Charge-Localized Retention and Long-Term Memory Enabled by Cooperating Sterically Confined Molecular Crystallization with Spiro[fluorene-9,9'-xanthene]-Based Csp3-Hindrance

Charge localization of memory materials plays a crucial role in the endurance and retention ability of organic nonvolatile memory, which is completely opposite from the charge delocalization of high-mobility materials. However, charge transfer of both though-space and through-bond based on molecular design principles still faces challenges. Herein, a nonplanar wide-bandgap semiconductor with Csp3-hindrance (DOCH3-DDPA-SFX) has been designed and synthesized. An effective crystallization effect of self-assembled two-dimensional nanosheets on charge trapping dynamics and kinetics is visualized by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The trapped charges are localized completely on a single nanosheet, which has better charge trapping and retention properties than an amorphous film. Meanwhile, crystallization also greatly improves structure stability. Combining DFT theoretical calculations, the mechanisms of localization and long-term retention are discussed. The steric crystallization effects on the charge localization will guide the effective design of single-component semiconducting charge-memory materials by molecular assembly and aggregate control for high-performance organic memory.

MRI-Based Kinetic Heterogeneity Evaluation in the Accurate Access of Axillary Lymph Node Status in Breast Cancer Using a Hybrid CNN-RNN Model

BACKGROUND

Accurate evaluation of the axillary lymph node (ALN) status is needed for determining the treatment protocol for breast cancer (BC). The value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based tumor heterogeneity in assessing ALN metastasis in BC is unclear.

PURPOSE

To assess the value of deep learning (DL)-derived kinetic heterogeneity parameters based on BC dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI to infer the ALN status.

STUDY TYPE

Retrospective.

SUBJECTS

1256/539/153/115 patients in the training cohort, internal validation cohort, and external validation cohorts I and II, respectively.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

1.5 T/3.0 T, non-contrast T1-weighted spin-echo sequence imaging (T1WI), DCE-T1WI, and diffusion-weighted imaging.

ASSESSMENT

Clinical pathological and MRI semantic features were obtained by reviewing histopathology and MRI reports. The segmentation of the tumor lesion on the first phase of T1WI DCE-MRI images was applied to other phases after registration. A DL architecture termed convolutional recurrent neural network (ConvRNN) was developed to generate the KHimage (kinetic heterogeneity of DCE-MRI image) score that indicated the ALN status in patients with BC. The model was trained and optimized on training and internal validation cohorts, tested on two external validation cohorts. We compared ConvRNN model with other 10 models and the subgroup analyses of tumor size, magnetic field strength, and molecular subtype were also evaluated.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Chi-squared, Fisher's exact, Student's t, Mann-Whitney U tests, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis were performed. P < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

The ConvRNN model achieved area under the curve (AUC) of 0.802 in the internal validation cohort and 0.785-0.806 in the external validation cohorts. The ConvRNN model could well evaluate the ALN status of the four molecular subtypes (AUC = 0.685-0.868). The patients with larger tumor sizes (>5 cm) were more susceptible to ALN metastasis with KHimage scores of 0.527-0.827.

DATA CONCLUSION

A ConvRNN model outperformed traditional models for determining the ALN status in patients with BC.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Fe-doping and oxygen vacancy achieved by electrochemical activation and precipitation/dissolution equilibrium in NiOOH for oxygen evolution reaction

The poor conductivities and instabilities of accessible nickel oxyhydroxides hinder their use as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts. Herein, we constructed Fe-NiOOH-OV-600, an Fe-doped nickel oxide hydroxide with abundant oxygen vacancies supported on nickel foam (NF), using a hydrothermal method and an electrochemical activation strategy involving 600 cycles of cyclic voltammetry, assisted by the precipitation/dissolution equilibrium of ferrous sulfide (FeS) in the electrolyte. This two-step method endows the catalyst with abundant Fe-containing active sites while maintaining the ordered structure of nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). Characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that synergy between trace amounts of the Fe dopant and the oxygen vacancies not only promotes the generation of reconstructed active layers but also optimizes the electronic structure and adsorption capacity of the active sites. Consequently, the as-prepared Fe-NiOOH-OV-600 delivered large current densities of 100 and 1000 mA cm-2 for the OER at overpotentials of only 253 and 333 mV in 1 mol/L KOH. Moreover, the catalyst is stable for at least 100 h at 500 mA cm-2. This work provides insight into the design of efficient transition-metal-based electrocatalysts for the OER.

G protein regulated inducer of neurite outgrowth 1 is a potential marker for lung cancer prognosis

Lung cancer mortality remains high, and only approximately 15% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer survive for more than five years. The purpose of this research was to investigate the prognostic value and biological functions of G protein regulated inducer of neuritis outgrowth 1(GPRIN1) in lung cancer. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to analyze the correlation between GPRIN1 and overall survival, and performed Cox regression to determine whether GPRIN1 might be an independent predictive factor for lung adenocarcinoma prognosis. qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were conducted to detect GPRIN1 expression in lung cancer cells and normal control cells. To detect the functional effects of knockdown/overexpression of GPRIN1 on lung cancer cells, we performed CCK-8, colony formation and Transwell assays. Through the Kaplan-Meier method, we found that GPRIN1 expression correlated with overall survival and adverse prognosis, and Cox regression indicated that GPRIN1 is as an independent predictive factor for lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of GPRIN1 in lung cancer cells were markedly higher than those in normal cells. Downregulation of GPRIN1significantly decreased cell viability, colony formation, the number of invasive and migrating cells, and levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins in A549 cells. Overexpression of GPRIN1showed the opposite effect in Calu-1 cells. Together, these results indicated that GPRIN1 facilitates lung cancer proliferation and migration, possibly by affecting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung cancer cells, suggesting that GPRIN1may be used as an effective target for the treatment of lung cancer.

[Estrogen and its receptors in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in China. Epidemiological surveys show that male have a much higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma than female. Studies have shown that estrogen and its receptors are associated to gender disparity in hepatocellular carcinoma, but the underlying molecular mechanisms has not yet been fully elucidated. This article reviews the possible mechanisms of estrogen and its receptors in the occurrence and progression of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

[The value of lung ultrasound score for therapeutic effect assessment of ventilator-associated pneumonia]

To study the value of lung ultrasound score (LUS) in assessing the clinical outcome of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP). A total of 99 VAP patients were enrolled in a prospective study. All patients met the diagnostic criterion of VAP based on the 2013 guidelines and admitted into our ICU from Jun 2013 to Jun 2015. All parameters were recorded on the diagnostic day (day 1) and day 5, including LUS, clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS), chest X ray (CXR), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA) score, etc. According to the CPIS, patients were divided into 2 groups(CPIS less than 6 and more or equal to 6). CPIS and LUS were similar on day 1 between two groups (P>0.05). However, on day 5, significant differences of CPIS and LUS were found between groups with CPIS<6 and CPIS≥6 (P=0.019 and P<0.001 respectively). LUS decreased on day 5 in CPIS<6 group and increased in CPIS≥6 group. In CPIS<6 group, there was a positive correlation between LUS and CPIS on day 1(r=0.375, P=0.003) and day 5 (r=0.590, P<0.001). CPIS≥6 groupshowed the same trend on day 1 (r=0.484, P=0.002) and day 5 (r=0.407, P=0.011). LUS can be used to dynamically evaluate the clinical outcome of VAP.

A computational method to predict carbonylation sites in yeast proteins

Several post-translational modifications (PTM) have been discussed in literature. Among a variety of oxidative stress-induced PTM, protein carbonylation is considered a biomarker of oxidative stress. Only certain proteins can be carbonylated because only four amino acid residues, namely lysine (K), arginine (R), threonine (T) and proline (P), are susceptible to carbonylation. The yeast proteome is an excellent model to explore oxidative stress, especially protein carbonylation. Current experimental approaches in identifying carbonylation sites are expensive, time-consuming and limited in their abilities to process proteins. Furthermore, there is no bioinformational method to predict carbonylation sites in yeast proteins. Therefore, we propose a computational method to predict yeast carbonylation sites. This method has total accuracies of 86.32, 85.89, 84.80, and 86.80% in predicting the carbonylation sites of K, R, T, and P, respectively. These results were confirmed by 10-fold cross-validation. The ability to identify carbonylation sites in different kinds of features was analyzed and the position-specific composition of the modification site-flanking residues was discussed. Additionally, a software tool has been developed to help with the calculations in this method. Datasets and the software are available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/hqlstudio/ files/CarSpred.Y/.

Traditional Chinese medicine and related active compounds: a review of their role on hepatitis B virus infection

Since the significant public health hazard of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and obvious drug resistance and dose-dependent side effects for common antiviral agents (e.g., interferon α, lamivudine, and adefovir), continuous development of agents to treat HBV infection is urgently needed. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an established segment of the health care system in China. Currently, it is widely used for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China and many parts of the world. Over a long period of time in clinical practice and in basic research progress, the effectiveness and beneficial contribution of TCM on CHB have been gradually known and confirmed. Based upon our review of related papers and because of our prior knowledge and experience, we have selected some Chinese medicines, including Chinese herbal formulas (e.g., Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang, Xiao-Yao-San, and Long-Dan-Xie-Gan-Tang), single herbs (e.g., Phyllanthus niruri, Radix astragali, Polygonum cuspidatum, Rheum palmatum, and Salvia miltiorrhiza) and related active compounds (e.g., wogonin, artesunate, saikosaponin, astragaloside IV, and chrysophanol 8-O-beta-Dglucoside) and Chinese medicine preparations (e.g., silymarin, silibinin, kushenin, and cinobufacini), which seem effective and worthy of additional and indepth study in treating CHB, and we have given them a brief review. We conclude that these Chinese herbal medicines exhibit significant anti-HBV activities with improved liver function, and enhanced HBeAg and HBsAg sero-conversion rates as well as HBV DNA clearance rates in HepG2 2.2.15 cells, DHBV models, or patients with CHB. We hope this review will contribute to an understanding of TCM and related active compounds as an effective treatment for CHB and provide useful information for the development of more effective antiviral drugs.

A meta-analysis of pemetrexed-based doublet compared with pemetrexed alone for the second-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

This meta-analysis investigated pemetrexed-based doublet compared with pemetrexed alone as second-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trials which compared pemetrexed-based doublet with single-agent pemetrexed in patients as second-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer were searched. Overall survival (OS) was the primary end point, while secondary end points included progression-free survival, overall response rate, 1-year survival rate, and grade 3 or 4 toxicity.

RESULTS

Four eligible randomized clinical trials including 1,084 patients were selected. Meta-analysis demonstrated that pemetrexed-based doublet arm significantly improved the overall response rate (OR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.76-4.15, p=0.000), compared with docetaxel alone group, while there were no significant differences in overall survival (HR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.74-1.04, p=0.132), progression-free survival (HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.73-1.15, p=0.443), and 1-year survival rate (OR=1.43, 95% CI: 0.85-2.40, p=0.178) between the two arms. However, there were more frequencies of grade 3-4 leucopenia (OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.32-6.20, p=0.008), neutropenia (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.55-4.68, p=0.000) and thrombocytopenia (OR=6.92, 95% CI: 2.51-19.07, p=0.000) in pemetrexed-based doublet group. Grade 3-4 anemia (OR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.33-1.18, p=0.144) and fatigue (OR=1.15, 95% CI: 0.73-1.79, p=0.550) had equivalent incidences in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first meta-analysis to compare pemetrexed-based doublet with single-agent pemetrexed in second-line therapy of non-small cell lung cancer. Our meta-analysis suggested that pemetrexed combination chemotherapy was not superior to single-agent arm and was not recommended as the second-line chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (Tab. 2, Fig. 6, Ref. 20).

[Effects of baicalin on hepatocyte apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha and act D in rats]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of baicalin on rat hepatocyte apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factora (TNF-alpha) and actinomycin D (Act D) in vitro.

METHODS

Hepatocytes were cultured with different concentrations of baicalin and the cell apoptosis was induced by TNF-alpha and Act D in vitro. After culturing for 24 h, the activity of hepatocysts was examined by MTT assay and the function of hepatocytes for secreting albumin was detected by bromocresolum Viride method. Agarose gelelectrophoresis and flow cytometric analysis were used to determine the apoptotic cells.

RESULTS

The actively of the hepatocyte (A) and content of albumin (ALB) in the supernatant of cultured cells in the groups of 0.2 microgram.ml-1 and 2.0 micrograms.ml-1 of baicaline were significantly higher than those in apoptotic model group (A: P < 0.01; ALB: P < 0.01); respectively Even the ALB value in the group of 0.2 microgram.ml-1 baicalin was higher that of black control group (P < 0.01); The clear "ladder-like" streak-band of DNA fragments was found only in the apoptosis model group by the agarose gel electrophoresis. The flow cytometry showed that all the apoptosis rates in the three baicalin groups were lower than that of the apoptotic model group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Baicaline can restrain rat hepatocyte apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha and ActD in vitro.

Recombinant hepatitis A virus antigen: improved production and utility in diagnostic immunoassays

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) immunoassays use cell culture-derived HAV antigen to detect HAV-specific antibodies. The current method of production of HAV antigen in tissue culture is time-consuming and expensive. We previously expressed the HAV open reading frame in recombinant vaccinia viruses (rV-ORF). The recombinant HAV polyprotein was accurately processed and was assembled into subviral particles. These particles were bound by HAV-neutralizing antibodies and were able to elicit antibodies which were detected by commercial immunoassays. The present investigation compared the production of HAV antigen by standard tissue culture methods to the production of HAV antigen with the recombinant vaccinia virus system. In addition, HAV and rV-ORF antigens were assessed for their utility in diagnostic immunoassays. Serum or plasma samples from HAV antibody-positive and antibody-negative individuals were evaluated by immunoassay that used either HAV or rV-ORF antigen. All samples (86 of 86) in which HAV antibody was detected by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) also tested positive by the recombinant antigen-based immunoassay (VacRIA). Similarly, all samples (50 of 50) that were HAV antibody negative also tested negative by the VacRIA. The lower limit of detection of HAV antibody was similar among immunoassays with either HAV or rV-ORF antigen. Thus, in the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity of the VacRIA were equivalent to those of the commercial ELISA. Since production of recombinant antigen is faster and less expensive than production of traditional HAV antigen, the development of diagnostic HAV antibody tests with recombinant HAV antigen appears warranted.

[Clinical study of combined Chinese herbal medicine with move stripe field radiation in treating primary hepatocellular carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To find a more effective treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma by using combined therapy of Chinese herbal medicine with radiotherapy.

METHODS

Prospective study was conducted with double-blind method on prognosis of patients treated with combined therapy of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction and move stripe field radiation on entire liver. A control group was established and treated with placebo and radiotherapy.

RESULTS

The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of the test group were higher than those of the control group by 20.0%, 23.4% and 16.6% respectively. The remote metastatic rate of the two groups were not different significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

Xuefu Zhuyu decoction showed coordinative effect with radiotherapy on antitumor, it could enhance the radiosensitivity of liver cancer cells, increase the radiation tolerance of normal hepatocytes and reduce the side effect of radiotherapy.

Distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in whole blood and blood cell fractions: plasma HCV RNA analysis underestimates circulating virus load

Previous experiments using a cationic surfactant to detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in whole blood (WB) suggested that WB was a more plentiful source of viral RNA than was plasma. The relative HCV RNA titers in WB, plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), neutrophils, and red blood cells (RBC)/platelets from 10 patients with chronic HCV infection were compared. WB contained significantly more HCV RNA than plasma, which contained more HCV RNA than PBMC, neutrophils, or RBC/platelets (P < .001). To determine if this increased sensitivity was clinically relevant, results of WB and plasma HCV RNA assays were compared with commercial quantitative and qualitative plasma HCV RNA assay results obtained for patients receiving interferon therapy. WB was significantly more sensitive than commercial plasma reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detecting HCV RNA (P < .005). These data indicate that a significant proportion of HCV RNA in peripheral blood is not identified by standard plasma RNA detection methods.

[Clinical study on effect of combined treatment of fuchunpian with radiotherapy on nasopharyngeal carcinoma]

The study based on the clinical prospective trial of 60 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with combined treatment of radiotherapy and Fuchunpian in our hospital from September, 1988 to January, 1990. Results of clinical data of 5 years follow-up showed that Fuchunpian not only couldn't enhance the radiosensitivity of patients, but also increase the blood metastatic potency, the metastatic rate of patients treated with Fuchunpian (36.7%) was 2.67 times higher than that without it (10.0%). Therefore, it was considered that use Fuchunpian as a routine either administrated alone or combined with radiotherapy in treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is not suitable.

A minority group and China's one-child policy: the case of the Koreans

This report describes the participation in the one-child certificate program by Koreans living in China, using data from a household survey conducted in 1986 in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. Although the Koreans and all other minorities are exempt from China's strict one-child family policy, by pledging not to have more than one child they receive the one-child incentives. The total minority population in China is nearly 70 million and their combined population growth rate is much higher than that of the Han majority. The Korean minority, however, has had a growth rate lower than that of the Han. Nevertheless, the level of acceptance of the one-child certificate among Korean couples is only about 10 percent of those who currently have one child--one-fourth of the 1982 national figure. Life-table analysis indicates that fewer than 9 percent of Korean women would accept the certificate within a six-year period after their first birth. In the meantime, a second child would be born to 60 percent of the women. Among eight factors considered, three--place of residence, occupation of husband, and sex of the living child--significantly affected the rate of acceptance of the certificate, according to the hazards model.

[Clinical and ultrastructural observations of juvenile periodontitis]

In this study, clinical data of 7 cases of juvenile periodontitis were analyzed in company with electron microscopic observations. It consisted of 6 females, and 1 male, aged from 12 to 18 years old. TEM showed chronic inflammation of the pocket walls, marked plasma cell and lymphocyte infiltration. Plasma cells revealed abundant dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum and were classified into three types. Numerous bacteria were found in lamina propria in one case, without any signs of phagocytosis. The collagen fibers were fragmented, dissolved and arranged out of order. The characteristics of clinical history, and the ultrastructural changes of the periodontal pocket were analyzed and discussed.

[Clinical use of a rotation cheek flap]

The inverse triangular skin defect between lower eyelid and up lip can be repaired by cheek rotation flap. In order to preventing lower eyelid eversion, the author designed a triangular flap in the lateral canthal area which can change force bearing direction in this area. The flap can repair the defect as wide as 8 X 5 cm when the combination of bilobate flap of the posterior auricular flap and cheek flap was used. This technique was performed in 23 cases in last three years.

An analysis of prognostic factors in cirrhosis

To develop a more comprehensive index for predicting the prognous of liver cirrhosis. 300 consecutive patients with cirrhosis were studied in terms of survival from 1975 to 1986. Median follow-up period was 5.3 years. A multivariable survival analysis (Cox's regression model) using clinical biochemical data obtained at admission disclosed eight factors of value in predicting prognosis: age, frequency of previous GI bleeding, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, serum albumin, serum bilirubin, hemoglobin and prothrombin time. A prognostic index was constructed for the calculation of the estimated survival probability.