Drug-drug interaction between tacrolimus and caspofungin in Chinese kidney transplant patients with different CYP3A5 genotypes

Background

The effect of drug-drug interaction between tacrolimus and caspofungin on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in different CYP3A5 genotypes has not been reported in previous studies.

Objectives

To investigate the effect of caspofungin on the blood concentration and dose of tacrolimus under different CYP3A5 genotypes.

Design

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital from January 2015 to December 2022. All kidney transplant patients were divided into the combination or non-combination group based on whether tacrolimus was combined with caspofungin or not. Patients were subdivided into CYP3A5 expressers (CYP3A5*1/*1 or CYP3A5*1/*3) and CYP3A5 non-expressers (CYP3A5*3/*3).

Methods

Data from the combination and the non-combination groups were matched with propensity scores to reduce confounding by SPSS 22.0. A total of 200 kidney transplant patients receiving tacrolimus combined with caspofungin or not were enrolled in this study. Statistical analysis was conducted on the dose-corrected trough concentrations (C0/D) and dose requirements (D) of tacrolimus using independent sample two-sided t-test and nonparametric tests to investigate the impact on patients with different.

Results

In this study, the C0/D values of tacrolimus were not significantly different between the combination and non-combination groups (p = 0.054). For CYP3A5 expressers, there was no significant difference in tacrolimus C0/D or D values between the combination and non-combination groups (p = 0.359; p = 0.851). In CYP3A5 nonexpressers, the C0/D values of tacrolimus were significantly lower in the combination than in the non-combination groups (p = 0.039), and the required daily dose of tacrolimus was increased by 11.11% in the combination group.

Conclusion

Co-administration of caspofungin reduced tacrolimus blood levels and elevated the required daily dose of tacrolimus. In CYP3A5 non-expressers, co-administration of caspofungin had a significant effect on tacrolimus C0/D values. An approximate 10% increase in the weight-adjusted daily dose of tacrolimus in CYP3A5 non-expressers is recommended to ensure the safety of tacrolimus administration.

Evidence of the fractional quantum spin Hall effect in moiré MoTe2

Quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators are two-dimensional electronic materials that have a bulk band gap similar to an ordinary insulator but have topologically protected pairs of edge modes of opposite chiralities1-6. So far, experimental studies have found only integer QSH insulators with counter-propagating up-spins and down-spins at each edge leading to a quantized conductance G0 = e2/h (with e and h denoting the electron charge and Planck's constant, respectively)7-14. Here we report transport evidence of a fractional QSH insulator in 2.1° twisted bilayer MoTe2, which supports spin-Sz conservation and flat spin-contrasting Chern bands15,16. At filling factor ν = 3 of the moiré valence bands, each edge contributes a conductance3 2 G 0 with zero anomalous Hall conductivity. The state is probably a time-reversal pair of the even-denominator 3/2-fractional Chern insulators. Furthermore, at ν = 2, 4 and 6, we observe a single, double and triple QSH insulator with each edge contributing a conductance G0, 2G0 and 3G0, respectively. Our results open up the possibility of realizing time-reversal symmetric non-abelian anyons and other unexpected topological phases in highly tunable moiré materials17-19.

Deinococcus wulumuqiensis R12 synthesized silver nanoparticles with peroxidase-like activity for synergistic antibacterial application

The use of a combination of several antibacterial agents for therapy holds great promise in reducing the dosage and side effects of these agents, improving their efficiency, and inducing potential synergistic therapeutic effects. Herein, this study provides an innovative antibacterial treatment strategy by synergistically combining R12-AgNPs with H2O2 therapy. R12-AgNPs were simply produced with the supernatant of an ionizing radiation-tolerant bacterium Deinococcus wulumuqiensis R12 by one-step under room temperature. In comparison with chemically synthesized AgNPs, the biosynthesized AgNPs presented fascinating antibacterial activity and peroxidase-like properties, which endowed it with the capability to catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 to generate hydroxyl radical. After the combination of R12-AgNPs and H2O2, an excellent synergistic bacteriostatic activity was observed for both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, especially at low concentrations. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity tests showed R12-AgNPs had good biocompatibility. Thus, this work presents a novel antibacterial agent that exhibits favorable synergistic antibacterial activity and low toxicity, without the use of antibiotics or a complicated synthesis process.

Contribution of platelets to disruption of the blood-brain barrier during arterial baroreflex dysfunction

BACKGROUND

Arterial baroreflex dysfunction, like many other central nervous system disorders, involves disruption of the blood-brain barrier, but what causes such disruption in ABR dysfunction is unclear. Here we explored the potential role of platelets in this disruption.

METHODS

ABR dysfunction was induced in rats using sinoaortic denervation, and the effects on integrity of the blood-brain barrier were explored based on leakage of Evans blue or FITC-dextran, while the effects on expression of CD40L in platelets and of key proteins in microvascular endothelial cells were explored using immunohistochemistry, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Similar experiments were carried out in rat brain microvascular endothelial cell line, which we exposed to platelets taken from rats with ABR dysfunction.

RESULTS

Sinoaortic denervation permeabilized the blood-brain barrier and downregulated zonula occludens-1 and occludin in rat brain, while upregulating expression of CD40L on the surface of platelets and stimulating platelet aggregation. Similar effects of permeabilization and downregulation were observed in healthy rats that received platelets from animals with ABR dysfunction, and in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells, but only in the presence of lipopolysaccharide. These effects were associated with activation of NF-κB signaling and upregulation of matrix metalloprotease-9. These effects of platelets from animals with ABR dysfunction were partially blocked by neutralizing antibody against CD40L or the platelet inhibitor clopidogrel.

CONCLUSION

During ABR dysfunction, platelets may disrupt the blood-brain barrier when CD40L on their surface activates NF-kB signaling within cerebral microvascular endothelial cells, leading to upregulation of matrix metalloprotease-9. Our findings imply that targeting CD40L may be effective against cerebral diseases involving ABR dysfunction.

The 15-min (Sub)Cellular Proteome

Single-cell mass spectrometry (MS) opens a proteomic window onto the inner workings of cells. Here, we report the discovery characterization of the subcellular proteome of single, identified embryonic cells in record speed and molecular coverage. We integrated subcellular capillary microsampling, fast capillary electrophoresis (CE), high-efficiency nano-flow electrospray ionization, and orbitrap tandem MS. In proof-of-principle tests, we found shorter separation times to hinder proteome detection using DDA, but not DIA. Within a 15-min effective separation window, CE data-independent acquisition (DIA) was able to identify 1,161 proteins from single HeLa-cell-equivalent (∼200 pg) proteome digests vs. 401 proteins by the reference data-dependent acquisition (DDA) on the same platform. The approach measured 1,242 proteins from subcellular niches in an identified cell in the live Xenopus laevis (frog) embryo, including many canonical components of organelles. CE-MS with DIA enables fast, sensitive, and deep profiling of the (sub)cellular proteome, expanding the bioanalytical toolbox of cell biology.

Authorship Contributions

P.N. and B.S. designed the study. L.R.P. collected the X. laevis cell aspirates. B.S. prepared and measured the samples. B.S. and P.N. analyzed the data and interpreted the results. P.N. and B.S. wrote the manuscript. All the authors commented on the manuscript.

Detection and treatment of biofilm-induced periodontitis by histidine-doped FeSN nanozyme with ultra-high peroxidase-like activity

Pathogenic biofilm induced oral diseases have posed a significant treat to human health, such as periodontitis resulting from the formation of bacterial biofilm on teeth and gums. The traditional treatment methods such as mechanical debridement and antibiotic therapy encounter the poor therapeutic effect. Recently, numerous nanozymes with excellent antibacterial effect have been widely used in the treatment of oral diseases. In this study, a novel iron-based nanozyme (FeSN) generated by histidine-doped FeS2 with high peroxidase-like (POD-like) activity was designed for the oral biofilm removal and treatment of periodontitis. FeSN exhibited an extremely high POD-like activity, and enzymatic reaction kinetics and theoretical calculations had demonstrated its catalytic efficiency to be approximately 30 times than that of FeS2. The antibacterial experiments showed that FeSN had robust antibacterial activity against Fusobacterium nucleatum in the presence of H2O2, causing a reduction in the levels of glutathione reductase and ATP in bacterial cells, while increasing the level of oxidase coenzyme. The ultrahigh POD-like activity of FeSN allowed for easy detection of pathogenic biofilms and promoted the breakdown of biofilm structure. Furthermore, FeSN demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity to human fibroblast cells. In a rat model of periodontitis, FeSN exhibited significant therapeutic effects by reducing the extent of biofilm formation, inflammation, and alveolar bone loss. Taken together, our results suggested that FeSN, generated by self-assembly of two amino acids, represented a promising approach for biofilm removal and periodontitis treatment. This method has the potential to overcome the limitations of current treatments and provide an effective alternative for periodontitis treatment.

An alternating continuous integration system for magnetic measurements for experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

Integrators are critical instruments used for magnetic measurement systems (MMSs) in tokamaks, and, currently, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has over 600 deployed. However, these integrators, designed with real-time drift compensation, will not be able to support longer pulse operations in the near future due to saturation and drift. To address these issues, this paper proposes a new alternating integration system combining analog integration with drift digital rectification. This system utilizes a microcontroller unit (MCU) to control two parallel analog integrators to work alternatively, compensate their drifts based on their respective error characteristics, and assemble the two integration segments together. The designed architecture provides highly flexible capabilities in operation modes and error correction, which make the system operation and maintenance highly automated. Performance tests on the EAST experiment site show that the prototype integrator can meet the requirements of real-time plasma control for a duration of hour-level.

Hybrid Dry and Wet Etching of LiNbO3 Domain-Wall Memory Devices with 90° Etching Angles and Excellent Electrical Properties

Ferroelectric domain walls, agile nanoscale interfaces of polar order, can be selectively controlled by electric fields for their position, conformation, and function, which is ultimately the key to realizing novel low-energy memory and computing structures. LiNbO3 single-crystal domain wall memory has the advantages of high operational speed, high integration density, and virtually unlimited endurance cycles, appearing as a good solution for the next generation of highly miniaturized low-energy memories. However, the etching process poses significant challenges in the nanofabrication and high-density integration of LiNbO3 domain-wall memories. Here, we employed a hybrid etching technique to achieve smooth sidewalls with a 90° inclined angle, leading to a 24% reduction in the coercive field and a 2.5-fold increase in the linear domain wall current density with a retention time of more than 106 seconds and endurance of over 105 writing cycles. Combined with the results of X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray photoelectric spectra, it is concluded that the excellent electrical performance is related to the formation of an oxygen-deficient LiNbO3-x layer on the sidewall surface during the wet chemical etching process, which is a conductive layer that reduces the thickness of the "dead" layer between the side electrodes and the LiNbO3 cell and rectifies the diode-like wall currents with an onset voltage reduced from 1.23 to 0.28 V. These results prove the high-density integration of ferroelectric domain-wall memories at the nanoscale and provide a new strategy applicable to the development of LiNbO3 photonic devices.

Advanced Etching Techniques of LiNbO3 Nanodevices

Single LiNbO3 (LNO) crystals are widely utilized in surface acoustic wave devices, optoelectronic devices, and novel ferroelectric memory devices due to their remarkable electro-optic and piezoelectric properties, and high saturation and remnant polarizations. However, challenges remain regarding their nanofabrication that hinder their applications. The prevailing etching techniques for LNO encompass dry etching, wet etching, and focused-ion-beam etching, each having distinct merits and demerits. Achieving higher etching rates and improved sidewall angles presents a challenge in LNO nanofabrication. Building upon the current etching researches, this study explores various etching methods using instruments capable of generating diverse plasma densities, such as dry etching in reactive ion etching (RIE) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP), proton exchange-enhanced etching, and wet chemical etching following high-temperature reduction treatment, as well as hybrid dry and wet etching. Ultimately, after employing RIE dry etching combined with wet etching, following a high-temperature reduction treatment, an etching rate of 10 nm/min and pretty 90° sidewall angles were achieved. Furthermore, high etching rates of 79 nm/min with steep sidewall angles of 83° were obtained using ICP dry etching. Additionally, using SiO2 masks, a high etching rate of 108 nm/min and an etching selectivity ratio of 0.86:1 were achieved. Distinct etching conditions yielded diverse yet exceptional results, providing multiple processing paths of etching for the versatile application of LNO.

Giant spin Hall effect in AB-stacked MoTe2/WSe2 bilayers

The spin Hall effect (SHE), in which an electrical current generates a transverse spin current, plays an important role in spintronics for the generation and manipulation of spin-polarized electrons. The phenomenon originates from spin-orbit coupling. In general, stronger spin-orbit coupling favours larger SHEs but shorter spin relaxation times and diffusion lengths. However, correlated magnetic materials often do not support large SHEs. Achieving large SHEs, long-range spin transport and magnetism simultaneously in a single material is attractive for spintronics applications but has remained a challenge. Here we demonstrate a giant intrinsic SHE coexisting with ferromagnetism in AB-stacked MoTe2/WSe2 moiré bilayers by direct magneto-optical imaging. Under moderate electrical currents with density <1 A m-1, we observe spin accumulation on transverse sample edges that nearly saturates the spin density. We also demonstrate long-range spin Hall transport and efficient non-local spin accumulation that is limited only by the device size (about 10 µm). The gate dependence shows that the giant SHE occurs only near the interaction-driven Chern insulating state. At low temperatures, it emerges after the quantum anomalous Hall breakdown. Our results demonstrate moiré engineering of Berry curvature and electronic correlation for potential spintronics applications.

Association between GLP-1R gene polymorphism and dyslipidemia in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between GLP-1R gene polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus with dyslipidemia and without dyslipidemia in China.

METHODS

A total of 200 patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) were included in this study, including 115 with dyslipidemia and 85 without dyslipidemia. We used Sanger double deoxygenation terminal assay and PCR-RFLP to detect genotype of the GLP-1R rs10305420 and rs3765467 loci. T-test was used to analyze the association between gene polymorphisms and lipid indicators. SHEsis online analysis software was used to analyze the linkage balance effect of loci, and SPSS 26 was used to calculate the gene interaction by dominant model.

RESULTS

The genotype distribution of the two loci in the sample of this study was in accordance with Hardy-weinberg equilibrium. There were significant differences in the genotype distribution and allele frequency of rs3765467 between T2DM patients with and without dyslipidemia (GG 52.9%, GA+AA 47.1% vs. GG 69.6%, GA+AA 30.4%; P = 0.017). Under the dominant model, the effects of rs3765467 A allele and rs10305420 T allele on dyslipidemia had multiplicative interactions (P = 0.016) and additive interactions (RERI = 0.403, 95% CI [-2.708 to 3.514]; AP = 0.376, 95% CI [-2.041, 2.793]). Meanwhile, HbA_1c levels in rs3765467 A allele carriers (GA+AA) were found to be significantly lower than those in patients with GG genotype (P = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

The rs3765467 (G/A) variant is associated with the incidence of dyslipidemia, and G allele may be a risk factor for dyslipidemia.

[Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme on reproduction of Culex pipiens pallens]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the reproduction of Culex pipiens pallens, so as to provide insights into selection of targets for controlling mosquito vector populations.

METHODS

Cx. pipiens pallens was collected from Tangkou County, Shandong Province in 2009. Female and male mosquitoes were selected at 72 hours post-eclosion, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qPCR) assay was used to detect the expression of ACE gene in the whole body and reproductive tissues of male mosquitoes and fertilized female mosquitoes before (0 h) and after blood meals (24, 48, 72 h), respectively. Then, 150 female and 150 male mosquitoes at 0 to 4 hours post-eclosion were selected and divided into the wild-type group (WT group), small interfering RNA-negative control group (siNC group) and small interfering RNA-ACE group (siACE group), of 50 mosquitoes in each group. Mosquitoes in the WT group were given no treatment, and mosquitoes in the siNC and siACE groups were given microinjection of siNC and siACE into the hemolymph at a dose of 0.3 μg per mosquito. The knockdown efficiency was checked using qPCR assay, and the reproductive phenotype of mosquitoes was observed.

RESULTS

The relative ACE gene expression was higher in the whole body of male mosquitoes (5.467 ± 1.006) relative to females (1.199 ± 0.241) (t = 5.835, P = 0.004) at 72 h post-eclosion, and the highest ACE expression was seen in reproductive tissues of male mosquitoes (199.100 ± 24.429), which was 188.3 times higher than in remaining tissues (1.057 ± 0.340) (t = 6.602, P = 0.002). Blood meal induced high ACE expression in all body tissues of fertilized female mosquitoes, with peak expression at 24 h after blood meals (14.957 ± 2.815), which was 14.8 times higher than that before blood meals (1.009 ± 0.139) (P = 0.002). The transcriptional level of ACEs continued to increase in the ovaries of female mosquitoes after blood meals during the vitellogenesis phase, peaking at 48 h after blood meals (5.500 ± 0.734), which was 5.1 times higher than that before blood meals (1.072 ± 0.178) (P = 0.002). Small RNA interference targeting ACE resulted in a 57.2% reduction in ACE expression in female mosquitoes in the siACE group (0.430 ± 0.070) relative to the siNC group (1.002 ± 0.070) (P = 0.001), and a 41.1% reduction in male mosquitoes in the siACE group (0.588 ± 0.067) relative to the siNC group (1.008 ± 0.131) (P = 0.016). Knockdown of ACE expression resulted in a 48.0% decrease in the number of eggs laid by female mosquitoes in the siACE group [(94.000 ± 27.386) eggs] relative to the siNC group [(180.800 ± 27.386)] (P < 0.001), and a 45.0% decrease in the number of eggs laid by wild female mosquitoes mated with males in the siACE group [(104.500 ± 20.965) eggs] relative to the siNC group [(190.050 ± 10.698) eggs] (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced ACE expression may inhibit the fecundity of male and female mosquitoes, and ACE may be as a potential target for mosquito vector population suppression.

Arterial Baroreflex Dysfunction Promotes Neuroinflammation by Activating the Platelet CD40L/Nuclear Factor Kappa B Signaling Pathway in Microglia and Astrocytes

Arterial baroreflex (ABR) dysfunction has previously been associated with neuroinflammation, the most common pathological feature of neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms mediating ABR dysfunction-induced neuroinflammation are not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of platelet CD40 ligand (CD40L) in neuroinflammation in an in vivo model of ABR dysfunction, and microglia and astrocyte activation in vitro. ABR dysfunction was induced in Sprague‒Dawley rats by sinoaortic denervation (SAD). We used ELSA and immunofluorescence to assess the effect of platelet CD40L on glial cell polarization and the secretion of inflammatory factors. By flow cytometry, we found that rats subjected to SAD showed a high level of platelet microaggregation and upregulation of CD40L on the platelet surface. The promotion of platelet invasion and accumulation was also observed in the brain tissues of rats subjected to SAD. In the animal model and cultured N9 microglia/C6 astrocytoma cells, platelet CD40L overexpression promoted neuroinflammation and activated M1 microglia, A1 astrocytes, and the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signaling pathway. These effects were partially blocked by inhibiting platelet activity with clopidogrel or inhibiting CD40L-mediated signaling. Our results suggest that during ABR dysfunction, CD40L signaling in platelets converts microglia to the M1 phenotype and astrocytes to the A1 phenotype, activating NFκB and resulting in neuroinflammation. Thus, our study provides a novel understanding of the pathogenesis of ABR dysfunction-induced neuroinflammation and indicates that targeting platelet CD40L is beneficial for treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders associated with ABR dysfunction.

Potential for efficient microbial remediation of Cr (VI) in wastewater using Deinococcus wulumuqiensis R12

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the potential of Deinococcus wulumuqiensis R12 (D. wulumuqiensis R12) as a bioadsorbent for Cr (VI) removal from aqueous solutions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Effects of various factors including initial concentration of Cr (Ⅵ), pH, adsorbent dosage and time were explored. The maximal Cr removal efficiency was achieved by adding D. wulumuqiensis R12 to the solution at pH 7.0 for 24 h, with an initial Cr concentration of 7 mg L-1. Characterization of bacterial cells showed that Cr was adsorbed to the surface of D. wulumuqiensis R12 by combining with functional groups, such as carboxyl and amino groups on the surface. Furthermore, D. wulumuqiensis R12 was able to keep its bioactivity in the presence of Cr and tolerate Cr concentrations as high as 60 mg L-1.

CONCLUSIONS

D. wulumuqiensis R12 demonstrates a comparatively high adsorption capacity for Cr (VI). Under the optimized conditions, the removal ratio reached 96.4% with 7 mg L-1 Cr (VI), and the maximal biosorption capacity was 2.65 mg g-1. More importantly, it was found that D. wulumuqiensis R12 still had strong metabolic activity and maintained its viability after adsorbing Cr (VI), which is beneficial for biosorbent stability and reuse.

Erasable Domain Wall Current-Dominated Resistive Switching in BiFeO3 Devices with an Oxide-Metal Interface

Electric transport in the charged domain wall (CDW) region has emerged as a promising phenomenon for the development of next-generation ferro-resistive memory with ultrahigh data storage density. However, accurately measuring the conductivity of CDWs induced by polarization reversal remains challenging due to the polarization modulation of the Schottky barrier at the thin film-electrode interface, which could partially contribute to the collected "on" current of the device. Here, we propose carefully selecting an electrode that can suppress the effect of interfacial barrier modulation induced by polarization reversal, allowing the collected current mainly from the conductive CDWs. The experiment was conducted on epitaxial BiFeO₃(001) thin-film devices with vertical and horizontal geometries. Piezo-response force microscopy scanning showed the local polarization experienced 180° rotation to form CDWs under the vertical electric field. However, devices with SrRuO₃ epitaxial top electrodes still exhibit an interfacial barrier-dominated diode behavior, with the "on" current proportional to the electrode area. To identify the CDW current, more interfacial defects were introduced by the deposition of Pt top electrodes, which significantly enhanced charge injection for the compensation of the reversed polarization driven by the electric field, leading to the suppressed polarization modulation of the Schottky barrier height. It was observed that the current flow through Pt electrodes is significantly lower compared to that of SRO electrodes and appears to be primarily influenced by the electrode perimeter instead of the electrode area, indicating CDW-dominated conduction behavior in these devices. Planar nanodevices were further fabricated to support the quantitative investigation of the Pt electrode size-dependent "on" current with a linear fit of the current magnitude versus the CDW cross-sectional area. This work constitutes an essential part of understanding the role of the CDW current in ferro-resistive memory devices.

A Lightweight Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol for IoT-Enabled Smart Grid System

The IoT-enabled Smart Grid uses IoT smart devices to collect the private electricity data of consumers and send it to service providers over the public network, which leads to some new security problems. To ensure the communication security in a smart grid, many researches are focusing on using authentication and key agreement protocols to protect against cyber attacks. Unfortunately, most of them are vulnerable to various attacks. In this paper, we analyze the security of an existent protocol by introducing an insider attacker, and show that their scheme cannot guarantee the claimed security requirements under their adversary model. Then, we present an improved lightweight authentication and key agreement protocol, which aims to enhance the security of IoT-enabled smart grid systems. Furthermore, we proved the security of the scheme under the real-or-random oracle model. The result shown that the improved scheme is secure in the presence of both internal attackers and external attackers. Compared with the original protocol, the new protocol is more secure, while keeping the same computation efficiency. Both of them are 0.0552 ms. The communication of the new protocol is 236 bytes, which is acceptable in smart grids. In other words, with similar communication and computation cost, we proposed a more secure protocol for smart grids.

Gate-tunable heavy fermions in a moiré Kondo lattice

The Kondo lattice-a matrix of local magnetic moments coupled through spin-exchange interactions to itinerant conduction electrons-is a prototype of strongly correlated quantum matter1-4. Usually, Kondo lattices are realized in intermetallic compounds containing lanthanide or actinide1,2. The complex electronic structure and limited tunability of both the electron density and exchange interactions in these bulk materials pose considerable challenges to studying Kondo lattice physics. Here we report the realization of a synthetic Kondo lattice in AB-stacked MoTe2/WSe2 moiré bilayers, in which the MoTe2 layer is tuned to a Mott insulating state, supporting a triangular moiré lattice of local moments, and the WSe2 layer is doped with itinerant conduction carriers. We observe heavy fermions with a large Fermi surface below the Kondo temperature. We also observe the destruction of the heavy fermions by an external magnetic field with an abrupt decrease in the Fermi surface size and quasi-particle mass. We further demonstrate widely and continuously gate-tunable Kondo temperatures through either the itinerant carrier density or the Kondo interaction. Our study opens the possibility of in situ access to the phase diagram of the Kondo lattice with exotic quantum criticalities in a single device based on semiconductor moiré materials2-9.

Spontaneous Chirality Induction in the Assembly of a Single Layer 2-D Network with Switchable Pores

Although two dimensional (2-D) chiral sheet structures are attractive because of unique chemical and physical properties, single layer 2-D chiral network structures with switchable pore interior remain elusive. Here we report spontaneous chirality induction in a single layer 2-D network structure formed from the self-assembly of tetrapod azobenzene molecules. The chirality induction arises from multiple sublayers slipped in a preferred direction in which the sublayer consists of unidentical molecular arrangements in in-plane a and b directions, breaking both plane of symmetry and inversion symmetry. The protruded azobenzene units in the pore interior can be selectively isomerized upon UV irradiation, resulting in a reversible deformation of the chiral pores while maintaining 2-D frameworks. The chiral network can thus selectively entrap one enantiomer from a racemic solution with near perfect enantioselectivity, and then release upon UV irradiation.

Rapid capture and killing of bacteria by lyophilized nFeS-Hydrogel for improved healing of infected wounds

Due to their antibacterial activity, sulfur-containing nanomaterials are increasingly being developed into nanodrugs against bacterial infection. Nano iron sulfide (nFeS) is a new nanomaterial that can convert organic sulfur into inorganic sulfur, which has excellent antibacterial activity. However, the inorganic sulfur produced by nFeS can easily change its form or volatilize in aqueous solution, which may affect the efficacy of nFeS. We propose a new strategy to encapsulate nFeS in a hydrogel to preserve inorganic sulfides, and the macroporous structure of the hydrogel can capture bacteria to increase their interaction with nFeS. The in-depth characterization conducted in this study demonstrate that the water swelling characteristics of the lyophilized nFeS-Hydrogel and the ability to effectively maintain the antibacterial active ingredients in nFeS results in more effective killing of harmful bacteria than pure nFeS, while also prolonging the shelf life of antibacterial activity. We discovered that bacteria exhibit a unique mode of cell death when nFeS contained in hydrogels interacts with the cells by producing hydrogen polysulfanes, which increased intracellular ROS levels and reduced GSH levels. Furthermore, the nFeS-Hydrogel was found to reduce inflammation and exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Accordingly, the nFeS-Hydrogel has great application prospects as a fast excipient for clearing infection, reducing inflammation, and accelerating wound healing.

Transcriptome reveals the dysfunction of pancreatic islets after wound healing in severely burned mice

BACKGROUND

Severely burned patients have a higher risk of diabetes mellitus after healing, but its mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to explore the influence of burns on pancreatic islets of mice after wound healing.

METHODS

Forty-two male C57BL/6 mice were randomized into a sham group and a burn group and subjected to sham treatment or a third-degree burn model of 30% total body surface area. Fasting blood glucose was detected weekly for 8 weeks after severe burns. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was measured 8 weeks post severe burns. Islets of the two groups were isolated and mRNA libraries were sequenced by the Illumina sequencing platform. The expressions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the cell cycle and the amounts of mitochondrial DNA were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction after gene ontology, gene set enrichment analysis, and protein-protein network analysis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining of pancreatic tail tissue and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay of islets were performed.

RESULTS

The levels of fasting blood glucose were significantly higher within 8 weeks post severe burns. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was impaired at the eighth week post severe burns. Totally 128 DEGs were selected. Gene ontology and gene set enrichment analysis indicated that the pathways related to the cell cycle, protein processing, and oxidative phosphorylation were downregulated. The expressions of DEGs related to the cell cycle showed a consistent trend with mRNA sequencing data, and most of them were downregulated post severe burns. The cell mass of the burn group was less than that of the sham group. Also, the concentration of ATP and the amount of mitochondrial DNA were lower in the burn group.

CONCLUSION

In the model of severe-burned mice, disorders in glucose metabolism persist for 8 weeks after burns, which may be related to low islet cell proliferation, downregulation of protein processing, and less ATP production.

Transformation of Supramolecular Membranes to Vesicles Driven by Spontaneous Gradual Deprotonation on Membrane Surfaces

The various proteins and asymmetric lipid bilayers present in cell membranes form curvatures, resulting in structural transformations to generate vesicles. Fission and fusion processes between vesicles and cell membranes are reversible in living organisms. Although the transformation of a two-dimensional membrane to a three-dimensional vesicle structure is a common natural phenomenon, the lack of a detailed understanding at the molecular level limits the development of synthetic systems for functional materials. Herein, we report a supramolecular membrane system through donor-acceptor interactions using a π-deficient acceptor and π-rich donor as building blocks. The reduced electrostatic repulsion between ammonium cations and the spontaneously deprotonated neutral amino group induced anisotropic membrane curvature, resulting in membrane fission to form vesicles with a detailed understanding at the molecular level. Furthermore, the reversible transformation of vesicles to membranes upon changing the pH provides a novel synthetic system exhibiting both fission and fusion processes.

The very large n2EDM magnetically shielded room with an exceptional performance for fundamental physics measurements

We present the magnetically shielded room (MSR) for the n2EDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute, which features an interior cubic volume with each side of length 2.92 m, thus providing an accessible space of 25 m³. The MSR has 87 openings of diameter up to 220 mm for operating the experimental apparatus inside and an intermediate space between the layers for housing sensitive signal processing electronics. The characterization measurements show a remanent magnetic field in the central 1 m³ below 100 pT and a field below 600 pT in the entire inner volume, up to 4 cm to the walls. The quasi-static shielding factor at 0.01 Hz measured with a sinusoidal 2 μT peak-to-peak signal is about 100 000 in all three spatial directions and increases rapidly with frequency to reach 10⁸ above 1 Hz.

A Cruciform Petal-like (ZIF-8) with Bactericidal Activity against Foodborne Gram-Positive Bacteria for Antibacterial Food Packaging

Most antibacterial nanomaterials used in food packaging act by releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cannot efficiently have an inhibitory effect by penetrating the cell wall of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. In this work, we used the cruciform petal-like zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) synthesized in the water phase which can release active Zn compounds in aqueous solution and exert a stronger inhibitory effect on S. aureus. The experimental results demonstrated that the aqueous cruciform petal-like ZIF-8 has the same photocatalytic activity as traditional ZIF-8 and can be applied in photocatalytic bacterial inactivation. The cruciform petal-like ZIF-8 was also shown to release active Zn compounds in aqueous solution with a better antibacterial effect against S. aureus, reaching 95% inactivation efficiency. The antibacterial effect was therefore 70% higher than that of traditional ZIF-8. Based on its excellent antibacterial properties, we loaded petal-like ZIF-8, PDA and PVA onto ordinary fibers to prepare ZIF-8-Film. The results further showed that ZIF-8-Film has a high filtration capacity, which can be used in antibacterial packaging material with the required air permeability. Moreover, ZIF-8-Flim can clean the surface on its own and can maintain a sterile environment. It is different from other disposable materials on the market in that it can be reused and has a self-disinfection function.

The inhibitory effect of LINC00261 upregulation on the pancreatic cancer EMT process is mediated by KLF13 via the mTOR signaling pathway

PURPOSE

The long noncoding RNA LINC00261 was reported to be involved in carcinogenesis and has been validated as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer (PC); however, how LINC00261 is regulated has not been fully examined. Here, we attempted to investigate the upstream and downstream targets of LINC00261 in PC.

METHODS

LINC00261 expression in PC tissues was examined by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays were performed to detect the expression level of LINC00261 in PC cells. The location of LINC00261 in PC cells was identified by RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), cell apoptosis assay, transwell invasion and migration assays testified the critical role of LINC00261 in PC. The luciferase reporter assay was applied to confirm the binding of LINC00261 to its upstream transcription factor KLF13. The changes in LINC00261 related target protein levels were analyzed by Western blotting assay.

RESULTS

LINC00261 was significantly lower in PC tissues and was mainly concentrated in the nucleus. Overexpression of LINC00261 inhibited the invasion and migration of PC cells. Mechanistically, transcription factor KLF13 was confirmed to inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of PC cells by promoting the transcription of LINC00261 and suppressing the expression of metastasis-associated proteins, such as matrix metalloproteinase MMP2 and vimentin, thus inhibiting the metastasis of PC.

CONCLUSION

LINC00261 regulates PC cell metastasis through the "KLF13-LINC00261-mTOR-P70S6K1-S6" signaling pathway, which provides a significant set of potential PC therapeutic targets.

Multifunctional fluorescent gold nanoclusters with enhanced aggregation-induced emissions (AIEs) and excellent antibacterial effect for bacterial imaging and wound healing

To explore new alternatives to combat increasing risk of bacterial infection, in this work, a cationic antimicrobial peptide (HHC10) and glutathione (GSH) co-ligand protected ultra-small gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) was constructed by a simple one-pot method. The intrinsic luminescent property of GSH-protected Au NCs (Au_xGSH) endowed enhanced aggregation-induced emissions (AIEs) of co-ligand-protected Au NCs (Au_xGSH-HHC10), which exhibited a very strong orange luminescence. Based on the AIE effect, for one thing, Au_xGSH could be applied to rapidly and selectively detect Gram-positive bacteria. For another, Au_xGSH-HHC10 exhibited potential for multicolor imaging of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Besides, as-synthesized Au_xGSH-HHC10 could act as potent nanoantibiotics against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, which could not only avoid drug tolerance but also be effective toward drug-resistance bacteria. The antibacterial mechanism indicated that the synergetic effect of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), binding with DNA, and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of HHC10 led to the membrane damage, depolarization, and interference of biological function, thus enhancing the antibacterial effect. More importantly, such an Au NCs could realize excellent therapeutic outcomes for wound healing in vivo, and showed good biocompatibility and biosafety toward health tissues. The results will provide a great potential for the application of Au NCs for imaging-guided antibacterial platform.

Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry for Scalable Single-Cell Proteomics

Understanding the biochemistry of the cell requires measurement of all the molecules it produces. Single-cell proteomics recently became possible through advances in microanalytical sample preparation, separation by nano-flow liquid chromatography (nanoLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE), and detection using electrospray ionization (ESI) high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Here, we demonstrate capillary microsampling CE-ESI-HRMS to be scalable to proteomics across broad cellular dimensions. This study established proof-of-principle using giant, ∼250-µm-diameter cells from embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis and small, ∼35-µm-diameter neurons in culture from the mouse hippocampus. From ∼18 ng, or ∼0.2% of the total cellular proteome, subcellular analysis of the ventral-animal midline (V11) and equatorial (V12) cells identified 1,133 different proteins in a 16-cell embryo. CE-HRMS achieved ∼20-times higher sensitivity and doubled the speed of instrumental measurements compared to nanoLC, the closest neighboring single-cell technology of choice. Microanalysis was scalable to 722 proteins groups from ∼5 ng of cellular protein digest from identified left dorsal-animal midline cell (D11), supporting sensitivity for smaller cells. Capillary microsampling enabled the isolation and transfer of individual neurons from the culture, identifying 37 proteins between three different cells. A total of 224 proteins were detected from 500 pg of neuronal protein digest, which estimates to a single neuron. Serial dilution returned 157 proteins from sample amounts estimating to about half a cell (250 pg protein) and 70 proteins from ca. a quarter of a neuron (125 pg protein), suggesting sufficient sensitivity for subcellular proteomics. CE-ESI-HRMS complements nanoLC proteomics with scalability, sensitivity, and speed across broad cellular dimensions.

Radiographic indexes in AP hip radiographs prior to total hip arthroplasty reveal candidates with low BMD

Using anteroposterior (AP) hip radiograph, we measured several indexes to investigate the association with bone mineral density (BMD) before THA and found a highly effective index to predict femoral BMD. This technique is helpful for both patients and clinicians to identify potential candidates with low BMD to whom DXA examination is particularly recommended.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the study is to identify patients with low bone mineral density (BMD) prior to total hip arthroplasty with the help of AP hip radiographs.

METHODS

Indexes on AP hip radiographs and T-scores from DXA examination of the lumbar spine and the affected hip were acquired from patients before THA. Indexes measured on AP hip radiographs including the canal calcar ratio (CCR), canal flare index (CFI), morphological cortical index (MCI), canal bone ratio (CBR), and canal bone area ratio (CBAR). The relevance between indexes and the T-score of femora was evaluated by correlation analysis, and the diagnostic value of indexes for osteopenia was examined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

A total of 81 patients were included. The average value of CBR-7, CBR-10, and CBAR (7-10) were highly related to the T-score of femora (r =  - 0.592, r =  - 0.634, and r =  - 0.631, respectively, p < 0.0001). Results of the intra- and interobserver variation assessment was excellent. CBR-7, CBR-10, and CBAR (7-10) were significantly different between the non-osteopenia and osteopenia groups (p < 0.0001). CBR-10 had the biggest area under curve (AUC), means the great diagnostic value for osteopenia in the proximal femora (AUC = 0.821, cutoff value = 0.3805).

CONCLUSION

The canal bone ratio at 10 × 10^-2 m under the level of the lesser trochanter proved to be a great indicator of femoral osteopenia. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trail Registry, ChiCTR2000041016. Registered 16 December 2020-Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx .

STAT3 exerts pro-tumor and anti-autophagy roles in cervical cancer

Background

STAT3 plays an important role in cervical cancer. LC3B, the most potential molecular biomarker of autophagy that may promote or inhibit cancer progression, can be downregulated by STAT3. However the role of STAT3 in the autophagy of cervical cancer remains unclear.

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between STAT3 and LC3B in protein level, and verify whether STAT3 promotes proliferation, migration and plate colony formation by inhibiting autophagy of cervical cancer cells through bcl2-beclin1 axis.

Results

STAT3 was overexpressed in cervical cancer tissues, and negatively correlated with the expression level of LC3B. STAT3 knockout or knockdown significantly increased the autophagy level and decreased proliferation, migration, plate colony formation and subcutaneous tumorigenesis of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. STAT3 is known to mediate autophagy through Bcl2-Beclin1 complex. Bcl2 was positively whereas Beclin1 negatively correlated with STAT3 expression, indicating that Bcl2-Beclin1 complex involved in this transition.

Conclusion

STAT3 may upregulate the autophagy level of cervical cancer cells through the Bcl2-Beclin1 axis. This indicates that STAT3 may be an important prognostic and therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

Photocurrent-driven transient symmetry breaking in the Weyl semimetal TaAs

Symmetry plays a central role in conventional and topological phases of matter, making the ability to optically drive symmetry changes a critical step in developing future technologies that rely on such control. Topological materials, like topological semimetals, are particularly sensitive to a breaking or restoring of time-reversal and crystalline symmetries, which affect both bulk and surface electronic states. While previous studies have focused on controlling symmetry via coupling to the crystal lattice, we demonstrate here an all-electronic mechanism based on photocurrent generation. Using second harmonic generation spectroscopy as a sensitive probe of symmetry changes, we observe an ultrafast breaking of time-reversal and spatial symmetries following femtosecond optical excitation in the prototypical type-I Weyl semimetal TaAs. Our results show that optically driven photocurrents can be tailored to explicitly break electronic symmetry in a generic fashion, opening up the possibility of driving phase transitions between symmetry-protected states on ultrafast timescales.

Quantum anomalous Hall effect from intertwined moiré bands

Electron correlation and topology are two central threads of modern condensed matter physics. Semiconductor moiré materials provide a highly tuneable platform for studies of electron correlation^1-12. Correlation-driven phenomena, including the Mott insulator^2-5, generalized Wigner crystals^2,6,9, stripe phases¹⁰ and continuous Mott transition^11,12, have been demonstrated. However, non-trivial band topology has remained unclear. Here we report the observation of a quantum anomalous Hall effect in AB-stacked MoTe₂ /WSe₂ moiré heterobilayers. Unlike in the AA-stacked heterobilayers¹¹, an out-of-plane electric field not only controls the bandwidth but also the band topology by intertwining moiré bands centred at different layers. At half band filling, corresponding to one particle per moiré unit cell, we observe quantized Hall resistance, h/e² (with h and e denoting the Planck's constant and electron charge, respectively), and vanishing longitudinal resistance at zero magnetic field. The electric-field-induced topological phase transition from a Mott insulator to a quantum anomalous Hall insulator precedes an insulator-to-metal transition. Contrary to most known topological phase transitions¹³, it is not accompanied by a bulk charge gap closure. Our study paves the way for discovery of emergent phenomena arising from the combined influence of strong correlation and topology in semiconductor moiré materials.

Thiamine ameliorates metabolic disorders induced by a long-term high-concentrate diet and promotes rumen epithelial development in goats

Data indicate that dietary thiamine supplementation can partly alleviate rumen epithelium inflammation and barrier function in goats fed a high-concentrate diet. The current work aimed to explore whether thiamine promotes rumen epithelium development by regulating carbohydrate metabolism during a long period of feeding high levels of concentrate. For the experiment, 24 female Boer goats (35.62 ± 2.4 kg of body weight) in parity 1 or 2 were allocated to 3 groups (8 goats per replicate) receiving a low-concentrate diet (concentrate:forage 30:70), a high-concentrate diet (HC; concentrate:forage 70:30), or a high-concentrate diet (concentrate:forage 70:30) supplemented with 200 mg of thiamine/kg of dry matter intake (HCT; concentrate:forage 70:30). On the last day of 12 wk, rumen fluid and blood samples were collected to measure ruminal parameters, endotoxin lipopolysaccharide, and blood inflammatory cytokines. Goats were slaughtered to collect ruminal tissue to determine differential metabolites, enzyme activities, and gene expression. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the HCT group had significantly increased concentrations of d-glucose 6-phosphate, d-fructose 6-phosphate, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, thiamine pyrophosphate, oxaloacetate, acetyl-CoA, succinyl-CoA, sedoheptulose 7-phosphate, ribose 5-phosphate, and NADPH compared with the HC group. The pyruvate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and transketolase enzyme activities in the rumen epithelium of the HCT group were higher than those in the HC group. The plasma total antioxidant capacity values for the HCT group were greater than those for the HC group. The rumen epithelium ATP content in the HCT group was higher than that in the HC group. Compared with the HCT group, the HC group had a lower mRNA abundance of CCND1, CCNA2, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, BCL2, PI3K, and AKT1. Taken together, the results suggest that dietary thiamine supplementation could ameliorate disorders in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway induced by a long-term high-concentrate diet and could promote rumen epithelial growth.

SuperDTI: Ultrafast DTI and fiber tractography with deep learning

PURPOSE

To develop a deep learning-based reconstruction framework for ultrafast and robust diffusion tensor imaging and fiber tractography.

METHODS

SuperDTI was developed to learn the nonlinear relationship between DWIs and the corresponding diffusion tensor parameter maps. It bypasses the tensor fitting procedure, which is highly susceptible to noises and motions in DWIs. The network was trained and tested using data sets from the Human Connectome Project and patients with ischemic stroke. Results from SuperDTI were compared against widely used methods for tensor parameter estimation and fiber tracking.

RESULTS

Using training and testing data acquired using the same protocol and scanner, SuperDTI was shown to generate fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity maps, as well as fiber tractography, from as few as six raw DWIs, with a quantification error of less than 5% in all white-matter and gray-matter regions of interest. It was robust to noises and motions in the testing data. Furthermore, the network trained using healthy volunteer data showed no apparent reduction in lesion detectability when directly applied to stroke patient data.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate the feasibility of superfast DTI and fiber tractography using deep learning with as few as six DWIs directly, bypassing tensor fitting. Such a significant reduction in scan time may allow the inclusion of DTI into the clinical routine for many potential applications.

The design of the n2EDM experiment: nEDM Collaboration

We present the design of a next-generation experiment, n2EDM, currently under construction at the ultracold neutron source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) with the aim of carrying out a high-precision search for an electric dipole moment of the neutron. The project builds on experience gained with the previous apparatus operated at PSI until 2017, and is expected to deliver an order of magnitude better sensitivity with provision for further substantial improvements. An overview is of the experimental method and setup is given, the sensitivity requirements for the apparatus are derived, and its technical design is described.

Initial chest radiograph scores inform COVID-19 status, intensive care unit admission and need for mechanical ventilation

AIM

To evaluate whether portable chest radiography (CXR) scores are associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status and various clinical outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included 500 initial CXR from COVID-19-suspected patients. Each CXR was scored based on geographic extent and degree of opacity as indicators of disease severity. COVID-19 status and clinical outcomes including intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, mortality, length of hospitalisation, and duration on ventilator were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between CXR scores and COVID-19 status, CXR scores and clinical outcomes, adjusted for code status, age, gender and co-morbidities.

RESULTS

The interclass correlation coefficients amongst raters were 0.94 and 0.90 for the extent score and opacity score, respectively. CXR scores were significantly (p < 0.01) associated with COVID-19 positivity (odd ratio [OR] = 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27 - 1.75 for extent score and OR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.42 - 2.15 for opacity score), ICU admission (OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.31 for extent score and OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.10 - 1.44 for opacity score), and invasive mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.11 - 1.35 for geographic score and OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05 - 1.38 for opacity score). CXR scores were not significantly different between survivors and non-survivors after adjusting for code status (p>0.05). CXR scores were not associated with length of hospitalisation or duration on ventilation (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Initial CXR scores have prognostic value and are associated with COVID-19 positivity, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation.

Towards computer-aided severity assessment via deep neural networks for geographic and opacity extent scoring of SARS-CoV-2 chest X-rays

A critical step in effective care and treatment planning for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is the assessment of the severity of disease progression. Chest x-rays (CXRs) are often used to assess SARS-CoV-2 severity, with two important assessment metrics being extent of lung involvement and degree of opacity. In this proof-of-concept study, we assess the feasibility of computer-aided scoring of CXRs of SARS-CoV-2 lung disease severity using a deep learning system. Data consisted of 396 CXRs from SARS-CoV-2 positive patient cases. Geographic extent and opacity extent were scored by two board-certified expert chest radiologists (with 20+ years of experience) and a 2nd-year radiology resident. The deep neural networks used in this study, which we name COVID-Net S, are based on a COVID-Net network architecture. 100 versions of the network were independently learned (50 to perform geographic extent scoring and 50 to perform opacity extent scoring) using random subsets of CXRs from the study, and we evaluated the networks using stratified Monte Carlo cross-validation experiments. The COVID-Net S deep neural networks yielded R[Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] between predicted scores and radiologist scores for geographic extent and opacity extent, respectively, in stratified Monte Carlo cross-validation experiments. The best performing COVID-Net S networks achieved R[Formula: see text] of 0.739 and 0.741 between predicted scores and radiologist scores for geographic extent and opacity extent, respectively. The results are promising and suggest that the use of deep neural networks on CXRs could be an effective tool for computer-aided assessment of SARS-CoV-2 lung disease severity, although additional studies are needed before adoption for routine clinical use.

MiR-593-5p inhibited proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma by targeting ICAM-1

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-593-5p (miR-593-5p) in the development of lung adenocarcinoma (LA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression level of miR-593-5p in LA tissues and cell lines was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blot were performed to evaluate the interaction between miR-593-5p and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Furthermore, the effects of the miR-593-5p/ICAM-1 axis on A549 cells were determined by MTS, colony formation assay, and transwell assay, respectively.

RESULTS

MiR-593-5p was significantly downregulated in both clinical samples and cell lines. The bioinformatics analysis predicted that miR-593-5p could complementarily bind to the 3'-UTR of ICAM-1. Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that ICAM-1 was the direct target of miR-593-5p. Western blot results demonstrated that miR-593-5p could effectively reduce the protein expression of ICAM-1 in cells. In vitro experiments indicated that the proliferation and migration of A549 cells were significantly inhibited by miR-593-5p transfection. However, the overexpression of ICAM-1 could effectively reverse the inhibitory effects of miR-593-5p in vitro. These results indicated that the inhibitory effects of miR-593-5p on LA were achieved by regulating ICAM-1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-593-5p/ICAM-1 axis might be a potential therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of LA.

Improved light extraction efficiency of AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light emitting diodes combining Ag-nanodots/Al reflective electrode with highly transparent p-type layer

Enhancement of light extraction efficiency (LEE) of AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been attempted by adopting Ag-nanodots/Al reflective electrodes on a highly transparent complex p-type layer. By thinning the p-GaN to several nm, highly DUV transparent p-type layer is achieved, making it meaningful for the application of reflective electrodes composed of Ag-nanodots and Al film to allow most light emitted upward to be reflected back to the sapphire side. By this approach, the maximum light output power and external quantum efficiency of the DUV-LEDs with optimized Ag nanodots/Al electrodes are severally increased by 52% and 58%, respectively, compared to those with traditional Ni/Au electrodes when the current is below 200 mA.

Asymmetric Transformation Driven by Confinement and Self-Release in Single-Layered Porous Nanosheets

Reported here is the use of single-layered, chiral porous sheets with induced pore chirality for repeatable asymmetric transformations and self-separation without the need for chiral catalysts or chiral auxiliaries. The asymmetric induction is driven by chiral fixation of absorbed achiral substrates inside the chiral pores for transformation into enantiopure products with enantioselectivities of greater than 99 % ee. When the conversion is completed, the products are spontaneously separated out of the pores, enabling the porous sheets to perform repeated cycles of converting achiral substrates into chiral products for release without compromising pore performance. Confinement of achiral substrates into two-dimensional chiral porous materials provides access to a highly efficient alternative to current asymmetric synthesis methodologies.