Melt-quenched glass formation of a family of metal-carboxylate frameworks.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) glasses are an emerging class of glasses which complement traditional inorganic, organic and metallic counterparts due to their hybrid nature. Although a few zeolitic imidazolate frameworks have been made into glasses, how to melt and quench the largest subclass of MOFs, metal carboxylate frameworks, into glasses remains challenging. Here, we develop a strategy by grafting the zwitterions on the carboxylate ligands and incorporating organic acids in the framework channels to enable the glass formation. The charge delocalization of zwitterion-acid subsystem and the densely filled channels facilitate the coordination bonding mismatch and thus reduce the melting temperature. Following melt-quenching realizes the glass formation of a family of carboxylate MOFs (UiO-67, UiO-68 and DUT-5), which are usually believed to be un-meltable. Our work opens up an avenue for melt-quenching porous molecular solids into glasses.

MOF-supported crystalline ionic liquid: new type of solid electrolyte for enhanced and high ionic conductivity.

Solid-state electrolyte (SSE) is crucial for a high-performance all-solid-state battery. Here, a new solid sodium electrolyte based on the ionic liquid EIMS-NaTFSI and one metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-67-MIMS functionalized with zwitterion groups MIMS was obtained (UiO-67 and was assembled with 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylate linker and cluster Zr6O4(OH)4) (EIMS = 1-(1-ethyl-3-imidazolio)propane-3-sulfonate, NaTFSI = sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, MIMS = 1-(1-mthyl-3-imidazolio)propane-3-sulfonate). By contacting and pairing EIMS-NaTFSI (abbreviated as EN-1) to the MIMS group on the framework, EN-1 was directed and arranged along the channels within UiO-67-MIMS, forming a solid composite EN-1@UiO-67-MIMS with Bragg scatter, i.e., a crystalline ionic liquid containing Na+ salts (NaTFSI). Such an ionic liquid EN-1@UiO-67-MIMS bearing crystalline MOF matrix showed and preserved fast ion conduction (1.02 × 10-2 S cm-1) at 150 °C even after 30 days, and exhibited 1-2 orders of magnitude higher conductivities than the bulk ionic liquid EN-1 within a wide temperature range, although the ion content in the latter was higher. The infinite pathway paved by the EN-1 arranged and contacted the MIMS along the channels within MOF well accounts for the fast ion transmission and the stability of the solid-state electrolyte. Such MOF-based crystalline ionic liquid provides a new strategy for developing high-performance solid-state electrolytes for ions.

Analysis of M6A associated lncRNAs in prognosis and immune response of NSCLC patients.

Distinguishing between N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is crucial in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In this research, the prognosis and immunotherapeutic response of lncRNAs and m6A in NSCLC were examined. lncRNAs related to m6A were identified using co-expression analyses, and their prognostic impact on patients with NSCLC was assessed using univariate Cox regression analysis. Sixty-three m6A-associated lncRNAs were determined as prognostic lncRNAs, and on this basis, 25 m6A-associated lncRNAs were screened by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) Cox regression. Multivariable Cox analysis obtained 14 m6A-associated lncRNAs for the construction of risk model. The NSCLC patients were grouped into different risk subgroups in accordance with the median of the risk fraction in each data, and we evaluated the differences of potential immunotherapeutic characteristics and drug sensitivity prediction between the two subgroups. By using this model to recombine patients, they can be effectively distinguished in terms of the immunotherapy response. Furthermore, candidate compounds for the differentiation of NSCLC subtypes were identified. The model based on 14 m6A-associated lncRNAs is a promising prognostic biomarker, which may help to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy in NSCLC patients and provide a theoretical basis for improving the outcome of patients.

Discovery of quality control ingredients in burdock root by combining anti-tumor effects and UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS.

Burdock root is the root of Arctium lappa L., a plant of the Compositae family, which has the effects of dispersing wind and heat, detoxifying and reducing swelling. In order to better control the quality of burdock root, a screening study of quality control indicators was carried out. The current research combines biological activity evaluation with chemical analysis to screen and identify the biologically active compounds of burdock root as chemical components for the quality control of herbal medicine. The efficacy of 10 batches of ethanol extracts of burdock roots was evaluated by a tumor inhibition experiment in S180 tumor-bearing mice. The five main chemical components of these extracts were simultaneously quantitatively measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Pearson correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship between these extracts' biological activity and chemical properties. The results showed that chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and cynarin were positively correlated with the effect of inhibiting tumor growth, and further bioassays confirmed this conclusion. In conclusion, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and cynarin can be used as quality control markers for burdock root's antitumor effect.

Neuroprotective Activity of Cerebrosides from Typhonium giganteum by Regulating Caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 Signaling Pathways in PC12 Cells.

An investigation of the potential neuroprotective natural product constituents of the rhizomes of Typhonium giganteum led to the isolation of two new cerebrosides, typhonosides E (1) and F (2), along with 11 known analogues (3-13). The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic data interpretation. The activity of these compounds against glutamate-induced cell apoptosis was investigated in PC12 cells. All compounds exhibited such activity, which was related to the length of the fatty acyl chain. Among them, longan cerebroside II (11), with the longest fatty acyl chain, showed the most potent protective effect in PC12 cells from glutamate injury, with an EC50 value of 2.5 µM. Moreover, at the molecular level, longan cerebroside II (11) downregulated the expression of caspase-9, caspase-3, and Bax, upregulated the expression of Bcl-2, and decreased the level of cytosolic cytochrome c in a concentration-dependent manner.

The far-upstream element-binding protein 2 is correlated with proliferation and doxorubicin resistance in human breast cancer cell lines.

Far-upstream element (FUSE)-binding protein 2 (FBP2) was a member of single-stranded DNA-binding protein family; it played an important role in regulating transcription and post-transcription and is involved in the regulation of C-MYC gene expression in liver tumors. However, the role of FBP2 in breast cancer and its mechanism has not been studied yet. Here, we discovered that FBP2 was up-regulated in breast cancer tissues and breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that up-regulated FBP2 was highly associated with tumor grade, Ki-67, and poor prognosis, which was an independent prognostic factor for survival of breast cancer patients. At the cellular level, we found that FBP2 was correlated with cell cycle progression by accelerating G1/S transition, and knockdown of FBP2 could weaken cell proliferation, anchorage-independent cell growth, while enhancing the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin. More importantly, we found that activation of PI3K/AKT pathway could phosphorylate FBP2, and then make FBP2 shuttle from cytoplasm into the nucleus, which was the main mechanism of breast cancer cell proliferation and drug resistance. Taken together, our findings supported the notion that FBP2 might via PI3K/AKT pathway influence breast cancer progression and drug resistance, which might provide a new target for the design of anti-cancer drugs for breast cancer patients.

Is high-frequency oscillatory ventilation more effective and safer than conventional protective ventilation in adult acute respiratory distress syndrome patients? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensively evaluating the efficacy and safety of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is important to allow clinicians who are using or considering this intervention to make appropriate decisions. METHODS: To find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing HFOV with conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) as an initial treatment for adult ARDS patients, we searched electronic databases (including PubMed, MedLine, Springer Link, Elsevier Science Direct, ISI web of knowledge, and EMBASE) with the following terms: "acute respiratory distress syndrome", "acute lung injury", and "high frequency oscillation ventilation". Additional sources included reference lists from the identified primary studies and relevant meta-analyses. Two investigators independently screened articles and extracted data. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models. RESULTS: We included 6 RCTs with a total of 1,608 patients in this meta-analysis. Compared with CMV, HFOV did not significantly reduce the mortality at 30 or 28 days. The pooled relative risk (RR) was 1.051 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.813 to 1.358). ICU mortality was also not significantly reduced in HFOV group, with a pooled RR of 1.218 (95% CI 0.925 to 1.604). The pooled effect sizes of HFOV for oxygenation failure, ventilation failure and duration of mechanical ventilation were 0.557 (95% CI 0.351 to 0.884), 0.892 (95% CI 0.435 to 1.829) and 0.079 (95% CI -0.045 to 0.203), respectively. The risk of barotrauma and hypotension were similar between the CMV group and HFOV group, with a RR of 1.205 (95% CI 0.834 to 1.742) and a RR of 1.326 (95% CI 0.271 to 6.476), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although HFOV seems not to increase the risk of barotrauma or hypotension, and reduces the risk of oxygenation failure, it does not improve survival in adult acute respiratory distress syndrome patients.

Knocking down the expression of adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 inhibits the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells.

Adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) is a conserved protein that was found to be up-regulated in breast cancer and related to the migration of breast cancer. We verified its roles in breast cancer specimens and cell lines. In our results, 71 of 100 specimens of breast cancer showed high levels of CAP1 by immunohistochemistry. Associated with statistical analysis, we saw that CAP1 was related to the grade of breast cancer. In MDA-MB-231, the expression of CAP1 was the highest and by knocking down the expression of CAP1 in MDA-MB-231, its ability for proliferating and migrating apparently decreased and induced changes in morphology, which were related to the arrangement of F-actin. Therefore, CAP1 might be a potential molecular targeted therapy for surgery and immune treatment.

[Expression and purification of Rv3369 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

To obtain purified recombinant Rv3369 protein by means of expressing the Rv3369 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in E. coli. The gene coding Rv3369 protein was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then was inserted into an expression vector pET28a to get recombinant plasmid. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) and induced by IPTG. The expressed product was indentified by SDS-PAGE and purified by Ni- NTA His. Bind Resin. The sequence of Rv3369 in recombinant plasmid was the same with GenBank's report. The molecular mass of the product is 19.5kDa, which accounts for about 20% in the thalli proteins, and its purity is more than 90% analyzed by SDS-PAGE and laser scanning. The yield of recombinant protein is 1.56mg from 100mL of culture. Compared with other methods, purity of the recombinant protein is higher through affinity chromatography.