Objective: No consensus exists on the association between papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). To resolve this controversy, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the two conditions using a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched relevant published studies using citation databases including PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Science. The effect sizes of clinicopathologic parameters were calculated by odds ratio (OR), weighted mean difference, or hazard ratio (HR). The effect sizes were combined using a randomeffects model. Results: Thirty-eight eligible studies including 10 648 PTC cases were selected. Histologically proven HT was identified in 2471 (23.2%) PTCs. HT was more frequently observed in PTCs than in benign thyroid diseases and other carcinomas (ORZ2.8 and 2.4; P!0.001). PTCs with coexisting HT were significantly related to female patients (ORZ2.7; P!0.001), multifocal involvement (ORZ1.5; PZ0.010), no extrathyroidal extension (ORZ1.3; PZ0.002), and no lymph node metastasis (ORZ1.3; PZ0.041). Moreover, PTCs with HT were significantly associated with long recurrence-free survival (HRZ0.6; PZ0.001). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that PTC is significantly associated with pathologically confirmed HT. PTC patients with HT have favorable clinicopathologic characteristics compared with PTCs without HT. However, patients with HT need to be carefully monitored for the development of PTC.

In the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), Cu has been spotlighted as the only electro-catalyst that can produce multi-carbon molecules, but the mechanism of the selective C2+ production reaction remains...

The synthesis of pure whitlockite (WH: Ca18Mg2(HPO4)2(PO4)12) has remained a challenge even though it is the second most abundant inorganic in living bone. Although a few reports about the precipitation of WH in heterogeneous phases have been published, to date, synthesizing WH without utilizing any effects of a buffer or various other ions remains difficult. Thus, the related research fields have encountered difficulties and have not been fully developed. Here, we developed a large-scale synthesis method for pure WH nanoparticles in a ternary Ca(OH)2-Mg(OH)2-H3PO4 system based on a systematic approach. We used excess Mg(2+) to impede the growth of hydroxyapatite (HAP: Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) and the formation of other kinetically favored calcium phosphate intermediate phases. In addition, we designed and investigated the synthesis conditions of WH under the acidic pH conditions required to dissolve HAP, which is the most thermodynamically stable phase above pH 4.2, and to incorporate the HPO4(2-) group into the chemical structure of WH. We demonstrated that pure WH nanoparticles can be precipitated under Mg(2+)-rich and acidic pH conditions without any intermediate phases. Interestingly, this synthesized nano-WH showed comparable biocompatibility with HAP. Our methodology for determining the synthesis conditions of WH could provide a new platform for investigating other important precipitants in aqueous systems.

The self‐assembly of biomolecules can provide a new approach for the design of functional systems with a diverse range of hierarchical nanoarchitectures and atomically defined structures. In this regard, peptides, particularly short peptides, are attractive building blocks because of their ease of establishing structure–property relationships, their productive synthesis, and the possibility of their hybridization with other motifs. Several assembling peptides, such as ionic‐complementary peptides, cyclic peptides, peptide amphiphiles, the Fmoc‐peptide, and aromatic dipeptides, are widely studied. Recently, studies on material synthesis and the application of tyrosine‐rich short peptide‐based systems have demonstrated that tyrosine units serve as not only excellent assembly motifs but also multifunctional templates. Tyrosine has a phenolic functional group that contributes to π–π interactions for conformation control and efficient charge transport by proton‐coupled electron‐transfer reactions in natural systems. Here, the critical roles of the tyrosine motif with respect to its electrochemical, chemical, and structural properties are discussed and recent discoveries and advances made in tyrosine‐rich short peptide systems from self‐assembled structures to peptide/inorganic hybrid materials are highlighted. A brief account of the opportunities in design optimization and the applications of tyrosine peptide‐based biomimetic materials is included.

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable fuels and chemicals offers a new pathway for sustainable and clean carbon fixation. Recently, the focus has been on electrochemical CO2 reduction on heterogeneous electrode catalysts, leading to remarkable achievements in the reaction performance. To date, CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) conversion is considered as the most promising candidate reaction for the industrial market, owing to its high efficiency and reasonable technoeconomic feasibility. Moreover, CO has been proposed as a key intermediate species for further reduced hydrocarbons, which can pave the way for various fuel production. This study sets out to describe recent progress on the electrochemical CO2 reduction to CO in a heterogeneously catalyzed system. The review includes understanding of the catalytic material employed and engineering strategies implemented by adjusting the binding energy of key adsorbates. These material design approaches, such as nanostructuring, alloying, doping, and so forth, have pioneered breakouts in the intrinsic catalytic nature of transition metal elements. Moreover, recent advances in systematic design are summarized, with focus on practical industrial applications. Finally, perspectives on the design of electrocatalyst materials for CO production by electrochemical CO2 reduction are presented.

Aneuploidy is a result of the abnormal expression of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) proteins and resulting abnormal spindle function during mitosis. High expression of cell division cycle 20 homolog (CDC20) and mitotic arrest defective protein 2 (MAD2), key components of the SAC, has been reported in various carcinomas. However, the clinicopathological significance of CDC20 and MAD2 expressions in urothelial carcinoma of the human bladder (UCB) is unknown. We therefore studied the expression of CDC20 and MAD2 in UCB specimens by immunohistochemistry. High expression of CDC20 and MAD2 was observed in 59.0 % (200/339) and 51.0 % (173/339) of UCB cases, respectively. Most high-grade tumor cells exhibited diffuse nuclear and/or cytoplasmic staining for CDC20 and MAD2, whereas most low-grade tumor cells and normal urothelial cells were not stained. CDC20 overexpression was associated with advanced age (p = 0.010), high grade (p < 0.001), advanced stage (p < 0.001), non-papillary growth pattern (p < 0.001), and distant metastasis (p = 0.042). Similarly, high MAD2 expression correlated with high grade (p < 0.001), advanced stage (p < 0.001), and non-papillary growth pattern (p < 0.001). In univariate survival analyses, high CDC20 expression correlated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) (p = 0.032) and poorer overall survival (OS) (p = 0.007) in patients with UCB, whereas high MAD2 expression was associated with poorer OS (p = 0.008). In multivariate analyses, high CDC20 expression correlated with shorter RFS of patients with Ta stage UCB (hazard ratio, 1.91; p = 0.01). In conclusion, increased expression of CDC20 and MAD2 is related to poor prognosis of UCB.

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