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Chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related intestinal microbial dysbiosis is one of the main causes of intestinal mucositis. Cases of bacterial translocation into peripheral blood and subsequent sepsis occur as a result of dysfunction in the intestinal barrier. Evidence from recent studies depicts the characteristics of chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related intestinal microbial dysbiosis, which creates an imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut. Decreases in beneficial bacteria can lead to a weakening of the resistance of the gut to harmful bacteria, resulting in robust activation of proinflammatory signaling pathways. For example, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing bacteria activate the nuclear transcription factor-κB signaling pathway through binding with Toll-like receptor 4 on stressed epithelial cells, subsequently leading to secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Nevertheless, various studies have found that the omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid can reverse intestinal microbial dysbiosis by increasing beneficial bacteria species, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and butyrate-producing bacteria, such as Roseburia and Coprococcus. In addition, the n-3 PUFAs decrease the proportions of LPS-producing and mucolytic bacteria in the gut, and they can reduce inflammation as well as oxidative stress. Importantly, the n-3 PUFAs also exert anticancer effects in colorectal cancers. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related intestinal microbial dysbiosis and introduce the contributions of dysbiosis to the pathogenesis of intestinal mucositis. Next, we discuss how n-3 PUFAs could alleviate chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related intestinal microbial dysbiosis. This review provides new insights into the clinical administration of n-3 PUFAs for the management of chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related intestinal microbial dysbiosis.

Postnatal maturation of Sertoli cells is crucial for male fertility. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the Sertoli cell number per tubule cross-section (SC/T), the serum level of the Sertoli cell-produced inhibin B, and the A-dark spermatogonia number per tubule (Ad/T) in cryptorchid boys. Forty infant cryptorchid boys aged 4-35 months (median: 13 months) were included in the study. During orchiopexy, blood samples for serum inhibin B, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testicular biopsies were obtained. Histological sections were evaluated by quantitative immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analysis including VASA and SOX9 (Sertoli cell marker) in order to measure the tubular germ cell number (G/T), Ad/T, and SC/T. The SC/T correlated negatively with age (p < 0.0002) and positively with G/T, Ad/T, inhibin B, FSH, and LH (all p < 0.01). Inhibin B correlated with LH (p < 0.0001), but not with FSH (p = 0.2077). The SC/T:G/T ratio positively correlated with age (p < 0.0001). Boys with Ad spermatogonia at surgery had a higher number of Sertoli cells compared to boys without Ad spermatogonia. In conclusion, a correlation between Sertoli cell number and inhibin B was proven, indicating that inhibin B possibly reflects the function of Sertoli cells in infant cryptorchid boys.

BACKGROUND: To determine toxicities, maximally tolerated dose (MTD), and potential antitumor activity of intrathecal pemetrexed (IP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients with recurrent or progressive leptomeningeal metastases (LM) after intrathecal chemotherapy and other LM-related therapy were included. IP doses escalated from 10 mg to 15 mg, and even 20 mg. Protocol schema of IP was twice per week for 2 weeks (induction therapy), followed by once per week for 2–4 weeks (consolidation therapy). The primary endpoints were MTD and safety. The secondary endpoint was efficacy. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected and analyzed for drug concentration. RESULTS: Nine patients (male: 3; female: 6; age: 37–71 years; median: 55) were enrolled between March 2017 and March 2018. All cases received total 50 times of IP (2–8 times, median: 6). Incidence of >grade III adverse events was 50%, including 4 cases with hematological toxicities and 2 with radiculitis. One patient received 15 mg IP dose expired due to hematological toxicities. Then protocol was revised. The dose was decreased to 10 mg. B12 and folic acid supplementation was indispensable. Three more cases were enrolled subsequently. No case showed severe hematological toxicities. Total clinical response rate was 80%. For the cohort of 10 mg dose, clinical response rate was 88%. All cases were followed up until May 1, 2018. Six cases died from cancer or related complications. No acute or subacute CNS toxicity was observed. The median overall survival was 2.5 (0.3–12) months from enrollment of this study. Pemetrexed was not cumulative in CSF. Times of plasma concentration peak were 6 h in 3 cases, 9 h in 1 case, and 12 h in 1 case after IP. CONCLUSION: Pemetrexed is suitable for intrathecal use. A dose of 10 mg shows well safety and high clinical response rate, which is worth for subsequent trials.

Solar vapor generation has attracted tremendous attention as one of the most efficient ways of utilizing solar energy. It is highly desirable to develop low-cost, eco-friendly, and high-efficiency solar absorbers for practical applications of solar vapor generation. Herein, a three-dimensional plasmonic covellite CuS hierarchical nanostructure has been synthesized as the light-absorbing material via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method for structurally integrated solar absorbers with microporous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane (PVDFM) as the supporting material. A broadband and highly efficient light absorption has been achieved in the wavelength of 300-2500 nm, along with high water evaporation efficiencies of 90.4 ± 1.1 and 93.3 ± 2.0% under 1 and 4 sun irradiation, respectively. Meanwhile, stable performance has been demonstrated for over 20 consecutive runs without much performance degradation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest performance among the copper sulfide-based solar absorbers. With the additional features of low-cost and convenient fabrication, this plasmonic solar absorber exhibits a tremendous potential for practical solar vapor generation.

In this study, we examined the characteristics and aimed to increase the knowledge of clinical features of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM). The clinical data, including initial diagnosis and treatment of primary tumor, clinical manifestations, neuroimaging findings, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination, were analyzed. For the patients with adenocarcinoma/breast cancer, the incidence of cranial lesions and cranial nerve paralysis was obviously higher than patients with small cell lung cancer. Whereas, the incidence of involvement of intravertebral canal was obviously lower than that of small cell lung cancer. Patients with adenocarcinoma/breast cancer showed more incidence of leptomeningeal enhancement compared to those with small cell lung cancer. Persistent severe headache was noticed in those with squamous carcinoma, and usually showed absence of abnormally LM-related neuroimaging and CSF cytological findings, which resulted in a challenge in the diagnosis of LM from squamous carcinoma. Patients with different primary tumors showed differential clinical features. Significant differences were observed in clinical features between patients with adenocarcinoma/breast cancer and small cell lung cancer. Our study contributes to the understanding of clinical characteristics of LM, and contributes to improvement of LM diagnosis in clinical practice.

Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) survive in inflammatory microenvironment, their survival are regulated by inflammatory cytokines and signaling pathways. Esculentoside A (EsA), a triterpene saponin derived from the root of Phytolacca esculenta, possesses antiinflammation effects; but whether it has anticancer activity is unknown. The purpose of this study is to test the inhibitory effect of EsA on the growth of breast CSCs and to elucidate its probable mechanisms of action. The proliferation inhibitory effect of EsA on breast CSCs in vitro were determined by cytotoxicity, mammosphere formation inhibition, apoptotic cell detection assays, and in vivo tumor growth inhibition experiment. The possible molecular mechanisms elucidating the inhibitory effect of EsA on breast CSC growth were examined with western blotting. EsA caused proliferation and mammosphere formation inhibition of breast CSCs; induced breast CSCs apoptotic death; suppressed the growth of tumors generated from breast CSCs significantly; the expressions of stemness proteins including ALDH1A1, Sox2, and Oct4 were downregulated; proapoptotic proteins, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were upregulated, whereas the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 was reduced; IL-6/STAT3 pathway proteins including IL-6, phosphorylated STAT3 (Tyr705), and STAT3 (Ser727) were downregulated significantly in EsA-treated breast CSCs and tumor tissues. EsA inhibited breast CSC growth in vitro and in vivo through stemness attenuation and apoptosis induction by blocking IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway; it might serve as a novel candidate agent for human breast cancer treatment and/or prevention.

Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is an aggressive lymphoid tumor. Optimal treatment strategies have not yet been fully defined. To explore a more effective treatment, we conducted sequential chemoradiotherapy (SCRT) and evaluated the safety and efficacy. Seventy-eight patients (51 males, 27 females) were analyzed. The complete response (CR) rate was higher for patients in the SCRT group (90.9%) than in the radiotherapy group (77.8%; p = 0.124). The relapse rate (RR) and death rate (DR) were lower in the SCRT group (RR: 6.7% vs 33.3%, p

Three-dimensional (3D) CuS nanoflowers and 2D single crystalline Cu9S5 nanosheets with irregular hexagonal holes have been successfully synthesized by easily hydrothermally treating a solution of copper dichloride dihydrates and thiourea at 180 °C for several hours without any surfactants and morphology-controlling agents. Irregular hexagonal holes were widely distributed over the Cu9S5 nanosheets, which could efficiently enlarge the surface area. The UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy showed an obvious increase of the near-IR absorbance. The influence of the reaction time, morphology, and crystal phase on the photocatalysis and photothermal conversion was discussed. The results revealed that CuS nanoflowers displayed the maximum removal value of rhodamine B of 67%. The Cu9S5 nanosheets obtained with the increase reaction time displayed an adsorption and photo-degradation decrease for RhB. The exposure of the aqueous dispersion of the Cu9S5 nanosheets prepared with 6 h (2.0 g L−1) under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser can increase its temperature by 25.1 °C in 600 s, exhibiting a good photothermal conversion performance. The photothermal efficacy increases with the samples obtained from 1 h to 18 h.

A random metamaterial, carbon/alumina (C/Al2O3) composite, was prepared using a precursor infiltration and pyrolysis method, which has potential applications in novel antennas, microwave absorbing and shielding. The microstructures, radio-frequency dielectric property and conductivity behavior of the composites with different carbon contents were investigated in detail. It was found that the carbon membrane spread out on the pore walls of the alumina matrix. As the carbon content increased, the composites underwent a percolation phenomenon, and the conductive mechanism changed from hopping conduction to metal-like conduction due to the formation of conductive carbon networks. A negative permittivity behavior was observed in the composites above the percolation threshold, and this was ascribed to the low frequency plasmonic state produced by the carbon networks. The frequency dispersion of such negative permittivity efficiently agreed with the Drude model. The negative magnitude of permittivity in the testing frequency was small, ranging from −370 to −28, which originated from the lower carrier concentration in the conducting carbon networks. This work will greatly facilitate the practical application of random metamaterials with tunable electrical properties, and has great significance for the development of metamaterials.

This paper focused on the adsorption mechanism of activated carbon for the removal of low-concentration heavy metals in drinking water treatment. Two commercial activated carbon AC-1 and AC-2 were selected, which mainly were used for the terminal purification of drinking water. To investigate the differences of adsorption capacity of ACs for Pb, Hg, and As, scanning electron microscopy test (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm, the surface functional groups (FT-IR), the point zero charge (PZC), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis were conducted. Freundlich isotherms were used to describe the adsorption behavior of ACs on heavy metal ions. The results showed that both AC-1 and AC-2 have aptitude for low-concentration heavy metals retention; taking the removal capacity and cost into account, AC-1 is more efficient and economic than AC-2 for the low-concentration heavy metal ions (Pb and Hg) removal from water. The mechanism analysis showed that the adsorption of ACs on low-concentratio...

To better understand the performance of a hydrostatic spindle in motion, the impact of oil film slip on the load capacity, stiffness and dynamic stiffness of the spindle is studied. Based on the velocity slip boundary conditions, the stress characteristic equation and the liquid flow equation of the hydrostatic spindle are formed into a coupled equation system that is used to numerically analyze the load capacity stiffness of the spindle system. The spindle properties and oil film characteristics are considered in the initial stage of oil film. From the simulation results, it is concluded that the occurrence of oil film slip results in the increase of the bearing capacity and stiffness, with a highest increase rate of approximately 40%. The existence of the slip phenomenon is confirmed in the oil film flow process of a spindle system, with a slip length of approximately 3 μm determined by the simulation results, which are verified by the measurement of the axial stiffness of the spindle. This study explores a new method for the analysis of the static and dynamic performance and the determination of the dynamic stiffness of a hydrostatic spindle.

The present study reports the case of a 53-year-old man with leptomeningeal metastasis from early glottic laryngeal cancer. The patient had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx 9 years previously. The current symptoms included a recurring headache that had persisted for 1 month and vomiting for 1 week. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the head revealed multiple enhancing lesions in the brain and multiple line-like enhancements in the brain fold. Computed tomography scans of the head, neck, chest and abdomen showed no nodular lesions. Cytological examination of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) revealed malignant cells with a scattered distribution pattern. The patient received intra-CSF methotrexate chemotherapy concurrent with whole-brain radiotherapy, which relieved the neurological symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of cytologically-confirmed LM from early glottic laryngeal cancer.

The occurrence of primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of soft tissue is rare, particularly in skeletal muscle. The present study describes a case of diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the right lower extremity and provides a detailed review of the literature associated with this disorder, with the aim of improving the future diagnosis and therapy of extranodal NHL. The present case report was of a 76-year-old woman who presented with a right thigh and calf mass. In view of the tumor's location and the patient's age, soft tissue tumors were considered to be soft tissue sarcoma. Imaging scans were performed to determine the location and size of the tumor, followed by a biopsy of the muscle. Histopathological examination then yielded a diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The patient then underwent 4 cycles of chemotherapy. There was evident relief of pain and swelling in the right extremity; however, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) determined insufficient treatment efficacy. Chemotherapy was adjusted for 2 cycles; however, the patient suffered an aggravation of edema, so a different chemotherapy regimen of bleomycin, cytarabine, vincristine, cyclosphamide and dexamethasone (BCOAD) was performed for a further 2 cycles. The edema was alleviated and magnetic resonance imaging revealed shrinkage of the lower limb mass and the right thigh mass was undetectable. In conclusion, the present case report demonstrated that PET/CT may help determine the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment and that the BCOAD chemotherapy regimen may be more effective than standard treatments in certain cases.

This paper proposes an efficient and automated scheme to predict and identify the position and motion errors of rotary axes on a non-orthogonal five-axis machining centre using the double ball bar (DBB) system. Based on the Denavit-Hartenberg theory, a motion deviations model for the tilting rotary axis B and rotary C of a non-orthogonal five-axis NC machine tool is established, which considers tilting rotary axis B and rotary C static deviations and dynamic deviations that total 24. After analysing the mathematical expression of the motion deviations model, the QC20 double ball bar (DBB) from the Renishaw Company is used to measure and identify the motion errors of rotary axes B and C, and a measurement scheme is designed. With the measured results, the 24 geometric deviations of rotary axes B and C can be identified intuitively and efficiently. This method provides a reference for the error identification of the non-orthogonal five-axis NC machine tool.

Well-exfoliated graphene oxide sheets were initially fabricated through a modified pressurized oxidation method with powdered flake graphite as raw material. A variety of inorganic-reduced graphene oxide composites have been then successfully synthesized through a general solvothermal strategy with the graphene oxide sheets as supports, ethanol as solvent, and metal salts as precursors. After the solvothermal reactions, Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles, Fe2O3 nanorods, W18O49 nanowires, ZnO nanoparticles, and Ag nanoparticles were in situ grown on the surfaces of the graphene oxide sheets, accompanied by effective reduction of graphene oxide to reduced graphene oxide. The as-prepared products have been systematically characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, and Raman spectroscopy. The present work opens up a versatile route for preparing the reduced graphene oxide-based composites.

Photothermal conversion nanomaterials attract much attention for their high light/heat transform efficiency and controllable light absorption. In this work, the CuS semiconductor nanomaterials were prepared through the deposition method in the presence of citrate sodium and were characterized by TEM, XRD and UV-vis spectra. A new type of nano composite coating was obtained from acrylic resin by adding the CuS nanoparticles and other nanomaterials which could absorb the light of various infrared bands. The test showed that when exposed to infrared light, the plastic greenhouse model equipped with photothermal conversion coating gave out a more significant temperature rising than that of the common plastic greenhouse. The properties of photothermal conversion and heat insulation of photothermal conversion coating reach the best when the addition quantities of CuS and ZrC nanoparticles are 2%.

Oligodendrocytes are the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system (CNS). A variety of brain disorders from “classical” demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, schizophrenia, depression, Down syndrome and autism, are shown myelination defects. Oligodendrocyte myelination is regulated by a complex interplay of intrinsic, epigenetic and extrinsic factors. Gpr17 (G protein-coupled receptor 17) is a G protein-coupled receptor, and has been identified to be a regulator for oligodendrocyte development. Here, we demonstrate that the absence of Gpr17 enhances remyelination in vivo with a toxin-induced model whereby focal demyelinated lesions are generated in spinal cord white matter of adult mice by localized injection of LPC(L-a-lysophosphatidylcholine). The increased expression of the activated form of Erk1/2 (phospho-Erk1/2) in lesion areas suggested the potential role of Erk1/2 activity on the Gpr17-dependent modulation of myelination. The absence of Gpr17 enhances remyelination is correlate with the activated Erk1/2 (phospho-Erk1/2).Being a membrane receptor, Gpr17 represents an ideal druggable target to be exploited for innovative regenerative approaches to acute and chronic CNS diseases.

Purpose A meta-analysis including 11,900 cases showed that maternal gestational smoking was associated with increased risk of cryptorchidism. The aim of study was to investigate whether a hormone profile of cryptorchid boys and a supplementing histopathological evaluation of testicular biopsies could add detailed knowledge to the impact of maternal gestational smoking on pathogenesis of cryptorchidism. Methods 601 cryptorchid boys aged 4 months to 14 years old were included. Because normal hormones have a pronounced age dependency, we compared results from boys whose mothers had smoked heavily (>10 cigarettes/day) during pregnancy with age matched cryptorchid controls of nonsmoking mothers (1:6). We studied: birthweight, germ-cell number/tubular cross section, frequency of germ cells positive for placental-like alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), gonadotropins and inhibin-B. Results 501 boys were sons of nonsmokers, 72 boys of intermittent smokers and 28 boys of heavy smokers. 39%, 44% and 61% respectively had bilateral cryptorchidism. Compared to age-matched cryptorchid controls of nonsmoking mothers, sons of heavy smokers had lower birthweight (p = 0.006), germ-cell number/tubular cross section (p = 0.009), frequency of germ cells positive for PLAP (p = 0.037) and inhibin-B (p = 0.042). Conclusions All findings could be associated with placental dysfunction with altered human chorionic gonadotropin production well described in women smoking during pregnancy. Type of study Prognosis study (prospective cohort study with >80% follow-up). Level of evidence Level 1.

The chemokine C–X–C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) greatly impacts various biological processes in mammals, including cell survival, growth and migration. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising tools for carrying foreign genes to treat radiation-induced injuries in the intestinal epithelium. In this study, human adipose-derived MSCs were constructed to over-express the mouse cxcl12 gene to treat such injuries. In vitro, because of the high levels of mouse CXCL12 in conditioned medium produced by mouse cxcl12 gene-modified cells, phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 and Erk1/2 at Thr202/Thr204 was increased within crypt cells of irradiated organoids compared with unmodified controls. Moreover, intracellular stabilization of β-catenin was achieved after treatment of mouse cxcl12 gene-modified cells with conditioned medium. As a result, survival of crypt cells was maintained and their proliferation was promoted. When delivering mouse cxcl12 gene-modified cells into irradiated BALB/c nude mice, mice were rescued despite the clearance of cells from the host within 1 week. Irradiated mice that received mouse cxcl12 gene-modified MSCs exhibited reduced serum levels of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and IL-6 as well as elevated levels of CXCL12. Additionally, epithelial recovery from radiation stress was accelerated compared with the irradiated-alone controls. Moreover, mouse cxcl12 gene-modified MSCs were superior to unmodified cells at strengthening host repair responses to radiation stress as well as presenting increased serum CXCL12 levels and decreased serum IL-1α levels. Furthermore, the number of crypt cells that were positive for phosphorylated Akt at Ser473 and phosphorylated Erk1/2 at Thr202/Thr204 increased following treatment with mouse cxcl12 gene-modified MSCs. Thus, cxcl12 gene-modified MSCs confer radioresistance to the intestinal epithelium.

A novel method is developed for the synthesis of carbon co-encapsulated near-equiaxed NiS2, NiS and S8 nanocrystals with core–shell structure by a one-step solid state reaction of nickelocene with ammonium persulphate at 200 °C in an autoclave. These nanocrystals have a narrow size distribution ranging from 5 to 19 nm and the median size is 10.99 nm. Both amorphous and graphitizable carbon shell are formed, encapsulating hundreds of nanocrystals as a whole and providing exclusive rooms for these nanocrystals separated from each other. The interaction of nickel with cyclopentadienyl ligands through π bond results in the formation of core–shell structure. The carbon encapsulated NiS2 and NiS nanocrystal anodes retain a reversible capacity of 517 and 326 mA h/g after 50 cycles at a current density of 208 and 1480 mA/g, respectively.

A novel method is developed for low temperature synthesis of carbon encapsulated spherical Fe7S8 nanocrystals with core–shell structure (Fe7S8@C) by the reaction of ferrocene with ammonium persulphate. The phase structure, morphology, specific surface area and composition of the nanocomposite are systematically characterized. It is found that the Fe7S8 nanocrystals with a weight percent of 33.5% have a median size of 25.2 nm. The Fe7S8@C electrodes retain a reversible capacity of 815 and 539 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 200 and 2284 mA g−1, respectively. The high capacity, good cycling behavior and rate capability of Fe7S8@C electrodes are attributed to the good protection and electrical conductivity of carbon shell.

Human immunodeficiency virus-negative plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is an extremely rare entity. Its clinicopathological features, optimal treatment strategy and prognostic factors remain obsure. An extensive search was performed in the English language literature within the Pubmed database using the key words: ‘plasmablastic lymphoma and human immunodeficiency virus-negative or immunocompetent’. Data from 114 patients from 52 articles were analyzed. The mean patient age at diagnosis was 58.90 years (range, 2–86). HIV-negative PBL showed a predilection for elderly individuals (patients older than 60 years, 56.14%) and affected more males than females (M:F, 2.29:1). Ann Arbor stage IV patients accounted for 39.22% while bone marrow involvement was less frequent (12.79%). The Ki-67 index was high with a mean expression of 83%. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection was common being positive in 58.70% of the patients while herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection was rare being positive in only 7.55% of the patients. Immunosuppression was noted in 28.16% of patients. The median overall survival (OS) was 19 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 52.3 and 45.3%, respectively. Age, gender and primary site showed no strong relationship with OS while Immunosuppression, Ann Arbor stage IV and EBV negativity were able to predict a poorer OS. Either complete remission (CR) or partial remission (PR) was superior to the refractory group in OS (P

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply a new modified homotopy perturbation method, which is effective to solve multi-order fractional equations with non-polynomial initial and boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed algorithm is tested on multi-order fractional advection-dispersion equations. The fractional derivatives described in this paper are in the Caputo sense. Findings – Approximate results explicitly reveal the complete reliability, efficiency and accuracy of the new modified technique. Originality/value – It is observed that the approach may be implemented to other multi-fractional models with non-polynomial initial and boundary conditions.

The prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM), a major subtype of grade IV glioma, is rather poor nowadays. The efficiency of chemotherapy serving as the adjunct to radiotherapy (RT) for treating GBM is still controversial. In this study, we aim to investigate the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed GBM received RT plus chemotherapy or with RT alone. Literatures were searched from the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library between January 2001 and June 2015. Study selection was conducted based on the following criteria: randomized clinical trial (RCT) of adjuvant RT plus chemotherapy versus RT alone; studies comparing OS and/or PFS; and studies including cases medically confirmed of newly diagnosed GBM. Five RCTs (1655 patients) were eligible in this study. The meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in OS of patients treated with RT plus oral chemotherapy compared with that of RT alone (hazard ratio 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.56–0.88, P = .002). Adjuvant chemotherapy confers a survival benefit in patients newly diagnosed with GBM.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of heterogeneous cells existed in tumour tissues or cancer cell lines with self‐renewal and differentiation potentials. CSCs were considered to be responsible for the failure of conventional therapy and tumour recurrence. However, CSCs are not a static cell population, CSCs and non‐CSCs are maintained in dynamic interconversion state by their self‐differentiation and dedifferentiation. Therefore, targeting CSCs for cancer therapy is still not enough,exploring the mechanism of dynamic interconversion between CSCs and non‐CSCs and blocking the interconversion seems to be imperative. Exosomes are 30‐100 nm size in diameter extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by multiple living cells into the extracellular space. They contain cell‐state‐specific bioactive materials, including DNA, mRNA, ncRNA, proteins, lipids, etc. with their specific surface markers, such as, CD63, CD81, Alix, Tsg101, etc. Exosomes have been considered as information carriers in cell communication between cancer cells and non‐cancer cells, which affect gene expressions and cellular signalling pathways of recipient cells by delivering their contents. Now that exosomes acted as information carriers, whether they played role in maintaining dynamic equilibrium state between CSCs and non‐CSCs and their mechanism of activity are unknown. This review summarized the current research advance of exosomes’ role in maintaining CSC dynamic interconversion state and their possible mechanism of action, which will provide a better understanding the contribution of exosomes to dedifferentiation and stemness acquisition of non‐CSCs, and highlight that exosomes might be taken as the attractive target approaches for cancer therapeutics.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host responses to infection. Despite decades of research, it remains the leading cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs). None of the current treatment, including antibiotics, organ protection and liquid resuscitation, is specifically effective for sepsis. Immunosuppression is one of the currently accepted pathogenesis and immunotherapy is one of the hot spot of current sepsis research. Immune related treatments include restricting the release of pathogen toxin and its removal, controlling the excessive inflammatory reaction and apoptosis inhibition, etc. Numerous pre-clinical studies using immunomodulatory agents such as interleukin-7 (IL-7), anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody and others, have demonstrated reversal of T cell dysfunction and improved survival resulting from reviewing recent advances in immunotherapy of sepsis. Therefore, immunotherapy may be a new way of sepsis treatment.

Highly crystalline LaB x O 3 (B = Co, Mn) perovskites are produced through a simple non-aqueous benzyl alcohol (BA) route. Textural properties of BA-derived materials were compared to those obtained for solids of comparable composition, prepared by classical citric acid complexation method. Oxygen mobility in synthesized materials was evaluated by oxygen isotopic ( 18 O) exchange (OIE). Perovskites obtained with the BA route shows much larger specific surface area, smaller crystallite size and superior oxygen mobility. Such improvement in properties is in favor of low temperature catalytic oxidation, as evaluated by CO oxidation.

RlmN is a radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzyme that catalyzes the C2 methylation of adenosine 2503 (A2503) in 23S rRNA and adenosine 37 (A37) in several Escherichia coli transfer RNAs (tRNA). The catalytic reaction of RlmN is distinctly different from that of typical SAM-dependent methyltransferases that employs an SN 2 mechanism, but follows a ping-pong mechanism which involves the intermediate methylation of a conserved cysteine residue. Recently, the x-ray structure of a key intermediate in the RlmN reaction has been reported, allowing us to perform combined quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations to delineate the reaction details of RlmN at atomic level. Starting from the Cross-Linked RlmN C118A-tRNA complex, the possible mechanisms for both the formation and the resolution of the cross-linked species (IM2) have been illuminated. On the basis of our calculations, IM2 is formed by the attack of the C355-based methylene radical on the sp2 -hybridized C2 of the adenosine ring, corresponding to energy barrier of 14.4 kcal/mol, and the resolution of IM2 is confirmed to follow a radical fragmentation mechanism. The cleavage of C'-S' bond of mC355-A37 cross-link is in concert with the deprotonation of C2 by C118 residue, which is the rate-limiting step with an energy barrier of 17.4 kcal/mol. Moreover, the cleavage of C'-S' bond of IM2 can occur independently, that is, it does not require the loss of an electron of IM2 and the formation of disulfide bond between C355 and C118 as precondition. These findings would deepen the understanding of the catalysis of RlmN.

As members of the α/β -hydrolase superfamily, Meta-cleavage product (MCP) hydrolases generally utilize a Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad to hydrolyze the cleavage of C C bond during the aerobic catabolism of aromatic compounds by bacteria. BphD is one kind of MCP hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoic acid (HOPDA) to 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoic acid (HPD) and benzoate. In this article, a combined quantum mechanics and molecule mechanics (QM/MM) approach has been employed to explore the reaction mechanism of BphD from Burkholderia xenovorans LB400. On the basis of the recently resolved crystal structures, three computational models have been constructed. Our calculation results reveal that BphD utilizes a water-assisted nucleophilic mechanism, which contains acylation and deacylation stages. In acylation reaction, an active site water molecule assists the proton transfer from Ser112 to the carbanion intermediate (substrate) by forming hydrogen bonds with Ser112 and His265, and this proton transfer is in concert with the nucleophilic attack of deprotonated Ser112 on the C6-carbonyl of substrate to form the acylated intermediate. In deacylation, the Asp237-His265 dyad acts as a general base to activate the hydrolytic water, whose nucleophilic attack leads to the collapses of acyl-enzyme intermediate. The acylation and deacylation process correspond to the highest energy barriers of 21.0 and 23.9 kcal/mol, respectively. During the catalytic reaction, the active site water and Asp237-His265 dyad play an important role for each elementary steps.

Metal sulfides are promising materials because their ability to capture radioactive nuclides from wastewater is superior to many others. Herein, Na/Zn/Sn/S (NaZTS) quaternary metal sulfide nanosheets were fabricated using a one-pot hydrothermal method. A series of characterizations revealed that these nanosheets had a structure identical to Na5Zn3.5Sn3.5S13·6H2O, consisting of [Zn3.5Sn3.5S13]5− frameworks and Na+ ions located at the center and corner of the open channels. Because of the S2− ligands in its structure, NaZTS was a soft Lewis base and showed high affinity toward Sr2+ ions. NaZTS was employed to remove Sr2+ from aqueous solutions and exhibited ultrafast kinetics (an equilibrium time of 5 min), a broad active pH range (a removal rate of >98.4% at pH 3–12), and a very low Sr2+ desorption rate of

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cancer stem cells (GSCs) are responsible for the progression and recurrence of GBM after conventional therapy. Morusin possesses anti-cancer activity in vitro. The purpose of this study is to confirm the growth inhibition effect of morusin on human GSCs growth in vitro and in vivo and to explore the possible mechanism of its activity. Human GSCs were enriched under nonadhesive culture system, and characterized through neurosphere formation, toluidine blue staining, immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting analysis of stemness markers of CD133, nestin, Sox2 and Oct4, and tumorigenecity in vivo; the growth inhibition effect of morusin on human GSCs in vitro and in vivo were tested by cell cytotoxicity, neurosphere formation inhibition, adipogenic differentiation, apoptosis induction, and tumor growth inhibition in vivo assays. The potential molecular mechanisms underlying the growth inhibition effect of morusin on GSCs in vitro and in vivo were investigated with Western blotting evaluation of stemness, adipogenic, and apoptotic proteins in morusin treated GSCs and tumor tissues. GSCs enriched under nonadhesive culture system possess stemness characterstics; Morusin inhibited GSCs growth in vitro and in vivo, it reduced stemness of GSCs, induced them adipocyte-like transdifferention and apoptosis. Morusin has the potential to inhibit human GSCs growth in vitro and in vivo through stemness attenuation, adipocyte transdifferentiation, and apoptosis induction.

The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 can be mainly improved from three approaches: (1) enhancing surface energy; (2) increasing availability of visible light and (3) improving the separation efficiency of photo-induced electrons and holes. Here, we report a one-step route to obtain nitrogen (N) doped TiO 2 sheets with dominant {001} facets by a hydrothermal process. The XRD patterns confirm the better crystallinity. XPS spectrums show nitrogen acting as interstitial N or an O–Ti–N structure in TiO 2 sheets. Compared with that of TiO 2 sheets, the N doped TiO 2 sheets not only absorb visible light, but also have a large percentage of high reactive {001} facets, so the photocatalytic activities are greatly enhanced, as confirmed by the decomposition of methylene orange.

The characteristics of thermally regenerated activated carbon (AC) polluted with biological activated carbon (BAC) process were investigated. The results showed that the true micropore and sub-micropore volume, pH value, bulk density, and hardness of regenerated AC decreased compared to the virgin AC, but the total pore volume increased. XPS analysis displayed that the ash contents of Al, Si, and Ca in the regenerated AC respectively increased by 3.83%, 2.62% and 1.8%. FTIR spectrum showed that the surface functional groups of virgin and regenerated AC did not change significantly. Pore size distributions indicated that the AC regeneration process resulted in the decrease of micropore and macropore (D>10 μm) volume and the increase of mesopore and macropore (0.1 μm

The present study focuses on the preparation and characterization of three phase epoxy syntactic foam (ESF) filled with carbon fiber reinforced hollow epoxy macrospheres (CFR-HEMS) and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS). The ESF was produced by embedding CFR-HEMS into a mixture of epoxy-hardener and 30 wt% HGMS. An innovative approach and simple procedure was implemented in the preparation of CFR-HEMS where expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads were used as initiation template. The EPS beads were coated with epoxy resin and carbon fiber using “rolling ball method,” and these coated EPS beads were later cured and post-cured at high temperature which will shrink the EPS beads thus producing a hollow macrosphere structure. The compressive property of ESF was characterized and the mechanical model was issued. The ESF (450 kg/m3, 30.74 MPa) can withstand 2049 m water pressure and provide 550 kg/m3 buoyancy, the higher strength are due to the fiber spherical x–y network throughout the macrosphere epoxy matrix, which can give some support to the preparation of buoyancy material used in deepwater oil exploration. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:497–502, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this reported work, silver (Ag) nanocomposites (NCs) with three different structures were prepared to confirm that structure has significant influence on the antibacterial properties. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the following three methods: first, by deposition of Ag on the surface of silica-polydopamine spheres by reducing Ag cations (NC1), secondly, by encapsulation of Ag NPs in mesoporous SiO2 with a core–shell structure (NC2) and thirdly, Ag nanocrystals were both decorated on the surface of SiO2 and incorporated into its mesoporous structure (NC3). The key to the successful synthesis of the aforementioned NCs was polydopamine (PD) having the unique reductive ability and powerful adhesive capability. The antibacterial activities of NC1, NC2 and NC3 were evaluated through bacterial growth curves assay carried out on Vibrio natriegens (V. natriegens) strain, a Gram-negative bacterium, supported by observations from transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that in the first three days, the effect of NC1 was more intense on V. natriegens compared with NC2; however, the next seven days revealed the opposite result. Therefore NC3 exhibited the most effective antimicrobial treatments for ten days.

Smooth muscle cell marker, SM22α, was down-regulated in the pathogenesis of arterial diseases including atherosclerosis, restenosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms. However, the question still exists whether this down-regulation actively contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. In an ongoing effort to understand the role of SM22α, here we explored transcriptome profiling by RNA-Seq from arteries of SM22α−/− and SM22α+/+ mice. Analysis revealed that the most enriched pathways caused by SM22α-knockout were hematopoiesis, inflammation and lipid metabolism, respectively, and NF-κB, RXRα and PPARα were the major upstream regulators. The candidate genes involved in inflammation and lipid metabolism were clustered in atherosclerosis. Thus we suspected that the molecular basis in SM22α−/− mice was already prepared for the initiation of atherosclerosis. Further analysis suggested the up-regulated TNF caused NF-κB pathway activation. Our results showed loss of SM22α exacerbated TNF-α-mediated NF-κB activation and increased the expression levels of ApoCI in vitro, while overexpression of SM22α suppressed TNF-α-mediated NF-κB activation. In addition, disruption of SM22α enhanced injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia, and increased expression levels of molecules related with cellular adhesion and extracellular matrix degradation. Taken together, these findings not only suggested down-regulation of SM22α can actively contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis from the molecular basis, but also further confirmed that the vascular cells of SM22α−/− mice may become more sensitive to extracellular stimulation, increasing its tendency to develop vascular diseases. Meanwhile, rescuing SM22α expression may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for arterial diseases.

Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are believed to contribute to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) propagation and treatment resistance. Tanshinone IIA possesses anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to determine the inhibitory effect of tanshinone IIA on human GSCs in vitro and in vivo and to explore the underlying mechanisms. In the present study, human GBM neurospheres (GBMS) were isolated from adherent GBM cells in serum-free medium, and the cells from the GBMS displayed characteristics of GSCs. Results from the MTT, neurosphere formation and in vivo inhibition assays revealed that tanshinone IIA had a significant inhibitory effect on human GSCs in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, tanshinone IIA increased the expression of differentiation and neural lineage markers including GFAP and β-tubulin, decreased expression of GSC markers including CD133 and nestin, and induced GSC apoptosis in vitro and in vivo in a dose‑dependent manner. Inflammatory cytokines and signaling pathways are believed to play key roles in maintaining the stem-like properties in human glioma cells. In the present study, inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL6) and its downstream activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 [phospho-STAT3(tyrosine705) and phospho-STAT3(serine727)] were downregulated after tanshinone IIA treatment in vitro and in vivo. This result indicated that disturbance of the IL6/STAT3 signaling axis by tanshinone IIA is closely related to the growth inhibition of GSCs. Taken together, our results indicate that tanshinone IIA has the potential to target and kill GSCs through suppression of proliferation, attenuation of stemness and induction of apoptosis. Its mechanism of activity may be associated with attenuation of the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway.

A sensitive and reproducible liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of linarin, naringenin and formononetin in rat plasma after addition of sulfamethoxazole as the internal standard (IS). Separation was carried out on a Diamonsil C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with liner gradient elution using methanol (A) and 0.5‰ formic acid aqueous solution (B). Detection was performed on a triple-quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer with the negative ion electrospray ionization in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The MRM transitions were m/z 591.2 283.2, 271.0 150.9, 266.9 252.0 and 252.0 155.9 for linarin, naringenin, formononetin and IS, respectively. All analytes showed good linearity within the concentration range (r > 0.9973). The lower limits of quantitation of linarin, naringenin and formononetin were 0.64, 1.07 and 1.04 ng/mL, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day precisions of the investigated components exhibited an RSD within 9.96%, and the accuracy (relative error) ranged from −11.25 to 9.38% at all quality control levels. The developed method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of linarin, naringenin and formononetin in rats after oral administration of Bushen Guchi Pill. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this work, we report the synthesis of a novel hybrid electrochromic composite through nucleation and growth of ultrathin tungsten oxide nanowires on graphene oxide sheets using a facile solvothermal route. The competition between the growth of tungsten oxide nanowires and the reduction of graphene oxide sheets leads to the formation of sandwich-structured tungsten oxide-reduced graphene oxide composite. Due to the strongly coupled effect between the ultrathin tungsten oxide nanowires and the reduced graphene oxide nanosheets, the novel electrochromic composite exhibited high-quality electrochromic performance with fast color-switching speed, good cyclic stability, and high coloration efficiency. The present tungsten oxide-reduced graphene oxide composite represents a new approach to prepare other inorganic-reduced graphene oxide hybrid materials for electrochemical applications.

The Ni-based coatings were prepared by laser cladding (LC) and plasma transferred arc (PTA) welding, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the coatings were tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical corrosion, long-term immersion tests and X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results of XRD showed that the composite coatings comprised Ni, Cr and Mo. The electrochemical corrosion tests included polarization curves and electrochemical impendance spectroscopy (EIS). The XPS analysis presented samples included Ni, Fe, Cr and Mo oxides, which protected the substrate from corrosion by acid solutions. The results also presented that the Ni-based PTA coating is more resistant to corrosion than the Ni-based LC coating. In the immersion tests, the coatings changed from pitting to general corrosion as the immersion time prolonged.

Hierarchical K2Mn4O8 nanoflowers synthesized by a facile, fast, high-yield and low-cost molten salt method (MSM), have been investigated as a photothermal conversion material for solar vapor generation for the first time. Loading K2Mn4O8 into microporous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane (PVDFM) forms a K2Mn4O8/PVDFM composite evaporator. This evaporator shows high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies of ∼80.8% and ∼91.2% under 1 sun and 4 sun irradiation, respectively, and a stable solar vapor generation performance. Therefore, this evaporator has shown a promising potential for interfacial solar vapor generation.

Rational: Laryngeal granulomas are benign lesion that rarely occurs after surgery of laryngeal cancer. Until now there has not been standard treatment for it. Patient concern: The patient was diagnosed with laryngeal neoplasm one and half a month ago. Endoscopic low-temperature plasma knife in the radical excision of left vocal cord was performed under the general anesthesia. Postoperative histopathological examination confirmed left vocal cord tumor was highly differentiated invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Then the patient suffered unexplained intermittent dyspnea which persisted nearly 1 month after the surgery. Laryngoscope examination showed granulation formation on the glottis. Diagnoses: The patient was diagnosed with laryngeal granuloma 1 month after the surgery of laryngeal cancer. Interventions: The patient received resection of the laryngeal mass, and pathological examination confirmed the granuloma. Postoperative radiotherapy (RT) was performed within 24 hours after surgery. Outcomes: The patient was followed up for 3 years after surgery and the laryngeal granuloma and laryngeal cancer did not recur during follow-up. The symptoms of intermittent dyspnea disappeared and a satisfactory outcome was achieved. Lessons: Usually for primary laryngeal granulomas, surgical treatment alone is not enough, because it is easy to relapse. RT within 24 hours after operation can significantly reduce the recurrence of laryngeal granuloma.

A novel method is developed for low temperature synthesis of carbon encapsulated spherical Fe 7 S 8 , equiaxed Fe 3 O 4 and spherical porous FeOOH nanocrystals with a core–shell structure via a solid–solid reaction of ferrocene with (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 , (NH 4 ) 2 Cr 2 O 7 and NH 4 ClO 4 in an autoclave, respectively. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the median size of Fe 7 S 8 , Fe 3 O 4 and FeOOH nanocrystals is about 28.99, 52.68 and 25.66 nm, respectively. The hollow worm-like carbon shell provides exclusive rooms for tens to hundreds of nanocrystals separated from each other. The cooperative effect of ammonium and strong oxidizing ion on electrophilic oxidation of ferrocene contributes to the in situ formation of carbon shell on the nanocrystals. The metal–π interaction of iron atom with cyclopentadienone oligomers enables ordered self-assembling of carbon rings, resulting in the formation of graphitizable carbon shell with roughly parallel fringes at low temperature.

The coordination chemistry of imidazole–tripodal ligand N,N-bis(2-(1-methylimidazolyl)methyl)glycine (HL) has been studied with cobalt (II). Single-crystal X-ray analysis showed that the mononuclear complex [CoLCl] (1) could further act as the charge-negative metalloligand to assemble a heptanuclear complex of Co[CoLCl]6(NO3)2 (2) through the bridge linking of carboxylato O of L and the cooperation of the central metal ions. The electrochemical and magnetic properties were explored.

This study aimed to investigate the role of fatty acid synthase (FASN) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cells and MCF-7 cells overexpressing mitogen-activated protein kinase 5 (MCF-7-MEK5) were used in this study. MCF-7-MEK5 cells showed stable EMT characterized by increased vimentin and decreased E-cadherin expression. An In vivo animal model was established using the orthotopic injection of MCF-7 or MCF-7-MEK5 cells. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of FASN and its downstream proteins liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and VEGF/VEGFR-2 in both in vitro and in vivo models (nude mouse tumor tissues). In MCF-7-MEK5 cells, significantly increased expression of FASN was associated with increased levels of L-FABP and VEGF/VEGFR-2. Cerulenin inhibited MCF-7-MEK5 cell migration and EMT, and reduced FASN expression and down-stream proteins L-FABP, VEGF, and VEGFR-2. MCF-7-MEK5 cells showed higher sensitivity to Cerulenin than MCF-7 cells. Immunofluorescence revealed an increase of co-localization of FASN with VEGF on the cell membrane and with L-FABP within MCF-7-MEK5 cells. Immunohistochemistry further showed that increased percentage of FASN-positive cells in the tumor tissue was associated with increased percentages of L-FABP- and VEGF-positive cells and the Cerulenin treatment could reverse the effect. Altogether, our results suggest that FASN is essential to EMT possibly through regulating L-FABP, VEGF and VEGFR-2. This study provides a theoretical basis and potential strategy for effective suppression of malignant cells with EMT.

The tumor microenvironment plays an important role in the progression of cancer. This study focused on carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and stromal-epithelial interaction between CAFs and epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) cells. We isolated and established primary cultures of CAFs and co-cultured CAFs and EOC cells in vitro. The co-culture conditioned medium (CC-CM) was harvested and its influence on EOC cells was examined. Cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor levels were screened using a biotin label-based human antibody array system. We found that the stromal-epithelial crosstalk provided a suitable microenvironment for the progression of ovarian cancer cells in vitro.