Prognostic role of systemic inflammation response index in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: The significance of the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) for predicting prognostic outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been analysed in previous studies, but no consistent conclusions have been obtained. Consequently, the present meta-analysis was performed to identify the significance of SIRI in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC.

Design: This study followed the PRISMA guidelines.

Coherent Phonon Dynamics in Plasmonic Gold Tetrahedral Nanoparticle Ensembles.

Coherent phonon modes supported by plasmonic nanoparticles offer prospective applications in chemical and biological sensing. Whereas the characterization of these phonon modes often requires single-particle measurements, synthetic routes to narrow size distributions of nanoparticles permit ensemble investigations. Recently, the synthesis of highly monodisperse gold tetrahedral nanoparticles with tunable edge lengths and corner sharpnesses has been developed.

Complementary Nanoparticle Characterization by Resistive-Pulse Sensing, Electron Microscopy, and Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry.

Nanotechnology has provided novel modalities for the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. In particular, nanoparticles (NPs) can be engineered at a low cost for drug loading and delivery. For example, silica NPs have proven useful as a controlled release platform for anti-inflammatory drugs.

Competitive dynamics and balance between and commensal streptococci in oral microecology.

Dental caries, as a biofilm-related disease, is closely linked to dysbiosis in microbial ecology within dental biofilms. Beyond its impact on oral health, bacteria within the oral cavity pose systemic health risks by potentially entering the bloodstream, thereby increasing susceptibility to bacterial endocarditis, among other related diseases. , a principal cariogenic bacterium, possesses virulence factors crucial to the pathogenesis of dental caries.

Prognostic value of C-reactive protein in patients with glioma: a meta-analysis.

In this meta-analysis, we investigated C-reactive protein (CRP)'s role in glioma prognosis prediction. We conducted the current meta-analysis in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. An analysis of the prognostic effect of CRP on glioma was conducted using combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Nanocrystal Assemblies: Current Advances and Open Problems.

We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effects. With an emphasis on theory and computation, we discuss challenges that hamper current assembly strategies and to what extent nanocrystal assemblies represent thermodynamic equilibrium or kinetically trapped metastable states.

Photochemical three-component assembly of tri-substituted oxazoles through a carbenic phosphorus-nitrile hybrid ylide formation/trapping cascade.

Construction of complex molecular skeletons with ubiquitous chemical feedstocks in a single transformation is highly appealing in organic synthesis. We report a novel visible-light-induced three-component reaction for the construction of complex 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles, which are valuable in medicinal chemistry, from simple and readily available iodonium-phosphonium hybrid ylides, carboxylic acids, and nitriles. This reaction features a carbenic phosphorus-nitrile hybrid ylide formation/trapping cascade, in which a photo-generated α-phosphonium carbene acts as a sequence trigger.

Facet-Defined Dilute Metal Alloy Nanorods for Efficient Electroreduction of CO to -Propanol.

Electroreduction of CO into liquid fuels is a compelling strategy for storing intermittent renewable energy. Here, we introduce a family of facet-defined dilute copper alloy nanocrystals as catalysts to improve the electrosynthesis of -propanol from CO and HO. We show that substituting a dilute amount of weak-CO-binding metals into the Cu(100) surface improves CO-to--propanol activity and selectivity by modifying the electronic structure of catalysts to facilitate C-C coupling while preserving the (100)-like 4-fold Cu ensembles which favor C-C coupling.

Bimetallic copper palladium nanorods: plasmonic properties and palladium content effects.

Cu is an inexpensive alternative plasmonic metal with optical behaviour comparable to Au but with much poorer environmental stability. Alloying with a more stable metal can improve stability and add functionality, with potential effects on the plasmonic properties. Here we investigate the plasmonic behaviour of Cu nanorods and Cu-CuPd nanorods containing up to 46 mass percent Pd.

Artemisinins inhibit oral candidiasis caused by Candida albicans through the repression on its hyphal development.

Candida albicans is the most abundant fungal species in oral cavity. As a smart opportunistic pathogen, it increases the virulence by switching its forms from yeasts to hyphae and becomes the major pathogenic agent for oral candidiasis. However, the overuse of current clinical antifungals and lack of new types of drugs highlight the challenges in the antifungal treatments because of the drug resistance and side effects.

Controlled Self-Assembly of Gold Nanotetrahedra into Quasicrystals and Complex Periodic Supracrystals.

The self-assembly of shape-anisotropic nanocrystals into large-scale structures is a versatile and scalable approach to creating multifunctional materials. The tetrahedral geometry is ubiquitous in natural and manmade materials, yet regular tetrahedra present a formidable challenge in understanding their self-assembly behavior as they do not tile space. Here, we report diverse supracrystals from gold nanotetrahedra including the quasicrystal (QC) and the dimer packing predicted more than a decade ago and hitherto unknown phases.

Multistep Crystallization of Dynamic Nanoparticle Superlattices in Nonaqueous Solutions.

Crystallization is a universal phenomenon underpinning many industrial and natural processes and is fundamental to chemistry and materials science. However, microscopic crystallization pathways of nanoparticle superlattices have been seldom studied mainly owing to the difficulty of real-time observation of individual self-assembling nanoparticles in solution. Here, using in situ electron microscopy, we directly image the full self-assembly pathway from dispersed nanoparticles into ordered superlattices in nonaqueous solution.

The dynamic landscape of parasitemia dependent intestinal microbiota shifting and the correlated gut transcriptome during Plasmodium yoelii infection.

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium, is a global life-threatening infectious disease. However, the dynamic interactions between intestinal microbiota and host immunity during the infections are still unclear. Here, we investigated the change of intestinal microbiome and transcriptome during Plasmodium yoelii infection in mice.

Applications of CRISPR/Cas gene-editing technology in yeast and fungi.

Genome editing technology has progressed rapidly in recent years. Although traditional gene-editing methods, including homologous recombination, zinc finger endonucleases, and transcription activator-like effector nucleases, have substantial implications for research in genetics and molecular biology, but they have remarkable limitations, including their low efficiency, high error rate, and complex design. A new gene-editing technology, the CRISPR/Cas system, was developed based on studies of archaeal and bacterial immune responses to viruses.

Hydrophobic Cargo Encapsulation into Virus Protein Cages by Self-Assembly in an Aprotic Organic Solvent.

While extensive studies of virus capsid assembly in environments mimicking conditions have led to an understanding of the thermodynamic driving forces at work, applying this knowledge to virus assembly in other solvents than aqueous buffers has not been attempted yet. In this study, Brome mosaic virus (BMV) capsid proteins were shown to preserve their self-assembly abilities in an aprotic polar solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). This facilitated protein cage encapsulation of nanoparticles and dye molecules that favor organic solvents, such as β-NaYF-based upconversion nanoparticles and BODIPY dye.

Macromolecular Ligand Engineering for Programmable Nanoprism Assembly.

Ligands play a central role for the energetics and kinetics of nanocrystal assembly. Yet, the precise and simultaneous manipulation of ligands to dictate assembly outcome has proven difficult. Here, we present macromolecular ligand-engineering strategies to control, characterize, and model four molecular parameters of grafted polymer chains: chain length, chain dispersity, grafting density, and chain distribution.

Synergized with to Increase the Pathogenesis and Drug Resistance in Cutaneous Abscess and Peritonitis Murine Models.

The mixed species of and can cause infections on skin, mucosa or bloodstream; however, mechanisms of their cross-kingdom interactions related to pathogenesis and drug resistance are still not clear. Here an increase of proliferation and biofilm formation was observed in and dual-species culture, and the synergistic pathogenic effect was then confirmed in both local (cutaneous abscess) and systemic infection (peritonitis) murine models. According to the transcriptome analysis of the dual-species culture, virulence factors of were significantly upregulated.

The two-component signal transduction system and its regulation in .

, which can cause superficial and life-threatening systemic infections, is the most common opportunistic fungal pathogen in the human microbiome. The two-component system is one of the most important signal transduction pathways, regulating the response to oxidative and osmotic stresses, adhesion, morphogenesis, cell wall synthesis, virulence, drug resistance, and the host-pathogen interactions. Notably, some components of this signaling pathway have not been found in the human genome, indicating that the two-component system of can be a potential target for new antifungal agents.