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A 3D crosslinked reduced bulk graphene oxide material with switchable absorption capability between hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity is achieved by a simple O3 and annealing treatment.

In China, the burden of chronic obstructive disease (COPD) is high in never-smokers but little is known about its causes in this group.We analysed data on 287 000 female and 30 000 male never-smokers aged 30–79 years from 10 regions in China, who participated in the China Kadoorie Biobank baseline survey (2004–2008). Prevalence of airflow obstruction (AFO) (pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) <0.7 and below the lower limit of normal (LLN)) was estimated, by age and region. Cross-sectional associations of AFO (FEV1/FVC <0.7), adjusted for confounding, were examined.AFO prevalence defined as FEV1/FVC <0.7 was 4.0% in females and 5.1% in males (mean ages 51 and 54 years, respectively). AFO prevalence defined as FEV1/FVC

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTOR) pathway is often constitutively activated in human tumor cells and thus has been considered as a promising drug target. To ascertain a therapeutical approach of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), we hypothesized NVP-BEZ235, a novel and potent imidazo[4,5-c] quinolone derivative, that dually inhibits both PI3K and mTOR kinases activities, had antitumor activity in NPC. Expectedly, we found that NVP-BEZ235 selectively inhibited proliferation of NPC cells rather than normal nasopharyngeal cells using MTT assay. In NPC cell lines, with the extended exposure, NVP-BEZ235 selectively inhibited proliferation of NPC cells harboring PIK3CA mutation, compared to cells with wild-type PIK3CA. Furthermore, exposure of NPC cells to NVP-BEZ235 resulted in G1 growth arrest by Propidium iodide uptake assay, reduction of cyclin D1and CDK4, and increased levels of P27 and P21 by Western blotting, but negligible apoptosis. Moreover, we found that cisplatin (CDDP) activated PI3K/AKT and mTORC1 pathways and NVP-BEZ235 alleviated the activation by CDDP through dually targeting PI3K and mTOR kinases. Also, NVP-BEZ235 combining with CDDP synergistically inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in NPC cells. In CNE2 and HONE1 nude mice xenograft models, orally NVP-BEZ235 efficiently attenuated tumor growth with no obvious toxicity. In combination with NVP-BEZ235 and CDDP, there was dramatic synergy in shrinking tumor volumes and inducing apoptosis through increasing Noxa, Bax and decreasing Mcl-1, Bcl-2. Based on the above results, NVP-BEZ235, which has entered phase I/II clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors, has a potential as a monotherapy or in combination with CDDP for NPC treatment.

Pregnancy within 1 year after USgHIFU ablation of uterine fibroids appears safe; however, large scale studies are required to confirm these data.

MXene nanosheets are promising to be ultrathin solid lubricant or interface solving the friction and wear problems of miniaturized equipment. Here, the frictional behaviors and adhesive properties of the Ti 3 C 2 , F-Ti 3 C 2 , and TMA-Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets were explored by atomic force microscope for the first time. The nanofrictional behavior of TMA-Ti 3 C 2 was significantly different from that of Ti 3 C 2 and F-Ti 3 C 2 . The friction of TMA-Ti 3 C 2 increased slightly and then decreased as the load decreased, leading to the appearance of a negative friction factor; the frictions of Ti 3 C 2 and F-Ti 3 C 2 decreased with decreasing load, resulting in positive friction factors. Meanwhile, because the surface of TMA-Ti 3 C 2 was more hydrophilic than that of Ti 3 C 2 and F-Ti 3 C 2 , the friction and adhesion of TMA-Ti 3 C 2 were greater than those of Ti 3 C 2 and F-Ti 3 C 2 . It indicated that the surface properties played an important role in the adhesion and friction. Hence, adjusting the surface properties of MXene nanosheets will provide a new direction for designing solid lubricants and nanointerfaces in micro-and nanoelectromechanical systems.

Sexual function improved on average to some degree after both HIFU and conventional myomectomy.

(2019) Low intensity pulsed ultrasound promotes the migration of bone marrowderived mesenchymal stem cells via activating FAK-ERK1/2 signalling pathway, Artificial Cells,