Difficulties, strategies, and recent research and development of layered sodium transition metal oxide cathode materials for high-energy sodium-ion batteries

Energy-storage systems and their production have attracted significant interest for practical applications.Batteries are the foundation of sustainable energy sources for electric vehicles(EVs),portable electronic devices(PEDs),etc.In recent decades,Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have been extensively utilized in largescale energy storage devices owing to their long cycle life and high energy density.However,the high cost and limited availability of Li are the two main obstacles for LIBs.In this regard,sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) are attractive alternatives to LIBs for large-scale energy storage systems because of the abundance and low cost of sodium materials.Cathode is one of the most important components in the battery,which limits cost and performance of a battery.Among the classified cathode structures,layered structure materials have attracted attention because of their high ionic conductivity,fast diffusion rate,and high specific capacity.Here,we present a comprehensive review of the classification of layered structures and the preparation of layered materials.Furthermore,the review article discusses extensively about the issues of the layered materials,namely(1) electrochemical degradation,(2) irreversible structural changes,and(3) structural instability,and also it provides strategies to overcome the issues such as elemental phase composition,a small amount of elemental doping,structural design,and surface alteration for emerging SIBs.In addition,the article discusses about the recent research development on layered unary,binary,ternary,quaternary,quinary,and senary-based O3-and P2-type cathode materials for high-energy SIBs.This review article provides useful information for the development of high-energy layered sodium transition metal oxide P2 and O3-cathode materials for practical SIBs.

Non-coding landscapes of colorectal cancer

For two decades Vogelstein's model has been theparadigm for describing the sequence of molecular changes within protein-coding genes that would lead to overt colorectal cancer(CRC). This model is now too simplistic in the light of recent studies, which have shown that our genome is pervasively transcribed in RNAs other than m RNAs, denominated non-coding RNAs(nc RNAs). The discovery that mutations in genes encoding these RNAs [i.e., micro RNAs(mi RNAs), long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs] are causally involved in cancer phenotypes has profoundly modified our vision of tumour molecular genetics and pathobiology. By exploiting a wide range of different mechanisms, nc RNAs control fundamental cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis and apoptosis: these data have also confirmed their role as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in cancer development and progression. The existence of a sophisticated RNA-based regulatory system, which dictates the correct functioning of protein-coding networks, has relevant biological and biomedical consequences. Different mi RNAs involved in neoplastic and degenerative diseases exhibit potential predictive and prognostic properties. Furthermore, the key roles of nc RNAs make them very attractive targets for innovative therapeutic approaches. Several recent reports have shown that nc RNAs can be secreted by cells into the extracellular environment(i.e., blood and other body fluids): this suggests the existence of extracellular signalling mechanisms, which may be exploited by cells in physiology and pathology. In this review, we will summarize the most relevant issues on the involvement of cellular and extracellular nc RNAs in disease. We will then specifically describe their involvement in CRC pathobiology and their translational applications to CRC diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.

Evaluation and comparison of short chain fatty acids composition in gut diseases

BACKGROUND An altered (dysbiosis) and unhealthy status of the gut microbiota is usually responsible for a reduction of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration. SCFAs obtained from the carbohydrate fermentation processes are crucial in maintaining gut homeostasis and their determination in stool samples could provide a faster, reliable and cheaper method to highlight the presence of an intestinal dysbiosis and a biomarker for various gut diseases. We hypothesize that different intestinal diseases, such as celiac disease (CD), adenomatous polyposis (AP) and colorectal cancer (CRC) could display a particular fecal SCFAs’ signature. AIM To compare the fecal SCFAs’ profiles of CD, AP, CRC patients and healthy controls, using the same analytical method. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we defined and compared the SCFAs’ concentration in fecal samples of 9 AP, 16 CD, 19 CRC patients and 16 healthy controls (HC). The SCFAs’ analysis were performed using a gas-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry method. Data analysis was carried out using Wilcoxon ranksum test to assess pairwise differences of SCFAs’ profiles, partial least squaresdiscriminate analysis (PLS-DA) to determine the status membership based on distinct SCFAs’ profiles, and Dirichlet regression to determine factors influencing concentration levels of SCFAs. RESULTS We have not observed any difference in the SCFAs’ amount and composition between CD and healthy control. On the contrary, the total amount of SCFAs was significantly lower in CRC patients compared to HC (P = 0.044) and CD (P = 0.005). Moreover, the SCFAs’ percentage composition was different in CRC and AP compared to HC. In detail, HC displayed higher percentage of acetic acid (P value = 1.3 × 10-6) and a lower amount of butyric (P value = 0.02192), isobutyric (P value = 7.4 × 10-5), isovaleric (P value = 0.00012) and valeric (P value = 0.00014) acids compared to CRC patients. AP showed a lower abundance of acetic acid (P value = 0.00062) and higher percentages of propionic (P value = 0.00433) and isovaleric (P value = 0.00433) acids compared to HC. Moreover, AP showed higher levels of propionic acid (P value = 0.03251) and a lower level of isobutyric acid (P value = 0.00427) in comparison to CRC. The PLS-DA model demonstrated a significant separation of CRC and AP groups from HC, although some degree of overlap was observed between CRC and AP. CONCLUSION Analysis of fecal SCFAs shows the potential to provide a non-invasive means of diagnosis to detect patients with CRC and AP, while CD patients cannot be discriminated from healthy subjects.

Improving genomic predictions by correction of genotypes from genotyping by sequencing in livestock populations

Background: Genotyping by sequencing(GBS) is a robust method to genotype markers. Many factors can influence the genotyping quality. One is that heterozygous genotypes could be wrongly genotyped as homozygotes,dependent on the genotyping depths. In this study, a method correcting this type of genotyping error was demonstrated. The efficiency of this correction method and its effect on genomic prediction were assessed using simulated data of livestock populations.Results: Chip array(Chip) and four depths of GBS data was simulated. After quality control(call rate ≥ 0.8 and MAF ≥ 0.01), the remaining number of Chip and GBS SNPs were both approximately 7,000, averaged over 10 replicates. GBS genotypes were corrected with the proposed method. The reliability of genomic prediction was calculated using GBS, corrected GBS(GBSc), true genotypes for the GBS loci(GBSr) and Chip data. The results showed that GBSc had higher rates of correct genotype calls and higher correlations with true genotypes than GBS. For genomic prediction, using Chip data resulted in the highest reliability. As the depth increased to 10, the prediction reliabilities using GBS and GBSc data approached those using true GBS data. The reliabilities of genomic prediction using GBSc data were 0.604, 0.672, 0.684 and 0.704 after genomic correction, with the improved values of 0.013, 0.009, 0.006 and 0.001 at depth = 2, 4, 5 and 10, respectively.Conclusions: The current study showed that a correction method for GBS data increased the genotype accuracies and, consequently, improved genomic predictions. These results suggest that a correction of GBS genotype is necessary, especially for the GBS data with low depths.

Epidemiological patterns of animal bites in Yazd Province (central Iran) between 2013 and 2017

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological pattern of animal bites in Yazd Province,central Iran.Methods:In this cross-sectional study,8 545 individuals with animal bites who were referred to the Yazd Province Rabies Treatment Center were investigated using the census method from April 2013 to March 2017.The variables included:demographic information,household living condition,the type of biting animals,the domesticated and wild animals,the time of biting based on year,the residence location (urban or rural),and the treatment status.Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using Excel 2013,SPSS version 25 and Arc GIS 14.1 Software.Results:A total of 8 545 cases of animal bites were reported in Yazd province from 2013 to 2017.The most animal bites (with 4 253 case of bites) and the lowest animal bites (with 121 case of bites) occurred in Yazd and Bahabad district,respectively.The incidence of animal bites was 168.4 per 100 000 people during the five-year period.Most of cases (73.9%) occurred in urban areas.Dog and cat bites accounted for 47.6% and 47.4% of all cases,respectively.Most of animal bites were reported in the summer (29.4%).Sixty percent of the cases received incomplete treatments,while 40% of them received complete treatments.During this study,three positive cases of fatal rabies from dog bites were reported.Conclusions:The incidence of animal bites is high in Yazd province,and more patients are bitten by dog and cat.Hence,educational,preventive,and informative programs are required to reduce the incidence of animal bites.

Deduction of a meteorological phenology indicator from reconstructed MODIS LST imagery

Phenology is a valuable attribute of vegetation to assess the biological impacts from climate change.A challenge of phenological research is to obtain information on both high temporal resolution and fine spatial scale observations.Here,we constructed an air temperature map based on temporal merging and spatial interpolation algorithms to overcome the cloud-related problem from the MODIS LST product.Then,we derived the accumulated growing degree days(AGDD)from the constructed mean air temperature map to use as a meteorological indicator.Further,we verified the indicator with the seasonal mean air temperature and the green-up date of a Quercus mongolica forest determined from the field-based measurements.The AGDD threshold for each Q.mongolica forest when the first leaf has unfolded was detected from the EXG trajectory extracted from digital camera images.A comparison between meteorological and MODIS-derived AGDD showed good agreement between them.There was also high consistency between DoYs extracted from AGDD and EVI based on curvature K for Q.mongolica forests of 30 sampling sites throughout South Korea.The results prove that microclimatic factors such as elevation,waterbody,and land-use intensity were faithfully reflected in the reconstructed images.Therefore,the results of this study could be applied effectively in areas where microclimatic variation is very severe and for monitoring phenology of undergrowth,which is difficult to detect from reflectance imaging.

On the Generic Taxonomy of Opisthotropis balteata(Cope, 1895)(Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae): Taxonomic Revision of Two Natricine Genera

The single prefrontal configuration has historically been used as an important diagnostic character for many natricine taxa. For example, the genus Trimerodytes Cope, 1895 was long been regarded as a junior synonym of Opisthotropis Günther, 1872 for their similar prefrontal configurations and the type species, T. balteatus Cope, 1895, has been assigned to the genus Opisthotropis. However, as the number and arrangement of prefrontal vary frequently both at species and generic level, it is questionable whether the synonymization of Trimerodytes reflects their evolutionary relationships. On the basis of recently collected specimens of O. balteata, the generic status of the species was assessed using both molecular and morphological data. Opisthotropis was recovered as polyphyletic with reference to O. balteata, because O. balteata is nested within the genus Sinonatrix Rossman and Eberle, 1977 and is the sister species of the type species of Sinonatrix. Consequently, we herein resurrect the long-overlooked synonym Trimerodytes from Opisthotropis and synonymize the junior generic nomen Sinonatrix with Trimerodytes. In addition, based on morphological similarities between the monotypic genus Paratapinophis Angel, 1929 and Trimerodytes, we doubt about the validity of Paratapinophis. Following taxonomic changes in this work, the taxonomic account of the genus Trimerodytes, updated descriptions of its type species, and diagnostic key to Trimerodytes species are provided.

Effects of Zhichan powder on signal transduction and apoptosis-associated gene expression in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease rats

Previous studies have shown that Zhichan powder elevated immunity and suppressed oxidation in mice. Rat models of Parkinson＇s disease were induced by stereotaxically injecting 6-hydroxydopamine into the substantia nigra. The rat models were intragastrically treated with Zhichan powder, which is composed of milkvetch root, ginseng, bunge swallowwort root, himalayan teasel root. Magnolia officinalis, Ligustrum lucidum Ait. and szechwan Iovage rhizome. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-PCR results demonstrated that mRNA and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, Fas, caspase-8, cvtochrome C, Bax, casDase-3, and p53 significantly increased, but Bcl-2 expression significantly decreased in the substantia nigra of rats with Parkinson＇s disease. Following Zhichan powder administration, mRNA and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, Fas, caspase-8, cytochrome C, Bax, caspase-3, and p53 diminished, but Bcl-2 expression increased in the rat substantia nigra. These results indicate that Zhichan powder regulates signal transduction protein expression, inhibits apoptosis, and exerts therapeutic effects on Parkinson＇s disease.

African eggplant(Solanum anguivi Lam.)fruit with bioactive polyphenolic compounds exerts in vitro antioxidant properties and inhibits Ca^(2+)-induced mitochondrial swelling

Objective:To evaluate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of Solanum anguivi fruit(SAG)and its possible effect on mitochondrial permeability transition pore as well as mitochondrial membrane potential(△Ψ_m)isolated from rat liver.Methods:Antioxidant activity of SAG was assayed by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH),reducing power,iron chelation and ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in both liver and brain homogenate of rats.Also,the effect of SAG on mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling were determined.Identification and quantification of bioactive polyphenolics was done by HPLC-DAD.Results:SAG exhibited potent and concentration dependent free radical-scavenging activity(IC_(50)/DPPH=275.03±7.8μg/mL).Reductive and iron chelation abilities also increase with increase in SAG concentration.SAG also inhibited peroxidation of cerebral and hepatic lipids subjected to iron oxidative assault.SAG protected against Ca^(2+)(110μmol/L)-induced mitochondrial swelling and maintained the△Ψ_m.HPLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid[(17.54±0.04)mg/g],chlorogenic acid(21.90±0.02 mg/g),caffeic acid(16.64±0.01 mg/g).rutin[(14.71±0.03)mg/g]and quercetin[(7.39±0.05)mg/g].Conclusions:These effects could be attributed to the bioactive polyphenolic compounds present in the extract.Our results suggest that SAG extract is a potential source of natural antioxidants that may be used not only in pharmaceutical and food industry but also in the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress.

Regeneration of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) stands inhibited by fire suppression in Albany Pine Bush Preserve, New York

The Pine Barrens in New York State are dominated by pitch pine(Pinus ridgida) and scrub oaks(Quercus ilicifolia and Q. prinoides). With fire suppression over the last 90 years or so, P. rigida regeneration has become sparse, even in areas set aside to preserve this type of vegetation. We evaluated the effects of fire and an alternative disturbance(mechanical removal of vegetation)for increasing P. rigida regeneration in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in eastern New York State. By comparing cover, diameter and height of P. rigida, Q. ilicifolia, Q.prinoides, and Vaccinium spp.(blueberry) growing on the sites with a known fire history, we documented structural and compositional changes in the vegetation since its establishment. We also compared sites on which Quercus sprouts were controlled through mechanical removal. In the years following a disturbance, height and cover of Q. ilicifolia increased continuously and the species became increasingly competitive. Both the density of P. rigida seedlings and Vaccinium cover decreased significantly as the diameter and height of Quercus increased. Our results confirmed that the dominance by P. rigida could be attributed to periodic fires at intervals of 20–25 years. We conclude that removing Q. ilicifolia can favor P. rigida dominance on the barren without fire by releasing pine seedlings from competition.

Early recovery process and restoration planning of burned pine forests in central eastern Korea

In central eastern Korea, there has been a continued effort to sustain pine forests because of their value for wood and mushroom production, as well as for other resources. Through the analysis of previously burned areas,we clarified the effects of fire on vegetation dynamics of pine forests by measuring changes in species composition,population structure, and the growth rates of major tree species. Vegetation analysis was conducted on a series of 100 m^2 plots established in Korean red pine(Pinus densiflora Siebold. & Zucc.) and Mongolian oak(Quercus mongolica Fisch. Ex Ledeb.) forests situated in three different topographic positions on slopes where fire severity varied. We confirmed that most pine trees will succumb to even a surface fire, whereas oak may be killed following high intensity or infrequent fires but will sprout and become dominant. Complete protection from fire favors other, more shade-tolerant deciduous hardwoods. Different restoration plans apply, based on observed vegetation responses for each topographic zone. Near the ridge top,where pine seed sources are most limited, it may be necessary to restore pine forests by planting and to control competing shrubs and herbs. At the mountain foot, where exotic species and species modified by hybridization have invaded aggressively, restoration that involves the introduction of natural vegetation is required. Mid-slope sites,where pine has been replaced by natural vegetation dominated by Mongolian oak, do not require any form of restorative treatment.

Synthesis and Characterisation of In2O3 Na-noparticles from Astragalus gummifer

Exploitation of green chemistry approach for the synthesis of Indium Oxide nanoparticles using green synthesis has received a great attention in the field of nanotechnology. To demonstrate a biogenic method that involves the Katira gum (Astragalus gummifer) leading to the formation of different morphological In2O3 using the precursor Indium (III) Acetylacetonate and TG-DTA is characterised for calcination temperature and it is found to be above 500℃. Different techniques such as XRD, UV-VIS, SEM and EDAX have been used for the characterisation of In2O3 nanoparticles. The average crystallite size of Indiumoxide nanoparticles is determined as 19 nm by using Scherrer’s Equation and PSA and studying optical properties.

具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性的HCV-NS3重组蛋白的纯化及活性分析

为深入探讨HCV-NS3蛋白的酶动力学性质,制备了具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性的HCVNS3重组蛋白。利用PCR扩增HCV非结构基因NS3,插入pPIC9,测序分析。携带NS3基因的重组质粒(pPIC9-NS3)转化毕氏酵母菌菌株GS115,甲醇诱导表达NS3蛋白。重组蛋白首先采用Hitrapchelating柱进行亲和分离,之后使用MonoSHR柱进一步纯化。对纯化后的NS3重组蛋白的酶活性进行分析,结果表明,获得的重组蛋白分别具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性。本研究为深入探讨NS3编码酶的功能和开发抗病毒药物创造条件。

土壤提取液中酰基高丝氨酸内酯的气相色谱-质谱检测方法优化

建立并优化了利用气相色谱-质谱（Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,GC-MS）检测酰基高丝氨酸内酯（Acyl-homoserine lactones,AHLs）的分析方法。通过优化升温程序,采用选择离子检测（m/z 143）,可同时检测7种AHLs（C4、C6、C7、C8、C10、C12和C14）,检出限分别为1.50、2.00、1.50、2.00、2.00、2.50和2.50μg l-1,在2.0 mg l-1浓度范围内均呈线性关系（R2〉0.997）。加标回收率实验表明,采用乙酸乙酯萃取,水中7种AHLs的回收率均在54%~97%之间;不同比例的土水体系中,砖红壤和黄棕壤提取液中AHLs的回收率均在56%~108%之间。不同介质中AHLs回收率与其Log P值（P：AHLs在正丁醇和水溶液中的分配比）及水溶解度对数均显著相关,表明采用乙酸乙酯萃取水和土壤提取液中的AHLs时,回收率主要与AHLs的Log P值和水溶解度有关。采用该方法对土壤提取液中AHLs进行测定发现砖红壤和黄棕壤提取液中7种AHLs的浓度分别为3.8~8.7μg l-1和4.2~9.8μg l-1。因此,不仅对于水溶液,土壤提取液等复杂介质中的AHLs也可以采用乙酸乙酯萃取后GC-MS进行分析测定。

Identifying multi-component drug candidates in natural products via association rule mining

OBJECTIVE To identify compound combinations as candidate multi-component drugs for the type 2 diabetes from natural product information.METHODS Chemical composition information of herbs in natural medicine was acquired by integrating conventional databases;Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Database(TCM-ID)and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database(TCMID).Therapeutic effect of each herb on the type 2 diabetes was examined by analyzing annotated function information with a text-mining method.The Apriori algorithm,which is a classical method for extracting associations between object in large-scale databases,was employed to infer association rules between compound combinations and therapeutic effect on the target disease.The chemical composition and therapeutic information of each herb was used as a transaction,which consists of the chemical compound combination as an antecedent item set and the therapeutic effect as a consequent item.The association rules with high support and confidence value were suggested as candidate multi-component drugs for the type 2 diabetes.RESULTS Totally 40 941 association rules were inferred with support lower bound 0.05% and maximum rule length 4.With respect to support and confidence,the top-ranked compound combination was puerarin and daidzin(support=0.15%,confidence=100%).In addition,the top 16 compound combinations were composed of 11 individual chemical compounds;puerarin,daidzin,abscisic acid,batatisine,dopamine,cholesterol,daidzein,gamma-aminobutyric acid,stigmasterol,campesteryl ferulate,and campesterol.To validate therapeutic effect of the proposed compound combinations,literature evidences of each individual compound were investigated.Among the 11 individual compounds,six compounds were reported to be effective for the treatment of the diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION By analyzing natural product in formation with association rule mining,16 compound combinations are suggested as candidate multi-component drugs for the type 2 diabetes.These compound combinations are recommended for further investigation in the context of drug development.

利用ITS1和Cyt b位点的DNA单链空间构型多样性研究黑脚硬蜱的种群结构(英文)

黑脚硬蜱 (Ixodesscapularis)是莱姆病的主要传毒媒介。本文利用从 12个不同地点采集的 85 3个样本 ,采用DNA单连构型多样性的分子技术 (DNAsinglestrandconformationpolymorphisms)对黑脚硬蜱的种群结构进行了分析。线粒体细胞色素b (Cytb)和核糖体rRNA基因的内部转录空间ITS1被用为种群目标分子标记位点。在Cytb位点上 ,总共发现 7个单倍基因型。在ITS1位点上 ,共发现 13个基因型。基因型频率分析结果显示 ,沿美国东海岸分布的黑脚硬蜱隶属于两个不同的南北种群 ,但是基因流在地理区域间频繁发生。尽管蜱自身的迁徙扩散能力有限 ,但地理区域内个体间的遗传变异程度仍然较大 ,这可能与黑脚硬蜱寄主动物的频繁迁移有关。另外 ,本研究资料显示 。

烷基胺玻璃固定化葡萄糖氧化酶测定血糖

定量分析血糖在门诊和许多疾病如糖尿病,甲状腺机能抗进,粘液腺癌,垂体机能减退,肾上腺机能减退和妨碍葡萄糖吸收等疾病的诊断有重要意义。测定葡萄糖有很多方法,采用葡萄糖氧化酶比色法,由于操作简便,专一性强,灵敏度高,因此比较适合用于常规测定[1]。但是葡萄糖氧化酶的价格高.

A functional approach toward xerogel immobilization for encapsulation biocompatibility of Rhizobium toward biosensor

Sol-gel derived silica has tremendous applications as a biocompatible scaffold for the immobilization of cells. The use of xerogel as a matrix in the blueprint of biosensors is an appealing proposition due to several inimitable characteristics of xerogels, primarily because of their high porous nature, amendable pore size, and exceptionally large internal surface area. Morphological （X-Ray Diffraction and Thermogravimmetric Analysis） and optical （Fourier Transform Infrared and UV-Vis absorption） studies of the silica matrices with entrapped Rhizobial （Rz） structure of the biomaterial has been made. Temporal and concentration dependent studies were conducted for impregnated samples; it showed that the response time for the new biosensor for determining the concentration of Rz is less than 20 min. In this work, first time a novel avenue to create a generic approach for the fabrication of biosensor has been created.

Integrative database for multi-compound drug discovery in complementary medicine

OBJECTIVE To construct an integrative database for multi-compound drug discovery.METHODS We designed and constructed a database system,which integrates traditional herbal medicine,functional food,and drug combination information.Our database consists of six entity tables,namely drug combinations,functional foods,prescriptions,herbs,compounds and phenotypes.We established strategies for data integration and entity resolution to facilitate heterogeneous information of multi-compound therapies.To standardize the data,instances of entity tables are mapped to international identifiers,and phenotype terms in narrative text are extracted by using the named entity recognition(NER)method.RESULTS The database integrates therapeutic information of traditional herbal medicine,functional foods and combination drugs which is acquired from Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Database(TCM-ID),Food and Drug Administration(FDA)and Drug Combination Database(DCDB).The herb information is mapped to NCBI taxonomy identifiers,and compound information is mapped to PubChem and ChEMBL identifiers for standardization.We also applied MetaMap,a tool for recognizing UMLS concepts from narrative text,to extract phenotype terms.The current version of the database contains 6 291 drug combinations,1 615 functional foods,20 091 prescriptions,8889herbs,227 636 compounds and 11 744 phenotypes.CONCLUSION Our database provides various therapeutic information of multi-compound therapies which serve as a fundamental resource for the polypharmacology research.

Co-operative roles of IL-4Rαand IL-13Rα1 in the progression of ovarian carcinomas and the survival of ovarian carcinoma patients

Dear Editor,Recently,there has been a rise in interest in the roles of cytokines and cytokine receptors in malignant human tumors.Cytokine receptors,especially typeⅡinterleukin-4 receptor(IL-4R),have recently been examined as novel therapeutic targets of human cancers[1-3].The typeⅡIL-4R complex is composed of IL-4Rαand interleukin-13 receptorα1(IL-13Rα1),and the expression of IL-4Rαand IL-13Rα1 was higher in cancer tissues compared with normal counterpart tissues[3,4].