[Giant Solitary Fibrous Tumour of the Pleura Compressing the Left Ventricle:Report of a Case].

A 71-year-old woman with chest pain and exertional dyspnea was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography revealed a huge intrathoracic tumor with left parietal pleural dissemination. Transthoracic echocardiography showed the left ventricular dysfunction due to external compression by the tumor. After excision of the tumor, marked improvement of the left ventricular dysfunction was obtained for eight years. But the patient died due to cardiac invasion of the tumor 9th year after surgery.

Insulinoma-associated protein 1 is a prognostic biomarker in pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma.

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have suggested that insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is a useful marker for pathological diagnosis of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. In the present study, we investigated the association between INSM1 expression and prognosis in patients with pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (HGNEC) and assessed the usefulness of INSM1 as a prognostic biomarker in these patients. METHODS: Seventy-five consecutive patients with HGNEC who underwent complete surgical resections from January 2000 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study. We classified these patients into two groups: the INSM1-positive group (n = 59) and INSM1-negative group (n = 16). We compared the clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the groups. In addition, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify the prognostic factors associated with postoperative survival. RESULTS: Significant differences in tumor diameter and vascular invasion between the groups were found. OS and RFS were significantly poorer in the INSM1-positive group than in the INSM1-negative group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that INSM1 expression was the strongest predictor of poor prognosis for OS and RFS. CONCLUSIONS: INSM1 expression had the greatest influence on the prognosis in patients with HGNEC and may be a prognostic biomarker in these patients.

[Pulmonary Epithelial-myoepithelial Carcinoma;Report of a Case].

A 30-year-old female was admitted for diagnosis of an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. A computed tomography scan showed honeycombing in bilateral dorso-basal segments of the lung and a tumor obstructing the orifice of right middle lobe bronchus. Resection of the tumor by a bronchofiberscope was performed. However, a part of the tumor remained in the bronchus. Histlogical examination confirmed the tumor to be epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. In order to assure a complete resection of the tumor, we performed right middle wedge bronchoplastic lobectomy. The patient is doing well, without recurrence 5 years after surgery.

A composite film prepared from titanium carbide Ti3C2Tx (MXene) and gold nanoparticles for voltammetric determination of uric acid and folic acid.

In this study, a solution-processing based galvanic deposition approach is described for in-situ deposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) on delaminated titanium Ti3C2Tx nanosheets under ultrasonication. The nanocomposite (AuNP@Ti3C2Tx) was placed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and then applied to electrochemically with label-free, and simultaneously sense uric acid (UA), and folic acid (FA) at physiological pH. The modified GCE has attractive figures of merit: (i) The working potentials for UA and AA are well separated (+0.35 V and 0.70 V vs. Ag|AgCl); (ii) wide linear responses (from 0.03-1520 µM for UA and from 0.02-3580 µM for FA; (iii) good electrochemical sensitivities for both UA and FA (0.53 and 0.494 µAµM-1.cm-2, respectively), and (iv) detection limits of 11.5 nM (UA) and 6.20 nM (FA). The electrode exhibited good repeatability (RSD = 4.4%), acceptable reproducibility (RSD = 4.1%), and excellent stability (91.8% over one-month storage). The method was applied to analyze spiked serum samples, and modified GCE is shown appreciable recoveries (97.1-98.8% and 96.8-98.0% for UA, and FA, respectively). Graphical abstractA photograph (top left) of colloidal suspension of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). They were grown on the delaminated titanium carbide Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet via galvanic displacement deposition method, and their corresponding a low-resolution transmission electron microscopy micrograph (top right) of AuNP@Ti3C2Tx. The graphical representation of AuNP@Ti3C2Tx drop-casted on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) (bottom left), and their voltammetric measurement were applied in the presence of both uric acid and folic acid with increasing the concentration of both analytes (bottom right).

[Left Paraganglioma in the Posterior Mediastinum].

A 69-year-old man with hypertension was referred for an abnormal shadow detected on chest computed tomography(CT) at a medical checkup. Enhanced CT showed a highly enhanced posterior mediastinal tumor of 34×27 mm. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Thus, a neurogenic tumor was suspected and the surgery was performed. The tumor was carefully dissected as it was hyper-vascular and hemorrhagic. Immediately after tumor resection, the patient's blood pressure rapidly decreased, and phenylephrine hydrochloride was needed to maintain the blood pressure. The pathological diagnosis was paraganglioma.

Preoperative predictors of distant recurrence in patients with clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma undergoing complete resection.

Objective: We aimed to identify patients with clinical Stage IA lung adenocarcinoma who are at high risk for distant recurrence to preoperatively organize treatment strategies. Methods: We analyzed correlations between preoperative clinical factors and the incidence of distant recurrence in 609 patients with clinical Stage IA lung adenocarcinoma that had been completely resected at four institutions. We excluded 24 patients with only locoregional recurrence and analyzed data from 585 patients. Results: Distant recurrence after complete resection was identified in 34 patients during a median follow-up period of 41.4 months. Multivariate Cox analysis identified solid tumor size on high-resolution computed tomography and the maximum standardized uptake value on F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography as independent predictors for distant recurrence-free survival. Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed that solid tumor size ≥1.7 cm and the maximum standardized uptake value ≥3.3 were optimal criteria with which to detect patients at high risk for distant recurrence. In fact, 3-year distant recurrence rates were higher in patients who met the criteria for high risk (n = 85) than those who did not (n = 500) (28.1% vs. 3.7%; P < 0.001). A similar trend was also found in patients with pathological node negative. Conclusions: Solid tumor size on high-resolution computed tomography and the maximum standardized uptake value on F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography were clinical predictors of distant recurrence among patients with clinical Stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. Our findings might be useful to determine personalized therapeutic strategies including systemic therapy.

Efficacy of the MAGE-A3 cancer immunotherapeutic as adjuvant therapy in patients with resected MAGE-A3-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (MAGRIT): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Fewer than half of the patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are cured. Since the introduction of adjuvant chemotherapy in 2004, no substantial progress has been made in adjuvant treatment. We aimed to assess the efficacy of the MAGE-A3 cancer immunotherapeutic in surgically resected NSCLC. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited patients aged at least 18 years with completely resected stage IB, II, and IIIA MAGE-A3-positive NSCLC who did or did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy from 443 centres in 34 countries (Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific). Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive 13 intramuscular injections of recMAGE-A3 with AS15 immunostimulant (MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic) or placebo during 27 months. Randomisation and treatment allocation at the investigator site was done centrally via internet with stratification for chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy. Participants, investigators, and those assessing outcomes were masked to group assignment. A minimisation algorithm accounted for the number of chemotherapy cycles received, disease stage, lymph node sampling procedure, performance status score, and lifetime smoking status. The primary endpoint was broken up into three co-primary objectives: disease-free survival in the overall population, the no-chemotherapy population, and patients with a potentially predictive gene signature. The final analyses included the total treated population (all patients who had received at least one treatment dose). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00480025. FINDINGS: Between Oct 18, 2007, and July 17, 2012, we screened 13 849 patients for MAGE-A3 expression; 12 820 had a valid sample and of these, 4210 (33%) had a MAGE-A3-positive tumour. 2312 of these patients met all eligibility criteria and were randomly assigned to treatment: 1515 received MAGE-A3 and 757 received placebo and 40 were randomly assigned but never started treatment. 784 patients in the MAGE-A3 group also received chemotherapy, as did 392 in the placebo group. Median follow-up was 38·1 months (IQR 27·9-48·4) in the MAGE-A3 group and 39·5 months (27·9-50·4) in the placebo group. In the overall population, median disease-free survival was 60·5 months (95% CI 57·2-not reached) for the MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic group and 57·9 months (55·7-not reached) for the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR] 1·02, 95% CI 0·89-1·18; p=0·74). Of the patients who did not receive chemotherapy, median disease-free survival was 58·0 months (95% CI 56·6-not reached) in those in the MAGE-A3 group and 56·9 months (44·4-not reached) in the placebo group (HR 0·97, 95% CI 0·80-1·18; p=0·76). Because of the absence of treatment effect, we could not identify a gene signature predictive of clinical benefit to MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic. The frequency of grade 3 or worse adverse events was similar between treatment groups (246 [16%] of 1515 patients in the MAGE-A3 group and 122 [16%] of 757 in the placebo group). The most frequently reported grade 3 or higher adverse events were infections and infestations (37 [2%] in the MAGE-A3 group and 19 [3%] in the placebo group), vascular disorders (30 [2%] vs 17 [3%]), and neoplasm (benign, malignant, and unspecified (29 [2%] vs 16 [2%]). INTERPRETATION: Adjuvant treatment with the MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic did not increase disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with MAGE-A3-positive surgically resected NSCLC. Based on our results, further development of the MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic for use in NSCLC has been stopped. FUNDING: GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA.

[RADICAL SEGMENTECTOMY AND WEDGE RESECTION FOR GOOD-RISK PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL CT1AN0M0 LUNG CANCERRADICAL SEGMENTECTOMY AND WEDGE RESECTION FOR GOOD-RISK PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL CT1AN0M0 LUNG CANCER].

Lobectomy has been and remains the standard surgical treatment for peripheral cT1aN0M0 lung cancer because of the conclusion of the randomized controlled trial performed by the Lung Cancer Study Group in 1995, and limited resection (segmentectomy and wedge resection) is still not the standard treatment for patients who are candidates for lobectomy; limited resection compared with lobectomy was statistically associated with a significantly greater incidence of local recurrence, although no statistically significant difference was identified in overall survival. In 2002, a Japanese prospective single-arm study of peripheral cT1aN0M0 lung cancer revealed no significantly different outcomes between segmentectomy and lobectomy with aggressive lymph node examination using frozen sections and wide surgical margins; the 5-year survival rate was 81.8％ and local recurrence rate was 1.8％. Recently, two clinical trials conducted by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) have completed patient enrollment: JCOG0802, a phase III randomized trial of lobectomy versus segmentectomy for small peripheral non-small cell lung cancer; and JCOG0804, a nonrandomized confirmatory study of limited surgical resection for peripheral early lung cancer as defined based on thoracic thin-section computed tomography. The results will be published in the near future, and the standard treatment for peripheral cT1aN0M0 lung cancer may change.

Mechanism of Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones Catalyzed by a Combined System of Ru(π-CH2C(CH3)CH2)2(cod) and the Chiral sp(2)N/sp(3)NH Hybrid Linear N4 Ligand Ph-BINAN-H-Py.

The combination of a Goodwin-Lions-type chiral N4 ligand, (R)-Ph-BINAN-H-Py ((R)-3,3'-diphenyl-N(2),N(2')-bis((pyridin-2-yl)methyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine; L), with Ru(π-CH2C(CH3)CH2)2(cod) (A) (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) catalyzes the hydrogenation of acetophenone (AP) to (R)-1-phenylethanol (PE) with a high enantiomer ratio (er). Almost no Ru complex forms, with A and L remaining intact throughout the reaction while generating PE quantitatively according to [PE] = k(obs)t(2). An infinitesimal amount of reactive and unstable RuH2L (B) with C2-Λ-cis-α stereochemistry is very slowly and irreversibly generated from A by the action of H2 and L, which rapidly catalyzes the hydrogenation of AP via Noyori's donor-acceptor bifunctional mechanism. A CH-π-stabilized Si-face selective transition state, CSi, gives (R)-PE together with an intermediary Ru amide, D, which is inhibited predominantly by formation of the Ru enolate of AP. The rate-determining hydrogenolysis of D completes the cycle. The time-squared term relates both to the preliminary step before the cycle and to the cycle itself, with a highly unusual eight-order difference in the generation and turnover frequency of B. This mechanism is fully supported by a series of experiments including a detailed kinetic study, rate law analysis, simulation of t/[PE] curves with fitting to the experimental observations at the initial reaction stage, X-ray crystallographic analyses of B-related octahedral metal complexes, and Hammett plot analyses of electronically different substrates and ligands in their enantioselectivities.

Significant role of Psf3 expression in non-small-cell lung cancer.

The GINS complex associates with cell division cycle (Cdc) protein 45 and mini-chromosome maintenance (Mcm) proteins 2-7 to form the Cdc45-Mcm-GINS (CMG) complex, which is essential for DNA duplication. One member of the GINS complex is Psf3. We previously found that increased Psf3 expression was strongly associated with poor survival in lung adenocarcinoma. Here, we investigated the role of Psf3 expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We verified Psf3 expression in human NSCLC tissues (180 patients) and cell lines. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the overexpression of Psf3 was significantly associated with vessel invasion (P = 0.016), lymphatic invasion (P = 0.002), and pleural invasion (P = 0.036). The overall survival rate in patients with Psf3 overexpression was significantly lower than that in patients without Psf3 overexpression (P = 0.006). Multivariate survival analysis revealed Psf3 expression to be an independent risk factor for an unfavorable outcome (P = 0.049). A proximal ligation assay showed interactions between Psf3 and other CMG components (such as Mcm2 and Cdc45) in both NSCLC specimens and cell lines, indicating that Psf3 acted as the CMG complex, which could lead to excessive proliferation. Knockdown of Psf3 inhibited the proliferation of both cell lines by delaying the S phase, which revealed that Psf3 played an important role in cancer proliferation. Thus, Psf3 acted as the CMG complex, promoting excessive proliferation. These results suggest that Psf3 inhibition might be a therapeutic target for NSCLC with Psf3 overexpression.

Radiologic findings to predict low-grade malignant tumour among clinical T1bN0 lung adenocarcinomas: lessons from histological subtypes.

OBJECTIVE: Some clinical T1bN0 (cT1bN0) lung adenocarcinomas (2-3 cm) are thought to have less-aggressive and less-malignant behaviour although most cT1aN0 tumours (≤2 cm) are indolent. The present study aimed to identify pre-operative radiographic findings that can predict cT1bN0 lung adenocarcinoma with low-malignant aggressiveness in consideration of histological subtypes. METHODS: The clinicopathological features and prognoses of 224 consecutive patients (histological subtype set, n = 122; prognosis set, n = 224) with cT1bN0 lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively examined. Adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, lepidic, node-negative papillary and node-negative acinar predominant invasive adenocarcinomas were defined as low-grade malignant, whereas solid, micropapillary, node-positive acinar and node-positive papillary predominant invasive adenocarcinoma were defined as high-grade malignant. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed that the criteria of solid tumour size ≤1.8 cm on high-resolution computed tomography and the maximum standardized uptake value ≤3.2 on positron emission tomography/computed tomography could predict low-grade malignant tumour in the histological subtype set. Among 95 (42.4%) of 224 patients who met the criteria for the prognosis set, 94 (98.9%) had no lymph node metastasis and 93 (97.9%) had no recurrence (median follow-up, 43.6 months). The 3 year recurrence-free survival rates were 94.9 and 79.0% in patients whose pre-operative findings met and did not meet the criteria, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative radiographic findings of solid tumour size and the maximum standardized uptake value could identify low-grade malignant tumour among cT1bN0 lung adenocarcinomas, which account for about half of all cT1bN0 tumours. Patients with pre-operative lung tumour findings that fulfill the criteria could be candidates for sublobar resection.

What are the radiologic findings predictive of indolent lung adenocarcinoma?

OBJECTIVE: Small pulmonary nodules are often followed up. This study aimed to establish radiographic criteria with which to accurately and reproducibly predict indolent cancers including adenocarcinoma in situ. METHODS: We examined correlations between pre-operative factors and surgical outcomes, including pathological findings and prognosis among 609 patients with clinical Stage IA lung adenocarcinoma that had been completely resected at multiple institutions. Indolent cancers were defined as tumors without lymphatic, blood vessel, pleural invasion or lymph node involvement (LY0V0PL0N0) regardless of stromal invasion. RESULTS: Pathological assessments of specimens of 35 of 85 (41%) pure ground glass opacity tumors including 3 (23%) of 13 pure ground glass opacity tumors ≤ 1 cm, revealed partially invasive components. Receiver operating characteristic curves for LY0V0PL0N0 revealed solid tumor size ≤ 6 mm on high-resolution computed tomography or maximum standardized uptake values ≤ 0.6 on 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography as radiographic indolent tumor criteria for predicting indolent tumors. Among 216 (35.5%) of 609 patients who met these criteria, none developed recurrence over a median follow-up of 41.6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Pure ground glass opacity lesions on high-resolution computed tomography could pathologically include invasive components and would not correspond to adenocarcinoma in situ. Solid tumor size on high-resolution computed tomography and maximum standardized uptake values on positron emission tomography/computed tomography can predict indolent LY0V0PL0N0 lung tumors that can be followed up.

The Difference in Maximum Standardized Uptake Value among Lung Adenocarcinomas Located at the Upper and Lower Zone on PET/CT.

BACKGROUND: Findings on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are surrogate markers of malignancy in lung adenocarcinoma. Breathing during PET/CT can substantially reduce the maximum standardized uptake value (maxSUV) of lung tumors when they are located at the lower zone (LZ). OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether lung cancer location influences the malignancy predicted by maxSUV. METHODS: 608 patients with clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma had been preoperatively examined by PET/CT and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). We evaluated the clinicopathological characteristics of these patients and the accuracy of precognition obtained by maxSUV between the upper zone (UZ, n = 395) and the LZ (n = 213). maxSUV was also analyzed for matched pairs between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean maxSUV in the LZ group was significantly lower than that in the UZ group (1.98 ± 1.73 vs. 2.44 ± 2.43, respectively; p = 0.0145). The receiver operating characteristics curve of maxSUV for predicting high-grade malignancy (lymphatic, vascular, pleural invasion, or lymph node metastasis) was larger for the UZ group than for the LZ group [0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86-0.93, vs. 0.82, 95% CI 0.76-0.88]. Analysis for maxSUV of 213 pairs matched for the solid component size on HRCT, pathological characteristics, and gender revealed that maxSUV in the LZ group was significantly lower than that in the UZ group (1.98 ± 1.73 vs. 2.47 ± 2.39, respectively; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: maxSUV of a tumor in the LZ group is apparently lower than the value which reflects the potential malignancy of a tumor. We have to carefully consider these facts when selecting the appropriate surgical procedure for lung cancer with PET/CT and HRCT.

Cyclin-dependent kinase-specific activity predicts the prognosis of stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Even with complete resection, the prognosis of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer is poor due to local and distant recurrence, and it remains unclear which biomarkers are clinically useful for predicting recurrence or for determining the efficacy of chemotherapy. Recently, several lines of evidence have indicated that the enzymatic activity of cyclin-dependent kinases could be a clinically relevant prognostic marker for some cancers. We investigated whether the specific activity of cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 2 could predict recurrence or death in early non-small cell lung cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer were entered into this blinded cohort study. The activity of cyclin-dependent kinases was determined in 171 samples by the C2P® assay, and the results were subjected to statistical analysis with recurrence or death as a clinical outcome. RESULTS: The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the activity of cyclin-dependent kinase 1, but not 2, was a predictor of recurrence, independent of sex, age, and stage. By contrast, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 activity was a predictor of death, independent of sex and stage. CONCLUSION: This study suggested the possible clinical use of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 as a predictor of recurrence and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 as a predictor of overall survival in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Thus, a combination of activity of cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 2 is useful in decision-making regarding treatment strategies for non-small cell lung cancer after surgery.

[Pulmonary aspergillosis associated with empyema due to Eikenella corrodens].

A 74-year-old female had previously undergone a left upper lobectomy and received radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in 2002. She was admitted to our hospital because of left pulmonary aspergillosis in 2011. We performed left completion pneumonectomy and decortications. After the operation, Eikenella corrodens was isolated from pleural effusion. She was therefore diagnosed as having simultaneous empyema due to Eikenella corrodens, and continued to have antibiotic treatment. Wound dehiscence caused by malnutrition occurred postoperatively, but was healed by peroral nutritional support. She was discharged 78 days after the operation without recurrence of pulmonary aspergillosis and empyema for 23 months.

Crystal orientation of epitaxial film deposited on silicon surface.

Direct growth of oxide film on silicon is usually prevented by extensive diffusion or chemical reaction between silicon (Si) and oxide materials. Thermodynamic stability of binary oxides is comprehensively investigated on Si substrates and shows possibility of chemical reaction of oxide materials on Si surface. However, the thermodynamic stability does not include any crystallographic factors, which is required for epitaxial growth. Adsorption energy evaluated by total energy estimated with the density functional theory predicted the orientation of epitaxial film growth on Si surface. For lower computing cost, the adsorption energy was estimated without any structural optimization (simple total of energy method). Although the adsorption energies were different on simple ToE method, the crystal orientation of epitaxial growth showed the same direction with/without the structural optimization. The results were agreed with previous simulations including structural optimization. Magnesium oxide (MgO), as example of epitaxial film, was experimentally deposited on Si substrates and compared with the results from the adsorption evaluation. X-ray diffraction showed cubic on cubic growth [MgO(100)//Si(100) and MgO(001)//Si(001)] which agreed with the results of the adsorption energy.

The role of Necl-5 in the invasive activity of lung adenocarcinoma.

Nectin-like molecule-5 (Necl-5) is an immunoglobulin-like molecule that was originally identified as a poliovirus receptor and is often upregulated in cancer cells. It has been said that Necl-5 plays a role in not only cell-cell adhesion, but also cell migration, proliferation, and metastasis. In this study, we used a bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) cell line and fibroblasts to assess the expression of Necl-5 in the development of cancer-stroma communication by using an easy-to-prepare double-layered collagen gel hemisphere (DL-CGH) system that enables visualization of cell migration during invasion. The expression of Necl-5 was higher in BAC cells than in fibroblasts. This tendency didn't change even when the BAC cells were mixed with fibroblasts. To assess the role of Necl-5 in the invasive activity of the BAC cells, we knocked down its expression using RNA interference (RNAi). The invasion assay with DL-CGH revealed that inhibition of Necl-5 expression in the BAC cells was associated with suppressed invasiveness. In addition, Necl-5 knockdown inhibited the movement and proliferation of the BAC cells. Necl-5 expression in lung cancer cells is crucial for their invasiveness in the cancer-stromal interaction, suggesting that Necl-5 could be a favorable molecular target for the suppression of invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma.

Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework Incorporated Highly Polar PVDF for Dielectric Energy Storage and Mechanical Energy Harvesting.

Here, we introduce a 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) into the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix, which has been comparatively less explored in this field. Highly 2D Ni-MOF has been synthesized in this regard via hydrothermal route and has been incorporated into PVDF matrix via solvent casting technique with ultralow filler (0.5 wt%) loading. The polar phase percentage of 0.5 wt% Ni-MOF loaded PVDF film (NPVDF) has been found to be increased to ~85% from a value of ~55% for neat PVDF. The ultralow filler loading has inhibited the easy breakdown path along with increased dielectric permittivity and hence has enhanced the energy storage performance. On the other hand, significantly enriched polarity and Young's Modulus has helped in improving its mechanical energy harvesting performance, thereby enhancing the human motion interactive sensing activities. The piezoelectric and piezo-tribo hybrid devices made up of NPVDF film have shown improved output power density of ~3.26 and 31 µW/cm2 compared to those of the piezoelectric and piezo-tribo hybrid devices comprising of neat PVDF (output power density ~0.6 and 17 µW/cm2, respectively). The developed composite can thus be considered an excellent candidate for multifunctional applications.

Continuous Production of Functionalized Graphene Inks by Soft Solution Processing.

The continuous production of high-quality, few-layer graphene nanosheets (GNSs) functionalized with nitrogen-containing groups was achieved via a two-stage reaction method. The initial stage produces few-layer GNSs by utilizing our recently developed glycine-bisulfate ionic complex-assisted electrochemical exfoliation of graphite. The second stage, developed here, uses a radical initiator and nitrogen precursor (azobisisobutyronitrile) under microwave conditions in an aqueous solution for the efficient nitrogen functionalization of the initially formed GNSs. These nitrile radical reactions have great advantages in green chemistry and soft processing. Raman spectra confirm the insertion of nitrogen functional groups into nitrogen-functionalized graphene (N-FG), whose disorder is higher than that of GNSs. X-ray photoelectron spectra confirm the insertion of edge/surface nitrogen functional groups. The insertion of nitrogen functional groups is further confirmed by the enhanced dispersibility of N-FG in dimethyl formamide, ethylene glycol, acetonitrile, and water. Indeed, after the synthesis of N-FG in solution, it is possible to disperse N-FG in these liquid dispersants just by a simple washing-centrifugation separation-dispersion sequence. Therefore, without any drying, milling, and redispersion into liquid again, we can produce N-FG ink with only solution processing. Thus, the present work demonstrates the 'continuous solution processing' of N-FG inks without complicated post-processing conditions. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of N-FG is presented.

Diamond-like Carbon Patterning by the Submerged Discharge Plasma Technique via Soft Solution Processing.

Submerged plasma-assisted discharge direct patterning of diamond-like carbon (DLC) onto the silicon substrate in ambient conditions has succeeded as a new and novel soft solution process. In this environmentally benign technique, a copious amount of pure ethanol (ca. 4 mL) was locally activated with a maximum of ca. 0.23 mkWh by an as-electrochemically synthesized ultrasharp tungsten tip. With the assisted submerged plasma, the decomposed ethanol molecules are anodically patterned directly onto the silicon substrate in ambient conditions. The physical nature of DLC patterns was accessed by profilometry, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Furthermore, Fourier-transform infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectra were analyzed for chemical compositions and structures, such as surface functionalization, carbon-carbon bonding, and sp2-sp3 ratio, respectively. From a Berkovich-configured nanoindentation analysis, Young's modulus and hardness have shown increasing trend with increasing sp3-sp2 ratio in DLC patterns of 68.5 and 2.8 GPa, respectively. From the electrochemical cyclovoltammetry analysis, a maximum areal specific capacitance of 205.5 µF/cm2 has been achieved at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. The one-step, green, and environmentally sustainable approach of rapid formation of DLC patterns is thus a promising technique for various carbon-based electrode fabrication processes.