Building Co16-N3-based UiO-MOF to Expand Design Parameters for MOF Photosensitization.

The construction of secondary building units (SBUs) in versatile metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represents a promising method for developing multi-functional materials, especially for improving their sensitizing ability. Herein, we developed a dual small molecules auxiliary strategy to construct a high-nuclear transition-metal-based UiO-architecture Co16-MOF-BDC with visible-light-absorbing capacity. Remarkably, the N3- molecule in hexadecameric cobalt azide SBU offers novel modification sites to precise bonding of strong visible-light-absorbing chromophores via click reaction. The resulting Bodipy@Co16-MOF-BDC exhibits extremely high performance for oxidative coupling benzylamine (~100% yield) via both energy and electron transfer processes, which is much superior to that of Co16-MOF-BDC (31.5%) and Carboxyl Bodipy@Co16-MOF-BDC (37.5%). Systematic investigations reveal that the advantages of Bodipy@Co16-MOF-BDC in dual light-absorbing channels, robust bonding between Bodipy/Co16 clusters and efficient electron-hole separation can greatly boost photosynthesis. This work provides an ideal molecular platform for synergy between photosensitizing MOFs and chromophores by constructing high-nuclear transition-metal-based SBUs with surface-modifiable small molecules.

Advances in the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into vascular cells.

Blood vessels constitute a closed pipe system distributed throughout the body, transporting blood from the heart to other organs and delivering metabolic waste products back to the lungs and kidneys. Changes in blood vessels are related to many disorders like stroke, myocardial infarction, aneurysm, and diabetes, which are important causes of death worldwide. Translational research for new approaches to disease modeling and effective treatment is needed due to the huge socio-economic burden on healthcare systems. Although mice or rats have been widely used, applying data from animal studies to human-specific vascular physiology and pathology is difficult. The rise of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provides a reliable in vitro resource for disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery because they carry all human genetic information and have the ability to directionally differentiate into any type of human cells. This review summarizes the latest progress from the establishment of iPSCs, the strategies for differentiating iPSCs into vascular cells, and the in vivo transplantation of these vascular derivatives. It also introduces the application of these technologies in disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. Additionally, the application of high-tech tools, such as omics analysis and high-throughput sequencing, in this field is reviewed.

Lipid metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma impacts targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor that affecting many people's lives globally. The common risk factors for HCC include being overweight and obese. The liver is the center of lipid metabolism, synthesizing most cholesterol and fatty acids. Abnormal lipid metabolism is a significant feature of metabolic reprogramming in HCC and affects the prognosis of HCC patients by regulating inflammatory responses and changing the immune microenvironment. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are being explored as the primary treatment strategies for HCC patients with unresectable tumors. Here, we detail the specific changes of lipid metabolism in HCC and its impact on both these therapies for HCC. HCC treatment strategies aimed at targeting lipid metabolism and how to integrate them with targeted therapy or immunotherapy rationally are also presented.

Prognostic Analysis of Single Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma Following Radical Resection: A Single-Center Study.

Objective: To investigate the survival and independent prognostic factors for single large hepatocellular carcinoma (SLHCC) after surgical resection. Methods: Patients with SLHCC who underwent radical resection from January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) rate and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates. Cox forward stepwise regression was performed to analyze the independent prognostic factors. Results: A total of 485 cases were included. The average age was 51.2±11.2 years, 88.9% had a history of hepatitis B virus infection, and most patients had normal liver function. The average tumor diameter was 8.8±3.0 cm. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and RFS rates were 76.8%, 56.7%, and 45.7%, and 61.0%, 46.2%, and 34.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that liver cirrhosis (HR=1.456, P=0.004), total bilirubin (TB) ≥17.1 µmol/L (HR=1.437, P=0.011), glutamyl transferase (GGT) >60 U/L (HR=1.438, P=0.020), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >225 U/L (HR=1.442, P=0.007), blood loss ≥400 mL (HR=1.339, P=0.027), microvascular invasion (MVI) (HR=1.492, P=0.004), satellite lesions (HR=1.859, P<0.0001) and Edmondson-Steiner grade III+IV (HR=1.740, P=0.018) were independent risk factors for reduced OS in SLHCC patients. Sex (HR=1.763, P=0.003), liver cirrhosis (HR=1.382, P=0.007), GGT >60 U/L (HR=1.512, P=0.003), LDH >225 U/L (HR=1.480, P=0.002), MVI (HR=1.545, P=0.001), and satellite lesions (HR=1.564, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for reduced RFS. OS and RFS nomograms were constructed using risk factors with C-index values of 0.692 (95% CI: 0.659-0.724) and 0.659 (95% CI: 0.623-0.693), respectively. The Hosmer-Leme test demonstrated the good fit of both nomograms. Conclusion: Surgical resection is the standard and effective treatment for SLHCC patients. Sex, liver cirrhosis, TB≥17.1 µmol/L, GGT>60 U/L, LDH>225 U/L, blood loss≥400 mL, MVI, Edmondson-Steiner grade III+IV, and satellite lesions were found to be independent prognostic factors in SLHCC patients following radical resection. The OS and RFS nomograms accurately predicted the prognosis of SLHCC patients.

Single Crystal to Single Crystal Transformation of CuII Complexes Induced by Dehydrating and Hydrating of Ligands with Chroma Rewritable Behaviors.

In this work, the single crystal to single crystal (SCSC) transformations in three mononuclear copper complexes [CuL22]Cl2·2H2O (1), [CuL12Cl2] (2), and [CuL22]Cl2·4H2O (3) (L1 = di-2-pyridyl ketone, L2 = di(pyridin-2-yl)methanediol) are realized by the irreversible dehydration and hydration reaction of L1 and L2. Dark purple crystal 1 is obtained by self-assembly of L1 and CuCl2·2H2O in solvothermal reactions, in which the carbonyl group of L1 undergoes a hydration addition reaction to form L2. On heating, 1 transforms to 2 by dehydrating water accompanied by the change of the color and coordination octahedron of CuII ions. In a saturated water vapor environment, 2 can absorb six water molecules and transform to 3 with the same color and coordination environment with 1 but different lattice water. The SCSC process from 2 to 3 is reversible: 3 can transform back to 2 on heating like that of 1. Chroma rewritable behaviors in the structural transformation of the complexes make them visually identifiable temperature or water probes.

Carbothermal redox reaction in constructing defective carbon as superior oxygen reduction catalysts.

Defects can greatly promote the catalytic activity of a carbon-based electrocatalyst due to charge redistribution of its electroneutral π-conjugated structure. However, it is still a huge challenge to introduce enough defects into carbon-based materials to improve their catalytic activity. Herein, we report a new method for defect generation by the pyrolysis of the sulfur-nitrogen-containing coordination polymer [Zn(ptt)2]n (ptt = 1-phenyl-1H-tetrazole-5-thiol). A series of controlled experiments clearly demonstrates that the carbothermal reduction reaction of zinc sulfide with carbon at a high temperature plays an important role in creating defects and enhancing the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the carbon-based materials. The ZnS/C-1100 with a high content of defects and a small number of ZnS nanoparticles exhibits excellent ORR electrocatalytic performances in alkaline media, in which the half-wave potential (0.894 V vs. RHE), stability, and methanol tolerance are all superior to that of a 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, the ZnS/C-1100 driven ZAB (zinc air battery) exhibits a stable discharge at 10 mA, a peak power density of 134 mW cm-2 and a cathode current density of 265 mA cm-2, which are significantly better than that catalyzed by 20 wt% Pt/C under the same conditions. This research not only develops a new highly active catalyst, but also provides a new method for the preparation of defect-rich carbon materials.

Supramolecular isomorphic dodecanuclear cobalt clusters with the same metal shell but different core ligands.

In this work, we report two supramolecular isomorphic dodecanuclear cobalt complexes, [Co12(mtz)3(L)6(NO3)2(OH)(N3)3]·(OH)3 (1) and [Co12(mtz)3(L)6(NO3)2(OH)(N3)(OAc)]·(OH)4 (2), (Hmtz = 5-methyl-1H-tetrazole, H2L = 7,7'-(ethane-1,1-diyl) diquinolin-8-ol) crystallizing in the P̄ space group with the same unit cell parameters. In 1 and 2, two pirate hat-like hexanuclear Co6(NO3)(L)3 units form the same dodecanuclear metal shell, but the ligands between the hexanuclear units as the core are distinct. The introduction of acetate anions leads to a blue shift of the absorption band in the visible region. Magnetism studies indicate an antiferromagnetic interaction between the CoII ions in the clusters.

Dielectric and Magnetic Relaxations Exhibited in a 2D Parallel Interpenetrating Frustrated Star Net.

Constructing multiple functional geometric frustration magnets is a hot topic in solid state chemistry and material science. Herein, a two-dimensional (2D) parallel interpenetrating "star" net complex [HDMPDA][Fe6 (µ3 -O)2 (µ-O2 CH)15 ] (1) was obtained successfully with HDMPDA (DMPDA=N, N'-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine) as charge balancer. The dipole reorientation of the rotator [HDMPDA]+ in the complex brings a structure transition which leads dielectric relaxation close to room temperature. Despite strong antiferromagnetic coupling existing between ions in the net, long-range order temperature TN of the complex is suppressed to 4.2 K by geometric frustration. Interestingly, below TN , a canted antiferromagnetic state, accompanied with slow magnetic relaxation, is detected due to the lack of enough magnetic coupling between 2D layers. Thus, 1 is a particular multifunctional magnetic frustration material containing two different types of relaxations.

[Ba4Cl] Cations Directed Perovskite-like Polar Metal Formate Frameworks {[Ba4Cl][M3(HCO2)13]}n (M = Mn, Co, and Mg): Microwave-Assisted Synthesis, Structures, and Properties.

Novel 3D metal formate frameworks {[Ba4Cl][M3(HCO2)13]}n (M = Mn for 1, Co for 2, and Mg for 3) were successfully assembled via microwave-assisted synthesis. The complexes are rare coordination polymers crystallized at space group P4cc with the polar point group C4v. In the structure, the MII ions are bridged by two types of anti-anti formate in forming a 3D pcu framework, and additional formates coordinate to the unsaturated sites of the MII ions in the framework, giving an anionic M-formate net. Ba4Cl clusters take the cavities of the net as charge balance, in which the chloride ion deviates from the center of the barium ions. The asymmetric Ba4Cl structure is transmitted throughout the crystal resulting in polar structure, which is further confirmed by nonlinear optical and piezoelectric test. Nonlinear optical activity tests of 1 and 3 show SHG signals 0.32 and 0.28 times that of KDP, while 2 has a piezoelectric coefficient d33 of 6.8 pC/N along polar axis. Magnetic studies reveal antiferromagnetic coupling between MII ions in 1 and 2. Spin canting was found only in 2 with anisotropic CoII ions, and 2 is a canted antiferromagnetically with TN = 5 K. Further field-induced spin flop was also found in 2 with a critical field 0.9 T.

Dicarboxylate Modulating Molecular-Ionic Platinum Compounds with Variable Stacking and Photoluminescence.

Under solvothermal conditions, 10 molecular-ionic platinum compounds [Pt(NIA)2]·(L)·nH2O (L = dicarboxylate) were synthesized. In the reaction, acetonitrile undergoes trimerization in situ to generate N-(1-iminoethyl)acetamidine (NIA), which coordinates to PtII ions in forming the N-(1-iminoethyl)acetamidine platinum cation, while the organic carboxylates act as anions. Structural analysis shows that carboxylate ligands regulate the mode of packing of [Pt(NIA)2] in those compounds. Photoluminescence studies show that the photoluminescence behaviors of those compounds also depended on the carboxylate ligands. 1-4, 6, and 7 show blue light emission with fluorescence emission wavelengths of 437-440 nm despite the different carboxylate ligands used. 5 and 8 show green emissions with maximum intensity peak positions of 522 nm. Compared with that of 5 and 8, the emission of 9 and 10 has the same red shifts with peak positions of 567 and 528 nm. The variable-temperature photoluminescence studies reveal that 8 and 10 show two different thermal quenching (TQ) zones in the range of 80-420 K, while the emission intensity of 9 shows negative thermal quenching at low temperatures of 80-220 K and TQ in the range of 220-420 K.

Circulating Tumor Cells Expressing Krüppel-Like Factor 8 and Vimentin as Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype in peripheral blood may be a useful marker of carcinomas with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of CTCs expressing Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) and vimentin in pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS: CTCs were isolated by immunomagnetic separation from the peripheral blood of 40 PC patients before undergoing surgical resection. Immunocytochemistry was performed to identify KLF8+ and vimentin+ CTCs. The associations between CTCs and time to recurrence (TTR), clinicopathologic factors, and survival were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were performed to identify risk factors. RESULTS: Patients with CTCs (n = 30) had a higher relapse rate compared to those without (n = 10) (70.0% vs 20.0%; P < 0.01). The proportion of KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs to total CTCs was inversely related to TTR (r = -0.646; P < 0.01); TTR was reduced in patients with > 50% of CTCs identified as KLF8+/vimentin+ (P < 0.01). Independent risk factors for recurrence were perineural invasion and > 50% KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Poor prognosis can be predicted in PC patients when > 50% of CTCs are positive for KLF8 and vimentin.

Prediction of Patient Survival Following Hepatic Resection in Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Indexed Ratios of Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelets: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: To predict patient survival in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatic resection. We evaluated the prognostic potential of the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) in order to use it to model a nomogram. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We randomized 901 early-stage HCC patients treated with hepatic resection at our center into training and validation cohorts that were followed from January 2009 to December 2012. X-tile software was used to establish the APRI cut-off threshold in the training cohort. The validation cohort was subsequently assessed to determine threshold value accuracy. Data generated from the multivariate analysis in the training cohort were used to design a prognostic nomogram. Decision curve analyses (DCA), concordance index values (C-index) and calibration curves were used to determine the performance of the nomogram. RESULTS: X-tile software revealed that the optimal APRI cut-off threshold in the training cohort that distinguished between patients with different prognoses was 0.9. We, therefore, validated its prognostic value. Multivariate analyses showed that poor overall survival was associated with APRI above 0.9, blood loss of more than 400 mL, liver cirrhosis, multiple tumors, tumor size greater than 5 cm, microvascular invasion and satellite lesions. When the independent risk factors were integrated into the prognostic nomogram, it performed well with accurate predictions. Indeed, the performance was better than comparative prognosticators (P<0.05 for all) with 0.752 as the C-index (95% CI: 0.706-0.798). These results were verified by the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: APRI was a noninvasive and accurate predictive indicator for patients with early-stage HCC. Following hepatic resection to treat early-stage HCC, individualized patient survival predictions can be aided by the nomogram based on APRI.

A magnetic site dilution approach to achieve bifunctional fluorescent thermometers and single-ion magnets.

In complex [Na-Dy(µ2-L)4]n(HL = 8-hydroxyquinoline) (1), the DyL4 units were linked by the NaI ions to form one-dimensional chains. The chain exhibited slow magnetic relaxation behavior at low temperature, accompanied by obvious quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM). Very weak fluorescence was detected in 1 due to the mismatch of the state energy between DyIII and the L ligand. Through the magnetic dilution of diamagnetic YIII ions, complex [NaDy0.02Y0.98(µ2-L)4]n (2) was obtained; in 2 the QTM of DyIII was suppressed and the single ion magnet (SIM) behavior was enhanced. More interestingly, the fluorescence emission of 8-hydroxyquinoline was lightened by the YIII ions in 2, whose intensity is linearly correlated with the temperature variation. The examples of dual functional fluorescent thermometers and SIM materials are attained simply by ion dilution, achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone.

A High Preoperative Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio Is a Negative Predictor of Survival After Liver Resection for Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: To evaluate the importance of preoperative blood platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver surgery and to examine the connection with CD8+ lymph cell infiltration. Methods: Between 2009 and 2014, consecutive HCC patients who received curative liver surgery were included into this retrospective study. Baseline clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed to identify predictors of recurrence-free and overall patient survival rate after liver resection. The samples of all patients were under Tissue Microarray (TMA) construction and immunohistochemical staining for CD8+.The association of the number of CD8+T-cells in the cancer nests and peritumoral stroma with PLR level was analyzed. Results: A total of 1,174 HBV-related HCC patients who received a liver resection without any peri-operative adjuvant therapy were enrolled into this retrospective study. Univariate and Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model showed that PLR was an independent factor affecting recurrence and overall survivals. The optimal cutoff of PLR using the receiver operating characteristic curve was 150. There were 236 patients (20.1%) who had a PLR of 150 or more. The 5-year survival rate after liver resection was 71.8% in patients with a PLR of < 150 and it was 57.2% in those with a PLR of 150 or more (P < 0.001). Both 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates in liver cancer stage A patients at Barcelona Clinic with different PLR group were also significantly different (P = 0.007 for recurrence and P = 0.001 for overall survival). Similar results were also observed in stage B patients (P < 0.001 for recurrence and P = 0.033 for overall survival). To determine the association between PLR and the severity of liver inflammation, an immuno-histological examination using CD8+ staining was performed on the liver specimens of 1,174 patients. Compared with low PLR (<150) group, more CD8+T-cells were found in the peritumoral tissue in high PLR (≥ 150) group. Conclusions: PLR played as an independent factor for predicting the survival after hepatectomy for HCC patients. A high PLR was associated with an accumulation of CD8+ T-cells in the peritumoral stroma.

Nomograms to predict the long-time prognosis in patients with alpha-fetoprotein negative hepatocellular carcinoma following radical resection.

BACKGROUND: To develop and validate nomograms that can be used to predict outcomes in individuals suffering alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical resection. METHODS: A total of 509 AFP-negative HCC patients who received hepatectomy between January 2009 and March 2013 in our center were randomized into training and validation cohorts. Nomograms for both overall and recurrence-free survival (OS and RFS, respectively) were established based on the predictors in the training cohort. Nomograms performance and discriminative power were assessed with concordance index (C-index) values and decision curve analyses (DCA). The results were validated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: Alkaline phosphatase, liver cirrhosis, tumor size, satellite lesions, microvascular invasion, and Edmondson-Steiner grade were significantly linked to OS and RFS. Sex and tumor number were additional predictors for RFS. The OS nomogram had a C-index value of 0.742, which was better than that for the AJCC eighth edition (0.632), BCLC system (0.553), and JIS score (0.557) (all P < .001). The RFS nomogram C-index was 0.669, which was also superior to that of the AJCC eighth (0.608), BCLC stage (0.554), JIS score (0.551), and model of Gan et al (0.636) (P < .05 for all). Calibration curves indicated a good agreement between observed actual outcomes and predicted values. Kaplan-Meier curves and DCA indicated that nomograms were powerful in discrimination and clinical usefulness. These results were supported by the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: These nomograms presented more accurate prognostic prediction in patients with AFP-negative HCC after hepatectomy.

Prognostic Nomogram for Hepatitis B Virus-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Adjuvant Transarterial Chemoembolization After Radical Resection.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to establish a reliable and effective nomogram for predicting prognosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A derivation cohort of 370 HCC patients treated with postoperative TACE in the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from January 2009 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed by Cox regression and independent prognostic factors for overall survival were determined to construct the nomogram. Concordance index (C-index), calibration curve and decision curve analysis were performed to evaluate the capability of the nomogram and the established nomogram was compared with TNM stage and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage to identify the superior model. The results were validated in a validation cohort of 123 HCC patients in the same center. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis indicated that γ-glutamyl transferase, α-fetoprotein, tumor number, tumor size, satellite lesions, microvascular invasion, and HBV-DNA were independent prognostic factors for overall survival in the derivation cohort, and all these factors were selected into the nomogram. The C-index was 0.755 for survival prediction of the nomogram, which was significantly higher than the TNM stage (0.636, P<0.001) and BCLC stage (0.594, P<0.001). A fair uniformity and a superior net benefit with wide range threshold probabilities were showed in the calibration curves and decision curve analysis. In the validation cohort, the C-index of the nomogram (0.785) also had a higher predictive accuracy than TNM stage (0.744, P=0.019) and BCLC stage (0.616, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram with accurate and reasonable performance was proposed for predicting survival of HBV-related HCC with postoperative adjuvant TACE.

[3 + 2] cycloaddition of azido-bridged molybdenum(ii) complex with nitriles and alkynes.

The azido-bridged molybdenum complex [N(CH3)4][(µ1,1-N3)3{Mo(η3-C3H5)(CO)2}2], 1, was synthesized and its reactions with unsaturated nitriles and alkynes were investigated. The isolated [3 + 2] cycloaddition products were the N(2), N(3) bound tetrazolate complexes [N(CH3)4][(µ1,1-N3)2(µ-N4C{R}-κ2N2:N3){Mo(η3-C3H5)(CO)2}2] (R = C(CN)C(CN)2 (2), C6H4NO2, (3)) and [N(CH3)4][(µ-N4C{R}-κ2N2:N3)2(µ1,1-N3){Mo(η3-C3H5)(CO)2}2] (R = C(CN)C(CN)2 (4), C6H4NO2 (5)), and the N(1), N(2) bound triazolate complexes [N(CH3)4][(µ-N3C2{R}2-κ2N1:N2)(µ1,1-N3)2{Mo(η3-C3H5)(CO)2}2] (R = CO2CH3 (6) and R = CO2CH2CH3 (7). The reactivity of these cycloaddition reactions could be determined by the electronic properties of both metal azide and dipolarophile. In the reaction of 1 with nitriles, at most two bridging azido groups can participate in the cycloaddition reactions and elevated temperature is required for the preparations of 3 and 5. In the case of alkynes, only one azido group is active for the reaction. These complexes are fluxional in solution, and isomers were found in 3 and 5. The molecular structures of the above complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, which reveals a distorted octahedral geometry around each molybdenum atom, and the two metal atoms are connected through three bridging ligands. The formation of these heterocycles demonstrated the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction could also be applied to the less electron-rich azido-bridged molybdenum complex.

The RNA-binding protein RBM3 promotes cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating circular RNA SCD-circRNA 2 production.

BACKGROUND: With the development of RNA-seq technology, tens of thousands of circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of RNAs, have been identified. However, little is known about circRNA formation and biogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We performed ribosomal-depleted RNA-seq profiling of HCC and para-carcinoma tissues and analyzed the expression of a hotspot circRNA derived from the 3'UTR of the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene, termed SCD-circRNA 2. FINDINGS: It was significantly upregulated in HCC and correlated with poor patient prognosis. Moreover, we observed that the production of SCD-circRNA 2 was dynamically regulated by RNA-binding protein 3 (RBM3). RBM3 overexpression was indicative of a short recurrence-free survival and poor overall survival for HCC patients. Furthermore, by modulating the RBM3 or SCD-circRNA 2 levels, we found that RBM3 promoted the HCC cell proliferation in a SCD-circRNA 2 dependent manner. INTERPRETATION: Herein, we report that RBM3 is crucial for the SCD-circRNA 2 formation in HCC cells, which not only provides mechanistic insights into cancer-related circRNA dysregulation but also establishes RBM3 as an oncogene with both therapeutic potential and prognostic value. FUND: This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1302303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81672345 and 81,402,269). The funders did not have any roles in study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, writing of the report.

Tunable Ferromagnetic Strength in Niccolite Structural Heterometallic Formate Framework Based on Orthogonal Magnetic Orbital Interactions.

A series of heterometallic formate framework templated by amines were solvothermally prepared. They feature the formula of [AI][CrMII(HCO2)6] (AI = NH4H2OI and M = Mn for 1, AI = CH3NH3I and M = Fe for 2, AI = CH3NH2CH3I and M = Co for 3, AI = CH3NH3I and M = Ni for 4). The title compounds exhibit isostructural niccolite architectures with differences only in the host metal ions and guest amines. Tunable ferromagnetic (FO) strength was realized in the resulting framework under the guidance of orthogonal magnetic orbital analysis of CrIII (t2g3eg) and MII (t2g3eg2 for MnII, t2g4eg2 for FeII, t2g5eg2 for CoII, t2g6eg2 for NiII) ions. The magnetic ordering temperatures derived from the experimental magnetic measurements for 1-4 are lower than 2, 10.3, 7.6, and 22.0 K, respectively. Notably, thanks to the weak FO coupling between CrIII and MnII ions, compound 1 displays a large magnetocaloric effect bearing the maximum of magnetic entropy change (-Δ Smmax) up to 43.9 J kg-1 K-1 with Δ H = 7 T and T = 3.5 K, larger than most reported transition metal-based complexes and commercial gadolinium gallium garnet (Gd3Ga5O12) (-Δ Smmax = 38.4 J kg-1 K-1 with Δ H = 7 T). From 1, 2/3, to 4, an enhancement of the magnetic ordering temperature is observable due to the increasing strength of FO interactions between CrIII and MII ions. Our work provides a successful instance to modulate the strength of FO exchange via analyzing the orthogonal magnetic orbitals of heterometallic ions.

In situ aluminium ions regulation for quantum efficiency and light stability promotion in white light emitting material.

In this study, we have proposed an in situ ion regulation strategy to assemble a white-light-emitting material with high stability and efficiency. A fluorescence tunable hybrid material was first fabricated by a "ship around the bottle" method in which the fluorescent dyes, disodium 2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonate (R) and ZnO Quantum Dots (QDs), were embedded into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in proportion. Then, the competition coordination of aluminium ions over zinc ions to R were utilized to subtly adjust the intensity of blue fluorescence, leading to an ideal white light with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.30, 0.33) and a high Color-Rendering Index (CRI) value of 93%. Compared with the material fabricated by the ratio tuning of the R salt and ZnO QDs directly, the in situ ions regulation strategy enabled the final product to have a higher quantum efficiency and light stability. Moreover, this strategy also settled the non-tunable problem of fluorescence due to the competition coordination effects of aluminium ions and zinc ions in the same synthetic system. This synthetic strategy and our new findings can provide more ideas for designing new white-light-emitting materials.