Corrections to the Bekenstein-Hawking Entropy of the HNUTKN Black Hole Due to Lorentz-Breaking Fermionic Einstein-Aether Theory.

A hot NUT-Kerr-Newman black hole is a general stationary axisymmetric black hole. In this black hole spacetime, the dynamical equations of fermions at the horizon are modified by considering Lorentz breaking. The corrections to the Hawking temperature and Bekenstein-Hawking entropy at the horizon of the black hole are studied in depth. Based on the semiclassical theory correction, the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of this black hole is quantum-corrected by considering the perturbation effect of the Planck constant ℏ. The latter part of this paper presents a detailed discussion of the obtained results and their physical implications.

Special issue "The advance of solid tumor research in China": Participants with a family history of cancer have a higher participation rate in low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening.

We aimed to determine participation in low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of individuals with a family history of common cancers in a population-based screening program to provide timely evidence in high-risk populations in China. The analysis was conducted using data from the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China (CanSPUC), which recruited 282 377 participants aged 40 to 74 years from eight cities in the Henan province. Using the CanSPUC risk score system, 55 428 participants were evaluated to have high risk for lung cancer and were recommended for LDCT. We calculated the overall and group-specific participation rates using family history of common cancers and compared differences in participation rates between different groups. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were derived by multivariable logistic regression. Of the 55 428 participants, 22 260 underwent LDCT (participation rate, 40.16%). Family history of lung, esophageal, stomach, liver and colorectal cancer was associated with increased participation in LDCT screening. The odds of participants with a family history of one, two, three and four or more cancer cases undergoing LDCT screening were 1.9, 2.7, 2.8 and 3.5 times, respectively, than those without a family history of cancer. Compared to those without a history of cancer, participation in LDCT gradually increased as the number of cancer cases in the family increased (P < .001). Our findings suggest that there is room for improvement in lung cancer screening given the relatively low participation rate. Lung cancer screening in populations with a family history of cancer may improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness; however, this requires further verification.

A New Segmented Virus Associated with Human Febrile Illness in China.

BACKGROUND: In 2017, surveillance for tickborne diseases in China led to the identification of a patient who presented to a hospital in Inner Mongolia with a febrile illness that had an unknown cause. The clinical manifestation of the illness was similar to that of tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection, but neither TBEV RNA nor antibodies against the virus were detected. METHODS: We obtained a blood specimen from the index patient and attempted to isolate and identify a causative pathogen, using genome sequence analysis and electron microscopy. We also initiated a heightened surveillance program in the same hospital to screen for other patients who presented with fever, headache, and a history of tick bites. We used reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) and cell-culture assays to detect the pathogen and immunofluorescence and neutralization assays to determine the levels of virus-specific antibodies in serum specimens from the patients. RESULTS: We found that the index patient was infected with a previously unknown segmented RNA virus, which we designated Alongshan virus (ALSV) and which belongs to the jingmenvirus group of the family Flaviviridae. ALSV infection was confirmed by RT-PCR assay in 86 patients from Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang who presented with fever, headache, and a history of tick bites. Serologic assays showed that seroconversion had occurred in all 19 patients for whom specimens were available from the acute phase and the convalescent phase of the illness. CONCLUSIONS: A newly discovered segmented virus was found to be associated with a febrile illness in northeastern China. (Funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.).

Channel Coupling Dynamics of Deep-Lying Orbitals in Molecular High-Harmonic Generation.

Investigation on structures in the high-harmonic spectrum has provided profuse information of molecular structure and dynamics in intense laser fields, based on which techniques of molecular ultrafast dynamics imaging have been developed. Combining ab initio calculations and experimental measurements on the high-harmonic spectrum of the CO_{2} molecule, we find a novel dip structure in the low-energy region of the harmonic spectrum which is identified as fingerprints of participation of deeper-lying molecular orbitals in the process and decodes the underlying attosecond multichannel coupling dynamics. Our work sheds new light on the ultrafast dynamics of molecules in intense laser fields.

Molecular Rydberg-state excitation in laser pulses: bandwidth and orbital symmetry.

We have performed a comparison study of the Rydberg-state excitation of model molecules (1πg and 1πu states) in different laser fields by the approaches of time-dependent Schrödinger equation and a fully quantum-mechanical model, and both simulations show good accordance. It is found that the peak structure of the Rydberg-state population vs laser intensity becomes pronounced for longer laser pulses due to the stronger interference effect between the subwave packets released in different optical cycles, and the locations of the intensity-dependent peaks closely satisfy the multi-photon resonant transition condition. In addition, it is demonstrated that the populations of the Rydberg states possessing the identical parity oscillate in an inverse manner with increasing laser intensity for different initial states (1πg and 1πu), and the aforementioned distinct phenomenon is attributed to the additional phase introduced by the symmetry of 1πg state with respect to that of 1πu state.

Manganese(iii)-promoted tandem phosphinoylation/cyclization of 2-arylindoles/2-arylbenzimidazoles with disubstituted phosphine oxides.

A simple and practical method for the synthesis of phosphoryl-substituted indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-6(5H)-ones and benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-6(5H)-ones through manganese(iii)-promoted tandem phosphinoylation/cyclization of 2-arylindoles or 2-arylbenzimidazoles with disubstituted phosphine oxides was developed. In this transformation, new C-P bond and C-C bond were constructed simultaneously under silver-free conditions, exhibiting a broad substrate scope. It was noted that not only diarylphosphine oxides but also dialkyl and arylalkyl-phosphine oxides were compatible with the conditions.

Resonance-like enhancement in high-order above threshold ionization of atoms and molecules in intense laser fields.

We investigate the high-order above-threshold ionization (HATI) of atoms (Ar and Xe) and molecules (N2 and O2) subjected to strong laser fields by numerically solving time-dependent Schrödinger equation. It is demonstrated that resonance-like enhancement of groups of adjacent peaks in photoelectron spectrum of HATI is observed for Ar, Xe, and N2, while this peculiar phenomenon is absent for O2, which is in agreement with experimental observation [ Phys. Rev. A88, 021401 (2013)]. In addition, analysis indicates that resonance-like enhancement in HATI spectra of atoms and molecules is closely related to excitation of the high-lying excited states.

Role of excited states in molecular alignment-dependent ionization.

We introduce an ab initio approach and the modified strong-field approximation to investigate the alignment-dependent ionization of H2+(1πu) exposed to different few-cycle laser fields. The ab initio calculations are performed by the B-splines one-center method and the Crank-Nicolson method in spherical coordinates. It is shown that the peak ionization probabilities appear around alignment angles 50° and 40° at the laser intensities 3×1013 W/cm2 and 5×1013 W/cm2, respectively, and the above distinct features come from the resonant excitation of the molecular ion, which is confirmed by calculation including and excluding the state 2σg in the basis expansion. Furthermore, the results obtained by including the state 2σg in the ab initio simulations can be qualitatively reproduced by the modified molecular length gauge strong-field approximation (SFA) taking account of the 1πu and 2σg states simultaneously. Analysis indicates that a part of electron is directly emitted from the 1πu orbital and another portion of electron is released from 2σg orbital and other excited state after the single-photon resonant transition between 1πu and 2σg orbitals.

Quantitative identification of different strong-field ionization channels in the transition regime.

We make a quantitative investigation on the tunneling and multi-photon channels in the transition regime from Keldysh parameter γ < 1 to γ > 1 by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE). A method is proposed to separate the contributions of those ionization channels based on the characteristics of the current. By analysing the dependence of the ionization rate on the Keldysh parameter γ, we identify a field independent transition point at γ ≈ 2, which is different from the well-accepted consensus of γ ≈ 1, from adiabatic to nonadiabatic regime.

The association between human papillomavirus 16 and esophageal cancer in Chinese population: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of esophageal cancer remains controversial. Our study aims to test the association between HPV 16 infection and esophageal cancer in China, providing useful information on this unclear association in Chinese population. METHODS: Studies on HPV infection and esophageal cancer were identified. A random-effects model was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing cases with controls. RESULTS: A total of 1442 esophageal cancer cases and 1602 controls from 10 included studies were evaluated to estimate the association between HPV 16 infection and esophageal cancer risk. The ORs for each case-control studies ranged from 3.65 (95% CI: 2.17, 6.13) to 15.44 (95% CI: 3.42, 69.70). The pooled estimates for OR was 6.36 (95% CI: 4.46, 9.07). In sensitivity analysis, the estimates for OR ranged from 5.92 (95% CI: 4.08, 8.60) to 6.97 (95% CI: 4.89, 9.93). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that HPV-16 infection may be a risk factor for esophageal cancer among Chinese population, supporting an etiological role of HPV16 in this malignancy. Results in this study may have important implications for esophageal cancer prevention and treatment in China.

Prevalence, awareness and treatment of chronic kidney disease among middle-aged and elderly: The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

AIM: To provide reliable estimates of the prevalence, awareness, and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and their distribution and related influencing factors in middle-aged and elderly population in China. METHODS: A cross-sessional survey called the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) was conducted in 2011-2012 in Chinese people aged 45 years or older. This was to evaluate the prevalence of CKD, disease awareness compared to other chronic diseases in the population, and whether they were being treated for their CKD. Estimated GFR (eGFR) was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFR creatinine-cystatin C (eGFRcreat-cys) equation. CKD was defined as eGFR less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) . Multivariable logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the risk factors. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CKD was 11.5% (95%CI: 10.1% ∼ 12.8%). It was higher in urban than rural population (13.0% vs 10.0%, P < 0.05). Among all patients with CKD, only 8.7% were aware of the diagnosis. 4.9% of the patients were receiving treatment. The proportion of those aware of their condition and those who were treated decreased with age in both sexes. Of those aware (8.9%), 55.9% were treated. 31.4% of the treated patients took Chinese traditional medicine. CONCLUSIONS: There is a surprising prevalence of CKD in the Chinese middle-aged and elderly population, with disproportionately low awareness and treatment. A comprehensive strategy toward prevention, screening, treatment and control of CKD is needed to slow the epidemic of CKD.

[Effect and mechanism of recombinant hirudin on atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of hirudin on atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice. METHODS: Totally 24 ApoE(-/-) mice, 7-8 weeks old were fed with high fat diets. They were randomly divided into the recombinant hirudin treatment group (drug group) and the model group according to body weight and different dens, 12 in each group. Twelve C57BL/6J mice, 7-8 weeks old fed with high fat diet were recruited as the normal control group. Recombinant hirudin (0.25 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to mice in the drug group from the 10th week old once every other day for five successive weeks. Equal volume of normal saline was injected to mice in the model group. Mice in the normal control group received no treatment. All mice were sacrificed after fed with high fat diet until they were 20 weeks old. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), E-selectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and stromal metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were detected. The plaque/lumen area and extracellular lipid composition/ plaque area were analyzed by HE staining and morphometry. Changes of signaling molecules in store-operated calcium channels, including stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1), Orail protein, and transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) were determined by Western blot. Results Lipid plaque formed in the aorta vessel wall of 20-week old mice in the model group. Compared with the normal control group, serum levels of TC, TG and LDL increased (P<0.01), hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously increased (P<0.01, P<0.05) in the model group; expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the plaque/lumen area and the extracellular lipid composition/plaque area significantly decreased in the drug group (P<0.05, P<0.01); serum levels of TC and LDL, hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01); expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail were significantly down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Hirudin could significantly improve lipids and endothelial functions of ApoE(-/-) mice, down-regulate expression levels of STIM1, Orai1, and TRPC1, and thus delaying the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.

Probing nanoscale structural response of collagen fibril in human Achilles tendon during loading using in situ SAXS.

The specific viscoelastic mechanical properties of the human Achilles tendon are strongly dependent on the structural characteristics of collagen. Although research on the deformation mechanisms of the Achilles tendon in various animals is extensive, understanding of these mechanisms in the human Achilles tendon remains largely empirical and macroscopic. In this work, the evolution of D-space, orientation, and average length of voids between fibers are investigated during the stretching using SAXS techniques. Initially, the void length increases marginally, while the misorientation breadth decreased rapidly as the D-space steadily increased. In the second region, D-space and the void length increase sharply under rising stress, even though misorientation width decreased. During the third region, the increases in void length and D-space decelerate, but the misorientation width widens, suggesting the onset of irreversible microscopic fibril failure in the Achilles tendon. In the final region, the fibers undergo macroscopic failure, with D-space and void length returning to their initial states. The macroscopic alterations are elucidated by the nanoscale structural responses, providing a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms driving the complex biomechanics, tissue structural organization, and Achilles tendon regeneration.

Fundamentally Manipulating the Electronic Structure of Polar Bifunctional Catalysts for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Heterojunction Design versus Doping Engineering.

Heterogeneous structures and doping strategies have been intensively used to manipulate the catalytic conversion of polysulfides to enhance reaction kinetics and suppress the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, understanding how to select suitable strategies for engineering the electronic structure of polar catalysts is lacking. Here, a comparative investigation between heterogeneous structures and doping strategies is conducted to assess their impact on the modulation of the electronic structures and their effectiveness in catalyzing the conversion of polysulfides. These findings reveal that Co0.125Zn0.875Se, with metal-cation dopants, exhibits superior performance compared to CoSe2/ZnSe heterogeneous structures. The incorporation of low Co2+ dopants induces the subtle lattice strain in Co0.125Zn0.875Se, resulting in the increased exposure of active sites. As a result, Co0.125Zn0.875Se demonstrates enhanced electron accumulation on surface Se sites, improved charge carrier mobility, and optimized both p-band and d-band centers. The Li-S cells employing Co0.125Zn0.875Se catalyst demonstrate significantly improved capacity (1261.3 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C) and cycle stability (0.048% capacity delay rate within 1000 cycles at 2 C). This study provides valuable guidance for the modulation of the electronic structure of typical polar catalysts, serving as a design directive to tailor the catalytic activity of advanced Li-S catalysts.

The impact of cyclin D1 overexpression on the prognosis of ER-positive breast cancers: a meta-analysis.

Cyclin D1 (CCND1), a key regulator of cell cycle progression, is overexpressed in many human cancers, including breast cancer. However, the impact of CCND1 overexpression in these cancers remains unclear and controversial. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed and EMBASE with the search terms "cyclin D1", "CCND1", "breast cancer", "prognosis", and potential studies for analysis were selected. Studies with survival data, including progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) or metastasis-free survival (MFS), were included in this meta-analysis. A total of 33 studies containing 8,537 cases were included. The combined hazard risk (HR) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI) of OS, PFS and MFS were 1.13 (95 % CI 0.87-1.47; P = 0.35), 1.25 (95 % CI 0.95-1.64; P = 0.12), and 1.04 (95 % CI 0.80-1.36; P = 0.76), respectively, for primary breast cancer patients with tumors exhibiting CCND1 overexpression. Interestingly, the impact of CCND1 expression on OS was a 1.67-fold (95 % CI 1.38-2.02; P = 0.00) increased risk for ER-positive breast cancer patients. However, CCND1 overexpression exhibited no association with the PFS or OS of patients who received epirubicin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, for which the P values were 0.63 and 0.47, respectively. In summary, CCND1 overexpression impacts the prognosis of ER-positive breast cancer patients, but not patients with unselected primary breast cancer or patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

RAF-targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in the regenerating liver.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative liver regeneration may contribute to tumor recurrence. There is a theoretical need for an adjuvant therapy that can suppress tumor growth without adversely affecting post-operative liver regeneration. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of RAF inhibitor Sorafenib on cell viability and proliferation of hepatoma cells and hepatocytes in vitro and in an in vivo rat model. METHODS: Cell viability, DNA synthesis, and RAF/MAPK kinase activity in the primary hepatocyte and hepatoma cell lines were investigated after Sorafenib exposure. Sequence analysis of the B-RAF gene in hepatic cells was determined. Tumor markers were compared within the rats after 70% hepatectomy with or without daily oral gavages of Sorafenib. Liver regeneration was assessed by liver function tests and proliferation markers. RESULTS: Primary hepatocytes showed higher cell viability, proliferation rate, and stronger RAF/MAPK kinase activity compared with hepatoma cell lines. The in vivo tumor volumes, size, and metastases were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) whereas no significant change in liver regeneration related to Sorafenib exposure was found (P > 0.05). B-RAF V600E mutation was not detected neither in the hepatic cells nor untransformed hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The RAF targeted inhibitor can reduce tumor growth without retarding liver regeneration in this experiment.

[Prediction of temporal trends in gastric cancer mortality in Linzhou city from 1988 to 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal trends in the mortality rate of gastric cancer during the period of 1988 and 2010, and to predict the gastric cancer mortality between 2016 - 2020. METHODS: The data of gastric cancer mortality in Linzhou city between 1988 and 2010 was extracted from the cancer registry, including a total of 11 714 cases, covering 22 447 073 person-years. The mortality rate of gastric cancer of each 5-year period was calculated by sub-site and gender. Age-standardized rate (ASR) was calculated using the Chinese standard population in 1982. Intrinsic estimator (IE) model was used to fit the mortality trend by sub-site and gender, and to predict the mortality of gastric cancer in Linzhou city between 2016 and 2020. RESULTS: From 1988 to 2010, the gastric cancer mortality in Linzhou city was 52.18/100 000 (11 714/22 447 073) with the ASR at 49.23/100 000; the mortality in male was 67.02/100 000 (7678/11 455 512) with ASR at 68.68/100 000 while the mortality in female was 36.72/100 000 (4036/10 991 561) with ASR at 32.12/100 000. The mortality of cardia carcinoma was 27.87/100 000 (6257/22 447 073) with the ASR at 26.37/100 000; while the mortality of non-cardia carcinoma was 24.31/100 000 (5457/22 447 073) with the ASR at 22.86/100 000. The ASR of gastric cancer during 1988 - 1990 was 63.37/100 000 (1653 cases) and decreased by 28.34%, to 45.41/100 000 (2622 cases) during 2006 - 2010. The IE model showed that the birth cohort effect decreased greatly. The mortality risk of cardia carcinoma in population born after 1950s, decreased significantly; and the mortality risk of non-cardia carcinoma in population born in 20 century continually decreased. The death of gastric cancer among the population over 30 years old was predicted to be 3626 cases, increasing by 40.60% compared with the number between 2006 and 2010 (2579 cases). Among them, the mortality of cardia carcinoma increased by 51.89% (predicted number between 2016 and 2020 was 2456 cases, and 1617 cases between 2006 and 2010), and the mortality of non-cardia carcinoma increased by 21.62% (predicted number between 2016 and 2020 was 1170 cases, and 962 cases between 2006 and 2010). CONCLUSION: The mortality rate of gastric cancer in Linzhou city showed a decreasing trend during the period of 1988-2010, being mainly attributed to the cohort effect. However, the mortality will still increase in the future, between 2016 and 2020.

[Analysis of cancer incidence and mortality in Henan province, 2009].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cancer incidence and mortality of Henan province in 2009. METHODS: On basis of the criteria of data quality from the National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR), data from 6 registries in Henan province were evaluated, covering 6 061 564 people, accounting for 6.45% of the total population in Henan in 2009. There were 3 104 991 people of males, and 2 956 573 people of females. The incidence, mortality, 10 most common cancers, constitution and cumulative rate (0-74 years old) were then calculated. The age-standardized rate was calculated and adjusted by the Chinese standard population in 1982 as well as the Segi's world standard population. RESULTS: There were 12 091 new diagnosed cancer and 8040 death cases registered in Henan province in 2009. The rate of pathological diagnosis was 68.2% (8246/12 901) and only 1.75% (2116/12 901) had death certificates. The ratio of mortality and incidence was 0.66 (8040/12 091). The incidence rate was 199.47/100 000 (12 091/6 061 564) in total, and it was 216.36/100 000(6718/3 104 991) in males and 181.73/100 000(5373/2 956 573) among females. The standardized incidence by Chinese population was 126.50/100 000 and it was 166.08/100 000 by world's population. The cumulative rate was 19.95% between 0 and 74 years old. The incidence was the highest in Linzhou city, whose standardized incidence was 156.87/100 000 by Chinese population and the incidence was the lowest in Shenqiu city, whose standardized incidence was 104.82/100 000 by Chinese population. The morphology verified cases accounted for 68.2% (8246/12 091), death certification cases only accounted for 1.75% (2116/12 091), and mortality to incidence ratio was 0.66 (8040/12 091). The crude incidence in cancer registration areas of Henan province was 199.47/10 000 (12 091/6 061 564), 216.36/10 000(6718/3 104 991) for males, 181.73/10 000 (5373/2 956 573) for females, age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population and by world standard population were 126.50/10 000 and 166.08/10 000 with cumulative incidence rate (0-74 age years old) of 19.95%. The crude mortality in cancer registration areas of Henan province was 132.64/100 000 (8040/6 061 564), separately 160.58/100 000 (4986/3 104 991) for males and 103.30/10 000 (3054/2 956 573) for females. The age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population and by world's standard population were 78.41/10 000 and 107.49/10 000. The cumulative mortality rate (0-74 age years old) was 12.18%. The mortality rate was the highest in Linzhou city, whose standardized rate was 93.35/100 000 by Chinese population, and the lowest mortality rate was in Yuzhou city, whose standardized rate was 67.95/100 000. The most common cancers were lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, rectum cancer, brain nervous system cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer and uterus cancer, all of which accounted for 82.23% (9943/12 091) of the registered cancers.Lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, rectum cancer, brain nervous system cancer, pancreas cancer, colon cancer and gallbladder carcinoma were the major causes for the death, accounting for 86.30% (6938/8040) of all cancer deaths. CONCLUSION: Both incidence and mortality of cancer in Henan province were lower than the level in China, prevention and control should be implemented based on practical situation.

Thickness-dependent catalytic activity of hydrogen evolution based on single atomic catalyst of Pt above MXene.

Hydrogen as the cleanest energy carrier is a promising alternative renewable resource to fossil fuels. There is an ever-increasing interest in exploring efficient and cost-effective approaches of hydrogen production. Recent experiments have shown that single platinum atom immobilized on the metal vacancies of MXenes allows a high-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here usingab initiocalculations, we design a series of substitutional Pt-doped Tin+ 1CnTx(Tin+ 1CnTx-PtSA) with different thicknesses and terminations (n= 1, 2 and 3, Tx= O, F and OH), and investigate the quantum-confinement effect on the HER catalytic performance. Surprisingly, we reveal a strong thickness effect of the MXene layer on the HER performance. Among the various surface-terminated derivatives, Ti2CF2-PtSAand Ti2CH2O2-PtSAare found to be the best HER catalysts with the change of Gibbs free energy ΔGH*∼ 0 eV, complying with the thermoneutral condition. Theab initiomolecular dynamics simulations reveal that Ti2CF2-PtSAand Ti2CH2O2-PtSApossess a good thermodynamic stability. The present work shows that the HER catalytic activity of the MXene is not solely governed by the local environment of the surface such as Pt single atom. We point out the critical role of thickness control and surface decoration of substrate in achieving a high-performance HER catalytical activity.

Diagnosis of primary biliary melanoma with distinct imaging features: a case report and literature review.

Primary biliary melanoma arises from proliferating melanocytes in the mucosal surface of the bile duct and is extremely rare. Since the vast majority of biliary melanomas represent metastases of cutaneous origin, accurate preoperative diagnosis of melanoma and exclusion of other primary sources are vital in cases involving primary lesions. Although melanomas with pigmented cells have typical signal characteristics, obtaining a non-invasive pre-treatment diagnosis remains difficult, due to their low incidence. Here, the case of a 61-year-old male Asian patient who presented with upper quadrant abdominal pain, swelling and jaundice for 2 weeks, and who was diagnosed with primary biliary melanoma following extensive preoperative blood analyses, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is described. Post-resection immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis and the patient received six chemotherapy cycles of temozolomide and cisplatin, however, progression of multiple liver metastases was observed at the 18-month follow-up CT. The patient continued with pembrolizumab and died 17 months later. The present case of primary biliary melanoma is the first reported diagnosis based on typical MRI features and the exhaustive exclusion of a separate primary origin.