Combinatorial Vibration-Mode Assignment for the FTIR Spectrum of Crystalline Melamine: A Strategic Approach toward Theoretical IR Vibrational Calculations of Triazine-Based Compounds

Although polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has been widely studied as metal-free photocatalyst, the description of its structure still remains a great challenge. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can provide complementary structural information. In this paper, we reconsider the representative crystalline melamine and develop a strategic approach to theoretically calculate the IR vibrations of this triazine-based nitrogen-rich system. IR calculations were based on three different models: a single molecule, a 4-molecule unit cell, and a 32-molecule cluster, respectively. By this comparative study the contribution of the intermolecular weak interactions were elucidated in detail. An accurate and visualized description on the experimental FTIR spectrum has been further presented by a combinatorial vibration-mode assignment based on the calculated potential energy distribution of the 32-molecule cluster. The theoretical approach reported in this study opens the way to the facile and accurate assignment for IR vibrational modes of other complex triazine-based compounds, such as g-C₃N₄

Image_4_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.jpeg

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Image_1_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.jpeg

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Tuning the Photocatalytic Activity of Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Plasma-Based Surface Modification

In this study, we demonstrate that plasma treatment can be a facile and environmentally friendly approach to perform surface modification of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), leading to a remarkable modulation on its photocatalytic activity. The bulk properties of g-CN, including the particle size, structure, composition, and electronic band structures, have no changes after being treated by oxygen or nitrogen plasma; however, its surface composition and specific surface area exhibit remarkable differences corresponding to an oxygen functionalization induced by the plasma post-treatment. The introduced oxygen functional groups play a key role in reducing the recombination rate of the photoexcited charge carries. As a consequence, the oxygen-plasma-treated sample shows a much superior photocatalytic activity, which is about 4.2 times higher than that of the pristine g-CN for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation, while the activity of nitrogen-plasma-treated sample exhibits a slight decrease. Furthermore, both of the plasma-treated samples are found to possess impressive photocatalytic stabilities. Our results suggest that plasma treatment could be a conventional strategy to perform surface modification of g-CN in forms of both powders and thin films, which holds broad interest not only for developing g-CN-based high-performance photocatalysts but also for constructing photoelectrochemical cells and photoelectronic devices with improved energy conversion efficiencies

Image_2_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.png

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Table_2_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.docx

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Image_3_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.tif

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Image_5_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.jpeg

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Table_3_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.docx

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p

Table_1_Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints.docx

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, exhibits high immune heterogeneity and mortality. Emerging studies suggest that copper (Cu) plays a key role in cell survival. However, the relationship between Cu and tumor development remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the effects of Cu and cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in patients with HCC in the TCGA-LIHC (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver cancer, n = 347) and ICGC-LIRI-JP (International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer-Riken-Japan, n = 203) datasets. Prognostic genes were identified by survival analysis, and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression model was constructed using the prognostic genes in the two datasets. Additionally, we analyzed differentially expressed genes and signal pathway enrichment. We also evaluated the effects of CRGs on tumor immune cell infiltration and their co-expression with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and performed validation in different tumor immune microenvironments (TIMs). Finally, we performed validation using clinical samples and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC using a nomogram.ResultsA total of 59 CRGs were included for analysis, and 15 genes that significantly influenced the survival of patients in the two datasets were identified. Patients were grouped by risk scores, and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that immune-related pathways were substantially enriched in both datasets. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis and clinical validation revealed that PRNP (Prion protein), SNCA (Synuclein alpha), and COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone COX17) may be closely correlated with immune cell infiltration and ICG expression. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC using patients’ characteristics and risk scores.ConclusionCRGs may regulate the development of HCC by targeting the TIM and ICGs. CRGs such as PRNP, SNCA, and COX17 could be promising targets for HCC immune therapy in the future.</p