Engineering Covalent Organic Frameworks Toward Advanced Zinc-Based Batteries

Zinc-based batteries (ZBBs) have demonstrated considerable potential among secondary batteries, attributing to their advantages including good safety, environmental friendliness, and high energy density. However, ZBBs still suffer from issues such as the formation of zinc dendrites, occurrence of side reactions, retardation of reaction kinetics, and shuttle effects, posing a great challenge for practical applications. As promising porous materials, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and their derivatives have rigid skeletons, ordered structures, and permanent porosity, which endow them with great potential for application in ZBBs. This review, therefore, provides a systematic overview detailing on COFs structure pertaining to electrochemical performance of ZBBs, following an in depth discussion of the challenges faced by ZBBs, which includes dendrites and side reactions at the anode, as well as dissolution, structural change, slow kinetics, and shuttle effect at the cathode. Then, the structural advantages of COF-correlated materials and their roles in various ZBBs are highlighted. Finally, the challenges of COF-correlated materials in ZBBs are outlined and an outlook on the future development of COF-correlated materials for ZBBs is provided. The review would serve as a valuable reference for further research into the utilization of COF-correlated materials in ZBBs.

Feasibility of vertical force-velocity profiles to monitor changes in muscle function following different fatigue protocols

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore the feasibility of vertical force-velocity (F-V) profiles to monitor changes in muscle function following different fatigue protocols. The between-day reliability of vertical F-V profiles and the acute effects of two fatigue protocols on the changes of lower limb muscle function were examined.

METHODS

Twelve resistance trained males completed a preliminary session to determine their back squat one-repetition maximum (1RM). Afterwards, they randomly performed two experimental sessions that only differed in the fatigue protocol applied: heavy-load traditional (HLT; five repetitions at 80% 1RM) and light-load ballistic (LLB; five repetitions at 30% 1RM) squat protocols. Participants' vertical F-V profiles (maximum theoretical force [F0], maximum theoretical velocity [v0], and maximum power output [Pmax]) were calculated before and immediately after each fatigue protocol.

RESULTS

F0, v0, and Pmax showed acceptable to good between-day reliability (coefficient of variation ≤ 4.4%; intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.84). Both fatigue protocols promoted a comparable reduction in Pmax (-10.1% for HLT and -12.2% for LLB). However, the LLB squat protocol reduced more v0 (-9.7%) than F0 (-0.4%), while the HLT squat protocol reduced F0 (-8.4%) more than v0 (-4.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

The vertical F-V profile can be used to monitor changes in muscle function given its acceptable between-day reliability and its high sensitivity to detect the acute effect of force-oriented and velocity-oriented fatigue protocols on specific maximal neuromuscular capacities.

Structural optimization of single-layer domes using surrogate-based physics-informed neural networks

This study aims at generation of a novel artificial bee colony algorithm using surrogate finite element method with neural network technique. In this paper, theory of surrogate finite element method with physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) are generated and applied to deal with the geometrically nonlinear optimization problem of size, shape and topology for single-layer domes. In the artificial bee colony algorithm, the feedforward neural network is used to surrogate finite element analyses. Three numerical examples of 10-bar truss, Lamella dome, and Kiewit dome are carried out to verify feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method. Results of the present study are in good agreement with ones from literature. It is indicated that optimization processes can be considerably accelerated using the modified algorithm. That is, using the neural network surrogate-based models could significantly increase computational efficiency of structural optimum design for single-layer domes.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Asian Patients With Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer

Presently, surgery is the only treatment approach for gastric cancer and improving the prognosis of locally advanced gastric cancer is one of the key factors in promoting gastric cancer survival benefit. The MAGIC study was the first to demonstrate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in European countries. In recent years, several clinical trials have provided evidence for the use of NAC in Asian patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. However, clinical practice guidelines vary between Asian and non-Asian populations. Optimal NAC regimens, proper target populations, and predictors of NAC outcomes in Asian patients are still under investigation. Herein, we summarized the current progress in the administration of NAC in Asian patients with gastric cancer.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic significance of HDAC11 protein expression in non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study

Background

Although the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be assessed based on pathological type, disease stage and inflammatory indicators, the prognostic scoring model of NSCLC still needs to improve. HDAC11 is associated with poor prognosis of partial tumors, but its prognostic relationship with NSCLC is poorly understood. In this study, the role of HDAC11 in NSCLC was studied to evaluate relationship with disease prognosis and potential therapeutic target.

Methods

The clinicopathological and paracancerous tissues of patients with NSCLC primarily diagnosed in Tangdu Hospital from 2009 to 2013 were collected. Follow-up of patients were made every three months and the last follow-up period was December 2018. The expression of HDAC11 was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Then, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to analyze the relationship between HDAC11 expression and the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Kaplan-Meier plotter database was used to verify the connection between hub genes and tumor stage and prognosis. We accessed the relationship between HDAC11 expression and clinicopathological features, and impact on the prognosis.

Results

The study assessed 326 patients with NSCLC. Compared with adjacent tissues, HDAC11 expression was upregulated (HR =1.503, 95% CI: 1.172 to 1.927, P=0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that HDAC11 expression was closely related to OS of NSCLC patients (P=0.0011). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the independent risk factors of OS were clinical stage, HDAC11 expression, and HDAC11 differentiation (all P≤0.001). HDAC11 was significantly associated with prognosis in LUAD. A total of 1,174 differential genes and WGCNA were obtained to construct a co-expression network in LUAD. The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed the relevance with staphylococcus aureus infection, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and others. The results of LUAD survival analysis showed that HDAC11-related genes NKX2-5 and FABP7 were significantly associated with LUAD prognosis.

Conclusions

The high expression of HDAC11 is related to the poor prognosis of LUAD, and it is expected to become a therapeutic target and prognostic evaluation therapy for LUAD in the future. However, the relevant results need to be further studied and verified.

Bioinformatics analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection-associated immune injury and therapeutic prediction for COVID-19

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a highly contagious viral infection, without any available targeted therapies. The high mortality rate of COVID-19 is speculated to be related to immune damage.

Methods

In this study, clinical bioinformatics analysis was conducted on transcriptome data of coronavirus infection.

Results

Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the complex immune injury induced by coronavirus infection provoked dysfunction of numerous immune-related molecules and signaling pathways, including immune cells and toll-like receptor cascades. Production of numerous cytokines through the Th17 signaling pathway led to elevation in plasma levels of cytokines (including IL6, NF-κB, and TNF-α) followed by concurrent inflammatory storm, which mediates the autoimmune response. Several novel medications seemed to display therapeutic effects on immune damage associated with coronavirus infection.

Conclusions

This study provided insights for further large-scale studies on the target therapy on reconciliation of immunological damage associated with COVID-19.

[Exploration of omics mechanism and drug prediction of coronavirus-induced heart failure based on clinical bioinformatics]

Objective: Present study investigated the mechanism of heart failure associated with coronavirus infection and predicted potential effective therapeutic drugs against heart failure associated with coronavirus infection. Methods: Coronavirus and heart failure were searched in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and omics data were selected to meet experimental requirements. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed using the Limma package in R language to screen for differentially expressed genes. The two sets of differential genes were introduced into the R language cluster Profiler package for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto gene and genome encyclopedia (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Two sets of intersections were taken. A protein interaction network was constructed for all differentially expressed genes using STRING database and core genes were screened. Finally, the apparently accurate treatment prediction platform (EpiMed) independently developed by the team was used to predict the therapeutic drug. Results: The GSE59185 coronavirus data set was searched and screened in the GEO database, and divided into wt group, ΔE group, Δ3 group, Δ5 group according to different subtypes, and compared with control group. After the difference analysis, 191 up-regulated genes and 18 down-regulated genes were defined. The GEO126062 heart failure data set was retrieved and screened from the GEO database. A total of 495 differentially expressed genes were screened, of which 165 were up-regulated and 330 were down-regulated. Correlation analysis of differentially expressed genes between coronavirus and heart failure was performed. After cross processing, there were 20 GO entries, which were mainly enriched in virus response, virus defense response, type Ⅰ interferon response, γ interferon regulation, innate immune response regulation, negative regulation of virus life cycle, replication regulation of viral genome, etc. There were 5 KEGG pathways, mainly interacting with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway, cytokine and receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, human giant cells viral infection related. All differentially expressed genes were introduced into the STRING online analysis website for protein interaction network analysis, and core genes such as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, IL-10, IL17, TNF, interferon regulatory factor 9, 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 3, radical s-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2, c-x-c motif chemokine ligand 10, caspase 3 and other genes were screened. The drugs predicted by EpiMed's apparent precision treatment prediction platform for disease-drug association analysis were mainly TNF-α inhibitors, resveratrol, ritonavir, paeony, retinoic acid, forsythia, and houttuynia cordata. Conclusions: The abnormal activation of multiple inflammatory pathways may be the cause of heart failure in patients after coronavirus infection. Resveratrol, ritonavir, retinoic acid, amaranth, forsythia, houttuynia may have therapeutic effects. Future basic and clinical research is warranted to validate present results and hypothesis.

Vilsmeier–Haack reagent mediated synthetic transformations with an immobilized iridium complex photoredox catalyst

The synthesis of amides, nitriles, and anhydrides via reactions under the action of the visible-light-driven in situ generated Vilsmeier–Haack reagent from CBr₄ in DMF.

Visible-light mediated directed perfluoroalkylation of hydrazones

A convenient and efficient protocol was reported to access a series of perfluoroalkylated aromatic aldehyde hydrazones. Aliphatic aldehyde hydrazones and N-monosubstituted hydrazones which are unreactive in previously reported hydrazone perfluoroalkylation reactions now take part in the reaction.

Visible light mediated cyclization of tertiary anilines with maleimides using a supported iridium complex catalyst

The synthesis of a novel supported iridium complex catalyst and its efficient application in the visible light mediated cyclization of tertiary anilines and maleimides.

Ion Permeation and Mechanotransduction Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels

Piezo proteins have been proposed as the long-sought-after mechanosensitive cation channels in mammals that play critical roles in various mechanotransduction processes. However, the molecular bases that underlie their ion permeation and mechanotransduction have remained functionally undefined. Here we report our finding of the miniature pore-forming module of Piezo1 that resembles the pore architecture of other trimeric channels and encodes the essential pore properties. We further identified specific residues within the pore module that determine unitary conductance, pore blockage and ion selectivity for divalent and monovalent cations and anions. The non-pore-containing region of Piezo1 confers mechanosensitivity to mechano-insensitive trimeric acid-sensing ion channels, demonstrating that Piezo1 channels possess intrinsic mechanotransduction modules separate from their pore modules. In conclusion, this is the first report on the bona fide pore module and mechanotransduction components of Piezo channels, which define their ion-conducting properties and gating by mechanical stimuli, respectively.

Factors involved in the duodenal expression of the human calbindin-D9k gene

Calbindin-D9k is expressed in the cytoplasm of intestinal cells, where it is critical for dietary calcium absorption. Two striking aspects of the expression of this gene are its vitamin-D dependency and regional differences in expression, with high levels only in duodenum. We report studies of the human calbindin-D9k promoter. Differences between the reported sequences of the human calbindin-D9k promoter were first clarified before undertaking a functional analysis of this sequence. Studies of the rat gene have indicated that several transcription factors, including the caudal-related homeobox factor (CDX-2), hepatic nuclear factor-4 and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha), could interact with elements in the promoter. Although these elements are conserved in the human gene, we show here that their intestinal distribution makes them unlikely to be critical positive factors. The calbindin-D9k gene contains multiple potential binding sites for homeobox transcription factors; one of these, known as IPF-1 or PDX-1, co-localizes in the intestine with calbindin-D9k. We show in gel-shift assays that the sequence within a putative vitamin-D-response element in the human calbindin-D9k promoter can bind expressed IPF-1/PDX-1 protein, although we cannot confirm binding of the vitamin-D-receptor protein. CDX-2 binds to the region around the TATA box, as in the rat gene, and may act as a negative factor in the distal intestine. Transfection studies in Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells with heterologous reporter vectors containing up to 1303 bp of the gene showed that this functioned as a weak promoter and indicated the presence of suppressor sequences, but did not show vitamin-D responsiveness. This indicates that other elements are also needed for the control of human calbindin-D9k expression.