Anti-Frosting and Defrosting Fins with Hierarchical Interlocking Structure for Enhancing Energy Utilization Efficiency of Heat Exchanger.

Air conditioners, being an indispensable component of contemporary living, consume a significant amount of electricity every year. The accumulation of frost, dust, and water on the fins surface hinders the efficiency of the heat exchange process, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the air conditioning system. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a large-scale and cost-effective method combining compression molding, chemical etching, and spray coating to fabricate aluminum fins (HMNA) with hierarchical interlocking structures. The HMNA exhibits outstanding durability, passive and active anti-icing, anti-frosting and defrosting, and self-cleaning capabilities associated with the robust super-hydrophobicity. The hierarchical interlocking structure effectively enhances the physical and environmental durability of the HMNA. Most significantly, the frost time of the HMNA fins assembled heat exchanger is significantly delayed by ≈700% compared to the traditional Al fins heat exchanger, while the frost layer thickness is reduced by ≈75%. This greatly reduces the frequency with which the defrosting cycle is started, thus effectively improving the efficiency of the air conditioning system. The proposed method for economical and mass production of the HMNA fins can be an excellent candidate for the development of low energy consumption air conditioning system.

GATA factor TRPS1, a new DNA repair protein, cooperates with reversible PARylation to promote chemoresistance in breast cancer patients.

Resistance to DNA-damaging agents is a major unsolved challenge for breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Here, we show that elevated expression of transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (TRPS1) is associated with lower drug sensitivity, reduced response rate, and poor prognosis in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients. Mechanistically, elevated TRPS1 expression promotes hyperactivity of DNA damage repair (DDR) in breast cancer cells. We provide evidence that TRPS1 dynamically localizes to DNA breaks in a Ku70- and Ku80-dependent manner, and that TRPS1 is a new member of the DDR protein family. We also discover that the dynamics of TRPS1 assembly at DNA breaks is regulated by its reversible PARylation in the DDR, and that mutations of the PARylation sites on TRPS1 lead to increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Taken together, our findings provide new mechanistic insights into the DDR and chemoresistance in breast cancer patients and identify TRPS1 as a critical DDR protein. TRPS1 may also be considered as a target to improve chemo-sensitization strategies and, consequently, clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients.

[A Whole-Course Nursing Quality Evaluation System for Liver Transplantation in Children Based on Donabedian Theory].

Objective To build a whole-course nursing quality evaluation system for liver transplantation in children,so as to provide a basis for nursing quality evaluation and management. Methods With Donabedian's "structure-process-outcome" model as the theoretical framework,we employed literature analysis,Delphi method,and hierarchical analysis to determine the contents and weights of indexes in the whole-course nursing quality evaluation system for liver transplantation in children. Results The three rounds of survey based on questionnaires showed the questionnaire recovery rate of 100%,the expert authority coefficients of 0.95,0.96,and 0.98,and the Kendall's coefficients of concordance of 0.165,0.209,and 0.220,respectively(all P<0.001).The established nursing quality evaluation system included 3 first-level indexes,15 second-level indexes,and 67 third-level indexes. Conclusion The whole-course nursing quality evaluation system for liver transplantation in children that was built in this study can provide a basis for the evaluation of the nursing quality.

Biosynthesis of Bt-Ag2O nanoparticles using Bacillus thuringiensis and their pesticidal and antimicrobial activities.

Nanosilver oxide exhibits strong antibacterial and photocatalytic properties and has shown great application potential in food packaging, biochemical fields, and other fields involving diseases and pest control. In this study, Ag2O nanoparticles were synthesized using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt-Ag2O NPs). The physicochemical characteristics of the Bt-Ag2O NPs were analyzed by UV‒vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and zeta potential. The phis-chemical characterization revealed that the Bt-Ag2O NPs are in spherical shape with the small particle size (18.24 nm), high crystallinity, well dispersity, and stability. The biopesticidal and antifungal effects of Bt-Ag2O NPs were tested against Tribolium castaneum, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium chrysogenum. The survival, growth, and reproduction of tested pests and molds were significantly inhibited by Bt-Ag2O NPs in a dose-dependent manner. Bt-Ag2O NPs showed higher pesticidal activities against T. castaneum than Bt and commercial Ag2O NPs. The LC50 values of Bt, Ag2O NPs, and Bt-Ag2O NPs were 0.139%, 0.072%, and 0.06% on day 14, respectively. The Bt-Ag2O NPs also showed well antifungal activities against A. flavus and P. chrysogenum, while it resulted a small inhibition zone than commercial Ag2O NPs did. In addition, A. flavus showed much more sensitive to Bt-Ag2O NP treatments, compared to P. chrysogenum. Our results revealed that Bt-Ag2O NPs synthesized using B. thuringiensis could act as pesticides and antifungal agents in stored-product fields. KEY POINTS: • Bt-Ag2O NPs could be synthesized using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). • The NPs showed a high degree of crystallinity, spherical shape, and small particle size. • The NPs also showed excellent insecticidal and antifungal activity.

A brain-enriched lncRNA shields cancer cells from immune-mediated killing for metastatic colonization in the brain.

Brain metastases, including prevalent breast-to-brain metastasis (B2BM), represent an urgent unmet medical need in the care of cancer due to a lack of effective therapies. Immune evasion is essential for cancer cells to metastasize to the brain tissue for brain metastasis. However, the intrinsic genetic circuits that enable cancer cells to avoid immune-mediated killing in the brain microenvironment remain poorly understood. Here, we report that a brain-enriched long noncoding RNA (BMOR) expressed in B2BM cells is required for brain metastasis development and is both necessary and sufficient to drive cancer cells to colonize the brain tissue. Mechanistically, BMOR enables cancer cells to evade immune-mediated killing in the brain microenvironment for the development of brain metastasis by binding and inactivating IRF3. In preclinical brain metastasis murine models, locked nucleic acid-BMOR, a designed silencer targeting BMOR, is effective in suppressing the metastatic colonization of cancer cells in the brain for brain metastasis. Taken together, our study reveals a mechanism underlying B2BM immune evasion during cancer cell metastatic colonization of brain tissue for brain metastasis, where B2BM cells evade immune-mediated killing in the brain microenvironment by acquiring a brain-enriched long noncoding RNA genetic feature.

[125I seed implantation in sphincter preservation for treatment of low rectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of (125)I seed implantation in sphincter preservation for treatment of low rectal cancer. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with low rectal cancer were randomly divided into 2 group: group A, 17 males and 13 females, aged 48.5 +/- 2.4, receiving rectostomy and anal sphincter preservation and group B, 24 males and 22 females, aged 49.4 +/- 2.6, receiving modified TME and anal sphincter preservation combined with brachytherapy by (125)I seed implantation. Two to four weeks after operation chemotherapy with 5-FU/CF were performed. Follow-up was carried out 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after operation. RESULTS: The local recurrence rates 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after operation were 0%, 11.1%, 14.3%, and 23% respectively in the group A, and all 0% in the group B (P < 0.05 for the rate 36 months later). The survival rates 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after operation were 100%, 100%, 85.7%, and 76.7% respectively in the group A, and were 100%, 100%, 97.1%, and 93% respectively in the group B (P < 0.05 for the rate 36 months later). The functions of defecation and erection were better in the group B and the symptom of pain was improved better in the group A too (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Safe, simple, and effective, surgery with sphincter preservation combined with brachytherapy in low rectal cancer is one of the ideal methods for treatment of low rectal cancer.