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The clinical benefits of diquafosol tetrasodium (DQS), a hydrophilic P2Y2 receptor agonist for dry eye, have been hindered by a demanding dosing regimen. Nevertheless, it is challenging to achieve sustained release of DQS with conventional drug delivery vehicles which are mainly designed for hydrophobic small molecule drugs. To address this, we developed an affinity hydrogel for DQS by taking advantage of borate-mediated dynamic covalent complexation between DQS and hydroxypropyl guar. The resultant formulation (3% DQS Gel) was characterized by sustained release, low corneal permeation, and extended ocular retention, which were desirable attributes for ocular surface drug delivery. Both in vitro and in vivo studies had been carried out to verify the biocompatibility of 3% DQS Gel. Using corneal fluorescein staining, the Schirmer's test, PAS staining, quantitative PCR and immunohistological analyses as outcome measures, the superior therapeutic effects of 3% DQS Gel over PBS, the hydrogel vehicle and free DQS were demonstrated in a mouse dry eye model. Our DQS delivery strategy reported herein is readily applicable to other hydrophilic small molecule drugs with cis -diol moieties, thus providing a general solution to improve clinical outcomes of numerous diseases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐step conversion of methane to methanol in the gaseous phase is required for high value added application of methane and environmental protection, but it is challenging. Here, direct oxidation of methane to methanol under gaseous condition on iridium promoted Cu/CeO2 catalyst, prepared using a sol‐gel method, is investigated. The addition of iridium can effectively upgrade the redox properties and oxygen storage capacity due to intense metal interaction, stimulating a prominent catalytic performance for methane conversion to methanol on Cu−Ir@CeO2 catalyst. Approximately 26.2 μmol/gcat methanol yield and 68 % methanol selectivity are achieved on the trimetallic 5Cu0.5Ir@CeO2 catalyst at 550 °C in 2 h. Consequences of the analysis of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, Raman, FI‐IR and XPS demonstrate that highly‐dispersed Ir and Cu species are uniformly distributed on CeO2 surface, and partial Cu or Ir atoms replace Ce4+ in CeO2 lattice due to the metal interaction in the colloidal structure, which can impact the catalyst's electronic properties. H2 temperature‐programmed reduction (H2‐TPR) and CH4 temperature‐programmed desorption (CH4‐TPD) results disclose that the unique ternary surface exhibits excellent redox properties and strong adsorption capacity for methane, which can activate the first C−H bond of methane to methyl species, and then react with OH− to form methanol. The good stability in cyclic operation is an additional attribute, rendering this type of catalyst a "front‐runner" in future catalyst development for direct methane‐to‐methanol. This composite catalyst design provides hope for developing ternary metal‐oxide catalysts for functionalization of methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation methods of NiCo2O4 materials are introduced, including hydrothermal/solvo-thermal method, sol-gel method, electrospinning method and so on. The existing problems and modification methods of NiCo2 O4 materials in the application process are described. Poor cycle stability, low energy density and functional density limit its practical application to a great extent. Therefore, many modification methods have been studied, mainly by changing the material structure and coating and doping conductive substances, and the development and application of NiCo2O4 materials are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient synthesis of highly functionalized γ-hydroxybutenolides through BF3-catalyzed annulation of keto acids with alkynes is described. Many advantages such as the use of routine reagents, easy operation, and a 100% atom efficiency are demonstrated in the method. The reaction can be readily scaled up to gram quantities, offering good practicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hiding information on grayscale images has been drawing much attention in recent years. In pervious techniques, many schemes like Zhang and Wang's method or Sudoku method use magic matrix as a plane reference to modify the LSBs of cover images. To further improve the hiding capacity and visual quality, we propose the so-called magic cube based (MCB) information hiding scheme. MCB is an early attempt to use three-dimensional reference to achieve information hiding in grayscale image. Secret data are embedded in the cover pixel LSBs by utilizing spatial coordinates. MCB has a larger probability to modify fewer pixels in the whole image. The comparison experiments show that MCB achieves higher hiding capacity and better visual quality with impressive undetectability. Moreover, our method can easily avoid the overflow problem in the embedding process and the hiding capacity is flexible by operating on magic cubes with different scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The infection of orthopedic implantation devices with Staphylococcus has been a serious concern within the biomaterial community. Treatments are not always successful because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria biofilm infection. Recent studies have shown that combination of antibiotics with low-frequency ultrasound (US) can enhance the bactericidal activity effectively against the formation of biofilms in vitro pilot study. Meanwhile, microbubbles evolved as targeted drug-delivery agents can provide nuclei for inertial cavitation and lower the threshold for US-induced cavitation. Human β-defensin 3 (HBD-3) is a cationic antimicrobial peptide considered particularly promising for future bactericidal employment and has effect on antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus biofilms. But the effect has not been reported when combined with US-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) in vivo . Methods In this study, we evaluated the effect of HBD-3 combined with UTMD on two tested Staphylococcus by the spread plate method, crystal violet staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results In the study, we found that the biofilm densities, the percentage of live cells, and the viable counts of two tested Staphylococcus that recovered from the biofilm on the titanium surface in mice were significantly decreased in the group of the HBD-3 combined with UTMD, compared with those of other groups. Furthermore, in the experiment, we found out that UTMD could enhance HBD-3 activity, which inhibits the biofilm-associated genes expression of icaAD and the methicillin-resistance genes expression of MecA by promoting the icaR expression simultaneously. Conclusions The combination of HBD-3 with UTMD can play a significant role on the elimination of the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus biofilms in vivo . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient flame retardant poly[N,N,N′,N′,N″,N″-hexakis-cyclotriphosphazene-[1,3,5]triazine- 2,4,6-triamine] (HPTT) was synthesized in this work, and used to flame retard silicone rubber (SR). The flame retardancy of SR/HPTT was investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94), and cone calorimetry. At 18 wt% HPTT, the SR/HPTT composite achieved a LOI value of 31.8% and UL-94 V-0 rating, and the heat release rate (HRR), the peak of heat release rate (PHRR), and smoke production rate (SPR) were significantly reduced compared those of (neat) SR. All the flame retardation tests indicate that the flame retardancy of SR was greatly improved after incorporating 18 wt% HPTT. The flame-retardant mechanism of HPTT was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TGA results showed the residue of SR/HPTT was much higher than that of SR. SEM observation showed that the inner residue of SR/HPTT was more compact than that of SR. XPS further demonstrated that the Si–C, C–C, etc. structures were formed in the residue of SR/HPTT. The compact and stable char layer formed at the inner layer of the residue during thermal decomposition must be the leading reason for the excellent flame retardancy of SR/HPTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of in vitro and in vivo studies has shown that EAF2 can affect multiple signaling pathways involved in cellular processes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects have remained elusive. Here we report the discovery of a new functional link between EAF2 and TGF-β signaling. Promoter reporter assays indicated that EAF2 suppresses Smad3 transcriptional activity, resulting in inhibition of TGF-β signaling. Coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that EAF2 specifically interacts with Smad3 in vitro and in vivo but not with other Smad proteins. In addition, we observed that EAF2 binding does not alter Smad3 phosphorylation but causes Smad3 cytoplasmic retention, competes with Smad4 for binding to Smad3, and prevents p300-Smad3 complex formation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that EAF2 suppresses both TGF-β-induced G1 cell cycle arrest and TGF-β-induced cell migration. This study identifies and characterizes a novel repressor of TGF-β signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High expression of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in insulinoma supplies a potential drug target for tumor imaging. Exendin-4 can specifically bind to GLP-1R as an agonist and its analogs are extensively used in receptor imaging studies. Purpose: A new GLP-1R imaging agent, [18F]AlF-NOTA-MAL-Cys39-exendin-4, was designed and prepared for insulinoma imaging. Methods: Cys39-exendin-4 was conjugated with NOTA-MAL, then the compound was radiolabeled with [18F]AlF complex to obtained [18F]AlF-NOTA-MAL-Cys39-exendin-4. The tumor-targeting characters of the tracer were evaluated in INS-1 cells and BALB/c nude mice models. Results: [18F]AlF-NOTA-MAL-Cys39-exendin-4 can be efficiently produced with a yield of 17.5 ± 3.2% (non-decay corrected) and radiochemical purity of >95%. The IC50value of displacement [18F]AlF-NOTA-MAL-Cys39-exendin-4 with Cys39-exendin-4 was 13.52 ± 1.36 nM. PET images showed excellent tumor visualization with high uptake (9.15 ± 1.6%ID/g at 30 min and 7.74 ± 0.87%ID/g at 60 min). The tumor to muscle, pancreas and liver ratios were 63.25, 3.85 and 7.29 at 60 min after injection. GLP-1R binding specificity was demonstrated by co-injection with an excess of unlabeled Cys39-exendin-4 and the tumor uptake was found to be reduced significantly. Conclusion: [18F]AlF-NOTA-MAL-Cys39-exendin-4 shows favorable characteristics for insulinoma imaging and may be translated to clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a reductive cross‐coupling reaction of α‐oxy halides, simply generated from aldehydes, with a series of C(sp2)‐ and C(sp)‐electrophiles. A wide range of aryl and heteroatom aryl halides, vinyl bromides, alkynyl bromides, and acyl chlorides react with unhindered and hindered aldehyde‐derived α‐oxy halides by providing protected alcohols as well as α‐hydroxy ketones. Noteworthy, the reductive couplings are achieved not only through thermal catalysis with the use of metal reductants but also by photocatalysis, electrochemistry, and mechanochemistry. The unrestricted interchange of the four strategies indicates their underlying mechanistic similarities. The generation of NiI intermediate is proposed to be the key point for ketyl radical formation via a single‐electron transfer (SET) event, which was rationalized by an array of control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Reaction mechanisms of anisole decomposition on Ni (111) were simulated by DFT. • Phenol was the major product of anisole decomposition by microkinetic analysis. • Phenol was preferred to secondary decompose due to its higher desorption energy. • H coverage enhanced reaction rate for hydrogenation of anisole on Ni (111). Anisole, as an aromatic oxygenate lignin model compound, which can be selectively cleaved into benzene over Ni/C at high temperature. On the basic of experimental results, the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) mechanism of anisole was investigated on clean Ni (111) surface by using computational techniques. Based on static energies, the microkinetic modeling on clean Ni (111) and H-covered Ni (111) were built in which the modeling of H-covered Ni (111) approximately simulated the real catalytic system under lower temperature and higher H 2 pressure. As a result, the microkinetic analysis proved the phenol was the major product in the anisole decomposition on clean Ni (111) surface. However, the phenol was preferred to decompose rather than desorb from Ni surface because of the high desorption energy, suggesting that the benzene mainly originated from the secondary dissociation of phenol. Differently, the decreasing of energy barrier for anisole hydrogenation led to the formation of methylcyclohexane as main product on H-covered Ni (111) surface by microkinetic analysis. The differences in products distribution between Ni (111) and H-covered Ni (111) provided a mechanistic understanding for anisole conversion under different experimental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have prepared ZnO films with ∼700 nm sized grains on silicon substrates by a simple hydrothermal process. Then, metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structured devices based on such ZnO films have been fabricated in order to achieve low-threshold electrically pumped random lasing (RL). It is found that the MIS structured device using the as-grown hydrothermal ZnO film exhibits a lower RL threshold current than most of our previously reported devices using the sputtered or hydrothermal ZnO films of much smaller grains, indicating the feasibility of using ZnO films of large grains to improve the RL performance. However, the RL threshold current of the MIS structured device using the hydrothermal ZnO film subjected to 700 °C anneal is unexpectedly ∼10 times that of the device using the as-grown hydrothermal ZnO film. This is due to that the 700 °C anneal results in deep pores and more defects in the hydrothermal ZnO film, which in turn leads to not only the larger optical loss but also the smaller optical gain. Such an unexpected result suggests that the poor thermal-endurance of the present hydrothermal ZnO films significantly limits their applications into random lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The asymmetricreduction of ketimines is animportant method for the preparation of amines in optically pure form.Inspired by the biological system using NAD(P)H, Hantzsch ester hasbeen extensively employed as a hydrogen donor in combination withchiral phosphoric acid for the transfer hydrogenation of ketiminesto furnish amines with high to excellent enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3, also known as HAVCR2) is an activation-induced inhibitory molecule involved in tolerance and shown to induce T-cell exhaustion in chronic viral infection and cancers. Under some conditions, TIM-3 expression has also been shown to be stimulatory. Considering that TIM-3, like cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death 1 (PD-1), is being targeted for cancer immunotherapy, it is important to identify the circumstances under which TIM-3 can inhibit and activate T-cell responses. Here we show that TIM-3 is co-expressed and forms a heterodimer with carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), another well-known molecule expressed on activated T cells and involved in T-cell inhibition. Biochemical, biophysical and X-ray crystallography studies show that the membrane-distal immunoglobulin-variable (IgV)-like amino-terminal domain of each is crucial to these interactions. The presence of CEACAM1 endows TIM-3 with inhibitory function. CEACAM1 facilitates the maturation and cell surface expression of TIM-3 by forming a heterodimeric interaction in cis through the highly related membrane-distal N-terminal domains of each molecule. CEACAM1 and TIM-3 also bind in trans through their N-terminal domains. Both cis and trans interactions between CEACAM1 and TIM-3 determine the tolerance-inducing function of TIM-3. In a mouse adoptive transfer colitis model, CEACAM1-deficient T cells are hyper-inflammatory with reduced cell surface expression of TIM-3 and regulatory cytokines, and this is restored by T-cell-specific CEACAM1 expression. During chronic viral infection and in a tumour environment, CEACAM1 and TIM-3 mark exhausted T cells. Co-blockade of CEACAM1 and TIM-3 leads to enhancement of anti-tumour immune responses with improved elimination of tumours in mouse colorectal cancer models. Thus, CEACAM1 serves as a heterophilic ligand for TIM-3 that is required for its ability to mediate T-cell inhibition, and this interaction has a crucial role in regulating autoimmunity and anti-tumour immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrotechnic mixtures can produce aerosol fire extinguishing agent by combustion and serve as an efficient and economic alternative to the halons. In this work, magnesium powder was used as an additive to improve the combustion performance of the strontium nitrate-based pyrotechnic aerosol fire extinguishing agent. Optimization was carried out regarding extinguishing time, residue mass, combustion temperature, corrosiveness, combustion product and mass burning rate. Even though magnesium powder is a high energy combustion agent, the results showed that the flame temperature could be controlled within a reasonable range of 700°C to 900°C by proper formulation, and the performance of the strontium nitrate-based aerosol fire extinguishing agent can be improved efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The impact of patellar denervation with electrocautery in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on post-operative outcomes has been under debate. This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis and systematic review to compare the benefits and risks of circumpatellar electrocautery with those of non-electrocautery in primary TKAs. Methods: Comparative and randomized clinical studies were identified by conducting an electronic search of articles dated up to September 2012 in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane databases. Six studies that focus on a total of 849 knees were analysed. A random-effects model was conducted using the inverse-variance method for continuous variables and the Mantel-Haenszel method for dichotomous variables. Results: There was no significant difference in the incidence of anterior knee pain between the electrocautery and non-electrocautery groups. In term of patellar score and Knee Society Score, circumpatellar electrocautery improved clinical outcomes compared with non-electrocautery in TKAs. The statistical differences were in favour of the electrocautery group but have minimal clinical significance. In addition, the overall complications indicate no statistical significance between the two groups. Conclusions: This study shows no strong evidence either for or against electrocautery compared with non-electrocautery in TKAs. Level of evidence: Therapeutic study (systematic review and meta-analysis), Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weed occurrence and damage in public green lawn of Suzhou urban area was assessed using five-grade weed visual survey method. The occurrence and damage of weeds in public green lawn of Suzhou City was very common. There were totally 67 species of weeds in green lawn, with the density of 6.5 plant /m², the relative abundance of 7.6% , the relative coverage of 10.3% , the relative height and the occurrence frequency of 100%, and the overall damage level of weeds was above the forth level. There were 14 species of major weeds causing damage, and 15 species of weeds were found to pose regional damage. Haloxyfop-R-methyl or Ping'an-14 could be applied to control grassy weeds in clover lawns, with the herbicidal effect above 90%. MCPA, fluroxypyr, or clopyralid could be administrated alone to control broadleaf weeds in Cynodon dactylon or Festuca elata lawn, with the herbicidal effect above 85%. Since the weed species in weed communities of lawn were different, the types of herbicides should be targeted, or SD additives could be added to improve the herbicidal effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burning particles in the pyrotechnic flame play an important role in the ignition and spectral radiance of the pyrotechnic. We used particle image velocimetry (PIV) and high-speed camera (HSC) photography to investigate the 3D spatial pattern and velocity of the burning particles in the flame of pyrotechnics. The original images captured by the HSC were preprocessed through threshold selection, image bivalency, edge detection, and contour extraction and segmentation to obtain the particle coordinates and velocity. Consequently, the particle tracking model was established and the velocity and spatial distribution of the burning particles were obtained. A comparison of the flame flow field with particle image velocimetry demonstrated the typical characteristics of the two-phase flow of the pyrotechnic flame between burning particles and gas. Compared with the convergent gas flow field, the higher velocity burning particles had a discrete distribution in the “comet tail” shape region and showed the same direction of motion as the flame flow field, whereas the lower velocity burning particles had larger outlying regions and showed inconsistent directions of motion. The flow field of the burning particles was more chaotic than the flame flow field of the burning pyrotechnics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an emerging hypothesis that exposure to cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se) in utero and early childhood could have long-term health consequences. However, there are sparse data on early life exposures to these elements in US populations, particularly in urban minority samples. This study measured levels of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Se in 50 paired maternal, umbilical cord, and postnatal blood samples from the Boston Birth Cohort (BBC). Maternal exposure to Cd, Hg, Pb, and Se was 100% detectable in red blood cells (RBCs), and there was a high degree of maternal-fetal transfer of Hg, Pb, and Se. In particular, we found that Hg levels in cord RBCs were 1.5 times higher than those found in the mothers. This study also investigated changes in concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Se during the first few years of life. We found decreased levels of Hg and Se but elevated Pb levels in early childhood. Finally, this study investigated the association between metal burden and preterm birth and low birthweight. We found significantly higher levels of Hg in maternal and cord plasma and RBCs in preterm or low birthweight births, compared with term or normal birthweight births. In conclusion, this study showed that maternal exposure to these elements was widespread in the BBC, and maternal-fetal transfer was a major source of early life exposure to Hg, Pb, and Se. Our results also suggest that RBCs are better than plasma at reflecting the trans-placental transfer of Hg, Pb, and Se from the mother to the fetus. Our study findings remain to be confirmed in larger studies, and the implications for early screening and interventions of preconception and pregnant mothers and newborns warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arylboronic acids and their derivatives have been widely exploited as important synthetic precursors in organic synthesis, materials science, and pharmaceutical development. In addition to numerous applications in transition metal-mediated cross-coupling reactions, transition metal-free transformations involving arylboronic acids and derivatives have recently received a surge of attention for converting the CB bond to CC, CN, CO, and many other CX bonds. Consequently, a wide range of useful compounds, e.g., phenols, anilines, nitroarenes, and haloarenes, has been readily synthesized. Amongst these efforts, many versatile reagents have been developed and a lot of practical approaches demonstrated. The research in this promising field is summarized in the current review and organized on the basis of the type of bonds being formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose- There is no consensus regarding the clinical relevance of gender-specific prostheses in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We summarize the current best evidence in a comparison of clinical and radiographic outcomes between gender-specific prostheses and standard unisex prostheses in female patients. Methods- We used the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Science Citation Index, and Scopus databases. We included randomized controlled trials published up to January 2013 that compared gender-specific prostheses with standard unisex prostheses in female patients who underwent primary TKAs. Results- 6 trials involving 423 patients with 846 knee joints met the inclusion criteria. No statistically significant differences were observed between the 2 designs regarding pain, range of motion (ROM), knee scores, satisfaction, preference, complications, and radiographic results. The gender-specific design (Gender Solutions; Zimmer Inc, Warsaw, Indiana) reduced the prevalence of overhang. However, it had less overall coverage of the femoral condyles compared to the unisex group. In fact, the femoral prosthesis in the standard unisex group matched better than that in the gender-specific group. Interpretation- Gender-specific prostheses do not appear to confer any benefit in terms of clinician- and patient-reported outcomes for the female knee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Previous intensive research has described the molecular impacts of high‐pressure processing (HPP) on fish meat chemical composition, such as myofibril structural proteins, enzymes, myoglobin and lipids. This work aims to collect articles on sensory evaluation of pressure‐treated aquatic products to determine the practical effects of HPP on aquatic products, especially sensory properties, by comparing the differences between instrumental tests and sensory evaluation, between trained sensory assessors and consumers to guide and improve the processing of aquatic products. The findings indicate that laboratory devices such as spectrophotometers, texture analysers and electronic noses, and trained sensory assessors can detect pressure‐induced changes in appearance, texture, off‐odour, and flavour, such as discoloration, whitening, increased hardness and initiation of lipids oxidation. However, consumers did not perceive the pressure‐induced changes in odour and colour. Besides, consumers' attitudes towards pressure‐treated aquatic products are ambiguous in the range of 300 to 600 MPa, and professional testing and assessment fail to replace hedonic tests. In complex matrices of aquatic products, particular attention is needed to be paid to changes in sensory qualities dominated by microorganisms, endogenous enzymes and bioactive compounds after HPP treatment and throughout commercial storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from differentiating induced stem cells maintain their original stemness and differentiating trends and possess strong immunoregulatory capability. Biomaterials equipped with EVs are very promising in regenerative medicine. However, surface EV‐decoration on osteoimplants remains a challenge, due to the complexity of traditional molecular conjugations and the fragility of EVs. Here, mussel‐like molecular adhesion is combined with bioorthogonal click conjugation to introduce EVs on titanium (Ti) implants. The biomimetic adhesion and clickable molecular linkage allow mild and stable tethering of pre‐osteogenic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐derived EVs on Ti implants. EV‐decorated implants exhibit significantly enhanced osseointegration on the bone‐implant surface under diabetic conditions, promoting increased expression of osteogenic genes. Modified surfaces impelled phenotypic alterations in macrophage polarization via multi‐pathway regulation, decreasing proinflammatory M1 macrophage formation, which can lead to the promotion of surface osteogenesis. On Ti rods implanted in a diabetic rat model, EV coating inhibited M1macrophages around the prosthesis, resulting in satisfactory long‐term osseointegration. This study offers a new perspective to represent a simple and effective means for surface EV decoration, providing an osteoimmunomodulatory effect to enhance the diabetic osseointegration of implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Case Presentation Conclusions Mobile bearing fracture is a rare long‐term complication of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), and relevant reports are sparse. Hence, its treatment options need further exploration.This study presents the case of fracture of a polyethylene insert that occurred 12 years after mobile bearing medial UKA in a 75‐year‐old overweight woman who then underwent surgical intervention at our institution. However, we encountered significant challenges in removing the fragments from the broken bearing, resulting in retention of the remaining one‐third of the fragment. We solved this problem by replacing the fractured insert with thicker mobile bearing. During the 1‐month postoperative follow‐up, the patient achieved good range of motion and excellent satisfaction, with no reported complications and a Knee Society Score of 90. Additionally, we reviewed the literature on the treatment for mobile bearing fractures after UKA.Bearing fracture is a rare cause of failure of mobile bearing UKA. This case highlights the challenges of UKA fracture bearing retrieval and underscores that mobile bearing replacement can be an effective intervention. The case we report shows that when removal of a residual meniscal bearing in a posterior dislocation is difficult to achieve, compromise may be an appropriate option because it does not cause additional complaints to the patient. This case emphasizes the importance of the surgeon having a thorough preoperative understanding of the location and potential pitfalls of fracture fragments in such situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effectiveness of robot-assisted surgery remains contentious due to the lack of high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to elevate the level of evidence. We aimed to evaluate the postoperative radiographic outcomes of robot-assisted (RAS-THA) versus manual (M-THA) total hip arthroplasty. Methods: This multicenter RCT was performed from March 1, 2021 to December 1, 2021. Patients were randomly assigned to routine M-THA or to RAS-THA that used the TRex-RS orthopedic joint surgical navigation system. The primary outcome was to compare the acetabular component orientation, femoral stem alignment, femoral canal fill ratio, and leg length discrepancy between RAS-THA and M-THA using postoperative radiography. Subgroup analyses of the two groups stratified by surgical approach, gender, and BMI were also conducted. Results: Seventy-three participants were randomly allocated to the RAS-THA group, while seventy-two participants were assigned to the M-THA group. Compared to the M-THA group, the RAS-THA group exhibited less variability in the preoperative planning of the vertical center of rotation (VCOR; P < 0.001), demonstrated a significant advantage in femoral stem alignment (P = 0.004), and showed pronounced decreases in inequality and in the variability in leg length discrepancy (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the Lewinnek safe-zone ratio (P = 0.081) and the femoral canal fill ratio (P > 0.05) between the two groups. Further subgroup analysis also showed that the RAS-THA group had fewer horizontal center of rotation (HCOR) and leg length differences when stratified by surgical approach, gender, and overweight status. Conclusion: This RCT found that, regardless of the surgical approach, gender, or body mass index, RAS-THA can effectively improve the postoperative VCOR and significantly reduce the variability of leg length difference. RAS-THA should be considered an effective method to enhance surgical precision by achieving less variability in challenging patients with leg length discrepancies. Trial registration: ChiCTR2100044124. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Post-carotid endarterectomy (CEA) stroke poses significant risks. • TMEM166 is highly correlated with the occurrence of post-CEA stroke. • TMEM166 levels may serve as an early predictive indicator for post-CEA stroke. Postoperative stroke is a challenging and potentially devastating complication after elective carotid endarterectomy (CEA). We previously demonstrated that transmembrane protein 166 (TMEM166) levels were directly related to neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats. In this subsequent clinical study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of TMEM166 in patients suffering from post-CEA strokes. Thirty-five patients undergoing uncomplicated elective CEA and 8 patients who suffered ischemic strokes after CEA were recruited. We evaluated the protein level and expression of TMEM166 in patients diagnosed with postoperative strokes and compared it to those in patients who underwent uncomplicated elective CEA. Blood samples and carotid artery plaques were collected and analyzed. High expressions of TMEM166 were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western Blot in carotid artery plaques of all patients who underwent CEA. Furthermore, circulating TMEM166 concentrations were statistically higher in post-CEA stroke patients than in patients allocated to the control group. Mean plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers, including interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), were also elevated in patients with postoperative strokes. Therefore, based on these findings, we hypothesize that elevated TMEM166 levels, accompanied by a strong inflammatory response, serve as a useful biomarker for risk assessment of postoperative stroke following CEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion Total hip arthroplasty (THA) combined with proximal femoral reconstruction is a novel osteotomy technique developed to address severe hip deformities. There is a paucity of robust clinical and radiological evidence regarding the outcomes of this novel osteotomy technique. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of THA combined with proximal femoral reconstruction during the early follow‐up.This is a retrospective case series of 63 hips who underwent THA combined with proximal femoral reconstruction at a single institution between January 2020 and July 2023. The mean age of patients was 39.6 ± 12.6 years. The mean follow‐up was 25.6 ± 3.8 months. Surgical characteristics and perioperative variables were evaluated to assess the efficacy of this technique. Harris hip score (HHS) was utilized to evaluate hip function. Leg length discrepancy (LLD) was evaluated in X‐ray. The incidence of major adverse events including deep vein thrombosis (DVT), osteolysis, nonunion of the osteotomy, intraoperative femoral fracture, and infection was also evaluated. Paired‐samples t‐test was used to compare preoperative and postoperative HHS and LLD.The mean operative time was 125.1 min. The mean size of the acetabular components used was 45.2 mm, and the stem size was 7.5. The primary friction interface was ceramic‐on‐ceramic, accounting for 92.1% of cases. The average length of hospital stay was 8.5 days. The mean cost of treatment was 46,296.0 Yuan. There was a significant improvement in postoperative HHS (p < 0.001) and LLD (p < 0.001) compared to preoperative values. The incidence of deep venous thrombosis was 4.8%; osteolysis rates for the cup and stem were 4.8% and 6.4%, respectively. The non‐union and dislocation rates were 1.6% and 3.2%, respectively. There was no incidence of postoperative infection.The novel osteotomy surgical procedure yields reliable and impressive clinical and radiological outcomes, with minimal complications. We advocate for its use in complex primary THA cases involving severe proximal femoral deformities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Deep sowing is a traditional method for drought resistance in maize production, and mesocotyl elongation is strongly associated with the ability of maize to germinate from deep soil. However, little is known about the functional genes and mechanisms regulating maize mesocotyl elongation. In the present study, we identified a plant‐specific SIMILAR TO RCD‐ONE (SRO) protein family member, ZmSRO1e, involved in maize mesocotyl elongation. The expression of ZmSRO1e is strongly inhibited upon transfer from dark to white light. The loss‐of‐function zmsro1e mutant exhibited a dramatically shorter mesocotyl than the wild‐type in both constant light and darkness, while overexpression of ZmSRO1e significantly promoted mesocotyl elongation, indicating that ZmSRO1e positively regulates mesocotyl elongation. We showed that ZmSRO1e physically interacted with ZmbZIP61, an ortholog of Arabidopsis ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) and showed a function similar to that of HY5 in regulating photomorphogenesis. We found that ZmSRO1e repressed the transcriptional activity of ZmbZIP61 toward target genes involved in the regulation of cell expansion, such as ZmEXPB4 and ZmEXPB6, by interfering with the binding of ZmbZIP61 to the promoters of target genes. Our results provide a new understanding of the mechanism by which SRO regulates photomorphogenesis and highlight its potential application in deep sowing‐resistant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the synthesis and characterization of various 1-thiaphenalene derivatives using a radical approach and photoredox catalysis. The reaction involves the intermolecular cyclization of 1-naphthalenesulfonyl chlorides and alkynes under mild conditions, resulting in high product diversity and broad functional-group tolerance. The authors provide a plausible reaction mechanism and experimental details for the synthesis of specific compounds, which were characterized using techniques such as NMR, HRMS, and IR spectroscopy. This information can be valuable for researchers studying these compounds or related topics. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: The specific role of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLSs) in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still not fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic pathways, including three epigenetic factors, microRNA (miRNA)‐22 (MIR22), ten‐eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 3 (TET3), and MT‐RNR2 like 2 (MTRNR2L2), in RA‐FLSs. Methods: The expression of MIR22, TET3, and MTRNR2L2 in the synovium of patients with RA and arthritic mice were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. Mir22−/− and Tet3+/− mice were used to establish a collagen antibody–induced arthritis (CAIA) model. Mir22 angomir and Tet3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used to illustrate the therapeutic effects on arthritis using a collagen‐induced (CIA) model. Bioinformatics, luciferase reporter assay, 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) dot blotting, chromatin immunoprecipitation–qPCR, and hydroxymethylated DNA immunoprecipitation were conducted to show the direct repression of MIR22 on the TET3 and transcriptional activation of TET3 on MTRNR2L2. Results: The Mir22−/− CAIA model and RA‐FLS–related in vitro experiments demonstrated the inhibitory effect of MIR22 on inflammation. MIR22 can directly inhibit the translation of TET3 in RA‐FLSs by binding to its 3′ untranslated region in TET3. The Tet3+/− mice–established CAIA model showed less severe symptoms of arthritis in vivo. In vitro experiments further confirmed the proinflammatory effect of TET3 in RA. In addition, the CIA model was used to validate the therapeutic effects of Mir22 angomir and Tet3 siRNA. Finally, TET3 exerts its proinflammatory effect by promoting 5hmC production in the promoter of its target MTRNR2L2 in RA‐FLSs. Conclusion: The key role of the MIR22‐TET3‐MTRNR2L2 pathway in RA‐FLSs provided an experimental basis for further studies into the pathogenesis and related targets of RA from the perspective of FLSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent bacterial infections, impenetrable microbial biofilms, and irremediable antibiotic resistance are the most perilous threats in orthopedic implant‐associated infections (IAIs). Recently, chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has been considered a promising therapy, while the clinical practices for existing CDT agents are limited by the low therapeutic efficiency in physiological circumstances. Herein, it is demonstrated that silica‐copper nanosheets (Si@Cu NSs) exhibit a combined therapeutic photothermal‐chemodynamic strategy for IAIs treatment with superior capacity and biocompatibility. This unique design endows the nanostructure with enhanced copper‐based Fenton‐like properties via p‐d orbital hybridization by incorporating copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) on silicene nanosheets (Si NSs) matrix, integrating inherent photothermal performance of Si NSs with specific catalytic anti‐infection of Cu NCs against planktonic bacteria and biofilms both in vitro and in vivo. This study not only reveals the promising bio‐application prospects of 2D nanocatalytic biomaterials but also demonstrates the feasibility of constructing novel CDT agents by orbital hybridization for the catalytic treatment of IAIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method for the radical difunctionalization of aromatic alkynes has been developed, resulting in the synthesis of a range of valuable triarylethenes. This approach utilizes strategically designed aryldiazonium salts with tertiary alcohol substitution as bifunctional reagents, along with cost-effective cuprous chloride as a catalyst. The method demonstrates remarkable Z-selectivity and is capable of gram-scale preparation. Additionally, a novel spin-trapping reagent has been developed based on the synthesized product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft tissue injuries (STIs) are the most common cause of extremity pain and motion dysfunction. Persistent inflammatory activation of immune cells characterized by senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and mitochondrial stress are considered the primary causes of STIs, a pathological process also termed inflammaging. Meanwhile, scavenging excessive "cellular waste" in the inflammaging microenvironment and further activating tissue repair processes remain elusive. Herein, an anti‐inflammaging photothermal hydrogel microneedle patch for treating STIs is developed. Taurine‐loaded Prussian blue nanoparticles (Taurine@PB) are encapsulated in a methacrylate‐based hyaluronic acid hydrogel (HAMA) and further fabricated into taurine@PB@HAMA@microneedles (TPH@MN) patches. The acidic microenvironment of chronic inflammation and mild photothermal effects promote taurine release and anti‐inflammaging immunomodulation, inhibiting mitochondrial stress via the SIRT3‐NF‐κB axis to promote glycolytic metabolic microenvironment of neutrophils reprogramming toward oxidative phosphorylation metabolism. Furthermore, TPH@MN activates macrophage efferocytosis and initiates the process of tissue repair. In mouse models of chronic diabetic wounds and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle injury, TPH@MN inhibits SASP expression and promotes STIs healing through thermosensitized anti‐inflammaging immunomodulation. In summary, TPH@MN circumvents the side effects of systemic administration, providing new translatable options in the treatment modalities for patients suffering from STIs worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chen Zhu: (left) received his B.S. degree from Xiamen University in 2003 under the supervision of Prof. Pei-Qiang Huang, and his Ph.D. degree from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Guo-Qiang Lin. After postdoctoral research at -Gakushuin University, Japan with Prof. Takahiko Akiyama, he moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, working as a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. John R. Falck and Prof. Chuo Chen. He was appointed as a professor at Soochow University, China in December 2013. He is currently the Head of the Organic Chemistry Department at Soochow University. His current research interests include radical-mediated transformations, in particular radical -rearrangements, and their applications in the construction of natural products and biologically active compounds. Xin-Yuan Liu (right) obtained his B.S. degree from Anhui Normal University (AHNU) in 2001. He continued his research studies at both the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), CAS and AHNU under the joint supervision of Prof. Dr. Shizheng Zhu and Prof. Dr. Shaowu Wang, obtaining his master's degree in 2004. After a one-year stint in Prof. Gang Zhao's laboratory at SIOC, he joined Prof. Dr. Chi-Ming Che's group at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and earned his Ph.D. degree in 2010. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral studies in Prof. Che's group at HKU and in Prof. Carlos F. Barbas III's group at The Scripps Research Institute. At the end of 2012, he began his independent academic career at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and was promoted to a tenured Full Professor of SUSTech in 2018. His research interests are directed towards the design of novel chiral anionic ligands to solve radical-involved asymmetric reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to use low-cost stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) as uniform templates to prepare disposable three-dimensional (3D) carbon electrodes to improve their analytical performance. Native SSWM electrodes were prepared with lamination and then coated with carbon cement for bulk preparation of disposable 3D carbon electrodes with drop-casting. The electrodes were then coupled in paper-based analytical devices. Meanwhile, disposable 2D carbon electrodes were prepared with the stainless steel sheets (SSSs) for comparison under the same condition using stripping analysis of heavy metals as a model. Our results demonstrated that the sensitivity of the 3D carbon electrodes was about three times as high as that of the 2D carbon electrodes on stripping analysis of both heavy metals. The electrochemical responses of 1 μg L−1 Pb2+ at the 3D carbon electrodes were about 6 times as high as those at the 2D carbon electrodes. The improved analytical performance of disposable 3D carbon electrodes could be attributed to their increased electrochemical effective area, which was brought by replacing SSSs with SSWM. The obtained disposable 3D carbon electrodes could be used for differentiation of Pb in teethers and corns. This study not only presented the potential of SSWM in the preparation of disposable 3D carbon electrodes but also suggested a simple and effective strategy for the preparation of disposable 3D electrodes for practical applications. [Display omitted] Stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) was used as substrates for fabrication of disposable 3D carbon electrodes. The electrodes were coupled in paper-based analytical devices for stripping analysis of heavy metals. The sensitivity and detection limits of the 3D carbon electrodes could be significantly improved compared with the 2D carbon electrodes. SSWM could become a suitable substrate for fabrication of disposable 3D electrodes for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid phase extraction (SPE) is regarded as the most effective purification method for complex matrix samples owing to its simplicity of operator, time-saving, high accuracy, and environmental friendliness. SPE technology is still affected by the high cost of commercial SPE columns and poor adsorption selectivity. Hence, the development of low-cost and highly selective adsorbents is quite challenging and demanding in SPE. In this study, a novel 3DG functionalized magnetic solid phase extraction materials was prepared based on "thiol-ene" click chemistry. The structure, morphology, thermal stability, and magnetic properties of the magnetic composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Then the adsorption performance of composite was determined by static adsorption experiments, which showed fast binding kinetics (100 min) and good adsorption performance (Qe= 65.34 mg/g). Moreover, these magnetic nanoparticles were used as adsorbents for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) and coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for separation and detection of illegally added hexamethylenetetramine in vermicelli. As for practical application, the recoveries for the spiked samples in the concentration range of 8–40 μg/g were between 83.24–92.69%, and the RSD was between 0.20–2.07%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave-assisted heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of benzene was investigated over Cu-Mn spinel oxides. The spinel oxides were synthesized by a coprecipitation method from metal nitrate hydrolysis in a solution using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) as a precipitation reagent. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption fine structure, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and H 2 -temperature-programmed reduction studies. Microwave absorption by the Cu-Mn spinel oxide is mainly driven by dielectric losses (dielectric heating). Cu-Mn spinel oxide with a Cu/Mn ratio of 1 exhibited superior activity to single oxides under microwave heating, demonstrating lower apparent activation energy than that obtained under conventional heating. Microwave irradiation lowered the reaction temperature required for benzene oxidation compared with conventional heating. Transient tests were used to investigate the reactivity of oxygen species in the catalytic reaction, and the high reactivity of Cu-Mn spinel oxides was related to the high reactivity of lattice oxygen on the catalyst surface. The reactivity of the oxygen species was enhanced under microwave heating, leading to an enhanced benzene oxidation reaction. The combination of adsorption and catalytic oxidation processes using Cu-Mn spinel oxides and zeolites efficiently decomposed benzene at low concentrations. [Display omitted] • Microwave-assisted catalytic benzene oxidation was carried out over Cu-Mn spinel oxides. • Reaction temperature was tremendously lowered by the "thermal effect" of microwave heating. • Rapid heating of catalysts by microwave irradiation with the adsorption process improved the benzene oxidation efficiency. • It is a promising technology for removing low concentrations of VOCs emitted from small and medium-scale sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent genomic sequencing of the foxtail millet, an abiotic, stress-tolerant crop, has provided a great opportunity for novel gene discovery and functional analysis of this popularly-grown grass. However, few stress-mediated gene families have been studied. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) comprise a gene superfamily encoding NAD (P) +-dependent enzymes that play the role of “aldehyde scavengers”, which indirectly detoxify cellular ROS and reduce the effect of lipid peroxidation meditated cellular toxicity under various environmental stresses. In the current paper, we identified a total of 20 ALDH genes in the foxtail millet genome using a homology search and a phylogenetic analysis and grouped them into ten distinct families based on their amino acid sequence identity. Furthermore, evolutionary analysis of foxtail millet reveals that both tandem and segmental duplication contributed significantly to the expansion of its ALDH genes. The exon-intron structures of members of the same family in foxtail millet or the orthologous genes in rice display highly diverse distributions of their exonic and intronic regions. Also, synteny analysis shows that the majority of foxtail millet and rice ALDH gene homologs exist in the syntenic blocks between the two, implying that these ALDH genes arose before the divergence of cereals. Semi-quantitative and real-time quantitative PCR data reveals that a few SiALDH genes are expressed in an organ-specific manner and that the expression of a number of foxtail millet ALDH genes, such as, SiALDH7B1, SiALDH12A1 and SiALDH18B2 are up-regulated by osmotic stress, cold, H2O2, and phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). Furthermore, the transformation of SiALDH2B2, SiALDH10A2, SiALDH5F1, SiALDH22A1, and SiALDH3E2 into Escherichia coli (E.coli) was able to improve their salt tolerance. Taken together, our results show that genome-wide identification characteristics and expression analyses provide unique opportunities for assessing the functional roles of foxtail millet ALDH genes in stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using potassium nitrate, strontium nitrate, and potassium perchlorate as the oxidizing agents, the ignition and combustion behaviors of magnesium powders with different specific surface area were studied. The ignition temperature (Te) was extrapolated using a differential thermal analyzer, and the pyrotechnic spontaneous reaction temperature (Ts) was inferred from the temperature curve by inflection point analysis. The results showed that Ts has much better reproducibility than the extrapolated Te in characterizing the ignition of the pyrotechnic formulations. Increasing the specific surface area of the magnesium powder resulted in decreased Ts of the pyrotechnics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Let $${(G,\tilde{G})}$$ be a reductive dual pair over a local field $${\mathfrak{k}}$$ of characteristic 0, and denote by V and $${\tilde{V}}$$ the standard modules of G and $${\tilde{G}}$$ , respectively. Consider the set $${{\rm Max} {\rm Hom} (V,\tilde{V})}$$ of full rank elements in $${{\rm Hom}(V,\tilde{V})}$$ , and the nilpotent orbit correspondence $${\mathcal{O} \subset \mathfrak{g}}$$ and $${\Theta (\mathcal{O})\subset \tilde{\mathfrak{g}}}$$ induced by elements of $${{\rm Max} {\rm Hom} (V,\tilde{V})}$$ via the moment maps. Let $${(\pi,\fancyscript{V})}$$ be a smooth irreducible representation of G. We show that there is a correspondence of the generalized Whittaker models of π of type $${\mathcal{O}}$$ and of Θ ( π) of type $${\Theta (\mathcal{O})}$$ , where Θ ( π) is the full theta lift of π. When $${(G,\tilde{G})}$$ is in the stable range with G the smaller member, every nilpotent orbit $${\mathcal{O} \subset \mathfrak{g}}$$ is in the image of the moment map from $${{\rm Max} {\rm Hom} (V,\tilde{V})}$$ . In this case, and for $${\mathfrak{k}}$$ non-Archimedean, the result has been previously obtained by Mœglin in a different approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary restriction (DR) is the most consistent means of extending longevity in a wide range of organisms. A growing body of literature indicates that mitochondria play an important role in longevity extension by DR, but the impact of mitochondrial genotypes on the DR process have received little attention. Mitochondrial function requires proper integration of gene products from their own genomes (mtDNA) and the nuclear genome as well as the metabolic state of the cell, which is heavily influenced by diet. These three-way mitochondrial-nuclear-dietary interactions influence cellular and organismal functions that affect fitness, aging, and disease in nature. To examine these interactions in the context of longevity, we generated 18 “mito-nuclear” genotypes by placing mtDNA from strains of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans onto controlled nuclear backgrounds of D. melanogaster (Oregon-R, w1118, SIR2 overexpression and control) and quantified the lifespan of each mitonuclear genotype on five different sugar:yeast diets spanning a range of caloric and dietary restriction (CR and DR). Using mixed effect models to quantify main and interaction effects, we uncovered strong mitochondrial-diet, mitochondrial-nuclear, and nuclear-diet interaction effects, in addition to three-way interactions. Survival analyses demonstrate that interaction effects can be more important than individual genetic or dietary effects on longevity. Overexpression of SIR2 reduces lifespan variation among different mitochondrial genotypes and further dampens the response of lifespan to CR but not to DR, suggesting that response to these two diets involve different underlying mechanisms. Overall the results reveal that mitochondrial-nuclear genetic interactions play important roles in modulating Drosophila lifespan and these epistatic interactions are further modified by diet. More generally, these findings illustrate that gene-by-gene and gene-by-environment interactions are not simply modifiers of key factors affecting longevity, but these interactions themselves are the very factors that underlie important variation in this trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to analyze the imaging features and pathological basis of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PHNEC). A retrospective analysis of the imaging and pathological features of nine PHNEC cases was carried out at The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China). The nine patients were subjected to dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning of the liver and pathological diagnosis of the tissue samples. In addition, two patients were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CT scanning revealed the presence of single or multiple masses in the liver with a maximum diameter of 1-10 cm. These hepatic masses were of low density as showed by plain CT. These masses showed uneven or annular enhancement at their margins in the arterial phase. The venous portal phase showed consistent or declined enhancement and the delayed phase showed light enhancement in these masses. In addition, multiple intrahepatic nodules with long T1 and T2 signal intensities and obvious enhancement were observed by MRI in one patient, while intrahepatic lesions with moderate length T2 signal intensities and light enhancement not visible on the T1 image were observed in another patient. Pathological analysis revealed that the tumor cells exhibited morphological diversity. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells were chromogranin A- and synaptophysin-positive, and carcinoembryonic antigen-, hepatocytic antigen- and α-fetoprotein-negative. Imaging methods, including CT and MRI, are useful for the diagnosis of PHNEC; however, pathological examination is required for a final, definite diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies revealed that the potential tumor suppressor EAF2 binds to and stabilizes pVHL, suggesting that EAF2may function by disturbing the hypoxia signaling pathway. However, the extent to which EAF2 affects hypoxia and the mechanisms underlying this activity remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that EAF2 is a hypoxia response gene harboring the hypoxia response element (HRE) in its promoter. By taking advantage of the pVHL-null cell lines RCC4 and 786-O, we demonstrated that hypoxia-induced factor 1α (HIF-1α), but not HIF-2α, induced EAF2 under hypoxia. Subsequent experiments showed that EAF2 bound to and suppressed HIF-1α but not HIF-2α transactivity. In addition, we observed that EAF2 inhibition of HIF-1α activity resulted from the disruption of p300 recruitment and that this occurred independently of FIH-1 (factor inhibiting HIF-1) and Sirt1. Furthermore, we found that EAF2 protected cells against hypoxia-induced cell death and inhibited cellular uptake of glucose under hypoxic conditions, suggesting that EAF2 indeed may act by modulating the hypoxia-signaling pathway. Our findings not only uncover a unique feedback regulation loop between EAF2 and HIF-1α but also provide a novel insight into the mechanism of EAF2 tumor suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silica coated silver (Ag@SiO2) nanoparticles were prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and UV-vis absorption, and the nanoparticles were used as labels in sandwich-type immunosensor of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7). The labels involved in immunoreaction were dissolved by mixed acid of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, and the released Ag+ ions were electrochemical stripping analyzed (via differential pulse voltammetry, DPV) at poly(acrylic acid)/poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/carbon nanotubes (PAA/PDCNT) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE), which obviously enhanced the signal of Ag+ stripping. Then, the number of E. coli O157:H7 could be indirectly reflected by the signal intensity of labeled Ag+. And the results showed that the DPV signals were proportional to the logarithm of the E. coli O157:H7 concentration in the range from 20 cfu/mL to 8.0 x 103 cfu/mL with the detection limit of 13 cfu/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammalian β-defensins are small cationic peptides that have been implicated in mediating innate immune defenses against microbial infection. Mouse β-defensin-14 (MBD-14), based on structural and functional similarities, appears to be an ortholog of human β-defensin-3 (HBD-3). Previous studies identified signaling pathway p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) that contributed to the expression of MBD-14 in mouse osteoblasts upon contacted with methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) supernatant, which provided a theoretical basis as a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of intramedullary infection with MRSA in vivo. In this study, the medullary cavities of tibiae were contaminated with MRSA 103 colony forming units and different doses of p38 MAPK agonists anisomycin were followed as group III or IV in 30 mice. Fifteen animals that received phosphate- buffered saline served as group II and 15 mice were not contaminated with MRSA and received phosphate-buffered saline served as controls (group I). Follow-up was 7 days. In day 1, day 4 and day 7 postoperatively, infection was evaluated by blood routine, microbiological and histological analyses after sacrifice. All animals of group II developed microbiological and histological signs of infection. Histological signs of infection, white blood counts and cultures of group III and IV showed significantly reduced bacterial growth compared to cultures of group II. Simultaneously, different doses of anisomycin significantly induced the expression of osteoblast-associated genes, including alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and collagen type I. In addition, the expression of HBD-3 in human interfacial membranes around infected periprosthetic joint by staphylococcus contaminated was evaluated, and the expression pattern changed with significant induction of HBD-3 in infected periprosthetic joint compared with aseptic loosening under inflammatory conditions. Our primary study indicated that the potential antibacterial role of increased MBD-14 in the osteomyelitis mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infection of orthopedic implantation devices with Staphylococcus is a serious concern within the biomaterial community. Treatments are not always successful because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and serious biofilm infections. Human β-defensin 3 (hBD-3) is considered to be the most promising class of defensin antimicrobial peptides and its effect on antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus biofilms, combined with ultrasound (US)-targeted microbubble (MB) destruction (UTMD), has not been reported. In the study, we found that biofilm densities, the percentage of live cells and the viable counts of two tested Staphylococcus recovered from the biofilm were significantly decreased in the maximum concentration hBD-3 combined with UTMD compared with those of any other groups. Furthermore, results suggested that UTMD could also enhance 1MIC hBD-3 activity inhibiting the biofilm-associated genes expression of icaAD and the methicillin-resistance genes expression of MecA by simultaneously promoting the icaR expression. UTMD may have great potential for improving antibiotic activity against biofilm infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article calls for a re-examination, from a Relational Contract Theory perspective, of the ‘copyleft’ agreement, which mandates the source code of publicly released software to be perpetually shared with the public. It deals with standard-form copyleft licences such as the GNU General Public Licence, whose legal enforceability has often been a subject of debate. From the viewpoint of classical contract law, these licences would lack affirmatively expressed consent from the licensees and would thus be unlikely to be legally binding. There are two alternatives to this classical contractual view. The first is the neoclassical contract approach as represented in Easterbrook’s ruling in ProCD v Zeidenberg, which attempts to re-engineer the legitimisation of standard-form information product licensing schemes with the goal of maximising individual utility gains. The second alternative is a (Ian) Macneilian relational approach, which is endorsed by this article but has remained conspicuously absent from the existing legal literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The nickel‐catalyzed three‐component reductive carbonylation of alkyl halides, aryl halides, and ethyl chloroformate is described. Ethyl chloroformate is utilized as a safe and readily available source of CO in this multi‐component protocol, providing an efficient and practical alternative for the synthesis of aryl‐alkyl ketones. The reaction exhibits a wide substrate scope and good functional group compatibility. Experimental and DFT mechanistic studies highlight the complexity of the cross‐electrophile coupling and provide insight into the sequence of the three consecutive oxidative additions of aryl halide, chloroformate, and alkyl halide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nickel‐catalyzed three‐component reductive carbonylation of alkyl halides, aryl halides, and ethyl chloroformate is described. Ethyl chloroformate is utilized as a safe and readily available source of CO in this multi‐component protocol, providing an efficient and practical alternative for the synthesis of aryl‐alkyl ketones. The reaction exhibits a wide substrate scope and good functional group compatibility. Experimental and DFT mechanistic studies highlight the complexity of the cross‐electrophile coupling and provide insight into the sequence of the three consecutive oxidative additions of aryl halide, chloroformate, and alkyl halide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Factors influencing embodied carbon emissions of building sector are analyzed. • Six indicators are adopted to construct three extended STIRPAT models. • Identified factors all have significantly positive impacts. • Technical factors have a double-edged effect and rebound effects do exist. As China urbanizes, the embodied carbon emissions (EC) of its building sector continue to rise; analyzing the influencing factors (IFs) of building EC can indicate a direction for China's greenhouse gas mitigation strategy. Based on the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology model and comprehensively considering the characteristics of the building construction sector, this study identifies the IFs of building EC in terms of demand and supply and adopts six indicators to construct three extended analysis models. Both the direct and the indirect EC of the building sector are explored. The results show that six identified factors all have significantly positive impacts. Among them, the building construction area and indirect emission intensity have the greatest influence on EC and indirect EC. For changes in direct EC, total factor productivity and energy intensity are also non-ignored IFs. In addition, the analysis shows that technical factors have a double-edged effect and that rebound effects do exist in the building construction sector. Therefore, controlling building scale, reducing building material supply-side emission, improving technology and preventing rebound are keys to alleviating building EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]