In this contribution, we conduct a multi-angular analysis of the interdisciplinarity of Nobel Prize winning research compared to non-Nobel Prize winning articles, based on a large data set. Here ...interdisciplinarity is measured by the diversity of references, using two true diversity indicators. Articles mentioned by the Nobel Prize committee in Physiology or Medicine (in short: NP articles) awarded during the period from 1900 to 2016 are the focus of our research. These articles are compared with those in a dataset of articles that do not include a Nobel Prize winner among their authors. Moreover, these non-NPs articles were not only published in the same year and in the same research field as the NP ones but were also dealing with the same research topic (such articles are referred to as non-NP articles). The results suggest that the topic-related knowledge included in Nobel Prize winning work is higher than that in non-NPs, hence with lower interdisciplinarity than the latter. Our findings provide useful clues to better understand the characteristics of transformative research, here represented by key publications by Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine, and their pattern of knowledge integration.
The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidation on the physicochemical, gelation and antimicrobial properties of gellan gum was studied. The oxidized gellan gum (OGG) was characterized by measuring ...the carboxyl/carbonyl group contents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy. The H₂O₂ oxidation resulted in a large increase in the carboxyl groups in gellan gum. The OGG lost gelation ability by oxidation even in the presence of metal ions. The antimicrobial activities of the OGG against Gram-positive bacteria (
), Gram-negative bacteria (
), and fungal (
) were tested. The OGG could inhibit the growth of both bacteria and fungal, and the activity was improved with an increase in the oxidation level. Finally, the application of the OGG as an active coatings material to extend the storage of apples was tested.
This paper studied the effects of freeze-thaw (FT) cycles on the juice properties and aroma profiles, and the hot-air drying kinetics of frozen blueberry. After FT treatment, the juice yield ...increased while pH and total soluble solids of the juice keep unchanged. The total anthocyanins contents and DPPH antioxidant activities of the juice decreased by FT treatments. The electronic nose shows that FT treatments significantly change the aroma profiles of the juice. The four main volatile substances in the fresh juice are (E)-2-hexenal, α-terpineol, hexanal and linalyl formate, which account for 48.5 ± 0.1%, 17.6 ± 0.2%, 14.0 ± 1.5% and 7.8 ± 2.7% of relative proportions based on total ion chromatogram (TIC) peak areas. In the FT-treated samples, the amount of (E)-2-hexenal and hexanal decreased significantly while α-terpineol and linalyl formate remained almost unchanged. Repeated FT cycles increased the ethanol content and destroyed the original green leafy flavor. Finally, the drying kinetics of FT-treated blueberries was tested. One FT treatment can shorten the drying time by about 30% to achieve the same water content. The Deff values of the FT-treated sample are similar, which are about twice as large as the value of the fresh sample. The results will be beneficial for the processing of frozen blueberry into juice or dried fruits.
The American Joint Committee on Cancer-Tumor (AJCC-T) staging system for esophageal carcinoma patients, which is based on the depth of tumor invasion, is not applicable in some cases. This study aims ...to assess the prognostic value of CT imaging-based tumor volume and its usefulness for T staging in patients with non-surgical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
We retrospectively reviewed the records of 158 ESCC patients undergoing definitive (chemo) radiotherapy from two hospitals. Tumor volume based on the CT imaging was calculated using the formula: V = π
/ 6. Three cutoff points for tumor volume were obtained with the X-tile software. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The -2 log-likelihood ratio and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) value were evaluated to compare the AJCC-T staging system with the proposed T staging method.
The median tumor volume was 19.8 cm³ (range from 1.0 to 319.5 cm³). The three optimal cutoff points of tumor volume were 12.7, 22.8, and 51.9 cm³, and the patients were divided into four groups named as proposed T1-T4 stages. The 3-year OS rates in patients with proposed T1 to T4 stages were 67.9%, 30.6%, 21.3%, and 5.3%, respectively. The -2 log-likelihood ratios of the AJCC-T stage and proposed T stage were 1,068.060 and 1,047.418, respectively. The difference in the AIC value between the two T staging systems was 18.642.
CT imaging-based tumor volume was superior to the depth of tumor invasion for T staging in predicting the prognosis of non-surgical ESCC patient.
In this study, ultrasound (US) and nisin, applied individually or in combination (US + nisin), were investigated to determine their inactivation effect on
Staphylococcus aureus
in nutrient broth (NB) ...and milk. The inactivation of
S. aureus
by nisin at 0, 25 and 37°C followed “fast to slow” two-stage kinetics, and there was no significant difference in
S. aureus
reduction under these temperatures. A maximum reduction of 1.40 log
10
cycles was obtained by nisin at 37°C for 15 min. The inactivation of
S. aureus
by US also followed “fast to slow” two-stage kinetics at 0°C, but it followed “fast—slow–fast” there-stage kinetics at 25 and 37°C. A maximum reduction of 5.87 log
10
cycles was obtained by US at 968.16 W/cm
2
and 37°C for 15 min. The reduction of
S. aureus
in milk was similar as in NB when treated at 968.16 W/cm
2
and 25°C for 5–15 min. However, the reduction of
S. aureus
by US + nisin was similar to that obtained by either nisin or US alone, indicating that US and nisin had no added or synergistic inactivation effect on
S. aureus
in both NB and milk under the tested conditions.
Understanding the acidic characteristics of graphene oxide (GO) and the relating deprotonation and proton transfer behaviors of oxygen-containing functional groups in the water environment is of ...great significance for the application of GO nanoscale materials. In this study, firstly, the density functional theory (DFT) method was applied to compute the explicit acidity constant (pKa) of the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on GOs. The good consistency of our results with experiments approves the applicability of the designed thermodynamic cycles for computing the pKa of GOs. Secondly, the thermodynamics and kinetics of the deprotonation reactions of GOs in the presence of hydroxyl anions were investigated, quantitatively revealing that it is the carboxyl groups that mainly contribute to the surface charge acquisition of GO. Lastly, specific intramolecular proton transfer pathways were studied energetically, demonstrating that the proton is easily transferred between the adjacent hydroxyl group and the epoxy group on GO basal plane. This process could cause a change in the distribution of surface charge on GO surface, which will be very critical in understanding the surface properties of GOs.
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•A DFT-based method was established to compute the explicit acidity constant of each oxygen-containing group on GO in water.•The thermodynamics and kinetics of deprotonation reactions for GOs with hydroxyl anion have been simulated.•The mechanism has been clarified for the contribution of each functional group to the GO surface charge acquisition.•The intramolecular proton transfer between adjacent hydroxyl and epoxy groups on GO basal plane were studied energetically.
Carbon dots (CDs) present an enticing prospect for a variety of optical applications relying on their high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY). Herein, the synthesis, optical properties, ...structural characterizations, density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations, and potential applications of yellow‐emissive CDs (Y‐CDs) with ultra‐high PL QY are reported. Solvothermal treatment of citric acid and urea in toluene, followed by column chromatography, produces Y‐CDs exhibiting excitation‐independent PL emission at 553 nm with a high solution PL QY of 92%. A variety of optical and structural characterizations and DFT theoretical calculations are implemented to confirm the general structure and fluorescence origin of Y‐CDs, conjugated sp2‐carbon domains (fused rings) with edge groups. Significantly, transparent Y‐CDs/acrylic resin films with strong solid‐state emissions are fabricated. The Y‐CD films exhibit a high fluorescence with PL QY of 98%, good PL stability (no PL variation under continuous irradiation for 180 h), and large Stokes shift (129 nm). The potential applications of Y‐CDs for luminescent solar concentrators as well as yellow phosphors for lighting are also demonstrated. These findings thus promote the development of high‐performance CDs and their optoelectronic applications.
The synthesis of yellow‐emissive CDs (Y‐CDs) with ultra‐high photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) over 90% in both solution and solid states is demonstrated. Characterizations and density‐functional theory calculations are performed for understanding of the structure and fluorescence formation of Y‐CDs, conjugated sp2‐carbon domains with edge groups. Y‐CDs are potentially useful for luminescent solar concentrators and as yellow phosphors in optoelectronic applications.
Abstract
Radiation‐induced lung injury (RILI) is a common side effect in thoracic tumor patients undergoing radiotherapy. At present, there is no ideal radio‐protective agent which is widely used in ...RILI treatment. Astilbin (AST), a bioactive flavonoid, exhibits various biological effects, including anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti‐fibrotic activities, which partly result from reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in various pathogenic conditions. However, the protective efficacy of AST to ameliorate RILI has not been reported. In this study, we employed network pharmacology, RNA sequencing, and experimental evaluation to reveal the effects and pharmacological mechanism of AST to treat RILI in vivo and in vitro. We observed that AST reduced radiation‐induced apoptosis, DNA damage, inflammatory reactions, and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in human normal lung epithelial cells BEAS‐2B. Further study showed that AST treatment significantly ameliorated RILI by reducing the radiation‐induced pathology changes and inflammatory reaction of lung tissue in C57BL/6J mice. Mechanistically, the expression of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and radiation‐triggered acetylation of the p53 protein were alleviated by AST treatment. Furthermore, AST alleviated the acetylation of p53 after intervention of Trichostatin A (TSA). Our data indicate that AST can alleviate RILI by inhibiting inflammatory reactions and the EMT process through decreasing the expression of p53 acetylation. In conclusion, our study suggests that AST has great potential to be a new protective and therapeutic compound for RILI.
Abstract
In this study, thermosonic sterilization (TS), ultrasonic sterilization (US), and heat sterilization at 60°C, 80°C, and 90°C were used for the bactericidal treatment of black carrot juice. ...The processed samples were analyzed in terms of physicochemical, biological activity, microbial, and metabolomics approaches. The main differential metabolites were identified after treatment. Among these, the content of the important chemical component anthocyanins increased by 10.64% and 6.82% in TS and US, respectively. The TS treatment showed better retention of most of the active substances such as carbohydrates, malic acid, alanine, sterols, lutein, and terpenes compared to the other treatments. Furthermore, the TS treatment reduced the ultrasonic power and time for inactivating microorganisms and increased the DPPH radical scavenging activity by 11.31% compared to the control. The experimental results showed that the black carrot juice after TS treatment with 60% ultrasonic power at 60°C for 5 min sterilization was more favorable for the retention of nutrients and volatiles, improving the quality, safety, and economic potential of black carrot juice.
Practical applications
This work for the first‐time applied TS to black carrot juice. The effect of TS treatment on the quality of black carrot juice was studied and compared with ultrasonic and conventional heat treatment by metabolomics approach. TS could significantly reduce US treatment time from 25 min (20°C) to 5 min (60°C) for the sterilization of juice. TS has a better effect on the retention of nutrients and flavor substances in the juice. The study is beneficial to the application of TS in purple carrot juice sterilization, also the application of
1
H‐NMR and GC–MS metabolomics approach in food processing.
Psoriasis is an incurable skin disease that develops in about two-thirds of patients before the age of 40 and requires lifelong treatment; its pathological mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. ...The core pathological process of psoriasis is epidermal thickening caused by the excessive proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes, which is similar to the key feature of cancer; the malignant proliferation of cancer cells causes tumor enlargement, suggesting that there is a certain degree of commonality between psoriasis and cancer. This article reviews the pathological mechanisms that are common to psoriasis and cancer, including the interaction between cell proliferation and an abnormal immune microenvironment, metabolic reprogramming, and epigenetic reprogramming. In addition, there are common therapeutic agents and drug targets between psoriasis and cancer. Thus, psoriasis and cancer share a common pathological mechanisms–drug targets–therapeutic agents framework. On this basis, it is proposed that investigating psoriasis from a cancer perspective is beneficial to enriching the research strategies related to psoriasis.
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