Role of ferroptosis and its non-coding RNA regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of programmed cell death that involves the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides and plays a vital role in the tumorigenesis, development, and drug resistance of various tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As a hotspot in molecular biology, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) participate in the initiation and progression of HCC, either act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Recent studies have shown that ncRNAs can regulate ferroptosis in HCC cells, which would affect the tumor progression and drug resistance. Therefore, clarifying the underlying role of ferroptosis and the regulatory role of ncRNA on ferroptosis in HCC could develop new treatment interventions for this disease. This review briefly summarizes the role of ferroptosis and ferroptosis-related ncRNAs in HCC tumorigenesis, progression, treatment, drug resistance and prognosis, for the development of potential therapeutic strategies and prognostic markers in HCC patients

Laser-induced periodic annular surface structures on fused silica surface

International audienceWe report on the formation of laser-induced periodic annular surface structures on fused silica irradiated with multiple femtosecond laser pulses. This surface morphology emerges after the disappearance of the conventional laser induced periodic surface structures, under successive laser pulse irradiation. It is independent of the laser polarization and universally observed for different focusing geometries. We interpret its formation in terms of the interference between the reflected laser field on the surface of the damage crater and the incident laser pulse

Runners with better cardiorespiratory fitness had higher prefrontal cortex activity during both single and exercise-executive function dual tasks: an fNIRS study

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between executive function and prefrontal cortex oxygenation during exercise in young adults with different Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels.Methods: A total of 28 amateur runners (n = 14) and sedentary college students (n = 14) were recruited. The maximum oxygen uptake estimated for the sub-maximal intensity run (4.97 miles/h) was used to indicate the different CRF levels. After 1 week, participants must complete the Stroop and 2-Back tasks in silence while performing moderate-intensity exercise. Using 19-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopic (fNIRS) to examine changes in prefrontal cortex oxyhemoglobin.Results: There was no significant difference in the correctness of the Stroop and 2-Back tasks between the two groups during exercise, but the amateur runner group showed an acceleration in reaction time. fNIRS results showed that during the exercise 2-Back task, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex oxyhemoglobin was higher in the amateur runner group than in the sedentary group.Conclusion: Executive function during exercise was similarly improved in participants with better fitness, suggesting that CRF provides an excellent metabolic reserve and directed allocation for cognitive tasks during exercise

Epithelioid inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma: a case report and brief literature review

Epithelioid inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma (EIMS) is a rare variant of the inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, characterized by more aggressive clinical course and nuclear membrane staining of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) with ALK rearrangement. An elderly male came to the clinic because of an accidental abdominal mass. Abdominal and pelvic enhanced CT revealed a tumor apparently orginated from mesenchymal tissue. Subsequently, the abdominal mass and multiple organ resection was performed, and the mass was pathologically confirmed as EIMS. The patient developed Clavien-Dindo Grade III postoperative complications and was discharged after his condition improved. He received doxorubicin monotherapy after operation, but only one cycle was administered due to severe vomiting. The follow-up of 5 months after operation showed no evidence of recurrence. Given the rarity of EIMS, and ALk inhibitors have a long and robust effect on patients with ALK gene tumors, it is very important for clinicians to be familiar with the clinicopathological features of EIMS, which will contribute to the accurate diagnosis of EIMS and reduce misdiagnosis

Effects of single session transcranial direct current stimulation on aerobic performance and one arm pull-down explosive force of professional rock climbers

Objective: To explore the effects of single-session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on aerobic performance and explosive force in the one-arm pull-down of long-term trained rock climbers.Method: Twenty athletes (twelve male and eight female) from the Rock Climbing Team of Hunan province (Hunan, China) were selected for a randomized double-blind crossover study. After baseline tests, All subjects visited laboratories twice to randomly receive either sham or a-tDCS at a current intensity of 2 mA for 20 min. The two visits were more than 72 h apart. Immediately after each stimulation, subjects completed a 9-min 3-level-load aerobic test and a one-arm pull-down test.Results: Differences in the heart rate immediately after 9-min incremental aerobic exercises revealed no statistical significance between each group (p > 0.05). However, the decrease in heart rate per unit time after exercise after real stimulation was significantly better than before stimulation (p < 0.05), and no statistical significance was observed between after sham stimulation and before stimulation (p > 0.05). One-arm pull-down explosive force on both sides after real stimulation was improved by a-tDCS compared with before stimulation, but with no significant difference (p > 0.05). Real stimulation was significantly improved, compared with sham stimulation on the right side (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Single-session tDCS could potentially benefit sports performance in professional athletes

Corrosion Behavior of Cobalt Oxide and Lithium Carbonate on Mullite–Cordierite Saggar Used for Lithium Battery Cathode Material Sintering

Mullite–cordierite ceramic saggar is a necessary consumable material used in the synthesis process of LiCoO2 that is easily eroded during application. In our study, we systematically investigated the characteristics and surface corrosion behavior of waste saggar samples. We divided the cross sections of waste saggar into the attached layer, hardened layer, permeability layer, and matrix layer. Then, we examined the high-temperature solid-state reactions between saggar powder and lithium carbonate or cobalt oxide to identify erosion reactants correlating with an increase in the number of recycled saggars. The results of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometric analysis (TOF-SIMS) prove that the maximum erosion penetration of lithium can reach 2 mm. However, our morphology and elemental distribution analysis results show that the erosion penetration of cobalt was only 200 μm. When enough lithium carbonate reacted, lithium aluminate and lithium silicate were the main phases. Our X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) analysis results show that the change in phase volume before and after the reaction, including the generation of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas, led to the internal crack expansion of the material–saggar interface. Our results can contribute to improving saggar and upgrading waste saggar utilization technology

Mind-Body (Baduanjin) Exercise Prescription for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Baduanjin exercise is a traditional Chinese health Qigong routine created by an ancient physician for health promotion. Its mild-to-moderate exercise intensity is suitable for individuals with medical conditions. Recently, a large number of trials have been conducted to investigate the effects of Baduanjin exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It remains to be determined whether Baduanjin exercise prescription is beneficial for the management of COPD patients. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to objectively evaluate the existing literature on this topic. We searched six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang) from inception until early May 2018. The adapted Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used for study quality assessment of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Based on 95% confidence interval (CI), the pooled effect size (Hedge&#39;s g) of exercise capability (6-Minute Walking Test, 6-MWT), lung function parameters (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1; forced volume vital capacity, FVC; FEV1/FVC ratio), and quality of life were calculated based on the random-effects model. Twenty RCTs (n = 1975 COPD patients) were included in this review, with sum scores of the adapted PEDro scale between 5 and 9. Study results of the meta-analysis indicate that Baduanjin is effective in improving exercise capability (Hedge&#39;s g = 0.69, CI 0.44 to 0.94, p &lt; 0.001, I-2 = 66%), FEV1 (Hedge&#39;s g = 0.47, CI 0.22 to 0.73, p &lt; 0.001, I-2 = 68.01%), FEV1% (Hedge&#39;s g = 0.38, CI 0.21 to 0.56, p &lt; 0.001, I-2 = 54.74%), FVC (Hedge&#39;s g = 0.39, CI 0.22 to 0.56, p &lt; 0.001, I-2 = 14.57%), FEV1/FVC (Hedge&#39;s g = 0.5, CI 0.33 to 0.68, p &lt; 0.001, I-2 = 53.49%), and the quality of life of COPD patients (Hedge&#39;s g = -0.45, CI -0.77 to -0.12, p &lt; 0.05, I-2 = 77.02%), as compared to control groups. Baduanjin exercise as an adjunctive treatment may potentially improve exercise capability and pulmonary function of COPD patients as well as quality of life. Baduanjin exercise could be tentatively prescribed for COPD in combination with the conventional rehabilitation program to quicken the process of recovery. To confirm the positive effects of Baduanjin exercise for COPD patients, future researchers need to consider our suggestions mentioned in this article.</p

In- and ex-situ study of the deformation behavior of the βo(ωo)β_{o}(ω_{o}) phase in a Ti4_4Al3_3Nb alloy during high-temperature compression

In-situ synchrotron-based high energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) and ex-situ Gleeble tests were conducted to investigate the deformation behavior of the $β_{o}(ω_{o})$ phase in a Ti$_4$Al$_3$Nb alloy. In samples compressed at 600 and 800 °C, the brittle $ω_o$ phase deforms mostly elastically, resulting in the failure of the Ti$_4$Al$_3$Nb alloy by premature fracture. In a sample deformed at 900 °C, the $ω_o$ phase mostly transforms into the $β_o$ phase under uniaxial loading. Moreover, the ductility of a Ti$_4$Al$_3$Nb alloy is largely enhanced at this temperature. In a sample deformed at 1000 °C, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) of the $β_o$ phase extensively takes place. Direction 1 (D1) and Direction 2 (D2) deviating from the loading direction with an angle of 65° ± 5° and 15° ± 5° are selected to analyze the lattice strain evolution of (110)$_{β_{o}}$ lattice planes. At the late stage of macro strain hardening, deformed $_{β_{o}}$//D1 oriented grains bear a higher load due to the occurrence of DRX in βo//D2 oriented grains. Subsequently, DRX continues in $_{β_{o}}$//D1 oriented $β_o$ grains. The coordinated deformation of $β_o$ grains ensures the good deformability of a Ti$_4$Al$_3$Nb alloy at 1000 °C

Deformation and phase transformation behaviors of a high Nb-containing TiAl alloy compressed at intermediate temperatures

In modern β-solidified TiAl alloys, the decomposition of α$_2$ phase is frequently observed during heat treatment or high-temperature deformation of the alloys. In this study, high-temperature deformation and decomposition mechanisms of α$_2$ phase in a Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2B-0.2W-0.02Y alloy are investigated. In a sample deformed at 800 °C, the precipitation of β$_o$(ω$_o$) phase is observed within the equiaxed α$_2$ phase. The nucleation of ω$_o$ particles within the β$_o$ matrix indicates the α$_2$ → β$_o$ → ω$_o$ transformation. In addition, numerous γ phase precipitates form within the β$_o$(ω) areas. The α$_2$ lamellae decompose into ultrafine (α$_2$+γ) lamellae and coarsened γ lamellae via α$_2$ → α$_2$ + γ and α$_2$ → γ transformation, respectively. Moreover, the ω$_o$ phase nucleates within the ultrafine lamellae via α$_2$ → ω$_o$ transformation. However, in a sample deformed at 1000 °C, the nucleation of β$_o$ particles is sluggish, which is caused by the efficient release of the internal stress via dynamic recrystallization (DRX). These results indicate that complex phase transformations can be introduced by the decomposition of α$_2$ phase in TiAl alloys with a high amount of β-stabilizing elements