and vehicles. [1,2] With the ever-growing demand for the miniaturization of electrochemical energy storage devices, high volumetric lithium storage becomes more and more important. [3,4] Since conventional carbonaceous electrodes have approached the theoretical capacity limits, non-carbon alternatives with higher capacities are urgently required. [5] Transition metal oxides (TMOs) represent one type of promising alternative owing to their high specific capacities based on the conversion reaction mechanism, high abundance as well as high compacted density. [6] However, unlike the intercalation reaction in carbon electrodes, the conversion reaction in TMO anodes causes severe volume fluctuations during charge/discharge processes and thus leads to significant capacity loss. Meanwhile the poor electron conductivity and low Li + diffusivity result in slow reaction kinetics. [7] Taking ternary metal oxide ZnCo 2 O 4 as an example, it delivers a high theoretical capacity of ≈900 mAh g −1 but with a large volume change of ≈100% upon full discharge as well as sluggish lithium storage kinetics. [8,9] To overcome the above hurdles, intensive research has focused on nanoengineering of TMO electrodes, which may offer large free space to cushion the volume expansion and shorten the ion diffusion pathway, therefore enhancing the Transition metal oxides hold great promise as high-energy anodes in nextgeneration lithium-ion batteries. However, owing to the inherent limitations of low electronic/ionic conductivities and dramatic volume change during charge/ discharge, it is still challenging to fabricate practically viable compacted and thick TMO anodes with satisfactory electrochemical performance. Herein, with mesoporous cobalt-boride nanoflakes serving as multifunctional bridges in ZnCo 2 O 4 micro-/nanospheres, a compacted ZnCo 2 O 4 /Co-B hybrid structure is constructed. Co-B nanoflakes not only bridge ZnCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles and function as anchors forZnCo 2 O 4 micro-/nanospheres to suppress the severe volume fluctuation, they also work as effective electron conduction bridges to promote fast electron transportation. More importantly, they serve as Li + transfer bridges to provide significantly boosted Li + diffusivity, evidenced from both experimental kinetics analysis and density functional theory calculations. The mesopores within Co-B nanoflakes help overcome the large Li + diffusion barriers across 2D interfaces. As a result, the ZnCo 2 O 4 /Co-B electrode delivers high gravimetric/ volumetric/areal capacities of 995 mAh g −1 /1450 mAh cm −3 /5.10 mAh cm −2 , respectively, with robust rate capability and long-term cyclability. The distinct interfacial design strategy provides a new direction for designing compacted conversion-type anodes with superior lithium storage kinetics and stability for practical applications. Lithium StorageThe ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.

Our analysis of the largest SM cohort in scale from a single institution offers a comprehensive view of the clinical characteristics of surgically treated SM, revealing the distinct biology of SM in comparison to its cranial counterparts, and providing guidance to improve surgical management of SM.

Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer in adults. It represents one of the top ten malignant tumors with an average survival time of nine months despite treatments with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Curcumin is a phytochemical turmeric isolated from root of the Curcuma longa plant. Accumulating evidence have proved that curcumin targets numerous cancer signaling pathways. The E3 ubiquitin ligase NEDD4, neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4, is frequently overexpressed in various cancers. However, whether curcumin regulates NEDD4 expression has not been described in human cancers. Therefore, in this study, we explored the roles of NEDD4 in glioma cell proliferation, apoptosis and mobility. We further investigated whether curcumin exerts its antitumor activities via suppressing NEDD4 expression. We found that curcumin reduced the expression of NEDD4 and Notch1 and pAKT, leading to glioma cell growth inhibition, apoptosis, and suppression of migration and invasion. Moreover, deletion of NEDD4 expression enhanced the sensitivity of glioma cells to curcumin treatment. Thus, inactivation of NEDD4 by curcumin could be a promising approach for therapeutic intervention.

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BackgroundCraniopharyngioma (CP) is a common refractory tumor of the central nervous system. However, little is known about the expression and clinical significance of B7 family ligands/receptors in CP patients. Thus, we conducted the present study to address this issue in a cohort of 132 CP cases.MethodsWe mapped and quantified the expression of B7 family ligands/receptors molecules programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), B7-H3, B7-H4 and V-domain Ig-containing suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) in 89 adamantinomatous-type CP and 43 papillary-type CP samples using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Associations between the marker levels, clinicopathological variables and survival were evaluated.ResultsThe positive rates of PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4 and VISTA in the cohort of 132 CP cases were 76.5%, 100%, 40.2% and 80.3%, respectively. The cut-off values of PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L1 expression were determined by survival receiver operating characteristic (ROC) package, which was 70, 182, 0 and 20, respectively. Elevated expressions of PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4 and VISTA were significantly associated with some clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that higher VISTA expressions correlated with better overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.0053 and p=0.0066, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that VISTA was an independent prognostic factor for OS (p=0.018) but not for PFS (p=0.898).ConclusionsWe found variable expression of PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4 and VISTA proteins in CPs. The results suggest that the expression level of VISTA may be used as an important indicator to predict the OS and PFS of CPs. B7 family ligands/receptors could be potential immunotherapeutic targets when treating CPs.

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