[Corrigendum] Effect of gene silencing on colorectal cancer cells.

Subsequently to the publication of the above paper, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that the 'Control' and 'NC' data panels shown in Fig. 2E on p. 981, showing the results of Transwell invasion assay experiments, appeared to contain overlapping sections of data, such that they were potentially derived from the same original source where these panels were intended to show the results from differently performed experiments.

Up-regulation of FAT4 enhances the chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells treated by 5-FU.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has high mortality, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a common clinical chemotherapeutic drug. The current study aimed to investigate the role of in chemosensitivity of CRC cells treated by 5-FU.

Methods: The immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR was conducted to measure the expression in CRC and adjacent tissues.

Effect of STC2 gene silencing on colorectal cancer cells.

Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a secretory glycoprotein hormone, regulates many biological processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and atherosclerosis. However, the effect of STC2 on proliferation, migration and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells remains poorly understood. The expression level of STC2 was determined by quantitative real‑time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis.

Insight into the biological effects of acupuncture points by X-ray absorption fine structure.

Exploration of the biological effects of transition metal ions in acupuncture points is essential to clarify the functional mechanism of acupuncture treatment. Here we show that in the SP6 acupuncture point (Sanyinjiao) the Fe ions are in a high-spin state of approximately te in an Fe-N(O) octahedral crystal field. The Fe K-edge synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption fine structure results reveal that the Fe-N and Fe-O bond lengths in the SP6 acupuncture point are 2.

Rifampicin Resistance and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Detection Using Xpert MTB/RIF in Wuhan, China: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The Xpert MTB/RIF test (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) can simultaneously detect the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex DNA and rifampicin (RFP) resistance and can rapidly determine RFP resistance and predict multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In this study, we analyzed clinical examination results of a hospital specializing in TB treatment in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and examined the use of traditional culture and drug-sensitive test (DST) results as a gold standard to assess the diagnosis value of the Xpert MTB/RIF test in RFP resistance and MDR-TB.

Materials And Methods: A total of 2,910 specimens were received in the Mycobacteriology Laboratory, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, for Xpert MTB/RIF testing between December 2013 and December 2014.

Fast Photoelectron Transfer in (C)-CN Plane Heterostructural Nanosheets for Overall Water Splitting.

Direct and efficient photocatalytic water splitting is critical for sustainable conversion and storage of renewable solar energy. Here, we propose a conceptual design of two-dimensional CN-based in-plane heterostructure to achieve fast spatial transfer of photoexcited electrons for realizing highly efficient and spontaneous overall water splitting. This unique plane heterostructural carbon ring (C)-CN nanosheet can synchronously expedite electron-hole pair separation and promote photoelectron transport through the local in-plane π-conjugated electric field, synergistically elongating the photocarrier diffusion length and lifetime by 10 times relative to those achieved with pristine g-CN.

Curcumin protects against liver fibrosis by attenuating infiltration of Gr1hi monocytes through inhibition of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1.

Background And Aims: Liver fibrosis is concomitant with monocyte infiltration, which has been highlighted as novel therapeutic targets for chronic liver diseases. We aimed to investigate whether curcumin might protect the liver from carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrosis by attenuating the recruitment of Gr1hi monocytes through inhibition of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1).

Methods: Mice were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 to induce liver fibrosis.

Increase of infiltrating monocytes in the livers of patients with chronic liver diseases.

Infiltrating monocytes have been demonstrated to contribute to tissue damage in experimental models of liver injury and fibrosis. However, less is known about monocyte infiltration in the livers of patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD). In the present study, we demonstrated that CD68+ hepatic macrophages and MAC387+ infiltrating monocytes were significantly increased in the livers of CLD patients with different etiologies as compared with normal liver tissue.

Oxyhydroxide Nanosheets with Highly Efficient Electron-Hole Pair Separation for Hydrogen Evolution.

The facile electron-hole pair recombination in earth-abundant transition-metal oxides is a major limitation for the development of highly efficient hydrogen evolution photocatalysts. In this work, the thickness of a layered β-CoOOH semiconductor that contains metal/hydroxy groups was reduced to obtain an atomically thin, two-dimensional nanostructure. Analysis by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that electron-hole recombination is almost suppressed in the as-prepared 1.

CoOOH Nanosheets with High Mass Activity for Water Oxidation.

Endowing transition-metal oxide electrocatalysts with high water oxidation activity is greatly desired for production of clean and sustainable chemical fuels. Here, we present an atomically thin cobalt oxyhydroxide (γ-CoOOH) nanosheet as an efficient electrocatalyst for water oxidation. The 1.

Aligned Fe2TiO5-containing nanotube arrays with low onset potential for visible-light water oxidation.

There remains a pressing challenge in the efficient utilization of visible light in the photoelectrochemical applications of water splitting. Here, we design and fabricate pseudobrookite Fe2TiO5 ultrathin layers grown on vertically aligned TiO2 nanotube arrays that can enhance the conduction and utilization of photogenerated charge carriers. Our photoanodes are characterized by low onset potentials of ~0.

Graphene activating room-temperature ferromagnetic exchange in cobalt-doped ZnO dilute magnetic semiconductor quantum dots.

Control over the magnetic interactions in dilute magnetic semiconductor quantum dots (DMSQDs) is a key issue to future development of nanometer-sized integrated "spintronic" devices. However, manipulating the magnetic coupling between impurity ions in DMSQDs remains a great challenge because of the intrinsic quantum confinement effects and self-purification of the quantum dots. Here, we propose a hybrid structure to achieve room-temperature ferromagnetic interactions in DMSQDs, via engineering the density and nature of the energy states at the Fermi level.

Realizing ferromagnetic coupling in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots.

Manipulating the ferromagnetic interactions in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots (DMSQDs) is a central theme to the development of next-generation spin-based information technologies, but this remains a great challenge because of the intrinsic antiferromagnetic coupling between impurity ions therein. Here, we propose an effective approach capable of activating ferromagnetic exchange in ZnO-based DMSQDs, by virtue of a core/shell structure that engineers the energy level of the magnetic impurity 3d levels relative to the band edge. This idea has been successfully applied to Zn(0.

Adsorption kinetic process of thiol ligands on gold nanocrystals.

Understanding the kinetic mechanism during ligand adsorption on gold nanocrystals is important for designing and fine-tuning their properties and implications. Here, we report a kinetic study on the adsorption process of dodecanethiol ligands on Au nanocrystals of 3.3 nm by an in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure technique.

Scattering imaging method in transmission x-ray microscopy.

We present a x-ray microscopy technique based on structured illumination in a microscope that characterizes the size of the subresolution-limit features. The technique is effective for characterizing fine structures substantially beyond the Rayleigh resolution of the microscope. We carried out optical experiments to demonstrate the basic principle of this new technique.

Microstructure and gas-sensing property of the ordered mesoporous Co3O4.

We report the microstructure, gas-sensing properties of the ordered mesoporous Co3O4 prepared by modified KIT-6 template method. Highly ordered mesoporous nanostructures of the as-prepared products have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. We find that the ordered mesoporous Co3O4 enables a significant improvement of sensor response and selectivity to ethanol, which demonstrates the potential use of the ordered mesoporous Co3O4 as alcohol gas-sensing material.

A new method to retrieve phase information for equiangular fan beam differential phase contrast computed tomography.

Purpose: Sample radiation damage is one of the main drawbacks limiting applications of the x-ray phase-contrast imaging method. Recently, for x-ray grating-based phase contrast imaging, the reverse projection (RP) method has been proposed by Zhu et al. [Proc.

Metal-insulator transition in V(1-x)W(x)O2: structural and electronic origin.

The driving mechanism of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) in VO(2) has always attracted attention, in particular with regards to understanding if and how the doping mechanism may tune the MIT transition temperature. However, due to the lack of detailed local structural information, in this oxide the underlying MIT mechanism is still matter of debate. In this contribution on the V(1-x)W(x)O(2) system, we attempt to clarify the origin of the MIT induced by tungsten doping.

High-speed X-ray microscopy by use of high-resolution zone plates and synchrotron radiation.

X-ray microscopy based on synchrotron radiation has become a fundamental tool in biology and life sciences to visualize the morphology of a specimen. These studies have particular requirements in terms of radiation damage and the image exposure time, which directly determines the total acquisition speed. To monitor and improve these key parameters, we present a novel X-ray microscopy method using a high-resolution zone plate as the objective and the matching condenser.

Use of fractal zone plates for transmission X-ray microscopy.

In this contribution we discuss the possibility of designing a modified transmission X-ray microscope by using fractal zone plates (Fzps) as diffractive optical elements. In the modified transmission X-ray microscope optical layout, we first introduced a fractal zone plate as the microscope objective. Indeed, a fractal zone plate cannot only be used as an image-forming component but also as a condenser element to achieve an extended depth of field.

Probing nucleation pathways for morphological manipulation of platinum nanocrystals.

Understanding the formation process in the controlled synthesis of nanocrystals will lead to the effective manipulation of the morphologies and properties of nanomaterials. Here, in-situ UV-vis and X-ray absorption spectroscopies are combined to monitor the tracks of the nucleation pathways in the solution synthesis of platinum nanocrystals. We find experimentally that the control over nucleation pathways through changing the strength of reductants can be efficiently used to manipulate the resultant nanocrystal shapes.

Advantages of intermediate X-ray energies in Zernike phase contrast X-ray microscopy.

Understanding the hierarchical organizations of molecules and organelles within the interior of large eukaryotic cells is a challenge of fundamental interest in cell biology. Light microscopy is a powerful tool for observations of the dynamics of live cells, its resolution attainable is limited and insufficient. While electron microscopy can produce images with astonishing resolution and clarity of ultra-thin (<1 μm thick) sections of biological specimens, many questions involve the three-dimensional organization of a cell or the interconnectivity of cells.

Cr(VI) uptake mechanism of Bacillus cereus.

In this study, we investigated the Cr(VI) uptake mechanism in an indigenous Cr(VI)-tolerant bacterial strain -Bacillus cereus through batch and microscopic experiments. We found that both the cells and the supernatant collected from B. cereus cultivation could reduce Cr(VI).

Valence state-dependent ferromagnetism in Mn-doped NiO thin films.

Manipulating the ferromagnetism of diluted magnetic semiconductors by tuning the valence state of doped ions is found to be achievable in Mn-doped NiO. First-principles calculations predict that the interactions between substitutional Mn(3+) ions in NiO are ferromagnetic, while the Mn(2+)-Mn(2+) interactions are antiferromagnetic. This scenario is experimentally supported by a great enhancement of saturation magnetization with increased Mn(3+)/Mn(2+) ratio in Mn-doped and (Mn, Li)-codoped NiO.