Push and Pull Forces in Lipid Raft Formation: The Push Can Be as Important as the Pull

Nearest-neighbor recognition measurements have been made using exchangeable mimics of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-<i>sn</i>-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-<i>sn</i>-glycero-3-phosphocholine in the liquid-ordered (<i>l</i>_o) and liquid-disordered (<i>l</i>_d) states. In the <i>l</i>_d phase, the net interaction between these two lipids is repulsive. In the <i>l</i>_o phase, their interactions are neither attractive nor repulsive. These results, together with previous nearest-neighbor measurements, imply that the overall driving force for lipid domain formation in bilayers composed of high-melting lipids, low-melting lipids, and cholesterol, corresponds to a strong pull (attraction) between the high-melting lipids and cholesterol, a significant push (repulsion) between the low-melting and high-melting lipids, and a significant push between the low-melting lipids and cholesterol. In a broader context, these results provide strong support for the notion that repulsive forces play a major role in the formation of lipid rafts

Centimeter-Scale Achromatic Hybrid Metalens Design: A New Paradigm Based on Differentiable Ray Tracing in the Visible Spectrum

Single metalenses are limited by their physical constraints, precluding themselves from achieving high numerical aperture across a wide visible spectral band in large-aperture applications. A hybrid system that integrates a metalens with a refractive lens can address this issue, yet previous designs lacked sufficient flexibility. Here, by reanalyzing the generalized Snell's law, we introduce a new paradigm for the hybrid metalens design based on differentiable ray tracing. Through joint optimization of the phase distribution of the metalens and refractive lens parameters, our system achieves achromatic performance within the broad spectral range of 440-700 nm, with an aperture of 1 cm and an f-number of 1.4. Owing to the differentiable nature of the proposed system, it can be seamlessly integrated as the optical front-end into any differentiable computational imaging system. Our system offers unprecedented opportunities for the advancement of metalenses in innovative optical design and computational imaging domains

Covalent Triazine-Based Frameworks with Ultramicropores and High Nitrogen Contents for Highly Selective CO₂ Capture

Porous organic frameworks (POFs) are a class of porous materials composed of organic precursors linked by covalent bonds. The objective of this work is to develop POFs with both ultramicropores and high nitrogen contents for CO₂ capture. Specifically, two covalent triazine-based frameworks (CTFs) with ultramicropores (pores of width <7 Å) based on short (fumaronitrile, FUM) and wide monomers (1,4-dicyanonaphthalene, DCN) were synthesized. The obtained CTF-FUM and CTF-DCN possess excellent chemical and thermal stability with ultramicropores of 5.2 and 5.4 Å, respectively. In addition, they exhibit excellent ability to selectively capture CO₂ due to ultramicroporous nature. Especially, CTF-FUM-350 has the highest nitrogen content (27.64%) and thus the highest CO₂ adsorption capacity (57.2 cc/g at 298 K) and selectivities for CO₂ over N₂ and CH₄ (102.4 and 20.5 at 298 K, respectively) among all CTF-FUM and CTF-DCN. More impressively, as far as we know, the CO₂/CH₄ selectivity is larger than that of all reported CTFs and ranks in top 10 among all reported POFs. Dynamic breakthrough curves indicate that both CTFs could indeed separate gas mixtures of CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ completely

Perfluorooctyl Iodide Stimulates Steroidogenesis in H295R Cells via a Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Signaling Pathway

Perfluorinated iodine alkanes (PFIs) are used widely in the organic fluorine industry. Increased production of PFIs has caused environmental health concerns. To evaluate the potential endocrine-disrupting effect of PFIs, we investigated the effects of perfluorooctyl iodide (PFOI) on steroidogenesis in human adrenocortical carcinoma cells (H295R). Levels of aldosterone, cortisol, 17β-estradiol, and testosterone were measured in H295R culture medium upon treatment with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and PFIs. Expression of 10 steroidogenic genes (<i>StAR</i>, <i>HMGR</i>, <i>CYP11A1</i>, <i>3βHSD2</i>, <i>17βHSD</i>, <i>CYP17</i>, <i>CYP21</i>, <i>CYP11B1</i>, <i>CYP11B2</i>, and <i>CYP19</i>) was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and adenylate cyclase (AC) activity were measured to understand the underlying mechanism of steroidogenic perturbations. Levels of production of aldosterone, cortisol, and 17β-estradiol were elevated significantly, and the level of testosterone generation decreased upon treatment with 100 μM PFOI. Similar to the effect induced by forskolin (AC activator), expression of all 10 genes involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones was upregulated significantly upon exposure to 100 μM PFOI. PFOA had no effect on steroid hormone production or steroidogenic gene expression even though it is highly structurally similar with PFOI. Therefore, the terminal -CF₂I group in PFOI could be a critical factor for mediation of steroidogenesis. PFOI increased AC activity and cAMP levels in H295R cells, which implied an underlying mechanism for the disturbance of steroidogenesis. These data suggest that PFOI may act as an AC activator, thereby stimulating steroidogenesis by activating a cAMP signaling pathway

Image_5_Hepcidin is upregulated and is a potential therapeutic target associated with immunity in glioma.jpeg

BackgroundGlioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Hepcidin is a fascinating iron metabolism regulator. However, the prognostic value of hepcidin HAMP in gliomas and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively elucidate the prognostic value and potential role of hepcidin in gliomas.MethodsHepcidin gene expression and clinical characteristics in glioma were analyzed using the CGGA, TCGA, Rembrandt and Gravendeel glioma databases. A survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to select the pathways significantly enriched for hepcidin associations. The correlations between hepcidin and immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy were analyzed using network platforms such as CIBERSORT and TIMER.ResultsIn glioma tissues, the expression of hepcidin was significantly increased. High hepcidin expression is related to grade, age, PRS type, IDH mutation, chemotherapy status and 1p19q codeletion status, which significantly indicates the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Hepcidin can be used as an independent prognostic factor for glioma through the multivariate COX regression analysis. The results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that hepcidin was involved in the immune response. In addition, hepcidin expression was positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, the expression of various immune cell markers and the efficacy of immunotherapy.ConclusionOur results indicate that hepcidin can be used as a candidate biomarker to judge the prognosis and immune cell invasion of gliomas.</p

Phosphine-Catalyzed [8 + 2]-Annulation of Heptafulvenes with Allenoates and Its Asymmetric Variant: Construction of Bicyclo­[5.3.0]­decane Scaffold

In this paper, a phosphine-catalyzed [8 + 2]-annulation of heptafulvene with allenoates has been achieved under mild conditions, giving functionalized bicyclo­[5.3.0]­decane derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. Using chiral phosphine as the catalyst, optically active products were obtained in moderate to high yields with excellent enantioselectivities

Image_6_Hepcidin is upregulated and is a potential therapeutic target associated with immunity in glioma.jpeg

BackgroundGlioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Hepcidin is a fascinating iron metabolism regulator. However, the prognostic value of hepcidin HAMP in gliomas and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively elucidate the prognostic value and potential role of hepcidin in gliomas.MethodsHepcidin gene expression and clinical characteristics in glioma were analyzed using the CGGA, TCGA, Rembrandt and Gravendeel glioma databases. A survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to select the pathways significantly enriched for hepcidin associations. The correlations between hepcidin and immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy were analyzed using network platforms such as CIBERSORT and TIMER.ResultsIn glioma tissues, the expression of hepcidin was significantly increased. High hepcidin expression is related to grade, age, PRS type, IDH mutation, chemotherapy status and 1p19q codeletion status, which significantly indicates the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Hepcidin can be used as an independent prognostic factor for glioma through the multivariate COX regression analysis. The results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that hepcidin was involved in the immune response. In addition, hepcidin expression was positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, the expression of various immune cell markers and the efficacy of immunotherapy.ConclusionOur results indicate that hepcidin can be used as a candidate biomarker to judge the prognosis and immune cell invasion of gliomas.</p

Image_2_Hepcidin is upregulated and is a potential therapeutic target associated with immunity in glioma.jpeg

BackgroundGlioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Hepcidin is a fascinating iron metabolism regulator. However, the prognostic value of hepcidin HAMP in gliomas and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively elucidate the prognostic value and potential role of hepcidin in gliomas.MethodsHepcidin gene expression and clinical characteristics in glioma were analyzed using the CGGA, TCGA, Rembrandt and Gravendeel glioma databases. A survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to select the pathways significantly enriched for hepcidin associations. The correlations between hepcidin and immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy were analyzed using network platforms such as CIBERSORT and TIMER.ResultsIn glioma tissues, the expression of hepcidin was significantly increased. High hepcidin expression is related to grade, age, PRS type, IDH mutation, chemotherapy status and 1p19q codeletion status, which significantly indicates the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Hepcidin can be used as an independent prognostic factor for glioma through the multivariate COX regression analysis. The results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that hepcidin was involved in the immune response. In addition, hepcidin expression was positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, the expression of various immune cell markers and the efficacy of immunotherapy.ConclusionOur results indicate that hepcidin can be used as a candidate biomarker to judge the prognosis and immune cell invasion of gliomas.</p

Image_3_Hepcidin is upregulated and is a potential therapeutic target associated with immunity in glioma.jpeg

BackgroundGlioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Hepcidin is a fascinating iron metabolism regulator. However, the prognostic value of hepcidin HAMP in gliomas and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively elucidate the prognostic value and potential role of hepcidin in gliomas.MethodsHepcidin gene expression and clinical characteristics in glioma were analyzed using the CGGA, TCGA, Rembrandt and Gravendeel glioma databases. A survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to select the pathways significantly enriched for hepcidin associations. The correlations between hepcidin and immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy were analyzed using network platforms such as CIBERSORT and TIMER.ResultsIn glioma tissues, the expression of hepcidin was significantly increased. High hepcidin expression is related to grade, age, PRS type, IDH mutation, chemotherapy status and 1p19q codeletion status, which significantly indicates the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Hepcidin can be used as an independent prognostic factor for glioma through the multivariate COX regression analysis. The results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that hepcidin was involved in the immune response. In addition, hepcidin expression was positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, the expression of various immune cell markers and the efficacy of immunotherapy.ConclusionOur results indicate that hepcidin can be used as a candidate biomarker to judge the prognosis and immune cell invasion of gliomas.</p

Image_7_Hepcidin is upregulated and is a potential therapeutic target associated with immunity in glioma.jpeg

BackgroundGlioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Hepcidin is a fascinating iron metabolism regulator. However, the prognostic value of hepcidin HAMP in gliomas and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively elucidate the prognostic value and potential role of hepcidin in gliomas.MethodsHepcidin gene expression and clinical characteristics in glioma were analyzed using the CGGA, TCGA, Rembrandt and Gravendeel glioma databases. A survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to select the pathways significantly enriched for hepcidin associations. The correlations between hepcidin and immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy were analyzed using network platforms such as CIBERSORT and TIMER.ResultsIn glioma tissues, the expression of hepcidin was significantly increased. High hepcidin expression is related to grade, age, PRS type, IDH mutation, chemotherapy status and 1p19q codeletion status, which significantly indicates the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Hepcidin can be used as an independent prognostic factor for glioma through the multivariate COX regression analysis. The results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that hepcidin was involved in the immune response. In addition, hepcidin expression was positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, the expression of various immune cell markers and the efficacy of immunotherapy.ConclusionOur results indicate that hepcidin can be used as a candidate biomarker to judge the prognosis and immune cell invasion of gliomas.</p