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Abstract By exploring the prime decomposition of undirected graphs, this work investigates the hyper Markov property within the framework of arbitrary undirected graph, which can be seen as the generalization of that for decomposable graphical models proposed by Dawid and Laurizten. The proposed hyper Markov properties of this article can be used to characterize the conditional independence of a distribution or a statistical quantity and helpful to simplify the likelihood ratio functions for statistical test for two different graphs obtained by removing or adding one edge. As an application of these properties, the G-Wishart law is introduced as a prior law for graphical Gaussian models for Bayesian posterior updating, and a hypothesis test for precision matrix is designed to determine the model structures. Our simulation experiments are implemented by using the Gibbs Sampler algorithm and the results show that it performs better in convergence speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generalizes the structural Markov properties for undirected decomposable graphs to arbitrary ones. This helps us to exploit the conditional independence properties of joint prior laws to analyze and compare multiple graphical structures, while being able to take advantage of the common conditional independence constraints. This work provides a theoretical support for full Bayesian posterior updating about the structure of a graph using data from a certain distribution. We further investigate the ratio of graph law so as to simplify the acceptance probability of the Metropolis–Hastings sampling algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) remains unclear. Considering that annular tear is the primary phenotype of IDD in the lumbar spine, the deteriorating local biomechanical environment may be the main trigger for annular tears. To investigate whether poor bone mineral density (BMD) in the vertebral bodies may increase the risk of annular tears via the degradation of the local biomechanical environment. This study was a retrospective investigation with relevant numerical mechanical simulations. A total of 64 patients with low back pain (LBP) and the most severe IDD in the L4–L5 motion segment were enrolled. Annulus integration status was assessed using diffusion tensor fibre tractography (DTT). Hounsfield unit (HU) values of adjacent vertebral bodies were employed to determine BMD. Numerical simulations were conducted to compute stress values in the annulus of models with different BMDs and body positions. The clinical data of the 64 patients with low back pain were collected retrospectively. The BMD of the vertebral bodies was measured using the HU values, and the annulus integration status was determined according to DTT. The data of the patients with and without annular tears were compared, and regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for annular tears. Furthermore, finite element models of the L4–L5 motion segment were constructed and validated, followed by estimating the maximum stress on the post and postlateral interfaces between the superior and inferior bony endplates (BEPs) and the annulus. Patients with lower HU values in their vertebral bodies had significantly higher incidence rates of annular tears, with decreased HU values being an independent risk factor for annular tears. Moreover, increased stress on the BEP-annulus interfaces was associated with a stepwise reduction of bony density (ie, elastic modulus) in the numerical models. The stepwise reduction of bony density in patients results in a higher risk of annular tears by deteriorating the local biomechanical environment. Thus, osteoporosis should be considered to be a potential risk factor for IDD biomechanically [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant ascites is a common complication of some advanced cancers. Although intraperitoneal (IP) administration of chemotherapy drugs is routinely used to treat cancerous ascites, conventional drugs have poor retention and therefore need to be administered frequently to maintain a sustained anti-tumor effect. In this study, a thermosensitive hydrogel composite loaded with norethindrone nanoparticles (NPs) and oxaliplatin (N/O/Hydrogel) was developed to inhibit ascites of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through IP injection. N/O/Hydrogel induced apoptosis in the H22 cells in vitro, and significantly inhibited ascites formation, tumor cell proliferation and micro-angiogenesis in a mouse model of advanced HCC with ascites, and prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice. Histological examination of the major organs indicated that the hydrogel system is safe. Taken together, the N/O/Hydrogel system is a promising platform for in-situ chemotherapy of malignant ascites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, related dose-dependent toxicity limits its clinical use. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new strategies for improving the clinical outcomes while reducing the side effects of chemotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC. In this study, we designed and synthesized epidermal growth factor (EGF)-modified doxorubicin nanoparticles (EGF@DOX-NPs) that selectively targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpressed in lung tumor cells. When administered in combination with low-dose X-ray radiotherapy (RT), the NPs preferentially accumulated at the tumor site due to radiation-induced outburst of the local intra-tumoral blood vessels. Compared with DOX alone, EGF@DOX-NPs significantly decreased the viability and migration and enhanced the apoptosis rates of tumor cells in vitro. Also, the EGF@DOX-NPs significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo, increasing the survival of the tumorbearing mice without apparent systemic toxic effects through RT-induced aggregation. The tumor cell proliferation was greatly inhibited in the RTþEGF@DOX-NPs group. Contrarily, the apoptosis of tumor cells was significantly higher in this group. These results confirm the promising clinical application of radiotherapy in combination with EGF@DOX-NPs for lung cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-stage countercurrent extraction (MCE) as a novel extraction technique was used to extract antioxidants from Ginkgo biloba leaves. Orthogonal array design (OAD) was employed to optimize the ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material (8-l6mLJg), extraction time (30-60mm) and extraction temperature (60-80°C) to obtain a high yield of antioxidants from G. biloba leaves by MCE. The optimum conditions were a ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material of 16 mL/g and extraction time of 30 mm at 80°C. Under these conditions, the yields of flavonoids and total phenolics were 1.74% and 2.42%, respectively, and DPPH radicals scavenging activity of the extract was 89.97%. Compared with heat-reflux extraction, MCE had obvious advantages of less extraction time and lower solvent and energy consumption. It may be used as a promising technique for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multitude advances were found for V-rich Bi 2 S 3 nanowire than pristine Bi 2 S 3 photoelectrode. • V-rich Bi 2 S 3 nanowires achieve excellent photocurrent density for water splitting under visible light. • Deep insights on how the V-rich feature affects the PEC performance of Bi 2 S 3. Bi 2 S 3 is a n-type (negative type) semiconductor that has a narrow band gap and an ideal band edge position for hydrogen generation. However, high charge recombination rate, low photoelectrochemical (PEC) efficiency and poor stability are of major concerns of Bi 2 S 3 as a photoelectrode. Herein, we report an efficient Vanadium-rich Bi 2 S 3 nanowires (atomic ratio of V to Bi is 1/22) that have been prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by an in-situ solution-processed reaction with BiVO 4 film as precursor. The resulting V-rich photoelectrode demonstrates notably high charge separation efficiency and fast charge transport with respect to pristine Bi 2 S 3 nanowires. As a result, the photocurrent density of ca. 10 mA·cm−2 at -0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl is obtained under visible light illumination. In addition, V-rich Bi 2 S 3 generates IPCE (incident photocurrent-to-current conversion efficiency) of 50% at 460 nm and 45% at 760 nm, demonstrating a 2.0 and 2.8-fold increase, respectively, when compared with pristine Bi 2 S 3. This enhancement is probably due to increased light absorption, less charge recombination, and faster charge transfer. More importantly, in contrast to pristine Bi 2 S 3 sample that suffers detrimental photocorrosion in sulfide containing electrolyte, V-rich Bi 2 S 3 nanowires retain 84.6% of its initial photocurrent over the course of 1 h. These findings are expected to shed light on engineering high-performance and robust metal sulfide materials for photoelectrochemical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Paraneoplastic myelopathy is rare paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. We reviewed patients through medical records system and screened patients who presented with myelopathy, and/or coexisting cancer, and/or onconeural antibodies. Nine patients were identified as paraneoplastic myelopathy presenting with progressive subacute (2/9) or insidious (7/9) myelopathy. CSF abnormalities included elevated protein, 5; pleocytosis, 4; excess oligoclonal bands, 6. Seven patients had onconeural antibody. Cancer was confirmed histopathologically in 6 and diagnosed by PET-CT in 1. Four patients had symmetric, longitudinally extensive grey matter or tract-specific changes on spinal cord MRI. It was associated with significant morbidity and had poor response to treatment. Graphical abstract Spinal cord MRI from patient 1(A1–6) and patient 8 (D1–3) with paraneoplastic myelopathy. Patient 1 had longitudinally extensive T2 signal abnormality extending across 18 spinal segments (A1, A2) that symmetrically involved the central grey matter on axial T2-weighted images (A3, A4, A5, A6). Patient 8 had tract-specific T2 signal abnormality on the sagittal section extending across 4 segments from T8 to T11 (D1) with symmetric involvement of the lateral columns (D2, D3). Unlabelled Image Highlights • Paraneoplastic myelopathy is rare paraneoplastic syndromes and presents with myelopathy of insidious or subacute onset. • Paraneoplastic myelopathy usually precedes cancer detection. • Paraneoplastic myelopathy has autoimmune characteristics with CSF pleocytosis or ologoclonal bands in early stage. • Nearly half of patients have symmetric, longitudinally extensive grey matter or tract-specific changes on spinal cord MRI. • Paraneoplastic myelopathy is associated with significant morbidity and poor response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing isotype g‐C3N4/g‐C3N4 heterojunction is an approach to improve the efficiency of g‐C3N4 towards solar‐assisted oxidation of water. Such functional configuration can effectively overcome the intrinsic drawback of rapid charge recombination of g‐C3N4. Here, a modified g‐C3N4, with homogeneous phosphorus doping, is prepared in this work through a phosphide‐involved gas phase reaction. The resulting P‐g‐C3N4 displays altered electronic structure, including upshifted band edge potential, narrowed band gap and improved electronic conductivity. These features allow P‐g‐C3N4 as an outstanding candidate to form isotype junction with pristine g‐C3N4. As expected, the accelerated charge separation and migration in target junction is validated by various measurements. The optimized isotype g‐C3N4/P‐g‐C3N4 heterojunction achieves a photocurrent as high as 0.3 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs RHE (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm−2), representing 8‐fold's enhancement compared with pristine g‐C3N4. The present strategy for constructing g‐C3N4‐based isotype heterojunction networks is found effective for large‐scale manufacturing. Isotype photoanode: A phosphorus‐doped g‐C3N4 with suitable electronic structure was explored to construct metal‐free isotype photojunction in large‐scale manufacturing. The percolated networks exhibit largely increased photocurrent than its single component as a result of efficient charge transfer being qualitatively identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing high surface area nanostructured electrodes with fast charge separation is one of the main challenges for exploring cupric oxide (CuO)-based photocathodes in solar-driven hydrogen production applications. Herein, brand new 1D branched CuO nanowire arrays have been achieved on fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass (FTO) through a two-step wet chemical redox reaction. X-ray diffraction patterns, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the pure phase characteristic of the resulting branched CuO. In addition to the enlarged surface area of this advanced functional structure as compared with that of the 1D wire trunk, the charge injection and separation have been improved by rationally controlling the density of defects and size of branches. As a result, the optimized branched CuO exhibits photocurrent as high as 3.6 mA·cm−2 under AM 1.5G (100 mW·cm−2) illumination and 3.0 mA·cm−2 under visible light (λ ＞ 420 nm) at 0.2 V vs. RHE in 0.5 M Na2SO4, which are 2.8- and 3.0-fold greater than those of 1D wire samples, respectively. In addition, the solution-processed approach established herein seems quite favourable for large-scale and low-cost manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) in the pathogenesis of cancer is well-known due to their involvement in carcinogenesis. Although previous studies have discussed different functions of JNKs depending on cell type, the present study aimed to investigate the function of JNKs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, as well as their involvement in chemotherapy sensitivity to Adriamycin. The present results showed that Adriamycin administration reduced cell viability and led to elevated expressions of c-Jun, phosphorylated JNK and phosphorylated c-Jun, indicating an activated JNK pathway. Notably, JNK inhibition by SP600125 also reduced cell growth. Thus, Adriamycin treatment combined with SP600125 was more effective on cell growth inhibition than each agent alone. The apoptosis analysis confirmed the reduction in cell growth. Therefore, these data provide evidence that the JNK pathway activity is negatively associated with cell viability, and its decline could sensitize NPC cells to Adriamycin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyramid-shaped polymer solar cells fabricated on flexible substrates were investigated. Effective light trapping can be realized due to light reflection in all 360° directions, and 100% space utilization is achieved when assembled into arrays. The power conversion efficiency is enhanced by 200% ([60]PCBM as the acceptor) and 260% ([70]PCBM as the acceptor) with a dihedral angle of 30° between the opposite sides of the pyramid compared with a planar device, and a high Voc of 3.5V in series connection is obtained. Considering the material utilization, an angle of 90° for pyramid-shaped polymer solar cells is proposed. Pyramid-shaped polymer solar cells are particularly suitable for installation on roof of vehicles and houses, which have limited surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]