Background: Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have remarkable clinical efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the breakdown of immune escape causes a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). With the increasing use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone or in combination with other therapies, awareness and management of irAEs have become more important. We aimed to assess the incidence and nature of irAEs associated with PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors for NSCLC. Methods: Articles from the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched through December 2017. The incidence of overall and organ-specific irAEs was investigated in all clinical trials with nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolimumab, durvalumab, and avelumab as single agents for treatment of NSCLC. We calculated the pooled incidence using R software with package Meta. Results: Sixteen trials were included in the meta-analysis: 10 trials with PD-1 inhibitors (3734 patients) and 6 trials with PD-L1 inhibitors (2474 patients). The overall incidence of irAEs was 22% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17-28) for all grades and 4% (95% CI, 2-6) for high-grade irAEs. The frequency of irAEs varied based on drug type and organ, and patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors had an increased rate of any grade and highgrade irAEs compared with patients who received PD-L1 inhibitors. Organ-specific irAEs were most frequently observed in, in decreasing order, the endocrine system, skin, pulmonary tract, and gastrointestinal tract. The total number of patients whose death was attributed to irAEs was 14 (0.34%), and most (79%) of these patients died because of pneumonitis. The median time to the onset of irAEs after the initiation of treatment was 10 weeks (interquartile range, 6-19.5 weeks) and varied depending on the organ system involved. Conclusions: The specificity of irAEs was closely associated with the mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies involved in restarting anticancer immune attacks. Comprehensive understanding, timely detection, and effective management could improve the compliance of patients and guide the interruption of treatment.

No abstract

No abstract

Using a combined chromatography method, we simultaneously purified three protein fractions (II-2, II-3 and II-4) with 1,3-b-glucanase activity from extraction of pilei of Coprinopsis cinerea fruiting bodies. MALDI-TOF/TOF amino acid sequencing showed that these three fractions matched a putative exo-1,3-b-glucanase, a putative glucan 1,3-b-glucosidase and a putative glycosyl hydrolase family 16 protein annotated in the C. cinerea genome, respectively; however, they were characterized as a 1,3-b-glucosidase, an exo-1,3-b-glucanase and an endo-1, 3-b-glucanase, respectively, by analysis of their substrate specificities and modes of action. This study explored how these three 1,3-b-glucoside hydrolases synergistically acted on laminarin: the endo-1,3-b-glucanase hydrolysed internal glycosidic bonds of laminarin to generate 1,3-b-oligosaccharides of various lengths, the exo-1,3-b-glucanase cleaved the longer-chain laminarioligosaccharides into short-chain disaccharides, laminaribiose and gentiobiose, and the 1,3-b-glucosidase further hydrolysed laminaribiose to glucose. The remaining gentiobiose must be hydrolysed by other 1,6-b-glucosidases. Therefore, the endo-1,3-b-glucanase, exo-1,3-b-glucanase and 1,3-b-glucosidase may act synergistically to completely degrade the 1,3-b-glucan backbone of the C. cinerea cell wall during fruiting body autolysis. These three 1,3-b-glucoside hydrolases share a similar optimum pH and optimum temperature, supporting the speculation that these enzymes work together under the same conditions to degrade 1,3-b-glucan in the C. cinerea cell wall during fruiting body autolysis.

We have investigated the growth of ZnO in a simple alkaline solution by chemical precipitation. ZnO nano(micro)structures with well-defined morphologies have been realized by tuning the Zn 2+ : OH 2 ratio and the amount of the complexing agent NH 4 F. Importantly, we have demonstrated a fast spontaneous room-temperature formation of ZnO mesocrystals constructed with nanosheet subunits. The growth of ZnO involves the phase transformation from two intermediate compounds ZnF(OH) and Zn(OH) 2 . The nanosheets are observed to be ZnO (101 ¯0) facets from the side-and top-view high-resolution TEM measurements. By comparing the arrangement of the (101 ¯0) nanosheets in the mesocrystal with the organization of the {101 ¯0} planes in the wurtzite crystal structure of ZnO, we identify for the first time the assembly of 2D nanosheets into 3D architectures by epitaxy. This unique self-assembly by epitaxy effectively separates the nanosheets in an ordered manner, producing a robust, geometrically ideal photocatalyst that is easily separable and recyclable. Being constructed of reactive (101 ¯0) facets, the microstructured ZnO exhibits much higher photocatalytic efficiency than its nanoparticle counterpart. The defective nature of the (101 ¯0) facets confirmed by the photoluminescence study explains the visible photocatalysis of the nanosheet assemblies.

No abstract

In order to improve the comprehensive utilization of blueberries, extraction of anthocyanin from blueberry processing by-products (BPBs) by pulsed electric field (PEF) was investigated. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the conditions of the anthocyanin extraction yield (AEY) from BPB, and a regression mathematical model was established to describe the experimental data for AEY in the investigation. The optimized parameters of anthocyanin extraction were that solvent of 60% ethanol (acidified with 0.1% [v/v] hydrochloric acid), liquid to liquid ratio of 1:6 (mL/mL), pulse number of 10 ea and electric field strength of 20 kV/cm. The quantity extracted anthocyanin reached 223.13 mg/L BPB. Compared with the ultrasound extraction, PEF treatment as an emerging technology increased the AEY at a lower extraction temperature and at a shorter extraction time. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSBlueberries are a richer source of anthocyanin than other fruits and vegetables, but different processed products and production modes generate large amounts of blueberry by-products, resulting in a waste of resource. Extraction of these compounds from blueberry processing by-products may be a broad application prospect for food industry. Our results indicated that pulsed electric field method can not only improve the AEY but also reduce the extraction temperature and shorten the extraction time, improving the additional value of blueberries and the reference for the comprehensive utilization of blueberry.

The scattering of positrons from atomic hydrogen is studied by using the momentum space coupled channels optical method at intermediate energy ͑15-100 eV͒. Ionization continuum and positronium formation channels are included in the coupled channels calculation via a complex equivalent-local optical potential.