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A novel Mg-containing aluminophosphate |C4H12N2|[Mg2Al6(PO4)8(H2O)4] (JU96) has been hydrothermally synthesized using piperazine as a structure-directing agent. Its framework, constructed by the connection of AlO4/MgO4(H2O)2 polyhedra and PO4 tetrahedra, exhibits a new 4-connected zeolite-like topology with intersecting 8-ring channels. Such a framework contains unique [44·66·86] cages that are occupied by diprotonated piperazine cations. Study shows that the presence of Mg atoms and the pH value of the reaction gel have a vital effect on the formation of JU96.

Two novel zinc metal–organic frameworks [Zn3(TPT)2(DMF)2]·0.5HNMe2 (1) and NH2Me2·[Zn(TPT)]·DMF (2) have been synthesized by using Zn(II) ions and p-terphenyl-3,4′′,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3TPT). The structures of these two MOFs are dependent on the solvents used in the synthetic processes. Compound 1 was synthesized in a mixture of DMF and H2O, while compound 2 was obtained in the presence of DMF and ethanol. The three-dimensional (3D) framework of 1 is constructed by the connection of Zn–carboxylate chains and TPT3− linkers. The structure of 2 can be described as a 3,6-connected network based on the assembly of binuclear zinc clusters and TPT3− ligands. These two MOFs exhibit ligand-based photoluminescence at around 375 nm, as well as high efficiency for the recyclable detection of nitroaromatic explosives.

By utilizing the photo-active bipyridinium carboxylate ligand 1-(3,5-dicarboxyphenyl)-4,4′-bipyridinium bromide (H2ipbpBr) and varying the solvents, two new Zn-MOFs with photo- and/or thermochromic as well as photocontrolled luminescent properties have been successfully synthesized. [Zn(ipbp)(H2O)]·NO3·H2O (1) has a three-dimensional (3D) interpenetrated cationic framework, while [Zn(ipbp)(H2O)2]·NO3·H2O (2) possesses a 2D layered cationic network. Interestingly, 2 and its dehydrated phase 2′ can undergo reversible structure transformation upon removal and uptake of guest and coordinated water molecules. 1 and 2 are photo-active to UV and visible light, and undergo an obvious color transformation from light yellow to green as a result of the formation of ipbp radicals. Compared with 2, 1 is more photosensitive due to its close donor–acceptor interaction and dense arrangement of interpenetrated frameworks. Meanwhile, 1 is thermochromic with a lower thermal-response temperature (90 °C). These two compounds also exhibit tuneable luminescence in response to light. This work provides a facile method to synthesize novel chromic MOFs using the photosensitive organic linkers and the conformational adjustment.

Hydrophilic N-doped carbogenic nanodots (denoted as CNDs) have been prepared from a N-methylpiperazine-templated zeolite precursor by calcination and NaOH treatment. The isolated CNDs exhibit tunable photoluminescence according to the concentration and pH value of aqueous dispersions of the CNDs. Fine-tuning of the fluorescence emission wavelength across the entire visible spectrum can be easily achieved by varying the concentration of the CND dispersions. Meanwhile, both the emission wavelength and intensity of the photoluminescence can be tuned by controlling the pH value of the CND dispersion. The pyrolysis of organic templates confined in nanoporous zeolites represents a new approach to controlling the optical properties of CNDs, which may open more opportunities in applications such as multimodal sensing and full-color displays.

A new zinc gallophosphate zeolite [Zn5.8Ga14.2(PO4)20F3.2(H3O)3]|C12H14N2|3·3H2O (noted as JU104) with a USI zeotype structure has been solvothermally synthesized by using in situ generated methylviologen (MV) as the template. JU104 has two-dimensional interconnected 12-ring and 10-ring channels running along the [100] and [00] direction, respectively. It exhibits dual thermochromism and photochromism with a broad photo-response range (UV light to visible light) and a long-lived charge-separated state, as well as variable fluorescent and photoelectric properties. Moreover, the multi photo/thermo-induced colors occurring in JU104 make it unusual as compared to other inorganic photo/thermochromism compounds. The MV-templated JU104 zeolite may function as a new efficient electron-transfer system for potential applications in photo/thermochromism and solar energy conversion.

Steady-state resonant interfacial waves in a two-layer fluid within a frictionless duct are investigated theoretically. A combination of the homotopy analysis method (HAM) and Galerkin’s method is used to search for accurate steady-state resonant solutions with multiple near resonances. In the HAM, a piecewise parameter in the auxiliary linear operators is introduced to remove the small divisors caused by nearly resonant components. Convergent series solutions are then provided to the Galerkin iterations to accelerate the convergence rate. It is found that weakly nonlinear steady-state resonant waves form a continuum in the parameter space. As nonlinearity (wave steepness) increases, energy appears to be progressively shifted to sideband frequency components, effectively broadening the spectrum. The corresponding interfacial wave profile exhibits an almost fixed spatial pattern of repeated relatively high frequency, high-amplitude bursts followed by low-amplitude, longer waves. On examining the influence of density ratio, though changing slightly, the upper layer enlarges the amplitude of components near primary ones, which reduces the amplitude of higher frequency components, enlarges the wave steepness, and reduces the horizontal velocity in the wave field. Our results indicate that steady-state systems with resonant interactions among periodic interfacial wave components could occur naturally in the ocean. All these should enhance our understanding of periodic resonant interfacial waves.

Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) is an effective strategy to inactivate pathogenic and resistant microbes. However, pan-microbial photoinactivation has hardly achieved. In this manuscript, we built anti-microbial PSs based on 2,6-diiodo-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl BODIPY (2I-BDP) using anchoring strategy through modifications on boron atom with bis-cationic moieties. With appropriate bis-cationic anchoring, we could achieve effective PACT for pan-microbial photoinactivation via straight forward modifications. Our studies suggested that integration of an efficient photosensitizer, good amphiphilicity, as well as tight interaction with microbial membrane could be essential for effective PACT.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as an important and unique class of functional crystalline hybrid porous materials in the past two decades. Due to their modular structures and adjustable pore system, such distinctive materials have exhibited remarkable prospects in key applications pertaining to adsorption such as gas storage, gas and liquid separations, and trace impurity removal. Evidently, gaining a better understanding of the structure-property relationship offers great potential for the enhancement of a given associated MOF property either by structural adjustments via isoreticular chemistry or by the design and construction of new MOF structures via the practice of reticular chemistry. Correspondingly, the application of isoreticular chemistry paves the way for the microfine design and structure regulation of presented MOFs. Explicitly, the microfine tuning is mainly based on known MOF platforms, focusing on the modification and/or functionalization of a precise part of the MOF structure or pore system, thus providing an effective approach to produce richer pore systems with enhanced performances from a limited number of MOF platforms. Here, the latest progress in this field is highlighted by emphasizing the differences and connections between various methods. Finally, the challenges together with prospects are also discussed.

We have found that the formation of passivation film plays a major role in the negative shift of the decomposition voltage in the hydrogen-generating process. Both the hydrolysis of weak acid ions and the decarboxylation reaction of carboxylate can make the LiCO2CH3 produce a passivation film to inhibit the water decomposition to a certain extent. As for the LiCO2CF3 without hydrolysis of weak acid ion, it can be highly possible to facilitate the introduction of CO2 via its carboxylate specific decarboxylation reaction, and further produce lithium carbonate passivation film as well. However, the water decomposition voltage in the oxygen-producing process is more dependent on the properties of lithium salt anions. Those with strong electron-absorbing groups such as the trifluoromethyl are more likely to effectively endue the aqueous electrolyte with a high oxidative decomposition potential. Moreover, the concentration of LiCO2CF3 aqueous electrolyte can reach up to 28 mol kg−1, and hence the electrochemical stability window of this water-base electrolyte can be expanded to about 3.0 V. This work provides a new idea for the selection of high concentration lithium salt.

High hydrophobicity, non-polar structure and large pore volume are among the main criteria demanded breakthrough when designing or selecting materials with ultralow dielectric constants of k. Herein we proved the feasibility of PIM-1 films, a constitutive porous polymer with high free volume, as a rising ultra-low-k material in the field of microelectronics. An ultrathin PIM-1 film of approximate 60 nm in thickness was easily obtained by the spin-coating approach. Thermal treatment on the PIM-1 film (denoted as sPIM-1) enhanced its dielectric performance and the incorporation of cyanopropyltriethoxysilane (CPTES) to sPIM-1 improved the mechanical strength of the film significantly. The sPIM-1 films exhibited an ultralow dielectric constant (k = 1.5 at 10 kHz), substantial mechanical strength, and ability to withstand high humidity (soaking in water for 30 min) without losing their dielectric properties. The easy curing process and extremely stable performances even under the harsh conditions of practical application make it one of the most competitive candidates of low dielectric materials at present.

An open-framework zinc phosphate has been synthesized in the presence of ethylviologen (EV) dibromide, which exhibits rapid photochromic property responsive to soft X-ray while almost no response to UV light and hard X-ray. It also shows tunable luminescence upon irradiation, and mother liquid recycling can be utilized for the economical synthesis of such compound.

Nowadays, the high-nickel ternary cathode materials attract more and more attention because of their high capacity. However, compared with other cathode materials, the disadvantage of high-nickel ternary cathode materials in storage performance is very obvious. The obvious impurities on the surface of high-nickel ternary materials are generated after storage for a period of time, and its electrochemical performance produce a cliff-like decline. In this work, we use the pre-blending of conductive agent to simply and effectively improve the storage performance of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode materials under high temperature and high humidity conditions. Fine particles of conductive agent can be well filled in the gap between the primary particles of the material, suppressing the sites where impurities are most easily formed during storage. Compared with the pristine materials, when stored for the same time, the impurities generated on the surface of modified materials are significantly fewer, the increase of weight is smaller, and more excellent electrochemical performance is exhibited. It can be seen from the results that the pre-blending of the conductive agent can greatly improve the storage performance of the high-nickel ternary cathode materials.

Background Compound 6, as a novel hybrid of 3-benzyl coumarin seco-B-ring derivative and nitric oxide (NO) donor phenylsulfonylfuroxan, has the potential to develop into an anticancer drug because it displays significant antiproliferation activitity for various solid cancer cell lines including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Purpose We attempt to uncover the capacities of compound 6 to induce apoptosis and autophagy in NSCLC cells, as well as the underlying mechanism involved in this process. Methods The effect of compound 6 on cell viability was evaluated in A549 cells by MTT assay. Apoptosis was mainly detected by flow cytometry. The induction of autophagy was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal microscopy as well as western-blotting technique. The expression of all related-proteins including PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway were also examined by western-blotting technique. Results Above all, distinct growth inhibition and caspase-dependent apoptosis were detected in A549 cells administered with compound 6. Then, we confirmed the induction of autophagy triggered by compound 6 in A549 cells. Noticeably, blocking autophagy using a series of inhibitors and ATG5 siRNA had little effect on the cytotoxicity of compound 6, elucidating nonprotective autophagy triggered in NSCLC cells. Further research illustrated that PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was involved in compound 6-induced apoptosis, and 3-MA as well as LY294002 had synergistic inhibiting effect on proliferation of A549 cells through the pathway mentioned above. Conclusion These findings raise a rationale that this 3-benzyl coumarin seco-B-ring derivative and phenylsulfonylfuroxan hybrid could be a promising candidate for developing as a therapeutic agent toward NSCLC, and the combination therapy through PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway may result in optimized treatment outcomes.

Background: The clinical relevance and biological role of tissular AOC4P in gastric cancer (GC) remains to be clarified. Methods: The association between AOC4P expression and clinicopathological characteristics was investigated. In vitro, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation, wound healing and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays were performed to explore the biological effects of AOC4P on GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in MGC-803 and BGC-823 cell lines. In vivo, animal experiments were conducted to confirm the in vitro findings. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to investigate the potential mechanisms. Results: Expression levels of AOC4P were significantly higher in tumor tissues than in noncancerous tissues, and patients with high levels of AOC4P had poor overall and disease-free survival. AOC4P expression was correlated with lymphovascular invasion. In vitro, knockdown of AOC4P inhibited tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted apoptosis of MGC-803 and BGC-823 cells. In vivo, BGC-823 cells transfected with AOC4P siRNA formed smaller and lighter tumors than BGC-823 cells transfected with negative control siRNA in severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Additionally, the si-AOC4P group had less proliferating cells and more apoptotic cells in tumor xenografts compared with the negative control. Mechanistically, knockdown of AOC4P decreased the expression of vimentin and MMP9, while increasing the expression of E-cadherin. Immunofluorescence confirmed the relationship between AOC4P expression and E-cadherin, vimentin, and MMP9 levels in clinical GC specimens. Conclusions: AOC4P promotes tumorigenesis and progression partly through epithelial–mesenchymal transition in GC. Additionally, AOC4P may serve as a prognostic biomarker for clinical decision making.

Carbogenic nanodots (CNDs) are inspiring intensive research efforts owing to their excellent optical properties; however, their chemical structures and photoluminescent origins are still under study. Herein, CNDs with interesting multicenter photoluminescence (PL) have been successfully prepared by pyrolysis of organo-templated zeolites. The simultaneously observed excitation-dependent blue and excitation-independent green PL emissions as well as an uncommon ultraviolet-excited cyan emission are quite different from those of the known multicenter emissive CNDs. To get a thorough understanding of the formation of these CNDs and their PL origins, structural characterizations coupled with femtosecond transient absorption and fluorescence lifetime spectra analyses have been employed to study such PL behavior. The results show that the as-prepared CNDs consist of three main batches with different polarities, and they are composed of a combination of six small fluorophores with diverse ratios. The multicenter PL is obtained due to competition between the conjugated domain fluorophores and the surface-occupied functional group fluorophores. This study provides a comprehensive insight into the origin of multicenter photoluminescence in zeolite-based CNDs.

To investigate and compare the clinicopathological characteristics of gastric stump cancer(GSC) and the recurrent of gastric cancer (RGC) following radical gastrectomy, and to evaluate survival prognosis.A retrospective cohort study was performed on clinicopathological and survival data of patients with GSC (n=31) and with RGC (n=105) following radical gastrectomy at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between January 1992 and August 2017. GSC was defined as cancer occured in remnant stomach ≥10 years after radical gastrectomy, while RGC was defined as10 years. Patients of both groups received radical resection or palliative operation with tumor resection and had complete clinicopathological data regarding the first operation and gastric stump operation. T-test was used to compare quantitative data between the two groups, and Pearson χOf the 136 enrolled patients, 113 were male and 23 were female. In the first operation, compared with RGC group, in GSC group, the Borrmann type and histological differentiation were more better [Borrmann I(: 11/31 (35.5%) vs. 5/105 (4.8%), χGSC patients have better histological differentiation and earlier clinical stage of primary gastric cancer, and longer survival time compared with RGC patients. The histological type change between two operations may be used as a new factor to define GSC.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that either laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) or robotic-assisted gastrectomy (RAG) could be adopted as standard treatment for early gastric cancer. However, the long-term survival and recurrence rate after LAG or RAG for locally advanced gastric cancer (AGC) has seldom been reported. We retrospectively analyzed the data from 339 patients who underwent LAG and 163 patients who underwent RAG from a prospectively established database in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital. We compared the short- and long-term oncological outcomes of the RAG group versus the LAG group in the entire cohort, and in a propensity score-matched cohort. Before propensity score matching (PSM), the two groups revealed comparable 3-year overall survival rates (OS, RAG vs. LAG: 76.1 vs. 81.7%, p = 0.118), and recurrence-free survival rates (RFS, RAG vs. LAG: 73.0 vs. 67.6%, p = 0.297). Similar results were obtained in the propensity score-matched cohort; the respective overall survival rates in the propensity score-matched RAG and LAG groups were 76.1 and 79.8% (p = 0.552), and the respective RFS rates were 73.0 and 68.7% (p = 0.386). After PSM, RAG was still associated with a significantly longer mean operating time (249.46 ± 63.26 vs. 232.17 ± 65.39 min, p = 0.008) and higher total costs (133.38 ± 41.62 vs. 95.34 ± 29.39 103 RMB, p

BackgroundThe rumen microbiota provides essential services to its host and, through its role in ruminant production, contributes to human nutrition and food security. A thorough knowledge of the genetic potential of rumen microbes will provide opportunities for improving the sustainability of ruminant production systems. The availability of gene reference catalogs from gut microbiomes has advanced the understanding of the role of the microbiota in health and disease in humans and other mammals. In this work, we established a catalog of reference prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen.ResultsUsing deep metagenome sequencing we identified 13,825,880 non-redundant prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen. Compared to human, pig and mouse gut metagenome catalogs, the rumen is larger and richer in functions and microbial species associated with the degradation of plant cell wall material and production of methane. Genes encoding enzymes catalyzing the breakdown of plant polysaccharides showed a particularly high richness that is otherwise impossible to infer from available genomes or shallow metagenomics sequencing. The catalog expands by several folds the dataset of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes described in the rumen. Using an independent dataset from a group of 77 cattle fed 4 common dietary regimes, we found that only ConclusionsThese data bring new insights into functions, carbohydrate-degrading enzymes and microbes of the rumen that is complementing the available information on microbial genomes. The catalog is a significant biological resource enabling deeper understanding of phenotypes and biological processes and will be expanded as new data is made available.

Uniform and hydrophilic carbon quantum dots (C-QDs) were synthesized by calcination and NaOH treatment from an organo-templated zeolite precursor. The color of luminescence was determined by the concentration of C-QDs. These variable-color C-QDs were applied for the first time in the imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism. The effects of C-QDs and possible behavioral changes in C. elegans were evaluated under treatment conditions. We could clearly observe distribution of C-QDs in C. elegans from the fluorescence images. Furthermore, we observed significant and detectable fluorescence quenching of the C-QDs by free radicals in C. elegans. Our work affirms that C-QDs can be developed as imaging probes and as potential fluorescent quantitative probes for detecting free radicals.

A nanometer-resolution displacement measurement instrument based on tunable cavity frequency-splitting method is presented. One beam is split into two orthogonally polarized beams when anisotropic element inserted in the cavity. The two beams with fixed frequency difference are modulated by the movement of the reflection mirror. The changing law of the power tuning curves between the total output and the two orthogonally polarized beams is researched, and a method splitting one tuning cycle to four equal parts is proposed based on the changing law, each part corresponds to one-eighth wavelength of displacement. A laser feedback interferometer (LFI) and piezoelectric ceramic are series connected to the sensor head to calibrate the displacement that less than one-eighth wavelength. The displacement sensor achieves to afford measurement range of 20mm with resolution of 6.93nm.

Using 4-aminopyridine as the structure-directing agent(SDA), a new open-framework zinc phosphite, (C5H7N2)2·[Zn3(HPO3)4](ZnHPO-CJ70), was synthesized under hydrothermal condition. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that ZnHPO-CJ70 is constructed by the strictly alternating ZnO4 tetrahedra and HPO3 pseudo-pyramids, with their vertexes linked to generate a three-dimensional(3D) open framework with intersecting 8- and 12-ring channels. Further characterizations of ZnHPO-CJ70 were performed by means of X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), elemental analysis(ICP, CHN), infrared spectroscopy(IR) and thermogravimetric(TG) analyses. The results of luminescent test shows that ZnHPO-CJ70 exhibits strong fluorescence emissions in the solid state at room temperature.

This program is based on the idea of “molecular engineering”, that is, function-oriented design and tailor of structures at the molecular level, and ultimately to achieve the rational synthesis, preparation, and assembly of specific functional systems. A number of functional systems including the molecular-based system, surface and interface system, porous system, complex system, metal organic system and molecule-based system, have been selected in this study. Some progresses have been achieved in the aspects of molecule self- assembly, chemical regulation of surface-interface and energy-level structure, designed construction and synthesis of porous materials, mechanism of metal valence, elementary configuration and side-arm assistance, as well as controllable breaking and forming of chemical bonds. The implementation of the project will lay scientific fundations to advance the developments of chemistry, environment, energy, materials and life science, etc.

The V 2 O 5 -coated LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) cathode materials are synthesized via a wet-coating method. V 2 O 5 is capable of lithium intercalating, so the surface of materials is purified. Furthermore lithium ion conductor V 2 O 5 is not only a barrier between electrolyte and LNMO surface to prevent electrolyte decomposition especially at high voltage, but also a HF scavenger thus the spinel structural integrity of LNMO can be preserved for a better cycling reversibility, especially at high temperatures under which conditions the dissolution of Mn 3+ ions into electrolyte via reacting with HF is severely problematic for pristine LNMO as cathode materials. The amount of V 2 O 5 coating affects the electrochemical properties of these samples. We discover that the optimal amount of V 2 O 5 on LNMO surface is about 5 wt%. Compared with pristine LNMO, the coating amount with 5 wt% exhibits an excellent rate capability and better reversibility. The discharge capacity is increased by 15.8%, 17.9%, 16.2%, 16.3%, 19.1% and 21.0% in comparison with pure LNMO, presenting a discharge specific capacity of 123.9, 119.1, 120.8, 117.5, 111.9 and 105.3 mAh g −1 at the rates of 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10C respectively. In addition, the sample presents a discharge capacity of 131.5 mAh g −1 at 1C, with a retention of 92.2% after 100 cycles. Even cycling at 5C rate and 55 °C, the cell with 5% V 2 O 5 -coated LNMO cathode can has a capacity of 126.3 mAh g −1 , with 92% capacity retention after 100 cycles, implying that V 2 O 5 -coating of LNMO is an effective modified method for lithium ion batteries.

A novel metal–organic framework [Cd3(TPT)2(DMF)2]·(H2O)0.5 (1) has been solvothermally synthesized using a new rigid unsymmetrical tricarboxylate ligand p-terphenyl-3,4′′,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3TPT). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 possesses a three-dimensional (3D) framework with an alb-4,8-C2/c topology constructed by the combination of Cd–carboxylate chains and TPT linkers. The π-electron rich ligand H3TPT enables 1 to have an excellent luminescent property. The micrometer-sized compound 1′ dispersed in ethanol exhibits high efficiency detection for picric acid (PA). The high efficiency, stability and recyclability of 1′ make it a potential chemosensor for nitroaromatic explosives.

Germanosilicate zeolite ITQ-44 with extra-large 18-rings has been hydrothermally synthesized by using a commercial benzyltriethylammonium bromide (denoted as SDA-1) as structure-directing agent (SDA). The crystallization field and the influence of various synthetic factors on the synthesis of ITQ-44, such as the crystallization temperature, the crystallization time, the Si/Ge ratio, and the amount of the F− and water have been studied. The as-synthesized ITQ-44 has been characterized by XRD, ICP, CHN, TG, SEM, NMR, N2 adsorption and NH3-TPD. The results indicate that use of SDA-1 cations could lead to a pure phase of ITQ-44 in a wide synthetic range and remain intact in the final product. The framework structure of ITQ-44 is maintained at 500 °C. B, Al and Ga atoms can be introduced into the framework of germanosilicate ITQ-44, which produces Lewis acid sites in the framework. This work offers the possibility to synthesize extra-large pore germanosilicate zeolites with simple and commercial SDAs, which is important for the practical applications of germanosilicate zeolites.

Background: Systemic chemotherapy (SC) is the recommended treatment for gastric cancer with liver metastasis. However, the improvement in survival has been disappointing. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of gastrectomy with transarterial chemoembolization plus SC (GTC) and SC alone for gastric cancer with synchronous liver metastasis. Methods: From January 2008 to December 2013, 107 gastric cancer patients with synchronous liver metastasis attending the four participating centers were enrolled in this multicenter, ambispective, controlled cohort study. Patients who underwent GTC (n = 32) were compared with controls who were received SC alone (n = 75). The primary endpoints of the study were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints were response rate to treatment and treatment-related adverse effects. Results: The median OS was 14.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI ]: 13.1–14.9 months) in the GTC treatment group and 8.0 months (95% CI : 6.6–9.4 months) in SC group, this difference being statistically significant (P < 0.001). The median PFS was significantly longer in the GTC than in the SC group (5 months, 95% CI : 2.2–7.8 months vs. 3 months, 95% CI : 2.3–3.4 months, respectively) (P < 0.001). The rate of response to treatment was significantly better in the GTC than the SC group (59.4% vs. 37.4%, respectively) (P = 0.035). According to multivariate analysis, OS in patients receiving combination treatment was significantly correlated with the size (P = 0.037) and extent of liver metastases (P < 0.001). PFS was also correlated with the extent of liver metastases (P = 0.003). Conclusions: GTC is more effective than SC alone in patients with gastric cancer with synchronous liver metastasis. GTC therapy prolongs the survival of selected gastric cancer patients with synchronous liver metastasis.

A novel zinc gallophosphate zeolitic material |(C12H14N2)4F1.33|[Ga13.33Zn6.67(PO4)20] (denoted as JU101) has been prepared by using in situ generated methyl viologen (MV) as the template. The framework of JU101 features two building units including an unprecedented fused d6r and a novel [412·64·82·102] cavity. The connection of these two building units forms a 3D intersecting pore system containing 8-rings along the [010] direction, and 10-rings along the [001] and [100] directions. The MV-templated JU101 zeolitic material offers a new type of electron transfer system, which endows the material with interesting photochromism, thermochromism, and tuneable photovoltaic activity in response to light and heating. Importantly, JU101 shows an extended photochromism range from UV to visible light, high thermal stability, as well as a long-lived charge-separated state for potential application in solar energy conversion.

Micro-/nano-structured spherical intergrown LiMn2O4–LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LMO–LNMO I, LiNi0.25Mn1.75O4) particles as a cathode material have been synthesized by an impregnation method with highly reactive chestnut-like MnO2 nano-spheres as a manganese source and structural template. The LMO–LNMO I consisted of aggregates of nano-sized particles with a well-defined cubic spinel structure. The electrochemical performance and thermostability of LMO–LNMO I are better than those of a simple mechanical mixture of LiMn2O4 and LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LMO–LNMO M), and much better than those of individual LiMn2O4 and LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 monomers. Within this special structure, LNMO acts as a skeleton to stabilize the structure of LMO and enables more lithium ions in LMO to participate in the charge–discharge process along with those in LNMO, leading to high specific discharge capacities. In addition, this material exhibits excellent cycle stabilities at room temperature (25 °C) as well as at elevated temperature. It presented a discharge capacity of 130 mA h g−1, with 96.2% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 25 °C at 1 C. When the temperature and rate are increased to 55 °C and 5 C, it still delivers a discharge capacity of 131 mA h g−1, with a capacity retention of 95% after 100 cycles. Being synthesized by a special impregnation method, LMO–LNMO I shows a more homogeneous ion mixing of Ni and Mn in the structure at the atomic level with a more enhanced thermostability due to its high Mn content compared to LNMO. The structural stability and high electrical conductivity of LMO–LNMO I are responsible for the excellent electrochemical performance and outstanding thermal stability.

This paper describes an experimental investigation of steady-state resonant waves. Several co-propagating short-crested wave trains are generated in a basin at the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering (SKLOE) in Shanghai, and the wavefields are measured and analysed both along and normal to the direction of propagation. These steady-state resonant waves are first calculated theoretically under the exact resonance criterion with sufficiently high nonlinearity, and then are generated in the basin by means of the main wave components that contain at least 95 % of the wave energy. The steady-state wave spectra are quantitatively observed within the inherent system error of the basin and identified by means of a contrasting experiment. Both symmetrical and anti-symmetrical steady-state resonant waves are observed and the experimental and theoretical results show excellent agreement. These results offer the first experimental evidence of the existence of steady-state resonant waves with multiple solutions.

A cationic metal-organic framework (MOF), [Cu

AIM To investigate whether laparoscopic surgery is as safe and feasible as open resection for patients with larger gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) (≥ 5 cm). METHODS A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library database was performed. Relevant studies of laparoscopic and open surgery for GISTs of > 5 cm published before December 2016 were identified from these databases. The quality of the studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The tumor size, operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, complication rate, and disease-free survival rate were assessed. The software Stata (version 12.0) was used for the meta-analysis. RESULTS Five clinical trials comprising 209 patients with GISTs of similar larger sizes were evaluated. The pooled analysis of 100 patients in the laparoscopic resection group and 109 patients in the open resection group demonstrated that laparoscopic surgery was significantly associated with a shorter postoperative hospital stay (P < 0.001) and less blood loss (P = 0.002). Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in the operation time (P = 0.38), postoperative complication rate (P = 0.88), or disease-free survival rate (P = 0.20) between two groups. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed that for patients with large GISTs of comparable sizes, laparoscopic surgery did not significantly influence the operation factors or clinical outcomes compared with open surgery. This suggests that laparoscopic resection is as acceptable as open surgery for treatment of large gastric GISTs.

Background Lung adenocarcinoma is the most primary histologic subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Compound 8b, a novel coumarin derivative with phenylsulfonylfuroxan group, shows significant antiproliferation activity against lung adenocarcinoma cell with low toxicity. Purpose This study aims to uncover the potential of compound 8b in relation to apoptosis as well as autophagy induction in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Study design The cytotoxicity and apoptosis of A549 and H1299 cells induced by compound 8b were detected by MTT, microscope and western blot analysis. Autophagy was determined by TEM, confocal microscopy and western blot analysis. Akt/mTOR and Erk signaling pathway were also examined by western blot analysis. Results First, significant growth inhibition and caspase-dependent apoptosis were observed in compound 8b-treated A549 and H1299 cells. Then, we confirmed compound 8b-induced autophagy by autophagosomes formation, upregulated expression of autophagy-related protein LC3-II and autophagic flux. Importantly, abolishing autophagy using inhibitors and ATG5 siRNA enhanced the cytotoxicity of compound 8b, indicating the cytoprotective role of autophagy in lung adenocarcinoma. Further mechanistic investigations suggested that Akt/mTOR and Erk signaling pathways contributed to autophagy induction by compound 8b. Conclusion This results demonstrate that compound 8b induces caspase-dependent apoptosis as well as cytoprotective autophagy in lung adenocarcinoma cells, which may provide scientific evidence for developing this furoxan-based NO-releasing coumarin derivative as a potential anti-lung adenocarcinoma therapeutic agents.

The lithium-sulfur battery, which offers a high energy density and is environmental friendly, is a promising next generation of rechargeable energy storage system. However, despite these attractive attributes, the commercialization of lithium-sulfur battery is primarily hindered by the parasitic reactions between the Li metal anode and dissolved polysulfide species from the cathode during the cycling process. Herein, we synthesize the sulfur-rich carbon polysulfide polymer and demonstrate that it is a promising cathode material for high performance lithium-sulfur battery. The electrochemical studies reveal that the carbon polysulfide polymer exhibits superb reversibility and cycle stability. This is due to that the well-designed structure of the carbon polysulfide polymer has several advantages, especially, the strong chemical interaction between sulfur and the carbon framework (C-S bonds) inhibits the shuttle effect and the π electrons of the carbon polysulfide compound enhance the transfer of electrons and Li+. Furthermore, as-prepared carbon polysulfide polymer-graphene hybrid cathode achieves outstanding cycle stability and relatively high capacity. This work highlights the potential promise of the carbon polysulfide polymer as the cathode material for high performance lithium-sulfur battery.

A facile “dots-in-zeolites” strategy is developed to synthesize a new class of CD-based TADF materials with ultralong lifetimes., Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials are inspiring intensive research in optoelectronic applications. To date, most of the TADF materials are limited to metal-organic complexes and organic molecules with lifetimes of several microseconds/milliseconds that are sensitive to oxygen. We report a facial and general “dots-in-zeolites” strategy to in situ confine carbon dots (CDs) in zeolitic matrices during hydrothermal/solvothermal crystallization to generate high-efficient TADF materials with ultralong lifetimes. The resultant CDs@zeolite composites exhibit high quantum yields up to 52.14% and ultralong lifetimes up to 350 ms at ambient temperature and atmosphere. This intriguing TADF phenomenon is due to the fact that nanoconfined space of zeolites can efficiently stabilize the triplet states of CDs, thus enabling the reverse intersystem crossing process for TADF. Meanwhile, zeolite frameworks can also hinder oxygen quenching to present TADF behavior at air atmosphere. This design concept introduces a new perspective to develop materials with unique TADF performance and various novel delayed fluorescence–based applications.

One new (named peniproline A, 1) and 11 known compounds were isolated from a culture of the endophytic fungus Penicillium decumbens CP-4. The structure of 1, featuring a phenylamine unit coupled with 2-pyrrolidone by forming a distinctive nitrogen-nitrogen bond, was elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 was found to have cytotoxic effects against Bel-7402 and Hela cell lines with IC50 values of 8.1 and 15.5 μM, respectively.

One new (named peniproline A, 1) and 11 known compounds were isolated from a culture of the endophytic fungus Penicillium decumbens CP-4. The structure of 1, featuring a phenylamine unit coupled with 2-pyrrolidone by forming a distinctive nitrogen-nitrogen bond, was elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 was found to have cytotoxic effects against Bel-7402 and Hela cell lines with IC50 values of 8.1 and 15.5 μM, respectively.

Gastric cancer cell lines in tumorsphere forming medium after 7 days (Scale bar, 50 μm). (PDF 186 kb)

CCK-8 assay of HGC-27 and NCI-87 treating with 5-Fu (1 μg/ml) and Oxaliplatin (2.5 μg/ml). (PDF 411 kb)

IHC images of RNF43 in colon cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and their corresponding normal tissues (Scale bar, 10Â Îźm (black)). (PDF 187 kb)

Flavonoids have been previously shown to possess anti-viral activities In vitro. Oroxylin A-7-O-β-D-glucoside (OAG), a flavonoids produced by microbial conversion, and its substrate baicalin, were assayed for antiviral function against hepatitis B virus (HBV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and influenza A virus (H3N2). Incubation with 100 μg/ml OAG or baicalin for 9 days reduced human HBV-transfected liver cell line HepG2 2.2.15 secretion of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by 83.17%, and 47.175%, respectively, and Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) by 27.35%, 25.56% respectively. OAG and baicalin inhibited HSV-II-induced cell death in a concentration dependent manner (ranging from by 75% and 62.5%, respectively at 12.5 μg/ml and 50%, 37.5%, respectively at 6.25 μg/ml). OAG (100 μg/ml) and biacalin (50 μg/ml) also effectively inhibited H3N2-induced toxicity in MDCK by 62.5% and 50%, respectively. In summary, OAG and baicalin could inhibit several viruses In vitro and OAG was more potent than baicalin. OAG may represent a candidate antiviral with broad activity against HBV, HSV-2 and H3N2 infection.

Infection efficiency of Ad-RNF43 in gastric cancer cells: left, observation under a regular microscope; right, observation of the same field under a fluorescence microscope (Scale Bar, 50Â Îźm). (PDF 72 kb)

The prognostic role of EphA2 in human carcinomas remains controversial. We systematically reviewed the evidence of assessment of EphA2 expression in cancers to help clarify this issue. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched to identify eligible studies to evaluate the association of EphA2 expression and overall survival (OS) of cancers. Hazard ratios (HRs) were pooled to estimate the effect. EphA2 overexpression was significantly correlated with poor OS of patients with cancer (HR: 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.65-2.28). Subgroup analysis also indicated a significant relation between EphA2 overexpression and OS in gastric cancer (HR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.48-2.59). However, there was no significant relation between EphA2 overexpression and OS in lung cancer (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.93-1.83). Our analyses demonstrate that EphA2 overexpression was effectively predictive of worse prognosis in various human carcinomas. For certain cancers, EphA2 might be a marker of poor prognosis in patients with cancer, except for lung cancer.

Reaction of uranyl dications with (2-carboxyethyl)(phenyl)phosphinic acid (CPPA, H2L) under hydrothermal conditions gave two layered isomers (UO2)(2)(L)(2), namely, CPP-U1 and CPP-U2. Both of them feature edge-sharing uranyl dimers as structure-building units, which are ligated by CPP ligands in different ways, thus leading different layered arrangements. With the addition of imidazole derivatives, two three-dimensional structures UO2(L)(dib)(0.5) (CPP-U3) and UO2(L)(bbi)(0.5) CPP-U4) were generated, in which the similar uranyl-phosphinate layers are connected by two different imidazole derivatives by means of the U-N connection [dib = 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl) benzene; bbi = 1,1'-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(imidazole)]. The syntheses, structure, as well as the IR spectra, and luminescent and photocatalytic properties of these uranyl organophosphinates are reported in this paper.

A support vector machine (SVM) method has been used on the database of aluminophosphate (AlPO) synthesis with ca. 1700 reaction data to predict the formation of AlPOs with (6, 8)-rings based on 20 synthetic parameters associated with the gel composition, solvent and templates. Furthermore, four zeotype structures with different channel systems, such as AEN, AWO, ERI and CHA have been computational classified in the family of (6, 8)-ring-containing AlPOs. Analysis results reveal that several synthetic parameters, particular the molar ratio of solvent/Al 2 O 3 (F3), and the Van der Waals (VDW) volume (F14), the greatest length (F11), and the number of free rotated single bond (F20) of templates have significant effects in directing the formation of target structure. Using single or combinations of several parameters, a better classifier can be trained to distinguish the (6, 8)-ring-containing AlPOs with desired zeotype structure or not, and the classification accuracy is about 85%. This work demonstrates that the computational method together with database of AlPO synthesis provides a possibility to establish the relationship between the synthetic factors and the resulting structures, which is important in guiding the rational synthesis of microporous aluminophosphate materials.

X-ray-induced photochromic materials are promising candidates for X-ray detection. An effective strategy to synthesize photochromic materials is the incorporation of photochromic methylviologen (MV) into inorganic open frameworks. It is of great interest to adjust the photochromic behaviour of MV-based materials using designed synthesis of novel anionic open frameworks. A new multifunctional photo-sensitive material, MV-templated layered bimetal phosphate JU99, is presented. It possesses unique X-ray-induced photochromism at room temperature, as well as interesting photoluminescence and photovoltaic activity, all of which are reversible in response to X-ray irradiation. These properties make JU99 an excellent material for X-ray detection.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), a marker of adult stem cells and cancer stem cells, plays important roles in tumor progression. Furthermore, Lgr5 also contributes to chemoradiotherapy resistance. However, the function of Lgr5 in the prediction of preoperative chemotherapy efficacy has not been reported. We evaluated the potential of Lgr5 in predicting tumor response and overall survival in advanced gastric cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy. The association between Lgr5 and chemotherapy resistance was also investigated in gastric cancer cell lines. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis of Lgr5 expression were performed in 68 cases of gastric cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy. Lgr5 expression was specifically silenced in the AGS gastric cancer cell lines by RNA interference. Levels of Lgr5 mRNA and protein in cell lines were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or western blotting. Cell viability was evaluated by an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide dual staining analysis. We found that Lgr5 expression was significantly associated with tumor regression grade after preoperative chemotherapy. The rate of positive Lgr5 expression was significantly higher in patients with poor tumor regression compared with those exhibiting tumor regression (P=0.001). Lgr5-positive patients had a significantly shorter survival time than Lgr5-negative patients (P=0.001). Inhibition of Lgr5 expression with small interfering RNA increased the sensitivity of AGS gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy. Our findings suggest that Lgr5 expression may be implicated in the chemoresistance of gastric cancer cells and is a potential novel biomarker for predicting response to chemotherapy and prognosis in gastric cancer patients, and may also represent a potential new therapeutic target for cancer therapy.