Lunar rock investigation and tri-aspect characterization of lunar farside regolith by a digital twin.

Yutu-2 rover conducted an exciting expedition on the 41st lunar day to investigate a fin-shaped rock at Longji site (45.44°S, 177.56°E) by extending its locomotion margin on perilous peaks. The varied locomotion encountered, especially multi-form wheel slippage, during the journey to the target rock, established unique conditions for a fin-grained lunar regolith analysis regarding bearing, shear and lateral properties based on terramechanics. Here, we show a tri-aspect characterization of lunar regolith and infer the rock's origin using a digital twin. We estimate internal friction angle within 21.5°-42.0° and associated cohesion of 520-3154 Pa in the Chang'E-4 operational site. These findings suggest shear characteristics similar to Apollo 12 mission samples but notably higher cohesion compared to regolith investigated on most nearside lunar missions. We estimate external friction angle in lateral properties to be within 8.3°-16.5°, which fills the gaps of the lateral property estimation of the lunar farside regolith and serves as a foundational parameter for subsequent engineering verifications. Our in-situ spectral investigations of the target rock unveil its composition of iron/magnesium-rich low-calcium pyroxene, linking it to the Zhinyu crater (45.34°S, 176.15°E) ejecta. Our results indicate that the combination of in-situ measurements with robotics technology in planetary exploration reveal the possibility of additional source regions contributing to the local materials at the Chang'E-4 site, implying a more complicated geological history in the vicinity.

MiR-378a-5p exerts a radiosensitizing effect on CRC through LRP8/ß-catenin axis.

BACKGROUND: MiRNAs are closely related to tumor radiosensitivity. MiR-378a-5p level is down-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, this study intends to explore the role of miR-378a-5p in CRC, especially radiosensitivity. METHODS: The expression of miR-378a-5p was analyzed in CRC samples. CRC cell lines were treated with different doses of X-rays. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expressions and binding relationship of miR-378a-5p and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8). MiR-378a-5p inhibitor or/and siLRP8 were transfected into CRC cells with or without irradiation. Subsequently, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry and in vivo experiments including tumorigenesis assay, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to clarify the role of miR-378a-5p/LRP8 axis in the radiosensitivity of CRC. RESULTS: The down-regulated expression of miR-378a-5p in CRC is related to histological differentiation and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. After irradiation, the survival fraction of CRC cells was decreased, while the apoptotic rate and the level of miR-378a-5p were increased. Restrained miR-378a-5p repressed apoptosis and apoptosis-related protein expressions, yet promoted the proliferation and the radioresistance of cells by regulating ß-catenin in CRC cells. LRP8 was highly expressed in CRC, and targeted by miR-378a-5p. SiLRP8 improved radiosensitivity and reversed the effect of miR-378a-5p down-regulation on CRC cells. Overexpressed miR-378a-5p and irradiation enhanced the level of miR-378a-5p, yet suppressed the expressions of Ki67 and LRP8 as well as tumorigenesis. CONCLUSION: MiR-378a-5p may exert a radiosensitizing effect on CRC through the LRP8/ß-catenin axis, which may be a new therapeutic target for CRC radioresistance.

Stable Harsh-Temperature Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by Tailoring Solvation Structure in Ether Electrolytes.

For lithium metal batteries (LMBs), the elevated operating temperature results in severe capacity fading and safety issues due to unstable electrode-electrolyte interphases and electrolyte solvation structures. Therefore, it is crucial to construct advanced electrolytes capable of tolerating harsh environments to ensure stable LMBs. Here, we proposed a stable localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE) by introducing the highly solvating power solvent diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DGDME). Computational and experimental evidence discloses that the original DGDME-LHCE shows favorable features for high-temperature LMBs, including high Li+-binding stability, electro-oxidation resistance, thermal stability, and nonflammability. The tailored solvated sheath structure achieves the preferred decomposition of anions, inducing the stable (cathode and Li anode)/interphases simultaneously, which enables a homogeneous Li plating-stripping behavior on the anode side and a high-voltage tolerance on the cathode side. For the Li||Li cells coupled with DGDME-LHCE, they showcase outstanding reversibility (a long lifespan of exceeding 1900 h). We demonstrate exceptional cyclic stability (∼95.59%, 250 cycles), high Coulombic efficiency (>99.88%), and impressive high-voltage (4.5 V) and high-temperature (60 °C) performances in Li||NCM523 cells using DGDME-LHCE. Our advances shed light on an encouraging ether electrolyte tactic for the Li-metal batteries confronted with stringent high-temperature challenges.

Electrically tunable polarization independent liquid crystal lenses based on orthogonally anisotropic orientations on adjacent micro-domains.

Polarization dependency is an intrinsic property of liquid crystals (LC) devices but major problem is optical efficiency. We demonstrated a polarization independent liquid crystal phase modulation based on the orthogonal nematic LC (OLC) mode wherein the optics axes of nematic liquid crystal molecules are set orthogonally to adjacent sub-domains for the first time. Such an OLC mode includes sub-domain with anisotropic orientations but collectively presents a capability of a polarizer-free optical phase modulation. An OLC mode cell provides a tunable optical phase of ∼3.35π radians for unpolarized light and different linearly polarized light. Among the polarizer-free LC mode, the proposed OLC mode is single-layered with large tunable optical phase. We also demonstrated a polarizer-free LC micro-lens. We expect this novel LC mode provide alternatives technology roadmap for upcoming optical applications, such as electrically tunable ophthalmic lenses and optical systems for augmented reality.

Erratum: Clinical and biological effects of tumor associated lymphocytes in the presence or absence of chemotherapy for malignant ascites in ovarian cancer patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.6635.].

Stomatin-like protein 2 inhibits cisplatin-induced apoptosis through MEK/ERK signaling and the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in cervical cancer cells.

Stomatin-like protein 2 (STOML2 or SLP-2) is an oncogenic anti-apoptotic protein that is upregulated in several types of cancer, including cervical cancer. However, the mechanisms responsible for the SLP-2 anti-apoptotic function remain poorly understood. Here, we show that siRNA-mediated SLP-2 suppression decreases growth of human cervical cancer HELA and SIHA cells, and increases cisplatin-induced apoptosis through activation of MEK/ERK signaling and suppression of the mitochondrial pathway. The inhibition of the mitochondrial pathway is mediated by increasing the mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration and mitochondrial membrane potential, thereby downregulating p-MEK and p-ERK levels, upregulating the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, increasing cytochrome C release from mitochondria into the cytosol, and upregulating levels of cleaved-caspase 9, cleaved-caspase 3, and cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). Overexpression of SLP-2 using adenovirus-STOML2 has the opposite effect: it upregulates p-MEK and p-ERK and downregulates the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and levels of cleaved-caspase 9 to caspase 9, cleaved-caspase 3 to caspase 3, and cleaved-PARP to PARP in cisplatin-treated cells. These data show that SLP-2 inhibits cisplatin-induced apoptosis by activating the MEK/ERK signaling and inhibiting the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in cervical cancer cells.

[Silencing of SLP-2 inhibits the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of SLP-2 silencing on the migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cells and explore the mechanism. METHODS: Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knockdown the expression of SLP-2 in Hela cells and Siha cells. At 48 h after the transfection, the cells were examined for SLP-2 expression with Western blotting, and wound healing assay and Transwell assay were used to evaluate the changes in the cell migration; Matrigel Transwell assay was used to evaluate the changes in the invasion ability of the cells. The expressions of E-cadherin, ß-catenin, vimentin and Twist in Hela and Siha cells following the transfection were detected with Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the control cells, siRNA transfection significantly lowered the expression of SLP-2 and suppressed the migration and invasion ability of Hela cells and Siha cells (P < 0.01). Silencing SLP-2 induced obvious up-regulation of epithelial cell phenotype proteins E-cadherin and ß-catenin, down- regulated the expression of interstitial cell phenotype protein vimentin, and lowered the expression of Twist in the cells. CONCLUSIONS: Silencing SLP-2 via siRNA transfection can inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human cervical cancer cells and lower their migration and invasion abilities possibly in relation with downregulated expression of Twist.

Clinical and biological effects of tumor-associated lymphocytes in the presence or absence of chemotherapy for malignant ascites in ovarian cancer patients.

Tumor-associated lymphocytes (TALs) have been successfully isolated from ascites and solid tumors, however the clinical use of TALs in treating ovarian cancer (OC) has not yet been reported. The present study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of TALs in the presence or absence of chemotherapy in OC patients with malignant ascites (MA). A total of 32 patients were enrolled in this study. A total of 8 patients received treatment with TALs alone (TALs group), 11 patients received combined treatment of TALs and chemotherapy (combination group) and 13 patients received chemotherapy alone (chemotherapy group). The endpoints included Karnofsky performance status (KPS), ascites-associated symptoms (AAS), time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS). Compared with the TALs and chemotherapy group, the KPS and AAS in the combination group significantly improved following treatment. Patients in the TALs group (37.5%) and chemotherapy group (53.8%) achieved significantly fewer objective response rates of ascites compared with those in the combination group (90.9%). Furthermore, combination therapy significantly extended TTP (13 months) compared with TALs alone (1 month, P<0.001), and chemotherapy alone (6 months, P=0.027). Similar results were observed for OS between the combination group and the TALs group (25 vs. 7 months, P<0.001). The present study therefore demonstrates that combined therapy of TALs and chemotherapy is safe, feasible, and more effective than chemotherapy or TALs alone in controlling MA and improving the quality of life for OC patients.

Hypoxia and TGF-ß1 induced PLOD2 expression improve the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells by promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and focal adhesion formation.

BACKGROUND: Intra-tumoral hypoxia and increases in extracellular level of transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), which are common findings in cancer, are associated with an increased risk of metastasis and mortality. Moreover, metastasis is the leading cause of death of patients with cervical cancer. PLOD2 is an intracellular enzyme required for the biogenesis of collagen and its expression can be induced by hypoxia and TGF-ß1. Specifically, PLOD2 is up-regulated in several types of cancer, including cervical cancer, and is associated with cancer metastasis. Thus, in this research, we aimed to investigate the role of PLOD2 in the motility of cervical cancer cells and to show the molecular mechanism underlying this effect. METHODS: siRNA was used to knockdown PLOD2 in the cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa. The ability of cells to migrate and invade, their adhesion to type I collagen, and their capacity for epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (ΕΜΤ) and focal adhesion formation were analyzed. Gene expression changes were validated by qRT-PCR, Western blotting and Immunocytochemistry. The morphological status of cells was examined using phalloidin staining. Differences in PLOD2 expression among patients with cervical cancer were identified by referring to public databases, including Oncomine and TCGA. RESULTS: Hypoxia and TGF-ß1 enhanced the expression of PLOD2 in HeLa and SiHa cells, and knockdown of PLOD2 inhibited cell motility and EMT. Moreover, the depletion of PLOD2 attenuated hypoxia-mediated cell migration and invasion and inhibited TGF-ß1-induced phenotypic EMT-like changes by preventing ß-catenin from entering the nucleus. In addition, PLOD2 depletion decreased cell adhesion to extracellular collagen by inhibiting the formation of focal adhesions. Moreover, a database analysis showed that PLOD2 expression is associated with human cervical cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results indicated that hypoxia- and TGF-ß1-induced PLOD2 expression promotes the migratory, invasive and adhesive capacities of cervical cancer cells by participating in TGF-ß1 induced EMT and the formation of focal adhesions.

[Overexpression of STOML-2 inhibits apoptosis of human cervical squamous carcinoma Siha cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of STOML-2 overexpression on apoptosis of human cervical squamous carcinoma Siha cells. METHODS: Siha cells were transfected with an adenoviral vector carrying STOML-2, and 72 h later STOML-2 expression and the proliferation of the cells were detected by Western blotting and MTT assay. The transfected cells were treated with IC50 Cisplatin for 24 h, and the morphological changes of cells were observed using fluorescence, and the cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytomerty; the expression levels of proteins related with mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, including caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax and cytochrome C (Cyt C), were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: Western blotting showed a significantly increased STOML-2 expression in the transfected cells. Overexpression of STOML-2 obviously promoted the proliferation of Siha cells. The STOML-2-overexpressing cells exhibited an obvious resistance to IC50 Cisplatin-induced apoptosis as shown by both fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry and presented with decreased expressions of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and cytosol Cyt C and increased expressions of caspase-3, Bcl-2, and mitochondrial Cyt C. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of STOML-2 can enhance the proliferation of Siha cells by inhibiting cell apoptosis possibly through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

Preoperative platelet/lymphocyte ratio is a superior prognostic factor compared to other systemic inflammatory response markers in ovarian cancer patients.

The aim of the present study was to determine the most meaningful preoperative prognostic factor of cancer-related death in ovarian cancer patients by comparing potentially prognostic systemic inflammatory response (SIR) markers. The levels of fibrinogen, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were evaluated in 190 ovarian cancer patients to identify predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using univariate and multivariate analyses. Patients with a PLR >203 had a shorter PFS and OS than the patients in PLR ≤203 group (11 vs. 24 months and 28 vs. 64 months). Univariate analyses revealed that tumor stage, postoperative residual tumor mass, ascites, and the levels of all SIR markers were associated with PFS and OS. Multivariate analysis revealed that PLR was independently associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.852, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.271-2.697, P = 0.001) and OS (HR 2.158, 95%CI 1.468-3.171, P < 0.001), as well as tumor stage and postoperative residual tumor mass. In contrast, fibrinogen remained significant only for PFS (HR 1.724, 95%CI 1.197-2.482, P = 0.003). Patients with a PLR >203 were more prone to have advanced tumor stage (P = 0.002), postoperative residual tumor mass >2 cm (P = 0.032), malignant ascites (P < 0.001), and all the other elevated SIR markers (P < 0.001). Preoperative PLR is superior to other SIR markers (CA-125, NLR, fibrinogen, CRP, and albumin) as a predictor of survival in ovarian cancer patients.

[The efficacy of biological dressing containing calcium and magnesium on the management of hydrofluoric acid burns].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy of biological dressing containing calcium and magnesia (sheep dermis absorbing calcium and magnesia and cross-link with glutaraldehyde) on the management of hydrofluoric acid burns in rats and patients. METHODS: Wistar rats were randomly divided into A ( n = 24, normal control, with isotonic saline dressing after burns), B ( n = 32, with isotonic saline dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns), C ( n = 32, with wet-dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns), and D ( n = 32, with biological dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns) groups. The rats in the latter 3 groups were inflicted with 3 cm x 3 cm TBSA full-thickness burns, and mortality, concentration of blood calcium , histopathological observation were carried out at 4,8,24 and 72 postburn hours (PBH), with 8 rats at each time-points. In addition, 46 patients with hydrofluoric acid burns were divided into E (with wet-dressing treatment) and F (with biological dressing treatment) groups to compare the curative effect. RESULTS: The mortality in A,B,C,D groups were 0,31.2% ,15. 6% ,6. 2% , respectively. The wound in B group was deepened gradually after burns, but that in D group was slighter when compared with that in C group. The concentration of blood calcium in A group was higher than that in B, C and D groups at each time-points, and that in D groups was higher than that in B and C groups. The concentration of blood calcium in D group at 8 and 24 PBH were [(2.215 +/-0.008) ,(2.216 +/-0.008) mmol/L], which were obviously higher than those in B [(1.813 +/-0.017),(1.912 +/-0.013)mmol/L l] and C [(2.015 +/-0.006), (2.018 +/-0. 010)mmol/L] groups, (P <0. 01). The clinical outcome in E group was much better than that in F group. CONCLUSION: Biological dressing containing calcium and magnesium can be applied in the emergency management and following treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns.