M1 macrophage-related gene model for NSCLC immunotherapy response prediction.

Patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a limited lifespan and exhibit poor immunotherapy outcomes. M1 macrophages have been found to be essential for antitumor immunity. This study aims to develop an immunotherapy response evaluation model for NSCLC patients based on transcription. RNA sequencing profiles of 254 advanced-stage NSCLC patients treated with immunotherapy are downloaded from the POPLAR and OAK projects. Immune cell infiltration in NSCLC patients is examined, and thereafter, different coexpressed genes are identified. Next, the impact of M1 macrophage-related genes on the prognosis of NSCLC patients is investigated. Six M1 macrophage coexpressed genes, namely, NKX2-1, CD8A , SFTA3, IL2RB, IDO1, and CXCL9, exhibit a strong association with the prognosis of NSCLC and serve as effective predictors for immunotherapy response. A response model is constructed using a Cox regression model and Lasso Cox regression analysis. The M1 genes are validated in our TD-FOREKNOW NSCLC clinical trial by RT-qPCR. The response model shows excellent immunotherapy response prediction and prognosis evaluation value in advanced-stage NSCLC. This model can effectively predict advanced NSCLC prognosis and aid in identifying patients who could benefit from customized immunotherapy as well as sensitive drugs.

Silencing of circ-NT5C2 retards the progression of IL-1ß-induced osteoarthritis in an in vitro cell model by targeting the miR-142-5p/NAMPT axis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that occurs mostly in the elderly, and its specific pathogenesis is still unknown, but recent studies have found that circular RNA generally display aberrant expression in OA. Our study explored the expression characteristics and mechanism of action of circ-NT5C2 in OA. Circ-NT5C2, microRNA-142-5p (miR-142-5p), and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) mRNA levels were measured using RT-qPCR. Western blot was employed to assess the protein level of NAMPT and extracellular matrix (ECM) production-related markers. The viability, proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation were examined using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Relationship between miR-142-5p and circ-NT5C2 or NAMPT was demonstrated by dual-luciferase reporter system and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. We reported that circ-NT5C2 and NAMPT were greatly upregulated, and miR-142-5p level was constrained in OA tissues and in a cell model. Circ-NT5C2 silencing alleviated IL-1ß-induced inhibitory effects on chondrocyte proliferation and ECM generation, meanwhile the promotional role of IL-1ß on chondrocyte apoptosis and inflammation was also weakened. The targeting relationship of miR-142-5p with either circ-NT5C2 or NAMPT was confirmed. Knockdown of miR-142-5p reversed the suppressive effects of circ-NT5C2 silencing on the OA progression in vitro, and NAMPT overexpression also attenuated the effects of miR-142-5p upregulation in an OA cell model. Collectively, circ-NT5C2 accelerated the OA process by targeting the miR-142-5p/NAMPT axis. This study provides valuable information to find a better treatment for OA.

Self-organizing microstructures orientation control in femtosecond laser patterning on silicon surface.

Self-organizing rippled microstructures are induced on silicon surface by linearly polarized femtosecond laser pulses. At a near threshold fluence, it is observed that ripple orientation is co-determined by the laser polarization direction and laser scanning parameters (scanning direction and scanning speed) in surface patterning process. Under fixed laser polarization, the ripple orientation can be controlled to rotate by about 40° through changing laser scanning parameters. In addition, it is also observed that the ripple morphology is sensitive to the laser scanning direction, and it is an optimal choice to obtain ordered ripple structures when the angle between laser scanning and laser polarization is less than 45°.

Enhanced corrosion of 2205 duplex stainless steel by Acetobacter aceti through synergistic electron transfer and organic acids acceleration.

Acetobacter aceti is a microbe that produces corrosive organic acids, causing severe corrosion of industrial equipment. Previous studies have focused on the organic acid corrosion of A. aceti, but neglected the possibility that it has electron transfer corrosion. This study found that electron transfer and organic acids can synergistically promote the corrosion of 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS). Electrochemical measurement results showed that corrosion of 2205 DSS was more severe in the presence of A. aceti. Surface analysis indicated a thick biofilm formed on the steel surface, with low pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations under the biofilm. Corrosion intensified when A. aceti lacked a carbon source, suggesting that A. aceti can corrode metals by using metallic substrates as electron donors, in addition to its acidic by-products.

Continuous modulations of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures and scanned line-widths on silicon by polarization changes.

Large-area, uniform laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) are of wide potential industry applications. The continuity and processing precision of LIPSS are mainly determined by the scanning intervals of adjacent scanning lines. Therefore, continuous modulations of LIPSS and scanned line-widths within one laser scanning pass are of great significance. This study proposes that by varying the laser (800 nm, 50 fs, 1 kHz) polarization direction, LIPSS and the scanned line-widths on a silicon (111) surface can be continuously modulated with high precision. It shows that the scanned line-width reaches the maximum when the polarization direction is perpendicular to the scanning direction. As an application example, the experiments show large-area, uniform LIPSS can be fabricated by controlling the scanning intervals based on the one-pass scanned line-widths. The simulation shows that the initially formed LIPSS structures induce directional surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) scattering along the laser polarization direction, which strengthens the subsequently anisotropic LIPSS fabrication. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experiments, which both support the conclusions of continuous modulations of the LIPSS and scanned line-widths.

Direct writing anisotropy on crystalline silicon surface by linearly polarized femtosecond laser.

An interesting anisotropy phenomenon in femtosecond laser processing of crystalline silicon is revealed by changing the angle between the writing direction and the laser polarization. The experimental results indicate the surface patterning is dependent on the laser polarization direction, showing that it is beneficial to forming continuous, ordered, and better-controlled ripples when the writing direction is parallel to the laser polarization. The anisotropy is attributed mainly to the elliptical shape of the induced ripples. The formation mechanisms of the elliptical ripples are also discussed. This observation promotes the fabrication of self-assembled subwavelength structures, which is important for electro-optic devices.

Etching rate enhancement by shaped femtosecond pulse train electron dynamics control for microchannels fabrication in fused silica glass.

The dependence of the etching rate on the ultrafast pulse shaping is observed when microchannels are fabricated in fused silica glass using the method of femtosecond laser irradiation followed by chemical etching. In comparison with the conventional femtosecond pulses, the temporally shaped pulse trains can greatly enhance the etching rate under the same processing conditions. The enhancement is mainly attributed to the localized transient electron dynamics control by shaping the ultrafast pulse, resulting in higher photon absorption efficiency and uniform photomodification zone. Furthermore, processing parameters, including pulse delay and pulse energy distribution ratio, have also been investigated to optimize microchannels fabrication.

Efficient decolorization of melanoidin in raw molasses wastewater by thermophilic esterase in actual extreme conditions.

This work was developed to explore the versatility of thermophilic esterase for decolorizing raw molasses wastewater at high temperature and acidic pH. Combining covalent crosslinking method with deep eutectic solvent, a thermophilic esterase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis was immobilized on chitosan/macroporous resin composite carrier. The application of this immobilized thermophilic esterase eliminated 92.35% of colorants in raw molasses wastewater, achieving maximal decolorization efficiency across all the enzymes tested. Strikingly, this immobilized thermophilic esterase was capable of engaging in continuous activity for a 5-day period while removing 76.23% of pigments from samples. It effectively and continuously eliminated BOD5 and COD, effectively and directly facilitating raw molasses wastewater decolorization under extreme conditions more readily than control group. In addition, this thermophilic esterase was believed to achieve decolorization through an addition reaction that disrupted conjugated system of melanoidins. Together, these results highlight an efficient and practical means of achieving enzyme-based molasses wastewater decolorization.

High-throughput rear-surface drilling of microchannels in glass based on electron dynamics control using femtosecond pulse trains.

This study proposes a rear-surface ablation enhancement approach to fabricate high-aspect-ratio microchannels by temporally shaping femtosecond laser pulse trains. In the case study of K9 glass, enhancements of up to a 56 times higher material removal rate and a three times greater maximum drilling depth are obtained by the proposed method, as compared with conventional femtosecond laser drilling at the same processing parameters. The improvements are due to the changes of photon-electron interactions by shaping femtosecond pulse train, which can effectively adjust the photon absorption and localized transient material properties by changing electron dynamics such as free electron densities.

Copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative synthesis of α-ketoamides from methyl ketones, amines and NIS at room temperature.

A simple, efficient and practical copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative synthesis of α-ketoamides from aryl methyl ketones, aliphatic amines and N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) has been developed. The one-pot reaction may proceed smoothly at room temperature in the open air. The possible mechanism for the formation of α-ketoamides was proposed. Molecular oxygen in air functions as both an oxidant and an oxygen source.

Multi-component anion relay cascade of 1-acetylcyclopropanecarboxamides, aldehydes and acrylonitrile: access to biscyanoethylated furo[3,2-c]pyridinones.

A highly efficient multi-component anion relay cascade reaction based on 1-acetylcyclopropanecarboxamides, aldehydes and acrylonitrile has been developed, which provides strategically novel and atom-economic access to biologically important biscyanoethylated furo[3,2-c]pyridinones. In this one-pot transformation, up to five bonds (one C-N, one C-O and three C-C bonds) were constructed.

Modulation of the second-order nonlinear optical properties of the two-dimensional pincer Ru(II) complexes: substituent effect and proton abstraction switch.

The static second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties on a series of the two-dimensional (2D) pincer Ru(II) complexes with the substituted Tpy and H(2)SCS tridentate ligands (Tpy = 2,2':6',2″-terpyridyl and H(2)SCS = 2,6-bis(benzylaminothiocarbonyl)phenyl) have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT). Introducing different donor/acceptor substituents to two ligands has an influence on the static first hyperpolarizabilities (ß(tot)) of the 2D systems. Compared to the reference system 1 [Ru(H(2)SCS)(Tpy)](+), introducing the branches with strong electron acceptor group (p-NO(2)-phenylethynyl) to the Tpy ligand or the branches with strong electron donor group (p-NH(2)-phenylethynyl) to the H(2)SCS ligand can effectively improve the ß(tot) values. Time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations indicate that the enhanced ß(tot) values of the substituted systems are dominated by the intraligand charge transfer (ILCT), metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) transitions. Furthermore, the proton abstraction plays an important role in tuning the second-order NLO response. Particularly, for system 5 bearing the branches with NO(2) groups on H(2)SCS ligand, there is a dramatic enhancement in the ß(tot) values for its deprotonated forms. The ß(tot) values of the monodeprotonated system 5-H and the dideprotonated system 5-2H (58.712 × 10(-30) and 761.803 × 10(-30) esu) are about 7.58 times and 36.4 times larger than their diprotonated system 5, respectively. The second-order NLO responses based on substituent effect and proton abstraction switch are two-dimensional in characteristic with the large off-diagonal tensor values.

Scientific Evidence of Traditional Chinese Exercise (Qigong) for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Background: As a traditional Chinese exercise, Qigong has potential benefits for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This overview is aimed at assessing the existing evidence for the intervention of Qigong in COPD so as to provide scientific guidance for clinical decision-making. Methods: The systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) of Qigong for the treatment of COPD were obtained from 7 electronic databases with the search date set at April 5, 2022. Two researchers independently assessed the methodological quality, reporting quality, and evidence quality for the included SRs/MAs using the following tools: the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 (PRISMA 2020), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results: A total of 13 SRs/MAs were included in this overview. All SRs/MAs assessed by AMSTAR-2 had more than one critical defect, so all SR/MAs were rated very low. Regarding the assessment of reporting quality, the results of PRISMA 2020 showed that none of the SRs/MAs were fully reported. In addition, the results of the GRADE assessment of the quality of evidence indicated that only 3 outcomes were rated as high quality across all SRs/MAs. Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that Qigong is effective and safe for the management of patients with COPD. However, the high risk of bias in the original clinical studies and the low quality of the SRs/MAs reduced the reliability of the results.

The complete mitogenome of Saccharina cultivar 'Haiyi No.1' (Saccharina japonica × latissima) and the phylogenetic analysis.

Here, we reported the complete mitogenome of Saccharina cultivar 'Haiyi No.1' (Saccharina japonica × latissima). This mitogenome had a circular mapping organization with the length of 37,657 bp and contained 66 genes including 35 protein-encoding genes, 3 rRNAs, 25 tRNAs, and 3 open reading frames (ORFs). The AT content accounted for 64.7% of the entire mitogenome. The gene content and gene order were consistent with those reported Saccharina species and cultivars. Phylogenetic analysis showed the phylogenetic relationship among Chinese Saccharina cultivars and demonstrated that 'Haiyi No.1' had a closer relationship with Pingbancai which strongly supported its genetic source.

NIMA related kinase 2 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation via ERK/MAPK signaling.

BACKGROUND: NIMA related kinase 2 (NEK2) is closely related to mitosis, and it is currently considered to be over-expressed frequently in many poorly prognostic cancers. However, the effect of the up-regulated NEK2 on cellular signaling in tumors, such as gastric cancer (GC), is con-fusing. AIM: To determine the role of the up-regulation of NEK2 in GC. METHODS: To investigate the pathological significance of NEK2 in GC, the expression pattern of NEK2 in GC was investigated based on the "Oncomain" database and compared between 30 pairs of cancer samples and adjacent tissues. The co-expression of NEK2 and ERK in GC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and confirmed in clinical samples by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and the survival curve was also plotted. Western blot or qRT-PCR was used to analyze the effect of NEK2 on the phosphorylation levels of ERK and c-JUN in two GC cell lines (BGC823 and SGC7901) with NEK2 overexpression, and the expression of the downstream effector cyclin D1. Furthermore, CCK8, EdU incorporation assay, and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferative ability of BGC823 and SGC7901 cells with stably silenced ERK. RESULTS: NEK2 was significantly up-regulated in human GC tissues. ERK was significantly associated with NEK2 expression in human clinical specimens, and combined overexpression of NEK2 and ERK potentially forecasted a poor prognosis and survival in GC patients. NEK2 knockdown in GC cells inhibited ERK and c-JUN phosphory-lation and reduced the transcription of cyclin D1. More interestingly, NEK2 can rescue the inhibition of cellular viability, proliferation, and cell cycle progression due to ERK knockdown. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that NEK2 plays a carcinogenic role in the malignant proliferation of GC cells via the ERK/MAPK signaling, which may be important for treatment and improving patient survival.

Localization and visualization of excess chemical potential in statistical mechanical integral equation theory 3D-HNC-RISM.

In this study the excess chemical potential of the integral equation theory, 3D-RISM-HNC [Q. Du, Q. Wei, J. Phys. Chem. B 107 (2003) 13463-13470], is visualized in three-dimensional form and localized at interaction sites of solute molecule. Taking the advantage of reference interaction site model (RISM), the calculation equations of chemical excess potential are reformulized according to the solute interaction sites s in molecular space. Consequently the solvation free energy is localized at every interaction site of solute molecule. For visualization of the 3D-RISM-HNC calculation results, the excess chemical potentials are described using radial and three-dimensional diagrams. It is found that the radial diagrams of the excess chemical potentials are more sensitive to the bridge functions than the radial diagrams of solvent site density distributions. The diagrams of average excess chemical potential provide useful information of solute-solvent electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. The local description of solvation free energy at active sites of solute in 3D-RISM-HNC may broaden the application scope of statistical mechanical integral equation theory in solution chemistry and life science.

Ionic liquid-assisted strategy for bismuth-rich bismuth oxybromides nanosheets with superior visible light-driven photocatalytic removal of bisphenol-A.

Novel Bi4O5Br2 photocatalysts were synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method in the presence of reactable ionic liquid 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C16mim]Br). X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and other characterizations were applied to investigate their structures, morphologies, optical and electronic properties. Bisphenol-A (BPA) was chosen to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of Bi4O5Br2 nanosheets. After the visible light irradiation, about 91.2% of BPA were removed by Bi4O5Br2 after 3.5h with the reaction rate constant of 0.01086, which is much higher than that of the pure BiOBr (24.4%). Liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique was used to track the intermediates species, showing the photocatalytic mechanism is related to photogenerated holes instead of hydroxyl radicals. The as-prepared Bi4O5Br2 also exhibited excellent stability as well as reusability, implying a great promising practical application for the photodegradation of organic pollutants.

Controllable high-throughput high-quality femtosecond laser-enhanced chemical etching by temporal pulse shaping based on electron density control.

We developed an efficient fabrication method of high-quality concave microarrays on fused silica substrates based on temporal shaping of femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. This method involves exposures of fs laser pulse trains followed by a wet etching process. Compared with conventional single pulses with the same processing parameters, the temporally shaped fs pulses can enhance the etch rate by a factor of 37 times with better controllability and higher quality. Moreover, we demonstrated the flexibility of the proposed method in tuning the profile of the concave microarray structures by changing the laser pulse delay, laser fluence, and pulse energy distribution ratio. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was conducted to elucidate the stronger modification induced by the fs laser pulse trains in comparison with the single pulses. Our calculations show that the controllability is due to the effective control of localized transient free electron densities by temporally shaping the fs pulses.

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of molecules containing aromatic diimides: effects of the aromatic core size and a redox-switchable modification.

The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of aromatic diimide molecules have been studied for the first time using density functional theory (DFT) with a finite field (FF). This study shows that the size of the aromatic core can affect the static second hyperpolarizability (γ). Increasing the number of benzenes along the longitudinal axis can effectively improve the γ values because the degree of charge transfer along the longitudinal direction increases, whereas an increase in the number of benzenes along the perpendicular axis does not enhance the γ values. Furthermore, the NLO responses of the reduced form radical anions 1(-), 5(-) and 6(-), which were obtained by a reversible redox process, are discussed. The results show that the γ values of the radical anions are changed by the redox process. For the reduced form radical anion 6(-), the γ value is -1906.71×10(-36)esu, and its absolute value is ∼7.3 times larger than that of its neutral parent. An analysis of the BLA values demonstrates that the γ value is closely related to the conjugation of the aromatic core used in the redox process.

Computational investigation on redox-switchable nonlinear optical properties of a series of polycyclic p-quinodimethane molecules.

The polycyclic p-quinodimethanes are proposed to be the novel candidates of the high-performance nonlinear optical (NLO) materials because of their large third order polarizabilities (γ). We investigate the switchable NLO responses of a series of polycyclic p-quinodimethanes with redox properties by employing the density functional theory (DFT). The polycyclic p-quinodimethanes are forecasted to exhibit obvious pure diradical characters because of their large y 0 index (the y 0 index is a value between 0 [closed-shell state] and 1 [pure biradical state]). The γ values of these polycyclic p-quinodimethanes and their corresponding one-electron and two-electron reduced/oxidized species are calculated by the (U)BHandHLYP method. The γ values of polycyclic p-quinodimethanes and their corresponding one-electron reduced species are all positive and significantly different. The large differences of the γ values are due to a change in the transition energy and are related to the different delocalization of the spin density, which demonstrates that the NLO switching is more effective on one-electron reduction reactions. Therefore, the study on these polycyclic p-quinodimethanes provides a guideline for a molecular design of highly efficient NLO switching.