The effects of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) on pro-atherosclerosis mechanisms.

Brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) are environmental endocrine disruptors, comprising several pollutants, which potentially affect the endocrine system and cause dysfunction and disease. Widespread BFR exposure may cause multisystem toxicity, including cardiovascular toxicity in some individuals. Studies have shown that BFRs not only increase heart rate, induce arrhythmia and cardiac hypertrophy, but also cause glycolipid metabolism disorders, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and inflammatory responses, all of which potentially induce pre-pathological changes in atherosclerosis. Experimental data indicated that BFRs disrupt gene expression or signaling pathways, which cause vascular endothelial dysfunction, lipid metabolism-related disease, inflammation, and possibly atherosclerosis. Considerable evidence now suggests that BFR exposure may be a pro-atherosclerotic risk factor. In this study, we reviewed putative BFR effects underpinning pro-atherosclerosis mechanisms, and focused on vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, abnormal lipid metabolism, pro-inflammatory cytokine production and foam cell formation. Consequently, we proposed a scientific basis for preventing atherosclerosis by BFRs and provided concepts for further research.

P-block atom modified Sn(200) surface as a promising electrocatalyst for two-electron CO2 reduction: a first-principles study.

Low activity and poor product selectivity of CO2 reduction have seriously hampered its further practical application. Introducing p-block atoms to the catalyst is regarded as a promising strategy due to the versatility of p orbitals and diversity of p-block elements. Here, we systematically studied the influence of p-block atom X (X = C, N, O, S, and Se) on CO2 catalytic properties on a Sn(200) surface by first-principles calculation. Our work shows that all the p-block atoms are relative stable with Ef in the range of -5.11 to -3.59 eV. Further calculation demonstrates that the diversity of the p-block atoms results in unique CO2 electrocatalytic activity and product selectivity. Interestingly, the p-block C atom shows bi-functional activity to form two-electron products HCOOH and CO, with the corresponding energy barriers remarkably low at about 0.19 eV and 0.28 eV. In particular, the p-block S(Se) atom appears to have striking HCOOH selectivity, with the energy barrier to form HCOOH only a quarter of that to form the CO product. This unusual behavior is mainly attributed to the adsorption strength and frontier orbital interaction between the p-block atom and intermediates. These findings can effectively provide a valuable insight into the design of highly efficient CO2 electrocatalyst.

SLC26A4 mutation in Pendred syndrome with hypokalemia: A case report.

RATIONALE: Pendred syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by sensorineural hearing loss, inner ear malformations, goiter, and abnormal organification of iodide. It is caused by mutations in SLC26A4 gene, which encodes pendrin (a transporter of chloride, bicarbonate, and iodide). Pendred syndrome is a common cause of syndromic deafness, but the metabolic abnormalities it causes are often overlooked. Here, we report the case of a patient diagnosed with Pendred syndrome with hypokalemia. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 53-year-old deaf-mute woman was hospitalized due to severe limb asthenia. The emergency examination showed that her blood potassium level was 1.8 mmol/L. DIAGNOSES: Through the genetic test, we found a mutation of SLC26A4 gene in NM_000441: c.2027T>A, p.L676Q, as well as the SLC26A4 exon 5-6 deletion. These genetic variations pointed to Pendred syndrome (an autosomal recessive disorder that mainly affects the inner ear, thyroid, and kidney) which is a common cause of syndromic deafness. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with potassium supplements and screened for the cause of hypokalemia. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged after her potassium levels rose to the normal range. LESSONS: Patients with Pendred syndrome may also have certain metabolic abnormalities; thus, more attention should be paid to them during clinical diagnosis.

Analysis of the potential role of fission yeast PP2A in spindle assembly checkpoint inactivation.

As a surveillance mechanism, the activated spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) potently inhibits the E3 ubiquitin ligase APC/C (anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome) to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. Although the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) has been proposed to be both, directly and indirectly, involved in spindle assembly checkpoint inactivation in mammalian cells, whether it is similarly operating in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomycer pombe has never been demonstrated. Here, we investigated whether fission yeast PP2A is involved in SAC silencing by following the rate of cyclin B (Cdc13) destruction at SPBs during the recovery phase in nda3-KM311 cells released from the inhibition of APC/C by the activated spindle checkpoint. The timing of the SAC inactivation is only slightly delayed when two B56 regulatory subunits (Par1 and Par2) of fission yeast PP2A are absent. Overproduction of individual PP2A subunits either globally in the nda3-KM311 arrest-and-release system or locally in the synthetic spindle checkpoint activation system only slightly suppresses the SAC silencing defects in PP1 deletion (dis2Δ) cells. Our study thus demonstrates that the fission yeast PP2A is not a key regulator actively involved in SAC inactivation.

Non-Invasive Prediction of Survival Time of Midline Glioma Patients Using Machine Learning on Multiparametric MRI Radiomics Features.

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of predicting overall survival (OS) of patients with midline glioma using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. Methods: Data of 84 patients with midline gliomas were retrospectively collected, including 40 patients with OS > 12 months (28 cases were adults, 14 cases were H3 K27M-mutation) and 44 patients with OS < 12 months (29 cases were adults, 31 cases were H3 K27M-mutation). Features were extracted from the largest slice of tumors, which were manually segmented on T2-weighted (T2w), T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2 FLAIR), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1c) images. Data were randomly divided into training (70%) and test cohorts (30%) and normalized and standardized using Z-scores. Feature dimensionality reduction was performed using the variance method and maximum relevance and minimum redundancy (mRMR) algorithm. We used the logistic regression algorithm to construct three models for T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images as well as one combined model. The test cohort was used to evaluate the models, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, areas under the curve (AUCs), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated. The nomogram of the combined model was built and evaluated using a calibration curve. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the four models. Results: A total of 1,316 features were extracted from T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images, respectively. And then the best non-redundant features were selected from the extracted features using the variance method and mRMR. Finally, five features were extracted each from T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images, and 12 features were extracted for the combined model. Four models were established using the optimal features. In the test cohort, the combined model performed the best out of all models. The AUCs of the T2w, T2 FLAIR, T1c, and combined models were 0.73, 0.78, 0.74, and 0.87, respectively, and accuracies were 0.72, 0.76, 0.72, and 0.84, respectively. The ROC curves and DCA showed that the combined model had the highest efficiency and most favorable clinical benefits. Conclusion: The combined radiomics model based on multi-parameter MRI features provided a reliable non-invasive method for the prognostic prediction of midline gliomas.

Perturbation of kinetochore function using GFP-binding protein in fission yeast.

Using genetic mutations to study protein functions in vivo is a central paradigm of modern biology. Single-domain camelid antibodies generated against GFP have been engineered as nanobodies or GFP-binding proteins (GBPs) that can bind GFP as well as some GFP variants with high affinity and selectivity. In this study, we have used GBP-mCherry fusion protein as a tool to perturb the natural functions of a few kinetochore proteins in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We found that cells simultaneously expressing GBP-mCherry and the GFP-tagged inner kinetochore protein Cnp1 are sensitive to high temperature and microtubule drug thiabendazole (TBZ). In addition, kinetochore-targeted GBP-mCherry by a few major kinetochore proteins with GFP tags causes defects in faithful chromosome segregation. Thus, this setting compromises the functions of kinetochores and renders cells to behave like conditional mutants. Our study highlights the potential of using GBP as a general tool to perturb the function of some GFP-tagged proteins in vivo with the objective of understanding their functional relevance to certain physiological processes, not only in yeasts, but also potentially in other model systems.

Metallic and porous Ti nanorod arrays for visible-IR light absorption and dendrite-free stable lithium-metal batteries.

It is still a challenging task to prepare highly porous nanorod arrays of metals formed on substrates for optical and energy storage applications. Herein, we demonstrate the design and synthesis of black color, metallic and highly porous Ti nanorod arrays as novel current collectors for dendrite-free and highly stable Li-metal anodes. The high porosity of metallic nanorod arrays provides numerous heterogeneous nucleation sites and huge contact area and large space for the accommodation of Li metal. The conductive metallic Ti nanorod arrays enhance electrode integration. Effectively, it eliminates formation Li dendrites and demonstrates superior cycling stability over 300 cycles. Additionally, the unique porous structures of the nanorod arrays can decrease the amplitude of forced vibration in narrow space leading to light absorption. Interestingly, the metal is black instead of metallic color. The black metallic nanorod arrays can absorb more than 96% of both visible and infra-red lights. This black color metallic porous nanorod arrays may find additional applications in aerospace, energy, biomedical, defence, and chemical industries.

Isobavachalcone ameliorates diabetic nephropathy in rats by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.

Isobavachalcone (ISO) exhibits good anti-inflammatory activity. We evaluated the renoprotective effects of ISO against diabetic nephropathy (DN). Diabetic rats established by the single injection of streptozotocin (STZ) were orally treated with ISO. The levels of serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and 24 hr urinary protein were measured. In this study, ISO effectively ameliorated renal damage by reducing BUN, Scr, and 24 hr urinary protein and also improved kidney pathological appearances. ISO prevented STZ-caused apoptosis in the glomerular tissue in vivo and blocked the high glucose (HG)-induced growth inhibitory effect in human renal glomerular endothelial cells in vitro. Moreover, ISO reduced pro-inflammatory mediator production and blocked the NF-κB pathway in the damaged renal tissues and HG-treated HRGEC cells. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that ISO consumption might have significant beneficial effects on the DN and this action might be correlated with the modulation of the NF-κB pathway. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: ISO is an active compound from the dried ripe fruit of Psoralea corylifolia L. seed, which is traditionally served as a food ingredient in Asia. In this investigation, we observed the beneficial effects of ISO on a murine model with DN. Further research revealed that the protective action of ISO might be connected with its weak hypoglycaemic and notable anti-inflammatory effects. Our research data suggest that ISO-enriched food might be a good choice for people suffering from DN.

Dilation of the cystic duct confluence in laparoscopic common bile duct exploration and stone extraction in patients with secondary choledocholithiasis.

BACKGROUND: Many options exist for the management of cholelithiasis and secondary choledocholithiasis. Among them, laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) with choledocotomy followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy has gained popularity. However, efforts should be made to ensure minimally invasive or noninvasive management of the common bile duct (CBD). The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical experience of non-invasive surgical modality, i.e., laparoscopic transcystic dilation of the cystic duct confluence in CBD exploration (LTD-CBDE), including feasibility, safety, adverse events, and incidence. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, 68 patients were offered the LTD-CBDE technique from December 2015 to April 2018 based on patient's own intention. During the surgery, the cystic duct confluence was dilated with separation forceps and/or a columnar dilation balloon. Subsequently, CBD exploration and stone extraction were performed with a choledochoscope. The entrance of the CBD was covered with a cystic duct stump wall and was subjected to primary closure at the end of surgery. RESULTS: Forty-nine females and 19 males with cholelithiasis and secondary choledocholithiasis were included. The mean age was 53 years old (18 to 72 year). Of these patients, 62 (91.2%) were successfully treated with the LTD-CBDE technique, and bile leakage was observed in 3 patients (4.4%). The mean operation time was 106 min, and the mean hospital stay was 5.9 days. Among the other 6 patients, 3 were converted to open cholecystectomy due to severe fibrosis, unclear anatomical structure at Calot's triangle (n = 2) or Mirizze syndrome (n = 1); LCBDE was performed in 3 patients due to cystic duct atresia (n = 2) and low level of flow from the gallbladder duct into the CBD (n = 1). These patients had a smooth postoperative course. In total, 43/68 of the patients presented no radiological evidence of retained CBD stones at the postoperative follow-up (40 patients treated with LTD-CBDE) 1 year later. CONCLUSIONS: The current work suggests that LTD-CBDE for the management of cholelithiasis and secondary choledocholithiasis is a feasible, safe and effective technique with a low complication rate. LTD-CBDE offers another alternative for surgeons to treat patients in similar scenarios. However, additional randomized, controlled studies are needed to demonstrate its efficacy, safety, and impact on CBD stenosis.

Cross talk between oxidative stress and hypoxia via thioredoxin and HIF-2α drives metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Oxidative stress and hypoxia are two opposite microenvironments involved in HCC metastasis. Thioredoxin (TXN) and hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) are typical proteins involved in these two different microenvironments, respectively. How these two factors interact to influence the fate on tumor cells remains unknown. Hypoxia facilitated HCC cells withstood oxidative stress and eventually promoted HCC cells metastasis, in which TXN and HIF-2α were mostly involved. Upregulation of TXN/HIF-2α correlated with poor HCC prognosis and promoted HCC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process was involved in TXN/HIF-2α-enhanced invasiveness of HCC cells. Additionally, the stability and activity of HIF-2α were precisely regulated by TXN via SUMOylation and acetylation, which contributed to HCC metastasis. Our data revealed that the redox protein TXN and HIF-2α are both associated with HCC metastasis, and the fine regulation of TXN on HIF-2α contributes essentially during the process of metastasis. Our study provides new insight into the interaction mechanism between hypoxia and oxidative stress and implies potential therapeutic benefits by targeting both TXN and HIF-2α in the treatment of HCC metastasis.

Impact of GFRA1 gene reactivation by DNA demethylation on prognosis of patients with metastatic colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: The expression of the membrane receptor protein GFRA1 is frequently upregulated in many cancers, which can promote cancer development by activating the classic RET-RAS-ERK and RET-RAS-PI3K-AKT pathways. Several therapeutic anti-GFRA1 antibody-drug conjugates are under development. Demethylation (or hypomethylation) of GFRA1 CpG islands (dmGFRA1) is associated with increased gene expression and metastasis risk of gastric cancer. However, it is unknown whether dmGFRA1 affects the metastasis of other cancers, including colon cancer (CC). AIM: To study whether dmGFRA1 is a driver for CC metastasis and GFRA1 is a potential therapeutic target. METHODS: CC and paired surgical margin tissue samples from 144 inpatients and normal colon mucosal biopsies from 21 noncancer patients were included in this study. The methylation status of GFRA1 islands was determined by MethyLight and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and bisulfite-sequencing. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to explore the effect of dmGFRA1 on the survival of CC patients. Impacts of GFRA1 on CC cell proliferation and migration were evaluated by a battery of biological assays in vitro and in vivo. The phosphorylation of AKT and ERK proteins was examined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of dmGFRA1 in CC, surgical margin, and normal colon tissues by MethyLight was 68.4%, 73.4%, and 35.9% (median; nonparametric test, P = 0.001 and < 0.001), respectively. Using the median value of dmGFRA1 peak area proportion as the cutoff, the proportion of dmGFRA1-high samples was much higher in poorly differentiated CC samples than in moderately or well-differentiated samples (92.3%% vs 55.8%, Chi-square test, P = 0.002) and significantly higher in CC samples with distant metastasis than in samples without (77.8% vs 46.0%, P = 0.021). The overall survival of patients with dmGFRA1-low CC was significantly longer than that of patients with dmGFRA1-high CC (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.98), especially for 89 CC patients with metastatic CC (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.41, 95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.91). These data were confirmed by the mining results from TCGA datasets. Furthermore, GFRA1 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation/invasion of RKO and HCT116 cells and the growth of RKO cells in nude mice but did not affect their migration. GFRA1 overexpression markedly increased the phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK proteins, two key molecules in two classic GFRA1 downstream pathways. CONCLUSION: GFRA1 expression is frequently reactivated by DNA demethylation in CC tissues and is significantly associated with a poor prognosis in patients with CC, especially those with metastatic CC. GFRA1 can promote the proliferation/growth of CC cells, probably by the activation of AKT and ERK pathways. GFRA1 might be a therapeutic target for CC patients, especially those with metastatic potential.

Primary hyperparathyroidism in a woman with multiple tumors: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid adenoma (PTA) is known as an adenomatous hyperparathyroidism syndrome. At earlier times, the major symptoms of this disease included high blood calcium and low phosphorus. PTA is a benign neuroendocrine neoplasm. We have reviewed the literature and found that it is rare for patients with hyperparathyroidism to have benign tumors with multiple organs at the same time. This report describes a patient with a PTA and four nonfunctional adenomas. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of primary hyperparathyroidism in a 39-year-old woman with multiple organ tumors. The patient was admitted to hospital because of hypercalcemia. Laboratory, imaging, and histological examinations confirmed a left parathyroid neoplasm. Right thyroid adenoma was discovered during hospitalization. She had a medical history of uterine fibroids, right benign mammary gland tumor, and meningioma. The patient recovered after surgical and conservative treatments. CONCLUSION: Primary hyperparathyroidism with multiple organ tumors is uncommon, and further studies should be conducted to determine if there is genetic heterogeneity.

Evaluation of dynamic stereopsis in intermittent exotropia patients.

AIM: To delineate the characteristics of the dynamic stereopsis test and analyze related parameters in intermittent exotropia [X(T)] patients. METHODS: Fifty-seven X(T) patients and 55 normal subjects were enrolled in this study. The normal and X(T) groups were used to test the reproducibility and reliability of the dynamic stereopsis test, and Bangerter filters with densities of 0.2 were then used to simulate suppression to test for traditional and dynamic stereopsis. In the X(T) group, the measurements included 1) dynamic stereopsis test comprising three parts: motion+disparity, motion only and disparity only; 2) ocular deviation angle; 3) Bagolini striated lens test; 4) disease course; and 5) Titmus stereopsis test. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the dynamic stereopsis method was 0.901 in the normal and X(T) groups, and none of the X(T) patients were able to pass the static and dynamic stereopsis tests after using the 0.2 Bangerter filter. The accuracy rate was greater than 80% in the normal group and 31.81%, 36.36%, and 45.45% for the motion+disparity, motion-only and disparity-only components of the traditional test for X(T) patients diagnosed with stereoblindness via traditional tests, respectively. Patients with a long disease course (>1y) had worse dynamic stereopsis than those with a short disease course (<1y; P<0.05, Chi-square test). The deviation angle was not correlated with the motion+disparity, disparity-only, or the motion-only test components (all P>0.05, Chi-square test). CONCLUSION: Dynamic stereopsis is preserved in certain X(T) patients diagnosed with stereoblindness via traditional tests. A long disease course was shown to be a negative factor for dynamic stereopsis in X(T) patients which might be associated with worse progression, and provide good references clinically.

Telomere Length of Circulating Cell-Free DNA and Gastric Cancer in a Chinese Population at High-Risk.

Background: Telomeres have long been found to be involved in cancer development, while little was known about the dynamic changes of telomere length in carcinogenesis process. Methods: The present study longitudinally investigated telomere alterations of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in 86 gastric cancer (GC) subjects recruited through a 16-year prospective cohort with 2-4 serums collected before each GC-diagnosis from baseline and three follow-up time-points (a total of 276 samples). As the control, 86 individual-matched cancer-free subjects were enrolled with 276 serums from the matched calendar year. Results: In the 73 pairs of baseline serums from GC and control subjects, shortened telomeres showed increased subsequent GC risk [odds ratio (OR) = 9.17, 95% CI: 2.72-31.25 for 1 unit shortening]. In each baseline gastric lesion category, higher risks of GC progression were also found with shortened cfDNA telomeres; ORs per 1 unit shortening were 6.99 (95% CI: 1.63-30.30) for mild gastric lesions, 6.06 (95% CI: 1.89-19.61) for intestinal metaplasia and 15.63 (95% CI: 1.91-125.00) for dysplasia. With all measurements from baseline and follow-up time-points, shortened telomeres also showed significant association with GC risk (OR = 7.37, 95% CI: 2.06-26.32 for 1 unit shortening). In temporal trend analysis, shortened telomeres were found in GC subjects compared to corresponding controls more than 3 years ahead of GC-diagnosis (most P < 0.05), while no significant difference was found between two groups within 3 years approaching to GC-diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that telomere shortening may be associated with gastric carcinogenesis, which supports further etiological study and potential biomarker for risk stratification.

Positive expression of ZNF689 indicates poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between zinc finger protein (ZNF) 689 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 102 paired HCC and paired non-cancerous tissues, and 16 normal liver tissues were collected. ZNF689 expression was examined in HCC tissues, paired-noncancerous tissues, and normal liver tissues using RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry analysis, and the association between ZNF689 expression and HCC prognosis was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. ZNF689 expression was not significantly different between HCC tissues and paired-noncancerous tissues (P=0.61). ZNF689 expression in HCC and paired-noncancerous tissues was significantly increased compared with that in normal liver tissues (P<0.01). Positive expression of ZNF689 protein in HCC was significantly associated with a tumor size of ≥10 cm, tumor capsule infiltration, and microvascular invasion (P<0.05). Positive expression of ZNF689 was a prognostic factor for overall survival time [hazard ratio (HR):1.961; P=0.048] and progression-free survival time (HR:1.902; P=0.041). ZNF689 maybe a novel predictor for prognosis of patients with HCC.

Functional and proteomic comparison of different techniques to produce equine anti-tetanus immunoglobulin F(ab')2 fragments.

Tetanus is still a major cause of human deaths in several developing countries. In particular, the neonatal form remains a significant public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, administration of tetanus toxoid is recommended for neonatal tetanus patients. Furthermore, tetanus antitoxin or anti-tetanus immunoglobulin (Ig) are used for mild case or intensive care. This paper discusses a novel purification technique for improving equine anti-tetanus Ig production. First, equine plasma dealt with two steps salting out with ammonium sulfate; second, ultrafiltration concentration liquid purified by one successive protein G based affinity chromatography steps; finally, the purified F(ab')2 fragments was characterized using biochemical and proteomic methods and shown to be pure and homogeneous. Compared with the original technique product, specific activity increased by 80% (about 90,000 IU/g) and recovery of F(ab')2 is approximately equal 75%. Furthermore, Proteomic profiling of total technique process is demonstrated by nano-HPLC-MS and bioinformatics analysis. New technique to produce equine anti-tetanus immunoglobulin F(ab')2 fragments from crude plasma in high quality and yield. And it also could be used for industrial amplification.

Oral and maxillofacial non-Hodgkin lymphomas: Case report with review of literature.

RATIONALE: Lymphomas take up about 14% of all head-neck malignancies, out of which 97% are non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). The clinical courses, treatment responses, and prognoses of NHLs vary with different subtypes and anatomic sites. In the Chinese population (including the Taiwanese), head-neck NHLs are often seen with the tonsils, nasal cavity, nasal sinus, and the nasopharynx. However, oral NHLs are relatively rare. Delay of diagnosis is also often seen in clinical practice. Thus, we present 4 cases with delayed diagnosis of oral maxillofacial NHLs and discuss their clinical manifestations so as to draw a clue that can remind the doctors to take biopsies in time. PATIENT CONCERNS: Four cases, including 3 males and 1 female aged between 43 and 70 years old with oral lesions (ulcerations and/or masses) and accompanying cervical lymphadenopathies and/or skin erythemas presented to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China from January 2010 to January 2015. DIAGNOSES: The diagnoses of non-Hodgkin lymphomas were made by pathology, including nasal type extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, and extranodal marginal B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue. Their clinical courses until confirmed diagnosis varied between 2 months and 1 year and the follow-up/survival time from diagnosis ranged between 2 and 24 months. None of the biopsies was taken at the patients' initial medical consultations. INTERVENTIONS: Cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) and Rituximab, CHOP (R-CHOP) regimens were given to 2 (Cases 1 and 4) and 1 patient (Case 3), respectively. One patient refused further treatment. OUTCOMES: Two patients, including the one who refused treatment, died at 2-2.5 months from diagnosis. The other two patients survived until their last follow-ups at 13 and 24 months from diagnosis, respectively. LESSONS: Oral lesions with aggressive growth patterns, multiple lymphadenopathies, and comorbid systemic skin lesions, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase and poor response to medical therapies should warn the doctors of the possibility of malignancy and the necessity of biopsy. Excisional biopsy without sacrificing organs or functions should be preserved for patients whose pathological diagnoses cannot be established through aspiration or punch biopsy.

Ammonia-Assisted Wet-Chemical Synthesis of ZnO Microrod Arrays on Substrates for Microdroplet Transfer.

It is still a challenging task to facilely grow microscale arrays on arbitrary substrates at low temperature conditions in solutions. Here, we have successfully formed ZnO microrod arrays on various substrates, including glass, gold coated glass, silicon wafer, and Teflon, by a single-step wet-chemical synthesis approach. We employ ammonia as the multifunctional reactant to modify the surface properties of the substrates and to regulate the pH of the reaction environment. Compared to other methods, no preloaded additives or seeds are required. The surface wettability of the ZnO microrod coated substrates can be tuned, achieving both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties in air. We have studied both static wettability and dynamic behaviors of droplet impact or rebound on the modified substrates. We demonstrate that it is possible to achieve micromass transfer by using the hydrophobic substrate to repel water microdroplet while using the hydrophilic substrate to capture the water microdroplets utilizing their different dynamic wettability-induced responses to water droplets. We believe that the ZnO microrod array coated substrates with different static/dynamic wettability may find many potential applications, such as antiwetting, self-cleaning, inject printing, micromass transfer and capture, biomedical diagnosis, microanalysis, and so forth.

Trash to Treasure: Waste Eggshells as Chemical Reactors for the Synthesis of Amorphous Co(OH)2 Nanorod Arrays on Various Substrates for Applications in Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries and Electrocatalysis.

Bioinspired synthesis has been attracting much attention. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to directly use waste eggshells as a reactor system for controlled synthesis of nanostructures formed on different substrates. This approach can recycle and transform the "trash" of waste eggshells into "treasure" of unique reactor systems for nanofabrication. The eggshell reactor system can provide unique conditions for the formation of nanostructures on various substrates. Using Co(OH)2 as a model, amorphous Co(OH)2 nanorod arrays, which cannot be synthesized conventionally by direct mixing of precursors, have been successfully formed on various substrates, including Ni foam, metal foil, and glass. To illustrate their potential applications, we use the as-fabricated amorphous Co(OH)2 nanorod arrays on Ni foam as (1) binder-free electrodes for rechargeable alkaline batteries, demonstrating impressively good electrochemical performances, and (2) electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction, demonstrating improved electrocatalytic performances as compared to their crystalline counterpart. We believe the idea outlined here, using eggshell reactor system, can be further expanded to synthesize many different functional materials and precursors which can find additional applications, including self-cleaning, catalysis, sensor, electrochromic devices, etc.

Altered glutamate metabolism contributes to antiepileptogenic effects in the progression from focal seizure to generalized seizure by low-frequency stimulation in the ventral hippocampus.

As a promising method for treating intractable epilepsy, the inhibitory effect of low-frequency stimulation (LFS) is well known, although its mechanisms remain unclear. Excessive levels of cerebral glutamate are considered a crucial factor for epilepsy. Therefore, we designed experiments to investigate the crucial parts of the glutamate cycle. We evaluated glutamine synthetase (GS, metabolizes glutamate), glutaminase (synthesizes glutamate), and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD, a γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA] synthetase) in different regions of the brain, including the dentate gyrus (DG), CA3, and CA1 subregions of the hippocampus, and the cortex, using western blots, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme activity assays. Additionally, the concentrations of glutamate, GABA, and glutamine (a product of GS) were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the same subregions. The results indicated that a transiently promoted glutamate cycle was closely involved in the progression from focal to generalized seizure. Low-frequency stimulation (LFS) delivered to the ventral hippocampus had an antiepileptogenic effect in rats exposed to amygdaloid-kindling stimulation. Simultaneously, LFS could partly reverse the effects of the promoted glutamate cycle, including increased GS function, accelerated glutamate-glutamine cycling, and an unbalanced glutamate/GABA ratio, all of which were induced by amygdaloid kindling in the DG when seizures progressed to stage 4. Moreover, glutamine treatment reversed the antiepileptic effect of LFS with regard to both epileptic severity and susceptibility. Our results suggest that the effects of LFS on the glutamate cycle may contribute to the antiepileptogenic role of LFS in the progression from focal to generalized seizure.