High-performance and low-power source-gated transistors enabled by a solution-processed metal oxide homojunction.

Cost-effective fabrication of mechanically flexible low-power electronics is important for emerging applications including wearable electronics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Here, solution-processed source-gated transistors (SGTs) with an unprecedented intrinsic gain of ~2,000, low saturation voltage of +0.8 ± 0.1 V, and a ~25.6 µW power consumption are realized using an indium oxide In2O3/In2O3:polyethylenimine (PEI) blend homojunction with Au contacts on Si/SiO2. Kelvin probe force microscopy confirms source-controlled operation of the SGT and reveals that PEI doping leads to more effective depletion of the reverse-biased Schottky contact source region. Furthermore, using a fluoride-doped AlOx gate dielectric, rigid (on a Si substrate) and flexible (on a polyimide substrate) SGTs were fabricated. These devices exhibit a low driving voltage of +2 V and power consumption of ~11.5 µW, yielding inverters with an outstanding voltage gain of >5,000. Furthermore, electrooculographic (EOG) signal monitoring can now be demonstrated using an SGT inverter, where a ~1.0 mV EOG signal is amplified to over 300 mV, indicating significant potential for applications in wearable medical sensing and human-computer interfacing.

Tunable Contacts of Bi2 O2 Se Nanosheets MSM Photodetectors by Metal-Assisted Transfer Approach for Self-Powered Near-Infrared Photodetection.

Owing to the Fermi pinning effect arose in the metal electrodes deposition process, metal-semiconductor contact is always independent on the work function, which challenges the next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this work, a metal-assisted transfer approach is developed to transfer Bi2 O2 Se nanosheets onto the pre-deposited metal electrodes, benefiting to the tunable metal-semiconductor contact. The success in Bi2 O2 Se nanosheets transfer is contributed to the stronger van der Waals adhesion of metal electrodes than that of growth substrates. With the pre-deposited asymmetric electrodes, the self-powered near-infrared photodetectors are realized, demonstrating low dark current of 0.04 pA, high Ilight /Idark ratio of 380, fast rise and decay times of 4 and 6 ms, respectively, under the illumination of 1310 nm laser. By pre-depositing the metal electrodes on polyimide and glass, high-performance flexible and omnidirectional self-powered near-infrared photodetectors are achieved successfully. This study opens up new opportunities for low-dimensional semiconductors in next-generation high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Cytocompatibility of Ti3C2Tx MXene with Red Blood Cells and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells and the Underlying Mechanisms.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have been widely used in biomedical applications because of their biocompatibility. Considering the high risk of exposure of the circulatory system to Ti3C2Tx, we studied the cytocompatibility of Ti3C2Tx MXene with red blood cells (RBCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and showed that Ti3C2Tx had excellent compatibility with the two cell lines. Ti3C2Tx at a concentration as high as 200 µg/mL caused a negligible percent hemolysis of 0.8%. By contrast, at the same treatment concentration, graphene oxide (GO) caused a high percent hemolysis of 50.8%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that RBC structures remained intact in the Ti3C2Tx treatment group, whereas those in the GO group completely deformed, sunk, and shrunk, which resulted in the release of cell contents. This difference can be largely ascribed to the distinct surficial properties of the two nanosheets. In specific, the fully covered surface-terminating -O and -OH groups leading to Ti3C2Tx had a very hydrophilic surface, thereby hindering its penetration into the highly hydrophobic interior of the cell membrane. However, the strong direct van der Waals attractions coordinated with hydrophobic interactions between the unoxidized regions of GO and the lipid hydrophobic tails can still damage the integrity of the cell membranes. In addition, the sharp and keen-edged corners of GO may also facilitate its relatively strong cell membrane damage effects than Ti3C2Tx. Thus, the excellent cell membrane compatibility of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets and their ultraweak capacity to provoke excessive ROS generation endowed them with much better compatibility with HUVECs than GO nanosheets. These results indicate that Ti3C2Tx has much better cytocompatibility than GO and provide a valuable reference for the future biomedical applications of Ti3C2Tx.

d-Band Center of Rare Earth Oxides Determines Biotransformation-Induced Cell Membrane Damage.

Biotransformation of rare earth oxide (REO) nanoparticles on biological membranes may trigger a series of adverse health effects in biosystems. However, the physicochemical mechanism of the complicated biotransformation behavior remains elusive. By investigating the distinctly different biotransformation behavior of two typical REOs (Gd2O3 and CeO2) on erythrocyte membranes, we demonstrate that dephosphorylation by stripping phosphate from phospholipids correlates highly with the membrane destructive effects of REOs. Density functional theory calculations decode the decisive role of the d-band center in dephosphorylation. Furthermore, using the d-band center as an electronic descriptor, we unravel a universal structure-activity relationship of the membrane-damaging capability of 13 REOs (R2 = 0.82). The effect of ion release on dephosphorylation and physical damage to cell membranes by Gd2O3 are largely excluded. Our findings depict a clear physicochemical microscopic picture of the biotransformation of REOs on the nano-bio interface, providing a theoretical basis for safe application of REOs.

New Approach to Low-Power-Consumption, High-Performance Photodetectors Enabled by Nanowire Source-Gated Transistors.

Power consumption makes next-generation large-scale photodetection challenging. In this work, the source-gated transistor (SGT) is adopted first as a photodetector, demonstrating the expected low power consumption and high photodetection performance. The SGT is constructed by the functional sulfur-rich shelled GeS nanowire (NW) and low-function metal, displaying a low saturated voltage of 0.61 V ± 0.29 V and an extremely low power consumption of 7.06 pW. When the as-constructed NW SGT is used as a photodetector, the maximum value of the power consumption is as low as 11.96 nW, which is far below that of the reported phototransistors working in the saturated region. Furthermore, benefiting from the adopted SGT device, the photodetector shows a high photovoltage of 6.6 × 10-1 V, a responsivity of 7.86 × 1012 V W-1, and a detectivity of 5.87 × 1013 Jones. Obviously, the low power consumption and excellent responsivity and detectivity enabled by NW SGT promise a new approach to next-generation, high-performance photodetection technology.

The Synergistic Activity of Rhamnolipid Combined with Linezolid against Linezolid-Resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Enterococci resistance is increasing sharply, which poses a serious threat to public health. Rhamnolipids are a kind of amphiphilic compound used for its bioactivities, while the combination of nontraditional drugs to restore linezolid activity is an attractive strategy to treat infections caused by these pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the activity of linezolid in combination with the rhamnolipids against Enterococcus faecium. Here, we determined that the rhamnolipids could enhance the efficacy of linezolid against enterococci infections by a checkerboard MIC assay, a time-kill assay, a combined disk test, an anti-biofilm assay, molecular simulation dynamics, and mouse infection models. We identified that the combination of rhamnolipids and linezolid restored the linezolid sensitivity. Anti-biofilm experiments show that our new scheme can effectively inhibit biofilm generation. The mouse infection model demonstrated that the combination therapy significantly reduced the bacterial load in the feces, colons, and kidneys following subcutaneous administration. This study showed that rhamnolipids could play a synergistic role with linezolid against Enterococcus. Our combined agents could be appealing candidates for developing new combinatorial agents to restore antibiotic efficacy in the treatment of linezolid-resistant Enterococcus infections.

Thermodynamics-Kinetics-Balanced Metal-Organic Framework for In-Depth Radon Removal under Ambient Conditions.

Radon (Rn), a ubiquitous radioactive noble gas, is the main source of natural radiation to human and one of the major culprits for lung cancer. Reducing ambient Rn concentration by porous materials is considered as the most feasible and energy-saving option to lower this risk, but the in-depth Rn removal under ambient conditions remains an unresolved challenge, mainly due to the weak van der Waals (vdW) interaction between inert Rn and adsorbents and the extremely low partial pressure (<1.8 × 10-14 bar, <106 Bq/m3) of Rn in air. Adsorbents having either favorable adsorption thermodynamics or feasible diffusion kinetics perform poorly in in-depth Rn removal. Herein, we report the discovery of a metal-organic framework (ZIF-7-Im) for efficient Rn capture guided by computational screening and modeling. The size-matched pores in ZIF-7-Im abide by the thermodynamically favorable principle and the exquisitely engineered quasi-open apertures allow for feasible kinetics with little sacrifice of sorption thermodynamics. The as-prepared material can reduce the Rn concentration from hazardous levels to that below the detection limit of the Rn detector under ambient conditions, with an improvement of at least two orders of amplitude on the removal depth compared to the currently best-performing and only commercialized material activated charcoal.

Self-Powered Lithium Niobate Thin-Film Photodetectors.

Thin-film lithium niobate platform, namely lithium-niobate-on-insulator (LNOI), brings new opportunities for integrated photonics, taking advantages from both outstanding crystalline properties and special structural features. The excellent properties of LNOI have triggered development of a variety of on-chip photonic devices for light generation and manipulation. However, as an indispensable component for photonic circuit with full functionalities, the thin-film photodetector lacks in portfolios of LNOI-based devices due to standing obstacles of low electrical conductivity and poor photoelectric conversion ability. Here, a self-powered broadband LNOI photodetector based on enhanced photovoltaic effect, benefitting from encapsulated plasmonic nanoparticles and doped silver ions, is reported. Maximum responsivity of 0.25 A W-1 and detectivity (1.56 × 1014 Jones) are achieved. First-principle calculations and electric-field simulation reveal intrinsic mechanisms and crucial roles of plasmonic nanoparticles and silver ions on photocurrent generation and collection. This work opens an avenue to develop high-performance on-chip LNOI photodetectors, offering a conceivable means toward multiple-functional photonic circuits.

Schottky-Contacted High-Performance GaSb Nanowires Photodetectors Enabled by Lead-Free All-Inorganic Perovskites Decoration.

The surface Fermi level pinning effect promotes the formation of metal-independent Ohmic contacts for the high-speed GaSb nanowires (NWs) electronic devices, however, it limits next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this work, lead-free all-inorganic perovskites with broad bandgaps and low work functions are adopted to decorate the surfaces of GaSb NWs, demonstrating the success in the construction of Schottky-contacts by surface engineering. Benefiting from the expected Schottky barrier, the dark current is reduced to 2 pA, the Ilight /Idark ratio is improved to 103 and the response time is reduced by more than 15 times. Furthermore, a Schottky-contacted parallel array GaSb NWs photodetector is also fabricated by the contact printing technology, showing a higher photocurrent and a low dark current of 15 pA, along with the good infrared photodetection ability for a concealed target. All results guide the construction of Schottky-contacts by surface decorations for next-generation high-performance III-V NWs optoelectronics devices.

Using Quasispecies Patterns of Hepatitis B Virus to Predict Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Deep Sequencing and Machine Learning.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, it remains uncertain how the reverse-transcriptase (rt) gene contributes to HCC progression. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 307 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 237 with HBV-related HCC from 13 medical centers. Sequence features comprised multidimensional attributes of rt nucleic acid and rt/s amino acid sequences. Machine-learning models were used to establish HCC predictive algorithms. Model performances were tested in the training and independent validation cohorts using receiver operating characteristic curves and calibration plots. RESULTS: A random forest (RF) model based on combined metrics (10 features) demonstrated the best predictive performances in both cross and independent validation (AUC, 0.96; accuracy, 0.90), irrespective of HBV genotypes and sequencing depth. Moreover, HCC risk scores for individuals obtained from the RF model (AUC, 0.966; 95% confidence interval, .922-.989) outperformed α-fetoprotein (0.713; .632-.784) in distinguishing between patients with HCC and those with CHB. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence for the first time that HBV rt sequences contain vital HBV quasispecies features in predicting HCC. Integrating deep sequencing with feature extraction and machine-learning models benefits the longitudinal surveillance of CHB and HCC risk assessment.

A Plasmon-Enhanced SnSe2 Photodetector by Non-Contact Ag Nanoparticles.

The 2D layered materials are promising candidates for broadband, low-cost photodetectors. One deficiency of 2D materials is the relatively low absorbance of light, limiting the applications of the 2D photodetectors. Doping of plasmonic nanoparticles into 2D materials may enhance the optical absorbance owing to the localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) effect; however, considerable defects may be introduced into the 2D materials at the same time, resulting in certain degradation of device performance. Here, a novel design of 2D photodetectors with enhanced photoresponsivity by non-contact plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed, consisting of a hybrid structure of few-layer SnSe2 transferred a fused silica (SiO2 ) plate with embedded Ag NPs. The system of Ag NPs-in-SiO2 shows strong LSPR effect with significantly enhanced optical absorption, acting on SnSe2 in a non-contact configuration. Benefiting from well-preserved intrinsic features of SnSe2 and LSPR effect, the responsivity of the photodetector is enhanced by 881 times with the bias voltage of 0.1 V, which is superior to previously reported results of plasmon-enhanced 2D photodetectors. Moreover, the SiO2 with embedded Ag NPs is recyclable and can be easy to be recombined with different 2D materials. This work offers additional strategy for development of efficient, low-cost 2D photodetectors by using plasmonic NPs.

Toward Unusual-High Hole Mobility of p-Channel Field-Effect-Transistors.

The relative low hole mobility of p-channel building block device challenges the continued miniaturization of modern electronic chips. Metal-semiconductor junction is always an efficient strategy to control the carrier concentration of channel semiconductor, benefiting the carrier mobility regulation of building block device. In this work, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible metals are selected to deposit on the surface of the important p-channel building block of GaSb nanowire field-effect-transistors (NWFETs), demonstrating the efficient strategy of hole mobility enhancement by metal-semiconductor junction. When deposited with lower work function metal of Al, the peak hole mobility of GaSb NWFET can be enhanced to as high as ≈3372 cm2 V-1 s-1 , showing three times than the un-deposited one. The as-studied metal-semiconductor junction is also efficient for the hole mobility enhancement of other p-channel devices, such as GaAs NWFET, GaAs film FET, and WSe2 FET. With the enhanced mobility, the as-constructed CMOS inverter shows good invert characteristics, showing a relatively high gain of ≈18.1. All results may be regarded as important advances to the next-generation electronics.

Ambipolar transport in Ni-catalyzed InGaAs nanowire field-effect transistors for near-infrared photodetection.

Weak n-type characteristics or poor p-type characteristics are limiting the applications of binary semiconductors based on ambipolar field-effect transistors (FETs). In this work, a ternary alloy of In0.2Ga0.8As nanowires (NWs) is successfully prepared using a Ni catalyst during a typical solid-source chemical-vapor-deposition process to balance the weak n-type conduction behavior in ambipolar GaAs NWFETs and the poor p-type conduction behavior in ambipolar InAs NWFETs. The presence of ambipolar transport, contributed by a native oxide shell and the body defects of the prepared In0.2Ga0.8As NWs, is confirmed by the constructed back-gated NWFETs. As demonstrated by photoluminescence, the bandgap of the prepared In0.2Ga0.8As NWs is 1.28 eV, offering the promise of application in near-infrared (NIR) photodetection. Under 850 nm laser illumination, the fabricated ambipolar NWFETs show extremely low dark currents of 50 pA and 0.5 pA when positive and negative gate voltages are applied, respectively. All the results demonstrate that with careful design of the surface oxide layer and the body defects, NWs are suitable for use in next-generation optoelectronic devices.

Defect-engineered three-dimensional vanadium diselenide microflowers/nanosheets on carbon cloth by chemical vapor deposition for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction.

In the past decades, defect engineering has become an effective strategy to significantly improve the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency of electrocatalysts. In this work, a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is firstly adopted to demonstrate defect engineering in high-efficiency HER electrocatalysts of vanadium diselenide nanostructures. For practical applications, the conductive substrate of carbon cloth (CC) is selected as the growth substrate. By using a four-time CVD method, uniform three-dimensional microflowers with defect-rich small nanosheets on the surface are prepared directly on the CC substrate, displaying a stable HER performance with a low Tafel slope value of 125 mV dec-1and low overpotential voltage of 295 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2in alkaline electrolyte. Based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectra and density functional theory calculations, the impressive HER performance originates from the Se vacancy-related active sites of small nanosheets, while the microflower/nanosheet homoepitaxy structure facilitates the carrier flow between the active sites and conductive substrate. All the results present a new route to achieve defect engineering using the facile CVD technique, and pave a novel way to prepare high-activity layered electrocatalysts directly on a conductive substrate.

Implication of Increased Serum IL-31 for Primary Biliary Cholangitis.

Interleukin-31 (IL-31) has diverse biological functions. Increased IL-31 has been found in some skin and autoimmune diseases. There has been no study reporting the association between IL-31 and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). This study was designed to determine serum IL-31 level and to explore its diagnostic value for PBC as well as the association of IL-31 with inflammatory and fibrotic progression. 60 PBC patients, 32 age- and sex-matched patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The sera were detected for IL-31, IL-4, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), IL-17 and other laboratory indicators. Serum IL-31 levels were significantly higher in PBC patients (median, IQR, 20.6, 16.7-26.2, pg/ml) than CHB patients (median, IQR, 11.3, 8.0-13.0, pg/ml) and HC (median, IQR, 11.0, 10.0-12.2 pg/ml) (P < .001). Serum IL-31 performed well for identifying PBC, especially for antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA)-negative PBC with AUC of 0.900, optimal cutoff value of 13.6 pg/ml, sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 83.9%. Serum IL-31 was positively correlated with platelet count (r = 0.368, P = .004), but negatively with FIB4 (r = -0.307, P = .017) and histological stages (r = -0.364, P = .004) in PBC patients. It was also significantly correlated with IFN-γ (r = 0.404, P = .001) and IL-4 (r = 0.291, P = .026), but not with IL-17 (r = 0.151, P = .259) in PBC patients. Serum IL-31 is increased in and may be a useful marker for PBC, in particular, for AMA-negative PBC. Furthermore, it is inversely associated with fibrotic progression of PBC.

Lanosterol reduces the aggregation propensity of ultraviolet-damaged human γD-crystallins: a molecular dynamics study.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced oxidation of tryptophan (Trp) to kynurenine (KN) (TRP > KN) in human γD-crystallins (HγD-Crys) promotes the conversion of proteins into partially unfolded species that act as important precursors for sequential large-scale aggregation. Herein, we report that lanosterol shows protective activity to the structure of the TRP > KN mutant HγD-Crys, particularly its N-terminal domain (N-td), by using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The Trp68 > KN mutation significantly destabilizes the originally highly stable "Tyr55-Trp68-Tyr62" cluster, thereby causing loop2, where the mutation occurs, to become very flexible. The large fluctuation of loop2 induces cracks, which appear on the protein surface, resulting in the intrusion of water molecules into the hydrophobic core of the N-td. This event eventually triggers the unfolding of the N-td. However, lanosterol can suppress the large fluctuation of loop2 to protect the structural stability of the mutant N-td, thus reducing the aggregation propensity of the TRP > KN mutant HγD-Crys. This structure protective activity of lanosterol arises from its capability to preferentially bind to the hydrophobic regions near loop2. Thus, lanosterol acts as a "water blocker" to prevent the invasion of solvent molecules into the hydrophobic core. These findings provide some valuable insights into the development of potential lanosterol-based drugs for cataract prevention and treatment.

Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by lymphocytic microparticles via TLR4 pathway contributes to airway inflammation.

The presence of elevated T lymphocytic microparticles (TLMPs) during respiratory illness is associated with airway and lung inflammation and epithelial injuries. Although inflammasome and IL-1ß signaling are crucial in airway inflammation, little was known about their regulatory mechanism. We hypothesized that TLMPs trigger inflammasome activation and IL-1ß production in bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells to induce airway and lung inflammation. In this study, TLMPs induced IL-1ß and IL-18 secretion through NLRP3 inflammasome activation and upregulated TLR4 mRNA and protein expression in alveolar (A549) and human airway epithelial (16HBE) cells. Pretreatment with CLI-095, a specific inhibitor of TLR4 signaling, dramatically diminished the TLMP-induced release of IL-1ß and IL-18 by inhibiting the formation of NLRP3/ASC/pro-caspase-1 inflammasome in a dose-dependent manner. The TLMP-induced autophagy inhibition in epithelial cells was dependent on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which significantly increased NLRP3 expression and enhanced TLMP-induced inflammation. TLR4, IL-1ß, and IL-18 proteins harbored in TLMPs were nonessential for the pro-inflammatory effect. In conclusion, TLMPs induce bronchial and alveolar epithelial cell secretion of IL-1ß and IL-18 cytokines by activating the TLR4 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and inhibiting autophagy. These effects lead to NLRP3 inflammasome formation and accumulation. TLMPs may be regarded as deleterious markers of airway and lung damage in respiratory diseases.

Biotransformation of rare earth oxide nanoparticles eliciting microbiota imbalance.

BACKGROUND: Disruption of microbiota balance may result in severe diseases in animals and phytotoxicity in plants. While substantial concerns have been raised on engineered nanomaterial (ENM) induced hazard effects (e.g., lung inflammation), exploration of the impacts of ENMs on microbiota balance holds great implications. RESULTS: This study found that rare earth oxide nanoparticles (REOs) among 19 ENMs showed severe toxicity in Gram-negative (G-) bacteria, but negligible effects in Gram-positive (G+) bacteria. This distinct cytotoxicity was disclosed to associate with the different molecular initiating events of REOs in G- and G+ strains. La2O3 as a representative REOs was demonstrated to transform into LaPO4 on G- cell membranes and induce 8.3% dephosphorylation of phospholipids. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the dephosphorylation induced more than 2-fold increments of phospholipid diffusion constant and an unordered configuration in membranes, eliciting the increments of membrane fluidity and permeability. Notably, the ratios of G-/G+ reduced from 1.56 to 1.10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the mice with La2O3 exposure. Finally, we demonstrated that both IL-6 and neutrophil cells showed strong correlations with G-/G+ ratios, evidenced by their correlation coefficients with 0.83 and 0.92, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study deciphered the distinct toxic mechanisms of La2O3 as a representative REO in G- and G+ bacteria and disclosed that La2O3-induced membrane damages of G- cells cumulated into pulmonary microbiota imbalance exhibiting synergistic pulmonary toxicity. Overall, these findings offered new insights to understand the hazard effects induced by REOs.

Characteristics of serum chemokine profile in primary biliary cholangitis.

Although chemokines have been believed to exert a pivotal role in pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), comprehensive analysis of circulating chemokine profile in PBC has been little performed. The aim of this study is to determine serum chemokine profile and to explore its association with the development and progression of PBC. Sixty PBC patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. The sera were detected for 14 chemokines using multiplex immunoassay. The expression of CD3 and CD68 in the portal area of liver tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry in 6 PBC patients. The characteristics of chemokine profile in PBC were analyzed. Serum concentrations of most chemokines were higher, but TARC/CCL17, MDC/CCL22 and ENA-78/CXCL5 were lower in PBC patients than those in HC (all P < 0.05). Most of increased chemokines remained significant in both early and advanced PBC patients. PBC stage was correlated inversely with MCP-4/CCL13(r = -0.373), TARC/CCL17(r = -0.365), ENA-78/CXCL5 (r = -0.418) and I-TAC/CXCL11(r = -0.262), but positively with fractalkine/CX3CL1(r = 0.325). There were significant correlations between serum levels of IP-10/CXCL10 (r = 0.971, P = 0.001) and I-TAC/CXCL11 (r = 0.883, P = 0.020) and CD3 expression within the portal area, and between MIP-3α/CCL20 and CD68 expression within the portal area (r = 0.886, P = 0.019). In PBC patients, there were significant correlations among each other of MCP-4/CCL13, TARC/CCL17, MDC/CCL22, CTACK/CCL27, ENA-78/CXCL5, IP-10/CXCL10, I-TAC/CXCL11, excepting correlations of CTACK/CCL27 with IP-10/CXCL10 and I-TAC/CXCL11. Also, there were strong correlations among each other of CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1ß and IL-8/CXCL8. The only negative correlation was found in the serum between fractalkine/CX3CL1 and TARC/CCL17 (r = -0.311, P = 0.016). Serum levels of most chemokines are increasing throughout the development and progression of PBC, with the exception of chemokines, mainly attractive for neutrophil and eosinophil (e.g. ENA-78/CXCL5, MCP-4/CCL13), decreasing in advanced PBC, and of chemokines, dominantly responsible for Th2 chemotaxis (e.g. TARC/CCL17), decreasing in early PBC and associating negatively with PBC progression.