CuO hollow spheres with hierarchical pores, that is, quasimicropores (1.0−2.2 nm), mesopores (5−30 nm), and macropores (hollow cores, 2−4 μm), have been synthesized via a simple one-pot template-free method. The CuO hollow spheres also show a hierarchical architecture, namely, the primary CuO nanograins, the quasi-single-crystal nanosheets assembled by nanograins, and the spheres composed of the nanosheets. A mechanism involving an "oriented attachment" growth step followed by an "Ostwald ripening" process has been proposed for the hierarchical structure and pore formation of the typical CuO hollow spheres. With such unique hierarchical pores and architecture, the CuO hollow spheres display excellent sensing performance toward H 2 S as gas sensing material, such as low detection limit of 2 ppb, high sensitivity at parts per billion level concentration, broad linear range, short response time of 3 s, and recovery time of 9 s. The excellent performance is ascribed to a synergetic effect of the hierarchical structure of the unique CuO spheres: the quasi-micropores offer active sites for effectively sensing, the mesopores facilitate the molecular diffusion kinetics, and the macropores serve as gas reservoirs and minimize diffusion length, while good conductivity of the quasi-single-crystal nanosheets favors fast charge transportation, which contribute to the high sensitivity, quick response, and recovery of the H 2 S sensor, respectively.

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Background: Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) has been identified as a negative regulator of phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling in human several cancers. However, the expression, clinical significance and biological function of INPP4B in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) clinical tissues and cell lines are little known. Materials and methods: We evaluated the expression of INPP4B in 86 cases of paired human HCC samples by immunohistochemistry, and the clinical significance of INPP4B expression was analyzed. The expression of INPP4B in five HCC cell lines was detected through using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analyses. The role of INPP4B gene on HCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemoresistance was examined via INPP4B mammalian expression vector and small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection in vitro. Western blot analysis was used to explore the downstream molecules modulated by INPP4B. Results: Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that INPP4B was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues. The rate of INPP4B-positive staining was markedly lower in metastatic samples than in those of non-metastatic samples. Univariate analysis showed that INPP4B expression was indicated to have a marked association with histological grades, tumor size and tumor metastasis. Moreover, INPP4B overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT, but induced cell apoptosis and chemosensitivity in human HCC cell lines. In contrast, INPP4B knockdown had the opposite effects on the biological behaviors of HCC cells. Furthermore, INPP4B was found to inhibit the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling in HCC cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that INPP4B is a tumor suppressing gene in human HCC, and might act as a novel therapeutic target for HCC patients.

BackgroundGrain weight is an important yield component. Selection of advanced lines with heavy grains show high grain sink potentials and strong sink activity, which is an increasingly important objective in wheat breeding programs. Rice OsGS3 has been identified as a major quantitative trait locus for both grain weight and grain size. However, allelic variation of GS3 has not been characterized previously in hexaploid wheat.ResultsWe cloned 2445, 2393, and 2409 bp sequences of the homologs TaGS3-4A, TaGS3-7A, and TaGS3-7D in wheat ‘Changzhi 6406’, a cultivar that shows high grain weight. The TaGS3 genes each contained five exons and four introns, and encoded a deduced protein of 170, 169, and 169 amino acids, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of plant GS3 protein sequences revealed GS3 to be a monocotyledon-specific gene and the GS3 proteins were resolved into three classes. The length of the atypical Gγ domain and the cysteine-rich region was conserved within each class and not conserved between classes. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the fifth exon (at position 1907) of TaGS3-7A leads to an amino acid change (ALA/THR) and showed different frequencies in two pools of Chinese wheat accessions representing extremes in grain weight. Association analysis indicated that the TaGS3-7A-A allele was associated with higher grain weight in the natural population. The TaGS3-7A-A allele was favoured in global modern wheat cultivars but the allelic frequency varied among different wheat-production regions of China, which indicated that this allele is of potential utility to improve wheat grain weight in certain wheat-production areas of China.ConclusionsThe novel molecular information on wheat GS3 homologs and the KASP functional marker designed in this study may be useful in marker-assisted breeding for genetic improvement of wheat.

Our data suggest that serum HE4 may be a useful prognostic biomarker for LA-NSCLC patients who underwent CRT.