Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors. Understanding the molecular basis of gliomas' progression is required to develop more effective therapies. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade is an important signal transduction pathway in human cancers. Although, overactivation of this pathway is a hallmark of several forms of cancer, little is known about its role in human gliomas. Here, we aimed to determine the clinical significance of Wnt/β-catenin pathway components in gliomas. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression patterns of Wnt1, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 in the biopsies from 96 patients with primary gliomas. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognosis of patients. Cytoplasmic staining pattern of Wnt1, membranous, cytoplasmic and nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, and nuclear localization of Cyclin D1 were demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining. The Wnt1 expression significantly correlated with the expression of Cyclin D1 (P < 0.0001). The ratio of tumors with a cytoplasmic-nuclear pattern or a cytoplasmic pattern of β-catenin was significantly higher in Wnt1-positive (P < 0.01) and Cyclin D1-positive (P < 0.01) tumors than in Wnt1-negative and Cyclin D1-negative tumors, respectively. The protein expression levels of Wnt1, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 were all positively correlated with the Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) score and World Health Organization (WHO) grades of patients with gliomas. Furthermore, Wnt1, cytoplasmic-nuclear β-catenin and Cyclin D1 status were all the independent prognostic factors for glioma patients (P = 0.01, 0.007 and 0.005, respectively). These results provide convincing evidence that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway correlated closely with the progression of gliomas and might be a novel prognostic marker for this neoplasm.

In order to capture savings in energy and ambitious environmental targets, biodegradable composite foams of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) supported by cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were prepared through unidirectional freeze-drying technology. Effects of the content of CNF, the solid content of the precursor suspension, and the quenching temperature on the microstructure and properties of the composite foams were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), compressive testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, water uptake, and biodegradation tests. Results show that the incorporation of CNF preferably at a weight ratio of 30 wt % greatly enhanced the mechanical strength and modulus, energy absorption, water resistance, and dimensional stability of the composite foams because of the rigid and semicrystalline nature of CNF as well as regular and compact pore structures. Furthermore, the biodegradation tests performed in a simulated aerobic compost environment suggested that the involvement of CNF significantly accelerated the pace of biodegradation of the composite foams. Hence, we provided some meaningful information on the biomimetic cellular composite foams with controllable morphs and properties by varying the freeze-drying process and composition.

Reduced graphene oxide/CdWO4 (RGO-CdWO4) composite photocatalysts were prepared by a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. Namely, the reduction of graphene oxide and the growth of CdWO4 crystal occurred simultaneously in one single process. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, UV-vis reflection spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared samples were investigated by degradation of methylene blue under UV light irradiation. An enhancement in photocatalytic activity was observed with RGO-CdWO4 composites compared with pure CdWO4. We also investigated the effect of the amount of graphene on the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared composite photocatalysts. The results showed that there was an optimal amount of 2%. The mechanism of enhancement of the photocatalytic activity was also discussed.

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