N-cadherin: A diagnostic marker to help discriminate primary liver carcinomas from extrahepatic carcinomas.

Distinguishing primary liver cancer (PLC), namely hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), from liver metastases is of crucial clinical importance. Histopathology remains the gold standard, but differential diagnosis may be challenging. While absent in most epithelial, the expression of the adherens junction glycoprotein N-cadherin is commonly restricted to neural and mesenchymal cells, or carcinoma cells that undergo the phenomenon of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, we recently established N- and E-cadherin expression as hallmarks of normal hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, which are also preserved in HCC and iCCA. Therefore, we hypothesized that E- and/or N-cadherin may distinguish between carcinoma derived from the liver vs carcinoma of other origins. We comprehensively evaluated E- and N-cadherin in 3359 different tumors in a multicenter study using immunohistochemistry and compared our results with previously published 882 cases of PLC, including 570 HCC and 312 iCCA. Most carcinomas showed strong positivity for E-cadherin. Strong N-cadherin positivity was present in HCC and iCCA. However, except for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (23.6% of cases) and thyroid cancer (29.2%), N-cadherin was only in some instances faintly expressed in adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract (0%-0.5%), lung (7.1%), pancreas (3.9%), gynecological organs (0%-7.4%), breast (2.2%) as well as in urothelial (9.4%) and squamous cell carcinoma (0%-5.6%). As expected, N-cadherin was detected in neuroendocrine tumors (25%-75%), malignant melanoma (46.2%) and malignant mesothelioma (41%). In conclusion, N-cadherin is a useful marker for the distinction of PLC vs liver metastases of extrahepatic carcinomas (P < .01).

Structure and Properties of Na2S-SiS2-P2S5-NaPO3 Glassy Solid Electrolytes.

In the development of sodium all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), research efforts have focused on synthesizing highly conducting and electrochemically stable solid-state electrolytes. Glassy solid electrolytes (GSEs) have been considered very promising due to their tunable chemistry and resistance to dendrite growth. For these reasons, we focus here on the atomic-level structures and properties of GSEs in the compositional series (0.6-0.08y)Na2S + (0.4 + 0.08y)[(1 - y)[(1 - x)SiS2 + xPS5/2] + yNaPO3] (NaPSiSO). The mechanical moduli, glass transition temperatures, and temperature-dependent conductivity were determined and related to their short-range order structures that were determined using Raman, Fourier transform infrared, and 31P and 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. In addition, the conductivity activation energies were modeled using the Christensen-Martin-Anderson-Stuart model. These GSEs appear to be highly crystallization-resistant in the supercooled liquid region where no measurable crystallization below 450 °C could be observed in differential scanning calorimetry studies. Additionally, these GSEs were found to be highly conducting, with conductivities on the order of 10-5 (Ω cm)-1 at room temperature, and processable in the supercooled state without crystallization. For all these reasons, these NaPSiSO GSEs are considered to be highly competitive and easily processable candidate GSEs for enabling sodium ASSBs.

Formation of Stable Radicals by Mechanochemistry and Their Application for Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

High-field magic angle spinning (MAS) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is becoming a common technique for improving the sensitivity of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) by the hyperpolarization of nuclear spins. Recently, we have shown that gamma irradiation is capable of creating long-lived free radicals that are amenable to MAS DNP in quartz and a variety of organic solids. Here, we demonstrate that ball milling is able to generate millimolar concentrations of stable radical species in diverse materials such as polystyrene, cellulose, borosilicate glass, and fused quartz. High-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to obtain further insight into the nature of the radicals formed in ball milled quartz and borosilicate glass. We further show that radicals generated in quartz by ball milling can be used for solid-effect DNP. We obtained 29Si DNP enhancements of approximately 114 and 33 at 110 K and room temperature, respectively, from a sample of ball milled quartz.

Insights into Lithium Sulfide Glass Electrolyte Structures and Ionic Conductivity via Machine Learning Force Field Simulations.

Sulfide-based solid electrolytes (SEs) are important for advancing all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), primarily due to their high ionic conductivities and robust mechanical stability. Glassy SEs (GSEs) comprising mixed Si and P glass formers are particularly promising for their synthesis process and their ability to prevent lithium dendrite growth. However, to date, the complexity of their glassy structures hinders a complete understanding of the relationships between their structures and properties. This study introduces a new machine learning force field (ML-FF) tailored for lithium sulfide-based GSEs, enabling the exploration of their structural characteristics, mechanical properties, and lithium ionic conductivities. Using molecular dynamic (MD) simulations with this ML-FF, we explore the glass structures in varying compositions, including binary Li2S-SiS2 and Li2S-P2S5 as well as ternary Li2S-SiS2-P2S5. Our simulations yielded consistent results in terms of density, elastic modulus, radial distribution functions, and neutron structure factors compared to DFT and experimental work. Our findings reveal distinct local environments for Si and P within these glasses, with most Si atoms in edge-sharing configurations in Li2S-SiS2 and a mix of corner- and edge-sharing tetrahedra in the ternary Li2S-SiS2-P2S5 composition. For lithium ionic conductivity at 300 K, the 50Li2S-50SiS2 glass displayed the lowest conductivity at 2.1 mS/cm, while the 75Li2S-25P2S5 composition exhibited the highest conductivity at 3.6 mS/cm. The ternary glass showed a conductivity of 2.6 mS/cm, sitting between the two. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of lithium ion diffusion over the MD trajectory in the ternary glass demonstrated a significant correlation between diffusion pathways and the rotational dynamics of nearby SiS4 or PS4 tetrahedra. The ML-FF developed in this study provides an important tool for exploring a broad spectrum of solid-state and mixed former sulfide-based electrolytes.

A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals.

There is an ethical need to document and develop best practices for meeting ambassador animals' welfare needs within the context of meeting zoo and aquarium program objectives. This is because ambassador animals experience direct and frequent contact with humans. This paper rigorously synthesizes behavioral research and theory, contemporary practices, and personal experiences to offer key concepts that can be applied to meet ambassador animal welfare needs. These key concepts include addressing an animal's recognition of choice and control, the use of the most positive and least intrusive effective interventions when training animals to participate in programming, and an overall reduction in aversive strategy use. Our model for increasing ambassador animal welfare focuses on seven main areas of concern, including the following: choosing the most suitable animal for the program; choosing the human with the right skills and knowledge for the program; using the most positive, least intrusive, effective training methods; developing a strong trusting relationship between trainer and animal; developing a comprehensive enrichment program; the need for institutional support; and creating opportunities for animals to practice species-appropriate behaviors. Our model will provide guidelines for improved ambassador animal welfare that can be refined with future research.

Long-term effects of multiple concussions on prefrontal cortex oxygenation during a hypercapnic challenge in retired contact sport athletes.

This exploratory study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of multiple concussions on prefrontal cortex oxygenation during a five-minute hypercapnic challenge using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). 55 physically active retired contact sport male athletes with three or more previous concussions (mTBI) were recruited along with 29 physically active males with no concussions history (CTRL). Participants completed five minutes of seated rest prior to the five-minute hypercapnic challenge (20-second breath-hold, 40-second recovery breathing; five times). NIRS measured right and left side oxygenated (O2Hb), deoxygenated (HHb), total (tHb) haemoglobin, and haemoglobin difference (HbDiff) with all parameters analysed through changes in average maximal and minimal values (ΔMAX), Z-scores, and standard deviations. Right prefrontal cortex HbDiff ΔMAX was significantly higher in the mTBI compared to CTRL (p = 0.045) group. Left prefrontal cortex O2Hb ΔMAX (p = 0.040), HHb Z-Scores (p = 0.008), and HbDiff ΔMAX(p = 0.014) were significantly higher in the mTBI group. Within-group right vs left analyses demonstrated significantly lower left HbDiff ΔMAX (p = 0.048) and HbDiff Z-scores (p = 0.002) in the mTBI group, while the CTRL group had significantly lower left HHb Z-scores (p = 0.003) and left tHb Z-scores (p = 0.042). This study provides preliminary evidence that athletes with a history of three or more concussions may have impaired prefrontal cortex oxygenation parameters during a hypercapnic challenge.