Activatable Near-Infrared Fluorescent and Photoacoustic Dual-Modal Probe for Highly Sensitive Imaging of Sulfatase In Vivo.

Sulfatase is an important biomarker closely associated with various diseases. However, the state-of-the-art sulfatase probes are plagued with a short absorption/emission wavelength and limited sensitivity. Developing highly sensitive fluorescent probes for in vivo imaging of sulfatase remains a grand challenge.

Impact of catheter-tissue contact force on lesion size during right ventricular outflow tract ablation in a swine model.

Background: The catheter-tissue contact force (CF) is one of the significant determinants of lesion size and thus has a considerable impact on the effectiveness of ablation procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CF on the lesion size during right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) ablation in a swine model.

Methods: Twelve Guangxi Bama miniature male pigs weighing 40 to 50 kg were studied.

Orbital myiasis: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Myiasis is a parasitic disease caused by fly larvae of the Diptera order that infest human and other vertebrate animal tissues. Orbital myiasis is a potentially destructive infestation of the orbital tissues, which may affect individuals with previous ocular diseases or disorders of consciousness.

Patient Concerns: A 72-year-old man presented with a complaint of repeated pain for two years after trauma to his right eyelid and aggravated symptoms with larvae wriggling out for 2 days.

Exceptionally High Negative Electro-Caloric Effects of Poly(VDF⁻co⁻TrFE) Based Nanocomposites Tuned by the Geometries of Barium Titanate Nanofillers.

Exceptionally high electro-caloric effects (ECEs) are observed in nanocomposites consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride--trifluoroethylene) (VDF⁻⁻TrFE) copolymer and barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles and nanowires. The poly(VDF⁻⁻TrFE) matrix nanocomposites containing 5% volume fraction of BT nanowires are found to exhibit a negative ECE temperature change as large as 12 °C or a refrigeration effect of 8.3 J/g, which is much larger than those reported to date.

MicroRNA-93-5p increases multidrug resistance in human colorectal carcinoma cells by downregulating cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A gene expression.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) impedes successful chemotherapy in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRs) are involved in the development of MDR. In the present study, the role of miR-93-5p in the modulation of drug resistance in CRC was investigated using HCT-8 and MDR HCT-8/vincristine (VCR) cell lines. The results demonstrated upregulated expression of miR-93-5p and MDR protein 1 (MDR1) in HCT-8/VCR cells, compared with the parental HCT-8 cells.

Role of LAPCD4 T cells in the tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer.

Aim: To investigate the abundance and potential functions of LAPCD4 T cells in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Proportions of LAPCD4 T cells were examined in peripheral blood and tumor/paratumor tissues of CRC patients and healthy controls using flow cytometry. Expression of phenotypic markers such as forkhead box (Fox)p3, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein (CTLA)-4, chemokine CC receptor (CCR)4 and CCR5 was measured using flow cytometry.

Plasma oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers are associated with the sizes of the left atrium and pulmonary vein in atrial fibrillation patients.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes are responsible for the pathogenesis of AF, but their relationship with the sizes of the LA and PVs in AF patients remains unclear.

Hypothesis: Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes are associated with the sizes of the LA and PVs in AF patients.

Methods: 82 AF patients were compared to 30 control patients by using a case-control study design.

Th22 cell accumulation is associated with colorectal cancer development.

Aim: To investigate the expression of Th22 cells and related cytokines in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues, and the probably mechanism.

Methods: CRC tumor and paratumor tissues were collected to detect the expression levels of Th22 cells and of related cytokines by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Interleukin (IL)-22 alone or with a STAT3 inhibitor was co-cultured with RKO cells in vitro to study the effects of IL-22 on colon cancer cells.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of Andrographis paniculata by rapid resolution liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

A rapid resolution liquid chromatography/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-TOF/MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major chemical constituents in Andrographis paniculata. Fifteen compounds, including flavonoids and diterpenoid lactones, were unambiguously or tentatively identified in 10 min by comparing their retention times and accurate masses with standards or literature data. The characteristic fragmentation patterns of flavonoids and diterpenoid lactones were summarized, and the structures of the unknown compounds were predicted.

Supersaturation-dependent surface structure evolution: from ionic, molecular to metallic micro/nanocrystals.

Deduced from thermodynamics and the Thomson-Gibbs equation that the surface energy of crystal face is in proportion to the supersaturation of crystal growth units during the crystal growth, we propose that the exposed crystal faces can be simply tuned by controlling the supersaturation, and higher supersaturation will result in the formation of crystallites with higher surface-energy faces. We have successfully applied it for the growth of ionic (NaCl), molecular (TBPe), and metallic (Au, Pd) micro/nanocrystals with high-surface-energy faces. The above proposed strategy can be rationally designed to synthesize micro/nanocrystals with specific crystal faces and functionality toward specific applications.

General and facile syntheses of metal silicate porous hollow nanostructures.

Porous hollow nanostructures have attracted intensive interest owing to their unique structure and promising applications in various fields. A facile hydrothermal synthesis has been developed to prepare porous hollow nanostructures of silicate materials through a sacrificial-templating process. The key factors, such as the concentration of the free metal cation and the alkalinity of the solution, are discussed.

Epitaxial growth of heterogeneous metal nanocrystals: from gold nano-octahedra to palladium and silver nanocubes.

With octahedral Au nanocrystals as seeds, highly monodisperse Au@Pd and Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes were synthesized by a two-step seed-mediated method in aqueous solution. Accordingly, we have preliminarily proposed a general rule that the atomic radius, bond dissociation energy, and electronegativity of the core and shell metals play key roles in determining the conformal epitaxial layered growth mode.

Preparation and optical properties of ThO(2) and Eu-doped ThO(2) nanotubes by the sol-gel method combined with porous anodic aluminum oxide template.

In this paper, we report the synthesis of thorium oxide and Eu-doped thorium oxide nanotubes for the first time using the sol-gel method in porous anodic aluminum oxide template. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to characterize the morphology and structure of the as-prepared nanotubes. It has been demonstrated that Eu(3+) ions were homogeneously doped into the ThO(2) crystal lattice.

Growth of silver nanowires from solutions: a cyclic penta-twinned-crystal growth mechanism.

Silver nanowires are synthesized by simple reduction of the silver ions with reductants such as glucose, sodium citrate, and sodium hypophosphite, etc., in the absence of the so-called surfactants or capping reagents at the temperature from 80 to 200 degrees C. Regardless of the reductants, the nanowires prepared at a given temperature are uniform in diameters, ranging from 30 to 50 nm at 100 degrees C.

Molten salt route toward the growth of ZnO nanowires in unusual growth directions.

ZnO nanowires with unusual growth directions, such as the approximate 102 and the 100 directions, were prepared by using the LiCl molten salt synthetic method. Intrinsic crystallographic structures and the growth directions of the as-prepared ZnO nanowires were investigated by using selected area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In the present case, Li+ and Cl- ions of molten salts may bind with O2- and Zn2+ ions, respectively, of the {101} and {001} polar surfaces of the ZnO crystals, resulting in the decrease of their surface energies and tuning the growth directions by blocking the growth on the polar surfaces.

Formation of ZnO hexagonal micro-pyramids: a successful control of the exposed polar surfaces with the assistance of an ionic liquid.

Wurtzite ZnO hexagonal micro-pyramids, with all exposed surfaces being polar +/- (0001) and {1011} planes, have been successfully synthesized using ionic liquids as solvents.

Tailoring the optical property by a three-dimensional epitaxial heterostructure: a case of ZnO/SnO2.

Epitaxial growth, as a best strategy to attain a heterostructure with a well-defined and clean interface, usually takes place on a planar substrate. In this paper, using a ZnO/SnO2 core-shell heterostructure as an example, we demonstrate the possibility of establishing a three-dimensional epitaxial interface between two materials with different crystal systems for the first time and show possible tailoring optical properties by building the heteroepitaxial crystal interface. The characterization results of element mapping, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electric diffraction reveal that the as-prepared ZnO/SnO2 heterostructure has a tetrapod-like ZnO core and a SnO2 shell with 15-30 nm, and their special epitaxial relation is (010)SnO2//(010)ZnO and [100]SnO2//[0001]ZnO.

Shape controlled growth of gold nanoparticles by a solution synthesis.

The shape of gold nanoparticles has been successfully tuned among penta-twinned decahedrons, truncated tetrahedrons, cubes, octahedrons, hexagonal thin plates by introducing a small amount of salt into a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), and changing the temperature or the concentration of the gold precursor.

Synthesis of silver nanotubes by electroless deposition in porous anodic aluminium oxide templates.

An electroless deposition method has been employed for the synthesis of silver nanotubes using porous anodic aluminium oxide as templates, by which high-yield silver nanotubes with length over ten microns have been synthesized.

Starlike nanostructures of polyoxometalates K3[PMo12O40].nH2O synthesized and assembled by an inverse microemulsion method.

In a nonionic inverse microemulsion system, surfactant (C12-18EO9)/cyclohexane/water, heteropolyanions [PMo12O40]3- react with K+ to form K3[PMo12O40].nH2O nanorods and assemble as three-dimensional starlike nanostructures.