Curculigoside (CUR) is natural ingredient from Curculigo orchioides Gaertn with multiple biological activities. However, whether CUR protects from ulcerative colitis (UC) and underlying mechanisms ...are unclear. Herein, mice challenged with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) were established and administrated with CUR for 7 days. Then histological pathologies and ferroptosis regulators were determined in vivo. The ferroptotic IEC-6 cells were prepared to investigate the underlying mechanism of CUR. Results showed that CUR inhibited the disease activity index, histological damage and cell death in mice with colitis. We also found that ferroptosis was induced in mice with colitis, as evidenced by iron overload, GSH depletion, ROS and MDA production, accompanied by decreased expression of SOD and GPX4. CUR treatment significantly reversed these alterations of ferroptotic features in DSS-induced mice. Furthermore, similar effects of CUR on ferroptosis were observed in IEC-6 cells under the combined treatment of H2O2 and iron chloride hexahydrate. Interestingly, we found that CUR could increase the selenium sensitivity and promote GPX4 transcription level in IEC-6 cells. Knockdown of GPX4 significantly blocked the protective effects of CUR on cell death, GSH and MDA contents as well as LDH activity in ferroptotic IEC-6 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that CUR protects against ferroptosis in UC by the induction of GPX4, which presents a potential agent for UC treatment.
As one of the important probes of chemical bonding, planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) compounds have been receiving much attention. Compared with ptC clusters, the heavier planar tetracoordinate ...silicon, germanium, tin, lead (ptSi/Ge/Sn/Pb) systems are scarcer and more exotic. The 18-valence-electron (ve)-counting is one important guide, though not the only rule, for the design of planar tetra-, penta-coordinate carbon and silicon clusters. The 18ve ptSi/Ge system is very scarce and needs to be expanded. Based on the isoelectronic principle and bonding similarity between the Al atom and the BeH unit, inspired by the previously reported ptSi global minimum (GM) SiAl42−, a series of ternary 18 ve XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) clusters were predicted with the ptSi/Ge/Sn/Pb centers. Extensive density functional theory (DFT) global minimum searches and high-level CCSD(T) calculations performed herein indicated that these ptSi/Ge/Sn/Pb XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) clusters were all true GMs on their potential energy surfaces. These GMs of XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) species possessed the beautiful fan-shaped structures: XBe4 unit can be stabilized by three peripheries bridging H and two terminal H atoms. It should be noted that XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) were the first ternary 18 ve ptSi/Ge/Sn/Pb species. The natural bond orbital (NBO), canonical molecular orbitals (CMOs) and adaptive natural densitpartitioning (AdNDP) analyses indicated that 18ve are ideal for these ptX clusters: delocalized one π and three σ bonds for the XBe4 core, three Be-H-Be 3c-2e and two Be-H σ bonds for the periphery. Additionally, 2π plus 6σ double aromaticity was found to be crucial for the stability of the ptX XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) clusters. The simulated photoelectron spectra of XBe4H5− (X = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) clusters will provide theoretical basis for further experimental characterization.
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Surgery and chemotherapy are the primary treatments for ovarian cancer; however, patients often succumb to recurrence with chemotherapeutic ...resistance within several years after the initial treatment. In the past two decades, immunotherapy has rapidly developed, and has revolutionized the treatment of various types of cancer. Despite the fact that immunotherapy response rates among ovarian cancer patients remain modest, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)- and TCR-engineered T cells is rapidly developing. Therapeutic efficiency could be improved significantly if immunotherapy is included as an adjuvant therapy, in combination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and the use of anti-angiogenesis drugs, and poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). Newly developed technologies that identify therapeutic targets, predict treatment efficacy, rapidly screen potential immunotherapy drugs, provide neoadjuvant immunotherapy, and utilize nanomedicine technology provide new opportunities for the treatment of ovarian cancer, and have the potential to prolong patient survival. However, important issues that may hinder the efficacy of such approaches, including hyperprogressive disease (HPD), immunotherapy-resistance, and toxicity of the treatments, including neurotoxicity, must be taken into account and addressed for these therapies to be effective.
Planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) species are scarce and exotic. Introducing four peripheral Te/Po auxiliary atoms is an effective strategy to flatten the tetrahedral structure of CAl4 (Td, 1A1). ...Neutral CAl4X4 (X = Te, Po) clusters possess quadrangular star structures containing perfect ptC centers. Unbiased density functional theory (DFT) searches and high-level CCSD(T) calculations suggest that these ptC species are the global minima on the potential energy surfaces. Bonding analyses indicate that 40 valence-electron (VE) is ideal for the ptC CAl4X4 (X = Te, Po): one delocalized π and three σ bonds for the CAl4 core; four lone pairs (LPs) of four X atoms, eight localized Al–X σ bonds, and four delocalized Al–X–Al π bonds for the periphery. Thus, the ptC CAl4X4 (X = Te, Po) clusters possess the stable eight electron structures and 2π + 6σ double aromaticity. Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations indicate that neutral ptC CAl4X4 (X = Te, Po) clusters are robust.
Polarization imaging presents advantages in capturing spatial, spectral, and polarization information across various spectral bands. It can improve the perceptual ability of image sensors and has ...garnered more applications. Despite its potential, challenges persist in identifying band information and implementing image enhancement using polarization imaging. These challenges often necessitate integrating spectrometers or other components, resulting in increased complexities within image processing systems and hindering device miniaturization trends. Here, the characteristics of anisotropic absorption reversal are systematically elucidated in pucker‐like group IV–VI semiconductors MX (M = Ge, Sn; X = S, Se) through theoretical predictions and experimental validations. Additionally, the fundamental mechanisms behind anisotropy reversal in different bands are also explored. The photodetector is constructed by utilizing MX as a light‐absorbing layer, harnessing polarization‐sensitive photoresponse for virtual imaging. The results indicate that the utilization of polarization reversal photodetectors holds advantages in achieving further multifunctional integration within the device structure while simplifying its configuration, including band information identification and image enhancement. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of polarization reversal mechanisms and presents a promising and reliable approach for achieving dual‐band image band identification and image enhancement without additional auxiliary components.
The miniaturized image band identification and enhancement system can be achieved by utilizing a polarization‐sensitive photodetector with polarization reversal capability. The photodetector is constructed using in‐plane pucker‐like group IV–VI semiconductors MX (M = Ge, Sn; X = S, Se), leveraging the intrinsic differences in transition probabilities of charge carriers.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a rare subset of cells found in the blood of patients with solid tumors, which function as a seed for metastases. Cancer cells metastasize through the bloodstream ...either as single migratory CTCs or as multicellular groupings-CTC clusters. The CTCs preserve primary tumor heterogeneity and mimic tumor properties, and may be considered as clinical biomarker, preclinical model, and therapeutic target. The potential clinical application of CTCs is being a component of liquid biopsy. CTCs are also good candidates for generating preclinical models, especially 3D organoid cultures, which could be applied in drug screening, disease modeling, genome editing, tumor immunity, and organoid biobanks. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the value and promise of evolving CTC technologies and highlight cutting-edge research on CTCs in liquid biopsy, tumor metastasis, and organoid preclinical models. The study of CTCs offers broad pathways to develop new biomarkers for tumor patient diagnosis, prognosis, and response to therapy, as well as translational models accelerating oncologic drug development.
Hypercoordinate transition-metal species are mainly dominated by the 18-valence-electron (18ve) counting. Herein, we report ternary MAl6S6 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) clusters with the planar hexacoordinate ...metal (phM) centers, which feature 16ve counting instead of the classic 18ve rule. These global-minimum clusters are established via unbiased global searches, followed by PBE0 and single-point CCSD(T) calculations. The phM MAl6 units are stabilized by six peripheral bridging S atoms in these star-like species. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that there are 10 delocalized electrons around the phM center, which can render the aromaticity according to the (4n + 2) Hückel rule. It is worth noting that adding an (or two) electron(s) to its π-type lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) will make the system unstable.
High-resolution inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging of a ship target is a challenging task because of fluctuation with the ocean waves. The images obtained with a standard range-Doppler ...algorithm are usually blurred. Consequently, the range-instantaneous-Doppler (RID) technique should be used to improve the image quality. In this paper, the received signal in a range cell is modeled as a multicomponent quadratic frequency-modulated (QFM) signal after range compression and motion compensation, and then a new RID ISAR imaging algorithm is proposed that introduces a new method for estimating parameters of the QFM signal. By defining a new function and using the scaled Fourier transform (SCFT) with respect to the time axis, the coherent integration of auto-terms can be realized via the subsequent Fourier transformation with respect to the lag-time axis, and a peak can be obtained in the 2-D frequency plane, which is appropriate for parameter estimation of the QFM signal to reconstruct RID images. The proposed algorithm is accurate and fast since the defined function has moderate order nonlinearity and the SCFT can be performed via chirp z-transform. Experiments demonstrate the performance of the new algorithm. Comparisons with existing algorithms are also given, which show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently produce a focused image with less fake scatterers.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which may be related to mitophagy failure. Previous reports suggest that treadmill exercise protects against mitochondrial ...dysfunction in AD. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between mitophagy and mitochondrial adaptation caused by treadmill exercise in AD. The current study aimed to investigate whether exercise-ameliorated AD is associated with changes in mitophagy activity. Both Wild-type and APP/PS1 transgenic mice were divided into sedentary (WTC and ADC) and exercise (WTE and ADE) groups (n = 9 for each group). WTE and ADE mice were subjected to treadmill exercise for 12 weeks, followed by evaluating the effect of treadmill exercise on learning and memory ability, Aβ plaques, mitochondrial Aβ peptide level, synaptic activity and mitochondrial function. Meanwhile, mitophagy-related proteins PINK1, Parkin, LC3II and P62 were measured in the hippocampal mitochondrial fractions. The results indicated that exercise not only restored learning and memory ability, but also reduced Aβ plaque area, mitochondrial Aβ peptide level, and increased levels of synaptic markers SYN and GAP43, as well as reversed mitochondrial dysfunction (defective mitochondrial ultrastructure, decreased PGC-1α, TFAM and ATP levels) in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Moreover, exercise increased mitophagy activity as evidenced by a significant decrease in levels of P62 and PINK1 as well as an increase in levels of LC3II and Parkin in ADE mice. These findings suggest that treadmill exercise can enhance mitophagy activity in the hippocampus, which is efficient in ameliorating pathological phenotypes of APP/PS1 transgenic mice.
Recently, Janus two-dimensional (2D) materials have received considerable interest due to their intrinsic vertical dipole, and hence they have great potential in photocatalytic and piezoelectric ...applications. Here, a new series of Janus 2D structures MM′XX′ (M, M′ = Ga, In; X, X′ = S, Se, Te) are investigated by means of first-principles calculations. It is found that 2D Janus MM′XX′ exhibit high dynamical stability and have band gaps in the range of 0.89-2.03 eV. Most outstandingly, these MM′XX′ monolayers exhibit appropriate band edge positions, strong light absorption (1 × 10
4
cm
−1
) in the visible light region, high energy conversion efficiencies (up to 18.51%), effective spatial separation and fast transfer of carriers (at least 10
3
cm
2
V
−1
s
−1
), which make them promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting (except InGaSTe which has a small band gap of 0.89 eV). What is more, the in-plane piezoelectric coefficients of these MM′XX′ monolayers (2.62-6.21 pm V
−1
) are comparable to those of the common bulk materials such as α-quartz (2.3 pm V
−1
), wurtzite GaN (3.1 pm V
−1
) and AlN (5.1 pm V
−1
), and the out-of-plane piezoelectric coefficients (0.28-0.41 pm V
−1
) are higher than those of the Janus MXY (M = Mo, W; X, Y = S, Se, Te) monolayers (0.007-0.030 pm V
−1
). Our findings reveal the potential applications of these monolayers as efficient photocatalysts and piezoelectric materials.
A series of 2D Janus group-III chalcogenides have been predicted as promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting and piezoelectric devices.
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