Depolymerization mechanisms and closed-loop assessment in polyester waste recycling.

Alcoholysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste to produce monomers, including methanolysis to yield dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and glycolysis to generate bis-2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET), is a promising strategy in PET waste management. Here, we introduce an efficient PET-alcoholysis approach utilizing an oxygen-vacancy (V)-rich catalyst under air, achieving space time yield (STY) of 505.2 g·g·h and 957.

Rethinking Sweetener Discovering: Multiparameter Modeling of Molecular Docking Results between the T1R2-T1R3 Receptor and Compounds with Different Tastes.

Molecular docking has been widely applied in the discovery of new sweeteners, yet the interpretation of computational results sometimes remains difficult. Here, the interaction between the T1R2-T1R3 sweet taste receptor and 66 tasting compounds, including 26 sweet, 19 bitter, and 21 sour substances was investigated by batch molecular docking processes. Statistical analysis of the docking results generated two novel methods of interpreting taste properties.

Electrodeposition of paracetamol oxide for intelligent portable ratiometric detection of nicotine and ethyl vanillin β-D-glucoside.

Herein, the electrodeposition of paracetamol oxide (PA ox) for the intelligent portable ratiometric detection of nicotine (NIC) and ethyl vanillin β-D-glucoside (EVG) is reported. PA ox electrodeposited on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was used as a new fixed state ratiometric reference probe. A portable electrochemical workstation combined with a smart phone was applied as an intelligent portable electrochemical sensing platform.

Establishment of a Selective Liver Lobe Tumor-Bearing Mouse Model of Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death, and its main site of metastasis is the liver. The surgical method used for metastases of colorectal cancer in the liver varies according to the lobe affected, as does the prognosis. However, there is a lack of relevant basic research.

Not by Serendipity: Rationally Designed Reversible Temperature-Responsive Circularly Polarized Luminescence Inversion by Coupling Two Scenarios of Harata-Kodaka's Rule.

Intelligent control over the handedness of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is of special significance in smart optoelectronics, information storage, and data encryption; however, it still remains a great challenge to rationally design a CPL material that displays reversible handedness inversion without changing the system composition. Herein, we show this comes true by coupling the two scenarios of Harata-Kodaka's rule on the same supramolecular platform of crystalline microtubes self-assembled from surfactant-cyclodextrin host-guest complexes. Upon coassembling a linear dye with its electronic transition dipole moment outside of the cavity of β-CyD, the chirality transfer from the induced chirality of SDS in the SDS@2β-CyD microtubes to the dye generates left-handed CPL at room temperature.

Folic Acid-Based Coacervate Leading to a Double-Sided Tape for Adhesion of Diverse Wet and Dry Substrates.

Adhesives are crucial both in nature and in diversified artificial fields, and developing environment-friendly adhesives with economic procedures remains a great challenge. We report that folic acid-based coacervates can be a new category of excellent adhesives for all kinds of surfaces with long-lasting adhesiveness. Aided by the electrostatic interaction between the π-π stacked folic acid quartets and polycations, the resultant coacervates are able to interact with diversified substrates via a polyvalent hydrogen bond, coordination, and electrostatic interactions.

Pterostilbene inhibits gallbladder cancer progression by suppressing the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Gallbladder cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the biliary system and is characterized by difficulty to diagnose in early stages, a high degree of malignancy, and poor prognosis. Finding new drugs may improve the prognosis for this dismal cancer. Herein, we investigated the potential application of pterostilbene (PTS) against gallbladder cancer in vivo and in vitro.

Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 alleviates cholestatic liver injury by decreasing IL-1β and IL-18 expression.

Severe cholestatic liver injury diseases, such as obstructive jaundice and the subsequent acute obstructive cholangitis, are induced by biliary tract occlusion. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors have been demonstrated to be protective for various organs. The potential of HSP90 inhibitors in the treatment of cholestatic liver injury, however, remains unclear.

Silencing ARAF Suppresses the Malignant Phenotypes of Gallbladder Cancer Cells.

ARAF is a member of the RAF kinase family that is necessary for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in various malignancies, including lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers. As the most common biliary tract tumor, gallbladder cancer (GBC) seriously harms human health while the function of ARAF in GBC remains elusive. Here, we found that ARAF expression was upregulated in gallbladder cancer tissues.

Hydration-Facilitated Fine-Tuning of the AIE Amphiphile Color and Application as Erasable Materials with Hot/Cold Dual Writing Modes.

Hydration water greatly impacts the color of inorganic crystals, but it is still unknown whether hydration water can be utilized to systematically manipulate the emission color of organic luminescent groups. Now, metal ions with different hydration ability allow fine-tuning the emission color of a fluorescent group displaying aggregation induced emission (AIE). Because the hydration water can be removed easily by gentle heating or mechanical grinding and re-gained by solvent fuming, rewritable materials can be fabricated both in the hot-writing and cold-writing modes.

Molecular hydrogen accelerates the reversal of acute obstructive cholangitis‑induced liver dysfunction by restoring gap and tight junctions.

Gap junctions (GJs) and tight junctions (TJs) are essential to maintain the function of hepatocytes. Changes in biliary tract pressure and the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may lead to acute obstructive cholangitis (AOC) and cause liver injury via GJ and TJ dysfunction. Hydrogen has been confirmed to have a protective role in various organs during pathological conditions and inflammation.

A human vision inspired adaptive platform for one-on-multiple recognition.

The fluorescence of a coordinative molecule DCM displaying an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect is regulated by several metal ions. These DCM-metal complexes were adopted to recognize different chemicals, including the recognition of triethylenetetramine, thiol-containing amino acids, and H2S upon binding DCM with Zn2+, Ag+, and Pb2+, respectively. This is in analogy to the general mode of human trichromatic color vision.

Misdiagnosis of Intrahepatic Biliary Cystadenoma Located in the Caudate Lobe: A Case Report.

Background: Intrahepatic Biliary Cystadenoma (IBC) is rare but has a high incidence of misdiagnosis, especially for experienceless surgeons.

Case: We report a case of IBC located in the caudate lobe and described a typical procedure of misdiagnosing this disease. Finally, the patient was successfully cured, but the procedure of misdiagnosis should attract attention.

Self-assembly facilitated and visible light-driven generation of carbon dots.

Carbon dots (CDs) with an absolute fluorescence quantum yield of 87% are facilely prepared via irradiation of self-assembled terthiophene amphiphile TTC4L in aqueous solution by mild visible light. Visible light irradiation of TTC4L triggers the production of superoxide radicals in water, which oxidize the closely packed terthiophene group into carbon dots. Our results reveal that the molecular self-assembly may act as important precursor for the generation of single molecule-like carbon dots; this method paves the way for the fabrication of CDs of high quality.

Allosteric Self-Assembly of Coordinating Terthiophene Amphiphile for Triggered Light Harvesting.

Allosteric regulation is extensively employed by nature to achieve functional control of protein or deoxyribonucleic acid through triggered conformational change at a remote site. We report that a similar strategy can be utilized in artificial self-assembly to control the self-assembled structure and its function. We show that on binding of metal ions to the headgroup of an amphiphile TTC4L, the conformational change may lead to change of the dipole orientation of the energy donor at the chain end.

miR-433 accelerates acquired chemoresistance of gallbladder cancer cells by targeting cyclin M.

Resistance to chemotherapy is associated with dismal prognosis in patients with gallbladder cancer. Cyclin-dependent kinase 10 (CDK10) influences the chemosensitivity of gallbladder cancer cells, and cyclin M is the activating factor and binding partner of CDK10. To determine the effect of CDK10 or cyclin M overexpression on chemosensitivity, gemcitabine-resistant (GR) subclones were established from CDK10 or cyclin M stable transfectants.

Azithromycin effectively inhibits tumor angiogenesis by suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2-mediated signaling pathways in lung cancer.

Tumor angiogenesis is essential during lung cancer development and targeting angiogenesis may possess a potential therapeutic value. The present study demonstrates that azithromycin, a Food and Drug Administration-approved antibiotic drug, is a novel tumor angiogenesis inhibitor. Azithromycin inhibits capillary network formation of human lung tumor associated-endothelial cells (HLT-ECs) and .

Utility of urinary circulating tumor DNA for EGFR mutation detection in different stages of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Purpose: Non-invasive methods of molecular profiling for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are useful for monitoring disease progression. The aim of the current study was to ascertain if transrenal DNA is sensitive for clinical correlation and EGFR detection in NSCLC patients.

Methods: 160 patients at various stages of the disease participated and samples were collected prospectively at 2-month intervals.

Catheterization of the gallbladder: A novel mouse model of severe acute cholangitis.

Aim: To establish a severe acute cholangitis (SAC) model in mice.

Methods: Cholecystic catheterization was performed under the condition of bile duct ligation (BDL). Trans-cholecystic injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was defined as the SAC animal model.

Investigation of transrenal KRAS mutation in late stage NSCLC patients correlates to disease progression.

Purpose: Using transrenal DNA to detect KRAS mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the study addressed the clinical impact for longitudinal monitoring and prognostic value for disease outcome.

Methods: Digital droplet PCR was used to detect the mutant DNA. A total of 200 NSCLC patients were recruited with varying molecular profiles.

Septin 2 accelerates the progression of biliary tract cancer and is negatively regulated by mir-140-5p.

Aberrant expression of septin family members (SEPTs) has been noticed in various carcinomas; however, few studies have been conducted to determine their function in biliary tract cancer (BTC). In this study, we identified SEPT2 as a tumor-promoting gene that is regulated by miR-140-5p in BTC. Although miR-140-5p has been reported to be an anti-oncomiR for several types of cancer, this has not previously been shown for BTC.