A Novel Defined Necroptosis-Related Genes Prognostic Signature for Predicting Prognosis and Treatment of Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a frequent primary malignant bone tumor, with a poor prognosis. Necroptosis is strongly correlated with OS and may be an influential target for treating OS. This study's objective was to establish a necroptosis-related gene (NRG) prognostic signature that could predict OS prognosis and guide OS treatment. First, we identified 20 NRGs associated with OS survival based on the TARGET database. We then derived a 7 NRG prognostic signature. Our findings revealed that the 7 NRG prognostic signature performed well in predicting the survival of OS patients. We next analyzed differences in immunological status and immune cell infiltration. In addition, we examined the relationship between chemo/immunotherapeutic response and the 7-NRG prognostic signature. In addition, to probe the mechanisms underlying the NRG prognostic signature, we performed functional enrichment assays including GO and KEGG. Finally, CHMP4C was selected for functional experiments. Silencing CHMP4C prevented OS cells from proliferating, migrating, and invading. This 7-NRG prognostic signature seems to be an excellent predictor that can provide a fresh direction for OS treatment.

Sensitivity-enhanced optical pressure sensor based on MoS2.

A sensitivity-enhanced optical pressure sensor based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is proposed. The sensing principle is that the pressure causes the deformation of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pressure structure above the MoS2 film, leading to the change of the ambient refractive index, so that a measurable light propagation difference in the waveguide under the film is created to reflect the micro changes of the pressure. The pressure is finally numerically converted to the wavelength shift of the interference peak of the obtained spectrum. The process is simulated and analyzed using MoS2 dielectric film, in contrast with that using graphene dielectric film. It turns out that under same conditions, the MoS2 film has a more distinct modulation effect on light than that of the graphene film. Experiments using the real sensor prototype are carried out and the results show that the pressure measuring sensitivity is improved to 96.02 nm/kPa in the pressure range of 0-0.6 kPa, which is much higher than the typical optical pressure sensors. The proposed optical pressure sensor based on MoS2 is of high potential to support ultra-sensitive pressure detection in many applications.

Mn(OAc)3-Promoted Sulfonation-ipso-Cyclization Cascade via the SO3- Radical: The Synthesis of Spirocyclic Sulfonates.

A radical sulfonation-ipso-cyclization cascade promoted by Mn(OAc)3·2H2O using functionalized alkynes or alkenes and potassium metabisulfite (K2S2O5) is reported. A total of 30 spirocyclic sulfonates were synthesized under mild conditions. We also demonstrate a modular synthesis approach in multiple steps for the preparation of various azaspiro[4,5]-trienone-based sulfonamides and sulfonate esters.

Cruciferous Vegetable Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between cruciferous vegetables and prostate cancer (PCa) risk remains contentious. This study aimed to assess the association between consuming cruciferous vegetables and PCa risk. METHODS: We carried out a systematic search through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library until September 20, 2022. The results of the article will be analyzed using the Stata 14 software. This meta-analysis was reported as directed by the PRISMA guidance, and the study protocol was recorded in PROSPERO (CRD42022361556). RESULTS: 7 case-control studies and 9 cohort studies were eventually included, including 70,201 PCa cases and 1,264,437 members. The higher the intake of cruciferous vegetables, the lower the risk of PCa. In comparison to the lowest dose of cruciferous vegetables, the overall relative risk (RR) of cruciferous vegetables having the highest dose was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80-0.95; I2 = 59.2%). A significant linear trend (p = 0.002) was observed for the association, with a combined RR of 0.955 (95% CI: 0.928-0.982) for every 15 g of cruciferous vegetables per day. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that consumption of cruciferous vegetables may be linked to reduced PCa risk.

Establishing a quantitative assessment methodology framework of water conservation based on the water balance method under spatiotemporal and different discontinuous ecosystem scales.

Water conservation (WC) is an essential terrestrial ecosystem service that mitigates surface runoff and replenishes groundwater, which has received considerable attention under the dual pressures of climate change and human activity. However, there is insufficient understanding of the trends in WC changes on temporal (annual, monthly, daily), spatial, and ecosystem scales. This study proposed a quantitative assessment methodology framework (QAMF) for analyzing the spatiotemporal variation of WC under different discontinuous ecosystems. The QAMF mainly used models and methods such as the hydrological model (SWAT), calibration and uncertainty program (SWAT-CUP), WC calculation formula (water balance method), and spatial analysis method (empirical orthogonal function and wavelet analysis). It was applied to the source region of the Yellow River (SRYR), where the ecological landscape pattern underwent varying degrees of degradation, and WC capacity decreased. The results show that: Firstly, the constructed SWAT in the SRYR had high accuracy, and the proposed formula for calculating WC was suitable for multi-temporal scale analysis of WC in spatially distributed discontinuous basins. Secondly, the annual and monthly WC were respectively 81.00-184.13 mm and -28.58-107.64 mm, and daily WC was positive during extreme precipitation periods and negative during dry periods. The regulating effect of WC was fully reflected on the daily scale, partially reflected on the monthly scale, and absent on the annual scale. Third, the crucial WC area was mainly distributed in the southeast, and there was a significant primary yearly cycle of WC in the SRYR. Finally, different ecosystems exhibited different WC capabilities, and protecting the diversity of ecosystems played an essential role in maintaining and improving the WC function in the SRYR. This project has great scientific significance and technological support for scientifically evaluating the WC capacity in the SRYR.

Design and modeling of a graphene-based composite structure optical pressure sensor.

In this paper, a novel graphene-based composite structure optical pressure sensor is designed and built with the aid of modeling. A PDMS force-sensitive structural mechanics model is established to optimize the size of the pyramid array distributed on the PDMS layer so that to support high levels of sensitivity and stability. Meanwhile, a graphene waveguide optical model is established to obtain the optimized interference length (L), arm spacing (H) and core width (W), with the objectives of advanced sensitivity, low propagation loss, high resolution. The experimental results show that the pressure sensitivity of the proposed sensor is 17.86 nm/kPa and the maximum pressure that can be detected is 3.40 kPa, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis and verifies the feasibility of the design, also the modeling methods of the graphene-based composite structure optical pressure sensor.

Graphene composite structure based optical absorption pressure sensor.

In this paper, a graphene composite structure based optical absorption pressure sensor is proposed. First, a composite structure which is composed of PDMS micro-pyramid structure, graphene film, and waveguide is introduced. The sensitive mechanism and dynamic working state of the pressure sensor are analyzed continuously. Second, the mapping between the pressure on PDMS and its contact area with the graphene film is deeply analyzed, as well as the optical transmission properties of graphene combined with waveguides, followed by a series of simulations about the optical power output performance facing different pressure conditions. Finally, the designed sensor samples are prepared and a series of performance verification experiments were carried out. The experimental results show that the range of the pressure sensor is 0-870kPa. The sensitivity in the pressure range of 0-100kPa is 2.83×10-1µW/kPa. The experimental results effectively prove that the designed graphene composite structure based optical absorption pressure sensor has high sensitivity and good repeatability, which further verifies the feasibility of the design and analysis method.

Revisiting the Surface Energy Parameters of Standard Test Liquids with a Corrected Contact Angle Method over Rough Surfaces.

Interfacial free energy is a quantitative basis for explaining and predicting interfacial behavior that is ubiquitous in nature. The contact angle (CA) method can determine the surface free energy (γ) as well as Lifshitz-van der Waals (γLW) and Lewis acid/base (γ+/γ-) components of a solid material from its CAs with a set of known test liquids according to the extended Young-Dupré equation. However, the reliability of the "known" parameters of the test liquids is questioned due to the long-neglected surface roughness effect during calibration of the liquids. This study proposed a simple and practicable two-step approach to correct the energy parameters of several test liquids by incorporating Wenzel's surface roughness relationship into CA measurement. Step 1: water and two apolar liquids (diiodomethane and α-bromonaphthalene) were used as benchmarks to calibrate the surface roughness and energy parameters of two reference solids [apolar poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and monopolar poly(methyl methacrylate)], and step 2: the reference solids were used to calibrate any other test liquids by solving the energy parameters from their CAs in the extended Young-Dupré-Wenzel model. Monte Carlo simulation was used to evaluate error transmission and robustness of the model solutions. The obtained energy parameters (γLW/γ+/γ-) of four test liquids (dimethyl sulfoxide, formamide, ethylene glycol, and glycerol) are 28.01/13.68/4.67, 34.95/3.53/37.62, 26.26/7.51/15.74, and 32.99/9.24/26.02 mJ/m2, respectively, and different from the literature values. The liquids were applied to characterize an example solid surface with true γLW/γ+/γ- values of 28.00/1.00/8.00 mJ/m2 and a roughness index (r) of 1.60. Without correction of the liquid parameters, the calculated surface energy, hydration energy, and hydrophobic attraction energy of the solid sample can deviate by 50, 13, and 27%, respectively. This proves the necessity of correcting parameters of the test liquids before they can be used in CA and interfacial energy studies in the presence of surface roughness.

Homolytic Aromatic Sulfonation with K2S2O5 Promoted by a Combination of Mn(OAc)3·2H2O and HFIP.

Herein, we reported a so far unprecedented Mn(OAc)3·2H2O-promoted homolytic aromatic sulfonation. The reaction was performed under mild conditions with K2S2O5 employed as a green sulfonating reagent. Various arenes were successfully converted into desired sulfonic acids or sulfonates in high efficiency. Preliminary mechanistic studies demonstrated that the present reaction proceeds via a homolytic aromatic substitution-type mechanism involving an SO3- radical. The combination of Mn(OAc)3·2H2O and HFIP plays a crucial role.

From Hydrogen Bond to van der Waals Force: Molecular Scalpel Strategy to Exfoliate a Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Nanosheet.

The facile exfoliation of a two-dimensional metal-organic nanosheet of {[Co(HL)(H2O)(Py)3/4]·1/2H2O·DMF}n [1-Py; H3L = 5-(1H-pyrazol-4-yl)isophthalic acid and Py = pyridine] was achieved, via a molecular scalpel strategy, by weakening intermolecular forces between adjacent layers. The resulting 1-Py/KB40 (KB = Ketjen black) shows an increased oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance with an overpotential of 370 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 58 mV dec-1. This work sheds light on the structure-morphology-reactivity relationship of such materials in OER.

Stretchable dual cross-linked silicon elastomer with a superhydrophobic surface and fast triple self-healing ability at room temperature.

Stretchable elastomers with superhydrophobic surfaces have potential applications in wearable electronics. However, various types of damage inevitably occur on these elastomers in actual application, resulting in the deterioration of the superhydrophobic properties. In this work, superhydrophobic elastomers (HB-imine-BZn-PDMS), was fabricated by employing a dual-layered structure. The bottom layer was a silicon elastomer (imine-BZn-PDMS) with an imine/coordination dual cross-linked structure and room temperature self-healing efficiency of 94%. The top layer was imine-BZn-PDMS/silica nanocomposites to provide superhydrophobic properties. The HB-imine-BZn-PDMS elastomer exhibited fast triple self-healing ability at room temperature toward surface oxidation/decomposition, ruptures, or pinholes, and high durability under abrasion and stretching. The dual dynamic bonds of imine-BZn-PDMS enabled fast recovery of superhydrophobicity in 20 min at room temperature via bond exchange, after generating pinholes across the elastomer. Following surface chemical damage, the HB-imine-BZn-PDMS elastomer also exhibited fast (40 min) room-temperature self-healing ability, which is superior to that of most current self-healing superhydrophobic materials.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis mediates ambient PM2.5 exposure-induced pulmonary inflammation.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure correlates with adverse cardiometabolic effects. The underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully understood. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as the central stress response system, regulates cardiometabolic homeostasis and is implicated in the progression of various adverse health effects caused by inhalational airborne pollutant exposure. In this study, we investigated whether ambient PM2.5 exposure activates HPA axis and its effect mediating PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation. C57Bl/6 J mice were intratracheally instilled with different concentrations of diesel exhaust PM2.5 (DEP), and plasma was harvested at different times. Assessments of plasma stress hormones revealed that DEP instillation dose- and time-dependently increased mouse circulating corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels, strongly supporting that DEP instillation activates HPA axis. To determine which components of DEP activate HPA axis, C57Bl/6J mice were intratracheally instilled with water-soluble and -insoluble fractions of DEP. Plasma analyses showed that water-insoluble but not -soluble fraction of DEP increased circulating corticosterone and ACTH levels. Consistently, concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP) exposure significantly increased mouse urine and hair corticosterone levels, corroborating the activation of HPA axis by ambient PM2.5. Furthermore, deletion of stress hormones by total bilateral adrenalectomy alleviated PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation, providing insights into the contribution of central neurohormonal mechanisms in modulating adverse health effects caused by exposure to PM2.5.

[Preparation of nanoemulsion spray from Moslae Herba volatile oil and its antibacterial activity].

Moslae Herba is a commonly used aromatic Chinese medicinal with volatile oil as the main effective component and exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial and antiviral effects. However, the irritation and instability of Moslae Herba volatile oil necessitate the preparation into a specific dosage form. In this study, the steam distillation method was employed to extract the Moslae Herba volatile oil. The content of thymol and carvacrol in Moslae Herba volatile oil was determined by HPLC as(0.111 9±0.001 0) and(0.235 4±0.004 7) mg·mL~(-1), respectively. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and surfactants compounding were applied in the selection of the optimal excipients(surfactant and cosurfactant). On this basis, a nanoemulsion was prepared from the Moslae Herba volatile oil and then loaded into pressure vessels to get sprays, whose stability and antibacterial activity were evaluated afterward. With clarity, viscosity, smell and body feeling as comprehensive indexes, the optimal formulation of the Moslae Herba volatile oil nanoemulsion was determined as follows: Moslae Herba volatile oil∶peppermint oil∶cremophor EL∶absolute ethanol∶distilled water 7.78∶1.58∶19.26∶6.15∶65.23. The as-prepared nanoemulsion was a light yellow transparent liquid, with Tyndall effect shown under the irradiation of parallel light. It has the pH of 5.50, conductivity of 125.9 µS·cm~(-1), average particle size of 15.45 nm, polydispersity index(PDI) of 0.156, and Zeta potential of-17.9 mV. Under a transmission electron microscope, the Moslae Herba volatile oil nanoemulsion was presented as regular spheres without adhesion and agglomeration. Stability test revealed that the Moslae Herba volatile oil nanoemulsion was stable at 4-55 ℃, which was free from demulsification and stratification within 30 days. After the centrifugation at 12 000 r·min~(-1) for 30 min, there was no stratification either. The nanoemulsion had good inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and resistant S. aureus strains, with the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.39, 3.12 and 1.56 mg·mL~(-1), respectively. The above results demonstrated that the nanoemulsion was prepared feasibly and showed stable physical and chemical properties and good antibacterial effects. This study provides a practicable technical solution for the development of anti-epidemic and anti-infection products from Moslae Herba volatile oil.

miR-214 stimulated by IL-17A regulates bone loss in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE: Bone loss is common in AS, and miR-214 plays an important role in regulating bone formation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of miR-214, the production of which is stimulated by IL-17A, on bone loss in AS. METHODS: Peripheral blood was obtained from 32 patients with AS and 24 healthy controls. Levels of IL-17A, soluble RANK ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin in serum were evaluated by ELISA, and the relative level of miR-214 in serum was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. In addition, we assessed the relationship between levels of miR-214, IL-17A and bone loss in primary murine osteoblasts and mouse bone marrow cells. RESULTS: The expression of RANKL and miR-214 in osteoblasts was increased following stimulation by IL-17A, and osteoblasts stimulated by IL-17A promoted the expression of miR-214 in osteoclasts and the activity of osteoclasts. We showed that osteoblast-derived miR-214 could be transferred to osteoclasts and could then regulate their activity. The levels of IL-17A and miR-214 were much higher in the serum of patients with AS than in that of healthy controls, and the relative level of miR-214 was positively correlated with the level of IL-17A in the serum and synovial fluid of the patients with AS, not healthy controls. The level of miR-214 in the serum of AS patients has potential diagnostic value. CONCLUSION: The production of miR-214 in osteoblasts is stimulated by IL-17A. It is an important inhibitor of bone formation in AS, and the serum level of miR-214 might be of potential diagnostic value for AS.

Electrically Tuning Ultrafiltration Behavior for Efficient Water Purification.

Conventional ultrafiltration (UF) technology suffers from membrane fouling and limited separation performance. This work demonstrates a novel electrical tuning strategy to improve the separation efficiency of the UF process. An electrically enhanced UF (EUF) system with two sets of oppositely placed membrane-electrode modules was set up. A series of multicycle treatment experiments were conducted to reveal the performance and tuning mechanism of the EUF system. The applied electrical tuning operation brought about an up to 68% reduction of average transmembrane pressure increasing rate (Rp), indicating a strong capability in inhibiting membrane fouling. This fouling reduction can be mainly ascribed to the applied electrophoretic force, changes in solution chemistry, and generation of peroxide, which repulses foulants away from the membrane, hampers foulant adsorption owing to enhanced electrostatic repulsion, and degrades foulants, respectively. The 1.2 V voltage was identified as an effective voltage for stably inhibiting membrane fouling. Besides, the electrical tuning operation led to an up to ∼32% increase in foulant retention rate (φ) owing to both non-Faradaic effects (including electrosorption and electrophoretic repulsion) and Faradaic oxidative degradation. Moreover, the electrical tuning operation allowed a remarkable desalination capability with a significantly higher desalination rate and an up to ∼43% greater salt adsorption capacity as compared with a conventional capacitive deionization process. Additionally, the EUF system achieved a good performance in removing heavy metals (Ag, Cu, Pb, Se, and Sb). The overall enhanced EUF performance suggests promising prospects for practical applications.

Outdoor thermal comfort and adaptive behaviors in the residential public open spaces of winter cities during the marginal season.

In winter cities, outdoor seasons are highly valued due to the long cold winter. By improving the outdoor thermal environment during marginal seasons, outdoor seasons may be extended. Therefore, outdoor thermal comfort and adaptive behaviors during marginal seasons should be considered. Three representative residential public open spaces in Harbin, a typical winter city, were selected to conduct an empirical study. Meteorological measurements and rudimentary questionnaires were administered and observations were conducted to explore outdoor thermal comfort and adaptive behaviors. Three important conclusions were obtained from the survey. The result from the questionnaire surveys showed that users of public spaces generally believed that "warm" was comfortable during the spring marginal season of the winter cities. The 90% thermal acceptable physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) range, which was calculated using meteorological measurements and questionnaire results, was more than 10.2 °C for this time period in the winter cities. This threshold value was much lower than that of temperate and subtropical zones, indicating that the outdoor thermal comfort of users in the winter cities had regional characteristics. Moreover, users engaged in static vs. dynamic activities showed different sensitivities to thermal environments. The users' location selection showed a strong dependence on microclimate rather than on the activity-supported facilities; when microclimate conditions changed, users made accommodations by moving to sunny areas or performing other adaptive behaviors, and thus, space utilization changed. These findings can inform thermal comfort-oriented planning and design from the perspectives of microclimate regulations, site planning, and activities in the residential public open spaces of winter cities.

Nonlinear Vibration Study Based on Uncertainty Analysis in MEMS Resonant Accelerometer.

This paper aims to develop a resonant accelerometer for high-sensitivity detection and to investigate the nonlinear vibration of the MEMS resonant accelerometer driven by electrostatic comb fingers. First, a nonlinear vibration model of the resonator with comb fingers in a MEMS resonant accelerometer is established. Then, the nonlinear and nonlinear stiffness coefficients are calculated and analyzed with the Galérkin principle. The linear natural frequency, tracking error, and nonlinear frequency offset are obtained by multi-scale method. Finally, to further analyze the nonlinear vibration, a sample-based stochastic model is established, and the uncertainty analysis method is applied. It is concluded from the results that nonlinear vibration can be reduced by reducing the resonant beam length and increasing the resonant beam width and thickness. In addition, the resonant beam length and thickness have more significant effects, while the resonant beam width and the single concentrated mass of comb fingers have little effect, which are verified by experiments. The results of this research have proved that uncertainty analysis is an effective approach in nonlinear vibration analysis and instructional in practical resonant accelerometer design.

[Study on hepatoprotective mechanisms of Veratrilla baillonii based on network pharmacology].

The purpose of this study was to predict the active components, targets and signaling pathways of Veratrilla baillonii for the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic liver diseases, preliminarily verify the active components and related targets through cell experiments, and elucidate the mechanism of V. baillonii on liver protection. The candidate active components of V. baillonii were screened by searching Chinese medicine ingredients and Chinese medicine pharmacology database and analysis platform, combined with the pharmacokinetic parameters(oral availability and drug-like principle); the target of candidate active ingredients were predicted by protein database, and the target of disease related to non-alcoholic liver disease was predicted. Cytoscape software was used to construct the network of "active component-target-disease", and the protein interaction network was constructed through the STRING database to infer the core target. GO annotation analysis, KEGG pathway analysis and enrichment analysis were conducted through DAVID bioinformatics annotation database. Finally, the core target and pathway of V. baillonii were preliminarily verified by the experimental model of H_2O_2-induced liver cell damage intervened by V. baillonii water extract(WVBF). The cell viability was detected by MTT assay and real-time unlabeled assay, and the expression of related genes was analyzed by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Firstly, 14 active components were obtained from V. baillonii through network pharmacology. There were 287 potential targets corresponding to the components, 587 targets related to non-alcoholic liver disease, and 13 core targets after the interaction between active ingredient targets and disease targets. Secondly, GO enrichment analysis showed that these genes mainly affected 26 biological processes such as nuclear receptor activity, transcription factor activity, steroid hormone receptor activity, ubi-quitin-like protein ligase binding, protein heterodimerization activity, and transcription cofactor binding. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that PI3 K-AKT signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway and some cancer-related pathways were more enriched. Finally, TNF-α and MAPK8 were successfully verified as important targets by hepatocytes in vitro, which suggested that V. baillonii could significantly improve liver damage. TNF-α and MAPK8 were one of the targets. Based on the above results, we systematically predicted the material basis and biological mechanism of V. baillonii through multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway regulation of nonalcoholic liver disease, and the core targets were successfully verified by cells, providing data basis and scientific basis for the in-depth development of V. baillonii.

HNF1A/CASC2 regulates pancreatic cancer cell proliferation through PTEN/Akt signaling.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has a high mortality rate in all cancers worldwide. According to recent studies, long noncoding RNA-CASC2 is involved in the development and progression of many malignant tumors; in the present study, we demonstrated that lncRNA-CASC2 was specifically downregulated in PC tissues and cell lines, and a lower CASC2 expression in PC was related with a poorer prognosis. CASC2 suppressed PC cell proliferation. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A) is a transcription factor known to regulate pancreatic differentiation and maintain the homeostasis of the endocrine pancreas. Recently, HNF1A is considered to be a possible tumor suppressor in PC. In the present study, we observed that HNF1A positively regulated CASC2 expression. Through luciferase assays, we demonstrated that CASC2 gene possessed an HNF1A-responsive element (CASC2-HNF1A RE); HNF1A could promote CASC2 expression through direct binding to CASC2-HNF1A RE. Further, PTEN/Akt signaling was involved in HNF1A regulation of CASC2. Finally, we evaluated the expression level of HNF1A in PC tissues; lower HNF1A expression was correlated with shorter overall survival in patients with PC. Taken together, these findings will shed light on the role and mechanism of HNF1A/CASC2 in regulating PC cells proliferation through PTEN/Akt signaling. CASC2 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in PC in the future.

Determination of Surface Energy Parameters of Hydrophilic Porous Membranes via a Corrected Contact Angle Approach.

While the contact angle is a well-applied indicator of membrane hydrophobicity and surface energy, the interference of surface roughness and porosity in contact angle measurement and surface energy calculation has been long neglected in the field of porous membrane study. We propose an improved method to straightforwardly derive the surface energy of the porous membrane from contact angles with the interference effect corrected. A linearized model was established combining the Young-Dupré and Cassie-Baxter equations, from which the surface energy (Lifshitz-van der Waals and Lewis acid/base components) and roughness index (surface area difference) can be solved simultaneously at a given porosity using contact angles measured with a set of standard polar/nonpolar test liquids. The model solution was examined using hydrophilic microfiltration membranes with different pore morphologies (including perforated plate-like PCTE, irregular particulate bed-like PVDF, and fibrous mesh-like PTFE membranes), with the robustness of the results evaluated via Monte Carlo simulation. In comparison with the verified results of the model solution, it was found that the Lifshitz-van der Waals Lewis acid/base energy values for the tested membranes would deviate by 50-87, 30-160, and 52-97%, respectively, if surface roughness and porosity were neglected in the calculation. The profound effect of roughness and porosity on surface energy determination was further confirmed via theoretical analysis of the Young-Dupré and Cassie-Baxter relationships. This improved approach may apply to the surface energy characterization of hydrophilic rough porous membranes (e.g., hydrophilic microfiltration membranes).