Identification of P3H1 as a Predictive Prognostic Biomarker for Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas Database.

Purpose: The extracellular matrix in the tumor microenvironment are closely related to the development of tumors. This study's primary aim is to study the association between prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1) which mainly expresses collagen in extracellular matrix and the progression and prognosis of bladder cancer (BC). Methods: The clinical and transcriptome data were acquired from the cancer genome atlas database. BLCAsubtyping is used to evaluate tissue subtypes of BC. The COX proportional hazards can be used to evaluate the survival process's influencing factors. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify differences in the expression of P3H1 in cancer and paired adjacent tissues. GSEA was used to investigate the underlying biological processes. Finally, ssGSEA, TIMER and pRRophetic were used to study the relationship between P3H1 and immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity. Results: The expression of P3H1 was substantially higher in highly invasive BC samples than in low invasive BC. P3H1 was an independent predictor of overall survival (HR = 1.12, p = 0.03). P3H1 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues than adjacent normal tissues in clinical tissue samples, and was significantly higher in highly stage cancer than low stage cancer samples. Samples with high P3H1 expression had a higher level of immune cell infiltration and immune function, as well as a significant correlation with macrophage and dendritic cell infiltration and TGF-beta, Th1 cells, and macrophage regulation (cor >0.3, p <0.05). P3H1 high expression samples were substantially more sensitive to docetaxel, cisplatin, vinblastine, camptothecin, paclitaxel, and other medicines than P3H1 low expression samples. Discussion: P3H1 is a possible oncogene and an independent predictor of poor prognosis in BC; it also has enhanced sensitivity to docetaxel, cisplatin, vinblastine, camptothecin, paclitaxel, and other medications.

Electrochemical-Memristor-Based Artificial Neurons and Synapses-Fundamentals, Applications, and Challenges.

Artificial neurons and synapses are considered essential for the progress of the future brain-inspired computing, based on beyond von Neumann architectures. Here, a discussion on the common electrochemical fundamentals of biological and artificial cells is provided, focusing on their similarities with the redox-based memristive devices. The driving forces behind the functionalities and the ways to control them by an electrochemical-materials approach are presented. Factors such as the chemical symmetry of the electrodes, doping of the solid electrolyte, concentration gradients, and excess surface energy are discussed as essential to understand, predict, and design artificial neurons and synapses. A variety of two- and three-terminal memristive devices and memristive architectures are presented and their application for solving various problems is shown. The work provides an overview of the current understandings on the complex processes of neural signal generation and transmission in both biological and artificial cells and presents the state-of-the-art applications, including signal transmission between biological and artificial cells. This example is showcasing the possibility for creating bioelectronic interfaces and integrating artificial circuits in biological systems. Prospectives and challenges of the modern technology toward low-power, high-information-density circuits are highlighted.

Chemical Influence of Carbon Interface Layers in Metal/Oxide Resistive Switches.

Thin layers introduced between a metal electrode and a solid electrolyte can significantly alter the transport of mass and charge at the interfaces and influence the rate of electrode reactions. C films embedded in functional materials can change the chemical properties of the host, thereby altering the functionality of the whole device. Using X-ray spectroscopies, here we demonstrate that the chemical and electronic structures in a representative redox-based resistive switching (RS) system, Ta2O5/Ta, can be tuned by inserting a graphene or ultrathin amorphous C layer. The results of the orbitalwise analyses of synchrotron Ta L3-edge, C K-edge, and O K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that the C layers between Ta2O5 and Ta are significantly oxidized to form COx and, at the same time, oxidize the Ta layers with different degrees of oxidation depending on the distance: full oxidation at the nearest 5 nm Ta and partial oxidation in the next 15 nm Ta. The depth-resolved information on the electronic structure for each layer further revealed a significant modification of the band alignments due to C insertion. Full oxidation of the Ta metal near the C interlayer suggests that the oxygen-vacancy-related valence change memory mechanism for the RS can be suppressed, thereby changing the RS functionalities fundamentally. The knowledge on the origin of C-enhanced surfaces can be applied to other metal/oxide interfaces and used for the advanced design of memristive devices.

Annoying Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis: A Narrative Review.

Skin is an important organ that mainly functions as a barrier. Skin diseases can damage a person's self-confidence and reduce their willingness to socialize, as well as their social behavior and willingness. When the skin appearance is abnormal, in addition to affecting the quality of life, it often leads to personal, social, and psychological dysfunction and even induces depression. Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are common chronic skin diseases. Their prevalence in the world is 3-10%, and there is an increasing trend year by year. These congenital or acquired factors cause the dysfunction of the immune system and then destroy the barrier function of the skin. Because these patients are flooded with a variety of inflammatory mediators, this causes skin cells to be in chronic inflammation. Therefore, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are also considered systemic chronic inflammatory diseases. In the healthcare systems of developed countries, it is unavoidable to spend high costs to relieve symptoms of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis patients, because psoriasis and atopic dermatitis have a great influence on individuals and society. Giving a lot of attention and developing effective treatment methods are the topics that the medical community must work on together. Therefore, we used a narrative review manuscript to discuss pathogenesis, clinical classification, incidence, and treatment options, including topical medication, systemic therapeutics, immunosuppressive medication for psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, as well as also comparing the differences between these two diseases. We look forward to providing readers with comprehensive information on psoriasis and atopic dermatitis through this review article.

Impact of Zr top electrode on tantalum oxide-based electrochemical metallization resistive switching memory: towards synaptic functionalities.

Electrochemical metallization memory (ECM) devices have been made by sub-stoichiometric deposition of a tantalum oxide switching film (Ta2O5-x ) using sputtering. We investigated the influence of zirconium as the active top electrode material in the lithographically fabricated ECM devices. A simple capacitor like (Pt/Zr/Ta2O5-x /Pt) structure represented the resistive switching memory. A cyclic voltammetry measurement demonstrated the electrochemical process of the memory device. The I-V characteristics of ECMs show stable bipolar resistive switching properties with reliable endurance and retention. The resistive switching mechanism results from the formation and rupture of a conductive filament characteristic of ECM. Our results suggest that Zr can be considered a potential active electrode in the ECMs for the next generation of nonvolatile nanoelectronics. We successfully showed that the ECM device can work under AC pulses to emulate the essential characteristics of an artificial synapse by further improvements.

Design of Materials Configuration for Optimizing Redox-Based Resistive Switching Memories.

Redox-based resistive random access memories (ReRAMs) are based on electrochemical processes of oxidation and reduction within the devices. The selection of materials and material combinations strongly influence the related nanoscale processes, playing a crucial role in resistive switching properties and functionalities. To date, however, comprehensive studies on device design accounting for a combination of factors such as electrodes, electrolytes, and capping layer materials related to their thicknesses and interactions are scarce. In this work, the impact of materials' configuration on interfacial redox reactions in HfO2 -based electrochemical metallization memory (ECM) and valence-change memory (VCM) systems is reported. The redox processes are studied by cyclic voltammetry, and the corresponding resistive switching characteristics are investigated. In ECM cells, the overall cell resistance depends on the electrocatalytic activity of the counter electrode. Nonetheless, the capping layer material further influences the cell resistance and the SET and RESET voltages. In VCM systems, the influence of the electrode material configuration is also pronounced, and is capable of modulating the active resistive switching interface. For both types of memory cells, the switching behavior changes significantly with variation of the oxide thickness. The results present important materials selection criteria for rationale design of ReRAM cells for various memristive applications.

Comparison of meatal-based flap (Mathieu) and tubularized incised-plate (TIP) urethroplasties for primary distal hypospadias: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We conducted this meta-analysis to compare postoperative outcomes between meatal-based flap (Mathieu) and tubularized incised plate (TIP) techniques for distal hypospadias. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of PUBMED, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library was conducted. Outcomes evaluated in this review were fistula, meatal stenosis, wound dehiscence and flap necrosis. We calculated odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidential interval (CI) to compare postoperative outcomes between Mathieu and TIP after data extraction and literature identification. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.2. In order to find potential affective factors, meta-regression and subgroup analyses were applied. RESULTS: 16 studies, 1386 patients, including 762 patients receiving Mathieu and 624 individuals subjected to TIP met the inclusion criteria. The synthetic data suggested that Mathieu and TIP were comparable in terms of fistula (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.33; P = 0.70, I2 = 14%), wound dehiscence (OR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.33 to 2.39; P = 0.81, I2 = 11%), and flap necrosis (OR = 1.9; 95% CI: 0.51 to 7.09; P = 0.20, I2 = 38%) without significant heterogeneity for each comparison group. Pooled estimates showed a significantly lower rate of meatal stenosis with Mathieu than with TIP (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.73; P = 0.002, I2 = 4%). Subgroup analyses showed that the difference between Mathieu and TIP was more obvious in the studies published before 2013 in meatal stenosis. The modified Mathieu technique and a running suture for urethroplasty might be relevant to a lower rate of meatal stenosis in the data, although no statistical significance in the present effects model overall was found. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable. There was no publication bias detected using both funnel plot and Egger's test. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggested that Mathieu and TIP technique were equivalent for primary distal hypospadias in terms of fistula, wound dehiscence, and flap necrosis. Pooled estimates indicated that there was a lower rate of meatal stenosis with Mathieu rather than with TIP significantly. The modified Mathieu technique and a running suture for urethroplasty might be relevant to a lower rate of meatal stenosis. TYPE OF STUDY: Meta-analysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Electroforming in Metal-Oxide Memristive Synapses.

Memristors have shown an extraordinary potential to emulate the plastic and dynamic electrical behaviors of biological synapses and have been already used to construct neuromorphic systems with in-memory computing and unsupervised learning capabilities; moreover, the small size and simple fabrication process of memristors make them ideal candidates for ultradense configurations. So far, the properties of memristive electronic synapses (i.e., potentiation/depression, relaxation, linearity) have been extensively analyzed by several groups. However, the dynamics of electroforming in memristive devices, which defines the position, size, shape, and chemical composition of the conductive nanofilaments across the device, has not been analyzed in depth. By applying ramped voltage stress (RVS), constant voltage stress (CVS), and pulsed voltage stress (PVS), we found that electroforming is highly affected by the biasing methods applied. We also found that the technique used to deposit the oxide, the chemical composition of the adjacent metal electrodes, and the polarity of the electrical stimuli applied have important effects on the dynamics of the electroforming process and in subsequent post-electroforming bipolar resistive switching. This work should be of interest to designers of memristive neuromorphic systems and could open the door for the implementation of new bioinspired functionalities into memristive neuromorphic systems.

Graphene-Boron Nitride-Graphene Cross-Point Memristors with Three Stable Resistive States.

Two-dimensional (2D) material-based memristors have shown several properties that are not shown by traditional ones, such as high transparency, robust mechanical strength and flexibility, superb chemical stability, enhanced thermal heat dissipation, ultralow power consumption, coexistence of bipolar and threshold resistive switching, and ultrastable relaxation when used as electronic synapse (among others). However, several electrical performances often required in memristive applications, such as the generation of multiple stable resistive states for high-density information storage, still have never been demonstrated. Here, we present the first 2D material-based memristors that exhibit three stable and well-distinguishable resistive states. By using a multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) stack sandwiched by multilayer graphene (G) electrodes, we fabricate 5 µm × 5 µm cross-point Au/Ti/G/h-BN/G/Au memristors that can switch between each two or three resistive states, depending on the current limitation (CL) and reset voltage used. The use of graphene electrodes plus a small cross-point structure are key elements to observe the tristate operation, which has not been observed in larger (100 µm × 100 µm) devices with an identical Au/Ti/G/h-BN/G/Au structure nor in similar small (5 µm × 5 µm) devices without graphene interfacial layers (i.e., Au/Ti/h-BN/Au). Basically, we generate an intermediate state between the high resistive state and the low resistive state (LRS), named soft-LRS (S-LRS), which may be related to the formation of a narrower conductive nanofilament across the h-BN because of the ability of graphene to limit metal penetration (at low CLs). All the 2D materials have been fabricated using the scalable chemical vapor deposition approach, which is an immediate advantage compared to other works using mechanical exfoliated 2D materials.

The Effect of Daily Fluid Management and Beverages Consumption on the Risk of Bladder Cancer: A Meta-analysis of Observational Study.

Epidemiological studies have evaluated the risk of bladder cancer (BCa) in relation to total fluid intake, as well as specific type of beverages consumption, with controversial results. The aim of this study was to further explore the potential relationship by conducting a meta-analysis. Fifty-four articles involving more than 43,000 BCa patients were included in this meta-analysis. A positive, though not statistically significant, association was found between total fluid intake and risk of BCa comparing the highest with lowest intake (SRRE: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.00-1.36). By conducting dose-response meta-analysis, we found that each 500 ml/day increase in total fluid intake was associated with 3.3% increased risk of BCa (RR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.00-1.07). Pronounced increase in risk of BCa was detected when total fluid intake was more than 3000 ml/day. Meta-analyses of specific type of beverages showed increasing intake of coffee (RR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.02-1.05) were risk factors for BCa. On the contrary, increasing intake of milk appeared to be a potential protective factor for BCa (RR: 0.90, 95%CI: 0.83-0.98). The risk of BCa was not significantly related to intake of water (RR: 1.01, 95%CI: 0.98-1.03), alcohol (RR: 1.01, 95%CI: 0.97-1.05), tea (RR: 1.01, 95%CI: 0.97-1.05) and soft drinks (RR: 1.04, 95%CI: 0.96-1.11).

Effect of histone deacetylase on prostate carcinoma.

Commonly occurred in aged males, the incidence of prostate carcinoma is increasing by years. Histone deacetylase (HDACs) as one key enzyme in regulating gene transcription has been found to be related with cancer occurrence. Trichostatin A (TSA) is one HDAC inhibitor for suppressing tumor growth. This study thus treated prostate carcinoma cell line PC3 with TSA, to analyze the effect of HDAC on the occurrence and progression of HDAC. PC3 cells were treated with gradient concentrations of TSA. MTT assay was employed to detect the proliferation of PC3 cells, while flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis and cell cycle. Apoptotic proteins including caspase-3, caspase-9 and bcl-2 were further quantified by Western blotting. MTT assays showed a dose- and time-dependent manner of TSA in inhibiting PC3 cell proliferation. Most of PC3 cells were arrested at G1 phase after treating with TSA. The apoptotic ratio of cells was also elevated by higher concentrations of drugs. Apoptotic proteins including caspase-3, caspase-9 and bcl-2 were all up-regulated by TSA. HDAC inhibitor can effectively suppress the proliferation of prostate carcinoma cells, which can be arrested at G1 phase. The elevated apoptotic ratio was caused by up-regulation of apoptosis-related proteins caspase-3, caspase-9 and bcl-2, in both dose- and time-dependent manners.