Integration: An Effective Strategy to Develop Multifunctional Energy Storage Devices

Energy storage devices are arousing increasing interest due to their key role in next‐generation electronics. Integration is widely explored as a general and effective strategy aiming at high performances. Recent progress in integrating a variety of functions into electrochemical energy storage devices is carefully described. Through integration at the level of materials: flexible, stretchable, responsive, and self‐healing devices are discussed to highlight the state‐of‐the‐art multi‐functional electronics. Through the integration at the level of devices, the incorporation of photovoltaic and piezoelectric devices is detailed to reflect the advances in self‐powering electronics. Integrated energy storage devices are presented for wearable applications to indicate a new growth direction. The main challenges and important directions are summarized to offer some useful clues for future development.     

Evaluation of Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rabbits Using a Nanoscale Ultrasound Contrast Agent Targeting ICAM-1

ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of ultrasound molecular imaging in the early diagnosis of liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) using a nanoscale contrast agent targeting anti-intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (anti-ICAM-1).MethodsThe targeted nanobubbles containing anti-ICAM-1 antibody were prepared using the avidin-biotin binding method. Human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HHSECs) were cultured at the circumstances of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and low temperature. The rabbit liver IRI model (I/R group) was established using the Pringle’s maneuver. The time-intensity curve of the liver contrast ultrasonographic images was plotted and the peak intensity, time to peak, and time of duration were calculated.ResultsThe size of the targeted nanobubbles were 148.15 ± 39.75 nm and the concentration was 3.6–7.4 × 10⁹/ml, and bound well with the H/R HHSECs. Animal contrast enhanced ultrasound images showed that the peak intensity and time of duration of the targeted nanobubbles were significantly higher than that of common nanobubbles in the I/R group, and the peak intensity and time of duration of the targeted nanobubbles in the I/R group were also significantly higher than that in the SO group.ConclusionThe targeted nanobubbles have small particle size, stable characteristic, and good targeting ability, which can assess hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury specifically, noninvasively, and quantitatively at the molecular level.     

Discovery of piRNAs Pathway Associated with Early-Stage Spermatogenesis in Chicken

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play a key role in spermatogenesis. Here, we describe the piRNAs profiling of primordial germ cells (PGCs), spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), and the spermatogonium (Sp) during early-stage spermatogenesis in chicken. We obtained 31,361,989 reads from PGCs, 31,757,666 reads from SSCs, and 46,448,327 reads from Sp cells. The length distribution of piRNAs in the three samples showed peaks at 33 nt. The resulting genes were subsequently annotated against the Gene Ontology (GO) database. Five genes (RPL7A, HSPA8, Pum1, CPXM2, and PRKCA) were found to be involved in cellular processes. Interactive pathway analysis (IPA) further revealed three important pathways in early-stage spermatogenesis including the FGF, Wnt, and EGF receptor signaling pathways. The gene Pum1 was found to promote germline stem cell proliferation, but it also plays a role in spermatogenesis. In conclusion, we revealed characteristics of piRNAs during early spermatogonial development in chicken and provided the basis for future research.     

Determining an Optimal Cutoff of Serum β-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin for Assisting the Diagnosis of Intracranial Germinomas

Background

Beta (β)-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) is used to confirm the diagnosis and plan treatment of intracranial germinomas. However, the cutoff values of serum β-HCG in diagnosis of intracranial germinomas reported in the literature are inconsistent. To establish an appropriate cutoff value of serum β-HCG for diagnosis of intracranial germinomas, we retrospectively reviewed the records of intracranial tumor patients who received serum β-HCG and α-fetoprotein (AFP) tests for diagnostic purposes at our hospital from 2005 to 2014.

Methods

A total of 93 intracranial germinomas and 289 intracranial non-germ cell tumors were included in this study. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of 3 cutoffs (0.1, 0.4, and 0.5 mIU/mL) for diagnosing intracranial germinomas. The serum β-HCG level of intracranial germinoma patients was further analyzed to investigate the effect of metastasis status and tumor location on serum β-HCG level.

Results

The area under the ROC curve was 0.81 (P < .001), suggesting β-HCG is an effective marker. Of the 3 cutoff values, 0.1 mIU/mL possessed a highest sensitivity (66.67%) and good specificity (91%). Although there was no β-HCG level difference between metastatic and non-metastatic intracranial germinoma patients, the diagnostic rate of metastatic neurohypophyseal germinomas was significantly higher than that of its non-metastatic counterpart (P < .05), implying that the location of the germinoma might need to be considered when β-HCG is used as a marker to predict metastasis.

Conclusions

Determining an optimal cutoff of serum β-HCG is helpful for assisting the diagnosis of intracranial germinoma.     

Mapping the Distribution of Anthrax in Mainland China, 2005–2013

BackgroundAnthrax, a global re-emerging zoonotic disease in recent years is enzootic in mainland China. Despite its significance to the public health, spatiotemporal distributions of the disease in human and livestock and its potential driving factors remain poorly understood.Conclusions/SignificanceAnthrax in China was characterized by significant seasonality and spatial clustering. The spatial distribution of human anthrax was largely driven by livestock husbandry, human density, land cover, elevation, topsoil features and climate. Enhanced surveillance and intervention for livestock and human anthrax in the high-risk regions, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is the key to the prevention of human infections.     

In Vivo Biodistribution and Anti-Tumor Efficacy Evaluation of Doxorubicin and Paclitaxel-Loaded Pluronic Micelles Decorated with c(RGDyK) Peptide

The treatment of squamous carcinoma, especially multidrug resistance (MDR) tumors, represents one of the most formidable challenges in oncology. In this study, integrin-mediated Pluronic-based micellar system (c(RGDyK)-FP-DP) was proposed as a drug delivery system to enhance the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy in MDR human squamous carcinoma (KBv)-bearing. Following the recognition by integrin proteins express on the cell surface, cellular uptake and in vitro anti-tumor efficacy of c(RGDyK)-FP-DP were better than conventional PF-DP in KBv cells. The tumor homing specificity and further in vivo anticancer efficacy of c(RGDyK)-FP-DP were performed using subcutaneous KBv tumor-bearing mice model, respectively. Compared with PF-DP, c(RGDyK)-FP-DP demonstrated more drug accumulation in tumor and relatively less drug accumulation in heart, and an extended median survival time in the KBv tumor-bearing mice model. Furthermore, preliminary in vivo subacute toxicity evaluation was also conducted by the measurement of histopathology, blood cell counts and clinical biochemistry parameters. Results showed that no obvious toxicity was observed to the hematological system or heart after a series of intravenous administration of c(RGDyK)-FP-DP. In conclusion, our results suggested that c(RGDyK) peptide conjugated Pluronic micelles could be a promising vehicle for enhancing the treatment of MDR human squamous carcinoma.