Highly-dispersed 2D NiFeP/CoP heterojunction trifunctional catalyst for efficient electrolysis of water and urea.

The electrocatalytic production of "green hydrogen", such as through the electrolysis of water or urea has been vigorously advocated to alleviate the energy crisis. However, their electrode reactions including oxygen evolution reaction (OER), urea oxidation reaction (UOR), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) all suffer from sluggish kinetics, which urgently need catalysts to accelerate the processes. Herein, we design and prepare an OER/UOR/HER trifunctional catalyst by transforming the homemade CoO nanorod into a two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin heterojunction nickel-iron-cobalt hybrid phosphides nanosheet (NiFeP/CoP) via a hydrothermal-phosphorization method. Consequently, a strong electronic interaction was found among the Ni2P/FeP4/CoP heterogeneous interfaces, which regulates the electronic structure. Besides the high mass transfer property of 2D nanosheet, Ni2P/FeP4/CoP displays improved OER/UOR/HER performance. At 10 mA cm-2, the OER overpotential reaches 274 mV in 1.0 M KOH, and the potential of UOR is only 1.389 V in 1.0 M KOH and 0.33 M urea. More strikingly, the two-electrode systems for electrolysis water and urea-assisted electrolysis water assembled by NiFeP/CoP could maintain long-term stability for 35 h and 12 h, respectively. This work may help to pave the way for upcoming research horizons of multifunctional electrocatalysts.

Synergistic Effect of N-NiMoO4 /Ni Heterogeneous Interface with Oxygen Vacancies in N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs for Superior Overall Water Splitting.

The exploring of economical, high-efficiency, and stable bifunctional catalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OER) is highly imperative for the development of electrolytic water. Herein, a 3D cross-linked carbon nanotube supported oxygen vacancy (Vo )-rich N-NiMoO4 /Ni heterostructure bifunctional water splitting catalyst (N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs) is synthesized by hydrothermal-H2 calcination method. Physical characterization confirms that Vo -rich N-NiMoO4 /Ni nanoparticles with an average size of ≈19 nm are secondary aggregated on CNTs that form a hierarchical porous structure. The formation of Ni and NiMoO4 heterojunctions modify the electronic structure of N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs. Benefiting from these properties, N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs drives an impressive HER overpotential of only 46 mV and OER overpotential of 330 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , which also shows exceptional cycling stability, respectively. Furthermore, the as-assembled N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs||N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs electrolyzer reaches a cell voltage of 1.64 V at 10 mA cm-2 in alkaline solution. Operando Raman analysis reveals that surface reconstruction is essential for the improved catalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrate that the enhanced HER/OER performance should be attributed to the synergistic effect of Vo and heteostructure that improve the conductivity of N-NiMoO4 /Ni/CNTs and facilitatethe desorption of reaction intermediates.

[Overexpression of miRNA-130a-3p alleviates LPS-induced cardiomyocyte injury by regulating autophagy and apoptosis].

Objective: To investigate the effects of miRNA-130a-3p on autophagy and apoptosis induced by LPS in myocardial cells and its molecular mechanisms. Methods: H9C2 cells were divided into five groups: normal control group, LPS model group, miRNA negative control group miRNA-130a-3p mimics group(overexpression of miRNA-130a-3p) and miRNA-130a-3p mimics + LY294002 group(overexpression of miRNA-130a-3p + PI3K inhibitor). The LPS model group was induced by LPS at a final concentration of 10 µg/ml for 24 h. In the miRNA negative control group and miRNA-130a-3p mimics group, negative contro miRNA or miRNA-130a-3p mimics were transfected into H9C2 cells by lipo3000. After 24 h of culture, LPS was added into the medium for 24 hours. In the miRNA -130A-3P mimics + LY294002 group, miRNA -130A-3P mimics was transfected into H9C2 cells by using lipo3000, and LY294002 at a final concentration of 10 µmol/L was added to the culture medium for 24 h, followed by LPS at a concentration of 10 µg/ml for 24 h. The expression of miRNA-130a-3p mRNA in cells was detected by RT-qPCR. The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell viability. The contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß were detected by ELISA assay. The contents of SOD and LDH in cell culture medium were detected by colorimetry. Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of p-PI3K, p-AKT, Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved-caspase-3, LC3 and p62. Results: The results showed that the levels of miRNA-130a-3p mRNA, p-PI3K protein and p-AKT protein in LPS model cells were significantly lower than those in normal control group(P<0.01), and the expressions of p-PI3K, p-AKT protein in miRNA-130a-3p mimics group were increased significantly compared with LPS group(P<0.01,P<0.05). Compared with normal control group, the cell viability was decreased significantly and the contents of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and LDH were increased significantly(P<0.01), the contents of SOD was decreased significantly in LPS group(P<0.01). The protein expression levels of Bax, cleaved-caspase-3 and p62 were increased significantly, while the expression level of Bcl-2 and LC3II/I ratio were decreased significantly in LPS group(P<0.01). miRNA-130a-3p mimics could increase the cell viability, decrease the contents of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and LDH(P<0.01,P<0.05), increase the contents of SOD(P<0.05), decrease the expressions of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, p62(P<0.01), promote the expression of Bcl-2(P<0.01) and increase the ratio of LC3II/I(P<0.05). Compared with miRNA-130a-3p mimics group, LY294002 reversed the effects of miRNA-130a-3p mimics on cells. Conclusion: Overexpression miRNA-130a-3p could partly promote autophagy and inhibit cell apoptosis by activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to alleviate LPS-induced myocardial injury.

[Retracted] Diagnostic and prognostic value of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer.

Int J Mol Med 42: [Related article:] 105­114, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3591. The authors have requested that their research article entitled 'Diagnostic and prognostic value of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer' published in International Journal of Molecular Medicine 42, 105­114, 2018, be retracted. This study was conceived jointly by the research institute of the authors' hospital (Jilin University China­Japan Friendship Hospital) and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and the clinical data were obtained from the two institutes. It is regrettable that the scientific research unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University did not authorize the publication of these results, and the authors have subsequently received an official request from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University to retract this paper, since the results of their article have infringed the scientific research rights of the third party. The Editor of International Journal of Molecular Medicine agrees that the article should be retracted from the publication in view of the infringement of the scientific rights of the third party. All the named authors agree to this retraction. The authors apologize to the Editor and to the readership of the Journal, and regret any inconvenience this will cause.

Corrigendum to "The Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Expression Profiling of Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Dermal Fibroblasts".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/2957941.].

[Study on difference of liver toxicity and its molecular mechanisms caused by Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside and equivalent amount of triptolid in rats].

Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside( GTW),an extract derived from T. wilfordii,has been used for rheumatoid arthritis and other immune diseases in China. However its potential hepatotoxicity has not been investigated completely. Firstly,the content of triptolid( TP) in GTW was 0. 008% confirmed by a LC method. Then after oral administration of GTW( 100,150 mg·kg-1) and TP( 12 µg·kg-1) in female Wistar rats for 24 h,it was found that 150 mg·kg-1 GTW showed more serious acute liver injury than 12 µg·kg-1 TP,with the significantly increased lever of serum ALT,AST,TBA,TBi L,TG and bile duct hyperplasia even hepatocyte apoptosis. The expression of mRNA and proteins of liver bile acid transporters such as BSEP,MRP2,NTCP and OATP were down-regulated significantly by GTW to inhibit bile acid excretion and absorption,resulting in cholestatic liver injury. Moreover,GTW was considered to be involved in hepatic oxidative stress injury,although it down-regulated SOD1 and GPX-1 mRNA expression without significant difference in MDA and GSH levels. In vitro,we found that TP was the main toxic component in GTW,which could inhibit cell viability up to 80% in Hep G2 and LO2 cells at the dose of 0. 1 µmol·L-1. Next a LC-MS/MS method was used to detect the concentration of triptolid in plasma from rats,interestingly,we found that the content of TP in GTW was always higher than in the same amount of TP,suggesting the other components in GTW may affect the TP metabolism. Finally,we screened the substrate of p-glycoprotein( p-gp) in Caco-2 cells treated with components except TP extrated from GTW,finding that wilforgine,wilforine and wilfordine was the substrate of p-gp. Thus,we speculated that wilforgine,wilforine and wilfordine may competitively inhibit the excretion of TP to bile through p-gp,leading to the enhanced hepatotoxity caused by GTW than the same amount of TP.

Efficacy and adverse events of five targeted agents in the treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: A network meta-analysis of nine eligible randomized controlled trials involving 5,059 patients.

Recently, targeted agents were reported to improve overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, and quality of life compared with cytotoxic chemotherapies, which provides hope for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The network meta-analysis is applied to compare the efficacies and adverse events of five targeted agents (erlotinib, gefitinib, vandetanib, dacomitinib, and icotinib) for advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Nine eligible randomized controlled trials from PubMed and Cochrane Library database were included. Weighted mean difference, odds ratio, and surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values were evaluated for the efficacy and adverse events of the five targeted agents in the treatment of NSCLC. With regard to efficacy, the overall response rate (ORR) of advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib was relatively higher than those treated with placebo. Compared with patients treated with placebo, the disease control rate (DCR) of patients treated with erlotinib and with gefitinib was relatively higher. Furthermore, in terms of PFS and DCR, the SUCRA value of icotinib was the highest among the five targeted drugs. With regard to ORR, the SUCRA value of gefitinib was the highest among the five targeted drugs. In terms of fatigue, rash, and cough, erlotinib had the lowest SUCRA value, whereas vandetanib exhibited the lowest SUCRA value in terms of diarrhea. Our study suggests that the efficacies of gefitinib and icotinib for advanced or metastatic NSCLC were comparatively better, whereas the toxicities of erlotinib and vandetanib were relatively greater.

Diagnostic and prognostic values of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer.

The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of contrast­enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW­MRI) in different subtypes of breast cancer (BC). CEUS and DW­MRI were conducted in 232 patients with BC prior to surgical treatment. Patients were categorized as having the luminal A subtype, the luminal B subtype, triple­negative subtype or the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her­2)­positive subtype according to their expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Her­2, as detected by immunohistochemistry. The CEUS and DW­MRI parameters of patients with different subtypes of BC were obtained and analyzed. The risk factors for the prognosis of patients with different subtypes of BC were analyzed using Kaplan­Meier and COX regression analyses. The diagnostic accuracy rate of CEUS combined with DW­MRI (93.10%) was higher than that of CEUS (88.79%) or DW­MRI (82.33%) alone. The local recurrence rate and distant metastasis rate of the Her­2­positive subtype were the highest among all the subtypes. Furthermore, patients with Her­2­positive BC exhibited a higher proportion of lesions with indistinct margins and histological grade III. Lymph node metastasis and BC subtype were independent risk factors for the prognosis of BC. The overall survival and disease­free survival of patients with the luminal A subtype were higher than those of patients with the Her­2­positive subtype. The results of the current study therefore indicate that CEUS combined with DW­MRI is more effective at diagnosing the different subtypes of BC than either CEUS or DW­MRI alone.

Plasma long noncoding RNA IL-7R as a prognostic biomarker for clinical outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate a variety of genes and biological processes. Lnc-IL7R plays a considerable role in the regulation of inflammation, but its prognostic potential in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been fully explained. In this study, the role of lnc-IL7R as a potential biomarker in ARDS was examined. OBJECTIVE: Role of lnc-IL7R as potential biomarker in ARDS. METHODS: LncRNA-IL7R was isolated from the plasma of patients with ARDS and healthy controls and clinical indexes were obtained within 24 h after admission. The relative expression of lnc-IL7R was obtained by quantitative real-time PCR. The correlations between lnc-IL7R and continuous variables in ARDS were tested using Spearman's coefficients. RESULTS: A total of 85 ARDS patients and 49 healthy controls were included. Plasma lnc-IL7R was significantly down-regulated in ARDS compared with the levels in healthy control individuals, especially in severe ARDS (P < .01). The area under the curve (AUC) of lnc-IL7R for ARDS diagnosis was 0.87 (sensitivity 75.3%, specificity 93.9%). The lnc-IL7R levels were correlated with the severity of ARDS (ρ = -0.31, P = .0215), oxygenation index (ρ = 0.61, P < .001), APACHE II score (ρ = -0.04, P = .0230), CRP (ρ = -0.26, P = .0148) and WBC (ρ = -0.29, P = .0064). Lnc-IL7R relative value ≥ 0.33 showed the lower 28-day mortality in the patients with ARDS(P < .05).The survivors showed higher lnc-IL7R level and lower APACHE II score, SOFA score and length of mechanical ventilation than in the non-survivors (P = .0109, P < .001, P < .001 and P = .017, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Lnc-IL7R is a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of ARDS and predicts the severity of ARDS and 28-day mortality in this patients cohort. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-DOD-16008657).

A network meta-analysis on the short-term efficacy and adverse events of different anti-osteoporosis drugs for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

A network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the short-term efficacy and adverse events of different drugs for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), providing a more effective treatment for PMO. We initially searched through various databases like PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE from inception till October 2016. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drugs for the treatment of PMO were included for direct and indirect comparison. A combination of direct and indirect evidence of different inhibitors of anti-diabetic drugs for treatment of PMO were considered for calculating the weighted mean difference (WMD) value or odd ratio (OR) value and to draw surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curves. Twenty-seven RCTs were ultimately incorporated into this network meta-analysis comprising of 48 200 patients suffering from PMO. The network meta-analysis revealed that compared with placebo, alendronate had better efficacy on improving bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. Risedronate and raloxifene had relatively lower incidence of new vertebral fractures. The SUCRA analysis showed that alendronate had better efficacy on improving BMD, risedronate could significantly decrease the incidence of fresh fracture and bazedoxifene was relatively safe. The available evidence suggested that alendronate and risedronate might be the superior choices for the treatment of PMO, while bazedoxifene was a comparatively safer option for patients.

Protein regulator of cytokinesis-1 expression: prognostic value in lung squamous cell carcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Protein regulator of cytokinesis-1 (PRC1) has been shown to participate in the completion of cytokinesis, and it is dysregulated in cancer processes. However, its relevance in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remained largely unknown. We aimed to study the expression pattern of PRC1 and assess its clinical significance in lung SCC. METHODS: PRC1 protein expression in human lung SCC and adjacent normal lung tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. PRC1 expression was assessed in association with clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes of lung SCC patients. RESULTS: In lung SCC tissues, PRC1 protein expression was significantly higher than those in paired normal lung tissues. The lung SCC patients with PRC1 overexpression had an advanced pathological stage (TNM stage), positive lymph node metastasis, and a shorter overall survival (OS) time more frequently than patients with low PRC1 expression. Additional, PRC1 expression was also shown to be poor as a prognostic factor for OS in patients with lung SCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that aberrant expression of PRC1 may point to biochemical recurrence in lung SCC. This highlights its potential as a valuable prognostic marker for lung SCC.

The self-recovery of facial skin barrier and erythema after nanochip treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of acute skin damage and the time required for the recovery of facial skin barrier function after the skin was treated with micro-needles and nanochips of various tip lengths. METHODS: For this split face comparative study, a total of 16 subjects were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. In the first group, one of the facial side of each subject was treated with 0.25-mm long nanotips for a total of 6 times while the other facial side was treated with 0.25-mm traditional micro-needles with a straight blade for a total of 6 times. In the second group, one of the facial side was treated with 0.5-mm nanotips for a total of 6 times while the other facial side was treated with 0.5-mm traditional micro-needles with a straight blade for a total of 6 times. Evaluations for trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and erythema were carried out at baseline, 0, 4, 8, 24, 48 and 72 hours after the treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in TEWL, skin hydration and erythema between the two facial sides of the subjects in the Group one who were treated with 0.25 mm nanochips and traditional micro-needles. However, in the subjects of the Group two, the mean TEWL of the facial side treated with 0.5 mm nanochips was relatively lower than that of the 0.5 mm traditional micro-needles treated facial side at 0, 4, 8 and 24 hours after the treatment. Mean erythema of the facial side treated with 0.5-mm nanochips micro-needles was also relatively lower than that of the 0.5-mm traditional micro-needles treated facial side at 8 hours after the treatment. Rapid recovery of skin barrier function was observed within 4-8 hours after treatment with various lengths of nanochips while it took at least 48-72 hours for recovery of skin barrier function after treatment with various lengths of traditional micro-needles as measured by TEWL. CONCLUSION: The skin disruption caused by nanotips treatment recovers quicker than the traditional microneedle treatment at equal lengths.

The Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Expression Profiling of Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Objective. This study was aimed at analyzing the expressions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Botulinum Toxin Type A (BoNTA) treated human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) in vitro. Methods. We used RNA sequencing to characterize the lncRNAs and mRNAs transcriptome in the control and BoNTA treated group, in conjunction with application of GO (gene ontology) analysis and KEGG (kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) analysis to delineate the alterations in gene expression. We also obtained quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to confirm some differentially expressed genes. Results. Numerous differentially expressed genes were observed by microarrays between the two groups. qRT-PCR confirmed the changes of six lncRNAs (RP11-517C16.2-001, FR271872, LOC283352, RP11-401E9.3, FGFR3P, and XXbac-BPG16N22.5) and nine mRNAs (NOS2, C13orf15, FOS, FCN2, SPINT1, PLAC8, BIRC5, NOS2, and COL19A1). Farther studies indicated that the downregulating effect of BoNTA on the expression of FGFR3P was time-related and the dosage of BoNTA at a range from 2.5 U/106 cells to 7.5 U/106 cells increased the expression of FGFR3P and COL19A1 in HDFs as well. Conclusion. The expression profiling of lncRNAs was visibly changed in BoNTA treated HDFs. Further studies should focus on several lncRNAs to investigate their functions in BoNTA treated HDFs and the underlying mechanisms.

The efficacy of intradermal injection of type A botulinum toxin for facial rejuvenation.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy for effectiveness of type A botulinum toxin intradermal injection for facial rejuvenation. Forty female subjects were randomly divided into two groups: BoNTA group and control group. In BoNTA group, each subject's facial skin was treated with intradermal injection of BoNTA, and subjects of the control group were treated with intradermal saline solution injection. Subjects receiving one session of treatment and evaluations were conducted at baseline, four weeks, and twelve weeks after treatment. The outcome assessments included subjective satisfaction scale; blinded clinical assessment; and the biophysical parameters of roughness, elasticity, skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema, and melanin index. BoNTA group showed higher physician's global assessment score, subject satisfaction score, roughness, skin hydration, skin elasticity, and lower TEWL compared to that of control group at 12 weeks post-treatment. No significant difference was found among erythema and melanin index at baseline, four, and twelve weeks after treatment among the two major groups. In conclusion, intradermal BoNTA injection can be considered as an effective method for facial rejuvenation.