Photooxidation triggered ultralong afterglow in carbon nanodots.

It remains a challenge to obtain biocompatible afterglow materials with long emission wavelengths, durable lifetimes, and good water solubility. Herein we develop a photooxidation strategy to construct near-infrared afterglow carbon nanodots with an extra-long lifetime of up to 5.9 h, comparable to that of the well-known rare-earth or organic long-persistent luminescent materials. Intriguingly, size-dependent afterglow lifetime evolution from 3.4 to 5.9 h has been observed from the carbon nanodots systems in aqueous solution. With structural/ultrafast dynamics analysis and density functional theory simulations, we reveal that the persistent luminescence in carbon nanodots is activated by a photooxidation-induced dioxetane intermediate, which can slowly release and convert energy into luminous emission via the steric hindrance effect of nanoparticles. With the persistent near-infrared luminescence, tissue penetration depth of 20 mm can be achieved. Thanks to the high signal-to-background ratio, biological safety and cancer-specific targeting ability of carbon nanodots, ultralong-afterglow guided surgery has been successfully performed on mice model to remove tumor tissues accurately, demonstrating potential clinical applications. These results may facilitate the development of long-lasting luminescent materials for precision tumor resection.

Supramolecular Aggregation of Carbon Nanodots.

Supramolecular aggregation has provided the archetype concept to understand the variants in an emerging systems property. Herein, we have achieved the supramolecular assembly of carbon nanodots (CDs) for the first time and employ supramolecular aggregation to understand their alteration in photophysical properties. In detail, we have employed the CDs as a block to construct the supramolecular assembly of aggregates in the CDs' antisolvent of ethanol. The CD-based aggregates exhibit complex and organized morphologies with another long-wavelength excitation-dependent emission band. The experimental results and density functional theoretical calculations reveal that the supramolecular assembly of CDs can decrease the energy gap between the ground and excited states, contributing to the new long-wavelength excitation-dependent emission. The supramolecular aggregation can be employed as one universal strategy to manipulate and understand the luminescence of CDs. These findings cast new light to build the emerging systems and understand the light emission of CDs through supramolecular chemistry.

Prognostic significance and immunoinfiltration analysis of genes associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and energy metabolism in bladder urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and aberrant energy metabolism are pivotal biological processes in tumor progression, significantly impacting tumor prognosis. However, the relationship between EMT, energy metabolism, and the immune microenvironment in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) remains inadequately understood. METHODS: Bladder cancer samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas were categorized into two groups via clustering analysis to elucidate disparities in expression, prognostic significance, and immune infiltration of genes associated with EMT and energy metabolism between these groups. Key genes associated with EMT and energy metabolism in BLCA were identified through Cox multifactorial regression analysis, immune infiltration analysis, etc. Subsequently, their prognostic significance in BLCA was validated. RESULTS: Cluster analysis revealed significant differences in the expression of genes associated with EMT and energy metabolism between the two groups. Group 2 exhibited significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared to Group 1. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) emerged as the most critical gene associated with EMT, energy metabolism, prognosis, and immune infiltration in BLCA. Immunohistochemical assays demonstrated differential expression of CSPG4 in bladder tumors and normal bladder tissues, with high CSPG4 expression correlating with a poorer BLCA prognosis. Furthermore, CSPG4 exhibited an association with the immune checkpoint molecule programmed death-1 (PD1) in BLCA. CONCLUSIONS: EMT and energy metabolism exert pivotal influences on the immune microenvironment in BLCA. CSPG4 holds promise as a prognostic biomarker for patients with BLCA, offering valuable insights into potential immunotherapeutic strategies for this patient population.

Secondary perichondrium patch to enhance cartilage graft during endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the method of adding a secondary perichondrium patch to enhance the primary cartilage-perichondrium patch during endoscopic myringoplasty and to evaluate the effectiveness of this method in terms of healing rate and post-operative hearing of patients with poor prognostic factors (eustachian tube dysfunction, large perforations, subtotal perforations, and anterior marginal perforations). DESIGN: This retrospective study analyzed a total of 80 patients (36 females and 44 males, median age of 40.55 years) who had received a secondary perichondrium patch during endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Healing rates, complications, preoperative and postoperative pure-tone average (PTA) and air-bone gap (ABG) were analyzed. RESULTS: At 6-month follow-up, the healing rate of tympanic membrane was 97.5% (78/80). The mean pure-tone average (PTA) improved from 43.18 ± 14.57 dB HL pre-operatively to 27.08 ± 9.36 dB HL 6 months after the operation (P = 0.002). Similarly, the mean ABG improved from 19.05 ± 5.72 dB HL pre-operatively to 9.36 ± 3.75 dB HL (P = 0.0019) at 6 months after the operation. Major complications were not observed during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a secondary perichondrium patch during endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty for large, subtotal and marginal tympanic membrane perforations achieved a high healing rate and a statistically significant hearing gain with low incidence of complications.

Chemiluminescent carbon nanodots for dynamic and guided antibacteria.

Advanced antibacterial technologies are needed to counter the rapid emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Image-guided therapy is one of the most promising strategies for efficiently and accurately curing bacterial infections. Herein, a chemiluminescence (CL)-dynamic/guided antibacteria (CDGA) with multiple reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capacity and chemiexcited near-infrared emission has been designed for the precise theranostics of bacterial infection by employing near-infrared emissive carbon nanodots (CDs) and peroxalate as CL fuels. Mechanistically, hydrogen peroxide generated in the bacterial microenvironment can trigger the chemically initiated electron exchange between CDs and energy-riched intermediate originated from the oxidized peroxalate, enabling bacterial induced inflammation imaging. Meanwhile, type I/II photochemical ROS production and type III ultrafast charge transfer from CDs under the self-illumination can inhibit the bacteria proliferation efficiently. The potential clinical utility of CDGA is further demonstrated in bacteria infected mice trauma model. The self-illuminating CDGA exhibits an excellent in vivo imaging quality in early detecting wound infections and internal inflammation caused by bacteria, and further are proven as efficient broad-spectrum antibacterial nanomedicines without drug-resistance, whose sterilizing rate is up to 99.99%.

Colorful Triplet Excitons in Carbon Nanodots for Time Delay Lighting.

Time delay lighting offers an added period of buffer illumination for human eyes upon switching off the light. Long-lifetime emission from triplet excitons has outstanding potential, but the forbidden transition property due to the Pauli exclusion principle makes them dark, and it stays challenging to develop full-color and bright triplet excitons. Herein, triplet excitons emission from ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) in carbon nanodots (CNDs) is achieved by confining multicolor CNDs emitters in NaCNO crystal. NaCNO crystal can isolate the CNDs, triplet excitons quenching caused by the excited state electrons aggregation induced energy transfer is suppressed, and the confinement crystal can furthermore promote phosphorescence of the CNDs by inhibiting the dissipation of the triplet excitons due to non-radiative transition. The phosphorescence from radiative recombination of triplet excitons in the CNDs covers the spectral region from 300 nm (UV) to 800 nm (NIR), the corresponding lifetimes can reach 15.8, 818.0, 239.7, 168.4, 426.4, and 127.6 ms. Furthermore, the eco-friendly luminescent lampshades are designed based on the multicolor phosphorescent CNDs, time delay light-emitting diodes are thus demonstrated. The findings will motivate new opportunities for the development of UV to NIR phosphorescent CNDs and time delay lighting applications.

A Novel Nomogram Combined the Aggregate Index of Systemic Inflammation and PIRADS Score to Predict the Risk of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer.

Background: This study is aimed at constructing a nomogram to predict the risk of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) based on the aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) and prostate imaging-reporting and data system version (PIRADS) score. Methods: Clinical data on patients who had undergone initial prostate biopsy from January 2019 to December 2021 were collected. Patients were randomized in a 7 : 3 ratio to the training cohort and the validation cohort. Potential risk factors for csPCa were identified by univariable and multivariate logistic regression. Nomogram was conducted with these independent risk factors, and calibration curves, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to assess the nomogram's ability for prediction. Results: A total of 1219 patients were enrolled in this study. Multivariate logistic regression identified that age, AISI, total prostatic specific-antigen (tPSA), free to total PSA (f/tPSA), prostate volume (PV), and PIRADS score were potential risk predictors of csPCa, and the nomogram was developed based on these factors. The area under the curve (AUC) of the training cohort and validation cohort was 0.884 (95% CI: 0.862-0.906) and 0.899 (95% CI: 0.867-0.931). The calibration curves showed that the apparent curves were closer to the ideal curves. The DCA results revealed that the nomogram model seemed to have clinical application value per DCA. Conclusion: The nomogram model can efficiently predict the risk of csPCa and may assist clinicians in determining if a prostate biopsy is necessary.

In Situ Confining Citric Acid-Derived Carbon Dots for Full-Color Room-Temperature Phosphorescence.

Room-temperature phosphorescence has received much attention owing to its potential applications in information encryption and bioelectronics. However, the preparation of full-color single-component-derived phosphorescent materials remains a challenge. Herein, a facile in situ confining strategy is proposed to achieve full-color phosphorescent carbon dots (CDs) through rapid microwave-assisted carbonization of citric acid in NaOH. By tuning the mass ratio of citric acid and NaOH, the obtained CDs exhibit tunable phosphorescence wavelengths ranging from 483 to 635 nm and alterable lifetimes from 58 to 389 ms with a synthesis yield of up to 83.7% (>30 g per synthesis). Theoretical calculations and experimental results confirm that the formation of high-density ionic bonds between cations and CDs leads to efficient afterglow emission via the dissociation of CD arrangement, and the evolution of the aggregation state of CDs results in redshifted phosphorescence. These findings provide a strategy for the synthesis of new insights into achieving and manipulating room-temperature phosphorescent CDs, and prospect their applications in labeling and information encryption.

Laparoscopic treatment of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in liver: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in the liver (IMTL) is a rare borderline mesenchymal tumor. Neither clinical symptoms nor laboratory tests have absolute specificity for the diagnosis of IMTL, and imaging also lacks obvious specificity. Although there are sporadic reports of recurrence after surgical treatment, surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 29-year-old man complained of general weakness, slight discomfort in the upper abdomen, with a history of upper respiratory tract infection for 1 wk before admission. Plain and enhanced upper abdominal magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass in liver segments II and III (48 mm × 53 mm). He was treated by laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy. Postoperative pathological examination with hematoxylin and eosin staining suggested that the mass in liver segments II and III was IMTL. During 21 mo postoperative follow-up, no obvious residual or recurrent lesions were observed. CONCLUSION: There is a risk of malignant degeneration in IMTL. The principal choice of treatment is laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy.

Can a reresection be avoided after initial en bloc resection for high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of en bloc resection for patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and explore whether a reresection can be avoided after initial en bloc resection. Material and methods: We conducted research in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to October 12, 2021, to identify studies on the second resection after initial en bloc resection of bladder tumor (ERBT). R software and the double arcsine method were used for data conversion and combined calculation of the incidence rate. Results: A total of 8 studies involving 414 participants were included. The rate of detrusor muscle in the ERBT specimens was 100% (95%CI: 100%-100%), the rate of tumor residual in reresection specimens was 3.2% (95%CI: 1.4%-5.5%), and the rate of tumor upstaging was 0.3% (95%CI: 0%-1.5%). Two articles compared the prognostic data of the reresection and non-reresection groups after the initial ERBT. We found no significant difference in the 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate (OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 0.67-3.09, P = 0.35) between the two groups nor in the rate of tumor recurrence (OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.44-1.18, P = 0.2) or progression (OR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.33-2.89, P = 0.97) at the final follow-up. Conclusions: ERBT can almost completely remove the detrusor muscle of the tumor bed with a very low postoperative tumor residue and upstaging rate. For high-risk NMIBC patients, an attempt to appropriately reduce the use of reresection after ERBT seems to be possible.

Meter-scale chemiluminescent carbon nanodot films for temperature imaging.

Chemiluminescence (CL), as one class of luminescence driven by chemical reaction, exhibits obvious temperature-dependence in its light emission process. Herein, temperature-dependent CL emission of carbon nanodots (CDs) in the chemical reaction of peroxalate and hydrogen peroxide is demonstrated and temperature imaging based on the temperature-dependent CL has been established for the first time. In detail, the temperature-dependent CL emission of CDs in the chemical reaction of peroxalate and hydrogen peroxide is observed, and the linear relationship between the CL intensity and temperature is demonstrated in both the CL solution and film, enabling their applications in temperature sensing and imaging capabilities. The increase of the CL emission with temperature can be attributed to the accelerated electron exchange between the CDs and intermediate generated in the peroxalate system. Meter-scale chemiluminescent CD films have been constructed. The CL sensor based on the films presents a high spatial resolution of 0.4 mm and an outstanding sensitivity of 0.08 °C-1, which is amongst the best values for the thermographic luminophores. With the unique temperature response and flexible properties, non-planar, meter-scale and sensitive palm temperature imaging has been achieved. These findings present new opportunities for designing CL-based temperature probes and thermography.

miR-622 Counteracts the NUAK1-Induced Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation and the Antioxidative Stress.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC), a highly prevalent gastric cancer, has high-risk mortality. Thus, investigating strategies to counteract its growth is important to provide theoretical guidance for its prevention and treatment. It has been pointed out that abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) serves as noninvasive biomarkers for GC. This present study probed into the role of miR-622 and the NUAK family SNF1-like kinase 1 (NUAK1). Methods: Five mRNA datasets (GSE64916, GSE118916, GSE122401, GSE158662, and GSE159721) and one miRNA dataset (GSE128720) from the Gene Expression of Omnibus (GEO) database were used to analyze the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNA in GC and noncancer samples. Further, western blot, real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay kit experiments, and wound healing assay, together with in vivo experiments, were performed. Results: miR-622 was downregulated, and NUAK1 was upregulated in GC, and NUAK1 was a potential target of miR-622. Knocking down NUAK1 decreased GC cell proliferation and migration but increased oxidative stress in vitro and inhibited the development of tumor in vivo, while miR-622 acted to suppress the action of NUAK1 through the miR-622/NUAK1/p-protein kinase B (Akt) axis, thereby inhibiting the occurrence of GC. Conclusion: miR-622 and NUAK1 demonstrated potential for being targets and biomarkers for GC treatment.

Ultraviolet phosphorescent carbon nanodots.

Phosphorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) have generated enormous interest recently, and the CND phosphorescence is usually located in the visible region, while ultraviolet (UV) phosphorescent CNDs have not been reported thus far. Herein, the UV phosphorescence of CNDs was achieved by decreasing conjugation size and in-situ spatial confinement in a NaCNO crystal. The electron transition from the px to the sp2 orbit of the N atoms within the CNDs can generate one-unit orbital angular momentum, providing a driving force for the triplet excitons population of the CNDs. The confinement caused by the NaCNO crystal reduces the energy dissipation paths of the generated triplet excitons. By further tailoring the size of the CNDs, the phosphorescence wavelength can be tuned to 348 nm, and the room temperature lifetime of the CNDs can reach 15.8 ms. As a demonstration, the UV phosphorescent CNDs were used for inactivating gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria through the emission of their high-energy photons over a long duration, and the resulting antibacterial efficiency reached over 99.9%. This work provides a rational design strategy for UV phosphorescent CNDs and demonstrates their novel antibacterial applications.

Knockdown of lysine (K)-specific demethylase 2B KDM2B inhibits glycolysis and induces autophagy in lung squamous cell carcinoma cells by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway.

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer with poor prognosis. This study aimed to explore the role of KDM2B in the development of LUSC. The results of this study demonstrated that KDM2B was upregulated in LUSC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of KDM2B reduced cell viability and colony forming ability in SK-MES-1 and NCI-H520 cells. KDM2B inhibition reduced glucose consumption, lactate production, ATP level, and also downregulated the expression of LDHA and GLUT1. KDM2B knockdown decreased the protein expression of LC3-I and p62, and increased LC3-II and Beclin-1. Furthermore, KDM2B silencing inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT, mTOR and P70S6K. KDM2B knockdown led to reduced tumor size in mouse model. In conclusion, KDM2B is upregulated in LUSC tissues and cell lines. KDM2B silencing inhibits glycolysis and promotes autophagy through inactivation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Humidity Sensors Realized via Negative Photoconductivity Effect in Nanodiamonds.

Herein, the negative photoconductivity (NPC) effect has been observed in nanodiamonds (NDs) for the first time, and with illumination under a 660 nm laser lamp, the conductivity of the NDs decreases significantly. The NPC effect has been attributed to the trapping of carriers by the absorbed water molecules on the ND surfaces. A humidity sensor has been constructed based on the NPC effect of the NDs, and the sensitivity of the sensor can reach 106%, which is the highest value ever reported for carbon-based humidity sensors.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Populus davidiana (Salicaceae).

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Populus davidiana was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The chloroplast genome of P. davidiana was 156,868 bp in length, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 84,976 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 16,606 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 27,643 bp. The overall GC content is 30.70%, while the correponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 64.6%, 69.2%, and 60.1%, respectively. The genome contains 131 complete genes, including 86 protein-coding genes (62 protein-coding gene species), 37 tRNA genes (29 tRNA species) and 8 rRNA genes (4 rRNA species). The Neighbour-joining phylogenetic analysis showed that P. davidiana and Populus rotundifolia clustered together as sisters to other Populus species.

Near-Infrared Chemiluminescent Carbon Nanodots and Their Application in Reactive Oxygen Species Bioimaging.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in the body and related to many pathophysiological processes. Hence, detection of ROS is indispensable in understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of many diseases. Here, near-infrared (NIR) chemiluminescent (CL) carbon nanodots (CDs) are fabricated for the first time and their CL quantum yield can reach 9.98 × 10-3 einstein mol-1, which is the highest value ever reported for CDs until now. Nanointegration of NIR CDs and peroxalate (P-CDs) through the bridging effect of amphiphilic triblock copolymer can serve as turn-on probes for the detection and imaging of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Considering high efficiency and large penetration depth of NIR photons, the P-CDs are employed in bioimaging H2O2 in vitro and in vivo, and the detection limit can reach 5 × 10-9 m, among the best reported of CDs-based sensors. Moreover, imaging of inflammatory H2O2 in a mouse model of peritonitis is achieved by employing the P-CDs as sensors. The results may provide a clue for the diagnosis and treatment of inflammation or cancers employing CL CDs as sensors.

S100A12 is a promising biomarker in papillary thyroid cancer.

S100A12 belongs to the S100 family and acts as a vital regulator in different types of tumors. However, the function of S100A12 in thyroid carcinoma has not yet been investigated. In this study, we analyzed the expression of S100A12 in human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) samples and two PTC cell lines. In addition, we explored the effects of S100A12 on PTC cell progression in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that S100A12 was significantly upregulated in PTC specimens. Moreover, silencing S100A12 markedly inhibited PTC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progression. In addition, knockdown of S100A12 significantly reduced the expression of CyclinD1, CDK4 and p-ERK in PTC cells. An in vivo study also showed that silencing S100A12 dramatically suppressed tumor cell growth and decreased Ki67 expression in a xenograft mouse model. This study provides novel evidence that S100A12 serves as an oncogene in PTC. Knockdown of S100A12 suppressed PTC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced G0/G1 phase arrest via the inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway. Therefore, S100A12 may be a potent therapeutic target for PTC.

Evaluation of manual and electronic healthcare-associated infections surveillance: a multi-center study with 21 tertiary general hospitals in China.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are still a major health threats worldwide. Traditional surveillance methods involving manual surveillance by infection control practitioners (ICPs) for data collection processes are laborious, inefficient, and generate data of variable quality. In this study, we sought to evaluate the impact of surveillance and interaction platform system (SIPS) for HAIs surveillance compared to manual survey in tertiary general hospitals. METHODS: A large multi-center study including 21 tertiary general hospitals and 63 wards were performed to evaluate the impact of electronic SIPS for HAIs. RESULTS: We collected 4,098 consecutive patients and found that the hospitals installed with SIPS significantly increased work efficiency of ICPs achieving satisfactory diagnostic performance of HAIs with 0.73 for sensitivity, 0.81 for specificity and 0.81 area under the curve (AUC). However, there were significant heterogeneity own to regions, time of SIPS installation, departments and sample size. CONCLUSIONS: SIPS significantly improved ICPs efficiency and HAIs monitoring effectiveness, but there were shortcomings such as untimely maintenance and high cost.

Bright and Multicolor Chemiluminescent Carbon Nanodots for Advanced Information Encryption.

The various luminescent properties of carbon nanodots (CDs) reveal fascinating applications in several areas. Here, bright and multicolor chemiluminescence (CL) is realized from CDs, whose CL quantum yield can be optimized by adjusting the energy level alignment between the CDs and 1,2-dioxetanedione intermediate generated from the reaction of peroxalate and hydrogen peroxide. A CL quantum yield of 9.32 × 10-3 Einsteins mol-1, maximal luminance of 3.28 cd m-2, and lifetime of 186.4 s are achieved in red CDs, all of which are the best values ever reported for CDs. As a proof-of-concept prototype, a high-quality information encryption strategy is established via CD based CL imaging techniques by virtue of the high brightness and multicolor CL.