Progress of nanopreparation technology applied to volatile oil drug delivery systems.

Traditional Chinese medicine volatile oil has a long history and possesses extensive pharmacological activity. However, volatile oils have characteristics such as strong volatility, poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and poor targeting, which limit their application. The use of volatile oil nano drug delivery systems can effectively improve the drawbacks of volatile oils, enhance their bioavailability and chemical stability, and reduce their volatility and toxicity. This article first introduces the limitations of the components of traditional Chinese medicine volatile oils, discusses the main classifications and latest developments of volatile oil nano formulations, and briefly describes the preparation methods of traditional Chinese medicine volatile oil nano formulations. Secondly, the limitations of nano formulation technology are discussed, along with future challenges and prospects. A deeper understanding of the role of nanotechnology in traditional Chinese medicine volatile oils will contribute to the modernization of volatile oils and broaden their application value.

[Stapled anoplin peptide combined with photothermal therapy enhances oncolytic immunotherapy of triple-negative breast cancer].

This study constructed a nano-drug delivery system, A3@GMH, by co-delivering the stapled anoplin peptide(Ano-3, A3) with the light-harvesting material graphene oxide(GO), and evaluated its oncolytic immunotherapy effect on triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC). A3@GMH was prepared using an emulsion template method and its physicochemical properties were characterized. The in vivo and in vitro photothermal conversion abilities of A3@GMH were investigated using an infrared thermal imager. The oncoly-tic activity of A3@GMH against TNBC 4T1 cells was evaluated through cell counting kit-8(CCK-8), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) release, live/dead cell staining, and super-resolution microscopy. The targeting properties of A3@GMH on 4T1 cells were assessed using a high-content imaging system and flow cytometry. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to investigate the antitumor mechanism of A3@GMH in combination with photothermal therapy(PTT) through inducing immunogenic cell death(ICD) in 4T1 cells. The results showed that the prepared A3@GMH exhibited distinct mesoporous and coated structures with an average particle size of(308.9±7.5) nm and a surface potential of(-6.79±0.58) mV. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of A3 were 23.9%±0.6% and 20.5%±0.5%, respectively. A3@GMH demonstrated excellent photothermal conversion ability and biological safety. A3@GMH actively mediated oncolytic features such as 4T1 cell lysis and LDH release, as well as ICD effects, and showed enhanced in vitro antitumor activity when combined with PTT. In vivo, A3@GMH efficiently induced ICD effects with two rounds of PTT, activated the host's antitumor immune response, and effectively suppressed tumor growth in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, achieving an 88.9% tumor inhibition rate with no apparent toxic side effects. This study suggests that the combination of stapled anoplin peptide and PTT significantly enhances the oncolytic immunotherapy for TNBC and provides a basis for the innovative application of anti-tumor peptides derived from TCM in TNBC treatment.

FXR agonist GW4064 enhances anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top three malignant tumors in terms of morbidity, and the limited efficacy of existing therapies urges the discovery of potential treatment strategies. Immunotherapy gradually becomes a promising cancer treatment method in recent decades; however, less than 10% of CRC patients could really benefit from immunotherapy. It is pressing to explore the potential combination therapy to improve the immunotherapy efficacy in CRC patients. It is reported that Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is deficiency in CRC and associated with immunity. Herein, we found that GW4064, a FXR agonist, could induce apoptosis, block cell cycle, and mediate immunogenic cell death (ICD) of CRC cells in vitro. Disappointingly, GW4064 could not suppress the growth of CRC tumors in vivo. Further studies revealed that GW4064 upregulated PD-L1 expression in CRC cells via activating FXR and MAPK signaling pathways. Gratifyingly, the combination of PD-L1 antibody with GW4064 exhibited excellent anti-tumor effects in CT26 xenograft models and increased CD8+ T cells infiltration, with 33% tumor bearing mice cured. This paper illustrates the potential mechanisms of GW4064 to upregulate PD-L1 expression in CRC cells and provides important data to support the combination therapy of PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade with FXR agonist for CRC patients.

Observation of synergistic antibacterial properties of prodigiosin from Serratia marcescens jx-1 with metal ions in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are a major global health problem, and novel and effective antimicrobial drugs are urgently required to combat this life-threatening pathogen. Prodigiosin (PG) is a bacterial secondary metabolite with excellent anticancer and antibacterial properties. However, little is known about the antibacterial function of PG against MRSA. Therefore, the antibacterial efficacy of PG alone and PG in combination with different metal ions against clinic isolates of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strain was evaluated in the present study. The minimum inhibitory concentration of PG against both MRSA and MSSA was 0.25 µg/mL. However, 0.1 µg/mL PG showed a stronger inhibitory effect on MSSA cell growth (47.12%) than on MRSA cell growth (35.87%). Surprisingly, we observed a significant difference (p < 0.01) in membrane integrity between PG-treated MRSA and MSSA using the propidium iodide staining assay. Further, we found that in combination with PG, Zn2+, Al3+, and Cu2+ showed synergistic antibacterial effects against MRSA and MSSA. Our results could increase the current knowledge regarding the efficacy of PG in inhibiting the growth of different types of S. aureus clinical isolates and also offer a novel strategy for developing efficient antibacterial agents.

Characteristics of bone metabolism in postmenopausal female patients with different types of idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: A single-centre retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The association between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and impaired calcium metabolism has attracted widespread interest. Several studies have suggested that decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level are related to the occurrence and/or recurrence of BPPV; however, the characteristics of bone metabolism in patients with BPPV subtypes have not been fully investigated, and conclusions have been controversial. This study aimed to evaluate BMD and serum levels of 25(OH)D and bone turnover markers to clarify the characteristics of bone metabolism in patients with different types of BPPV. METHOD: We retrospectively analysed the data of new-onset idiopathic postmenopausal female patients with BPPV at our institution from January 2016 to January 2020. The patients' demographic data including age, medication history, concomitant diseases, onset time, clinical form, laboratory indicators, such as serum levels of 25(OH)D, bone formation markers, namely, amino-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and osteocalcin (OC), bone resorption marker, namely, ß-isomerized carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ß-CTX), and BMD were collected and analysed. RESULTS: This study included 201 consecutive postmenopausal female patients with BPPV. Among them, 138 were diagnosed with posterior semicircular canal BPPV, 42 were diagnosed with lateral semicircular canal canalolithiasis, and 21 were diagnosed with lateral semicircular canal cupulolithiasis. There were no significant differences in age distribution, body mass index, clinical history, levels of albumin, globulin, uric acid, creatinine, or blood urea nitrogen, lipid profiles (except high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and routine blood parameters among these groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the mean T-score and BMD values of different sites or in the serum levels of 25(OH)D and bone turnover markers (PINP, OC and ß-CTX) among the subgroups (P > 0.05). The proportion of reduction in BMD (T-score < -1 SD) and decreased serum vitamin D level (< 20 ng/ml) were not significantly different between the subgroups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in bone metabolism in postmenopausal female patients with different types of idiopathic BPPV.

Performance of low-dose computed tomography on lung cancer screening in high-risk populations: The experience over five screening rounds in Sichuan, China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) on lung cancer screening in high-risk populations in Sichuan. METHODS: From April 2014 to July 2018, LDCT was performed annually on 3185 subjects aged 50-74 years who had smoked ≥ 20 pack-years (or subjects having quit smoking within 5 years). Information about all deaths and lung cancer diagnoses were obtained by active investigation, or passive matching to disease surveillance system. RESULTS: The screening population had a median age of 60 years. 62.4 % of which were current smokers and had smoked 30 pack-years. After participating in the baseline screening, the compliance rates of subjects consecutively completing one round, two rounds, three rounds, and four rounds of annual screening were 67.22 %, 52.84 %, 43.24 %, and 40.04 %, respectively. The positive rates in baseline and annual screening were 6.53 % and 5.79 %, respectively. During the 5 rounds, a total of 9522 person-times were screened by LDCT with a screening sensitivity of 89.13 % (95 % CI: 76.96-95.27), specificity of 94.36 % (95 % CI: 93.88-94.81), positive predictive value of 7.13 % (95 % CI: 5.30-9.53), and negative predictive value of 99.94 % (95 % CI: 99.87-99.98). There were no statistically significant performance differences between baseline and annual screening. The difference in the proportion of screen-detected stage I lung cancer between baseline screening and annual screening was not statistically significant, neither. CONCLUSION: The application of LDCT on lung cancer screening in high-risk populations shows favorable compliance and a high screening performance in the project area of Sichuan,China.

A capillary electrophoresis strategy to sensitively detect dynamic properties of coiled coil polypeptides.

The self-assembly behavior of polypeptides plays an essential role to form biological and functional macromolecules, which have attracted a lot of attention due to their excellent characters. Understanding the polypeptide self-assembly systems and dynamic behaviors is fundamental to improve the potential of biomedical applications. In this work, coiled coil polypeptides PC10 and PC10 P were designed and biosynthesized. PC10 and PC10 P could form nanogels when the concentration of polypeptides was less than 2% (m/v). The dynamic behaviors of PC10 and PC10 P were measured by Förster resonance energy transfer method based on a capillary electrophoresis system. The Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency of this system was 60.4%, and the distance of self-assembled domains in the polypeptides was calculated as 6.14 nm, demonstrating that the exchange behavior occurred between two different polypeptides containing the same coiled coil region.

Identification of lncRNA biomarkers in lung squamous cell carcinoma using comprehensive analysis of lncRNA mediated ceRNA network.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as a member of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and plays a significant role in tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to identify potential lncRNA biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) using a comprehensive analysis of lncRNA mediated ceRNA network. Differentially expressed RNAs datasets were obtained using edge R package in 502 LUSC tissues and 49 adjacent non-LUSC tissues from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed to identify functional enrichment implication of lncRNA related differentially expressed mRNAs. Survival analysis was used Kaplan-Meier curve method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a predictive model with lncRNA biomarkers. A total of 2185 lncRNAs, 170 miRNAs and 2053 mRNAs were differentially expressed between LUSC tissues and adjacent non-LUSC tissues. The novel constructed ceRNA network incorporated 184 LUSC-specific lncRNAs, 18 miRNAs, and 49 mRNAs. About 11 of 184 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 1 of 18 differentially expressed miRNAs and 5 of 49 differentially expressed mRNAs were conspicuously related to overall survival (p < .05). Univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis showed that 6 lncRNAs were retrieved to construct a predictive model to predict the overall survival in LUSC patients. In conclusion, CeRNAs contributed to the progression of LUSC and a model with 6 lncRNAs might be potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of LUSC.

Immobilization of phosphotungstate through doping in polypyrrole for supercapacitors.

Immobilization of phosphotungstate is achieved through doping in polypyrrole via the electrochemical deposition of polypyrrole (PPy) in the presence of the phosphotungstate anions (PW12) on carbon nanotube film. Electrochemical stability in neutral solution is realized for PW12 in the prepared ECNT-PPy/5PW12, owing to the proton sponge provided by PPy. ECNT-PPy/5PW12 shows a high areal capacitance of 1300.0 mF cm-2 in LiCl solution at 1 mA cm-2. ECNT-PPy/5PW12 also displays high rate capability and good cyclic stability due to the interaction of incorporated PW12 and the polymer matrix. ECNT-PPy/5PW12 can retain 78.6% and 92.0% of its capacitance with 40-fold current increase and after 10 000 galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles, respectively. An asymmetric supercapacitor with the ECNT-PPy/5PW12 anode and CNT-MnO2 cathode demonstrates high volumetric energy density (4.71 mW h cm-3 at 13.85 mW cm-3) and long cycle life (90.0% capacitance retention after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles).

A two-circular RNA signature as a noninvasive diagnostic biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be microRNA sponges and play essential roles in cancer development. This study aimed to evaluate whether circulating circRNAs could be used as diagnostic biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHODS: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset was used to investigate differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) in paired LUAD tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. The expression levels of the host genes were analyzed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD dataset, and the prognostic value was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier plotter. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate the expression of candidate circRNAs in the LUAD plasma and cells. The CCK8 assay was used to measure the function of circRNAs in cell proliferation. Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to predict the possible mechanisms and functions of circRNAs in LUAD. RESULTS: Two upregulated and two downregulated circRNAs were identified as candidate circRNAs using bioinformatics analysis. qRT-PCR demonstrated that hsa_circ_0005962 was upregulated in LUAD plasma and cells, whereas hsa_circ_0086414 was downregulated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed that a signature comprising the two circRNAs had good diagnostic potential, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.81 (P < 0.0001). In addition, we observed that overexpression of plasma hsa_circ_0086414 was related to EGFR mutations (P = 0.001). Plasma hsa_circ_0005962 displayed significantly different expression before and after surgery in patients with LUAD (P < 0.0001). In vitro experiments suggested that hsa_circ_0005962 promoted LUAD cell proliferation. For future studies, we predicted the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network for hsa_circ_0005962. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that hsa_circ_0005962 might be involved in LUAD development. CONCLUSION: A circRNA signature was identified as a potential noninvasive biomarker for LUAD diagnosis.

Elevated mRNA Levels of AURKA, CDC20 and TPX2 are associated with poor prognosis of smoking related lung adenocarcinoma using bioinformatics analysis.

Background and aim: Adenocarcinoma is a very common pathological subtype for lung cancer. We aimed to identify the gene signature associated with the prognosis of smoking related lung adenocarcinoma using bioinformatics analysis. Methods: A total of five gene expression profiles (GSE31210, GSE32863, GSE40791, GSE43458 and GSE75037) have been identified from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using GEO2R software and functional and pathway enrichment analysis. Furthermore, the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) have been validated using an independent cohort from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Results: We identified a total of 58 DEGs which mainly enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, platelet activation and PPAR signaling pathway. Then according to the enrichment analysis results, we selected three genes (AURKA, CDC20 and TPX2) for their roles in regulating tumor cell cycle and cell division. The results showed that the hazard ratio (HR) of the mRNA expression of AURKA for OS was 1.588 with (1.127-2.237) 95% confidence interval (CI) (P=0.009). The mRNA levels of CDC20 (HR 1.530, 95% CI 1.086-2.115, P=0.016) and TPX2 (HR 1.777, 95%CI 1.262-2.503, P=0.001) were also significantly associated with the OS. Expression of these three genes were not associated with RFS, suggesting that there might be many factors affect RFS. Conclusion: The mRNA signature of AURKA, CDC20 and TPX2 were potential biomarkers for predicting poor prognosis of smoking related lung adenocarcinoma.

Conditioned Medium from Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Promotes Proliferation, Migration, Invasion and Angiogenesis of Adipose Derived Stem Cells.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive complication, closely related to endothelial dysfunction. Adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the capacity to differentiate into endothelial cells for vascular repair. Therefore, we hypothesized that induced endothelial differentiation of ADSCs might hold great potential for the treatment of PE. In this study, the primary ADSCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were isolated by the collagenase digestion method. The supernatant of HUVECs was collected from the first generation of cells. Then, ADSCs were divided into two groups: ADSCs alone group and induced ADSCs (iADSCs) group. In iADSCs group, ADSCs were induced by HUVECs conditioned medium and ADSCs special culture medium at a ratio of 1:1 over a two-week period. In order to identify the endothelial characteristics of iADSCs, CD31 and CD34 were examined by flow cytometry. The proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis assays were employed to compare the bioactivity of iADSCs and ADSCs. Furthermore, The levels of angiogenic related factors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placenta growth factor (P1GF) were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results showed conditioned medium from HUVECs promoted ADSCs proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis. In addition, the levels of VEGF and P1GF were significantly enhanced in iADSCs group. This study uncovered the iADSCs application potential in the therapy and intervention of PE.

The construction of a sandwich structured Co3O4@C@PPy electrode for improving pseudocapacitive storage.

Sandwich structured hybrids consisting of a Co3O4 nanowire as the core, amorphous carbon (C) as the inner shell and a polypyrrole (PPy) outer layer as the exodermis are synthesized via a hydrothermal method and constant current electropolymerization. The formation mechanism and growth stage of PPy on carbon surfaces is investigated and it was discovered that PPy layer thickness, corresponding to nucleation time of the polymer, as the dynamic factor, can influence the pseudocapacitive properties of the obtained composites. The carbon layer acts as both a network to increase the electric conductivity and a buffer agent to reduce volume expansion of Co3O4 during ion insertion/extraction to achieve higher capacitance and better cyclic stability. So for a capacitor, the Co3O4@C@PPy electrode delivers a higher areal capacitance of 2.71 F cm-2 at 10 mA cm-2 (1663 F g-1 at 6.1 A g-1) and improved rate capability compared to Co3O4 and Co3O4@C. An asymmetric device is assembled by the Co3O4@C@PPy hybrids as a cathode and a relatively high energy density of 63.64 W h kg-1 at a power density of 0.54 kW kg-1 is obtained, demonstrating that the sandwich structured Co3O4@C@PPy hybrids have enormous potential for high-performance pseudocapacitors.

Evolutionary relationships between seryl-histidine dipeptide and modern serine proteases from the analysis based on mass spectrometry and bioinformatics.

Seryl-histidine dipeptide (Ser-His) has been recognized as the shortest peptide with hydrolysis cleavage activity; however, its protein cleavage spectrum has not yet been fully explored. Here, four differently folded proteins were treated with Ser-His, and the digestion products were evaluated with high-resolution mass spectrometry. The cleavage efficiency and cleavage propensity of Ser-His against these protein substrates were calculated at both the primary and secondary sequence levels. The above experiments show that Ser-His cleaves a broad spectrum of substrate proteins of varying secondary structures. Moreover, Ser-His could cleave at all 20 amino acids with different efficiencies according to the protein, which means that Ser-His has the original digestion function of serine proteases. Furthermore, we collected and compared the catalytic sites and cleavage sites of 340 extant serine proteases derived from 17 representative organisms. A consensus motif Ser-[X]-His was identified as the major pattern at the catalytic sites of serine proteases from all of the organisms represented except Danio rerio, which uses Ser-Lys instead. This finding indicates that Ser-His is the core component of the serine protease catalytic site. Moreover, our analysis revealed that the cleavage sites of modern serine proteases have become more specific over the evolutionary history of this family. Based on the above analysis results, it could be found that Ser-His is likely the original serine protease and maybe the evolutionary core of modern serine proteases.

Functional analysis by RNAi of an glutaredoxin gene in Helicoverpa armigera.

Glutaredoxins play crucial roles in maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis via scavenging of excess reactive oxygen species. In this study, a glutaredoxin domain-containing cysteine-rich gene from Helicoverpa armigera, named HaGdccr, was characterized. Sequence analysis revealed that it contains a glutaredoxin domain and a conserved cysteine and shares high sequence identity with other insect genes. HaGdccr mRNA expression was highest in molting larvae of the 3rd instar and was mainly detected in the central nervous system of larvae and the wings of adults. Quantitative real-time PCR results revealed that the expression of HaGdccr was suppressed at 1 and 6 h and increased at 24 h after the larvae were treated with 4 °C and hydrogen peroxide. When the larvae were exposed to 20 °C, HaGdccr decreased at 1 h and was induced at 12 and 24 h. HaGdccr transcription level was downregulated at 2 and 12 h and upregulated at 24 h after the adults were exposed to 0 °C. However, transcript levels were increased by high temperature in both larvae and adults. After knockdown of HaGdccr by RNA interference, the expression of antioxidant genes, including thioredoxin-like (Trx-like), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and thioredoxin (Trx), was increased, whereas that of thioredoxin peroxidase (Tpx) was decreased. In addition, we found that HaGdccr knockdown enhanced the enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase and the contents of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate. Taken together, these results indicate that HaGdccr may play significant roles in protecting organisms against oxidative damage.

[Ginsenoside Rh2 induces apoptosis and autophagy of K562 cells by activating p38].

To study the effect of ginseng saponin Rh2 in inducing apoptosis of human leukemia K562 cells, and explore its mechanism from the aspect of autophagy pathway. CCK-8 assay was used to examine the growth inhibition of human leukemia cell lines K562 treated with ginsenoside Rh2; flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect cell apoptosis; Hoechst staining was used to observe the changes of cell morphological apoptosis; Acridine and MDC staining were used to detect the effects of the Rh2 on autophagy; Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression levels of the proteins closely associated with autophagy and apoptosis. In order to study the effect of autophagy in proliferation and apoptosis, we used the autophagy inhibitor (3-MA).CCK-8 indicated that Rh2 at low concentration could effectively inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cellsin dose- and time-dependent manners in K562 cells; FCM indicated that Rh2 induced apoptosis; Hoechest staining showed that K562 cells had typical apoptotic morphological changes by treated Rh2; Acridine and MDC staining showed that Rh2 enhanced the green fluorescence and a large number of acidic autophagy vesicles were present; Western blot and RT-PCR results showed that Rh2 increased the expression levels of Beclin-1, LC3A, LC3B, activated Caspase-3 and p-p38 in K562 cells; application of autophagy inhibitors(3-MA) could weaken the inhibition effect of Rh2 on proliferation and induction effect on apoptosis in K562 cells. Ginsenoside Rh2 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis probably through activating p-p38, and inducing cell autophagy signaling pathway in K562 cells.

Balancing the electrical double layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance of hetero-atom doped carbon.

Heteroatom-doped carbonaceous materials derived from polymers are emerging as a new class of promising supercapacitor electrodes. These electrodes have both electrical double layer capacitance (from carbon matrices) and pseudo-capacitance (from hetero-atoms). Balancing the electrical double layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance is a key to achieve large capacitance at ultrafast current densities. Here we investigate the influence of pyrolysis temperature on capacitive performance of hetero-atom (oxygen and nitrogen) doped carbons derived from polypyrrole nanowire arrays. Structural and electrochemical characterization reveal that the concentration of hetero-atoms as well as the ratio of electrical double layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance can be tuned by varying the pyrolysis temperature. In fact the hetero-atom doped carbon sample obtained at a relatively lower pyrolysis temperature (500 °C) exhibits the optimal capacitive performance. It yields an outstanding areal capacitance of 324 mF cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2 (141 F g-1@0.43 A g-1), and more importantly, retains an areal capacitance of 184.7 mF cm-2 (80.3 F g-1@43.5 A g-1) at an ultrahigh current density of 100 mA cm-2. An asymmetric supercapacitor consisting of hetero-atom doped carbon as an anode delivers a maximum volumetric energy density of 1.7 mW h cm-3 at a volumetric power density of 0.014 W cm-3, which is among the best values reported for asymmetric supercapacitors.

Glycosylation patterns and PHA-E-associated glycoprotein profiling associated with early hepatic encephalopathy in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) as a severe neuropsychiatric complication is commonly present in the end stage of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). However, widely accepted biomarkers for diagnosing early HE are still absent. Here, we screened glycosylation patterns of serum proteins from Chinese HCC patients with or without early HE by lectin microarray. Then, phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin (PHA-E) as a lectin binding with bisecting GlcNAc structure which was significantly decreased in sera from Chinese HCC patients with early HE, was chosen to perform lectin affinity chromatography, following by in-gel digestion, Mass Spectrometry (MS) analysis and bioinformatics analysis. Here we found, 13 lectins showed statistically significant reduction suggesting GalNAc, terminal α-1,3 Man, bisecting GlcNAc, (GlcNAc)n, O-GlcNAc, Neu5Ac, tetra-antennary complex-type N-glycan and GalNAc α/ß1-3/6 Gal were decreased in serum glycoproteins from Chinese HCC patients with early HE. Furthermore, a total of 141 PHA-E-associated glycoproteins were identified in MS, of which 12 serum glycoproteins only in Chinese HCC patients without early HE and 26 serum glycoproteins only in Chinese HCC patients with early HE. In addition, bioinformatics analysis revealed the PHA-E-associated serum glycoproteins only in Chinese HCC patients with early HE might be related to early HE occurrence through p38 MAPK signaling pathway and MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Collectively, this was the first glycomics study of serum proteins in HCC patients with early HE and it could provide a database for discovering and developing serum biomarkers to identify and predict early HE in HCC patients.

Narrowing Resection of Parametrial Tissues Is Feasible in Low-Risk Cases of Stage IA2-IB1 Cervical Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy is the standard surgical treatment for patients with stage IA2-IB1 cervical cancer, but the wide excision increases the complications. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the feasibility of narrowing resection of parametrial tissues in stage IA2-IB1 cervical cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospectively analyzed the pathological and clinical data of patients with stage IA2-IB1 cervical cancer who received radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy in OB/GYN Hospital, Fudan University, China from Jan 2008 to Dec 2011. The affected factors of parametrial metastases and outcomes were discussed. The single factor analysis was made with χ2 test, and the relationship of the resection width of parametrial tissues and the patients' outcomes was analyzed with χ2 test and log-rank. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were 31 cases recurred, 26 cases died of cervical cancer in 513 patients during the follow-up period (from 2 months to 66 months, averaged 39 months). The low-risk factors included diameter of tumor ≤2cm, depth of cervical myometrial invasion<1/2 and without lymph vascular involvement. There were no parametrial metastases in cases with all three low-risk factors. Whether the resection width of parametrial tissues ≥3cm or not had no statistically significant effect on progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) of low-risk patients. D2-40 and CD31 were related with parametrial metastases, but not with recurrence or outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The resection width of parametrial tissues has no effect on PFS and OS of low-risk patients, and narrowing resection of parametrial tissues (<3cm) is feasible.

Role of axl in preeclamptic EPCs functions.

Axl encodes the tyrosine-protein kinase receptor, participating in the proliferation and migration of many cells. This study examined the role of Axl in functions of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Axl was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting in both placentas and EPCs from normal pregnancy and preeclampsia patients. The Axl inhibitor, BMS777-607, was used to inhibit the Axl signalling pathway in EPCs. Cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and adhesion were measured by CCK-8 assay, cell differentiation assay, Transwell assay, and cell adhesion assay, respectively. Results showed the expression levels of Axl mRNA and protein were significantly higher in both placentas and EPCs from preeclampsia patients than from normal pregnancy (P<0.05). After treatment with BMS777-607, proliferation, differentiation, migration and adhesion capability of EPCs were all significantly decreased. Our study suggests Axl may play a role in the function of EPCs, thereby involving in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.