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Abstract Metabolic reprogramming, a key mechanism regulating the growth and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), still lacks effective clinical strategies for its integration into the precise screening of primary liver cancer. This study utilized ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to conduct a comprehensive, non-targeted metabolomics analysis, revealing significant upregulation of lipid metabolites such as phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine in patients with HCC and CCA, particularly within the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. Hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining demonstrated marked upregulation of phospholipase A2 in tumor tissues, further emphasizing the potential of lipid metabolism as a therapeutic target and its important part in the course of cancer. This work provides a new viewpoint for addressing the clinical challenges associated with HCC and CCA, laying the groundwork for the broad application of early diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies, and ultimately aiming to provide tailored and precise therapeutic options for patients.

Highlights Steinernema glaseri (Sgib strain) could be used as biocontrol agent for A. hetaohei larvae because of the better anti-desiccation ability and pathogenicity. Sgib strain showed high infectivity to the cocooned larvae as well as the mature larval A. hetaohei. Sgib strain had the optimum infecting effect with 100 IJs per larva at 24 ℃ and still maintained high pathogenicity after spraying into the field for 96 h. The results suggested that some potential for Sgib strain from Steinernematidae as one tool in controlling A.hetaohei larvae, which is the main fruit-boring pest of walnut in China

Carbon steels are widely used in ocean engineering due to their cost effectiveness, ease of manufacture, and excellent weldability. However, the attachment of macro-fouling organisms in seawater poses a serious threat to the integrity of carbon steel structures. In this experiment, carbon steel plates were immersed in the Dalian Sea area from January to October to investigate the effects of macro-fouling on corrosion propagation. The electrochemical measurement indicated that the propensity for the corrosion of Q235B is ranked as ascidians > mussels > barnacles. The characterization results indicated that various marine organisms significantly influenced the corrosion behavior of Q235B carbon steel immersed in natural seawater. The colonization of barnacles inhibited corrosion at the barnacle central area, and the presence of barnacle covering caused crevice corrosion at the edges of the barnacle due to oxygen concentration cells. The presence of ascidians resulted in general corrosion due to the locally high conductivity and ion diffusion rate. A relatively compact rust layer, which exhibited localized defects, was observed beneath the mussels. Seawater had the ability to penetrate the rust layer through these defects, leading to the formation of pitting corrosion on the metal substrate.

Abstract Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly malignant brain tumor with poor survival and prognosis. Randomized trials have demonstrated that chemotherapy improves survival in patients with GBM. This study aims to examine the clinical characteristics that are potentially associated with the efficacy of chemotherapy and the risk factors of GBM. Methods A total of 25,698 patients diagnosed with GBM were identified between 2004 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER). The clinical and demographic variables between groups were examined by Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chi-square test. GBM-specific survival (GBMSS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test. Univariable and multivariable analyses were also performed using the Cox proportional hazards model to identify statistically significant prognostic factors. Results Patients who received chemotherapy had better overall survival (median OS 13 vs. Three months, HR = 1.9224, 95%CI 1.8571–1.9900, p

The initiation of erosion and the coupled damage of erosion and corrosion on the surface of X65 pipeline steel with varying applied anodic currents were online monitored using the electrical resistance (ER) method. Results show that ER method in conjunction with anodic polarization was a highly effective approach for the investigation of the interaction effect between erosion and corrosion, which can be used to quickly and conveniently obtain the synchronously changed erosion and corrosion rates. The critical impact energy is a key parameter of sand particles to induce erosion damage on the steel surface, which can remove the flaky cementite at the edge of the pits. The threshold anodic current density that can cause a synergic effect between erosion and corrosion of X65 pipeline steel can be quantitatively fitted based on the erosion rates under varying anodic currents.

Cathepsin L protease, which belongs to the papain-like cysteine proteases family, is an important player in many physiological and pathological processes. However, little was known about the role of cathepsin L in ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempuctata Linnaeus) during diapause. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of cathepsin L (CsCatL) in the females of C. septempunctata and its role during the diapause of the ladybeetle. CsCatL was cloned and identified from beetle specimens by rapid amplification of cDNA-ends (RACE). The cDNA sequence of CsCatL was 971 bp in length, including an 843 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 280 amino acids. It was identified as the cathepsin L group by phylogenetic analysis. Knockdown of CsCatL by RNA interference led to decreased expression levels of fatty acid synthase 2 (fas 2) genes and suppressed lipid accumulation. Furthermore, silencing the CsCatL gene distinctly reduced diapause-related features and the survival of female C. spetempunctata under diapause-inducing conditions. The results suggested that the CsCatL gene was involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and played a crucial role in the survival of adult C. septempunctata during the diapause preparation stage.

Telenomus remus (Nixon) is a dominant egg parasitoid of the destructive agricultural pest Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), and so is used in augmentative biocontrol programs in several countries. An optimized mass-rearing system is essential to produce biological control products in a timely and cost-effective manner. In this study, the photoperiod, host egg:parasitoid ratio, and exposure time were evaluated to identify the optimal rearing conditions for T. remus on the alternative host Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) eggs. Results showed that increasing photoperiod above 12L:12D remarkably improved parasitoid progeny yield and life table parameters. Overlong photoperiods shortened female longevity, but within acceptable limits. There was a significant negative correlation between parasitism rate and host egg:parasitoid ratio under exposure times of 12 and 36 h, but not 24 h. Percentage of female progeny increased significantly along with increasing the host egg:parasitoid ratio. A significant negative relationship between the number of emerged adults per egg and the host egg:parasitoid ratio was observed at an exposure time of 36 h. It was concluded that T. remus may be mass-reared most efficiently on S. litura eggs using a photoperiod of more than 12L:12D, a 14–20:1 host egg:parasitoid ratio, and an exposure time of 24 h. These findings can be used to produce T. remus more efficiently and at lower costs.

Although Telenomus remus, a promising parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda, had been successfully reared on the eggs of Corcyra cephalonica in some countries, reports from China have argued that it is infeasible. Notably, studies from China have indicated that Spodoptera litura eggs could be a candidate host. Therefore, to further evaluate the potential of using S. litura eggs as hosts, we compared the development and parasitism of T. remus on the eggs of S. frugiperda and S. litura at temperatures between 20–32 °C. Our results showed that T. remus developed successfully on both host eggs at all of the tested temperatures, and the developmental duration and thermal requirements at each stage were similar between the two host species. The number of parasitized eggs was greater for S. litura than for S. frugiperda. Meanwhile, the emergence rate exceeded 86.6%, and it was significantly higher for S. litura than that for S. frugiperda, except at 29 °C. This study is the first time estimating the thermal requirements of T. remus at each stage. Moreover, we also recorded the morphological characteristics of T. remus at each stage. Our results demonstrate that S. litura eggs are more suitable than S. frugiperda eggs as an alternative host for the mass-rearing of T. remus in China. Understanding the thermal requirements and biological parameters contributes greatly to predicting the generation time and providing a reference for the mass-rearing and storage of the parasitoid.