Percutaneous ablation for adrenal metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer: comparison between cryoablation and microwave ablation.

Introduction: While cryoablation (CA) and microwave ablation (MWA) have both been implemented as approaches to the treatment of adrenal metastasis (AM), the outcomes associated with these two therapeutic strategies remain unclear. Aim: To compare the safety and efficacy of CA and MWA as treatments for AM in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Material and methods: Consecutive patients with AM secondary to NSCLC from January 2015 to December 2020 underwent CA or MWA. Treatment-related outcomes and complications were retrospectively compared between these groups. Results: In total, 68 NSCLC patients with isolated AM were enrolled in this study, of whom 35 and 33 underwent treatment with CA and MWA, respectively. Primary complete ablation rates in the CA and MWA groups were 91.4% (32/35) and 93.9% (31/33) respectively (p = 1.000), while a 100% secondary complete ablation rate was observed for both groups. Hypertensive crisis incidence affected 11.4% (4/35) and 9.1% (3/33) of patients in the CA and MWA groups (p = 1.000), respectively, while 8 (22.9%) and 8 (24.2%) patients in these corresponding groups experienced local progression after ablation that was detected during the follow-up period (p = 0.893). Patients in the CA and MWA groups exhibited a median progression-free survival of 18 and 22 months, respectively (p = 0.411), while the corresponding median overall survival of patients in these groups was 25 and 29 months (p = 0.786). Conclusions: CT-guided CA and MWA appear to exhibit similar safety and efficacy profiles when employed to treat isolated AM in NSCLC patients.

Early colorectal cancer screening-no time to lose.

In this editorial, we comment on the article entitled "Stage at diagnosis of colorectal cancer through diagnostic route: Who should be screened?" by Agatsuma et al. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is emerging as an important health issue as its incidence continues to rise globally, adversely affecting the quality of life. Although the public has become more aware of CRC prevention, most patients lack screening awareness. Some poor lifestyle practices can lead to CRC and symptoms can appear in the early stages of CRC. However, due to the lack of awareness of the disease, most of the CRC patients are diagnosed already at an advanced stage and have a poor prognosis.

Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1: A novel antitumor target in gastrointestinal cancers.

Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is a member of the type I receptor tyrosine kinase family. ROR1 is pivotal in embryonic development and cancer, and serves as a biomarker and therapeutic target. It has soluble and membrane-bound subtypes, with the latter highly expressed in tumors. ROR1 is conserved throughout evolution and may play a role in the development of gastrointestinal cancer through multiple signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms. Studies suggest that overexpression of ROR1 may increase tumor invasiveness and metastasis. Additionally, ROR1 may regulate the cell cycle, stem cell characteristics, and interact with other signaling pathways to affect cancer progression. This review explores the structure, expression and role of ROR1 in the development of gastrointestinal cancers. It discusses current antitumor strategies, outlining challenges and prospects for treatment.

[Sn2S6]4- Anion-Intercalated Layered Double Hydroxides for Highly Efficient Capture of Iodine.

The development of low-cost and high-efficiency iodine sorbents is of great significance for the control of nuclear pollution. In this work, we intercalate the tin sulfide cluster of [Sn2S6]4- to Mg/Al-type layered double hydroxides to obtain Sn2S6-LDH, which exhibits highly efficient capture performance of iodine vapor and iodine in solutions. The dispersion effect of the positively charged LDH layers contributes to the adequate exposure of [Sn2S6]4- anions, providing plentiful adsorption sites. For iodine vapor, Sn2S6-LDH showed an extremely large iodine capture capacity of 2954 mg/g with a large contribution from physisorption. For iodine in solutions, a significantly large sorption capacity of 1308 mg/g was achieved. During iodine capture, I2 molecules were reduced to I- ions (by S2- in [Sn2S6]4-), which then reacted with Sn4+ to form SnI4, where the molar amount of captured iodine is 4-fold that of Sn. Besides, the as-reduced I- combined with I2 again to generate [I3]-, which then entered the LDH interlayers to maintain electric neutrality. While reducing iodine, S2- itself in [Sn2S6]4- was oxidized to S8, which further combined with SnI4 to form a novel compound of SnI4(S8)2. The excellent iodine capture capability endows Sn2S6-LDH with a promising application in trapping radioactive iodine.

Layered double hydroxide intercalated with dimethylglyoxime for highly selective and ultrafast uptake of uranium from seawater.

In this study, we demonstrate the first example of a MgAl layered double hydroxide intercalated by a ketoxime compound (dimethylglyoxime, DMG), that is, MgAl-DMG-LDH (abbr. DMG-LDH), which exhibits excellent capture of uranium (U(VI)) both at high (ppm) and low (ppb) concentrations. The as-formed DMG-LDH shows an enormous maximum U(VI) sorption capacity (qUm) of 380 mg g-1 and an exceptionally rapid sorption rate (k2 = 2.97 g mg-1 min-1), reaching a high uptake of 99.14% within 5 min. For natural and contaminated seawater with high concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ concomitant cations, the DMG-LDH still can trap ∼85% U, displaying highly effective sorption toward U. The interaction mechanism between UO22+ and DMG2- provides an important reference for the development of highly effective capture of U(VI) by ketoxime materials. The DMG-LDH is currently the best ketoxime material for uranium extraction from nuclear waste and seawater.

The confinement effect of layered double hydroxides on intercalated pyromellitic acidic anions and highly selective uranium extraction from simulated seawater.

Oxygen-rich pyromellitic acidic anions (PMA4-) have been intercalated into MgAl-layered double hydroxides to fabricate the MgAl-PMA-LDH (abbr. PMA-LDH) composite exhibiting excellent adsorption performance toward uranium (U(VI)). Benefiting from the large number of functional groups of -COO-, the PMA-LDH displays an extremely large maximum U adsorption capacity (qUm) of 352 mg g-1 and an ultra-fast sorption rate, reaching uptakes of ∼97% within 30 min and >99% in 1 h at the initial U concentration (CU0) of 113 ppm. Over a very wide pH range of 5-11, high U removals (>93%) are achieved at CU0 = 105 ppm. Moreover, in the presence of highly concentrated competitive ions, ultra-high selectivity of UO22+ is observed, giving a very large distribution coefficient (Kd) of ∼106 mL g-1. Moreover, the PMA-LDH exhibits effective capture of UO22+ in contaminated simulated seawater, showing high uptakes of >93% at CU0 ∼ 10 ppm and >98% at CU0 ∼ 100 ppm. The dispersion effect of LDH layers may contribute to the increase of U adsorption capacity, and the confinement effect of LDH is conducive to the improvement of sorption selectivity toward U. The exploration of the interaction mechanism of UO22+ with PMA4- confined within the LDH gallery offers an important basis for the fabrication of new kinds of organic/inorganic hybrid materials. The PMA-LDH is a highly effective adsorbent which can be applied to uranium extraction from seawater and uranium disposal in nuclear wastewater.

AuPt NPs with enhanced electrochemical oxidization activity for ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor.

Strong and stable electrochemical beacons are critical for the achievement of sensitive and reliable electroanalysis applications. In this work, the electrochemical oxidation performance of AuPt NPs was studied and firstly found to be largely enhanced under light illumination. Plasmonic AuPt NPs collected light energy after local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation and generated much more holes to participate in the electrochemical oxidation process of Pt0 in AuPt NPs. AuPt NPs with the electrochemical oxidation peak at around -0.7 V were utilized as detection probes for the fabrication of ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor, by introducing Co-MOF/Fe3O4/Ag nanosheets (NSs) with the electrochemical oxidation peak at 0.1 V as reference beacons. The aptamers of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) modified AuPt NPs were assembled with Co-MOF/Fe3O4/Ag NSs, which generated strong detection and reference signals at -0.7 V and 0.1 V, respectively. The high affinity between EpCAM and aptamers induced the separation of AuPt NPs from Co-MOF/Fe3O4/Ag NSs, resulting in the decrease of detection signal at -0.7 V and unchanged reference signal at 0.1 V. A ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was achieved for the sensitive and reliable quantification of EpCAM in the range from 100 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 13.8 pg/mL for EpCAM. Plasmon-driven electrochemical oxidation enhancement principle provides the possibility for the design and fabrication of more strong and anti-interference electroactive plasmonic metal-Pt composite nanostructures for the electroanalysis applications.

Tuning the oxygen vacancy of mixed multiple oxidation states nanowires for improving Li-air battery performance.

Mixed multiple oxidation states CoMoO4 nanowires (electrocatalysts) with tunable intrinsic oxygen vacancies were fabricated. CoMoO4 with proper oxygen vacancy can be employed to construct a Li-air battery with a high capacity and stable cyclability. This is possible because CoMoO4 contains surface oxygen vacancies, which result in the unit of CoMo bond, that is important for electrocatalysts used in Li-air batteries. Both the experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the surface oxygen vacancies containing CoMoO4 nanowires have a higher electrocatalytic activity. This shows that the highly efficient electrocatalysts used for Li-air batteries were designed to modify the redox properties of the mixed metal oxide in the catalytic active sites. This successful material design led to an improved strategy for high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities based on the fast formation and extinction of ORR products.

Glutathione Disulfide as a Reducing, Capping, and Mass-Separating Agent for the Synthesis and Enrichment of Gold Nanoclusters.

Water-soluble nanoclusters, which are facilely enrichable without changes in the original properties, are highly demanded in many disciplines. In this contribution, a new class of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) was synthesized using glutathione disulfide (GSSG) as a reducing and capping agent under intermittent heating mode. The as-prepared GSSG-AuNCs had a higher quantum yield (4.1%) compared to the conventional glutathione-protected AuNCs (1.8%). Moreover, by simply introducing the GSSG-AuNC solution to acetonitrile at a volume ratio of 1:7, a new bottom phase was formed, in which GSSG-AuNCs could be 400-fold enriched without changes in properties, with a percentage recovery higher than 99%. The enrichment approach did not need additional instruments and was potentially suitable for large-scale enrichment of nanoclusters. Further, density functional theory calculations indicated that the hydrogen bonding between GSSG and acetonitrile plays a key role for the bottom phase formation. Our work suggests that the highly emissive GSSG-AuNCs possess great potential not only in fluorescent measurements but also in other scenarios in which high-concentration AuNCs may be needed, such as catalysis, drug delivery, and electronic and optical industries.

Label-free, sensitive colorimetric detection of mercury(II) by target-disturbed in situ seeding growth of gold triangular nanoprisms.

Gold nanomaterials have been used extensively in colorimetric detection of mercuric ions (Hg2+) due to their shape- and size-dependent, ultrastrong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Conventional detection was performed by first synthesizing the nanomaterials, and then applying them to signal-transducing reactions. We herein report a convenient method for detecting Hg2+ based on gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs). During the seeding-growth process, Hg2+ added to the growth solution was co-reduced and deposited on the high-energy facets of the gold seeds, affecting the deposition patterns of the subsequently generated Au0 and ultimately leading to the formation of defective AuTNPs. Morphological changes were reflected by the in-plane dipole LSPR wavelength shift, which was proportionally related to the concentration of Hg2+. To improve the selectivity, the interference from Ag+ was eliminated by a stepwise preparation-selective precipitation approach. Under the optimized conditions, Hg2+ could be selectively detected with 20 min, with a detection limit of 0.12 nM. Finally, the method was successfully applied to detecting trace Hg2+ in fortified drinking, mineral and rain water samples, with recoveries ranging from 95.17% to 110.6%.

Evolution of native defects in ZnO nanorods irradiated with hydrogen ion.

This work reports the study on the evolution of native defects in ZnO nanorods irradiated with hydrogen ion. ZnO nanorod arrays grown vertically on silicon substrates were irradiated by 180 keV H+ ions to a total fluence of 8.50 × 1015 ions/cm2. The X-ray diffraction spectra, photoluminescence spectra before and after irradiation and the real-time ionoluminescence spectra of the nanorod arrays during the irradiating process were measured. Formation and evolution of defects during H+ ion irradiation and effects of irradiation on the crystal structure and optical property were studied. Blue shift of exciton emission, shrink of lattice c and improvement of the crystallinity of ZnO nanorods after irradiation were observed. Simple surface passivation of the nanorods could improve the radiation resistance. Formation and evolution of the defects during H+ ion irradiation could be clarified into four stages and the related models are provided.

Capillary electrophoretic determination of heavy-metal ions using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol co-functionalized gold nanoparticle as colorimetric probe.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gold nanoparticle aggregation based-colorimetric detection (AuNP/ABCD) were incorporated to provide rapid, sensitive and selective detection of Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+. CE and AuNP/ABCD were interfaced by a pressurized electric field decoupler to isolate the colorimetric reaction solution from the separation voltage. The AuNPs co-functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) were used as colorimetric probes, which provided enhanced sensitivity and good selectivity toward the heavy-metal ions. Under optimal conditions, good linearities were obtained for the analytes, and the detection limits for Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ were 0.214, 0.150, and 0.0214 µg/mL, respectively. The method was successfully applied to cosmetic samples, with recoveries of 87.8% to 103% for the heavy-metal ions spiked. Our results suggested the great potential of the CE-AuNP/ABCD strategy in determining heavy-metal ions in complicated matrices.

A gold nanorod-based plasmonic platform for multi-logic operation and detection.

A multi-logic gate platform was designed based on morphological changes of gold nanorods (AuNRs) resulted from the iodine-mediated etching. By utilizing the anti-etching effects of mercapto compounds and Au-Hg amalgams as well as the etch-promoting effect of Cu2+, we successfully built five logic gates, namely, AND, NOR, XNOR, YES and IMPLY, along with a three-input combinational logic gate XNOR-IMPLY. The platform was versatile and easy to use, did not require complex surface modification or separation/purification steps as the conventional AuNR-based logic gates did. The logic operations, accompanied by distinct color changes, enabled multi-task detection by naked-eye for 'have' or 'none' discrimination or highly sensitive and selective analysis by spectroscopy with wide linear ranges.

Quantitative and Sensitive Detection of Chloramphenicol by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

We used surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for the quantitative and sensitive detection of chloramphenicol (CAP). Using 30 nm colloidal Au nanoparticles (NPs), a low detection limit for CAP of 10-8 M was obtained. The characteristic Raman peak of CAP centered at 1344 cm-1 was used for the rapid quantitative detection of CAP in three different types of CAP eye drops, and the accuracy of the measurement result was verified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experimental results reveal that the SERS technique based on colloidal Au NPs is accurate and sensitive, and can be used for the rapid detection of various antibiotics.

Integration of capillary electrophoresis with gold nanoparticle-based colorimetry.

A method integrating capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gold nanoparticle aggregation-based colorimetry (AuNP-ABC) was described. By using a dual-sheath interface, the running buffer was isolated from the colorimetric reaction solution so that CE and AuNP-ABC would not interfere with each other. The proof-of-concept was validated by assay of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers that were fortified in human urine samples. The factors influencing the CE-AuNP-ABC performances were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the dendrimers were separated within 8 min, with detection limits of 0.5, 1.2 and 2.6 µg mL-1 for PAMAM G1.0, G2.0 and G3.0, respectively. The sensitivity of CE-AuNP-ABC was comparable to or even better than those of liquid chromatography-fluorimetry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results suggested that the proposed strategy can be applied to facile and quick determination of analytes of similar properties in complex matrices.

Quantitative Detection of NADH Using a Novel Enzyme-Assisted Method Based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

An enzymatic method for quantitative detection of the reduced form of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NADH) using surface-enhanced Raman scattering was developed. Under the action of NADH oxidase and horseradish peroxidase, NADH can generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a 1:1 molar ratio, and the H2O2 can oxidize a chromogen into pigment with a 1:1 molar ratio. Therefore, the concentration of NADH can be determined by detecting the generated pigment. In our experiments, eight chromogens were studied, and o-tolidine (OT) was selected because of the unique Raman peaks displayed by its corresponding pigment. The optimal OT concentration was 2 × 10-3 M, and this gave the best linear relationship and the widest linear range between the logarithmic H2O2 concentration and the logarithmic integrated SERS intensity of the peak centered at 1448 cm-1. Under this condition, the limit of detection for NADH was as low as 4 × 10-7 M. Two NADH samples with concentrations of 2 × 10-4 and 2 × 10-5 M were used to validate the linear relationship, and the logarithmic deviations were less than 3%.

Rapid and Quantitative Determination of S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine in the Fermentation Process by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Concentrations of S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAM) in aqueous solution and fermentation liquids were quantitatively determined by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and verified by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Ag nanoparticle/silicon nanowire array substrate was fabricated and employed as an active SERS substrate to indirectly measure the SAM concentration. The linear relationship between the integrated intensity of peak centered at ~2920 cm-1 in SERS spectra and the SAM concentration was established, and the limit of detections of SAM concentrations was analyzed to be ~0.1 g/L. The concentration of SAM in real solution could be predicted by the linear relationship and verified by the HPLC detection method. The relative deviations (δ) of the predicted SAM concentration are less than 13% and the correlation coefficient is 0.9998. Rolling-Circle Filter was utilized to subtract fluorescence background and the optimal results were obtained when the radius of the analyzing circle is 650 cm-1.

Two-photon, three-photon, and four-photon near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence of an Er3+ activator in tellurium glass phosphor.

Multiphoton near-IR downconversion quantum cutting luminescence of Er3+-ion-doped tellurium glass is studied. We find that the excitation spectra of 1532.0 nm IR light and 550.0 nm visible light are very similar in wave shape and peak wavelength. When the concentration of Er3+ ions is increased from 0.5% to 3.2%, we observe that both the IR luminescence and excitation intensity of the samples are increased by a factor of 1.80-5.49, with a concomitant decrease in both visible luminescence and excitation intensity by a factor of 0.87-1.91. Therefore, we conclude that the present phenomenon is a multiphoton near-IR quantum cutting luminescence phenomenon. We also find that the near-IR quantum cutting efficiency up-limits of the I9/24, F9/24, S3/24, and H11/22 states are respectively 157%, 138%, 193%, and 192% for Er3+(3.2%):tellurium glass and 175%, 154%, 233%, and 233% for Er3+(5.0%):tellurium glass.

Ru Catalyst-Induced Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in MgO/CoFeB/Ta/MgO Multilayered Films.

The high oxygen storage/release capability of the catalyst Ru is used to manipulate the interfacial electronic structure in spintronic materials to obtain perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Insertion of an ultrathin Ru layer between the CoFeB and Ta layers in MgO/CoFeB/Ta/MgO films effectively induces PMA without annealing. Ru plays a catalytic role in Fe-O-Ta bonding and isolation at the metal-oxide interface to achieve moderate interface oxidation. In contrast, PMA cannot be obtained in the sample with a Mg insertion layer or without an insertion layer because of the lack of a catalyst. Our work would provide a new approach toward catalyst-induced PMA for future CoFeB-based spintronic device applications.