Enhancing the reinforcing efficiency in CNT nanocomposites via the development of pyrene-based active dispersants

Various preforms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), such as fibers, yarns, or buckypapers (BP), have been developed over the last few years in order to fabricate advanced nanocomposites containing a high volume fraction of the reinforcing phase. However, a homogeneous dispersion and an even isolation of CNTs during the fabrication process of many preforms such as BP is often challenging, while the poor interaction between CNTs and the matrix also limits the final performance of the nanocomposites. Herein, a new route to overcome these two challenges simultaneously has been demonstrated based on an active dispersant (noted as Py-PEI) developed through the quaternization reaction of pyrene derivatives (Py-Br) and polyethylenimine (PEI). The existence of pyrene groups leads to the formation of π–π stacking with CNTs, successfully hindering the re-aggregation of dispersed CNTs. Meanwhile, the amine groups of Py-PEI can establish covalent bonds with epoxy, leading to an enhanced load transfer efficiency between CNTs and epoxy in the composites. Systematic characterization of both fabricated BP and BP-reinforced nanocomposites have been performed, with significantly enhanced CNT dispersion stability in water together with improved mechanical performance of the as-obtained BP/epoxy nanocomposites. This study provides a new strategy in fabricating high performance nanocomposites with the ease of nanofiller dispersion and enhanced reinforcing efficiency.

The active dispersant Py-PEI remarkably enhanced the dispersing stability of CNTs in water and the mechanical performance of BP/epoxy composites.     

SMYD3 promotes implant metastasis of ovarian cancer via H3K4 trimethylation of integrin promoters

Detachment of cancer cells from the primary tumor and formation of spheroids in ascites is required for implantation metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but the underlying mechanism of this process has not been thoroughly elucidated. To mimic this process, ovarian cancer cells were grown in 3D and 2D culture. Hey and OVCA433 spheroids exhibited decreased cell proliferation and enhanced adhesion and invasion. SMYD3 expression was elevated in ovarian carcinoma spheroids in association with increased H3K4 methylation. Depletion of SMYD3 by transient siRNA, stable shRNA knockdown and the SMYD3 inhibitor BCI-121 all decreased spheroid invasion and adhesion. Gene expression arrays revealed downregulation of integrin family members. Inhibition assays confirmed that invasion and adhesion of spheroids are mediated by ITGB6 and ITGAM. SMYD3-deficient cells regained the ability to invade and adhere after forced overexpression of SMYD3, ITGB6 and ITGAM. However, this biological ability was not restored by forced overexpression of SMYD3 in ITGB6- and/or ITGAM-deficient cancer cells. SMYD3 and H3K4me3 binding at the ITGB6 and ITGAM promoters was increased in spheroids compared to that in monolayer cells, and the binding was decreased when SMYD3 expression was inhibited, consistent with the expression changes in integrins. SMYD3 expression and integrin-mediated adhesion were also activated in an intraperitoneal xenograft model and in EOC patient spheroids. In vivo, SMYD3 knockdown inhibited tumor metastasis and reduced ascites volume in both the intraperitoneal xenograft model and a PDX model. Overall, our results suggest that the SMYD3-H3K4me3-integrin pathway plays a crucial role in ovarian cancer metastasis to the peritoneal surface.     

定量脑电图在脑血管病临床应用中的进展

定量脑电图是近年临床中常用的无创实时脑功能监测手段。脑血管病后神经网络受损所 致的神经电生理传导改变可通过皮层脑电图记录并总结出其规律性,结合计算机技术给予定量处理, 可为卒中的发展、预后以及卒中后抑郁、卒中后认知功能障碍的评估方面提供客观依据。现从定量脑 电图在卒中和卒中后相关疾病的特点及临床应用方面作一综述。     

Influence of ambulatory blood pressure-related indicators within 24 h on in-hospital death in sepsis patients

Background: Sepsis is a serious public health problem worldwide. Blood pressure is one of the indicators that is closely monitored in intensive-care units, and it reflects complex interactions between the internal cardiovascular control mechanism and the external environment. We aimed to determine the impact of indicators related to the ambulatory blood pressure on the prognosis of sepsis patients.Methods: This retrospective study was based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. Relevant information about sepsis patients was extracted according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Examined parameters included the average blood pressure, blood pressure variability (BPV), and circadian rhythm, and the study outcome was in-hospital death. We investigated the effects of these indicators on the risk of in-hospital death among sepsis patients using Cox proportional-hazards models, restricted cubic splines analysis, and subgroup analysis.Results: This study enrolled 10,316 sepsis patients, among whom 2,117 died during hospitalization. All parameters except the nighttime variation coefficient of the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were associated with in-hospital death of sepsis patients. All parameters except for fluctuations in DBP exhibited nonlinear correlations with the outcome. The subgroup analysis revealed that some of the examined parameters were associated with in-hospital death only in certain subgroups.Conclusion: Indicators related to the ambulatory blood pressure within 24 h are related to the prognosis of sepsis patients. When treating sepsis, in addition to blood pressure, attention should also be paid to BPV and the circadian rhythm in order to improve the prognosis and the survival rate.     

婚姻状况与癌症的关联研究进展

近30年来,全球癌症负担持续上升,且人口呈现出老龄化、少子化、结婚率下降及离婚率上升的趋势。婚姻是最亲密和长期的社会关系之一,既往研究零散报告了其对癌症发病和死亡的影响,缺乏基于人群高质量流行病学关联研究证据的系统梳理。本文对既往婚姻状况与癌症的关联研究进行综述,以期为未来相关研究以及癌症防控提供新思路。     

Successful treatment of unresectable recurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp with meningeal invasion with nivolumab monotherapy

Although the number of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) cases is increasing, the effectiveness of systemic therapy for the treatment of advanced cSCC is limited. Since cSCC possesses a high tumor mutation burden (TMB) compared to other cancer species, and since high TMB correlated with increased neoantigens and the efficacy of anti‐PD1 antibodies (Abs) in various cancers, cSCC could be a target for anti‐PD1 Abs monotherapy. In this report, we describe a case of unresectable recurrent cSCC of the scalp with meningeal invasion, but highly expressed programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1), treated with nivolumab monotherapy.     

梅毒螺旋体部分外膜蛋白的研究现状

梅毒临床表现多种多样,传染性较强。由于梅毒螺旋体无法体外培养,使梅毒致病机制的研究较为困难。随着分子生物学技术的发展及梅毒螺旋体基因组序列全面解析,有关梅毒致病机制的研究取得了一定进展。梅毒螺旋体的外膜蛋白是其重要的毒力因子,是宿主保护性免疫的重要靶位。