No abstract

A new type of moisture-driven rotational motor is developed using a helical arrangement of graphene sheets along a graphene oxide fiber, which not only presents remarkable performance as a reversible rotary motor with a rotary speed of up to about 5200 revolutions per minute under humidity alternation, but also allows the construction of humidity switches and promising moisture-triggered electric generators.

pression of an activating isoform enhances memory consolidation (Yin et al., 1995). Likewise, inhibition of CREB represses long-term facilitation in Aplysia (Martin et al., 1997; Bartsch et al., 1998), and genetic perturbations in CREB function impair memory consolidation

Phase equilibrium data for the semiclathrate hydrates formed in three three-component systems, the CO 2 + tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) + water system, the CO 2 + tetra-n-butyl ammonium chloride (TBAC) + water system, and the CO 2 + tetra-n-butyl ammonium fluoride (TBAF) + water system, were measured in the pressure range of (0.40 to 3.77 MPa) and temperature range of (280.2 to 293.5 K) at (2.93 • 10 -3 and 6.17 • 10 -3 ) mole fraction of tetra-n-butyl ammonium halide. The experimental data were generated using an isochoric pressure-search method. The equilibrium data for the CO 2 + TBAB + water system were compared with some experimental data from the literature. The effects of tetra-n-butyl ammonium halide concentration on the stability zone of the semiclathrate hydrates were studied. It was shown that TBAB, TBAC, and TBAF all can enlarge the hydrate stability zone, and as the tetra-n-butyl ammonium halide concentration increases, so does the hydrate stability zone. The three-phase equilibrium pressure of the CO 2 + TBAF + water system is lower than others at the same temperature.

Statement of translational relevance:Disease recurrence after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients Experimental Design:In this randomized phase 3 trial, 280 eligible patients were assigned to adjuvant TACE (n=140) or no adjuvant treatment (control; n = 140) groups.The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS); secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety. Multivariable Cox-proportional hazards model was used to determine the independent impact of TACE on patients' outcomes. Results:Patients who received adjuvant TACE had a significantly longer RFS than Conclusion:For patients with HBV-related HCC who had an intermediate or high risk of recurrence after curative hepatectomy, our study showed adjuvant TACE significantly reduced tumor recurrence, improved RFS and OS, and the procedure was well tolerated.

Coumarin as an additive or as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extracts is banned from food in the United States due to its potentially adverse side effects. However, coumarin in food from other natural ingredients is not regulated. "True Cinnamon" refers to the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum verum. Other cinnamon species, C. cassia, C. loureiroi, and C. burmannii, commonly known as cassia, are also sold in the U.S. as cinnamon. In the present study, coumarin and other marker compounds were analyzed in authenticated cinnamon bark samples as well as locally bought cinnamon samples, cinnamon-flavored foods, and cinnamon-based food supplements using a validated UPLC-UV/MS method. The experimental results indicated that C. verum bark contained only traces of coumarin, whereas barks from all three cassia species, especially C. loureiroi and C. burmannii, contained substantial amounts of coumarin. These species could be potential sources of coumarin in cinnamon-flavored food in the U.S. Coumarin was detected in all locally bought cinnamon, cinnamon-flavored foods, and cinnamon food supplements. Their chemical profiles indicated that the cinnamon samples and the cinnamon in food supplements and flavored foods were probably Indonesian cassia, C. burmannii.

Abbreviations: ANXA5, annexin A5; CASP3, caspase 3, apoptosis-related cysteine peptidase; CTSB, cathepsin B; DLS, dynamic light scattering; DMEM, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium; EGFP-LC3, enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged LC3; ICP-MS, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; I-MEF, immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblast; MDC, monodansylcadaverine; MTOR, mechanistic target of rapamycin; P-MEF, primary mouse embryonic fibroblast; PI, propidium iodide; PI3K, phosphoinositide 3-kinase; PtdIns3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; RPS6KB, ribosomal protein S6 kinase, 70 kDa; s.c., subcutaneously; SQSTM1, sequestosome 1; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; TUNEL, terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TDT)-mediated dUTPdigoxigenin nick end labeling; UV-Vis, ultraviolet visible; XRD, X-ray diffraction.Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are cytotoxic to cancer cells and possess excellent potential as an antitumor agent. A variety of nanoparticles have been shown to induce autophagy, a critical cellular degradation process, and the elevated autophagy in most of these situations promotes cell death. Whether Ag NPs can induce autophagy and how it might affect the anticancer activity of Ag NPs has not been reported. Here we show that Ag NPs induced autophagy in cancer cells by activating the PtdIns3K signaling pathway. The autophagy induced by Ag NPs was characterized by enhanced autophagosome formation, normal cargo degradation, and no disruption of lysosomal function. Consistent with these properties, the autophagy induced by Ag NPs promoted cell survival, as inhibition of autophagy by either chemical inhibitors or ATG5 siRNA enhanced Ag NPs-elicited cancer cell killing. We further demonstrated that wortmannin, a widely used inhibitor of autophagy, significantly enhanced the antitumor effect of Ag NPs in the B16 mouse melanoma cell model. Our results revealed a novel biological activity of Ag NPs in inducing cytoprotective autophagy, and inhibition of autophagy may be a useful strategy for improving the efficacy of Ag NPs in anticancer therapy.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have reported many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with psychiatric disorders, but knowledge is lacking regarding molecular mechanisms. Here we show that risk alleles spanning multiple genes across the 10q24.32 schizophrenia-related locus are associated in the human brain selectively with an increase in the expression of both BLOC-1 related complex subunit 7 (BORCS7) and a previously uncharacterized, human-specific arsenite methyltransferase (AS3MT) isoform (AS3MT(d2d3)), which lacks arsenite methyltransferase activity and is more abundant in individuals with schizophrenia than in controls. Conditional-expression analysis suggests that BORCS7 and AS3MT(d2d3) signals are largely independent. GWAS risk SNPs across this region are linked with a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the first exon of AS3MT that is associated with the expression of AS3MT(d2d3) in samples from both Caucasians and African Americans. The VNTR genotype predicts promoter activity in luciferase assays, as well as DNA methylation within the AS3MT gene. Both AS3MT(d2d3) and BORCS7 are expressed in adult human neurons and astrocytes, and they are upregulated during human stem cell differentiation toward neuronal fates. Our results provide a molecular explanation for the prominent 10q24.32 locus association, including a novel and evolutionarily recent protein that is involved in early brain development and confers risk for psychiatric illness.