Bilateral Wilms tumor: 10-year experience from a single center in China.

Background: Nephron sparing surgery (NSS) had become the main surgical treatment for bilateral nephroblastoma. But it remained a challenge for surgeons to balance the dilemma between complete tumor resection to reduce tumor recurrence and renal parenchyma preservation to reduce end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this study, we summarized our clinical experience for bilateral Wilms tumors managed in our center and evaluated the influence of different surgical approaches on prognosis. Methods: The clinical data of patients with bilateral Wilms tumor in our hospital from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical symptoms, surgical approaches and prognosis of the disease were summarized. Results: We reviewed medical records of 16 patients, including 13 (81.3%) girls and 3 (18.7%) boys. The mean age of the patients was 17.88±11.65 months (range, 6-42 months). Five patients presented with hypertension and two presented with hemihypertrophy. Fifteen cases had synchronous tumors, while only one patient had metachronous bilateral lesions. Thirteen patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and only 8 kidneys (30.8%) responded to chemotherapy. Two patients gave up surgery, and the other fourteen patients underwent radical resection, of which 2 patients only underwent unilateral radical nephrectomy (RN); 7 and 5 patients underwent single-stage and two-stage operation for bilateral lesions, respectively. In all surgical patients, RN was performed on 5 kidneys, and NSS was performed on 21 kidneys. The positive margins after NSS were found in 6 kidneys (35.3%). After a median follow-up period of 26.3 months, local tumor recurrence and renal insufficiency occurred in two and one patients. The 5-year overall and event-free survival rates were 78.1% and 58.6%, respectively. In univariable analysis, the survival rate in the initial chemotherapy group (92.3%) was significantly higher than that in the initial surgery group (33.3%) (P=0.048), whereas positive margin and staged operation (P>0.05) appeared not significantly associated with overall survival. Conclusions: The proportion of tumor reduction after preoperative chemotherapy is relatively low for bilateral Wilms tumor, but preoperative chemotherapy could improve overall survival. NSS is recommended for bilateral Wilms tumor, and the customized procedure can be selected according to the location and anatomical features of tumor.

Single-cell RNA sequencing of solid pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas in children.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas is a rare pancreatic tumor in children. Its origin remains elusive, along with its pathogenesis. Heterogeneity within SPN has not been previously described. In addition, low malignant but recurrent cases have occasionally been reported. To comprehensively unravel these profiles, single-cell RNA sequencing was performed using surgical specimens. We identified the cell types and suggested the origin of pancreatic endocrine progenitors. The Wnt/ß-catenin pathway may be involved in tumorigenesis, while the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition may be responsible for SPN recurrence. Furthermore, NOV, DCN were nominated as primary and S100A10, MGP as recurrent SPN marker genes, respectively. Our results provide insight into the pathogenesis of SPN.

Mo-doped Co3O4 ultrathin nanosheet arrays anchored on nickel foam as a bi-functional electrode for supercapacitor and overall water splitting.

Simple preparation, favorable price and environmental protection have been a long-term challenge in the field of electrochemistry. Herein, we studied and prepared a bifunctional Mo-doped Co3O4 ultrathin nanosheets, which has been validated as an effective binder-free electrode material for electrocatalytic water splitting and supercapacitors. The material has a large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity and exposure to more active sites, breaking down the limited performance and range of use of transition metal oxides. Benefiting from intriguing ultrathin property and conductivity, OER and HER process of 0.4Mo-Co3O4 have a small Tafel slope of 83.7 and 98 mV dec-1, respectively. The current density at 10 mA cm-2 show a low overpotential of 315 and 79 mV and significant stability. The water electrolytic device requires a potential of 1.64 V to reach 10 mA cm-2, and the potential change is negligible after 12 h of continuous electrolysis. In addition, the manifest improved electrochemical performance of 0.3Mo-Co3O4 as supercapacitor electrode material shows high areal capacitance 2815 mF cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2, excellent rate performance (85% at 10 mA cm-2) and retains 90% of the initial capacitance by cycling 5000 at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Moreover, 0.3Mo-Co3O4||0.3Mo-Co3O4 symmetrical supercapacitor has a maximum volumetric energy density of 1.25 mW h cm-3 at a power density of 7.1 mW cm-3 and superior cycle life. The influence of doping on electrochemical performance was studied by changing the content of doped metal ions, which is of great significance for the exploration of supercapacitor and electrocatalytic hydrolysis of bifunctional electrode materials.

An iron based organic framework coated with nickel hydroxide for energy storage, conversion and detection.

Although electrode materials based on metal organic frameworks (MOFs) were widely studied in the electrochemistry field, the origin of poor conductivity is still a bottleneck restricting their development. Herein, we constructed a conductive circuit by growing a layer of hydroxide on the surface of the Fe-MOF, and composite materials (Fe-MOF@Ni(OH)2) are applied in the fields of supercapacitor, OER, and electrochemical sensing. Fe-MOF@Ni(OH)2 not only maintains the intrinsic advantages of Fe-MOF, but also improves the electrical conductivity. Fe-MOF@Ni(OH)2 exhibits a high specific capacity of 188 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 . The energy density of the asymmetric supercapacitor (Fe-MOF@Ni(OH)2-20//AC) reaches 67.1 Wh kg-1. During the oxygen evolution reaction, the overpotential of the material is 280 mV at 10 mA cm-2, and the Tafel slope is 37.6 mV dec-1. The electrochemical sensing tests showed the detection limit of BPA is 5 µM. Hence, these results provide key insights into the design of multifunctional electrode materials.

Biodistribution and acute toxicity of cadmium-free quantum dots with different surface functional groups in mice following intratracheal inhalation.

Indium phosphide/zinc sulfate (InP/ZnS) quantum dots (QDs) are presumed to be less hazardous than those that contain cadmium. However, the toxicological profile has not been established. The present study investigated the acute toxicity of InP/ZnS QDs with different surface modifications (COOH, NH2, and OH) in mice after pulmonary aerosol inhalation. InP/ZnS QDs were able to pass through the blood-gas barrier and enter the circulation, and subsequently accumulated in major organs. No obvious changes were observed in the body weight or major organ coefficients. Red blood cell counts and platelet-related indicators were in the normal range, but the proportion of white blood cells was altered. The InP/ZnS QDs caused varying degrees of changes in some serum markers, but no histopathological abnormalities related to InP/ZnS QDs treatment was observed in major organs except that hyperemia in alveolar septa was found in lung sections. These results suggested that the effects of respiratory exposure to InP/ZnS QDs on the lungs need to be fully considered in future biomedical application although the overall toxicity of quantum dots is relatively low.