TNFRSF1B +676 T>G polymorphism predicts survival of non-Small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The dysregulation of gene expression in the TNF-TNFR superfamily has been involved in various human cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Furthermore, functional polymorphisms in <it>TNF-α </it>and <it>TNFRSF1B </it>genes that alter gene expression are likely to be associated with risk and clinical outcomes of cancers. However, few reported studies have investigated the association between potentially functional SNPs in both <it>TNF-α </it>and <it>TNFRSF1B </it>and prognosis of NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped five potentially functional polymorphisms of <it>TNF-α </it>and <it>TNFRSF1B </it>genes [<it>TNF-α </it>-308 G>A (rs1800629) and -1031 T>C (rs1799964); <it>TNFRSF1B </it>+676 T>G (rs1061622), -1709A>T(rs652625) and +1663A>G (rs1061624)] in 225 NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate associations between these variants and NSCLC overall survival (OS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that the <it>TNFRSF1B </it>+676 GG genotype was associated with a significantly better OS of NSCLC (GG <it>vs. </it>TT: adjusted HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.15-0.94; GG <it>vs. </it>GT/TT: adjusted HR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.14-0.88). Further stepwise multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the <it>TNFRSF1B </it>+676 GG was an independent prognosis predictor in this NSCLC cohort (GG <it>vs. </it>GT/TT: HR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.14-0.85), in the presence of node status (N_2-3<it>vs. </it>N_0-1: HR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09-2.35) and tumor stage (T_3-4<it>vs. </it>T_0-2: HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.08-2.03).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although the exact biological function for this SNP remains to be explored, our findings suggest a possible role of <it>TNFRSF1B </it>+676 T>G (rs1061622) in the prognosis of NSCLC. Further large and functional studies are needed to confirm our findings.</p

Efficient Non-fullerene Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Sequential Fluorination of Small-Molecule Electron Acceptors

Three small-molecule non-fullerene electron acceptors containing different numbers of fluorine atoms in their end groups were designed and synthesized. All three acceptors were found to exhibit relatively narrow band gaps with absorption profiles extending into the near-infrared region. The fluorinated analog exhibited enhanced light-harvesting capabilities, which led to improved short-circuit current densities. Moreover, fluorination improved the blend film morphology and led to desirable phase separation that facilitated exciton dissociation and charge transport. As a result of these advantages, organic solar cells based on the non-fullerene acceptors exhibited clearly improved short-circuit current densities and power conversion efficiencies compared with the device based on the non-fluorinated acceptor. These results suggest that fluorination can be an effective approach for the molecular design of non-fullerene acceptors with near-infrared absorption for organic solar cells

Using Ecopath Models to Explore Differences in Ecosystem Characteristics Between an Artificial Reef and a Nearby Natural Reef on the Coast of the North Yellow Sea, China

The comparison of trophic structure and energy flow between natural and artificial reefs is imperative to evaluate whether these man-made structures work similarly to comparable natural reefs. Here, to characterize the potential difference in functioning between two types of reef ecosystems, two trophic models (Ecopath) at an artificial reef and an adjacent natural reef on the coast of the north Yellow Sea, China, were established. Both Ecopath models were divided into 18 functional groups from primary producers (algae and phytoplankton) and detritus to predatory species (e.g., Sebastes schlegelii). Model outputs showed that the ecosystem scale was smaller in the artificial reef (total system throughput (TPP) = 6,455.47 t center dot km(-2)center dot year(-1)) relative to its natural counterpart (TPP = 9,490.48 t center dot km(-2)center dot year(-1)). At both reef types, a large proportion of energy occurred at trophic levels I and II, and most of the primary production was utilized through a detritus pathway. This result implies a bottom-up energy flow control for both cases. However, two types of reef systems were behaving in a reasonable manner, as mean transfer efficiencies were similar to the Lindeman efficiency (10%). The ecosystem maturity of the artificial reef is not comparable to that of the natural reef for its inferior value of total primary production/total respiration (TPP/TR). Moreover, both the connectance index (CI) and system omnivory index (SOI) were slightly higher at the artificial reef relative to the natural reef as well as other coastal systems with parallel latitudes, suggesting that the current artificial system has formed complicated interspecies relations and high-level stability. This work updates our knowledge about the functioning evolvement of established artificial reefs and provides a baseline for the efficient management of coastal zones and further investigations

Opposite Electron Transfer Induced High Valence Mo Sites for Boosting the Water Splitting Performance of Ir Atoms

Developing highly efficient and low-cost bifunctional electrocatalysts for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting poses significant challenges. In this study, a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst, Irn-CoMoPOx, was achieved via incorporating low-loading Ir single atoms and clusters with the high-valence Mo6+ modified CoPOx nanosheets. The Irn-CoMoPOx catalyst demonstrates remarkable low overpotentials of 222 mV and 36 mV for the OER and HER, respectively, in delivering a current density of 10 mA cm–2. When employed as both the anode and cathode catalyst in overall water splitting, the Irn-CoMoPOx∥Irn-CoMoPOx configuration exhibits a superior cell voltage of 1.53 V, outperforming the benchmark Pt/C∥IrO2 electrolytic cell (1.60 V) for achieving the current density of 10 mA cm–2. Benefiting from the high-valence of Mo species, the metal–support interaction of Irn-CoMoPOx was greatly strengthened, resulting in an order of magnitude increase in the mass activity of Ir for the HER. The high valence of non-noble metals plays a crucial role in tuning the local electronic configurations and optimizing the adsorption energies of the intermediates, which synergistically improves the overall performance of Ir in water splitting. The study provides valuable insights for future research in the utilization of Ir-based bifunctional catalysts for overall water electrocatalysis applications

Genome Sequence of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae Strain M1601

Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae is the causative agent of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, a devastating disease of goats listed by the World Organization for Animal Health. Here we report the first complete genome sequence of this organism (strain M1601, a clinically isolated strain from China)

The Relationship between Clinical Feature, Complex Immunophenotype, Chromosome Karyotype, and Outcome of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in China

Mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is a complex entity expressing both lymphoid and myeloid immunophenotyping. In the present study, 47 MPAL, 60 lymphoid antigen-positive acute myeloid leukemia (Ly+AML), and 90 acute myeloid leukemia with common myeloid immunophenotype (Ly−AML) patients were investigated. We found that, in MPAL patients, there were high proportions of blast cells in bone marrow and incidence of hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and Philadelphia chromosome. The overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in MPAL patients were significantly shorter than those in Ly+AML and Ly−AML. With regard to the patients with normal karyotype only, the OS and RFS of MPAL were significantly lower than those of the Ly+AML and Ly−AML; but there were no significant differences in OS and RFS among the patients with complex karyotype. The OS rates of 3 groups with complex karyotype were lower than those of patients with normal karyotype. In Cox multivariate analysis, complex karyotype was an independent pejorative factor for both OS and RFS. Therefore, MPAL is confirmed to be a poor-risk disease while Ly+AML does not impact prognosis. Complex karyotype is an unfavorable prognosis factor in AML patients with different immunophenotype. Mixed immunophenotype and complex karyotype increase the adverse risk when they coexist

LncRNA BCAR4 promotes migration, invasion, and chemo-resistance by inhibiting miR-644a in breast cancer

Abstract Background Metastasis and drug resistance of breast cancer have become a barrier to treating patients successfully. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known as vital players in cancer development and progression.  Methods The RT-qPCR were used to detect the gene expression. Colony formation assay, would healing assay, and transwell assay were performed to investigate oncogenic functions of cells. CCK8 assay was used to detect the cell viability. Western blot was applied to detect the protein level. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the relationship between molecules. Mouse orthotopic xenograft tumor models were established to evaluate the effects of BCAR4 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.  Results LncRNA BCAR4 was significantly increased in breast cancer patients’ tissues and plasma and upregulated in breast cancer cell lines. BCAR4 upregulation was correlated with the TNM stages and decreased after surgical removal of breast tumors. Silencing of BCAR4 suppressed breast cancer cell colony formation, migration, invasion, and xenograft tumor growth and promoted chemo-sensitivity. Mechanistically, BCAR4 facilitates breast cancer migration and invasion via the miR-644a-CCR7 axis of the MAPK pathway. BCAR4 promotes ABCB1 expression indirectly by binding to and down-regulating miR-644a to induce chemo-resistance in breast cancer. Conclusions Our findings provide insights into the oncogenic role of BCAR4 and implicate BCAR4 as a potential diagnostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic agent to suppress metastasis and inhibit chemo-resistance of breast cancer