The propensity for tumorigenesis in human induced pluripotent stem cells is related with genomic instability

The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is a promising advancement in the field of regenerative medicine. Previous studies have indicated that the teratoma-forming propensity of iPSCs is variable; however, the relationship between tumorigenic potential and genomic instability in human iPSCs (HiPSCs) remains to be fully elucidated. Here, we evaluated the malignant potential of HiPSCs by using both colony formation assays and tumorigenicity tests. We demonstrated that HiPSCs formed tumorigenic colonies when grown in cancer cell culture medium and produced malignancies in immunodeficient mice. Furthermore, we analyzed genomic instability in HiPSCs using whole-genome copy number variation analysis and determined that the extent of genomic instability was related with both the cells′ propensity to form colonies and their potential for tumorigenesis. These findings indicate a risk for potential malignancy of HiPSCs derived from genomic instability and suggest that quality control tests, including comprehensive tumorigenicity assays and genomic integrity validation, should be rigorously executed before the clinical application of HiPSCs. In addition, HiPSCs should be generated through the use of combined factors or other approaches that decrease the likelihood of genomic instability.

Direct oxygen removal from titanium aluminide scraps by yttrium reduction

Titanium aluminum(TiAl)scraps with a high oxygen content were treated with yttrium(Y)in a liquid chemical deoxidization process for recycling.The Gibbs free energy and the equilibrium constant of the deoxidization reaction were calculated,and the effects of the yttrium content and the system pressure on the oxygen content in the product were determined.The results showed that the oxygen in TiAl scraps could be removed by yttrium,and the oxygen content of the deoxidized TiAl scraps had only 10%of the original content after deoxidization.Furthermore,the oxygen content of the deoxidized TiAl scraps was decreased with the increase of yttrium addition.The higher the chamber pressure,the greater the oxygen content in the final TiAl alloys.These results were consistent with calculated values.The microstructure of the deoxidized alloys was akin to that of the original material;however,Y_(2)O_(3) particles were observed in the deoxidized alloys.

Thermodynamic modeling of ZrO_(2)−CaO−TiO_(2)system

The phase diagram of ZrO_(2)−CaO−TiO_(2)system was essential for the development of photocatalytic materials and refractory materials.In this work,the ZrO_(2)−CaO−TiO_(2)system was accessed by using the CALPHAD method.The substitutional solution models were used to describe liquid and solid solution phases,the sub-lattice models were used to describe ternary compounds,and then the thermodynamic parameters were obtained by the least square method combined with literature experiment results.The acquired thermodynamic parameters were used to calculate the isothermal sections of the ZrO_(2)−CaO−TiO_(2)system at 1473 and 1673 K.There existed a good agreement between experimental and predicted phase relationships,the experimental points which were inconsistent with calculated results may be attributed to experimental errors and the sluggish kinetics of cations for ZrO_(2)-based materials.In order to further verify the validity of the database,the thermodynamic parameters were also used to simulate the thermodynamic properties(specific heat capacity,enthalpy,and entropy)of CaZrTi_(2)O_(7) within 5%errors.Good consistency demonstrated that the present thermodynamic database was self-consistent and credible.

Interaction mechanism between BaZrO_(3)/Y_(2)O_(3) refractory and Ti_(2)Ni alloy melts

The titanium alloys with highly chemical activity require stable crucible refractories that can withstand the erosion of alloy melts.The phase composition and microstructure are crucial factors that affect the stability of the refractory crucible.The effect of Y_(2)O_(3) on the composition and microstructure of BaZrO_(3) crucible was systematically investigated,and the improved mechanism of the stability of BaZrO_(3)/Y_(2)O_(3) crucible was clarified in comparison with the BaZrO_(3) crucible.The results showed that the erosion layer thickness of the BaZrO_(3)/Y_(2)O_(3) crucible was only 63μm,which was far less than that in the BaZrO_(3) crucible(485μm),and the erosion layer in the BaZrO_(3)/Y_(2)O_(3) crucible also exhibited a higher density than that in the BaZrO_(3) crucible.During the sintering,Y_(2)O_(3) could improve the densification of the BaZrO_(3) crucible due to the solid solution effect between Y_(2)O_(3) and ZrO_(2),which also caused the evaporation of BaO,resulting in the generation of a Y_(2)O_(3)(ZrO_(2))film on the surface of the crucible.Furthermore,the Y_(2)O_(3)(ZrO_(2))had higher thermodynamic stability than Y_(2)O_(3),confirming that the BaZrO_(3)/Y_(2)O_(3) crucible with high density exhibited a superior erosion resistance to titanium alloys.This dual-phase structure provides a strategy to design a long-life and stable refractory for melting titanium alloys.

Alcohol and tea consumption in relation to the risk ofnasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, China

To investigate whether alcohol and tea con-sumption has an etiological association with nasophar-yngeal carcinoma(NPC)in a high-incident population,a large scale case-control study was conducted.The study included 2846 individuals in Guangdong Province,China,with 1387 newly diagnosed cases of NPC and 1459 frequency-matched controls.Exposure histories of alcohol and tea consumption were obtained via personal inter-views.Information regarding socio-demographic charac-teristics(age,sex,education,dialect and household type),family history of NPC,Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)infection,dietary habits and other potential confounding factors was also studied.An analysis was performed using uncondi-tional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios(OR)and 95%confidence intervals(CI).The risk of NPC was found to be associated with habitual alcohol consumption and tea consumption.Tea consumption has been associated with a decreased occurrence of NPC(OR=0.62),while con-sumption of alcohol was associated with a complex effect.Specifically,moderate consumption of alcohol was associated with decreased risk of NPC,while overuse,especially strong distillate spirits,appeared to be a risk factor.