Specific Morphology Research Articles

Two ancient membrane pores mediate mitochondrial-nucleus membrane contact sites.

Coordination between nucleus and mitochondria is essential for cell survival, and thus numerous communication routes have been established between these two organelles over eukaryotic cell evolution. One route for organelle communication is via membrane contact sites, functional appositions formed by molecular tethers. We describe a novel nuclear-mitochondrial membrane contact site in the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. We have identified specific contacts occurring at the nuclear pore and demonstrated an interaction between components of the nuclear pore and the mitochondrial protein translocon, highlighting them as molecular tethers. Genetic disruption of the nuclear pore or the TOM translocon components, TgNup503 or TgTom40, respectively, result in contact site reduction, supporting their potential involvement in this tether. TgNup503 depletion further leads to specific mitochondrial morphology and functional defects, supporting a role for nuclear-mitochondrial contacts in mediating their communication. The discovery of a contact formed through interaction between two ancient mitochondrial and nuclear complexes sets the ground for better understanding of mitochondrial-nuclear crosstalk in eukaryotes.

Nitrogen, fluorine and boron tri-doped flower-like porous carbon derived from sodium carboxymethyl starch for high-performance supercapacitors

In this work, nitrogen, fluorine, and boron tri-doped flower-like porous carbons were prepared from sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS) by using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an activator and ammonium borofluoride (NH4FB4) as a heteroatomic dopant. The specific surface area (SBET), total pore volume (Vt), pore size distribution (PSD), heteroatom content and electrochemical performance of the samples were directly determined by the KOH content. The optimized material (CMS-F/B/N-4) showed a flower-like porous structure with a large SBET (666 m2 g−1) and an appreciable amount of heteroatoms (oxygen: 8.01 at.%, nitrogen: 1.56 at.%, fluorine: 2.22 at.% and boron: 0.75 at.%). Owing to these merits, the supercapacitor based on CMS-F/B/N-4 displayed a maximum specific capacitance (Cg) of 219.2 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and a high performance, with more than 72.5% of initial capacitance was retained when the current density was increased from 1 to 10 A g−1. In addition, a symmetric cell was assembled with a wide voltage range of 2.0 in 1 M Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte, delivering a relatively high energy density of 26.47 Wh kg−1 at 500 W kg−1 and stable performance of ∼99% retention after 10,000 cycles. This study demonstrated the feasibility of fabricating porous carbon with specific morphology and heteroatom doping from natural polysaccharide polymers. The findings indicate an avenue toward practical applications of carbon-based supercapacitors.

Comparative three-dimensional jaw muscle anatomy of marsupial carnivores (Dasyurus spp.) and the termite-eating numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus).

Among marsupials, the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is the only obligate myrmecophage with a diet comprised strictly of termites. Like many other specialised myrmecophagous mammals, numbats have a gracile and highly specialised skull morphology with an elongated rostrum and small braincase. Myrmecobiidae is one of four taxonomic families within the Australasian marsupial order Dasyuromorphia, and to date, the muscular anatomy of any member of this group is relatively poorly known. We utilised microdissection and contrast-enhanced microcomputed tomography scanning to provide the first comprehensive qualitative and quantitative descriptions of jaw muscle anatomy in numbats and quolls (Dasuyrus species). The arrangement of the jaw muscles across these species was conservative, both in gross anatomy and muscle proportions, corresponding to a 'generalised' mammalian pattern. In contrast to Dasyurus, the jaw muscles of the numbat were greatly reduced. Many aspects of the muscle anatomy of the numbat were similar to patterns reported in other myrmecophagous species, particularly a greatly reduced temporalis muscle. Unusually, the digastric muscle in the numbat was comprised of a single, large anterior belly while the posterior belly was absent. We propose that the enlarged anterior belly of the digastric may be linked to jaw stabilisation and coordination of tongue movements during feeding. The lateral insertion and fascial connection of the digastric to the tongue in numbats may also aid in distributing stress evenly across the jaw and minimise muscle fatigue. The muscle descriptions and three-dimensional models provided in this study will facilitate further analysis of musculoskeletal adaptation and evolution within the Dasyuromorphia.

Association of 5-Year Hip Arthroscopy Outcomes with Hip Morphology and Cartilage Status at Time of Surgery: A National Registry Study With HAGOS Outcomes in 281 Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome.

The effects of specific bony hip morphologies, cam and dysplasia, and cartilage damage on mid- and long-term (≥5 years) patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are understudied. To investigate if changes in PROs from preoperatively to 5 years after hip arthroscopy are associated with preoperative bony hip morphology and cartilage status in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Patients were identified in the Danish Hip Arthroscopy Registry. Hip and groin function was assessed from preoperatively to 5 years postoperatively with the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Sports and Recreation (Sport) subscales. Morphology was defined using the anterior alpha angle (AA) and lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) as follows: mild to moderate cam (55°≤ AA < 78°), severe cam (AA ≥ 78°), pincer (LCEA > 39°), and borderline dysplasia (20°≤ LCEA < 25°). Joint space width (JSW) was defined as slightly reduced (3.1 mm ≤ JSW ≤ 4 mm) or severely reduced (2.1 mm ≤ JSW ≤ 3 mm). Acetabular cartilage status was defined by modified Beck grades 0 to 4 and femoral head cartilage status by International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society grades 0 to 4. Acetabular and femoral cartilage injury areas were categorized as <1, 1 to 2, or >2 cm2. Multiple regression analyses assessed adjusted associations between hip morphology and cartilage injuries with improvement in HAGOS-ADL and HAGOS-Sport. The study included 281 patients (age, 35 ± 10 years; 52.3% female). No cam and mild-to-moderate cam were associated with greater improvement in HAGOS-ADL (16 points [P = .002] and 7 points [P = .038], respectively) compared with severe cam. Normal JSW was associated with greater improvement in HAGOS-ADL (21 points; P = .026) compared with severely reduced JSW. Femoral head cartilage injury area <1 cm2 was associated with greater improvements in HAGOS-ADL (17 points; P = .03) and HAGOS-Sport (21 points; P = .035) compared with femoral cartilage injury area >2 cm2. Patients having no-to-moderate cam morphology, normal JSW, or femoral head cartilage injury area <1 cm2 had greater improvement in PROs 5 years after hip arthroscopy compared with patients having severe cam morphology, severely reduced JSW, or femoral cartilage injury area >2 cm2.

Endovascular Therapy for Thoracic Aortic Mobile Thrombus

Thoracic aortic mobile thrombus (TAMT) in the absence of atherosclerosis, traumatic injury, or thrombophilia represents an uncommon but well-acknowledged form of a non-cardiogenic thromboembolic source. The morbidity and mortality of acute visceral thromboembolism from an aortic thrombus remains elevated, though delay in diagnosis is common given its underappreciated source as a potentially catastrophic aetiology. Nomenclature to describe any thromboembolism to abdominal viscera remains varied throughout the literature with a cardiac source from arrhythmias most prevalent. Computerized tomographic angiogram (CTA) of chest and abdomen is the modality that most commonly diagnoses TAMT. Trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE), however, has been the imaging modality of choice in defining the specific thrombus morphology of TAMT. Patient morbidity and mortality of TAMT may entail devastating thromboembolism to myriad sites: cerebrum, mesentery, renal and upper and/or lower extremity peripheral vasculatures. Risks factors of developing aortic mural thrombus are explored within each case. Herein are two illustrative cases of TAMT presenting with acute peritoneal signs and symptoms of visceral ischemia, respectively involving spleen and kidney in the first, and spleen and intestine, the second case. Both cases were successfully managed by physical examination, CTA-diagnosis, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to define the morphology of the aortic thrombus, and subsequent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) graft deployment.

Facile preparation of flower-like NiO/In2O3 composite for sensitively and selectively detecting NO2 at room and lower temperatures

As a typical n-type semiconductor, In2O3 is often used in gas sensors due to the wide band gap, adjustable morphology and good electrical conductivity. However, the pristine In2O3 has some disadvantages, such as higher operating temperature, poor sensing performance to low concentrations of gases. In this work, we fabricated flower-like NiO/In2O3 composites via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method, and investigated their gas sensitivity to various concentrations of NO2 at different temperatures. The responses (Rg/Ra) of NiO/In2O3-0.2 composite to 0.1–80 ppm NO2 are 2.5 ∼ 5.8 times higher than those of pristine In2O3 at the optimum temperature of 150 °C, respectively. The room-temperature response of the NiO/In2O3-0.2 composite to 20 ppb NO2 is 1.82 with the limit of detection (LOD) of 5 ppb, indicating great application potential for NO2 detection. Moreover, the NiO/In2O3-0.2 composite has the excellent reproducibility, good long-term stability and selectivity. The specific morphology with larger surface area and the formation of p-n heterojunction synergistically enhance the sensing properties of NiO/In2O3 composite, demonstrated by DFT calculation and experiments. This work provides a facile fabrication of flower-like In2O3–based composites for room-temperature detection of ppb-level NO2.

Preparation and room-temperature hydrogen sensing property of flower-like In2O3/SnS2 nanocomposite

As one of the important sources of pollution-free clean energy, hydrogen has attracted great attention. However, hydrogen molecules are very small and prone to leakage during production, transmission and usage. Therefore, it has become a trend to design room temperature hydrogen sensor. In this work, a novel In2O3/SnS2 sensitive material was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The morphology and chemical composition of the samples were characterized, and the gas sensing properties of the samples were analyzed. Furthermore, a series of sensors were tested to evaluate gas sensor performance. Among the as-synthesized sensors, the IS-5-based sensor yielded a response signal of 339% for 1000 ppm H2 at 27 °C, which is 2.6 times higher than that achieved for the SnS2-based sensor (1.304–1000 ppm H2, 27 °C). The IS-5-based sensor exhibited specific selectivity for H2 (compare to methane, methanol, ethanol, propane and CO). The sensor based on In2O3/SnS2 (IS-5) shows favorable response performance to H2. The improvement of gas sensing performance may be related to its special morphology and In2O3/SnS2 (IS-5) heterojunction. In general, the sensor based on In2O3/SnS2(IS-5) has low operating temperature and excellent selectivity to H2.

A Methodology for the Rapid Qualification of Additively Manufactured Materials Based on Pore Defect Structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) can create net or near-net-shaped components while simultaneously building the material microstructure, therefore closely coupling forming the material and shaping the part in contrast to traditional manufacturing with distinction between the two processes. While there are well-heralded benefits to AM, the widespread adoption of AM in fatigue-limited applications is hindered by defects such as porosity resulting from off-nominal process conditions. The vast number of AM process parameters and conditions make it challenging to capture variability in porosity that drives fatigue design allowables during qualification. Furthermore, geometric features such as overhangs and thin walls influence local heat conductivity and thereby impact local defects and microstructure. Consequently, qualifying AM material within parts in terms of material properties is not always a straightforward task. This article presents an approach for rapid qualification of AM fatigue-limited parts and includes three main aspects: (1) seeding pore defects of specific size, distribution, and morphology into AM specimens, (2) combining non-destructive and destructive techniques for material characterization and mechanical fatigue testing, and (3) conducting microstructure-based simulations of fatigue behavior resulting from specific pore defect and microstructure combinations. The proposed approach enables simulated data to be generated to validate and/or augment experimental fatigue data sets with the intent to reduce the number of tests needed and promote a more rapid route to AM material qualification. Additionally, this work suggests a closer coupling between material qualification and part certification for determining material properties at distinct regions within an AM part.

In Situ Exfoliation Growth Strategy Realizing Controlled Synthesis of 3D to 2D MOF Materials as High-Performance Electrochemical Biosensors.

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets with large surface area, ultrathin thickness, and highly accessible active sites have attracted great research attention. Developing efficient approaches to realize the controllable synthesis of well-defined 2D MOFs with a specific composition and morphology is critical. However, it is still a significant challenge to construct thin and uniform 2D MOF nanosheets and resolve the reagglomeration as well as poor stability of target 2D MOF products. Here, an "in situ exfoliation growth" strategy is proposed, where a one-step synthetic process can realize the successful fabrication of PBA/MIL-53(NiFe)/NF nanosheets on the surface of nickel foam (NF) via in situ conversion and exfoliation growth strategies. The PBA/MIL-53(NiFe)/NF nanosheets combine the individual advantages of MOFs, Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), and 2D materials. As expected, the resulting PBA/MIL-53(NiFe)/NF as a glucose electrode exhibits an extremely high sensitivity of 25.74 mA mM-1 cm-2 in a very wide concentration range of 180 nM to 4.8 μM. The present exciting work provides a simple and effective strategy for the construction of high-performance nonenzymatic glucose electrochemical biosensors.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the silver pomfret Pampus argenteus

Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788) is one of the major fishery species in coastal China. Pampus argenteus has a highly specialized morphology, and its declining fishery resources have encouraged massive research efforts on its aquacultural biology. In this study, we reported the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of P. argenteus obtained by integrating Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C sequencing techniques. The final size of the genome was 518.06 Mb, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 20.47 and 22.86 Mb, respectively. The sequences were anchored and oriented onto 24 pseudochromosomes based on Hi-C data corresponding to the 24-chromatid karyotype of P. argenteus. A colinear relationship was observed between the P. argenteus genome and that of a closely related species (Scomber japonicus). A total of 24,696 protein-coding genes were identified from the genome, 98.9% of which were complete BUSCOs. This report represents the first case of high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly for P. argenteus and can provide valuable information for future evolutionary, conservation, and aquacultural research.

Touch receptor end-organ innervation and function require sensory neuron expression of the transcription factor Meis2

Touch sensation is primarily encoded by mechanoreceptors, called low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs), with their cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia. Because of their great diversity in terms of molecular signature, terminal endings morphology, and electrophysiological properties, mirroring the complexity of tactile experience, LTMRs are a model of choice to study the molecular cues differentially controlling neuronal diversification. While the transcriptional codes that define different LTMR subtypes have been extensively studied, the molecular players that participate in their late maturation and in particular in the striking diversity of their end-organ morphological specialization are largely unknown. Here we identified the TALE homeodomain transcription factor Meis2 as a key regulator of LTMRs target-field innervation in mice. Meis2 is specifically expressed in cutaneous LTMRs, and its expression depends on target-derived signals. While LTMRs lacking Meis2 survived and are normally specified, their end-organ innervations, electrophysiological properties, and transcriptome are differentially and markedly affected, resulting in impaired sensory-evoked behavioral responses. These data establish Meis2 as a major transcriptional regulator controlling the orderly formation of sensory neurons innervating peripheral end organs required for light touch.

Touch receptor end-organ innervation and function require sensory neuron expression of the transcription factor Meis2.

Touch sensation is primarily encoded by mechanoreceptors, called low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs), with their cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia. Because of their great diversity in terms of molecular signature, terminal endings morphology, and electrophysiological properties, mirroring the complexity of tactile experience, LTMRs are a model of choice to study the molecular cues differentially controlling neuronal diversification. While the transcriptional codes that define different LTMR subtypes have been extensively studied, the molecular players that participate in their late maturation and in particular in the striking diversity of their end-organ morphological specialization are largely unknown. Here we identified the TALE homeodomain transcription factor Meis2 as a key regulator of LTMRs target-field innervation in mice. Meis2 is specifically expressed in cutaneous LTMRs, and its expression depends on target-derived signals. While LTMRs lacking Meis2 survived and are normally specified, their end-organ innervations, electrophysiological properties, and transcriptome are differentially and markedly affected, resulting in impaired sensory-evoked behavioral responses. These data establish Meis2 as a major transcriptional regulator controlling the orderly formation of sensory neurons innervating peripheral end organs required for light touch.

Influence of calcination temperature on the physical and chemical characteristics of kaolinitic clays for use as supplementary cementitious materials

Clays have the potential of being the most important supplementary cementitious material for the future. The quality of calcination, which has a very important influence on the suitability of clay as a partial replacement of cement, is influenced by the changes in the characteristics of clays during calcination. An improved knowledge of these changes can help to assess the suitability of clays. In this study, clays were calcined at seven temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 1000 °C and the effect of calcination temperature on physico-chemical properties like specific gravity, specific surface area, water demand, morphology and reactivity were investigated. The results showed that the transformation process of kaolinite to metakaolin, which is the main reactive phase in cements, completes by 800 °C and this conversion process governs the reactivity, without changing the physical properties. The metakaolin becomes unstable at calcination temperature of 1000 °C, and transforms into the spinel phase as confirmed by the differential scanning calorimetry. The spinel phase reduces the reactivity and also changes the physical properties of calcined clays, making the calcined clay unsuitable for use in cements. New test methods that can be employed to rapidly assess the quality of calcination are also discussed.

Ternary composite WS2/GO/Au synthesized from laser ablation and hydrothermal method for photo- and electro-chemical degradation of methylene blue dye

Photocatalysts based on two-dimensional (2D) material with full optical absorption in the visible region have gained a lot of interest as a potential method for the degradation of pollutants, but there are very few single materials that can fulfill this requirement. In this research, we are suggesting the formation of WS2/GO/Au ternary composite prepared by WS2 and GO using nanosecond laser ablation followed by adding Au using the hydrothermal method. Ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis), Raman, x-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopies, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to investigate the microstructure, morphology, and spectroscopic properties of the samples that had been produced. The UV–Vis spectra suggest the formation of a ternary composite, and FE-SEM shows morphology as Au nanoparticles with a size ranging from 20 to 30 nm are perfectly mixed with WS2 nanosheets, which can be seen on GO sheets. SEM-Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopic (EDS) images indicate the availability of all elements in prepared samples and the formation of a ternary composite of WS2/GO/Au. XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirm the crystalline nature of AuNPs and WS2 and suggest the transformation of GO into rGO. The prepared pristine (WS2), binary (WS2/GO), and ternary composite show the capability for methylene blue degradation under UV-light irradiation as 41.85 %, 48.26 %, and 83.17 %, while electrocatalytic degradation gives 99 % for WS2/GO/Au respectively. The improved photocatalytic activity by the multicomponent has been demonstrated by nanostructured catalysts with specific morphology due to their exceptional electron transport characteristics. The WS2/GO/Au composite is anticipated to be an encouraging photoelectric material for experimental study in the research area of photocatalysis.

The effects of laser line energy on welding strength of PASF/PC using magnesium zinc alloy powders as absorbents in laser transmission welding

The metal powder absorbents have the advantage of fabricating clean and high-strength joints in the process of laser transmission welding dissimilar transparent thermoplastics. However, the joining behavior between metal powders and thermoplastics is vague. Herein, polyarylsulfone (PASF) and polycarbonate (PC) are selected as model materials to investigate the joining behavior using magnesium zinc alloy (MZA) powders at different laser line energies. The shear force test was performed to reveal the effect of laser line energy on the welding. The µ-CT images reveal the evaluation of welding strength is attributed to the specific joint morphology. The multi-scale morphology characterization shows that the fractured surface height increases with increasing the laser line energy. The voids between MZA powders and resins increase the risks of interface failure, and the bubbles in the resins increase the risks of cohesion failure. The effects of laser line energy on the joint characteristics are elaborated based on the thermo-physical property test and transient temperature field analysis. The above results indicate the optimized welding temperature locates the melting temperature of PASF, because of the good fusion of PASF and less decomposition of PC. The study can provide a guideline for choosing proper process parameters when choosing metal powders as laser absorbents in welding dissimilar transparent thermoplastics.

Identification of Atrial Transmural Conduction Inhomogeneity Using Unipolar Electrogram Morphology.

(1) Background: Structural remodeling plays an important role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF). It is likely that structural remodeling occurs transmurally, giving rise to electrical endo-epicardial asynchrony (EEA). Recent studies have suggested that areas of EEA may be suitable targets for ablation therapy of AF. We hypothesized that the degree of EEA is more pronounced in areas of transmural conduction block (T-CB) than single-sided CB (SS-CB). This study examined the degree to which SS-CB and T-CB enhance EEA and which specific unipolar potential morphology parameters are predictive for SS-CB or T-CB. (2) Methods: Simultaneous endo-epicardial mapping in the human right atrium was performed in 86 patients. Potential morphology parameters included unipolar potential voltages, low-voltage areas, potential complexity (long double and fractionated potentials: LDPs and FPs), and the duration of fractionation. (3) Results: EEA was mostly affected by the presence of T-CB areas. Lower potential voltages and more LDPs and FPs were observed in T-CB areas compared to SS-CB areas. (4) Conclusion: Areas of T-CB could be most accurately predicted by combining epicardial unipolar potential morphology parameters, including voltages, fractionation, and fractionation duration (AUC = 0.91). If transmural areas of CB indeed play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of AF, they could theoretically be used as target sites for ablation.

Topographically and Chemically Enhanced Textile Polycaprolactone Scaffolds for Tendon and Ligament Tissue Engineering.

The use of tissue engineering to address the shortcomings of current procedures for tendons and ligaments is promising, but it requires a suitable scaffold that meets various mechanical, degradation-related, scalability-related, and biological requirements. Macroporous textile scaffolds made from appropriate fiber material have the potential to fulfill the first three requirements. This study aimed to investigate the biocompatibility, sterilizability, and functionalizability of a multilayer braided scaffold. These macroporous scaffolds with dimensions similar to those of the human anterior cruciate ligament consist of fibers with appropriate tensile strength and degradation behavior melt-spun from Polycaprolactone (PCL). Two different cross-sectional geometries resulting in significantly different specific surface areas and morphologies were used at the fiber level, and a Chitosan-graft-PCL (CS-g-PCL) surface modification was applied to the melt-spun substrates for the first time. All scaffolds elicited a positive cell response, and the CS-g-PCL modification provided a platform for incorporating functionalization agents such as drug delivery systems for growth factors, which were successfully released in therapeutically effective quantities. The fiber geometry was found to be a variable that could be manipulated to control the amount released. Therefore, scaled, surface-modified textile scaffolds are a versatile technology that can successfully address the complex requirements of tissue engineering for ligaments and tendons, as well as other structures.

Drug-resistant profiles of extracellular vesicles predict therapeutic response in TNBC patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BackgroundPredicting tumor responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is critical for evaluating prognosis and designing treatment strategies for patients with breast cancer; however, there are no reliable biomarkers that can effectively assess tumor responses. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the clinical feasibility of using extracellular vesicles (EVs) to predict tumor response after NAC.MethodsDrug-resistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines were successfully established, which developed specific morphologies and rapidly growing features. To detect resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, EVs were isolated from cultured cells and plasma samples collected post-NAC from 36 patients with breast cancer.ResultsAmong the differentially expressed gene profiles between parental and drug-resistant cell lines, drug efflux transporters such as MDR1, MRP1, and BCRP were highly expressed in resistant cell lines. Drug efflux transporters have been identified not only in cell lines but also in EVs released from parental cells using immunoaffinity-based EV isolation. The expression of drug resistance markers in EVs was relatively high in patients with residual disease compared to those with a pathological complete response.ConclusionsThe optimal combination of drug-resistant EV markers was significantly efficient in predicting resistance to NAC with 81.82% sensitivity and 92.86% specificity.

Novel Bi-Functional MoS2/α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites for High Photocatalytic Performance

In this study, 3-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) structures, integrated with hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles, were fabricated under a convenient two-step hydrothermal route. The fabricated photocatalytic nanocomposites consist of well-arranged MoS2 flakes, resembling spherical flower-like morphology, and the nanoparticulate α-Fe2O3 structures decorate the 3D network. By raising the α-Fe2O3 weight ratio, the composites’ specific surface area and morphology were not affected, regardless of the partial cover of the cavities for higher hematite content. Moreover, the crystallinity examination with XRD, Raman, and FTIR techniques revealed that the precursor reagents were fully transformed to well-crystalized MoS2 and Fe2O3 composites of high purity, as no organic or inorganic residues could be detected. The photocatalytic oxidation and reduction performance of these composites was evaluated against the tetracycline pharmaceutical and the industrial pollutant hexavalent chromium, respectively. The improvement in the removal efficiencies demonstrates that the superior photoactivity originates from the high crystallinity and homogeneity of the composite, in combination with the enhanced charge carriers’ separation in the semiconductors’ interface.

Efficacy and Prognosis of Chemotherapy Regimen Containing BTK Inhibitor in Treatment of Recurrent/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma

To investigate the efficacy and prognosis of chemotherapy regimen containing Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in the treatment of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (R/R MCL). The clinical data of 134 patients with R/R MCL were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics of patients and effect of chemotherapy regimen on efficacy, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were observed. The median age of the patients was 58(56-61) years old, and male to female ratio was about 2.9∶1. Patients with Ann Arbor stage III-IV accounted for 77.6%, extranodal involvement > 2 for 43.3%, bone marrow involvement for 60.4%, gastrointestinal involvement for 24.6%, and hepatosplenomegaly for 38.1%. The median follow-up time was 30 (2-103) months, overall response rate (ORR) was 41.8%, 3-year PFS was not reached, and 3-year and 5-year OS rate was 62.7% and 53.8%, respectively. The ORR of BTK inhibitor group was 56.9%, which was higher than 32.5% of non-BTK inhibitor group (P =0.006). The difference was statistically significant in PFS between the two groups (P =0.002), but was not in OS (P>0.05). The difference was statistically significant in OS between classical and special morphology (P < 0.001), but was not in PFS (P >0.05). Ki-67 was an influencing factor for OS and PFS. Multivariate analysis showed that Ki-67, B symptoms, MIPI score, and Ann Arbor stage were independent prognostic factors affecting patients' OS. The second-line treatment regimen was an independent prognostic factor affecting patients' PFS. The chemotherapy regimen containing BTK inhibitors can effectively improve the efficacy and prolong the PFS of R/R MCL patients. Ki-67, B symptoms, MIPI score, and Ann Arbor stage are independent prognostic factors for R/R MCL patients.