Transcriptomic analysis identifies the shared diagnostic biomarkers and immune relationship between Atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm based on fatty acid metabolism gene set.

Background: Epidemiological research has demonstrated that there is a connection between lipid metabolism disorder and an increased risk of developing arteriosclerosis (AS) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, the precise relationship between lipid metabolism, AS, and AAA is still not fully understood. The objective of this study was to examine the pathways and potential fatty acid metabolism-related genes (FRGs) that are shared between AS and AAA. Methods: AS- and AAA-associated datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the limma package was utilized to identify differentially expressed FRGs (DFRGs) common to both AS and AAA patients. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted on the (DFRGs), and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established. The selection of signature genes was performed through the utilization of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and random forest (RF). Subsequently, a nomogram was developed using the results of the screening process, and the crucial genes were validated in two separate external datasets (GSE28829 and GSE17901) as well as clinical samples. In the end, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was utilized to assess the immune cell patterns in both AS and AAA. Additionally, the correlation between key crosstalk genes and immune cell was evaluated. Results: In comparison to control group, both AS and AAA patients exhibited a decrease in fatty acid metabolism score. We found 40 DFRGs overlapping in AS and AAA, with lipid and amino acid metabolism critical in their pathogenesis. PCBD1, ACADL, MGLL, BCKDHB, and IDH3G were identified as signature genes connecting AS and AAA. Their expression levels were confirmed in validation datasets and clinical samples. The analysis of immune infiltration showed that neutrophils, NK CD56dim cells, and Tem cells are important in AS and AAA development. Correlation analysis suggested that these signature genes may be involved in immune cell infiltration. Conclusion: The fatty acid metabolism pathway appears to be linked to the development of both AS and AAA. Furthermore, PCBD1, ACADL, MGLL, BCKDHB, and IDH3G have the potential to serve as diagnostic markers for patients with AS complicated by AAA.

Highly Elastic, Robust, and Efficient Hydrogel Solar Absorber against Harsh Environmental Impacts.

Solar distillation is a promising approach for addressing water scarcity, but relentless stress/strain perturbations induced by wind and waves would inevitably cause structural damage to solar absorbers. Despite notable advances in efficient solar absorbers, there have been no reports of compliant and robust solar absorbers withstanding practical mechanical impacts. Herein, an elastic and robust hydrogel absorber that exhibited a high level of evaporation performance was fabricated by introducing ion-coordinated MXene nanosheets as photothermal conversion units and mechanically enhanced fillers. The ion-coordinated MXene nanosheets acting as strong cross-linking points provided excellent elasticity and robustness to the hydrogel absorber. As a result, the evaporation rate of hydrogel absorber, with a high initial value of 2.61 kg m-2 h-1 under one sun irradiation, remained at 2.15 kg m-2 h-1 under a 100% tensile strain state and 2.40 kg m-2 h-1 after 10 000 stretching-releasing cycles. This continuous and stable water desalination approach provides a promising device for actual seawater distillation.

A Microphase-Separated Design toward an All-Round Ionic Hydrogel with Discriminable and Anti-Disturbance Multisensory Functions.

Stretchable ionic hydrogels with superior all-round properties that can detect multimodal sensations with excellent discriminability and robustness against external disturbances are highly required for artificial electronic skinapplications. However, some critical material parameters exhibit intrinsic tradeoffs with each other for most ionic hydrogels. Here, a microphase-separated hydrogel is demonstrated by combining three strategies: (1) using of a low crosslinker/monomer ratio to obtain highly entangled polymer chains as the first network; (2) the introduction of zwitterions into the first network; (3) the synthesis of an ultrasoft polyelectrolyte as the second network. This all-round elastic ionic hydrogel exhibits a low Young's modulus (< 60 kPa), large stretchability (> 900%), high resilience (> 95%), unique strain-stiffening behavior, excellent fatigue tolerance, high ionic conductivity (> 2.0 S m⁻1), and anti-freezing capability, which have not been achieved before. These properties allow the ionic hydrogel to operate as a stretchable multimodal sensor that can detect and decouple multiple stimuli (temperature, pressure, and proximity) with excellent discriminability, high sensitivity, and strong sensing-robustness against strains or temperature perturbations. The ionic hydrogel sensor exhibits great potential for intelligent electronic skin applications such as reliable health monitoring and accurate object identification.

K-guided selective regulation mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation over Ni/CeO2 catalyst.

Regulating the selectivity between CO and CH4 during CO2 hydrogenation is a challenging research topic. Previous research has indicated that potassium (K) modification can adjust the product selectivity by regulating the adsorption strength of formate/CO* intermediates. Going beyond the regulation mechanism described above, this study proposes a K-guided selectivity control method based on the regulation of key intermediates HCO*/H3CO* for Ni catalysts supported on reducible carrier CeO2. By incorporating K, the CO selectivity of CO2 hydrogenation shifts from around 25.4% for Ni/CeO2 to approximately 93.8% for Ni/CeO2-K. This can be attributed to K modification causes electron aggregation in the bonding regions of HCO* and H3CO* intermediates, thus enhancing their adsorption strength. Consequently, the reaction pathway from HCO*/H3CO* to CH4 is limited, favoring the decomposition of formates to CO products. Moreover, the addition of K leads to a moderate decrease in CO2 conversion from 55.2% to 48.6%, which still surpasses values reported in most other studies. This reduction is associated with a decline in reducible Ni species and oxygen vacancy concentration in Ni/CeO2-K. As a result, the adsorption capacity for CO2 and H2 reduces, ultimately reducing CO2 hydrogenation activity.

FGF21 promotes angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a potentially fatal vascular disorder with a high mortality rate. It was previously reported that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was highly expressed in AAA patients. Nonetheless, its underlying mechanism in AAA progression is unclarified. METHODS: Angiotensin II (Ang-II) was used to induce AAA in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and mouse models. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were utilized for measuring protein and RNA levels. Immunofluorescence staining was utilized for detecting LC3B expression in HASMCs. Elastica van Gieson staining was conducted for histological analysis of the abdominal aortas of mice. RESULTS: FGF21 displayed a high level in Ang-II-stimulated HASMCs and AAA mice. FGF21 depletion ameliorated abdominal aorta dilation and Ang-II-triggered pathological changes in mice. FGF21 silencing hindered autophagy and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. CONCLUSIONS: FGF21 contributes to AAA progression by enhancing autophagy and activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Biomimetic Ultratough, Strong, and Ductile Artificial Polymer Fiber Based on Immovable and Slidable Cross-links.

It remains a challenge to artificially fabricate fibers with the macroscopic mechanical properties and characteristics of spider silk. Herein, a covalently cross-linked double-network strategy was proposed to disrupt the inverse relation of strength and toughness in the fabrication of ultratough and superstrong artificial polymer fibers. Our design utilized a strong fishnet-like structure based on immovable cellulose nanocrystal cross-links to mimic the function of the ß-sheet nanocrystallites and a slidable mechanically interlocked network based on polyrotaxane to imitate the dissipative stick-slip motion of the ß-strands in spider silk. The resultant fiber exhibited superior mechanical properties, including gigapascal tensile strength, a ductility of over 60%, and a toughness exceeding 420 MJ/m3. The fibers also showed robust biological functions similar to those of spider silks, demonstrating mechanical enhancement, energy absorption ability, and shape memory. A composite with our artificial fibers as reinforcing fibers exhibited remarkable tear and fatigue resistance.

Meloidogyne paramali n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogyninae) and First Report of M. marylandi in maple and yacca tree from Japan.

Meloidogyne paramali n. sp. was detected from Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) from Chiba, Japan during quarantine inspections in China. This species is characterized by second-stage juveniles (J2) with short tail length 32.2 (24-36.8) µm, finely rounded to broadly pointed tail terminus with extremely short hyaline tail terminus 4.3 (3.0-4.9) µm; perineal patterns of females characterized by an oval or irregular appearance, with round and low dorsal arch, and fine and smooth striae. M. paramali n. sp. is very similar to M. mali in that the perineal pattern has fine, smooth striae and both J2 have a short tail, but it can be distinguished from the latter by perineal pattern of the female (lateral field distinct vs. indistinct), shorter J2 hyaline tail terminus (4.3 [3.0-4.9] µm vs. 8.2 [4.8-12.7] µm, and by J2 tail with finely rounded to broadly pointed tail terminus, never sharply pointed vs. finely rounded and almost pointed. The polytomous key codes of the new species are as follows: Female: A21, B2, C32, D4; Male: A21, B3, C2, D1, E2, F2; J2: A2, B23, C43, D34, E12, F34. Detailed phylogenetic analysis based on partial 18S, ITS, D2-D3 28S, and partial mtCOI sequences also confirmed it as a new species, which is very close to M. mali and M. vitis and forms molecular group VIII. M. marylandi and other Meloidogyne species detected from plants from Japan in China are also discussed.

EPS8L3 promotes pancreatic cancer proliferation and metastasis by activating GSK3B.

Background: We intended to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of EPS8L3 in increase the development of pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: In order to analyze the relationship between EPS8L3 level and clinicopathological indicators of PC patients, qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of EPS8L3 in tumor specimens of 40 PC patients. EPS8L3 knockdown models were then constructed in PC cell lines. Furthermore, the effect of EPS8L3 on PC cell function was analyzed by CCK-8 and Transwell assay. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay and recovery assay were used to further investigate the underlying mechanism. Results: qRT-PCR results indicated that EPS8L3 was highly expressed in PC tissues compared with adjacent ones. At the same time, the incidence of distant metastasis was higher in PC patients with high EPS8L3 level. In vitro analysis such as CCK-8 and Transwell experimentations indicated that knockdown of EPS8L3 markedly inhibited the proliferative and metastatic ability. Bio-informatics together with luciferase report assay proposing that EPS8L3 can target GSK3B. Western Blot results revealed that knockdown of EPS8L3 markedly reduced the GSK3B expression in PC cells, and there was a positively associated between the two in PC cells. In addition, the recovery experimentation proved that EPS8L3 and GSK3B have a mutual regulation effect. Overexpression of GSK3B can reversal the prohibitive effect of EPS8L3 knockdown on the malignant development of PC cells, thereby jointly regulating the occurrence and development of PC. Conclusions: EPS8L3 promotes the development of PC by regulating GSK3B, suggesting that EPS8L3 can be used as a biomarker for early diagnosis and treatment of PC.

Extremely Robust and Multifunctional Nanocomposite Fibers for Strain-Unperturbed Textile Electronics.

Textile electronics are needed that can achieve strain-unaltered performance when they undergo irregular and repeated strain deformation. Such strain-unaltered textile electronics require advanced fibers that simultaneously have high functionalities and extreme robustness as fabric materials. Current synthetic nanocomposite fibers based on inorganic matrix have remarkable functionalities but often suffer from low robustness and poor tolerance against crack formation. Here, we present a design for a high-performance multifunctional nanocomposite fiber that is mechanically and electrically robust, which was realized by crosslinking titanium carbide (MXene) nanosheets with a slide-ring polyrotaxane to form an internal mechanically-interlocked network. This inorganic matrix nanocomposite fiber featured distinct strain-hardening mechanical behavior and exceptional load-bearing capability (toughness approaching 60 MJ m-3 and ductility over 27%). It retained 100% of its ductility after cyclic strain loading. Moreover, the high electrical conductivity (>1.1 × 105 S m-1 ) and electrochemical performance (>360 F cm-3 ) of the nanocomposite fiber can be well retained after subjecting the fiber to extensive (>25% strain) and long-term repeated (10 000 cycles) dimensional changes. Such superior robustness allowed for the fabrication of the nanocomposite fibers into various robust wearable devices, such as textile-based electromechanical sensors with strain-unalterable sensing performance and fiber-shaped supercapacitors with invariant electrochemical performance for 10 000 strain loading cycles.

Long-term exposure to genistein inhibits the proliferation of gallbladder cancer by downregulating the MCM complex.

Soy isoflavones are natural tyrosine kinase inhibitors closely associated with decreased morbidity and mortality of various tumors. The activation of tyrosine kinases such as ERBB2 is the mechanism by which cholecystitis transforms into gallbladder cancer (GBC), therefore, it is important to investigate the relationship between long-term exposure to soy isoflavones and the occurrence and progression of GBC. This case-control study (n = 85 pairs) found that the high level of plasma soy isoflavone-genistein (GEN) was associated with a lower risk of gallbladder cancer (≥326.00 ng/mL compared to ≤19.30 ng/mL, crude odds ratio 0.15, 95% CI 0.04-0.59; P for trend = 0.016), and that the level of GEN exposure negatively correlated with Ki67 expression in GBC tissue (n = 85). Consistent with these results, the proliferation of GBC cells was inhibited in the long-term exposure models of GEN in vitro and in vivo. The long-term exposure to GEN reduced the tyrosine kinase activity of ERBB2 and impaired the function of the PTK6-AKT-GSK3ß axis, leading to downregulation of the MCM complex in GBC cells. In summary, long-term exposure to GEN associated with soy products intake might play a certain role in preventing GBC and even inhibiting the proliferation of GBC cells.

Fenpropathrin exposure induces neurotoxicity in zebrafish embryos.

Fenpropathrin has been a commonly used insecticide to control agricultural and household insects over a few decades. Up to now, fenpropathrin residue in soil and water has been often determined due to its widespread use, which poses serious threat to environment and aquatic organisms. The potential of fenpropathrin to affect aquatic lives is still poorly understood. In this study, we used zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo as an experimental model system to evaluate the toxicity of fenpropathrin to the development of zebrafish nervous system. Zebrafish embryos were separately exposed to fenpropathrin at the dose of 0.016 mg/L, 0.032 mg/L, 0.064 mg/L, starting at 6 h post-fertilizationhpf (hpf) up to 96 hpf. The results showed that fenpropathrin exposure gives rise to physiological, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental impairments in zebrafish embryos, including enhanced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, abnormal swimming behavior, karyopyknosis in brain cells, increased intercellular space, and uneven migration of neuron in brain area. In addition, the expressions of genes concerning neurodevelopment and neurotransmitter system were inhibited following fenpropathrin exposure. We also found that fenpropathrin exposure distinctly induced oxidative stress by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and inhibiting the production of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Expectedly, some apoptosis-associated genes were induced and the apoptosis appeared in the brain and heart cells of zebrafish embryos. Moreover, fenpropathrin exposure also inhibited the expressions of genes in Nrf2 signaling pathway, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and SOD. In summary, the results of this study indicate that oxidative stress-triggered apoptosis may be an underlying fundamental of fenpropathrin-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish embryos.

Discrimination of Minced Mutton Adulteration Based on Sized-Adaptive Online NIRS Information and 2D Conventional Neural Network.

Single-probe near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) usually uses different spectral information for modelling, but there are few reports about its influence on model performance. Based on sized-adaptive online NIRS information and the 2D conventional neural network (CNN), minced samples of pure mutton, pork, duck, and adulterated mutton with pork/duck were classified in this study. The influence of spectral information, convolution kernel sizes, and classifiers on model performance was separately explored. The results showed that spectral information had a great influence on model accuracy, of which the maximum difference could reach up to 12.06% for the same validation set. The convolution kernel sizes and classifiers had little effect on model accuracy but had significant influence on classification speed. For all datasets, the accuracy of the CNN model with mean spectral information per direction, extreme learning machine (ELM) classifier, and 7 × 7 convolution kernel was higher than 99.56%. Considering the rapidity and practicality, this study provides a fast and accurate method for online classification of adulterated mutton.

Tumor-derived exosomes in hypoxic microenvironment: release mechanism, biological function and clinical application.

Hypoxia is a key feature of solid tumors and is related to disease aggressiveness and adverse outcomes. It is recognized that the two-way communication between cancer cells and their microenvironment is critical to cancer progression. Increasing evidences show that the cellular communication and crosstalk between tumor cells and their microenvironment is not limited to secreted molecules, but also includes exosomes secreted by tumor cells. Exosomes are nano-scale extracellular vesicles (30-100 nm in diameter), which carry the molecular characteristics and cargo of the source cell, participating in intercellular communication through autocrine, paracrine and near-crine pathways. Recent studies have shown that cancer cells produce more exosomes under hypoxic conditions than normoxia conditions. The secretion and function of exosomes could be influenced by hypoxia in various types of cancer. Therefore, in this review, we summarize and discuss the latest research on the physiological mechanism of hypoxia regulating the secretion of exosomes, and the involvement of hypoxic exosomes in cancer progression and immune escape processes, and expounds the potential for targeting hypoxia-induced exosomes for cancer therapy strategies.

An Overdispersed Black-Box Variational Bayesian-Kalman Filter with Inaccurate Noise Second-Order Statistics.

Aimed at the problems in which the performance of filters derived from a hypothetical model will decline or the cost of time of the filters derived from a posterior model will increase when prior knowledge and second-order statistics of noise are uncertain, a new filter is proposed. In this paper, a Bayesian robust Kalman filter based on posterior noise statistics (KFPNS) is derived, and the recursive equations of this filter are very similar to that of the classical algorithm. Note that the posterior noise distributions are approximated by overdispersed black-box variational inference (O-BBVI). More precisely, we introduce an overdispersed distribution to push more probability density to the tails of variational distribution and incorporated the idea of importance sampling into two strategies of control variates and Rao-Blackwellization in order to reduce the variance of estimators. As a result, the convergence process will speed up. From the simulations, we can observe that the proposed filter has good performance for the model with uncertain noise. Moreover, we verify the proposed algorithm by using a practical multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Quinisulcius curvus from China.

A stunt nematode species, Quinisulcius curvus, recovered from the rhizosphere of sea randa (Guettarda speciosa), is described and characterized herein based on integrative taxonomy. Morphometrics and distribution of all reported populations of Q. curvus are also discussed. The Chinese population of Q. curvus displayed slight variation in stylet length; however, the rest of the characters matches well with the original description. This is the first record of Q. curvus from Hainan, China, and the first molecular characterization for this species. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 18S, 28S and ITS sequences placed Q. curvus with related stunt nematodes species, but clearly separated from them. The present study expanded the geographic record and provided molecular data on Q. curvus from China.

Prognostic significance of regional lymphadenectomy in T1b gallbladder cancer: Results from 24 hospitals in China.

BACKGROUND: Whether regional lymphadenectomy (RL) should be routinely performed in patients with T1b gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains a subject of debate. AIM: To investigate whether RL can improve the prognosis of patients with T1b GBC. METHODS: We studied a multicenter cohort of patients with T1b GBC who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2016 at 24 hospitals in 13 provinces in China. The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model were used to compare the overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent cholecystectomy (Ch) + RL and those who underwent Ch only. To investigate whether combined hepatectomy (Hep) improved OS in T1b patients, we studied patients who underwent Ch + RL to compare the OS of patients who underwent combined Hep and patients who did not. RESULTS: Of the 121 patients (aged 61.9 ± 10.1 years), 77 (63.6%) underwent Ch + RL, and 44 (36.4%) underwent Ch only. Seven (9.1%) patients in the Ch + RL group had lymph node metastasis. The 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in the Ch + RL group than in the Ch group (76.3% vs 56.8%, P = 0.036). Multivariate analysis showed that Ch + RL was significantly associated with improved OS (hazard ratio: 0.51; 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.99). Among the 77 patients who underwent Ch + RL, no survival improvement was found in patients who underwent combined Hep (5-year OS rate: 79.5% for combined Hep and 76.1% for no Hep; P = 0.50). CONCLUSION: T1b GBC patients who underwent Ch + RL had a better prognosis than those who underwent Ch. Hep + Ch showed no improvement in prognosis in T1b GBC patients. Although recommended by both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Chinese Medical Association guidelines, RL was only performed in 63.6% of T1b GBC patients. Routine Ch + RL should be advised in T1b GBC.

Protocol for a gallbladder cancer registry study in China: the Chinese Research Group of Gallbladder Cancer (CRGGC) study.

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder cancer (GBC), the sixth most common gastrointestinal tract cancer, poses a significant disease burden in China. However, no national representative data are available on the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of GBC in the Chinese population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Chinese Research Group of Gallbladder Cancer (CRGGC) study is a multicentre retrospective registry cohort study. Clinically diagnosed patient with GBC will be identified from 1 January 2008 to December, 2019, by reviewing the electronic medical records from 76 tertiary and secondary hospitals across 28 provinces in China. Patients with pathological and radiological diagnoses of malignancy, including cancer in situ, from the gallbladder and cystic duct are eligible, according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2019 guidelines. Patients will be excluded if GBC is the secondary diagnosis in the discharge summary. The demographic characteristics, medical history, physical examination results, surgery information, pathological data, laboratory examination results and radiology reports will be collected in a standardised case report form. By May 2021, approximately 6000 patient with GBC will be included. The clinical follow-up data will be updated until 5 years after the last admission for GBC of each patient. The study aimed (1) to depict the clinical characteristics, including demographics, pathology, treatment and prognosis of patient with GBC in China; (2) to evaluate the adherence to clinical guidelines of GBC and (3) to improve clinical practice for diagnosing and treating GBC and provide references for policy-makers. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol of the CRGGC has been approved by the Committee for Ethics of Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SHEC-C-2019-085). All results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04140552, Pre-results.

A facile preparation method for anti-freezing, tough, transparent, conductive and thermoplastic poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate/glycerol organohydrogel electrolyte.

Facile preparation of organohydrogel electrolyte integrated with good anti-freezing property, toughness, transparency, conductivity and thermoplasticity is important and still remains challenging. Novel conductive and tough poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate/glycerol (PVA/SA/Gly) composite organohydrogel electrolytes were obtained by a simple method in this paper. PVA and SA was firstly dissolved in a mixed solution of distilled water and glycerol and the PVA/SA/Gly organohydrogel was obtained by the freezing-thawing process, then PVA/SA/Gly organohydrogel was immersed into the saturated NaCl aqueous solution. During the soaking process NaCl would enter into the PVA/SA/Gly organohydrogel to increase the gel strength and conductivity. The PVA/SA/Gly organohydrogel electrolytes performed the high toughness with the tensile strength and elongation at break of 1.43 MPa and 558%, respectively. Moreover, the PVA/SA/Gly organohydrogel electrolytes behaved high transparency, anti-freezing property, conductivity and thermoplasticity due to the incorporation of glycerol. This paper provides a new preparation method for the high-performance organohydrogel electrolyte.

TBL1XR1 induces cell proliferation and inhibit cell apoptosis by the PI3K/AKT pathway in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest solid tumors. Identification of diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for PDAC is urgently needed. Transducin (ß)-like 1 X-linked receptor 1 (TBL1XR1) has been linked to the progression of various human cancers. Nevertheless, the function and role of TBL1XR1 in pancreatic cancers are unclear. AIM: To elucidate the function and potential mechanism of TBL1XR1 in the development of PDAC. METHODS: Ninety patients with histologically-confirmed PDAC were included in this study. PDAC tumor samples and cell lines were used to determine the expression of TBL1XR1. CCK-8 assays and colony formation assays were carried out to assess PDAC cell viability. Flow cytometry was performed to measure the changes in the cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Changes in related protein expression were measured by western blot analysis. Animal analysis was conducted to confirm the impact of TBL1XR1 in vivo. RESULTS: Patients with TBL1XR1-positive tumors had worse overall survival than those with TBL1XR1-negative tumors. Moreover, we found that TBL1XR1 strongly promoted PDAC cell proliferation and inhibited PDAC cell apoptosis. Moreover, knockdown of TBL1XR1 induced G0/G1 phase arrest. In vivo animal studies confirmed that TBL1XR1 accelerated tumor cell growth. The results of western blot analysis showed that TBL1XR1 might play a key role in regulating PDAC cell proliferation and apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSION: TBL1XR1 promoted PDAC cell progression and might be an effective diagnostic and therapeutic marker for pancreatic cancer.

Multifunctional Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocomposite Organohydrogel for Flexible Strain and Temperature Sensor.

Hydrogels are important for stretchable and wearable multifunctional sensors, but their application is limited by their low mechanical strength and poor long-term stability. Herein, a conductive organohydrogel with a 3D honeycomb structure was prepared by integrating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black (CB) into a poly(vinyl alcohol)/glycerol (PVA/Gly) organohydrogel. Such a nanocomposite organohydrogel is built on a physical cross-linking network formed by the hydrogen bonds among PVA, glycerol, and water. CNTs and CB had an add-in synergistic impact on the mechanical and electrical performances of the PVA/Gly organohydrogel because of the distinct aspect ratios and geometric shapes. The prepared organohydrogel integrated with a tensile strength of 4.8 MPa, a toughness of 15.93 MJ m-3, and flexibility with an elongation at break up to 640%. The organohydrogels also showed good antifreezing feature, long-term moisture retention, self-healing, and thermoplasticity. Sensors designed from these organohydrogels displayed high stretching sensitivity to tensile strain and temperature, with a gauge factor of 2.1 within a relatively broad strain range (up to ∼600% strain), a temperature coefficient of resistance of -0.935%·°C-1, and long-term durability. The sensors could detect full-range human physiological signals and respond to the change in temperature, which are highly desired for multifunctional wearable electronic devices.