microRNA-141-3p Suppressed the Progression of the Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma by Targeting Transforming Growth Factor Beta 2 Gene Expression.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a malignant tumor of kidney epithelial cells, one of the most common tumors in the world. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFß)1 is a crucial factor that induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells. microRNA-141-3p (miR-141-3p) is a microRNA that is considered a tumor suppressor. However, the role and mechanism of miR-141-3p in TGFß1-induced ccRCC cells are not fully understood. This study investigated the roles of miR-141-3p and its target gene in regulating EMT in ccRCC development. 786-0 and Caki-1cells were treated with TGFß1 to induce EMT. The levels of miR-141-3p and TGFß2 were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The progression of EMT was evaluated by E-cadherin detection by immunofluorescence, and E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin detection by Western blotting. Furthermore, migration and invasion capacities were assessed using a Transwell system. The direct binding of miR-141-3p with the target gene TGFß2 was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. Results indicated that TGFß1 treatment decreased the protein abundance of E-cadherin while increasing the protein expression of N-cadherin and vimentin, indicating TGFß1-induced EMT was constructed successfully. Moreover, TGFß1 treatment repressed the expression of miR-141-3p. miR-141-3p mimics reversed the effect of TGFß1 on the migration, invasion, and expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin. The miR-141-3p directly binds with the 3' untranslated region of TGFß2 mRNA and suppresses its expression. Furthermore, TGFß2 overexpression abrogated the above changes regulated by miR-141-3p mimics. Taken together, miR-141-3p inhibited TGFß1-induced EMT by suppressing the migration and invasion of ccRCC cells via directly targeting TGFß2 gene expression.

Global Trends in Research of Treatment on Bladder Cancer with Chinese Medicine Monomer from 2000 to 2021: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Bladder cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs on the mucous membrane of the bladder. It is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary system and one of the top ten common tumors in the whole body. This bibliometric analysis was applied to identify the characteristics of global scientific output, the hotspots, and frontiers about treatment on bladder cancer with Chinese medicine monomer over the past 22 years. We retrieved publications published from 2000 to 2021 and their recorded information from Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to analyze bibliometric indicators and visualize the trend and hotspots of researches on bladder cancer with Chinese medicine monomer. Altogether, 658 original articles were reviewed, and the results showed that the annual number of publications (Np) shows an upward trend over the past 22 years as a whole. The US produced the most papers, and the number of citations (Nc) and H-index of the US ranked first. Johns Hopkins University and BJU International were the most prolific affiliation and journal, respectively. Recently, the keywords "NF-kappa B" appeared frequently. Besides, quercetin is the most thorough research in the treatment of bladder cancer with Chinese herbal compound, but whether quercetin is the most potent compound needs further study.

Challenges and Prospects in the Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a crucial C1 building block for daily-life commodities in a wide range of industrial processes. Industrial production of HCHO today is based on energy- and cost-intensive gas-phase catalytic oxidation of methanol, which calls for exploring other and more sustainable ways of carrying out this process. Utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) as precursor presents a promising strategy to simultaneously mitigate the carbon footprint and alleviate environmental issues. This Minireview summarizes recent progress in CO2 -to-HCHO conversion using hydrogenation, hydroboration/hydrosilylation as well as photochemical, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, and enzymatic approaches. The active species, reaction intermediates, and mechanistic pathways are discussed to deepen the understanding of HCHO selectivity issues. Finally, shortcomings and prospects of the various strategies for sustainable reduction of CO2 to HCHO are discussed.

Clinical Outcomes of Reresection in Patients with High-Risk Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Treated with En Bloc Transurethral Resection: A Retrospective Study with a 1-Year Follow-Up.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of reresection on the clinical outcome in patients with primary high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who initially received en bloc transurethral resection. Methods: A retrospective analysis of data on eligible high-risk NMIBC with en bloc resection from June 2015 to June 2019 was performed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of reresection after the initial en bloc resection. In the first group (reresection group), patients underwent en bloc reresection within 6 weeks. In the second group (non-reresection group), patients did not undergo en bloc reresection. Pathologic findings in patients with reresection and cystoscopic findings in all patients 3 months after initial resection were recorded. The primary study endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS). The secondary outcomes were the residual rate of the tumor after initial en bloc resection, tumor upstaging rate, and progression-free survival. Results: We identified 115 eligible patients, including 51 (44.3%) who underwent reresection within 6 weeks of the initial en bloc resection and 64 (55.7%) who did not undergo en bloc reresection after the initial en bloc resection. The clinicopathologic features were similar in patients with or without reresection. On finding tumor residues after the first en bloc resection, there were three cases (5.9%) in the reresection group compared with two cases (3.1%) in the non-reresection group (p = 0.473). Two patients (3.9%) in the reresection group had tumor progression to muscle-invasive bladder cancer, whereas one patient (1.6%) in the non-reresection group exhibited tumor progression (p = 0.430). The 1-year RFS rate was 94.1% in the reresection group and 90.6% in the non-reresection group (p = 0.269). In multivariate analysis, multifocality and T1 staging were independent prognostic factors for recurrence in patients with high-risk NMIBC who underwent en bloc resection. Conclusion: In patients with high-risk NMIBC not exceeding 4 cm in diameter with no more than four lesions and not in the anterior bladder wall, reresection after en bloc resection seems to have failed to improve the patient's prognosis. We predict that the future trend in the treatment of patients with high-risk NMIBC is from reresection to en bloc resection. However, a randomized controlled clinical study is required to confirm this hypothesis.

Collision Carcinoma Involving Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Ureter: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) of the ureter is a rare tumour, accounting for less than 0.5% of all ureteral tumours. SCNEC tumours are highly aggressive and patients have a poor prognosis. Ureteral SCNEC colliding with other pathological types of tumours is extremely rare. In this paper, we present the case of a patient with ureteral small cell carcinoma colliding with squamous cell carcinoma and review the literature regarding the clinicopathological features, treatment and prognosis of thus tumour. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second identified case of ureteral SCNEC colliding with SCC. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old male patient presented with a history of 1 month of gross haematuria and 3 months of left flank pain. CT urography revealed a soft tissue mass in the upper ureter, which was slightly enhanced on contrast-enhanced CT. Nephroureterectomy was performed after the patient was diagnosed with a tumour in the left ureter. Microscopy and immunohistochemical examination confirmed the mass to be a SCNEC collision with SCC. Two months after the surgery, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin/etoposide). After 14 months of follow-up, no local recurrence or distant metastasis was found. CONCLUSION: Ureteral collision carcinoma with SCNEC predominantly occurs in Asian individuals, is difficult to diagnose preoperatively and is highly invasive. The current management of ureteral collision carcinoma is a comprehensive treatment based on surgery.

Electrochemical reductive remediation of trichloroethylene contaminated groundwater using biomimetic iron-nitrogen-doped carbon.

Electrochemical dechlorination is a prospective strategy to remediate trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated groundwater. In this work, iron-nitrogen-doped carbon (FeNC) mimicking microbiological dechlorination coenzymes was developed for TCE removal under environmentally related conditions. The biomimetic FeNC-900, FeNC-1000, and FeNC-1100 materials were synthesized via pyrolysis at different temperatures (900, 1000, and 1100 °C). Due to the synergistic effect of Fe-N4 active sites and graphitic N sites, FeNC-1000 had the highest electron transfer efficiency and the largest electrochemical active surface area among the as-synthesized FeNC catalysts. The pseudo-first-order rate constants for TCE reduction using FeNC-1000 catalyst are 0.19, 0.28 and 0.36 h-1 at potentials of -0.8 V, -1.0 V and -1.2 V, respectively. Active hydrogen and direct electrons transfer both contribute to the dechlorination from TCE to C2H4 and C2H6. FeNC maintain a high reactivity after five reuse cycles. Our study provides a novel approach for the dechlorination of chlorinated organic contaminants in groundwater.

Transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells with silencing of microRNA-138 relieves pelvic organ prolapse through the FBLN5/IL-1ß/elastin pathway.

Nondegradable transvaginal polypropylene meshes for treating pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are now generally unavailable or banned due to serious adverse events. New tissue engineering approaches combine degradable scaffolds with mesenchymal stem/stromal cells from human endometrium (eMSC). In this study, we investigate effect of microRNA-138 (miR-138) regulation on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the efficacy of BMSC transplantation therapy in a rat POP model. We first identified FBLN5 as a target of miR-138. miR-138, fibulin-5 (FBLN5), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and elastin expression in uterosacral ligament of POP patients and controls were detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. After isolation and identification, BMSCs were treated to alter their expression of miR-138 or FBLN5. Proliferation of BMSCs was analyzed by CCK-8. After establishing the rat pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) model, we evaluated efficacy of BMSC injection by applying leak point pressure (LPP) and the conscious cystometry (CMG) tests. miR-138 inhibition resulted in increased viability of BMSCs and elevated their secretion of elastin, while downregulating IL-1ß expression. BMSCs with inhibited miR-138 improved LPP and conscious CMG results in vivo. Taken together, miR-138 could be a potential therapeutic target for treating POP in conjunction with tissue engineering.

Achieving Near-Unity CO Selectivity for CO2 Electroreduction on an Iron-Decorated Carbon Material.

A straightforward procedure has been developed to prepare a porous carbon material decorated with iron by direct pyrolysis of a mixture of a porous polymer and iron chloride. Characterization of the material with X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electron microscopy indicates the presence of iron carbide nanoparticles encapsulated inside the carbon matrix, and elemental mapping and cyanide poisoning experiments demonstrate the presence of atomic Fe centers, albeit in trace amounts, which are active sites for electrochemical CO2 reduction. The encapsulated iron carbide nanoparticles are found to boost the catalytic activity of atomic Fe sites in the outer carbon layers, rendering the material highly active and selective for CO2 reduction, although these atomic Fe sites are only present in trace amounts. The target material exhibits near-unity selectivity (98 %) for CO2 -to-CO conversion at a small overpotential (410 mV) in water. Furthermore, the material holds potential for practical application, as a current density over 30 mA cm-2 and a selectivity of 93 % can be achieved in a flow cell.

Bladder cavernous hemangioma after pelvic radiotherapy in a female patient: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Hemangiomas are benign tumor formations of capillaries and blood vessels which are commonly found in various organs. However they are extremely rare in urinary bladder accounting for only 0.6% of all urinary bladder tumors. The differentiating of these benign tumors from malignant neoplasms are important since they have extremely different prognostic features as well as therapeutic strategies. Here we reported a female patient diagnosed with bladder cavernous hemangioma (BCH) after recent pelvic radiotherapy for the cervical cancer and reviewed relevant literatures. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a case of 49 years old female patient with persistent painless hematuria for 12 days. Computed tomography revealed a small lesion on the superior wall of the urinary bladder with acute clot retention. Cystoscopy confirmed a solid papillary pedunculated mass with a measuring of 1.0 × 0.5 cm located on the superior posterior wall and surrounded by distended vessels. Transurethral resection of the mass was then performed and the pathological report indicated a cavernous hemangioma of the urinary bladder. In a one and half year follow-up, no tumor recurrence or bleeding was found. CONCLUSIONS: The cavernous hemangioma in urinary bladder is rare and cystoscopic is a gold standard for diagnosis. Treatment options are vary for individuals and pathologic findings are vital for differentiating it from malignant potential tumors. A history of cancer related radiation therapy seems to be a risk factor for BCH.

Graphene inclusion controlling conductivity and gas sorption of metal-organic framework.

A general approach to prepare composite films of metal-organic frameworks and graphene has been developed. Films of copper(ii)-based HKUST-1 and HKUST-1/graphene composites were grown solvothermally on glassy carbon electrodes. The films were chemically tethered to the substrate by diazonium electrografting resulting in a large electrode coverage and good stability in solution for electrochemical studies. HKUST-1 has poor electrical conductivity, but we demonstrate that the addition of graphene to HKUST-1 partially restores the electrochemical activity of the electrodes. The enhanced activity, however, does not result in copper(ii) to copper(i) reduction in HKUST-1 at negative potentials. The materials were characterised in-depth: microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction demonstrate uniform films of crystalline HKUST-1, and Raman spectroscopy reveals that graphene is homogeneously distributed in the films. Gas sorption studies show that both HKUST-1 and HKUST-1/graphene have a large CO2/N2 selectivity, but the composite has a lower surface area and CO2 adsorption capacity in comparison with HKUST-1, while CO2 binds stronger to the composite at low pressures. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that both monomeric and dimeric copper units are present in the materials, and that the two materials behave differently upon hydration, i.e. HKUST-1/graphene reacts slower by interaction with water. The changed gas/vapour sorption properties and the improved electrochemical activity are two independent consequences of combining graphene with HKUST-1.

Controlled electropolymerisation of a carbazole-functionalised iron porphyrin electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction.

Using a one-step electropolymerisation procedure, CO2 absorbing microporous carbazole-functionalised films of iron porphyrins are prepared in a controlled manner. The electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 for these films is investigated to elucidate their efficiency and the origin of their ultimate degradation.