IC50: an unsuitable measure for large-sized prostate cancer spheroids in drug sensitivity evaluation

Preclinical models of tumors have the potential to become valuable tools for commercial drug research and development, and 3D culture systems are gaining traction in this area, particularly in prostate cancer (PCa) research. However, nearly all 3D drug design and screening assessments are based on 2D experiments, suggesting limitations of 3D drug testing. To simulate the natural response of human cells to the drug, we detected the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) changes of 2D/3D LNCaP cells in the drug docetaxel, as well as the sensitivity of different morphologies of 2D/3D LNCaP to docetaxel treatment. In contrast to 2D LNCaP cells, the evaluation of LNCaP spheroids’ susceptibility to treatment was more complicated; the fitness of IC50 curves of 2D and 3D tumor cell preclinical models differs significantly. IC50 curves were unsuitable for large-sized LNCaP spheroids. More evaluation indexes (such as max inhibition) and experiments (such as spheroids formation) should be explored and performed to evaluate the susceptibility systematically

A prognostic index model for assessing the prognosis of ccRCC patients by using the mRNA expression profiles of AIF1L, SERPINC1 and CES1

Background: Kidney carcinoma is a major cause of carcinoma-related death, with the prognosis for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma still very poor. The aim of this study was to investigate feasible prognostic biomarkers that can be used to construct a prognostic index model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients. Methods: The mRNA expression profiles of ccRCC samples were downloaded from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and the correlation of AIF1L with malignancy, tumor stage and prognosis were evaluated. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AIF1L-low and AIF1L-high expression groups were selected. Those with prognostic value as determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were then used to construct a prognostic index model capable of predicting the outcome of ccRCC patients. Results: The expression level of AIF1L was lower in ccRCC samples than in normal kidney samples. AIF1L expression showed an inverse correlation with tumor stage and a positive association with better prognosis. ccRCC samples were divided into high- and low-expression groups according to the median value of AIF1L expression. In the AIF1L-high expression group, 165 up-regulated DEGs and 601 down-regulated DEGs were identified. Three genes (AIF1L, SERPINC1 and CES1) were selected following univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for these genes were: AIF1L (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76–0.91), SERPINC1 (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.12–1.58), and CES1 (HR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78–0.97). A prognostic index model based on the expression level of the three genes showed good performance in predicting ccRCC patient outcome, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.671. Conclusion: This research provides a better understanding of the correlation between AIF1L expression and ccRCC. We propose a novel prognostic index model comprising AIF1L, SERPINC1 and CES1 expression that may assist physicians in determining the prognosis of ccRCC patients

Intensive Evaluation and High-Quality Redevelopment of Enterprise Land Use: A Case Study in China

The reuse of existing industrial spatial resources in China’s major urban agglomerations is still very unbalanced and needs more in-depth research. This study used intensive evaluation technology for industrial land in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei to evaluate Tianjin and Hebei development zones, and took the Dingzhou Economic Development Zone as an example to evaluate and analyze the intensive use of enterprise land; it suggests the influencing factors for the intensive use of development zones and the measures that can take advantage of the potential of enterprise stock land so as to provide a basis for the rationale behind upgrading industrial land structures and the efficient use of industrial land in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. The results show that the typical enterprise land use in the typical economic development zone is extensive, which suggests that the intensive use of land in the Dingzhou economic development zone is low and that there is still potential for land redevelopment. According to the classification system developed for available land, there is ample opportunity for land-use redevelopment in the development zone, especially in the area of approved but not supplied land and extended enterprise land. Therefore, the redevelopment of enterprise land could also provide a better land guarantee for industrial transfer projects in the equipment manufacturing industry. This study also offers strategies to redevelop available industrial land

Voltage-controlled radial wrinkles of a trumpet-like dielectric elastomer structure

Wrinkle is usually considered as one failure mode of membrane structure. However, it can also be harnessed in developing smart devices such as dry adhesion tape, diffraction grating, smart window, etc. In this paper, we present a method to generate voltage-controlled radial wrinkles, which are fast response and reversible, in a stretched circular dielectric elastomer (DE) membrane with boundary fixed. In the experiment, we bond a circular plate on the center of the circular membrane and then pull the DE membrane perpendicular to itself via the plate. The stretched DE membrane is a trumpet-like structure. When the stretched DE membrane is subjected to a certain voltage, wrinkles nucleate from the center of the DE membrane and propagate to the boundary as the voltage increases. We adopt a theoretical framework to analyze the nucleation of the wrinkles. A simple wavelength expression is achieved, which is only related to the geometry and the stretch of the DE membrane. Results show that the theory agrees well with the experiment. This work may help the future design of DE actuators in avoiding mechanical instability and provide a new method to generate controllable radial DE wrinkles

Intensive Evaluation and High-Quality Redevelopment of Enterprise Land Use: A Case Study in China

The reuse of existing industrial spatial resources in China’s major urban agglomerations is still very unbalanced and needs more in-depth research. This study used intensive evaluation technology for industrial land in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei to evaluate Tianjin and Hebei development zones, and took the Dingzhou Economic Development Zone as an example to evaluate and analyze the intensive use of enterprise land; it suggests the influencing factors for the intensive use of development zones and the measures that can take advantage of the potential of enterprise stock land so as to provide a basis for the rationale behind upgrading industrial land structures and the efficient use of industrial land in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. The results show that the typical enterprise land use in the typical economic development zone is extensive, which suggests that the intensive use of land in the Dingzhou economic development zone is low and that there is still potential for land redevelopment. According to the classification system developed for available land, there is ample opportunity for land-use redevelopment in the development zone, especially in the area of approved but not supplied land and extended enterprise land. Therefore, the redevelopment of enterprise land could also provide a better land guarantee for industrial transfer projects in the equipment manufacturing industry. This study also offers strategies to redevelop available industrial land

Building automation systems for energy and comfort management in green buildings: A critical review and future directions

Green building (GB) strategies are essential for mitigating energy wastage in the building sector, which accounts for nearly 40% of global energy consumption. However, due to the unpredictable nature of occupants’ behavior and inadequate energy management, actual power consumption in GB can exceed intended values by up to 2.5 times. Building Automation Systems (BAS) are increasingly important in improving energy efficiency in GB. This study, therefore, aims to comprehensively review 143 articles published from 2008 to 2022 to explore the nexus between BAS and GB. This paper systematically illustrates 1) BAS applications throughout the lifecycle of GB; 2) BAS applications in supporting GB indoor human comfort, including thermal comfort, visual comfort, ventilation comfort, and acoustic comfort; 3) a research framework for reducing the energy performance gap in GB; 4) five BAS and GB integration methods for improving energy efficiency; and 5) limitations, challenges and future research directions in the BAS-GB domain. The findings reveal that current research in the BAS-GB domain is insufficient and predominantly concentrates on improving energy efficiency and occupant comfort. There are four challenges to achieving comprehensive integration of BAS and GB: uncertainties, long-term prediction and control, BAS-supported sustainability goals, and privacy and security. This study provides essential guidance on BAS implementation for GB development. The five BAS-GB integration approaches lay the groundwork for future research into achieving trade-off objectives between energy efficiency and occupant comfort