Experimental investigation of seismic performance of precast concrete shear walls with overlapping U-bar loop connections.

This paper discusses the seismic performance of five reduced-scale shear walls, including one cast-in-place (CIP) concrete shear wall, two precast concrete (PC) shear walls with overlapping U-bar loop connections, and two PC shear walls with modified form-overlapping U-bar loop connections combined with extruded sleeve connections. A quasi-static test was conducted to evaluate the reliability of the overlapping U-bar loop connections and the modified form by comparing the corresponding mechanical parameters of PC specimens with those of the CIP specimen. Moreover, the differences in seismic performance between the CIP specimen and PC specimens with different connection methods were also analyzed in terms of damage process, hysteretic loops and skeleton curves, load carrying capacity, ductility, equivalent stiffness, and energy dissipation. The experimental findings indicated that the mechanical performances of PC specimens with the modified connection form outperformed those of PC specimens with pure overlapping U-bar loop connections, closely resembling the properties of cast-in-place specimens; the failure mode of PC specimens was consistent with that of the CIP specimen; the generation, distribution and development of cracks in PC specimens were also similar to those in the CIP specimen. Furthermore, although the load-bearing capacity and peak displacement of PC specimens were lower than those of the CIP specimen due to the failure of the post-casted concrete strength to meet the requirements, the ductility, equivalent stiffness, and energy dissipation of PC specimens with the modified connection form closely matched that of the CIP specimen.

N6-Methyladenosine methylation modification in breast cancer: current insights.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women. Despite advanced treatment strategies, some patients still face challenges in disease control, prompting the exploration of new therapeutic approaches. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification regulates RNA and plays a crucial role in various tumor biological processes, closely linked to breast cancer occurrence, development, prognosis, and treatment. M6A regulators impact breast cancer progression, development, and drug resistance by modulating RNA metabolism and tumor-related pathways. Researchers have begun to understand the regulatory mechanisms of m6A methylation in breast cancer. This paper discusses the roles of m6A regulators in breast cancer progression, prognosis, and treatment, offering new perspectives for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

High Configuration Entropy Promises Electrochemical Stability of Chloride Electrolytes for High-Energy, Long-Life All-Solid-State Batteries.

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with high ionic conductivity, stability, and interface compatibility are indispensable for high-energy-density and long-life all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), yet there are scarce SSEs with sufficient ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability. In this study, with a high-entropy SSE (HE-SSE, Li2.9In0.75Zr0.1Sc0.05Er0.05Y0.05Cl6), we show the high configuration entropy has a thermodynamically positive relationship with the high-voltage stability. As a result, the ASSBs with HE-SSE and high-voltage cathode materials exhibit superior high-voltage and long-cycle stability, achieving 250 cycles with 81.4% capacity retention when charged to 4.8 V (vs. Li+/Li), and even 5000 cycles if charged to 4.6 V (vs. Li+/Li).  Experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations confirm that the HE-SSE greatly suppresses the high-voltage degradation of SSE at the interface, promoting the high-voltage stability coordinately through high entropy and interface stability. The high entropy design offers a general strategy to simultaneously improve the high-voltage stability and ionic conductivity of SSEs, creating an avenue to building high-energy and long-life ASSBs.

Ultra-high b-value DWI in rectal cancer: image quality assessment and regional lymph node prediction based on radiomics.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate image quality and regional lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with rectal cancer (RC) on multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). METHODS: This retrospective study included 199 patients with RC who had undergone multi-b-value DWI. Subjective (five-point Likert scale) and objective assessments of quality images were performed on DWIb1000, DWIb2000, and DWIb3000. Patients were randomly divided into a training (n = 140) or validation cohort (n = 59). Radiomics features were extracted within the whole volume tumor on ADC maps (b = 0, 1000 s/mm2), DWIb1000, DWIb2000, and DWIb3000, respectively. Five prediction models based on selected features were developed using logistic regression analysis. The performance of radiomics models was evaluated with a receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The mean signal intensity of the tumor (SItumor), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and artifact and anatomic differentiability score gradually were decreased as the b-value increased. However, the contrast-to-noise (CNR) on DWIb2000 was superior to those of DWIb1000 and DWIb3000 (4.58 ± 0.86, 3.82 ± 0.77, 4.18 ± 0.84, p < 0.001, respectively). The overall image quality score of DWIb2000 was higher than that of DWIb3000 (p < 0.001) and showed no significant difference between DWIb1000 and DWIb2000 (p = 0.059). The area under curve (AUC) value of the radiomics model based on DWIb2000 (0.728) was higher than conventional ADC maps (0.690), DWIb1000 (0.699), and DWIb3000 (0.707), but inferior to multi-b-value DWI (0.739) in predicting LNM. CONCLUSION: DWIb2000 provides better lesion conspicuity and LNM prediction than DWIb1000 and DWIb3000 in RC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: DWIb2000 offers satisfactory visualization of lesions. Radiomics features based on DWIb2000 can be applied for preoperatively predicting regional lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer, thereby benefiting the stratified treatment strategy. KEY POINTS: Lymph node staging is required to determine the best treatment plan for rectal cancer. DWIb2000 provides superior contrast-to-noise ratio and lesion conspicuity and its derived radiomics best predict lymph node metastasis. DWIb2000 may be recommended as the optimal b-value in rectal MRI protocol.

Pre-separation combined with reduction roasting for high-quality recovery of graphite and lithium from spent lithium ion batteries.

The recycling of spent lithium ion batteries is of great significance because it contains large amounts of valuable metals. But current recovery methods exhibit limited efficiency in selectively extracting lithium from spent electrode materials and spent graphite becomes metallurgical residues. In this study, we propose a novel recycling flowchart that combines flotation with multi-stage water-leaching to enhance the recovery of graphite and lithium from black mass derived from spent lithium ion batteries. Removal of organics can be conducted by pyrolysis, at the same time, the spent ternary cathode material was decomposed into CoO, NiO, and MnO at a temperature of 600 °C for 60 min using pyrolysis product-derived reductant. The sub-microlevel migration behavior of lithium ions in electrode materials was also examined. The electrode material aggregates were broken up by water crushing, and 38.67 % lithium dissolves into water for recycling. Bubble flotation was used to recycle the excess graphite from the black mass while the residual graphite was used as reductant for the carbothermal reduction. Using the developed scheme, we were able to recover 95.51 % of lithium after carbothermal reduction with 12.31 % carbon residue. Based on basic research, a novel recycling flowchart of spent lithium-ion batteries has been proposed.

Enzyme-loaded manganese-porphyrin metal-organic nanoframeworks for oxygen-evolving photodynamic therapy of hypoxic cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is attracting great attention for cancer treatments, while its therapeutic efficacy is limited by unsatisfactory photosensitizers and hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). To address these problems, we have developed catalase-loaded manganese-porphyrin frameworks (CAT@MnPFs) for catalytically-assisted PDT of cancer cells. CAT@MnPFs were constructed by the assembly of Mn2+ ions and PpIX into MnPFs and the subsequent loading of catalase. Under 650 nm light irradiation, the porphyrin (Protoporphyrin IX) within the structure of CAT@MnPFs can convert oxygen (O2) into singlet oxygen (1O2), showing the photodynamic effect. Importantly, the loaded catalase can decompose hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into O2 with a huge elevation of O2 level (13.22 mg L-1) in 600 s, thus promoting 1O2 generation via PDT. As a result, CAT@MnPFs combined with 650 nm light can effectively ablate cancer cells due to the catalase-assisted oxygen-evolving PDT, showing a high therapeutic efficacy. Meanwhile, after the incubation with CAT@MnPFs, unobvious damage can be found in normal and red blood cells. Thus, the obtained CAT@MnPFs integrate the advantage of photosensitizers and catalase for oxygen-evolving PDT, which can provide some insight for treating hypoxic cells.

Pilot-Scale Experimental Study on the Coupling of Venturi-Bubbling Reactor to Promote the Absorption of Leaked H2S.

Natural gas generates varying concentrations of H2S during natural formation and extraction, and H2S leak accidents are frequent, posing a significant threat to the safety of human life and the environment. Conventional treatment technology equipment is large and does not meet the emergency requirements of the complex topographical gas field. This study aimed to design a pilot-scale method coupling the venturi and bubbling reactors to reduce equipment size and improve emergency capabilities for the absorption of leaked H2S. It found that the ring system self-priming venturi reactor, which was suitable only for the coarse treatment of toxic gases, maintained an absorption efficiency of around 50% under most operating conditions, with substantial variations due to changes in process parameters, but that redundancy of the bubbling reactor was high. With the synergistic effect of venturi and bubbling, the coupling process had an extremely high absorption efficiency, basically more than 95%. The experiments also showed that the H2S concentration at the outlet of the venturi-bubbling reactor increased with increasing inlet gas concentration and gas volume. The absorption performance improved significantly on increasing Fe3+ concentration; it increased first and then remained constant, and the optimum Fe3+ concentration for the absorption of leaked H2S was 21 000 mg/m3. The absorption performance decreased with increasing submergence height and then remained stable after the size of the inlet approached 600 mm, whereas the overall absorption efficiency of the venturi-bubbling reactor remained constant. The optimum operating temperature range was 10 °C-50 °C. The experimental system kept the outlet concentration below the emergency discharge standard for a continuous period of 48 h following practical use in the gas field and resulting in significant enhancement in mass transfer performance, fully satisfying the emergency requirements.

Influence of PepF peptidase and sporulation on microcin J25 production in Bacillus subtilis.

The lasso peptide microcin J25 (MccJ25) possesses strong antibacterial properties and is considered a potential effective component of bacterial disease treatment drugs and safe food preservatives. Although MccJ25 can be heterologously expressed in Bacillus subtilis as we have previously reported, its regulation and accumulation are yet to be understood. Here, we investigated the expression level and stability of MccJ25 in B. subtilis strains with disruption in peptidase genes pepA, pepF, and pepT. Oligoendopeptidase F (PepF) was found to be involved in reduction of the production of MccJ25 by degradation of its precursor peptide. In the pepF mutant, the MccJ25 reached a concentration of 1.68 µM after a cultivation time exceeding 60 hours, while the wild-type strain exhibited a concentration of only 0.14 µM. Moreover, the production of MccJ25 in B. subtilis downregulated the genes associated with sporulation, and this may contribute to its accumulation. Finally, this study provides a strategy to improve the stability and production of MccJ25 in B. subtilis. IMPORTANCE: MccJ25 displays significant antibacterial activity, a well-defined mode of action, exceptional safety, and remarkable stability. Hence, it presents itself as a compelling candidate for an optimal antibacterial or anti-endotoxin medication. The successful establishment of exogenous production of MccJ25 in Bacillus subtilis provides a strategy for reducing its production cost and diversifying its utilization. In this study, we have provided evidence indicating that both peptidase PepF and sporulation are significant factors that limit the expression of MccJ25 in B. subtilis. The ΔpepF and ΔsigF mutants of B. subtilis express MccJ25 with higher production yield and enhanced stability. To sum up, this study developed several better engineered strains of B. subtilis, which greatly reduced the consumption of MccJ25 during the nutrient depletion stage of the host strain, improved its production, and elucidated factors that may be involved in reducing MccJ25 accumulation in B. subtilis.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Short-Chain Fluorocarbon Surfactant PFHXA and the Anionic Surfactant SDS at the Air/Water Interface.

The research and development of alternatives to long-chain fluorocarbon surfactants are desperately needed because they are extremely toxic, difficult to break down, seriously harm the environment, and limit the use of conventional aqueous film-forming foam fire extinguishing agents. In this study, mixed surfactant systems containing the short-chain fluorocarbon surfactant perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHXA) and the hydrocarbon surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the microscopic properties at the air/water interface at different molar ratios. Some representative parameters, such as surface tension, degree of order, density distribution, radial distribution function, number of hydrogen bonds, and solvent-accessible surface area, were calculated. Molecular dynamics simulations show that compared with a single type of surfactant, mixtures of surfactants provide superior performance in improving the interfacial properties of the gas-liquid interface. A dense monolayer film is formed by the strong synergistic impact of the two surfactants. Compared to the pure SDS system, the addition of PFHXA caused SDS to be more vertically oriented at the air/water interface with a reduced tilt angle, and a more ordered structure of the mixed surfactants was observed. Hydrogen bonding between SDS headgroups and water molecules is enhanced with the increasing PFHXA. The surface activity is arranged in the following order: PFHXA/SDS = 1:1 > PFHXA/SDS = 3:1 > PFHXA/SDS = 1:3. These results indicate that a degree of synergistic relationship exists between PFHXA and SDS at the air/water interface.

INHBA regulates Hippo signaling to confer 5-FU chemoresistance mediated by cellular senescence in colon cancer cells.

Colon cancer has become a global public health challenge, and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) chemoresistance is a major obstacle in its treatment. Chemoresistance can be mediated by therapy-induced cellular senescence. This study intended to investigate mechanisms of INHBA (inhibin A) in 5-FU resistance mediated by cellular senescence in colon cancer. Bioinformatics analysis of INHBA expression in colon cancer tissues, survival analysis, and correlation analysis of cellular senescence markers were performed. The effects of INHBA on the biological characteristics and 5-FU resistance of colon cancer cells were examined through loss/gain-of-function and molecular assays. Finally, a xenograft mouse model was built to validate the mechanism of INHBA in vivo. INHBA was upregulated in colon cancer and was significantly positively correlated with cellular senescence markers uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), dense and erect panicle 1 (DEP1), and p21. Cellular senescence in colon cancer mediated 5-FU resistance. Downregulation of INHBA expression enhanced 5-FU sensitivity in colon cancer cells, inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, increased the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase, and it resulted in a lower proportion of senescent cells and lower levels of the cellular senescence markers interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8). Analysis of whether to use the pathway inhibitor Verteporfin proved that INHBA facilitated colon cancer cell senescence and enhanced 5-FU chemoresistance via inactivation of Hippo signaling pathway, and consistent results were obtained in vivo. Collectively, INHBA conferred 5-FU chemoresistance mediated by cellular senescence in colon cancer cells through negative regulation of Hippo signaling.

Anti-inflammatory activity of ß-glucans from different sources before and after fermentation by fecal bacteria in vitro.

BACKGROUND: ß-Glucans are widely sourced and have various physiological effects, including anti-inflammatory effects. However, the strength of the anti-inflammatory activity of ß-glucans from different sources remains unknown due to the lack of rapid and effective biomarkers. This study therefore aimed to screen out the ß-glucans with strong anti-inflammatory activity from five different sources and to further screen out possible biomarkers in metabolites after fermenting the ß-glucans with gut microorganisms. RESULTS: The results showed that all five ß-glucans inhibited the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory mediators and suppressed the mRNA expression level of TLR4/MyD88. Their anti-inflammatory mechanisms involved the inhibition of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and suppression of mRNA expression of the NF-κB pathway and JNK pathway. Among them, barley ß-glucan exhibited the strongest anti-inflammatory effect, followed by Ganoderma lucidum ß-glucan. Enhanced anti-inflammatory activity of ß-glucan was found after fermentation and may be related to the increased abundance of metabolites such as vanillin, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, caffeic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, and lactic acid. They were strongly positively correlated to the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Blautia, suggesting that the production of those metabolites may be responsible for the flourishing of the beneficial bacteria. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, barley was a preferred raw material for the preparation of ß-glucans with strong anti-inflammatory activity. Vanillin, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, caffeic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, and lactic acid were the possible biomarkers that could be utilized to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of ß-glucans. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Expression of aquaporin 1, 3 and 5 in colorectal carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis.

Background: Prognostic biomarkers in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have an important role in therapeutic strategy. Studies have shown that high expression of Aquaporin (AQP) is associated with poor prognosis in a variety of human tumors. AQP is involved in the initiation and development of CRC. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between the expression of AQP1, 3 and 5 and clinicopathological features or prognosis in CRC. Methods: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were analyzed based on the immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarray specimens including 112 patients with CRC between June 2006 and November 2008. The expression score of AQP (Allred_score and H_score) was digitally obtained with Qupath software. Patients were divided into high or low expression subgroups based on the optimal cut-off values. The relationship between expression of AQP and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated using chi-square test, t-test, or one-way ANOVA, when appropriate. Survival analysis of 5-year progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed with time-dependent ROC, Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate COX analysis. Results: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were associated with regional lymph node metastasis, histological grading, and tumor location in CRC, respectively (p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with high AQP1 expression had worse 5-year PFS than those with low AQP1 expression (Allred_score: 47% vs. 72%, p = 0.015; H_score: 52% vs. 78% p = 0.006), as well as 5-year OS (Allred_score: 51% vs. 75%, p = 0.005; H_score: 56% vs. 80%, p = 0.002). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that AQP1 expression was an independent risk prognostic factor (p = 0.033, HR = 2.274, HR95% CI: 1.069-4.836). There was no significant correlation between the expression of AQP3 and 5 and the prognosis. Conclusion: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions correlate with different clinicopathological characteristics and the AQP1 expression may be a potential biomarker of prognosis in CRC.

Ultra-high b-Value DWI in predicting progression risk of locally advanced rectal cancer: a comparative study with routine DWI.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis prediction of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) was important to individualized treatment, we aimed to investigate the performance of ultra-high b-value DWI (UHBV-DWI) in progression risk prediction of LARC and compare with routine DWI. METHODS: This retrospective study collected patients with rectal cancer from 2016 to 2019. Routine DWI (b = 0, 1000 s/mm2) and UHBV-DWI (b = 0, 1700 ~ 3500 s/mm2) were processed with mono-exponential model to generate ADC and ADCuh, respectively. The performance of the ADCuh was compared with ADC in 3-year progression free survival (PFS) assessment using time-dependent ROC and Kaplan-Meier curve. Prognosis model was constructed with ADCuh, ADC and clinicopathologic factors using multivariate COX proportional hazard regression analysis. The prognosis model was assessed with time-dependent ROC, decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients with LARC (TNM-stage II-III) were evaluated. ADCuh performed better than ADC for 3-year PFS assessment (AUC = 0.754 and 0.586, respectively). Multivariate COX analysis showed that ADCuh and ADC were independent factors for 3-year PFS (P < 0.05). Prognostic model 3 (TNM-stage + extramural venous invasion (EMVI) + ADCuh) was superior than model 2 (TNM-stage + EMVI + ADC) and model 1 (TNM-stage + EMVI) for 3-year PFS prediction (AUC = 0.805, 0.719 and 0.688, respectively). DCA showed that model 3 had higher net benefit than model 2 and model 1. Calibration curve demonstrated better agreement of model 1 than model 2 and model 1. CONCLUSIONS: ADCuh from UHBV-DWI performed better than ADC from routine DWI in predicting prognosis of LARC. The model based on combination of ADCuh, TNM-stage and EMVI could help to indicate progression risk before treatment.

Synthesis of Carboxyl Modified Polyether Polysiloxane Surfactant for the Biodegradable Foam Fire Extinguishing Agents.

It is necessary to develop novel and efficient alternatives to fluorocarbon surfactant and prepare fluorine-free environmentally-friendly fire extinguishing agent. The carboxyl modified polyether polysiloxane surfactant (CMPS) with high surface activity was synthesized via the esterification reaction using hydroxyl-containing polyether modified polysiloxane (HPMS) and maleic anhydride (MA) as raw materials. The process conditions of the esterification reaction were optimized by orthogonal tests, and the optimum process parameters were determined as follows: reaction temperature of 85 °C, reaction time of 4.5 h, isopropyl alcohol content of 20% and the molar ratio of HPMS/MA of 1/1. The chemical structure, surface activity, aggregation behavior, foam properties, wetting properties and electron distribution were systematically investigated. It was found that the carboxyl group was successfully grafted into silicone molecule, and the conjugated system was formed, which changed the interaction force between the molecules and would affect the surface activity of the aqueous solution. The CMPS exhibited excellent surface activity and could effectively reduce the water's surface tension to 18.46 mN/m. The CMPS formed spherical aggregates in aqueous solution, and the contact angle value of CMPS is 15.56°, illustrating that CMPS had excellent hydrophilicity and wetting performance. The CMPS can enhance the foam property and has good stability. The electron distribution results indicate that the introduced carboxyl groups are more inclined towards the negative charge band, which would be conducive to weak the interaction between molecules and improve the surface activity of the solution. Consequently, new foam fire extinguishing agents were prepared by using CMPS as a key component and they exhibited excellent fire-fighting performance. The prepared CMPS would be the optimal alternative to fluorocarbon surfactant and could be applied in foam extinguishing agents.

Establishing Heterologous Production of Microcins J25 and Y in Bacillus subtilis.

Microcin J25 (MccJ25) and microcin Y (MccY) are lasso peptides and considered potential alternatives to antibiotics and harmful preservatives. The combination of these two microcins can provide a wide antimicrobial spectrum against food-borne Salmonella. Currently, MccJ25 and MccY are produced using Escherichia coli expression systems; however, the entire production process is accompanied by negative effects from endotoxins. In this study, we identified Bacillus subtilis as a suitable host for MccJ25 and MccY production. High-level production of microcins was achieved by promoter optimization, host strain selection, and recombinant expression. The engineered strains produced maximum yields of 2.827 µM MccJ25 and 1.481 µM MccY. This is the first study to demonstrate the expression of MccJ25 and MccY in B. subtilis, and it offers a few engineered strains that are without antibiotic resistance markers, inducer-free, sporulation-deficient, and free of the negative effects of endotoxins for antibacterial therapy and food preservation.

Recycling of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries by self-supplied reductant roasting.

The massive spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) need to be recycled due to their increasing decommission in recent years. This paper aims to propose an effective process that uses self-supplied reductant roasting and acid leaching to recover Lithium, Nickle, Cobalt and Manganese from spent LIBs. In the absence of external carbon resources, the waste membrane from spent LIBs was used as the reductant in the self-supplied reductant roasting. A thermodynamic analysis was conducted to judge the possible reduction reaction between the cathode material and waste membrane. Then, the effects of roasting temperature, roasting time and membrane dosage on the crystal structure and phase transformation of roasting products were investigated and optimized. After the roasting process, the valence state of metals in the cathode material decreased and the structure became loose and porous. Moreover, the layer structure of the cathode material was transformed into groups of Li2CO3, Ni, Co, NiO, CoO and MnO. Further, the reduction effect of cathode powders under each roasting condition was verified under the same leaching conditions. After leaching for 30 min, the leaching efficiencies of Li, Ni, Co and Mn were over 99% under the optimum roasting conditions. Finally, economic assessments proved that the proposed process is profitable. The whole process demonstrates an effective and positive way for recycling spent LIBs and making full use of their waste membrane, which promotes resource recovery and environmental protection.

Marine Fish Protein Peptide Regulating Potassium Oxonate-Induced Intestinal Dysfunction in Hyperuricemia Rats Helps Alleviate Kidney Inflammation.

The metabolic disease hyperuricemia (HUA) is characterized by a disturbance in purine metabolism. Peptides, such as marine fish-derived peptides, have previously been shown to be effective in alleviating HUA. In this study, HUA rats were induced by potassium oxonate with 100 mg/kg (L), 200 mg/kg (M), and 400 mg/kg (H) of marine fish protein peptide (MFPP). The results showed that MFPP could effectively reduce the serum uric acid (SUA) levels compared with the model group rats; kidney histopathology and the levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10) indicated that MFPP attenuated HUA-induced kidney inflammation. Meanwhile, MFPP restored the abundance of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus, Blautia, Colidextribacter, and Intestinimonas. MFPP further repaired the intestinal barrier by recovering the expression of gene Ildr2 encoding the tricellular tight junction protein ILDR2 and the immune-related genes Ccr7 and Nr4a3 and also regulated the expression of Entpd8 and Cyp27b1 to restore kidney function and uric acid metabolism. MFPP was proved to have potential as a therapeutic strategy to be included in dietary intervention to relieve HUA.

Prognostic value of multi b-value DWI in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential of multi b-value DWI in predicting the prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). METHODS: From 2015 to 2019, a total of 161 patients with LARC were enrolled and randomly sampled into a training set (n = 113) and validation set (n = 48). Multi b-value DWI (b = 0~1500 s/mm2) scans were postprocessed to generate functional parameters, including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), Dt, Dp, f, distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC), and α. Histogram features of each functional parameter were submitted into Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and stepwise multivariate COX analysis to generate DWI_score based on the training set. The prognostic model was constructed with functional parameter, DWI_score, and clinicopathologic factors by using univariate and multivariate COX analysis on the training set and verified on the validation set. RESULTS: Multivariate COX analysis revealed that DWI_score was an independent indicator for 5-year progression-free survival (PFS, HR = 5.573, p < 0.001), but not for overall survival (OS, HR = 2.177, p = 0.051). No mean value of functional parameters was correlated with PFS or OS. Prognostic model for 5-year PFS based on DWI_score, TNM-stage, mesorectal fascia (MRF), and extramural venous invasion (EMVI) showed good performance both in the training set (AUC = 0.819) and validation set (AUC = 0.815). CONCLUSIONS: The DWI_score based on histogram features of multi b-value DWI functional parameters was an independent factor for PFS of LARC and the prognostic model with a combination of DWI_score and clinicopathologic factors could indicate the progression risk before treatment. KEY POINTS: • Mean value of functional parameters obtained from multi b-value DWI might not be useful to assess the prognosis of LARC. • The DWI_score based on histogram features of multi b-value DWI functional parameters was an independent prognosis factor for PFS of LARC. • Prognostic model based on DWI_score and clinicopathologic factors could indicate the progression risk of LARC before treatment.

Correlation between Genes of the ceRNA Network and Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells and Their Biomarker Screening in Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma.

This study aimed to using bioinformatics tools, qPCR, and the immunohistochemical analysis to find out factors related to the early diagnosis and prognosis of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). The expression profiles of lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA of KIRC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A ceRNA regulatory network was constructed based on the interaction between these three differentially expressed genes. The CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm was used to analyze the differential distribution of 22 types of immune cells. The Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox analyses were used to screen genes of the ceRNA network and also immune cell subtypes related to the clinical and prognostic prediction of KIRC. Co-expression regulatory relationships were found among LINC01426, LINC00894, CCNA2, L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM), and T follicular helper cells, which served as potential biomarkers. The results of quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed that LINC01426 was upregulated while L1CAM was downregulated in KIRC, but no difference was found in the expression levels of LINC00894 and CCNA2 in cancer and adjacent samples. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that T follicular helper cells were more concentrated in core tissues and metastases of KIRC. In a word, co-expression relationships were found among LINC01426, L1CAM, and T follicular helper cells, and they may serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of KIRC.

Study on the thermal reduction effect of organic components in spent ternary lithium battery cathode active materials.

To improve the adhesion between cathode materials and current collector, and increase the electronic conductivity among electroactive substances, a certain proportion of conductive agents (acetylene black) and agglomerant (PVDF) are usually added in the battery manufacturing process. However, these conductive agents have negative effects on the recovery of cathode materials by pyrolysis or calcination. Recognizing this issue, a method based on the concept of "treating spent with spent" was developed in this paper. Organic matters contained in cathode active materials functioned as the reduction reagents, which can reduce the valence state of transition metals, resulting in the breakdown of the strong chemical bond and the stable layered structure of cathode materials. In this study, the thermal reduction effect of different organic components on cathode active materials was analyzed respectively to evaluate the reduction function of each component. XRD, XPS and ICP-MS were used to compare and analyze changes of phase, element compound state and ion leaching efficiencies of different cathode materials before and after thermal reduction under different amounts of reducing agents. The results show that both PVDF and acetylene black reduced the high-valent metals to low-valent oxides or elemental substances, demonstrating their thermal reduction capabilities. Comparisons of the XRD, XPS analysis and ion leaching results of thermal reduced products suggest that acetylene black has a stronger thermal reduction ability than that of PVDF. The results also show that the reduction of the high nickel cathode material (NCM811) is easier than that of the low nickel cathode material (NCM111).