Reference electrodes (REs) implanted in lithium-ion batteries are essential indicators in the fields of health monitoring and safety management. The non-destructive charging profiles, for example, ...are usually determined by electrode potential measurements performed with the RE. However, errors in RE potential measurements, resulting in seriously flawed conclusions, are seldom discussed in real lithium-ion batteries. This study investigates the reliability of anode potentials measured with a Li/Cu RE implanted in commercial cells. Artefacts are advanced in RE measurements based on the inconsistency of measured anode potentials and lithium plating behaviors, and further validated by the excess anode overpotential while charging to high state of charge at high rates. Furthermore, artefact phenomenon is reflected in the electrochemical model highlighting the RE blocking of the Li-ion flow. Inhomogeneous lithium intercalation currents at the anode-separator interface are revealed to bring out the excess anode overpotential in RE measurements. Finally, the impact of critical parameters on potential artefacts is examined, and proper RE sizes and battery operating conditions are proposed to ensure the reliability of potential measurements. This work emphasizes the existence of artefacts in RE potential measurements, and provides a useful guide on eliminating errors and improving accuracy of RE in real lithium-ion batteries.
•Errors in measuring individual electrode potentials with reference electrode (RE).•RE blocks the transport of Li-ions and leads to non-uniform potential distributions.•Anode overpotential is over-estimated by RE during the charging of Li-ion cells.•Decreasing the RE width is beneficial to the accuracy of the measured potential.
Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process in eukaryotes that contributes to cell survival in response to multiple stresses and is important for organism fitness. Extensive research has shown that ...autophagy plays a pivotal role in both viral infection and replication processes. Despite the increasing research dedicated to autophagy, investigations into shrimp autophagy are relatively scarce. Based on three different methods, a total of 20 members of the ATGs were identified from F. chinensis, all of which contained an autophagy domain. These genes were divided into 18 subfamilies based on their different C-terminal domains, and were found to be located on 16 chromosomes. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that ATG genes were extensively distributed in all the tested tissues, with the highest expression levels were detected in muscle and eyestalk. To clarify the comprehensive roles of ATG genes upon biotic and abiotic stresses, we examined their expression patterns. The expression levels of multiple ATGs showed an initial increase followed by a decrease, with the highest expression levels observed at 6 h and/or 24 h after WSSV injection. The expression levels of three genes (ATG1, ATG3, and ATG4B) gradually increased until 60 h after injection. Under low-salt conditions, 12 ATG genes were significantly induced, and their transcription abundance peaked at 96 h after treatment. These results suggested that ATG genes may have significant roles in responding to various environmental stressors. Overall, this study provides a thorough characterization and expression analysis of ATG genes in F. chinensis, laying a strong foundation for further functional studies and promising potential in innate immunity.
Increasing evidence supports the role of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as master gene regulators at the epigenetic modification level. However, the underlying ...mechanism of these functional ncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been well investigated.
The dysregulated expression profiling of lncRNAs-snoRNAs-mRNAs and their correlations and co-expression enrichment were assessed by GeneChip microarray analysis. The candidate lncRNAs, snoRNAs, and target genes were detected by in situ hybridization (ISH), RT-PCR, qPCR and immunofluorescence (IF) assays. The biological functions of these factors were investigated using in vitro and in vivo studies that included CCK8, trans-well, cell apoptosis, IF assay, western blot method, and the xenograft mice models. rRNA 2'-O-methylation (Me) activities were determined by the RTL-P assay and a novel double-stranded primer based on the single-stranded toehold (DPBST) assay. The underlying molecular mechanisms were explored by bioinformatics and RNA stability, RNA fluorescence ISH, RNA pull-down and translation inhibition assays.
To demonstrate the involvement of lncRNA and snoRNAs in 2'-O-Me modification during tumorigenesis, we uncovered a previously unreported mechanism linking the snoRNPs NOP58 regulated by ZFAS1 in control of SNORD12C, SNORD78 mediated rRNA 2'-O-Me activities in CRC initiation and development. Specifically, ZFAS1 exerts its oncogenic functions and significantly up-regulated accompanied by elevated NOP58, SNORD12C/78 expression in CRC cells and tissues. ZFAS1 knockdown suppressed CRC cell proliferation, migration, and increased cell apoptosis, and this inhibitory effect could be reversed by NOP58 overexpression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the NOP58 protein could be recognized by the specific motif (AAGA or CAGA) of ZFAS1. This event accelerates the assembly of SNORD12C/78 to allow for further guiding of 2'-O-Me at the corresponding Gm3878 and Gm4593 sites. Importantly, silencing SNORD12C or 78 reduced the rRNAs 2'-O-Me activities, which could be rescued by overexpression ZFAS1, and this subsequently inhibits the RNA stability and translation activity of their downstream targets (e.g., EIF4A3 and LAMC2).
The novel ZFAS1-NOP58-SNORD12C/78-EIF4A3/LAMC2 signaling axis that functions in CRC tumorigenesis provides a better understanding regarding the role of lncRNA-snoRNP-mediated rRNAs 2'-O-Me activities for the prevention and treatment of CRC.
Accumulating evidence shows that N6-methyladenine (m
A) modulators contribute to the etiology and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the exact mechanisms of m
A reader involved in ...glycolytic metabolism remain vague. This article aimed to crosstalk the m
A reader with glycolytic metabolism and reveal a new mechanism for the progression of CRC.
The relationship between candidate lncRNA and m
A reader was analyzed by bioinformatics, ISH and IHC assays. In vivo and in vitro studies (including MTT, CFA, trans-well, apoptosis, western blot, qRT-PCR and xenograft mouse models) were utilized to explore the biological functions of these indicators. Lactate detection, ATP activity detection and ECAR assays were used to verify the biological function of the downstream target. The bioinformatics, RNA stability, RIP experiments and RNA pull-down assays were used to explore the potential molecular mechanisms.
We identified that the crosstalk of the m
A reader IMP2 with long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ZFAS1 in an m
A modulation-dependent manner, subsequently augmented the recruitment of Obg-like ATPase 1 (OLA1) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis and glycolysis during CRC proliferation and progression. Specifically, IMP2 and ZFAS1 are significantly overexpressed with elevated m
A levels in CRC cells and paired CRC cohorts (n = 144). These indicators could be independent biomarkers for CRC prognostic prediction. Notably, IMP2 regulated ZFAS1 expression and enhanced CRC cell proliferation, colony formation, and apoptosis inhibition; thus, it was oncogenic. Mechanistically, ZFAS1 is modified at adenosine +843 within the RGGAC/RRACH element in an m
A-dependent manner. Thus, direct interaction between the KH3-4 domain of IMP2 and ZFAS1 where IMP2 serves as a reader for m
A-modified ZFAS1 and promotes the RNA stability of ZFAS1 is critical for CRC development. More importantly, stabilized ZFAS1 recognizes the OBG-type functional domain of OLA1, which facilitated the exposure of ATP-binding sites (NVGKST, 32-37), enhanced its protein activity, and ultimately accelerated ATP hydrolysis and the Warburg effect.
Our findings reveal a new cancer-promoting mechanism, that is, the critical modulation network underlying m
A readers stabilizes lncRNAs, and they jointly promote mitochondrial energy metabolism in the pathogenesis of CRC.
Purpose
We aimed to explore whether the preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) could be an indicator of prognostic outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
Methods
A systematic review ...and meta-analysis was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. All original comparative studies published in English that were related to a high PNI versus a low PNI in CRC patients were included.
Results
A total of 10 studies involving 6372 patients were included in our meta-analysis. Our overall analysis indicated that the low-PNI group had a significantly reduced overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.45–2.42,
P
< 0.01), cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.07–2.19,
P
= 0.02), and disease-free survival (HR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.23–2.26,
P
< 0.01) compared with the high-PNI group. Furthermore, our subgroup results indicated that a high PNI could be a significant indicator of improved OS in TNM stage II (HR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.29–2.90,
P
< 0.01) and III (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.25–2.34,
P
< 0.01), and a similar trend in TNM stage I or IV could also be observed though without statistical significance. Regarding postoperative complications, our pooled results indicated that the low-PNI group had a significantly increased incidence of total and severe postoperative complications.
Conclusions
Our findings indicated that CRC patients with a preoperative high PNI had a significantly improved OS. However, almost only Asian CRC patients were included based on current issue.
Renewable energy power generation systems such as photovoltaic and wind power have characteristics of intermittency and volatility, which can cause disturbances to the grid frequency. The battery ...system of electric vehicles (EVs) is a mobile energy storage system that can participate in bidirectional interaction with the power grid and support the frequency stability of the grid. Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery systems, with their advantages of high safety and long cycle life, are widely used in EVs and participate in frequency regulation (FR) services. Accurate assessment of the state of charge (SOC) and remaining available energy (RAE) status in LiFePO4 batteries is crucial in formulating control strategies for battery systems. However, establishing an accurate voltage model for LiFePO4 batteries is challenging due to the hysteresis of open circuit voltage and internal temperature changes, making it difficult to accurately assess their SOC and RAE. To accurately evaluate the SOC and RAE of LiFePO4 batteries in dynamic FR working conditions, a thermal-electric-hysteresis coupled voltage model is built. Based on this model, closed-loop optimal SOC estimation is achieved using the extended Kalman filter algorithm to correct the initial value of SOC calculated by ampere-hour integration. Further, RAE is accurately estimated using a method based on future voltage prediction. The research results demonstrate that the thermal-electric-hysteresis coupling model exhibits high accuracy in simulating terminal voltage under a 48 h dynamic FR working condition, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of only 18.7 mV. The proposed state estimation strategy can accurately assess the state of LiFePO4 batteries in dynamic FR working conditions, with an RMSE of 1.73% for SOC estimation and 2.13% for RAE estimation. This research has the potential to be applied in battery management systems to achieve an accurate assessment of battery state and provide support for the efficient and reliable operation of battery systems.
Breast cancer is a major disease with high morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Increased use of imaging biomarkers has been shown to add more information with clinical utility in the ...detection and evaluation of breast cancer. To date, numerous studies related to PET-based imaging in breast cancer have been published. Here, we review available studies on the clinical utility of different PET-based molecular imaging methods in breast cancer diagnosis, staging, distant-metastasis detection, therapeutic and prognostic prediction, and evaluation of therapeutic responses. For primary breast cancer, PET/MRI performed similarly to MRI but better than PET/CT. PET/CT and PET/MRI both have higher sensitivity than MRI in the detection of axillary and extra-axillary nodal metastases. For distant metastases, PET/CT has better performance in the detection of lung metastasis, while PET/MRI performs better in the liver and bone. Additionally, PET/CT is superior in terms of monitoring local recurrence. The progress in novel radiotracers and PET radiomics presents opportunities to reclassify tumors by combining their fine anatomical features with molecular characteristics and develop a beneficial pathway from bench to bedside to predict the treatment response and prognosis of breast cancer. However, further investigation is still needed before application of these modalities in clinical practice. In conclusion, PET-based imaging is not suitable for early-stage breast cancer, but it adds value in identifying regional nodal disease and distant metastases as an adjuvant to standard diagnostic imaging. Recent advances in imaging techniques would further widen the comprehensive and convergent applications of PET approaches in the clinical management of breast cancer.
Background:
Significant developments have been made in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, yet the prognosis remains unsatisfactory. Accumulating evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs ...(lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in the development and progression of human tumors. However, the regulatory mechanisms and clinical significance of most lncRNAs in breast cancer remain poorly understood.
Methods:
The lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. A lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed and visualized using Cytoscape. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database and hub genes were extracted using the cytoHubba plugin. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes analyses identified the functions and signaling pathways associated with these differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs). Expression of the key lncRNA and the relationship with prognosis of patients with breast cancer were evaluated.
Results:
Six differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), 29 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), and 253 DEmRNAs were selected to construct the regulatory network. A PPI network was established and seven hub genes were identified. A lncRNA-miRNA-hub gene regulatory sub-network was established containing two DElncRNAs, five DEmiRNAs, and seven DEmRNAs. Hub genes were associated with breast cancer onset and progression. The upregulated DGUOK-AS1 was identified as the key lncRNA in breast cancer based on the competing endogenous RNA network. High DGUOK-AS1 expression was associated with adverse prognosis in patients with breast cancer and a prognostic nomogram built on Grade, LN status, and DGUOK-AS1 expression shows significant prognostic value.
Conclusions:
Our results reveal the significant roles of lncRNA/miRNA/mRNA regulatory networks in breast cancer and identified a novel prognosis predictor and promising therapeutic target for patients with breast cancer.