DataSheet_1_Prognostic value of mesorectal package area in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: A retrospective cohort study.docx

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to explore the most effective inflammation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nutrition markers for survival and pathology complete response (pCR) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).MethodsA total of 278 patients with LARC undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and radical surgery from 2016 to 2019 were included. The X-tile method was used to select the optimal cutoff points for the mesorectal package area (MPA), advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) scores. Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors of disease-free survival (DFS). To discover pCR risk factors, logistic regression analysis was employed. A predictive nomogram for DFS was constructed.ResultsAccording to the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis, the MPA was the only significant predictor for the DFS in patients with LARC. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis demonstrated that groups with higher MPA, PNI, SII, NLR, MLR, and ALI score had improved DFS (all P ConclusionsMPA was identified as the most effective marker for MRI, and the prognostic value was further confirmed by time–ROC analysis. More intense adjuvant treatment could be considered for lower–MPA score patients with LARC after NCRT. Obesity in the pelvis encourages the understanding of the prognosis prediction of patients with LARC after NCRT.</p

Facile Synthesis of Co₉Se₈ Quantum Dots as Charge Traps for Flexible Organic Resistive Switching Memory Device

Uniform Co₉Se₈ quantum dots (CSQDs) were successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal method. The obtained CSQDs with average size of 3.2 ± 0.1 nm and thickness of 1.8 ± 0.2 nm were demonstrated good stability and strong fluorescence under UV light after being easily dispersed in both of <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylformamide (DMF) and deionized water. We demonstrated the flexible resistive switching memory device based on the hybridization of CSQDs and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (CSQDs-PVP). The device with the Al/CSQDs-PVP/Pt/poly­(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) structure represented excellent switching parameters such as high ON/OFF current ratio, low operating voltages, good stability, and flexibility. The flexible resistive switching memory device based on hybridization of CSQDs and PVP has a great potential to be used in flexible and high-performance memory applications

Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism of Ionizing Radiation-Induced Tissue Damage in the Feather Follicle

<div><p>Ionizing radiation (IR) is a common therapeutic agent in cancer therapy. It damages normal tissue and causes side effects including dermatitis and mucositis. Here we use the feather follicle as a model to investigate the mechanism of IR-induced tissue damage, because any perturbation of feather growth will be clearly recorded in its regular yet complex morphology. We find that IR induces defects in feather formation in a dose-dependent manner. No abnormality was observed at 5 Gy. A transient, reversible perturbation of feather growth was induced at 10 Gy, leading to defects in the feather structure. This perturbation became irreversible at 20 Gy. Molecular and cellular analysis revealed P53 activation, DNA damage and repair, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the pathobiology. IR also induces patterning defects in feather formation, with disrupted branching morphogenesis. This perturbation is mediated by cytokine production and Stat1 activation, as manipulation of cytokine levels or ectopic Stat1 over-expression also led to irregular feather branching. Furthermore, AG-490, a chemical inhibitor of Stat1 signaling, can partially rescue IR-induced tissue damage. Our results suggest that the feather follicle could serve as a useful model to address the in vivo impact of the many mechanisms of IR-induced tissue damage.</p></div

Involvement of Stat1 gene in IR-induced feather defects.

<p>(A) RT-PCR and densitometrical quantification showing increased Stat1 expression in the feather follicles. **, p<0.01; ***, p<0.001. (B) Stat1 antibody staining showing nuclear enrichment after IR exposure (T1 samples). (C) Whole-mount view of the feather epithelium after lentiviral-mediated Stat1 over-expression in the feather follicle. In control experiments, a lentivirus carrying GFP was used. (D) H&E analysis of Stat1 over-expressed feather follicle showing abnormal epithelial branching. Samples were collected 2 weeks after virus infection. Bar = 100 µm.</p

Analysis of IR-induced defects in feather formation.

<p>(A–B) H&E analysis of feather follicles after IR-exposure at different doses. At 10 Gy, the total epithelial cell number remains unchanged, yet extensive branching abnormality is seen. This is transient and reversible; at T2 (2 days post-IR) the feathers become normal again. At 20 Gy, the feather epithelium is significantly reduced. Heterogeneity in T3 (3 days post-IR) is noticed, with some recovered little while others showed branching epithelium again. Representative examples of 8 follicles examined in each case are shown. (C) Whole-mount prep of feather epithelial branching at T1 (1 day post-IR) showing the disrupted patterning at 10 or 20 Gy. Bar = 100 µm.</p

AG-490 partially rescues IR-induced defects in feather formation.

<p>(A) Statistics of feather morphology after 20 Gy IR exposure and AG-490 rescue. Compared to un-rescued samples shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0089234#pone-0089234-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a>, the feather morphology was significantly improved (n = 57). (B) Whole-mount view of feather branching and (C) H&E staining showing the improved feather morphology after AG-490 rescue. Epithelial branching was retained at both T1 and T2. (D) Molecular analysis of AG-490 rescue at T1. Notice the reduced nuclear Stat1, similar P53/gama-H2AX, increased PCNA, and reduced TUNEL staining. (E) Statistics of PCNA and (F) TUNEL staining results. **, p<0.01. (G) Summary of IR-responses in the feather follicle. A cytokine/Stat1 cascade disrupts the normal patterning event in the feather epithelium. Bar = 100 µm.</p

Molecular analysis in the feather follicles after IR exposure.

<p>(A) Immunohistochemistry (red) showing P53 activation, gama-H2AX expression, and PARP activation after IR exposure. Cell proliferation is indicated by PCNA staining, and cell apoptosis is monitored by Caspase-3 staining and TUNEL analysis (green). (B–C) Quantification of PCNA staining and TUNEL analysis. Significant decrease in PCNA staining is noticed after 20 Gy treatment, when TUNEL staining is also the most significant. **, p<0.01; ***, p<0.001. (D) RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in the feather follicle. T0, control samples before IR; T1, 1 day post-IR; T2, 2 days post-IR. Bar = 100 µm.</p