To meet their metabolic needs, starved cells first activate autophagy, but activation in parallel of the general amino acid control pathway increases amino acid uptake, leading to reactivation of mTOR and down-regulation of autophagy.

The utilizing light with broadband range has attracted lots of research interest for the photo induced reversibledeactivation radical polymerization (RDRP). However, it is still a challenge for a single catalyst to simultaneously respond to various lights with highly varied wavelengths. Here, we proposed a simple strategy for the preparation of a heterogeneous photocatalyst suitable for photo induced atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) under full spectrum (from UV/vis light to NIR), by combining pyridine nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). In the presence of these robust UCNP@SiO 2 @N-CDs composite particles, the photoATRP could be carried on under the different irradiations of UV, blue, green, red, white, and 980 nm NIR light, with a low loading of part per million concentrations of the CuBr 2 /L catalyst. Moreover, the excellent solvent and aqueous compatibility allow UCNP@SiO 2 @N-CDs to be capable for photoATRP in both organic solvents and aqueous media, providing well-defined hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers with low dispersity and excellent chain-end fidelity. In addition, the photoATRP with 980 nm NIR exhibited excellent penetrations through visible-light-proof barriers. The system could be used for the preparation of an injectable hydrogel that had dual curing and photoluminescence modes. Owing to the "living" characteristics of polymer chains achieved through ATRP, the hydrogel was capable to be easily repaired by using monomer as the binder.

Recently, carbon dots (CDs) has been utilized as an efficient and environment friendly catalyst for photo-induced atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Here we explored...

Lithium metal is considered as the most prospective electrode for next‐generation energy storage systems due to high capacity and the lowest potential. However, uncontrollable spatial growth of lithium dendrites and the crack of solid electrolyte interphase still hinder its application. Herein, Schottky defects are motivated to tune the 4f‐center electronic structures of catalysts to provide active sites to accelerate Li transport kinetics. As experimentally and theoretically confirmed, the electronic density is redistributed and affected by the Schottky defects, offering numerous active catalytic centers with stronger ion diffusion capability to guide the horizontal lithium deposition against dendrite growth. Consequently, the Li electrode with artificial electronic‐modulation layer remarkably decreases the barriers of desolvation, nucleation, and diffusion, extends the dendrite‐free plating lifespan up to 1200 h, and improves reversible Coulombic efficiency. With a simultaneous catalytic effect on the conversions of sulfur species at the cathodic side, the integrated Li–S full battery exhibits superior rate performance of 653 mA h g −1 at 5 C, high long‐life capacity retention of 81.4% at 3 C, and a high energy density of 2264 W h kg −1 based on sulfur in a pouch cell, showing the promising potential toward high‐safety and long‐cycling lithium metal batteries.

The mutational spectrum and prognostic factors of NRAS-mutated (NRAS mut) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are largely unknown. We performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 1,149 cases of de novo AML and discovered 152 NRAS mut AML (13%). Of the 152 NRAS mut AML, 89% had at least one companion mutated gene. DNA methylation-related genes confer up to 62% incidence. TET2 had the highest mutation frequency (51%), followed by ASXL1 (17%), NPM1 (14%), CEBPA (13%), DNMT3A (13%), FLT3-ITD (11%), KIT (11%), IDH2 (9%), RUNX1 (8%), U2AF1 (7%) and SF3B1(5%). Multivariate analysis suggested that age ≥ 60 years and mutations in U2AF1 were independent factors related to failure to achieve complete remission after induction therapy. Age ≥ 60 years, non-M3 types and U2AF1 mutations were independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival. Age ≥ 60 years, non-M3 types and higher risk group were independent prognostic factors for poor event-free survival (EFS) while allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was an independent prognostic factor for good EFS. Our study provided new insights into the mutational spectrum and prognostic factors of NRAS mut AML. Over the last two decades, our understanding of the molecular heterogeneity of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has made significant advances through genomic discovery studies utilizing microarray and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based "-omics " technologies 1. RAS oncogenes play important roles in diverse cellular events such as cell cycle, cell differentiation and survival 2. RAS malfunction is strongly related to tumorigenesis and thus regarded as an important therapeutic target 3. Mutations in the RAS genes (including KRAS, NRAS and HRAS) are discovered in 30% of all tumors 4. KRAS is the most frequently mutated gene in cancers found in pancreatic (90%), colon (45%) and lung (35%), while NRAS mutations are more common in AML (10%) 4,5. Until now, the prognostic value of NRAS mutations in AML remains inconclusive. Recently, an integrated meta-analysis revealed that NRAS mutations did not influence the overall survival for adults with AML 6. However, most of these reports evaluated NRAS in a binary fashion. The significance of variant allele frequency (VAF) of NRAS mutation at diagnosis, and the effect of companion gene mutations (co-mutations) in NRAS-mutated (NRAS mut) AML are warranted for extensive evaluation. In this study, we examined patient outcomes in a series of NRAS mut de novo AML cases in terms of co-mutations and the NRAS VAF at diagnosis.

Through NIR-mediated RAFT polymerization, surface growth of polymer brushes on UCNPs was realized based on an efficient in situ ligand exchange.

Aim: To determine whether there is a long-term benefit of MRI-guided bilateral anterior capsulotomy in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. Methods: 116 patients (16 patients did not complete the follow-up evaluation) with refractory schizophrenia who underwent capsulotomy were included. The treatment effect was evaluated using a series of international rating scales. Evaluations were performed at baseline, 3 weeks and 24 months after surgery. Results: The rate of effectiveness was 74% according to the Clinical Global Impression evaluation, and there was an obvious improvement based on the statistical analysis for Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (baseline vs. 24 months after surgery, 6.86 ± 8.12, 10.70 ± 8.70 vs. 26.65 ± 4.85, 21.66 ± 7.19), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (14.75 ± 13.21 vs. 44.97 ± 9.36), Activities of Daily Living Scale (18.06 ± 6.58 vs. 24.61 ± 8.95), Social Disability Screening Schedule (6.69 ± 6.12 vs. 15.06 ± 3.18) and Global Assessment Scale (74.35 ± 12.75 vs. 48.74 ± 9.18). Among all the symptoms of schizophrenia, aggressive behavior (82% response rate), hallucination, (71% response rate) and delusion (70% response rate) showed the best response. Conclusion: Our research indicates that capsulotomy is a relatively safe and effective intervention for patients with refractory schizophrenia. It could be an alternative therapy for those patients with chronic and severe schizophrenia. But there must be strict inclusion criteria considering the complications and irreversibility of this procedure.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a maternally inherited disease causing severe bilateral visual loss in young men, is linked to 12 point mutations in mitochondrial DNA, the most common of which is at the nucleotide position 11778. The 11778 point mutation has also been detected in several patients with possible multiple sclerosis (MS), especially women with severe visual loss in both eyes. Because frequent and severe optic neuropathy is a feature of MS in Japan, we screened 80 Japanese MS patients for the presence of the 11778 mutation by mutation-specific polymerase chain reaction. Eighteen women with MS had bilateral optic neuropathy, but none had the mutation at 11778. There is no association between Japanese MS and the 11778 mitochondrial DNA mutation.