Enhancing thermal stability and mechanical properties of lyotropic liquid crystals through incorporation of a polymerizable surfactant.

We present a facile method to prepare thermally stable and mechanically robust crosslinked lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) through incorporation of a polymerizable amphiphile into a binary LLC system comprising commercially available surfactant Brij 97 and water. Thermal stability and mechanical properties of the polymerized LLCs were significantly enhanced after polymerization of the incorporated polymerizable surfactant. The effect of incorporating a polymerizable amphiphile on the phase behavior of the LLC system was studied in detail. In situ photo-rheology was used to monitor the change in the mechanical properties of the LLCs, namely the storage modulus, loss modulus, and viscosity, upon polymerization. The retention of the LLC nanostructures was evaluated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The ability to control the thermal stability and mechanical strength of LLCs simply by adding a polymerizable amphiphile, without tedious organic synthesis or harsh polymerization conditions, could prove highly advantageous in the preparation of robust nanomaterials with well-defined periodic structures

Efficacy of consensus interferon in treatment of HbeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B: a multicentre, randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Consensus interferon (CIFN) is a newly developed type I interferon.</p> <p>Aims</p> <p>This multicentre, controlled trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of CIFN and to compare it with alpha-1b-interferon (IFN-α1b) in the treatment of patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>144 Patients were randomly assigned to receive 9 μg CIFN (CIFN group) or 50 μg INF-α1b (IFN-alpha group) subcutaneously 3 times weekly for 24 weeks, followed by 24 weeks of observation. Efficacy was assessed by normalization of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and the non-detectability of serum hepatitis B virus DNA or HBeAg at the end of treatment and 24 weeks after stopping treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no statistically significant difference in the serological, virological and biochemical parameters between CIFN and IFN-α1b groups at the end of the therapy and follow-up period (p > 0.05). Overall, at the end of treatment, 7.0% (5/71) and 35.2% (25/71) of patients in the CIFN group showed a complete or partial response compared with 7.4% (5/68) and 33.8% (23/68) of the IFN-alpha group (p = 0.10). At 24 weeks after stopping treatment, 6.9% (5/72) and 37.5% (27/72) of patients in the CIFN group showed complete response or partial response compared with 7.1% (5/70) and 34.3% (24/70) of the IFN-alpha group (p = 0.10).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that 9 μg CIFN is effective in the treatment of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B. It can gradually induce ALT normalization and HBV DNA clearance and HBeAg loss or HBeAg/HBeAb seroconversion.</p

Azobenzene moiety variation directing self-assembly and photoresponsive behavior of azo-surfactants

The effect of varying the position of the azobenzene group within two comparable photoresponsive amphiphiles on their capability to form lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) was investigated in detail in this study. Two photoresponsive amphiphiles having comparable structures were designed and synthesized consisting of hydrophilic oligooxyethylene units, a hydrophobic alkyl chain and a light-sensitive azobenzene moiety. When the azobenzene group was located in the middle of the hydrophobic alkyl chain, multiple LLC phases were observed at various water contents in the azo-surfactant&ndash;water binary system. In contrast, when the azobenzene group was directly attached to the hydrophilic domain, the azo-surfactant&ndash;water binary system exhibited only lamellar phases. The temperature dependence of these self-organised nanostructures was also investigated by the combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and rheology. Under alternating UV and visible light irradiation, reversible trans&ndash;cis photoisomerization of the azobenzene group occurred efficiently in dilute solution for both azo-surfactants. However, only photoisomerization of the surfactant possessing the azobenzene group localized in the middle of the alkyl chain induced significant changes in the self-assembled structure and its bulk properties. This study demonstrates that self-assembly and photoresponsive behaviour of photosensitive amphiphiles is extremely sensitive to the position of the photoactive moiety within the surfactant molecular architecture.<br /

Effect of APOE ɛ4 Status on Brain Amyloid-β and Cognitive Function in Amnestic and Nonamnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A 18F Florbetapir PET-CT Study

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is recognized as a predementia syndrome caused by multiple etiologies and nonmemory symptoms in MCI have recently gained increasing attention. However, the pattern of Aβ deposition and the effect of APOE (apolipoprotein E, APOE) ε4 on cognitive impairment in amnestic MCI (aMCI) and nonamnestic MCI (naMCI) patients has not been demonstrated. In this work, the amyloid-β (Aβ) load by [$^{18}$F]florbetapir PET imaging and cognitive performance is compared by comprehensive neuropsychological scales in participants with different MCI types or different APOE ε4 carriage status. According to the Aβ positivity and results of voxel-wise analysis, higher Aβ loads are observed in aMCI patients than naMCI patients, especially aMCI patients with APOE ε4. Additionally, it is observed that memory domain Z scores show a strong negative correlation with global florbetapir SUVR in the aMCI group (r = – 0.352, p < 0.001) but not in the naMCI group (r = –0.016, p = 0.924). Moreover, this correlation is independent of APOE e4 carriage status. This study aims to identify high-risk groups at an early stage of AD(Alzheimer's Disease, AD) through cognitive performance and APOE ε4 carrier status, which can be important for guiding clinical intervention trials

Correlation of LC3 and the recruitment of dendritic cell and the formation of TLS in colorectal cancer and its clinical significance

Background and purpose: It has been recognized as a complex problem in tumor therapy to deal with the tumor immune escape, and over-activated autophagy can cause the increase of tumor surface antigen, which participates in anti-tumor immunity. In this study, the expressions of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), mature dendritic cell (mDC) and the formation of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS), an essential autophagy factor in colorectal cancer, were detected in clinical samples. The results had important clinical implications and provided new insights for enhancing anti-tumor immunity. Methods: Immunohistochemical EnVision method was used to detect the expressions of LC3, DC-lamp and the formation of TLS in cancer tissues and normal mucosal tissues of 179 patients with T2 stage high-risk and T3 stage colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection at Binzhou Medical University Hospital from January 2016 to June 2017. Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) were used to detect the expressions of LC3, NY-ESO-2, lymphotoxin-beta (LTβ), CC chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21), CXC chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in TLS+ and TLS- colorectal cancer tissues. Then the correlation and clinical significance were analyzed. Log-rank test was used to compare the prognostic differences between groups, and COX proportional risk regression model was used for multivariate survival analysis. Results: Clinical samples showed that the expressions of LC3 and DC-lamp were higher in colorectal cancer tissues than in normal mucosa tissues (P&lt;0.05), and the expressions of LC3 and DC-lamp were positively correlated (P&lt;0.05). The protein and mRNA expressions of LC3, NY-ESO-2, LTβ, CXCL13 and CCL21 were higher in TLS+ group than in TLS- group. The expression of IL-17 was higher in the TLS- group than in the TLS+ group (P&lt;0.05). The expression of LC3 was positively correlated with TLS/germinal center (GC)+ and TLS/GC- subtypes and positively correlated with the expression of NY-ESO-2, LTβ, CXCL13 and CCL21 (P&lt;0.05). The expression of DC-lamp was higher in TLS/GC+ and TLS/GC- subtype groups than in the other two subgroups (P&lt;0.05), and there was a positive correlation. Kaplan-Meier and COX regression models showed that LC3, DC-lamp, TLS and lymph node metastasis were closely related to the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer, and they were independent risk factors for the prognosis of colorectal cancer. Conclusion: The abnormal expression of LC3 in colorectal cancer can activate mDC to recruit lymphocytes and promote the expression and maturation of TLS, ultimately affecting the prognosis of patients

A cohort study to investigate the potential indicators for prenatal echocardiographic detection of suspected coarctation of the aorta

ObjectivesSuspected coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a common fetal echocardiographic presentation. However, the prenatal findings did not indicate a satisfied accuracy in determining the truly CoA after birth, which made the prenatal diagnosis of CoA still as a critical challenge with high false positive rate. Thus, this research is aimed to distinguish the potential prenatal parameters influencing the fetal echocardiographic images and enhance the true positive diagnostic rate of CoA fetuses which require early clinical intervention in postnatal life.MethodsA retrospective study had been designed and fetuses with suspected with CoA had been included from Jan 2016 to Dec 2021 in our center. The fetal echocardiography and related clinical information had been collected. And the postnatal diagnosis had been reached by echocardiography or CTA. Then, all the parameters had been analyzed by univariate analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was further involved to determine the independent parameters influencing the accuracy of diagnosis CoA fetuses. Moreover, such results had been validated by nomogram analysis and ROC curve.ResultsAmong the included 44 liveborn infants who presented suspected CoA in fetal cardiac screening, 18 cases had been proved to be CoA postnatally (Group P). The true positive rate for this study was 40.9% (18/44). The abnormal atrial hemodynamic status (AAHs) and the gestational week of delivery (GWoD) were associated with the postnatal CoA confirmation among prenatal suspected fetuses. The ROC curve of predicting probability of the mode combined with two independent factors of absence of AAH and GWoD (AUC = 0.880, 95% CI 0.763–0.997) presented a satisfied efficacy in distinguishing postnatal positive CoA diagnosis. The nomogram plot had been be utilized in CoA prediction (model likelihood ratio test, p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsAAH and GWoD had been identified as independent factors of predictive accuracy in detecting postnatal CoA among prenatal suspected fetuses. The prediction mode based on nomogram scores could be used to predict the risk of occurring CoA fetuses

Prenatal diagnosis of pure 1p36 terminal deletion by chromosome microarry analysis — clinical report of 3 new cases and review of the literature

Objectives: Our objective was to present the experience on prenatal diagnosis of 1p36 terminal deletion, and further delineated the fetal presentation of the syndrome. Material and methods: This was a retrospective analysis of three new prenatal cases with pure 1p36 terminal deletion detected by chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) at a single Chinese medical center. We also reviewed 11 published prenatal cases with similar deletion sizes. Clinical data of all cases including indications for invasive testing, sonographic findings, maternal factors, and pregnancy outcomes were reviewed and analyzed. Results: Three new cases with pure 1p36 terminal deletion were prenatal diagnosed by CMA, the sizes of the deletion were 1.3 Mb, 5.0 Mb, and 4.9 Mb respectively. All cases were detected because of abnormal ultrasound findings, including central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, congenital heart disease (CHD) and fetal growth restriction. Two pregnancies were terminated, and one was live-born but died three months after birth. Conclusions: The 1p36 terminal deletion results in many clinical manifestations, but the specificity of clinical features are not high. Prenatal sonographic findings such as CNS, CHD may act as suggestive signs of 1p36 deletion or other microdeletion/duplication syndromes.

Anisotropic, Intermediate Coupling Superconductivity in Cu0.03TaS2

The anisotropic superconducting state properties in Cu0.03TaS2 have been investigated by magnetization, magnetoresistance, and specific heat measurements. It clearly shows that Cu0.03TaS2 undergoes a superconducting transition at TC = 4.03 K. The obtained superconducting parameters demonstrate that Cu0.03TaS2 is an anisotropic type-II superconductor. Combining specific heat jump = 1.6(4), gap ratio 2/kBTC = 4.0(9) and the estimated electron-phonon coupling constant ~ 0.68, the superconductivity in Cu0.03TaS2 is explained within the intermediate coupling BCS scenario. First-principles electronic structure calculations suggest that copper intercalation of 2H-TaS2 causes a considerable increase of the Fermi surface volume and the carrier density, which suppresses the CDW fluctuation and favors the raise of TC.Comment: 16pages, 5figure