Hydrophobic Solid Photothermal Slippery Surfaces with Rapid Self-repairing, Dual Anti-icing/Deicing, and Excellent Stability Based on Paraffin and Etching.

Ice and snow disasters have greatly affected both the global economy and human life, and the search for efficient and stable anti-icing/deicing coatings has become the main goal of much research. Currently, the development and application of anti-icing/deicing coatings are severely limited due to their complex preparation, structural fragility, and low stability. This work presents a method for preparing hydrophobic solid photothermal slippery surfaces (SPSS) that exhibit rapid self-repairing, dual anti-icing/deicing properties, and remarkable stability. A photothermal layer of copper oxide (CuO) was prepared by using chemical deposition and etching techniques. The layer was then impregnated with stearic acid and solid paraffin wax to create a hydrophobic solid photothermal slippery surface. This solves the issue of low stability on superhydrophobic surfaces caused by fragile and irretrievable micro/nanostructures. In addition, the underlying photothermal superhydrophobic surface provides good anti-icing/deicing properties even if the paraffin on the surface evaporates or is lost during operation. The findings indicate that when subjected to simulated light irradiation, the coating's surface temperature increases to 80 °C within 12 min. The self-repair process is completed rapidly in 170 s, and at -15 °C, it takes only 201 s for the ice on the surface to melt completely. The surface underneath the paraffin exhibited good superhydrophobic properties, with a contact angle (CA) of 154.1° and a sliding angle (SA) of 6.8° after the loss of paraffin. Simultaneously, the surface's mechanical stability and durability, along with its self-cleaning and antifouling properties, enhance its service life. These characteristics provide promising opportunities for practical applications that require long-term anti-icing/deicing surfaces.

"Honeycomb" Photothermal Lubricated Porous Foam with Low-Temperature, Weak-Light, Anti-Icing/Deicing, and Long-Lasting Lubrication Properties.

The prevalence of icing in nature has become a significant threat to human work and life, prompting the development of more energy-efficient active/passive combination anti-icing/deicing technologies. In order to overcome the disadvantage of the poor durability of superhydrophobic surfaces, lubricated surfaces inspired by nepenthes have been preferred. In this study, a paraffin and silicone oil-infused photothermal foam (PSIPF) with excellent overall performance was prepared using polypyrrole (PPy) as a photothermal conversion material, a mixture of silicone oil and paraffin as a lubricating fluid, and melamine foam (MF) as a carrier. The surface adhesive strength is less than 20 kPa at -20 °C, the melting time is only 1018 s at an irradiance of 200 W/m2 and -20 °C (0.2 sun), and surface droplets do not freeze within 1 h at -10 °C. Furthermore, the surface exhibits excellent mechanical durability and stability, maintaining optimal lubrication properties following repeated cycles of icing/deicing, water rinsing, and immersion for 2 days in acid and alkaline conditions. This photothermal lubricated surface with excellent anti-icing/deicing properties at low temperatures and in weak-light environments provides a wider range of applications for equipment at high latitudes and high altitudes.

The optimal intravesical maintenance chemotherapy scheme for the intermediate-risk group non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Although the current European Association of Urology(EAU) guideline recommends that patients with intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) should accept intravesical chemotherapy or Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for no more than one year after transurethral resection of bladder tumor(TURBT), there is no consensus on the optimal duration of chemotherapy. Hence, we explored the optimal duration of maintenance intravesical chemotherapy in patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a real-world single-center retrospective cohort study. In total 158 patients with pathologically confirmed intermediate-risk NMIBC were included, who were divided into 4 subgroups based on the number of instillations given. We used Cox regression analysis and survival analysis chart to explore the 3-yr recurrence outcomes of tumor.The optimal duration was determined by receive operating characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 5.2 years. Compared with instillation for 1-2 months, the Hazard Ratios(HR) values of instillation for less than 1 month, maintenance instillation for 3-6 months and > 6 months were 3.57、1.57 and 0.22(95% CI 1.27-12.41;0.26-9.28;0.07-0.80, P = 0.03;0.62;0.02, respectively). We found a significant improvement in 3-yr relapse-free survival in intermediate-risk NMIBC patients who maintained intravesical instillation chemotherapy for longer than 6 months, and the best benefit was achieved with 10.5 months of maintenance chemotherapy by ROC. CONCLUSIONS: In our scheme, the optimal duration of intravesical instillation with pirrubicin is 10.5 months. This new understanding provides valuable experience for the precise medical treatment model of intermediate-risk NMIBC.

Exploring hospitality workers' career choices in the wake of COVID-19: Insights from a phenomenological inquiry.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the hospitality industry and caused employees concerns over health, finance, and well-being. These challenges may trigger their decisions to leave the profession, leading to major talent crises in the industry. Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping and the career construction theory, this study explored how their experiences with the pandemic affected their career choices moving on. A phenomenological approach was adopted, and 31 current and past hospitality employees were interviewed. The findings supported the conceptual model and addressed the connection between stress management and career decisions among the participants. It is also noted that, besides generational differences, most participants' career decisions at this critical moment were influenced by their personality traits, industry involvement, and employer-employee relationships. Thus, to create a sustainable, resilient, and engaged workforce, hospitality practitioners must commit to crafting positive relationships with their employees both in regular and crisis times.

A Slippery Liquid-Infused Network-like Surface with Anti/De-icing Properties Constructed Based on the Phosphating Reaction.

The excessive accumulation of ice seriously threatens various industrial facilities and production activities. Currently, slippery liquid-injected porous surfaces (SLIPS) have been developed as a new strategy for anti/de-icing; however, the lack of research on the adsorption and storage capacity for lubricating fluids has limited the development of SLIPS in the anti/de-icing field to some extent. In this work, a slippery liquid-infused phosphate network-like surface (SLIPNS) is prepared that adjusts the texture of the surface by varying the phosphating time to control the adsorption and storage of lubricating fluids. The as-obtained surface structure gives the SLIPNS excellent oil-storage/locked properties, can delay the freezing time of sessile droplets up to 436 s, which is almost 10 times that of an untreated aluminum sheet, and exhibits one-tenth the ice adhesion strength of untreated aluminum substrates (14.39 kPa). In addition, the SLIPNS shows effective durability and antifouling ability and has great potential in solving long-term anti/de-icing problems.

lncRNA SNHG11 Promotes Gastric Cancer Progression by Activating the Wnt/ß-Catenin Pathway and Oncogenic Autophagy.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are under active investigation in the development of cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). Oncogenic autophagy is required for cancer cell survival. The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of lncRNA small nucleolar host gene 11 (SNHG11) in GC. We show that SNHG11 is upregulated in GC, and that its upregulation correlated with dismal patient outcomes. Functionally, SNHG11 aggravated oncogenic autophagy to facilitate cell proliferation, stemness, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GC. Mechanistically, SNHG11 post-transcriptionally upregulated catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1) and autophagy related 12 (ATG12) through miR-483-3p/miR-1276, while the processing of precursor (pre-)miR-483/pre-miR-1276 was hindered by SNHG11. SNHG11 induced GSK-3ß ubiquitination through interacting with Cullin 4A (CUL4A) to further activate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Intriguingly, SNHG11 regulated autophagy in a manner dependent on ATG12 rather than the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, whereas SNHG11 contributed to the malignant behaviors of GC cells via both pathways. Finally, SNHG11 upregulation in GC cells was shown to be transcriptionally induced by TCF7L2. In conclusion, we reveal that SNHG11 is an onco-lncRNA in GC and might be a promising prognostic and therapeutic target for GC.

Laparoscopic versus open reduction of idiopathic intussusception in children: an updated institutional experience.

BACKGROUND: In the reduction of intussusception, due to the lack of randomized, controlled, and prospective clinical trials to confirm the superiority of the laparoscopic approach over open surgery, more evidence was needed. This study aimed to compare the results of laparoscopy and open reduction of idiopathic intussusception in children as well as to illustrate some skills for the reduction of intussusception laparoscopically. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed to evaluate outcomes for patients with idiopathic intussusception who were treated laparoscopically (LAP group) from January 2015 to December 2019 and to compare the outcomes with laparotomy (OPEN group) during the same period. RESULTS: During the period studied, there were 162 patients treated surgically for intussusception: 62 LAP and 100 OPEN. No statistical differences were found in demographic data, clinical symptoms and signs, duration of symptoms, location and types of intussusception between the two groups. Conversion to open procedure was required for 11 patients in the LAP group. The operation time and time to oral intake were shorter in the LAP group while the difference was not significant. If the 11 conversion cases were excluded, the operation time and time to oral intake were significantly shorter (P < 0.05) in the LAP group. The length of stay was significantly shorter in the LAP group (P < 0.05). Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates between the two groups were comparable (P = 1.0). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy was safe and effective in the treatment of pediatric idiopathic intussusceptions. Pediatric surgeons with sophisticated minimally invasive skills should choose laparoscopy as the first choice in the treatment of idiopathic intussusceptions.

Artemisinin improves neurocognitive deficits associated with sepsis by activating the AMPK axis in microglia.

Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction due to dysregulated systemic inflammatory and immune response to infection, often leading to cognitive impairments. Growing evidence shows that artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, possesses potent anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. In this study we investigated whether artemisinin exerted protective effect against neurocognitive deficits associated with sepsis and explored the underlying mechanisms. Mice were injected with LPS (750 µg · kg-1 · d-1, ip, for 7 days) to establish an animal model of sepsis. Artemisinin (30 mg · kg-1 · d-1, ip) was administered starting 4 days prior LPS injection and lasting to the end of LPS injection. We showed that artemisinin administration significantly improved LPS-induced cognitive impairments assessed in Morris water maze and Y maze tests, attenuated neuronal damage and microglial activation in the hippocampus. In BV2 microglial cells treated with LPS (100 ng/mL), pre-application of artemisinin (40 µΜ) significantly reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-6) and suppressed microglial migration. Furthermore, we revealed that artemisinin significantly suppressed the nuclear translocation of NF-κB and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines by activating the AMPKα1 pathway; knockdown of AMPKα1 markedly abolished the anti-inflammatory effects of artemisinin in BV2 microglial cells. In conclusion, atemisinin is a potential therapeutic agent for sepsis-associated neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment, and its effect is probably mediated by activation of the AMPKα1 signaling pathway in microglia.

An Hypothesis: Disproportion Between Cardiac Troponin and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels-A High Risk and Poor Prognostic Biomarker in Patients With Fulminant Myocarditis?

In our clinical practice, we recently found some patients with severe fulminant myocarditis (FM) who showed persistently elevated cardiac troponin (cTn) levels and "seemingly normal" B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level, and who subsequently progressed to poor outcomes. Indeed, this sounds contrary to conventional wisdom, but it is not an accidental phenomenon. Fulminant myocarditis is a rapidly progressive disease associated with high mortality. Recent studies have shown that patients with FM are significantly more likely to require heart transplantation than those without FM. Prompt diagnosis of FM and the institution of advanced cardiac life support will save more lives. Cardiac troponin and BNP are widely used diagnostic markers. Cardiac troponin is a specific marker of cardiac injury and its level correlates with the severity of cardiac injury. However, plasma BNP has a dual identity; it is not only a marker of cardiac pressure/volume overload, but it is also a cardioprotective factor that provides effective neurohormonal compensation to maintain homeostasis. Similar to fulminant hepatitis (characterised by diffuse inflammation and massive parenchymal cell necrosis) sometimes showing disproportion between transaminase level and bilirubin level, the disproportion between cTn and BNP levels in FM seems to be consistent with its severe histopathological changes, including diffuse infiltration of the myocardium by inflammatory cells, as well as severe cardiomyocyte injury and necrosis. Moreover, in previous studies, a lower BNP level was found to be an adverse prognostic marker in end-stage heart failure. All these findings indicate that in patients with FM with a persistently high cTn level and ominous clinical presentation, a "seemingly normal" BNP level is not a friendly signal. We hypothesise that the combination of a persistently elevated cTn level and low BNP level in patients with FM indicates worse myocardial injury and poor prognosis.

Combined Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop Test, Number Connection Test B, and Serial Dotting Test Accurately Identify Patients With Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The EncephalApp Stroop test is a high-sensitivity but low-specificity test that has been used to identify patients with covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE). We aimed to develop a new strategy to detect CHE, combining EncephalApp Stroop test score with scores from subtests of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scoring system (PHES). METHODS: We performed a survey of 569 adult volunteers (229 men) in 9 communities in Shanghai, China, administering the EncephalApp Stroop test to determine the range of scores in the general population. Data from the standard PHES, including the number connection test-A, number connection test-B (NCT-B), line tracing test, serial dotting test (SDT), and digit symbol test, were used as the reference standard for diagnosis of CHE. A combination of the EncephalApp Stroop with subtests of the PHES was used to establish a new strategy for CHE diagnosis. We validated our findings using data from 160 patients with cirrhosis from 5 centers China. RESULTS: We determined the range of EncephalApp Stroop test scores for the volunteers of different decades of age, education levels, and sexes. Age, education level, and sex were independently associated with EncephalApp Stroop test scores. A combination of scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, the NCT-B, and the SDT identified patients with CHE with the highest level of accuracy, when the standard PHES was used as the reference standard. A combination of scores of 187 sec for the EncephalApp Stroop test and below -1 for the NCT-B or below -1 for the SDT identified patients with CHE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86, 81.0% sensitivity, and 91.9% specificity, and 87.5% accuracy. In the validation cohort, these cutoff scores identified patients with CHE with an AUC of 0.88, 97.1% sensitivity, 79.3% specificity, and 86.9% accuracy. The average time to calculate this score was 374±140 sec, compared 424±115 sec for the entire PHES. CONCLUSION: Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, NCT-B, and SDT identify patients with CHE with approximately 87% accuracy, and in a much shorter time than the standard PHES. This score combination could be a valid and convenient method for identifying patients with CHE. chictr.org.cn number, ChiCTR-EDC-17012007, ChiCTR1800019954.

Silencing of circFoxO3 Protects HT22 Cells from Glutamate-Induced Oxidative Injury via Regulating the Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway.

Recent studies demonstrated that FoxO3 circular RNA (circFoxO3) plays an important regulatory role in tumourigenesis and cardiomyopathy. However, the role of circFoxO3 in neurodegenerative diseases remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the possible role of circFoxO3 in neurodegenerative diseases and the underlying mechanisms. To model human neurodegenerative conditions, hippocampus-derived neurons were treated with glutamate. Using molecular and cellular biology approaches, we found that circFoxO3 expression was significantly higher in the glutamate treatment group than that in the control group. Furthermore, silencing of circFoxO3 protected HT22 cells from glutamate-induced oxidative injury through the inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Collectively, our study demonstrates that endogenous circFoxO3 plays a key role in inducing apoptosis and neuronal cell death and may act as a novel therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases.

Interaction of transforming growth factor-ß-Smads/microRNA-362-3p/CD82 mediated by M2 macrophages promotes the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Abnormal tumor microenvironment and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are important features of tumor metastasis. However, it remains unknown how signals can form complicated networks to regulate the sustainability of the EMT process. The aim of our study is to explore the possible interaction between tumor-associated macrophages and tumor cells in the EMT process mediated by microRNA (miR)-362-3p. In this study, we found that by releasing TGF-ß, M2 macrophages mediate binding of Smad2/3 to miR-362-3p promoter, leading to overexpression of miR-362-3p. MicroRNA-362-3p maintains EMT by regulating CD82, one of the most important members of the family of tetraspanins. Our finding suggests that miR-362-3p can serve as a core factor mediating cross-talk between the TGF-ß pathway in tumor-associated macrophages and tetraspanins in tumor cells, and thus facilitates the EMT process.

A colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for the detection of both fluoride ions and trifluoroacetic acid based on acylhydrazone derivatives.

An acylhydrazone-based colorimetric and fluorescent sensor (PAH-8) for the detection of fluoride ions (F-) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)/triethylamine (TEA) has been studied. PAH-8 solution and organogel are highly selective and sensitive to F- among various tested anions (F-, Cl-, Br-, AcO-, and H2PO4-) in DMSO. Upon addition of F-, the maximum absorption wavelength of PAH-8 in DMSO solution shows a big red shift from 377 nm to 464 nm with a marked color change from colorless to yellow, and the fluorescence emission also displays a red shift from 438 nm to 532 nm with its fluorescence emission switching from blue to yellow. Both Job's plot and the Benesi-Hildebrand plot confirm a 1 : 1 stoichiometric relationship between PAH-8 and F-. The detection limit of PAH-8 for the analysis of F- can reach 8.31 × 10-7 M. Very interestingly, an expeditious 'naked eye' detection of F- can be realized by the reversible gel-sol transition, along with a color change from slight yellow to bright red and fluorescence quenching. In addition, the cast film of PAH-8 (the solution was developed from the DMSO gel upon the addition of TBAF) can detect water in air by color switching or fluorescence on/off. In both solution and solid states, PAH-8 also exhibits obvious acid-base stimulated fluorescence conversion. The solution of PAH-8 can convert the blue emission into intensive sky blue emission after adding trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and the solid film exhibits no fluorescence after fuming with TFA vapors, while fuming with triethylamine (TEA) vapors resulted in intensive green emission.

MiR-218 suppresses the metastasis and EMT of HCC cells via targeting SERBP1.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although many efforts for treating HCC have been made, the survival rate remains unsatisfied. Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNA-218 (miR-218) functions as a tumor suppressor and involves in many biological processes such as tumor initiation, development, and metastasis in certain types of human cancers. However, the potential function and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-218 in HCC still remains to be elucidated. Since HCC is a genetic disease, exploring the mechanisms of the pathogeny and integration are essential for the discovery of novel treatment targets for HCC. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the abnormal expression level of miR-218 in clinical HCC tissues and HCC cells, and to evaluate its function and underlying mechanisms in HCC. Our results revealed that miR-218 expression was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays indicated that forced expression of miR-218 in HCC cells inhibited cell migration/invasion and reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), while deletion of miR-218 promoted cell migration/invasion and contributed to the EMT phenotype formation. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that serpine mRNA binding protein 1 (SERBP1) was a target gene of miR-218 and rescue assay further confirmed that SERBP1 involved in the function of miR-218 in HCC. All these results suggested that miR-218/SERBP1 signal pathway could inhibit the malignant phenotype formation and that targeting this pathway may be a potential novel way for HCC therapeutics.

Observation of localized surface plasmons and hybridized surface plasmon polaritons on self-assembled two-dimensional nanocavities.

Large-area patterning of periodic nanostructures using self-assembled nanospheres is of interest for fabricating low-cost plasmonic substrates, such as two-dimensional (2D) metallic gratings. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) excited on metallic gratings have applications in biosensors, thin-film photovoltaics, photoelectrochemical cells, and photodetectors. Here we fabricated large-area metallic gratings using nanosphere lithography, and the geometry of gratings was controlled by the sphere size and distance between nanospheres. Both forward and backward propagating SPPs were observed using the grating coupling geometry. Furthermore, we reported the first observation of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) on this large-area metallic grating by both simulation and experimental studies. Such an LSP mode was confined in the 2D nanocavities and was not supported by dielectric gratings with the same 2D geometry.

Identification potential biomarkers in pulmonary tuberculosis and latent infection based on bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to identify the potential biomarkers in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and TB latent infection based on bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: The microarray data of GSE57736 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. A total of 7 pulmonary TB and 8 latent infection samples were used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Cytoscape software. Then network-based neighborhood scoring analysis was performed to identify the important genes. Furthermore, the functional enrichment analysis, correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis for the identified important genes were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1084 DEGs were identified, including 565 down- and 519 up-regulated genes. The PPI network was constructed with 446 nodes and 768 edges. Down-regulated genes RIC8 guanine nucleotide exchange factor A (RIC8A), basic leucine zipper transcription factor, ATF-like (BATF) and microtubule associated monooxygenase, calponin LIM domain containing 1 (MICAL1) and up-regulated genes ATPase, Na+/K+ transporting, alpha 4 polypeptide (ATP1A4), histone cluster 1, H3c (HIST1H3C), histone cluster 2, H3d (HIST2H3D), histone cluster 1, H3e (HIST1H3E) and tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) were selected as important genes in network-based neighborhood scoring analysis. The functional enrichment analysis results showed that these important DEGs were mainly enriched in regulation of osteoblast differentiation and nucleoside triphosphate biosynthetic process. The gene pairs RIC8A-ATP1A4, HIST1H3C-HIST2H3D, HIST1H3E-BATF and MICAL1-TYK2 were identified with high positive correlations. Besides, these genes were selected as significant feature genes in logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The genes such as RIC8A, ATP1A4, HIST1H3C, HIST2H3D, HIST1H3E, BATF, MICAL1 and TYK2 may be potential biomarkers in pulmonary TB or TB latent infection.

DDR2 Induces Gastric Cancer Cell Activities via Activating mTORC2 Signaling and Is Associated with Clinicopathological Characteristics of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a role in cancer progression. Previous studies have suggested that discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is related to tumor progression and EMT. However, the role of DDR2 in regulating gastric cancer (GC) metastasis and in EMT has not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to determine DDR2 expression and its clinical relation in GC and to investigate the effects of DDR2 on EMT and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: DDR2 expression and the relation to patients' clinicopathological features were assayed by Western blot or immunohistochemical staining. The effects of DDR2 overexpression were investigated using in vivo tumorigenicity and xenograft models. The effects of DDR2 on EMT marker expression were assayed by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The possible role of the mTORC pathway in these processes was explored. RESULTS: DDR2 showed high expression in GC tissues and cells. DDR2 expression was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression and positively correlated with N-cadherin and vimentin expression. High DDR2 expression is correlated with unfavorable pathoclinical features such as multiple tumor locations and intestinal-type GC. In xenograft models, DDR2 overexpression promoted tumor formation. Furthermore, DDR2 expression impacted on the invasion and motility of GC cells, accompanied by changes in EMT marker expression. Finally, our results revealed that DDR2 facilitates GC cell invasion and EMT through mTORC2 activation and AKT phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: DDR2 is upregulated and correlated with unfavorable clinical features of GC patients. DDR2 promotes tumor formation and invasion through facilitating EMT process via mTORC2 activation and AKT phosphorylation.

The glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor PDMP sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to MEK/ERK inhibitor AZD-6244.

Here we show that d,l-Threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP), a glycosphingolipid biosynthesis inhibitor, increases the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to the novel MEK-ERK inhibitor AZD-6244. AZD-6244 and PDMP co-administration induced massive pancreatic cancer cell death and apoptosis, more potently than either drug alone. We discovered that AZD-6244 induced ceramide production in pancreatic cancer cells, yet the excess ceramide was metabolically removed in the long-term (24-48h). PDMP facilitated AZD-6244-induced ceramide production, and ceramide level remained elevated up to 48h. Meanwhile, exogenously-added cell-permeable short chain ceramide (C2) similarly sensitized AZD-6244's activity, the two caused substantial pancreatic cancer cell death and apoptosis. At the molecular level, PDMP and AZD-6244 co-treatment inactivated ERK1/2 and AKT-mTOR signalings simultaneously in pancreatic cancer cells, while either agent alone only affected one signaling. In summary, PDMP significantly increased the sensitivity of AZD-6244 in pancreatic cancer cells. This appears to involve a sustained ceramide production as well as concurrent block of ERK and AKT-mTOR signalings.

A simple structural hydrazide-based gelator as a fluoride ion colorimetric sensor.

A 4-nitrobenzohydrazide derivative, N-(3,4,5-octyloxybenzoyl)-N'-(4'-nitrobenzoyl)hydrazine (C8), was synthesized. It could form stable gels in some of the tested organic solvents. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the xerogels exhibited a layered structure. SEM images revealed that the molecules self-assembled into fibrous aggregates in the xerogels. FT-IR studies confirmed that the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between C=O and N-H groups was the major driving force for the formation of self-assembling gel processes. The gel is utilized for a 'naked eye' detection of fluoride ions, through a reversible gel-sol transition, which is associated with a color change from colorless to red. An extended conjugated system formed through the phenyl group and a five-membered ring based on intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the oxygen atom near the deprotonation nitrogen atom and the other NH, which is responsible for the dramatic color change upon addition of fluoride ions.

Revealing microbial diversity in buffalo milk with high somatic cell counts: implications for mastitis diagnosis and treatment.

Mastitis is one of the most serious diseases that threatens the health of dairy animals. The somatic cell count (SCC) in milk is widely used to monitor mastitis. This study aimed to reveal the diversity of microorganisms in buffalo milk with high somatic cell count (SCC ≥ 3 × 105 cells/mL, n = 30) and low somatic cell count (SCC ≤ 5 × 104 cells/mL, n = 10), and identify the dominant bacteria that cause mastitis in a local buffalo farm. We also investigated the potential method to treat bacterial mastitis. The V3-V4 region of 16 S rDNA was sequenced. Results showed that, compared to the milk with low SCC, the high SCC samples showed lower microbial diversity, but a high abundance of bacteria and operational taxonomic units (OTUs). By in vitro isolation and culture, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were found to be the leading pathogens, which is consistent with the 16 S rDNA sequencing data. We further isolated 3 of the main pathogens and established a pathogen detection method based on ELISA. In addition, the antibacterial effects of 10 antimicrobials and 15 Chinese herbal extracts were also investigated. Results showed that the microbial has developed tolerance to several of the antimicrobials. While the water extracts of Chinese herbal medicine such as Galla Chinensis, Coptis chinensis Franch, Terminalia chebula Retz, and Sanguisorba officinalis L can effectively inhibit the growth of main pathogens. This study provides novel insight into the microbial diversity in buffalo milk and a reference for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mastitis.