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Introduction Impaired mitochondrial function is a key factor attributing to the lung ischemia reperfusion injury (LIRI). Methylene blue (MB) has been reported to attenuate brain and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that MB also could have a protective effect against LIRI by preventing mitochondrial oxidative damage. Methods Isolated rat lungs were assigned to the following four groups (n = 6): a sham group: perfusion for 105 min without ischemia; I/R group: shutoff of perfusion and ventilation for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 60 min; and I/R + MB group and I/R + glutathione (GSH) group: 2 mg/kg MB or 4 [mu]M glutathione were intraperitoneally administered for 2 h, and followed by 45 min of ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion. Results MB lessened pulmonary dysfunction and severe histological injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury. MB reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde and enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase. MB also suppressed the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and partly preserved mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, MB inhibited the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol and decreased apoptosis. Additionally, MB downregulated the mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-[alpha], IL-1[beta], IL-6, and IL-18). Conclusion MB protects the isolated rat lungs against ischemia-reperfusion injury by attenuating mitochondrial damage., Author(s): Wen-fang Tian [sup.1] , Si Zeng [sup.2] , Qiong Sheng [sup.1] , Jun-liang Chen [sup.1] , Ping Weng [sup.1] , Xiao-tong Zhang [sup.1] , Jia-jia Yuan [sup.1] , Qing-feng [...]

ABSTRACT: In this paper, poly(lithium acrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate) [P(AALi‐co‐BA)] was synthesized, and a P(AALi‐co‐BA)‐coated polypropylene (PP) separator was prepared by a simple dip‐coating process. In contrast to the conventional thick, dense gel polymer coating layer, a thin P(AALi‐co‐BA) layer was formed on the PP separator, which had less influence on the pore structure of the original PP separator and was beneficial for the migration of lithium ions through the separator. Furthermore, the AALi units in the copolymer could improve the wettability of the separator, while the BA units provided the separator with strong adhesion to the electrodes. As expected, the modified separators showed good wettability, high ionic conductivity, and excellent interface stability. In addition, the cycle stability and rate performance were also improved significantly. This facile, affordable, and effective method has great application potential for the modification of polyolefin‐based separators. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46423. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separator, as one of the essential components for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), has garnered considerable attention because of its significant role in battery performance. Here, an in‐situ coating method to promote the wettability and thermal‐stability of polypropylene (PP) separators was reported. The separator was first dip‐coated with phenolic compound based on biologically inspired surface modification. Then silica layers were in‐situ formed on the separator via a sol–gel process of silicate solution, so that an inorganic–organic hybrid layer was coated on PP separators without the need of any polymer binders. Besides, this method hardly increases the film thickness or sacrifices microporous structure of the pristine separator. Due to the introduction of hybrid layers, the resulted separators showed excellent dimensional thermostability, as the thermal shrinkage was only 20% at 150 °C while that of the bare separator was about 80%. Meanwhile, electrochemical performances of cells with the modified separator were obviously improved, especially the rate performance. At the charge/discharge current density of 5 C, cells with PP separators nearly lost all the capacity, but the modified separator still held 45.7% of the discharge capacity at 0.2 C. This facile yet effective method has great application prospects in the preparation of ceramic‐coated separators. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47277. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors with high malignancy, poor prognosis, and limited treatment options., Aim: To explore the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus capecitabine as first-line treatment for advanced and metastatic BTCs., Methods: This open-label, non-randomized, double-center, phase II clinical trial recruited systemic therapy-naive patients with unresectable or metastatic BTCs between April 2019 and June 2022 at Beijing Cancer Hospital and the First Hospital of China Medical University. Eligible patients were administered nab-paclitaxel (150 mg/m 2 , day 1) and capecitabine (2000 mg/m 2 , twice daily, days 1-7) in 14-day cycles until experiencing intolerable toxicity or disease progression. The primary outcome was the objective response rate (ORR). The secondary outcomes included the disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety., Results: A total of 44 patients successfully completed the trial, with a median age of 64.00 years (interquartile range, 35.00-76.00), and 26 (59.09%) were females. Tumor response assessment was impeded for one patient due to premature demise from tumor hemorrhage. Among the remaining 43 patients undergoing at least one imaging assessment, the ORR was 23.26% [95% confidence interval (CI): 11.80%-38.60%], and the DCR was 69.77% (95%CI: 53.90%-82.80%). The median OS was 14.1 months (95%CI: 8.3-19.9), and the median PFS was 4.4 months (95%CI: 2.5-6.3). A total of 41 patients (93.18%) experienced at least one adverse event (AE), with 10 patients (22.73%) encountering grade ≥ 3 AEs, and the most frequent AEs of any grade were alopecia (79.50%), leukopenia (54.55%), neutropenia (52.27%), and liver dysfunction (40.91%), and no treatment-related deaths were documented., Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel plus capecitabine may be an effective and safe first-line treatment strategy for patients with advanced or metastatic BTCs., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the functional and structural changes of photoreceptors in patients and asymptomatic carriers with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) using full-field electroretinography (FERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT)., Methods: Individuals diagnosed with LHON at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and their family members were included in this cross-sectional observational study. The FERG a-wave amplitude of affected patients and asymptomatic carriers was analyzed. The thickness of the outer nuclear layer (ONL), inner and outer segment (IS/OS) and total photoreceptors in the macular fovea and parafovea were measured., Results: This study included 14 LHON patients (mean age: 20.00±9.37y), 12 asymptomatic carriers (mean age: 39.83±6.48y), and 14 normal subjects (mean age: 24.20±1.52y). The FERG results showed that the dark-adapted 3.0 electroretinography and light-adapted 3.0 electroretinography a-wave amplitudes of patients and carriers were significantly decreased ( P <0.001). The ONL and photoreceptors layers were slightly thicker in patients than in normal subjects ( P <0.05), whereas they were thinner in carriers ( P <0.05). There were no differences in IS/OS thickness among the groups ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: Photoreceptors function is significantly impaired in LHON-affected patients and asymptomatic carriers. Meanwhile, photoreceptors morphology is slightly altered, mainly manifesting as a change in ONL thickness., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)