Cytomulate: accurate and efficient simulation of CyTOF data

Recently, many analysis tools have been devised to offer insights into data generated via cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF). However, objective evaluations of these methods remain absent as most evaluations are conducted against real data where the ground truth is generally unknown. In this paper, we develop Cytomulate, a reproducible and accurate simulation algorithm of CyTOF data, which could serve as a foundation for future method development and evaluation. We demonstrate that Cytomulate can capture various characteristics of CyTOF data and is superior in learning overall data distributions than single-cell RNA-seq-oriented methods such as scDesign2, Splatter, and generative models like LAMBDA.

Developing Ni single-atom sites in carbon nitride for efficient photocatalytic H2O2 production

Photocatalytic two-electron oxygen reduction to produce high-value hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is gaining popularity as a promising avenue of research. However, structural evolution mechanisms of catalytically active sites in the entire photosynthetic H2O2 system remains unclear and seriously hinders the development of highly-active and stable H2O2 photocatalysts. Herein, we report a high-loading Ni single-atom photocatalyst for efficient H2O2 synthesis in pure water, achieving an apparent quantum yield of 10.9% at 420 nm and a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 0.82%. Importantly, using in situ synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy we directly observe that initial Ni-N3 sites dynamically transform into high-valent O1-Ni-N2 sites after O2 adsorption and further evolve to form a key *OOH intermediate before finally forming HOO-Ni-N2. Theoretical calculations and experiments further reveal that the evolution of the active sites structure reduces the formation energy barrier of *OOH and suppresses the O=O bond dissociation, leading to improved H2O2 production activity and selectivity.

Preparation, thermal storage properties and application of sodium acetate trihydrate/expanded graphite composite phase change materials

The development of energy storage technology is beneficial for the efficient use of energy and sustainable development. As an effectual approach for storing and transporting thermal energy, latent heat storage using phase change materials (PCMs) has attracted tremendous attention. However, low thermal conductivity, poor stability, and leakages are considerable challenges to the widespread application of solid-liquid PCMs. Composite phase change materials (CPCMs) were prepared by combining expanded graphite (EG) and sodium acetate trihydrate (CH3COONa·3H2O, SAT). EG as a supporting material plays a crucial part in both enhancing the thermal conductivity and preventing the melted PCMs from leakage. The chemical structure, micromorphology, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, phase change behavior and heat storage performance of SAT/EG CPCMs have been extensively investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal conductivity analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and cycling stability measurement. The results of SEM indicate that EG with a loose and porous layered structure has a good molding effect and can adsorb SAT well. XRD and FTIR results show that only a simple physical combination between EG and SAT exists, and no new substances have been produced. Compared with pure SAT, thermal conductivity and supercooling tests show that the supercooling degree of the CPCMs was decreased and the thermal conductivity was increased by 205.1%. In addition, the addition of 2 wt% of disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate (Na2HPO4·12H2O, DHPD) as a nucleating agent and 0.5 wt% of gelatin as a thickening agent to SAT could reduce the supercooling degree and inhibit the phase separation well. Based on SAT/EG-8% CPCMs, an oven with phase change energy storage was designed and the heat storage/release performance of the oven was investigated under different operating conditions.

Light-Reinforced Key Intermediate for Anticoking To Boost Highly Durable Methane Dry Reforming over Single Atom Ni Active Sites on CeO2

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) has been investigated for more than a century; the paramount stumbling block in its industrial application is the inevitable sintering of catalysts and excessive carbon emissions at high temperatures. However, the low-temperature DRM process still suffered from poor reactivity and severe catalyst deactivation from coking. Herein, we proposed a concept that highly durable DRM could be achieved at low temperatures via fabricating the active site integration with light irradiation. The active sites with Ni-O coordination (NiSA/CeO2) and Ni-Ni coordination (NiNP/CeO2) on CeO2, respectively, were successfully constructed to obtain two targeted reaction paths that produced the key intermediate (CH3O*) for anticoking during DRM. In particular, the operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy coupling with steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis (operando DRIFTS-SSITKA) was utilized and successfully tracked the anticoking paths during the DRM process. It was found that the path from CH3* to CH3O* over NiSA/CeO2 was the key path for anticoking. Furthermore, the targeted reaction path from CH3* to CH3O* was reinforced by light irradiation during the DRM process. Hence, the NiSA/CeO2 catalyst exhibits excellent stability with negligible carbon deposition for 230 h under thermo-photo catalytic DRM at a low temperature of 472 °C, while NiNP/CeO2 shows apparent coke deposition behavior after 0.5 h in solely thermal-driven DRM. The findings are vital as they provide critical insights into the simultaneous achievement of low-temperature and anticoking DRM process through distinguishing and directionally regulating the key intermediate species.

Customized Microenvironments Spontaneously Facilitate Coupled Engineering of Real-Life Large-Scale Clean Water Capture and Pollution Remediation

Harnessing abundant renewable resources and pollutants on a large scale to address environmental challenges, while providing sustainable freshwater, is a significant endeavour. This study presents the design of fully functional solar vaporization devices (SVD) based on organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites (CCMs-x). These devices exhibit efficient photothermal properties that facilitate multitargeted interfacial reactions, enabling simultaneous catalysis of sewage and desalination. The localized interfacial heating generated by the photothermal effect of CCMs-x triggers surface-dominated catalysis and steam generation. The CCMs-x SVD achieves a solar water-vapor generation rate of 1.41 kg m-2 h-1 (90.8%), and it achieves over 95% removal of pollutants within 60 min under one-sun for practical application. The exceptional photothermal conversion rate of wastewater for environmental remediation and water capture is attributed to customized microenvironments within the system. The integrated parallel reaction system in SVD ensures it is a real-life application in multiple scenarios such as municipal/medical wastewater and brine containing high concentrations. Additionally, the SVD exhibits long-term durability, antifouling functionality toward complex ionic contaminants. This study not only demonstrates a one-stone-two-birds strategy for large-scale direct production of potable water from polluted seawater, but also opens up exciting possibilities for parallel production of energy and water resources.

α2,3-Sialylation with Fucosylation Associated with More Severe Anti-MDA5 Positive Dermatomyositis Induced by Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease associated with numerous myositis specific antibodies (MSAs) in which DM with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5-positive (MDA5 + DM) is a unique subtype of DM with higher risk of developing varying degrees of Interstitial lung disease (ILD). Glycosylation is a complex posttranslational modification of proteins associated with many autoimmune diseases. However, the association of total plasma N-glycome (TPNG) and DM, especially MDA5 + DM, is still unknown. TPNG of 94 DM patients and 168 controls were analyzed by mass spectrometry with in-house reliable quantitative method called Bionic Glycome method. Logistic regression with age and sex adjusted was used to reveal the aberrant glycosylation of DM and the association of TPNG and MDA5 + DM with or without rapidly progressive ILD (RPILD). The elastic net model was used to evaluate performance of glycans in distinguishing RPLID from non-RPILD, and survival analysis was analyzed with N-glycoslyation score by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. It was found that the plasma protein N-glycome in DM showed higher fucosylation and bisection, lower sialylation (α2,3- not α2,6-linked) and galactosylation than controls. In MDA5 + DM, more severe disease condition was associated with decreased sialylation (specifically α2,3-sialylation with fucosylation) while accompanying elevated H6N5S3 and H5N4FSx, decreased galactosylation and increased fucosylation and the complexity of N-glycans. Moreover, glycosylation traits have better discrimination ability to distinguish RPILD from non-RPILD with AUC 0.922 than clinical features and is MDA5-independent. Survival advantage accrued to MDA5 + DM with lower N-glycosylation score (p = 3e-04). Our study reveals the aberrant glycosylation of DM for the first time and indicated that glycosylation is associated with disease severity caused by ILD in MDA5 + DM, which might be considered as the potential biomarker for early diagnosis of RPILD and survival evaluation of MDA5 + DM.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-023-00096-z.

PdNi Biatomic Clusters from Metallene Unlock Record-Low Onset Dehydrogenation Temperature for Bulk-MgH2

Hydrogen storage has long been a priority on the renewable energy research agenda. Due to its high volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen density, MgH2 is a desirable candidate for solid-state hydrogen storage. However, its practical use is constrained by high thermal stability and sluggish kinetics. Here, PdNi bilayer metallenes are reported as catalysts for hydrogen storage of bulk-MgH2 near ambient temperature. Unprecedented 422 K beginning dehydrogenation temperature and up to 6.36 wt.% reliable hydrogen storage capacity are achieved. Fast hydrogen desorption is also provided by the system (5.49 wt.% in 1 h, 523 K). The in situ generated PdNi alloy clusters with suitable d-band centers are identified as the main active sites during the de/re-hydrogenation process by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy and theoretical simulations, while other active species including Pd/Ni pure phase clusters and Pd/Ni single atoms obtained via metallene ball milling, also enhance the reaction. These findings present fundamental insights into active species identification and rational design of highly efficient hydrogen storage materials.

LncRNA-Anrel promotes the proliferation and migration of synovial fibroblasts through regulating miR-146a-mediated annexin A1 expression

OBJECTIVE

Increasing evidence demonstrates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to multiple human autoimmune diseases, and their dysregulation is tightly linked to inflammation and disease progression. Nonetheless, little is known about the consequences of aberrant expression of lncRNAs during rheumatoid arthritis (RA) development. In this study, we screened for the expressions of lncRNAs in RA synovial fibroblasts (RA-SF) and investigated their functions in RA-SF proliferation and migration, and the relevant underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

The lncRNAs expression profiles were interrogated with microarrays. The expressions of key lncRNAs were confirmed in synovial fibroblasts from RA patients and MH7A cells using qRT-PCR. Proliferations and migrations of MH7A and HFL-1 cells were evaluated using CCK-8 assay and cell migration assay kits, respectively. The expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) and cell migration related proteins (MMP-1 and MMP-3) were evaluated using qRT-PCR and western blotting. Collagen type II-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice was used as an animal model of RA.

RESULTS

Nine lncRNAs were significantly altered in RA-SF, of which lncRNA-000239 showing the most significant upregulation. Overexpression of lncRNA-000239 significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration of human RS-SF cells (MH7A), while the opposite effect was observed with lncRNA-000239 silencing. Importantly, lncRNA-000239 enhanced annexin A1 expression by upregulating the expression of miR-146a. Moreover, locally enhanced expression of lncRNA-000239 promoted the onset of arthritis in CIA.

CONCLUSION

These data indicate that lncRNA-000239 upregulates annexin A1 expression via miR-146a and thus, promotes the proliferation and migration of RA-SF. This highlights a potential role of lncRNA-000239 as an inflammatory factor of RA.

Model based on single-nucleotide polymorphism to discriminate aspirin resistance patients

BACKGROUND

Aspirin is widely used for preventing ischaemic events. About 20%-40% of patients have aspirin resistance (ASR), which prevents them from benefiting from aspirin medication. This study aimed to develop and validate a model based on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to distinguish ASR patients.

METHODS

We included patients with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage and continuing antiplatelet therapy from a multicentre, prospective cohort study as the derivation cohort. Thromboelastography (inhibition of arachidonic acid channel<50%) was used to identify ASR. Genotyping was performed to identify the ASR-related SNP. Based on the result of the logistic analysis, the aspirin resistance in the Chinese population score (ASR-CN score) was established, and its accuracy was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). Patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy for unruptured intracranial aneurysm embolism were prospectively included in the validation cohort. After embolism, 30-day ischaemic events, including ischaemic stroke, new or more frequent transient ischaemic attack, stent thrombosis and cerebrovascular death, were recorded.

RESULTS

The derivation cohort included 212 patients (155 male patients and the median age as 59). 87 (41.0%) individuals were identified with ASR. The multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated six SNPs of GP1BA, TBXA2R, PTGS2 and NOS3 as risk factors related to ASR. The ASR-CN score integrating these SNPs performed well to discriminate ASR patients from non-ASR patients (AUC as 0.77). Based on the validation cohort of 372 patients receiving antiplatelet therapy after embolism (including 130 ASR patients), the ASR-CN score continued to distinguish ASR patients with good accuracy (AUC as 0.80). Patients with high a ASR-CN score were more likely to suffer from 30-day ischaemic events after embolism (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.50; p=0.002).

CONCLUSION

GP1BA, TBXA2R, PTGS2 and NOS3 were SNPs related to ASR. The ASR-CN score is an effective tool to discriminate ASR patients, which may guide antiplatelet therapy.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Surgical Treatments of Antiplatelet Intracerebral Hemorrhage cohort (unique identifier: ChiCTR1900024406, http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=40640&htm=4).

Brief Report: Clinical Response, Toxicity, and Resistance Mechanisms to Osimertinib Plus MET Inhibitors in Patients With EGFR-Mutant MET-Amplified NSCLC

Introduction

MET amplification is a known resistance mechanism to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Dual EGFR-MET inhibition has been reported with success in overcoming such resistance and inducing clinical benefit. Resistance mechanisms to dual EGFR-MET inhibition require further investigation and characterization.

Methods

Patients with NSCLC with both MET amplification and EGFR mutation who have received crizotinib, capmatinib, savolitinib, or tepotinib plus osimertinib (OSI) after progression on OSI at MD Anderson Cancer Center were included in this study. Molecular profiling was completed by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Radiological response was assessed on the basis of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1.

Results

From March 2016 to March 2022, 23 treatments with dual MET inhibitor and osi were identified with a total of 20 patients included. Three patients received capmatinib plus OSI after progression on crizotinib plus OSI. Median age was 64 (38-89) years old and 75% were female. MET amplification was detected by FISH in 14 patients in the tissue, NGS in 10 patients, and circulating tumor DNA in three patients. Median MET gene copy number was 13.6 (6.4-20). Overall response rate was 34.8% (eight of 23). In assessable patients, tumor shrinkage was observed in 82.4% (14 of 17). Median time on treatment was 27 months. Two of three patients responded to capmatinib plus OSI after progression on crizotinib plus OSI. Dual EGFR-MET inhibition was overall well tolerated. Two patients on crizotinib plus OSI and one pt on capmatinib plus OSI discontinued therapy due to pneumonitis. One pt discontinued crizotinib plus OSI due to gastrointestinal toxicity. Six patients were still on double TKI treatment. At disease progression to dual EGFR-MET inhibition, FISH and NGS on tumor and plasma were completed in six patients. Notable resistance mechanisms observed include acquired MET D1246H (n = 1), acquired EGFR C797S (n = 2), FGFR2 fusion (n = 1, concurrent with C797S), and EGFR G796S (n = 1, concurrent with C797S). Four patients lost MET amplification.

Conclusions

Dual EGFR and MET inhibition yielded high clinical response rate after progression on OSI. Resistance mechanisms to EGFR-MET double TKI inhibition include MET secondary mutation, EGFR secondary mutation, or loss of MET amplification.

One-Dimensional Hybrid Copper(I) Iodide Single Crystal with Renewable Scintillation Properties

Low-dimensional hybrid copper(I) halides attract considerable attention in the field of light emissions. In this work, we obtained the centimeter-sized single crystal of 1,3-propanediamine copper(I) iodide (PDACuI₃) with a solvent evaporation method. The single crystal X-ray diffraction of PDACuI₃ reveals that the [CuI₄] tetrahedra form the corner-connected chains separated by PDAs, forming a one-dimensional structure with an orthorhombic space group of Pbca. The band gap is determined to be 4.03 eV, and the room temperature photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield is determined to be 26.5%. The thermal quenching and negative thermal quenching of emission are observed via temperature-dependent PL spectra, and our study shows that the intermediate nonradiative state below the self-trapped exciton state may get involved in these temperature-dependent behaviors. The X-ray scintillation performance of PDACuI₃ single crystals is also evaluated, and the relative light output renewed to 94.3% of the fresh one after a low-temperature annealing. On the basis of our results, PDACuI₃ single crystals provide nontoxicity and renewable scintillation performance, thus showing potential application in the area of low-cost radiation detectors.

Development and Analysis of Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Piezoelectric Actuator Based on Elephant Trunk Structure

In most of the piezoelectric stacked motors studied, the stator usually adopts two compound modes to drive the rotor to do step motion. This design method not only improves the utilization rate of the stator but also improves the torque output to a certain extent and increases the output displacement. In this study, a new type of multi-degree of freedom piezoelectric actuator is proposed for the utilization of a stator. The actuator realizes three compound vibration modes of bending-longitudinal-bending on a single stator, which changes the two compound modes of longitudinal bending and also changes the single motion mode of the stepper motor along a straight line. The rotor is set as a ball to drive it to rotate. The designed motor presents a different driving signal under which the rotor will no longer be accompanied by a return displacement. The finite element method is used to complete the design analysis, and the experimental analysis of the designed motor is carried out after the prototype is made. The multi-degree-of-freedom piezoelectric actuator can achieve a speed of 8.56 mm/c and a driving load of 1200 g at a voltage of 400 v and a working frequency of 42.7 kHz.

Fisheries subsidies reform in China

Subsidies are widely criticized in fisheries management for promoting global fishing capacity growth and overharvesting. Scientists worldwide have thus called for a ban on "harmful" subsidies that artificially increase fishing profits, resulting in the recent agreement among members of the World Trade Organization to eliminate such subsidies. The argument for banning harmful subsidies relies on the assumption that fishing will be unprofitable after eliminating subsidies, incentivizing some fishermen to exit and others to refrain from entering. These arguments follow from open-access governance regimes where entry has driven profits to zero. Yet many modern-day fisheries are conducted under limited-access regimes that limit capacity and maintain economic profits, even without subsidies. In these settings, subsidy removal will reduce profits but perhaps without any discernable effect on capacity. Importantly, until now, there have been no empirical studies of subsidy reductions to inform us about their likely quantitative impacts. In this paper, we evaluate a policy reform that reduced fisheries subsidies in China. We find that China's subsidy reductions accelerated the rate at which fishermen retired their vessels, resulting in reduced fleet capacity, particularly among older and smaller vessels. Notably, the reduction of harmful subsidies was only partly responsible for reducing fleet capacity; an increase in vessel retirement subsidies was also a necessary driver of capacity reduction. Our study demonstrates that the efficacy of removing harmful subsidies depends on the policy environment in which removals occur.

Ruthenium-cobalt single atom alloy for CO photo-hydrogenation to liquid fuels at ambient pressures

Photothermal Fischer-Tropsch synthesis represents a promising strategy for converting carbon monoxide into value-added chemicals. High pressures (2-5 MPa) are typically required for efficient C-C coupling reactions and the production of C₅₊ liquid fuels. Herein, we report a ruthenium-cobalt single atom alloy (Ru₁Co-SAA) catalyst derived from a layered-double-hydroxide nanosheet precursor. Under UV-Vis irradiation (1.80 W cm^-2), Ru₁Co-SAA heats to 200 °C and photo-hydrogenates CO to C₅₊ liquid fuels at ambient pressures (0.1-0.5 MPa). Single atom Ru sites dramatically enhance the dissociative adsorption of CO, whilst promoting C-C coupling reactions and suppressing over-hydrogenation of CH_x* intermediates, resulting in a CO photo-hydrogenation turnover frequency of 0.114 s^-1 with 75.8% C₅₊ selectivity. Owing to the local Ru-Co coordination, highly unsaturated intermediates are generated during C-C coupling reactions, thereby improving the probability of carbon chain growth into C₅₊ liquid fuels. The findings open new vistas towards C₅₊ liquid fuels under sunlight at mild pressures.

Comparative analysis of dimension reduction methods for cytometry by time-of-flight data

While experimental and informatic techniques around single cell sequencing (scRNA-seq) are advanced, research around mass cytometry (CyTOF) data analysis has severely lagged behind. CyTOF data are notably different from scRNA-seq data in many aspects. This calls for the evaluation and development of computational methods specific for CyTOF data. Dimension reduction (DR) is one of the critical steps of single cell data analysis. Here, we benchmark the performances of 21 DR methods on 110 real and 425 synthetic CyTOF samples. We find that less well-known methods like SAUCIE, SQuaD-MDS, and scvis are the overall best performers. In particular, SAUCIE and scvis are well balanced, SQuaD-MDS excels at structure preservation, whereas UMAP has great downstream analysis performance. We also find that t-SNE (along with SQuad-MDS/t-SNE Hybrid) possesses the best local structure preservation. Nevertheless, there is a high level of complementarity between these tools, so the choice of method should depend on the underlying data structure and the analytical needs.

Relevance of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with low rectal tumors

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Background: The balance between the benefits and toxicities of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy is crucial in the elderly, and often co-morbid patients who have undergone total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery for carcinomas of the lower rectum (1). Tumour distance from the anal verge is a known prognostic factor in rectal cancer (2, 3) and it may influence the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) (4). This study evaluated the differences in the survival outcomes between patients on surveillance(S) and those who received AC in a multi-centre, real-world setting with a focus on the elderly cohort. Methods: Data was extracted from electronic patient records from 4 NHS trusts in Kent, UK. We retrospectively analysed records of patients between 1 Jan 2014 and 31 Dec 2019, who had neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, were down-staged and then offered either S or AC based on clinician’s judgement. The tumour distance from the anal verge was measured through high resolution MRI. The patients were downstaged following assessment as their pTNM staging was lower than their cTNM staging. Results: 589 patients treated for rectal cancer were identified. Of these, 168/589(28%) had non-metastatic disease, were later down-staged at TME and were offered S or AC. 95/168 (57%) of these patients received AC. Patients who received AC were younger (median age 63 vs 70 years, p< 0.001) and with additional poor prognostic factors such as extramural venous invasion EMVI+ (74 vs 39%, p= 0.001), circumferential resection margin CRM+ (89 vs 70% p = 0.001) and pathological nodal involvement (AJCC stage III disease) ( p< 0.001) (table) compared to those on S. Our findings did suggest that patients on surveillance with tumours < 5cm from the anal verge had a longer disease-free survival(DFS) than those who received chemotherapy; this was especially the case in the elderly patient cohort (HR 0.13 95% CI 0.02-0.99, p= 0.049).Our findings also showed that the DFS benefit for patients under surveillance increased with age. Surveillance was most effective in patients over 60 years old compared to those under 60. However, age or distance from anal verge did not have an impact on overall survival (HR 1.01 95% Cl 0.95-1.08 p= 0.70). Conclusions: Although patients treated with AC were younger than patients on S, their tumours had additional poor prognostic factors. Patients on surveillance with tumours <5cm from the anal verge enjoyed a longer DFS but no OS benefit. Elderly patients with tumours < 5cm from the anal verge with no poor prognostic features could derive a benefit from surveillance and avoid chemotherapy-related toxicity. However, our findings will need to be corroborated in prospective studies. [Table: see text]

WDFY4 polymorphisms in Chinese patients with anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis is associated with rapid progressive interstitial lung disease

OBJECTIVES

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody positive dermatomyositis (MDA5+DM), is susceptible to development of rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RPILD), which has been predominantly reported in East Asia. A Japanese genome-wide study has identified a WDFY4 variant rs7919656 linkage. We sought to evaluate this genetic marker and exploit its possible clinical relevance in Chinese MDA5+DM.

METHODS

We genotyped and compared the minor allele A frequency of WDFY4 rs7919656 in patients with MDA5+DM (n = 254) including 190 clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), MDA5-DM (n = 53), anti-synthetases syndrome (ASyS, n = 72), and healthy controls (n = 192). Association of the WDFY4 variant with clinical phenotype was evaluated using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Although the minor allele A frequencies of WDFY4 rs7919656 in MDA5+DM and CADM were comparable to that in healthy controls, we observed a significant correlation between the WDFY4 variant (GA+AA genotype) and the incidence of RPILD in MDA5+DM (OR: 2.11; 95%CI: 1.21-3.69; p = 0.007). Moreover, this variant was an independent risk factor for RPILD in multivariate analysis (OR: 4.98; 95%CI: 1.59-17.19; p = 0.008), along with other well-recognized risk factors, i.e. forced vital capacity % predicted, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide % predicted, serum ferritin and prednisolone exposure. In addition, this variant was associated with higher expression of WDFY4 in PBMCs of MDA5+DM, especially those with RPILD. WDFY4 overexpression was also observed in lung biopsy of MDA5+DM-RPILD bearing the variant genotype.

CONCLUSION

We found that the WDFY4 variant was associated with an increased risk of RPILD, not with disease susceptibility in Chinese MDA5+DM.

Combined Photoredox Catalysis for Value-Added Conversion of Contaminants at Spatially Separated Dual Active Sites

As 2 indispensable counterparts in one catalysis system, the independent reduction and oxidation reactions require synergetic regulation for cooperatively promoting redox efficiency. Despite the current success in promoting the catalytic efficiency of half reduction or oxidation reactions, the lack of redox integration leads to low energy efficiency and unsatisfied catalytic performance. Here, we exploit an emerging photoredox catalysis system by combining the reactions of nitrate reduction for ammonia synthesis and formaldehyde oxidation for formic acid production, in which superior photoredox efficiency is achieved on the spatially separated dual active sites of Ba single atoms and Ti³⁺. High catalytic redox rates are accomplished for respective ammonia synthesis (31.99 ± 0.79 mmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1) and formic acid production (54.11 ± 1.12 mmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1), reaching a photoredox apparent quantum efficiency of 10.3%. Then, the critical roles of the spatially separated dual active sites are revealed, where Ba single atoms as the oxidation site using h⁺ and Ti³⁺ as the reduction site using e^- are identified, respectively. The efficient photoredox conversion of contaminants is accomplished with environmental importance and competitive economic value. This study also represents a new opportunity to upgrade the conventional half photocatalysis into the complete paradigm for sustainable solar energy utilization.

[Epidemiological characteristics and the establishment and evaluation of a risk prediction model for nosocomial infection in burn patients]

Objective: To find the epidemiological characteristics of nosocomial infection in burn patients, to establish a risk prediction model for nosocomial infection in burn patients based on the screened independent risk factors of the infection, and to analyze its predictive value. Methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted. From May 2016 to December 2019, 3 475 burn patients who were admitted to the Department of Burns of Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University met the inclusion criteria, including 2 290 males and 1 185 females, aged from 1 to 94 years. The incidence of nosocomial infection, the detection site and specific composition of pathogenic bacteria were counted. The patients were randomly divided into training group (2 434 cases) and verification group (1 041 cases) in R 4.1.3 statistic software with a ratio of about 7∶3. Factors including gender, age, total burn area, combination of full-thickness burn/inhalation injury/shock/diabetes on admission, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), status of central venous catheterization/endotracheal intubation/urethral catheter indwelling/surgery, nosocomial infection status, days of antibiotic use, and days of hospital stay of patients were compared between the two groups. According to the occurrence of nosocomial infection, the patients were divided into nosocomial infection group (102 cases) and non-nosocomial infection group (3 373 cases), and in addition to the aforementioned data, non-nosocomial infection related data, the season of admission and types of antibiotics used were compared between the two groups. The above-mentioned data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of independent sample t test, chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney U test, and the indicators with statistically significant differences between nosocomial infection group and non-nosocomial infection group were included as variables in multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen independent risk factors for the development of nosocomial infection in 3 475 burn patients. On the basis of independent risk factors and important clinical characteristics, a nomogram prediction model was constructed for the risk of developing nosocomial infection of burn patients in training group. In both training group and verification group, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for prediction of nosocomial infection by the prediction model were plotted, and the area under the ROC curve was calculated; calibration curves were plotted to evaluate the conformity between the predicted results of the prediction model and the actual situation; clinical decision curves were plotted to evaluate the clinical utility of the prediction model. Results: The incidence of nosocomial infection of patients included in this study was 2.94% (102/3 475); pathogens were detected from 212 specimens, mainly wound (78 cases, accounting for 36.79%) and blood (64 cases, accounting for 30.19%) specimens; 250 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected, mainly gram-negative bacteria (153 strains, accounting for 61.20%). All clinical characteristics of patients between training group and verification group were similar (P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences between patients in nosocomial infection group and non-nosocomial infection group in the aspects of age, total burn area, days of antibiotic use, antibiotic use type, days of hospital stay, combination of full-thickness burn, combination of inhalation injury, combination of shock, ICU admission status, central venous catheterization status, endotracheal intubation status, urethral catheter indwelling status, surgery status (with Z values of 4.41, 14.95, 15.70, 650.32, and 13.73, χ2 values of 151.09, 508.30, 771.20, 955.79, 522.67, 967.40, 732.11, and 225.35, respectively, P<0.01). ICU admission, endotracheal intubation, urethral catheter indwelling, and days of hospital stay were independent risk factors for developing nosocomial infection by 3 475 burn patients (with odds ratios of 5.99, 3.39, 9.32, and 6.21, 95% confidence intervals of 2.25-15.99, 1.56-7.39, 2.77-31.31, and 2.48-15.92, respectively, P<0.01). In training group and verification group, the area under ROC curves of the nosocomial infection prediction model based on independent risk factors, total burn area, and central vein catheterization were both 0.97 (with both 95% confidence intervals being 0.95-0.99); the calibration curve analysis showed that the prediction results of the prediction model were in good agreement with the actual situation; the clinical decision curve analysis showed that the prediction model had good clinical utility. Conclusions: The nosocomial infection in burn patients is mainly caused by gram-negative bacteria, with wound as the main infection site, and the independent risk factors including ICU admission, endotracheal intubation, urethral catheter indwelling, and days of hospital stay. Based on independent risk factors and important clinical features, the risk prediction model for nosocomial infection has a good ability to predict nosocomial infection in burn patients.

Preoperative antiplatelet therapy may be a risk factor for postoperative ischemic complications in intracranial hemorrhage patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) patients are still at risk of postoperative ischemic complications (PICs) after surgery. In addition, the proportion of patients receiving antiplatelet therapy (APT) in ICH patients increased significantly with age. This study aims to evaluate the impact of preoperative antiplatelet therapy on PICs in ICH patients.

METHODS

This is a cohort study that retrospectively analyzed the data of ICH patients who underwent surgical treatment. PICs rate was compared between patients with preoperative ATP and those without preoperative ATP. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of preoperative APT on PICs. In addition, Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and the impact of PICs on patients' postoperative outcomes was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 216 patients were included in this study. There were 47 patients (21.76%) with preoperative APT; 169 patients (78.24%) without preoperative APT. The incidence of PICs in the APT group was significantly higher when compared with that in the nAPT group (36.17% vs. 20.71%, p = 0.028＜0.05). Furthermore, significant differences were both observed in multivariate analysis (p = 0.035＜0.05) and survival analysis (log rank χ2 = 5.415, p = 0.020＜0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the outcomes of patients suffering from PICs and that of patients not suffering from PICs (p = 0.377 > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, preoperative APT may be a risk factor for PICs in ICH patients undergoing surgical treatment significantly.

Facet-Dependent SERS Activity of Co3O4

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an ultra-sensitive and rapid technique that is able to significantly enhance the Raman signals of analytes absorbed on functional substrates by orders of magnitude. Recently, semiconductor-based SERS substrates have shown rapid progress due to their great cost-effectiveness, stability and biocompatibility. In this work, three types of faceted Co₃O₄ microcrystals with dominantly exposed {100} facets, {111} facets and co-exposed {100}-{111} facets (denoted as C-100, C-111 and C-both, respectively) are utilized as SERS substrates to detect the rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecule and nucleic acids (adenine and cytosine). C-100 exhibited the highest SERS sensitivity among these samples, and the lowest detection limits (LODs) to R6G and adenine can reach 10^-7 M. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations further unveiled a stronger photoinduced charge transfer (PICT) in C-100 than in C-111. This work provides new insights into the facet-dependent SERS for semiconductor materials.

Early-start antiplatelet therapy after operation in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and high risk of ischemic events (E-start): Protocol for a multi-centered, prospective, open-label, blinded endpoint randomized controlled trial

Background

For severe spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sSICH) patients with high risk of ischemic events, the incidence of postoperative major cardiovascular/cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular events (MACCPE) is notable. Although antiplatelet therapy is a potential way to benefit these patients, the severe hemorrhagic complications, e.g., intracranial re-hemorrhage, is a barrier for early starting antiplatelet therapy.

Objectives

This randomized controlled trial aims to identify the benefit and safety of early starting antiplatelet therapy after operation for sSICH patients with high risk of ischemic events.

Methods

This study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial. We will enroll 250 sSICH patients with a high risk of ischemic events (including cerebral infarcts, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and deep venous thrombosis). The participants will be randomized in a 1:1 manner to early-start group (start antiplatelet therapy at 3 days after operation) and normal-start group (start antiplatelet therapy at 30 days after operation). The early-start group will receive aspirin 100 mg daily. The control group will not receive antithrombotic therapy until 30 days after operation. The efficacy endpoint is the incidence of MACCPE, and the safety endpoint is the incidence of intracranial re-hemorrhage.

Discussion

The Early-Start antiplatelet therapy after operation in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage trial (E-start) is the first randomized trial about early start antiplatelet therapy for operated sSICH patients with a high risk of ischemic events. This study will provide a new strategy and evidence for postoperative management in the future.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04820972; Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04820972?term=NCT04820972&draw=2&rank=1.Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR2100044560; Available at: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=123277.

Atomic-Scale Observation of Grain Boundary Dominated Unsynchronized Phase Transition in Polycrystalline Cu2 Se

Phase transition is a physical phenomenon that attracts great interest of researchers. Although the theory of second-order phase transitions is well-established, their atomic-scale dynamics in polycrystalline materials remains elusive. In this work, second-order phase transitions in polycrystalline Cu₂ Se at the transition temperature are directly observed by in situ aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. Phase transitions in microcrystalline Cu₂ Se start at the grain boundaries and extend inside the grains. This phenomenon is more pronounced in nanosized grains. Analysis of phase transitions in nanocrystalline Cu₂ Se with different grain boundaries demonstrates that grain boundary energy dominates unsynchronized phase transition behavior. This suggests that the energy of grain boundaries is the key factor influencing the energetic barrier for initiation of phase transition. The findings advance atomic-scale understanding of second-order phase transitions, which is crucial for the control of this process in polycrystalline materials.