Molecular insights into the nanoconfinement effect on the structure and dynamics of ionic liquids in carbon nanotubes.

The properties and applications of ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated when they are confined within nanochannels such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The confined ILs exhibit very different properties from their bulk state due to a nanoconfinement effect, which plays an important role in the performances of devices with ILs. In this work, we studied the effect of the charge carried by CNTs on confined ILs inside CNTs using molecular dynamics simulations. In charged CNTs, cations and anions are distributed separately along the radial directions, and the transition of orientations of the cations between parallel and vertical to CNTs occurs by changing the charge state of CNTs. The number of hydrogen bonds (HBs) formed by the confined ILs can be reduced by switching the surface charge of CNTs from positive to negative due to the contact modes between cations and anions as well as the distributions of cations in CNTs. The diffusivities along and vertical to the axial direction of CNTs were found to be non-monotonic owing to the "trade-off" effect from both ion pair interlocking and anchoring ILs on the CNT walls. Additionally, the region-dependent dynamics of ILs were also related to the intermolecular interactions in different regions of CNTs. Furthermore, the vibrational modes of ILs were obviously influenced in highly charged CNTs as determined by calculating the density of vibrational states, which demonstrated the transitions in the structure and interactions. The density distributions changed from single layer to double layers when increasing the pore size of neutral CNTs while the hydrogen bonds exhibited a non-monotonic tendency versus the pore sizes. Our results might help to understand the structure and dynamics of confined ILs as well as aid optimizing the performance of devices with ILs.

Bladder duplication in the male cat: the first case report in China.

BACKGROUND: Bladder duplication is a rare congenital lower urinary tract anomaly disease characterized by the presence of two bladders, possibly with duplication of the urethra. This disease is rarely reported in cats. The clinical symptoms are commonly occult, with increased difficulty in making a definitive diagnosis, especially if there is no obvious urethral duplication. The diagnosis is typically based on radiographs and ultrasound, with computer tomography serving as a more advanced imaging diagnostic modality. Cases of duplicated bladders with accessory tubular tissues are even scarcer in both human and veterinary medicine. CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-year-old male neutered cat was brought to the hospital because of vomiting and constipation. Cystography revealed increased soft tissue density of a fusiform structure in the lower middle abdomen. The purulent-filled cavitary structure and the accessory tubular structure were removed via surgery, and histopathological examination confirmed a double bladder with attached accessory tubular tissue. After antibiotic treatment, the cat recovered uneventfully. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of bladder duplication in China and the first case of feline bladder duplication with tubular structure attachment in the world. This information will provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of similar cases in the future.

Expression of natriuretic peptide receptor-A in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and the relationship with tumor invasion and migration.

BACKGROUND: The natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPRA) has been investigated as a receptor of natriuretic peptides in the cardiovascular system. In this study, however, we analyze the expression status of NPRA and the relationship with tumor invasion in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) for the first time. METHODS: Western blots were used to examine the expression status of protein in human ESCC cell lines. Then, we used immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of NPRA in 45 ESCC specimens and 40 corresponding nontumor tissues. The clinical data were analyzed through statistical methods. Sh-RNA-NPRA was transfected into Eca109 cells to detect the relationship between NPRA and cell invasion through transwell assays. RESULTS: In esophageal squamous cells, the expression of NPRA was strongly detected in the cytoplasm, while undetectable or very weak in the nucleus. The positive rates of NPRA in cancer tissues are significantly higher than that in nontumor tissues (P<0.05). Clinicopathological analyses revealed that increased NPRA expression correlated with differentiation and TNM stage (P<0.05), while it showed no statistically significant association with age, gender, and lymph node metastasis. In analysis of prognosis, we found that highly.Transwell assays showed that NPRA promoted Eca109 cell migration and invasion in vitro and may be involved in MMP2 and MMP9 activation. CONCLUSIONS: NPRA protein is highly expressed in ESCC tissues and could promote Eca109 cell migration and invasion in vitro.

Short Term Effect of Ivermectin on the Bacterial Microbiota from Fecal Samples in Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera).

The gastrointestinal microbiota plays an important role in health of the host animals and the detrimental influence of pharmaceutical treatment on the fecal microbiota receives an increasing concern. The clinical use of ivermectin on chinchillas has not yet been evaluated. The purpose of our study was to assess the influence of ivermectin injection on the fecal bacterial microbiota of chinchillas. A with-in subject, before and after study was performed on 10 clinically healthy chinchillas during a 14-day period, all chinchillas received the same ivermectin treatment, and the microbiota from their fecal samples before and after administration were compared as two experimental groups. Fecal samples were collected on day 0 (before ivermectin administration) and day 14 (post ivermectin administration). Fecal bacterial microbiota was analyzed by bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. No clinical abnormalities were observed post subcutaneous administration of ivermectin. No significant alteration was found in the abundance and diversity of fecal bacterial microbiota after treatment, but the dominant position of some bacterial species changed. In conclusion, ivermectin administration was associated with minimal alternations of the fecal bacterial microbiota in healthy chinchillas, and these changes had no observed negative effect on general health of chinchillas in short term.

Interventions for treatment of cutaneous melanoma in horses: a structured literature review.

Several therapies have been developed to treat equine cutaneous melanoma, but formal comparisons among different treatment options are currently unavailable. It was our intent to assess the efficacy of different treatment protocols and the quality of the studies based on the original published data, and summarize the knowledge concerning the outcome after equine cutaneous melanoma management. This structured review followed PRISMA procedure to search for treatment protocols on equine cutaneous melanoma published from 1960 until June 2021. Studies were assessed for the risk of bias. A descriptive analysis was performed, considering the disease control rate, the recurrence rate of the tumor, comorbidities, need for anesthesia, and horses' welfare. Twenty-three studies were included, from which the treatment outcomes of 173 horses were assessed. The homogeneity of the included trials was low. The percentages of each treatment arm achieving a partial response and curative effects accounted for 93.1% (surgical intervention), 90% (medication), and 39.4% (immunotherapies), respectively. A variable efficacy of different therapies of equine cutaneous melanoma was observed. Surgical intervention performed the best from the perspective of local antitumor effects alone. This literature review and descriptive analysis can serve as a source to assist in designing quality therapy research and can potentially aid in providing a clinical treatment reference for equine cutaneous melanoma.