Multicolored inorganic electrochromic materials: status, challenge, and prospects.

Against the backdrop of advocacy for green and low-carbon development, electrochromism has attracted academic and industrial attention as an intelligent and energy-saving applied technology due to its optical switching behavior and its special principles of operation. Inorganic electrochromic materials, represented by transition metal oxides, are considered candidates for the next generation of large-scale electrochromic applied technologies due to their excellent stability. However, the limited color diversity and low color purity of these materials greatly restrict their development. Starting from the multicolor properties of inorganic electrochromic materials, this review systematically elaborates on recent progress in the aspects of the intrinsic multicolor of electrochromic materials, and structural multicolor based on the interaction between light and microstructure. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of inorganic electrochromic technology in the field of multicolor are discussed.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Inhibit Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Stemness and Metastasis via an ALKBH5-Dependent Mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification caused by m6A regulators is a common characteristic in various tumors. However, little is known about the role of m6A regulator AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this study, we analyzed the influence of ALKBH5 on the stemness of TNBC and the molecular mechanism using bioinformatics analysis and in vivo animal experiments. METHODS: RNA expression data and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were downloaded from the TCGA and GEO databases. Following intersection analysis, key genes involved in the TNBC cell stemness were determined, which was followed by functional enrichment analysis, PPI and survival analysis. Exosomes were extracted from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC-Exos) where ALKBH5 inhibition assay was conducted to verify their function in the biological characteristics of TNBC cells. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis revealed 45 key genes of ALKBH5 regulating TNBC cell stemness. In addition, UBE2C was predicted as a key downstream gene and p53 was predicted as a downstream signaling of ALKBH5. In vivo data confirmed that ALKBH5 upregulated UBE2C expression by regulating the m6A modification of UBE2C and reduced p53 expression, thus promoting the stemness, growth and metastasis of TNBC cells. BMSC-Exos suppressed the tumor stemness, growth and metastasis of TNBC cells and ALKBH5 shRNA-loaded BMSC-Exos showed a more significant suppressive role. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings indicated that ALKBH5 shRNA-loaded BMSC-Exos reduced TNBC cell stemness, growth and metastasis and define a promising strategy to treat TNBC.

Differentiation Between Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis and Breast Cancer Using Quantitative Parameters on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.

Objective: To investigate the Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging characteristics of granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) and the value of differentiating GLM from breast cancer. Materials and methods: The study included 30 women with GLM (mean age 36.7 ± 5 years [SD]) and 58 women with breast cancer (mean age 48. ± 8 years [SD]) who were scheduled for ultrasound-guided tissue biopsy. All patients were evaluated with conventional US and CEUS prior to the biopsy. In both groups, the parameters of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the CEUS were recorded and compared. The receiver-operating-characteristics curves (ROC) were created. Sensitivity, specificity, cut-off, and area under the curve (AUC) values were calculated. Results: TTP values in GLM were statistically higher than in breast cancer (mean, 27.63 ± 7.29 vs. 20.10 ± 6.11), but WIS values were lower (mean, 0.16 ± 0.05 vs. 0.28 ± 0.17). Rich vascularity was discovered in 54.45% of breast cancer patients, but only 30.00% of GLM patients had rich vascularity. The AUC for the ROC test was 0.791 and 0.807, respectively. The optimal cut-off value for TTP was 24.5s, and the WIS cut-off value was 0.185dB/s, yielding 73.33% sensitivity, 84.48% specificity, and 86.21% sensitivity, 70% specificity respectively in the diagnosis of GLM. The lesion scores reduced from 4 to 3 with the addition of CEUS for the patients with GLM. However, the scores did not change for the patients with breast cancer. Conclusion: CEUS could help distinguish GLM from breast cancer by detecting higher TTP and WIS values, potentially influencing clinical decision-making for additional biopsies.

Chylous Leakage After Breast-Conserving Surgery and Axillary Clearance: Case Report and Management Strategies.

Chylous leakage is a rare complication of breast and axillary surgery. We present a case of chylous leakage inside the breast following breast-conserving surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. The majority of chylous leakages in the breast are managed with conservative measures aimed at reducing lymphatic fluid production and outflow. Surgical intervention is required in cases of conservative treatment failure and high output chylous leakage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of chyles leaks inside the breast following breast-conserving surgery that was successfully treated surgically.

The functional roles of long noncoding RNA DANCR in Human Cancers.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been wildly explored in various cellular processes and their aberrant expression could lead to tumorigenesis, development and progression. Differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR), a well-known lncRNA that is aberrant expression in various tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and glioma and so on, in which it functions as oncogene mainly, contributing to cancer development and progression. High expressed DANCR is correlated with poor prognosis. In the present review, we summarize recent progression concerning the role, potential clinical utilities and underlying molecular mechanisms of DANCR related to occurrence and development of multiple cancers.

Economical Salt-Resistant Superhydrophobic Photothermal Membrane for Highly Efficient and Stable Solar Desalination.

Recently, solar-driven interfacial water evaporation has shown great potential in desalination. In a practical application, the inevitable pollution and accumulation of salt that make the evaporation efficient cannot be maintained for a long time. Herein, we report a flexible and economical superhydrophobic photothermal membrane composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane modification, with a piece of expanded polystyrene used for support and thermal insulation. The prepared floating evaporation device showed a high energy efficiency of 91.1% and an evaporation rate of 1.41 kg m-2 h-1 under one solar irradiation, and neither salt accumulation nor a significant decrease in the evaporation rate of the device was observed after continuous operation for either 40 h or 18 evaporation cycles. In addition, the self-cleaning performance of the membrane enabled its surface to maintain high absorbance for a long time. With the stable and efficient evaporation performance of this device, it provided guidance for the application of efficient and long-term stable solar desalination.

BCL11A confers cell invasion and migration in androgen receptor-positive triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor clinical prognosis due to a lack of effective therapeutic options. The expression of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) has been indicated to correlate with TNBC carcinogenesis, though the precise mechanisms of BCL11A-induced tumorigenesis in TNBC remain unclear. Using data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the present study demonstrated that BCL11A expression was upregulated in TNBC, compared with other types of breast cancer. Furthermore, in a tissue microarray of 140 patients with breast cancer, an elevated BCL11A level was correlated with unfavorable overall survival (OS), and exogenous BCL11A-knockdown was subsequently verified to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in TNBC. Notably, the same tissue microarray revealed that a favorable patient outcome was associated with high expression levels of BCL11A and androgen receptor (AR). Moreover, BCL11A-knockdown significantly inhibited the expression level of AR and further had an influence on proliferation, migration and invasion in TNBC cell lines. Collectively, the results of the current study indicate the function of BCL11A in TNBC progression, and provide new insights into the unique mechanism of BCL11A in AR regulation, emphasizing the significance of more research on BCL11A and AR regulation in TNBC molecular treatment.

Core-Sheath Paraffin-Wax-Loaded Nanofibers by Electrospinning for Heat Storage.

Paraffin wax (PW) is widely used for smart thermoregulation materials due to its good thermal performance. However, the leakage and low thermal conductivity of PW hinder its application in the heat storage field. Accordingly, developing effective methods to address these issues is of great importance. In this study, we explored a facile approach to obtain PW-loaded core-sheath structured flexible nanofibers films via coaxial electrospinning technique. The PW as the core layer was successfully encapsulated by the sheath-layer poly(methyl methacrylate). The diameter of the fiber core increased from 395 to 848 nm as the core solution speed rate increased from 0.1 to 0.5 mL/h. In addition, it can be seen that higher core solution speed rate could lead to higher PW encapsulation efficiency according to the transmission electron microscopy results. The core-sheath nanofiber films, moreover, possessed the highest latent heat of 58.25 J/g and solidifying enthalpy of -56.49 J/g. In addition, we found that after 200 thermal cycles, there was little change in latent heat, which demonstrated that it is beneficial for the PW-loaded core-sheath structure to overcome the leakage issue and enhance thermal stability properties for the thermoregulation film.

Long noncoding RNA DANCR is activated by SALL4 and promotes the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells.

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) play important roles in tumor development and progression. The expression of lncRNAs is frequently dysregulated in human cancer. DANCR (anti-differentiation noncoding RNA) is a newly identified lncRNA in human cancer, however, its functional roles and clinical value in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of DANCR in the tumor tissues and serum of GC patients and analyzed the correlation between DANCR expression levels and the clinicopathological characteristics. Our results showed that the expression of DANCR was higher in the tumor tissues than that in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues. The expression level of DANCR was also elevated in the serum of GC patients compared to that of healthy controls. The expression levels of DANCR were significantly associated with tumor size, TNM stage, lymphatic metastasis and invasion depth. DANCR knockdown inhibited the proliferation of GC cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. In addition, DANCR knockdown suppressed gastric cancer growth in vivo. Moreover, DANCR knockdown inhibited the migration and invasion of GC cells via the suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, DANCR overexpression had the opposite effect. DANCR is activated by SALL4 in gastric cancer cells and exerted its oncogenic activities through the activation of ß-catenin pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that DANCR promotes the progression of gastric cancer and have the potential to serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker.

Spectroscopic properties in Er3+-doped germanotellurite glasses and glass ceramics for mid-infrared laser materials.

Transparent Er3+-doped germanotellurite glass ceramics (GCs) with variable Te/Ge ratio were prepared by controllable heat-treated process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) confirmed the formation of nanocrystals in glass matrix. Raman spectra were used to investigate the evolution of glass structure and photon energy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were introduced to characterize the change of hydroxyl group (OH-) content. Enhanced 2.7 µm emission was achieved from Er3+-doped GCs upon excitation with a 980 nm laser diode (LD), and the influence of GeO2 concentration and heat-treated temperature on the spectroscopic properties were also discussed in detail. It is found that the present Er3+-doped GC possesses large stimulated emission cross section at around 2.7 µm (0.85 × 10-20 cm2). The advantageous spectroscopic characteristics suggest that the obtained GC may be a promising material for mid-infrared fiber lasers.

A simple and low-cost combustion method to prepare monoclinic VO2 with superior thermochromic properties.

In this approach, the VO2 nanoparticles have been successfully fabricated via combusting the low-cost precursor solution consisted of NH4VO3, C2H6O2 and C2H5OH. By the XRD, TEM and XPS analysis, it can be found that the synthetic monoclinic VO2 is single crystal and no impurity is defined. After dispersing the VO2 nanoparticles into the polymer, the solar modulation of VO2-based composite film is up to 12.5% with luminous transmission and haze around 62.2% and 0.5%, respectively. In other words, the composite films show high performance of thermochromic properties. This could open an efficient way to fabricate low-cost and large-scale VO2 (M) nanoparticles and thermochromic films.

Anisotropic vanadium dioxide sculptured thin films with superior thermochromic properties.

VO2 (M) STF through reduction of V2O5 STF was prepared. The results illustrate that V2O5 STF can be successfully obtained by oblique angle thermal evaporation technique. After annealing at 550 °C/3 min, the V2O5 STF deposited at 85° can be easily transformed into VO2 STF with slanted columnar structure and superior thermochromic properties. After deposition SiO2 antireflective layer, Tlum of VO2 STF is enhanced 26% and ΔTsol increases 60% compared with that of normal VO2 thin films. Due to the anisotropic microstructure of VO2 STF, angular selectivity transmission of VO2 STF is observed and the solar modulation ability is further improved from 7.2% to 8.7% when light is along columnar direction. Moreover, the phase transition temperature of VO2 STF can be depressed into 54.5 °C without doping. Considering the oblique incidence of sunlight on windows, VO2 STF is more beneficial for practical application as smart windows compared with normal homogenous VO2 thin films.

Anisotropic laser-induced damage threshold and residual stress of TiO2 sculptured thin films.

The residual stress and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of TiO2 sculptured thin films prepared by glancing angle electron beam evaporation were studied. UV-Vis-NIR spectra and optical interferometer were employed to characterize the optical and mechanical properties, respectively. Optical microscopy and Raman spectra were used to observe damage morphology and analyze damage microstructure, respectively. It was found that the residual stress changed from compressive into tensile with increasing deposition angle. The LIDT was anisotropic with p- and s-polarization light, which was due to the anisotropic nanostructure and optical properties. Simultaneously, an optimum deposition angle for the maximum threshold of TiO2 film was about 60 degrees. The mechanism of laser-induced damage was thermal in nature. The process of thermal damage with crystallization is proved by Raman spectra.

Necrosis degree displayed in computed tomography images correlated with hypoxia and angiogenesis in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between the degree of necrosis displayed in computed tomography (CT) image and the expression of hypoxic and angiogenesis biomarkers of breast cancer. METHODS: Forty-four breast cancer cases were examined with CT before surgery. Tumor specimen expressions of glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and CD34 (as a marker of vascular endothelial cells) were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expressions of Glut1 and CA IX were localized primarily to the edges of necrotic areas or intraduct surface; there was a strong correlation between HIF-1α-positive expression and CA IX-positive expression (P < 0.001), and higher Glut1 or CA IX expression grade was associated with lower microvessel density (MVD) value. In CT enhanced images, lower relative CT (rCT) values were associated with more significant necrosis in the tumor; rCT value correlated positively with MVD significantly (r = 0.319, P = 0.035), and higher Glut1 or CA IX expression grade correlated with lower rCT values (P = 0.001 and 0.003, respectively). Although high VEGF expression was significantly correlated with high HIF-1α expression (P < 0.001), there were no correlations between VEGF and MVD, and HIF-1α and MVD (P = 0.559 and 0.710, respectively), and the difference of the mean rCT value between high VEGF or HIF-1α expression group and low VEGF or HIF-1α expression group was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In breast cancer tissues, Glut1 and CA IX are key hypoxia biomarkers. Importantly, detection of necrosis in breast cancer tissue via CT enhanced imaging may prognosticate hypoxia and angiogenesis status and help to determine treatment plan of advanced breast cancer.

Morphology and phase control of fluorides nanocrystals activated by lanthanides with two-model luminescence properties.

The morphology, size and phase control of luminescent fluoride nanocrystals through doping has become a new research hotspot due to their improved properties. In this work, Yb(3+) ions, as one of the most efficient sensitizers for various lanthanide activators, were doped in NaGd(Y)F(4) nanocrystals. The results show that no obvious influence was observed for Yb(3+)-doped NaYF(4) nanocrystals, while the influence of Yb(3+) doping on NaGdF(4) nanocrystals was remarkable. The NaGd(1-x)Yb(x)F(4) nanocrystals were synthesized by a hydrothermal route and had a morphology of rice-like nanorods. By controlling the synthesis parameters, the average size and slenderness of the nanocrystals increased gradually with addition of Yb(3+) ions. In contrast, the NaGd(1-x)Yb(x)F(4) nanocrystals maintained a hexagonal phase, which is more beneficial for application as a luminescent host, until the content of Yb(3+) ions reached x = 0.9. The growth and transformation mechanism of NaGd(1-x)Yb(x)F(4) nanocrystals was proposed to be a result of the competition between ion diffusion and an Oswald ripening process. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra confirm the efficient up-conversion and near-infrared (NIR) two-model luminescence properties of Er(3+) (Tm(3+)) activated NaGd(Y)(1-x)Yb(x)F(4) nanocrystals. Simulated analysis results indicate that a colloidal solution of mixed luminescent nanocrystals is expected to find application as the activated medium of three dimensional displays and a broadband optical amplifier.

Photoluminescence of Ag nanoparticle embedded Tb3+/Ce3+ codoped NaYF4/PVP nanofibers prepared by electrospinning.

Ag nanoparticle embedded NaYF(4):0.05Tb.xCe/PVP (PVP stands for poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)) composite nanofibers have been prepared by electrospinning. A field emission scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction have been utilized to characterize the size, morphology and structure of the as-prepared electrospun nanofibers. Obvious photoluminescence (PL) of NaYF(4):0.05Tb.0.05Ce/PVP electrospun nanofibers due to the efficient energy transfer from Ce(3+) to Tb(3+) ions is observed. The PL intensity of the electrospun nanofibers decreases gradually with the addition of Ag nanoparticles. No obvious surface plasmon resonance enhanced luminescence is observed. The reasons for the weakening of the emission intensity with the addition of Ag nanoparticles have also been discussed in this work.

Fabrication and optical properties of Y2O3: Eu3+ nanofibers prepared by electrospinning.

Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofibers with the average diameter of ~300 nm were in situ fabricated by electrospinning. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed that the Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofibers were composed of pure body-centered cubic (bcc) Y(2)O(3) phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results indicated that Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofibers were constituted of nonspherical crystalline grains, and these crystalline grains were orderly arranged along the axial direction of single nanofiber. These Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofibers showed a partially polarized photoluminescence (PL). The arrangement of crystalline grains and the mismatch of dielectric constant between Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofiber and its environment probably contributed together to the polarized PL from Y(2)O(3): Eu(3+) nanofiber.

Optical properties and microstructure of Ta2O5 biaxial film.

This study investigates the optical properties and microstructure of Ta(2)O(5) film deposited with the glancing angle deposition technique. The tilted nanocolumn microstructure, examined with scanning electron microscopy, induces the optical anisotropy of thin film. The optical properties of thin film are characterized with an inverse synthesis method. Based on the Cauchy model, the dispersion equations of optical constants of film are determined from the transmittance spectra measured at normal and oblique incidence over 400-800 nm. The starting values derived with an envelope method quicken the optimization process greatly. The dispersion of the principal indices N(1), N(2), and N(3) and the thickness d of thin film are presented statistically. A good agreement between the measured optical properties and theoretical calculation is obtained, which validates the model established for thin film produced by glancing angle deposition.

Study on the third and second-order nonlinear optical properties of GeS(2)-Ga(2)S3-AgCl chalcohalide glasses.

Third-order optical nonlinearities, chi((3)) of GeS(2)-Ga(2)S(3)-AgCl chalcohalide glasses have been studied systematically utilizing the femtosecond time-resolved optical Kerr effect (OKE) technique at 820nm, showing that the value of chi((3)) enhances with increasing atomic ratio of (S+Cl/2)/(Ge+Ga). From the compositional dependence of glass structure by Raman spectra, a strong dependence of chi;(3) upon glass structure has been found, i.e. compared with [Cl(x)S(3-x)Ge(Ga)-Ge(Ga)S(3-x)Cl(x)] ethane-like s.u. as the structural defectiveness, [Ge(Ga)S(4-x)Cl(x)] mixed tetrahedra make greater contribution to the enhancement of chi((3)). The maximum chi(3) among the present glasses is as large as 5.26x10(-13)esu (A1 (80GeS(2)-10Ga(2)S(3-) 10AgCl)), and the nonlinear refractive index (n2) of A1 glass is also up to 4.60x10(-15) cm(2)/W. In addition, using Maker fringe technique, SHG was observed in the representative A1 glass poled by electron beam (25 kV, 25 nA, 15 min), and the second-order optical nonlinear susceptibility is estimated to be greater than 6.1 pm/V. There was no evident structural change detected in the as-prepared and after irradiated A1 glass by the Raman spectra, and maybe only electronic transition and distortion of electron cloud occurred in the glasses. The large third/second-order optical nonlinearities have made these GeS(2)-Ga(2)S(3)-AgCl chalcohalide glasses as promising materials applied in photoelectric fields.