Nitrogen-doped graphene has been demonstrated to be an excellent multifunctional material due to its intriguing features such as outstanding electrocatalytic activity, high electrical conductivity, and good chemical stability as well as wettability. However, synthesizing the nitrogen-doped graphene with a high nitrogen content and large specific surface area is still a challenge. In this study, we prepared a nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel (NGA) with high porosity by means of a simple hydrothermal reaction, in which graphene oxide and ammonia are adopted as carbon and nitrogen source, respectively. The microstructure, morphology, porous properties, and chemical composition of NGA were well-disclosed by a variety of characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The as-made NGA displays a large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area (830 m(2) g(-1)), high nitrogen content (8.4 atom %), and excellent electrical conductivity and wettability. On the basis of these features, the as-made NGA shows superior capacitive behavior (223 F g(-1) at 0.2 A g(-1)) and long-term cycling performance in 1.0 mol L(-1) H2SO4 electrolyte. Furthermore, the NGA also possesses a high carbon dioxide uptake capacity at 1.0 bar and 273 K (11.3 wt %).

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It is generally agreed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to skin aging, skin disorders, and skin diseases. Skin possesses an extremely efficient antioxidant system. This antioxidant activity is conferred by two systems: antioxidant enzymes and small molecules that can scavenge ROS by donating electrons. No gene-encoded secreted ROS scavengers have been reported. Amphibian skin is a multifunctional organ acting in defense, respiration, and water regulation, although it seems susceptible. Amphibian skins are easily harmed by biological or nonbiological attacks such as microorganism infection or radiation injury. Among vertebrates, skins of amphibian are exposed to more dangers of radiation injury than others. Radiation toxicity occurs by directly attacking the genetic material and/or by generating ROS. In addition, amphibian skin respiration and inflammatory response also induce ROS generation. It is rational to hypothesize that amphibian skins should have potent free radical scavenging and radioprotective ability for their survival. Rana pleuraden is distributed in Southwest of China; it lives in the subtropical plateau (altitude around 2300 m) where there is strong ultraviolet radiation and long duration of sunshine. By peptidomics and genomics approaches, a large amount of antioxidant peptides belonging to 11 different groups with variable structures were isolated from the skin secretions of R. pleuraden. Their free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory abilities were studied. All of these peptide share highly homologous preproregions, although mature antioxidant peptides have very divergent primary structures, suggesting the possibility of a common ancestor. Some peptides were also found to have multifunctional properties, such as combined antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. According to our knowledge, no gene-encoded specific antioxidant peptides have been reported except metallothionein. Our work possibly reveals a new skin antioxidant system. The current work also provides a large amount of peptide candidates with medical-pharmaceutical significance. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 8: 571-583, 2009.

Background/Aims: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor tumorigenesis and progression are still poorly understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been This study aims to investigate the global changes in the expression pattern of circRNAs in osteosarcoma and provide a comprehensive understanding of differentially expressed circRNAs. Methods: Microarray based circRNA expression was determined in osteosarcoma cell lines and mRNA interaction network was predicted using bioinformatics. Gene Ontology analysis and 4 predict the functions of differentially expressed circRNAs. Results: We revealed a number of role of circRNAs in OS. Among these differentially expressed circRNAs, hsa_circRNA_103801 was up-regulated in both osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues, while hsa_circRNA_104980 was down-regulated. The most likely potential target miRNAs for hsa_circRNA_103801 include hsamiR-370-3p, hsa-miR-338-3p and hsa-miR-877-3p, while the most potential target miRNAs of hsa_circRNA_104980 consist of hsa-miR-1298-3p and hsa-miR-660-3p. Functional analysis and angiogenesis pathway, the Rap1 signaling pathway and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, while hsa_circRNA_104980 was related to some pathways such as the tight junction pathway.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone sarcoma that mostly occurs in young adults. The causes of osteosarcoma are heterogeneous and still not fully understood. Identification of novel, important oncogenic factors in osteosarcoma and development of better, effective therapeutic approaches are in urgent need for better treatment of osteosarcoma patients. In this study, we uncovered that the oncogene MYC is significantly upregulated in metastastic osteosarcoma samples. In addition, high MYC expression is associated with poor survival of osteosarcoma patients. Analysis of MYC targets in osteosarcoma revealed that most of the osteosarcoma super enhancer genes are bound by MYC. Treatment of osteosarcoma cells with super enhancer inhibitors THZ1 and JQ1 effectively suppresses the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Mechanistically, THZ1 treatment suppresses a large group of super enhancer containing MYC target genes including CDK6 and TGFB2. These findings revealed that the MYC-driven super enhancer signaling is crucial for the osteosarcoma tumorigenesis and targeting the MYC/super enhancer axis represents as a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of osteosarcoma patients.

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PCBP2 is a member of the poly(C)-