A 2-fold interpenetrating 3D pillar-layered MOF for the gas separation and detection of metal ions.

A 2-fold interpenetrating 3D pillar-layered MOF, which was assembled from a mixed-linker and paddle-wheel cluster, was successfully synthesized. It possesses good thermal and water stability as well as high selectivity for C2H6 over CH4 and CO2 over N2 under ambient conditions, which was further proved by breakthrough experiments. Moreover, this porous material exhibits good detection of Cu2+, [Co(NH3)6]3+ and Fe3+ in an aqueous solution.

Targeting CircAURKA prevents colorectal cancer progression via enhancing CTNNB1 protein degradation.

Tumor progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) seriously affects patient prognosis. For CRC patients with advanced-stage disease, it is still necessary to continuously explore more effective targeted therapeutic drugs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the regulation of tumor biology. We screened circAURKA, which was significantly highly expressed in CRC by previous high-throughput RNA sequencing. In vitro experiments were performed to investigate the effect of the circRNA on the proliferation and metastasis of HCT116 and SW480 cells. In addition, we used the EdU assay, Transwell assay, nude mouse xenograft tumor model and nude mouse tail vein metastasis model to examine the effect of circAURKA on the proliferation and metastasis of CRC. Mechanistically, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), protein coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) experiments and animal models were performed to confirm the underlying mechanisms of circAURKA. CircAURKA was significantly highly expressed in CRC tissues and colorectal cells and mainly present in the cytoplasm. The circRNA promoted the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. In terms of the molecular mechanism, circAURKA inhibited the degradation of the CTNNB1 protein by promoting the interaction between ACLY and the CTNNB1 protein, thereby promoting the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells. In addition, circAURKA stability was regulated by m6A methylation modification. This study revealed that circAURKA promoted the proliferation and metastasis of CRC by inhibiting CTNNB1 protein degradation, providing a basis for the development of targeted drugs to control CRC progression.

In vivo electrical properties of the healthy liver and the hepatic tumor in a mouse model between 1 Hz and 1 MHz during a thermal treatment.

Objective: Understansding the changing patterns of in vivo electrical properties for the target tissue is crucial for the accurate temperature monitoring and the treatment efficacy in thermal therapy. Our research aims to investigate the changing patterns and the reversibility of in vivo electrical properties for both healthy livers and liver tumors in a mouse model over a frequency range of 1 Hz to 1 MHz at temperatures between 30 °C to 90 °C.Methods and materials: The mice were anesthetized and the target organ was exposed. An 808-nm near-infrared laser was employed as the heating source to heat the organ in vivo. The four-needle electrode, connected to an impedance analyzer, was utilized to obtain the impedance at varying temperatures, which were monitored by a thermocouple.Results: The findings indicated a gradual decline in impedance with an increase in temperature. Furthermore, the impedance was normalized to that at 30 °C, and the real part of the normalized impedance was defined as the k-values, which range from 0 to 1. The results demonstrated a linear correlation between k-values and temperatures (R2 > 0.9 for livers and R2 > 0.8 for tumors). Significant differences were observed between livers and tumors at 1, 10 and 50 kHz (p < 0.05). Additionally, it was demonstrated that the electrical properties could be reversed when the temperature was below or equal to 45 °C.Conclusion: We believe that these results will contribute to the advancement of radiofrequency ablation systems and the development of techniques for temperature monitoring during liver thermal treatment.

Synergistic C2H2 Binding Sites in Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Framework for One-Step C2H4 Purification from Ternary C2 Mixture.

Purification of C2H4 from the ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixture in one step is of critical significance but still extremely challenging according to its intermediate physical properties between C2H6 and C2H2. Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) stabilized by supramolecular interactions are emerging as a new kind of adsorbents that facilitate green separation. However, it remains a problem to efficiently realize the one-step C2H4 purification from C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 mixture because of the low C2H2/C2H4 selectivity. We herein report a robust microporous HOF (termed as HOF-TDCPB) with dense O atoms and aromatic rings distributed on the pore surface which provide C2H6 and C2H2 preferred environment simultaneously. Dynamic breakthrough experiments indicate that HOF-TDCPB can not only obtain high-purity C2H4 from binary C2 mixture, but also firstly realize one-step C2H4 purification from ternary C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 mixture, with the C2H4 productivity of 3.2 L/kg (>99.999 %) for one breakthrough cycle. Furthermore, HOF-TDCPB displays outstanding stability in air, organic solvents and water, which endow it excellent cycle performance even under high-humidity conditions. Theoretical calculations indicate that multiple O sites on pore channels can create synergistic binding sites for C2H2, thus affording overall stronger multipoint interactions.

Geotemporal Analysis of Melanoma Incidence and Mortality Identifies Distinct Clusters of Trends within the United States Between 2001 and 2019.

The extent to which the geographic diversity of the US plays a significant role in melanoma incidence and mortality over time has not been precisely characterized. We obtained age-adjusted melanoma data for the 50 states between 2001 and 2019 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry and performed hierarchical clustering (complete linkage, Euclidean space) to uncover geo-temporal trend groups over 2 decades. While there was a global increase in incidence during this time (b1 = +0.41, P < .0001), there were 6 distinct clusters (by absolute and Z-score) with significantly different temporal trends (analysis of covariance P < .0001). Cluster 2 states had the sharpest increase in incidence with b1 = +0.66, P < .0001. For mortality, the global rate decreased (b1 = -0.03, P = .0003) with 3 and 6 clusters by absolute and Z-scores, respectively (analysis of covariance P < .05). Cluster 1 states exhibited the smallest decline in mortality (b1 = -0.017, P = .008). Mortality to incidence ratios declined (b1 = -0.0037, P < .0001) and harbored 4 and 6 clusters by absolute and Z-score analysis, respectively (analysis of covariance P < .0001). Cluster 4 states had the lowest rate of mortality to incidence ratios decline (b1 = -0.003, P < .0001). These results provide an unprecedented higher dimensional view of melanoma behavior over space and time. With more refined analyses, geospatial studies can uncover local trends which can inform public health agencies to more properly allocate resources.

Hollow magnetic vortex nanorings loaded with quercetin encapsulated in polydopamine: A high-performance, intelligent nanotheranostic platform for enhanced tumor imaging and dual thermal treatment.

Nanoparticle-mediated thermotherapeutic research strives innovative, multifunctional, efficient, and safe treatments. Our study introduces a novel nanoplatform: the hollow magnetic vortex nanorings within a polydopamine layer (HMVNp), which exhibit dual functionality as magnetic and photothermal agents. Utilizing a "Dual-mode" approach, combining an alternating magnetic field (AMF) with near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, HMVNp demonstrated a significant enhancement in heating efficacy (58 ± 8 %, SAR = 1441 vs 1032 W/g) over traditional solid magnetite nanoparticles coated with polydopamine (SMNp). The unique geometry larger surface area to volume ratio facilitates efficient magnetic vortex dynamics and enhanced heat transfer. Addressing the challenge of heat resistant heat shock protein (Hsp) expression, encapsulated quercetin (Q) within HMVNp leverages tumor acidity and dual-mode thermal therapy to enhance release, showing a 28.8 ± 6.81 % increase in Q loading capacity compared to traditional SMNp. Moreover, HMVNp significantly improves contrast for both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI), with an approximately 62 % transverse relaxation (R2 = 81.5 vs 31.6 mM-1s-1 [Fe]). In vivo studies showed that while single treatments slowed tumor growth, dual-mode therapy with quercetin significantly reduced tumors and effectively prevented metastases. Our study highlights the potential of HMVNp/Q as a versatile agent in thermotherapeutic interventions, offering improved diagnostic imaging capabilities.

Ideal Cage-like Pores for Molecular Sieving of Butane Isomers with High Purity and Record Productivity.

n-C4H10 and iso-C4H10 are both important petrochemical raw materials. Considering the coexistence of the isomers in the production process, it is necessary to achieve their efficient separation through an economical way. However, to obtain high-purity n-C4H10 and iso-C4H10 in one-step separation process, developing iso-C4H10-exclusion adsorbents with high n-C4H10 adsorption capacity is crucial. Herein, we report a cage-like MOF (SIFSIX-Cu-TPA) with small windows and large cavities which can selectively allow smaller n-C4H10 enter the pore and accommodate a large amount of n-C4H10 simultaneously. Adsorption isotherms reveal that SIFSIX-Cu-TPA not only completely excludes iso-C4H10 in a wide temperature range, but also exhibits a very high n-C4H10 adsorption capacity of 94.2 cm3 g-1 at 100 kPa and 298 K, which is the highest value among iso-C4H10-exclusion-type adsorbents. Breakthrough experiments show that SIFSIX-Cu-TPA has excellent n/iso-C4H10 separation performance and can achieve a record-high productivity of iso-C4H10 (3.2 mol kg-1) with high purity (>99.95 %) as well as 3.0 mol kg-1 of n-C4H10 (>99 %) in one separation circle. More importantly, SIFSIX-Cu-TPA can realize the efficient separation of butanes at different flow rates, temperatures, as well as under high humid condition, which indicates that SIFSIX-Cu-TPA can be deemed as an ideal platform for industrial butane isomers separation.

Molecular Analysis of Murine KitK641E Melanoma Progression.

Acral and mucosal melanomas are often driven by sequence variants in the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase, with nearly 40% harboring alterations in the KIT locus. Despite advances in the knowledge of KIT-mutated melanomas, little is known about the molecular reprogramming that occurs during KIT-mediated melanoma progression owing to the rarity of acral and mucosal melanomas and the lack of comprehensive biological tools and models. To this end, we used a murine model that allows us to ascertain the molecular underpinnings of the stages of cancer progression-transformation, tumorigenesis, immune engagement, and tumor escalation. We found dramatic increases in biosynthetic demands associated with the transformation stage, including DNA and RNA metabolism, leading to replication stress. Tumorigenesis was closely linked to neuronal and axonal development, likely necessary for invasion into the host. Immune engagement highlighted early immune excitation and rejection pathways, possibly triggered by abrupt neoantigen exposure. Finally, tumor escalation pathways proved consistent with immune evasion, with immune-related pathways becoming significantly downregulated. To our knowledge, it is previously unreported that these critical milestones needed for KIT-driven melanoma tumor formation have been studied at the molecular level using isogenically matched and phenotypically defined cells.

The Compatibility of COFs Cathode and Optimized Electrolyte for Ultra-Long Lifetime Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (RAZIBs) are attractive due to their affordability, safety, and eco-friendliness. However, their potential is limited by the lack of high-capacity cathodes and compatible electrolytes needed for reliable performance. Herein, we have presented a compatibility strategy for the development of a durable and long-lasting RAZIBs. The covalent organic frameworks (COFs) based on anthraquinone (DAAQ-COF) is created and utilized as the cathode, with zinc metal serving as the anode. The electrolyte is made up of an aqueous solution containing zinc salts at various concentrations. The COF cathode has been designed to be endowed with a rich array of redox-active groups, enhancing its electrochemical properties. Meanwhile, the electrolyte is formulated using triflate anions, which have exhibited superiority over sulfate anions. This strategy lead to the development of an optimized COF cathode with fast charging capability, high Coulombic efficiency (nearly 100 %) and long-term cyclability (retention rate of nearly 100 % at 1 A g-1 after 10000 cycles). Moreover, through experimental analysis, a co-insertion mechanism involving Zn2+ and H+ in this cathode is discovered for the first time. These findings represent a promising path for the advancement of organic cathode materials in high-performance and sustainable RAZIBs.

Temperature-Dependent Separation of CO2 from Light Hydrocarbons in a Porous Self-Assembly of Vertexes Sharing Octahedra.

Design of flexible porous materials where the diffusion of guest molecules is regulated by the dynamics of contracted pore aperture is challenging. Here, a flexible porous self-assembly consisting of 1D channels with dynamic bottleneck gates is reported. The dynamic pendant naphthimidazolylmethyl moieties at the channel necks provide kinetic gate function, that enables unusual adsorption for light hydrocarbons. The adsorption for CO2 is mainly dominated by thermodynamics with the uptakes decreasing with increasing temperature, whereas the adsorptions for larger hydrocarbons are controlled by both thermodynamics and kinetics resulting in an uptake maximum at a temperature threshold. Such an unusual adsorption enables temperature-dependent separation of CO2 from the corresponding hydrocarbons.

Development and evaluation of a human CD47/HER2 bispecific antibody for Trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer immunotherapy.

The treatment for trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer (BC) remains a challenge in clinical settings. It was known that CD47 is preferentially upregulated in HER2+ BC cells, which is correlated with drug resistance to trastuzumab. Here, we developed a novel anti-CD47/HER2 bispecific antibody (BsAb) against trastuzumab-resistant BC, named IMM2902. IMM2902 demonstrated high binding affinity, blocking activity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), and internalization degradation effects against both trastuzumab-sensitive and trastuzumab-resistant BC cells in vitro. The in vivo experimental data indicated that IMM2902 was more effective than their respective controls in inhibiting tumor growth in a trastuzumab-sensitive BT474 mouse model, a trastuzumab-resistant HCC1954 mouse model, two trastuzumab-resistant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models and a cord blood (CB)-humanized HCC1954 mouse model. Through spatial transcriptome assays, multiplex immunofluorescence (mIFC) and in vitro assays, our findings provided evidence that IMM2902 effectively stimulates macrophages to generate C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL) 9 and CXCL10, thereby facilitating the recruitment of T cells and NK cells to the tumor site. Moreover, IMM2902 demonstrated a high safety profile regarding anemia and non-specific cytokines release. Collectively, our results highlighted a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of HER2+ BCs and this approach exhibits significant anti-tumor efficacy without causing off-target toxicity in trastuzumab-resistant BC cells.

An Ultra-stable Supramolecular Framework Based on Consecutive Side-by-side Hydrogen Bonds for One-step C2H4/C2H6 Separation.

The one-step efficient separation of high-purity C2H4 from C2H4/C2H6 mixtures by hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) faces two problems: lack of strategies for constructing stable pores in HOFs and how to obtain high C2H6 selectivity. Herein, we have developed a microporous Mortise-Tenon-type HOF (MTHOF-1, MT is short for Mortise-Tenon structure) with a new self-assembly mode for C2H4/C2H6 separation. Unlike previous HOFs which usually possess discrete head-to-head hydrogen bonds, MTHOF-1 is assembled by unique consecutive side-by-side hydrogen bonds, which result in mortise-and-tenon pores decorated with orderly arranged amide groups and benzene rings. As expected, MTHOF-1 exhibits excellent stability under various conditions and shows clear separation trends for C2H6/C2H4. The IAST selectivity is as high as 2.15 at 298 K. More importantly, dynamic breakthrough experiments have demonstrated that MTHOF-1 can effectively separate the C2H6/C2H4 feed gas to obtain polymer-grade C2H4 in one step even under high-humidity conditions.

Flexible Microporous Framework for One-Step Acquisition of Ethylene from Ternary C2 Hydrocarbons.

One-step purification of ethylene (C2H4) from ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixtures is a crucial task and an enduring challenge because of their similar molecular size and physical properties. Owing to their intriguing structural dynamics, flexible MOFs have attracted more attention for gas adsorption and separation. Herein, we report a flexible MOF FJI-W-66 that exhibits rarely seen "breathing" behaviors for C2 hydrocarbons. Upon activation, the channels of guest-free FJI-W-66a significantly contract to a nearly closed-pore state. FJI-W-66a shows the stepwise adsorption isotherms for C2 hydrocarbons, which suggests the occurrence of structural transformation between less open and more open phases. Breakthrough experiments provide evidence that FJI-W-66a can selectively separate C2H4 from C2H2/C2H4/C2H6 mixtures with different ratios under ambient conditions, realizing the one-step acquisition of C2H4 from ternary C2 hydrocarbons.

Water-Stable Microporous Bipyrazole-Based Framework for Efficient Separation of MTO Products.

Recently, methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology has been widely used. The development of new adsorbents to separate MTO products and obtain high-purity ethylene (C2H4) and propylene (C3H6) has become an urgent task. Herein, an exceptionally highly water-stable metal-organic framework (MOF), [Cu3(OH)2(Me2BPZ)2]·(solvent)x (1) (H2Me2BPZ = 3,3'-dimethyl-1H,1'H-4,4'-bipyrazole) with hexagonal pores, has been elaborately designed and constructed. After being soaked in water for 7 days, it still maintains its structure, and the uptake of N2 at 77 K is unchanged. The adsorption capacity of C3H6 can reach 138 cm3 g-1, while the uptake of C2H4 is only 52 cm3 g-1 at 298 K and 1 bar. The dynamic breakthrough experiments show that the mixture of C3H6/C2H4 (50/50, v/v) can be efficiently separated in one step. High-purity C2H4 and C3H6 can be obtained through an adsorption and desorption cycle and the yields of C2H4 (purity ≥ 99.95%) and C3H6 (purity ≥ 99%) are 84 and 48 L kg-1, respectively. Surprisingly, when the flow rate is increased, the separation performance has no obvious change. Additionally, humidity has no effect on the separation performance. Finally, theoretical simulations indicate that there are stronger interactions between the C3H6 molecule and the framework, which are beneficial to capturing C3H6 over C2H4.

HMGB1/SET/HAT1 complex-mediated SASH1 repression drives glycolysis and metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) can enhance the stability and accessibility of nucleus binding sites to nucleosomes and transcription factors. Recently, HMGB1 has been recognized as a positive regulator of tumor glutamine, and its overexpression has been correlated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, functions and mechanisms of HMGB1 in regulation of glycolysis during cancer progression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still unclear. Here, we found that intracellular HMGB1 was consistently upregulated in LUAD specimens, and positively relevant to tumor grade and poor survival. HMGB1 facilitated glycolysis and promoted metastasis through physical interaction with SET and HAT1, forming HMGB1/SET/HAT1 complex that inhibited H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation in LUAD. The functional proteins complex coordinated histone modification to suppress the expression of SASH1, thus further facilitating glycolysis and inducing the metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Consistent with this, the expression of SASH1 was negatively correlated with HMGB1, SET and GLUT1, and positively correlated with HAT1 in human LUAD specimens. Clinically, LUAD patients with high expression of HMGB1 and low expression of SASH1 exhibited the worst clinical outcomes. Overall, the findings of this study revealed the critical role of HMGB1 in glycolysis and metastasis by attenuating H3K9ace and H3K27ace through physical interacted with SET and HAT1, which may facilitate future targeted therapies.

Corneal Astigmatism Alteration after Combined Silicone Oil Removal and Cataract Surgery with Intraocular Lens Implantation.

Purpose: To explore short-term changes in corneal astigmatism after combined silicone oil removal and cataract (SORC) surgery. Methods: We enrolled 89 patients (43 men and 46 women). Zeiss IOLMaster was used to measure corneal astigmatism status and axial length on the day before and after the SORC surgery. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were recorded. The results were compared to the outcomes at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. Results: Compared to baseline, K1 decreased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P = 0.016), 1 week (P = 0.009), and 1 month (P = 0.035), while K2 increased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P = 0.002), 1 week (P < 0.001), and 1 month (P = 0.001), as well as corneal astigmatism (all P < 0.001). Compared to that at the baseline, BCVA significantly improved at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively (all P < 0.001). Meanwhile, IOP decreased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P < 0.001), 1 week (P = 0.005), and 1 month (P = 0.007). Similarly, axial length decreased at all follow-up time points (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Corneal astigmatism increased in the short term after the SORC operation but gradually decreased at 1 month postoperatively. BCVA improved steadily, and SORC was widely used in the clinic.

The Noninvasive Sonothermogenetics Used for Neuromodulation in M1 Region of Mice Brain by Overexpression of TRPV1.

Sonogenetics is preferred for neuroregulation and the treatment of brain diseases due to its noninvasive properties. Ultrasonic stimulation produces thermal and mechanical effects, among others. Since transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) could be activated at 42 °C, it is overexpressed in the M1 region of the mouse motor cortex to sense the change of temperature upon being stimulated by focused ultrasound. Whether the heat generated by ultrasonic stimulation could activate TRPV1 in the M1 region and induce changes in electromyography (EMG) signals collected from the mice's triceps was carefully verified. The position of the focused ultrasound and the temperature of the tissue at the location of the focused position were simulated using COMSOL software and verified via experiments. For Neuro-2a cells with TRPV1 overexpression, 42 °C could activate the TRPV1 and induce calcium influx. For mice with TRPV1 overexpression in the M1 region, tissue temperature of >42 °C in the M1 region induces an increased number of cfos, suggesting that neurons with overexpressed TRPV1 in the M1 region can be activated using focused ultrasound. Furthermore, when the temperature is >42 °C, the peak-to-peak value of the EMG signal for mice with TRPV1 overexpression in the M1 region was higher than that for mice without TRPV1 overexpression. The immunohistochemical results showed that ultrasound was not harmful to the stimulation site. The noninvasive ultrasound stimulation combined with thermosensitive protein TRPV1 overexpressed in neurocytes as sonothermogenetics technology has great potential to be used for the treatment of neurological diseases.

Tuning Pore Polarization to Boost Ethane/Ethylene Separation Performance in Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks.

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) show great potential in energy-saving C2 H6 /C2 H4 separation, but there are few examples of one-step acquisition of C2 H4 from C2 H6 /C2 H4 because it is still difficult to achieve the reverse-order adsorption of C2 H6 and C2 H4 . In this work, we boost the C2 H6 /C2 H4 separation performance in two graphene-sheet-like HOFs by tuning pore polarization. Upon heating, an in situ solid phase transformation can be observed from HOF-NBDA(DMA) (DMA=dimethylamine cation) to HOF-NBDA, accompanied with transformation of the electronegative skeleton into neutral one. As a result, the pore surface of HOF-NBDA has become nonpolar, which is beneficial to selectively adsorbing C2 H6 . The difference in the capacities for C2 H6 and C2 H4 is 23.4 cm3 g-1 for HOF-NBDA, and the C2 H6 /C2 H4 uptake ratio is 136 %, which are much higher than those for HOF-NBDA(DMA) (5.0 cm3 g-1 and 108 % respectively). Practical breakthrough experiments demonstrate HOF-NBDA could produce polymer-grade C2 H4 from C2 H6 /C2 H4 (1/99, v/v) mixture with a high productivity of 29.2 L kg-1 at 298 K, which is about five times as high as HOF-NBDA(DMA) (5.4 L kg-1 ). In addition, in situ breakthrough experiments and theoretical calculations indicate the pore surface of HOF-NBDA is beneficial to preferentially capture C2 H6 and thus boosts selective separation of C2 H6 /C2 H4 .

Mir-421 and mir-550a-1 are potential prognostic markers in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prognostic indicators of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) for future EAC diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The EAC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas was screened for differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs associated with EAC. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was performed to cluster miRNAs or mRNA with similar expression patterns to identify the miRNAs or mRNA that are highly associated with EAC. Prognostic miRNAs for overall survival (OS) were identified using Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator based on survival duration and status. Two types of miRNAs were selected to develop a prognostic signature model for EAC using multiple Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, the signature was validated using internal validation sets 1 and 2. The receiver operating characteristic curve and concordance index were used to evaluate the accuracy of the signature and validation sets. The expression of miR-421, miR-550a-3p, and miR-550a-5p was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The proliferation, invasion, and migration of EAC cells were assessed using CCK8 and transwell assays. The OS of target mRNAs was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Functional enrichment analysis of the target mRNAs was performed using Metascape. RESULTS: The prognostic signature and validation sets comprising mir-421 and mir-550a-1 had favorable predictive power in OS. Compared with the patients with EAC in the high-expression group, those assigned to the low-expression group displayed increased OS according to survival analysis. Differential and qPCR analysis showed that miR-421, miR-550a-3p, and miR-550a-5p were highly expressed in the EAC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, the downregulation of miR-421 and miR-550a-3p with inhibitor markedly suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration in OE33 cells compared with the negative control. A total of 20 target mRNAs of three miRNAs were predicted, among which seven target mRNAs-ASAP3, BCL2L2, LMF1, PPM1L, PTPN21, SLC18A2, and NR3C2-had prognostic value; PRKACB, PDCD4, RPS6KA5, and BCL2L2 were enriched in the miRNA cancer pathway. CONCLUSION: Prognostic indicators of EAC may be useful in future EAC diagnosis and treatment.

Highly Stable Metal-Organic Framework with Redox-Active Naphthalene Diimide Core as Cathode Material for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as the cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) received growing attention. Herein, a novel MOF, Ni-Ndi-trz (Ndi-trz=2,7-di(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)benzo[lmn][3,8]phenanthroline-1,3,6,8(2H,7H)-tetraone) was synthesized through a solvothermal method. Its rational design using a naphthalene diimide (Ndi) core allowed the formation of a four-fold interpenetrated pcu (primitive cubic) topology. The as-synthesized Ni-Ndi-trz is highly stable over a wide pH range (0-12) for 30 days, which is critical to ensure the decent cyclability of zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). When used as the cathode material of ZIBs, it shows a high initial specific capacity of 90.7 mAh g-1 and excellent cycling stability. Remarkably, three-electrode system tests, ex situ FTIR, UV/Vis and XPS spectra revealed that the Ndi core of Ni-Ndi-trz undergoes a reversible interconversion between the keto and enol forms when interacting with Zn2+ ions. This work may shed light on the feasibility of designing novel MOFs and exploring their mechanisms for zinc ion batteries.