Ultraviolet A light induces DNA damage and estrogen-DNA adducts in Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy causing females to be more affected.

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a leading cause of corneal endothelial (CE) degeneration resulting in impaired visual acuity. It is a genetically complex and age-related disorder, with higher incidence in females. In this study, we established a nongenetic FECD animal model based on the physiologic outcome of CE susceptibility to oxidative stress by demonstrating that corneal exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) recapitulates the morphological and molecular changes of FECD. Targeted irradiation of mouse corneas with UVA induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the aqueous humor, and caused greater CE cell loss, including loss of ZO-1 junctional contacts and corneal edema, in female than male mice, characteristic of late-onset FECD. UVA irradiation caused greater mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) damage in female mice, indicative of the sex-driven differential response of the CE to UVA, thus accounting for more severe phenotype in females. The sex-dependent effect of UVA was driven by the activation of estrogen-metabolizing enzyme CYP1B1 and formation of reactive estrogen metabolites and estrogen-DNA adducts in female but not male mice. Supplementation of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), diminished the morphological and molecular changes induced by UVA in vivo. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms of environmental factors in FECD pathogenesis and demonstrates a strong link between UVA-induced estrogen metabolism and increased susceptibility of females for FECD development.

A CaCDPK29-CaWRKY27b module promotes CaWRKY40-mediated thermotolerance and immunity to Ralstonia solanacearum in pepper.

CaWRKY40 in pepper (Capsicum annuum) promotes immune responses to Ralstonia solanacearum infection (RSI) and to high-temperature, high-humidity (HTHH) stress, but how it interacts with upstream signalling components remains poorly understood. Here, using approaches of reverse genetics, biochemical and molecular biology we functionally characterised the relationships among the WRKYGMK-containing WRKY protein CaWRKY27b, the calcium-dependent protein kinase CaCDPK29, and CaWRKY40 during pepper response to RSI or HTHH. Our data indicate that CaWRKY27b is upregulated and translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus upon phosphorylation of Ser137 in the nuclear localisation signal by CaCDPK29. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and microscale thermophoresis, we observed that, due to the replacement of Q by M in the conserved WRKYGQK, CaWRKY27b in the nucleus failed to bind to W-boxes in the promoters of immunity- and thermotolerance-related marker genes. Instead, CaWRKY27b interacted with CaWRKY40 and promoted its binding and positive regulation of the tested marker genes including CaNPR1, CaDEF1 and CaHSP24. Notably, mutation of the WRKYGMK motif in CaWRKY27b to WRKYGQK restored the W-box binding ability. Our data therefore suggest that CaWRKY27b is phosphorylated by CaCDPK29 and acts as a transcriptional activator of CaWRKY40 during the pepper response to RSI and HTHH.

CaWRKY28 Cys249 is Required for Interaction with CaWRKY40 in the Regulation of Pepper Immunity to Ralstonia solanacearum.

WRKY transcription factors have been implicated in plant response to pathogens but how WRKY-mediated networks are organized and operate to produce appropriate transcriptional outputs remains largely unclear. Here, we identify a member of the WRKY family from pepper (Capsicum annuum), CaWRKY28, that physically interacts with CaWRKY40, a positive regulator of pepper immunity and thermotolerance. We confirmed CaWRKY28-CaWRKY40 interaction by coimmunoprecipitation, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and microscale thermophoresis. Our findings supported the idea that CaWRKY28 is a nuclear protein that acts as positive regulator in pepper responses to infection by the pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. It performs its function not by directly modulating the W-box containing immunity-related genes but by promoting CaWRKY40 via physical interaction to bind and activate its immunity-related target genes, including CaPR1, CaNPR1, CaDEF1, and CaABR1, but not its thermotolerance-related target gene, CaHSP24. All of these data indicate that CaWRKY28 interacts with and potentiates CaWRKY40 in regulating immunity against R. solanacearum infection but not thermotolerance. Importantly, we discovered that CaWRKY28 Cys249, shared by CaWRKY28 and its orthologs probably only in the family Solanaceae, is crucial for the CaWRKY28-CaWRKY40 interaction. These results highlight how CaWRKY28 associates with CaWRKY40 during the establishment of WRKY networks, and how CaWRKY40 achieves its functional specificity during pepper responses to R. solanacearum infection.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

CaWRKY40b in Pepper Acts as a Negative Regulator in Response to Ralstonia solanacearum by Directly Modulating Defense Genes Including CaWRKY40.

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) have been implicated in plant growth, development, and in response to environmental cues; however, the function of the majority of pepper WRKY TFs remains unclear. In the present study, we functionally characterized CaWRKY40b, a homolog of AtWRKY40, in pepper immunity. Ralstonia solanacearum inoculation (RSI) in pepper plants resulted in downregulation of CaWRKY40b transcript, and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged CaWRKY40b was localized to the nuclei when transiently overexpressed in the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of CaWRKY40b significantly decreased pepper’ susceptibility to RSI. Consistently, the transient over-expression of CaWRKY40b-SRDX (chimeric repressor version of CaWRKY40b) triggered cell death, as indicated by darker trypan blue and DAB staining. CaWRKY40b targets a number of immunity-associated genes, including CaWRKY40 JAR, RLK1, EIN3, FLS2, CNGIC8, CDPK13, and heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70), which were identified by ChIP-seq and confirmed using ChIP-real time PCR. Among these target genes, the negative regulator HSC70 was upregulated by transient overexpression of CaWRKY40b and downregulated by silencing of CaWRKY40b, whereas other positive regulators as well as two non-target genes, CaNPR1 and CaDEF1, were downregulated by the transient overexpression of CaWRKY40b and upregulated by CaWRKY40b silencing or transient overexpression of CaWRKY40b-SRDX. In addition, CaWRKY40b exhibited a positive feedback regulation at transcriptional level by directly targeting the promoter of itself. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggest that CaWRKY40b acts as a negative regulator in pepper immunity against R. solanacearum by transcriptional modulation of a subset of immunity-associated genes; it also represses immunity in the absence of a pathogen, and derepresses immunity upon pathogen challenge.

Pepper CabZIP63 acts as a positive regulator during Ralstonia solanacearum or high temperature-high humidity challenge in a positive feedback loop with CaWRKY40.

CaWRKY40 is known to act as a positive regulator in the response of pepper (Capsicum annuum) to Ralstonia solanacearum inoculation (RSI) or high temperature-high humidity (HTHH), but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we report that CabZIP63, a pepper bZIP family member, participates in this process by regulating the expression of CaWRKY40. CabZIP63 was found to localize in the nuclei, be up-regulated by RSI or HTHH, bind to promoters of both CabZIP63(pCabZIP63) and CaWRKY40(pCaWRKY40), and activate pCabZIP63- and pCaWRKY40-driven ß-glucuronidase expression in a C- or G-box-dependent manner. Silencing of CabZIP63 by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in pepper plants significantly attenuated their resistance to RSI and tolerance to HTHH, accompanied by down-regulation of immunity- or thermotolerance-associated CaPR1, CaNPR1, CaDEF1, and CaHSP24. Hypersensitive response-mediated cell death and expression of the tested immunity- and thermotolerance-associated marker genes were induced by transient overexpression (TOE) of CabZIP63, but decreased by that of CabZIP63-SRDX. Additionally, binding of CabZIP63 to pCaWRKY40 was up-regulated by RSI or HTHH, and the transcript level of CaWRKY40 and binding of CaWRKY40 to the promoters of CaPR1, CaNPR1, CaDEF1 and CaHSP24 were up-regulated by TOE of CabZIP63. On the other hand, CabZIP63 was also up-regulated transcriptionally by TOE of CaWRKY40. The data suggest collectively that CabZIP63 directly or indirectly regulates the expression of CaWRKY40 at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, forming a positive feedback loop with CaWRKY40 during pepper's response to RSI or HTHH. Altogether, our data will help to elucidate the underlying mechanism of crosstalk between pepper's response to RSI and HTHH.

Combined sildenafil with vacuum erection device therapy in the management of diabetic men with erectile dysfunction after failure of first-line sildenafil monotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy of sildenafil plus vacuum erection devices in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus with moderate to severe erectile dysfunction who are dissatisfied with the results of using sildenafil alone. METHODS: The study included 66 diabetes mellitus patients presenting erectile dysfunction for at least 6 months and dissatisfied with the use of 100 mg sildenafil monotherapy. The patients were randomized in two groups. Those in group A (n = 33) were instructed to use a vacuum erection device only, whereas those in group B (n = 33) were treated with combination therapy, including sildenafil 100 mg and a vacuum erection device. Erectile function was evaluated subjectively using the International Index of Erectile Function, Sexual Encounter Profile questionnaire questions 2 and 3 at visit 1 (baseline; study entry), visit 2 (4 weeks after baseline), and visit 3 (12 weeks after baseline; study end). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in average patient age, duration of diabetes, duration of erectile dysfunction, baseline International Index of Erectile Function scores, hypertension, blood testosterone, smoking and alcohol consumption between two groups. Mean International Index of Erectile Function scores were significantly higher for group B at the 1-month (14.86 ± 2.17 vs 12.41 ± 2.63; P < 0.0001) and 3-months (17.53 ± 2.95 vs 14.29 ± 2.81; P < 0.0001) visits. Men in group B had better successful penetration (73.3% vs 46.6%) and successful intercourse (70% vs 46.6%) at 3 months compared with group A. CONCLUSION: Combined use of sildenafil and vacuum erection device therapy significantly enhances erectile function, and it is well tolerated by diabetes mellitus patients not responding to first-line sildenafil alone.

Wearable Sensor Based on a Tough Conductive Gel for Real-Time and Remote Human Motion Monitoring.

The usage of a conductive hydrogel in wearable sensors has been thoroughly researched recently. Nonetheless, hydrogel-based sensors cannot simultaneously have excellent mechanical property, high sensitivity, comfortable wearability, and rapid self-healing performance, which result in poor durability and reusability. Herein, a robust conductive hydrogel derived from one-pot polymerization and subsequent solvent replacement is developed as a wearable sensor. Owing to the reversible hydrogen bonds cross-linked between polymer chains and clay nanosheets, the resulting conductive hydrogel-based sensor exhibits outstanding flexibility, self-repairing, and fatigue resistance performances. The embedding of graphene oxide nanosheets offers an enhanced hydrogel network and easy release of wearable sensor from the target position through remote irradiation, while Li+ ions incorporated by solvent replacement endow the wearable sensor with low detection limit (sensing strain: 1%), high conductivity (4.3 S m-1) and sensitivity (gauge factor: 3.04), good freezing resistance, and water retention. Therefore, the fabricated wearable sensor is suitable to monitor small and large human motions on the site and remotely under subzero (-54 °C) or room temperature, indicating lots of promising applications in human-motion monitoring, information encryption and identification, and electronic skins.

Effect of Tissue Composition and Microstructure on Rabbit Meat Optical Properties.

To facilitate the design of an optical detection system for assessing rabbit meat quality, nine rabbits of different ages, weights, and varieties were used to collect optical coefficients, compositions, and microstructures from external oblique muscle (EOM) and internal oblique muscle (IOM) samples to research the relationship between them. The results show that rabbit age had a significant influence (P < 0.05) on the absorption coefficient (µa) and the proportion of myoglobin in IOM and EOM, and the older the rabbits are, the greater the µa and the proportion of myoglobin are. Weight also significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the muscle fiber cross-sectional area. The age and weight had a significant (P < 0.05) impact on the reduced scattering coefficient (µs'). The linear fitting results between the relative proportion of myoglobin and the µa showed that the higher the myoglobin content is, the greater the µa is. The linear fitting results between the cross-sectional area of muscle fiber and the µs' showed that the smaller the cross-sectional area of muscle fiber is, the greater the µs' is. These results will be helpful to intuitively understand the working principle of spectral technology in meat quality detection.

Identification of Volatile Markers during Early Zygosaccharomyces rouxii Contamination in Mature and Immature Jujube Honey.

Osmotolerant yeasts are considered one of the major contaminants responsible for spoilage in honey. To address the signature volatile components of jujube honey contaminated by Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and chemometrics analyses were used to analyze the variation of volatile substances during early contamination of mature and immature jujube honey. Undecanal, methyl butyrate, methyl 2-nonenoate, methyl hexanoate, and 2-methyl-3-pentanone were identified as signature volatiles of jujube honey contaminated with Z. rouxii. In addition, methyl heptanoate, 2,6,10-trimethyltetradecane, and heptanal were identified as potential volatile signatures for immature jujube honey. The R2 and Q2 of OPLS-DA analyses ranged from 0.736 to 0.955, and 0.991 to 0.997, which indicates that the constructed model was stable and predictive. This study has demonstrated that HS-SPME-GC-MS could be used to distinguish Z. rouxii-contaminated jujube honey from uncontaminated honey based on variation in VOCs, and could provide theoretical support for the use of HS-SPME-GC-MS for the rapid detection of honey decomposition caused by Z. rouxii, which could improve nutritional quality and reduce economic losses.

Tellurium Nanotubes and Chemical Analogues from Preparation to Applications: A Minor Review.

Tellurium (Te), the most metallic semiconductor, has been widely explored in recent decades owing to its fantastic properties such as a tunable bandgap, high carrier mobility, high thermal conductivity, and in-plane anisotropy. Many references have witnessed the rapid development of synthesizing diverse Te geometries with controllable shapes, sizes, and structures in different strategies. In all types of Te nanostructures, Te with one-dimensional (1D) hollow internal structures, especially nanotubes (NTs), have attracted extensive attention and been utilized in various fields of applications. Motivated by the structure-determined nature of Te NTs, we prepared a minor review about the emerging synthesis and nanostructure control of Te NTs, and the recent progress of research into Te NTs was summarized. Finally, we highlighted the challenges and further development for future applications of Te NTs.

PLS-DA and Vis-NIR spectroscopy based discrimination of abdominal tissues of female rabbits.

Using Vis-NIR spectroscopy to distinguish gestational sac from other abdominal tissues is the key to diagnosing female rabbits' pregnancy by optical means. This study aims to demonstrate the gestational sac and other abdominal tissues (hair, skin, breast, muscle, cecum, small intestine) of rabbits can be identified using Vis-NIR spectroscopy in vitro. These tissues' raw NIR spectra were recorded in the Vis-NIR range (490-940 nm) with interactive mode. The raw spectra of tissues were analyzed by the principal component analysis (PCA), and were pre-processed using five spectral pre-processing techniques (moving average filter (MF), De-trending (DT), first-order derivative (D1), Multivariate scattering correction (MSC), and standard normal variate (SNV)) to reduce signal noises. The raw and pre-processed spectra were classified using partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). Two-way and multi-way PLS-DA model was conducted to understand the classification of each tissue from the gestational sac and to understand the classification of all tissues from the gestational sac, respectively. SNV-PLS-DA model had the best performance, and its multi-way accuracy (Ac), determination coefficients (R2), and Q2 were 0.89, 0.91, 0.77, respectively. The successive projection algorithm (SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were used to select characteristic wavelengths (CWs). The SNV-SPA-PLS-DA model with eighteen CWs was better than the SNV-CARS-PLS-DA model. The results showed that Vis-NIR spectroscopy technology combined with PLS-DA could discriminate the gestational sac from the abdominal tissues. This study may help develop an optical diagnosis system for pregnant rabbits.

Early pregnancy diagnosis of rabbits: A non-invasive approach using Vis-NIR spatially resolved spectroscopy.

Pregnancy diagnosis is essential for rabbit's reproductive management. The early identification of non-pregnant rabbits allows for earlier re-insemination, increases the service rate, and reduces the laboring interval in commercial operations. The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility of using a Vis-NIR spatially resolved spectroscopy for diagnosing pregnancy in female rabbits. A total of 141 female rabbits, including 67 pregnant female rabbits (PRs) and 74 non-pregnant female rabbits (NPRs), were measured spectrally between 350 and 1000 nm with different source-detector distances (SDD). Different preprocessing methods were used to transform and enhance the spectral signal. A partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) classification model of the original and preprocessed spectra was established. The highest accuracy of the calibration set and prediction set was 91.75% and 86.05%, respectively. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and successive projection algorithm (SPA) were used to select characteristic wavelengths from the variables of VIP > 1 (Variable importance in projection),and four classification models were established based on selected wavelengths, including PLS-DA, support vector machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Naïve Bayes. SPA-SVM was the optimal classification model, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the validation set and prediction set were 93.18%, 94.44%, 93.88%, 86.96%, 90.00%, 90.69% respectively. The results showed that Vis-NIR spatially resolved spectroscopy combined with classification models could discriminate the PRs and NPRs.

Prognostic Role of Pretreatment C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio in Urological Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To investigate the potential prognostic role of C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) in patients with urinary cancers, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), bladder cancer (BC), and prostate cancer (PC). Methods: We searched and screened literatures with PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science in January 2022. We applied combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the associations. Results: Thirteen studies including 2,941 cases were analyzed in our study. Merged results indicated that highly pretreated CAR was associated with inferior overall survival (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.86-2.62, p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.36-2.52, p < 0.001) for urinary cancers. In a subgroup analysis of OS by tumor type, CAR can be a predictor in RCC (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.72-2.56), BC (HR 3.35, 95% CI 1.94-5.80), and PC (HR 2.20, 95% CI 1.43-3.37). In a subgroup analysis of PFS by tumor type, CAR can be a predictor in BC (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.03-3.02), and RCC (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.25-2.89). The reliability and robustness of results were confirmed. Conclusions: High pretreated CAR was effective predictor of poor survival in patients with urinary cancers and can act as prognostic factor for these cases. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022306414).

van der Waals integration of mixed-dimensional CeO2@Bi heterostructure for high-performance self-powered photodetector with fast response speed.

Heterostructures have been extensively investigated for optoelectronic devices owing to their fantastic physicochemical properties. Herein, a mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) CeO2@Bi, 1D ceria (CeO2) loaded with 0D bismuth quantum dots (Bi QDs), is synthesized through a facile hydrothermal bottom-up method. It is found that the fabricated CeO2@Bi-based photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetector (PD) shows self-powered photodetection capability with a fast photoresponse speed of 0.02 s. Besides, a photocurrent of 2.00 µA cm-2 and a photoresponsivity of 888.89 µA W-1 under 365 nm illumination are obtained. Furthermore, good long-term cycle stability is also observed after 1 month in a harsh environment, indicating the great potential for practical applications. These results are further supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We believe that the presented work is expected to provide a new pathway for the future utilization of vdWHs for high-performance optoelectronics.

SOD2 contributes to anti-oxidative capacity in rabbit corneal endothelial cells.

PURPOSE: Corneal endothelial cells are rich in mitochondria, a potential source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS have been implicated in endothelial cell loss during aging or in endothelial dystrophies. In this study we examined the anti-oxidative role of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2) in corneal endothelial cells. METHODS: SOD2 expression was examined by RT-PCR and western blot analysis in fresh rabbit corneal endothelium (RCE) and cell cultures. SOD2 activity, total reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and apoptotic levels were examined in untreated, SOD2 siRNA and viral vector shRNA treated RCE cells. Scrambled siRNA and shRNA sequence targeting non-mammalian genes were used as controls. RESULTS: SOD2 is expressed in both fresh and cultured rabbit corneal endothelium. SOD2 expression was reduced by ~80%-90% in cultured RCE using either siRNA or shRNA approaches. SOD2 activity was decreased by ~70%-80% for both approaches. Total cell ROS was significantly increased in shSOD2 lentivirus treated cells (9%±6%) relative to control transduction (0.4%±0.1%). MitoSOX™ staining for mitochondrial ROS in siSOD2 treated RCE cells was dramatically increased. Two minutes of UV irradiation increased total ROS levels by 15%, whereas in shSOD2 treated cells UV induced ROS was increased 29%±5% (p<0.05). MMP was reduced in shSOD2 viral treated cells by 66%±3%, significantly greater than in control transduced cells (15%±8%, p<0.05). Apoptosis increased by 1.5 fold in shSOD2 virus treated samples compared with scrambled virus and untreated cells. CONCLUSIONS: SOD2 is expressed in both fresh and cultured rabbit corneal endothelium. siRNA and shRNA approaches are able to efficiently knockdown SOD2 expression and reduce enzyme activity in RCE cells. Decreased SOD2 activity causes elevated ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential loss and early cell apoptosis. These results indicate that SOD2 is a significant anti-oxidative enzyme in RCE cells.

Comparison of outcomes between laparoscopic and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for complex renal tumors: RENAL score ≥7 or maximum tumor size >4 cm.

INTRODUCTION: We reviewed current studies and performed a meta-analysis to compare outcomes between laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) treating complex renal tumors (RENAL score ≥7 or maximum clinical tumor size >4 cm). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Using the databases of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, a comprehensive literature search was performed in April, 2020. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) or weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed-effect or random-effect model. Publication bias was evaluated by funnel plots. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Ten observational studies including 5193 patients (LPN: 1574; RAPN: 3619) were included. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding conversion to open (P=0.07) surgery, all complications (P=0.12), grade 1-2 complications (P=0.10), grade 3-5 complications (P=0.93), operative time (P=0.94), estimated blood loss (P=0.17). Patients undergoing LPN had a significant higher rate of conversion to radical (OR=4.33; 95% CI: 2.01-9.33; P<0.001), a longer ischemia time (IT, P<0.001; WMD=3.02 min; 95% CI: 1.67 to 4.36), a longer length of stay (LOS, P<0.001; WMD=0.67 days; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.99), a lower rate of positive surgical margin (P=0.03; OR=0.71; 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.96), a greater eGFR decline (P<0.001; WMD=2.41 mL/min/1.73 m2; 95% CI: 1.22 to 3.60), a higher rate of CKD upstaging (P<0.001; OR=2.44; 95% CI: 1.54 to 3.87). No obvious publication bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS: For complex renal tumors, RAPN is more favorable than LPN in terms of lower rate of conversion to radical surgery, shorter IT, shorter LOS, less eGFR decline, and lower rate of CKD upstaging. Methodological limitations of observational studies should be taken into account in interpreting these results.

Prognostic Role of Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase in Patients With Urothelial Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To investigate the potential prognostic role of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) using the method of systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for eligible studies up to February 2020. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the relationship. Results: A total of 14 studies including 4,009 patients with UC were incorporated. The results showed that a high pretreatment serum LDH was associated with an inferior overall survival (OS, HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.39-1.87, p < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (CSS, HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.05-1.90, p = 0.022), and disease-free survival (DFS, HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.59, p = 0.034) in UC. Subgroup analyses identified that a high pretreatment serum LDH was associated with a poor OS (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.02-3.81, p = 0.042) and DFS (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.59, p = 0.034) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma, a short OS (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.37-2.15, p < 0.001) in urothelial carcinoma of bladder. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that a high level of pretreatment serum LDH was associated with inferior OS, CSS, and DFS in patients with UC. This biomarker can be an important factor incorporated into the prognostic models for UC.

Optimization of Oxygen Dynamics, UV-A Delivery, and Drug Formulation for Accelerated Epi-On Corneal Crosslinking.

Purpose: Corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) through an intact epithelium (epi-on) at high irradiance could potentially improve patient comfort, visual recovery, and clinical workflow compared to conventional epi-off CXL. However, intact epithelium limits stromal delivery of the oxygen, photosensitizer, and ultraviolet-A (UV-A) radiation needed to drive CXL. This ex vivo study evaluated three different epi-on CXL protocols compared to positive and negative controls, specifically focusing on the impact of supplemental oxygen. Endpoints included stromal oxygen levels, stiffness of crosslinked tissue, and acute flattening of whole eyes.Materials & Methods: Ex vivo porcine eyes were held in a custom environmental chamber. Intrastromal oxygen levels were continuously measured before, during, and after UV illumination by a fiberoptic probe inserted into a laser-cut flap. Accelerated, high irradiance, epi-on CXL protocols using riboflavin formulated with benzalkonium chloride (BAC) were studied, with and without supplemental oxygen. These were compared to an alternate, low irradiance, epi-on protocol using riboflavin formulated with sodium iodide. Both negative (no CXL) and positive (epi-off modified Dresden protocol) controls were performed. Post-CXL elastic modulus was measured using extensiometry and anterior tangential curvature was measured using a Scheimpflug tomographer.Results: Protocols including supplemental oxygen resulted in an approximately 5-fold increase in stromal oxygen levels prior to CXL. During epi-on, high-irradiance UV-A delivery under hyperoxic conditions, an aerobic state was maintained. Conversely, under normoxic conditions, stromal oxygen rapidly depleted to 0-5% for all other protocols. The combination of supplemental oxygen, BAC formulation, and high-irradiance UV-A resulted in the largest biomechanical changes and most pronounced flattening effects of the three epi-on protocols.Conclusions: Ex vivo analysis of stromal oxygen levels, corneal stiffness, and acute anterior curvature change indicates that simultaneous optimization of the oxygen environment, riboflavin formulation, and UV-A protocol can significantly increase the effects of corneal collagen crosslinking.

Direct Growth of MoO2 /Reduced Graphene Oxide Hollow Sphere Composites as Advanced Anode Materials for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Hollow MoO2 /reduced graphene oxide (MoO2 /rGO) sub-microsphere composites have been fabricated through a simple hydrothermal approach followed by a heat treatment process. When employed as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries, the as-synthesized MoO2 /rGO composite can deliver an initial charge specific capacity of 367.2 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 , and its reversible capacity is 218.9 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles. Even when cycled at 500 mA g-1 , a high charge specific capacity of 104.2 mAh g-1 is achieved after 500 cycles. The excellent cycling capability and rate performance may be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the reduced graphene oxide and the hollow MoO2 spheres, which can increase the electrical conductivity of the composite, as well as resisting the strain arising from the repeated discharge-charge processes. These results indicate that the MoO2 /rGO hollow sphere composites are promising negative electrode materials for potassium-ion batteries.

High-Surface-Area and Porous Co2P Nanosheets as Cost-Effective Cathode Catalysts for Li-O2 Batteries.

To enable lithium-oxygen batteries for practical applications, the design and efficient synthesis of nonprecious metal catalysts with high activity and stable structural properties are demanded. The objective is to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of both oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction by facilitating electronic/ionic transport and improving oxygen diffusion in a porous structure. In this study, high-surface-area and porous cobalt phosphide (Co2P) nanosheets are synthesized via an environmentally safe hydrothermal method, where red phosphorous is used as the phosphorous source. It was found that the as-prepared Co2P/acetylene black (AB) composite delivered enhanced electrochemical performances, such as high capacities of 2551 mA h g-1 (based on the total weight of Co2P and AB) or 5102 mA h g-1 (based on the weight of Co2P or AB) and a good cycle life of more than 1800 h (132 cycles) in lithium-oxygen battery. The rational design of the Co2P/AB porous oxygen electrode structure provides sufficient accessible reaction sites and a short diffusion path for electrolyte penetration and diffusion of O2.