Evoking ordered vacancies in metallic nanostructures toward a vacated Barlow packing for high-performance hydrogen evolution

Metallic nanostructures are commonly densely packed into a few packing variants with slightly different atomic packing factors. The structural aspects and physicochemical properties related with the vacancies in such nanostructures are rarely explored because of lack of an effective way to control the introduction of vacancy sites. Highly voided metallic nanostructures with ordered vacancies are however energetically high lying and very difficult to synthesize. Here, we report a chemical method for synthesis of hierarchical Rh nanostructures (Rh NSs) composed of ultrathin nanosheets, composed of hexagonal close-packed structure embedded with nanodomains that adopt a vacated Barlow packing with ordered vacancies. The obtained Rh NSs exhibit remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. Theoretical calculations reveal that the exceptional electrocatalytic performance of Rh NSs originates from their unique vacancy structures, which facilitate the adsorption and dissociation of H2O in the HER.

Androgen deprivation-induced elevated nuclear SIRT1 promotes prostate tumor cell survival by reactivation of AR signaling

The NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase, Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is involved in prostate cancer pathogenesis. However, the actual contribution is unclear as some reports propose a protective role while others suggest it is harmful. We provide evidence for a contextual role for SIRT1 in prostate cancer. Our data show that (i) mice orthotopically implanted with SIRT1-silenced LNCaP cells produced smaller tumors; (ii) SIRT1 suppression mimicked AR inhibitory effects in hormone responsive LNCaP cells; and (iii) caused significant reduction in gene signatures associated with E2F and MYC targets in AR-null PC-3 and E2F and mTORC1 signaling in castrate-resistant ARv7 positive 22Rv1 cells. Our findings further show increased nuclear SIRT1 (nSIRT1) protein under androgen-depleted relative to androgen-replete conditions in prostate cancer cell lines. Silencing SIRT1 resulted in decreased recruitment of AR to PSA enhancer selectively under androgen-deprivation conditions. Prostate cancer outcome data show that patients with higher levels of nSIRT1 progress to advanced disease relative to patients with low nSIRT1 levels. Collectively, we demonstrate that lowering SIRT1 levels potentially provides new avenues to effectively prevent prostate cancer recurrence.

Technical validation of a new microfluidic device for enrichment of CTCs from large volumes of blood by using buffy coats to mimic diagnostic leukapheresis products

Diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA) enables to sample larger blood volumes and increases the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) significantly. Nevertheless, the high excess of white blood cells (WBC) of DLA products remains a major challenge for further downstream CTC enrichment and detection. To address this problem, we tested the performance of two label-free CTC technologies for processing DLA products. For the testing purposes, we established ficollized buffy coats (BC) with a WBC composition similar to patient-derived DLA products. The mimicking-DLA samples (with up to 400 × 106 WBCs) were spiked with three different tumor cell lines and processed with two versions of a spiral microfluidic chip for label-free CTC enrichment: the commercially available ClearCell FR1 biochip and a customized DLA biochip based on a similar enrichment principle, but designed for higher throughput of cells. While the samples processed with FR1 chip displayed with increasing cell load significantly higher WBC backgrounds and decreasing cell recovery, the recovery rates of the customized DLA chip were stable, even if challenged with up to 400 × 106 WBCs (corresponding to around 120 mL peripheral blood or 10% of a DLA product). These results indicate that the further up-scalable DLA biochip has potential to process complete DLA products from 2.5 L of peripheral blood in an affordable way to enable high-volume CTC-based liquid biopsies.

Single-site laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (SLPEC) of hernia sac high ligation using an ordinary taper needle: a novel technique for pediatric inguinal hernia

PURPOSE

Laparoscopic high ligation of the internal inguinal ring is an alternative procedure for treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia (PIH), with a major trend toward increasing use of extracorporeal knotting and decreasing use of working ports. We have utilized this laparoscopic technique to treat the entire spectrum of PIH (including incarcerated cases) for more than 17 years, and the technique continues to evolve and improve. We herein report our latest modification of this minimally invasive technique, namely single-site laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (SLPEC) of hernia sac high ligation using an ordinary taper needle, and evaluate its safety and efficacy.

METHODS

From July 2016 to July 2019, 790 children with indirect PIH were treated by laparoscopic surgery. All patients underwent high ligation surgery with a modified single-site laparoscopic technique mainly performed by extracorporeal suturing with an ordinary closed-eye taper needle (1/2 arc 11 × 34). The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

All surgeries were successful without serious complications. A contralateral patent processus vaginalis (CPPV) was found intraoperatively and subsequently repaired in 190 patients (25.4%). The mean operative time was 15 min (8-25 min) for 557 unilateral hernias and 21 min (14-36 min) for 233 bilateral hernias. The mean postoperative stay was 20 h. Minor complications occurred in five patients (0.63%) and were managed properly, with no major impact on the final outcomes. No recurrence was noted in the patients who were followed up for 6-42 months. No obvious scar was present postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

Modified SLPEC of hernia sac high ligation using an ordinary taper needle for repair of indirect PIH is a safe, reliable, and minimally invasive procedure with satisfactory outcome, with no special device being needed. It is easy to learn and perform and is worthy of popularization in the clinical setting.

Exonuclease III-Regulated Target Cyclic Amplification-Based Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection Using Ultrathin Ternary Chalcogenide Nanosheets

Herein, we report that the ternary chalcogenide nanosheet exhibits different affinity toward oligonucleotides with different lengths and efficiently quenches the fluorescence of dye-labeled DNA probes. Based on these findings, as a proof-of-concept application, the ternary chalcogenide nanosheet is used as a target cyclic amplification biosensor, showing high specificity in discriminating single-base mismatch. This simple strategy is fast and sensitive for the single nucleotide polymorphism detection. Ultralow detection limit of unlabeled target (250 fM) and high discrimination ratio (5%) in the mixture of perfect match (mutant-type) and single-base mismatch (wild-type) target are achieved. This sensing method is extensively compatible for the single nucleotide polymorphism detection in clinical samples, making it a promising tool for the mutation-based clinical diagnostic and genomic research.

Controllable growth of Au nanostructures onto MoS2 nanosheets for dual-modal imaging and photothermal-radiation combined therapy

Multifunctional theranostic nanoagents are attractive to realize comprehensive imaging and effective treatment of tumours. Herein, a novel strategy is developed to controllably guide the epitaxial growth of gold nanostructures onto MoS₂ nanosheets. The as-prepared MoS₂-Au nanostructures (MA) manifest an enhanced near-infrared (NIR) absorbance with strong photostability. After modification, the obtained MA-PEG shows strong X-ray attenuation and photothermal conversion ability, promising for CT and photoacoustic imaging with an enhanced intensity in tumours. Moreover, in vivo photothermal and radiation therapy with MA-PEG achieves synergistic tumour treatment efficiency through hyperthermia elevated oxygenation level and sensitized radiation therapy. This work illustrates the development of a unique MA nanostructure with enhanced NIR absorbance and strong photoelectric absorbance as a multifunctional theranostic agent with great potential for dual-modal imaging-guided photothermal-radiation therapy of cancer.

Linearly Polarized Luminescence of Atomically Thin MoS2 Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Atomically thin layers of transition-metal dichalcogenides semiconductors, such as MoS₂, exhibit strong and circularly polarized light emission due to inherent crystal symmetries, pronounced spin-orbit coupling, and out-of-plane dielectric and spatial confinement. While the layer-by-layer confinement is well-understood, the understanding of the impact of in-plane quantization in their optical spectrum is far behind. Here, we report the optical properties of atomically thin MoS₂ colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals. In addition to the spatial-confinement effect leading to their blue wavelength emission, the high quality of our MoS₂ nanocrystals is revealed by narrow photoluminescence, which allows us to resolve multiple optically active transitions, originating from quantum-confined excitons (coupled electron-hole pairs). Surprisingly, in stark contrast to monolayer MoS₂, the luminescence of the lowest-energy levels is linearly polarized and persists up to room temperature, meaning that it could be exploited in a variety of light-emitting applications.

Unusual 4H-phase twinned noble metal nanokites

Twinning commonly exists in noble metals. In recent years, it has attracted increasing interest as it is powerful to tune the physicochemical properties of metallic nanomaterials. To the best of our knowledge, all the reported twinned noble metal structures exclusively possess the close-packed {111} twinning plane. Here, we report the discovery of non-close-packed twinning planes in our synthesized Au nanokites. By using the bent Au nanoribbons with unique 4H/face-centered cubic)/4H crystal-phase heterostructures as templates, Au nanokites with unusual twinned 4H-phase structures have been synthesized, which possess the non-close-packed {10\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\bar 1$$\end{document}1¯2} or {10\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\bar 1$$\end{document}1¯6} twinning plane. By using the Au nanokites as templates, twinned 4H-phase Au@Ag and Au@PdAg core-shell nanostructures have been synthesized. The discovery of 4H-phase twinned noble metal nanostructures may pave a way for the preparation of metal nanomaterials with unique twinned structures for various promising applications.

Twinning is a powerful approach to engineering the physicochemical properties of metallic nanomaterials. Here, the authors discover unusual non-close-packed twinning planes in 4H-phase gold nanokites and show that they can be used as templates to grow 4H-phase twinned nanostructures of other noble metals.

Two-dimensional C60 nano-meshes via crystal transformation

Developing a rational and general approach towards complex two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures represents potential promising applications in a wide variety of fields, such as electronics, catalysis, and energy conversion. However, the synthesis of 2D nanoscale superstructures remains a great challenge because of the great difficulty in arranging the growth units in a rational manner. Here, we develop a simple yet effective solution-phase strategy to achieve hexagonal mesh networks made of aligned nanorods which are obtained via crystal transformation of 2D C60 microplates. The transformation is triggered by the removal and inclusion of solvent molecules and hence, driven by a small free energy difference. The change in the local solvent environment leads to the formation of pores in the C60 plates and the subsequent growth of nanorods. The epitaxial growth of ordered nanorod arrays is due to the matching lattice between the (111) facet of the fcc plate and the (101[combining macron]0) facet of the hcp rod. This route of co-solvent induced crystal transformation provides a unique mechanistic perspective and a new direction for designing complex crystals. Furthermore, more complicated 2D C60 mesh networks, such as multi-layer hexagonal meshes, have also been rationally achieved via such a facile crystal transformation strategy.

In-Plane Anisotropic Properties of 1T'-MoS2 Layers

Crystal phases play a key role in determining the physicochemical properties of a material. To date, many phases of transition metal dichalcogenides have been discovered, such as octahedral (1T), distorted octahedral (1T'), and trigonal prismatic (2H) phases. Among these, the 1T' phase offers unique properties and advantages in various applications. Moreover, the 1T' phase consists of unique zigzag chains of the transition metals, giving rise to interesting in-plane anisotropic properties. Herein, the in-plane optical and electrical anisotropies of metastable 1T'-MoS₂ layers are investigated by the angle-resolved Raman spectroscopy and electrical measurements, respectively. The deconvolution of J₁ and J₂ peaks in the angle-resolved Raman spectra is a key characteristic of high-quality 1T'-MoS₂ crystal. Moreover, it is found that its electrocatalytic performance may be affected by the crystal orientation of anisotropic material due to the anisotropic charge transport.

Crystal Phase and Architecture Engineering of Lotus-Thalamus-Shaped Pt-Ni Anisotropic Superstructures for Highly Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

The rational design and synthesis of anisotropic 3D nanostructures with specific composition, morphology, surface structure, and crystal phase is of significant importance for their diverse applications. Here, the synthesis of well-crystalline lotus-thalamus-shaped Pt-Ni anisotropic superstructures (ASs) via a facile one-pot solvothermal method is reported. The Pt-Ni ASs with Pt-rich surface are composed of one Ni-rich "core" with face-centered cubic (fcc) phase, Ni-rich "arms" with hexagonal close-packed phase protruding from the core, and facet-selectively grown Pt-rich "lotus seeds" with fcc phase on the end surfaces of the "arms." Impressively, these unique Pt-Ni ASs exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the hydrogen evolution reaction under alkaline conditions compared to commercial Pt/C and previously reported electrocatalysts. The obtained overpotential is as low as 27.7 mV at current density of 10 mA cm^-2 , and the turnover frequency reaches 18.63 H₂ s^-1 at the overpotential of 50 mV. This work provides a new strategy for the synthesis of highly anisotropic superstructures with a spatial heterogeneity to boost their promising application in catalytic reactions.

Novel structured transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets

Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique properties and great potential in a wide range of applications. Great efforts have been devoted to the preparation of novel-structured TMD nanosheets by engineering their intrinsic structures at the atomic scale. Until now, a lot of new-structured TMD nanosheets, such as vacancy-containing TMDs, heteroatom-doped TMDs, TMD alloys, 1T'/1T phase and in-plane TMD crystal-phase heterostructures, TMD heterostructures and Janus TMD nanosheets, have been prepared. These materials exhibit unique properties and hold great promise in various applications, including electronics/optoelectronics, thermoelectrics, catalysis, energy storage and conversion and biomedicine. This review focuses on the most recent important discoveries in the preparation, characterization and application of these new-structured ultrathin 2D layered TMDs.

RAD51 foci as a functional biomarker of homologous recombination repair and PARP inhibitor resistance in germline BRCA-mutated breast cancer

Background

BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2)-deficient tumors display impaired homologous recombination repair (HRR) and enhanced sensitivity to DNA damaging agents or to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi). Their efficacy in germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2)-mutated metastatic breast cancers has been recently confirmed in clinical trials. Numerous mechanisms of PARPi resistance have been described, whose clinical relevance in gBRCA-mutated breast cancer is unknown. This highlights the need to identify functional biomarkers to better predict PARPi sensitivity.

Patients and methods

We investigated the in vivo mechanisms of PARPi resistance in gBRCA1 patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs) exhibiting differential response to PARPi. Analysis included exome sequencing and immunostaining of DNA damage response proteins to functionally evaluate HRR. Findings were validated in a retrospective sample set from gBRCA1/2-cancer patients treated with PARPi.

Results

RAD51 nuclear foci, a surrogate marker of HRR functionality, were the only common feature in PDX and patient samples with primary or acquired PARPi resistance. Consistently, low RAD51 was associated with objective response to PARPi. Evaluation of the RAD51 biomarker in untreated tumors was feasible due to endogenous DNA damage. In PARPi-resistant gBRCA1 PDXs, genetic analysis found no in-frame secondary mutations, but BRCA1 hypomorphic proteins in 60% of the models, TP53BP1-loss in 20% and RAD51-amplification in one sample, none mutually exclusive. Conversely, one of three PARPi-resistant gBRCA2 tumors displayed BRCA2 restoration by exome sequencing. In PDXs, PARPi resistance could be reverted upon combination of a PARPi with an ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) inhibitor.

Conclusion

Detection of RAD51 foci in gBRCA tumors correlates with PARPi resistance regardless of the underlying mechanism restoring HRR function. This is a promising biomarker to be used in the clinic to better select patients for PARPi therapy. Our study also supports the clinical development of PARPi combinations such as those with ATM inhibitors.

Preparation of High-Percentage 1T-Phase Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanodots for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

Nanostructured transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are proven to be efficient and robust earth-abundant electrocatalysts to potentially replace precious platinum-based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the catalytic efficiency of reported TMD catalysts is still limited by their low-density active sites, low conductivity, and/or uncleaned surface. Herein, a general and facile method is reported for high-yield, large-scale production of water-dispersed, ultrasmall-sized, high-percentage 1T-phase, single-layer TMD nanodots with high-density active edge sites and clean surface, including MoS₂ , WS₂ , MoSe₂ , Mo_0.5 W_0.5 S₂ , and MoSSe, which exhibit much enhanced electrochemical HER performances as compared to their corresponding nanosheets. Impressively, the obtained MoSSe nanodots achieve a low overpotential of -140 mV at current density of 10 mA cm^-2 , a Tafel slope of 40 mV dec^-1 , and excellent long-term durability. The experimental and theoretical results suggest that the excellent catalytic activity of MoSSe nanodots is attributed to the high-density active edge sites, high-percentage metallic 1T phase, alloying effect and basal-plane Se-vacancy. This work provides a universal and effective way toward the synthesis of TMD nanostructures with abundant active sites for electrocatalysis, which can also be used for other applications such as batteries, sensors, and bioimaging.