Cobalt-Nitrogen-Doped Helical Carbonaceous Nanotubes as a Class of Efficient Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of significant importance in the development of fuel cells. Now, cobalt-nitrogen-doped chiral carbonaceous nanotubes (l/d-CCNTs-Co) are presented as efficient electrocatalysts for ORR. The chiral template, N-stearyl-l/d-glutamic acid, induces the self-assembly of well-arranged polypyrrole and the formation of ordered graphene carbon with helical structures at the molecular level after the pyrolysis process.

Performance of probe polymerization-conjunction-agarose gel electrophoresis in the rapid detection of KRAS gene mutation.

This study aimed to develop a simple and rapid method to detect KRAS gene mutations for conventional clinical applications under laboratory conditions. The genotype of mutation sites was determined based on the occurrence of target bands in the corresponding lanes of the reaction tubes through polymerization-conjunction of the probes, probe purification and amplification, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Circulating DNA samples were obtained from the plasma of 72 patients with lung cancer, which were identified based on six mutation sites (G12S, G12R, G12C, G12D, G12A, and G12V) of codon 12 of the KRAS gene.

Epileptic Seizure Prediction Based on Permutation Entropy.

Epilepsy is a chronic non-communicable disorder of the brain that affects individuals of all ages. It is caused by a sudden abnormal discharge of brain neurons leading to temporary dysfunction. In this regard, if seizures could be predicted a reasonable period of time before their occurrence, epilepsy patients could take precautions against them and improve their safety and quality of life.

Functional aspects of meningeal lymphatics in ageing and Alzheimer's disease.

Ageing is a major risk factor for many neurological pathologies, but its mechanisms remain unclear. Unlike other tissues, the parenchyma of the central nervous system (CNS) lacks lymphatic vasculature and waste products are removed partly through a paravascular route. (Re)discovery and characterization of meningeal lymphatic vessels has prompted an assessment of their role in waste clearance from the CNS.

A protein@metal-organic framework nanocomposite for pH-triggered anticancer drug delivery.

We have synthesized a core@shell nanocomposite using biocompatible bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the core and a pH-sensitive metal-organic framework (MOF) as the shell. Doxorubicin (DOX)/BSA nanoparticles as cores have been prepared. A zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) layer has been coated on the outer surface of the DOX/BSA core.

PVP-assisted transformation of a metal-organic framework into Co-embedded N-enriched meso/microporous carbon materials as bifunctional electrocatalysts.

A PVP-assisted pyrolysis strategy that can simply but efficiently transform zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) into a Co-embedded N-enriched meso/microporous carbon material (Co-NC) is reported for the first time. Without further acid treatment, Co-NC can reach an excellent electroactivity and long-term durability toward the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER).

Alcohol consumption promotes colorectal carcinoma metastasis via a CCL5-induced and AMPK-pathway-mediated activation of autophagy.

There is a definite relationship between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) development. We investigated effect of alcohol consumption on CRC patients' progression and prognosis by utilizing epidemiological data and found patients with alcohol consumption increased risks of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM), organ metastasis and poorer prognosis. Because their tumor tissues displayed increased expression of C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), we hypothesized CCL5 might participate in cancer progression in such patients.

PD-L1 Expression Predicts a Distinct Prognosis in Krukenberg Tumor with Corresponding Origins.

Krukenberg tumor (KT) is an uncommon ovarian metastatic signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma that mostly metastasizes from gastrointestinal carcinoma. Optimal treatment options for KTs are limited. Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have shown remarkable activity in clinical trials for metastatic tumors.

Reduced hemispheric asymmetry of brain anatomical networks in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Despite many studies reporting a variety of alterations in brain networks in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), alterations in hemispheric anatomical networks are still unclear. In this study, we investigated topology alterations in hemispheric white matter in patients with ADHD and the relationship between these alterations and clinical features of the illness. Weighted hemispheric brain anatomical networks were first constructed for each of 40 right-handed patients with ADHD and 53 matched normal controls.

High-Risk Surgical Maneuvers for Impending True-Positive Intraoperative Neurologic Monitoring Alerts: Experience in 3139 Consecutive Spine Surgeries.

Background: Intraoperative neurologic monitoring (IONM) has become an essential component for decreasing the incidence of spinal cord injury during spine surgeries. Many high-risk surgical maneuvers that result in significant IONM alerts have not been reported systematically. Our objective was to thoroughly summarize some common high-risk surgical points associated with IONM alerts in various spine surgeries.

Sublingual Nodules: Diagnostic Markers of Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic significance of sublingual nodules for metastasis of patients with breast cancer and further to explore the mechanisms of sublingual nodules.

Methods: The image data of 117 in-patients with breast cancer in stage I-IV in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from December 2009 to September 2011 were assessed retrospectively. All photos of patients' tongue were recorded by the digital camera of uniform type within 1 month after serological examination and regular re-examined by computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography CT.

Lefty promotes the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells by inhibiting nodal expression.

Trophoblast cells play a vital role in embryo implantation. Exploring cytokines secreted by trophoblast cells will be significant in revealing the molecular mechanism of embryo implantation. In vitro-cultured trophoblast cells treated with Lefty revealed that Lefty could downregulate the expression of Nodal while promoting the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Improving Nelumbo nucifera genome assemblies using high-resolution genetic maps and BioNano genome mapping reveals ancient chromosome rearrangements.

Genetic and physical maps are powerful tools to anchor fragmented draft genome assemblies generated from next-generation sequencing. Currently, two draft assemblies of Nelumbo nucifera, the genomes of 'China Antique' and 'Chinese Tai-zi', have been released. However, there is presently no information on how the sequences are assembled into chromosomes in N.

A bio-inspired homogeneous graphene oxide actuator driven by moisture gradients.

An actuator driven by moisture gradients has been developed from a homogeneous graphene oxide film, relying on the in situ formation of a bilayer structure induced by water adsorption. This actuator shows efficient and controllable bending motions, coupled with the capability of lifting objects 8 times heavier than itself.

Dictionary learning-based reverberation removal enables depth-resolved photoacoustic microscopy of cortical microvasculature in the mouse brain.

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) capitalizes on the optical absorption of blood hemoglobin to enable label-free high-contrast imaging of the cerebral microvasculature in vivo. Although time-resolved ultrasonic detection equips PAM with depth-sectioning capability, most of the data at depths are often obscured by acoustic reverberant artifacts from superficial cortical layers and thus unusable. In this paper, we present a first-of-a-kind dictionary learning algorithm to remove the reverberant signal while preserving underlying microvascular anatomy.

Hollow Mesoporous Silica@Metal-Organic Framework and Applications for pH-Responsive Drug Delivery.

Metal--organic frameworks (MOFs), a new type of porous crystalline material, hold great potential in biomedical applications, such as drug delivery. However, the efficacy of drug delivery is limited by low drug loading. In this work, we synthesized hollow mesoporous silica (HMS)@MOF capsules that can be used as a pH-responsive drug delivery system for the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX).

Unexpected Ground-State Structure and Mechanical Properties of Ir₂Zr Intermetallic Compound.

Using an unbiased structure searching method, a new orthorhombic structure consisting of ZrIr polyhedron building blocks is predicted to be the thermodynamic ground-state of stoichiometric intermetallic Ir₂Zr in Ir-Zr systems. The formation enthalpy of the structure is considerably lower than that of the previously synthesized Cu₂Mg-type phase, by ~107 meV/atom, as demonstrated by the calculation of formation enthalpy. Meanwhile, the phonon dispersion calculations further confirmed the dynamical stability of phase under ambient conditions.

Selective visible-light-driven oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide using BODIPY photosensitizers.

Selective visible-light-driven O reduction to HO was realized using BODIPY photosensitizers (PS) in the presence of ferrocene (Fc) as the reductant and acetic acid as the proton source. Mechanistic studies suggested that O could be activated by PS* through an energy transfer pathway to give singlet oxygen (O) in the absence of Fc. However, with Fc, PS* was first reductively quenched to PS˙, which was able to reduce O to the superoxide radical form in a subsequent electron transfer step.

Item frequency in probe-recognition memory search: Converging evidence for a role of item-response learning.

In short-term probe-recognition tasks, observers make speeded old-new recognition judgments for items that are members of short lists. However, long-term memory (LTM) for items from previous lists influences current-list performance. The current experiment pursued the nature of these long-term influences-in particular, whether they emerged from item-familiarity or item-response-learning mechanisms.

Synthesis of Phenols: Organophotoredox/Nickel Dual Catalytic Hydroxylation of Aryl Halides with Water.

A highly effective hydroxylation reaction of aryl halides with water under synergistic organophotoredox and nickel catalysis is reported. The OH group of the resulting phenols originates from water, following deprotonation facilitated by an intramolecular base group on the ligand. Significantly, aryl bromides as well as less reactive aryl chlorides served as effective substrates to afford phenols with a wide range of functional groups.

Decreased Complexity in Alzheimer's Disease: Resting-State fMRI Evidence of Brain Entropy Mapping.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a frequently observed, irreversible brain function disorder among elderly individuals. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has been introduced as an alternative approach to assessing brain functional abnormalities in AD patients. However, alterations in the brain rs-fMRI signal complexities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients remain unclear.

Co-expression network analysis identified FCER1G in association with progression and prognosis in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common solid lesion within kidney, and its prognostic is influenced by the progression covering a complex network of gene interactions. In current study, the microarray data GSE66272 containing ccRCC and adjacent normal tissues was analyzed to identify 4042 differentially expressed genes, on which weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed. Then 12 co-expressed gene modules were identified.

Lingual flange protrusion: diagnostic marker for metastatic liver cancer.

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic significance of lingual flange protrusion for liver metastasis of patients with malignant neoplasia.

Methods: The data of 191 patients with malignant neoplasia were analyzed. All photos of patients' tongue image were recorded and lingual flange protrusion was the positive standard.

TM4SF1 regulates apoptosis, cell cycle and ROS metabolism via the PPARγ-SIRT1 feedback loop in human bladder cancer cells.

Transmembrane-4-L-Six-Family-1 (TM4SF1) is a member of the L6 family and functions as a signal transducer to regulate cell development, growth and motility. Here we show that TM4SF1 is strongly upregulated in human muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) tissues, corroborating the bioinformatical results of transcriptome analysis. Moreover, tissue microarray (TMA) shows significant correlations (p < 0.

The Functions of Bursal Hexapeptide (BHP) on Immune Response and the Molecular Mechanism on Immature B Cell.

Background: The bursa of Fabricius (BF) is an acknowledged central immune organ, and is important to B cell differentiation. Bursal hexapeptide (BHP) is the recently reported bursalderived peptide, while its inducing function on immune response is uncertain.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to analyze the immune responses to JEV vaccine in mice induced by BHP plus JEV vaccine, and to detect the signal and biological functions of BHP on immature B cells.