A High-Entropy Single-Atom Catalyst Toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acidic and Alkaline Conditions

The design of high-entropy single-atom catalysts (HESAC) with 5.2 times higher entropy compared to single-atom catalysts (SAC) is proposed, by using four different metals (FeCoNiRu-HESAC) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Fe active sites with intermetallic distances of 6.1 Å exhibit a low ORR overpotential of 0.44 V, which originates from weakening the adsorption of OH intermediates. Based on density functional theory (DFT) findings, the FeCoNiRu-HESAC with a nitrogen-doped sample were synthesized. The atomic structures are confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption (XAS), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The predicted high catalytic activity is experimentally verified, finding that FeCoNiRu-HESAC has overpotentials of 0.41 and 0.37 V with Tafel slopes of 101 and 210 mVdec-1 at the current density of 1 mA cm-2 and the kinetic current densities of 8.2 and 5.3 mA cm-2, respectively, in acidic and alkaline electrolytes. These results are comparable with Pt/C. The FeCoNiRu-HESAC is used for Zinc-air battery applications with an open circuit potential of 1.39 V and power density of 0.16 W cm-2. Therefore, a strategy guided by DFT is provided for the rational design of HESAC which can be replaced with high-cost Pt catalysts toward ORR and beyond.

[Construction of an evaluation index system for the capability of comprehensive control of mountain - type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis based on the One Health concept]

OBJECTIVE

To construct an evaluation index system for the capability of comprehensive control of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis based on the One Health concept, so as to provide insights into the control and elimination of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis using the One Health approach.

METHODS

A preliminary evaluation index system was constructed based on literature review, panel discussions and field surveys. Thirty-three experts were selected from 7 provincial disease control and prevention centers in Beijing Municipality, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Sichuan Province, Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province where mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis was endemic, and two rounds of expert consultations were conducted to screen the indicators. The positive coefficient, degree of concentration, degree of coordination, and authority of the experts were calculated, and the normalized weights of each index were calculated with the analytic hierarchy process.

RESULTS

The response rates of questionnaires during two rounds of expert consultation were both 100.00% (33/33), and the authority coefficients of the experts were 0.86 and 0.88, respectively. The coefficients of coordination among experts on the rationality, importance, and operability of the indicators were 0.392, 0.437, 0.258, and 0.364, 0.335, 0.263, respectively (all P values < 0.05). Following screening, the final evaluation index system included 3 primary indicators, 17 secondary indicators, and 50 tertiary indicators. The normalized weights of primary indicators "external environment", "internal support" and "comprehensive control" were 16.98%, 38.73% and 44.29%, respectively. Among the secondary indicators of the primary indicator "external environment", the highest weight was seen for natural environment (66.67%), and among the secondary indicators of the primary indicator "internal support", the lowest weight was seen for the scientific research for visceral leishmaniasis control (8.26%), while other indicators had weights of 12.42% to 13.38%. Among the secondary indicators of the primary indicator "comprehensive control", the weight was 16.67% for each indicator.

CONCLUSIONS

An evaluation index system has been constructed for the capability of comprehensive control of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis based on the One Health concept. In addition to assessment of the effect of conventional mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis control measures, this index system integrates the importance of top-level design, organizational management, and implementation of control measures, and includes indicators related to multi-sectoral cooperation.

Dietary supplementation of proteases on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics and gut microbiota of growing pigs fed sorghum-based diets

Low-tannin sorghum is an excellent energy source in pig diets. However, sorghum contains several anti-nutritional factors that may have negative effects on nutrient digestibility. The impacts of proteases on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, and gut microbiota of growing pigs fed sorghum-based diets were studied in this study. Ninety-six pigs (20.66 ± 0.65 kg BW) were allocated into three groups (eight pens/group, four pigs/pen): (1) CON (control diet, sorghum-based diet included 66.98% sorghum), (2) PRO1 (CON + 200 mg/kg proteases), (3) PRO2 (CON + 400 mg/kg proteases) for 28 d. No differences were observed in growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients between CON and PRO1 groups. Pigs fed PRO2 diet had increased (P < 0.05) BW on d 21 and 28, and increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain during d 14-21 and the overall period compared with pigs fed CON diet. In addition, pigs fed PRO2 diet had improved (P < 0.05) ATTD of gross energy, CP, and DM compared with pigs fed CON and PRO1 diets. Pigs fed PRO2 diet had lower (P < 0.05) plasma globulin (GLB) level and higher (P < 0.05) plasma glucose, albumin (ALB) and immunoglobulin G levels, and ALB/GLB ratio than pigs fed CON and PRO1 diets. Furthermore, pigs fed PRO2 diet had decreased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Acidobacteriota at the phylum level and increased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Prevotella_9 at the genus level. The linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis also showed that pigs fed PRO2 diet had significantly enriched short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, such as Subdoligranulum and Parabacteroides. In conclusion, protease supplementation at 400 mg/kg improved the growth performance of growing pigs fed sorghum-based diets, which may be attributed to the improvement of nutrient digestibility, host metabolism, immune status and associated with the altered gut microbiota profiles.

Confined In-Situ Encapsulation of Co/C Composites with Increased Heterogeneous Interface Polarization for Enhanced Electromagnetic Performance

It is an urgent problem to realize reliable microwave absorption materials (MAMs) with low density. To address this issue, a series of controlled experiments w ere carried out, which indicated that the tubular structure enables excellent microwave absorption properties with a lower powder filling rate. This performance is attributable to the combined dielectric and magnetic loss mechanisms provided by Co/C and the interface polarization facilitated by multiple heterogeneous interfaces. Particularly, Co@C nanotubes, benefiting from the enhanced heterointerface polarization due to their abundant specific surface area and the reduced electron migration barrier induced by their 1D stacked structure, effectively achieved a dual enhancement of dielectric loss and polarization loss at lower powder filling ratios. Furthermore, the magnetic coupling effect of magnetic nanoparticle arrays in tubular structures is demonstrated by micromagnetic simulation, which have been few reported elsewhere. These propertied enable Co@C nanotubes to achieve minimum reflection loss and maximum effective absorption broadband values of 61.0 dB and 5.5 GHz, respectively, with a powder filling ratio of 20 wt% and a thickness of 1.94 mm. This study reveals the significance of designing 1D structures in reducing powder filling ratio and matching thickness, providing valuable insights for developing MAMs with different microstructures.

In Situ Defect Engineering of Controllable Carrier Types in WSe2 for Homomaterial Inverters and Self-Powered Photodetectors

WSe2 has a high mobility of electrons and holes, which is an ideal choice as active channels of electronics in extensive fields. However, carrier-type tunability of WSe2 still has enormous challenges, which are essential to overcome for practical applications. In this work, the direct growth of n-doped few-layer WSe2 is realized via in situ defect engineering. The n-doping of WSe2 is attributed to Se vacancies induced by the H2 flow purged in the cooling process. The electrical measurements based on field effect transistors demonstrate that the carrier type of WSe2 synthesized is successfully transferred from the conventional p-type to the rarely reported n-type. The electron carrier concentration is efficiently modulated by the concentration of H2 during the cooling process. Furthermore, homomaterial inverters and self-powered photodetectors are fabricated based on the doping-type-tunable WSe2. This work reveals a significant way to realize the controllable carrier type of two-dimensional (2D) materials, exhibiting great potential in future 2D electronics engineering.

Electrochemical Detection of Dopamine Release from Living Neurons Using Graphene Oxide-Incorporated Polypyrrole/Gold Nanocluster Hybrid Nanopattern Arrays

Stem-cell-based therapeutics have shown immense potential in treating various diseases that are currently incurable. In particular, partial recovery of Parkinson's disease, which occurs due to massive loss or abnormal functionality of dopaminergic (DAnergic) neurons, through the engraftment of stem-cell-derived neurons ex vivo is reported. However, precise assessment of the functionality and maturity of DAnergic neurons is still challenging for their enhanced clinical efficacy. Here, a novel conductive cell cultivation platform, a graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated metallic polymer nanopillar array (GOMPON), that can electrochemically detect dopamine (DA) exocytosis from living DAnergic neurons, is reported. In the cell-free configuration, the linear range is 0.5-100 µm, with a limit of detection of 33.4 nm. Owing to its excellent biocompatibility, a model DAnergic neuron (SH-SY5Y cell) can be cultivated and differentiated on the platform while their DA release can be quantitatively measured in a real-time and nondestructive manner. Finally, it is showed that the functionality of the DAnergic neurons derived from stem cells can be precisely assessed via electrochemical detection of their DA exocytosis. The developed GOMPON is highly promising for a wide range of applications, including real-time monitoring of stem cell differentiation into neuronal lineages, evaluating differentiation protocols, and finding practical stem cell therapies.

Impact of COVID-19 infection experience on mental health status of intensive care unit patients' family members: a real-world study

PURPOSE

Family members of patients hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) are susceptible to adverse psychological outcomes. However, there is a paucity of studies specifically examining the mental health symptoms in ICU patients' family members with a prior history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.

AIM

This study aimed to investigate mental health status and its influencing factors of ICU patients' family members with previous COVID-19 infection experience in China.

DESIGN

Nationwide, cross-sectional cohort of consecutive participants of family members of ICU patients from 10 provinces randomly selected in mainland China conducted between October 2022 and May 2023.

METHODS

The basic information scale, Self-rating depression scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Perceived Stress Scale, Connor-Davidson resilience scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire were employed to explore mental health status among participants.

RESULTS

A total of 463 participants, comprising 156 individuals in Covid-19 family member cohort (infection group) and 307 individuals in control family member cohort (control group), met inclusion criteria. The infection group exhibited significantly higher incidence of composite mental health symptoms compared to control group (P = 0.017). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that being female, engaging in physical/mental labor, residing in rural areas, and having children were identified as risk factors for the development of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, while medical history of surgery was protective factor. A predictive model demonstrated a favorable discriminative ability and excellent calibration.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 infection experience regarded as new traumatic stressors worsen mental health status of ICU patients' family members.

Butyrate Inhibits Dendritic Cell Activation and Alleviates Periodontitis

Dendritic cells (DCs) can mediate inflammation-related bone resorption that is crucial in the development of periodontitis. Butyrate is a critical by-product of microbes with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we found that butyrate inhibited the activation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced DCs and generation of inflammatory cytokines by DCs. Moreover, butyrate regulated glycolysis in LPS-induced DCs via the G-protein-coupled receptor/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α pathway. In addition, butyrate inhibited the maturation of CD11c+MHC-II+ DCs in vivo, suppressing local inflammatory infiltration and ultimately alleviating bone resorption in a periodontitis model. Our results imply that butyrate suppresses the activation of LPS-induced DCs by modulating their metabolism, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.

Impacts of pregnancy and menopause on COVID-19 severity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 4.6 million women

BACKGROUND

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still a public health emergency of international concern. However, whether pregnancy and menopause impact the severity of COVID-19 remain unclear.

AIM

This study is performed to investigate the truth.

DESIGN

Study appraisal and synthesis follows PRISMA guideline. Meta-analysis is performed in random-effects model.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane database, Central, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO COVID-19 database and WHO-ICTRP are searched until 28 March 2023.

RESULTS

In total, 57 studies (4 640 275 COVID-19 women) were analyzed. Pregnant women were at a lower risk of severe COVID-19, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and disease mortality compared to those nonpregnant women with comparable comorbidities. In contrast, pregnant women with more prepregnancy comorbidities were at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, ICU admission and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). In addition, pregnant women with pregnancy complications had a significantly increased risk of severe COVID-19 and ICU admission. Menopause increased COVID-19 severity, IMV requirement and disease mortality. Hormone replacement therapy inhibited COVID-19 severity in postmenopausal women. Premenopausal and postmenopausal women had a lower chance of severe illness than age-matched men. The impact of pregnancy on COVID-19 severity was significant in Americans and Caucasians, whereas the effect of menopause on COVID-19 severity was only significant in Chinese.

CONCLUSIONS

Pregnancy and menopause are protective and risk factors for severe COVID-19, respectively. The protective role of pregnancy on COVID-19 is minimal and could be counteracted or masked by prepregnancy or pregnancy comorbidities. The administration of estrogen and progesterone may prevent severe COVID-19.

Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles reduced graphene oxide based nanosystem for multimodal image-guided photothermal/photodynamic/chemo combinational therapy triggered by near-infrared

Developing a nanosystem that can perform multimodal imaging-guided combination therapy is highly desirable but challenging. In this study, we introduced multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of graphene oxide-grafted hollow mesoporous organosilica loaded with the drug doxorubicin (DOX) and photosensitizers tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP). These NPs were encapsulated by thermosensitive liposomes that release their contents once the temperature exceeds a certain threshold. Metal oxide NPs grown on the graphene oxide (GO) surface served multiple roles, including enhancing photothermal efficiency, acting as contrast agents to improve magnetic resonance imaging, increasing the sensitivity and specificity of photoacoustic imaging, and catalysing hydrogen peroxide for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). When locally injected, the HMONs-rNGO@Fe3 O4 /MnOx@FA/DOX/TPP NPs effectively enriched in subcutaneous Hela cell tumour of mice. The photothermal/photodynamic/chemo combination therapy triggered by near-infrared (NIR) successfully suppressed the tumour without noticeable side effects. This study presented a unique approach to develop multimodal imaging-guided combination therapy for cancer.

Workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Suicidal ideation and behaviour are potential outcomes of workplace bullying. This review aimed to determine the extent of the association between workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviour.

STUDY DESIGN

The study incorporated a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement was followed to conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. A combination of subject terms and free words was used to search nine electronic databases. Two reviewers independently screened articles and extracted information according to the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis was performed with averaged weighted correlations across samples using the STATA software (version 16.0) from pooled estimates of the main results from all studies.

RESULTS

In total, 25 articles of high or medium quality were included in the systematic review; 15 of these were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of suicidal ideation and behaviour was 18% and 4%, respectively. Individuals who experienced workplace bullying had 2.03-times and 2.67-times higher odds of reporting suicidal ideation and behaviour, respectively, after adjustment for confounding factors. Moderating and mediating factors may help reduce the risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour for individuals experiencing workplace bullying.

CONCLUSION

This study indicated that exposure to workplace bullying significantly increased the risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour.

Two-dimensional materials for high density, safe and robust metal anodes batteries

With a high specific capacity and low electrochemical potentials, metal anode batteries that use lithium, sodium and zinc metal anodes, have gained great research interest in recent years, as a potential candidate for high-energy-density storage systems. However, the uncontainable dendrite growth during the repeated charging process, deteriorates the battery performance, reduces the battery life and more importantly, raises safety concerns. With their unique properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials, can be used to modify various components in metal batteries, eventually mitigating the dendrite growth, enhancing the cycling stability and rate capability, thus leading to safe and robust metal anodes. In this paper, we review the recent advances of 2D materials and summarize current research progress of using 2D materials in the applications of (i) anode design, (ii) separator engineering, and (iii) electrolyte modifications by guiding metal ion nucleation, increasing ion conductivity, homogenizing the electric field and ion flux, and enhancing the mechanical strength for safe metal anodes. The 2D material modifications provide the ultimate solution for obtaining dendrite-free metal anodes, realizes the high energy storage application, and indicates the importance of 2D materials development. Finally, in-depth understandings of subsequent metal growth are lacking due to research limitations, while more advanced characterizations are welcome for investigating the metal deposition mechanism. The more facile and simplified preparation of 2D materials possess great prospects in high energy density metal anode batteries, and thus fulfils the development of EVs.

First Observation of the β3αp Decay of ^{13}O via β-Delayed Charged-Particle Spectroscopy

The β-delayed proton decay of ^{13}O has previously been studied, but the direct observation of β-delayed 3αp decay has not been reported. Rare 3αp events from the decay of excited states in ^{13}N^{⋆} provide a sensitive probe of cluster configurations in ^{13}N. To measure the low-energy products following β-delayed 3αp decay, the Texas Active Target (TexAT) time projection chamber was employed using the one-at-a-time β-delayed charged-particle spectroscopy technique at the Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University. A total of 1.9×10^{5} ^{13}O implantations were made inside the TexAT time projection chamber. A total of 149 3αp events were observed, yielding a β-delayed 3αp branching ratio of 0.078(6)%. Four previously unknown α-decaying excited states were observed in ^{13}N at 11.3, 12.4, 13.1, and 13.7 MeV decaying via the 3α+p channel.

Constructing Spatially Separated Cage-Like Z-scheme Heterojunction Photocatalyst for Enhancing Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Heterojunctions coupled into micro-mesoscopic structures is an attractive strategy to optimize the light harvesting and carrier separation of semiconductor photocatalysts. A self-templating method of ion exchange is reported to synthesize an exquisite hollow cage-structured Ag₂ S@CdS/ZnS that direct Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst. On the ultrathin shell of the cage, Ag₂ S, CdS, and ZnS with Zn-vacancies (V_Zn ) are arranged sequentially from outside to inside. Among them, the photogenerated electrons are excited by ZnS to the V_Zn energy level and then recombine with the photogenerated holes that are generated by CdS, while the electrons remained in the CdS conduction band are further transferred to Ag₂ S. The ingenious cooperation of the Z-scheme heterojunction with the hollow structure optimizes the photogenerated charges transport channel, spatially separated the oxidation and reduction half-reactions, decreases the charge recombination probability, and simultaneously improves the light harvesting efficiency. As a result, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the optimal sample is 136.6 and 17.3 times higher than that of cage-like ZnS with V_Zn and CdS by, respectively. This unique strategy demonstrates the tremendous potential of the incorporation of heterojunction construction to morphology design of photocatalytic materials, and also provided a reasonable route for designing other efficient synergistic photocatalytic reactions.

Revealing Variable Dependences in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Synthesis via Machine Learning

Wafer-scale monolayer two-dimensional (2D) materials have been realized by epitaxial chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in recent years. To scale up the synthesis of 2D materials, a systematic analysis of how the growth dynamics depend on the growth parameters is essential to unravel its mechanisms. However, the studies of CVD-grown 2D materials mostly adopted the control variate method and considered each parameter as an independent variable, which is not comprehensive for 2D materials growth optimization. Herein, we synthesized a representative 2D material, monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), on single-crystalline Cu (111) by epitaxial chemical vapor deposition and varied the growth parameters to regulate the hBN domain sizes. Furthermore, we explored the correlation between two growth parameters and provided the growth windows for large flake sizes by the Gaussian process. This new analysis approach based on machine learning provides a more comprehensive understanding of the growth mechanism for 2D materials.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of Padsevonil in healthy Chinese subjects and comparison of two sampling methods for Padsevonil quantification

OBJECTIVE

Padsevonil (PSL) is a novel antiepileptic drug candidate that inhibits seizure activity in both presynaptic and postsynaptic ways. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles and volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) application of PSL in the Chinese population are limited. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the PK profile of PSL and its 2 metabolites, the safety of PSL, and compare the PK profile of PSL from samples collected using the VAMS technique with that of conventional venous samples in healthy Chinese subjects.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single-dose study, the participants received either 200 mg PSL or placebo. Blood samples for the PK variables were collected using both the traditional venous method and the VAMS Mitra® technique at the scheduled time points. The PK parameters of PSL and 2 metabolites were calculated, and the concentration agreement of VAMS and venous samples were also evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 14 subjects were enrolled. The concentration-time profile of PSL showed rapid absorption with a median tmax of 1.25 h (range: 0.5 to 3.0), followed by an apparent biphasic disposition. For PSL, the geometric means of AUC(0-t), AUC, Cmax, and t1/2 were 6,573 h*ng/mL, 6,588 h*ng/mL, 1,387 ng/mL, and 5.275 h, respectively. The geometric mean body weight-normalized AUC(0-t), AUC, and Cmax were 5,712 h*ng/mL, 5,725 h*ng/mL, and 1,205 ng/mL, respectively. The AUC(0-t), AUC, Cmax of PSL and metabolites in VAMS-dried blood were all lower than those in plasma. The Passing-Bablok regression showed that the PSL and metabolite concentrations obtained by VAMS analysis were comparable to those obtained by plasma at some time points. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were somnolence and dizziness. There were no serious TEAEs, severe TEAEs, discontinuations due to TEAEs, or deaths reported during this study. No clinically significant laboratory, vital signs, electrocardiograph (ECG), or physical examination results were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

PSL has a favorable PK profile after single-dose oral administration and good safety properties in healthy Chinese volunteers. The regression analysis results of VAMS and plasma indicated that the application of VAMS for therapeutic drug monitoring in novel antiepileptic drug development is promising and needs further validation.

Epitaxial substitution of metal iodides for low-temperature growth of two-dimensional metal chalcogenides

The integration of various two-dimensional (2D) materials on wafers enables a more-than-Moore approach for enriching the functionalities of devices^1-3. On the other hand, the additive growth of 2D materials to form heterostructures allows construction of materials with unconventional properties. Both may be achieved by materials transfer, but often suffer from mechanical damage or chemical contamination during the transfer. The direct growth of high-quality 2D materials generally requires high temperatures, hampering the additive growth or monolithic incorporation of different 2D materials. Here we report a general approach of growing crystalline 2D layers and their heterostructures at a temperature below 400 °C. Metal iodide (MI, where M = In, Cd, Cu, Co, Fe, Pb, Sn and Bi) layers are epitaxially grown on mica, MoS₂ or WS₂ at a low temperature, and the subsequent low-barrier-energy substitution of iodine with chalcogens enables the conversion to at least 17 different 2D crystalline metal chalcogenides. As an example, the 2D In₂S₃ grown on MoS₂ at 280 °C exhibits high photoresponsivity comparable with that of the materials grown by conventional high-temperature vapour deposition (~700-1,000 °C). Multiple 2D materials have also been sequentially grown on the same wafer, showing a promising solution for the monolithic integration of different high-quality 2D materials.

Prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Studies have found that erectile dysfunction (ED) may be a short-term or long-term complication in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, but no relevant studies have completed a pooled analysis of this claim. The purpose of the review was to comprehensively search the relevant literature, summarize the prevalence of ED in COVID-19 patients, assess risk factors for its development, and explore the effect of the COVID-19 infection on erectile function.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was performed from database inception until April 14, 2022. Heterogeneity was analyzed by χ² tests and I² was used as a quantitative test of heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were used to analyze sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Our review included 8 studies, 4 of which functioned as a control group. There were 250,606 COVID-19 patients (mean age: 31-47.1 years, sample size: 23-246,990). The control group consisted of 10,844,200 individuals (mean age: 32.76-42.4 years, sample size 75-10,836,663). The prevalence of ED was 33% (95% CI 18-47%, I² = 99.48%) in COVID-19 patients. The prevalence of ED based on the international coding of diseases (ICD-10) was 9% (95% CI 2-19%), which was significantly lower than the prevalence of ED diagnosed based on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) (46%, 95% CI 22-71%, I² = 96.72%). The pooling prevalence of ED was 50% (95% CI 34-67%, I² = 81.54%) for articles published in 2021, significantly higher than that for articles published in 2022 (17%, 95% CI 7-30%, I² = 99.55%). The relative risk of developing ED was 2.64 times in COVID-19 patients higher than in non-COVID-19 patients (RR: 2.64, 95% CI 1.01-6.88). The GRADE-pro score showed that the mean incidence of ED events in COVID-19 patients was 1,333/50,606 (2.6%) compared with 52,937/844,200 (0.4%) in controls; the absolute impact of COVID-19 on ED was 656/100,000 (ranging from 4/100,000 to 2352/100,000). Anxiety (OR: 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.26, I² = 0.0%) in COVID-19 patients was a risk factor for ED.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 patients have a high risk and prevalence of ED, mainly driven by anxiety. Attention should be paid to patient's erectile functioning when treating COVID-19.

[Malaria control knowledge and behaviors and their influencing factors among residents in Banlao Township, Cangyuan County, Yunnan Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the awareness of malaria-related knowledge, the use of mosquito nets and their influencing factors among residents in Banlao Township, Cangyuan County, Yunnan Province.

METHODS

In August 2020, 19 settlement sites in Banlao Township, Cangyuan County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province were selected as study areas, and permanent residents at ages of 10 years and older were enrolled for a questionnaire survey, including residents' demographics, family economic status, malaria control knowledge and use of mosquito nets. In addition, the factors affecting the use of mosquito nets in the night prior to the survey were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 320 questionnaires were allocated, and all were recovered (a 100% recovery rate). There were 316 valid questionnaires, with an effective recovery rate of 98.75%. The 316 respondents included 152 men and 164 women and 250 Chinese respondents and 66 foreign respondents. The awareness of clinical syndromes of malaria was significantly higher among Chinese residents (71.60%) than among foreign residents (50.00%) (χ² = 11.03, P < 0.01), and the proportions of Chinese and foreign residents sleeping under mosquito nets were 46.00% and 69.70% on the night prior to the survey, respectively (χ² = 11.73, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified ethnicity group and type of residence as factors affecting the use of mosquito nets in the night prior to the survey.

CONCLUSIONS

The awareness of malaria control knowledge, the coverage and the use of mosquito nets were low among residents in Banlao Township, Cangyuan County, Yunnan Province. Targeted health education is recommended to improve the awareness of malaria control knowledge and self-protection ability. In addition, improving the allocation of long-lasting mosquito nets and health education pertaining to their uses and increasing the proportion of using mosquito nets correctly is needed to prevent re-establishment of imported malaria.

Anticeramide Improves Sjögren's Syndrome by Blocking BMP6-Induced Th1

T-cell dysfunction has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). In recent studies, the increased expression of BMP6 has been reported to be related to SS. However, the roles that BMP6 plays in immune homeostasis in the development of SS as well as the downstream signals activated by BMP6 remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanisms of BMP6 on naive CD4⁺ T cells, showing that BMP6 could upregulate interferon (IFN)-γ secretion from CD4⁺ T cells through a ceramide/nuclear factor-κB pathway, with no effect on T-cell activation or proliferation. Moreover, an in vivo study showed that anticeramide treatment (myriocin) for an SS animal model (NOD/LtJ mice) could significantly decrease the IFN-γ expression and Th1 frequency in the salivary glands and suppress the inflammation infiltration in salivary glands and maintain the salivary flow rates, both of which reflect SS-like symptoms. This study identifies a promising target that could effectively attenuate the abnormal state of CD4⁺ T cells and reverse the progression of SS.

Salt-Assisted Selective Growth of H-phase Monolayer VSe2 with Apparent Hole Transport Behavior

Vanadium diselenide (VSe₂) exhibits versatile electronic and magnetic properties in the trigonal prismatic (H-) and octahedral (T-) phases. Compared to the metallic T-phase, the H-phase with a tunable semiconductor property is predicted to be a ferrovalley material with spontaneous valley polarization. Herein we report an epitaxial growth of the monolayer 2D VSe₂ on a mica substrate via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by introducing salt in the precursor. Our first-principles calculations suggest that the monolayer H-phase VSe₂ with a large lateral size is thermodynamically favorable. The honeycomb-like structure and the broken symmetry are directly observed by spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and confirmed by giant second harmonic generation (SHG) intensity. The p-type transport behavior is further evidenced by the temperature-dependent resistance and field-effect device study. The present work introduces a new phase-stable 2D transition metal dichalcogenide, opening the prospect of novel electronic and spintronics device design.

Super-Resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy via Modified Phase Compounding

Acoustic-resolution photoacoustic micro- scopy (AR-PAM) system can provide 3-D images of facial tissues. The lateral resolution of AR-PAM depends on the numerical aperture (NA) of the acoustic lens and the central frequency of the ultrasonic transducer. There is a trade-off between resolution enhancement and imaging depth. The acoustic beam is tight in the acoustic focal plane but expands in the out-of-focus regions, deteriorating the resolution. High-NA AR-PAM has depth-variant resolution. Synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) based on a virtual detector (VD) concept can compensate for the beam shape and improve the lateral resolution via beamforming. Although, beamforming can enhance the resolution but the lateral resolution in the focal plane is still limited by acoustic diffraction. Structured-illumination can shift the spatial spectrum of an image to low frequencies hence high-frequency contents can be reserved to overcome the diffraction limit. Conventional structured-illumination via using a three-phase-shifting method can improve the resolution by two folds. Here, a modified phase-shifting method is used to generate the second harmonic of the fringes and double the spectral shift. In this idea, higher frequency information compared to the three-phase shifting method can fall into the band-limited system response. The modified phase-shifting method expands the spatial bandwidth and increases the lateral resolution by five folds. The mathematical relations and the theory are discussed in the context. Tungsten filament result shows resolution improvement from 44.6 [Formula: see text] to 11.3 [Formula: see text] by the modified structured illumination. In vivo and ex vivo experimental results validate the system performance.

Machine Learning-Aided Design of Gold Core-Shell Nanocatalysts toward Enhanced and Selective Photooxygenation

We demonstrate the use of the machine learning (ML) tools to rapidly and accurately predict the electric field as a guide for designing core-shell Au-silica nanoparticles to enhance ¹O₂ sensitization and selectivity of organic synthesis. Based on the feature importance analysis, obtained from a deep neural network algorithm, we found a general and linear dependent descriptor (θ ∝ aD^0.25t^-1, where a, D, and t are the shape constant, size of metal nanoparticles, and distance from the metal surface) for the electric field around the core-shell plasmonic nanoparticle. Directed by the new descriptor, we synthesized gold-silica nanoparticles and validated their plasmonic intensity using scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) mapping. The nanoparticles with θ = 0.40 demonstrate an ∼3-fold increase in the reaction rate of photooxygenation of anthracene and 4% increase in the selectivity of photooxygenation of dihydroartemisinic acid (DHAA), a long-standing goal in organic synthesis. In addition, the combination of ML and experimental investigations shows the synergetic effect of plasmonic enhancement and fluorescence quenching, leading to enhancement for ¹O₂ generation. Our results from time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations suggest that the presence of an electric field can favor intersystem crossing (ISC) of methylene blue to enhance ¹O₂ generation. The strategy reported here provides a data-driven catalyst preparation method that can significantly reduce experimental cost while paving the way for designing photocatalysts for organic drug synthesis.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to classical swine fever virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in healthy pigs in Hunan Province, China

Classical swine fever (CSF) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) are responsible for major economic losses and represent a threat to the swine industry worldwide. Routine surveillance serology for CSF and PRRS viruses is critical to maintaining the health status of sow farms in Hunan Province, which is one of the top pig production provinces in China. The aim of our study was to investigate the serological statistics of CSF virus (CSFV) and PRRS virus (PRRSV) in Hunan Province. The cohort serum samples were collected from vaccinated and unvaccinated pigs. Our findings showed that the average rates of CSFV and PRRSV antibody seropositivity were 82.2% (95% CI: 80.1-84.3) and 84.8% (95% CI: 82.5-87.1), respectively, in the immunized group and that these rates were higher than those in the unvaccinated group (58.6% for CSFV and 47.8% for PRRSV). Additionally, the level of CSFV antibody in piglet serum declined gradually with age, whereas PRRSV-specific antibody level increased initially (1 to 2 weeks old) and then declined with age (2 to 4 weeks old). In summary, we investigated the difference in CSFV/PRRSV antibody levels among piglets at various weeks old (1 to 4 weeks) to further establish the duration of maternal immunity in piglets. In addition, routine monitoring of CSFV/PRRSV antibodies in immunized pigs was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of vaccination.

Hierarchical Nanocages Assembled by NiCo-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets for a High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitor

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted broad attention as cathode materials for hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) because of their ultrahigh theoretical specific capacitance, high compositional flexibility, and adjustable interlayer spacing. However, as reported, specific capacitance of LDHs is still far below the theoretical value, inspiring countless efforts to these ongoing challenges. Herein, a hierarchical nanocage structure assembled by NiCo-LDH nanosheet arrays was rationally designed and fabricated via a facile solvothermal method assisted by the ZIF-67 template. The transformation from the ZIF-67 template to this hollow structure is achieved by a synergistic effect involving the Kirkendall effect and the Ostwald ripening process. The enlarged specific surface area co-occurred with broadened interlayer spacing of LDH nanosheets by finely increasing the Ni concentration, leading to synchronous improvement of electron/ion transfer kinetics. The optimized NiCo-LDH-210 electrode displays a maximum specific capacitance of 2203.6 F g^-1 at 2 A g^-1, excellent rate capability, and satisfactory cycling stability because of the highly exposed active sites and shortened ion transport paths provided by vertically aligned LDH nanosheets together with the cavity. Furthermore, the assembled HSC device achieves a superior energy density of 57.3 Wh kg^-1 with prominent cycling stability. Impressively, the design concept of complex construction derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOF) derivatives shows tremendous potential for use in energy storage systems.

Conductive Hydrogel Conduits with Growth Factor Gradients for Peripheral Nerve Repair in Diabetics with Non-Suture Tape

Diabetic patients suffer from peripheral nerve injury with slow and incomplete regeneration owing to hyperglycemia and microvascular complications. This study develops a graphene-based nerve guidance conduit by incorporating natural double network hydrogel and a neurotrophic concentration gradient with non-invasive treatment for diabetics. GelMA/silk fibroin double network hydrogel plays quadruple roles for rapid setting/curing, suitable mechanical supporting, good biocompatibility, and sustainable growth factor delivery. Meanwhile, graphene mesh can improve the toughness of conduit and enhance conductivity of conduit for regeneration. Here, novel silk tapes show quick and tough adhesion of wet tissue by dual mechanism to replace suture step. The in vivo results demonstrate that gradient concentration of netrin-1 in conduit have better performance than uniform concentration caused by chemotaxis phenomenon for axon extension, remyelination, and angiogenesis. Altogether, GelMA/silk graphene conduit with gradient netrin-1 and dry double-sided adhesive tape can significantly promote repairing of peripheral nerve injury and inhibit the atrophy of muscles for diabetics.

Strategies for Controlled Growth of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides by Chemical Vapor Deposition for Integrated Electronics

In recent years, transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)-based electronics have experienced a prosperous stage of development, and some considerable applications include field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a typical bottom-up approach for preparing 2D materials, is widely used to synthesize large-area 2D TMD films and is a promising method for mass production to implement them for practical applications. In this review, we investigate recent progress in controlled CVD growth of 2D TMDs, aiming for controlled nucleation and orientation, using various CVD strategies such as choice of precursors or substrates, process optimization, and system engineering. We then survey different patterning methods, such as surface patterning, metal precursor patterning, and postgrowth sulfurization/selenization/tellurization, to mass produce heterostructures for device applications. With these strategies, various well-designed architectures, such as wafer-scale single crystals, vertical and lateral heterostructures, patterned structures, and arrays, are achieved. In addition, we further discuss various electronics made from CVD-grown TMDs to demonstrate the diverse application scenarios. Finally, perspectives regarding the current challenges of controlled CVD growth of 2D TMDs are also suggested.

Band Alignment Engineering by Twist Angle and Composition Modulation for Heterobilayer

Atomically thin monolayer semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), exhibiting direct band gap and strong light-matter interaction, are promising for optoelectronic devices. However, an efficient band alignment engineering method is required to further broaden their practical applications as versatile optoelectronics. In this work, the band alignment of two vertically stacked monolayer TMDs using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is effectively tuned by two strategies: 1) formulating the compositions of MoS_2(1-x) Se_2x alloys, and 2) varying the twist angles of the stacked heterobilayer structures. Photoluminescence (PL) results combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculation show that by changing the alloy composition, a continuously tunable band alignment and a transition of type II-type I-type II band alignment of TMD heterobilayer is achieved. Moreover, only at moderate (10°-50°) twist angles, a PL enhancement of 28%-110% caused by the type I alignment is observed, indicating that the twist angle is coupled with the global band structure of heterobilayer. A heterojunction device made with MoS_0.76 Se_1.24 /WS₂ of 14° displays a significantly high photoresponsivity (55.9 A W^-1 ), large detectivity (1.07 × 10¹⁰ Jones), and high external quantum efficiency (135%). These findings provide engineering tools for heterostructure design for their application in optoelectronic devices.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar NiTi and 304 stainless steel joints produced by ultrasonic welding

Superelastic NiTi alloy and 304 stainless steel (304 SS) were joined with a Cu interlayer by ultrasonic spot welding (USW) using different welding energy inputs. The surface morphology, interfacial microstructure, mechanical properties, and fracture mechanisms of the dissimilar NiTi/304 SS USWed joints were studied. The results showed that the surface oxidation intensified with increasing ultrasonic welding energy due to mutual rubbing between tools and sheets. The weld interface microstructure exhibited voids or unbonded zones at low energy inputs, while an intimate contact was established at the joining interface when applying a higher energy input of 750 J. With increasing energy input to 750 J, the weld interface shows two interfaces due to the behavior of plastic flow of Cu interlayer. The lap-shear load of the joints first increased, achieving a maximum value of ∼690 N at an energy input of 750 J, and then decreased with further increase in welding energy. Interfacial failure was observed at NiTi/Cu interface at all energy inputs, and no intermetallic compounds were found on the fracture surfaces of both the NiTi/Cu and Cu/304 SS interfaces.

Quasi-Continuous Network Structure Greatly Improved the Anti-Arc-Erosion Capability of Ag/Y2O3 Electrical Contacts

Ag/Y₂O₃ has excellent potential to replace Ag/CdO as the environmentally friendly electrical contact material. Using spherical Y₂O₃ as the starting material, Ag/Y₂O₃ contacts with a quasi-continuous network structure were successfully fabricated by a low-energy ball milling treatment. The mean size of Y₂O₃ used ranged from 243 to 980 nm. Due to the differences in the size of Y₂O₃, Ag/Y₂O₃ contacts had different primitive microstructures, thereby exhibiting distinctive anti-arc-erosion capabilities. Ag/Y₂O₃ contact prepared using 243 nm Y₂O₃ showed the best anti-arc-erosion capability and the most outstanding electrical performance measures, such as low contact resistance, less mass transfer, and no failure up to 10⁵ cycle times. The quasi-continuous network structure formed in the micro-scale was responsible for the excellent electrical performance. The short distance between Y₂O₃ particles in the network promoted the cathode arc motion, and thus alleviated the localized erosion. The results obtained herein may inspire further attempts to design electrical contacts rationally.

Rational Control on Quantum Emitter Formation in Carbon-Doped Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Single-photon emitters (SPEs) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising candidates for quantum light generation. Despite this, techniques to control the formation of hBN SPEs down to the monolayer limit are yet to be demonstrated. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations have suggested that the visible wavelength single-photon emitters in hBN originate from carbon-related defects. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy for controlling SPE creation during the chemical vapor deposition growth of monolayer hBN via regulating surface carbon concentration. By increasing the surface carbon concentration during hBN growth, we observe increases in carbon doping levels by 2.4-fold for B-C bonds and 1.6-fold for N-C bonds. For the same samples, we observe an increase in the SPE density from 0.13 to 0.30 emitters/μm². Our simple method enables the reliable creation of hBN SPEs in monolayer samples for the first time, opening the door to advanced two-dimensional (2D) quantum state engineering.

Electrically controlled mRNA delivery using a polypyrrole-graphene oxide hybrid film to promote osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Direct messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) delivery to target cells or tissues has revolutionized the field of biotechnology. However, the applicability of regenerative medicine is limited by the technical difficulties of various mRNA-loaded nanocarriers. Herein, we report a new conductive hybrid film that could guide osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) via electrically controlled mRNA delivery. To find optimal electrical conductivity and mRNA-loading capacity, the polypyrrole-graphene oxide (PPy-GO) hybrid film was electropolymerized on indium tin oxide substrates. We found that the fluorescein sodium salt, a molecule partially mimicking the physical and chemical properties of mRNAs, can be effectively absorbed and released by electrical stimulation (ES). The hADMSCs cultivated on the PPy-GO hybrid film loaded with pre-osteogenic mRNAs showed the highest osteogenic differentiation under electrical stimulation. This platform can load various types of RNAs thus highly promising as a new nucleic acid delivery tool for the development of stem cell-based therapeutics.

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary material (electrochemical and FT-IR analysis on the film, additional SEM, AFM and C-AFM images of the film, optical and fluorescence images of cells, and the primers used for RT-qPCR analysis) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-022-4613-y.

Extremely Uniform Graphene Oxide Thin Film as a Universal Platform for One-Step Biomaterial Patterning

Graphene oxide (GO) has proven to be a highly promising material across various biomedical research avenues, including cancer therapy and stem cell-based regenerative medicine. However, creating a uniform GO coating as a thin layer on desired substrates has been considered challenging owing to the intrinsic variability of the size and shape of GO. Herein, a new method is introduced that enables highly uniform GO thin film (UGTF) fabrication on various biocompatible substrates. By optimizing the composition of the GO suspension and preheating process to the substrates, the "coffee-ring effect" is significantly suppressed. After applying a special postsmoothing process referred to as the low-oxygen concentration and low electrical energy plasma (LOLP) treatment, GO is converted to small fragments with a film thickness of up to several nanometers (≈5.1 nm) and a height variation of only 0.6 nm, based on atomic force microscopy images. The uniform GO thin film can also be generated as periodic micropatterns on glass and polymer substrates, which are effective in one-step micropatterning of both antibodies and mouse melanoma cells (B16-F10). Therefore, it can be concluded that the developed UGTF is useful for various graphene-based biological applications.

Clinical study of the clinical characteristics and prognosis of 1219 cases of endometrial cancer with lymph node metastasis

To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of endometrial cancer patients with lymph node metastasis to provide a reference for lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer. The data used in this study were extracted from a tertiary hospital in Guangxi, China based on the hospital information system. 1219 patients with endometrial malignancy who were treated in our hospital. The lymph node metastasis rate was 9.8%. The metastasis rate of the abdominal aorta + pelvic lymph nodes (56.7%) was significantly higher than that of the pelvic (24.2%) or para-aortic (19.2%) lymph nodes alone. The proportion of postmenopausal patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of premenopausal patients. The proportion of patients with lymph node metastasis with vaginal and uterus involvement, HPV detection, Thinprep Cytologic Testresults, CRP level <10 ug/mL, G3 tumor grade, postoperative pathology indicating cervical invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and muscular infiltration depth > 1/2 was higher than that of patients without lymph node metastasis. The proportion of endometrial cancer patients with lymph node metastasis with CA125 ≥ 35 U/ml was higher than that of those with CA125 < 35 U/ml. The lymph node-positive rate is related to tissue differentiation, lymphangitic infiltration, cervical invasion, muscle infiltration depth > 1/2, and CA125 level. The metastasis rate of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes is higher than that of pelvic lymph nodes or para-aortic lymph nodes alone. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall survival rate among the three groups.

Aqueous Protein-Polymer Bioconjugation via Photoinduced RAFT Polymerization Using High Loading Heterogeneous Catalyst

Light-driven polymerization, such as photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization, enables biological benign conditions and versatile functional polymer structure design, which is readily used in protein-polymer bioconjugates. However, conventional metalloporphyrinic homogeneous catalysts for PET-RAFT polymerization suffer from limited aqueous solubility and tedious purification. Here we demonstrate the design of PET-RAFT photocatalyst from the reticular assembled Zr-porphyrinic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), along with a biomacromolecule-based chain transfer agent, as efficient bioconjugation tools in water. Our methodology offers manufacturing advantages on bioconjugates under mild conditions such that MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and cytotoxicity assays have shown the preservation of the protein integrity, bioactivity, and high cell viability after PET-RAFT polymerization. We find that the fast kinetics are benefiting from the ultrahigh loading of metalloporphyrins in MOF-525-Zn. This heterogeneous catalyst also allows us to maintain living characteristics to incorporate myriads of monomers into block copolymers. Other advantages like easy postreaction purification, reusability, and high oxygen tolerance even in an open system are demonstrated. This study provides a tool of highly efficient heterogeneous photocatalysts for polymer-protein bioconjugation in aqueous media and paves the road for biological applications.

[An optimized protocol of meniscus cell extraction for single-cell RNA sequencing]

OBJECTIVE

To optimize the protocol of meniscus cell extraction to enhance the efficiency of cell suspension preparation and maintain a high cell viability for single-cell RNA sequencing.

METHODS

We compared the efficiency of the routine cell extraction methods (short-time digestion and long-time digestion) and the optimized protocol for obtaining meniscus cell suspensions by evaluating the cell number obtained and the cell viability. Single-cell RNA sequencing datasets were analyzed to evaluate the stability of the cell suspension prepared using the optimized protocol. The reliability of the optimized protocol was assessed by comparing the single-cell RNA sequencing dataset obtained by the optimized protocol with published single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of the meniscus.

RESULTS

The optimized protocol harvested a greater number of cells (over 1×10⁵) than the routine protocols. The cell suspension prepared with the optimized protocol showed a cell viability higher than 80%, the highest among the 3 methods. Analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets showed that the ratio of the mitochondrial genes was below 20% in over 80% of the cells. CD34⁺ cells, MCAM⁺ cells and COL1A1⁺ cells were identified in the datasets. Comparison with the publish datasets showed that the optimized protocol was capable of harvesting COL3A1⁺, COL1A1⁺, MYLK⁺, BMP2⁺, CD93⁺ and CDK1⁺ cells.

CONCLUSION

Single-cell suspension prepared from the meniscus can be stably obtained using the optimized protocol for single-cell RNA sequencing using the 10× Genomics platform.

[Surface modification of titanium implant with hBMP-2/hIGF-1 for promoting biocompatibility and osteogenesis]

OBJECTIVE

To prepare the human bone morphogenetic protein-2(hBMP-2)/human insulin-like growth factor-1(hIGF-1)coating titanium(Ti)and assess its performance as a dental implant material.

METHODS

hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 were coated to the smooth surface of a Ti plate, and its efficacy for promoting bone formation and bone integration was compared with a pristine Ti plate.The surface characteristics of the metal samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and by contact angle measurement.MG63 cells were seeded on the surface of the Ti plates, and MTT assay and alizarin red staining was used to examine the cell proliferation and formation of calcified nodules, respectively.Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)secretion of the cells was examined with ELISA, and cellular expressions of osteocalcin and osteopontin were detected with Western blotting for assessing osteogenesis.

RESULTS

SEM examination showed that the surface of Ti with hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 coating presented with a radial pattern resembling snowflakes.The contact angles of non-coated Ti, hBMP-2-coated Ti, hIGF-1-coated, and hBMP-2/-hIGF-1-coated Ti samples were 83.2°, 54°, 56° and 54°, respectively.Compared with the non-coated Ti plate, the surface-modified Ti samples showed a significantly smaller contact angle (P=0.032, 0.029, and 0.028), indicating a good hydrophilicity of the samples.MTT assay showed that MG63 cells grew well on the surface of the coated Ti plates.The hBMP-2/IGF-1 coating significantly induced cellular secretion of ALP(P=0.021, 0.014)and obviously promoted osteogenesis of MG63 cells (P < 0.05).Western blotting results showed that hBMP-2/IGF-1 coating significantly enhanced the expressions of osteocalcin and osteopontin in the seeded cells (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 coating of Ti material can promote osteogenesis of the cells seeded on its surface to improve the performance of such Ti material as dental implants.

Enhancing Interfacial Reliability of Metal-Thermoplastic Hybrid Joints via Adding Carbon Fiber and Adjusting Welding Heat Input

Interfacial structures govern the reliability of metal-thermoplastic hybrid joints used in the aerospace industry. The current work demonstrated by experimental methods and density functional theory (DFT) calculations that introduction of carbon fibers (CFs) enhanced the mechanical properties and weakened the corrosion resistance of polyamide 6 (PA6)/A6061-T6 (6061) joints. The bonding strength of typical PA6/6061 joints was increased by 33.70% with the introduction of CF. However, the differences in intrinsic work functions of the CF and various phases within 6061 led to the formation of serious cracks at CFRPA6/6061 interfaces and heavy corrosion on 6061 surfaces, corresponding to the decreased corrosion resistance of PA6/6061 joints. Herein, we present a potential solution to adjust the welding heat input to enhance metal/thermoplastic interfacial reliability. With a rotation speed of 400 mm/min during friction lap joining (FLJ), the fabricated CFRPA6/6061 joint could achieve a strong interface with high strength (bonding strength = 1.730 kN) and relative corrosion resistance (corrosion rate < 0.1 mm/a). The results provide a reliable explanation for the effect of CF on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of CFRPA6/6061 joints. Furthermore, the knowledge gained in this work will benefit future research in the optimization of processes to improve the reliability of metal-thermoplastic hybrid structures.