Fine Tuning of the Anisotropy Barrier by Ligand Substitution Observed in Linear {Dy2 Ni2 } Clusters.

Three new heterometallic single-molecule magnets (SMMs), [Dy2 Ni2 (bipy)2 (RC6 H4 COO)10 ] [bipy=2,2'-bipyridine, R=H (1), CH3 (2), and NO2 (3)], are synthesized solvothermally with different 3-substituted benzoate ligands (RC6 H4 COO- ), and are characterized both structurally and magnetically. Structural analyses reveal that the three entities are structurally analogous, exhibiting an approximately linear {Dy2 Ni2 } core bridged by ten carboxylate moieties from the RC6 H4 COO- ligands. A noncoordinating substituent group attached on the phenyl ring results in minor geometry distortions of 1-3, but causes a significant decrease in the Mulliken atomic charge on the axially shortest O donor through inductive and/or conjugative effects. Weak intramolecular ferromagnetic (for DyIII ⋅⋅⋅DyIII ) and antiferromagnetic (for DyIII ⋅⋅⋅NiII ) interactions with slightly different coupling strengths are observed in 1-3 at low temperatures, and the effective anisotropy barriers to block the magnetization reversal are 39.9, 25.9, and 2.8 cm-1 , respectively, under zero direct-current field. Ab initio calculations reveal that ligand substitution by the noncoordinating electron-withdrawing/electron-donating group can give rise to good modulation of the energy gap between the two lowest Kramers doublets, as well as the orientation of the local easy axis of the DyIII ion magnetization. The directions of the local easy axis of the DyIII ion can further influence the dipole spin-spin interaction and the molecular anisotropy of the entire molecule, which, together with the energy separation between the ground and first excited ground states, become the significant factors determining the effective anisotropy barrier heights of 1-3. These important results demonstrate that the charge distributions of the ligand-field environments play essential roles in SMM performance, which should be considered seriously and utilized efficiently during the rational design of new, more feasible and practical SMMs.

TGF-ß1: is it related to the stiffness of breast lesions and can it predict axillary lymph node metastasis?

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore whether transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) is correlated with the stiffness of breast lesions and if it can predict axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in our hospital. A total of 135 breast lesions in 130 patients who were to undergo vacuum-assisted excisional biopsy (VAEB) or surgery were enrolled between April 2018 and October 2018. Ultrasound (US) and shear wave elastography (SWE) examinations were performed for every lesion before VAEB or surgery. Pathology results obtained by VAEB or surgery were regarded as gold criteria. The elastic parameters and TGF-ß1 expression level of malignant breast lesions were compared with those of benign lesions; the relationship between TGF-ß1 expression level in breast lesions and the elastic parameters was analyzed; the TGF-ß1 expression level in breast lesions with or without ALN metastasis were compared; and the efficacy of TGF-ß1 expression level in predicting ALN metastasis was analyzed. RESULTS: The malignant breast lesions were different from benign lesions in the maximum and mean elasticity (Emax, Emean), standard deviation of elasticity (ESD), elastic ratio of the lesions to the peripheral tissue (Eratio), and the occurrence rate of "stiff rim sign" (P<0.001). The expression level of TGF-ß1 in benign breast lesions was significantly lower than that in malignant lesions (P<0.001), and the TGF-ß1 expression level was positively correlated with Emax, Emean, ESD, and Eratio (r=0.869, 0.840, 0.834, and 0.734, respectively). The expression level of TGF-ß1 in breast lesions with or without "stiff rim sign" was significantly different (P<0.001), and the TGF-ß1 expression level in malignant breast lesions with ALN metastasis was significantly higher than that in malignant lesions without ALN metastasis (P=0.0009). When TGF-ß1 expression level >0.3138 was taken as the cut-off value, its efficacy in predicting ALN metastasis was 0.853, with a sensitivity of 86.67%, and a specificity 83.33%. CONCLUSIONS: The expression level of TGF-ß1 was positively correlated with the elastic parameters of breast lesions, and it could be useful for predicting ALN metastasis, especially for negative ALN diagnosis clinically.

[Interactions of Fungi Community and Relationship with the Carbon Structure in Arable Mollisols with Gradient Organic Matter Content].

Fungi play an important role in the accumulation and transformation of soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient cycling. To investigate the relationship between the fungal community and soil organic carbon functional groups under gradient SOM contents in arable mollisols, arable mollisols with 2%-9% SOM content were collected in Northeast China. Solid-state 13C-NMR technology was used to explore the differences in the functional group structure of SOM, and ITS high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the fungal community structure. The potential interactions between different taxonomic groups of soil fungal community and their associations with organic carbon molecular structures were compared by constructing molecular ecological networks under low SOM (2%-5%) and high SOM (7%-9%) conditions. The 13C-NMR results indicated an increase in the relative abundance of Alkyl C (25.8% to 35.9%). The decrease in Alkyl C/O-Alkyl C indicated a smaller degree of decomposition in high SOM soils. Sordariomycetes and Mortierellomycotina dominated the fungal community and their relative abundance increased with the SOM gradient (P<0.05) from 14.33% to 28.17% and from 7.32% to 23.14%, respectively. The network analysis showed simpler ecological topological properties of the fungal community in low SOM soils, with lower numbers of nodes, edges, and average clustering coefficients than those in high SOM soils. A closer relationship between fungi and organic carbon functional groups, especially LOC, was observed in low SOM soils. The random forest model showed that LOC had the largest amount for fungal interactions in low SOM soils (10%), followed by recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC). In comparison, LOC contributed less to the variations in fungal interactions in high SOM soils (7.4%). With globally increasing soil carbon loss, the limition of the carbon resources, especially the reduction of LOC, may reduce the stability and ecological functions of soil fungal communities.

Ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted excisional biopsy to treat benign phyllodes tumors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the value of ultrasound (US)-guided vacuum-assisted excisional biopsy (VAB) in treating benign phyllodes tumors (PTs) of the breasts and to investigate the lesion characteristics that could affect the local recurrence rate. PATIENT AND METHODS: From December 2008 to February 2018, 93 patients with PTs diagnosed on histology underwent US-guided, 7-gauge VAB. The recurrence rate of benign PT and complications of VAB were evaluated on follow-up US every three to six months. The lesion characteristics were analyzed to identify the factors affecting the recurrence rate. RESULTS: Of the 87 patients, local recurrence was found in 15 patients (17%) in a mean follow-up period of 35.8 months, and the rate of complete excision was 82.8% (72/87). PTs with a largest diameter less than 3.3 cm had a significantly lower recurrence rate than PTs with a largest diameter larger than 3.3 cm (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, US-guided VAB is an effective method to treat benign PT, especially in lesions with a diameter less than 3.3 cm.

Risk factors for adverse cardiac events in adults with fulminant myocarditis during hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Fulminant myocarditis is the critical form of myocarditis that is often associated with heart failure, malignant arrhythmia, and circulatory failure. Patients with fulminant myocarditis who end up with severe multiple organic failure and death are not rare. AIM: To analyze the predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients diagnosed with fulminant myocarditis. METHODS: We included a cohort of adult patients diagnosed with fulminant myocarditis who were admitted to Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2007 to December 2017. The primary endpoint was defined as in-hospital MACE, including death, cardiac arrest, cardiac shock, and ventricular fibrillation. Baseline demographics, clinical history, characteristics of electrocardiograph and ultrasonic cardiogram, laboratory examination, and treatment were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors for in-hospital MACE, and the variables were subsequently assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The rate of in-hospital MACE was 40%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that baseline QRS duration > 120 ms was the independent risk factor for in-hospital MACE (odds ratio = 4.57, 95%CI: 1.23-16.94, P = 0.023). The AUC of QRS duration > 120 ms for predicting in-hospital MACE was 0.683 (95%CI: 0.532-0.833, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Patients with fulminant myocarditis has a poor outcome. Baseline QRS duration is the independent risk factor for poor outcome in those patients.

[Effects of Calotes versicolor on adenohypophysis androgen receptor level in mature castrated male rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of C. versicolor petroleum ether extracts (CVPE) on the adenohypophysis androgen receptor level in mature castrated male rats. METHOD: All the rats in experiment were anesthetized for bilateral testicular and epididymis removal under sterile condition. The rats were randomized into four groups on the 14 th day after operation. The first group was intragastric physiological saline for castratered control group. The second group was intragastric CVPE 2 g x kg(-1) for low-dose group. The third group was high-dose group by giving CVPE 4 g x kg(-1). The fourth group was injected hypodermic testosterone propionate for positive-effect drug treatment group. The drug was given orally to animals one time a day successively for 21 days. The androgen receptor (AR) in adenohypophysis of mature castrated male rats was determined by the immunohistochemistry method and the level of serum testosterone (T) were determined by the radio-immunoassay after ig CVPE for 21 days. RESULT: The immunohistochemistry results showed that positive cell numbers of androgen receptor in positive control and each CVPE groups were more than those in the castrated control group. The serum T level was increased greatly in mature castrated male rats treated with CVPE compared with the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results show that CVPE can increase the adenohypophysis androgen receptor and serum T level in mature castrated male rats. It is indicated that CVPE has the effects on the hypophysis function.

Triazolate-based 3D frameworks and a 2D layer with centrosymmetric Cu(II)7, Cu(II)5, Cu(II)4 clusters and tunable interlayer/interchain compactness: hydrothermal syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties.

Four 1,2,3-triazolate-based coordination polymers (CPs) with varied dimensionality, different nuclearity numbers and core topologies, [Cu4(µ-OH)(µ3-OH)(ta)2(btec)]n (1), {[Cu6(µ3-OH)2(ta)8(tp)]·2.5H2O}n (2), {[Cu5(µ3-OH)2(ta)4(ip)2]·2H2O}n (3) and {[Cu5(µ-OH)2(µ3-OH)2(ta)2(pa)2]·2H2O}n (4) (ta = 1,2,3-triazolate, btec = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate, tp = terephthalate, ip = isophthalate and pa = phthalate), were hydrothermally synthesized by varying the numbers and positions of the carboxylate group appended on the phenyl tether, and structurally and magnetically characterized. The former three entities are three-dimensional (3D) robust frameworks with a (4(4)·6(2))(4(11)·6(5))2(4(13)·6(10)·8(5)) topological net containing centrosymmetric Cu(II)7 clusters, square-planar Cu(II)1 cores and tetratopic btec(4-) linkers for 1, a pillared-layered structure consisting of Cu(II)5 + Cu(II)1-based coplanar layers and ditopic tp(2-) pillars for 2 as well as a microporous architecture derived from Cu(II)5 clusters and directional ip(2-) connectors for 3. In contrast, complex exhibits an undulated two-dimensional (2D) layer with alternating Cu(II)4 + Cu(II)1 chains interconnected by anionic pa(2-) connectors. Crystallographically, the increment of the local nuclearity from Cu(II)4 up to Cu(II)7 in 1-4 benefits greatly from the synergistic co-coordination of the hydroxyl group and the coplanar ta(-) ligand towards the metal ion, and the interlayer/interchain compactness is significantly tuned by the position isomerism of the dicarboxylate moieties. Due to the antiferromagnetic coupling in the local clusters and the asymmetric superexchange by µ3-ta(-) mediator, these complexes 4 exhibit different spin ground states (paramagnetic S = 1 and 1/2, ferrimagnetic S = 1/2 as well as spin canting) at low temperatures, which are informative for polynuclear-based magnetic materials.

Clinical outcomes and cost-utility after sirolimus-eluting versus bare metal stent implantation.

BACKGROUND: Randomized studies have shown beneficial effects of drug-eluting stent (DES) in reducing the risk of repeated revascularization. Other studies have shown higher proportion of death, myocardial infarction (MI) and increased cost concerning DES. However the long term safety and effectiveness of DES have been questioned recently. METHODS: To compare long term clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and cost-utility after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and bare metal stent (BMS) implantation in angina patients in China, 1241 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary revascularization (PCI) with either SES (n = 632) or BMS (n = 609) were enrolled continuously in this prospective, nonrandomized, multi-center registry study. RESULTS: Totally 1570 stents were implanted for 1334 lesions. Follow-up was completed in 1205 (97.1%) patients at 12 months. Rates of MI, all causes of death were similar between the two groups. Significant differences were found at rate of cardiovascular re-hospitalization (136 (22.4%) in BMS group vs. 68 (10.8%) in SES group, P = 0.001) and recurrent angina (149 (24.5%) vs. 71 (11.3%), P = 0.001). Dramatic difference was observed when compared the baseline and 9-month HRQOL scores intra-group (P < 0.001). However no significant difference was found inter-group either in baseline or follow-up HRQOL. Compared with SES, the total cost in BMS was significantly lower on discharge (62 546.0 vs. 78 245.0 Yuan, P = 0.001). And follow-up expenditure was remarkably higher in the BMS group than that in the SES group (13 412.0 vs. 8 812.0 Yuan, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences on death, in-stent thrombosis, MI irrespective of stent type. SES was superior to BMS on improvement of life quality. SES was with higher cost-utility compared to BMS.