High expression of CCNB2 is an independent predictive poor prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrates in breast carcinoma.

Background: Cyclin B2 (CCNB2) is associated with cell cycle progression, acting as a cell cycle checkpoint in progression of G2/M transition. In many cancer patients, it has been observed that overexpression of CCNB2 enhances tumor invasiveness and leads to adverse prognosis. However, the association of CCNB2 with the tumor microenvironment remains unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the associations of CCNB2 with the immune status and prognosis of breast carcinoma (BRCA). Methods: Gene expression and clinical data for BRCA were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases, followed by association analyses of CCNB2 expression with prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoints. This study further performed drug sensitivity analysis and constructed a prognostic nomogram for CCNB2. Results: 3619 differentially expressed genes were identified in BRCA, including CCNB2 that emerged as a key gene in the network. High CCNB2 expression correlated with poor prognosis. Functional analysis demonstrated enrichment of CCNB2 co-expressed genes with the cell cycle, cancer progression, cell energy, and immune pathways. Microsatellite instability and tumor mutation burden analyses indicated CCNB2 as a candidate immunotherapy target. Tumor-infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cells, regulatory T cells, and T helper 2 cells were associated with CCNB2-related tumor progression and metastasis. CCNB2 expression positively correlated with immune checkpoints, indicating that high CCNB2 expression might facilitate tumor immune escape. Tumors with high CCNB2 expression showed sensitivity to phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors, and the nomogram had good prognostic predictive ability for patients with BRCA. Conclusions: CCNB2 may play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and serve as an independent prognostic biomarker associated with tumor microenvironment, tumor immune infiltration and immunotherapy in BRCA.

Current progress in functionalization of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for active food packaging.

There is a growing interest in utilizing renewable biomass resources to manufacture environmentally friendly active food packaging, against the petroleum-based polymers. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have received significant attention recently due to their sustainability, biodegradability, and widely available sources. CNFs are generally obtained through chemical or physical treatment, wherein the original surface chemistry and interfacial interactions can be changed if the functionalization process is applied. This review focuses on promising and sustainable methods of functionalization to broaden the potential uses of CNFs in active food packaging. Novel aspects, including functionalization before, during and after cellulose isolation, and functionalization during and after material processing are addressed. The CNF-involved structural construction including films, membranes, hydrogels, aerogels, foams, and microcapsules, is illustrated, which enables to explore the correlations between structure and performance in active food packaging. Additionally, the enhancement of CNFs on multiple properties of active food packaging are discussed, in which the interaction between active packaging systems and encapsulated food or the internal environment are highlighted. This review emphasizes novel approaches and emerging trends that have the potential to revolutionize the field, paving the way for advancements in the properties and applications of CNF-involved active food packaging.

Ball milling pretreatment facilitating α-amylase hydrolysis for production of starch-based bio-latex with high performance.

Starch based bio-latex has been widely researched in the coating paper area for the purpose of partial replacement of petroleum-based binders. In this paper, a green and facile ball milling pretreatment was proposed to modify the starch granules before α-amylase hydrolysis by breaking up their crystalline structure, thus improving the accessibility and susceptibility of amylase into starch structure. It was found that the improved hydrolysis process after 8 h ball milling can generate suitable degree of polymerization of polysaccharides or oligosaccharides, which further facilitated the following H2O2 oxidation and SHMP crosslinking processes. In addition, a mechanism was also demonstrated to illustrate the improvement induced by ball milling pretreatment. The prepared bio-latex with crosslinking-structure performed excellent adhesive properties when substituted 25 % of petroleum-based latex during paper coating application, which showed great potential in improving the economic, cost, and environment benefits of traditional production of coated paper.

Cationic cellulose nano-fibers (CCNF) as versatile flocculants of wood pulp for high wet web performance.

In recent years, cellulose nano-fibers (CNF) have been regarded as renewable, promising reinforcer to enhance the strength property of paper products. In this paper, the roles of cationic cellulose nano-fibers (CCNF) as versatile flocculants of wood pulp and fines in pulp slurry for high wet web performance have been studied. It was found that CCNF can induce significantly flocculation (CCNF-Fines complex) in pulp slurries. The mechanical properties of wet web can also be improved by the addition of CCNF. The study demonstrated that CCNF can act as effective flocculants of fines and form CCNF-Fines complex for improved wet-web strength, in addition, CCNF has little effect on the dewatering rate of wet-web. CCNF is more beneficial to the wet web performance when it is in higher charge density. The research paves a way to further study the comprehensive application of CCNF in the wet-web making process for high performance.

Study on the wet-web strength and pressability of paper sheet during the press process with the addition of nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC).

The properties of wet-web strength and pressability of base paper affect the frequency of sheet breaks and machine runnability during the paper-making process. In this paper, the effect of nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) on the wet-web strength and pressability of paper sheet during the press process of paper-making was explored. It was found that the tensile energy absorption (TEA) of the sample was increased from 6.32 to 10.93 J/m2 at 50% wet web solid content when 5% NFC was added. The web solid content was decreased from 50.51% to 42.85% when 0%-5% NFC was added under the same drainage and press conditions, indicating that the addition of NFC during the paper-making process can retard the pressability of paper sheet. The study put forwards a new view to discuss/study the effect of added NFC on the wet-web strength and pressability of paper sheet.

The diagnostic value of cervical lymph node metastasis in head and neck squamous carcinoma by using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography perfusion.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) with computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for preoperative detection of metastases to lymph nodes (LNs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: Between May 2010 and April 2012, 30 patients with head and neck SCC underwent preoperative DWI and CTP. Two radiologists measured apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and CTP parameters independently. Surgery and histopathologic examinations were performed on all patients. RESULTS: On DWI, 65 LNs were detected in 30 patients. The mean ADC value of metastatic nodes was lower than benign nodes and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). On CTP images, the mean value in metastatic nodes of blood flow (BF) and blood volume (BV) was higher than that in benign nodes, and mean transit time (MTT) in metastatic nodes was lower than that in benign nodes. There were significant differences in BF and MTT values between metastatic and benign LNs (P < 0.05). There were significant differences between the AUCs of DWI and CTP (Z=4.612, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: DWI with ADC value measurements may be more accurate than CTP for the preoperative diagnosis of cervical LN metastases.