Comprehensive Analysis of Predictive Value and the potential therapeutic target of NLRP3 inflammasome in glioma based on tumor microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Glioma exhibits high recurrence rates and poor prognosis. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a crucial role in inflammation. There is a lack of research exploring the NLRP3 in glioma. METHODS: We used several databases, networks, Western blotting, multiple immunofluorescence staining to analyze the role of NLRP3 in inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME). RESULTS: NLRP3 is higher-expression in glioma with a low mutation load. NLRP3 expression is linked to the infiltration of immune cells, chemokines, immunomodulators, and the TME. Signaling pathways, co-expression genes and interacting proteins contribute to the up-regulation of NLRP3. Patients responding to immunotherapy positively tend to have lower NLRP3 expression relating to the overall survival based on nomogram. Sensitivity to molecular medicines is observed in relation to NLRP3. CONCLUSION: The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a pivotal role in TME which could serve as a higher predictive value biomarker and therapeutic target for glioma treatment.

Proton pump inhibitors display anti-tumour potential in glioma.

OBJECTIVES: Glioma is one of the most aggressive brain tumours with poor overall survival despite advanced technology in surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation. Progression and recurrence are the hinge causes of low survival. Our aim is to explain the concrete mechanism in the proliferation and progression of tumours based on tumour microenvironment (TME). The main purpose is to illustrate the mechanism of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in affecting acidity, hypoxia, oxidative stress, inflammatory response and autophagy based on the TME to induce apoptosis and enhance the sensitivity of chemoradiotherapy. FINDINGS: TME is the main medium for tumour growth and progression. Acidity, hypoxia, inflammatory response, autophagy, angiogenesis and so on are the main causes of tumour progress. PPIs, as a common clinical drug to inhibit gastric acid secretion, have the advantages of fast onset, long action time and small adverse reactions. Nowadays, several kinds of literature highlight the potential of PPIs in inhibiting tumour progression. However, long-term use of PPIs alone also has obvious side effects. Therefore, till now, how to apply PPIs to promote the effect of radio-chemotherapy and find the concrete dose and concentration of combined use are novel challenges. CONCLUSIONS: PPIs display the potential in enhancing the sensitivity of chemoradiotherapy to defend against glioma based on TME. In the clinic, it is also necessary to explore specific concentrations and dosages in synthetic applications.

Preparation of phosphorus-doped tungsten trioxide nanomaterials and their photocatalytic performances.

In this study, a highly efficient and stable phosphorus-doped Tungsten trioxide (P-WO3) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a combination of hydrothermal and post-calcination method. The microstructures, morphologies and optical properties of the obtained WO3 and P-WO3 samples were characterized. The results showed that P was uniformly doped into the WO3 lattice in a pentavalent-oxidation state (P5+). The charge carrier traps were also formed, which could accept the photoelectrons. Furthermore, the band gap energy was reduced from 2.4 to 2.33 ev. The photocatalytic performance of the obtained P-WO3 samples with different P concentrations were then tested by photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue (MB). It was found that the 6%-P-WO3 sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, with 96% of MB being able to be degraded within 120 min, which was more than four times higher than that of the pure WO3. The practicality of the prepared P-WO3 was also evaluated using samples from two domestic wastewater treatment plants. The P-WO3 had a high photodegradation performance in treating low concentration of organic matters from real wastewater. The photocatalysis of P-WO3 could be mainly initiated by the production of hydroxyl radical (·OH) and photogenerated hole (h+).

Toxicity mechanism of silver nanoparticles to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: photosynthesis, oxidative stress, membrane permeability, and ultrastructure analysis.

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are widely used in daily life and inevitably discharged into the aquatic environment, causing increasingly serious pollution. Research on the toxicity of Ag-NPs is still in infancy, little information is available on the relationships between oxidative stress and antioxidant, as well as damaging degrees of Ag-NPs to cellular structural components of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtiii). In the present study, we revealed the toxicity mechanism of C. reinhardtii under Ag-NPs stress using flow cytometry (FCM), metabolic methods, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the chloroplasts were damaged and the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments was inhibited under Ag-NPs stress, which inhibited the growth of C. reinhardtii. Meanwhile, Ag-NPs also caused C. reinhardtii to produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased malondialdehyde content and changed the permeability of cell membrane, resulting in the acceleration of internalization of Ag-NPs. The decrease of cell size and intracellular chlorophyll autofluorescence was observed with FCM. To deal with the induced excessive ROS that could lead to lethal and irreversible structure damage, C. reinhardtii activated antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. This study provides new information for better understanding the potential toxicity risks of Ag-NPs in the aquatic environment.

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes during co-composting of swine manure with cauliflower and corn straw.

Composting is not completely effective in reducing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in animal manure. This work studied the effects of different treatment conditions on the fate of ARGs in composting swine manure with cauliflower and corn straw as bulking agents. The results showed that the addition of microbial agents or the ratio of corn stalks to cauliflower (1:12) could significantly decrease the absolute abundances of most ARGs (an average of 480 times) compared with the control treatment. Principal component analysis indicated that bacterial communities were significantly correlated with ARG abundance, suggesting that microbial communities have an impact on ARG variation during co-composting. Redundancy and Network analysis confirmed the changing patterns of individual ARGs (qnrS, blaAmpC, blaTEM-1) were influenced by the selectivity of host bacteria (Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, and Halocella) and environmental variables (TN, NH3-N, TOC, and pH). These findings helped to optimize composting conditions, thereby reducing the risk of ARGs spread.

2D black phosphorus and tungsten trioxide heterojunction for enhancing photocatalytic performance in visible light.

A novel, efficient and stable 2D black phosphorus and tungsten trioxide heterojunction (WO3-BPNs) was successfully synthesized using a combined hydrothermal, liquid phase exfoliating and co-precipitation method. The as-obtained WO3-BPNs composite was characterized by using XRD, SEM, XPS, UV-vis, etc. The results showed that the bandgap energy of the WO3-BPNs50 sample was 2.2 eV, which was lower than that of pure WO3. BPNs in the WO3-BPNs heterojunction as a co-catalyst effectively enhanced photo-generated electron-hole pairs separation. The synthesized WO3-BPNs sample significantly improved the photocatalytic performance in degrading rhodamine B (RhB) and metoprolol (MET) compared to pure WO3 and BPNs under visible-light. The maximum RhB and MET removal efficiencies were 92% and 87%, respectively, in the WO3-BPNs50 (added 50 mL BPNs dispersion) sample within 120 minutes. The relevant photocatalysis mechanisms were discussed. In addition, the intermediate products in the MET photodegradation process were investigated by LC-MS technology, and the degradation pathway of MET was proposed.

Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt/Palladium Multilayer Film and Nanodiscs on Polyethylene Terephthalate Substrate.

Cobalt/Palladium (Co/Pd) multilayer film and nanodisc samples were fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The effects of surface roughness and grain size of PET substrate, the Co/Pd layer and the Au intermediate layer on the magnetic properties of these samples were investigated. We observed that the coercivity for Co/Pd films deposited directly on a smoother PET substrate is significantly smaller when compared with Co/Pd films deposited at the same time on Au buffer layer. The patterned Co/Pd nanodisc array exhibited a larger coercivity than the corresponding continuous film due to lower probability of finding nucleation sites in reduced film area.

Nano-topology guided neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells is mediated by miRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are master regulators of gene expression at post-transcriptional level. The present study investigated the involvement of miRNAs in topological guidance of neurite outgrowth in an NGF treated PC12 cell model cultured on nano-patterned polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates fabricated with interference lithography. The expressions of 38 neuronal miRNAs were measured and 3 were found to be differentially regulated during topological guidance of neurite outgrowth. Altering the intracellular levels of these miRNAs disrupted the orderly growth of neurite along nano-patterned substrate. Our results showed miRNAs to be versatile regulators and their involvement should be thoroughly investigated for better understanding of biological processes. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: In this basic science study, strong evidence was found that topological guidance is only one factor, and miRNA-s regulate axonal outgrowth from neurites. Nano-patterned polyethylene terephthalate substrates were used for the study, fabricated using interference lithography. Further studies of this biologically relevant process may pave the way to clinically useful axonal regrowth and axonal guidance methods.

Fabrication of nanostructures on polyethylene terephthalate substrate by interference lithography and plasma etching.

We report results of an attempt to create nanostructures on polyethylene terephthalate substrate using the interference lithography and plasma etching technique. Methods to create nanogrooves, nanopillars, nanofins and nanoholes have been presented. The effects of chemical and physical etching associated with plasma etching on the synthesis of nanostructures were examined in detail. Different etch rates and anisotropy as a function of plasma power and pressure were reported and explained, offering good understanding of the physics of the etching process. Ways to improve anisotropy have been suggested and experimentally verified. We show that this method can produce nanostructured substrate with wide surface coverage and good uniformity. The flexibility of this method was demonstrated in that the period and shapes of the nanopattern can be varied easily without resorting to complicated fabrication processes and machinery. Our method brings forth an easy and cost-effective way to create uniform nanostructures on a large area in a controllable fashion.