Spin-valley Rashba monolayer laser.

Direct-bandgap transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers are appealing candidates to construct atomic-scale spin-optical light sources owing to their valley-contrasting optical selection rules. Here we report on a spin-optical monolayer laser by incorporating a WS2 monolayer into a heterostructure microcavity supporting high-Q photonic spin-valley resonances. Inspired by the creation of valley pseudo-spins in monolayers, the spin-valley modes are generated from a photonic Rashba-type spin splitting of a bound state in the continuum, which gives rise to opposite spin-polarized ±K valleys due to emergent photonic spin-orbit interaction under inversion symmetry breaking. The Rashba monolayer laser shows intrinsic spin polarizations, high spatial and temporal coherence, and inherent symmetry-enabled robustness features, enabling valley coherence in the WS2 monolayer upon arbitrary pump polarizations at room temperature. Our monolayer-integrated spin-valley microcavities open avenues for further classical and non-classical coherent spin-optical light sources exploring both electron and photon spins.

CircRNA mannosidase alpha class 1A member 2 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by regulating C-C chemokine ligand 5.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common malignancy with high morbidity and mortality. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in various cancers including ESCC, the role of the circRNA mannosidase alpha class 1A member 2 (circMAN1A2) in ESCC has been rarely studied. This study aimed to explore the role of circMAN1A2 in ESCC. CircMAN1A2 expression in ESCC tissues and cells was evaluated, and the relationship between circMAN1A2 expression and prognosis in patients with ESCC was analyzed. C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) was found to be a downstream target of circMAN1A2 by analysing the Agilent Microarray. Next, we performed in vitro and in vivo xenotransplantation assays to explore the role of circMAN1A2 in ESCC. We observed that high circMAN1A2 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ESCC. Suppression of circMAN1A2 expression inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of ESCC via regulating CCL5. Our results suggest that circMAN1A2 can promote the progression of ESCC by regulating CCL5. Thus, circMAN1A2 might be a novel diagnostic biomarker of ESCC, and targeting circMAN1A2 using inhibitors could be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat ESCC.

The Impact of Customized Short Message Service on High-Risk Behaviors Among MSM in China, a Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

An individual based randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed to evaluate the impact of a customized short message service (SMS) intervention on HIV-related high-risk behaviors among Men who have sex with men (MSM). In total, 631 HIV-negative MSM were enrolled at baseline and divided into intervention and control groups randomly. Nine months later, the intervention group who received additional customized SMS intervention reported significantly lower rates of multiple partners, unclear partner infection status and condomless anal intercourse compared to the control group who received the routine intervention only. Six months post stopping the SMS intervention, the rates of unclear partner infection status and condomless anal intercourse still remained lower report in the intervention group. Our study shown that the customized SMS interventions can significantly reduce the HIV-related high-risk behaviors among MSM and with sustained effects over a period of time.

[Role of IRE1 in autophagy induced by vitamin E succinate in human gastric cancer cell].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of inositol-requiring enzyme 1(IRE1) in autophagy of human gastric cancer cells induced by vitamin E succinate(VES). METHODS: Human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into solvent control group(0.1% ethanol absolute), different doses(5, 10, 15 and 20 µg/mL) VES group, 4µ8C group, and VES + 4µ8C group. The endoplasmic reticulum stress-related molecules glucose regulated protein 78(GRP78) and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP), autophagy marker microtubule associated Protein1 light chain 3(LC3), Beclin-1, unfolded protein response branching pathway Inositol-requiring enzyme 1(IRE1), X box-binding protein 1(XBP1), c-Jun n-terminal kinase(JNK) and p-JNK were detected by Western blot in the solvent control group and different doses of VES group. IRE1 was inhibited by 4µ8C. The expressions of IRE1, XBP1, JNK, p-JNK, GRP78 and CHOP were detected by Western blot, and the expressions of LC3 and Beclin-1 were detected. RESULTS: The expression of GRP78(1.16±0.06) and CHOP(1.36±0.11) in 20 µg/mL VES group were significantly higher than those in solvent control group GRP78(0.36±0.10) and CHOP(0.48±0.05)(P<0.001). The expression of Beclin-1(1.09±0.20) and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ(1.29±0.03) in 20 µg/mL VES group were significantly higher than those in solvent control group(0.27±0.07) and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ(0.43±0.06)(P<0.001). The expression levels of IRE1(1.07±0.20), XBP1(1.33±0.07) and p-JNK/JNK(1.19±0.31) in 20 µg/mL VES group were significantly higher than those in the solvent control group(P<0.01). After IRE1 is inhibited: The expression level of IRE1(0.63±0.27), XBP1(0.74±0.09), p-JNK/JNK(0.35±0.04), GRP78(0.66±0.02), CHOP(0.51±0.02), LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ(0.72±0.01), Beclin-1(0.70±0.15) was significantly lower than that of VES group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: VES may participate in the regulation of autophagy in gastric cancer cells by upregulating IRE1 pathway.

Transformable Plasmonic Helix with Swinging Gold Nanoparticles.

Control over multiple optical elements that can be dynamically rearranged to yield substantial three-dimensional structural transformations is of great importance to realize reconfigurable plasmonic nanoarchitectures with sensitive and distinct optical feedback. In this work, we demonstrate a transformable plasmonic helix system, in which multiple gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be directly transported by DNA swingarms to target positions without undergoing consecutive stepwise movements. The swingarms allow for programmable AuNP translocations in large leaps within plasmonic nanoarchitectures, giving rise to tailored circular dichroism spectra. Our work provides an instructive bottom-up solution to building complex dynamic plasmonic systems, which can exhibit prominent optical responses through cooperative rearrangements of the constituent optical elements with high fidelity and programmability.

Comparison of different obesity indices associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus among different sex and age groups in Nantong, China: a cross-section study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the obesity index that is most closely related to type 2 diabetes remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the associations of five anthropometric indices (body mass index [BMI], body adiposity index, waist circumference [WC], waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio [WHtR]) with T2DM among Chinese adults divided into four groups according to sex and age. METHODS: A total of 4007 adult participants (1669 men and 2338 women) were included in the study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were used with binary logistic regression models to estimate the risk of T2DM for each obesity index. Furthermore, we compared the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of each obesity index for the criterion of T2DM under the influence of risk factors. RESULTS: WC had the highest OR (3.211 and 1.452) and AUC (0.783 and 0.614) in both age groups of men. However, WHtR (OR = 2.366, AUC = 0.771) and BMI (OR = 1.596, AUC = 0.647) were the optimal criteria for predicting T2DM among females in the 18-59 and ≥ 60 years age groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there is a positive association between obesity-related anthropometric indices and T2DM in different sex and age groups. WC appears to be the optimal anthropometric index for predicting T2DM in men. The optimal obesity indices related to T2DM were WHtR and BMI for women aged 18-59 and ≥ 60 years, respectively.

Comparison of different obesity indices related with hypertension among different sex and age groups in China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To compare the relationships of five obesity-related routine anthropometric indicators (body mass index (BMI), body adiposity index (BAI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)) for hypertension in both sexes and among different age groups of the Chinese population. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 12,064 adult participants (5638 males and 6426 females) were included. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were used with binary logistic regression models to estimate the risk of hypertension for each obesity index. For the males, WHtR had the highest OR value in all age groups. The degrees of correlation between hypertension and the obesity indices for different age groups were different among the females. WC, BMI, and WHtR were the highest in the 18-44, 45-59, and ≥60 years age groups, respectively. Furthermore, we compared the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of each obesity index for the criterion of hypertension under the influence of risk factors. For the males, the AUC of WHtR was the largest (0.814, 0.710, and 0.662). WC (AUC = 0.820), BMI (AUC = 0.765), and WHtR (AUC = 0.668) tended to be the best criteria for hypertension among females in the 18-44, 45-59, and ≥60 years age groups respectively. In addition, BAI, as an obesity indicator proposed in recent years, has a positive association with hypertension except in 18-44 years women, which was not stronger than other obesity indicators. CONCLUSIONS: For males, WHtR appears to be the best obesity index related with hypertension. For young, middle-aged, and elderly women, the best obesity indices related with hypertension are WC, BMI, and WHtR, respectively.

LncRNA PSMA3-AS1 promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in ovarian cancer by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway via the miR-378a-3p/GALNT3 axis.

The crucial roles of the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development of ovarian cancer (OC) have been extensively studied. According to the prediction result from the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database, high expression of lncRNA proteasome subunit α type-3 antisense RNA1 (PSMA3-AS1) is associated with the poor prognosis in patients with OC. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA PSMA3-AS1 in OC. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that PSMA3-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in OC cells and tissues. PSMA3-AS1 silencing inhibited OC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as shown by results of cell counting kit-8, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays, respectively. Additionally, PSMA3-AS1 deficiency suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, luciferase reporter and RNA pulldown assays implied that PSMA3-AS1 served as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-378a-3p to upregulate the expression of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GALNT3). GALNT3 was a target gene of miR-378a-3p in OC. Moreover, PSMA3-AS1 activated the PI3K/Akt pathway by upregulating GALNT3 expression. Overall, PSMA3-AS1 promotes OC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and xenograft tumor growth by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway via the miR-378a-3p/GALNT3 axis.

Magnesium for Dynamic Nanoplasmonics.

The key component of nanoplasmonics is metals. For a long time, gold and silver have been the metals of choice for constructing plasmonic nanodevices because of their excellent optical properties. However, these metals possess a common characteristic, i.e., their optical responses are static. The past decade has been witnessed tremendous interest in dynamic control of the optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures. To enable dynamic functionality, several approaches have been proposed and implemented. For instance, plasmonic nanostructures can be fabricated on stretchable substrates or on programmable templates so that the interactions between the constituent metal nanoparticles and therefore the optical responses of the plasmonic systems can be dynamically changed. Also, plasmonic nanostructures can be embedded in tunable dielectric materials, taking advantage of the sensitive dependence of the localized surface plasmon resonances on the neighboring environment. Another approach, which is probably the most intriguing one, is to directly regulate the carrier densities and dielectric functions of the metals themselves. In this Account, we discuss a relatively new metal in nanoplasmonics, magnesium, and its important role in the development of dynamic plasmonic nanodevices at visible frequencies. We first elucidate the basic optical properties of Mg and compare it with conventional plasmonic materials such as Au, Ag, and others. Then we describe a unique characteristic of Mg, i.e., its reversible phase transitions between the metallic state and a dielectric state, magnesium hydride, through hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. This sets the basis for Mg in dynamic nanoplasmonics. In particular, the structural properties and dielectric functions of the two distinct states are discussed in detail. Subsequently, we highlight the experimental investigations of the physical mechanisms and nanoscale understanding of Mg nanoparticles during hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. We then introduce a plethora of newly developed Mg-based dynamic optical nanodevices for applications in plasmonic chirality switching, dynamic color displays with Mg nanoparticles and films, and dynamic metasurfaces for ultrathin and flat optical elements. We also outline strategies to enhance the stability, reversibility, and durability of Mg-based nanodevices. Finally, we end this Account by outlining the remaining challenges, possible solutions, and promising applications in the field of Mg-based dynamic nanoplasmonics. We envision that Mg-based dynamic nanoplasmonics will not only provide insights into understanding the catalytic processes of hydrogen diffusion in metals by optical means but also will open an avenue toward functional plasmonic nanodevices with tailored optical properties for real-world applications.

Dynamic Plasmonic System That Responds to Thermal and Aptamer-Target Regulations.

The DNA origami technique has empowered a new paradigm in plasmonics for manipulating light and matter at the nanoscale. This interdisciplinary field has witnessed vigorous growth, outlining a viable route to construct advanced plasmonic architectures with tailored optical properties. However, so far plasmonic systems templated by DNA origami have been restricted to respond to only single stimuli. Despite broad interest and scientific importance, thermal and aptamer-target regulations have not yet been widely utilized to reconfigure three-dimensional plasmonic architectures. In this Letter, we demonstrate a chiral plasmonic nanosystem integrated with split aptamers, which can respond to both thermal and aptamer-target regulations. We show that our dual-responsive system can be noninvasively tuned in a wide range of temperatures, readily correlating thermal control with optical signal changes. Meanwhile, our system can detect specific targets including adenosine triphosphate and cocaine molecules, which further enhance the optical response modulations and in turn influence the thermal tunability.

DNA-Nanotechnology-Enabled Chiral Plasmonics: From Static to Dynamic.

The development of DNA nanotechnology, especially the advent of DNA origami, has made DNA ideally suited to construct nanostructures with unprecedented complexity and arbitrariness. As a fully addressable platform, DNA origami can be used to organize discrete entities in space through DNA hybridization with nanometer accuracy. Among a variety of functionalized particles, metal nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) feature an important pathway to endow DNA-origami-assembled nanostructures with tailored optical functionalities. When metal particles are placed in close proximity, their particle plasmons, i.e., collective oscillations of conduction electrons, can be coupled together, giving rise to a wealth of interesting optical phenomena. Nevertheless, characterization methods that can read out the optical responses from plasmonic nanostructures composed of small metal particles, and especially can optically distinguish in situ their minute conformation changes, are very few. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy has proven to be a successful means to overcome these challenges because of its high sensitivity in discrimination of three-dimensional conformation changes. In this Account, we discuss a variety of static and dynamic chiral plasmonic nanostructures enabled by DNA nanotechnology. In the category of static plasmonic systems, we first show chiral plasmonic nanostructures based on spherical AuNPs, including plasmonic helices, toroids, and tetramers. To enhance the CD responses, anisotropic gold nanorods with larger extinction coefficients are utilized to create chiral plasmonic crosses and helical superstructures. Next, we highlight the inevitable evolution from static to dynamic plasmonic systems along with the fast development of this interdisciplinary field. Several dynamic plasmonic systems are reviewed according to their working mechanisms. We first elucidate a reconfigurable plasmonic cross structure that can execute DNA-regulated conformational changes on the nanoscale. Hosted by a reconfigurable DNA origami template, the plasmonic cross can be switched between a chiral locked state and an achiral relaxed state through toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions. This reconfigurable nanostructure can also be modified in response to light stimuli, leading to a noninvasive, waste-free, and all-optically controlled system. Taking one step further, we show that selective manipulations of individual structural species coexisting in one ensemble can be achieved using pH tuning of reconfigurable plasmonic nanostructures in a programmable manner. Finally, we describe an alternative to achieving dynamic plasmonic systems by driving AuNPs directly on origami. Such plasmonic walkers, inspired by the biological molecular motors in living cells, can generate dynamic CD responses when carrying out directional, progressive, and reverse nanoscale walking on DNA origami. We envision that the combination of DNA nanotechnology and plasmonics will open an avenue toward a new generation of functional plasmonic systems with tailored optical properties and useful applications, including polarization conversion devices, biomolecular sensing, surface-enhanced Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy, and diffraction-limited optics.

Levels of serum bilirubin in small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Elevated bilirubin has been associated with protection of cardiovascular and kidney systems, whereas decreased bilirubin may predispose respiratory diseases. However, whether serum bilirubin levels are associated with lung cancer remains unclear. Here, clinical and pathologic data of a cohort of 363 lung cancer patients along with 363 age-and gender-matched healthy subjects were collected. The association of serum bilirubin levels with lung cancer was analyzed. The levels of serum bilirubin were significantly lower in lung cancer patients. The aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly higher in lung cancer. Multi-classification logistics regression analysis revealed low total bilirubin level [OR (95%CI), 1.12 (1.02-1.23)], aspartate transaminase [OR (95%CI), 1.12 (1.02-1.23)], and alanine transaminase [OR (95%CI), 1.12 (1.02-1.23)] were risk factors in lung cancer. Serum bilirubin levels were significantly changed among small cell lung cancer (SCLC), lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSC). Total bilirubin level, smoke history and heart disease were risk factors for subtypes. Compared with LSC, patients with smoke history had significant higher risk in LAC [OR (95% Confidence Interval, CI), 4.49 (1.70, 11.96)]. Compared with LSC, patients with smoke history [OR (95%CI), 4.49 (1.70, 11.96)] and heart disease [OR (95%CI), 4.49 (1.70, 11.96)] had significant higher risk in SCLC. Compared with SCLC, patients with low total bilirubin [OR (95%CI), 1.12 (1.02-1.23)] and heart disease [OR (95%CI), 3.52 (1.01-12.23)] had significant higher risk in LAC. Taken together, these results suggested low serum bilirubin levels are tightly associated with lung cancer, especially with LAC. Serum bilirubin levels might serve as a predictor for lung cancer patients clinically.

Dynamic Color Displays Using Stepwise Cavity Resonators.

High-resolution multicolor printing based on pixelated optical nanostructures is of great importance for promoting advances in color display science. So far, most of the work in this field has been focused on achieving static colors, limiting many potential applications. This inevitably calls for the development of dynamic color displays with advanced and innovative functionalities. In this Letter, we demonstrate a novel dynamic color printing scheme using magnesium-based pixelated Fabry-Pérot cavities by gray scale nanolithography. With controlled hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, magnesium undergoes unique metal and dielectric transitions, enabling distinct blank and color states from the pixelated Fabry-Pérot resonators. Following such a scheme, we first demonstrate dynamic Ishihara plates, in which the encrypted images can only be read out using hydrogen as information decoding key. We also demonstrate a new type of dynamic color generation, which enables fascinating transformations between black/white printing and color printing with fine tonal tuning. Our work will find wide-ranging applications in full-color printing and displays, colorimetric sensing, information encryption and anticounterfeiting.

Hydrogen-Regulated Chiral Nanoplasmonics.

Chirality is a highly important topic in modern chemistry, given the dramatically different pharmacological effects that enantiomers can have on the body. Chirality of natural molecules can be controlled by reconfiguration of molecular structures through external stimuli. Despite the rapid progress in plasmonics, active regulation of plasmonic chirality, particularly in the visible spectral range, still faces significant challenges. In this Letter, we demonstrate a new class of hybrid plasmonic metamolecules composed of magnesium and gold nanoparticles. The plasmonic chirality from such plasmonic metamolecules can be dynamically controlled by hydrogen in real time without introducing macroscopic structural reconfiguration. We experimentally investigate the switching dynamics of the hydrogen-regulated chiroptical response in the visible spectral range using circular dichroism spectroscopy. In addition, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy is used to examine the morphology changes of the magnesium particles through hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes. Our study can enable plasmonic chiral platforms for a variety of gas detection schemes by exploiting the high sensitivity of circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Plasmonic Toroidal Metamolecules Assembled by DNA Origami.

We show hierarchical assembly of plasmonic toroidal metamolecules that exhibit tailored optical activity in the visible spectral range. Each metamolecule consists of four identical origami-templated helical building blocks. Such toroidal metamolecules show a stronger chiroptical response than monomers and dimers of the helical building blocks. Enantiomers of the plasmonic structures yield opposite circular dichroism spectra. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical simulations. We also show that given the circular symmetry of the structures s distinct chiroptical response along their axial orientation can be uncovered via simple spin-coating of the metamolecules on substrates. Our work provides a new strategy to create plasmonic chiral platforms with sophisticated nanoscale architectures for potential applications such as chiral sensing using chemically based assembly systems.

Correlation of IL-27 genetic polymorphisms with the risk and survival of cervical cancer in a Chinese Han population.

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) has been recognized as a pleiotropic cytokine with both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. However, there are no data about the role of IL-27 polymorphism in the development of cervical cancer. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in 380 patients with cervical cancer and 380 healthy controls to investigate the possible associations of IL-27 gene polymorphisms (-964A/G, 2905T/G, and 4730T/C), with susceptibility to cervical cancer and clinical outcome. Our results suggested that the IL-27 2905T/G was significantly associated with a decreased risk of cervical cancer (TG vs. TT, odds ratio (OR) = 0.77; 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.60-0.86; GG vs. TT, OR = 0.95; 95 % CI = 0.72-0.96; TG+GG vs. TT, OR = 0.87; 95 % CI = 0.65-0.94). However, the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-27 (-964A/G and 4730T/C) polymorphisms in cervical cancer patients were not significantly different from controls. Further analysis showed IL-27 2905T/G genotypes were associated with advanced tumor stages of cervical cancer patients. More interestingly, the IL-27 2905T/G genotypes were statistically significantly associated with the survival in cervical cancer patients. Our results showed that the IL-27 2905T/G genotypes were associated with decreased susceptibility and development of cervical cancer in Chinese Han population.

Optically Resolving the Dynamic Walking of a Plasmonic Walker Couple.

Deterministic placement and dynamic manipulation of individual plasmonic nanoparticles with nanoscale precision feature an important step toward active nanoplasmonic devices with prescribed levels of performance and functionalities at optical frequencies. In this Letter, we demonstrate a plasmonic walker couple system, in which two gold nanorod walkers can independently or simultaneously perform stepwise walking powered by DNA hybridization along the same DNA origami track. We utilize optical spectroscopy to resolve such dynamic walking with nanoscale steps well below the optical diffraction limit. We also show that the number of walkers and the optical response of the system can be correlated. Our studies exemplify the power of plasmonics, when integrated with DNA nanotechnology for realization of advanced artificial nanomachinery with tailored optical functionalities.

Exploring the immune landscape and drug prediction of an M2 tumor-associated macrophage-related gene signature in EGFR-negative lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Improving immunotherapy efficacy for EGFR-negative lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients remains a critical challenge, and the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy is largely determined by the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the top-ranked immune infiltrating cells in the TME, and M2-TAMs exert potent roles in tumor promotion and chemotherapy resistance. An M2-TAM-based prognostic signature was constructed by integrative analysis of single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and bulk RNA-seq data to reveal the immune landscape and select drugs in EGFR-negative LUAD. METHODS: M2-TAM-based biomarkers were obtained from the intersection of bulk RNA-seq data and scRNA-seq data. After consensus clustering of EGFR-negative LUAD into different clusters based on M2-TAM-based genes, we compared the prognosis, clinical features, estimate scores, immune infiltration, and checkpoint genes among the clusters. Next, we combined univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses to establish an M2-TAM-based prognostic signature. RESULTS: CCL20, HLA-DMA, HLA-DRB5, KLF4, and TMSB4X were verified as prognostic M2-like TAM-related genes by univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses. IPS and TMB analyses revealed that the high-risk group responded better to common immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: The study shows the potential of the M2-like TAM-related gene signature in EGFR-negative LUAD, explores the immune landscape based on M2-like TAM-related genes, and predict immunotherapy response of patients with EGFR-negative LUAD, providing a new insight for individualized treatment.

Pt and black phosphorus co-modified flower-like WS2 composites for fast NO2 gas detection at low temperature.

Incomplete recovery, baseline drift, and a long response time have been impeding the practical applications of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)-based gas sensors. Here, we report WS2 sensors with significantly improved gas recovery, rapid response, and negligible baseline drift by the incorporation of black phosphorus (BP) as well as the decoration of Pt to detect NO2 for the first time. Compared to bare WS2, the BP-WS2 sensors show higher sensitivity, better repeatability, and more excellent selectivity towards NO2 at the optimal operating temperature of 50 °C. Furthermore, the optimized 30%BP-WS2/Pt sensors exhibit a continuous enhancement in the recovery level and sensitivity with negligible baseline drift. The 30%BP-WS2/Pt sensor also exhibits a shorter response time of 28 s than 49.5 s for its counterpart WS2 sensor towards 32 ppm NO2. The enhanced sensing properties are primarily due to the combined effects of more adsorption sites provided by BP, the spill-over effect of Pt catalysis, and the WS2/BP heterostructure. Therefore, the Pt-decorated 30%BP-WS2 sensor exhibits prominent gas-sensing properties of high gas sensitivity, a low detection limit of 100 ppb, good selectivity, and fast response. Our strategy provides a new route for designing and optimizing TMD-based gas sensors with excellent gas-sensing performance.

Comprehensive expression, prognostic and validation analysis of necroptosis-related lncRNAs in esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that necroptosis-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) risk models can be used to predict prognosis and immune infiltration in patients with esophageal cancer. However, further analysis of the regulatory mechanisms of necroptosis-related lncRNAs used in risk models remains to be conducted. The purpose of the present study was to identify valuable necroptosis-related lncRNAs in esophageal cancer and to verify their molecular and cellular functions. METHODS: Esophageal cancer data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The expression of eight genes (LINC00299, AC090912.2, AC244197.2, AL158166.1, AC079684.1, AP003696.1, AC079684.1 and AP003696.1) in the necroptosis-related lncRNA risk model, their relationships with clinicopathological stage, and their diagnostic receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed. The prognostic value of these lncRNAs for overall survival (OS) and disease specific survival (DSS) was analyzed, and time-dependent ROC curves were generated. The AP003696.1 target gene (lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1) was further investigated through immune infiltration analysis, Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (GO/KEGG) enrichment analyses, and gene coexpression analysis. Finally, in vitro functional assays based on lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1 were conducted to explore its regulatory role in esophageal cancer. RESULTS: A bioinformatics approach was used to study the eight genes in the necroptosis-related lncRNA risk model. AP003696.1 (lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1) was highly expressed in esophageal cancer tissues, and its high expression was correlated with poor OS and DFdS. Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1 is an independent prognostic factor. The lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1 gene was demonstrated to play a definite role in the invasion of esophageal cancer immune cells and in signaling pathways in these cells. In vitro cell functional assays revealed that lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1 expression was elevated in the KYSE150 and KYSE410 esophageal cancer cell lines. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of lncRNA ENSG00000253385.1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells, as well as promoted their apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The ENSG00000253385.1 gene may be a key gene in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of esophageal cancer. These findings provide new ideas and references for the screening of therapeutic targets, as well as the development of targeted drugs, for esophageal cancer treatment.