Cardioprotective effects of gypenoside XVII against ischemia/reperfusion injury: Role of endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, and mitochondrial fusion fission balance

Gypenoside XVII (GP-17), a tetracyclic triterpene saponin isolated from the functional food Gynostemma pentaphyllum, has been demonstrated protective effects against cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases on multiple disease models. In this study, we established a myocardial infarction (MI) model by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery, and explored whether GP-17 prevent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries in mice. Compared with the I/R group, GP-17 significantly improved the cardiac function, reduced the MI, decreased myocardial pathology, activated superoxide dismutase and catalase, and reduced the content of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, malondialdehyde, and inflammatory factor. The proteomic analysis showed multiple differential proteins between the GP-17 and I/R groups enriched in endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Western-Blot showed that GP-17 significantly decreased the expression of GRP78, ATF6, CHOP, and phosphorylation of PERK, indicating the inhibition of ERS. GP-17 inhibited the expression of ATG5, LC3A/B, and BAX, illustrating the suppression of autophagy and apoptosis. Moreover, both GP-17 and 4-PBA could improve the downregulated Mfn2, meaning that inhibition of ERS regulated the mitochondrial fusion fission balance, thus protected the function of mitochondria. In conclusion, we found that GP-17 prevented against myocardial I/R injury by inhibit ERS-induced cell apoptosis, autophagy, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial division.

[Reassessing the six months prognosis of patients with severe or very severe aplastic anemia without hematological responses at three months after immunosuppressive therapy]

Objective: To reassess the predictors for response at 6 months in patients with severe or very severe aplastic anemia (SAA/VSAA) who failed to respond to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) at 3 months. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 173 patients with SAA/VSAA from 2017 to 2018 who received IST and were classified as nonresponders at 3 months. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate factors that could predict the response at 6 months. Results: Univariate analysis showed that the 3-month hemoglobin (HGB) level (P=0.017) , platelet (PLT) level (P=0.005) , absolute reticulocyte count (ARC) (P<0.001) , trough cyclosporine concentration (CsA-C0) (P=0.042) , soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) level (P=0.003) , improved value of reticulocyte count (ARC(△)) (P<0.001) , and improved value of soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR(△)) level (P<0.001) were related to the 6-month response. The results of the multivariate analysis showed that the PLT level (P=0.020) and ARC(△) (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for response at 6 months. If the ARC(△) was less than 6.9×10(9)/L, the 6-month hematological response rate was low, regardless of the patient's PLT count. Survival analysis showed that both the 3-year overall survival (OS) [ (80.1±3.9) % vs (97.6±2.6) %, P=0.002] and 3-year event-free survival (EFS) [ (31.4±4.5) % vs (86.5±5.3) %, P<0.001] of the nonresponders at 6 months were significantly lower than those of the response group. Conclusion: Residual hematopoietic indicators at 3 months after IST are prognostic parameters. The improved value of the reticulocyte count could reflect whether the bone marrow hematopoiesis is recovering and the degree of recovery. A second treatment could be performed sooner for patients with a very low ARC(△).

Overexpression of MdASMT9, an N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase gene, increases melatonin biosynthesis and improves water-use efficiency in transgenic apple

Improving apple water-use efficiency (WUE) is increasingly desirable in the face of global climate change. Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule that functions in plant development and stress tolerance. In apple, exogenous application of melatonin has been largely investigated, but melatonin biosynthesis and its physiological roles remain elusive. In the plant biosynthetic pathway of melatonin, the last and key step is that N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) converts N-acetylserotonin into melatonin. Here, we identified an apple ASMT gene, MdASMT9, using homology-based cloning and in vitro enzyme assays. Overexpression of MdASMT9 significantly increased melatonin accumulation in transgenic apple lines. Moreover, an enhanced WUE was observed in the MdASMT9-overexpressing apple lines. Under well-watered conditions, this increase in WUE was attributed to an enhancement of photosynthetic rate and stomatal aperture via a reduction in abscisic acid biosynthesis. By contrast, under long-term moderate water deficit conditions, regulations in photoprotective mechanisms, stomatal behavior, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant activity enhanced the WUE in transgenic apple lines. Taken together, our findings shed light on the positive effect of MdASMT9 on improving WUE of apple by modulating melatonin biosynthesis.

A General Way to Fabricate Chain-like Ferrite with Ultralow Conductive Percolation Threshold and Wideband Absorbing Ability

The magnetic nanochain-like material has been regards as one of the most promising electromagnetic (EM) absorbing material but remains a challenging. Herein, magnetic chain-like ferrite (included Fe₃O_4, CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄) are successfully produced through a general solvothermal method, using PVP as the structural-liking agent. Experimental results confirm the ultimate sample possess a 3-dimensional chain-like structure which are constructed by numerous ferrite’s nanoparticles with ~60 nm in diameter. Their electromagnetic parameters can be also manipulated by such a chain structure, especially the dielectric loss, where a sharply increases can be observed on within a lower filling ratio. It greatly benefits to the EM absorbing property. In this article, the electromagnetic absorption layer made with a lower content of ferrite possess the excellent electromagnetic absorption ability, where the optimized effective absorption band was nearly 6.4 GHz under a thickness of 1.8 mm. Moreover, the filling ratio is only 30 wt%. Our method for designing of chain-like magnetic material can be helpful for producing wideband electromagnetic absorption in a low filling ratio.

Genomic analysis of a novel Aeromonas veronii phage pAEv1810, belonging to the genus Petsuvirus

Phage-derived therapies are promising treatments in the fight against bacterial diseases as an alternative strategy nowadays. Species of Aeromonas veronii is an important pathogen causing freshwater fish diseases, the findings on genomic sequences of their bacteriophages are limited. In this work, a lytic bacteriophage capable of specifically infecting A. veronii strain AEv1810 was characterized at the gene level and was designated as pAEv1810. Transmission electron microscopic observation revealed that pAEv1810 belongs to the family of Myoviridae. The genome of phage pAEv1810 consists of 235,066 bp with 38.4% G + C content. Twenty-three of 249 putative proteins encoded by this phage have known functions, and four tRNA genes were found in phage genome. Phylogenetic analyses of RNA polymerase and Terminase large subunit revealed that phage pAEv1810 is closing to those phages classified to the genus Petsuvirus.

Worldwide Research Trends on Artemisinin: A Bibliometric Analysis From 2000 to 2021

Objective

Artemisinin is an organic compound that comes from Artemisia annua. Artemisinin treatment is the most important and effective method for treating malaria. Bibliometric analysis was carried out to identify the global research trends, hot spots, scientific frontiers, and output characteristics of artemisinin from 2000 to 2021.

Methods

Publications and their recorded information from 2000 to 2021 were retrieved through the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Using VOSviewer and Citespace, the hotspots and trends of studies on artemisinin were visualized.

Results

A total of 8,466 publications were retrieved, and for the past 22 years, the annual number of publications associated with artemisinin kept increasing. The United States published most papers. The H-index and number of citations of the United States ranked first. The University of Oxford and MALARIA JOURNAL were the most productive affiliation and journal, respectively. A paper written by E.A. Ashley in 2011 achieved the highest global citation score. Keywords, such as “malaria,” “artesunate,” “plasmodium-falciparum,” “in-vitro,” “artemisinin resistance,” “plasmodium falciparum,” “resistance,” and “artemether-lumefantrine,” appeared most frequently. The research on artemisinin includes clinical research and animal and cell experiments.

Conclusion

The biosynthesis, drug resistance mechanism, and combination of artemisinin have become more popular than before. Studies on artemisinin treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been carried out, and good research results have been obtained.

Rapid access to 9-arylfluorene and spirobifluorene through Pd-catalysed C-H arylation/deaminative annulation

We describe here a facile synthesis of 9-arylfluorenes and spirobifluorenes from readily available 1,1-diarylmethylamines and iodoarenes through Pd-cataylsed C(sp²)-H arylation and a sequential deaminative annulation. The reaction features high efficiency and simplicity of operation, constituting an interesting shortcut to access fluorene compounds.

Enhanced Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer between Graphene/hBN Systems

Near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) can exceed the blackbody radiation limit owing to the coupled evanescent waves, implying a significant potential for energy conversion and thermal management. Coupled surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPPs) with small ohmic losses enable a long propagation wavelength that is essential in NFRHT. However, so far, there still lacks knowledge about the experimental investigation of the coupling of SPPs and HPPs in terms of NFRHT. In this study, the NFRHT between graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) systems that can be readily transferred onto various substrates, with a gap space of ≈400 nm is measured. NFRHT enhancements in the order of three and six times higher than the blackbody limit for graphene/hBN heterostructures and graphene/hBN/graphene multilayers, respectively are demonstrated. In addition, the largest ever radiative heat flux using graphene/hBN/graphene multilayers under similar gap space of 400 nm is obtained. Consequently, analyzing the photon tunneling modes reveal that these phenomena are consequences of coupled SPPs of graphene and HPPs of hBN.

In Situ Electrospinning of Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanofibrous Dressing for Wound Healing

Rapid wound dressing and effective antibacterial therapy that meet the extreme requirements of emergency situations are urgently needed for treating skin wounds. Here, an in situ deposited and personalized nanofibrous dressing is reported which can be directly electrospun on skin wounds by a handheld electrospinning device and perfectly fits different wounds of various sizes. Moreover, an aggregation-induced emission luminogen with photodynamic therapy effect is loaded in the nanofibrous dressings which endows the dressing's long-term antibacterial activity during the wound healing process. The in situ electrospun nanofibers show excellent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In vivo studies demonstrate that these antibacterial nanofibrous dressings can effectively reduce inflammation and significantly accelerate wound healing. Such an in situ produced antibacterial dressing is promising as a total solution for treating emergencies, including patient-specific clinical wounds and military injuries.

Hippo: a new hub for atherosclerotic disease

Abstract:

Hippo,an evolutionarily conserved kinase cascade reaction in organisms,can respond to a set of signals,such as mechanical signals and cell metabolism,to maintain cell growth,differentiation,tissue/organ development and homeostasis.In the past ten years,HIPPO has controlled the development of tissues and organs by regulating the process of cell proliferation,especially in the field of cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction.This suggests that HIPPO signaling is closely linked to cardiovascular disease.Atherosclerosis is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system. It is characterised by chronic inflammation of the vascular wall, mainly involving dysfunction of endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and macrophages.Oxidized Low density lipoprotein (LDL) damages the barrier function of endothelial cells, which enter the middle membrane of the vascular wall, accelerates the formation of foam cells and promotes the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.Autophagy is associated with the development of atherosclerosis.However, the mechanism of HIPPO regulation of atherosclerosis has not meant to clarified.In view of the pivotal role of this signaling pathway in maintaining cell growth,proliferation and differentiation,the imbalance of Hippo is related to atherosclerosis and related diseases.In this review,we emphasized Hippo as a hub for regulating atherosclerosis and discussed its potential targets in pathophysiology,human diseases,and related pharmacology.

Detection of cholesteatoma: 2D BLADE turbo gradient- and spin-echo imaging versus readout-segmented echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging

PURPOSE

This study is to compare the accuracy of 2D BLADE turbo gradient- and spin-echo imaging (TGSE BLADE) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with that of readout-segmented echo-planar (RESOLVE) DWI in the detection of primary and residual/recurrent temporal bone cholesteatoma.

METHODS

The prospective study population consisted of 58 patients who were underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the evaluation of suspected temporal bone cholesteatoma. Two radiologists independently evaluated the two sequences. Kappa (k) statistics, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and a paired t test were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 58 patients included, all had histo-pathologically confirmed cholesteatomas. In ≤ 3 mm group (n = 13), TGSE BLADE sequence correctly identified all cases except one that was recorded as equivocal on both sequences because of high signal intensity on T1WI; while on RESOLVE sequences, 6 were positive, 4 were equivocal, and 3 were false negative. For > 3 mm group (n = 45), detection performance was similar between the two sequences. The mean ADC of cholesteatoma on TGSE BLADE DWI was 0.923 × 10^-3 mm²/s, and the mean ADC of cholesteatoma on RESOLVE DWI was 0.949 × 10^-3 mm²/s, with no significant difference in the mean ADC values of cholesteatoma measured on the two sequences (p = 0.9216).

CONCLUSION

TGSE BLADE outperforms RESOLVE in the detection of small temporal bone cholesteatoma ≤ 3 mm.

Sequential activation of M1 and M2 phenotypes in macrophages by Mg degradation from Ti-Mg alloy for enhanced osteogenesis

BACKGROUND

Even though the modulatory effects of Magnisum (Mg) and its alloys on bone-healing cells have been widely investigated during the last two decades, relatively limited attention has been paid on their inflammation-modulatory properties. Understanding the activation process of macrophages in response to the dynamic degradation process of Mg as well as the relationship between macrophage phenotypes and their osteogenic potential is critical for the design and development of advanced Mg-based or Mg-incorporated biomaterials.

METHODS

In this work, a Ti-0.625 Mg (wt.%) alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying (MA) and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS) was employed as a material model to explore the inflammatory response and osteogenic performance in vitro and in vivo by taking pure Ti as the control. The data analysis was performed following Student's t-test.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the macrophages grown on the Ti-0.625 Mg alloy underwent sequential activation of M1 and M2 phenotypes during a culture period of 5 days. The initially increased environmental pH (~ 8.03) was responsible for the activation of M1 macrophages, while accumulated Mg²⁺ within cells contributed to the lateral M2 phenotype activation. Both M1 and M2 macrophages promoted osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cell maturation. In vivo experiment further showed the better anti-inflammatory response, regenerative potentiality and thinner fibrous tissue layer for the Ti-0.625 Mg alloy than pure Ti.

CONCLUSION

The results highlighted the roles of Mg degradation in the Ti-0.625 Mg alloy on the sequential activation of macrophage phenotypes and the importance of modulating M1-to-M2 transition in macrophage phenotypes for the design and development of inflammation-modulatory biomaterials.

Unexpected Intrinsic Catalytic Function of Porous Boron Nitride Nanorods for Highly Efficient Peroxymonosulfate Activation in Water Treatment

Porous boron nitride (BN) nanorods, which were synthesized via a one-stage pyrolysis, exhibited excellent catalytic performance for organics' degradation via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The origin of the unexpected catalytic function of porous BN nanorods was proposed, in which non-radical oxidation driven by the defects on porous BN dominated the sulfamethoxazole degradation via the generation of singlet oxygen (¹O₂). The adsorption energy between PMS and BN was calculated via density functional theory (DFT), and the PMS activation kinetics were further investigated using an electrochemical methodology. The evolution of ¹O₂ was verified by electron spin resonance (ESR) and chemical scavenging experiments. The observed non-radical oxidation presented a high robustness in different water matrices, combined with a series of much less toxic intermediates. The used BN was easily regenerated by heating in air, in which the B-O bond was fully recovered. These findings provide new insights for BN as a non-metal catalyst for organics' degradation via PMS activation, in both theoretical and practical prospects.

Water-soluble thienoviologen derivatives for imaging bacteria and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

A series of water-soluble cationic thienoviologen derivative photosensitizers (nTPy-Rs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT) is reported. Cationic pyridine groups were introduced into the thiophene framework to enhance solubility and bacteria-binding ability, which effectively improved bacteriological imaging and antibacterial activity. The optoelectronic properties of nTPy-Rs were regulated by adjusting the number of thiophene groups, and the differences in antibacterial activity due to the functional scaffolds were compared. The results showed that nTPy-Rs could generate reactive oxygen species (ROS, including macroscopic free radicals), efficiently inhibit bacterial growth, and achieve the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to the ng mL^-1 level. Remarkably, 2TPyC6, containing two thiophene groups and modified by alkyl side chains, showed the best bacteriostatic performance, with the MIC of 20 ng mL^-1 and 4.5 ng mL^-1 for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, which are the lowest photosensitizer concentrations used in PDT to date. The low cell cytotoxicity and excellent antibacterial performance give nTPy-Rs great potential as PDT agents in vivo.

Application value of modified radical mastectomy in female patients with breast cancer of different molecular types: a prognosis study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the application values of modified radical mastectomy in female patients with mammary cancer of different molecular types and from this we conducted a prognosis study.

METHODS

A total of 204 Breast Cancer (BC) patients who were admitted to our hospital from March 2015 to March 2017 were included and divided into Group A (Luminal A type, n = 68), Group B (Luminal B type, n = 48), Group C (ERBB2: Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 + type, n = 42), and Group D (Basal-like type, n = 46) according to their molecular cancer types. Patients in Groups A and B demonstrated superior treatment efficacy and lower incidence of adverse reactions than those in Groups C and D (P < 0.05), while no statistical difference was observed among the 4 groups in terms of the total operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative 48-h drainage volume (P > 0.05). Before treatment, the 4 groups exhibited similar results from the EORTC breast cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire (EORTCQLQ-BR23) (P > 0.05).

RESULTS

After treatment, Group A was superior to the other 3 groups in this regard (P < 0.05). Further, no significant difference was observed among the 4 groups in terms of the prognosis of 3-year survival (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The clinical application of modified radical mastectomy does not depend on the molecular typing of BC; however, the treatment was more effective in the treatment of Luminal A type BC.

OrthoAligner: Image-based Teeth Alignment Prediction via Latent Style Manipulation

In this paper, we present OrthoAligner, a novel method to predict the visual outcome of orthodontic treatment in a portrait image. Unlike the state-of-the-art method, which relies on a 3D teeth model obtained from dental scanning, our method generates realistic alignment effects in images without requiring additional 3D information as input and thus making our system readily available to average users. The key of our approach is to employ the 3D geometric information encoded in an unsupervised generative model, i.e., StyleGAN in this paper. Instead of directly conducting translation in the image space, we embed the teeth region extracted from a given portrait to the latent space of the StyleGAN generator and propose a novel {latent} editing method to discover a geometrically meaningful editing path that yields the alignment process in the image space. To blend the edited mouth region with the original portrait image, we further introduce a BlendingNet to remove boundary artifacts and correct color inconsistency. We also extend our method to short video clips by propagating the alignment effects across neighboring frames. We evaluate our method in various orthodontic cases, compare it to the state-of-the-art and competitive baselines, and validate the effectiveness of each component.

Immune reconstitution and survival of patients with parvovirus B19 related pure red cell aplasia after haplo-PBSCT

Parvovirus B19 (PvB19) infection and PvB19 related pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) in recipients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have been reported sporadically. However, clinical studies with large sample sizes are lacking, especially in patients undergoing HLA-haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (haplo-PBSCT). In addition, clinical features, immune reconstitution, and outcomes of these patients are not clear. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 164 patients who received haplo-PBSCT with low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) plus low-dose posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy)-based regimen as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. We analyzed the incidence of PvB19 related PRCA and compared the clinical characteristics, immune reconstitution, incidence of GVHD, relapse rate, and survival between patients with and without PvB19 related PRCA. A total of 14 (8.5%) recipients developed PvB19 related PRCA after a median of 5.3 months after haplo-PBSCT. These patients with PvB19 related PRCA had slower immune reconstitution, but similar incidences of GVHD, relapse rate, and overall survival compared with recipients without PvB19 related PRCA. PvB19 related PRCA indicated relative delayed and poor immune reconstitution of the recipients early after haplo-PBSCT. PvB19 related PRCA had no effects on GVHD, relapse, and survival.

Integrative Transcriptomics and Proteomics Analysis Provide a Deep Insight Into Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus-Host Interactions During BVDV Infection

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhea-mucosal disease (BVD-MD), an important viral disease in cattle that is responsible for extensive economic losses to the cattle industry worldwide. Currently, several underlying mechanisms involved in viral replication, pathogenesis, and evading host innate immunity of BVDV remain to be elucidated, particularly during the early stage of virus infection. To further explore the mechanisms of BVDV-host interactions, the transcriptomics and proteomics profiles of BVDV-infected MDBK cells were sequenced using RNA-seq and iTRAQ techniques, respectively, and followed by an integrative analysis. Compared with mock-infected MDBK cells, a total of 665 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (391 down-regulated, 274 up-regulated) and 725 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (461 down-regulated, 264 up-regulated) were identified. Among these, several DEGs and DEPs were further verified using quantitative RT-PCR and western blot. Following gene ontology (GO) annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis, we determined that these DEGs and DEPs were significantly enriched in multiple important cellular signaling pathways including NOD-like receptor, Toll-like receptor, TNF, NF-κB, MAPK, cAMP, lysosome, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, lipid metabolism, and apoptosis signaling pathways. Significantly, the down-regulated DEGs and DEPs were predominantly associated with apoptosis-regulated elements, inflammatory factors, and antiviral elements that were involved in innate immunity, thus, indicating that BVDV could inhibit apoptosis and the expression of host antiviral genes to facilitate viral replication. Meanwhile, up-regulated DEGs and DEPs were primarily involved in metabolism and autophagy signaling pathways, indicating that BVDV could utilize the host metabolic resources and cell autophagy to promote replication. However, the potential mechanisms BVDV-host interactions required further experimental validation. Our data provide an overview of changes in transcriptomics and proteomics profiles of BVDV-infected MDBK cells, thus, providing an important basis for further exploring the mechanisms of BVDV-host interactions.

Real-Time Hair Simulation With Neural Interpolation

Traditionally, reduced hair simulation methods are either restricted to heuristic approximations or bound to specific hairstyles. We introduce the first CNN-integrated framework for simulating various hairstyles. The approach produces visually realistic hairs with an interactive speed. To address the technical challenges, our hair simulation pipeline is designed as a two-stage process. First, we present a fully-convolutional neural interpolator as the backbone generator to compute dynamic weights for guide hair interpolation. Then, we adopt a second generator to produce fine-scale displacements to enhance the hair details. We train the neural interpolator with a dedicated loss function and the displacement generator with an adversarial discriminator. Experimental results demonstrate that our method is effective, efficient, and superior to the state-of-the-art on a wide variety of hairstyles. We further propose a performance-driven digital avatar system and an interactive hairstyle editing tool to illustrate the practical applications.

Accelerated Skin Wound Healing Using Flexible Photovoltaic-Bioelectrode Electrical Stimulation

Owing to the complex and long-term treatment of foot wounds due to diabetes and the limited mobility of patients, advanced clinical surgery often uses wearable flexible devices for auxiliary treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for self-powered biomedical devices to reduce the extra weight. We have prepared an electrically stimulated MEMS (Micro Electromechanical System) electrode integrated with wearable OPV (Organic photovoltaic). The wearable OPV is constructed of a bio-affinity PET-ITO substrate and a hundred-nanometer organic layer. Under sunlight and near-infrared light irradiation, a voltage and current are supplied to the MEMS electrode to generate an exogenous lateral electric field directed to the center of the wound. The results of in vitro cell experiments and diabetic skin-relieving biological experiments showed the proliferation of skin fibroblasts and the expression of transforming growth factors increased, and the skin wounds of diabetic mouse healed faster. Our research provides new insights for the clinical treatment of diabetes.

Retrospective Comparative Analysis of Clinical and Imaging Features of Craniocervical Artery Dissection: Spontaneous CAD vs. Minor Traumatic CAD

Background and Objectives

Craniocervical artery dissection (CAD) is the most common cause of ischemic stroke in young adults. The etiologies of CAD can be classified into three types, such as spontaneous (sCAD), minor traumatic (mtCAD), and genetic origin. Recent studies indicated that clinical presentations and imaging features could guide management and inform prognosis. This retrospective analysis sought to compare the clinical and imaging features of sCAD vs. mtCAD in providing evidence-based advice on medical treatment, functional rehabilitation, secondary stroke prevention, and prognosis, ultimately formulating clinical guidelines in managing CAD.

Methods

In total, 148 patients with CAD were identified from the medical records database and subdivided into sCAD and mtCAD based on the clinical presentations and imaging features. A retrospective comparative analysis was performed according to their clinical presentations and imaging features.

Results

Patients with mtCAD are significantly younger than sCAD with 120 cases of sCAD average aged 43.61 ± 12.75, while 28 cases of mtCAD average aged 35.68 ± 14.54. Patients with mtCAD had more cases of neck pain compared to sCAD. Patients with mtCAD had more cases of CAD at extracranial locations compared to sCAD. Patients with mtCAD had more cases of multiple site dissection compared to sCAD. Double lumen and intramural haematoma are the most common imaging findings with mtCAD patients having statistical significantly more cases of intramural haematoma and long tapering stenosis.

Conclusion

Patients with mtCAD were presented at a much younger age with symptoms of neck pain compared to sCAD. Patients with mtCAD predominantly presented at extracranial sites with more prominent features of multiple site dissection, intramural haematoma, and long tapering stenosis. These clinical and imaging features can translate into clinical practice guidelines for patients with CAD to improve the optimal functional outcome and reduce both morbidity and mortality.

Bacteria-Triggered Solar Hydrogen Production via Platinum(II)-Tethered Chalcogenoviologens

Multifunctional solar energy conversion offers a feasible strategy to solve energy, environmental and water crises. Herein, a series of platinum(II)-tethered chalcogenoviologens (PtL⁺ -EV²⁺ , E=S, Se, Te) is reported, which integrate the functions of photosensitizer, electron mediator and catalyst. PtL⁺ -EV²⁺ (particularly for PtL⁺ -SeV²⁺ )-based one-component solar H₂ production could be triggered not only by EDTA, but also by facultative anaerobic and aerobic bacteria relying on a simplified mechanism, along with efficient antibacterial activities. In addition, by using real pool water, PtL⁺ -SeV²⁺ achieved multiple functions, including H₂ production, antibacterial action and acid removal, which supplied a new strategy to solve various problems in real life via a single system.

RUNX1 inhibits the antiviral immune response against influenza A virus through attenuating type I interferon signaling

Background

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are zoonotic, segmented negative-stranded RNA viruses. The rapid mutation of IAVs results in host immune response escape and antiviral drug and vaccine resistance. RUNX1 is a transcription factor that not only plays essential roles in hematopoiesis, but also functions as a regulator in inflammation. However, its role in the innate immunity to IAV infection has not been well studied.

Methods

To investigate the effects of RUNX1 on IAV infection and explore the mechanisms that RUNX1 uses during IAV infection. We infected the human alveolar epithelial cell line (A549) with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) (PR8) and examined RUNX1 expression by Western blot and qRT-PCR. We also knocked down or overexpressed RUNX1 in A549 cells, then evaluated viral replication by Western blot, qRT-PCR, and viral titration.

Results

We found RUNX1 expression is induced by IAV H1N1 PR8 infection, but not by poly(I:C) treatment, in the human alveolar epithelial cell line A549. Knockdown of RUNX1 significantly inhibited IAV infection. Conversely, overexpression of RUNX1 efficiently promoted production of progeny viruses. Additionally, RUNX1 knockdown increased IFN-β and ISGs production while RUNX1 overexpression compromised IFN-β and ISGs production upon PR8 infection in A549 cells. We further showed that RUNX1 may attenuate the interferon signaling transduction by hampering the expression of IRF3 and STAT1 during IAV infection.

Conclusions

Taken together, we found RUNX1 attenuates type I interferon signaling to facilitate IAV infection in A549 cells.

Trapping a [W10O32]6- decatungstate anion in an Ag44 nanowheel

Compound [Ag 44 (W 10 O 32 )(S t Bu) 24 (CF 3 COO) 8 ](CF 3 COO) 6 ·6H 2 O ( 1 ) was synthesized through the one-pot method, which is the first case of isolating a new silver thiolate cluster containing a [W 10 O 32 ] 6- template which transforms from WO 4 2- polyoxoanion through a self-assembly process. The anionic nature of the reduced [W 10 O 32 ] 6- template and the effective silver-oxygen interaction contribute to the formation of the Ag 44 nanowheel in 1 . The luminescence, photocatalytic activity and electrochemistry properties of 1 were studied.

Promising Therapeutic Candidate for Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: What Are the Possible Mechanisms and Roles of Phytochemicals?

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the most effective reperfusion strategies for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) despite myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, causing one of the causes of most cardiomyocyte injuries and deaths. The pathological processes of myocardial I/R injury include apoptosis, autophagy, and irreversible cell death caused by calcium overload, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Eventually, myocardial I/R injury causes a spike of further cardiomyocyte injury that contributes to final infarct size (IS) and bound with hospitalization of heart failure as well as all-cause mortality within the following 12 months. Therefore, the addition of adjuvant intervention to improve myocardial salvage and cardiac function calls for further investigation. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive bioactive secondary compounds abundantly found in Chinese herbal medicine. Great effort has been put into phytochemicals because they are often in line with the expectations to improve myocardial I/R injury without compromising the clinical efficacy or to even produce synergy. We summarized the previous efforts, briefly outlined the mechanism of myocardial I/R injury, and focused on exploring the cardioprotective effects and potential mechanisms of all phytochemical types that have been investigated under myocardial I/R injury. Phytochemicals deserve to be utilized as promising therapeutic candidates for further development and research on combating myocardial I/R injury. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to provide a better understanding of the mechanism of myocardial I/R injury treatment using phytochemicals and possible side effects associated with this approach.

3D-Printed Anisotropic Polymer Materials for Functional Applications

Anisotropy is the characteristic of a material to exhibit variations in its mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical properties, etc. along different directions. Anisotropic materials have attracted great research interest because of their wide applications in aerospace, sensing, soft robotics, and tissue engineering. 3D printing provides exceptional advantages in achieving controlled compositions and complex architecture, thereby enabling the manufacture of 3D objects with anisotropic functionalities. Here, a comprehensive review of the recent progress on 3D printing of anisotropic polymer materials based on different techniques including material extrusion, vat photopolymerization, powder bed fusion, and sheet lamination is presented. The state-of-the-art strategies implemented in manipulating anisotropic structures are highlighted with the discussion of material categories, functionalities, and potential applications. This review is concluded with analyzing the current challenges and providing perspectives for further development in this field.

MdUGT88F1-mediated phloridzin biosynthesis coordinates carbon and nitrogen accumulation in apple

The high accumulation of phloridzin makes apple (Malus domestica) unique in the plant kingdom, which suggests a vital role of its biosynthesis in physiological processes. In our previous study, silencing MdUGT88F1 (a key UDP-GLUCOSE: PHLORETIN 2'-O-GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE gene) revealed the importance of phloridzin biosynthesis in apple development and Valsa canker resistance. Here, results from MdUGT88F1-silenced lines showed that phloridzin biosynthesis was indispensable for normal chloroplast development and photosynthetic carbon fixation by maintaining MdGLK1/2 (GOLDEN2-like1/2) expression. Interestingly, increased phloridzin biosynthesis did not affect plant (or chloroplast) development, but reduced nitrogen accumulation, leading to chlorophyll deficiency, light sensitivity, and sugar accumulation in MdUGT88F1-overexpressing apple lines. Further analysis revealed that MdUGT88F1-mediated phloridzin biosynthesis negatively regulated the cytosolic glutamine synthetase1-asparagine synthetase-asparaginase (GS1-AS-ASPG) pathway of ammonium assimilation and limited chlorophyll synthesis in apple shoots. The interference of phloridzin biosynthesis in the GS1-AS-ASPG pathway was also assumed to be associated with its limitation of the carbon skeleton of ammonium assimilation through metabolic competition with the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Taken together, our findings shed light on the role of MdUGT88F1-mediated phloridzin biosynthesis in the coordination between carbon and nitrogen accumulation in apple trees.

Strong Edge Stress in Molecularly Thin Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskites and Modulations of Their Edge Electronic Properties

Organic-inorganic hybrid Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites (HRPPs) have gained much attention for optoelectronic applications due to their high moisture resistance, good processability under ambient conditions, and long functional lifetimes. Recent success in isolating molecularly thin hybrid perovskite nanosheets and their intriguing edge phenomena have raised the need for understanding the role of edges and the properties that dictate their fundamental behaviors. In this work, we perform a prototypical study on the edge effects in ultrathin hybrid perovskites by considering monolayer (BA)₂PbI₄ as a representative system. On the basis of first-principles simulations of nanoribbon models, we show that in addition to significant distortions of the octahedra network at the edges, strong edge stresses are also present in the material. Structural instabilities that arise from the edge stress could drive the relaxation process and dominate the morphological response of edges in practice. A clear downward shift of the bands at the narrower ribbons, as indicative of the edge effect, facilitates the separation of photoexcited carriers (electrons move toward the edge and holes move toward the interior part of the nanosheet). Moreover, the desorption energy of the organic molecule can also be much lower at the free edges, making it easier for functionalization and/or substitution events to take place. The findings reported in this work elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for edge states in HRPPs and will be important in guiding the rational design and development of high-performance layer-edge devices.

Insight into the inhibitory mechanism of inorganic ligands on the adsorption of tetracycline onto hematite

Inorganic ligands, ubiquitous in the natural environment, can interact with iron oxide minerals. To date, our knowledge regarding the effects of inorganic ligands on the adsorption properties of antibiotics onto iron oxides is still limited. In this work, the influences of different inorganic ligands (chosen iodate, silicate, and phosphate as the model ligands) on the adsorption of tetracycline (TC) onto hematite were examined. Adsorption isotherms indicated that inorganic ligands inhibited TC adsorption. The observations were attributed to the increase of electrostatic repulsion between anionic species (i.e., TC^-) and negatively charged hematite particles as well as the competition between TC^- species and inorganic ligand anions for the adsorption sites on hematite surfaces. Interestingly, the inhibitory effects of the three inorganic ligands were in the order of phosphate > silicate > iodate; the trend was stemmed from their differences in the binding affinities to hematite and the molecular size. When the background solutions contained divalent cations (e.g., Ca²⁺), surface precipitation of Ca-inorganic ligand compounds on hematite was another important mechanism for the inhibitory effects. Furthermore, adsorption of TC onto hematite with or without inorganic ligands was strongly affected by solution pH, which was due to the combination of the amphoteric behavior of TC and highly pH-dependent surface charges of the hematite mineral. Current results highlight the critical roles of ubiquitous inorganic ligands in revealing the fate of tetracycline antibiotics in natural systems.

Ginsenoside Rb1 prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behavior by inhibiting inflammation and neural dysfunction and F2 elicits a novel antidepressant-like effect: A metabolite-based network pharmacology study

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Inflammatory responses are associated wieh the pathophysiology of depression. Ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) exerts antidepressant effect, but the relationship between its activity and inflammation remains unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, the antidepressant-like effect and underlying mechanisms of Rb1 were been investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The neuroinflammatory mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute depression-like behavior was employed to detect the action of Rb1. An integrative strategy combining the identification of prototype (Rb1) and its metabolites in vivo with network pharmacology analysis was used to explore therapeutic mechanisms of these ingredients. The putative targets and signalings were experimentally validated. The antidepressant-like effect of F2, the metabolite of Rb1, was firstly evaluated.

RESULTS

Rb1 significantly ameliorated LPS-induced depressive-like behavior. Rb1 and its metabolites (Rd, F2, compound K, Rh2, Rg3, PPD) were identified and then a disease-component-target network was established. Experimental validation showed that Rb1 inhibited peripheral and hippocampal inflammation via MAPK/NF-κB signaling. In inflammatory-mediated depression state, Rb1 improved impaired glucocorticoid receptor, suppressed indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity, increased 5-HT level and 5-HT_1A receptor expression. Additionally, F2 was firstly discovered to exert antidepressant-like effect, and it existed higher activity than Rb1 against depression.

CONCLUSION

The study highlighted the potential of Rb1 and F2 as healthy supplement or agent for inflammation-induced depression.

Total Body Irradiation-Based Conditioning Regimen Improved the Survival of Adult Patients With T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma After Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is one of the consolidation modalities for adult patients with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). However, the optimal conditioning regimen needs to be explored. In the present study, 40 patients with T-LBL undergoing allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed, including 23/40 (57.5%) with total body irradiation (TBI)–based conditioning regimen and 17/40 (42.5%) with busulfan (BU)-based regimen. TBI–based regimen significantly increased the cumulative incidence (CI) of grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) as compared with BU-based regimen (13.0% vs 0%, P = 0.000). The relapse risk was significantly lowered in TBI-based group with a 2-year CI of relapse (CIR) of 9.1% as compared with that of 49.6% in BU-based group (P = 0.008). The 1-year and 2-year non-relapse mortalities (NRMs) for all patients were 5.0% and 10.3%, respectively. The 1-year and 2-year NRMs were 8.9% and 16.0% in TBI-based group, and 0.00% and 0.00% in BU-based group (P = 0.140). The 2-year probabilities of overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were 83.0% [95% confidence interval, 63.4%–100%] and 74.0% (95% confidence interval, 54.4%–93.6%) in TBI-based group, which were higher than that of 35.0% (95% confidence interval, 0.0%–72.2%) and 50.0% (95% confidence interval, 24.5%–75.4%) in BU-based group, respectively (P = 0.020 for OS and P = 0.081 for RFS). In multivariate analysis, TBI-based regimen significantly reduced the risk of relapse [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) = 0.030, 95% CI, 0.002–0.040, P = 0.000] and improved the OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.121, 95% CI, 0.021–0.683, P = 0.017] as an independent prognostic factor. These results suggested that TBI-based regimen might be an optimal choice for adult patients with T-LBL undergoing allo-HSCT.

Lower Absolute Lymphocyte Count Before Conditioning Predicts High Relapse Risk in Patients After Haploidentical Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation With Low Dose Anti-Thymocyte Globulin/Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide for GvHD Prophylaxis

Standard anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) weight-based dosing often resulted in highly variable ATG exposure, which had profound effects on relapse and survival, especially in recipients with relatively low absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) before conditioning. Data regarding rabbit ATG pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the setting of HLA-haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (haplo-PBSCT) is lacking. We conducted a retrospective study on 90 consecutive patients who underwent haplo-PBSCT with low dose rabbit ATG (5 mg/kg) plus low dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg) based regimen for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. We compared serum concentration of ATG and post-transplant results between patients with ALC<500/μl and ALC≥500/μl before conditioning. Patients with ALC<500/μl had higher ATG concentrations, delayed immune reconstitution, lower incidence of grade II-IV acute GvHD (0 vs. 19.42%, P = 0.043), higher risk of Epstein-Barr virus infection within 100 days post-transplant (47.78% vs. 22.22%, P = 0.020) and 1-year relapse rate (33.33% vs.11.59%, P = 0.041), and lower 1-year overall survival (OS) (52.38% vs.79.71%, P = 0.004), 1-year relapse free survival (RFS) (47.62% vs. 75.36% for RFS, P = 0.014), and 1-year GvHD free relapse-free survival (GRFS) (42.89% vs. 65.22%, P = 0.043). ALC<500/μl before conditioning was a significant poor risk factor for relapse, OS, RFS, and GRFS.

CeO2/Cr2O3 direct Z-scheme heterojunction for photo-thermal synergy catalytic isopropanol degradation and nitrogen fixation

The CeO2/Cr2O3 composite heterojunction material is prepared by the combination of water bath method and high temperature calcination method. The CeO2/Cr2O3 composite shows an enhanced photo-thermal synergy catalytic activity than...

Chemical Synthesis of Antibody-Hapten Conjugates Capable of Recruiting the Endogenous Antibody to Magnify the Fc Effector Immunity of Antibody for Cancer Immunotherapy

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with enhanced effector functions in cancer immunotherapy, such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), could improve the clinical performance. Here, we develop an mAb-hapten conjugate strategy to augment the mAb effector functions with the engagement of endogenous antibodies. An "off-the-shelf" mAb, rituximab, is site-specifically conjugated with the rhamnose (Rha) hapten to generate rituximab-Rha conjugates. The octopus-like conjugates could recruit anti-Rha antibodies onto the cancer cell surface and further form an immune complex that is able to provide multivalent Fc domains to interact with immune cells or complement protein C1q, leading to magnified ADCC and CDC simultaneously. One optimal conjugate R2 with PEG2 as a linker exhibits the most potent in vitro cancer cell killing activity and significant in vivo antitumor efficacy in a xenograft model. This is a general and cost-effective approach to generate mAb with improved effector functions that may have broad applications.

Effect of Annealing on Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Interstitial Free Steel

Interstitial free steels with various grain sizes and textures were prepared by cold-rolling followed by an annealing process. The effect of grain size, crystallographic orientations and stored energy on corrosion behavior of interstitial free steel was investigated. It was found that the deformed microstructure and dislocation boundaries were consumed by recrystallizing grains during annealing. The average grain size increase ranging from 0.61 μm to 11 μm and the volume fraction of recrystallized grains was about 96% after annealing for 64 h; meanwhile, the γ fiber was the dominated recrystallized texture component. The stored energy gradually decreased due to the reduction in dislocation density by annealing. The potentiodynamic polarization and Nyquist plots show that the corrosion potential exhibits a more positive shift and depressed capacitive semicircle radius increase with rising annealing time. The 64 h annealed specimens had the biggest depressed semicircle in the Nyquist plots and the highest positive corrosion potential, which indicates the enhancement of corrosion resistance. Such an improvement of corrosion resistance is attributed to the increase in the volume fraction of the γ fiber and decrease in the stored energy.

Turbo Gradient and Spin Echo PROPELLER-Diffusion Weighted Imaging for Orbital Tumors: A Comparative Study With Readout-Segmented Echo-Planar Imaging

Purpose: To qualitatively and quantitatively compare the image quality and diagnostic performance of turbo gradient and spin echo PROPELLER diffusion-weighted imaging (TGSE-PROPELLER-DWI) vs. readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) in the evaluation of orbital tumors.

Materials and Methods: A total of 43 patients with suspected orbital tumors were enrolled to perform the two DWIs with comparable spatial resolution on 3T. The overall image qualities, geometric distortions, susceptibility artifacts, and lesion conspicuities were scored by using a four-point scale (1, poor; 4, excellent). Quantitative measurements, including contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs), apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs), geometric distortion rates (GDRs), and lesion sizes, were calculated and compared. The two ADCs for differentiating malignant from benign orbital tumors were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kappa statistic, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used.

Results: TGSE-PROPELLER-DWI performed superior in all subjective scores and quantitative GDR evaluation than rs-EPI (p < 0.001), and excellent interobserver agreement was obtained for Kappa value ranging from 0.876 to 1.000. ADC_lesion of TGSE-PROPELLER-DWI was significantly higher than those of rs-EPI (p < 0.001). Mean ADC of malignant tumors was significantly lower than that of benign tumors both in two DWIs. However, the AUC for differentiating malignant and benign tumors showed no significant difference in the two DWIs (0.860 vs. 0.854, p = 0.7448). Sensitivity and specificity could achieve 92.86% and 72.73% for TGSE-PROPELLER-DWI with a cutoff value of 1.23 × 10^–3 mm²/s, and 85.71% and 81.82% for rs-EPI with a cutoff value of 0.99 × 10^–3 mm²/s.

Conclusion: Compared with rs-EPI, TGSE-PROPELLER-DWI showed minimized geometric distortion and susceptibility artifacts significantly improved the image quality for orbital tumors and achieved comparable diagnostic performance in differentiating malignant and benign orbital tumors.

Hierarchical MXene/transition metal chalcogenide heterostructures for electrochemical energy storage and conversion

MXenes have gained rapidly increasing attention owing to their two-dimensional (2D) layered structures and unique mechanical and physicochemical properties. However, MXenes have some intrinsic limitations (e.g., the restacking tendency of the 2D structure) that hinder their practical applications. Transition metal chalcogenide (TMC) materials such as SnS, NiS, MoS₂, FeS₂, and NiSe₂ have attracted much interest for energy storage and conversion by virture of their earth-abundance, low costs, moderate overpotentials, and unique layered structures. Nonetheless, the intrinsic poor electronic conductivity and huge volume change of TMC materials during the alkali metal-ion intercalation/deintercalation process cause fast capacity fading and poor-rate and poor-cycling performances. Constructing heterostructures based on metallic conductive MXenes and highly electrochemically active TMCs is a promising and effective strategy to solve these problems and enhance the electrochemical performances. This review highlights and discusses the recent research development of MXenes and hierarchical MXene/TMC heterostructures, with a focus on the synthesis strategies, surface/heterointerface engineering, and potential applications for lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis. The critical challenges and perspectives of the future development of MXenes and hierarchical MXene/TMC heterostructures for electrochemical energy storage and conversion are forecasted.

Prognostic Value of Preoperative Peak Expiratory Flow to Predict Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Surgical Lung Cancer Patients

Objectives

Cough impairment may lead to excessive accumulation of pulmonary secretions and increase the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Peak expiratory flow (PEF) is a sensitive indicator of cough ability. We aimed to investigate the correlation between PEF and PPCs for lung cancer patients undergoing lobectomy or segmental resection for improved risk assessment.

Methods

This retrospective study assessed 560 patients with non-small cell lung cancer admitted for surgery between January 2014 to June 2016. The measurements of PEF were performed before surgery and the clinical outcomes were recorded, including PPCs, postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and other variables.

Results

Preoperative PEF was significantly lower in PPCs group compared to non-PPCs group (294.2 ± 95.7 vs. 363.0 ± 105.6 L/min, P < 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis showed that high PEF (OR=0.991, 95%CI: 0.988-0.993, P < 0.001) was an independent protective factor for PPCs. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a PEF value of 250 L/min was selected as the optimal cutoff value in female patients, and 320 L/min in male patients. Patients with PEF under cutoff value of either sex had higher PPCs rate and unfavorable clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Preoperative PEF was found to be a significant predictor of PPCs for surgical lung cancer patients. It may be beneficial to consider the cutoff value of PEF in perioperative risk assessment.

Insights into the molecular mechanism of tetracycline transport in saturated porous media affected by low-molecular-weight organic acids: Role of the functional groups and molecular size

The transport of tetracycline possessed a great challenge in its environmental applications. This study looked at how various low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) affect the transport of tetracycline in environments. To that end, four LMWOAs were employed in experiments; acetic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, and citric acid. It was observed that LMWOAs promoted the tetracycline passage in presence of various experimental environments. The LMWOAs steric hindrance and deposition competition facilitated tetracycline transport at pH 5.0. The other deposition mechanism for tetracycline was the electrostatic repulsion between tetracycline and sand enhanced by deprotonated LMWOAs at pH 7.0. Moreover, the enhanced effects of LMWOAs on tetracycline mobility were intensively dependent on LMWOA type with more functional groups (e.g. carboxyl and hydroxyl groups) and larger molecular size supported stronger deposition competition, steric hindrance as well as electrostatic repulsion. Additionally, cation-bridging played a vital role for the enhanced effects of LMWOAs on tetracycline transport with divalent cations (e.g., Ca²⁺ and Pb²⁺). Interestingly, tetracycline exhibited a higher mobility in the presence of Ca²⁺ relative to Pb²⁺ regardless of LMWOAs-free or LMWOAs-addition. This phenomenon was attributed to the fact that Pb²⁺ has a greater affinity with tetracycline and LMWOAs than Ca²⁺. Furthermore, under the shadow of numerous LMWOAs, the non-equilibrium two site transportation model was employed to investigate the movement of tetracycline in porous saturated media. The present study suggests that LMWOAs may be important considerations in assessing the antibiotic passage in soil as well as groundwater.

Safety and Feasibility of Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Day Surgery and Inpatient Surgery in Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

Background and Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate how safe and viable the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic day surgery (VATDS) is for individuals diagnosed with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Data obtained from the selected patients with NSCLC who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the same medical group were analyzed and a single-center, propensity-matched cohort study was performed. In total, 353 individuals were included after propensity score matching (PSM) with 136 individuals in the day surgery group (DSG) and 217 individuals in the inpatient surgery group (ISG).

Results: The 24-h discharge rate in the DSG was 93.38% (127/136). With respect to the postoperative complications (PPCs), no difference between the two groups was found (DSG vs. ISG: 11.76 vs. 11.52%, p = 0.933). In the DSG, a shorter length of stay (LOS) after surgery (1.47 ± 1.09 vs. 2.72 ± 1.28 days, p < 0.001) and reduced drainage time (8.45 ± 3.35 vs. 24.11 ± 5.23 h, p < 0.001) were found, while the drainage volume per hour (mL/h) was not notably divergent between the relevant groups (p = 0.312). No difference was observed in the cost of equipment and materials between the two groups (p = 0.333). However, the average hospital cost and drug cost of the DSG were significantly lower than those of the ISG (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The study indicated that the implementation of VATDS showed no difference in PPCs, but resulted in shorter in-hospital stays, shorter drainage times, and lower hospital costs than inpatient surgery. These results indicate the safety and feasibility of VATDS for a group of highly selected patients with early-stage NSCLC.

Simulating the impact of piers on hydrodynamics and pollutant transport: A case study in the Middle Yangtze River

It is known that channel engineering, including the construction of piers, will change the river hydrodynamic characteristics, which is a significant factor affecting the transport process of pollutants. With this regard, this study uses the well-validated and tested hydrodynamic module and transport module of MIKE 21 to simulate the hydrodynamics and water quality under various pier densities in the Wuhan reach. Hydrodynamic changes around the piers show spatial differences, which are similar under different discharges. The range and amplitude of hydrodynamic spatial variations increase with the increase in pier density. However, there is a critical value of 1.25 to 2.5 units/km. When the pier density is less than this critical value, this type of cumulative effect is the most significant. Additionally, greater changes can be found in chemical oxygen demand concentrations, which also show spatial and temporal variations. The area with high chemical oxygen demand concentration upstream and downstream from the engineering area exhibits the distribution characteristics of “decrease in the downstream area and increase in the upstream area” and “increase in downstream the area and decrease in the upstream area” respectively. In the reach section of the engineering area, the area with high chemical oxygen demand concentration increases in the front area near the piers and decreases near the shoreline. Furthermore, the concentration shows attenuation actions with a longer residence time owing to the buffering effect of pier groups. These results have significant implications on shoreline planning and utilization. Moreover, they provide scientific guidelines for water management.

Biomaterial Strategies for Restorative Therapies in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder, in which dopaminergic midbrain neurons degenerate, leading to dopamine depletion that is associated with neuronal death. In this Review, we initially describe the pathogenesis of PD and established therapies that unfortunately only delay progression of the disease. With a rapidly escalating incidence in PD, there is an urgent need to develop new therapies that not only halt progression but even reverse degeneration. Biomaterials are playing critical roles in these new therapies which include controlled and site-specific delivery of neurotrophins, increased engraftment of implanted neural stem cells, and redirection of endogenous stem cell populations away from their niche to encourage reparative mechanisms. This Review will therefore cover important design features of biomaterials used in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies targeted at PD.

Deciphering cell lineage specification of human lung adenocarcinoma with single-cell RNA sequencing

Lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) arise from precancerous lesions such as atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, which progress into adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, then finally into invasive adenocarcinoma. The cellular heterogeneity and molecular events underlying this stepwise progression remain unclear. In this study, we perform single-cell RNA sequencing of 268,471 cells collected from 25 patients in four histologic stages of LUAD and compare them to normal cell types. We detect a group of cells closely resembling alveolar type 2 cells (AT2) that emerged during atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and whose transcriptional profile began to diverge from that of AT2 cells as LUAD progressed, taking on feature characteristic of stem-like cells. We identify genes related to energy metabolism and ribosome synthesis that are upregulated in early stages of LUAD and may promote progression. MDK and TIMP1 could be potential biomarkers for understanding LUAD pathogenesis. Our work shed light on the underlying transcriptional signatures of distinct histologic stages of LUAD progression and our findings may facilitate early diagnosis.

Origin of the N-coordinated single-atom Ni sites in heterogeneous electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction

Heterogeneous Ni-N-C single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted great research interest regarding their capability in facilitating the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), with CO accounting for the major product. However, the fundamental nature of their active Ni sites remains controversial, since the typically proposed pyridinic-type Ni configurations are inactive, display low selectivity, and/or possess an unfavorable formation energy. Herein, we present a constant-potential first-principles and microkinetic model to study the CO2RR at a solid-water interface, which shows that the electrode potential is crucial for governing CO2 activation. A formation energy analysis on several NiN x C4-x (x = 1-4) moieties indicates that the predominant Ni moieties of Ni-N-C SACs are expected to have a formula of NiN4. After determining the potential-dependent thermodynamic and kinetic energy of these Ni moieties, we discover that the energetically favorable pyrrolic-type NiN4 moiety displays high activity for facilitating the selective CO2RR over the competing H2 evolution. Moreover, model polarization curves and Tafel analysis results exhibit reasonable agreement with existing experimental data. This work highlights the intrinsic tetrapyrrolic coordination of Ni for facilitating the CO2RR and offers practical guidance for the rational improvement of SACs, and this model can be expanded to explore mechanisms of other electrocatalysis in aqueous solutions.