Additive Manufacturing Of (MgCoNiCuZn)O High-entropy Oxide Using A 3D Extrusion Technique And Oxide Precursors

This report presents an additive manufacturing approach, for the first time, to producing high-entropy oxides (HEOs) using a 3D extrusion-based technique with oxide precursors. The precursors were prepared by a wet chemical method from sulfates. Additives were utilized to optimize the rheological properties of the printing inks with these precursors, and the properties of the printed HEOs were improved by increasing the solid content of the inks. When ink with a solid content of 78 wt% was used for printing, the resulting HEO exhibited a relative density of 92% and a high dielectric constant after undergoing pressure less sintering at 800 °C. Compared to traditional methods of manufacturing HEOs, the 3D extrusion technique is a very promising method for producing HEOs with complex geometries

Contamination from magnetic starting materials in flux-grown single crystals of RFeAsO superconductors

While the flux growth often provides the best method for obtaining single crystals of new-novel materials, the process is prone to producing crystals with trapped second-phase inclusions. In the case of NdFeAsO single crystals grown out of NaAs flux under ambient pressure, some crystals show a lambda anomaly in the specific heat curve at ~12 K. This anomaly is missing in other crystals from the same batch. We show that the lambda anomaly at 12 K is from residual NdAs starting material which is mainly on the edges of the crystals. The isothermal magnetization of LaFeAsO at 300 K clearly illustrates the effect of ferromagnetic impurities on the magnetic properties of LaFeAsO crystals

Clusterin confers gmcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To measure clusterin expression in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines and to evaluate whether clusterin confers resistance to gmcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemistry for clusterin was performed on 50 primary pancreatic cancer tissues and 25 matched backgrounds, and clusterin expression in 5 pancreatic cancer cell lines was quantified by Western blot and PT-PCR. The correlation between clusterin expression level and gmcitabine IC50 in pancreatic cancer cell lines was evaluated. The effect of an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) against clusterin(OGX-011) on gmcitabine resistance was evaluated by MTT assays. Xenograft model was used to demonstrate tumor growth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pancreatic cancer tissues expressed significantly higher levels of clusterin than did normal pancreatic tissues (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Clusterin expression levels were correlated with gmcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cell lines, and OGX-011 significantly decreased BxPc-3 cells resistance to gmcitabine (<it>P </it>< 0.01). <it>In vivo </it>systemic administration of AS clusterin and gmcitabine significantly decreased the s.c. BxPC-3 tumor volume compared with mismatch control ODN plus gmcitabine.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our finding that clusterin expression was significantly higher in pancreatic cancer than in normal pancreatic tissues suggests that clusterin may confer gmcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells.</p

The correlation between multimodal radiomics and pathology about thermal ablation lesion of rabbit lung VX2 tumor

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation of CT-MRI pathology with lung tumor ablation lesions by comparing CT, MRI, and pathological performance of rabbit lung VX2 tumor after thermal ablation.MethodsThermal ablation including microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was carried out in 12 experimental rabbits with lung VX2 tumors under CT guidance. CT and MRI performance was observed immediately after ablation, and then the rabbits were killed and pathologically examined. The maximum diameter of tumors on CT before ablation, the central hypointense area on T2-weighted image (T2WI) after ablation, and the central hyperintense area on T1-weighted image (T1WI) after ablation and pathological necrosis were measured. Simultaneously, the maximum diameter of ground-glass opacity (GGO) around the lesion on CT after ablation, the surrounding hyperintense area on T2WI after ablation, the surrounding isointense area on T1WI after ablation, and the pathological ablation area were measured, and then the results were compared and analyzed.ResultsAblation zones showed GGO surrounding the original lesion on CT, with a central hypointense and peripheral hyperintense zone on T2WI as well as a central hyperintense and peripheral isointense zone on T1WI. There was statistical significance in the comparison of the maximum diameter of the tumor before ablation with a central hyperintense zone on T1WI after ablation and pathological necrosis. There was also statistical significance in the comparison of the maximum diameter of GGO around the lesion on CT with the surrounding hyperintense zone on T2WI and isointense on T1WI after ablation and pathological ablation zone. There was only one residual tumor abutting the vessel in the RFA group.ConclusionsMRI manifestations of thermal ablation of VX2 tumors in rabbit lungs have certain characteristics with a strong pathological association. CT combined with MRI multimodal radiomics is expected to provide an effective new method for clinical evaluation of the immediate efficacy of thermal ablation of lung tumors

The associations between body dissatisfaction, exercise intensity, sleep quality, and depression in university students in southern China

BackgroundIn recent years, depression in early adulthood has become an urgent global public health concern. The university years mark a transitional period from adolescence to adulthood. Young people are required to face academic and life pressures independently, which increases the risk of mental health problems in university.PurposeThe main goal of the current study was to explore the sex differences in depression, body dissatisfaction, sleep quality, and exercise intensity among university students in southern China and to analyze the factors affecting the level of depression among university students.MethodsIn total, 1,258 university students aged 18–23 years were recruited for this study. All participants completed anthropometric measurements, the Self-rating Depression Scale, Physical Activity Rating Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Body dissatisfaction levels were measured using sex-appropriate silhouettes.ResultsCompared with young women, young men had higher exercise intensity and sleep quality, whereas young women’s body dissatisfaction and depression levels were significantly higher than those of young men. Sleep quality score (β = 0.34, p &lt; 0.01), sex (β = 0.15, p &lt; 0.01), physical activity score (β = −0.14, p &lt; 0.01), and body dissatisfaction (β = 0.14, p &lt; 0.01) were significant predictive factors of the Self-rating Depression Scale score.ConclusionLow levels of physical dissatisfaction have a positive effect on depression, and high levels of physical activity and quality sleep can also improve depressive symptoms. At the same time, increasing body satisfaction has the effect of increasing physical activity and improving sleep quality. Therefore, there is great potential to prevent and ameliorate depression by reducing body dissatisfaction

Functional characterization of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA C1494T mutation associated with aminoglycoside-induced and non-syndromic hearing loss

In this study, we report the biochemical characterization of the deafness-associated mitochondrial 12S rRNA C1494T mutation using 27 cybrid cell lines constructed by transferring mitochondria from 9 lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from a Chinese family into human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-less (ρ°) cells. Six cybrids derived from two asymptomatic members, and nine cybrids derived from three symptomatic members of the Chinese family carrying the C1494T mutation exhibited ∼38 and 43% decrease in the rate of mitochondrial protein labeling, respectively, compared with twelve cybrids derived from four Chinese control individuals. These defects are apparently a primary contributor to significant reductions in the rate of overall respiratory capacity or the rate of malate/glutamate promoted respiration, or succinate/G3P-promoted respiration, or TMPD/ascorbate-promoted respiration in mutant cybrid cell lines derived from either symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals. Furthermore, the very significant/nearly identical increase in the ratio of doubling times in DMDM medium in the presence/absence of high concentration of paromomycin was observed in symptomatic or asymptomatic cybrid cell lines carrying the C1494T mutation as compared with the average rate in control cell lines. These observations provide the direct biochemical evidences that the C1494T mutation is a pathogenic mtDNA mutation associated with aminoglycoside-induced and non-syndromic hearing loss. In addition, these data provide the first biochemical evidence that nuclear background plays a critical role in the phenotypic manifestation of non-syndromic hearing loss and aminoglycoside toxicity associated with the C1494T mutation