50 = 314.0 ± 0.90, 303.5 ± 0.40, and 322.6 ± 1.60 µM, respectively. The results of mechanistic studies revealed that compounds 1 , 12 , and 33 were the non-competitive inhibitors. These compounds were also evaluated for cytotoxicity against 3T3 (mouse fibroblast) cells and were found to be non-cytotoxic. Finally, the molecular docking suggested the plausible mechanism of non-competitive inhibition of TP. The current study thus identifies some dihydropyrimidone derivatives as potential inhibitors of TP, which can be further optimized as leads for cancer treatment.

The regulation of mammalian reproductive activity is tightly dependent on the HPG axis crosstalk, in which several reproductive hormones play important roles. Among them, the physiological functions of gonadotropins are gradually being uncovered. However, the mechanisms by which GnRH regulates FSH synthesis and secretion still need to be more extensively and deeply explored. With the gradual completion of the human genome project, proteomes have become extremely important in the fields of human disease and biological process research. To explore the changes of protein and protein phosphorylation modifications in the adenohypophysis after GnRH stimulation, proteomics and phosphoproteomics analyses of rat adenohypophysis after GnRH treatment were performed by using TMT markers, HPLC classification, LC/MS, and bioinformatics analysis in this study. A total of 6762 proteins and 15,379 phosphorylation sites contained quantitative information. Twenty-eight upregulated proteins and fifty-three downregulated proteins were obtained in the rat adenohypophysis after GnRH treatment. The 323 upregulated phosphorylation sites and 677 downregulated phosphorylation sites found in the phosphoproteomics implied that a large number of phosphorylation modifications were regulated by GnRH and were involved in FSH synthesis and secretion. These data constitute a protein-protein phosphorylation map in the regulatory mechanism of "GnRH-FSH," which provides a basis for future studies on the complex molecular mechanisms of FSH synthesis and secretion. The results will be helpful for understanding the role of GnRH in the development and reproduction regulated by the pituitary proteome in mammals.

Background: The mesorectum surrounding the rectum provides an ideal substrate for tumour spread. However, preoperative risk assessment is still an issue. This study aimed to investigate the microstructural features of mesorectum with different prognostic statuses by intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM DWI)., Methods: Patients with pathologically proven rectal adenocarcinoma underwent routine high-resolution rectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and IVIM DWI sequences were acquired. The MRI-detected circumferential resection margin (mrCRM) and extramural vascular invasion (mrEMVI) were evaluated. IVIM parameters of the mesorectum adjacent to (MAT) and distant from (MDT) the tumour were measured and compared between and within the prognostic factor groups., Results: The positive mrCRM (p MAT  < 0.001; p MDT  = 0.013) and mrEMVI (p MAT  = 0.001; p MDT  < 0.001) groups demonstrated higher D values in the MAT and MDT than the corresponding negative groups. Conversely, the positive mrCRM (p = 0.001) and mrEMVI (p < 0.001) groups both demonstrated lower f values in the MAT. Similarly, in the self-comparison between the MAT and MDT in the above subgroups, D showed a significant difference in all subgroups (p < 0.001 for all), and f showed a significant difference in the positive mrCRM (p = 0.001) and mrEMVI (p = 0.002) groups. Moreover, the MAT displayed a higher D* in the positive mrCRM (p = 0.014), negative mrCRM (p = 0.009) and negative mrEMVI groups (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: The microstructure of the mesorectum in patients with rectal cancer with poor prognostic status shows changes based on IVIM parameters. IVIM parameters might be promising imaging biomarkers for risk assessment of tumour spread in mesorectum preoperatively., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A broadband and ultra-compact polarization splitter-rotator based on diagonally overlapped bi-layer architecture and an asymmetrical directional coupler is proposed on a silicon-on-insulator platform. By leveraging the structure over supermode theory, a 1-dB bandwidth of 220 nm, extinction ratio (ER) of <19 d B , and cross talk (XT) of <-15.85 d B within the span of 1400-1700 nm and coupling length of 4.62 µm are achieved. In addition, T M 0 - T E 0 conversion loss of ∼0.19 d B , ER of 35.88 dB, and XT of -30.46 d B can be obtained at 1550 nm. The fabrication tolerances are also analyzed, indicating that the insertion losses remain below 1 dB over 1460-1620 nm in terms of width errors and layer-to-layer misalignments within ±10 n m . The results show that the proposed device is very suitable to utilize between fibers and for polarization diversity of on-chip systems for broadband operation as well as ultra-compact integration.

Objective: This study aimed to explore variables associated with remission rate and survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after induction failure and relapse. Methods: Data of 373 consecutive patients with AML were analyzed after induction failure and relapse. Binary logistics and the Cox model regression were used to identify variables associated with remission rate and outcomes. Results: In patients with AML after induction failure and relapse, the total CR+CRi rates were 50.6% and 40.3%, respectively; among those who achieved CR/CRi, the 3-year RFS rates were 34.4% and 30.4%, respectively, and the 3-year overall survival rates were 40.1% and 31.6%, respectively. In the multivariate analyses, using CLAG or FLAG regimen as a re-induction chemotherapy regimen, age <39 years and SWOG low-risk were significantly associated with higher remission rates in patients with induction failure. Male, secondary AML, SWOG high-risk, the interval from the first remission to relapse within 12 months, and bone marrow blasts ≥20% at the time of relapse were significantly associated with lower remission rates in relapsed patients. Transplantation was significantly associated with prolonged relapse-free survival and overall survival in patients achieving hematologic remission; the SWOG low-risk group was significantly associated with longer overall survival in those with induction failure; and achieving CR (not CRi) or having female gender was associated with longer RFS or overall survival in relapsed patients. Conclusion: Reinduction chemotherapy regimen, age, gender, SWOG risk, secondary AML, the interval from the first remission to relapse, and bone marrow blast percentage at the time of relapse were significantly associated with remission rates in the patients with AML after induction failure and relapse. Transplantation, SWOG low-risk, achieving CR, or female gender were associated with longer survivals in those achieving remission.

Shenkang Injection (SKI) is a traditional Chinese medicine injection commonly used in the clinical treatment of chronic kidney disease. Although it has been confirmed that SKI has anti-kidney fibrosis effects, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To investigate the effects of SKI on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/ β -catenin pathway and explore its potential anti-fibrosis mechanism. A unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model was induced by ligating the left ureter of male SD rats. A total of 24 rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: sham group, model group, SKI group, and benazepril group. The rats in each group were treated for 28 days, and renal function was evaluated by blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr). The degree of renal fibrosis was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson staining. Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting were used to detect the expression of genes and proteins in the Wnt/ β -catenin signaling pathway. Further studies were performed in vitro using HK-2 cells treated with TGF- β 1. At 28 days postoperation, the levels of BUN and Scr expression were significantly increased in the UUO group. SKI and benazepril reduced the levels of BUN and Scr, which displayed protective renal effects. Pathological staining showed that compared with the sham operation group, the renal parenchymal structure was severely damaged, the number of glomeruli was reduced, and a large amount of collagen was deposited in the kidney tissue of the UUO group. SKI treatment reduced morphological changes. Immunohistochemistry showed that compared with the sham operation group, the content of collagen I and FN in the kidney tissue of the UUO group were significantly increased, whereas the SKI content was decreased. In addition, compared with the UUO group, the levels of Wnt1, active β -catenin, Snail1, and PAI-1 expression were reduced in the SKI group, suggesting that SKI may reduce renal fibrosis by mediating the Wnt/ β -catenin pathway. Further in vitro studies showed that collagen I, FN, and α -SMA levels in HK-2 cells were significantly increased following stimulation with TGF- β 1. SKI could significantly reduce the expression of collagen I, FN, and α -SMA. A scratch test showed that SKI could reduce HK-2 migration. In addition, by stimulating TGF- β 1, the levels of Wnt1, active β -catenin, snail1, and PAI-1 were significantly upregulated. SKI treatment could inhibit the activity of the Wnt/ β -catenin signaling pathway in HK-2 cells. SKI improves kidney function by inhibiting renal fibrosis. The anti-fibrotic effects may be mediated by regulation of the Wnt/ β -catenin pathway and EMT inhibition., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hui-Ting Wei et al.)

Designing nanostructure based robust catalyst for the electrochemical water splitting is the great task in the energy conversion field to accomplish high electrical conductivity, low overpotential and long lasting activity. Herein, the electrochemical overall water splitting is reported by using the hydrothermally synthesized binder free cobalt iron phosphate thin films on low cost stainless steel substrates as a conducting backbone for the first time. The effect of composition ratio variation of cobalt and iron was studied on the structural, compositional, morphological, and surface electronic properties by conducting various characterizations which results in amorphous hydrous cobalt iron phosphate having mesoporosity. The as synthesized cobalt iron phosphate having composition ratio (50:50 of Co:Fe) exhibits excellent electrochemical OER and HER catalytic water splitting performance. Best performing electrode exhibits smallest overpotentials of 251.9 mV and 55.5 mV for OER and HER respectively at 10 mA/cm 2 current density. To split water molecule into the H 2 and O 2 by overall water splitting in same alkaline medium, the potential of 1.75 V was required after long duration (100 h) catalysis. Overall analysis confirms the cobalt iron phosphate thin films are outstanding and robust for the hydrogen production as clean renewable energy source., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a disease with the highest mortality rate among skin cancers. As a new type of programmed cell death, ferroptosis has been confirmed to be related to the occurrence and development of a variety of cancers. At present, the expression and prognostic value of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) in SKCM are still unclear. In this study, we selected seven FRGs that were differentially expressed in SKCM and related to the patient's prognosis through the databases. Further studies have shown that these genes are closely related to immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints. All in all, these seven FRGs may be potential targets for clinical diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of SKCM patients.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem that affects more than 10% of the population worldwide and has a high mortality rate. Therefore, it is necessary to identify novel treatment strategies for CKD. Incidentally, renal fibrosis plays a central role in the progression of CKD to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The activation of inflammatory pathways leads to the development of renal fibrosis. In fact, interleukin-33 (IL-33), a newly discovered member of the interleukin 1 (IL-1) cytokine family, is a crucial regulator of the inflammatory process. It exerts pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic effects via the suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) receptor, which, in turn, activates other inflammatory pathways. Although the role of this pathway in cardiac, pulmonary, and hepatic fibrotic diseases has been extensively studied, its precise role in renal fibrosis has not yet been completely elucidated. Recent studies have shown that a sustained activation of IL-33/ST2 pathway promotes the development of renal fibrosis. However, with prolonged research in this field, it is expected that the IL-33/ST2 pathway will be used as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for renal diseases. In addition, the IL-33/ST2 pathway seems to be a new target for the future treatment of CKD. Here, we review the mechanisms and potential applications of the IL-33/ST2 pathway in renal fibrosis; such that it can help clinicians and researchers to explore effective treatment options and develop novel medicines for CKD patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Tan, Jing and Ma.)

Context.—: Inflammatory polyps (IPs) in inflammatory bowel disease may have been associated in the past with increased neoplasia risk. Additionally, colonic mucosa in filiform polyposis and giant inflammatory polyposis may be difficult to visualize during endoscopic surveillance, perhaps contributing to early colectomy in these patients., Objective.—: To examine the clinicopathologic characteristics and significance of IPs and inflammatory polyposis in inflammatory bowel disease., Design.—: We identified 336 resections from inflammatory bowel disease patients (212 [63.1%] male; mean age, 40.3 years; 175 [52.1%] with ulcerative colitis), including 78 with rare/few (<10) IPs, 141 with multiple (≥10) IPs, and 117 with inflammatory polyposis (including 30 with filiform polyposis/giant inflammatory polyposis) and compared them with 100 controls without IPs along various parameters, including overall and occult (unexpected) dysplasia., Results.—: There was no increased neoplasia in resections with IPs compared with controls, given similar age, disease duration, degree of inflammation, anatomical extent of colitis, prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis, and tissue sampling. Increasing numbers of IPs and inflammatory polyposis were significantly associated in multivariate analysis with ulcerative and indeterminate colitis (P = .003) and shorter disease duration (P = .01), but also, and independently, with lower rates of dysplasia overall, including all grades (P = .001) and advanced neoplasia (P = .04). There were no instances of occult dysplasia (any grade) among inflammatory polyposis cases., Conclusions.—: These findings support the conclusion that the presence of IPs per se, and inflammatory polyposis in particular (including filiform polyposis and giant inflammatory polyposis), should not be considered an independent risk factor for the development of neoplasia in inflammatory bowel disease patients, outside the context of disease duration and inflammatory burden.

Mutations in CD40 have been widely reported to be risk factors for Graves' disease (GD). The gene, along with its cognate ligand CD40L, may regulate pro-inflammatory and immune responses. Rs1883832, located at the -1 position of the Kozak sequence, is the most well-studied single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CD40 , and has been confirmed to predispose those with the alteration to GD, regardless of ethnicity. Our genome-wide association study (GWAS) indicated that several SNPs, including rs1883832 located within the vicinity of CD40 were associated with GD in the Han Chinese population. Aiming at identifying the most consequential SNP and its underlying pathogenic mechanism, we performed a two-stage refined study on 8,171 patients with GD and 7,906 controls, and found rs1883832 was the most significantly GD-associated SNP in the CD40 gene region ( P Combined = 9.17×10 -11 , OR = 1.18). Through searching the cis-expression quantitative trait locus database and using quantitative RT-PCR, we further discovered that the rs1883832 genotype can influence CD40 gene transcription. Furthermore, we demonstrated that rs1883832 is a susceptibility locus for pTRAb+ GD patients. In conclusion, the current study provides robust evidence that rs1883832 can regulate CD40 gene expression and affect serum TRAb levels, which ultimately contributes to the development of GD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Jiang, Yuan, Wang, Liu, Ye, Yang, Xie, Yu, Ma, Zhang, Zhao, Song and The China Consortium for the Genetics of Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.)

A tunable bandgap without doping is highly desirable for applications in optoelectronic devices. Herein, we develop a new method which can tune the bandgap without any doping. In the present research, the bandgap of Fe 2 O 3 nanostructured films is simply tuned by changing the synthesis temperature. The Fe 2 O 3 nanostructured films are synthesized on ITO/glass substrates at temperatures of 1100, 1150, 1200, and 1250 °C using the hot filament metal oxide vapor deposition (HFMOVD) and thermal oxidation techniques. The Fe 2 O 3 nanostructured films contain two mixtures of Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ cations and two trigonal (α) and cubic (γ) phases. The increase of the Fe 2+ cations and cubic (γ) phase with the elevated synthesis temperatures lifted the valence band edge, indicating a reduction in the bandgap. The linear bandgap reduction of 0.55 eV without any doping makes the Fe 2 O 3 nanostructured films promising materials for applications in bandgap engineering, optoelectronic devices, and energy storage devices., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: To analyze changes in volume and position of target regions and organs at risk (OARs) during radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients., Methods: Overall, 16 esophageal cancer patients who underwent radiotherapy, including 10 cases of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and six of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), were enrolled. The prescription doses for the planning target volumes (PTVs) were as follows: PTV1, 64 Gy/32 fractions; and PTV2, 46 Gy/23 fractions. Repeat computed tomography (CT) was performed for patients after the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th fractions. Delineation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and OAR volume was determined using five repeat CTs performed by the same physician. The target and OAR volumes and centroid positions were recorded and used to analyze volume change ratio (VCR), center displacement (ΔD), and changes in the distance from the OAR centroid positions to the planned radiotherapy isocenter (distance to isocenter, DTI) during treatment., Results: No patient showed significant changes in target volume (TV) after the first week of radiotherapy (five fractions). However, TV gradually decreased over the following weeks, with the rate slowing after the fourth week (40 Gy). The comparison of TV from baseline to 40 Gy (20 fractions) showed that average GTVs decreased from 130.7 ± 63.1 cc to 92.1 ± 47.2 cc, with a VCR of -29.21 ± 13.96% ( p <0.01), while the clinical target volume (CTV1) decreased from 276.7 ± 98.2 cc to 246.7 ± 87.2 cc, with a VCR of -10.34 ± 7.58% ( p <0.01). As TVs decreased, ΔD increased and DTI decreased. After the fourth week of radiotherapy (40 Gy), centroids of GTV, CTV1, and prophylactic CTV (CTV2) showed average deviations in ΔD of 7.6 ± 4.0, 6.9 ± 3.4, and 6.0 ± 3.0 mm, respectively. The average DTI of the heart decreased by 4.53 mm (from 15.61 ± 2.96 cm to 15.16 ± 2.27 cm)., Conclusion: During radiotherapy for esophageal cancer, Targets and OARs change significantly in volume and position during the 2 nd -4 th weeks. Image-guidance and evaluation of dosimetric changes are recommended for these fractions of treatment to appropriate adjust treatment plans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liu, Peng, Li, Shen, Ma, Chen, Zhang, Fu, Qiu, Liu and Deng.)

G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood (G-PB) harvest is the predominant graft for identical sibling donor and unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients, but it was controversial in haploidentical related donor (HID) HSCT. In this registry study, we aimed to identify the efficacy of HID G-PB HSCT (HID-PBSCT) for acute leukemia (AL) patients in first complete remission (CR1). Also, we reported the outcomes for the use of G-PB grafts in comparison with the combination of G-BM and G-PB grafts in HID HSCT recipients. Sixty-seven AL patients in CR1 who received HID-PBSCT were recruited at Institute of Hematology, Peking University. Patients who received haploidentical HSCT using the combination of G-BM and G-PB harvests in the same period were enrolled as controls (n=392). The median time from HSCT to neutrophil and platelet engraftment was 12 days (range, 9-19 days) and 12 days (range, 8-171 days), respectively. The 28-day cumulative incidence of neutrophil and platelet engraftment after HSCT was 98.5% and 95.5%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were 29.9% (95%CI 18.8-40.9%) and 7.5% (95%CI 1.1-13.8%), respectively. The cumulative incidences of total and moderate-severe chronic GVHD were 54.9% (95%CI 40.9-68.8%) and 17.4% (95%CI 6.7-28.0%), respectively. The cumulative incidences of relapse and non-relapse mortality were 13.9% (95%CI 5.4-22.5%) and 3.4% (95%CI 0-8.1%), respectively. The probabilities of overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were 84.7% (95%CI 74.7-94.7%) and 82.7% (95%CI 73.3-92.1%) respectively. Compared with the HID HSCT recipients using the combination of G-BM and G-PB grafts, the engraftments of neutrophil and platelet were both significantly faster for the G-PB group, and the other clinical outcomes were all comparable between the groups. In multivariate analysis, graft types did not influence the clinical outcomes. Overall, for the patients with AL CR1, G-PB graft could be considered an acceptable graft for HID HSCT recipients. This study was registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03756675., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Ma, Zhang, Xu, Wang, Yan, Chen, Chen, Han, Wang, Wang, Liu, Huang and Mo.)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common conditions which significantly increases the risk for serious health outcomes. Epidemiological investigations have shown that CKD has become a serious global health problem. At present, there are no treatments for CKD, thus the need for an effective and safe treatment for this condition. Shenkang Injection (SKI), which is an herbal medication in Chinese Medicine, has been used in the management and treatment of CKD and has achieved favorable therapeutic effects. The purpose of this paper is to review the clinical efficacy, mechanism of action, and safety profile of SKI when used in CKD, and to provide comprehensive potential evidence for its clinical application., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

CAR-T cells therapy can give rise to most common and concerning two side effects - cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. But in our CD19 CAR-T cells therapy clinical trial, we observed 1 out of 17 patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) developed acute myelofibrosis(AMF) after grade IV CRS post to the CD19 CAR-T cells therapy. This finding suggests that the CAR-T cells therapy may have rare and serious AMF, which we should pay important attention to. Trial registration:NCT02968472. Registered 18 November 2016 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02968472.

Background: Combination drug therapy has become an effective strategy for inflammation control. The anti‑inflammatory capacities of silibinin and thymol have each been investigated on its own, but little is known about the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of these two compounds., Purpose: This study aims to investigate the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of silibinin and thymol when administered in combination to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells., Methods: RAW264.7 cells were pre-treated with silibinin and thymol individually or in combination for 2 h before LPS stimulation. Cell viability was detected by the MTT assay. Nitric oxide (NO) production was measured by Griess reagent. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate. ELISA was used to detect tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Western blot was performed to analyse the protein expression of LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells., Results: We observed a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect of silibinin and thymol when administered in combination to LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Silibinin combined with thymol (40 μM and 120 μM respectively, with the molar ratio 1:3) had more potent effects on the inhibition of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 than those exerted by individual administration of these compounds in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. The combination of silibinin and thymol (40 μM and 120 μM respectively, with the molar ratio 1:3) strongly inhibited ROS and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). More importantly, the combination of silibinin and thymol (40 μM and 120 μM respectively, with the molar ratio 1:3) was also successful in inhibiting nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities. Our results suggest that the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of silibinin with thymol were associated with the inhibition of NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways., Conclusion: The combination of silibinin and thymol (40 μM and 120 μM, respectively, with the molar ratio 1:3) could inhibit inflammation by suppressing NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: We aimed to examine the risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 among adults with ASK from unilateral nephrectomy., Methods: We retrospectively collected data from adult patients with ASK between January, 2009 and January, 2019, identified from a tertiary hospital in China. The clinical data were compared between patients who developed CKD stage 3 and those who did not develop CKD stage 3 during follow-up., Results: In total, 172 patients with ASK (110 men; median 58.0 years) were enrolled, with a median follow-up duration of 5.0 years. During follow-up, 91 (52.9%) and 24 (14.0%) patients developed CKD stage 3 and end-stage renal disease, respectively. Multiple regression analyses showed that age (odds ratio [OR] 1.076, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.039-1.115, p < 0.001), diabetes (OR 4.401, 95% CI 1.693-11.44, p = 0.002), hyperuricemia (OR 2.733, 95% CI 1.104-6.764, p = 0.03), a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (OR 5.583, 95% CI 1.884-18.068, p = 0.002), and ASK due to renal tuberculosis (OR 8.816, 95% CI 2.92-26.62, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for developing CKD stage 3 among patients with ASK., Conclusions: Regular follow-up of renal function is needed among adult patients with ASK. Optimal management of diabetes, hyperuricemia, and CVD may reduce their risk of CKD stage 3, especially among those that undergo unilateral nephrectomy for renal tuberculosis.

Background: With several susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms identified by case-control association studies, Graves' disease is one of the most common forms of autoimmune thyroid disease. In this study, we aimed to determine whether any observed differences in genetic associations are influenced by sex in Chinese Han populations., Methods: A total of 8,835 patients with Graves' disease and 9,936 sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Confirmed by a two-staged association analysis, sex-specific analyses among 20 Graves' disease susceptibility loci were conducted., Results: A significant sex-gene interaction was detected primarily at rs5912838 on Xq21.1 between the GPR174 and ITM2A genes, whereby male Graves' disease patients possessed a significantly higher frequency of risk alleles than their female counterparts. Interestingly, compared to women, male patients with Graves' disease had a higher cumulative genetic risk and higher persistent thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody-positive rate after receiving antithyroid drug therapy for at least 1 year., Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest the existence of one potential sex-specific Graves' disease variant on Xq21.1. This could increase our understanding of the pivotal mechanism behind Graves' disease and ultimately aid in identifying possible therapeutic targets., (© 2020 The Authors. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Context: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD) are the 2 main autoimmune thyroid diseases that have both similarities and differences. Determining the genetic basis that distinguishes HT from GD is key for a better understanding of the differences between these closely related diseases., Objects: To identify the susceptibility genes for HT in the Chinese cohort and compare susceptibility genes between GD and HT., Design: In the current study, 18 SNPs from 18 established GD risk loci were selected and then genotyped in 2682 patients with HT, 4980 patients with GD, and 3892 controls. The association analysis between HT and controls and heterogeneity analysis between HT and GD were performed on SPSS, with the logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex and age., Results: We identified 11 susceptibility loci for HT in the Chinese Han population, with 4 loci, including the rs1265883 in SLAMF6 locus, rs1024161 in CTLA4, rs1521 in HLA-B, and rs5912838 in GPR174/ ITM2A at X chromosome, reaching genome-wide significance of 5 × 10-8. Five loci were reported to be associated with HT for the first time. We also identified 6 susceptibility loci with heterogeneity between GD and HT. Out of them, 4 loci were associated with GD but not with HT, including HLA-DPB1, CD40, TSHR, and TG; the association of HLA-B with GD was stronger than that with HT, but the association of SLAMF6 was reversed., Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the pathogenesis of HT and GD was different., (© Endocrine Society 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Haploidentical transplantation has been proposed as an effective treatment for severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The majority of patients have more than one HLA-haploidentical donor. Herein, we compared the outcomes between different donor-recipient relationships for optimal haploidentical donor selection in acquired SAA., Methods: We conducted a multicenter study based on a registered database of 392 patients with SAA treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) between 2006 and 2018. In total, 223 patients received grafts from father donors, 47 from mother donors, 91 from siblings, 29 from children, and 2 from collateral donors., Results: Of the 381 patients who survived more than 28 days, 379 (99.5%) recipients were engrafted. The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 86.6 ± 2.5%, 87.1 ± 4.9%, 84.3 ± 3.9%, and 92.2 ± 5.1% for recipients of father, mother, sibling, and child grafts, respectively, (P = 0.706). The 2-year failure-free survival (FFS) was 82.8 ± 2.7%, 86.7 ± 5.1%, 80.8 ± 4.2%, and 92.5 ± 5.1% for recipients of father, mother, sibling, and child grafts, respectively, (P = 0.508). There was no difference in the incidence of either acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) among the different donor sources in multivariate analyses. There were also no differences in the OS or FFS among the different donor sources in the Cox regression analysis. However, OS was significantly better in the patients with a shorter history of aplastic anemia (< 12 months), better performance status (ECOG scores 0-1), or moderate graft mononuclear cell (MNC) counts (6-10 × 10 8 /kg), and in female recipients with male donors. The FFS was also higher in patients with a shorter history of aplastic anemia (< 12 months) and better performance status (ECOG scores 0-1)., Conclusions: Fathers, mothers, siblings, and children are all suitable haploidentical donors for patients with SAA.

Context: Graves disease (GD) is a common thyroid-specific autoimmune disease and one of the most heritable diseases in the population. We present a risk-prediction model, including confirmed, known genetic variants associated with GD., Design: To construct a stable-prediction model, we used known GD susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers and trained and tested our model in a cohort of 4897 patients with GD and 5098 healthy controls. We weighted the contribution of each SNP to the disease to calculate the weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) for each individual. The efficiency of this model can be estimated by the area under the curve (AUC) receiver operator characteristic curve and the specificity and sensitivity of each wGRS., Results: With the 20 confirmed GD risk-related SNPs, our wGRS-prediction model could predict patients with GD from the general population (AUC 0.70 [95% CI: 0.69 to 0.71]) and did especially well in predicting patients with GD with persisting thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody positive [pTRAb+; AUC 0.74 (95% CI: 0.72 to 0.76)]. We also evaluated how the four pTRAb+ specific risk SNPs predicted patients with GD with pTRAb+ among all patients with GD [AUC 0.62 (95% CI: 0.61 to 0.63)]. For clinical use, we partitioned subjects in each set into different risk categories to generate the wGRS cutoff of high risk for reference., Conclusions: Our study provides an approach to predict GD risk in the general population by the calculation of the wGRS of 20 known GD susceptibility variants. The wGRS-prediction model was more stable and convenient, whereas the prediction performance was still modest., (Copyright © 2019 Endocrine Society.)

Importance: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially lethal complication of hyperthyroidism. However, only 1 specific susceptibility locus for TPP has been identified. Additional genetic determinants should be detected so that a prediction model can be constructed., Objective: To investigate the genetic architecture of TPP and distinguish TPP from Graves disease cohorts., Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based case-control study used a 2-stage genome-wide association study to investigate the risk loci of TPP and weighted genetic risk score to construct a TPP prediction model with data from a Chinese Han population recruited in hospitals in China from March 2003 to December 2015. The analysis was conducted from November 2014 to August 2016., Main Outcomes and Measures: Loci specifically associated with TPP risk and those shared with Graves disease and prediction model of joint effects of TPP-specific loci., Results: A total of 537 patients with TPP (mean [SD] age, 35 [11] years; 458 male) 1519 patients with Graves disease and no history of TPP (mean [SD] age, 38 [13] years; 366 male), and 3249 healthy participants (mean [SD] age, 46 [10] years; 1648 male) were recruited from the Han population by hospitals throughout China. Two new TPP-specific susceptibility loci were identified: DCHS2 on 4q31.3 (rs1352714: odds ratio [OR], 1.58; 95% CI, 1.35-1.85; P = 1.24 × 10-8) and C11orf67 on 11q14.1 (rs2186564: OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.29-1.74; P = 2.80 × 10-7). One previously reported specific locus was confirmed on 17q24.3 near KCNJ2 (rs312729: OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.83-2.38; P = 8.02 × 10-29). Meanwhile, 2 risk loci (MHC and Xq21.1) were shared by Graves disease and TPP. After 2 years of treatment, the ratio of persistent thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity was higher in patients with TPP than in patients with Graves disease and no history of TPP (OR, 3.82; 95% CI, 2.04-7.16; P = 7.05 × 10-6). The prediction model using a weighted genetic risk score and 11 candidate TPP-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms had an area under the curve of 0.80., Conclusions and Relevance: These findings provide evidence that TPP is a novel molecular subtype of Graves disease. The newly identified loci, along with other previously reported loci, demonstrate the growing complexity of the heritable contribution to TPP pathogenesis. A complete genetic architecture will be helpful to understand the pathophysiology of TPP, and a useful prediction model could prevent the onset of TPP.

This study proposes the usage of an effective potential to investigate a dissipative quantum system with rotational velocity. After gauge transformation, a Doebner- Goldin equation (DGE) that describes the dissipative quantum system with a Dirac potential is obtained. The DGE is solved based on constraint of vertical relation between the rotational velocity field and density gradient when a harmonic oscillator model is considered. It is observed that the dissipative quantum system is directly equivalent to a monopole system and that the two gauge potentials that are given by Wu and Yang in the north and south hemispheres can be reproduced. Furthermore, a set of gauge-invariant parameters is obtained to discuss the dissipation characteristics of the system.

An efficient, green, and sustainable synthesis of new hybrid molecules containing flavanone with triazole by merging the Michael addition and Click reaction using a copper oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite in one pot is reported. The catalyst can easily be recycled and reused in seven consecutive runs without compromising the product yields. Other notable advantages include using water as a reaction medium and obtaining good to excellent yields, low catalyst loading, high atom efficiency, high substrate variation, and good results in the gram scale reaction., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

We observed enhanced field emission (FE) behavior for spitzer shaped ZnO nanowires synthesized via a hydrothermal approach. The spitzer shaped and pointed tipped 1D ZnO nanowires of average diameter 120 nm and length ∼5-6 μm were randomly grown over an ITO coated glass substrate. The turn-on field ( E on ) of 1.56 V μm -1 required to draw a current density of 10 μA cm -2 from these spitzer shaped ZnO nanowires is significantly lower than that of pristine and doped ZnO nanostructures, and MoS 2 @TiO 2 heterostructure based FE devices. The orthodoxy test that was performed confirms the feasibility of a field enhancement factor ( β FE ) of 3924 for ZnO/ITO emitters. The enhancement in FE behavior can be attributed to the spitzer shaped nanotips, sharply pointed nanotips and individual dispersion of the ZnO nanowires. The ZnO/ITO emitters exhibited very stable electron emission with average current fluctuations of ±5%. Our investigations suggest that the spitzer shaped ZnO nanowires have potential for further improving in electron emission and other functionalities after forming tunable nano-hetero-architectures with metal or conducting materials., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

We report the phonon and magnetic properties of various well-stabilized Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles. The net valence in cobalt (II)/(III) cation can be obtained by subtracting the Co 2+ ions in tetrahedral interstices and Co 3+ ions in the octahedral interstices, respectively, which will possess spatial inhomogeneity of its magnetic moment via Co 2+ in tetrahedra and Co 3+ in octahedral configurations in the normal spinel structure. Furthermore, the distribution of Co 2+ /Co 3+ governed by various external (magnetic field and temperature) and internal (particle size and slightly distorted CoO 6 octahedra) sources, have led to phenomena such as a large redshift of phonon-phonon interaction and short-range magnetic correlation in the inverse spinel structure. The outcome of our study is important in terms of the future development of magnetic semiconductor spintronic devices of Co 3 O 4 .

Graves' disease (GD) is a complex autoimmune disorder in which genetic and environmental factors are both involved in the pathogenesis. Early-onset patients have a shorter exposure time to environmental factors and are, therefore, good models to help understand the genetic architecture of GD. Based on previous studies of early-onset GD, 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their related SNPs (R 2  > .6), SNPs located within a ±1-Mb region of the FOXP3 gene, and 20 validated GD-risk SNPs were selected and screened for genotyping in 3735 GD and 4893 control patients to investigate whether early-onset GD is a subtype of GD with distinct susceptibility genes. Ultimately, we did not confirm the reported genetic markers of early-onset GD in our Chinese Han population but found that a GD-risk SNP located in the human leukocyte antigen class I region-rs4947296-was more strongly correlated with early-onset GD than non-early-onset GD. In addition, heterogeneity analysis of GD patients suggests that it may be more reasonable to define early-onset GD as an onset age ≤20 years., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Studies have shown an association of the UNC5D gene with kidney and bladder cancer and neuroblastoma. We investigated whether UNC5D acts as a tumor suppressor in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)., Methods: Primary PTC tumors and matched normal thyroid tissues were obtained from 112 patients to detect UNC5D mRNA by real-time PCR. Genomic DNA sequencing was performed to detect BRAF mutation in PTC tumors. The association between UNC5D expression and clinicopathological data from PTC patients was reviewed retrospectively. PTC-derived cancer cell lines TPC-1 and K1 with stable transfection of UNC5D were used to investigate the functions of UNC5D . Flow cytometry, CCK-8, Transwell assay and scratch tests were used to examine cell cycle distribution, proliferation and migration., Results: The expression of UNC5D was significantly decreased in PTC compared with adjacent normal thyroid tissues. Lower UNC5D expression was significantly associated with aggressive tumor behaviors, such as lymph node metastasis and BRAF mutation. Overexpression of UNC5D significantly suppressed malignant cell behaviors, including cell proliferation and migration, as well as tumor growth in vivo ., Conclusions: These findings suggest a potential tumor suppressor role of UNC5D in PTC progression; and provide insight into potential clinical relevance for the prognosis of PTC., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.

During our continuous survey (2012-2016) of saprobic hyphomycetes from dead branches in the forest ecosystems of southern China, we collected several acrodictys-like species. Acrodictys-like species are characterized by darkly pigmented and muriform conidia produced from holoblastic conidiogenous cells on macronematous, mononematous, cylindrical and unbranched or infrequently branched conidiophores. Phylogenetic analyses of ncLSU, ncSSU, ITS and tub2 sequence data lead us to propose two novel families in Sordariomycetes, Acrodictyaceae and Junewangiaceae. In addition, a new species, Acrodictys hainanensis, two new combinations, Junewangia queenslandica and Distoseptispora martinii, three new Chinese records, Acrodictys liputii, A. peruamazonensis and Junewangia sphaerospora are introduced. Two names, Acrodictys globulosa and A. malabarica, are resurrected.

We report comparative field electron emission (FE) studies on a large-area array of two-dimensional MoS 2 -coated @ one-dimensional (1D) brookite (β) TiO 2 nanorods synthesized on Si substrate utilizing hot-filament metal vapor deposition technique and pulsed laser deposition method, independently. The 10 nm wide and 760 nm long 1D β-TiO 2 nanorods were coated with MoS 2 layers of thickness ∼4 (±2), 20 (±3), and 40 (±3) nm. The turn-on field ( E on ) of 2.5 V/μm required to a draw current density of 10 μA/cm 2 observed for MoS 2 -coated 1D β-TiO 2 nanorods emitters is significantly lower than that of doped/undoped 1D TiO 2 nanostructures, pristine MoS 2 sheets, MoS 2 @SnO 2 , and TiO 2 @MoS 2 heterostructure-based field emitters. The orthodoxy test confirms the viability of the field emission measurements, specifically field enhancement factor (β FE ) of the MoS 2 @TiO 2 /Si emitters. The enhanced FE behavior of the MoS 2 @TiO 2 /Si emitter can be attributed to the modulation of the electronic properties due to heterostructure and interface effects, in addition to the high aspect ratio of the vertically aligned TiO 2 nanorods. Furthermore, these MoS 2 @TiO 2 /Si emitters exhibit better emission stability. The results obtained herein suggest that the heteroarchitecture of MoS 2 @β-TiO 2 nanorods holds the potential for their applications in FE-based nanoelectronic devices such as displays and electron sources. Moreover, the strategy employed here to enhance the FE behavior via rational design of heteroarchitecture structure can be further extended to improve other functionalities of various nanomaterials., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Context: Graves disease (GD) is a common autoimmune disease triggered by genetic predisposition and environmental factors. However, the mechanisms of interaction between genetic and environmental factors contributing to the development of GD remain unknown., Objective: We aimed to identify GD susceptibility variants and genes on Xq21.1 locus and interpret the contribution of interaction between genetic predisposition on Xq21.1 and environmental factors to GD., Design: We performed refining study on Xq21.1 in a 2-stage study and carried out expression quantitative trait locus analysis of the best association signal with GD., Setting and Participants: A total of 4316 GD patients and 4374 sex-matched controls were collected from the Chinese Han population by cooperation with multiple hospitals., Results: We identified that rs3827440 or its linkage single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were probably the causal variant in the Xq21.1 locus, with the most substantial association with GD in our combined cohorts (P = 2.45 × 10-15). The genotypes of rs3827440 were correlated with the expression of ITM2A in monocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy volunteers. Notably, the expression of ITM2A in monocytes after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (INF-γ) stimulation showed substantial difference among the volunteers that carried different genotypes of rs3827440 (P = 9.40 × 10-7 and P = 1.26 × 10-5 for 24 hours' LPS and INF-γ stimulation, respectively). Moreover, ITM2A expression was significantly decreased in PBMCs from untreated GD patients than that from controls., Conclusion: The results suggest that ITM2A might be a susceptibility gene for GD in the Xq21.1 locus, and environmental factors, such as viral and bacterial infections, probably contribute to GD pathogenesis by interacting with the risk SNP rs3827440 mediating the regulation of ITM2A expression., (Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society)

In this study the damselfly Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842) was first found to produce strong photoluminescence (PL) emissions from various colored-body portions, such as the eighth abdominal segment of the tail. The colors of the colored-body portions can be enhanced or modified by the PL emissions for assistance in reducing intrasexual and male harassment, and improving mature mating and conspecific identity. Therefore, the PL emissions that contribute to the color modification and coloration are involved in the cuticle evolution of the damselflies. The micro-PL confocal images verify that the PL emissions can strongly influence the surface colors of the cuticle, and demonstrate why the damselfly Ischnura senegalensis is called a bluetail.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag in post-HSCT thrombocytopenia. Methods: A total of 10 patients who underwent post-HSCT thrombocytopenia at Peking University center, who had been treated with eltrombopag, were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Of the 10 cases, 5 males and 5 females with a median of 34 years old (range, 17-54 years), 5 patients were acute myeloid leukemia, 3 with acute lymphoid leukemia and 2 with severe aplastic anemia. Nine patients had undergone haplo-identical donor transplantation, and one patient was a matched related recipient. All patients had failed prior treatment for thrombocytopenia before eltrombopag started. The median time when eltrombopag started was 221 days (range, 73-917 days) after transplantation. Five patients (50%) had achieved CR. The cumulative incidence of 30-day CR was 35.7%. The median time to platelet recovery ≥ 50 × 10 9 /L without transfusion support was 16 days (range, 10-56 days). At the last follow-up, three of the patients with CR had withdrawal eltrombopag and remained normal platelet counts. No patients experienced drug-related adverse events. Conclusion: Eltrombopag is effective and well tolerated in patients with refractory post-HSCT thrombocytopenia.

In many biomedical applications, broad full-color emission is important, especially for wavelengths below 450 nm, which are difficult to cover via supercontinuum generation. Single-crystalline-core sapphires with defect-driven emissions have potential roles in the development of next-generation broadband light sources because their defect centers demonstrate multiple emission bands with tailored ligand fields. However, the inability to realize high quantum yields with high crystallinity by conventional methods hinders the applicability of ultra-broadband emissions. Here, we present how an effective one-step fiber-drawing process, followed by a simple and controllable thermal treatment, enables a low-loss, full-color, and crystal fiber-based generation with substantial color variability. The broad spectrum extends from 330 nm, which is over 50 nm further into the UV region than that in previously reported results. The predicted submicrometer spatial resolutions demonstrate that the defect-ligand fields are potentially beneficial for achieving in vivo cellular tomography. It is also noteworthy that the efficiency of the milliwatt-level full-color generation, with an optical-to-optical efficiency of nearly 5%, is the highest among that of the existing active waveguide schemes. In addition, direct evidence from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy together with electron energy loss spectroscopy and crystal-field ligands reveals an excellent crystalline core, atomically defined core/cladding interfacial roughness, and significant enhancements in new laser-induced electronic defect levels. Our work suggests an inexpensive, facile, and highly scalable route toward achieving cellular-resolution tomographic imaging and represents an important step in the development of endoscope-compatible diagnostic devices., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

We demonstrate direct evidence for the first realization of atomically smooth sapphire crystalline fiber cores with a surface variation of only ~1.9 Å. The hybrid glass-clad crystalline cores were grown by a laser-based fiber drawing technique. Because of the improvement in crystal fiber quality, we were able, for the first time, to comprehensively and quantitatively elucidate the correlation between fiber nanostructure and optical loss. We also experimentally demonstrated that high-temperature treatment has a significant impact on defect relaxation and promotes excellent crystallinity, and hence enables low-loss optical wave guiding. The experimentally measured propagation losses in the order of 0.01-0.1 dB/cm are the lowest ever reported among conventional Ti:sapphire channel waveguides and ultrafast-laser-inscribed waveguides, and agree well with the theory. Through experiments and numerical calculation, we have demonstrated that low threshold and high efficiency of Ti:sapphire crystal fiber lasers are possible with the atomic-level roughness, low-loss propagation, and high crystallinity of the Ti:sapphire crystalline core.

We review the phenomenology of the exchange bias and its related effects in core-shell nanocrystals. The static and dynamic properties of the magnetization for ferromagnetic Ni-core and antiferromagnetic NiO-shell cluster glassy nanoparticles are examined, along with the pinning-depinning process, through the measurement of the conventional exchange bias, and associated with different cooling fields and particle sizes. Two significant indexes for the dipolar interaction n and multi-anisotropic barrier β derived from the dynamic magnetization are proposed, which provide a unified picture of the exchange bias mechanism and insight into the influence of the cooling field.

The Fe(2+) doped ZnSe nanorods are synthesized using simple potentiostatic mode of electrodeposition on the ITO substrate. In order to study the doping effect of Fe(2+) in ZnSe, varied the doing percent such as 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%. These films are characterized for structural, compositional, morphological, optical and electrochemical properties using the X-ray diffraction study (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and electrochemical spectroscopy. Along with these Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy have been studied for understanding the characteristics vibrations of ZnSe and luminescence of ZnSe nanorods. FE-SEM shows the nanorods like morphology. Photoelectrochemical cell performance studied using the J-V measurement and it shows the maximum efficiency at 1% Fe(2+) doped ZnSe nanorods. The observed maximum efficiency of Fe(2+) doped ZnSe nanorods is 0.32%., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)