Prognostic value of the peripheral blood lymphocyte/monocyte ratio combined with 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prognostic value of the peripheral blood lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) combined with 18F-FDG PET/CT for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: The clinical data of 203 patients with primary DLBCL who were hospitalized to the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang between January 2017 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Before and after three courses of treatment, PET/CT was performed on forty DLBCL patients. The subject operating characteristic (ROC) curve has been employed to determine the most effective LMR cutoff points. According to the criteria for assessing the efficacy of Lugano lymphoma, the PET/CT findings after 3 courses of treatment were specified as complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), stable disease (SD) and disease progression (PD). The CR group, PR+SD group, and PD group were the three groups created from the four outcomes. Results were analyzed using the Cox proportional risk model, the Kaplan-Meier method (K-M), and the log-rank test. RESULTS: An optimal cutoff point of 3.00 for the LMR in 203 patients was determined by the SPSS 26 software ROC curve. When LMR≥3.00, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS (Overall Survival) rates are 98%, 88%, and 64% respectively, and the PFS (Progression-free Survival) rates are 90%, 75%, and 56% respectively. When LMR <3.00, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS rates are 96%, 72%, and 28% respectively, and the PFS rates are 83%, 60%, and 28% respectively. A lower LMR was substantially related with shorter OS, and PFS, according to a K-M survival analysis (P<0.005). LMR<3.00 was an independent predictor of OS, based on a multifactorial Cox analysis (P=0.037). K-M survival analysis of the 18F-FDG PET/CT results of 40 patients revealed that both OS and PFS were statistically significant (P<0.001). Patients were separated into 3 groups combining LMR and 18F-FDG PET/CT: PET/CT CR patients with LMR≥3.00, PET/CT PD patients with LMR<3.00, and others. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that there were significant differences in OS and PFS for each of the three groups (P<0.001). ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the combined testing of the two was 0.735, and the combined testing of the two was better compared to testing alone (PET/CT AUC=0.535, LMR AUC=0.567). This indicates that combining both PET/CT and LMR is a favorable prediction for DLBCL. CONCLUSION: A decreased LMR at initial diagnosis suggests an unfavorable prognosis for DLBCL patients; For patients with DLBCL, combining 18F-FDG PET/CT and the LMR has a better predictive value.

Prognostic value of lactate dehydrogenase, serum albumin and the lactate dehydrogenase/albumin ratio in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum albumin (ALB) and the lactate dehydrogenase/albumin ratio (LAR) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) before primary treatment. METHODS: The clinical data of 212 primary adult DLBCL patients admitted to the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang from January 2017 to December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The optimal cutoff values of LDH, ALB, and LAR were determined using ROC curves. Survival curves of LDH, ALB, and LAR were plotted and analyzed using the Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test. RESULTS: Among the 212 patients admitted, the study derived the optimal cutoff values for ALB, LDH, and LAR as 38, 301, and 6, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test analysis indicated a significant association between lower ALB levels, elevated LDH levels, elevated LAR levels, and shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.05). Additionally, the critical values of ALB and LDH were grouped into three categories. The differences in OS and PFS among these three groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Cox multifactorial analysis revealed that the LAR was an independent factor influencing the prognosis of OS and PFS, with a higher prognostic value than LDH and ALB alone. CONCLUSION: Decreased ALB levels and elevated LDH and LAR levels at the time of initial diagnosis are indicative of a poor prognosis in DLBCL patients. Furthermore, the study highlighted that the LAR has a higher prognostic value than LDH and ALB alone.

Population attributable fractions of fatty liver disease for type 2 diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: To determine the population attributable fraction (PAF) of fatty liver disease (FLD) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and compare it to the PAFs of other metabolic abnormalities. METHODS: We conducted a 10-year retrospective cohort study of 33,346 individuals in Karamay Central Hospital of Xinjiang. Individuals were followed up for T2DM occurrence based on FBS. The PAFs of FLD were calculated generally and respectively in different sex and age groups. A comparison of the PAF of FLD and that of other metabolic abnormalities, as well as the PAFs of FLD in different groups classified based on age and sex, was performed using Cox regression. RESULTS: During an average follow-up period of 3.71 years, 1486 T2DM were diagnosed. The incidence density of T2DM was 1.2/100 person-years, and cumulative incidence rate was 4456.31/100,000 person-years. Partial PAF (PAFp) of FLD in the entire population was 23.11%. In the male population, PAFp was higher at 30-40 years old. In the female population, it was higher when age ≥ 60 years old. In multivariable Cox regression model, FLD, male sex, age ≥ 45 years old, overweight, hypertriglyceridaemia, and systolic hypertension were independent risk factors for T2DM, with corresponding PAFp of 25.00%, 24.99%, 36.47%, 24.96%, 5.71%, and 6.76%, respectively. Age ≥ 45 years old showed the highest PAFp and adjusted hazard ratio, followed by FLD. CONCLUSIONS: FLD contributes more to T2DM incidence than other metabolic disorders. Particular attention should be given to male populations of 30-40 and female populations above 60 for FLD prevention and treatment.

Mixed solvent-assisted synthesis of high mass loading amorphous NiCo-MOF as a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

The pursuit of high mass loading metal-organic framework (MOF) materials via a simple method is crucial to achieve high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, an amorphous NiCo-MOF material with a high mass loading of up to 10.3 mg cm-2 was successfully prepared using a mixed solvent system of ethanol and water. In addition, by adjusting the volume ratio of ethanol to water, amorphous NiCo-MOFs with three different morphologies including nanospheres, nanopores, and ultra-thick plates were obtained. It was found that the different solvent systems not only affected the growth rate of MOFs, but also controlled their nucleation rate by changing the coordination environment of the metal ions, and thus achieved morphology and mass loading regulation, thereby influencing their energy storage behavior. Notably, the optimum NiCo-MOF exhibited the superior specific capacitance of up to 9.7 F cm-2 (941.8 F g-1) at a current density of 5 mA cm-2 and high-rate capability of 71.1% even at 20 mA cm-2. Moreover, the corresponding assembled solid-state supercapacitor exhibited an excellent energy density of 0.65 mW h cm-2 at a power density of 2 mW cm-2 and capacity retention of 84.7% after 8000 cycles at 30 mA cm-2. Overall, this work proposes a feasible and effective strategy to achieve high mass loading NiCo-MOFs, impacting their ultimate electrochemical performance, which can possibly be further extended to other MOFs with superior capacitance.

Urolithin C reveals anti-NAFLD potential via AMPK-ferroptosis axis and modulating gut microbiota.

The pharmacology of urolithin C (UroC) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is largely undetermined. We sought to investigate the potential for NAFLD improvement by administration of UroC and the underlying mechanisms. We verified the therapeutic effect of UroC on choline-deficient amino acid-defined high fat diet (CDAHFD) induced NAFLD mice via evaluating NAFLD activity score (NAS), AST, ALT, hepatic phosphorylated AMPK, and 4-hydroxynonenal. Oleic acid-induced AML12 cell was appraised by oil red staining and western blotting to explore the effect and mechanism of UroC in vitro. Transcriptional regulation of UroC was explored by liver RNA sequencing, gut microbiota composition was explored by 16SrRNA sequencing, and colorectal tight junctional proteins were detected by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The detrimental effects of CDAHFD included the increased liver index, AST, ALT, hepatic 4-hydroxynonenal, impaired intestinal mucosal barrier, and most importantly, pathological damage in liver. Oral administration of UroC largely protected against these harmful alterations. Remarkably, both RNA sequencing and western blotting results indicated an activation in hepatic AMPK signaling pathway which was thought to inhibit ferroptosis response to UroC in vivo, while no change were found in AMPK-ferroptosis axis response to UroC in oleic acid-induced AML12 cells, hinted an indispensable linkage between UroC and hepatic AMPK, presumably the gut-liver axis. Furthermore, UroC could neither alleviate lipid deposition nor inhibit ferroptosis in vitro. The 16SrRNA showed UroC partially counteracted the dysbiosis induced by CDAHFD. Specifically, UroC reversed the elevated proportion of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota and enhanced the level of Parabacteroides goldsteinii and Lactobacillus vaginalis, which played a beneficial role in metabolic disorders. Oral administration of Urolithin C protected against the detrimental impact of CDAHFD via regulating AMPK-ferroptosis axis, maintaining intestinal mucosal barrier and counteracting gut dysbiosis.

Correlation of GDFT combined with rehabilitation therapy in DNA damage repair of esophageal cancer cells.

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor with a high incidence and a serious threat to human health. The treatment of esophageal cancer is a complex process, which requires the comprehensive use of a variety of treatment methods. At present, the treatment of esophageal cancer mainly includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The research on the treatment of cancer cells based on Goal directed fluid therapy (GDFT) combined with rehabilitation therapy is the focus of the current society. This paper proposed a study on DNA damage repair of cancer cells based on goal directed fluid therapy combined with rehabilitation therapy, aiming to optimize the traditional treatment of esophageal cancer by using goal directed fluid therapy technology. The algorithm proposed in this paper was an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal optimization algorithm based on combined rehabilitation therapy. Through this algorithm, the electroencephalogram signal could be optimized. The algorithm could speed up signal processing, and improve signal reliability and stability by reducing the influence of interference signals and improving the signal to noise ratio. These optimization measures could better help researchers analyze and understand electroencephalogram signals, so as to help better study brain functions and diseases. Through the test and investigation on the treatment of cancer cells based on goal directed fluid therapy combined with rehabilitation therapy, the results showed that the blood transfusion volume of goal directed fluid therapy treatment and conventional treatment was 251.5 mL and 288.3 mL respectively. This showed that after goal directed fluid therapy treatment, the input amount of various medical fluids was relatively reduced, and the use of medical fluids was more economical. In addition, their bleeding volumes were 295.2 mL and 324.4 mL, respectively. Urine volume was 382.3 mL and 418.1 mL respectively. This showed that after goal directed fluid therapy treatment, the patient's blood loss and urine volume were relatively reduced, which has improved the patient's health. This experiment has proved the excellent ability of goal directed fluid therapy combined with rehabilitation therapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer, and this research result has also proved the excellent medical effect of goal directed fluid therapy technology. Similarly, this paper also provided valuable reference information for the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Electrochemically activated 3D Mn doped NiCo hydroxide electrode materials toward high-performance supercapacitors.

Metal doping and electrochemical reconstruction had been demonstrated to play a significant role in the preparation of advanced electrode materials, which is helpful to achieve high-performance supercapacitors. However, there was no report about the combination of two technologies to construct electrode materials and their applications in supercapacitors. Herein, a rational Mn doped NiCo sulfide compound with open structure composed of 2D ultra-thin nanosheets was designed via a Mn doping route. In order to further improve the energy storage performance of the resulted product, we adopted a simple electrochemical activation strategy to reconstruct it. It was found that the reconstructed sample not only exhibited an irreversible evolution of structure (from 2D sheet to 3D channel), but also the phase transformation (from metal sulfide to metal hydroxide). Benefiting from the stable 3D curved structure with numerous channels, multitudinous charge transfer provided by numerous valence states of metals and copious active sites by low crystalline state, the in-situ self-reconstructed sample exhibited superior capacitance. In details, the optimized product delivered excellent specific capacitance of 1462C g-1 (3655F/g) at 1 A g-1 and high rate capability of 66 % even at 5 A g-1. Moreover, the corresponding assembled asymmetric supercapacitor exhibited an excellent energy density of 141.8 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 850.1 W kg-1, and the capacitance retention rate was 96.6 % even after 5000 cycles, which was distinctly superior than thoseofthe previous similarmaterialsreported. In a word, this work provided a feasible and effective strategy to construct 3D Mn doped NiCo hydroxide electrode materials toward high-performance supercapacitors.

Hierarchical coral-like MnCo2O4.5@Co-Ni LDH composites on Ni foam as promising electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor.

Transition metal oxides are generally designed as hybrid nanostructures with high performance for supercapacitors by enjoying the advantages of various electroactive materials. In this paper, a convenient and efficient route had been proposed to prepare hierarchical coral-like MnCo2O4.5@Co-Ni LDH composites on Ni foam, in which MnCo2O4.5nanowires were enlaced with ultrathin Co-Ni layered double hydroxides nanosheets to achieve high capacity electrodes for supercapacitors. Due to the synergistic effect of shell Co-Ni LDH and core MnCo2O4.5, the outstanding electrochemical performance in three-electrode configuration was triggered (high area capacitance of 5.08 F cm-2at 3 mA cm-2and excellent rate capability of maintaining 61.69% at 20 mA cm-2), which is superior to those of MnCo2O4.5, Co-Ni LDH and other metal oxides based composites reported. Meanwhile, the as-prepared hierarchical MnCo2O4.5@Co-Ni LDH electrode delivered improved electrical conductivity than that of pristine MnCo2O4.5. Furthermore, the as-constructed asymmetric supercapacitor using MnCo2O4.5@Co-Ni LDH as positive and activated carbon as negative electrode presented a rather high energy density of 220µWh cm-2at 2400µW cm-2and extraordinary cycling durability with the 100.0% capacitance retention over 8000 cycles at 20 mA cm-2, demonstrating the best electrochemical performance compared to other asymmetric supercapacitors using metal oxides based composites as positive electrode material. It can be expected that the obtained MnCo2O4.5@Co-Ni LDH could be used as the high performance and cost-effective electrode in supercapacitors.

Rate-related QRS morphological changes in left bundle branch pacing: A case report.

Studies have shown that a permanent left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is feasible and may be clinically beneficial. The paced QRS morphology in a permanent LBBP typically manifests as a right bundle branch block pattern (RBBB) because the left ventricle is activated earlier than the right ventricle. We present one such case in which a small change in the pacing rate strongly influenced the LBBP QRS morphology. A 71-year-old man diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome had a dual-chamber pacemaker (LBBP) implanted. During the transition from non-selective LBBP to selective LBBP, a shrinking R' wave of the rsR' in V1 was observed. We also observed that the amplitude of the R' wave in lead V1 increased as the pacing rate increased and finally manifested as a complete RBBB. Thus, we demonstrated the impact of retrograde impulse conduction from this pacing site on the QRS complex.

Green synthesis of poly(pyrrole methane) for enhanced adsorption of anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solution.

The presence and accumulation of dyestuff in the environment is posing great harm to human beings. In this study, a novel poly(pyrrole methane) (PPm) adsorbent with abundant OH was greenly synthesized via a facile polymerization method. Its physicochemical properties were characterized in detail. Furthermore, the adsorption performance of PPm for anionic dye (acid red G, ARG) and cationic dye (methylene blue, MB) was comparatively studied with a typical dye adsorbent (polyprrrole, PPy). The results revealed that the adsorption of ARG or MB onto PPm followed pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir mode. The adsorption processes were endothermic and spontaneous. The maximum capacities of PPm to adsorb ARG and MB were 555.56 mg/g and 99.11 mg/g, which were about 10 and 2 times higher than that of PPy, respectively. PPm could be reused for 5 cycles without a significant decrease of its adsorption rate. The adsorption of ARG and MB is mainly attributed to electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding between ARG or MB and OH in PPm. Additionally, ARG could be adsorbed by ion exchange with the doped Cl- in PPm. Therefore, this study provides a new strategy to synthesis efficient adsorbent for the removal of both anionic and cationic dyes.

Three-dimensional hierarchical core-shell CuCo2O4@Co(OH)2 nanoflakes as high-performance electrode materials for flexible supercapacitors.

Rational design of composite electrode materials with novel nanostructures plays an important role in improving both high energy density and structure stability of flexible and wearable supercapacitors. Herein, numerous peculiar three-dimensional hierarchical core-shell CuCo2O4@Co(OH)2 nanoflakes directly grown on Ni foam are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and subsequent electrodeposition technique. Ultrathin Co(OH)2 nanosheets arrays vertically anchored on CuCo2O4 nanoflakes can not only improve the electrical conductivity, but also provide interconnected channels for ion diffusion and enrich electrochemical active sites to boost faradaic redox reaction, leading to the enhanced electrochemical behavior. Excellent electrochemical performance of CuCo2O4@Co(OH)2 electrode can be reflected on a higher specific capacitance of 1558 F/g and lower resistance compared with that of the pristine CuCo2O4 electrode. The asymmetric flexible supercapacitor assembled by the optimized CuCo2O4@Co(OH)2 electrode and activated carbon exhibits high energy density of 62.5 Wh/kg at 893 W/kg, outstanding cycle stability of 88.6% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles and remarkable mechanical flexibility, performing the best electrochemical behavior among various metal oxides based asymmetric supercapacitors. All above results indicate that the resulted hierarchical core-shell CuCo2O4@Co(OH)2 electrode can be a promising candidate for flexible energy storage devices.

Evaluation of the prognostic value of derived neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.

The derived neutrophil-lymphocyte ration (dNLR) is a systemic inflammatory marker.The present study focusing on the prognostic value of pre-treatment dNLR in patients of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).From 2012 to 2016, patients with newly diagnosed early stage NSCLC were investigated. Only these who treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) were enrolled in this study. dNLR was calculated from complete blood count prior to SABR. The optimal cut-off value of dNLR was determined by receiver operating curve. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional models were used to analyze the impact of pre-treatment dNLR on disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).There were 69 patients eligible for analysis, the median follow-up period was 30.9 months. Calculated by receiver operating characteristic curves, the optimal cut off value of dNLR was 1.99. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that a decreased dNLR was correlated with favorable DFS and OS. In univariate analysis, high dNLR was associated with decreased survival; moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that a decreased dNLR was an independent significant favorable prognostic factor for both DFS and OS.An elevated pre-treatment dNLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for DFS and OS in patients with early stage NSCLC that are eligible for SABR. dNLR is a reliable, inexpensive, simple, and readily available tool for risk-stratification and should be considered in daily clinical practice.

High mass loading and high-density flower-like NiCo2O4 nanosheets on Ni foam for superior capacitance.

We report a simple route for high-density flower-like NiCo2O4 nanosheets with ultrahigh mass loading of 9.2 mg cm-2 on nickel foam to achieve superior capacitance. The as-assembled asymmetric supercapacitor yields a high energy density of 87.4 W h kg-1 and an excellent cycle life with 93.2% capacitance retention after 11 000 cycles.

Enhanced electrochemical performance and high voltage window for supercapacitor based on multi-heteroatom modified porous carbon materials.

In order to prepare a high energy density supercapacitor, multi-heteroatom modified porous carbon materials derived from biomass were adopted. The fabricated supercapacitor demonstrated an excellent energy density of 35 W h kg-1 and a high operating voltage window of 1.9 V in neutral Na2SO4 solution, exhibiting performance that is among the best of the current carbon materials.

Anxiolytic effects of ketamine in animal models of posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study investigated the effectiveness of ketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, in alleviating the enhanced anxiety and fear response in both a mouse model of PTSD induced by inescapable electric foot shocks and a rat model of PTSD induced by a time-dependent sensitization (TDS) procedure. First, we evaluated the effect of ketamine on behavioral deficits in a mouse model of PTSD that consisted of foot shocks followed by three situational reminders. Our results showed that the aversive procedure induced several behavioral deficiencies, such as increased freezing behavior and anxiety, as well as reduced time spent in an aversive-like context, which were reversed by repeated treatment with ketamine. The effect of ketamine on behavioral changes after exposure to TDS was also investigated, and the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus were measured. The results revealed that after TDS, the rats showed a significant increase in contextual freezing and a decrease in the percentage of time spent in and numbers of entries into open arms in the elevated plus maze test. As a positive control drug, sertraline (Ser, 15 mg/kg, i.g.), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) ameliorated these behavioral deficits. These behavioral effects were mimicked by chronic ketamine treatment. Furthermore, ketamine normalized the decreased BDNF level in the hippocampus in post-TDS rats. Taken together, these results suggest that ketamine exerts a therapeutic effect on PTSD that might be at least partially mediated by an influence on BDNF signaling in the hippocampus.

The effect of optical properties on photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized TiO2 nanocrystalline solar cells.

In this study, well-crystallized TiO2 nanoparticles with average size of -20 nm were synthesized by hydrolysis of titania salt in aqueous medium. The effect of the optical properties of the obtained titania particles based thin films with different thickness on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells were investigated. Differential thermal analysis/thermo-gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the morphology, structure and crystal formation of the obtained samples. The optical properties such as reflectance and transmittance of the photoanodes with different thickness were systematically investigated. The reflectance property increased with increasing the film thickness, however, the transmittance property showed the opposite way. The improved scattering property with increasing the film thickness facilitated efficient utilization of solar spectrum, which was verified by incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency. The maximum energy conversion efficiency of 5.0% was achieved on photoelectrode film with 17.8 microm.

Improvement of dye-sensitized solar cells' performance through introducing suitable heterocyclic groups to triarylamine dyes.

Dye-sensitized solar cells are currently under intense academic and industrial investigation, owing to their great potential to serve as a low-cost alternative to existing photovoltaic technologies. This paper puts forward a method, which adopts heterocyclic substituted triarylamine units as electronic donor moieties, to design triarylamine dyes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. Three novel triarylamine dyes named TTC101, TTC102 and TTC103, were synthesized economically through modification of the structure of a simple triarylamine dye (TC105) using three kinds of heterocyclic groups (4-pyridyl, 2-thienyl and 1-pyrazolyl). The crystal structure of TTC103 indicates that the heterocyclic groups would partly delocalize the positive charge after photooxidation. The overall solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiencies (η) of TTC102 and TTC103 are 4.92% and 5.21% respectively under AM1.5G irradiation, reaching ∼82.3% and ∼77.7% of a N719-based reference cell under the same conditions. Besides, the energy conversion efficiencies (η) of TTC102 and TTC103 are 1.29 and 1.37 times the efficiency of TC105 respectively. All of the results above demonstrate that photovoltaic performance can be improved by introducing suitable heterocyclic groups to triarylamine dyes. A series of properties were investigated to explain the results, with a special emphasis on the geometric structures, energetics, and charge transfer processes at the dye/titania/electrolyte interface.

Amplification of unknown RNAs and RNA mixtures based on unique restriction enzyme cleavage in vitro.

Small RNAs, generally expressed at low levels, are difficult to reach usable levels from limited material. In this study, we have developed a novel method to amplify target RNA. The amplification procedure was carried out by sequential RT-PCR, effective separation, restriction enzymatic cleavage of cDNA strand, and run-off transcription in vitro of target RNA from its cDNA. Introduction of a unique stem-loop linker into cDNA strand is the key step to form a unique restriction enzyme recognition sequence that is not in cDNA sequence of target RNA. This method can be used to amplify RNA samples from various origins and has many advantages in amplifying unknown small RNAs and small RNA mixtures. The amplified RNA has the full sequence of original RNA except for an extra 5' G and an additional 3' A or C. The method worked well for amplifications of a microRNA, a piwi interacting RNA and two small RNA mixtures.

Solar-light photoamperometric and photocatalytic properties of quasi-transparent TiO2 nanoporous thin films.

Transparent photocatalytic surfaces are of ever increasing importance for many applications on self-cleaning windows and tiles in everyday applications. Here, we report the formation and photocatalytic testing of a quasi-transparent thin and nanoporous titania films deposited on glass plates. Sputtered Ti thin films were anodized in fluoride-ion-containing neutral electrolytes to form optically semitransparent nanoporous films, which transformed to be completely transparent after thermal annealing. The nanoporous films were studied at different stages, such as before and after anodization, as well as after thermal annealing using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy. It was observed that anodization at 20 V of high-temperature deposited titanium films resulted in regular nanopore films with pore diameters of 30 nm. Structural investigations on the transparent nanopore arrays reveal the presence of anatase phase TiO(2) even after annealing at 500 °C, which was confirmed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The solar-light induced photocatalytic decomposition of stearic acid and photoconductivity characteristics of these nanoporous thin films are also presented.