Photocycloaddition of Zero-Dimensional Metal Halide Hybrids with Reversible Photochromism.

In this work, two zero-dimensional (0D) metal halide hybrids L2ZnBr4 [1, L = (E)-4-(2-(1H-pyrrol-3-yl)vinyl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium] and L6Pb3Br12 (2) were prepared, which demonstrated photochromism and photoinduced cracking. Upon irradiation at 450 nm, a single crystal-to-single crystal transformation occurred as a result of the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of L. Interestingly, compared to the complete photocycloaddition of L in 1, only two-thirds of L monomers could be photodimerized in 2 because of the difference in L orientation. 1 shows reversible photochromic behavior including rapid response time, few cracks, high conversion rate, and good reaction reversibility, while 2 exhibits no significant color change but distinct photoinduced cracking because of the large local lattice strain induced by inhomogeneous and anisotropic deformation. Moreover, the photocycloaddition of L results in the distinct shift of photoluminescence of 1 and 2, attributed to the variation in conjugation of π electrons and distortion of metal halide clusters. As a proof-of-concept, reversible optical writing is demonstrated for 1. These findings provide new insights into the design of stimuli-responsive multifunctional materials.

Dose-Response Meta-Analysis on Risk of Diabetes in Relation to Red and Processed Meat Consumption - Asian Populations, 2006-2021.

What is already known about this topic?: Red and processed meat consumption has been positively related to an increased risk of diabetes in Western populations. However, the results remain inconclusive within Asian populations. What is added by this report?: This dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies conducted in East Asian populations reveals a positive relation between the consumption of processed meat and increased risk of diabetes. Furthermore, a U-shaped association was identified between the consumption of unprocessed red meat and the risk of diabetes. What are the implications for public health practice?: This research presents substantive evidence advocating for the reduction of processed and unprocessed red meat consumption as a viable strategy for mitigating the risk of diabetes in East Asian populations.

Asymmetric total synthesis and anti-hepatocellular carcinoma profile of enantiopure euphopilolide and jolkinolide E.

A flexible asymmetric synthesis of both enantiomers of euphopilolide (1) and jolkinolide E (2) [(+)-and (-)-1, (+)-and (-)-2] has been accomplished. This synthesis features an intramolecular oxa-Pauson-Khand reaction (o-PKR) to expeditiously construct the challenging tetracyclic [6.6.6.5] abietane-type diterpene framework, elegantly showcasing the complexity-generating features of o-PKR synthetic methodology leveraging on a judiciously chosen suitable chiral pool scaffold. Furthermore, the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) activity of synthetic (-)-euphopilolide (1), (-)-jolkinolide E (2) and their analogues was evaluated. We found that (-)-euphopilolide (1) and (-)-jolkinolide E (2) inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC cells. These findings lay a good foundation for further pharmacology studies of abietane lactone derivatives and provide valuable insight for the development of anti-HCC small molecule drug of natural product origin.

Rapid detection of urine chloride enabled by ion exchange in hydrophilic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals.

The rapid and precise detection of chloride ions in biosystems is of great importance for clinical diagnosis. In this work, hydrophilic CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) with a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) of 59% (0.5 g L-1) are successfully achieved through the passivation of micellar glycyrrhizic acid (GA), which enables good dispersion of PNCs in ethanol. Due to the ionic nature and halogen-dominated band edge, PNCs exhibit fast ion-exchange and halogen-dependent optical properties. As a result, colloidal GA-capped PNC ethanol solution shows a continuous PL shift once aqueous Cl- with different concentrations is added. This fluorescence sensor shows a wide linear detection range (2-200 mM) of Cl-, short response time (∼1 s), and low limit of detection (1.82 mM). Because of the encapsulation of GA, good water and pH stability, and anti-interference performance are observed for the GA-capped PNC-based fluorescence sensor. Our findings provide an insight into the biosensor applications of hydrophilic PNCs.

Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression Analyses of AP2/ERF Family Transcription Factors in Erianthus fulvus.

The AP2/ERF transcription factor family is one of the most important gene families in plants and plays a vital role in plant abiotic stress responses. Although Erianthus fulvus is very important in the genetic improvement of sugarcane, there are few studies concerning AP2/ERF genes in E. fulvus. Here, we identified 145 AP2/ERF genes in the E. fulvus genome. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into five subfamilies. Evolutionary analysis showed that tandem and segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of the EfAP2/ERF family. Protein interaction analysis showed that twenty-eight EfAP2/ERF proteins and five other proteins had potential interaction relationships. Multiple cis-acting elements present in the EfAP2/ERF promoter were related to abiotic stress response, suggesting that EfAP2/ERF may contribute to adaptation to environmental changes. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that EfDREB10, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfDREB42, EfDREB44, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to cold stress, EfDREB5 and EfDREB42 responded to drought stress, and EfDREB5, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to ABA treatment. These results will be helpful for better understanding the molecular features and biological role of the E. fulvus AP2/ERF genes and lay a foundation for further research on the function of EfAP2/ERF genes and the regulatory mechanism of the abiotic stress response.

Weakening Ligand-Liquid Affinity to Suppress the Desorption of Surface-Passivated Ligands from Perovskite Nanocrystals.

The interfacial migration of surface-bound ligands highly affects the colloidal stability and optical quality of semiconductor nanocrystals, of which the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Herein, colloidal CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) with fragile dynamic equilibrium of ligands are taken as the examples to reveal the important role of balancing ligand-solid/solvent affinity in suppressing the desorption of ligands. As a micellar surfactant, glycyrrhizic acid (GA) with bulky hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups exhibits a relatively smaller diffusion coefficient (∼440 µm2/s in methanol) and weaker ligand-liquid affinity than that of conventional alkyl amine and carboxy ligands. Consequently, hydrophilic GA-passivated PNCs (PNCs-GA) show excellent colloidal stability in various polar solvents with dielectric constant ranging from 2.2 to 32.6 and efficient photoluminescence with a quantum yield of 85.3%. Due to the suppressed desorption of GA, the morphological and optical properties of PNCs-GA are well maintained after five rounds purification and two months long-term storage. At last, hydrophilic PNCs-GA are successfully patterned through inkjet- and screen-printing technology. These findings offer deep insights into the interfacial chemistry of colloidal NCs and provide a universal strategy for preparing high-quality hydrophilic PNCs.

Functional Characterization of the Lysine-Specific Histone Demethylases Family in Soybean.

Histone modifications, such as methylation and demethylation, have crucial roles in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression. Lysine-specific histone demethylases (LSDs) belong to the amine oxidase family, which is an important family of histone lysine demethylases (KDMs), and functions in maintaining homeostasis of histone methylation. Here, we identified six LSD-like (LDL) genes from the important leguminous soybean. Phylogenetic analyses divided the six GmLDLs into four clusters with two highly conserved SWRIM and amine oxidase domains. Indeed, demethylase activity assay using recombinant GmLDL proteins in vitro demonstrated that GmLDLs have demethylase activity toward mono- and dimethylated Lys4 but not trimethylated histone 3, similar to their orthologs previously reported in animals. Using real-time PCR experiments in combination with public transcriptome data, we found that these six GmLDL genes exhibit comparable expressions in multiple tissues or in response to different abiotic stresses. Moreover, our genetic variation investigation of GmLDL genes among 761 resequenced soybean accessions indicates that GmLDLs are well conserved during soybean domestication and improvement. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that GmFLD, GmLDL1a, and GmLDL1b are bona fide H3K4 demethylases towards H4K4me1/2 and GmLDLs exist in various members with likely conserved and divergent roles in soybeans.

Nomograms for Predicting Overall Survival and Cancer-Specific Survival of Young Patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Analysis Based on SEER Program.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, there is no clinical prediction model for young patients (≤ 45 years old) with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) based on large samples of clinical data. The purpose of this study was to construct nomograms using data extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients and to further guide the choice of clinical treatment options. METHODS: Data from a total of 6376 young patients with EOC collected from 1998 to 2016 were selected from the SEER database. These patients were randomly divided (7:3) into a training cohort (n = 4465) and a validation cohort (n = 1911). Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses were used to select the prognostic factors affecting OS and CSS, and the nomograms of OS and CSS were established. The performance of the nomogram models was assessed by C-index, area under the curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Sample were chosen from patients who underwent surgery in Shengjing Hospital to set external validation. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare survival outcomes between subgroups. RESULTS: Nomograms showed good predictive power and clinical practicality. The internal and external validation indicated better performance of the nomograms than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system and tumor grade system. Significant differences were observed in the survival curves of different risk subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed predictive nomograms to evaluate the OS and CSS of young patients with EOC. The nomograms will provide an individualized evaluation of OS and CSS for suitable treatment of young patients with EOC.

Clinical Nomograms for Predicting the Overall Survival and Cancer-specific Survival of patients with Ovarian Carcinosarcoma patients after Primary Surgery.

Background: At present, there is no clinical prediction model for ovarian carcinosarcoma (OCS) that is based on a large sample of real data. This study aimed to construct nomograms using data extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database that can be used to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with OCS and further guide the choice of clinical treatment. Methods: We selected 2753 cases of OCS from the SEER database from 1998 to 2016. Patients were randomly divided in a 7:3 ratio into a training cohort (n = 1929) and a validation cohort (n = 824). Cox analysis was used to select prognostic factors for OS and CSS, and nomograms were then established. The performance of nomogram models was assessed using the concordance index, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curves, and by decision curve analysis. Data from 21 OCS patients at Shengjing Hospital from 2001 to 2021 were collected for external verification. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare survival outcomes between subgroups. Results: Nomograms based on independent prognostic factors showed good predictive power and clinical practicality. Internal and external validation indicated that the nomograms performed better than staging and grading systems. Significant differences were observed in the survival curves of different risk subgroups. Conclusions: The developed nomograms will enable individualized evaluation of the OS and CSS, thus guiding the treatment of patients with OCS.

Multiomics analysis identifies key genes and pathways related to N6-methyladenosine RNA modification in ovarian cancer.

Aims: To explore the pathways and target genes related to N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation in ovarian cancer and their effect on patient prognosis. Methods & materials: The Cancer Genome Atlas was used to screen genes related to m6A regulators in terms of gene expression, mutation and copy number variation. These genes were subjected to pathway enrichment analysis. Prognosis-related genes were screened and involved in risk signature construction. Immunohistochemistry was used for verification. Results: We obtained 1408 genes dysregulated in parallel to m6A regulators, which were mainly involved in the platelet activation pathway. The m6A-related signature was constructed based on the expression of four prognosis-related genes (RPS6KA2, JUNB, HNF4A and P2RX1). Conclusion: This work provides new insights into the mechanism of m6A methylation in ovarian cancer.

Lay abstract N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) methylation is the most common type of modification on mRNA. m⁶A methylation can affect the biological function of cells by affecting the protein expression level of mRNA. The process of m⁶A modification is controlled by many m⁶A regulators, which are dysregulated in ovarian cancer. Our research aims to screen the genes that are related to m⁶A regulation to analyze targets and mechanisms in ovarian cancer. We screened 1408 m⁶A-related genes, which are mainly involved in the platelet activation pathway. Among them, RPS6KA2 and JUNB were significantly related to poor prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. RPS6KA2 was positively correlated with the m⁶A regulator METTL3 in ovarian cancer. Our study provides a basis for future mechanism studies.

Ultrafast Study of Exciton Transfer in Sb(III)-Doped Two-Dimensional [NH3(CH2)4NH3]CdBr4 Perovskite.

Antimony-based metal halide hybrids have attracted enormous attention due to the stereoactive 5s2 electron pair that drives intense triplet broadband emission. However, energy/charge transfer has been rarely achieved for Sb3+-doped materials. Herein, Sb3+ ions are homogeneously doped into 2D [NH3(CH2)4NH3]CdBr4 perovskite (Cd-PVK) using a wet-chemical method. Compared to the weak singlet exciton emission of Cd-PVK at 380 nm, 0.01% Sb3+-doped Cd-PVK exhibits intense triplet emission located at 640 nm with a near-unity quantum yield. Further increasing the doping concentration of Sb3+ completely quenches singlet exciton emission of Cd-PVK, concurrently with enhanced Sb3+ triplet emission. Delayed luminescence and femtosecond-transient absorption studies suggest that Sb3+ emission originates from exciton transfer (ET) from Cd-PVK host to Sb3+ dopant, while such ET cannot occur with Pb2+-doped Cd-PVK because of the mismatch of energy levels. In addition, density function theory calculations indicate that the introduced Sb3+ likely replace the Cd2+ ions along with the deprotonation of butanediammonium for charge balance, instead of generating Cd2+ vacancies. This work provides a deeper understanding of the ET of Sb3+-doped Cd-PVK and suggests an effective strategy to achieve efficient triplet Sb3+ emission beyond 0D Cl-based hybrids.

Optical Anapole Modes in Gallium Phosphide Nanodisk with Forked Slits for Electric Field Enhancement.

High refractive index dielectric nanostructures represent a new frontier in nanophotonics, and the unique semiconductor characteristics of dielectric systems make it possible to enhance electric fields by exploiting this fundamental physical phenomenon. In this work, the scattered radiation spectral features and field-enhanced interactions of gallium phosphide disks with forked slits at anapole modes are investigated systematically by numerical and multipole decomposition analyses. Additional enhancement of the electric field is achieved by opening the forked slits to create high-intensity hot spots inside the disk, and nearby molecules can access these hot spots directly. The results reveal a novel approach for near-field engineering such as electric field localization, nonlinear optics, and optical detection.

A Novel Clinical Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Specific Survival in Adult Patients After Primary Surgery for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Real-World Analysis Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database and External Validation in a Tertiary Center.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to construct and validate a nomogram that can be used to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: A total of 7,129 adult patients with EOC were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2010 and 2015. Patients were randomly divided into the training and validation cohorts (7:3). Cox regression was conducted to evaluate prognostic factors of CSS. The internal validation of the nomogram was performed using concordance index (C-index), AUC, calibration curves, and decision curve analyses (DCAs). Data from 53 adult EOC patients at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from 2008 to 2012 were collected for external verification. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare survival outcomes among risk subgroups. RESULTS: Age, grade, histological types, stage, residual lesion size, number of regional lymph nodes resected, number of positive lymph nodes, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors for CSS. Based on the above factors, we constructed a nomogram. The C-indices of the training cohort, internal validation cohort, and external verification group were 0.763, 0.750, and 0.920, respectively. The calibration curve indicated good agreement between the nomogram prediction and actual survival. AUC and DCA results indicated great clinical usefulness of the nomogram. The differences in the Kaplan-Meier curves among different risk subgroups were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed a nomogram to predict CSS in adult patients with EOC after primary surgery, which can assist in counseling and guiding treatment decision making.

Water-assisted preparation of ethanol-dispersed CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals and emissive gel.

Cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are highly attractive for optoelectronic applications due to their tunable bandgap, large absorption cross section and efficient photoluminescence. However, the dynamic ligand binding and ionic lattice make PNCs extremely sensitive to polar solvents, which greatly hinders the applications of PNCs. In this work, we first synthesize ethanol-dispersed PNCs with the assistance of water using glycyrrhizic acid (GA) as the sole capping ligand. The prepared PNCs with a mean size of 14.5 nm exhibit a narrow and symmetric emission band (full width at half maximum: 18 nm) and photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) of ~38.1%. Different with the common sense, the addition of water promotes the formation of GA-passivated PNCs due to the accelerated reaction rate of precursors and the H+ dissociation of GA at presence of Lewis base water. Furthermore, the ethanol-dispersed PNCs can be further transformed into emissive ethanol gels with improved stability. Our findings provide a novel strategy to achieve stable colloidal PNCs in polar solvents.

Defect-Related Broadband Emission in Two-Dimensional Lead Bromide Perovskite Microsheets.

Low-dimensional hybrid lead halide perovskites (LHPs) with broadband emission (BE) have been developed as promising candidates for single-source white-light-emitting diodes. However, the underlying origin of such BE is poorly understood. Herein, dual-emissive [NH3(CH2)8NH3]PbBr4 perovskite microsheets (PMSs) with good dispersibility are successfully prepared. Besides the general narrowband emission (NE) originating from free excitons, BE (∼522 nm) is generated under a Br-poor condition, which is not observed in the single-crystal sample. Unlike self-trapped exciton emission, the BE observed in PMSs is experimentally determined to be related to bromide vacancies (VBr), thereby exhibiting quasisaturation under high excitation intensity. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy first shows that the trapping time of the photogenerated electrons by acceptor-like VBr- is ∼15 ps, slower than that by surface defects (<1 ps). This study provides new insight into the underlying mechanism of BE and an effective approach to manipulating the optical properties of 2D perovskites.

High-sensitivity SPR sensor based on the eightfold eccentric core PQF with locally coated indium tin oxide.

A highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor comprising an eccentric core photonic quasi-crystal fiber (PQF) coated with indium tin oxide is designed and numerically analyzed. The novel, to the best of our knowledge, structure with an eccentric core layout and local coating not only strengthens coupling between the core mode and surface plasmon polariton mode but also provides higher refractive index sensitivity in the near-infrared region. Analysis based on the finite element method to assess the performance of the sensor and optimize the structural parameters reveals that the maximum wavelength sensitivity and resolution are 96667 nm/RIU and 1.034×10-6RIU in the sensing range between 1.380 and 1.413, respectively. Meanwhile, the average sensitivity is enhanced to 25458 nm/RIU. The sensor is expected to have broad applications in environmental monitoring, biochemical sensing, food safety testing, and related applications due to the ultrahigh sensitivity and resolution.

Breaking Forbidden Transitions for Emission of Self-Trapped Excitons in Two Dimensional (F2CHCH2NH3)2CdBr4 Perovskite through Pb Alloying.

In this work, a new two-dimensional Cd-based (F2CHCH2NH3)2CdBr4 perovskite (Cd-P) with indirect bandgap and a direct Pb-based (F2CHCH2NH3)2PbBr4 (Pb-P) are successfully synthesized with isostructural features. Compared to the blueish white light emission of Pb-P, almost no white light can be observed for Cd-P due to the forbidden transition of self-trapped exciton (STE) emission. Interestingly, the white light emission of CdxPb1-x-P (x represents the feed ratio of Cd) is significantly improved with the photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) raising from <1% to 32.5% by alloying these two isostructural perovskites, which is attributed to the breaking of selection rules for forbidden transitions of STEs with Jahn-Teller like octahedral distortion, as suggested by the results from density functional theory (DFT) calculations and time-resolved spectroscopies. This study demonstrates the intriguing effect of alloying on activating STE emission as an effective approach to control and enhance the optical properties of metal halide perovskites.

LncRNA HOTAIRM1/HOXA1 Axis Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration And Invasion In Endometrial Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) microarray screening previously identified that HOXA transcript antisense RNA myeloid-specific 1 (HOTAIRM1) was significantly upregulated in type I endometrial cancer (EC). The present study aimed to determine the potential role of HOTAIRM1 and its sense transcript HOXA1 in the development and progression of type I EC. METHODS: We detected the expression levels of HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 in type I EC tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting and analyzed associated clinical data. Gain- or loss-of-function experiments were used to investigate the biological function of HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 in type I EC, both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The expression levels of HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 were significantly upregulated in type I EC tissues. Furthermore, the expression of HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 were both significantly correlated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and lymph node metastasis. The expression of HOTAIRM1 was significantly correlated with that of HOXA1. Knockdown of HOTAIRM1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro, while the over-expression of HOTAIRM1 led to the opposite effects. Moreover, we identified that HOTAIRM1 acts as a regulator for the expression of the HOXA1 gene in type I EC cells. As an oncogene, HOXA1 silencing also caused suppressive effects on tumors by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, we also confirmed the role of HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 in promoting tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our findings are the first to identify that HOTAIRM1 functions as an oncogene to promote cell proliferation, migration and invasion by regulating HOXA1 in type I EC. Therefore, the HOTAIRM1/HOXA1 axis is a novel potential prognostic biomarker and new potential therapeutic target for type I EC.

Fano resonances in symmetric plasmonic split-ring/ring dimer nanostructures.

The optical properties of symmetric split-ring/ring dimer (SRRD) nanostructures composed of a small nanoring surrounded by an Ag splitting nanoring with a larger diameter are calculated theoretically. The apparent asymmetric Fano line shape in the spectra is related to fast switching of the bonding modes between the split-ring plasmon and ring dipole. The influence of the dimensions of the SRRD nanostructures on the spectral positions and intensity of Fano resonance is studied, and the asymmetric Fano line shape can be flexibly adjusted by varying the geometric parameters. In addition, relatively simple SRRD nanostructures have the same overall sensing figures of merit as conventional nanoparticles, thus rendering them suitable for high-performance optical sensors.

Tunable single-polarization bimetal-coated and liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber filter based on surface plasmon resonance.

A bimetal-coated single-polarization photonic crystal fiber (PCF) filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a liquid-filled structure is designed and calculated by the finite element method (FEM). The filter has many excellent properties. The y-polarized and x-polarized modes can simultaneously filter at 1310 nm and 1560 nm with unwanted losses 544.3 dB/cm and 147.3 dB/cm, respectively, corresponding to polarized losses as low as 12.3 dB/cm and 24.0 dB/cm. The filtering range can be tuned by adjusting the diameter of the outer air holes (d1), the diameter of the inner air holes (d2), and liquid refractive index n. The filtering ranges of x-polarization and y-polarization are 1550-1990 nm and 1310-1830 nm, respectively. The crosstalk (CT) values are 462.0 dB and -107.1 dB and corresponding available bandwidths are 224 nm and 504 nm at 1310 nm and 1560 nm, respectively.