A degradable polyimide aerogel with highly efficient solar-thermal-electric effect for oil absorption, deicing, and power generation.

Photothermal materials are considered as promising materials because they can convert clean solar energy into thermal and electrical energy. However, developing degradable photothermal materials with highly efficient solar-thermal-electric energy conversion performance remains a huge challenge. Here, a superhydrophobic bio-polyimide/carbon quantum dots aerogel (S-BioPI/CQDs) is synthesized.

A multicenter prospective study on the ESC algorithm for the early diagnosis of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

This study aimed to determine the optimal high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI)-based algorithm for early diagnosis of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in Chinese patients. We prospectively enrolled 1,606 patients with suspected NSTEMI from three emergency departments across China, collecting blood samples at 0, 1, and 3 h post-admission. Patients were classified using the 0/1-h and 0/3-h algorithms.

A highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent probe for detecting HSO/SO and viscosity change based on FRET/TICT mechanism.

Background: Sulfur dioxide (SO) is a significant gas signaling molecule in organisms, and viscosity is a crucial parameter of the cellular microenvironment. They are both involved in regulating many physiological processes in the human body. However, abnormalities in SO and viscosity levels are associated with various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

Characteristics of Novel Anticoagulants versus Vitamin K Antagonists in the Ventricular Mural Thrombus.

Background: To describe the characteristics, treatment practices, and clinical outcomes of patients with ventricular mural thrombus (VMT), with emphasis on the comparison of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study between 2010 and 2019 in Fuwai Hospital, China. Patients with VMT newly treated with either NOACs or VKAs were included.

Association between changes in the retina with major depressive disorder and sleep quality.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to degenerative and inflammatory processes in the brain. The retina, as well as the brain, originates from the ectoderm. The changes in the retina that occur in concert with MDD and sleep quality are not very clear.

Co-delivery of Docetaxel and Resveratrol by liposomes synergistically boosts antitumor efficiency against prostate cancer.

Combination therapy is frequently used in cancer treatments. Delivery of combined anticancer agents loaded in a nanocarrier would be a promising option for combination therapy. Here, we designed PEGylated nano-liposomes for co-delivery Docetaxel (Doc) and Resveratrol (Res) to evaluate antitumor efficiency of the combined drugs in prostate cancer.

Long-term outcomes and prognostic predictors of patients with Takayasu's arteritis along with pulmonary artery involvement.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, results, and prognostic predictors of patients with Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) along with pulmonary artery involvement (PAI).

Methods: A total of 806 patients with TAK admitted to the Fuwai Hospital were screened. Clinical symptoms, imaging features, and prognosis were analysed, and patients were categorised into those with and those without pulmonary hypertension (PH).

The Discovery and Biosynthesis of Nicotinic Myxochelins from an sp. SDU34.

Myxobacteria are a prolific source of structurally diverse natural products, and one of the best-studied myxobacterial products is the siderophore myxochelin. Herein, we report two new compounds, myxochelins N () and O (), that are nicotinic paralogs of myxochelin A, from the terrestrial myxobacterium sp. SDU34; is functionalized with a rare 2-oxazolidinone.

Technical Note: A preliminary study of dual-tracer PET image reconstruction guided by FDG and/or MR kernels.

Purpose: Clinically, single radiotracer positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a commonly used examination method; however, since each radioactive tracer reflects the information of only one kind of cell, it easily causes false negatives or false positives in disease diagnosis. Therefore, reasonably combining two or more radiotracers is recommended to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and the sensitivity and specificity of the disease when conditions permit.

Methods: This paper proposes incorporating F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a higher-quality PET image to guide the reconstruction of other lower-count C-methionine (MET) PET datasets to compensate for the lower image quality by a popular kernel algorithm.

MRI-aided kernel PET image reconstruction method based on texture features.

We investigate the reconstruction of low-count positron emission tomography (PET) projection, which is an important, but challenging, task. Using the texture feature extraction method of radiomics, i.e.

Direct and indirect parameter imaging methods for dynamic PET.

The method of reconstructing parametric images from dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data with the linear Patlak model has been widely used in scientific research and clinical practice. Whether for direct or indirect image reconstruction, researchers have deeply investigated the associated methods and effects. Among the existing methods, the traditional maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) reconstruction algorithm is fast but produces a substantial amount of noise.

Design and performance of SIAT aPET: a uniform high-resolution small animal PET scanner using dual-ended readout detectors.

In this work, a small animal PET scanner named SIAT aPET was developed using dual-ended readout depth encoding detectors to simultaneously achieve high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. The scanner consists of four detector rings with 12 detector modules per ring; the ring diameter is 111 mm and the axial field of view (FOV) is 105.6 mm.

Discovery of new fluorescent thiazole-pyrazoline derivatives as autophagy inducers by inhibiting mTOR activity in A549 human lung cancer cells.

A series of fluorescent thiazole-pyrazoline derivatives was synthesized and their structures were characterized by H NMR, C NMR, and HRMS. Biological evaluation demonstrated that these compounds could effectively inhibit the growth of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner in vitro and inhibit tumor growth in vivo. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the compounds was analyzed.

A GPU-accelerated fully 3D OSEM image reconstruction for a high-resolution small animal PET scanner using dual-ended readout detectors.

In this work, a GPU-accelerated fully 3D ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) image reconstruction with point spread function (PSF) modeling was developed for a small animal PET scanner with a long axial field of view (FOV). Dual-ended readout detectors that provided high depth of interaction (DOI) resolution were used for the small animal PET scanner to simultaneously achieve uniform high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. First, we developed a novel sinogram generation method, in which the dimension of the sinogram was determined first and then an event was assigned to a few neighboring sinogram elements by using weights that are inversely proportional to the distance from the measured line of response (LOR) to the LOR of the sinogram elements.

Association of retinal nerve fiber abnormalities with serum CNTF and cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients.

Background: Recent studies have reported reductions in retinal nerve fiber layers (RNFL) in schizophrenia. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has shown protective effects on both the neurogenesis and retina. This study aimed at investigating retinal abnormalities and establishing their correlation with serum CNTF and cognitive impairments in schizophrenic Chinese patients.

Downregulation of MUTYH contributes to cisplatin‑resistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by promoting Twist‑mediated EMT.

Acquired resistance to cisplatin (CDDP) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a major challenge in cancer therapy. Although progress has been made in identifying the mechanisms responsible for resistance to CDDP, the underlying mechanisms of resistance in ESCC are still not entirely understood. In the present study, a CDDP‑resistant ESCC cell line EC109/CDDP was established by culturing parental EC109 cells in increasing concentrations of CDDP, and it was demonstrated that MutY homolog (MUTYH), a critical base excision repair gene, was significantly downregulated in the resistant EC109/CDDP cells compared with that noted in the parental cells.

Discovery of a new autophagy inducer for A549 lung cancer cells.

Biological activities of a series of fluorescent compounds against human lung cancer cell line A549 were investigated. The results showed that (E)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-(4-(piperidin-1-yl)styryl)-3H-indol-1-ium iodide (8) and (E)-2-(5,5-dimethyl-3-(4-(piperazin-1-yl)styryl)cyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene) malononitrile (11) could inhibit the growth of A549 cancer cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, compound 8 could trigger autophagy and apoptosis, but not obviously induce necrosis under the stimulatory condition.

Pemetrexed exerts anticancer effects by inducing G/G-phase cell cycle arrest and activating the NOXA/Mcl-1 axis in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a dominant histological subtype of esophageal cancer with notably high incidence and mortality rates. Pemetrexed is a clinical antifolate therapeutic agent with anticancer properties. The present study aimed to understand whether pemetrexed is able to exert anticancer effects on ESCC cells, and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism.

Exploring the N-terminal role of a heterologous protein in secreting out of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli is commonly used as a host for the extracellular production of proteins. However, its secretion capacity is often limited to a frustratingly low level compared with other expression hosts, because E. coli has a complex cell envelope with two layers.

Construction of cellulose-utilizing Escherichia coli based on a secretable cellulase.

Background: The microbial conversion of plant biomass into value added products is an attractive option to address the impacts of petroleum dependency. The Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli is commonly used as host for the industrial production of various chemical products with a variety of sugars as carbon sources. However, this strain neither produces endogenous cellulose degradation enzymes nor secrets heterologous cellulases for its poor secretory capacity.

Secretory production of antimicrobial peptides in Escherichia coli using the catalytic domain of a cellulase as fusion partner.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small molecules which serve as essential components of the innate immune system in various organisms. AMPs possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. However, the scaled production of such peptides in Escherichia coli faces many difficulties because of their small size and toxicity to the host.

Evolution of a chimeric aspartate kinase for L-lysine production using a synthetic RNA device.

Aspartate kinase (AK) is a key enzyme involved in catalyzing the first step of the aspartate-derived amino acid biosynthesis, including L-lysine and L-threonine, which is regulated by the end-metabolites through feedback inhibition. In order to accumulate the end-metabolites in the host, the feedback inhibition of AK has to be released. In this study, a chimeric aspartate kinase, which is composed of the N-terminal catalytic region from Bacillus subtilis AKII and the C-terminal region from Thermus thermophilus, was evolved through random mutagenesis and then screened using a high-throughput synthetic RNA device which comprises of an L-lysine-sensing riboswitch and a selection module.

Identification of a heterologous cellulase and its N-terminus that can guide recombinant proteins out of Escherichia coli.

Background: The Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli has been widely used as a cell factory for the production of proteins and specialty chemicals because it is the best characterized host with many available expression and regulation systems. However, recombinant proteins produced in Escherichia coli are generally intracellular and often found in the form of inclusion bodies. Extracellular production of proteins is advantageous compared with intracellular production because extracellular proteins can be purified more easily and can avoid protease attack, which results in higher product quality.