Carbon Nanofiber Membranes Loaded with MXene@g-C3N4: Preparation and Photocatalytic Property.

In this study, a Ti3C2 MXene@g-C3N4 composite powder (TM-CN) was prepared by the ultrasonic self-assembly method and then loaded onto a carbon nanofiber membrane by the self-assembly properties of MXene for the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater. The characterization of the TM-CN and the C-TM-CN was conducted via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) to ascertain the successful modification. The organic dye degradation experiments demonstrated that introducing an appropriate amount of Ti3C2 MXene resulted in the complete degradation of RhB within 60 min, three times the photocatalytic efficiency of a pure g-C3N4. The C-TM-CN exhibited the stable and outstanding photocatalytic degradation of the RhB solution over a wide range of pH values, indicating the characteristics of the photodegradation of organic pollutants in a wide range of aqueous environments. Furthermore, the results of the cyclic degradation experiments demonstrated that the C-TM-CN composite film maintained a degradation efficiency of over 85% after five cycles, thereby confirming a notable improvement in its cyclic stability. Consequently, the C-TM-CN composite film exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance and is readily recyclable, making it an auspicious eco-friendly material in water environment remediation.

Brain radiotherapy and anlotinib control primary cardiac angiosarcoma with metastases: A case report.

RATIONALE: Primary cardiac angiosarcoma (PCA) is a rare and fatal disease with a poor prognosis. Whether the survival of PCA patients can be prolonged with additional treatment following complete surgical excision is controversial. PATIENT CONCERNS: In this case study, a 52-year-old male complained of chest tightness and pain for 7 days before admission into the hospital. Subsequently, he revisited the hospital because of dizziness and headache. DIAGNOSES: Initially, the patient was diagnosed with PCA in the right atrium by thoracic computed tomography (CT). Palliative resection identified brain, lung, and liver metastases. INTERVENTION: The patient accepted multimodal combination therapy, including first-line chemotherapy and then second-line anlotinib concurrent with brain radiotherapy and immunotherapy. OUTCOME: Although anlotinib combined with brain radiotherapy controlled the growth of intracranial lesions, progression-free survival (PFS) was only 5 months, and the overall survival (OS) was only 12 months. LESSON: The treatment for metastatic PCA needs an in-depth exploration.

Changes in coagulation markers in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and their predictive value for Mycoplasma severity.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the correlation between coagulation levels and the severity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children. In addition, the study analyses the predictive value of coagulation abnormalities in MPP combined with necrotising pneumonia (NP). METHODS: A total of 170 children with MPP who underwent treatment between June 2021 and February 2022 were selected for this study. The study population was divided into groups according to the severity of the disease to compare differences in the incidence of coagulation abnormalities between the groups. The participants were also divided into groups according to imaging manifestations to compare the differences in coagulation function among the different groups. All data information was processed for statistical analysis using SPSS Statistics 25.0 and GraphPad Prism 7.0 statistical analysis software. RESULTS: The incidence of coagulation abnormalities in the children in the severe MPP (SMPP) group was significantly higher than that in the normal MPP (NMPP) group (P < 0.05). The multi-factor logistic regression analysis revealed that the D-dimer level is an independent risk factor for the development of NP in SMPP (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in D-dimer, fibrinogen degeneration products (FDP), neutrophils, lactate dehydrogenase and serum ferritin for predicting SMPP combined with NP. Bronchoscopic manifestations of coagulation indicators (D-dimer and FDP levels) were significantly higher in the mucus plug group than in the non-mucus plug group, while the activated partial thromboplastin time levels were lower in the former than in the latter (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The degree of elevated D-dimer and FDP levels was positively correlated with the severity of MPP, with elevated serum D-dimer levels (> 3.705 mg/L) serving as an independent predictor of MPP combined with NP in children.

Pulsed thermoreflectance imaging for thermophysical properties measurement of GaN epitaxial heterostructures.

Multilayer heterostructures composed of a substrate and an epitaxial film are widely utilized in advanced electronic devices. However, thermal bottlenecks constrain their performance and reliability, and efficient approaches to comprehensively measure the thermophysical properties of heterostructures are urgently needed. In this work, a pulsed thermoreflectance imaging (PTI) method is proposed, which combines the transient temperature mapping of thermoreflectance thermal imaging with transient pulsed excitation. By executing merely three transient tests, six thermophysical properties, including the film thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity, the substrate thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity, the film-substrate thermal boundary resistance, and the equivalent thermal conductivity of the insulating layer, can be simultaneously measured in a heterostructure sample. The proposed method applies a pulsed current excitation to a metal heater line on the sample surface and utilizes the thermoreflectance thermal imaging system to measure the temperature of different spatial regions on the sample surface at different time windows. The temporal and spatial variation information of the temperature field is then extracted and combined with finite element method inversion calculation to obtain the thermophysical properties of heterostructures. To validate the accuracy and reliability of this method, we conducted measurements on a GaN-on-SiC heterostructure sample and obtained thermophysical properties consistent with the representative literature data that have previously been reported. The proposed PTI method, characterized by its high sensitivity, demonstrates good efficiency and reliability in conducting comprehensive thermophysical property characterization of GaN epitaxial heterostructures.

Highly sensitive and broadband meta-mechanoreceptor via mechanical frequency-division multiplexing.

Bio-mechanoreceptors capable of micro-motion sensing have inspired mechanics-guided designs of micro-motion sensors in various fields. However, it remains a major challenge for mechanics-guided designs to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity and broadband sensing due to the nature of resonance effect. By mimicking rat vibrissae, here we report a metamaterial mechanoreceptor (MMR) comprised of piezoelectric resonators with distributed zero effective masses featuring a broad range of local resonances, leading to near-infinite sensitivity for micro-motion sensing within a broad bandwidth. We developed a mechanical frequency-division multiplexing mechanism for MMR, in which the measured micro-motion signal is mechanically modulated in non-overlapping frequency bands and reconstructed by a computational multi-channel demodulation approach. The maximum sensitivity of MMR is improved by two orders of magnitude compared to conventional mechanics-guided mechanoreceptors, and its bandwidth with high sensitivity is extendable towards both low-frequency and high-frequency ranges in 0-12 kHz through tuning the local resonance of each individual sensing cell. The MMR is a promising candidate for highly sensitive and broadband micro-motion sensing that was previously inaccessible for mechanics-guided mechanoreceptors, opening pathways towards spatio-temporal sensing, remote-vibration monitoring and smart-driving assistance.

Acute pancreatitis caused by tigecycline and furosemide combination treatment and hypofibrinogenemia caused by tigecycline: A case report.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a case of acute pancreatitis (AP) and hypofibrinogenemia associated with drug treatment with the aim to increase awareness of uncommon yet possibly life-threatening adverse reactions of tigecycline and furosemide. CASE SUMMARY: A 75-year-old Chinese male was hospitalized for acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and acute heart failure. The patient underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention and MitraClip. Furosemide was taken since admission. Because Acinetobacter baumannii was detected in the blood and sputum, the patient was treated with tigecycline from the 14th day of hospitalization. Abnormal pancreatitis parameters were observed, and pancreatic CT was undertaken 12 days after the treatment of tigecycline. AP was diagnosed and symptomatic treatment was carried out, but no significant improvement was observed. On the 33rd day of hospitalization, the patient presented with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and decreased levels of fibrinogen and platelets. After withdrawal of tigecycline, the coagulation and pancreatitis parameters improved significantly. However, the pancreatitis parameters increased again after stopping somatostatin. Therefore, somatostatin was given again for 1 day, and furosemide was discontinued. After that, the pancreatitis parameters returned to baseline levels after a slight recovery. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should pay attention to clinical signs, symptoms, and pancreatic enzymes during tigecycline or furosemide treatment, especially when used in combination. In addition, regular monitoring of fibrinogen and platelet count during tigecycline treatment is suggested.

Metachronous double primary malignant tumors with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma accompanied with paraneoplastic syndromes treated with nivolumab: A case report.

RATIONALE: Multiple primary malignant tumors are rare and challenging to diagnose. Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) originate from the peritoneum, which lacks specific clinical manifestations and is difficult to diagnose, with a short survival about 10 to 13 months for inoperable ones. This is the first report of metachronous double primary malignant tumors in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and DMPM accompanied with paraneoplastic syndromes. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 61-year-old man presented with abdominal discomfort with a history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma 5 years ago. DIAGNOSES: The diagnosis of DMPM was finally confirmed by laparoscopic mesenteric biopsies. Paraneoplastic syndromes including increased platelets were present when diagnosis, followed by increased neutrophils after disease progression. INTERVENTIONS: Due to intolerable for surgery, he was treated with pemetrexed combined with nivolumab, intraperitoneal infusion of nivolumab, radiotherapy, anlotinib and maintenance treatment of nivolumab. OUTCOMES: Progression-free survival in first line is 12 months, overall survival is 23 months. LESSONS: This indicate that comprehensive treatment including immunotherapy may be helpful for inoperable DMPM patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma accompanied with paraneoplastic syndromes.

A dual-channel fluorescent nanoprobe for accurate cancer diagnosis by sequential detection of adenosine triphosphate and sulfur dioxide.

Cancer is one of the major diseases that seriously endanger the health of all mankind. Accurate diagnosis of early cancer is the most promising way to reduce cancer harm and improve patient survival. However, many developed fluorescent probes for cancer imaging only have the function of identifying one marker, which cannot meet the needs of accurate diagnosis. Here, a fluorescent nanoprobe (CPH@ZIF-90) utilizing ZIF-90 to encapsulate SO2-sensitive dye (CPH) is synthesized for the sequential detection of ATP and SO2. The nanoprobe first interacts with ATP to release CPH, thus increasing the fluorescence at 685 nm and realizing the near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence detection of ATP. Then, SO2 acts on the released CPH through nucleophilic addition, affecting the π-conjugated structure of CPH and resulting in enhanced fluorescence at 580 nm. CPH@ZIF-90 exhibits satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity for sequential detection of ATP and SO2. Excitedly, CPH@ZIF-90 can sequentially image the endogenous ATP and SO2 in cells, showing sensitive fluorescence changes in dual channels (red and green). Due to the NIR emission properties of CPH@ZIF-90 and its ability to enrich in tumor, it is applied to monitor ATP and SO2 in mice and distinguish normal mice from tumor mice. The ability of CPH@ZIF-90 to sequentially detect two cancer-related biomarkers makes it provide meaningful assistance in accurate early diagnosis of cancer.

Expression of YT Domain Family Protein in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Correlation with the Prognosis.

Background: Proteins contained in the conserved YTH521-b homologous (YTH) domain, have m6A-dependent RNA binding activity. As an important part of YTH domain family proteins, YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 were shown to be associated with many cancers. This paper aimed to reveal the relationship between the expression of these two proteins and the clinical prognosis of OSCC, providing certain guidance for clinical treatment of OSCC. Methods: We detected the expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 in 120 OSCC patients by immunohistochemical analysis. Statistical analysis was used to determine whether the high or low expression of these two genes was significantly associated with age, gender, histological type, clinical stage, or lymph node metastasis. The correlation curve and survival curve of the two genes were produced to evaluate the potential clinical significance. Results: We find the expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 was increased in OSCC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. The statistical analysis showed that the expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 was significantly associated with the clinical stage and histological type in OSCC patients. There was also a significant correlation between the expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3. A high expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 was related to poor patient prognosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a high expression of YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 may be related to poor patient prognosis.

Responses of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption of understory plants to microscale soil nutrient hetero-geneity in Chinese fir plantation.

We compared the interspecific differences in leaf nutrient resorption of two dominant understory species (Lophatherum gracile and Oplimenus unulatifolius), and analyzed the correlations between the intraspecific efficiency of leaf nutrient resorption and nutrient properties of soil and leaves in Chinese fir plantation. The results showed high soil nutrient heterogeneity in Chinese fir plantation. Soil inorganic nitrogen content and available phosphorus content varied from 8.58 to 65.29 mg·kg-1 and from 2.43 to 15.20 mg·kg-1 in the Chinese fir plantation, respectively. The soil inorganic nitrogen content in O. undulatifolius community was 1.4 times higher than that in L. gra-cile community, but there was no significant difference in soil available phosphorus content between the two communities. Both leaf nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency of O. unulatifolius was significantly lower than that of L. gracile under the three measurement bases of leaf dry weight, leaf area, and lignin content. Resorption efficiency in L. gracile community expressed on leaf dry weight was lower than that expressed on leaf area and lignin content, while resorption efficiency expressed on leaf area was the lowest in O. unulatifolius community. The intraspecific resorption efficiency was significantly correlated with leaf nutrient contents, but was less correlated with soil nutrient content, and only the nitrogen resorption efficiency of L. gracile had significant positive correlation with soil inorganic nitrogen content. The results indicated that there was significant difference in the leaf nutrient resorption efficiency between the two understory species. Soil nutrient heterogeneity exerted a weak effect on the intraspecific nutrient resorption, which might be attributed to high soil nutrient availability and potential disturbance from canopy litter in Chinese fir plantation.

Surgery, adjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy and radiotherapy for primary malignant melanoma of the parotid gland (PGMM): A case report.

Primary malignant melanoma of the parotid gland (PGMM) is extremely rare, with a poor prognosis. Surgery is the main treatment option followed by adjuvant treatments such as radiotherapy, but which adjuvant treatment to be optimal is still controversial. In this case, a 63-year-old male PGMM patient was first misdiagnosed as a "myoepithelial tumor" and then treated with surgery, postoperative immunotherapy (sintilimab), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy successfully. The progression free survival was more than 19 months without signs of metastasis or recurrence to date. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of postoperative immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy for PGMM. Our case indicated that combination therapy including surgery, adjuvant immunotherapy (sintilimab) combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be a potential treatment option for PGMM, which needs further research.

Synchronous triple primary malignant tumours in the bladder, prostate, and lung harbouring TP53 and MEK1 mutations accompanied with severe cardiovascular diseases: A case report.

Although the incidence of multiple primary malignancies (MPMs) is increasing, synchronous triple primary malignant tumours with prostate, bladder and lung is rarely reported. Gene mutation is thought to be a reason for MPMs, and severe cardiovascular diseases may interrupt the cancer treatment. Here we reported a 64-year-old male patient with synchronous triple primary malignant tumours of the bladder urothelial carcinoma, prostate adenocarcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mutations in TP53 and MEK1, all the three malignancies were diagnosed within 10 days. Although being interrupted by severe cardiovascular diseases (including myocardial infarction, venous thrombosis, and aneurism of the aortic root), he was successfully treated with radical cystoprostatectomy, chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab (a PD-1 antibody), and radiotherapy of the lung lesion, followed by maintenance monotherapy of pembrolizumab, overall survival was more than 26 months. In conclusion, a patient of synchronous triple primary malignant tumours with prostate, bladder, and lung harbouring TP53 and MEK1 mutations accompanied with severe cardiovascular diseases was treated successfully, which may suggest that comprehensive treatment, especially radical treatment such as operation and radiation, is very important for MPMs.

A Dual-Channel Fluorescent Nanoprobe for Sequential Detection of ATP and Peroxynitrite to Accurately Distinguish between Normal Cells and Cancer Cells.

Cancer is one of the biggest public enemies of global health with its high morbidity and mortality. Achieving early diagnosis is the most effective means of reducing cancer harm, which requires the use of powerful tools to accurately identify biomarkers. However, most of the reported fluorescent probes for cancer diagnosis can only detect one substance, which makes it difficult to meet the requirements of high accuracy. Here, a fluorescent nanoprobe (CPQ@ZIF-90) for sequential detection of ATP and ONOO- is constructed by encapsulating the ONOO- sensitive unit CPQ within ZIF-90. CPQ@ZIF-90 first reacts with ATP to release CPQ, which greatly enhances the fluorescence at 740 nm. Then, the released CPQ continues to react with ONOO- and is oxidatively cleaved by ONOO- to form a coumarin product with a small π-conjugated structure, which significantly enhances the fluorescence at 510 nm. CPQ@ZIF-90 shows high sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of ATP and then ONOO-. Moreover, CPQ@ZIF-90 has good biocompatibility and successfully realizes the sequential detection of a dual-channel fluorescence change of ATP and ONOO- in living cells and zebrafish and accurately distinguishes normal cells from cancer cells. CPQ@ZIF-90 is expected to be a potential tool for accurate cancer diagnosis through sequential detection of two cancer markers.

WZB117 enhanced the anti-tumor effect of apatinib against melanoma via blocking STAT3/PKM2 axis.

Background: Melanoma is the most lethal skin malignant tumor with a short survival once stepping into the metastatic status and poses a therapeutic challenge. Apatinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) is a promising antiangiogenic agent for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, antiangiogenic monotherapy is prone to acquired drug resistance and has a limited therapeutic effect. The persistence dependence of glycolytic metabolism in antiangiogenic therapy-resistant cells provides evidence that glycolysis inhibitors may enhance the effect of antiangiogenic therapy. So, this study aimed to investigate whether WZB117 (a specific GLUT1 inhibitor) could enhance the anti-tumor effect of apatinib against melanoma and its potential mechanisms. Methods: We investigated the anti-tumor effects of apatinib alone or in combination with WZB117 on human melanoma cell lines (A375 and SK-MEL-28). The MTT assay determined cell viability and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Multiple drug effect/combination indexes (CI) analysis was conducted to assess interactions between apatinib and WZB117. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway measured by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. RNA expression analyses were performed using the reverse transcription-quantitative PCR method. Results: Apatinib and WZB117 showed dose and time-dependent growth inhibitory effects in both melanoma cells. The IC50 of apatinib at 48 h in A375 and SK-MEL-28 cells was 62.58 and 59.61 µM, respectively, while the IC50 of WZB117 was 116.85 and 113.91 µM, respectively. The CI values of the two drugs were 0.538 and 0.544, respectively, indicating a synergistic effect of apatinib combined with WZB117. We also found that glucose consumption and lactate production were suppressed by apatinib plus WZB117 in a dose-dependent manner, paralleled by reducing glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). The potential mechanism of the combination was to suppress the phosphorylation of STAT3. Knockdown of STAT3 by siRNA inhibited the expression of PKM2, while the activation of STAT3 by IL-6 increased the expression of PKM2. The effects of IL-6 were attenuated by apatinib combined with WZB117 treatment. Conclusion: WZB117 enhanced the anti-tumor effect of apatinib against melanoma via modulating glycolysis by blocking the STAT3/PKM2 axis, which suggested the combination of apatinib with WZB117 could be a potential therapeutic candidate for melanoma.

A HPQ-based far-red fluorescent probe for monitoring viscosity in mice model of acute inflammation.

Viscosity is an essential microenvironmental parameter, which is related to various diseases such as acute inflammation. So it is necessary to develop a probe to monitor viscosity changes during the inflammatory progression in vivo. Herein, a HPQ (2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinone)-based fluorescent probe named HPQ-BI-V is prepared for detecting viscosity in biological systems. The introduction of benzindole groups extends the π conjugation of HPQ, resulting in far-red emission wavelength at 610 nm. When the viscosity raises from 3.11 cP to 567.1 cP, the fluorescence signal increases 711 times, indicating the high sensitivity of the probe. Furthermore, this probe displays excellent selectivity for viscosity in comparison with other interfering analytes. Furthermore, the probe has excellent photostability and outstanding response capability in the physiological pH range. Given these advantages, HPQ-BI-V can be applied for detecting viscosity changes in HepG2 cells and zebrafish. In particular, the probe can successfully visualize viscosity changes in acute inflammatory mice induced by LPS and the assessment of anti-inflammatory drug.

A dual-response fluorescent probe for simultaneously monitoring polarity and ATP during autophagy.

Autophagy plays a vital role in maintaining intracellular homeostasis through a lysosome-dependent intracellular degradation pathway, which is closely related to the polarity and ATP. Herein, the first example of the dual-response fluorescent probe Lyso-NRB was reported for visualizing the fluctuation of polarity and ATP in lysosomes during autophagy. Probe Lyso-NRB is non-fluorescent. After the decrease of polarity, Lyso-NRB exhibits significant green emission due to the unique intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect. Upon the addition of ATP, the probe can react with ATP to rapidly open the spirocycle of rhodamine and a strong red emission can be observed. Moreover, Lyso-NRB exhibits a high sensitivity and selectivity toward polarity and ATP. Most importantly, the probe possesses a good lysosome-targeting ability and is used for the real-time monitoring of lysosome polarity and ATP fluctuations during H2O2 or starvation induced autophagy in living cells. Interestingly, it is found that that ATP deficiency can induce autophagy to increase lysosome polarity. Furthermore, the probe is applied for imaging the change of polarity and ATP under oxidative stress induced autophagy in zebrafish. Therefore, this work holds great potential for tracking the autophagy procedure by detecting the changes of lysosome polarity and ATP, which makes it a potentially powerful tool for understanding the roles of autophagy in diverse biological processes.