Environmental benign foam finishing with a hyperbranched polyphosphonate flame retardant for polyethylene terephthalate fabric

It is still a big challenge for textile industry in improving fire resistance and reducing melt dripping with minimal loss on the physical properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics. In this work, a highly-effective hyperbranched flame retardant (DT) was first synthesized by ester exchange without using any organic solvent. Then, the DT foam was prepared and blade coated on PET fabric to improve the fire performance. The prepared PET fabric with only 2.7% weight gain of DT was self-extinguished and did not produce any molten dripping during the vertical flammable test. The peak heat release rate and total heat release of the PET fabric sample with 19.4% DT were decreased by 42.0% and 57.1%, respectively compared with that of the control PET. Besides, the as-prepared PET fabric sample showed better physical properties such as breaking strength, vapor permeability, air permeability, antistatic property, and softness than the control PET fabric sample. The DT foam finishing process did not involve any organic solvent and consumed less water and energy compared with conventional fabric treatments. It is expected that this work provides a facile and eco-friendly strategy for fabricating flame retardant PET fabric with excellent comprehensive performances.

Comparison of modified anterior and traditional posterior accesses for ultrasound-guided superior laryngeal nerve block in awake endotracheal intubation: study protocol for a randomised non-inferiority clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Awake tracheal intubation (ATI) involves placing a tracheal tube in an awake, spontaneously breathing patient. Superior laryngeal nerve block (SLNB) can effectively abolish the glottic closure reflex, and blunt the sensation of the structures above the cords. A method that consists of SLNB along with translaryngeal injection (TLI) can provide satisfactory anaesthesia and intubating conditions. We present a novel modified access of SLNB, ultrasound (US)-guided anterior SLNB, to aid awake videolaryngoscopes-assisted endotracheal intubation in adult elective surgery patients, and we compare the effectiveness and safety to traditional US-guided posterior SLNB.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A total of 100 adult elective surgery patients requiring general endotracheal anaesthesia will be randomly assigned to the modified group (modified US-guided anterior SLNB) or the traditional group (traditional US-guided posterior SLNB). After SLNB, all participants will be performed with TLI. The primary outcome is the proportion of acceptable intubation conditions based on intubation scores. Secondary outcomes include: (a) the first-attempt intubation success rate, (b) haemodynamic changes during ATI, (c) time taken for airway anaesthesia and intubation, (d) recall of intubation, (e) participant perception of comfort during intubation, (f) perioperative complication rate. This report describes the study design of this randomised controlled trial.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol has been approved by an ethical committee of the West China Hospital (Sichuan University), and registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Register (www.chictr.org.cn). Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2200058086.

Prediction of outcomes for symptomatic spinal cavernous malformation surgery: a multicenter prospective clinical study

PURPOSE

Clinical outcome of spinal cavernous malformation (SCM) varies because of its unclear natural history, and reliable prognostic prediction model for SCM patients is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate potential factors that predict one-year neurological status in postoperative patients with SCM.

METHODS

This was a multicenter prospective observational study in consecutive patients with SCMs. SCMs treated microsurgically between January 2015 and January 2021 were included. Outcome was defined as the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade at one year after operation. Multivariable analyses were used to construct the best predictive model for patient outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified 268 eligible SCM patients. Neurological outcome had worsened from preoperative baseline in 51 patients (19.0%) at one year. In the multivariable logistic regression, the best predictive model for unfavorable outcome included symptom duration ≥ 26 months (95% CI 2.80-16.96, P < 0.001), size ≤ 5 mm (95% CI 1.43-13.50, P = 0.010), complete intramedullary (95% CI 1.69-8.14, P = 0.001), subarachnoid hemorrhage (95% CI 2.92-12.57, P < 0.001), AIS B (95% CI 1.91-40.93, P = 0.005) and AIS C (95% CI 1.12-14.54, P = 0.033).

CONCLUSIONS

Admission size of the lesion, morphology, symptom duration, AIS grade and the presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage were strong outcome predictors regarding prognostication of neurological outcome in postoperative patients with SCMs. A decision to surgically remove a symptomatic SCM should be justified by systematic analysis of all factors potentially affecting outcome.

Significantly Enhanced Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Multiferroic EuFeO3-δ Thin Films

Regulating the magnetic properties of multiferroics lays the foundation for their prospective application in spintronic devices. Single-phase multiferroics, such as rare-earth ferrites, are promising candidates; however, they typically exhibit weak magnetism at room temperature (RT). Here, we significantly boosted the RT ferromagnetism of a representative ferrite, EuFeO₃, by oxygen defect engineering. Polarized neutron reflectometry and magnetometry measurements reveal that saturation magnetization reaches 0.04 μ_B/Fe, which is approximately 5 times higher than its bulk phase. Combining the annular bright-field images with theoretical assessment, we unravel the underlying mechanism for magnetic enhancement, in which the decrease in Fe-O-Fe bond angles caused by oxygen vacancies (V_O) strengthens magnetic interactions and tilts Fe spins. Furthermore, the internal relationship between magnetism and V_O was established by illustrating how the magnetic structure and magnitude change with V_O configuration and concentration. Our strategy for regulating magnetic properties can be applied to numerous functional oxide materials.

CASL: Capturing Activity Semantics through Location Information for Enhanced Activity Recognition

Using portable tools to monitor and identify daily activities has increasingly become a focus of digital healthcare, especially for elderly care. One of the difficulties in this area is the excessive reliance on labeled activity data for corresponding recognition modeling. Labeled activity data is expensive to collect. To address this challenge, we propose an effective and robust semi-supervised active learning method, called CASL, which combines the mainstream semi-supervised learning method with a mechanism of expert collaboration. CASL takes a user's trajectory as the only input. In addition, CASL uses expert collaboration to judge the valuable samples of a model to further enhance its performance. CASL relies on very few semantic activities, outperforms all baseline activity recognition methods, and is close to the performance of supervised learning methods. On the adlnormal dataset with 200 semantic activities data, CASL achieved an accuracy of 89.07%, supervised learning has 91.77%. Our ablation study validated the components in our CASL using a query strategy and a data fusion approach.

CvkR is a MerR-type transcriptional repressor of class 2 type V-K CRISPR-associated transposase systems

Certain CRISPR-Cas elements integrate into Tn7-like transposons, forming CRISPR-associated transposon (CAST) systems. How the activity of these systems is controlled in situ has remained largely unknown. Here we characterize the MerR-type transcriptional regulator Alr3614 that is encoded by one of the CAST (AnCAST) system genes in the genome of cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. We identify a number of Alr3614 homologs across cyanobacteria and suggest naming these regulators CvkR for Cas V-K repressors. Alr3614/CvkR is translated from leaderless mRNA and represses the AnCAST core modules cas12k and tnsB directly, and indirectly the abundance of the tracr-CRISPR RNA. We identify a widely conserved CvkR binding motif 5'-AnnACATnATGTnnT-3'. Crystal structure of CvkR at 1.6 Å resolution reveals that it comprises distinct dimerization and potential effector-binding domains and that it assembles into a homodimer, representing a discrete structural subfamily of MerR regulators. CvkR repressors are at the core of a widely conserved regulatory mechanism that controls type V-K CAST systems.

Rational design of Lewis base molecules for stable and efficient inverted perovskite solar cells

Lewis base molecules that bind undercoordinated lead atoms at interfaces and grain boundaries (GBs) are known to enhance the durability of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Using density functional theory calculations, we found that phosphine-containing molecules have the strongest binding energy among members of a library of Lewis base molecules studied herein. Experimentally, we found that the best inverted PSC treated with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP), a diphosphine Lewis base that passivates, binds, and bridges interfaces and GBs, retained a power conversion efficiency (PCE) slightly higher than its initial PCE of ~23% after continuous operation under simulated AM1.5 illumination at the maximum power point and at ~40°C for >3500 hours. DPPP-treated devices showed a similar increase in PCE after being kept under open-circuit conditions at 85°C for >1500 hours.

Launching directional hypersonic surface waves in monolithic gallium phosphide nanodisks: two holes are better than one

The emergence and rapid progress of all-dielectric nanoantennas have provided unprecedented platforms for applications in sensing, optical control of light, opto-mechanics and metrology at the nanoscale. We present a general figure-of-merit (FOM) considering both optical and vibrational responses. Detectable mechanical vibrations ranging from gigahertz to terahertz in gallium phosphide (GaP) structures on sub-wavelength scales are found to surpass their metallic counterparts in a 400-800 nm pump-probe configuration. Then, we tailored low-aspect ratio GaP disks being probed near their optical anapole resonance. We further broke the isotropy of the nanodisks and achieved pronounced directional propagation for launching surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a double-hole structure rather than with a one-hole configuration, which could be attributed to the constructive superposition of vibration induced by the two holes in the appropriate direction. Finally, we demonstrated that the orbital angular momentum of SAWs could be generated with a spiral distribution of the two-hole nanodisks. Our work paves a new way to monolithic GaP nanoantennas towards photoacoustic applications such as hypersound routers, stirring up inverse designs of individual antennas for phononic metasurfaces, topological phononics as well as quantum phononics.

Physiology and transcriptome analysis of the response mechanism of Solidago canadensis to the nitrogen addition environment

Solidago canadensis is an invasive plant that can adapt to variable environmental conditions. To explore the molecular mechanism of the response to nitrogen (N) addition conditions in S. canadensis, physiology and transcriptome analysis were performed with samples that cultured by natural and three N level conditions. Comparative analysis detected many differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including the function of plant growth and development, photosynthesis, antioxidant, sugar metabolism and secondary metabolism pathways. Most genes encoding proteins involved in plant growth, circadian rhythm and photosynthesis were upregulated. Furthermore, secondary metabolism-related genes were specifically expressed among the different groups; for example, most DEGs related to phenol and flavonoid synthesis were downregulated in the N-level environment. Most DEGs related to diterpenoid and monoterpenoid biosynthesis were upregulated. In addition, many physiological responses, such as antioxidant enzyme activities and chlorophyll and soluble sugar contents, were elevated by the N environment, which was consistent with the gene expression levels in each group. Collectively, our observations indicated that S. canadensis may be promoted by N deposition conditions with the alteration of plant growth, secondary metabolism and physiological accumulation.

Loss of sodium leak channel (NALCN) in the ventral dentate gyrus impairs neuronal activity of the glutamatergic neurons for inflammation-induced depression in male mice

BACKGROUND

The dentate gyrus (DG) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. Many studies have revealed the cellular types, neural circuits, and morphological changes of the DG involved in the development of depression. However, the molecular regulating its intrinsic activity in depression is unknown.

METHODS

Utilizing the mode of depression induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), we investigate the involvement of the sodium leak channel (NALCN) in inflammation-induced depressive-like behaviors of male mice. The expression of NALCN was detected by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction. DG microinjection of the adeno-associated virus or lentivirus was carried out using a stereotaxic instrument and followed by behavioral tests. Neuronal excitability and NALCN conductance were recorded by whole-cell patch-clamp techniques.

RESULTS

The expression and function of NALCN were reduced in both the dorsal and ventral DG in LPS-treated mice; whereas, only knocking down NALCN in the ventral pole produced depressive-like behaviors and this effect of NALCN was specific to ventral glutamatergic neurons. The excitability of ventral glutamatergic neurons was impaired by both the knockdown of NALCN and/or the treatment of LPS. Then, the overexpression of NALCN in the ventral glutamatergic neurons decreased the susceptibility of mice to inflammation-induced depression, and the intracranial injection of substance P (non-selective NALCN activator) into the ventral DG rapidly ameliorated inflammation-induced depression-like behaviors in an NALCN-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

NALCN, which drives the neuronal activity of the ventral DG glutamatergic neurons, uniquely regulates depressive-like behaviors and susceptibility to depression. Therefore, the NALCN of glutamatergic neurons in the ventral DG may present a molecular target for rapid antidepressant drugs.

Multisite chronic pain and the risk of autoimmune diseases: A Mendelian randomization study

Background

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that an association between chronic pain and autoimmune diseases (AIDs). Nevertheless, it is unclear whether these associations refer to a causal relationship. We used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to determine the causal relationship between chronic pain and AIDs.

Methods

We assessed genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for chronic pain [multisite chronic pain (MCP) and chronic widespread pain (CWP)], and eight common AIDs, namely, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), celiac disease (CeD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE), type 1 diabetes (T1D) and psoriasis. Summary statistics data were from publicly available and relatively large-scale GWAS meta-analyses to date. The two-sample MR analyses were first performed to identify the causal effect of chronic pain on AIDs. The two-step MR and multivariable MR were used to determine if mediators (BMI and smoking) causally mediated any connection and to estimate the proportion of the association mediated by these factors combined.

Results

With the utilization of MR analysis, multisite chronic pain was associated with a higher risk of MS [odds ratio (OR) = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-2.49, P = 0.044] and RA (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.06-2.77, P = 0.028). However, multisite chronic pain had no significant effect on ALS (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.92-1.71, P = 0.150), CeD (OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.02-3.64, P = 0.303), IBD (OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.09-2.27, P = 0.338), SLE (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.82-3.88, P = 0.144), T1D (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.65-2.02, P = 0.627) or Psoriasis (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.22-11.26, P = 0.644). We also found positive causal effects of MCP on BMI and causal effects of BMI on MS and RA. Moreover, there were no causal connections between genetically predicted chronic widespread pain and the risk of most types of AIDs disease.

Conclusion

Our MR analysis implied a causal relationship between MCP and MS/RA, and the effect of MCP on MS and RA may be partially mediated by BMI.

A Parallel Multiobjective PSO Weighted Average Clustering Algorithm Based on Apache Spark

Multiobjective clustering algorithm using particle swarm optimization has been applied successfully in some applications. However, existing algorithms are implemented on a single machine and cannot be directly parallelized on a cluster, which makes it difficult for existing algorithms to handle large-scale data. With the development of distributed parallel computing framework, data parallelism was proposed. However, the increase in parallelism will lead to the problem of unbalanced data distribution affecting the clustering effect. In this paper, we propose a parallel multiobjective PSO weighted average clustering algorithm based on apache Spark (Spark-MOPSO-Avg). First, the entire data set is divided into multiple partitions and cached in memory using the distributed parallel and memory-based computing of Apache Spark. The local fitness value of the particle is calculated in parallel according to the data in the partition. After the calculation is completed, only particle information is transmitted, and there is no need to transmit a large number of data objects between each node, reducing the communication of data in the network and thus effectively reducing the algorithm's running time. Second, a weighted average calculation of the local fitness values is performed to improve the problem of unbalanced data distribution affecting the results. Experimental results show that the Spark-MOPSO-Avg algorithm achieves lower information loss under data parallelism, losing about 1% to 9% accuracy, but can effectively reduce the algorithm time overhead. It shows good execution efficiency and parallel computing capability under the Spark distributed cluster.

Risk factors for hyponatremia in acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD): a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Hyponatremia is an independent predictor of poor prognosis, including increased mortality and readmission, in COPD patients. Identifying modifiable etiologies of hyponatremia may help reduce adverse events in patients with AECOPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the risk factors and underlying etiologies of hyponatremia in AECOPD patients.

METHODS

A total of 586 AECOPD patients were enrolled in this multicenter cross-sectional study. Finally, 323 had normonatremia, and 90 had hyponatremia. Demographics, underlying diseases, comorbidities, symptoms, and laboratory data were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to select potential risk factors, which were substituted into binary logistic regression to identify independent risk factors. Nomogram was built to visualize and validate binary logistics regression model.

RESULTS

Nine potential hyponatremia-associated variables were selected by LASSO regression. Subsequently, a binary logistic regression model identified that smoking status, rate of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), anion gap (AG), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum magnesium (Mg²⁺) were independent variables of hyponatremia in AECOPD patients. The AUC of ROC curve of nomogram was 0.756. The DCA curve revealed that the nomogram could yielded more clinical benefits if the threshold was between 10% and 52%.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our results showed that smoking status, CAP, AG, ESR, and serum Mg²⁺ were independently associated with hyponatremia in AECOPD patients. Then, these findings indicate that pneumonia, metabolic acidosis, and hypomagnesemia were the underlying etiologies of hyponatremia in AECOPD patients. However, their internal connections need further exploration.

Perspective insights into hydrogels and nanomaterials for ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a neurological disorder prevalent worldwide with a high disability and mortality rate. In the clinic setting, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and thrombectomy could restore blood flow of the occlusion region and improve the outcomes of IS patients; however, these therapies are restricted by a narrow time window. Although several preclinical trials have revealed the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying infarct lesions, the translatability of most findings is unsatisfactory, which contributes to the emergence of new biomaterials, such as hydrogels and nanomaterials, for the treatment of IS. Biomaterials function as structural scaffolds or are combined with other compounds to release therapeutic drugs. Biomaterial-mediated drug delivery approaches could optimize the therapeutic effects based on their brain-targeting property, biocompatibility, and functionality. This review summarizes the advances in biomaterials in the last several years, aiming to discuss the therapeutic potential of new biomaterials from the bench to bedside. The promising prospects of new biomaterials indicate the possibility of an organic combination between materialogy and medicine, which is a novel field under exploration.

Key Factors Affecting Durable Anti-Icing of Slippery Surfaces: Pore Size and Porosity

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPSs) are widely used as an effective passive approach to reduce icing disasters. However, various porous structures make SLIPSs exhibit different droplet mobility and lubricant stability. Undoubtedly, the substrate surface has a great impact on the durable anti-icing of SLIPSs. Herein, surfaces with different pore sizes and porosities were prepared to study their effects on the performance of SLIPS. The results show that small pores and high porosity are beneficial for the preparation of durable anti-icing SLIPS. The small pore size (about 100 nm) has a strong capillary pressure on the lubricant, and the surface with high porosity (66%) possesses a large lubricant-liquid contact ratio. These two can greatly improve the lubricant stability of SLIPS and achieve rapid self-healing. The SLIPS prepared by a suitable porous surface shows excellent anti-icing performance in the simulated glaze ice and durable anti-icing ability in the long-term icing/deicing cycles. In detail, the prepared SLIPS experiences more than 140 icing/deicing cycles through four effective self-healing while maintaining extremely low ice adhesion (<20 kPa). This work proposes a certain improved SLIPS with small pores and high porosity to achieve excellent durable anti-icing performance, broadening the practical applications of SLIPS.

The Knowledge Profile, Competence and Pending Problems of Chinese Anesthesiologists in Dealing with Malignant Hyperthermia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Purpose

The National Remote Emergency System for Malignant Hyperthermia (MH-NRES) is an applet in China, designed to help anesthesiologists manage MH crisis. However, there is limited information about encountered difficulties in dealing with MH among Chinese anesthesiologists. The purpose of the study was to explore the current competency and encountered difficulties in the management of MH, as a key first step for assessing the potential user needs to develop the MH-NRES.

Methods

The hospitals of different levels in different provinces across China were invited to participate in an online survey from November to December 2021. Anesthesiologists completed the online questionnaire containing four sections including demographic information, knowledge, competency, and continuing education about MH.

Results

A total of 1357 valid questionnaires were completed from anesthesiologists, most respondents (66.7%, n = 905) correctly answered the MH trigger drugs included volatile anesthetics and succinylcholine. However, most respondents (77.0%, n = 1045) did not know that the recommended initial dose of domestic dantrolene. Up to 83.9% (n = 1138) stated that their hospitals did not store dantrolene for MH emergency. More than half of respondents thought that it would take more than one hour to obtain dantrolene in emergency. Less work experiences, lower levels of hospital and educations and professional titles were associated with lower competency scores in managing MH. Only 31.0% (n = 936) reported that their hospital had ever conducted MH continuing education curricula. Scenario simulation is the training method that most interests the participants (79.0%, n = 1072) but a whopping 46.9% (n = 637) never received simulation.

Conclusion

The study indicated that difficulty in obtaining dantrolene, lack of competency in management of MH, difficulty in obtaining professional help, and poor teamwork were the main problems of most anesthesiologists in face of MH.

Long-period D-fiber grating based robust and efficient bidirectional coupler for whispering gallery mode excitation

A robust and efficient bidirectional coupler for whispering gallery mode (WGM) excitation based on a long-period grating (LPG) inscribed in D-fiber is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. The LPG coupling the fundamental core mode to the forward propagating cladding modes according to the phase-matching condition not only enhances the evanescent field of the fiber but also selectively excites the WGM in a wavelength band of interest. Experimental results show that a maximum resonance contrast as high as 10.5 dB and a quality factor (Q-factor) on the order of 10⁴ can be achieved in an LPG coupled spherical silica WGM resonator with a diameter of 242 µm, where the LPG with a pitch of 680 µm is fabricated by arc-discharging in a side-polished D-fiber with a maximum polishing depth of 56 µm. In addition to high robustness and efficiency, such an LPG-based WGM coupler also demonstrates bidirectionality, i.e., it is independent of the injection direction of the input light, which provides a reliable and flexible fiber coupler for the WGM resonator based practical applications.

Research progress on perioperative blood-brain barrier damage and its potential mechanism

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an important barrier separating the central nervous system from the periphery. The composition includes endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, synapses and tight junction proteins. During the perioperative period, anesthesia and surgical operations are also a kind of stress to the body, which may be accompanied by blood-brain barrier damage and brain metabolism dysfunction. Perioperative blood-brain barrier destruction is closely associated with cognitive impairment and may increase the risk of postoperative mortality, which is not conducive to enhanced recovery after surgery. However, the potential pathophysiological process and specific mechanism of blood-brain barrier damage during the perioperative period have not been fully elucidated. Changes in blood-brain barrier permeability, inflammation and neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, ferroptosis, and intestinal dysbiosis may be involved in blood-brain barrier damage. We aim to review the research progress of perioperative blood-brain barrier damage and its potential adverse effects and potential molecular mechanisms, and provide ideas for the study of homeostasis maintenance of brain function and precision anesthesia.

Braiding Lateral Morphotropic Grain Boundaries in Homogenetic Oxides

Interfaces formed by correlated oxides offer a critical avenue for discovering emergent phenomena and quantum states. However, the fabrication of oxide interfaces with variable crystallographic orientations and strain states integrated along a film plane is extremely challenging by conventional layer-by-layer stacking or self-assembling. Here, the creation of morphotropic grain boundaries (GBs) in laterally interconnected cobaltite homostructures is reported. Single-crystalline substrates and suspended ultrathin freestanding membranes provide independent templates for coherent epitaxy and constraint on the growth orientation, resulting in seamless and atomically sharp GBs. Electronic states and magnetic behavior in hybrid structures are laterally modulated and isolated by GBs, enabling artificially engineered functionalities in the planar matrix. This work offers a simple and scalable method for fabricating unprecedented innovative interfaces through controlled synthesis routes as well as providing a platform for exploring potential applications in neuromorphics, solid-state batteries, and catalysis.

The perspective of hypertension and salt intake in Chinese population

Salt intake is too high nowadays. It has been widely recognized that there is a close relationship between hypertension (HTN) and dietary salt intake. Investigations reveal that long-term high salt intake, mainly sodium intake, induces a relevant increase in blood pressure in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. According to most scientific evidence, a diet with high salt intake in public increases cardiovascular risk, salted-related HTN, and other HTN-associated outcomes. Given the clinical importance, this review aims to present the prevalence of HTN and trends in salt intake in the Chinese population and will comprehensively discuss the risk factors, causes, and mechanisms of the association between salt intake and HTN. The review also highlights the education of Chinese people regarding salt intake and the cost-effectiveness of salt reduction from a global perspective. Finally, the review will emphasize the need to customize the unique Chinese practices to reduce salt intake and how awareness changes people's eating lifestyle and helps adopt diet salt reduction strategies.

Emergent Magnetic States and Tunable Exchange Bias at 3d Nitride Heterointerfaces

Interfacial magnetism stimulates the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (MR) and spin-orbital coupling across the heterointerfaces, facilitating the intimate correlation between spin transport and complex magnetic structures. Over decades, functional heterointerfaces composed of nitrides have seldom been explored due to the difficulty in synthesizing high-quality nitride films with correct compositions. Here, the fabrication of single-crystalline ferromagnetic Fe₃ N thin films with precisely controlled thicknesses is reported. As film thickness decreases, the magnetization dramatically deteriorates, and the electronic state changes from metallic to insulating. Strikingly, the high-temperature ferromagnetism is maintained in a Fe₃ N layer with a thickness down to 2 u.c. (≈8 Å). The MR exhibits a strong in-plane anisotropy; meanwhile, the anomalous Hall resistivity reverses its sign when the Fe₃ N layer thickness exceeds 5 u.c. Furthermore, a sizable exchange bias is observed at the interfaces between a ferromagnetic Fe₃ N and an antiferromagnetic CrN. The exchange bias field and saturation moment strongly depend on the controllable bending curvature using the cylinder diameter engineering technique, implying the tunable magnetic states under lattice deformation. This work provides a guideline for exploring functional nitride films and applying their interfacial phenomena for innovative perspectives toward practical applications.

[Effect of wheat-grain moxibustion on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in bone marrow cell in mice with bone marrow inhibition]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of wheat-grain moxibustion at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in bone marrow cell in mice with bone marrow inhibition, and to explore the possible mechanism of wheat-grain moxibustion in treating bone marrow inhibition.

METHODS

Forty-five SPF male CD1(ICR) mice were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group and a wheat-grain moxibustion group, 15 mice in each group. The bone marrow inhibition model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 80 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide (CTX). The mice in the wheat-grain moxibustion group were treated with wheat-grain moxibustion at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), 3 moxa cones per acupoint, 30 s per moxa cone, once a day, for 7 consecutive days. The white blood cell count (WBC) was measured before modeling, before intervention and 3, 5 d and 7 d into intervention. After intervention, the general situation of mice was observed; the number of nucleated cells in bone marrow was detected; the serum levels of interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were measured by ELISA; the protein and mRNA expression of β-catenin, cyclinD1 and C-Myc in bone marrow cells was measured by Western blot and real-time PCR method.

RESULTS

Compared with the blank group, the mice in the model group showed sluggish reaction, unstable gait, decreased body weight, and the WBC, number of nucleated cells in bone marrow as well as serum levels of IL-3, IL-6, GM-CSF were decreased (P<0.01), and the protein and mRNA expression of β-catenin, cyclinD1 and C-Myc was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the mice in the wheat-grain moxibustion group showed better general condition, and WBC, the number of nucleated cells in bone marrow as well as serum levels of IL-3, IL-6, GM-CSF were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the protein and mRNA expression of β-catenin, cyclinD1 and C-Myc was increased (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Wheat-grain moxibustion shows therapeutic effect on bone marrow inhibition, and its mechanism may be related to activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in bone marrow cells, improving bone medullary hematopoiesis microenvironment and promoting bone marrow cell proliferation.

Oncology nursing on the move: a contemporary issue on Chinese oncology nursing in cancer care

Cancers have become the primary cause of death among Chinese residents, seriously affecting their health and life. Oncology nursing is a specialized nursing practice focusing on cancer education, prevention, screening, early detection, and palliative and hospice care. China has made tremendous progress in developing oncology nursing. However, to ensure more individuals can get cancer care, the country's healthcare system still confronts several problems in oncology nursing that need to be addressed to ensure that more individuals can receive cancer care. This article reviews the current development of oncology nursing in China, especially in pain symptom control, palliative care, end-of-life care, education and training. The challenges faced in oncology nursing in China and the suggestions for developing oncology nursing in China are also discussed and proposed in this review. The growth of research on oncology nursing by Chinese nursing scholars and concerned policymakers is anticipated to ultimately improve oncology nursing and the quality of life of patients with cancer in China.

Effect of External Magnetic Field on Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) device structure have incredible advantages, such as low-cost fabrication and flexibility. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of BHJ PSCs needs to be further improved to realize their practical applications. In this study, boosted PCEs from PSCs based on BHJ composites incorporated with Fe₃ O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), aligned by an external magnetic field (EMF), are reported. It is found that the coercive electric field within the Fe₃ O₄ MNPs generated by the EMF has a strong and positive influence on the charge generation, which results in a more than 10% increase in free charge carriers. Moreover, the coercive electric field speeds up the charge carrier transport and suppresses charge carrier recombination within PSCs. In addition, a shortened extraction time makes charge carriers more likely to make it to the electrodes. As a result, more than 15% enhancement in PCE is observed from the PSCs based on the BHJ composite incorporated with the Fe₃ O₄ MNPs and the EMF as compared with that based on the BHJ composite thin film. This work indicates that the incorporation of MNPs and the EMF is a facile way to enhance the PCEs of PSCs.

TiO2 nanoparticles modified graphitic carbon nitride with potential-resolved multicolor electrochemiluminescence and application for sensitive sensing of rutin

Recently, nanocomposites with potential-resolved multicolor electrochemiluminescence (ECL) property have attracted new research interests. Herein, TiO₂ nanoparticles modified graphitic carbon nitride (TiO₂-NPs/g-C₃N₄) with inherent potential-resolved multicolor ECL emission was prepared via a simple synthesis method. The morphology and chemical composition of the synthesized TiO₂-NPs/g-C₃N₄ were characterized. The obtained TiO₂-NPs/g-C₃N₄ exhibited dual-peak multicolor ECL emission under cyclic voltammetry scanning by using K₂S₂O₈ as co-reagent. The first ECL peak (ECL-1) is composed of turquoise blue ECL emission (471 nm) located at -1.3 V and olive green ECL emission (490 nm) ranging from -1.4 to -2.0 V. The second ECL peak (ECL-2) is composed of navy blue ECL emission (458 nm) located at -3.0 V. The ECL mechanism for the potential-resolved multicolor ECL emission was proposed. Furthermore, the first ECL imaging sensing method was fabricated for the sensitive quantitative detection of rutin based on the effective quenching effect of rutin on the ECL of TiO₂-NPs/g-C₃N₄. The linear response range is 0.005-400 µM with detection limit as low as 2 nM. This work presents a simple way to prepare g-C₃N₄-based nanocomposites with potential-resolved multicolor ECL, which broadens the potential applications of g-C₃N₄-based nanocomposites for ECL imaging sensing and light-emitting devices.

Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant adenovirus type-5 COVID-19 vaccine in adults: Data from a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose, phase 3 trial in Russia

BACKGROUND

To determine the immunogenicity, efficacy, reactogenicity, and safety of a single dose of recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV, 5 × 1010 viral particles per 0.5 mL dose), we conducted a single-dose, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group (3:1 Ad5-nCoV:placebo), phase 3 trial (Prometheus).

METHODS

From 11-September-2020 to 05-May-2021, across six sites in the Russian Federation, 496 participants were injected with either placebo or Ad5-nCoV expressing the full-length spike (S) protein from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

RESULTS

Seroconversion (the primary endpoint) rates of 78.5% (95% CI: 73.9; 82.6) against receptor binding domain (RBD), 90.6% (95% CI: 87.2; 93.4) against S protein and 59.0% (95% CI: 53.3; 64.6) seroconversion of neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at 28 days post-vaccination were observed. Geometric mean titres (GMTs) were also elevated for antibodies against the RBD (405 [95% CI: 366; 449]) and S protein (677 [95% CI: 608; 753]) compared to the GMT of neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (16.7 [95% CI: 15.3; 18.3]). Using an IFN-γ ELISpot assay after stimulating the cells with recombinant S protein ectodomain we showed that the Ad5-nCoV vaccine induced the most robust cellular immune response on Days 14 and 28. Up to Day 28, the primary and all secondary endpoints of the Ad5-nCoV vaccine were statistically significant compared with the placebo (р<0.001). Systemic reactions were reported in 113 of 496 (22.8%) participants (Ad5-nCoV, 26.9%; Placebo, 10.5%), and local reactions were reported in 108 (21.8%) participants (Ad5-nCoV, 28.5%; Placebo, 1.6%). These were generally mild and resolved within 7 days after vaccination. Of the six serious adverse events reported, none of the events were vaccine related. There were no deaths or premature withdrawals.

CONCLUSION

A single-dose of Ad5-nCoV vaccine induced a marked specific humoral and cellular immune response with a favourable safety profile.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04540419.

Human PARP1 substrates and regulators of its catalytic activity: An updated overview

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a key DNA damage sensor that is recruited to damaged sites after DNA strand breaks to initiate DNA repair. This is achieved by catalyzing attachment of ADP-ribose moieties, which are donated from NAD⁺, on the amino acid residues of itself or other acceptor proteins. PARP inhibitors (PARPi) that inhibit PARP catalytic activity and induce PARP trapping are commonly used for treating BRCA1/2-deficient breast and ovarian cancers through synergistic lethality. Unfortunately, resistance to PARPi frequently occurs. In this review, we present the novel substrates and regulators of the PARP1-catalyzed poly (ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylatison) that have been identified in the last 3 years. The overall aim is the presentation of protein interactions of potential therapeutic intervention for overcoming the resistance to PARPi.

Genetically supported causality between gut microbiota, gut metabolites and low back pain: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background

Previous studies have implicated a vital association between gut microbiota/gut microbial metabolites and low back pain (LBP), but their causal relationship is still unclear. Therefore, we aim to comprehensively investigate their causal relationship and identify the effect of gut microbiota/gut microbial metabolites on risk of LBP using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

Methods

Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of gut microbiota (18,340 participants), gut microbial metabolites (2,076 participants) and LBP (FinnGen biobank) were separately obtained. The inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the main MR analysis. Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and MR-Egger regression were conducted to evaluate the horizontal pleiotropy and to eliminate outlier single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Cochran's Q-test was applied for heterogeneity detection. Besides, leave-one-out analysis was conducted to determine whether the causal association signals were driven by any single SNP. Finally, a reverse MR was performed to evaluate the possibility of reverse causation.

Results

We discovered that 20 gut microbial taxa and 2 gut microbial metabolites were causally related to LBP (p < 0.05). Among them, the lower level of family Ruminococcaceae (OR: 0.771, 95% CI: 0.652-0.913, FDR-corrected p = 0.045) and Lactobacillaceae (OR: 0.875, 95% CI: 0.801-0.955, FDR-corrected p = 0.045) retained a strong causal relationship with higher risk of LBP after the Benjamini-Hochberg Corrected test. The Cochrane's Q test revealed no Heterogeneity (p > 0.05). Besides, MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO tests showed no significant horizontal pleiotropy (p > 0.05). Furthermore, leave-one-out analysis confirmed the robustness of MR results. After adding BMI to the multivariate MR analysis, the 17 gut microbial taxa exposure-outcome effect were significantly attenuated and tended to be null.

Conclusion

Our findings confirm the the potential causal effect of specific gut microbiota and gut microbial metabolites on LBP, which offers new insights into the gut microbiota-mediated mechanism of LBP and provides the theoretical basis for further explorations of targeted prevention strategies.

Multi-Grid Capacitive Transducers for Measuring the Surface Profile of Silicon Wafers

The measurements of wafers' surface profile are crucial for safeguarding the fabrication quality of integrated circuits and MEMS devices. The current techniques measure the profile mainly by moving a capacitive or optical spacing sensing probe along multiple lines, which is high-cost and inefficient. This paper presents the calculation, simulation and experiment of a method for measuring the surface profile with arrayed capacitive spacing transducers. The calculation agreed well with the simulation and experiment. Finally, the proposed method was utilized for measuring the profile of a silicon wafer. The result is consistent with that measured by a commercial instrument. As a movement system is not required, the proposed method is promising for industry applications with superior cost and efficiency to the existing technology.

SPP1 is a prognostic related biomarker and correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND

Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) plays a vital role in tumor progression of multiple cancer types However, it still awaits further exploration whether SPP1 is a bystander or an actual player in the modulation of immune infiltration in ovarian cancer.

METHODS

In this study, the expression level of SPP1 was identified by Oncomine, GEPIA and TIMER databases, and the result of SPP1 immumohistochemical staining was acquired by The HPA database. The impact of SPP1 expression level on the clinical outcome of ovarian cancer patients were evaluated via Kaplan-Meier Plotter and PrognoScan dataset. Immune infiltration analyses were conducted using TIMER and TISIDB dataset. In addition, Functional enrichment analyses were performed with Metascape and GeneMANIA database. To verify these findings from the public database, the results were validated in a cohort of ovarian cancer patients.

RESULTS

SPP1 was found to be overexpressed in ovarian tumor tissues and high SPP1 expression was correlated with shorter survivals. Notably, SPP1 expression was positively correlated with infiltrating levels of CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Furthermore, SPP1 expression level showed strong correlation with diverse immune cells in ovarian cancer. Of note, functional enrichment analysis suggested that SPP1 was strongly correlated with immune response.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings imply that SPP1 is correlated with prognosis and immune cell infiltrating, offering a new potential immunotherapeutic target in ovarian cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Clinical Features of Suspected Malignant Hyperthermia in China from 2015 to 2020: A Retrospective Study from China Malignant Hyperthermia Emergency Assistance Group

Purpose

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but fatal pharmacogenetic disorder, triggered by inhalational anesthetics or succinylcholine. Since the first nonprofit academic organization China Malignant Hyperthermia Emergency Assistance WeChat-based Group (CMHEA Group) was established in 2015, they have actively participated in the diagnosis and treatment of MH patients. Based on the CMHEA Group, the aim of the study was to retrospectively analyze the characteristics of suspected MH in China from 2015 to 2020.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of the suspected MH patients from 2015 to 2020, for analyzing the current clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of MH in China.

Results

A total of 58 suspected MH cases occurred from 2015 to 2020, of these, 36 cases were collected with detailed data. The MH clinical grading score of 36 patients ranged from 33 to 73, with a median of 55. Abnormal hyperthermia and hypercarbia were the most common early signs of MH. Four patients were confirmed carrying six different potential MH-causative mutations. Of the total 58 cases, 14 patients (24.1%) received dantrolene and the whole mortality rate was 53.4%. Compared to the patients not receiving dantrolene treatment, the survival rate of patients receiving dantrolene treatment was significantly higher than that of patients not receiving dantrolene (78.6% vs 36.4%, p = 0.007).

Conclusion

The current main diagnostic methods of suspected MH in China are still clinical diagnosis. Hence, it is critical to keep dantrolene for immediate accessibility with the introduction of domestic dantrolene to China. The WeChat group model has played an important but limited role in quick diagnosis and treatment of MH.

Management of Tooth Extraction in Patients Taking Antiresorptive Drugs: An Evidence Mapping Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a well-known severe adverse reaction of antiresorptive, antiangiogenic or targeted therapies, and usually occurs after tooth extraction. This review is aimed at determining the efficacy of any intervention of tooth extraction to reduce the risk of MRONJ in patients taking antiresorptive drugs, and present the distribution of evidence in these clinical questions.

METHODS

Primary studies and reviews were searched from nine databases (Medline, EMBase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, WOSCC, Inspec, KCI-KJD, SciELO and GIM) and two registers (ICTRP and ClinicalTrials.gov) to 30 November 2022. The risk of bias was assessed with the ROBIS tool in reviews, and the RoB 2 tool and ROBINS-I tool in primary studies. Data were extracted and then a meta-analysis was undertaken between primary studies where appropriate.

RESULTS

Fifteen primary studies and five reviews were included in this evidence mapping. One review was at low risk of bias, and one randomized controlled trial was at moderate risk, while the other eighteen studies were at high, serious or critical risk. Results of syntheses: (1) there was no significant risk difference found between drug holiday and drug continuation except for a subgroup in which drug continuation was supported in the reduced incidence proportion of MRONJ for over a 3-month follow-up; (2) the efficacy of the application of autologous platelet concentrates in tooth extraction was uncertain; (3) there was no significant difference found between different surgical techniques in any subgroup analysis; and (4) the risk difference with antibacterial prophylaxis versus control was -0.57, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.29.

CONCLUSIONS

There is limited evidence to demonstrate that a drug holiday is unnecessary (and may in fact be potentially harmful) in dental practice. Primary closure and antibacterial prophylaxis are recommended despite limited evidences. All evidence have been graded as either of a low or very low quality, and thus further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to answer this clinical question.

Submetric Spatial Resolution ROTDR Temperature Sensor Assisted by Wiener Deconvolution

A submetric spatial resolution Raman optical time-domain reflectometry (ROTDR) temperature sensor assisted by the Wiener deconvolution postprocessing algorithm has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Without modifying the typical configuration of the ROTDR sensor and the adopted pump pulse width, the Wiener demodulation algorithm is able to recover temperature perturbations of a smaller spatial scale by deconvoluting the acquired Stokes and anti-Stokes signals. Numerical simulations have been conducted to analyze the spatial resolution achieved by the algorithm. Assisted by the algorithm, a typical ROTDR sensor adopting pump pulses of 20 ns width can realize the distributed temperature sensing with a spatial resolution of 0.5 m and temperature accuracy of 1.99 °C over a 2.1-km sensing fiber.

Development of NMDA receptors contributes to the enhancement of electroencephalogram oscillations under volatile anesthetics in rats

Background

Volatile anesthetics including sevoflurane and isoflurane enhance oscillations of cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), partly by their modulations on glutamate-mediated excitatory synaptic transmission. Expression of NMDA receptors is increased during neonatal development. However, how the development of NMDA receptors influences EEG under volatile anesthesia remains unclear.

Methods

Expressions of NMDA receptor subtypes (NR1, NR2A, and NR2B) during neonatal development were measured by Western blotting. MAC (minimal alveolar concentration) of isoflurane and sevoflurane that inducing loss of righting reflex (LORR) and no response to tail-clamp (immobility) were measured to verify the effect of NR1 expression on anesthetic potency during neonatal development. Cortical electroencephalogram recording was used to examine the influence of NR1 expression on the power density of EEG.

Results

The expressions of GluNR1, GluNR2A and GluNR2B receptors were gradually increased during neonatal development in cortex, hippocampus and thalamus of rats. Knockdown of NR1 enhanced the sedative potency of volatile anesthetics but not on immobility potency in postnatal day 14 (P14)-P17 rats. For cortical EEG, along with the increased concentration of volatile anesthetics, cortical slow-delta oscillations of P5 rats were inhibited, theta and alpha oscillations were not changed significantly; while these oscillations were enhanced until high anesthetic concentrations in P21 rats. Knockdown of NR1 in forebrain suppressed the enhancement of cortical EEG oscillations in P21 rats.

Conclusion

The development of NMDA receptors may contribute to the enhancement of cortical EEG oscillations under volatile anesthetics.

[Immunogenicity of group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in infants: A phase Ⅲ clinical trial study]

Objective: To evaluate the immunogenicity of group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in infants under 2 years old. Methods: From March 2017 to June 2018, 1 932 healthy infants in Biyang County, Henan Province, who were not vaccinated with meningococcal meningitis vaccine and whose axillary temperature was ≤37.0 ℃, were recruited as participants. The 3 months and 6-11 months old infants were allocated to the experiment group and the control group in a ratio of 1∶1. Infants aged 12-23 months were allocated to the 1-dose group, the 2-dose group and the control group in a ratio of 1∶1∶1, with 276 infants in each group. The infants in the experiment group were intramuscularly injected with freeze-dried group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine to be evaluated, and infants in the control group received intramuscular injection of commercially available freeze-dried group A+C meningococcal conjugate vaccine. The venous blood of infants was collected 30 days before the first dose and after the last dose of inoculation, and the antibody seroconversion of each group was determined and compared. Results: The completion rate of immunogenicity study was 95.2% (1 839/1 932). Before inoculation, there was no statistical difference in the geometric mean titer and positive rate of group A+C antibodies between the experiment group and the control group in 3 months and 6-11 months old infants (all P values >0.05). The geometric mean titers and positive rate of group A antibodies in the 1-dose group were higher than those in the control group (all P values <0.05), but there was no statistical difference between the 2-dose group and the control group (all P values >0.05) in infants aged 12-23 months. After inoculation, the differences (95%CI) in the positive conversion rate of group A+C antibodies between the experiment group and the control group were -0.12% (-6.01%-5.77%) and 0.82% (-4.23%-5.86%) in the 3 months old infants. At the age of 6-11 months, the differences were 6.75% (1.71%-11.79%) and -4.32% (-8.73%-0.08%), respectively. At the age of 12-23 months, the differences were 1.02% (-3.80%-5.83%) and -4.40% (-7.79%- -1.01%) in the 2-dose group and -7.22% (-12.90%- -1.54%) and -18.61% (-23.75%- -13.46%) in the 1-dose group, respectively. The geometric mean titers of group A+C antibodies in the 3 months old infants were 48.50 and 63.12, respectively, which had no significant difference from the control group (43.02 and 57.99, respectively) (both P values <0.05). The geometric mean titers of group A+C antibodies in the 6-11 months and 12-23 months old infants were 84.09 and 92.51 (2-dose group), which were higher than those in the corresponding control group (43.10 and 61.83, respectively) (all P values <0.001). Conclusion: Group A+C meningococcal conjugate vaccine has good immunogenicity in infants under 2 years old.

mRNA based vaccines provide broad protection against different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

In order to overcome the pandemic of COVID-19, messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine has been extensively researched as a rapid and versatile strategy. Herein, we described the immunogenicity of mRNA-based vaccines for Beta and the most recent Omicron variants. The homologous mRNA-Beta and mRNA-Omicron and heterologous Ad5-nCoV plus mRNA vaccine exhibited high-level cross-reactive neutralization for Beta, original, Delta, and Omicron variants. It indicated that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have great potential in the clinical use against different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Surgical Navigation System for Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage Based on Mixed Reality

Hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) is an intracerebral bleeding disease that affects 2.5 per 10,000 people worldwide each year. An effective way to cure this disease is puncture through the dura with a brain puncture drill and tube; the accuracy of the insertion determines the quality of the surgery. In recent decades, surgical navigation systems have been widely used to improve the accuracy of surgery and minimize risks. Augmented reality- and mixed reality-based surgical navigation is a promising new technology for surgical navigation in the clinic, aiming to improve the safety and accuracy of the operation. In this study, we present a novel multimodel mixed reality navigation system for HICH surgery in which medical images and virtual anatomical structures can be aligned intraoperatively with the actual structures of the patient in a head-mounted device and adjusted when the patient moves in real time while under local anesthesia; this approach can help the surgeon intuitively perform intraoperative navigation. A novel registration method is used to register the holographic space and serves as an intraoperative optical tracker, and a method for calibrating the HICH surgical tools is used to track the tools in real time. The results of phantom experiments revealed a mean registration error of 1.03 mm and an average time consumption of 12.9 min. In clinical usage, the registration error was 1.94 mm, and the time consumption was 14.2 min, showing that this system is sufficiently accurate and effective for clinical application.

Systematic annotation of conservation states provides insights into regulatory regions in rice

Plant genomes contain a large fraction of noncoding sequences. The discovery and annotation of conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs) in plants is an ongoing challenge. Here we report the application of comparative genomics to systematically identify CNSs in 50 well-annotated Gramineae genomes using rice (Oryza sativa) as the reference. We conduct multiple-way whole-genome alignments to the rice genome. The rice genome is annotated as 20 conservation states (CSs) at single-nucleotide resolution using a multivariate hidden Markov model (ConsHMM) based on the multiple-genome alignments. Different states show distinct enrichments for various genomic features, and the conservation scores of CSs are highly correlated with the level of associated chromatin accessibility. We find that at least 33.5% of the rice genome is highly under selection, with more than 70% of the sequence lying outside of coding regions. A catalog of 855,366 regulatory CNSs is generated, and they significantly overlapped with putative active regulatory elements such as promoters, enhancers, and transcription factor binding sites. Collectively, our study provides a resource for elucidating functional noncoding regions of the rice genome and an evolutionary aspect of regulatory sequences in higher plants.

In Situ Constructing Ultrathin, Robust-Flexible Polymeric Electrolytes with Rapid Interfacial Ion Transport in Lithium Metal Batteries

Safety of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) has been improved by using the solid-state polymer electrolytes, but the performance of LMBs is still troubled by the poor interface of solid electrolytes/electrodes, leading to insufficient interfacial Li⁺ transport. Here, a novel ultrathin, robust-flexible polymeric electrolyte is achieved by in situ polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane in soft nanofibrous skeleton at room temperature without any extra initiator or plasticizer, leading to the electrolyte with rapid interfacial ion transport. This facilitated Li⁺ transportation is demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulation. Consequently, the as-prepared electrolyte exhibits excellent cycling performance. The results indicate that the electrolyte works well in the LiFePO₄ //Li cell at elevated temperature up to 90 °C, and further matches with the high-voltage LiNi_0.8 Mn_0.1 Co_0.1 O₂ cathode. This study provides an effective approach to constructing a practical polymeric electrolyte for fabrication of safe, high performance LMBs.

Construction and expression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein AR2 and its immunogenicity in combination with various adjuvants to form vaccine

Tuberculosis (TB) is recognized as a highly infectious disease worldwide, and Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) remains the only TB vaccine licensed for clinical use. As there is little evidence that BCG is effective in adults, there is an urgent need for a safe and effective vaccine to control TB in adults. In this study, we tested the immunomodulatory efficiency of the fusion protein AR2. whole blood IFN-γ release assay (WBIA) was used to detect antigen specificity. The immunogenicity of the vaccine was tested in C57BL/6 mice, and confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR. The fusion protein AR2 was successfully constructed and expressed. The level of IFN-γ in the peripheral blood of subjects stimulated by AR2 was significantly higher than in those induced by all subcomponent proteins. AR2-specific IgG and the Th1 cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, and iNOS were significantly increased in the group treated with the fusion protein and compound adjuvant (AR2+DMC). Likewise, the number of IFN-γ⁺ CD4⁺, IFN-γ⁺CD8⁺, and IL-4⁺ CD8⁺ T lymphocytes increased significantly. The combination of the fusion protein and the compound adjuvant (AR2+DMC) may be a suitable candidate for an enhanced TB vaccine. This study provides theoretical and experimental support for future research to enhance the effectiveness of TB vaccines and provides an experimental basis for evaluating the influence of different adjuvants on vaccine efficacy.

Combined inhibition of BADSer99 phosphorylation and PARP ablates models of recurrent ovarian carcinoma

Background

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) have been approved for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), regardless of BRCA status or homologous recombination repair deficiency. However, the low response of platinum-resistant EOC, the emergence of resistance in BRCA-deficient cancer, and therapy-associated toxicities in patients limit the clinical utility of PARPis in recurrent EOC.

Methods

The association of phosphorylated (p) BADS99 with clinicopathological parameters and survival outcomes in an EOC cohort was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The therapeutic synergy, and mechanisms thereof, between a pBADS99 inhibitor and PARPis in EOC was determined in vitro and in vivo using cell line and patient-derived models.

Results

A positive correlation between pBADS99 in EOC with higher disease stage and poorer survival is observed. Increased pBADS99 in EOC cells is significantly associated with BRCA-deficiency and decreased Cisplatin or Olaparib sensitivity. Pharmacological inhibition of pBADS99 synergizes with PARPis to enhance PARPi IC₅₀ and decreases survival, foci formation, and growth in ex vivo culture of EOC cells and patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Combined inhibition of pBADS99 and PARP in EOC cells or PDOs enhances DNA damage but impairs PARPi stimulated DNA repair with a consequent increase in apoptosis. Inhibition of BADS99 phosphorylation synergizes with Olaparib to suppress the xenograft growth of platinum-sensitive and resistant EOC. Combined pBADS99-PARP inhibition produces a complete response in a PDX derived from a patient with metastatic and chemoresistant EOC.

Conclusions

A rational and efficacious combination strategy involving combined inhibition of pBADS99 and PARP for the treatment of recurrent EOC is presented.

Ovarian cancer is difficult to successfully treat because it often recurs as the cancer becomes resistant to drugs used to treat it. As such, new drugs or combinations of drugs are needed to treat patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Here, a drug combination is reported that is effective in experimental models of ovarian cancer, including those derived from patients. The combination approach uses drugs that have previously been approved for use in patients, known as PARP inhibitors, and another drug to inhibit cancer cell survival by targeting activation of a specific protein involved in cancer cell survival. The net effect of this drug combination in ovarian cancer models is greater than the sum of the drugs used individually. With further testing, this combination may offer a potential strategy to treat patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Zhang et al. test the therapeutic potential of an inhibitor of BAD phosphorylation, NPB, in epithelial ovarian cancer. The authors show that the small molecule synergises with PARP inhibition to kill patient-derived ovarian cancer organoids and suppress the growth of xenograft tumours, including a cisplatin-resistant model.

Mutation of gdpS gene induces a viable but non-culturable state in Staphylococcus epidermidis and changes in the global transcriptional profile

BACKGROUND

In the genome of staphylococci, only the gdpS gene encodes the conserved GGDEF domain, which is the characteristic of diguanylate cyclases. In our previous study, we have demonstrated that the gdpS gene can modulate biofilm formation by positively regulating the expression of ica operon in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Moreover, this regulation seems to be independent of the c-di-GMP signaling pathway and the protein-coding function of this gene. Therefore, the biological function of the gdpS gene remains to be further investigated.

RESULTS

In the present study, it was observed that mutation of the gdpS gene induced S. epidermidis to enter into a presumed viable but nonculturable state (VBNC) after cryopreservation with glycerol. Similarly, when moved from liquid to solid culture medium, the gdpS mutant strain also exhibited a VBNC state. Compared with the wild-type strain, the gdpS mutant strain autolyzed more quickly during storage at 4℃, indicating its increased susceptibility to low temperature. Transcriptional profiling analysis showed that the gdpS mutation affected the transcription of 188 genes (92 genes were upregulated and 96 genes were downregulated). Specifically, genes responsible for glycerol metabolism were most markedly upregulated and most of the altered genes in the mutant strain are those involved in nitrogen metabolism. In addition, the most significantly downregulated genes included the betB gene, whose product catalyzes the synthesis of glycine betaine and confers tolerance to cold.

CONCLUSION

The preliminary results suggest that the gdpS gene may participate in VBNC formation of S. epidermidis in face of adverse environmental factors, which is probably achieved by regulating expression of energy metabolism genes. Besides, the gdpS gene is critical for S. epidermidis to survive low temperature, and the underlying mechanism may be partly explained by its influence on expression of betB gene.

A Curriculum Batching Strategy for Automatic ICD Coding with Deep Multi-Label Classification Models

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) has an important role in building applications for clinical medicine. Extremely large ICD coding label sets and imbalanced label distribution bring the problem of inconsistency between the local batch data distribution and the global training data distribution into the minibatch gradient descent (MBGD)-based training procedure for deep multi-label classification models for automatic ICD coding. The problem further leads to an overfitting issue. In order to improve the performance and generalization ability of the deep learning automatic ICD coding model, we proposed a simple and effective curriculum batching strategy in this paper for improving the MBGD-based training procedure. This strategy generates three batch sets offline through applying three predefined sampling algorithms. These batch sets satisfy a uniform data distribution, a shuffling data distribution and the original training data distribution, respectively, and the learning tasks corresponding to these batch sets range from simple to complex. Experiments show that, after replacing the original shuffling algorithm-based batching strategy with the proposed curriculum batching strategy, the performance of the three investigated deep multi-label classification models for automatic ICD coding all have dramatic improvements. At the same time, the models avoid the overfitting issue and all show better ability to learn the long-tailed label information. The performance is also better than a SOTA label set reconstruction model.

Progress in Research on TLR4-Mediated Inflammatory Response Mechanisms in Brain Injury after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the common clinical neurological emergencies. Its incidence accounts for about 5-9% of cerebral stroke patients. Even surviving patients often suffer from severe adverse prognoses such as hemiplegia, aphasia, cognitive dysfunction and even death. Inflammatory response plays an important role during early nerve injury in SAH. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), pattern recognition receptors, are important components of the body's innate immune system, and they are usually activated by damage-associated molecular pattern molecules. Studies have shown that with TLR 4 as an essential member of the TLRs family, the inflammatory transduction pathway mediated by it plays a vital role in brain injury after SAH. After SAH occurrence, large amounts of blood enter the subarachnoid space. This can produce massive damage-associated molecular pattern molecules that bind to TLR4, which activates inflammatory response and causes early brain injury, thus resulting in serious adverse prognoses. In this paper, the process in research on TLR4-mediated inflammatory response mechanism in brain injury after SAH was reviewed to provide a new thought for clinical treatment.