Ovarian cancer is the most lethal female reproductive system tumour. Despite the great advances in surgery and systemic chemotherapy over the past two decades, almost all patients in stages III and IV relapse and develop resistance to chemotherapy after first-line treatment. Ovarian cancer has an extraordinarily complex immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in which immune checkpoints negatively regulate T cells activation and weaken antitumour immune responses by delivering immunosuppressive signals. Therefore, inhibition of immune checkpoints can break down the state of immunosuppression. Indeed, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised the therapeutic landscape of many solid tumours. However, ICIs have yielded modest benefits in ovarian cancer. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanistic basis of the immune checkpoints is needed to improve the efficacy of ICIs in ovarian cancer. In this review, we systematically introduce the mechanisms and expression of immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer. Moreover, this review summarises recent updates regarding ICI monotherapy or combined with other small-molecule-targeted agents in ovarian cancer.

An experimental investigation of the stereocamera's systematic error is carried out to optimize three-dimensional (3-D) dust observation on the HL-2A tokamak. It is found that a larger 3-D region occupied by all calibration points is able to reduce the 3-D reconstruction systematic error of the stereocamera. In addition, the 3-D reconstruction is the most accurate around the region where the calibration points are located. Based on these experimental results, the design of the stereocamera on the HL-2A tokamak is presented, and a set of practical procedures to optimize the 3-D reconstruction accuracy of the stereocamera are proposed.

This paper aims to explore the influence of solvent effects on the crystal habit of venlafaxine hydrochloride using the modified attachment energy (MAE) model by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Solvent effects were investigated based on the different morphologies of venlafaxine hydrochloride acquired by simulation and experimental technology from the solvents of isopropanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetonitrile. Firstly, morphologically dominant crystal faces were obtained through the prediction of crystal habit in vacuum by the attachment energy (AE) model. Subsequently, the MAEs were calculated by the MD simulation to modify the crystal shapes in a real solvent environment, and the simulation results were in agreement with the experimental ones. Meanwhile, in order to have a better understanding of the solvent effects, the surface structure was introduced to analyze the solvent adsorption behaviors. The results show that the crystal habits of venlafaxine hydrochloride are affected by the combination of the AE and surface structures. Finally, the flowability of the obtained crystal powders from different solvents was investigated by measurement and analysis of the angle of repose and compressibility. The above results verify that the physical properties are closely related to the morphologies of the crystals.

Accumulating evidence suggests that supplementation of n-3 PUFA was associated with reduction in risk of major cardiovascular events. This meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate whether daily supplementation and accumulated intake of n-3 PUFA are associated with improved left ventricular (LV) remodelling in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Articles were obtained from Pubmed, Clinical key and Web of Science from inception to January 1 in 2021, and a total of twelve trials involving 2162 participants were eligible for inclusion. The sources of study heterogeneity were explained by I2 statistic and subgroup analysis. Compared with placebo groups, n-3 PUFA supplementation improved LV ejection fraction (LVEF) (eleven trials, 2112 participants, weighted mean difference (WMD) = 2·52, 95 % CI 1·25, 3·80, I2 = 87·8 %) and decreased LV end systolic volume (five studies, 905 participants, WMD = –3·22, 95 % CI 3·67, −2·77, I2 = 0·0 %) using the continuous variables analysis. Notably, the high accumulated n-3 PUFA dosage groups (≥ 600 g) presented a prominent improvement in LVEF, while the low and middle accumulated dosage (≤ 300 and 300–600 g) showed no effects on LVEF. In addition, n-3 PUFA supplementation decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators including TNF-α, IL-6 (IL-6) and hypersensitive c-reactive protein. Therefore, the present meta-analysis demonstrated that n-3 PUFA consumption was associated with a substantial improvement of LV function and remodelling in patients subjected to CHF. The accumulated dosage of n-3 PUFA intake is vital for its cardiac protective role.

Extensive magmatism in NE China, eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, has produced multi-stage granitic plutons and accompanying W mineralization. The Narenwula complex in the southwestern Great Xing’an Range provides important insights into the petrogenesis, geodynamic processes and relationship with W mineralization. The complex comprises granodiorites, monzogranites and granite porphyry. Mafic microgranular enclaves are common in the granodiorites, and have similar zircon U–Pb ages as their host rocks (258.5–253.9 Ma), whereas the W-bearing granitoids yield emplacement ages of 149.8–148.1 Ma. Permian granodiorites are I-type granites that are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements, and depleted in high field strength elements and heavy rare earth elements. Both the mafic microgranular enclaves and granodiorites have nearly identical zircon Hf isotopic compositions. The results suggest that the mafic microgranular enclaves and granodiorites formed by the mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. W-bearing granitoids are highly fractionated A-type granites, enriched in Rb, Th, U and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Sr, P, Ti and Eu. They have higher W concentrations and Rb/Sr ratios, and lower Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf and K/Rb ratios than the W-barren granodiorites. These data and negative ϵHf(t) values (–6.0 to –2.1) suggest that they were derived from the partial melting of ancient lower crust and subsequently underwent extreme fractional crystallization. Based on the regional geology, we propose that the granodiorites were generated in a volcanic arc setting related to the subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean, whereas the W-bearing granitoids and associated deposits formed in a post-orogenic extensional setting controlled by the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean and Palaeo-Pacific Ocean tectonic regimes.

Although higher dietary intake of MUFA has been shown to improve glycaemic control and lipid profiles, whether MUFA consumption from different sources is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unclear. We aimed to prospectively assess the associations of plant-derived MUFA (P-MUFA) and animal-derived MUFA (A-MUFA) intakes with T2D risk in a nationwide oriental cohort. Overall, 15 022 Chinese adults, aged ≥20 years, from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS 1997–2011) were prospectively followed up for a median of 14 years. Consumption of MUFA from plant and animal sources was assessed using 3-d 24-h recalls in each survey, and the cumulative average of intake was calculated. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models were constructed to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) of T2D according to quartiles of MUFA intake. P-MUFA were mainly consumed from cooked vegetable oils, fried bread sticks and rice, while A-MUFA were mainly consumed from pork, lard and eggs. Intake of P-MUFA was associated with a higher risk of T2D (HRQ4 v. Q1 1·50 (95 % CI 1·18, 1·90); Ptrend = 0·0013), whereas A-MUFA showed no significant association (HRQ4 v. Q1 0·84 (95 % CI 0·59, 1·20); Ptrend = 0·30). When further considering the cooking method of food sources, consumption of P-MUFA from fried foods was positively associated with T2D risk (HRQ4 v. Q1 1·60 (95 % CI 1·26, 2·02); Ptrend = 0·0006), whereas non-fried P-MUFA were not associated. Intake of MUFA from fried plant-based foods may elevate T2D risk among the Chinese population.

The following paper investigates the prevalence and characteristics of asymptomatic norovirus infection in the population living around oyster farm sites. Two consecutive surveys were conducted from January 2014 to December 2014 and 4549 stool samples were screened during the same time period. The total asymptomatic infection rate was 4.04% (184/4549). Norovirus infection rate was 5.20% in oyster farming population which was significantly higher compared with non-farming population where the infection rate was 3.65% (χ2 = 5.49, P < 0.05). A total of 184 NoV positive samples were identified by real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and semi-nested RT-PCR and 136 sequences were obtained. The sequences were clustered into 14 genotypes. GI strains were clustered into six genotypes, including GI.2, GI.3, GI.5, GI.6, GI.8 and GI.9; while GII strains were clustered into GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.5, GII.6, GII.8 and GII.13. GI.9 and GII.17 were the predominant and most prevalent genotypes, respectively. The GII.17 genotype replaced GII.4 becoming the dominant genotype in the oyster farming area in 2014. To sum up, long-term monitoring of asymptomatic infection is crucial for the detection of new variant strains and for identifying outbreaks during the early stage.

To solve extended acquisition time issues inherent in the conventional hopping-scanning mode of scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM), a new transverse-fast scanning mode (TFSM) is proposed. Because the transverse motion in SICM is not the detection direction and therefore presents no collision problem, it has the ability to move at high speed. In TSFM, the SICM probe gradually descends in the vertical/detection direction and rapidly scans in the transverse/nondetection direction. Further, the highest point that decides the hopping height of each scanning line can be quickly obtained. In conventional hopping mode, however, the hopping height is artificially set without a priori knowledge and is typically very large. Consequently, TFSM greatly improves the scanning speed of the SICM imaging system by effectively reducing the hopping height of each pixel. This study verifies the feasibility of this novel scanning method via theoretical analysis and experimental study, and compares the speed and quality of the scanning images obtained in the TFSM with that of the conventional hopping mode. The experimental results indicate that the TFSM method has a faster scanning speed than other SICM scanning methods while maintaining the quality of the images. Therefore, TFSM provides the possibility to quickly obtain high-resolution three-dimensional topographical images of extremely complex samples.

Ag nanoparticles were prepared via a wet chemical reduction method and treated with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to form an insulating SiO2 layer on the surface (Ag@SiO2). The Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles were introduced in to the BaTiO3/poly (vinylidene fluoride) matrix to prepare the three-phase Ag@SiO2/BaTiO3/poly (vinylidene fluoride) composite, and the dielectric behavior of the composite was investigated. The results showed that the typical “conductor/polymer” percolation effect was not observed in the composite as a result of the SiO2 layer, which prevented Ag particles from contacting with each other directly and restricted the movement of electrons under external field. The high dielectric constant of 723 and a relatively low loss of 0.82 were achieved at 100 Hz with 40 vol% Ag@SiO2 and 20 vol% BaTiO3, respectively. The microcapacitor network model and “Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars” (MWS) effect were used to investigate dielectric properties of the three-phase composite.

A voltage-tunable two-color multiple quantum well infrared photodetector was fabricated with two bands at 6.0 and 10.3 ìm. The molecular beam epitaxy grown structure consists of two stacks of n-type InGaAs wells and GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice barriers. The 6.0 ìm band was found to be dominant at low bias voltages while the 10.3 ìm band is dominant at high bias voltages. The optical absorption measurements confirm the presence of both bands. Furthermore, the transfer matrix method is used to estimate the peak position energies of the intersubband transitions in the two stacks.

Membranous cDNA microarrays containing 2200 unique rice transcripts were designed for screening the characteristics of spatially expressed genes in post-germination rice seedlings. By comparing the profiles obtained, 31 genes were identified as expressed specifically in the plumule, 36 in the mesocotyl and 73 in the radicle. Several genes, such as polyubiquitin, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, sucrose synthase and phosphoglycerate kinase, which encode components of the carbohydrate or protein metabolic reaction cascades, were expressed specifically in the mesocotyl, indicating that degradation reactions of the endospermous reserve starch and proteins occur mainly in the mesocotyl during the post-germination stage. A number of genes involved in defence mechanisms or in the processes of replication, transcription and translation were identified as expressed specifically in the plumule or radicle. Among plumule specifically expressed genes, translation initiation factor 5a, 40s ribosomal protein s28 and ribosomal protein 136 are considered to have a critical role in protein biosynthesis; while allergenic protein, β-D-glucan exohydrolase and actin 11 are genes with defending functions. Among the catalogue of radicle specifically expressed genes, EF-1a, Tat binding protein, replication protein A2, histone h3.2, ribosomal protein s29a and 40s ribosomal protein s19 are genes that function in the process of replication, transcription or translation; whereas glycine-rich protein, wound-induced basic protein, Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor and lipid transfer protein-2 are genes involved in defence responses. Results of this experiment have provided insight into post-germination molecular physiology at the genomic level of gene expression.

α-Si3N4 whiskers were formed from laser-synthesized nanoscale amorphous Si-N-C powders at 1873K under 1 atm N2. The as-formed whiskers were characterized by TEM, STEM, XRD techniques and the process conditions for the whisker growth were studied. The whiskers exhibit various morphologies such as the long thick straight, the prismatic, the ribbon-like, and knuckled whiskers. The gas phase reaction among N2, SiO, and CO gases leads to Si3N4 whisker growth on the pre-crystallized α-Si3N4 grains by the Vapor-Solid (VS) mechanism along specific crystal planes such as {1101}., which ensures an in-situ formation. No addition of other catalyst and the atomic combination of the elements in the Si-N-C powders ensure a high purity of the whiskers.

The properties and structure characteristics of the ultrafine Si-N-C powders synthesized from laser induced hexamethyldisilazane and ammonia gas phase reactions were characterized by multiple techniques. Result shows that the Si-N-C particles are uniform in diameter with narrow size distributions and less agglomerated. The powders exhibited a short distance ordered structure which was distorted at high temperature annealing. HTEM observation shows that the particles are amorphous or have nano-composite structure with SiC particles dispersed in the amorphous Si-N-C matrix. The nucleation and growth of the composite particles occurred by the polymerization of the ligand formed from the decomposition of Si-CH3 and N-H bonds in hexamethyldisilazane accompanied by the release of small hydrocarbon gases.