In situ growth of Zr-based metal-organic frameworks on cellulose sponges for Hg2+ and methylene blue removal.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are characterised by high porosity levels and controllable structures, making them ideal adsorbents for wastewater. However, obtaining substrate materials with mechanical stability, excellent pore accessibility, and good processability for compositing MOF crystal powders to adsorb multiple pollutants in complex aqueous environments is challenging. In this study, porous MOFs@ modified cellulose sponge (MCS) composites were fabricated using MCS as a scaffold to provide anchoring sites for the coordination of Zr4+ ions and further in situ synthesis of MOFs, namely UiO-66@MCS and UiO-66-NH2@MCS, which effectively removed heavy metal ions and organic dyes. MOFs@MCS composites exhibit excellent water and dimensional stability, maintaining the pore structure by ambient drying during reuse. Compared with UiO-66@MCS composite, UiO-66-NH2@MCS composite exhibited a higher adsorption capacity of 224.5 mg·g-1 for Hg2+ and 400.9 mg·g-1 for methylene blue (MB). The adsorption of Hg2+ onto the MOFs@MCS composites followed the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, whereas the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models were more suitable for MB adsorption. Moreover, the MOFs@MCS composites exhibited excellent reusability and were selective for the removal of Hg2+. Overall, this approach effectively combines Zr-based MOFs with mechanically and dimensionally stable porous cellulose sponges, rendering the approach suitable for purifying complex wastewater.

An Evaluation System of Robotic End-Effectors for Food Handling.

Owing to Japan's aging society and labor shortages, the food and agricultural industries are facing a significant demand for robotic food handling technologies. Considering the large variety of food products, available robotic end-effectors are limited. Our primary goal is to maximize the applicability of existing end-effectors and efficiently develop novel ones, and therefore, it is necessary to categorize food products and end-effectors from the viewpoint of robotic handling and establish their relationships through an effective evaluation approach. This study proposes a system for evaluating robotic end-effectors to identify appropriate ones and develop new ones. The evaluation system consists of food categorization based on food properties related to robotic handling, categorization of robotic end-effectors based on their grasping principles, a robotic system with visual recognition based on Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) to conduct handling tests, a scoring system for performance evaluation, and a visualization approach for presenting the results and comparisons. Based on food categorization, 14 real food items and their corresponding samples were chosen for handling tests. Seven robotic end-effectors, both commercialized and under development, were selected for evaluation. Using the proposed evaluation system, we quantitatively compared the performance of different end-effectors in handling different food items. We also observed differences in the handling of real food items and samples. The overall performance of an end-effector can be visualized and quantitatively evaluated to demonstrate its versatility in handling various food items.

Enhanced expression of RAGE/NADPH oxidase signaling pathway and increased level of oxidative stress in brains of rats with chronic fluorosis and the protective effects of blockers.

This investigation was designed to examine the potential involvement of RAGE/NADPH oxidase signaling in the damage to the brain caused by chronic fluorosis. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into 9 groups each containing 20 animals, Controls (C); rats receiving low (i.e., 10 ppm) (LF) or high does ( i.e., 50 ppm) (HF) of fluoride in their drinking water; and these same groups injected with FPS-ZM1, an inhibitor of RAGE, (CF, LFF and HFF, respectively) or administered EGb761, an active ingredient of Ginkgo biloba extract, intragastrically (CE, LFE, and HFE). Following 3 and 6 months of such treatment, the spatial learning and memory of the animals were assessed with the Morris water maze test; the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) assayed by biochemical methods; and the levels of proteins related to the RAGE/NADPH pathway determined by Western blot and of the corresponding mRNAs by qPCR. After 6 months, the spatial learning and memory of the LF and HF groups had declined; their brain contents of MDA and H2O2 increased and SOD activity decreased; and the levels of the RAGE, gp91, P47, phospho-P47phox and P22 proteins and corresponding mRNAs in their brains were all elevated. Interestingly, all of these pathological changes caused by fluorosis could be attenuated by both FPS-ZM1 and EGb761. These findings indicate that the brain damage induced by fluorosis may be caused, at least in part, by enhanced RAGE/NADPH oxidase signaling and that FPS-ZM1 or EGb761 might be of clinical value in connection with the treatment of this condition.

Electrochemical biosensor with electrokinetics-assisted molecular trapping for enhancing C-reactive protein detection.

C-Reactive protein (CRP) is an essential biomarker relevant to various disease prognoses. Current biosensors require a significant amount of time for detecting CRP. To address this issue, this work proposes electrokinetic flow-assisted molecule trapping integrated with an impedance biosensor, where a driving signal in terms of a gated sine wave is provided to circularly arranged electrodes which detect proteins. To verify the biosensor's efficacy, protein aggregation on the electrode surface was evaluated through a fluorescence analysis and measurement of the electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS). The fluorescence analysis with avidin showed that target samples largely accumulated on the electrode surface upon provision of the driving signal. The EIS measurement of CRP accumulation on the electrode surface further confirmed a significant electrokinetic phenomenon at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Even at the low CRP concentration of 10 pg/ml, the proposed device's sensitivity and reliability were as high as 3.92 pg/ml with a signal-to noise ratio (SNR) of ≥3, respectively. In addition, the protein detection time (without considering the preparation time) was minimized to as low as 90 s with the proposed device. This device's advantage is its minimal time consumption, and simple drop-analysis process flow; hence, it was used for monitoring clinical serum samples.

Multifunctional Reversible Self-Assembled Structures of Cellulose-Derived Phase-Change Nanocrystals.

Owing to advantageous properties attributed to well-organized structures, multifunctional materials with reversible hierarchical and highly ordered arrangement in solid-state assembled structures have drawn tremendous interest. However, such materials rarely exist. Based on the reversible phase transition of phase-change materials (PCMs), phase-change nanocrystals (C18-UCNCs) are presented herein, which are capable of self-assembling into well-ordered hierarchical structures. C18-UCNCs have a core-shell structure consisting of a cellulose crystalline core that retains the basic structure and a soft shell containing octadecyl chains that allow phase transition. The distinct core-shell structure and phase transition of octadecyl chains allow C18-UCNCs to self-assemble into flaky nano/microstructures. These self-assembled C18-UCNCs exhibit efficient thermal transport and light-to-thermal energy conversion, and thus are promising for thermosensitive imaging. Specifically, flaky self-assembled nano/microstructures with manipulable surface morphology, surface wetting, and optical properties are thermoreversible and show thermally induced self-healing properties. By using phase-change nanocrystals as a novel group of PCMs, reversible self-assembled multifunctional materials can be engineered. This study proposes a promising approach for constructing self-assembled hierarchical structures by using phase-change nanocrystals and thereby significantly expands the application of PCMs.

Cellulose-Based Superhydrophobic Surface Decorated with Functional Groups Showing Distinct Wetting Abilities to Manipulate Water Harvesting.

Inspired by the distinct functions of desert beetles with efficient droplet nucleation and lotus leaves with excellent droplet removal, an integrated method is presented for the design of a superhydrophobic surface decorated with hydrophilic groups that can efficiently nucleate and remove water droplets. We constructed a cellulose-based superhydrophobic surface containing numerous olefin terminal groups by solvent exchange and spray coating. This surface is different from most of the reported biomimicking water harvesting surfaces that rely on complicated lithography and micropatterning techniques requiring special instruments. The obtained superhydrophobic surface was further modified using various thiol compounds via a thiol-ene reaction to manipulate the water harvesting property. The modified surfaces containing hydrophobic groups (e.g., 1-octadecanethiol and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol) or a strong hydrophilic group (e.g., 3-mercaptopropionic acid and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol) exhibited insufficient fog collecting abilities due to poor water droplet nucleation or strong water adhesion. By contrast, the modified surface decorated with moderately hydrophilic amino groups combines the advantages of biological surfaces with distinct wetting features (such as fog-harvesting beetles and water-repellent lotus leaves), resulting in accelerated water nucleation and less compromise of the water removal efficiency. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that the efficient droplet nucleation is attributed to the hydrophilic amino groups whereas the rapid droplet removal is due to the maintained superhydrophobicity of the amino group-modified surface. This strategy of decorating a superhydrophobic surface with moderately hydrophilic functional groups provides insight into the manipulation of droplet nucleation and removal for water collection efficiency.

Sustainable and antibacterial sandwich-like Ag-Pulp/CNF composite paper for oil/water separation.

Bio-based membranes for emulsion separation are sustainable, low-cost, renewable, biodegradable, and nontoxic. Herein, an antibacterial sandwich-like composite paper was fabricated by a facile process using Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs)-coated pulp fibers and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The obtained Ag-Pulp/CNF composite paper was superhydrophilic, allowing a 96 % separation efficiency for various oil-in-water emulsions. This outstanding separation efficiency was maintained over 20 separation cycles. The composite paper also showed satisfactory separation performance for water-in-oil emulsions after modification to render the surface hydrophobic. The CNFs provided the composite a nanoscale pore, which rejected nearly 100 % of bacteria when used to filter bacteria-contaminated emulsions due to a physical barrier effect. Attributed to the intrinsic antibacterial capability of Ag NPs, the composite paper exhibited strong antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli. Thus, the composite paper that was mainly derived from sustainable pulp fibers exhibited potential performance for oil/water separation and water purification.

ClickGene: an open cloud-based platform for big pan-cancer data genome-wide association study, visualization and exploration.

Tremendous amount of whole-genome sequencing data have been provided by large consortium projects such as TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas), COSMIC and so on, which creates incredible opportunities for functional gene research and cancer associated mechanism uncovering. While the existing web servers are valuable and widely used, many whole genome analysis functions urgently needed by experimental biologists are still not adequately addressed. A cloud-based platform, named CG (ClickGene), therefore, was developed for DIY analyzing of user's private in-house data or public genome data without any requirement of software installation or system configuration. CG platform provides key interactive and customized functions including Bee-swarm plot, linear regression analyses, Mountain plot, Directional Manhattan plot, Deflection plot and Volcano plot. Using these tools, global profiling or individual gene distributions for expression and copy number variation (CNV) analyses can be generated by only mouse button clicking. The easy accessibility of such comprehensive pan-cancer genome analysis greatly facilitates data mining in wide research areas, such as therapeutic discovery process. Therefore, it fills in the gaps between big cancer genomics data and the delivery of integrated knowledge to end-users, thus helping unleash the value of the current data resources. More importantly, unlike other R-based web platforms, Dubbo, a cloud distributed service governance framework for 'big data' stream global transferring, was used to develop CG platform. After being developed, CG is run on an independent cloud-server, which ensures its steady global accessibility. More than 2 years running history of CG proved that advanced plots for hundreds of whole-genome data can be created through it within seconds by end-users anytime and anywhere. CG is available at http://www.clickgenome.org/.

Rheological behaviors of microbial polysaccharides with different substituents in aqueous solutions: Effects of concentration, temperature, inorganic salt and surfactant.

Rheological behaviors of microbial polysaccharides with different substituents in aqueous solutions have been systematically investigated. Both the saccharide side chains and acetyl substituents improve the gelation of welan gum (WG), diutan gum (DG) and gellan gum (GG) in pure water at 25 °C. For the polysaccharides with saccharide side chains (WG and DG), the relationship between the apparent viscosity and concentration conforms to the linear equation, while that of the polysaccharide with acetyl (GG) is exponential. More importantly, the roles of substituents on the stability of the molecular conformation of polysaccharides are significantly depended on the surrounding environment. Disaccharide side chains promote the stability of helical conformation and gel aggregates of GG at high temperature (85 °C) or in the presence of inorganic salts with the ionic strength of 2.0 mol L-1. The stability of gel structure containing acetyl (GG) shows higher temperature/salt sensitivity. Additionally, deacylated gellan gum (GG(d)) solutions transform into hydrogels in the presence of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). This study will help to obtain a better understanding on the rheological properties of polysaccharides with respect to the conformation and applications.

Association between tea consumption and risk of cancer: a prospective cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.

Current experimental and epidemiological studies provide inconsistent evidence toward the association between tea consumption and cancer incidence. We investigated whether tea consumption was associated with the incidence of all cancers and six leading types of cancer (lung cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, female breast cancer and cervix uteri cancer) among 455,981 participants aged 30-79 years in the prospective cohort China Kadoorie Biobank. Tea consumption was assessed at baseline (2004-2008) with an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Cancer cases were identified by linkage to the national health insurance system. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In the present population, daily tea consumers were more likely to be current smokers and daily alcohol consumers. 22,652 incident cancers occurred during 10.1 years follow-up (5.04 cases/1000 person-years). When we restricted analyses to non-smokers and non-excessive alcohol consumers to minimize confounding, tea consumption was not associated with all cancers (daily consumers who added tea leaves > 4.0 g/day vs. less-than-weekly consumers: HR, 1.03; 95%CI, 0.93-1.13), lung cancer (HR, 1.08; CI, 0.84-1.40), colorectal cancer (HR, 1.08; CI, 0.81-1.45) and liver cancer (HR, 1.08; CI, 0.75-1.55), yet might be associated with increased risk of stomach cancer (HR, 1.46; CI, 1.07-1.99). In both less-than-daily and daily tea consumers, all cancer risk increased with the amount of tobacco smoked or alcohol consumed. Our findings suggest tea consumption may not provide preventive effect against cancer incidence.

A quantitative method for assessing smoke associated molecular damage in lung cancers.

BACKGROUND: While tobacco exposure is the cause of the vast majority of lung cancers, an important percentage arise in lifetime never smokers. Documenting the precise extent of tobacco induced molecular changes may be of importance. Also, the contribution of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is difficult to assess. METHODS: We developed and validated a quantitative method to assess the extent of tobacco related molecular damage by combing the most characteristic changes associated with tobacco smoke, the tumor mutation burden (TMB) and type of molecular changes present in lung cancers. Using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) as a classifier, we developed a F score. F score values >0 were considered to show evidence of tobacco related molecular damage, while values ≤0 were considered to lack evidence of tobacco related molecular damage. Compared to the stated patient tobacco exposure histories, the F scores had sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values of 85-87%. Using this method, we analyzed public data sets of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), lung squamous cell (LUSC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). RESULTS: Less than 10% of LUSCs and SCLCs had negative F scores, while 27% to 35% of LUADs had positive scores. The F score showed a highly significant downward trend when LUADs were subdivided into the following categories: ever, reformed ≤15 years, reformed >15 years and never smokers. Most of the examined bronchial carcinoids (a lung cancer type not associated with smoke exposure) had negative F scores. In addition, most LUADs with EGFR mutations had negative F scores, while almost all with KRAS mutations had positive scores. CONCLUSIONS: We have established and validated a quantitative assay that will be of use in assessing the presence and degree of smoke associated molecular damage in lung cancers arising in ever and never smokers.

Upregulation of BAG3 with apoptotic and autophagic activities in maggot extract­promoted rat skin wound healing.

Maggot extract (ME) accelerates rat skin wound healing, however its effect on cell maintenance in wound tissues remains unclear. B­cell lymphoma (Bcl) 2­associated athanogene (BAG)3 inhibits apoptosis and promotes autophagy by associating with Bcl­2 or Beclin 1. Bcl­2, the downstream effector of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling, is enhanced in ME­treated wound tissues, which may reinforce the Bcl­2 anti­apoptotic activity and/or cooperate with Beclin 1 to regulate autophagy during wound healing. The present study investigated expression levels of BAG3, Bcl­2, Beclin 1 and light chain (LC)3 levels in rat skin wound tissues in the presence and absence of ME treatment. The results revealed frequent TUNEL­negative cell death in the wound tissues in the early three days following injury, irrespective to ME treatment. TUNEL­positive cells appeared in the wound tissues following 4 days of injury and 150 µg/ml ME efficiently reduced apoptotic rate and enhanced BAG3 and Bcl­2 expression. Elevated Beclin 1 and LC3 levels and an increased LC3 II ratio were revealed in the ME­treated tissues during the wound healing. The results of the present study demonstrate the anti­apoptotic effects of BAG3 and Bcl­2 in ME­promoted wound healing. Beclin 1/LC3 mediated autophagy may be favorable in maintaining cell survival in the damaged tissues and ME­upregulated BAG3 may enhance its activity.

Preparation of heterostructured WO3/TiO2 catalysts from wood fibers and its versatile photodegradation abilities.

A facile route was adopted to synthesize heterostructured WO3/TiO2 photocatalysts from wood fibers through a two-steps hydrothermal method and a calcination process. The prepared WO3/TiO2-wood fibers were used as photocatalysts under UV irradiation for photodegradation of rhodamine B, methylene blue and methyl orange. In calcination process, the wood fibers acted as carbon substrates to prepare the WO3/TiO2 photocatalysts with high surface area and unique morphology. Thus, the significant enhanced photodegradation efficiency of the organic pollutants with the WO3/TiO2-wood fibers under UV irradiation was obtained. The photodegradation rates are measured which confirms the highest performance of the WO3/TiO2-wood fibers after calcination in comparison to the TiO2-wood fibers after calcination and the pure WO3/TiO2 after calcination. Moreover, the photodegradation efficiency of the WO3/TiO2-wood fibers after calcination under visible light is high. Our results demonstrated that the WO3/TiO2-wood fibers after calcination are a promising candidate for wastewater treatment in practical application.

Genome-wide copy number variation pattern analysis and a classification signature for non-small cell lung cancer.

The accurate classification of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) into lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is essential for both clinical practice and lung cancer research. Although the standard WHO diagnosis of NSCLC on biopsy material is rapid and economic, more than 13% of NSCLC tumors in the USA are not further classified. The purpose of this study was to analyze the genome-wide pattern differences in copy number variations (CNVs) and to develop a CNV signature as an adjunct test for the routine histopathologic classification of NSCLCs. We investigated the genome-wide CNV differences between these two tumor types using three independent patient datasets. Approximately half of the genes examined exhibited significant differences between LUAD and LUSC tumors and the corresponding non-malignant tissues. A new classifier was developed to identify signature genes out of 20 000 genes. Thirty-three genes were identified as a CNV signature of NSCLC. Using only their CNV values, the classification model separated the LUADs from the LUSCs with an accuracy of 0.88 and 0.84, respectively, in the training and validation datasets. The same signature also classified NSCLC tumors from their corresponding non-malignant samples with an accuracy of 0.96 and 0.98, respectively. We also compared the CNV patterns of NSCLC tumors with those of histologically similar tumors arising at other sites, such as the breast, head, and neck, and four additional tumors. Of greater importance, the significant differences between these tumors may offer the possibility of identifying the origin of tumors whose origin is unknown.

Negative Oxygen Ions Production by Superamphiphobic and Antibacterial TiO2/Cu2O Composite Film Anchored on Wooden Substrates.

According to statistics, early in the 20th century, the proportion of positive and negative air ions on the earth is 1 : 1.2. However, after more than one century, the equilibrium state of the proportion had an obvious change, which the proportion of positive and negative air ions became 1.2 : 1, leading to a surrounding of positive air ions in human living environment. Therefore, it is urgent to adopt effective methods to improve the proportion of negative oxygen ions, which are known as "air vitamin". In this study, negative oxygen ions production by the TiO2/Cu2O-treated wood under UV irradiation was first reported. Anatase TiO2 particles with Cu2O particles were doped on wooden substrates through a two-step method and further modification is employed to create remarkable superamphiphobic surface. The effect of Cu2O particles dopant on the negative oxygen ions production of the TiO2-treated wood was investigated. The results showed that the production of negative oxygen ions was drastically improved by doping with Cu2O particles under UV irradiation. The wood modified with TiO2/Cu2O composite film after hydrophobization is imparted with superamphiphobicity, antibacterial actions against Escherichia coli, and negative oxygen ions production under UV irradiation.

A novel "box lesion" minimally invasive totally thoracoscopic surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive surgical ablation is an emerging alternative method to catheter ablation and the full surgical maze procedure for nonpharmacologic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). We present a totally thoracoscopic "box lesion" radiofrequency ablation procedure in patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2011 to October 2012, 14 patients with lone paroxysmal (n = 7) or persistent AF (n = 7) were enrolled in this study. Procedures were performed through 3 5-12 mm holes on each side of the chest wall. A bipolar ablation device was used to create a box lesion in the posterior wall of the left atrium that encircled the 4 pulmonary veins (achieving bilateral pulmonary vein/posterior left atrial wall isolation). Perioperative complications were recorded for all patients. Freedom from AF was assessed by 24-hour Holter monitoring every 3 months or during symptoms of arrhythmia. RESULTS: The ablation was successfully performed in all patients, with median operation time of 128 minutes (range, 45 to 180 minutes). No operative mortality or morbidity were noted during the study period. Freedom from AF was achieved in 12 patients (85.7%) during follow-up (median follow-up 9 months). One patient with persistent AF was shifted to paroxysmal AF. No atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia was noted during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: These early results show that totally thoracoscopic surgical ablation using a unique "box lesion" procedure for persistent or paroxysmal AF is a feasible and effective method with good short-term results. Further study is necessary to validate this result.

Expression of survivin and enhanced polypogenesis in nasal polyps.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of nasal polyps still is not clear. This disease is believed to be inflammation related. Previous research has indicated that apoptosis in inflammatory cells is an important factor in the resolution of inflammation. Survivin is regarded as a novel member of the group of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins. It is overexpressed in a number of tumor types. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of the survivin gene in human nasal polyps. METHODS: We investigated the expression of survivin in nasal polyps of adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Specimens of nasal polyps were harvested during endonasal sinus surgery (n=22), and the normal mucosa surrounding the nasal polyp tissues or inferior turbinate tissues served as control (n=7). Immunohistochemical staining, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting were performed for detecting the expression of survivin in the nasal polyps. RESULTS: This study has clearly shown that immunoreactivity of survivin significantly increased in the nasal polyp compared with nasal mucosa specimens surrounding nasal polyps (p<0.001). The higher expression of survivin Western blotting and RT-PCR also was observed in the nasal polyp but not in normal nasal mucosa. CONCLUSION: With a markedly increased expression of survivin in nasal polyps at both the mRNA and the protein levels, we believe the elevated expression of survivin might play an important role of development in nasal polyps.

[Causes of delaying diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism with adrenal adenoma and strategy therefore].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes of delaying diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism with adrenal adenoma and discuss corrective strategies. METHODS: The clinical data of 267 patients of primary hyperaldosteronism with adrenal adenoma confirmed by operation 1995 - 2005 were analyzed. RESULTS: Confirmed diagnosis was made after a duration of (92 +/- 64) months (3 - 40 years) after the first visit. 78.3% of the hospitals where the patients with hypertension made their first visits were grade II hospitals, and 21.3% of them were grade III hospitals. 95.9% of the patients were diagnosed as with primary hypertension at the first visit without receiving relevant imaging examination of adrenal and endocrine examination. 87.3% of the patients with extremity weakness numbness of finger tips were diagnosed as with hypokalemia and more than 10% of them failed to receive examination of blood potassium. Adrenal adenoma was discovered by computed tomography with thin coat screening in 267 patients and by ultrasonography in 151 patients. CONCLUSION: Primary hyperaldosteronism should be considered and screened in all young patients with hypertension. Plasma aldosterone/rennin ratio is an effective mark in screening. The first choice diagnostic means for primary hyperaldosteronism should be computed tomography with screening by coat 2 - 4 mm thin.