Theoretical and experimental investigation of Al3+ ion-suppressed phase-separation structures in rare-earth-doped high-phosphorus silica glasses.

Rare-earth-doped silica-based composite glasses (Re-SCGs) are widely used as high-quality laser gain media in defense, aerospace, energy, power, and medical applications. The variable regional chemical environments of Re-SCGs can induce new photoluminescence properties of rare-earth ions but can cause the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions, limiting the application of Re-SCGs in the field of high-power lasers. Here, topological engineering is proposed to adjust the degree of cross-linking of phase-separation network chains in Re-SCGs. A combination of experimental and theoretical characterization techniques suggested that the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions originates from the formation of phase-separated structures in glasses. The decomposition of nanoscale phase separation structures to the sub-nanometer scale, enabled by incorporating Al3+ ions, not only maintains the high luminescence efficiency of rare earth ions but also increases light transmittance and reduces light scattering. Furthermore, our investigation encompassed the exploration of the inhibitory mechanism of Al3+ ions on phase-separation structures, as well as their influence on the spectral characteristics of Re-SCGs. This work provides a new design concept for composite glass materials doped with rare-earth ions and could broaden their application in the field of high-power lasers.

Bright Transparent Scintillators with High Fraction BaCl2 : Eu2+ Nanocrystals Precipitation: An Ionic-Covalent Hybrid Network Strategy toward Superior X-Ray Imaging Glass-Ceramics.

Metal halide crystals are bright but hygroscopic scintillator materials that are widely used in X-ray imaging and detectors. Precipitating them in situ in glass to form glass ceramics (GCs) scintillator offers an efficient avenue for large-scale preparation, high spatial resolution, and excellent stability. However, precipitating a high fraction of metal halide nanocrystals in glass to maintain high light yield remains a challenge. Herein, an ionic-covalent hybrid network strategy for constructing GCs scintillator with high crystallinity (up to ≈37%) of BaCl2 : Eu2+ nanocrystals is presented. Experimental data and simulations of glass structure reveal that the Ba2+ -Cl- clustering promotes the high crystallization of BaCl2 nanocrystals. The ultralow phonon energy (≈200 cm-1 ) of BaCl2 nanocrystals and good Eu reduction effect enable high photoluminescence inter quantum efficiency (≈80.41%) in GC. GCs with varied crystallinity of BaCl2 : Eu2+ nanocrystals demonstrate efficient radioluminescence and tunable scintillator performance. They either outperform Bi4 Ge3 O14 single crystal by over 132% steady-state light yield or provide impressive X-ray imaging resolutions of 20 lp mm-1 . These findings provide a new design strategy for developing bright transparent GCs scintillators with a high fraction of metal halide nanocrystals for X-ray high-resolution imaging applications.

Analysis of factors associated with postoperative acute kidney injury in patients with colorectal cancer and the development of a risk prediction model: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the factors associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in postoperative colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and develop a risk prediction model. METHODS: The clinical data of 389 CRC patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into AKI (n = 30) and non-AKI groups (n = 359) according to KDIGO diagnostic criteria. Demographic data, the presence of underlying diseases, perioperative conditions and related examination results were compared between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for postoperative AKI, and a risk prediction model was established. And a verification group (94 patients) was used to verify the model. RESULTS: 30 patients (7.71%) with CRC had postoperative AKI. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative combined hypertension, preoperative anemia, inadequate intraoperative crystalloid infusion, low intraoperative minimum mean arterial pressure (MAP) and moderate to severe postoperative decline in hemoglobin (Hb) levels were independent risk factors. The risk prediction model developed was expressed as Logit P = - 0.853 + 1.228 * preoperative combined hypertension + 1.275 *preoperative anemia - 0.002 * intraoperative crystalloid infusion (ml) - 0.091 * intraoperative minimum MAP (mmHg) + 1.482 * moderate to severe postoperative decline in Hb levels. In Hosmer-Lemeshow test, χ2 = 8.157, P = 0.718 showed that the fitting effect was good. The area under ROC curve was 0.776 (95% CI 0.682-0.871, P < 0.001), with a prediction threshold of 1.570, a sensitivity of 63.3% and a specificity of 88.9%. The sensitivity and specificity of the verification group were 65.8% and 86.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative combined hypertension, preoperative anemia, inadequate intraoperative crystalloid infusion, low intraoperative minimum MAP, and moderate to severe postoperative decline in Hb levels were independent risk factors for AKI development in CRC patients. The prediction model can effectively predict the occurrence of postoperative AKI in patients with CRC.

Percolative Channels for Superionic Conduction in an Amorphous Conductor.

All-solid-state batteries greatly rely on high-performance solid electrolytes. However, the bottlenecks in solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity and stability. Here we report a new series of amorphous xAgI·(1-x)Ag3PS4 (x = 0∼0.8 with interval of 0.1) conductors, among which the sample with x = 0.8 exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (about 1.1 × 10-2 S cm-1) and ultrahigh chemical stability. We discovered the existence of mixed disordered Ag3PS4 and AgI clusters in the amorphous conductors using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity was ascribed to the formation of the interconnecting AgI clusters, i.e., the percolative channels for superionic conduction. The composition dependence of the ionic conductivity for this series of amorphous conductors was clarified by a continuum percolation model. These findings provide fundamental guidance for designing and fabricating high-performance amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries.

Phase Change of NaYF4:Er Crystals in Oxyfluoride Phosphate Upconversion Luminescent Glass Ceramics: An Advanced Solid-State NMR Study.

A series of glasses with composition 60NaPO3-(40-x)CdF2-xYF3-yEr2O3 were synthesized via melt-quenching methods and subsequently heat-treated to obtain upconversion luminescent glass ceramics containing NaYF4:Er crystals. Hexagonal and/or cubic NaYF4 crystals were controlled to be bred in the glasses by changing the glass composition. The structure evolution driven by crystallization was characterized using advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) techniques. The SSNMR results reveal that the Y/Na ratio determines the crystalline phases of NaYF4 precipitated in this glass system. Y3+ attracts extra F- ions from P5+ and Cd2+ during crystallization because of its stronger ability to attract F- ions, leading to most Y3+ ions being crystallized into the NaYF4 crystals. The paramagnetic broadening effect of the Er3+ ions on NMR signals as well as the upconversion luminescence results indicate that, before crystallization, most Er3+ ions are surrounded by oxygen within the glasses; however, after crystallization, almost all of them enter the NaYF4 crystals. On the basis of this local structure investigation, a composition design strategy is developed to obtain highly efficient upconversion luminescent glass ceramics.

Clarifying a Competitive Crystallization Mechanism of Upconversion Luminescent Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

LaF3 and NaLaF4 crystals were selectively precipitated in the SiO2-Al2O3-AlF3-Na2O-NaF-LaF3-ErF3 glass system by adjusting their compositions. The structural evolution at the atomic level driven by heat treatment and glass compositions was studied using the state-of-the-art magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance technique. From a comprehensive local structural study, we found that LaF3 and NaLaF4 crystals compete in crystallization in these glasses. The crystallization ability of NaLaF4 increases with the increase of the content of Na+ ions within the F-enriched phase, but for LaF3 crystals, it is reverse. These two crystals can be selectively precipitated in the glasses by adjusting the content of these Na+ ions within the F-enriched phase. When the crystallization ability of these two crystals becomes similar, none of them can be precipitated due to their mutual interference in crystallization. Intense single green upconversion luminescence occurs in glasses precipitating LaF3 or NaLaF4 crystals. The underlying relationship between compositions, structures, crystallization, and upconversion luminescence properties is unearthed based on the structural evolution, crystallization mechanism, and luminescence properties. This relationship will facilitate the compositional design of these kinds of glasses. It is inferred that it will be better to precipitate LaF3 rather than NaLaF4 crystals for achieving highly efficient upconversion luminescence.

Clarifying the Different Roles of Rare Earth Ions in the Crystallization of Upconversion Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Rare earth ion-doped oxyfluoride glasses in the system 50SiO2-(50 - x)PbO-xPbF2-mLa2O3-nEr2O3 were prepared by the melt-quenching method. PbF2 and LaF3 were selectively crystallized by subsequent heat treatment in these glasses. The promotion and suppression effects of La3+ ions on the crystallization of PbF2 were observed in this selective crystallization. We used advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray diffraction techniques to probe the structural evolution in the atomic level during these crystallizations. Based on the in-depth structure study, it can be inferred that both the different effects arise from the stronger ability of La3+ ions in attracting F- ions than that of Pb2+ ions. Intensive upconversion visible luminescence was observed in these glasses. The NMR and the upconversion luminescence results imply that most Er3+ ions are dissolved in the LaF3 crystal rather than in the PbF2 crystal and the glass phases even when the content of the LaF3 crystal is as small as less than 1 mol %. The results show that the past expectation that rare earth ions are homogenously incorporated into bivalent metal fluoride crystals might not be right and prove the validity of the strategy that multiple rare earth ions are codoped to increase the upconversion luminescent efficiency.

Nonlinear-Optical Response in Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Glass.

Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been confirmed to be stable in a vitreous state, thus stimulating growing interest in the discovery of the physicochemical properties of these newly explored types of glasses. Herein, we examine the nonlinear-optical (NLO) response of Zn- and Zn-Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework-62 (ZIF-62) glasses using an open-aperture Z-scan technique. We reveal that the Zn-ZIF-62 glass does not characterize a saturable absorption feature (1030 nm femtosecond laser) owing to its low optical absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region. In contrast, a NIR absorption band (1100 nm) has been observed in Zn-Co-ZIF-62 glass, which exhibits a strong NLO response with a high modulation depth of 63.85%. We attribute the observed NLO response to transient saturation of the 4T1(4F) level of Co ions upon femtosecond laser excitation. The intriguing NLO properties of this MOF glass may enable potential applications in the photonics fields for sensing and optical modulation.

Highly efficient phosphor-glass composites by pressureless sintering.

The development of high-power white light-emitting diodes demands highly efficient and stable all-inorganic color converters. In this respect, phosphor-glass/ceramic composites show great promise as they could combine the merits of high quantum efficiency of phosphors and high chemical and thermal stabilities of glass/ceramic matrices. However, strong interfacial reaction between phosphors and matrices at high temperature results in quantum efficiency loss of the embedded phosphors, and traditional solutions rely on high-pressure consolidation techniques. Here we report the intrinsic inhibition of interfacial reaction by using silica glass rather than multicomponent glasses as the matrix. The embedment of phosphors is achieved via a pressureless sintering method, rendering these color-tunable phosphor-glass composites not only accessible to three-dimensional printing technique, but also highly efficient (internal quantum efficiency >90.0%), thermally stable at 1200 °C and hydrothermally stable at 200 °C. Our results provide a facile and general strategy for developing all-inorganic functional composites.

Broad Mid-Infrared Luminescence in a Metal-Organic Framework Glass.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) glasses are a newly discovered family of melt-quenched glasses. Despite considerable progress in understanding the nature of MOF glasses, their photonic functionalities have not been found so far. Here, we report on the first breakthrough regarding the photonic functionalities of MOF glasses, that is, finding of the luminescence in melt-quenched MOF glasses. The finding was achieved on a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) series, that is, the ZIF-62 series: Zn1-x Co x (Im)1.7(bIm)0.3, x = 0, 0.1, and 0.5, where Co substitutes Zn in ZIF-62 forming single-phased solid solutions. Remarkably, we observed broadband mid-infrared (Mid-IR) luminescence (in the wavelength range of 1.5-4.8 µm) in both the crystalline and amorphous solid solutions. The intensity of the luminescence in ZIF glass is gradually enhanced by increasing the level of Co concentration. The observed Mid-IR emission originates from d-d transition of Co ions. The discovery of the luminescence in ZIF-62 glass may pave the way toward new photonic applications of bulk MOF glasses.

Time-restricted feeding causes irreversible metabolic disorders and gut microbiota shift in pediatric mice.

BACKGROUND: Time-restricted feeding regimen (TRF), that is, no food consumption for 14-16 h during the light phase per day, attenuates the fattening traits and metabolic disorders in adults. This study aims to further investigate whether TRF would be protective against similar nutritional challenges in juvenile mice. METHODS: Mice in the experimental group were treated with TRF during the first 4 weeks (considered to be the childhood phase of mice) before switching to ad libitum (AD) feeding pattern as adults; the control group with all subjects sticks to AD mode. Body weight was monitored, and serum biochemistry, sexual maturity, immune function, and gut microbiota were assessed at a certain timing. RESULTS: Mice treated with TRF during the childhood period (from weaning age) but went through AD feeding pattern as adults demonstrated the tendency of higher body weight, higher levels of serum glucose, shrunken Langerhans islets, fatty liver disease, thickening of aortic walls, delayed sexual development, increased proportion of T regulatory cells, and unhealthy gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: Childhood TRF causes pleiotropic adverse effects, including severe irreversible metabolic disorders, depressed immune function, and retarded puberty. Microbiota set the stage for TRF to employ downstream reactions on the above changes.

Alteration in gut microbiota caused by time-restricted feeding alleviate hepatic ischaemia reperfusion injury in mice.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF), that is, no caloric intake for 14-16 hours each day leads to favourable nutritional outcomes. This study is the first to investigate TRF through a surgical perspective verifying its efficacy against liver ischaemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. We randomly assigned 100 10-week-old wild-type male C57BL/6 mice into two feeding regimens: TRF and ad libitum access to food. Main outcomes were evaluated at 6, 12 and 24 hours post-I/R surgery after 12 weeks of intervention. TRF group demonstrated minor liver injury via histological study; lower serum levels of liver enzymes, glucose and lipids; higher concentrations of free fatty acid and ß-hydroxybutyrate; decreased oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers; as well as less severe cell apoptosis and proliferation. Further exploration indicated better gut microenvironment and intestinal epithelial tight junction function. TRF employed its positive influence on a wide spectrum of biochemical pathways and ultimately revealed protective effect against hepatic I/R injury possibly through adjusting the gut microbiota. The results referred to a strong indication of adopting better feeding pattern for surgical patients.

Origin of Radiation-Induced Darkening in Yb3+/Al3+/P5+-Doped Silica Glasses: Effect of the P/Al Ratio.

Yb3+/Al3+/P5+-co-doped silica glasses with different P/Al ratios were prepared using the sol-gel method combined with high-temperature sintering. The evolution of composition-dependent color centers caused by X-ray irradiation in these glasses was correlated with their structural changes, which are controlled by the P/Al ratio. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectra have been used to characterize the glass network structure, and advanced pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has been employed to study the local coordination atomic structures of Yb3+ ions in pristine glasses as a function of the P/Al ratio. Si- (Si-E'), Al- (Al-E', Al-ODC, AlOHC), P- (P1, P2, POHC), and Yb-related (Yb2+) color centers in irradiated glasses have been observed and explained by optical absorption and continuous wave-EPR spectroscopies. The formation mechanisms of these centers, the structural models of glasses, and the relationship between them were proposed. Direct evidence confirms that the formation of Yb2+ ions induced by radiation is highly dependent on the coordination environment of Yb3+ ions in glasses. In addition, the glass network structure significantly affects the generation of oxygen hole color centers (AlOHCs/POHCs) caused by radiation. These results are useful in understanding the microstructural origin and the suppression mechanism of the radiodarkening effect by phosphorus co-doping in Yb3+-doped silica fibers.

Manipulating refractive index, homogeneity and spectroscopy of Yb3+-doped silica-core glass towards high-power large mode area photonic crystal fiber lasers.

Output power scaling of single mode large mode area (LMA) photonic crystal fiber (PCF) amplifiers urgently requires the low refractive index of Yb3+-doped silica glasses whilst maintaining high optical homogeneity. In this paper, we report on a promising alternative Yb3+/Al3+/F-/P5+-co-doped silica core-glass (YAFP), which is prepared by modified sol-gel method developed by our group and highly suitable for fabricating high power LMA PCF amplifiers. By controlling the doping combinations of Al3+/F-/P5+ in Yb3+-doped silica glass,it not only ensures low refractive index (RI) but also maintains the excellent optical homogeneity and spectroscopic properties of Yb3+. The spectroscopic properties of Yb3+ ions have not deteriorated by the co-doping of F- and P5+ in YAFP glass compared with that of Yb3+/Al3+ co-doped silica glass. A large-size (⌀5 mm × 90 mm) YAFP silica-core glass rod with low average RI difference of 2.6 × 10-4 (with respect to pure silica glass), and low radial and axial RI fluctuations of ~2 × 10-4, was prepared. A LMA PCF with 50 µm core diameter was obtained by stack-capillary-draw techniques using YAFP core glass. Its core NA is 0.027. An average amplified power of 97 W peaking at 1030 nm and light-light efficiency of 54% are achieved from a 6.5 m long PCF in the pulse amplification laser experiment. Meanwhile, quasi-single-mode transmission is obtained with laser beam quality factor M2 of 1.4.

Continuous Pringle maneuver does not affect outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection.

AIM: To investigate whether the use of continuous Pringle maneuver (PM) adversely impacts the outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: From January 1989 to January 2011, 586 HCC patients who underwent curative resection in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were identified from the database. Continuous PM was performed in 290 patients (PM group), including 163 patients with a hepatic inflow occlusion time of <15 min (PM-1 group) and 127 with 15-30 min (PM-2 group). An additional 296 patients underwent partial hepatectomy without inflow occlusion (occlusion-free, OF group). RESULTS: The PM group showed less estimated blood loss during hepatectomy than the OF group (P = 0.005) and the two groups experienced similar incidence of perioperative complications. There were no significant differences in either overall survival or disease-free survival (DFS) between the PM and OF groups (P = 0.117 and 0.291, respectively), and between the PM-1 and PM-2 groups (P = 0.344 and 0.103, respectively). Hepatic inflow occlusion and occlusion time were not independent risk factors for OS or DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous PM effectively reduces intraoperative bleeding and does not adversely impact the outcomes of HCC patients. It remains a valuable tool in hepatic resection, even difficult, complicated resections requiring prolonged clamping times.

Edmondson grade predicts survival of patients with primary clear cell carcinoma of liver after curative resection: A retrospective study with long-term follow-up.

AIM: Primary clear cell carcinoma of liver (PCCCL) is a specific and rare subtype of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a retrospective study with long-term follow-up to investigate predictive factors and prognosis of intrahepatic recurrences of PCCCL after radical resection. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed records of 38 patients with PCCCL who were diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 1989 and September 2010, with a long-term follow up to January 2015, to determine their clinical characteristics and postoperative survival. The data were compared with 400 patients received radical hepatectomy for common type hepatocellular carcinoma (CHCC) during the study period. RESULTS: PCCCL tumors were smaller than those of CHCC (P < 0.001) and the incidence of vascular invasion of tumors in PCCCL group was significantly lower than that in CHCC (P = 0.029). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) for PCCCL patients were 94.6%, 67.3%, and 58.5%, respectively; 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) were 89.2%, 54.1%, and 48.6%, respectively. Both OS and DFS were significantly better for PCCCL patients than for CHCC (P = 0.039 and 0.044). Cox modeling showed high Edmondson grade to be the only independent predictive factor for survival of PCCCL patients, which were different from those of CHCC. CONCLUSIONS: PCCCL is a less malignant subtype of HCC than CHCC, patients with PCCCL likely have later intrahepatic recurrences and a better prognosis. Edmondson grade predicts survival of patients with PCCCL after curative resection; those with higher Edmondson grades may require more careful follow-up and aggressive post-hepatectomy therapy.

Noninvasive detection of tumor-associated mutations from circulating cell-free DNA in hepatocellular carcinoma patients by targeted deep sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Detection of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has potential clinical value for assessing tumor biology in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet many traditional assays lack robustness. This study was the first to apply a high-throughput sequencing platform to detect tumor-associated mutations in HCC from circulating tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA) and to evaluate the utility and feasibility of this approach. METHODS: Using the MiSeq™ system, plasma and matched tumor DNA samples were analyzed for hotspot mutations in the TERT, CTNNB1, and TP53 genes that had been verified as the most prevalent mutations in HCC. We compared tumor and plasma data and prospectively investigated the association between significant mutations detected in ctDNA and the patients' clinical outcomes. RESULTS: In 41 patients, we detected tumor-associated mutations for HCC in 8 (19.5%) plasma samples. Among them, one showed a tumor-associated mutation in ctDNA but not in the tumor tissue which we used to detect. We also found that ctDNA with mutations could be detected more easily in patients who suffered vascular invasion (P=0.041) and predicted a shorter recurrence-free survival time (P<0.001). There was no relationship between detectable mutations and concentration of cfDNA (P=0.818). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that tumor-associated mutations detected in plasma are associated with vascular invasion and might be used to predict a shorter recurrence-free survival time for HCC patients. This kind of biomarker can overcome the limitations of tumor heterogeneity. Moreover, the diagnostic performance is improved if multiple mutations in different genes are combined.

Multiple Primary Malignancies in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Largest Series With 26-Year Follow-Up.

Multiple primary malignancies (MPMs) are defined as 2 or more malignancies without subordinate relationship detected in different organs of an individual patient. Reports addressing MPM patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are rare. We perform a 26-year follow-up study to investigate characteristics and prognosis of MPM patients associated with HCC due to the scarcity of relative researches.We retrospectively analyzed records of 40 patients who were diagnosed with MPM including HCC at the Departments of Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital during 1989 to 2010. Their clinical characteristics and postoperative survival were compared with those of 448 patients who had HCC only during the study period.Among the 40 MPM patients, 11 were diagnosed synchronously and 29 metachronously. The most common extra-hepatic malignancies were lung cancer (15%), colorectal (12.5%), and thyroid carcinoma (12.5%). MPM patients had a negative hepatitis B virus infection rate (P = 0.013) and lower median alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) level (P = 0.001). Post-operative 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for MPM patients were 82.5%, 64.5%, and 38.6% respectively, and showed no significant difference with those of HCC-only patients (84.7%, 54.2%, and 38.3% P = 0.726). During follow-up, 24 MPM patients died, including 17 (70.8%) who died of HCC-related causes. In univariate analysis, synchronous diagnosis, higher gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) and/or AFP levels, tumor >5 cm and vascular invasion were significantly associated with shorter OS, but only tumor size was an independent OS factor in Cox modeling analysis.HCC should be considered as a potential second primary for all cancer survivors. Most MPM patients died of HCC-related causes and showed no significant difference in OS compared with HCC-only patients. Tumor size of HCC, rather than MPMs itself, was the only independent OS predictor for the MPM patients.

Hybrid coordination-network-engineering for bridging cascaded channels to activate long persistent phosphorescence in the second biological window.

We present a novel "Top-down" strategy to design the long phosphorescent phosphors in the second biological transparency window via energy transfer. Inherence in this approach to material design involves an ingenious engineering for hybridizing the coordination networks of hosts, tailoring the topochemical configuration of dopants, and bridging a cascaded tunnel for transferring the persistent energy from traps, to sensitizers and then to acceptors. Another significance of this endeavour is to highlight a rational scheme for functionally important hosts and dopants, Cr/Nd co-doped Zn1-xCaxGa2O4 solid solutions. Such solid-solution is employed as an optimized host to take advantage of its characteristic trap site level to establish an electron reservoir and network parameters for the precipitation of activators Nd(3+) and Cr(3+). The results reveal that the strategy employed here has the great potential, as well as opens new opportunities for future new-wavelength, NIR phosphorescent phosphors fabrication with many potential multifunctional bio-imaging applications.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate inhibits inflammatory response through STAT3 pathway to protect remnant liver function.

AIM: To investigate the protective effect of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) on excessive hepatectomy animal model and its possible mechanism. METHODS: We used the standard 90% hepatectomy model in Sprague-Dawley rats developed using the modified Emond's method, in which the left, middle, right upper, and right lower lobes of the liver were removed. Rats with 90% liver resection were divided into three groups, and were injected intraperitoneally with 3 mL saline (control group), 30 mg/kg (low-dose group) and 60 mg/kg (high-dose group) of MgIG, respectively. Animals were sacrificed at various time points and blood was drawn from the vena cava. Biochemical tests were performed with an automatic biochemical analyzer for the following items: serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamyl endopeptidase, total bilirubin (TBil), direct bilirubin (DBil), total protein, albumin, blood glucose (Glu), hyper-sensitivity C-reactive protein, prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT). Postoperative survival time was observed hourly until death. Hepatocyte regeneration was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Serum inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and iNOS) was analyzed by ELISA. STAT3 protein and mRNA were analyzed by Western blot and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, respectively. RESULTS: The high-dose group demonstrated a significantly prolonged survival time, compared with both the control and the low-dose groups (22.0 ± 4.7 h vs 8.9 ± 2.0 vs 10.3 ± 3.3 h, P = 0.018). There were significant differences among the groups in ALT, Glu and PT levels starting from 6 h after surgery. The ALT levels were significantly lower in the MgIG treated groups than in the control group. Both Glu and PT levels were significantly higher in the MgIG treated groups than in the control group. At 12 h, ALT, AST, TBil, DBil and TT levels showed significant differences between the MgIG treated groups and the control group. No significant differences in hepatocyte regeneration were found. Compared to the control group, the high-dose group showed a significantly increase in serum inflammatory cytokines IL-1 and IL-10, and a decrease in IL-6. Both STAT3 protein and mRNA levels were significantly lower in the MgIG treated groups than in the control group at 6 h, 12 h, and 18 h after surgery. CONCLUSION: High-dose MgIG can extend survival time in rats after excessive hepatectomy. This hepatoprotective effect is mediated by inhibiting the inflammatory response through inhibition of the STAT3 pathway.