Phosphoproteomics reveals therapeutic targets of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Dear Editor,Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is one of the most aggressive squamous cell carcinomas and highly prevalent in Asia.The incidence of ESCC is affected by environmental factors(alcohol consumption,tobacco use,etc.)and genetic factors,both result in tumorigenesis by altering proteomic,posttranslational modification(PTM)and metabolic characterization of esophageal epithelial cells.Recently,large-scale investigations of ESCC have been performed,focusing on the discovery of new driver mutations.However,the mechanisms underlying ESCC development remain unclear,and comprehensive protein profiling of ESCC is necessary to understand its underlying mechanisms.So far,the approaches to the treatment of ESCC patients mainly include endoscopic therapy,surgery and chemoradiotherapy.However,most patients especially with poor prognosis ESCC still lack effective targeted treatment.

Lignocellulose aerogel and amorphous silica nanoparticles from rice husks

Rice Husks(RHs)are one of the most abundant sources of biomass in the world due to rice consumption.Lignocellulose and silica are two of the main components of RHs,which allow RHs to be applied in different areas.Lignocellulose can be partially dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride(BMIMCl),which is a simple way of competing with the traditional extraction methods that suffer from high chemical consumption.A lignocellulose freeze gel is obtained via a cyclic liquid nitrogen freeze-thaw(NFT)process.Multi-functional self-assembled lignocellulose aerogel is obtained after CO_(2) supercritical drying.Based on the aerogel’s special properties,two routes are developed for practical applications.On one hand,the aerogel is coated to exhibit a superhydrophobic property that can be applied as an absorbent for oil spills.On the other hand,a carbon aerogel is synthesized via a pyrolysis process,resulting in a porous amorphous carbon.The residue after partially dissolving lignocellulose in BMIMCl is further calcined to obtain amorphous silica nanoparticles,achieving a comprehensive application of RHs.

Templated synthesis of crystalline mesoporous CeO_(2) with organosilane-containing polymers: balancing porosity, crystallinity and catalytic activity

We report the synthesis of ordered mesoporous ceria(mCeO_(2))with highly crystallinity and thermal stability using hybrid polymer templates consisting of organosilanes.Those organosilane-containing polymers can convert into silica-like nanostructures that further serve as thermally stable and mechanically strong templates to prevent the collapse of mesoporous frameworks during thermal-induced crystallization.Using a simple evaporation-induced self-assembly process,control of the interaction between templates and metal precursors allows the co-self-assembly of polymer micelles and Ce^(3+)ions to form uniform porous structures.The porosity is well-retained after calcination up to 900℃.After the thermal engineering at 700℃ for 12 h(mCeO_(2)-700-12 h),mCeO_(2) still has a specific surface area of 96 m^(2) g^(−1) with a pore size of 14 nm.mCeO_(2) is demonstrated to be active for electrochemical oxidation of sulfite.mCeO_(2)-700-12 h with a perfect balance of crystallinity and porosity shows the fastest intrinsic activity that is about 84 times more active than bulk CeO_(2) and 5 times more active than mCeO_(2) that has a lower crystallinity.