Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in solid tumors and cancer cell lines. In this study, we isolated a series of cancer cell clones, which were heterogeneous in growth rate, cell cycle ...distribution and expression profile of genes and proteins, from ovarian tumor specimens of a patient and identified a sub-population enriched for ovarian CSCs defined by CD24 phenotype. Experiments in vitro demonstrated CD24(+) sub-population possessed stem cell-like characteristics of remaining quiescence and more chemoresistant compared with CD24(-) fraction, as well as a specific capacity for self-renewal and differentiation. In addition, injection of 5 x 10(3) CD24(+) cells was able to form tumor xenografts in nude mice, whereas equal number of CD24(-) cells remained nontumorigenic. We also found that CD24(+) cells expressed higher mRNA levels of some 'stemness' genes, including Nestin, beta-catenin, Bmi-1, Oct4, Oct3/4, Notch1 and Notch4 which were involved in modulating many functions of stem cells, and lower E-cadherin mRNA level than CD24(-) cells. Altogether, these observations suggest human ovarian tumor cells are organized as a hierarchy and CD24 demarcates an ovarian cancer-initiating cell population. These findings will have important clinical applications for developing effective therapeutic strategies to treat ovarian cancer.
Since the year 2000, IDF has been measuring the prevalence of diabetes nationally, regionally and globally.
To produce estimates of the global burden of diabetes and its impact for 2017 and ...projections for 2045.
A systematic literature review was conducted to identify published studies on the prevalence of diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in the period from 1990 to 2016. The highest quality studies on diabetes prevalence were selected for each country. A logistic regression model was used to generate age-specific prevalence estimates or each country. Estimates for countries without data were extrapolated from similar countries.
It was estimated that in 2017 there are 451 million (age 18–99 years) people with diabetes worldwide. These figures were expected to increase to 693 million) by 2045. It was estimated that almost half of all people (49.7%) living with diabetes are undiagnosed. Moreover, there was an estimated 374 million people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and it was projected that almost 21.3 million live births to women were affected by some form of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. In 2017, approximately 5 million deaths worldwide were attributable to diabetes in the 20–99 years age range. The global healthcare expenditure on people with diabetes was estimated to be USD 850 billion in 2017.
The new estimates of diabetes prevalence, deaths attributable to diabetes and healthcare expenditure due to diabetes present a large social, financial and health system burden across the world.
Highlights • Global diabetes prevalence was estimated for 2015 and 2040. • In 2015, prevalence of diabetes in adults was estimated to be 8.8% • In 2015, 16.2% of live births were associated with ...hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. • In 2040, the prevalence of diabetes in adults is predicted to rise to 10.4%. • Diabetes prevalence continues to rise across the globe.
Abstract Aims We estimated the number of live births worldwide and by IDF Region who developed hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in 2013, including total diabetes in pregnancy (known and previously ...undiagnosed diabetes) and gestational diabetes. Methods Studies reporting prevalence of hyperglycaemia first-detected in pregnancy (formerly termed gestational diabetes) were identified using PubMed and through a review of cited literature. A simple scoring system was developed to characterise studies on diagnostic criteria, year study was conducted, study design, and representation. The highest scoring studies by country with sufficient detail on methodology for characterisation and reporting at least three age-groups were selected for inclusion. Forty-seven studies from 34 countries were used to calculate age-specific prevalence of hyperglycaemia first-detected in pregnancy in women 20–49 years. Adjustments were then made to account for heterogeneity in screening method and blood glucose diagnostic threshold in studies and also to align with recently published diagnostic criteria as defined by the WHO for hyperglycaemia first detected in pregnancy. Prevalence rates were applied to fertility and population estimates to determine regional and global prevalence of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy for 2013. An estimate of the proportion of cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy due to total diabetes in pregnancy was calculated using age- and sex-specific estimates of diabetes from the IDF Diabetes Atlas and applied to age-specific fertility rates. Results The global prevalence of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in women (20–49 years) is 16.9%, or 21.4 million live births in 2013. An estimated 16.0% of those cases may be due to total diabetes in pregnancy. The highest prevalence was found in the South-East Asia Region at 25.0% compared with 10.4% in the North America and Caribbean Region. More than 90% of cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy are estimated to occur in low- and middle-income countries. Conclusion These are the first global estimates of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and conform to the new WHO recommendations regarding diagnosis and also include estimates of live births in women with known diabetes. They indicate the importance of the disease from a public health and maternal and child health perspective, particularly in developing countries.
Let
S
s
∗
be the class of normalized analytic functions
f
defined on the unit disk such that the quantity
z
f
′
(
z
)
/
f
(
z
)
lies in an eight-shaped region in the right-half plane, which is the ...image of the unit disk under an entire function defined by
φ
(
z
)
=
1
+
sin
z
. For this class, we determine the
S
s
∗
-radii for the class of Janowski starlike functions and some other geometrically defined classes. A relation between this class and the class of Janowski starlike functions is also discussed.
Metal oxides are intensively used for multilayered optoelectronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Many approaches have been explored to improve device performance by ...engineering electrical properties. However, conventional methods cannot enable both energy level manipulation and conductivity enhancement for achieving optimum energy band configurations. Here, we introduce a metal oxide charge transfer complex (NiO:MoO
-complex), which is composed of few-nm-size MoO
domains embedded in NiO matrices, as a highly tunable carrier injection material. Charge transfer at the finely dispersed interfaces of NiO and MoO
throughout the entire film enables effective energy level modulation over a wide work function range of 4.47 - 6.34 eV along with enhanced electrical conductivity. The high performance of NiO:MoO
-complex is confirmed by achieving 189% improved current efficiency compared to that of MoO
-based green OLEDs and also an external quantum efficiency of 17% when applied to blue OLEDs, which is superior to 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile-based conventional devices.
A clumped particle model for rock Cho, N.; Martin, C.D.; Sego, D.C.
International journal of rock mechanics and mining sciences (Oxford, England : 1997),
10/2007, Letnik:
44, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Discrete element (particle) modeling is now often used to simulate the behavior of rock. While the method is attractive because it does not require the formulation of complex constitutive models, it ...requires extensive calibration with measured macro-scale results to determine the particle–contact parameters that will predict the macro-scale response. This calibration is usually carried out using the laboratory uniaxial compression test. The behavior of intact rock in compression is complex, resulting in a nonlinear failure envelope with high frictional resistance and a ratio of tensile to uniaxial compression strength of approximately 0.05–0.1. An extensive series of calibrations were carried out using a particle code to determine if the micro-parameters determined from uniaxial compression tests could be used to predict the intact rock response regardless of stress path, i.e., tension to triaxial compression. It is determined that the particle code cannot predict the failure envelope measured on laboratory samples, unless significant modifications are made. This study shows that adjusting the particle parameters had little effect on the macro-scale properties of compression and tension tests, but using a clumped-particle geometry improves the predictive capabilities of the particle code significantly. For both Lac du Bonnet granite and a weak synthetic rock, the particle code calibrated to uniaxial tests using the clumped-particle geometry predicts both the stress–strain behavior and the complete nonlinear failure envelope.
In this paper we demonstrate a wearable tattoo-based alcohol biosensing system for noninvasive alcohol monitoring in induced sweat. The skin-worn alcohol monitoring platform integrates an ...iontophoretic-biosensing temporary tattoo system along with flexible wireless electronics. The wearable prototype enables the transdermal delivery of the pilocarpine drug to induce sweat via iontophoresis and amperometric detection of ethanol in the generated sweat using the alcohol-oxidase enzyme and the Prussian Blue electrode transducer. The new skin-compliant biosensor displays a highly selective and sensitive response to ethanol. On-body results with human subjects show distinct differences in the current response before and after alcohol consumption, reflecting the increase of ethanol levels. The skin-worn alcohol sensor is coupled with a flexible electronics board, which controls the iontophoresis/amperometry operation and transmits data wirelessly in real time via Bluetooth communication. The new wireless epidermal iontophoretic-biosensing system offers considerable promise for noninvasive monitoring of alcohol consumption in practical settings and can be readily expanded toward the monitoring of additional analytes.
Abstract
Despite highly promising characteristics of three-dimensionally (3D) nanostructured catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers ...(PEMWEs), universal design rules for maximizing their performance have not been explored. Here we show that woodpile (WP)-structured Ir, consisting of 3D-printed, highly-ordered Ir nanowire building blocks, improve OER mass activity markedly. The WP structure secures the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) through enhanced utilization efficiency of the extended surface area of 3D WP catalysts. Moreover, systematic control of the 3D geometry combined with theoretical calculations and various electrochemical analyses reveals that facile transport of evolved O
2
gas bubbles is an important contributor to the improved ECSA-specific activity. The 3D nanostructuring-based improvement of ECSA and ECSA-specific activity enables our well-controlled geometry to afford a 30-fold higher mass activity of the OER catalyst when used in a single-cell PEMWE than conventional nanoparticle-based catalysts.
The systematic shape control of colloidal nanocrystals including one‐dimensional (1D) nanorods remains a key issue in the “bottom–up” approach of nanoscience. Here, we examine the anisotropic ...structural evolution of various semiconductor nanocrystals and systematically elucidate the key growth parameters for their shape control. The crystalline phase of nucleating seeds and kinetic growth regimes controlled by changing growth parameters are crucial for the determination of the 1D nanocrystal geometry.
The shapes of novel nanocrystals, including 1D nanorods and the MnS nanocubes shown in the Figure, can be controlled by balancing parameters such as the nucleating seeds, kinetic control, temperature, and selective activation energy modulations of surfaces through the use of capping molecules. Here, the anisotropic structural evolution and key growth parameters for the shape control of various semiconductor nanocrystals is examined.
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