[Analysis of molecular and clinical characteristics of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in the intensive care unit]

To investigate the carbapenemases distribution of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in the intensive care unit, and the clinical characteristics between carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) and carbapenem-resistant non-hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-non-hvKP) were compared. A total of 53 non-repetitive CRKP strains isolated from 49 patients in the intensive care unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from May 2020 to March 2021 were retrospectively studied. The carbapenemase inhibitor enhancement test was used for screening carbapenemase-producing strains, and the string test was carried out to screen the hypermucoviscosity phenotype. Using PCR to detect five main carbapenemase genes (bla_KPC-2, bla_NDM, bla_IMP , bla_VIM and bla_OXA-48-like), common serotype (K1 and K2) and virulence gene (rmpA and iutA). Treated the strains with both rmpA and iutA genes as hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia (hvKP), and the whole genome sequencing of CR-hvKP was completed. At the same time, the clinical data of 49 patients were sorted out, and the differences in clinical characteristics of CR-hvKP and CR-non-hvKP infected patients were compared using the independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability test. CRKP isolated from the intensive care unit were extensively drug resistance and still had a good sensitivity to polymyxin B and tigecycline. Producing carbapenemases were the main resistance mechanism of CRKP (52/53, 98.1%). Of the 53 CRKP strains, except for 1strain that did not detect carbapenemase, at least one carbapenemase resistance gene was detected in the remaining 52 CRKP strains, of which 45 strains carried an enzyme, including 36 bla_KPC-2 (36/53, 67.9%), 8 bla_NDM (8/53, 15.1%), 1 bla_IMP (1/53, 1.9%), and 7 strains carried with both bla_KPC-2 and bla_NDM (7/53, 13.2%). String test and virulence gene showed that 7 CR-hvKP strains (13.2%) were detected in 53 CRKP strains, and two of which were hypermucoviscosity phenotype. Sequencing results revealed that CR-hvKP were mainly ST11 type. Almost all patients with CR-hvKP infection were over 60 years old (7/7), with invasive treatment (7/7), pulmonary infection with hypermucoviscosity phenotype (2/7) and high mortality (5/7); and the percentage of neutrophils in patients with CR-hvKP infection (86.44±4.70) % was higher than those patients with CR-non-hvKP infection (78.90±19.15) %, the difference was statistically significant (t=-2.225, P=0.032). The CR-hvKP strains in the intensive care unit mainly produced KPC-2 enzyme, with K2 capsular serotype and ST11 type. It is necessary to strengthen the monitoring and control of the CR-hvKP strain to prevent the co-evolution of drug-resistant and hypervirulent strains.

Measurement of the Sixth-Order Cumulant of Net-Proton Multiplicity Distributions in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=27, 54.4, and 200 GeV at RHIC

According to first-principle lattice QCD calculations, the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter is a smooth crossover in the region μ_{B}≤T_{c}. In this range the ratio, C_{6}/C_{2}, of net-baryon distributions are predicted to be negative. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of the midrapidity net-proton C_{6}/C_{2} from 27, 54.4, and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The dependence on collision centrality and kinematic acceptance in (p_{T}, y) are analyzed. While for 27 and 54.4 GeV collisions the C_{6}/C_{2} values are close to zero within uncertainties, it is observed that for 200 GeV collisions, the C_{6}/C_{2} ratio becomes progressively negative from peripheral to central collisions. Transport model calculations without critical dynamics predict mostly positive values except for the most central collisions within uncertainties. These observations seem to favor a smooth crossover in the high-energy nuclear collisions at top RHIC energy.

[Photothermal effect of nano-copper sulfide against tongue squamous cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the anti-tumor effect of BSA@CuS-PEG nanocomposites on tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

Transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Zeta potential and ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized BSA@CuS-PEG nanocomposite, whose photothermal properties was assessed with near infrared Ⅱ region excitation light (1064 nm). The cytotoxicity of the nanocomposite in Cal27 and SCC9 cells was evaluated using CCK-8 assay, and its effect on cell cycle distribution was analyzed using flow cytometry. The in vivo antitumor effect of BSA@CuS-PEG was investigated in a Balb/c mouse model bearing subcutaneous Cal27 tumor xenograft.

RESULTS

The synthesized BSA@CuS-PEG nanocomposite showed a temperature variation (ΔT) of about 30 ℃ under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation (0.5 W/cm2), suggesting its excellent photothermal sensitivity. CCK-8 assay showed that BSA@CuS-PEG had no significant toxicity to tumor cells, but upon NIR irradiation, the nanocomposite produced a significant stronger inhibitory effect on Cal27 and SCC9 cells than free nanocomposites (P < 0.001). Cell cycle analysis showed that compared with free nanocomposites, BSA@CuS-PEG plus NIR irradiation caused more obvious cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in tongue cancer cells (P < 0.001). In the tumor-bearing mice, BSA@CuS-PEG combined with NIR irradiation produced a significant anti-tumor effect as compared with saline treatment plus NIR irradiation (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The BSA@CuS-PEG nanocomposite shows prominent photothermal properties and good anti-tumor effects both in vivo and in vitro, and thus provides a promising method for non-invasive early diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of primary tongue cancer.

An application research for near-surface repository of strontium-90 sorption kinetic model on mudrocks

In this study,90Sr was used as the test radionuclide to characterize the sorption kinetics and effects of initial 90Sr activity and remaining 90Sr in solid concentration were simulated for a near-surface repository. The study focused on the sorption characteristics of radionuclides in unsaturated groundwater environment (or vadose zone) is the important information for investigating the near-surface disposal of intermediate and low-level radioactive waste (ILLW). Moreover, the 90Sr sorption experiments reached equilibrium within 56 h, which fit to the first order sorption kinetic model, and the remaining 90Sr in mudrock samples showed obvious sorption equilibrium hysteresis, which fit to the second order sorption kinetic model. Before reaching the maximum sorption capacity, the sorption rate constant increases with 90Sr increasing; the distribution coefficient (Kd) of 56 h decreases with the remaining 90Sr decreasing. In addition, it showed that the slow sorption process dominated before the sorption reaches equilibrium. In fact, a reliable safety assessment methodology for on-going near-surface repository required a lot of the radionuclides parameters with local environment including the radionuclides sorption/desorption rate constant and maximum sorption capacity.

Generic water-based spray-assisted growth for scalable high-efficiency carbon-electrode all-inorganic perovskite solar cells

A water-based spray-assisted growth strategy is proposed to prepare large-area all-inorganic perovskite films for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which involves in spraying of cesium halide water solution onto spin-coating-deposited lead halide films, followed by thermal annealing. With CsPbBr3 as an example, we show that as-proposed growth strategy can enable the films with uniform surface, full coverage, pure phase, large grains, and high crystallinity, which primarily benefits from the controllable CsBr loading quantity, and the use of water as CsBr solvent makes the reaction between CsBr and PbBr2 immune to PbBr2 film microstructure. As a result, the small-area (0.09 cm2) and large-area (1.00 cm2) carbon-electrode CsPbBr3 PSCs yield the record-high efficiencies of 10.22% and 8.21%, respectively, coupled with excellent operational stability. We also illustrate that the water-based spray-assisted deposition strategy is suitable to prepare CsPbCl3, CsPbIBr2, and CsPbI2Br films with outstanding efficiencies of 1.27%, 10.44%, and 13.30%, respectively, for carbon-electrode PSCs.

Optimization of Sacrificial Layer Etching in Single-Crystal Silicon Nano-Films Transfer Printing for Heterogeneous Integration Application

As one of the important technologies in the field of heterogeneous integration, transfer technology has broad application prospects and unique technical advantages. This transfer technology includes the wet chemical etching of a sacrificial layer, such that silicon nano-film devices are released from the donor substrate and can be transferred. However, in the process of wet etching the SiO₂ sacrificial layer present underneath the single-crystal silicon nano-film by using the transfer technology, the etching is often incomplete, which seriously affects the efficiency and quality of the transfer and makes the device preparation impossible. This article analyzes the principle of incomplete etching, and compares the four factors that affect the etching process, including the size of Si nano-film on top of the sacrificial layer, the location of the anchor point, the shape of Si nano-film on top of the sacrificial layer, and the thickness of the sacrificial layer. Finally, the etching conditions are obtained to avoid the phenomenon of incomplete etching of the sacrificial layer, so that the transfer technology can be better applied in the field of heterogeneous integration. Additionally, Si MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) on sapphire substrate were fabricated by using the optimized transfer technology.

Performance Enhancement of All-Inorganic Carbon-Based CsPbIBr2 Perovskite Solar Cells Using a Moth-Eye Anti-Reflector

All-inorganic carbon-based CsPbIBr₂ perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted increasing interest due to the low cost and the balance between bandgap and stability. However, the relatively narrow light absorption range (300 to 600 nm) limited the further improvement of short-circuit current density (J_SC) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. Considering the inevitable reflectance loss (~10%) at air/glass interface, we prepared the moth-eye anti-reflector by ultraviolet nanoimprint technology and achieved an average reflectance as low as 5.15%. By attaching the anti-reflector on the glass side of PSCs, the J_SC was promoted by 9.4% from 10.89 mA/cm² to 11.91 mA/cm², which is the highest among PSCs with a structure of glass/FTO/c-TiO₂/CsPbIBr₂/Carbon, and the PCE was enhanced by 9.9% from 9.17% to 10.08%. The results demonstrated that the larger J_SC induced by the optical reflectance modulation of moth-eye anti-reflector was responsible for the improved PCE. Simultaneously, this moth-eye anti-reflector can withstand a high temperature up to 200 °C, and perform efficiently at a wide range of incident angles from 40° to 90° and under various light intensities. This work is helpful to further improve the performance of CsPbIBr₂ PSCs by optical modulation and boost the possible application of wide-range-wavelength anti-reflector in single and multi-junction solar cells.

Adipose-targeted overexpression of mitochondrial-targeted catalase does not improve cardio-metabolic parameters in mice with diet-induced obesity

Background

Obesity is associated with significant cardio-metabolic complications. Adipokines, and cytokines released from adipose tissue (AT) stimulate excessive mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS-mediated oxidative modifications is associated with development of insulin resistance and impaired cardiac function. We hypothesised that adipose-targeted overexpression of mitochondrial-targeted catalase (AT-mCAT) could lead to improvement in diet-induced cardio-metabolic dysfunction.

Methods/Results

mCAT (floxed) and AdipoQ-Cre mice were crossed to generate mice overexpressing catalase with a mitochondrial-targeting sequence predominantly in AT (AT-mCAT). Wild-type (WT) and AT-mCAT male mice were fed normal chow (NC) or high-fat/high-sucrose (HFHS) diet (36%fat/34%sucrose) for 4 months. At endpoint, echocardiography showed reduced cardiac output in all groups v WT NC (p&lt;0.05); reduced IVSd in AT-mCAT NC and HFHS groups v WT NC (p&lt;0.01); reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in AT-mCAT HFHS v WT NC (p&lt;0.05) and no differences in fractional shortening or E/A ratio between groups. Glucose tolerance tests (2g/kg) showed impairment in WT HFHS and AT-mCAT HFHS v WT NC (p&lt;0.01, p&lt;0.05 respectively). Triglyceride levels were increased in WT HFHS and AT-mCAT HFHS v WT NC (p&lt;0.05). Analysis of hypertrophic signalling in cardiac tissues by ELISA showed p-AKT/total Akt levels were decreased in AT-mCAT hearts regardless of diet (WT NC v AT-mCAT NC p&lt;0.01; WT HFHS v AT-mCAT HFHS p&lt;0.05).

Conclusion

Our results confirm previous findings that diet-induced obesity is a systemic condition. Targeting adipose tissue with mitochondrial catalase may not be adequate to prevent development of cardio-metabolic dysfunction. More systemic approaches may be required to combat obesity-induced cardio-metabolic impairment.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Heart Foundation of Australia

Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) levels are increased in acute heart failure patients

Introduction

Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) is a secreted protein that has been suggested to play an important role in modulating cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy. In this study, we aim to determine whether: 1) FSTL3 is incrementally elevated in patients with HF vs those with other cardiovascular disease (CVD); and 2) increased FSTL3 is associated with 2 or more hospital admissions due to major adverse CV events (MACE) within 1 year.

Methods and results

We measured circulating levels of FSTL3 using commercially available ELISA (R&D systems) in a total of n=696 patients. FSTL3 levels were compared between: 1) healthy-aging volunteers with no prior major CVD (n=267, age 67±6 years) and 2) patients admitted to cardiology unit for various CVD (n=429, age 66±14 years); among those (n=178, age 68±13 years) had HF. Patients with HF had 2-fold higher FSTL3 levels vs healthy age-matched controls vs those with other CVD (p&lt;0.001). Occurrences of MACE were recorded up to 1 year for patients admitted to cardiology unit. On univariate analyses, patient with 2 or more MACE within 1 year (n=91, 27%) had significant elevated FSTL3 levels (P=0.003), is associated with older age (P&lt;0.005). On multivariate analysis, high FSTL3 levels (P=0.034) is an independent predictor of 2 or more MACE admissions within 1 year after adjusting for age, clinical comorbidities and medications.

Conclusions

FSTL3 is incrementally increased in patients with HF and is associated with poorer prognosis. Elevated FSTL3 levels is associated with increased risks of cardiac hospital readmissions for patients with multiple CV morbidities.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NSW Ministry of Health EMC Fellowship (Australia)

Observation of D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} Enhancement in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We report on the first measurement of charm-strange meson D_{s}^{±} production at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV from the STAR experiment. The yield ratio between strange (D_{s}^{±}) and nonstrange (D^{0}) open-charm mesons is presented and compared to model calculations. A significant enhancement, relative to a pythia simulation of p+p collisions, is observed in the D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} yield ratio in Au+Au collisions over a large range of collision centralities. Model calculations incorporating abundant strange-quark production in the quark-gluon plasma and coalescence hadronization qualitatively reproduce the data. The transverse-momentum integrated yield ratio of D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} at midrapidity is consistent with a prediction from a statistical hadronization model with the parameters constrained by the yields of light and strange hadrons measured at the same collision energy. These results suggest that the coalescence of charm quarks with strange quarks in the quark-gluon plasma plays an important role in D_{s}^{±}-meson production in heavy-ion collisions.

O-087 Embryos with higher mitochondrial DNA ratios show better clinical outcomes in single euploid embryo transfer

Study question

To assess whether there is a relationship between mitochondrial DNA content and implantation result.

Summary answer

The embryos with a higher mitochondrial DNA ratio increase pregnancy rate and implantation rate in single euploid embryo transfer.

What is known already

Mitochondria is an important organelle that generates energy during embryonic development. Recent literature points out that mitochondrial content and function may be related to implantation success and embryo viability. Some studies have linked increased ratios of mitochondrial DNA to aneuploidy, advanced maternal age, and euploid blastocyst with implantation failure, while others have failed to demonstrate similar findings.

Study design, size, duration

This study is a retrospective cohort study from 2016 to 2019, including 1465 single embryo transfer cycles.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The involved embryos were biopsied on Day 5 or 6 and the mitochondrial DNA ratio of 1465 embryos was examined undergoing PGS/NGS. The mitochondrial DNA ratios were normalized for technical batch-to-batch variation. The mitochondrial DNA ratio between the implantation group and non-implantation group was statistically analyzed. Data were analyzed by the student’s t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables.

Main results and the role of chance

The mitochondrial DNA ratio of embryos was no significant difference between different age spans ( p = 0.772) and ploidy (p = 0.224). D5 biopsied embryos, however, contained a significantly higher mitochondrial DNA ratio than D6 biopsied embryos (p &lt; 0.0001). All of the single embryo transferred embryos were classified into two groups; implanted and non-implanted embryos. Results from 1465 transferred embryos show that the mitochondrial DNA ratio of implanted embryos was statistically significantly higher than non-implanted embryos (p = 0.0053). Besides, the cut-off values were established, dividing the transferred embryos into high and low mitochondrial DNA ratio groups. The pregnancy rate and implantation rate of the high mitochondrial DNA ratio group was higher than the low mitochondrial DNA ratio group: [Pregnancy rate] 74% vs. 63.5% (p = 0.0209); [Implantation rate] 57.3% vs. 50.8% (p = 0.1907).

Limitations, reasons for caution

The mitochondrial DNA ratios were analyzed by bioinformatics processing in Miseq reporter software (Illumina) files in the BAM and FASTQ format. Not sure if there is reproducibility in different sequencing platforms.

Wider implications of the findings

There still remains a lack of clarity regarding the relationship between mitochondrial function and transfer outcome. This retrospective study links an association between increased mtDNA content and increased implantation.

Trial registration number

not applicable

Measurement of e^{+}e^{-} Momentum and Angular Distributions from Linearly Polarized Photon Collisions

The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and antimatter from photon collisions is experimentally investigated through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultraperipheral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of cos4Δϕ=(16.8±2.5)% and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons (ϕ, ω, and ρ) at the experimental limit of ≤0.2% of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of e^{+}e^{-} pair transverse momentum P_{⊥} peaks at low value with sqrt[⟨P_{⊥}^{2}⟩]=38.1±0.9  MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultrarelativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.

Sonographic findings of immunoglobulin G4-related sialadenitis and differences from Sjögren's syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate ultrasonic features of the major salivary glands in patients with immunoglobulin G₄-related sialadenitis (IgG₄-RS) and to explore the differences between IgG₄-RS and Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

METHOD

We conducted the study in 150 patients with IgG₄-RS and 100 patients with SS. Ultrasonographic variables of the static images of major salivary glands were analysed. An experienced radiologist scored the confidence rating regarding the presence of the characteristic imaging findings using a five-grade rating system. Ultrasonography scores between IgG₄-RS and SS were compared.

RESULTS

The major salivary glands were significantly larger in patients with IgG₄-RS than in the SS group. The main features of ultrasonography of the salivary glands in IgG₄-RS were various hypoechoic lesions and increased colour Doppler signalling. In contrast, the major salivary glands in SS exhibited hyperechoic lines and/or spots and obscuration of the gland configuration. The scores of the summarized sonographic characteristics also showed statistically significant differences between the IgG₄-RS and SS groups.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed different ultrasonic features of the major salivary glands in patients with IgG₄-RS and SS. The scored sonographic features were helpful in differentiating IgG₄-RS from SS. Consequently, we suggest that ultrasonography of major salivary glands could be a useful imaging procedure in the evaluation of patients suspected of having IgG₄-RS.

Gamma-Ray Observation of the Cygnus Region in the 100-TeV Energy Region

We report observations of gamma-ray emissions with energies in the 100-TeV energy region from the Cygnus region in our Galaxy. Two sources are significantly detected in the directions of the Cygnus OB1 and OB2 associations. Based on their positional coincidences, we associate one with a pulsar PSR J2032+4127 and the other mainly with a pulsar wind nebula PWN G75.2+0.1, with the pulsar moving away from its original birthplace situated around the centroid of the observed gamma-ray emission. This work would stimulate further studies of particle acceleration mechanisms at these gamma-ray sources.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus ST3320 clone causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits

<em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> is a well-known pathogen that infects humans and animals. However, information on the fatal respiratory infection in rabbits caused by<em> S. aureus</em> is still limited. In the present study, a <em>S. aureus</em> isolate designated ND01 was recovered from lung samples of rabbits that died of fatal respiratory infection, and the ND01 was characterised by intranasal infection of rabbits, multi-locus sequencing typing, screening virulence genes and testing antimicrobial susceptibility. Clinical signs of matted forepaws and pathological lesions of haemorrhagic tracheitis and necrotising haemorrhagic pneumonia were observed in the ND01 infected rabbits, which were identical to those of naturally infected ones. The sequence type of the ND01 was defined as ST3320 and the ND01 was further grouped into the clonal complex 398. Notably, the ND01 was <em>pvl-positive</em> <em>S. aureus</em> and carried the human-associated scn gene. Moreover, the ND01 was methicillin-susceptible <em>S. aureus</em> and was susceptible to 6 of 10 tested antibiotics. This study described the characteristics of the ND01 causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits. The results are helpful to further the understanding of the pathogenicity of S. aureus ST3320 clone in rabbits. The results also highlighted that operators must be on the alert for the colonisation of <em>pvl-positive</em> <em>S. aureus</em> in rabbits and potential transmission events between rabbits and humans.

[Application of deep learning neural network in pathological image classification of non-inflammatory aortic membrane degeneration]

Objective: To investigate the value of deep learning in classifying non-inflammatory aortic membrane degeneration. Methods: Eighty-nine cases of non-inflammatory aortic media degeneration diagnosed from January to June 2018 were collected at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, China and scanned into digital sections. 1 627 hematoxylin and eosin stained photomicrographs were extracted. Combined with the ResNet18-based deep convolution neural network model, 4-category classification of pathological images were performed to diagnose the non-inflammatory aortic lesion. Results: The prediction model of artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis had the best accuracy, sensitivity and precision in identifying lesions with smooth muscle cell nuclei loss, which were 99.39%, 98.36% and 98.36%, respectively. The classification accuracy of elastic fiber fragmentation and/or loss lesions was 98.08%, while that of intralamellar mucoid extracellular matrix accumulation lesions was 96.93%. The overall accuracy of the classification model was 96.32%, and the area under the curve was 0.982. Conclusions: The accuracy of deep learning neural network model in the 4-category classification of non-inflammatory aortic lesionsis confirmed based on digital photomicrographs. This method can effectively improve the diagnostic efficiency of pathologists.

Patient-reported outcomes from STARTRK-2: a global phase II basket study of entrectinib for ROS1 fusion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer and NTRK fusion-positive solid tumours

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly relevant endpoints in clinical trials, contributing to our understanding of risk-benefit profiles, in addition to efficacy and safety data. We investigated the impact of entrectinib on patient-reported symptoms, functioning, and health-related quality of life.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

STARTRK-2 is a phase II basket study in patients with locally advanced/metastatic neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 1/2/3 (NTRK1/2/3) and ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) fusion-positive solid tumours. PROs (prespecified secondary endpoint) were evaluated using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality-of-life questionnaire (QLQ-C30), lung cancer module (QLQ-LC13), and colorectal cancer module (QLQ-CR29), and the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 3-Level instruments, completed before cycle 1 day 1 and each subsequent 4-week cycle of entrectinib dosing, and the end of treatment. Adverse events and treatment-related symptoms were assessed in the safety analysis (SA)-PRO population. Tumour-related symptoms, functioning, and global health status were assessed in the efficacy analysis (EA)-PRO population. Data cut-offs: 31 October 2018 NTRK cohort; 01 May 2019 ROS1 cohort.

RESULTS

SA-PRO populations comprised patients with NTRK fusion-positive solid tumours (N = 88) or ROS1 fusion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (N = 180) who received one or more doses of entrectinib, completed PRO questionnaires on cycle 1 day 1 and answered one or more questions on-study. EA-PRO populations (N = 71) and (N = 145), respectively, comprised SA-PRO patients with measurable baseline disease. Moderate-to-high baseline global health status scores were maintained in EA-PRO populations during treatment. Role and physical functioning scores were moderate-to-high at baseline, with trends towards clinical improvement during treatment. Both cohorts reported low-to-moderate symptom burden at baseline, which was maintained or trended towards clinically meaningful improvement. Symptoms commonly associated with cancer treatment (e.g. nausea, fatigue) remained stable or improved during treatment. All SA-PRO patients experienced one or more adverse events, most frequently constipation or diarrhoea.

CONCLUSIONS

PRO findings were consistent with the favourable safety profile of entrectinib, and further reinforce the positive benefit-risk profile of this treatment, indicating minimal overall treatment burden.

Epidemiology of resistance of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae to ceftazidime-avibactam in a Chinese hospital

AIMS

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been reported to develop increased antibiotic resistance. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) is a novel antibiotic with activity against serine-lactamase. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) to CZA and the mechanisms of drug resistance in our hospital.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Patient characteristics were obtained from medical records. K. pneumoniae and its antibiotic susceptibility were determined using the Vitek-2 Compact instrument. The antibiotic resistance genes KPC, NDM, OXA-48, VIM, IMP, CIM, SPM, TMB, SMB, SIM, AIM and DIM were detected using real-time PCR. Multilocus sequence typing was used for genetic RELATEDNESS analysis. In total, 121 CRKP strains were isolated from patients in the intensive care unit (51·2%), senior ward (12·4%) and neurosurgery department (10%). With an average age of 72·5 years, most patients were in care for respiratory (34·7%), brain (20·7%), digestive tract (13·2%) and cardiovascular (8·3%) diseases. Specimens were predominantly obtained from sputum (39·67%), urine (29·75%) and blood (6·61%).

CONCLUSION

Of 23 CZA-resistant CRKP strains (19·01%), ST11 being the most common at 56·52%, 11 NDM-1-positive (47·83%) and four NDM-5-positive (17·39%) strains were detected.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our study indicates that CZA resistance occurs in ~19·01% CRKP strains and that bla_NDM-1 and bla_NDM-5 might be critical for resistance.

Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

Global polarization of Ξ and Ω hyperons has been measured for the first time in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements of the Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+} hyperon polarization have been performed by two independent methods, via analysis of the angular distribution of the daughter particles in the parity violating weak decay Ξ→Λ+π, as well as by measuring the polarization of the daughter Λ hyperon, polarized via polarization transfer from its parent. The polarization, obtained by combining the results from the two methods and averaged over Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+}, is measured to be ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩=0.47±0.10(stat)±0.23(syst)% for the collision centrality 20%-80%. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to be slightly larger than the inclusive Λ polarization and in reasonable agreement with a multiphase transport model. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to follow the centrality dependence of the vorticity predicted in the model, increasing toward more peripheral collisions. The global polarization of Ω, ⟨P_{Ω}⟩=1.11±0.87(stat)±1.97(syst)% was obtained by measuring the polarization of daughter Λ in the decay Ω→Λ+K, assuming the polarization transfer factor C_{ΩΛ}=1.

Ground-truth-free deep learning for artefacts reduction in 2D radial cardiac cine MRI using a synthetically generated dataset

In this work, we consider the task of image reconstruction in 2D radial cardiac cine MRI using deep learning (DL)-based regularization. As the regularization is achieved by employing an image-prior predicted by a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN), the quality of the image-prior is of essential importance. The achievable performance of any DL-based method is limited by the amount and the quality of the available training data. For fast dynamic processes, obtaining good-quality MR data is challenging because of technical and physiological reasons. In this work, we try to overcome these problems by a transfer-learning approach which is motivated by a previously presented DL-method (XT,YT U-Net). There, instead of training the network on the whole 2D dynamic images, it is trained on 2D spatio-temporal profiles (xt,yt-slices) which show the temporal changes of the imaged object. Therefore, for the training and test data, it is more important that their spatio-temporal profiles share similar local features rather than being images of the same anatomy. This allows us to equip arbitrary data with simulated motion that resembles the cardiac motion and use it as training data. By doing so, it is possible to train a CNN which is applicable to cardiac cine MR data without using ground-truth cine MR images for training. We demonstrate that combining XT,YT U-Net with the proposed transfer-learning strategy delivers comparable performance to CNNs trained on cardiac cine MR images and in some cases even qualitatively surpasses these. Additionally, the transfer-learning strategy was investigated for a 2D and 3D U-Net. The images processed by the the CNNs were used as image-priors in the CNN-regularized iterative reconstruction. The XT,YT U-Net yielded visibly better results than the 2D U-Net and slightly better results than the 3D U-Net when used in combination with the presented transfer learning-strategy.

First Detection of sub-PeV Diffuse Gamma Rays from the Galactic Disk: Evidence for Ubiquitous Galactic Cosmic Rays beyond PeV Energies

We report, for the first time, the long-awaited detection of diffuse gamma rays with energies between 100 TeV and 1 PeV in the Galactic disk. Particularly, all gamma rays above 398 TeV are observed apart from known TeV gamma-ray sources and compatible with expectations from the hadronic emission scenario in which gamma rays originate from the decay of π^{0}'s produced through the interaction of protons with the interstellar medium in the Galaxy. This is strong evidence that cosmic rays are accelerated beyond PeV energies in our Galaxy and spread over the Galactic disk.

MiR-449b-5p inhibits human glioblastoma cell proliferation by inactivating WNT2B/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

As the most common primary brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma shows an extremely poor prognosis. Glioblastoma-associated deaths account for approximately 3%-4% of all malignancy-associated deaths. Numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the occurrence and progression of solid tumors. Herein, identifying functional miRNAs and the central molecular mechanisms would provide novel proofs for the development of targeted cancer therapies. In this study, we described the role of miR-449b-5p in restraining ontogenesis and progression of glioblastoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Human glioblastoma tissues were provided by our hospital. Human U251 glioblastoma cells were infected with lentivirus induced miR-449b-5p mimics or miR-449b-5p siRNA. Real-time qPCR was carried out to determine miRNA expression. Tumor spheres formation, MTT assay, and BrdU cell proliferation assay were used to evaluate the growth ability of U251 cells. Western blot assay was performed to measure protein expression. ChIP was used to detect the capacity of β-catenin to recruit its downstream genes. Dual-Luciferase assay was conducted to detect the ability of miR-449b-5p to regulate the 3'UTR (untranslated regions) of WNT2B. TOP/FOP ratio was used to evaluate the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

RESULTS

Down-regulation of miR-449b-5p expression was found in both human glioblastoma tissues and cell lines, which was negatively associated with the clinical stages. Up-regulation of miR-449b-5p inhibited tumor spheres formation, cell viability and proliferation ability of glioblastoma cells. The expression levels of WNT2B and nuclear β-catenin were negatively associated with miR-449b-5p levels in glioblastoma cells. MiR-449b-5p inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling by targeting WNT2B.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-449b-5p acts as a tumor suppressor and retards the oncogenesis of glioblastoma, which is achieved via inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by directly targeting WNT2B.

[Effect of laparoscopic novel W-H fundoplication in patients with proton pump inhibitor dependent gastroesophageal reflux disease]

Objective: To investigate the effect of a novel laparoscopic W-H fundoplication in the treatment of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dependent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Methods: The clinical data of PPI dependent GERD patients who underwent laparoscopic W-H fundoplication in PLA Rocket Force Characteristic Medical Center from October 1st, 2018 to April 30th, 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The GERD symptom score, subjective symptom relief, PPI withdrawal, efficacy satisfaction and postoperative complications were followed up and analyzed by a questionnaire. Results: A total of 80 GERD patients were included in this study, and 49 were male and 31 were female, with a median age of 58 years. Among all patients, 85% (68/80) are with esophagitis and 77.5% (62/80) with hiatal hernia. The operation time was 67 (52, 73) minutes, without intraoperative complications and conversion to laparotomy. The postoperative follow-up period was 16 (14, 18) months. The postoperative GERD symptom scores were significantly lower than those before surgery, with an statistical difference (all P<0.05). The subjective remission degree of the overall digestive and respiratory symptoms were 100 (90, 100)% and 100 (80, 100)%, respectively. During the follow-up period, the PPI discontinuation rate was 83% (69/80), and the satisfactory rate was 93% (75/80). Postoperative complications included dysphagia, flatulence, increased exhaust and diarrhea, and the incidence was 61% (49/80), 8% (6/80), 5% (4/80) and 4% (3/80), respectively, and 16% (13/80) of the patients had prolonged occasional mild dysphagia. There was no death, symptomatic recurrence or reoperation. Conclusions: The novel W-H fundoplication has a good medium-term efficacy, with significant GERD symptom control rate and PPI discontinuation rate. The postoperative dysphagia is common, but it is self-limiting and does not affect the satisfaction of the surgical effect.

Circular RNA circ_0103552 promotes the invasion and migration of thyroid carcinoma cells by sponging miR-127

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the regulatory role of circ-0103552 in the procession of thyroid carcinoma (TC) and the related underlying mechanisms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The tissues were obtained from 56 patients diagnosed with TC in our hospital. Nthy-ori3-1 cell line and TC cell lines (TPC-1, SW579, 8505C) were purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to analyze the expression of circ-0103552 in TC tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of circ-0103552 was achieved by circ-0103552 siRNA. Dual-Luciferase report assay was performed to confirm the potential target miRNA of circ-0103552. The transwell assay and wound-healing assay were designed to examine the invasion and migration ability of TC cells, respectively.

RESULTS

Circ-0103552 was detected to be upregulated in TC tissues, as well as in TC cell lines, including TPC-1, SW579, and 8505C. The knockdown of circ-0103552 significantly reduced the invasion and migration ability in TC cells. It was predicted using the circular RNA database that microRNA-127 (miR-127) was a target miRNA of circ-0103552, which was confirmed by the Dual-Luciferase assay. Further studies revealed that circ-0103552 was involved in the invasion and migration of TC by sponging miR-127.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that circ-0103552 acts as a regulator in the invasion and migration of TC by sponging miR-127.

[Absence of arterial duct in fetus: an autopsy analysis]

Objective: To analyze the absence of congenital arterial duct in fetus and to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Four hundred cases of congenital heart disease diagnosed by echocardiography during pregnancy were examined the fetal cardiovascular malformation and visceral malformation, and the absence of arterial duct was analyzed. Results: There were 24(6%)cases of absence of arterial duct, including 19 cases of left aortic arch and five cases of right aortic arch. There were 21 cases with main pulmonary arteries and 3 cases without main pulmonary arteries and branches. There were 15 cases of pulmonary artery stenosis with absence of arterial duct and the major cardiovascular malformations included six cases of single ventricle, six cases of atrial septal defect, four cases of single atrium, four cases of right atrium isomerism, four cases of double outlet right ventricle, four cases of anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, three cases of tetralogy of Fallot, and three cases of persistent left superior vena cava. There were seven cases of pulmonary atresia with absence of arterial duct and with systemic-pulmonary collateral circulation. There was one case of tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve and absent arterial duct and the pulmonary artery was dilated. There was one case of aortopulmonary septal defect with absent arterial duct, with normal pulmonary artery. There were also seven cases of asplenia, seven cases of pulmonary abnormality and seven cases of visceral inversion. Conclusions: The absence of arterial duct is often associated with congenital heart disease. Pulmonary atresia is often associated with systemic-pulmonary collateral circulation. The visceral malformations are related to the accompanying congenital cardiovascular malformations.

Nonmonotonic Energy Dependence of Net-Proton Number Fluctuations

Nonmonotonic variation with collision energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) of the moments of the net-baryon number distribution in heavy-ion collisions, related to the correlation length and the susceptibilities of the system, is suggested as a signature for the quantum chromodynamics critical point. We report the first evidence of a nonmonotonic variation in the kurtosis times variance of the net-proton number (proxy for net-baryon number) distribution as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}] with 3.1  σ significance for head-on (central) gold-on-gold (Au+Au) collisions measured solenoidal tracker at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Data in noncentral Au+Au collisions and models of heavy-ion collisions without a critical point show a monotonic variation as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}].

Synchronous Interface Modification and Bulk Passivation via a One-Step Cesium Bromide Diffusion Process for Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite film modification is one of the most effective methods to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells. The modification should follow its characters of an asymmetric structure and the corresponding charge transportation and extraction. In this work, it is shown that synchronous interface modification and bulk passivation for highly efficient PSCs can be achieved by a one-step cesium bromide (CsBr) diffusion process because it is more suitable for an asymmetric structure. The synchronous interface modification and bulk asymmetric passivation can be better applied to the asymmetric PSC structure and can boost the power conversion efficiency apparently from 19.5 to 22.1%. It is shown that the perovskite crystallization is improved and the charge extraction is also enhanced obviously due to the better band alignment matching. The diffusion of CsBr into the perovskite bulk could form a gradient distribution, which is more applicable to the asymmetric charge transport and extraction. Thus, the CsBr at the interface between the electronic transport layer (ETL) and perovskite, as well as in the perovskite bulk, could suppress charge recombination. All of these factors can improve the J_SC and V_OC as well as the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PSCs. The results point out that the studied method is a simple and efficient way to fabricate high-performance PSCs by interface modification and bulk asymmetric passivation in a single step.

Epidemiology and transmission characteristics of early COVID-19 cases, 20 January-19 March 2020, in Bavaria, Germany

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to a significant disease burden and disruptions in health systems. We describe the epidemiology and transmission characteristics of early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Bavaria, Germany. Cases were reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, reported from 20 January-19 March 2020. The incubation period was estimated using travel history and date of symptom onset. To estimate the serial interval, we identified pairs of index and secondary cases. By 19 March, 3546 cases were reported. A large proportion was exposed abroad (38%), causing further local transmission. Median incubation period of 256 cases with exposure abroad was 3.8 days (95%CI: 3.5-4.2). For 95% of infected individuals, symptom onset occurred within 10.3 days (95%CI: 9.1-11.8) after exposure. The median serial interval, using 53 pairs, was 3.5 days (95%CI: 3.0-4.2; mean: 3.9, s.d.: 2.2). Travellers returning to Germany had an important influence on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Bavaria in early 2020. Especially in times of low incidence, public health agencies should identify holiday destinations, and areas with ongoing local transmission, to monitor potential importation of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Travellers returning from areas with ongoing community transmission should be advised to quarantine to prevent re-introductions of COVID-19.

[A new lossy compression method for fetal heart rate signals-Convolutional Codec Network]

In order to reduce the energy loss during data transmission and storage in the Internet of Things system and improve the transmission efficiency of fetal heart rate data to allow real-time monitoring of the fetus, we used a convolutional codec network (CC-Net) to compress the data. The network has two modules: the encoding and decoding modules. The original data are compressed in the encoding module and reconstructed in the decoding module. The internal parameters are continuously updated using the mean square error of the original and the reconstructed signals to minimize the error to obtain effectively compressed data in the encoding module. In this study, the compression ratio of fetal heart rate signals using this method reached 12.07%, and the error between the reconstructed and original signals was 0.03. The proposed CC-Net can achieve a very low compression ratio for fetal heart rate compression while ensuring a high similarity between the reconstructed and the original signals to retain important information in fetal heart rate signals.

MiRNA-215-5p alleviates the metastasis of prostate cancer by targeting PGK1

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding RNAs, which exert crucial functions in regulating biological progressions. Previous studies have demonstrated the anti-tumor effect of miRNA-215-5p. However, its specific role in influencing the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. This study aims to uncover the regulatory effect of miRNA-215-5p on the metastasis and prognosis of PCa.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

MiRNA-215-5p levels in collected PCa tissues (n=52) and paracancerous tissues (n=52) were determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between miRNA-215-5p level and pathological indexes, as well as overall survival of PCa patients, was analyzed. Regulatory effects of miRNA-215-5p on proliferative and metastatic capacities of LNCaP and DU-145 cells were evaluated through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Bioinformatics prediction was performed to search for the target genes of miRNA-215-5p and PGK1 was selected. The biological role of PGK1 in the progression of PCa was finally clarified by a series of rescue experiments.

RESULTS

MiRNA-215-5p was lowly expressed in PCa tissues and cell lines. Low level of miRNA-215-5p predicted poor prognosis in PCa patients. The silence of miRNA-215-5p enhanced viability, migratory, and invasive capacities of LNCaP cells, while the overexpression of miRNA-215-5p yielded the opposite trends in DU-145 cells. PGK1 was predicted to be the target of miRNA-215-5p. PGK1 was upregulated in PCa tissues and cell lines and its high level predicted poor prognosis of PCa. Moreover, PGK1 level was negatively correlated to that of miRNA-215-5p in PCa tissues. PGK1 was able to reverse the regulatory effects of miRNA-215-5p on metastatic potentials of PCa cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Downregulated miRNA-215-5p in PCa is closely related to distant metastasis and poor prognosis of affected patients. MiRNA-215-5p alleviates the malignant progression of PCa by targeting and downregulating PGK1.

LncRNA NEAT1 promotes cardiac hypertrophy through microRNA-19a-3p/SMYD2 axis

OBJECTIVE

The role of NEAT1 in cancers has been demonstrated. But the role of NEAT1 in cardiac hypertrophy still remains unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the specific function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) NEAT1 in cardiac hypertrophy and its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, the in vivo and in vitro cardiac hypertrophy models were constructed by transverse aortic coarctation (TAC) procedure in rats and phenylephrine (PE) induction in primary cardiomyocytes, respectively. The expression levels of NEAT1, microRNA-19a-3p, SMYD2, and cardiac hypertrophic markers were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Cardiac hypertrophy was evaluated as calculating the surface area of hypertrophic cardiomyocyte by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-Phalloidin staining. Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay was conducted to detect the binding of NEAT1, SMYD2, and microRNA-19a-3p.

RESULTS

The results showed that NEAT1 and SMYD2 were highly expressed in myocardium of rats with cardiac hypertrophy and PE-induced primary cardiomyocytes, whereas microRNA-19a-3p was lowly expressed. Besides, NEAT1 overexpression markedly upregulated levels of the cardiac hypertrophic markers. Moreover, FITC-Phalloidin staining also revealed hypertrophic cardiomyocytes overexpressing NEAT1. On the contrary, microRNA-19a-3p overexpression reduced the cardiomyocyte surface area and downregulated the levels of the cardiac hypertrophic markers. As luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated, NEAT1 and SMYD2 could bind to microRNA-19a-3p. Finally, the gain-of-function experiments were designed to verify whether NEAT1 exerted its functions in cardiac hypertrophy by modulating SMYD2 and microRNA-19a-3p. Furthermore, both microRNA-19a-3p overexpression or SMYD2 knockdown could inhibit and reduce the cardiomyocyte surface area, and downregulate the levels of the cardiac hypertrophic markers.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, NEAT1 promotes the occurrence and progression of cardiac hypertrophy by upregulating SMYD2 by binding to microRNA-19a-3p.

The effect of hyaluronic acid on nucleus pulposus extracellular matrix production through hypoxia-inducible factor-1α transcriptional activation of CD44 under hypoxia

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the leading cause of low-back pain. Implantation of hyaluronic acid (HA) is potentially a therapeutic strategy for IDD, but its pharmacological effects and mechanism under hypoxic conditions remain unclear. In this study, the expression of extracellular matrix genes and proteins were enhanced in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) in the presence of HA under hypoxic condition, as shown by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence staining, and dimethylmethylene blue assays. Moreover, the expression of CD44 was increased in the presence of both HA and hypoxia compared to either alone. Using a bioinformatic database, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a key transcription factor in the hypoxic condition, was found to have 4 predicted binding sites on the CD44 promoter. CD44 expression was significantly increased by treatment with cobalt chloride or dimethyloxalylglycine. Over-expression of HIF-1α in NPCs significantly up-regulated the expression of CD44. The binding site of HIF-1α in the CD44 promoter region, was identified by promoter truncation experiments and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Taken together, these results indicated that hypoxic conditions positively potentiated the ability of NPCs matrix synthesis in the presence of HA, which correlated with the increasing CD44 expression by HIF-1α transcriptional activation.

Suppressing Halide Phase Segregation in CsPbIBr2 Films by Polymer Modification for Hysteresis-Less All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells

All-inorganic perovskite CsPbIBr₂ materials are promising for optoelectronics, owing to their upgraded ambient stability and suitable bandgap. Unfortunately, they generally undergo severe halide phase segregation under illumination, which creates many iodide-rich and bromide-rich domains coupled with significant deterioration of their optical/electrical properties. Herein, we propose a facile and effective strategy to overcome the halide phase segregation in the CsPbIBr₂ film by modifying its crystalline grains with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) for the first time. Such a strategy is proceeded by covering a PMMA layer on the substrate before deposition of the CsPbIBr₂ film. Further investigations manifest that the CsPbIBr₂ film with PMMA possesses larger grains, better crystallinity, and fewer traps than the one without any modification. Moreover, it holds the nearly eliminated halide phase segregation. Therefore, the carbon-based, all-inorganic CsPbIBr₂ perovskite solar cell exhibits the much suppressed photocurrent hysteresis, coupled with an outstanding efficiency of 9.21% and a high photovoltage of 1.307 V.

In situ polymer-covered annealing strategy for high-efficiency carbon-electrode CsPbIBr2 solar cells

An in situ polymer-covered annealing strategy is proposed to regulate the crystallization behavior of one-step-deposited CsPbIBr2 film, which leads to a film with many superior properties. A carbon-electrode perovskite solar cell fabricated with such a film yields a significantly enhanced efficiency from 8.71% to 10.50%.