Identification of specific role of SNX family in gastric cancer prognosis evaluation.

We here perform a systematic bioinformatic analysis to uncover the role of sorting nexin (SNX) family in clinical outcome of gastric cancer (GC). Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis were realized with online tools such as TCGA, GEO, String, Timer, cBioportal and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. Statistical analysis was conducted with R language or Perl, and artificial neural network (ANN) model was established using Python. Our analysis demonstrated that SNX4/5/6/7/8/10/13/14/15/16/20/22/25/27/30 were higher expressed in GC, whereas SNX1/17/21/24/33 were in the opposite expression profiles. GSE66229 was employed as verification of the differential expression analysis based on TCGA. Clustering results gave the relative transcriptional levels of 30 SNXs in tumor, and it was totally consistent to the inner relevance of SNXs at mRNA level. Protein-Protein Interaction map showed closely and complex connection among 33 SNXs. Tumor immune infiltration analysis asserted that SNX1/3/9/18/19/21/29/33, SNX1/17/18/20/21/29/31/33, SNX1/2/3/6/10/18/29/33, and SNX1/2/6/10/17/18/20/29 were strongly correlated with four kinds of survival related tumor-infiltrating immune cells, including cancer associated fibroblast, endothelial cells, macrophages and Tregs. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis based on GEO presented more satisfactory results than that based on TCGA-STAD did, and all the 29 SNXs were statistically significant, SNX23/26/28 excluded. SNXs alteration contributed to microsatellite instability (MSI) or higher level of MSI-H (hyper-mutated MSI or high level of MSI), and other malignancy encompassing mutation of TP53 and ARID1A, as well as methylation of MLH1.The multivariate cox model, visualized as a nomogram, performed excellently in patients risk classification, for those with higher risk-score suffered from shorter overall survival (OS). Compared to previous researches, our ANN models showed a predictive power at a middle-upper level, with AUC of 0.87/0.72, 0.84/0.72, 0.90/0.71 (GSE84437), 0.98/0.66, 0.86/0.70, 0.98/0.71 (GSE66229), 0.94/0.66, 0.83/0.71, 0.88/0.72 (GSE26253) corresponding to one-, three- and five-year OS and recurrence free survival (RFS) estimation, especially ANN model built with GSE66229 including exclusively SNXs as input data. The SNX family shows great value in postoperative survival evaluation of GC, and ANN models constructed using SNXs transcriptional data manifesting excellent predictive power in both OS and RFS prediction works as convincing verification to that.

Biokinetic Method on Simultaneous Intake of Radionuclides from Multiple Intake Scenarios for Application in Internal Exposures.

Biokinetics underlies the basis for assessment of internal exposures. This paper develops a biokinetic method on simultaneous intake of radionuclides from multiple intake scenarios in internal exposures. With numerical techniques that transform the whole biokinetics between the coupled and decoupled representations of the same problem, this method applies to coupled biokinetics with complex structures and has no restrictions of practical importance on the number of intake scenarios, the number of intake parent radionuclides and decay products, and the complexity of decay relationships between parent and progeny nuclides. For illustration, this method is applied to an assumed case of mixed inhalation and ingestion of weapon-grade plutonium material for reference workers that is focused on Pu and Am. Due to coupled biokinetics between the direct intake and ingrowth parts in different intake pathways, the multiple intake results (the contents of lungs, daily excretions, and cumulative contents) display richer behaviors as compared to single intake cases. This method benefits both the prospective and retrospective assessment of internal exposures for complex intake cases in actual applications.

Effective Dose Coefficients for Intakes of Uranium Via Contaminated Wounds for Reference Adults.

ABSTRACT: Effective dose coefficients for intakes of uranium radionuclides via contaminated wounds have been calculated for reference adults following the procedures in the ICRP 103 series. The number of transformations in each source region for all members of the radioactive series from time of intake to 50 y post intake are calculated by coupling the NCRP 156 wound model to the ICRP 137 systemic models and ICRP 100 human alimentary tract model. Together with the ICRP 107 nuclear decay data for dosimetric calculations, the ICRP 133 specific absorbed fractions are implemented to calculate the radiation-weighted S coefficient deposited in each target organ or tissue from each transformation in each source region. Effective dose coefficients for different categories of intake materials via contaminated wounds are calculated for the three major uranium isotopes-238U, 235U, and 234U. Originating from the combined effects of the new absorbed fractions, biokinetic and dosimetric models, the new coefficients are generally reduced by a percentage of 23-28% as compared to the old ones. The new dose coefficients benefit the assessment of internal exposures for intakes of uranium via contaminated wounds in actual applications.

Synthesis of 1,6-Dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile Derivatives via Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Annulation of Propargylic Alcohols with (E)-3-Amino-3-phenylacrylonitriles.

A novel Lewis acid-catalyzed, highly efficient, practical, and atom-economical protocol for the synthesis of functionalized 1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives in the presence of Bi(OTf)3 (10 mol %) in tetrahydrofuran (2.0 mL) at 80 °C for 8 h in air is described, starting from readily accessed propargylic alcohols and (E)-3-amino-3-phenylacrylonitriles. This cycloaddition protocol, which is scalable and proceeds under mild conditions, is amenable to the gram-scale construction of valuable 1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitriles. Furthermore, the good functional group compatibility and broad scope of this strategy were demonstrated by a broad range of propargylic alcohols and (E)-3-amino-3-phenylacrylonitriles, with yields ranging from 34 to 96%.

Dicyanovinyl substituted push-pull chromophores: effects of central C[double bond, length as m-dash]C/phenyl spacers, crystal structures and application in hydrazine sensing.

To discern the distinctive effect of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond and the phenyl bridge on the photophysical and chemical properties of D-π-A molecular systems, three new dicyanovinyl substituted push-pull chromophores 1-3 containing either a C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond or a phenyl ring as the central π-linker were synthesized by the Suzuki-Miyaura and Knoevenagel reactions. Together with the counterpart of 1 developed by Zhang's group (TPE-z), their optical properties and single crystal structures were systematically and comparatively investigated. Notably, the simple π-extension of a C[double bond, length as m-dash]C linker to a phenyl ring between electron donor and electron acceptor moieties could greatly affect the photophysical properties of chromophores, particularly leading to significant hypsochromic shifts in both absorption and emission spectra. Meanwhile, as a node of twisted sections in chromophores, the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond was demonstrated to play an important role in the nonradiative relaxation of excited states, as compared to the rigid phenyl spacer. Moreover, the three chromophores were found to display spectral responses to hydrazine with slightly different sensitivities, and visual detection of hydrazine in the gaseous state was achieved via using readily fabricated paper test strips.

Michael-Michael Addition Reactions Promoted by Secondary Amine-Thiourea: Stereocontrolled Construction of Barbiturate-Fused Tetrahydropyrano Scaffolds and Pyranocoumarins.

Bifunctional secondary amine-thiourea organocatalysts were successfully applied in the stereocontrolled synthesis of barbiturate-fused tetrahydropyrano scaffolds. Compared with typically used tertiary amine-thiourea organocatalysts, the developed catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the domino Michael-Michael reaction between N, N'-dimethylbarbituric acid and Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of nitroalkenes to yield pharmaceutically important heterocycles in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. Moreover, this catalytic protocol can also be applied to synthesize biologically active pyranocoumarin compounds.

A sensitive colorimetric and ratiometric chemosensor for trivalent metal cations.

A novel hydroxyethyl piperazine functionalized cyanine derivative was designed and synthesized. It presents selective colorimetric as well as ratiometric absorption responses to trivalent metal cations (Cr(3+), Fe(3+) and Al(3+)) over a variety of divalent and monovalent metal cations in 3:7 ethanol-water solution. Detection limits of this method for Cr(3+), Fe(3+) and Al(3+) were 3.99 µM, 4.30 µM and 1.85 µM, respectively. The recognition mechanism was attributed to the protonation of the organic probe, which blocked the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. In addition, the sensor was also successfully applied to the determination of Cr(3+) in prepared samples.

Regulating the piezofluorochromism of 9,10-bis(butoxystyryl)anthracenes by isomerization of butyl groups.

Isomers of 9,10-bis(butoxystyryl)anthracene (DSA4), including n-butyl, i-butyl and t-butyl at ortho or para positions, were designed and synthesized. All of them display an aggregation-induced emission phenomenon. Remarkably, it was found that isomerization of butyl endgroups presents significant influences on their piezofluorochromic properties. Thus, an alternative approach to design and obtain piezofluorochromic compounds is proposed here.