•A new strategy for the controllable synthesis of MOFs has been proposed.•The adjustment of MOF growth has been achieved by doping other metals.•A highly sensitive aptasensor based on Cu-doped MIL-96 ...was constructed.
MIL-96 with a controlled size and morphology, was successfully synthesized by an effective new method, in which copper ions were added as a guiding agent. In addition, the introduction of copper improves the conductivity of the material. Compared to traditional methods, this strategy is operationally easy and does not require the addition of large organic molecules in addition to the ligand. Among the series of as-prepared materials, the M2.5:2.5-based electrochemical aptasensor showed excellent sensitivity with a low limit of detection of 0.12 pg/mL, within a wide linear range of alpha-fetoprotein concentrations from 0.001 to 0.5 ng/mL, with good selectivity, repeatability, stability and applicability in real samples. This work development a new strategy for the controlled synthesis and modification of MOFs. In addition, this work provides a new platform for biosensing, enriching the application field of MOFs.
Copper ion guided MIL-96 octadecahedron have been successfully prepared and applied for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) aptasensor. Copper ions guide the change of the crystal face of the material and achieve controlled synthesis of the material. The AFP aptasensor developed based on copper-doped MIL-96 has high sensitivity and detection limit as low as 0.12 pg/mL. Display omitted
Paraphrasing is used as a language activity to train students’ comprehensive language use. Although its positive role has been commonly recognized, there is a lack of research on the construct and ...rating scale for paraphrase tasks. This study developed a five-level analytic rating scale and applied the scale to score one hundred and forty-three examinees’ paraphrase responses. To validate the scale using an argument-based approach, the scores were analyzed by generalizability analysis and many-facets Rasch analysis, and the responses were coded by construct-related linguistic features. The results show that: (1) The analytic scores explained 35.5% of the variance, and the relative Coef_G met the confidence requirements for a rating scale validation study; (2) The task distinguished examinees’ performance into different levels, the rater severity was consistent, and the rating dimensions were relatively independent with significant differences; (3) Construct components are reflected in the examinees’ responses; (4) The rating scale is appropriate for score reporting and decision making, and has a positive effect on teaching and learning. The study will facilitate language teachers’ assessment of students’ performance and provision of effective feedback on paraphrase tasks.
•Paraphrase task can be rated by restatement, meaning consistency and accuracy.•The analytic rating scale is feasible in rating practice.•Three rating dimensions are relatively independent without overlapping.•The rating is reliable and the rater severity is consistent.
Background: Bupivacaine and supraphysiologic temperature can independently reduce cell viability of articular chondrocytes. In combination, these 2 deleterious factors could further impair cell ...viability.
Hypothesis: Hyaluronan may protect chondrocytes from death induced by bupivacaine at supraphysiologic temperatures.
Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.
Methods: Bovine articular chondrocytes were treated with hyaluronan at physiologic (37°C) and supraphysiologic temperatures (45°C and 50°C) for 1 hour and then exposed to bupivacaine for 1 hour at room temperature. Cell viability was assessed at 3 time points: immediately after treatment, 6 hours later, and 24 hours later using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The effects of hyaluronan on the levels of sulfated glycosaminoglycan in the chondrocytes were determined using Alcian blue staining.
Results: (1) Bupivacaine alone did not induce noticeable chondrocyte death at 37°C; (2) bupivacaine and temperature synergistically increased chondrocyte death, that is, when the chondrocytes were conditioned to 45°C and 50°C, 0.25% and 0.5% bupivacaine increased the cell death rate by 131% to 383% in comparison with the phosphate-buffered saline control group; and (3) addition of hyaluronan reduced chondrocyte death rates to approximately 14% and 25% at 45°C and 50°C, respectively. Hyaluronan’s protective effects were still observed at 6 and 24 hours after bupivacaine treatment at 45°C. However, at 50°C, hyaluronan delayed but did not prevent the cell death caused by bupivacaine. One-hour treatment with hyaluronan significantly increased sulfated glycosaminoglycan levels in the chondrocytes.
Conclusion: Bupivacaine and supraphysiologic temperature synergistically increase chondrocyte death, and hyaluronan may protect articular chondrocytes from death caused by bupivacaine.
Clinical Relevance: This study provides a rationale to perform preclinical and clinical studies to evaluate whether intra-articular injection of a mixture of bupivacaine and hyaluronan after arthroscopic surgery may protect against bupivacaine’s chondrotoxicity.
Background
This retrospective study compared positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and CT in the treatment of extracranial oligometastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and ...explored the impact of thorax radiotherapy (TRT) on patient survival.
Methods
We reviewed the medical records of Chinese patients with stage IV extracranial oligometastatic NSCLC who underwent PET/CT or CT at two centers. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control differences in patient characteristics between the maintenance chemotherapy alone and TRT plus maintenance chemotherapy groups.
Results
We analyzed 192 eligible patients. The median survival time was better in patients who received PET/CT than in those who only received CT (n = 192, 16 months vs. 6 months,
p
<0.001). Subgroup analysis showed the median survival time was significantly longer in the TRT plus maintenance group than in the chemotherapy alone group in patients who underwent PET/CT examinations (n = 94, 25 months vs. 11 months,
p
<0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in survival between both groups in patients who underwent CT examinations (n = 98, 8 months vs. 5 months,
p
= 0.180). A multifactorial analysis revealed a more favorable prognosis in patients who underwent PET/CT evaluation (HR: 0.343, 95% CI: 0.250-0.471,
p <
0.001) and TRT (HR: 0.624, 95% CI: 0.464-0.840,
p
= 0.002), than in those who did not. PSM was consistent with these results.
Conclusions
PET/CT-guided TRT is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with stage IV extracranial oligometastatic NSCLC.
Highlights • IL-17 induces PD-L1 protein expression in prostate and colon cancer cells. • TNF-α induces PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression in prostate and colon cancer cells. • IL-17 and TNF-α act ...individually without synergy in inducing PD-L1 expression. • IL-17 or TNF-α does not induce PD-L2 expression. • IL-17 and TNF-α activate NF-κB signaling to induce PD-L1 expression.
Background. Tools used to measure poststroke functional status must include basic and instrumental activities of daily living and reflect the patient’s and the clinician’s perspective of the disease ...and its effect on daily living performance. Objective. The authors combined the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living (NEADL) to create a scale providing a comprehensive evaluation of ADLs functional status in patients with stroke. Methods. The study participants were 188 patients completing the FIM and the NEADL. The psychometric properties of the combined measure were examined with Rasch analysis. Results. A 3-point scale and a dichotomous scale were suggested for use in the FIM and the NEADL, respectively. The combined 40 items worked consistently to reflect a single construct, and “bladder management” and “bowel management” were highly related. After “bowel management” was removed from the combined scale, all but 3 items fit the model’s expectations, and the 39-item scale showed reasonable item difficulty hierarchy, with high reliability. The 3 misfit items were removed, and no differences in unidimensionality, differential item functioning, and reliability were found between the 36-item and 39-item scales. Conclusions. The combined measure of the FIM and the NEADL provides a comprehensive picture of ADLs. It extends the utility of the FIM and the NEADL and is recommended for use to measure the independence of patients after discharge home.
Although ultrasmall metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as radiosensitizers to enhance the local damage to tumor tissues while reducing injury to the surrounding organs, their rapid clearance ...from the circulatory system and the presence of hypoxia within the tumor continue to hamper their further application in radiotherapy (RT). In this study, we report a size tunable nanocluster bomb with a initial size of approximately 33 nm featuring a long half-life during blood circulation and destructed to release small hypoxia microenvironment-targeting NPs (∼5 nm) to achieve deep tumor penetration. Hypoxic profiles of solid tumors were precisely imaged using NP-enhanced computed tomography (CT) with higher spatial resolution. Once irradiated with a 1064 nm laser, CT-guided, local photothermal ablation of the tumor and production of radical species could be achieved simultaneously. The induced radical species alleviated the hypoxia-induced resistance and sensitized the tumor to the killing efficacy of radiation in Akt-mTOR pathway-dependent manner. The therapeutic outcome was assessed in animal models of orthotopical breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, supporting the feasibility of our combinational treatment in hypoxic tumor management.
Hypervelocity impact tests have been performed on water ice in the velocity range of 3 to 7 km/s, by using low and high density projectiles. The projectile materials included polycarbonate and ...stainless steel, with diameter of 1.0 mm. The ice targets were solid cylinders at 253K made from pure water. The crater morphology in the solid ice caused by different projectile and different velocity were observed. The crater sizes were measured and compared with previous tests impacted by aluminum projectiles. The results showed that: 1) the crater diameter and crater depth were dominated by different mechanisms, the crater depth was mainly caused by the projectile penetration, while the crater diameter was mainly caused by the ice spallation; 2) the crater depth showed stronger projectile density dependence than crater diameter, while the crater diameter by higher density projectile showed stronger velocity dependence than that by lower density projectile; 3) the crater volume scaled with the impact energy, the crater diameter by high density projectile showed ‘energy scaling’ behavior, while the crater diameter by lower density projectile showed ‘momentum scaling’ behavior.
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