Fabrication of Crack-free Photonic Crystal Films on Superhydrophobic Nanopin Surface

厦门大学生物仿生及软物质研究院林友辉副教授以及院长刘向阳教授在利用超疏水基底改善胶体小球自组装研究方向取得进展。 目前通过胶体小球自组装方法已构筑了许多复杂却高度有序的光子晶体。但是胶体小球在形成有序结构过程中会不可避免的产生收缩和应力，该方法通常会导致裂纹和缺陷的形成，降低了光子晶体的光学质量，也同时限制了其进一步的应用。 在该研究中，作者基于以上的研究现状，以纳米针状的超疏水表面为基底，来改善胶体小球的自组装，可以减少甚至消除大尺度的裂纹的效果。基于该原理，最后成功制备出厘米级别无裂纹的光子晶体薄膜。【Abstract】sed on their superior optical performance, photonic crystals (PCs) have been investigated as excellent candidates for widespread applications including sensors, displays, separation processes, and catalysis. However, fabrication of large-area PC assemblies with no defects and structurally controllable is still a tough task. Herein, we develop an effective strategy for preparing centimeter-scale crack-free photonic crystals films by the combined effects of soft assembly and superhydrophobic nanopin surfaces. Owing to its large contact angle and low adhesive force on the superhydrophobic substrate, the colloidal suspension exhibits a continuous retraction of the three-phase (gas−liquid−solid) contact line(TCL) in the process of solvent (water molecules) evaporation. The constantly receding TCL can bring the colloidal spheres closer to each other, which could timely close the gaps due to the loss of water molecules. As a result, close-packed and well-ordered assembly structures can be easily obtained. We expect that this work may pave the way to utilize novel superhy drophobic materials for designing and developing high-quality PCs and to apply PCs in different fields.This work is financially supported by National Nature Science Foundation (Nos. 21401154,U1405226), 111 project (B16029), Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (2014A030310005),the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Nos. 20720170011,20720140528), Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China(20130121110018), Fujian Provincial Department of Science & Technology (2014H6022).X.Y.L.'s primary affiliation is the Department of Physics, National University of Singapore

Artificial intelligence breast ultrasound and handheld ultrasound in the BI-RADS categorization of breast lesions: A pilot head to head comparison study in screening program

BackgroundArtificial intelligence breast ultrasound diagnostic system (AIBUS) has been introduced as an alternative approach for handheld ultrasound (HHUS), while their results in BI-RADS categorization has not been compared.MethodsThis pilot study was based on a screening program conducted from May 2020 to October 2020 in southeast China. All the participants who received both HHUS and AIBUS were included in the study (N = 344). The ultrasound videos after AIBUS scanning were independently watched by a senior radiologist and a junior radiologist. Agreement rate and weighted Kappa value were used to compare their results in BI-RADS categorization with HHUS.ResultsThe detection rate of breast nodules by HHUS was 14.83%, while the detection rates were 34.01% for AIBUS videos watched by a senior radiologist and 35.76% when watched by a junior radiologist. After AIBUS scanning, the weighted Kappa value for BI-RADS categorization between videos watched by senior radiologists and HHUS was 0.497 (p < 0.001) with an agreement rate of 78.8%, indicating its potential use in breast cancer screening. However, the Kappa value of AIBUS videos watched by junior radiologist was 0.39, when comparing to HHUS.ConclusionAIBUS breast scan can obtain relatively clear images and detect more breast nodules. The results of AIBUS scanning watched by senior radiologists are moderately consistent with HHUS and might be used in screening practice, especially in primary health care with limited numbers of radiologists

Next-Generation Sequencing Revealed a Distinct Immunoglobulin Repertoire with Specific Mutation Hotspots in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Immunoglobulin (Ig) is known as a hallmark of B-lymphocytes exerting antibody functions. However, our previous studies demonstrated that myeloblasts from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients could also express Ig with distinct roles. Here, we quantified Ig (IGHG and IGK) transcripts by real-time PCR and performed a comprehensive analysis of Ig repertoire (both heavy chains and light chains) in AML blasts. We found that Ig was frequently expressed by AML blasts. A higher level of AML-derived IGHG expression correlated with a significantly shorter disease-free survival. Next-generation sequencing revealed dysregulated transcripts of all five Ig classes (IGHA, IGHD, IGHE, IGHG, and IGHM) and two Ig types (IGK and IGL) in AML. VH-D-JH rearrangements in myeloblasts were biased with individual specificity rather than generally diverse as in B-cells. Compared to AML-derived IgH, AML-derived IGK was more conserved among different AML samples. The frequently shared Vκ-Jκ patterns were IGKV3-20*01/IGKJ1*01, IGKV2D-28*01/IGKJ1*01, and IGKV4-1*01/IGKJ1*01. Moreover, AML-derived IGK was different from classical IGK in B-cells for the high mutation rates and special mutation hotspots at serine codons. Findings of the distinct Ig repertoire in myeloblasts may facilitate the discovery of a new molecular marker for disease monitoring and target therapy

Fabrication of Crack-Free Photonic Crystal Films on Superhydrophobic Nanopin Surface

On the basis of their superior optical performance, photonic crystals (PCs) have been investigated as excellent candidates for widespread applications including sensors, displays, separation processes, and catalysis. However, fabrication of structurally controllable large-area PC assemblies with no defects is still a tough task. Herein, we develop an effective strategy for preparing centimeter-scale crack-free photonic crystal films by the combined effects of soft assembly and superhydrophobic nanopin surfaces. Owing to its large contact angle and low-adhesive force on the superhydrophobic substrate, the colloidal suspension exhibits a continuous retraction of the three-phase (gas–liquid–solid) contact line (TCL) in the process of solvent (water molecules) evaporation. The constantly receding TCL can bring the colloidal spheres closer to each other, which could timely close the gaps due to the loss of water molecules. As a result, close-packed and well-ordered assembly structures can be easily obtained. We expect that this work may pave the way to utilize novel superhydrophobic materials for designing and developing high-quality PCs and to apply PCs in different fields

Protein-Directed Synthesis of Bifunctional Adsorbent-Catalytic Hemin-Graphene Nanosheets for Highly Efficient Removal of Dye Pollutants via Synergistic Adsorption and Degradation

Herein, for the first time, we report a “green”, one-pot reduction/decoration method for the synthesis of bifunctional adsorbent-catalytic hemin-graphene nanosheets by using a common available protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) as both a reductant and a stabilizer. Our prepared nanosheets are highly stable and possess intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity due to the decoration of BSA and hemin. Furthermore, benefiting from the combined advantages of graphene and BSA, these nanosheets are able to efficiently adsorb dye pollutants from aqueous solution. More importantly, due to their adsorption and catalytic ability, these adsorbent-catalytic nanosheets can be applied to highly efficient dye removal via synergistic adsorption and degradation. Specifically, our catalysts can easily bring organic dyes to their surface by adsorption, and then activate H₂O₂ to generate hydroxyl radicals, leading to the degradation of the dyes. Such catalytic mechanism of our as-prepared nanosheets was analogous to that of natural enzymes, in which the extremely high catalytic efficiency is largely dependent upon their ability to bring substrates in close proximity to the active sites of enzymes. Our finding may open new potential applications of hemin-graphene hybrid nanosheets in environmental chemistry, biotechnology, and medicine

A novel triptolide analog downregulates NF-κB and induces mitochondrial apoptosis pathways in human pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and despite advancements in disease management, the 5 -year survival rate stands at only 12%. Triptolides have potent anti-tumor activity against different types of cancers, including pancreatic cancer, however poor solubility and toxicity limit their translation into clinical use. We synthesized a novel pro-drug of triptolide, (E)–19-[(1’-benzoyloxy-1’-phenyl)-methylidene]-Triptolide (CK21), which was formulated into an emulsion for in vitro and in vivo testing in rats and mice, and used human pancreatic cancer cell lines and patient-derived pancreatic tumor organoids. A time-course transcriptomic profiling of tumor organoids treated with CK21 in vitro was conducted to define its mechanism of action, as well as transcriptomic profiling at a single time point post-CK21 administration in vivo. Intravenous administration of emulsified CK21 resulted in the stable release of triptolide, and potent anti-proliferative effects on human pancreatic cancer cell lines and patient-derived pancreatic tumor organoids in vitro, and with minimal toxicity in vivo. Time course transcriptomic profiling of tumor organoids treated with CK21 in vitro revealed <10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 3 hr and ~8,000 DEGs at 12 hr. Overall inhibition of general RNA transcription was observed, and Ingenuity pathway analysis together with functional cellular assays confirmed inhibition of the NF-κB pathway, increased oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading ultimately to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced B-cell-lymphoma protein 2 (BCL2) expression, and mitochondrial-mediated tumor cell apoptosis. Thus, CK21 is a novel pro-drug of triptolide that exerts potent anti-proliferative effects on human pancreatic tumors by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, leading ultimately to mitochondrial-mediated tumor cell apoptosis

Immunoglobulin Gene Transcripts Have Distinct VHDJH Recombination Characteristics in Human Epithelial Cancer Cells*

It was well accepted that only B-lymphocytes and plasma cells expressed immunoglobulin (Ig) gene. However, our group and others have confirmed that non-B-cells, such as epithelial cancer cells, can also express Ig. The aim of this work is to elucidate the role of non-B-cell-derived Ig by investigating the characteristics of the Ig heavy chain (IgH) gene repertoire in epithelial cancer cells. We cloned and sequenced 89 VHDJH (V-D-J recombination of the IgH variable region) transcripts by microdissecting cells from eight different types of epithelial cancers and two cancer cell lines (HT-29 and HeLa S3). The cancer-derived Ig gene repertoire showed specific restricted patterns of VHDJH recombination with seven sets of predominant VHDJH sequences. Surprisingly, within a set of VHDJH recombination, the variable (V) sequences derived from different cancer types had not only identical heavy chain variable (VH), diversity (D), and joining (JH) segments usage, but also identical junctions and mutation targets in the VH region. The VHγDJHγ (but not VHμDJHμ) in the cancer-derived sequences had a high mutation rate; however, it was shown that the mechanism of hypermutation was different from antigen selection in B-cell-derived VHγDJHγsequences. In contrast to VHμDJHμ, the VHγDJHγ sequences did not appear to originate from classical class switching. These results suggest that cancer-derived Ig genes have a distinct repertoire that may have implications for their role in carcinogenesis