Reforming of methane with carbon dioxide over cerium oxide promoted nickel nanoparticles deposited on 4-channel hollow fibers by atomic layer deposition

CeO₂ can significantly enhance the catalytic performance of Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by atomic layer deposition for dry reforming of methane.

Idiopathic renal hypouricemia: A case report and literature review

Idiopathic renal hypouricemia is a rare hereditary condition. Type 2 renal hyperuricemia (RHUC2) is caused by a mutation in the SLC2A9 gene, which encodes a high‑capacity glucose and urate transporter, glucose transporter (GLUT)9. RHUC2 predisposes to exercise‑induced acute renal failure (EIARF) and nephrolithiasis, which is caused by a defect in renal tubular urate transport and is characterized by increased clearance of renal uric acid. In the present study a case of a 35‑year‑old Chinese man with EIARF is reported. The patient had isolated renal hypouricemia, with a serum uric acid level of 21 µmol/l and a fractional excretion of uric acid of 200%. The mutational analysis revealed a homozygous mutation (c.857G>A in exon 8) in the SLC2A9 gene. The patient's family members carried the same mutation, but were heterozygous and clinically asymptomatic. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a RHUC2 patient with a GLUT9 mutation, p.W286X, which may be a pathogenic mutation of RHUC2. Further investigation into the functional role of GLUT9 in this novel SLC2A9 mutation is required.

[Performance of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight biotyper system in clinical bacteria identification]

Objective: To evaluate the performance of MALDI Biotyper system in identification of clinically isolated pathogens so as to provide a new rapid identification method. Methods: Total 21 270 pathogens strains, isolated from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical Universityduring Nov. 2015 to Dec. 2016, were identified by VITEK-Ⅱ, API and MALDI Biotyper system, respectively.The isolated strains were confirmed by DNA sequencing. Results: The identification of common bacteria with MALDI Biotyper and phenotypic system is highly consistent (>95% and >90%). Among 43 strains of anaerobic bacteria, MALDI Biotyper could identify 90.7% bacteria to species level and 97.7% bacteria to genus level with the statistical significance(χ(2)=6.76, P<0.01), while phenotypic system only identified 65.1% bacteria to species and 69.8% bacteria to genus. Also, no statistical significance was shown for Trichosporon and Candida(P>0.05). MALDI Biotyper could identify 76% filamentous fungi and all of Actinomycetes, Nocardia, Mycobacterium and Legionella to genus level. Conclusions: MALDI Biotyper is an easy-performed, sensitive method for the identification of clinically isolated pathogens. Additionally, the pretreatment and reference database has the effect on identification.

γδTDEs: An Efficient Delivery System for miR-138 with Anti-tumoral and Immunostimulatory Roles on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In this study, we sought to investigate the potential application of γδ T cell-derived extracellular vesicles (γδTDEs) as drug delivery system (DDS) for miR-138 in the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Our data showed that overexpression of miR-138 in γδ T cells obtained miR-138-rich γδTDEs accompanying increased expansion and cytotoxicity of γδ T cells. γδTDEs inherited the cytotoxic profile of γδ T cells and could efficiently deliver miR-138 to OSCC cells, resulting in synergetic inhibition on OSCC both in vitro and in vivo. The pre-immunization by miR-138-rich γδTDEs inhibited the growth of OSCC tumors in immunocompetent C3H mice, but not in nude mice, suggesting an immunomodulatory role by miR-13-rich γδTDEs. γδTDEs and miR-138 additively increased the proliferation, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production, and cytotoxicity of CD8⁺ T cells against OSCC cells. Only delivered by γδTDEs can miR-138 efficiently target programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and CTLA-4 in CD8⁺ T cells. We conclude that γδTDEs delivering miR-138 could achieve synergetic therapeutic effects on OSCC, which is benefited from the individual direct anti-tumoral effects on OSCC and immunostimulatory effects on T cells by both γδTDEs and miR-138; γδTDEs could serve as an efficient DDS for microRNAs (miRNAs) in the treatment of cancer.

Cellular Phenotype Plasticity in Cancer Dormancy and Metastasis

Cancer dormancy is a period of cancer progression in which residual tumor cells exist, but clinically remain asymptomatic for a long time, as well as resistant to conventional chemo- and radiotherapies. Cellular phenotype plasticity represents that cellular phenotype could convert between epithelial cells and cells with mesenchymal traits. Recently, this process has been shown to closely associate with tumor cell proliferation, cancer dormancy and metastasis. In this review, we have described different scenarios of how the transition from epithelial to mesenchymal morphology (EMT) and backwards (MET) are connected with the initiation of dormancy and reactivation of proliferation. These processes are fundamental for cancer cells to invade tissues and metastasize. Recognizing the mechanisms underlying the cellular phenotype plasticity as well as dormancy and targeting them is likely to increase the efficiency of traditional tumor treatment inhibiting tumor metastasis.

Screening diagnostic biomarkers of OSCC via an LCM-based proteomic approach

The current standard for the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is based on the histologic examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections; however, the discrimination among normal tissue, pre‑cancerous lesions and cancerous lesions can be difficult. The aim of the present study was to identify proteins with diagnostic significance in differentiating or predicting oral mucosal carcinogenesis. Proteomic profiling based on the laser capture microdissection of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples was performed, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to evaluate the results. IHC of cytokeratins (CKs) was performed in neck dissection treatment cases. The accuracy rate and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the value of CKs as biomarkers of OSCC. A lymph node metastasis mouse model was used to validate the selected biomarkers. Among the proteins identified using LC/MS, several CKs exhibited significant differential expression patterns between the cancerous and para-cancerous tissues. The IHC results showed that negative staining of CK4 and CK10/13 distinguished cancerous from para-cancerous tissues with an accuracy of 90% (95% CI, 0.68-0.99) and 75% (95% CI, 0.51-0.91), respectively. Furthermore, the positive staining of CK14 and CK17 clearly distinguished cancerous from para-cancerous lesions with an accuracy of 100% (95% CI, 83-100%) and 90% (95% CI, 0.68-0.99), respectively. There was also CK14-positive staining in micro-metastases of lymph nodes in the clinical samples and in an animal model.

Abstract 3059: SOX2 is a novel biomarker for poor long-term outcomes in oral cancer

Purpose: Sex determining region Y-BOX2 (SOX2), a key regulator of the self-renewal ability of stem cells, plays a role in the initiation and development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the association between SOX2 expression and the outcomes of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been investigated. Thus, in this study, we investigated the possibility of predicting the survival outcomes of patients with OSCC by evaluating SOX2 expression.

Experiment design: First, we analyzed SOX2 expression in patients with OSCC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset by a bioinformatics approach. In addition, samples of 219 patients with OSCC from two independent Chinese centers were collected. The median follow-up time and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the cohorts were 36 (25.06, 46.93) months and SOX2 expression in these samples was determined by immunostaining using tissue microarray. The Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to determine univariate and multivariate analyses, and hazard ratios for overall survival (OS), respectively.

Results: In TCGA database, amplification of SOX2 was negatively correlated with the OS rate for patients who survived more than 300 days after the first diagnosis. Moreover, 39.7% of the samples from the cohorts showed high SOX2 expression. We found a significant difference in the survival rate between patients with high and low SOX2 expression ranging from 13 to 126 months.

Conclusion: High SOX2 expression can predict poor long-term, but not short-term, survival outcomes in patients with OSCC. Our findings not only indicated that SOX2 may be a novel biomarker for the long-term prognosis of OSCC but also strongly supported the cancer stem cell theory that dysregulation of the self-renewal ability of stem cells may contribute to the development of OSCC.

Citation Format: Xuefeng Zhang, Hao Xu, Chongkui Sun, Xinhua Liang, Peng Deng, Xin Zeng, Qianming Chen. SOX2 is a novel biomarker for poor long-term outcomes in oral cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3059.

[Expressions of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in Lung Tissue and Serum of Rats Drown in Fresh Water]

OBJECTIVES

To detect the changes of （interleukin, IL） -1α, IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in lung tissue and serum of drown rats, and to explore the potential value for the diagnosis of drowning in forensic practice.

METHODS

Eighteen SD rats were randomly divided into drowning group, blank control group and myocardial infarction group （as control group）. The serum of right ventricular, the inferior lobe of right lung and the myocardium were taken from the rats in different groups. The expressions of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in the lung tissue and the serum of right ventricular were detected by TaqMan probe method.

RESULTS

The expression differences of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in lung tissue between drowning group and blank control group, myocardial infarction group were not statistically significant （P>0.05）. The expression of IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in serum of right ventricular increased （ P<0.05）. The expression differences of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in serum between blank control group and myocardial infarction group were not statistically significant (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The changes of cytokines IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA in the serum of right ventricular of drown rats are statistical significance, which are highly correlated with drowning.

LncRNAs as an intermediate in HPV16 promoting myeloid-derived suppressor cell recruitment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The emerging evidence showed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in cell growth and apoptosis as well as cancer progression and metastasis of malignant tumor, however, limited data are available on the role of lncRNAs in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Here, we demonstrated that 23.98% of 196 HNSCC cases in Southwest China could be classified as HPV16 infection. The number of MDSCs in HPV-positive HNSCC was significantly higher than normal control, indicating that HPV infection may promote MDSCs aggregation. Then, we applied an array-based approach to monitor the lncRNA expression between HPV-positive HNSCC, HPV-negative HNSCC and normal oral mucous, and obtained 132 different lncRNAs in different HPV infected states of HNSCC. HOTAIR, PROM1, CCAT1, and MUC19 mRNA levels, determined by qRT-PCR were inversely correlated with MDSCs collection of HPV-associated HNSCC in 2 independent patient cohorts. The results may provide a rationale for the further evaluation of lncRNAs as a molecular target to elucidate the molecular mechanism of HPV promoting MDSCs collection of HNSCC.

Platelet factor 4 is produced by subsets of myeloid cells in premetastatic lung and inhibits tumor metastasis

Bone marrow-derived myeloid cells can form a premetastatic niche and provide a tumor-promoting microenvironment. However, subsets of myeloid cells have also been reported to have anti-tumor properties. It is not clear whether there is a transition between anti- and pro- tumor function of these myeloid cells, and if so, what are the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here we report platelet factor 4 (PF4), or CXCL4, but not the other family members CXCL9, 10, and 11, was produced at higher levels in the normal lung and early stage premetastatic lungs but decreased in later stage lungs. PF4 was mostly produced by Ly6G+CD11b+ myeloid cell subset. Although the number of Ly6G+CD11b+ cells was increased in the premetastatic lungs, the expression level of PF4 in these cells was decreased during the metastatic progression. Deletion of PF4 (PF4 knockout or KO mice) led an increased metastasis suggesting an inhibitory function of PF4. There were two underlying mechanisms: decreased blood vessel integrity in the premetastatic lungs and increased production of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSCs) and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in tumor-bearing PF4 KO mice. In cancer patients, PF4 expression levels were negatively correlated with tumor stage and positively correlated with patient survival. Our studies suggest that PF4 is a critical anti-tumor factor in the premetastatic site. Our finding of PF4 function in the tumor host provides new insight to the mechanistic understanding of tumor metastasis.

Toward the use of precision medicine for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Precision medicine is a new strategy that aims at preventing and treating human diseases by focusing on individual variations in people's genes, environment and lifestyle. Precision medicine has been used for cancer diagnosis and treatment and shows evident clinical efficacy. Rapid developments in molecular biology, genetics and sequencing technologies, as well as computational technology, has enabled the establishment of "big data", such as the Human Genome Project, which provides a basis for precision medicine. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive cancer with a high incidence rate and low survival rate. Current therapies are often aggressive and carry considerable side effects. Much research now indicates that precision medicine can be used for HNSCC and may achieve improved results. From this perspective, we present an overview of the current status, potential strategies, and challenges of precision medicine in HNSCC. We focus on targeted therapy based on cell the surface signaling receptors epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), and on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT3 and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK cellular signaling pathways. Gene therapy for the treatment of HNSCC is also discussed.

Local hyperthermia in head and neck cancer: mechanism, application and advance

Local hyperthermia (HT), particularly in conjunction with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy was useful for the treatment of human malignant tumors including head and neck cancer. However, at present it suffered from many limitations such as thermal dose control, target treatment regions and discrimination between healthy and cancer cells. Recent developments in nanotechnology have introduced novel and smart therapeutic nanomaterials to local HT of head and neck cancer that basically take advantage of various targeting approaches. The aim of this paper is to give a brief review of the mechanism, methods and clinical applications of local HT in head and neck cancer, mainly focusing on photothermal therapy (PTT) and nanoparticle-based hyperthermia.

Boosting the Electrochemical Performance of Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 by Atomic Layer-Deposited CeO2 Coating

It has been demonstrated that atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides an initially safeguarding, uniform ultrathin film of controllable thickness for lithium-ion battery electrodes. In this work, CeO₂ thin films were deposited to modify the surface of lithium-rich Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ (LRNMC) particles via ALD. The film thicknesses were measured by transmission electron microscopy. For electrochemical performance, ∼2.5 nm CeO₂ film, deposited by 50 ALD cycles (50Ce), was found to have the optimal thickness. At a 1 C rate and 55 °C in a voltage range of 2.0-4.8 V, an initial capacity of 199 mAh/g was achieved, which was 8% higher than that of the uncoated (UC) LRNMC particles. Also, 60.2% of the initial capacity was retained after 400 cycles of charge-discharge, compared to 22% capacity retention of UC after only 180 cycles of charge-discharge. A robust kinetic of electrochemical reaction was found on the CeO₂-coated samples at 55 °C through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The conductivity of 50Ce was observed to be around 3 times higher than that of UC at 60-140 °C. The function of the CeO₂ thin-film coating was interpreted as being to increase substrate conductivity and to block the dissolution of metal ions during the charge-discharge process.

Molecular Layer Deposition-Modified 5A Zeolite for Highly Efficient CO2 Capture

Effective pore mouth size of 5A zeolite was engineered by depositing an ultrathin layer of microporous TiO₂ on its external surface and appropriate pore misalignment at the interface. As a result, a slightly bigger N₂ molecule (kinetic diameter: 0.364 nm) was effectively excluded, whereas CO₂ (kinetic diameter: 0.33 nm) adsorption was only influenced slightly. The prepared composite zeolite sorbents showed an ideal CO₂/N₂ adsorption selectivity as high as ∼70, a 4-fold increase over uncoated zeolite sorbents, while maintaining a high CO₂ adsorption capacity (1.62 mmol/g at 0.5 bar and 25 °C) and a fast CO₂ adsorption rate.

Significant improvement in TiO2 photocatalytic activity through controllable ZrO2 deposition

ZrO₂ was deposited on anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles using 5–80 cycles of atomic layer deposition (ALD). The photocatalytic activity of all samples was evaluated based on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under UV light. The TiO₂ sample with 45 cycles of ZrO₂ deposition (45c-Zr/TiO₂, 1.1 wt% ZrO₂) was proved to be the most efficient catalyst with a degradation kinetic constant 10 times larger than that of the pure TiO₂ sample. All samples were characterized using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), nitrogen adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra analysis (UV-DRS), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The high photocatalytic activity of 45c-Zr/TiO₂ can be attributed to stronger adsorption in the ultraviolet region and a reduction in the recombination rate of electron/hole pairs.

The photocatalytic activity of ZrO₂ deposited anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles was evaluated based on the degradation of methylene blue solution under UV light.

Significant photocatalytic performance enhancement of TiO2 by CeO2 atomic layer deposition

Different cycles (10-80) of CeO₂ were coated on TiO₂ nanoparticles by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using tris(i-propylcyclopentadienyl)cerium and de-ionized water as precursors at 250 °C in a fluidized bed reactor. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that TiO₂ kept anatase structure after CeO₂ ALD. With an increase in the number of ALD coating cycles, both photoluminescence intensity and band gap of the samples continuously decreased. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated based on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under UV light. The photocatalysis experiment demonstrated that 40 cycles of CeO₂ deposited TiO₂ sample (40Ce/TiO₂) showed the highest photocatalytic activity and had a more than three-fold activity enhancement over uncoated TiO₂ for the degradation of MB. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the fact that CeO₂ played a role as e^-/h⁺ pair trap centers and consequently reduced e^-/h⁺ pair recombination rate.

A survey of the blood supply in China during 2012-2014

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify the status of the blood supply in China during 2012-2014.

BACKGROUND

China is a middle-income country, which contains more than 20% of the world population. Increasing the blood supply in China, along with increased healthcare coverage, involves many challenges.

METHODS

A survey questionnaire regarding blood centre activities was sent to all of the blood centres in 32 provinces via the Internet. The data were collected from the responses and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013.

RESULTS

The total supply of whole blood and red blood cells (RBCs) in 2012 was 18 644 700 units; in 2013, 18 985 800 units; and in 2014, 19 658 800 units. A similar trend of the total platelet supply was also observed during the same period of 2012-2014, as follows: 1 019 100 units in 2012, 1 168 400 units in 2013 and 1 276 200 units in 2014. Similarly, the plasma supply was 27 529 300 units in 2012 and 27 657 600 units in 2013, which rose to 28 307 500 units in 2014. The total cryoprecipitate supply was 1 653 900, 1 891 300 and 2 366 500 units in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. When the blood supply was analysed according to the geographic regional population, large differences in the rates of blood supply between regions were evident.

CONCLUSIONS

The blood product supply in China is steadily increasing. Blood centres in China continue to face challenges regarding their ability to provide a sufficient blood supply in the future.

Metabolomic effects of CeO2, SiO2 and CuO metal oxide nanomaterials on HepG2 cells

BACKGROUND

To better assess potential hepatotoxicity of nanomaterials, human liver HepG2 cells were exposed for 3 days to five different CeO₂ (either 30 or 100 μg/ml), 3 SiO₂ based (30 μg/ml) or 1 CuO (3 μg/ml) nanomaterials with dry primary particle sizes ranging from 15 to 213 nm. Metabolomic assessment of exposed cells was then performed using four mass spectroscopy dependent platforms (LC and GC), finding 344 biochemicals.

RESULTS

Four CeO₂, 1 SiO₂ and 1 CuO nanomaterials increased hepatocyte concentrations of many lipids, particularly free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols but only CuO elevated lysolipids and sphingolipids. In respect to structure-activity, we now know that five out of six tested CeO₂, and both SiO₂ and CuO, but zero out of four TiO₂ nanomaterials have caused this elevated lipids effect in HepG2 cells. Observed decreases in UDP-glucuronate (by CeO₂) and S-adenosylmethionine (by CeO₂ and CuO) and increased S-adenosylhomocysteine (by CuO and some CeO₂) suggest that a nanomaterial exposure increases transmethylation reactions and depletes hepatic methylation and glucuronidation capacity. Our metabolomics data suggests increased free radical attack on nucleotides. There was a clear pattern of nanomaterial-induced decreased nucleotide concentrations coupled with increased concentrations of nucleic acid degradation products. Purine and pyrimidine alterations included concentration increases for hypoxanthine, xanthine, allantoin, urate, inosine, adenosine 3',5'-diphosphate, cytidine and thymidine while decreases were seen for uridine 5'-diphosphate, UDP-glucuronate, uridine 5'-monophosphate, adenosine 5'-diphosphate, adenosine 5'-monophophate, cytidine 5'-monophosphate and cytidine 3'-monophosphate. Observed depletions of both 6-phosphogluconate, NADPH and NADH (all by CeO₂) suggest that the HepG2 cells may be deficient in reducing equivalents and thus in a state of oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Metal oxide nanomaterial exposure may compromise the methylation, glucuronidation and reduced glutathione conjugation systems; thus Phase II conjugational capacity of hepatocytes may be decreased. This metabolomics study of the effects of nine different nanomaterials has not only confirmed some observations of the prior 2014 study (lipid elevations caused by one CeO₂ nanomaterial) but also found some entirely new effects (both SiO₂ and CuO nanomaterials also increased the concentrations of several lipid classes, nanomaterial induced decreases in S-adenosylmethionine, UDP-glucuronate, dipeptides, 6-phosphogluconate, NADPH and NADH).