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•Activated carbon derived from food waste tangerine seed was prepared and optimized.•High specific surface area and large pore volume were obtained.•Pesticides in complex solutions ...could be adsorbed efficiently.•Adsorption conditions and mechanism and adsorbent regeneration were investigated.•The kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics for pesticides adsorption were studied.
This research presents the tangerine seed activated carbon (TSAC), obtained from food waste (tangerine seed) by one-step pyrolysis method and applied to remove carbamate pesticides (CMs) from complex solutions. The effects of carbonization temperature and time on adsorption performance were studied. Structural properties of TSAC were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and nitrogen adsorption/desorption methods and compared with that of tangerine seed. The TSAC exhibited a specific surface area of 659.62 m2/g, a total pore volume of 0.6203 cc/g and a pore diameter of 1.410 nm. The influences of initial pesticide concentration, adsorption temperature and contact time were investigated through batch experiments. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model were more suitable for CMs adsorption process onto TSAC. Furthermore, the thermodynamic research indicated that this adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic.
Purpose
To develop an ultrasound (US)-based radiomics score for preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods
Between January 1, 2012, and October ...31, 2017, a total of 482 HCC patients who underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) were retrospectively reviewed. The study population was divided into a training cohort (
n
= 341) and a validation cohort (
n
= 141) based on a cutoff time of January 1, 2016. Radiomics features were extracted from the grayscale US images of HCC. After features selection, a radiomics score was developed from the training cohort. The incremental value of the radiomics score to the clinic-pathological factors for MVI prediction was assessed in the validation cohort with respect to discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness.
Results
The US-based radiomics score consisted of six selected features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the radiomics score, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and tumor size were independent predictors of MVI. The radiomics nomogram (based on the three factors) showed better performance for MVI detection (area under the curve AUC 0.7310.647, 0.815 than the clinical nomogram (based on AFP and tumor size) (0.634 0.543, 0.724) (
p
= 0.015). Both nomograms showed good calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that in terms of clinical usefulness, the radiomics nomogram outperformed the clinical nomogram.
Conclusion
The US-based radiomics score was an independent predictor of MVI in HCC. Combining the radiomics score with clinical factors improved the prediction efficacy.
Key points
• Radiomics can be applied in US images.
• US-based radiomics score was an independent predictor of MVI.
• Radiomics nomogram incorporated with the radiomics score showed good performance for MVI prediction.
In the long history of traditional Chinese medicine, single herbs and complex formulas have been suggested to increase lifespan. However, the identification of single molecules responsible for ...lifespan extension has been challenging. Here, we collected a list of traditional Chinese medicines with potential longevity properties from pharmacopeias. By utilizing the mother enrichment program, we systematically screened these traditional Chinese medicines and identified a single herb, Psoralea corylifolia, that increases lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Next, twenty-two pure compounds were isolated from Psoralea corylifolia. One of the compounds, corylin, was found to extend the replicative lifespan in yeast by targeting the Gtr1 protein. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, RNA sequencing data showed that corylin ameliorates cellular senescence. We also examined an in vivo mammalian model, and found that corylin extends lifespan in mice fed a high-fat diet. Taken together, these findings suggest that corylin may promote longevity.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are characterized by self‐renewal and ‐differential potential as compared to common cancer cells and play an important role in the development and therapeutic resistance of ...liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). However, the specific pathogenesis of LIHC stem cells is still unclear, and the genes involved in the stemness of LIHC stem cells are currently unknown. In this study, we investigated novel biomarkers associated with LIHC and explored the expression characteristics of stem cell‐related genes in LIHC. We found that mRNA expression‐based stemness index (mRNAsi) was significantly overexpressed in liver cancer tissues. Further, mRNAsi expression in LIHC increased with the tumor pathological grade, with grade 4 tumors harboring the greatest stem cell features. Upon establishing mRNAsi scores based on mRNA expression of every gene, we found an association with poor overall survival in LIHC. Moreover, modules of interest were determined based on weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) inclusion criteria, and three significant modules (red, green, and brown) and 21 key genes (DCN, ECM1, HAND2, PTGIS, SFRP1, SRPX, COLEC10, GRP182, ADAMTS7, CD200, CDH11, COL8A1, FAP, LZTS1, MAP1B, NAV1, NOTCH3, OLFML2A, PRR16, TMEM119, and VCAN) were identified. Functional analysis of these 21 genes demonstrated their enrichment in pathways involved in angiogenesis, negative regulation of DNA‐binding transcription factor activity, apoptosis, and autophagy. Causal relationship with proteins indicated that the Wnt, Notch, and Hypoxia pathways are closely related to LIHC tumorigenesis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a novel CSC biomarker, mRNAsi, to predict the prognosis of LIHC. Further, we identified 21 key genes through mRNA expression network analysis, which could be potential therapeutic targets to inhibit the stemness of cancer cells in LIHC.
We first reported a novel biomarker mRNAsi of stem cell index to predict the prognosis of LIHC through network analysis of the expression levels of LIHC. 21 key genes were found played important roles in LIHC stem cells. These genes could be the potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting the stemness of LIHC.
Intended stimulus effects are attenuated if expansionary policies are conducted at the cost of debt rollover, high interest payments, and heavy taxes. This paper examines the stimulus effects of ...fiscal instruments, considering a country's initial debt level. Using a neoclassical model calibrated to Greece, I find that: 1 increasing public consumption (investment) wages generates short-lived (long-lasting) no stimulus effects; 2 a rise in the interest rate spread reduces public consumption (investment) multiplier by 0.77 (only 0.27); 3 implementation delays in public investment yield the benefit of lower debt-to-GDP ratios, partly offsetting the cost of delays; 4 a high degree of consumption complementarity produces sizable expansionary effects, but it yields a worse fiscal position; 5 faster tax adjustments to government debt result in larger government-spending multipliers. In sum, whether to conduct stimulus measures or not hinges on a country's debt position, tools used, the speed at which debt is retired, and policy purposes.
•This paper studies the stimulus effects of fiscal policy in Greece in a DSGE model.•A rise in the interest rate spread greatly reduces the public spending multiplier.•I consider implementation delay in public investment and consumption complementarity.•Quicker tax adjustment to debt yields higher public spending multipliers.•The debt position, tools used, and speed of tax adjustment matter for policy effects.
This paper studies the distributional effects of nonresident housing investment on residents' consumption and welfare in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with two types of agents: ...savers and borrowers. The model is estimated with Bayesian methods applied to Taiwan. Three main results emerge. First, nonresident housing investment raises house prices and rent, validating policymakers' concerns about housing affordability. Second, higher house prices boost homeowners' property values, which strongly promotes consumption. Third, higher investment by nonresidents increases government tax revenues, the allocation of which has important welfare consequences across agents. Using tax revenues to subsidize residents through income tax reduction produces the largest welfare improvement, followed by a provision of public goods. Increasing the tax deductibility of mortgage interest is beneficial to borrowers, while allotting tax revenues to supply public capital results in the greatest welfare losses to savers.
The hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) GGGGCC (G4C2) in C9orf72 is the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Recent studies support an HRE RNA ...gain-of-function mechanism of neurotoxicity, and we previously identified protein interactors for the G4C2 RNA including RanGAP1. A candidate-based genetic screen in Drosophila expressing 30 G4C2 repeats identified RanGAP (Drosophila orthologue of human RanGAP1), a key regulator of nucleocytoplasmic transport, as a potent suppressor of neurodegeneration. Enhancing nuclear import or suppressing nuclear export of proteins also suppresses neurodegeneration. RanGAP physically interacts with HRE RNA and is mislocalized in HRE-expressing flies, neurons from C9orf72 ALS patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-derived neurons), and in C9orf72 ALS patient brain tissue. Nuclear import is impaired as a result of HRE expression in the fly model and in C9orf72 iPSC-derived neurons, and these deficits are rescued by small molecules and antisense oligonucleotides targeting the HRE G-quadruplexes. Nucleocytoplasmic transport defects may be a fundamental pathway for ALS and FTD that is amenable to pharmacotherapeutic intervention.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
To construct a prediction model based on peritumoral radiomics signatures from CT images and investigate its efficiency in predicting early recurrence (ER) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after ...curative treatment.
In total, 156 patients with primary HCC were randomly divided into the training cohort (109 patients) and the validation cohort (47 patients). From the pretreatment CT images, we extracted 3-phase two-dimensional images from the largest cross-sectional area of the tumor. A region of interest (ROI) was manually delineated around the lesion for tumoral radiomics (T-RO) feature extraction, and another ROI was outlined with an additional 2 cm peritumoral area for peritumoral radiomics (PT-RO) feature extraction. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression model was applied for feature selection and model construction. The T-RO and PT-RO models were constructed. In the validation cohort, the prediction efficiencies of the two models and peritumoral enhancement (PT-E) were evaluated qualitatively by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves and decision curves and quantitatively by area under the curve (AUC), the category-free net reclassification index (cfNRI) and integrated discrimination improvement values (IDI).
By comparing AUC values, the prediction accuracy in the validation cohort was good for the PT-RO model (0.80 vs. 0.79, P = 0.47) but poor for the T-RO model (0.82 vs. 0.62, P < 0.01), which was significantly overfitted. In the validation cohort, the ROC curves, calibration curves and decision curves indicated that the PT-RO model had better calibration efficiency and provided greater clinical benefits. CfNRI indicated that the PT-RO model correctly reclassified 47% of ER patients and 32% of non-ER patients compared to the T-RO model (P < 0.01); additionally, the PT-RO model correctly reclassified 24% of ER patients and 41% of non-ER patients compared to PT-E (P = 0.02). IDI indicated that the PT-RO model could improve prediction accuracy by 0.22 (P < 0.01) compared to the T-RO model and by 0.20 (P = 0.01) compared to PT-E.
The CT-based PT-RO model can effectively predict the ER of HCC and is more efficient than the T-RO model and the conventional imaging feature PT-E.
Accurate survival prediction of persons with plasma cell myeloma (PCM) is challenging. We interrogated clinical and laboratory co-variates and RNA matrices of 1040 subjects with PCM from public ...datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus database in training (N = 1) and validation (N = 2) datasets. Genes regulating plasma cell metabolism correlated with survival were identified and seven used to build a metabolic risk score using Lasso Cox regression analyses. The score had robust predictive performance with 5-year survival area under the curve (AUCs): 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.65, 0.76), 0.88 (0.67, 1.00) and 0.64 (0.57, 0.70). Subjects in the high-risk training cohort (score > median) had worse 5-year survival compared with those in the low-risk cohort (62% 55, 68% vs. 85% 80, 90%; p < 0.001). This was also so for the validation cohorts. A nomogram combining metabolic risk score with Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) score increased survival prediction from an AUC = 0.63 0.58, 0.69 to an AUC = 0.73 0.66, 0.78; p = 0.015. Modelling predictions were confirmed in in vitro tests with PCM cell lines. Our metabolic risk score increases survival prediction accuracy in PCM.
The specificity of nucleic acids’ binders is crucial for developing this kind of drug, especially for novel G-quadruplexes’ binders. Quindoline derivatives have been developed as G-quadruplex ...stabilizers with good interactive activities. In order to improve the selectivity and binding affinity of quindoline derivatives as c-myc G-quadruplex binding ligands, novel triazole containing benzofuroquinoline derivatives (T-BFQs) were designed and synthesized by using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a series of alkyne and azide building blocks. The selectivity toward c-myc G-quadruplex DNA of these novel T-BFQs was significantly improved, together with an obvious increase on binding affinity. Further cellular and in vivo experiments indicated that the T-BFQs showed inhibitory activity on tumor cells’ proliferation, presumably through the down-regulation of transcription of c-myc gene. Our findings broadened the modification strategies of specific G-quadruplex stabilizers.
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