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

Hydrogen storage properties of TiMn1.5V0.2-based alloys for application to fuel cell system

To meet the requirements of fuel cell power system for electric bike, the influence of partial substitution of Zr and Cr on hydrogen storage performance of TiMn1.5V0.2-based alloys is investigated first, and a hydrogen storage tank is then built using the developed TiMn1.5V 0.2-based alloy as metal hydride bed and its hydrogen supply ability is further evaluated. It is found that for TiMn1.5V 0.2-based alloys, the Zr substitution for Ti effectively reduces the plateau pressure but increases the plateau slope, while the partial substitution of Mn by Cr decreases the absorption plateau pressure, leading to a smaller hysteresis factor. After the optimization of components, 6 kg of Ti 0.95Zr0.05Mn1.4Cr0.1V0.2 alloy powder with 5 wt.% aluminum foam is mixed uniformly to form a metal hydride bed inside the tank. The measurements show that the tank releases up to 82 g of hydrogen to produce a 200 W fuel cell output for 300 min and has a stable cyclic capacity, indicating that hydrogen storage system of TiMn 1.5V0.2-based alloys for fuel cell power system of electric bike is applicable. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Biotransformation of zearalenone to non-estrogenic compounds with two novel recombinant lactonases from Gliocladium

Abstract Background The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) produced by toxigenic fungi is widely present in cereals and its downstream products. The danger of ZEA linked to various human health issues has attracted increasing attention. Thus, powerful ZEA-degrading or detoxifying strategies are urgently needed. Biology-based detoxification methods are specific, efficient, and environmentally friendly and do not lead to negative effects during cereal decontamination. Among these, ZEA detoxification using degrading enzymes was documented to be a promising strategy in broad research. Here, two efficient ZEA-degrading lactonases from the genus Gliocladium, ZHDR52 and ZHDP83, were identified for the first time. This work studied the degradation capacity and properties of ZEA using purified recombinant ZHDR52 and ZHDP83. Results According to the ZEA degradation study, transformed Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) PLySs cells harboring the zhdr52 or zhdp83 gene could transform 20 µg/mL ZEA within 2 h and degrade > 90% of ZEA toxic derivatives, α/β-zearalanol and α/β-zearalenol, within 6 h. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that the optimal pH was 9.0 for ZHDR52 and ZHDP83, and the optimum temperature was 45 °C. The purified recombinant ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 retained > 90% activity over a wide range of pH values and temperatures (pH 7.0–10.0 and 35–50 °C). In addition, the specific activities of purified ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 against ZEA were 196.11 and 229.64 U/mg, respectively. The results of these two novel lactonases suggested that, compared with ZHD101, these two novel lactonases transformed ZEA into different products. The slight position variations in E126 and H242 in ZDHR52/ZEA and ZHDP83/ZEA obtained via structural modelling may explain the difference in degradation products. Moreover, the MCF-7 cell proliferation assay indicated that the products of ZEA degradation using ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 did not exhibit estrogenic activity. Conclusions ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 are alkali ZEA-degrading enzymes that can efficiently and irreversibly degrade ZEA into non-estrogenic products, indicating that they are potential candidates for commercial application. This study identified two excellent lactonases for industrial ZEA detoxification

Electroacupuncture Alleviate Lung Injury of Sepsis Through α7nAChR and NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Abstract Background Sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitalized patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although substantial progress has been made in studies on the treatment of sepsis, the mortality rate remains extremely high. We have previously reported that electroacupuncture (EA) induced tolerance against sepsis, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Methods C57BL/6 mice were pretreated with EA before sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Then the indexes associated with pulmonary edema and mortality were tested. And the changes of endogenous cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway especially their typical receptor α7nAChR were detected. Finally, the mechanism of EA in sepsis was explored through regulating the expression of α7nAChR. Results The expression of α7nAChR was significantly decreased after sepsis, while EA prevented this reduction. Methyllycaconitine (MLA), an antagonist of α7nAChR, attenuated the beneficial effects of EA. On the other hand, as an α7nAChR agonist, GTS-21 produced similar protective effects against sepsis. Furthermore, the EA-induced enhancement of α7nAChR and inhibition of NF-κB expression in the lungs were reversed by MLA administration. Conclusions EA robustly protects the lungs against sepsis and inhibits NF-κB release by activating α7nAChR in mice

A triple system of Fe(III)/sulfite/persulfate: Decolorization and mineralization of reactive Brilliant Red X-3B in aqueous solution at near-neutral pH values

We report herein the use of ferric iron (Fe 3 + ) and sulfite (SO 3 2 −) to activate persulfate (S 2 O 8 2 −). Decolorization and mineralization of reactive Brilliant Red X-3B (a model azo dye) by an Fe(III)/sulfite/persulfate triple system have been investigated in aqueous solutions. Initial pH and dis- solved oxygen are important factors influencing X-3B decolorization in this system. The rapid decoloriza- tion process occurred in 30 min and about 85% of X-3B was decolorized in this triple system at initial pH 6.0. Moreover, about 66.4% of the TOC was removed through reaction for 36 h. The generation of SO 4 •−and HO •were identified through radical quenching experiments and by electron spin resonance (ESR), which contributed to 61.1% and 28.9% of the oxidation process. Degradation products of X-3B were iden- tified by LC-ESI-MS, and the degradation pathway was proposed. Furthermore, other organic pollutants, such as Orange II, metoprolol, imipramine, naproxen, estradiol, and amitriptyline, could also be efficiently degraded in this triple system. The results of the present work suggest that the Fe(III)/sulfite/persulfate triple system can be used for the rapid decolorization and partial mineralization of dyeing wastewater at near-neutral pH values.Sanitary Engineerin

Facile synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulating nickel cobalt alloys 3D networks for oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline solution

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. Efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are required to facilitate the large-scale exploitation of renewable energy resources and applications in electrochemical energy conversion technologies. Here, we show that metal alloy-based hybrids can provide higher electrocatalytic activity than their individual metal-based hybrids. In particular, NiCo alloys encapsulated within nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NiCo@NCNTs) showed higher OER activities in an alkaline solution than the individual metal hybrids (Ni@NCNTs and Co@NCNTs), highlighting a synergy between the Ni and Co components. NiCo@NCNTs pyrolyzed at 800 °C displayed an overpotential of ~41 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and were more stable than IrO2 during 1000-cycle accelerated durability testing at a scan rate of 100 mV s-1