Influence of screw configuration on reduction and stabilization of simulated complete lateral condylar fracture in equine limbs

OBJECTIVE

To determine the influence of screw configuration on the reduction and stabilization of simulated complete lateral condylar fracture.

STUDY DESIGN

Randomized experimental crossover study.

METHODS

A lateral condylar fracture was simulated in 18 cadaver limbs from nine horses. Each limb underwent repair with 4.5 mm diameter cortex screws, tightened to 4 Nm, in a linear and triangular configuration. Computed tomography (CT) of each repair was performed with the limbs in unloaded and loaded conditions. Fracture gaps were measured at the dorsal, palmar, and middle locations of the third metacarpal condyle. Fracture gap measurements were graded 0-4, based on voxels. Following descriptive analysis, a Bayesian network (BN) model was fitted to the data.

RESULTS

The median fracture grade was 0 (range: 0-4) for unloaded linear repairs and 2 (0-4) for loaded linear repairs. The median fracture grade was 0 (0-3) for unloaded triangular repairs and 1 (0-3) for loaded triangular repairs. Bayesian network sensitivity analysis showed that the construct configuration reduced the uncertainty in the measured fracture outcome by 0.8%.

CONCLUSION

Triangular screw configuration resulted in better fracture reduction and stability in comparison with linear screw configuration. However, the BN sensitivity analysis results showed that the effect of construct configuration on fracture outcome was weak.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

These findings indicate a low probability that triangular repair of lateral condylar fracture will result in improved outcomes, when compared with linear repair.

Dual-Strategy Tailoring Molecular Structures of Dopant-Free Hole Transport Materials for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Dopant-free hole transport materials (HTMs) are ideal materials for highly efficient and stable n-i-p perovskite solar cells (PSCs), but most current design strategies for tailoring the molecular structures of HTMs are limited to single strategy. Herein, four HTMs based on dithienothiophenepyrrole (DTTP) core are devised through dual-strategy methods combining conjugate engineering and side chain engineering. DTTP-ThSO with ester alkyl chain that can form six-membered ring by the S⋅⋅⋅O noncovalent conformation lock with thiophene in the backbone shows good planarity, high-quality film, matching energy level and high hole mobility, as well as strong defect passivation ability. Consequently, a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.3 % with a nice long-term stability is achieved by dopant-free DTTP-ThSO-based PSCs, representing one of the highest values for un-doped organic HTMs based PSCs. Especially, the fill factor (FF) of 82.3 % is the highest value for dopant-free small molecular HTMs-based n-i-p PSCs to date. Moreover, DTTP-ThSO-based devices have achieved an excellent PCE of 20.9 % in large-area (1.01 cm2) devices. This work clearly elucidates the structure-performance relationships of HTMs and offers a practical dual-strategy approach to designing dopant-free HTMs for high-performance PSCs.

Replacing manual operation with bio-automation: A high-throughput evolution strategy to construct an integrated whole-cell biosensor for the simultaneous detection of methylmercury and mercury ions without manual sample digestion

Methylmercury is primarily responsible for most food mercury pollution cases. However, most biosensors developed for mercury pollution analysis can only detect mercury ions. Although oxidative strong-acid digestion or microwave-assisted digestion can convert methylmercury into mercury ions, it is unsuitable for on-site detection. This study designed a bio-digestion gene circuit and integrated it into a mercury ion whole-cell biosensor，creating a novel on-site methylmercury detection method. Five alkyl mercury lyases from different bacterial genomes were screened via bioinformatics analysis, of which goMerB from Gordonia otitis showed the highest catalytic biological digestion efficiency. The goMerB site-specific saturation and random mutation libraries were constructed. After two rounds of high-throughput visualization screening, the catalytic activity of the mutant increased 2.5-fold. The distance between the three crucial amino acid sites and methylmercury changed in the mutant, which likely contributed to the enhanced catalytic efficiency. The optimized whole-cell biosensor showed a linear dynamic concentration range of 100 nM to 100 μM (R2 =0.991), satisfactory specificity, and interference resistance. The detection limit of the goMerBt6-MerR-RFP biosensor was 0.015 μM, while the limit of quantitation was 0.049 μM. This study demonstrated the application of synthetic biology for food safety detection and highlighted the future potential of "Lab in a Cell" for hazard analysis.

Constructing Dynamic Anode/Electrolyte Interfaces Coupled with Regulated Solvation Structures for Long-Term and Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anodes

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) show a great potential for next-generation energy storage due to their high safety and high energy density. However, the severe side reactions of zinc negative electrode largely hinder the further application of AZIBs. Herein, trace tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) additive with rich lone-pair-electrons and zincophilic sites is firstly introduced to achieve long-term and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping. Specifically, Tris not only regulates the solvation structure of Zn2+, but is also adsorbed vertically on the Zn anode surface with a changed coordination intensity during the plating/stripping process of Zn to generate an in situ dynamic adsorption layer for the first time. The dynamic adsorption layer could successively attract the solvated Zn2+ and then promote the de-solvation of the solvated Zn2+ owing to the orientation polarization with regularly-changed applied electric field, the volume rejection effect, and strong intermolecular force towards H2O of the vertically-adsorbed Tris. Therefore, an improved Zn2+-transport kinetics as well as the inhibition of side reactions of Zn anode are successfully realized. Accordingly, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell provides an ultra-long cycle life of 2600 h. Furthermore, the Zn||MnO2 full cell with Tris could demonstrate a high capacity and structural stability for practical applications.

DNA Framework-Templated Fabrication of Ultrathin Electroactive Gold Nanosheets

Generally, two-dimensional gold nanomaterials have unique properties and functions that offer exciting application prospects. However, the crystal phases of these materials tend to be limited to the thermodynamically stable crystal structure. Herein, we report a DNA framework-templated approach for the ambient aqueous synthesis of freestanding and microscale amorphous gold nanosheets with ultrathin sub-nanometer thickness. We observe that extended single-stranded DNA on DNA nanosheets can induce site-specific metallization and enable precise modification of the metalized nanostructures at predefined positions. More importantly, the as-prepared gold nanosheets can serve as an electrocatalyst for glucose oxidase-catalyzed aerobic oxidation, exhibiting enhanced electrocatalytic activity (~3-fold) relative to discrete gold nanoclusters owing to a larger electrochemical active area and wider band gap. The proposed DNA framework-templated metallization strategy is expected to be applicable in a broad range of fields, from catalysis to new energy materials.

Thermodynamic Study on Hydrogen Reduction of Germanium Tetrachloride to Germanium

This study elucidates the thermodynamic reaction mechanism of the GeCl4 hydrogen reduction process for Ge preparation. Five independent reactions in the Ge-Cl-H ternary system were identified, utilizing the phase law, mass conservation principles, and thermodynamic data, with H2 as the reducing agent. Additionally, the effects of the temperature, feed ratio, and pressure on the germanium deposition rate during the GeCl4 hydrogen reduction process were investigated, guided by these five reactions. The results indicate that, with fixed temperature and pressure, a higher feed ratio (nH2/nGeCl4) leads to an increased germanium deposition rate. Conversely, with a constant feed ratio, increased pressure results in a lower deposition rate at low temperatures. The optimal operating conditions for germanium preparation via the hydrogen reduction of GeCl4 were determined: the temperature was 450 °C, the feed ratio was 20, the pressure was 0.1 MPa, and the deposition rate of the germanium was 36.12% under this condition.

Construction of a Female Sterility Maintaining System Based on a Novel Mutation of the MEL2 Gene

BACKGROUND

Hybrid rice has significant yield advantage and stress tolerance compared with inbred rice. However, production of hybrid rice seeds requires extensive manual labors. Currently, hybrid rice seeds are produced by crosspollination of male sterile lines by fertile paternal lines. Because seeds from paternal lines can contaminate the hybrid seeds, mechanized production by mixed-seeding and mixed-harvesting is difficult. This problem can be solved if the paternal line is female sterile.

RESULTS

Here we identified a female infertile mutant named h569 carrying a novel mutation (A1106G) in the MEL2 gene that was previously reported to regulate meiosis entry both in male and female organs. h569 mutant is female infertile but male normal, suggesting that MEL2 regulates meiosis entry in male and female organs through distinct pathways. The MEL2 gene and h569 mutant gave us tools to construct female sterility maintaining systems that can be used for propagation of female sterile lines. We connected the wild-type MEL2 gene with pollen-killer gene ZmAA1 and seed-marker gene DsRed2 in one T-DNA cassette and transformed it into ZZH1607, a widely used restorer line. Transgenic line carrying a single transgene inserted in an intergenic region was selected to cross with h569 mutant. F2 progeny carrying homozygous A1106G mutation and hemizygous transgene displayed 1:1 segregation of fertile and infertile pollen grains and 1:1 segregation of fluorescent and non-fluorescent seeds upon self-fertilization. All of the non-fluorescent seeds generated female infertile plants, while the fluorescent seeds generated fertile plants that reproduced in the way as their previous generation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that the female sterility maintaining system constructed in the study can be used to breed and propagate paternal lines that are female infertile. The application of this system will enable mechanized production of hybrid rice seed by using the mixed-seeding and mixed harvesting approach, which will significantly reduce the cost in hybrid rice seed production.

Pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation in patients with acute aortic dissection based on coronary computed tomography angiography

Background

Periaortic fat is associated with coronary disease. Thus, it was hypothesized that the inflammation associated with acute aortic dissection (AAD) spreads to pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) via thoracic periaortic fat. Pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation (PCATa) serves as a marker for inflammation of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). This study sought to examine PCATa in individuals diagnosed with AAD.

Methods

Consecutive patients with chest pain from May 2020 to September 2022 were prospectively enrolled in this study and underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and/or aorta computed tomography angiography (CTA). Based on the results of the CTA, the patients were divided into the following two groups: (I) the AAD group; and (II) the non-AAD group. PCATa of the right coronary angiography (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCx) was quantified for each patient using semi-automated software. The PCATa values were compared between the AAD and non-AAD patients according to the atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Similarly, the PCATa values of the AAD patients were compared between the preoperative and postoperative steady states.

Results

A total of 136 patients (42 female, 94 male; mean age: 63.3±11.9 years) were divided into the two groups according to the presence of aortic dissection on CTA. The RCAPCATa, LADPCATa, and LCxPCATa values were significantly higher in the AAD subjects than the non-AAD subjects, regardless of the presence or absence of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries [-85.1±9.3 vs. -92.9±10.0 Hounsfield unit (HU); -83.2±7.4 vs. -89.9±9.1 HU; -77.5±8.4 vs. -85.6±7.9 HU, all P<0.001). The preoperative RCAPCATa, LADPCATa, and LCxPCATa values were higher in the AAD patients than the postoperative steady-state patients (-82.9±8.7 vs. -97.6±8.8 HU; -79.8±7.6 vs. -92.8±6.8 HU; -74.6±7.1 vs. -87.7±6.9 HU, all P<0.001). According to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, high RCAPCATa and LADPCATa values were associated with AAD regardless of the degree of stenosis [odds ratio (OR) =0.014; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.001-0.177; P=0.001 and OR =0.010; 95% CI: 0.001-0.189; P=0.002].

Conclusions

PCATa on computed tomography was increased in patients with AAD regardless of the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD). This suggests that vascular inflammation is present in AAD independent of CAD. Further research should be conducted to investigate the potential of this imaging biomarker to predict AAD and monitor patients' responses to therapies for AAD.

Retrospective comparison of endoscopic transoral and bilateral areolar approaches for thyroglossal cyst resection: a single-centre experience

PURPOSE

Our study aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and clinical effect of the transoral approach and the bilateral areolar approach (BAA) for endoscopic thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) resection.

METHODS

In total, 42 patients who received an endoscopic TGDC resection between January 2019 and May 2022 via a transoral (n = 22) or bilateral areolar (n = 20) approach by a single surgeon were retrospectively enrolled. We collected and compared the following data: patients' demographic data, complication events, operative time, bleeding volume, drainage volume, 6-h postoperative pain scores, length of hospitalisation, resected TGDC size, and cosmetic satisfaction.

RESULTS

There were no cases of conversion to a transcervical approach in the two groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age, sex, body mass index, complication, bleeding volume, 6-h postoperative pain scores, and TGDC size (all p > 0.05). However, the operative time and patients' cosmetic satisfaction were higher in the transoral group than in the BAA group (all p < 0.05). In addition, the drainage volume and length of hospitalisation in the transoral group were less than those in the BAA group (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both the transoral approach and BAA are safe and reliable; however, the transoral approach is more complex than the BAA and offers better cosmetic satisfaction. Doctors should choose the appropriate surgical procedure based on the patient's condition and preferences.

Prolyl isomerase Pin1 promotes autophagy and cancer cell viability through activating FoxO3 signalling

Pin1-directed prolyl isomerization is a central common oncogenic mechanism to drive tumorigenic processes. However, the role of Pin1 in cellular autophagy is still poorly understood. Here we report that pharmacological inhibition of Pin1 decreased the formation of autophagosome/autolysosomes upon nutrient starvation. Inhibition of Pin1 reduced, whereas forced expression of Pin1 increased, the level of LC3 and viability of U2OS and PANC-1 cells. Pin1 could augment the accumulation of LC3 upon chloroquine treatment, while chloroquine also disturbed its function on cell viability. RNA-Seq and qPCR identified altered autophagic pathway upon Pin1 silencing. Mechanistically, FoxO3 was identified critical for Pin1-mediated autophagy. Knockdown of FoxO3 could rescue the changes of LC3 level and cellular viability caused by Pin1 overexpression. In xenograft mouse model, Pin1 reduced the sensitivity of PANC-1 to chloroquine while FoxO3 silencing could inhibit Pin1's function. Moreover, Pin1 could bind FoxO3 via its pS284-P motif, reduce its phosphorylation at T32, facilitate its nuclear retention, and therefore increased its transcriptional activity. S284A mutation of FoxO3 interfered with its T32 phosphorylation, reduced its nuclear localization and disrupted its function to support cell viability upon nutrient starvation. Furthermore, the protein level of Pin1 positively correlated with FoxO3 nuclear localization and LC3 level in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma samples. Together, this study highlights an important role for Pin1-FoxO3 axis in regulating autophagy and cancer cell viability. Intervening in the Pin1-FoxO3 interaction would serve as an effective therapeutic strategy and the pS284-P motif of FoxO3 provides a potential target for drug design.

LncRNA AGAP2 antisense RNA 1 stabilized by insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 promotes macrophage M2 polarization in clear cell renal cell carcinoma through regulation of the microRNA-9-5p/THBS2/PI3K-Akt pathway

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence highlights the potential role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the biological behaviors of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, we explored the mechanism of AGAP2-AS1 in the occurrence and development of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) involving IGF2BP3/miR-9-5p/THBS2.

METHODS

The expressions of AGAP2-AS1, IGF2BP3, miR-9-5p, and THBS2 and their relationship were analyzed by bioinformatics. The targeting relationship between AGAP2-AS1 and miR-9-5p and between miR-9-5p and THBS2 was evaluated with their effect on cell biological behaviors and macrophage polarization assayed. Finally, we tested the effect of AGAP2-AS1 on ccRCC tumor formation in xenograft tumors.

RESULTS

IGF2BP3 could stabilize AGAP2-AS1 through m6A modification. AGAP2-AS1 was highly expressed in ccRCC tissues and cells. The lentivirus-mediated intervention of AGAP2-AS1 induced malignant behaviors of ccRCC cells and led to M2 polarization of macrophages. In addition, THBS2 promoted M2 polarization of macrophages by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. AGAP2-AS1 could directly bind with miR-9-5p and promote the expression of THBS2 downstream of miR-9-5p. These results were further verified by in vivo experiments.

CONCLUSION

AGAP2-AS1 stabilized by IGF2BP3 competitively binds to miR-9-5p to up-regulate THBS2, activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and inducing macrophage M2 polarization, thus facilitating the development of RCC.

Antidepressant duloxetine hydrochloride protects against ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice by inhibiting osteoclast differentiation

BACKGROUND

Several studies have reported the association between osteoporosis and major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as the use of antidepressants. However, it remains to be elucidated whether these associations are related to exposure to antidepressants, a consequence of a disease process, or a combination of both.

METHODS

This study investigates the independent effect of the antidepressant duloxetine hydrochloride (DH) on ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice. One week after ovariectomy, the treated mice received DH. To explore the mechanism underlying the rescue of bone loss, bone marrow cells were isolated from mouse femurs and tibias, and macrophages extracted from them were induced to become osteoclasts in vitro while being treated with DH. Subsequently, the osteoclasts underwent Bulk RNA-Seq to reveal the involved signaling pathways. The results of the bioinformatic analysis were then validated through in vitro experiments.

RESULTS

The in vivo experiments demonstrated that DH treatment compromised ovariectomy-induced bone loss after 7 weeks. The in vitro experiments suggested that DH treatment attenuated osteoclast differentiation via the MAPKs/NFATc1 signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study suggest that DH, instead of causing bone mass loss, may assist in alleviating postmenopausal osteoporosis. These results can serve as a reference for the clinical treatment of patients with perimenopausal or postmenopausal depression using antidepressants.

Preschool or/and kindergarten? The long-term benefits of different types of early childhood education on pupils' skills

BACKGROUND

Developing countries have witnessed great progress in early childhood education (ECE) enrollment rate over the past three decades. Preschool and kindergarten are the two most common types of ECE in developing countries. Questions remain as to which of the two types of ECE is more effective in promoting child development in developing countries, including both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The objective of this paper is to examine the long-term benefits of attending preschool or/and kindergarten on pupils' cognitive and non-cognitive skills in rural China.

METHODOLOGY

We pooled data from two large-scale surveys conducted by the authors themselves at 136 rural primary schools in 20 counties from three provinces in northwestern China in 2009. The final study sample consisted of 9,839 pupils who both reported their ECE experience and completed cognitive and non-cognitive tests. We measured pupils' cognitive skills by standardized math test scores and grade retention, and their non-cognitive skills by both self-reported self-efficacy, mental health, and teacher-reported behaviors. Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) was used to balance the pre-treatment variables between the treatment (Any ECE, Preschool Only, Kindergarten Only, or Preschool+Kindergarten) and comparison (No ECE) groups.

RESULTS

Results from IPW show that compared with their peers without any ECE experience, pupils with any ECE experience perform better in cognitive skills (0.118 standard deviations (s.d.) increase in the TIMSS, 7.1 percentage point (pp) decrease in the probability of grade retention) but not in non-cognitive skills. By ECE types, attending kindergarten only is associated with a 0.150 s.d. increase in the TIMSS, a 7.0 pp decrease in the probability of grade retention, and a 0.059 s.d. decrease in the index of behavioral problems of pupils. Moreover, attending both preschool and kindergarten predicts a lower probability of grade retention, but attending preschool only has few benefits. Heterogenous analyses suggest that the long-term benefits of ECE are more prominent among the Han pupils from households with higher socio-economic status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings imply that increasing access to ECE can be an effective instrument to improve pupils' skills in less-developed rural areas of China, especially their cognitive skills. Among different types of ECE, attending kindergarten contributes more to pupils' skill development in rural China than other types. We call for strengthened efforts to ensure equal access to quality ECE for preschool-aged children in rural China.

In situ growth of copper-based energetic complexes on GO and an MXene to synergistically promote the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

In this work, using tri(5-aminotetrazolium)triazine (H3TATT) as an energetic ligand, two new energetic complexes (ECs), Cu(HTATT)(H2O)2 (EC-Cu1) and [Cu3(TATT)2(H2O)2]n (EC-Cu2), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Their crystal structures, thermal decomposition behaviors and specific heat capacities were determined respectively. In addition, two ECs were combined with GO (graphene oxide) and an MXene (Ti3C2TX) respectively by an in situ growth strategy to obtain four carbon nanomaterials/EC composites, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of two ECs and four composites on the thermal decomposition of AP were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Among them, the sample containing 8 wt% composite (GO/EC-Cu2) has the best promoting effect on AP, causing the high temperature decomposition peak to overlap with the low temperature decomposition peak of AP, reducing the decomposition peak temperature of AP from 443.6 °C to 308.9 °C, and the heat release is up to 4875 J g-1. Compared with ECs acting solely on AP, composite materials have stronger synergistic and promoting effects. This study provides a new example of the synthesis of carbon nanomaterial/EC composites and the improvement of the performance of AP-based solid propellants.

Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

The Adsorption Mechanisms of SF6-Decomposed Species on Tc- and Ru-Embedded Phthalocyanine Surfaces: A Density Functional Theory Study

Designing high-performance materials for the detection or removal of toxic decomposition gases of sulfur hexafluoride is crucial for both environmental monitoring and human health preservation. Based on first-principles calculations, the adsorption performance and gas-sensing properties of unsubstituted phthalocyanine (H2Pc) and H2Pc doped with 4d transition metal atoms (TM = Tc and Ru) towards five characteristic decomposition components (HF, H2S, SO2, SOF2, and SO2F2) were simulated. The findings indicate that both the TcPc and RuPc monolayers are thermodynamically and dynamically stable. The analysis of the adsorption energy indicates that H2S, SO2, SOF2, and SO2F2 underwent chemisorption on the TcPc monolayer. Conversely, the HF molecules were physisorbed through interactions with H atoms. The chemical adsorption of H2S, SO2, and SOF2 occurred on the RuPc monolayer, while the physical adsorption of HF and SO2F2 molecules was observed. Moreover, the microcosmic mechanism of the gas-adsorbent interaction was elucidated by analyzing the charge density differences, electron density distributions, Hirshfeld charges, and density of states. The TcPc and RuPc monolayers exhibited excellent sensitivity towards H2S, SO2, and SOF2, as evidenced by the substantial alterations in the band gaps and work functions of the TcPc and RuPc nanosheets. Our calculations hold significant value for exploring the potential chemical sensing applications of TcPc and RuPc monolayers in gas sensing, with a specific focus on detecting sulfur hexafluoride.

DNA Nanoribbon-Assisted Intracellular Biosynthesis of Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters for Cancer Cell Imaging

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) have emerged as a promising class of fluorescent probes for cellular imaging due to their high resistance to photobleaching and low toxicity. Nevertheless, their widespread use in clinical diagnosis is limited by their unstable intracellular fluorescence. In this study, we develop an intracellularly biosynthesized fluorescent probe, DNA nanoribbon-gold NCs (DNR/AuNCs), for long-term cellular tracking. Our results show that DNR/AuNCs exhibit a 4-fold enhancement of intracellular fluorescence intensity compared to free AuNCs. We also investigated the mechanism underlying the fluorescence enhancement of AuNCs by DNRs. Our findings suggest that the higher synthesis efficiency and stability of AuNCs in the lysosome may contribute to their fluorescence enhancement, which enables long-term (up to 15 days) fluorescence imaging of cancer cells (enhancement of ∼60 times compared to free AuNCs). Furthermore, we observe similar results with other metal NCs, confirming the generality of the DNR-assisted biosynthesis approach for preparing highly bright and stable fluorescent metal NCs for cancer cell imaging.

A Critical Review of the Enhanced Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Phosphogypsum

The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs), especially from new and innovative technology, has strained their supply, which makes the exploration of new REE sources necessary, for example, the recovery of REEs from phsophogypsum (PG). PG is a byproduct during the wet production of phosphoric acid, which is an attractive secondary resource for REEs due to a large amount of REEs locked in them. In most cases, REEs contained in PG are mainly encapsulated in the gypsum crystal, leading to a low leaching efficiency. Therefore, it is particularly important to use various methods to enhance the leaching of REEs from PG. In this review, we summarized and classified various enhanced leaching methods for the recovery of REEs from PG, and the advantages and disadvantages of different methods were compared. A joint method of recrystallization and RIL may be a promising enhanced leaching approach for the recovery of REEs from PG. Recrystallization could achieve both the complete REE release and simultaneous preparation of industrial materials with high value added, such as high-strength α-hemihydrate gypsum by phase transformation of PG, and the RIL technology could adsorb the releasing REEs and realize their efficient extraction. Such a combination appears to show significant advantages because of high REE recovery, as well as high value-added product preparation at low cost.

Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

Body composition parameters correlate with the endoscopic severity in Crohn's disease patients treated with infliximab

Background

The disease activity status and behavior of Crohn's disease (CD) can reflect the severity of the disease, and changes in body composition are common in CD patients.

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body composition parameters and disease severity in CD patients treated with infliximab (IFX).

Methods

Patients with CD assessed with the simple endoscopic score (SES-CD) and were treated with IFX were retrospectively collected, and body composition parameters at the level of the 3rd lumbar vertebrae were calculated from computed tomography (CT) scans of the patients. The correlation of patients' body composition parameters with disease activity status and disease behavior was analyzed, and the diagnostic value of the relevant parameters was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

A total of 106 patients were included in this study. There were significant differences in the subcutaneous adiposity index (SAI) (p = 0.010), the visceral adiposity index (VAI) (p < 0.001), the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) (p < 0.001), and decreased skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001) among patients with different activity status. After Spearman and multivariate regression analysis, SAI (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001), VAI (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), and SMI (p < 0.001and p = 0.007) were identified as independent correlates of disease activity status (both disease activity and moderate-to-severe activity), with disease activity status independently positively correlated with SAI and SMI and independently negatively correlated with VAI. In determining the disease activity and moderate-to-severe activity status, SMI performed best relative to SAI and VAI, with areas under the ROC curve of 0.865 and 0.801, respectively. SAI (p = 0.015), SMI (p = 0.011) and decreased skeletal muscle mass (p = 0.027) were significantly different between different disease behavior groups (inflammatory disease behavior group, complex disease behavior group) but were not independent correlates (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Body composition parameters of CD patients treated with IFX correlate with the endoscopic disease severity, and SMI can be used as a reliable indicator of disease activity status.

Highly reproducible and cost-effective one-pot organoid differentiation using a novel platform based on PF-127 triggered spheroid assembly

Organoid technology offers sophisticatedin vitrohuman models for basic research and drug development. However, low batch-to-batch reproducibility and high cost due to laborious procedures and materials prevent organoid culture standardization for automation and high-throughput applications. Here, using a novel platform based on the findings that Pluronic F-127 (PF-127) could trigger highly uniform spheroid assembly through a mechanism different from plate coating, we develop a one-pot organoid differentiation strategy. Using our strategy, we successfully generate cortical, nephron, hepatic, and lung organoids with improved reproducibility compared to previous methods while reducing the original costs by 80%-95%. In addition, we adapt our platform to microfluidic chips allowing automated culture. We showcase that our platform can be applied to tissue-specific screening, such as drug toxicity and transfection reagents testing. Finally, we generateNEAT1knockout tissue-specific organoids and showNEAT1modulates multiple signaling pathways fine-tuning the differentiation of nephron and hepatic organoids and suppresses immune responses in cortical organoids. In summary, our strategy provides a powerful platform for advancing organoid research and studying human development and diseases.

Measurements of the Elliptic and Triangular Azimuthal Anisotropies in Central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The elliptic (v_{2}) and triangular (v_{3}) azimuthal anisotropy coefficients in central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV are measured as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) at midrapidity (|η|<0.9), via the azimuthal angular correlation between two particles both at |η|<0.9. While the v_{2}(p_{T}) values depend on the colliding systems, the v_{3}(p_{T}) values are system independent within the uncertainties, suggesting an influence on eccentricity from subnucleonic fluctuations in these small-sized systems. These results also provide stringent constraints for the hydrodynamic modeling of these systems.

Ornithine δ-aminotransferase OsOAT is critical for male fertility and cold tolerance during rice plant development

Cold stress is a major factor limiting the production and geographical distribution of rice (Oryza sativa) varieties. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance remain to be elucidated. Here, we report that ornithine δ-aminotransferase (OsOAT) contributes to cold tolerance during the vegetative and reproductive development of rice. osoat mutant was identified as a temperature-sensitive male sterile mutant with deformed floral organs and seedlings sensitive to cold stress. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that OsOAT mutation and cold treatment of the wild-type plant led to similar changes in the global gene expression profiles in anthers. OsOAT genes in indica rice Huanghuazhan (HHZ) and japonica rice Wuyungeng (WYG) are different in gene structure and response to cold. OsOAT is cold-inducible in WYG but cold-irresponsive in HHZ. Further studies showed that indica varieties carry both WYG-type and HHZ-type OsOAT, whereas japonica varieties mostly carry WYG-type OsOAT. Cultivars carrying HHZ-type OsOAT are mainly distributed in low-latitude regions, whereas varieties carrying WYG-type OsOAT are distributed in both low- and high-latitude regions. Moreover, indica varieties carrying WYG-type OsOAT generally have higher seed-setting rates than those carrying HHZ-type OsOAT under cold stress at reproductive stage, highlighting the favorable selection for WYG-type OsOAT during domestication and breeding to cope with low temperatures.

Beam Energy Dependence of Triton Production and Yield Ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}) in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the triton (t) production in midrapidity (|y|<0.5) Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7-200  GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The nuclear compound yield ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local neutron density, is observed to decrease monotonically with increasing charged-particle multiplicity (dN_{ch}/dη) and follows a scaling behavior. The dN_{ch}/dη dependence of the yield ratio is compared to calculations from coalescence and thermal models. Enhancements in the yield ratios relative to the coalescence baseline are observed in the 0%-10% most central collisions at 19.6 and 27 GeV, with a significance of 2.3σ and 3.4σ, respectively, giving a combined significance of 4.1σ. The enhancements are not observed in peripheral collisions or model calculations without critical fluctuation, and decreases with a smaller p_{T} acceptance. The physics implications of these results on the QCD phase structure and the production mechanism of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions are discussed.

Adaptive Trust Threshold Model Based on Reinforcement Learning in Cooperative Spectrum Sensing

In cognitive radio systems, cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) can effectively improve the sensing performance of the system. At the same time, it also provides opportunities for malicious users (MUs) to launch spectrum-sensing data falsification (SSDF) attacks. This paper proposes an adaptive trust threshold model based on a reinforcement learning (ATTR) algorithm for ordinary SSDF attacks and intelligent SSDF attacks. By learning the attack strategies of different malicious users, different trust thresholds are set for honest and malicious users collaborating within a network. The simulation results show that our ATTR algorithm can filter out a set of trusted users, eliminate the influence of malicious users, and improve the detection performance of the system.

Constructing Ru@C3 N4 /Cu Tandem Electrocatalyst with Dual-Active Sites for Enhanced Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

Electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia reaction (NO₃ ^- RR) is considered as a promising carbon-free energy technique, which can eliminate nitrate from waste-water also produce value-added ammonia. However, it remains a challenge for achieving satisfied ammonia selectivity and Faraday efficiency (FE) due to the complex multiple-electron reduction process. Herein, a novel Tandem electrocatalyst that Ru dispersed on the porous graphitized C₃ N₄ (g-C₃ N₄ ) encapsulated with self-supported Cu nanowires (denoted as Ru@C₃ N₄ /Cu) for NO₃ ^- RR is presented. As expected, a high ammonia yield of 0.249 mmol h^-1  cm^-2 at -0.9 V and high FE_NH3 of 91.3% at -0.8 V versus RHE can be obtained, while achieving excellent nitrate conversion (96.1%) and ammonia selectivity (91.4%) in neutral solution. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrate that the superior NO₃ ^- RR performance is mainly resulted from the synergistic effect between the Ru and Cu dual-active sites, which can significantly enhance the adsorption of NO₃ ^- and facilitate hydrogenation, as well as suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction, thus lead to highly improved NO₃ ^- RR performances. This novel design strategy would pave a feasible avenue for the development of advanced NO₃ ^- RR electrocatalysts.

Imaging-based assessment of body composition in patients with Crohn's disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Body composition changes in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) have received increasing attention in recent years. This review aims to describe the changes in body composition in patients with CD on imaging and to analyze and summarize the prognostic value of body composition.

METHODS

We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Medline via OVID for literature published before November 2022, and two researchers independently evaluated the quality of the retrieved literature.

RESULTS

A total of 39 publications (32 cohort studies and 7 cross-sectional studies) involving 4219 patients with CD were retrieved. Imaging methods for body composition assessment, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were included in this review. The study found that patients with CD typically have more visceral adipose tissue and less skeletal muscle mass, and the prevalence of sarcopenia and visceral obesity was significantly different in different studies (sarcopenia: 16-100%; visceral obesity: 5.3-30.5%). Available studies suggest that changes in the body composition of CD patients are significantly related to inflammatory status, disease behavior, poor outcomes, and drug efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Altered body composition can be a significant predictor of poor outcomes for CD patients. Therefore, the body composition of CD patients may serve as a potential therapeutic target to help optimize disease management strategies in clinical practice.

A Stable Triphenylamine-Based Zn(II)-MOF for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution and Photooxidative Carbon-Carbon Coupling Reaction

Efficient charge transfer has always been a challenge in heterogeneous MOF-based photoredox catalysis due to the poor electrical conductivity of the MOF photocatalyst, the toilless electron-hole recombination, and the uncontrollable host-guest interactions. Herein, a propeller-like tris(3'-carboxybiphenyl)amine (H₃TCBA) ligand was synthesized to fabricate a 3D Zn₃O cluster-based Zn(II)-MOF photocatalyst, Zn₃(TCBA)₂(μ₃-H₂O)H₂O (Zn-TCBA), which was applied to efficient photoreductive H₂ evolution and photooxidative aerobic cross-dehydrogenation coupling reactions of N-aryl-tetrahydroisoquinolines and nitromethane. In Zn-TCBA, the ingenious introduction of the meta-position benzene carboxylates on the triphenylamine motif not only promotes Zn-TCBA to exhibit a broad visible-light absorption with a maximum absorption edge of 480 nm but also causes special phenyl plane twists with dihedral angles of 27.8-45.8° through the coordination to Zn nodes. The semiconductor-like Zn clusters and the twisted TCBA^3- antenna with multidimensional π interaction sites facilitate photoinduced electron transfer to render Zn-TCBA a good photocatalytic H₂ evolution efficiency of 27.104 mmol·g^-1·h^-1 in the presence of [Co(bpy)₃]Cl₂ under visible-light illumination, surpassing many non-noble-metal MOF systems. Moreover, the positive enough excited-state potential of 2.03 V and the semiconductor-like characteristics of Zn-TCBA endow Zn-TCBA with double oxygen activation ability for photocatalytic oxidation of N-aryl-tetrahydroisoquinoline substrates with a yield up to 98.7% over 6 h. The durability of Zn-TCBA and the possible catalytic mechanisms were also investigated by a series of experiments including PXRD, IR, EPR, and fluorescence analyses.

Zinc finger protein 330 regulates Ramie mosaic virus infection in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED

BACKGROUND

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is one of the most economically important pests that cause serious damage to agricultural production by transmitting plant pathogenic viruses. Approximately 90% of the virus species transmitted by the whitefly are members of the genus begomovirus. Ramie mosaic virus (RaMoV) is a new bipartite begomovirus that causes severe damage to ramie and several other economic crops in China. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that RaMoV had no obvious direct or indirect effects on B. tabaci. However, whether B. tabaci affects RaMoV infection and the molecular mechanisms of their interaction remain unclear.

RESULTS

Here, we identified a zinc finger protein 330 (ZNF330) in B. tabaci MED interacted with the coat protein (CP) of RaMoV by the yeast two-hybrid assay. Then the interaction between ZNF330 and RaMoV CP was further verified by glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay. The expression of ZNF330 gene was continuously induced after RaMoV infection. ZNF330 negatively regulated RaMoV replication in the B. tabaci MED. Furthermore, the longevity and fecundity of RaMoV-infected female adults were significantly decreased after silencing of ZNF330.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that the ZNF330 protein was involved in the negative regulation of RaMoV replication in the B. tabaci MED. High viral accumulation caused by ZNF330 silencing is detrimental to fecundity and longevity of the B. tabaci MED. These findings provided a new insight into identifying the binding partners in whitefly with viral CP and fully understanding the complex interactions between begomoviruses and their whitefly vector. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assessing the linkage among green finance, technology, and education expenditure: evidence from G7 economies

The growth of green finance is a multifaceted system, including the interaction of three spheres: the economy, the environment, and the finance sector. Spending on education is a singular intellectual contribution to a society's attempts to achieve sustainability through the application of skills, the provision of consultancies, the delivery of training, and the dissemination of knowledge. University scientists sound the first warnings about environmental problems and help lead the charge toward transdisciplinary technological solutions. Researchers are compelled to look into the environmental crisis because it has become a worldwide concern that needs regular examination. In this research, we examine how the GDP per capita, green financing, health expenditure, educational expenditure, and technology in the G7 economies affect the growth of renewable energy (Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, UK, and the USA). The research makes use of panel data from the year 2000 through the year 2020. Long-term correlations between the variables are estimated using the CC-EMG in this study. The study's trustworthy results were determined using a combination of AMG and MG regression calculations. The research shows that the growth of renewable energy is positively affected by green finance, educational spending, and technology but negatively affected by GDP per capita and health expenditure. The growth of renewable energy is also positively affected by the influence of the term "green financing" on such variables as GDP per capita, health expenditure, educational expenditure, and technological advancement. The estimated outcomes also provide significant policy implications for the chosen and other developing economies in scheming a suitable route to a sustainable environment.

Self-assembly Induced Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence of Copper Nanoclusters Using DNA Nanoribbon Templates

Copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) are attractive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters as Cu is comparatively inexpensive, nontoxic, and highly abundant. However, their ECL yield is relatively low. Herein, we report that orderly self-assembly of CuNCs using DNA nanoribbon as the template (DNR/CuNCs) conferred the CuNCs with improved ECL properties compared with individual CuNCs in both annihilation and co-reactant processes. The DNR/CuNCs resulted in a high ECL yield of 46.8% in K2S2O8, which was ~ 68 times higher than that of individual CuNCs. This strategy was successfully extended to other ECL emitters, such as gold nanoclusters and the Ru(bpy)32+/TPrA system. Furthermore, as an application of DNR/CuNCs, a DNR/CuNC-based ECL biosensor with higher sensitivity was constructed for dopamine determination (two orders of magnitude lower than that previously reported), showing that DNR/CuNCs have a potential for application in ECL bioanalysis as a new type of superior luminophore candidate.

Diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules by a dual-layer spectral detector CT-based nomogram

Introduction

Preoperative diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules is crucial for appropriate clinical treatment and individual patient management. In this study, a double-layer spectral detector computed tomography (DLCT)-based nomogram for the preoperative classification of benign and malignant thyroid nodules was developed and tested.

Methods

A total of 405 patients with pathological findings of thyroid nodules who underwent DLCT preoperatively were retrospectively recruited. They were randomized into a training cohort (n=283) and a test cohort (n=122). Information on clinical features, qualitative imaging features and quantitative DLCT parameters was collected. Univariate and multifactorial logistic regression analyses were used to screen independent predictors of benign and malignant nodules. A nomogram model based on the independent predictors was developed to make individualized predictions of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Model performance was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve and decision curve analysis(DCA).

Results

Standardized iodine concentration in the arterial phase, the slope of the spectral hounsfield unit(HU) curves in the arterial phase, and cystic degeneration were identified as independent predictors of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. After combining these three metrics, the proposed nomogram was diagnostically effective, with AUC values of 0.880 for the training cohort and 0.884 for the test cohort. The nomogram showed a better fit (all p &gt; 0.05 by Hosmer−Lemeshow test) and provided a greater net benefit than the simple standard strategy within a large range of threshold probabilities in both cohorts.

Discussion

The DLCT-based nomogram has great potential for the preoperative prediction of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. This nomogram can be used as a simple, noninvasive, and effective tool for the individualized risk assessment of benign and malignant thyroid nodules, helping clinicians make appropriate treatment decisions.

Investigation of Poly(MM-EM-BM) as Nanosealing Materials in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids: Synthesis and Evaluation

Nanosealing technology has become the key to overcoming the wellbore instability problem in deep and ultradeep shale formations. In this Article, the terpolymer poly(MM-EM-BM) was synthesized from methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, and butyl methacrylate by a Michael addition reaction. The poly(MM-EM-BM) nanoparticles were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser scattering analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results imply that the particle size range of poly(MM-EM-BM) is between 33.90 and 135.62 nm and the average diameter is about 85.95 nm at room temperature, which can maintain excellent stability at 382.75 °C. The effects of poly(MM-EM-BM) on the properties of oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs) were ascertained through experiments on the rheological performance, electrical stability, and high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) filtration loss. The results suggested that when the amount of added poly(MM-EM-BM) increases, the apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity, dynamic shear force, and demulsification voltage of the drilling fluids will increase correspondingly; in contrast, the HTHP filtration loss gradually decreased. When poly(MM-EM-BM) is added at 0.75%, the kinetic-to-plastic ratio of the drilling fluids is 0.24 and the filtration loss is 0.6 mL, showing excellent overall performance. The drilling fluids have a good rock-carrying ability and water loss wall-building property. The sealing performance and mechanism of poly(MM-EM-BM) were researched by the method of a sealing performance test under high temperature. The results indicated that the more poly(MM-EM-BM) used, the higher the sealing efficiency of the mud cake and the core as the sealing medium. When poly(MM-EM-BM) was added at 0.75%, the sealing rates of the mud cake and the core as the sealing medium reached the maximum sealing rates of 40.30% and 91.48%, respectively. When poly(MM-EM-BM) enters the core nanopore joint for a certain distance under formation pressure, a tight sealing layer will be formed to effectively prevent the entry of filtrate. Poly(MM-EM-BM) as a potential oil-based nanosealing agent is expected to solve the problem caused by wellbore instability in shale horizontal wells.

Novel Pyrimidine-Based Iridium Complexes with Bulky Charge-Carrier Groups as Dopants for Highly Efficient Green Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

Two new pyrimidine-based iridium complexes with triphenylamine and tetraphenylsilane, namely (TPAPr)2IrAcac and (TPSPr)2IrAcac, were fully synthesized and characterized. Both of the targeted iridium complexes exhibit excellent thermal stability and high photoluminescence quantum yields. Compared to (TPAPr)2IrAcac, (TPSPr)2IrAcac achieved its highest PLQY and current efficiency (CE) at higher dopant concentration probably because of its bulky tetraphenylsilane group, which can effectively suppress the concentration quenching. However, according to DFT studies, (TPSPr)2IrAcac shows faster non-radiative transitions due to the presence of more excited-state distortions than (TPAPr)2IrAcac. As a result, Green phosphorescent polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) containing (TPAPr)2IrAcac and (TPSPr)2IrAcac as dopants exhibit exceptional device performance with peak CE values of 38.24 cd A-1 and 36.06 cd A-1, respectively. (TPAPr)2IrAcac exhibited a superior efficiency than (TPSPr)2IrAcac because of its high Фp, low RMSD value, and efficient energy transfer from the host to the guest. More importantly, the PLEDs based on (TPAPr)2IrAcac and (TPSPr)2IrAcac show stable phosphorescent emission with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.313, 0.497) and (0.299, 0.483), respectively. This work points out a viable method for creating phosphorescent iridium complexes based on pyrimidine for high-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Micron-Scale Fabrication of Ultrathin Amorphous Copper Nanosheets Templated by DNA Scaffolds

Two-dimensional (2D) amorphous materials could outperform their crystalline counterparts toward various applications because they have more defects and reactive sites and thus could exhibit a unique surface chemical state and provide an advanced electron/ion transport path. Nevertheless, it is challenging to fabricate ultrathin and large-sized 2D amorphous metallic nanomaterials in a mild and controllable manner due to the strong metallic bonds between metal atoms. Here, we reported a simple yet fast (10 min) DNA nanosheet (DNS)-templated method to synthesize micron-scale amorphous copper nanosheets (CuNSs) with a thickness of 1.9 ± 0.4 nm in aqueous solution at room temperature. We demonstrated the amorphous feature of the DNS/CuNSs by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Interestingly, we found that they could transform to crystalline forms under continuous electron beam irradiation. Of note, the amorphous DNS/CuNSs exhibited much stronger photoemission (∼62-fold) and photostability than dsDNA-templated discrete Cu nanoclusters due to the elevation of both the conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB). Such ultrathin amorphous DNS/CuNSs hold great potential for practical applications in biosensing, nanodevices, and photodevices.

Combined Morphological and Spectroscopic Diagnostic of HER2 Expression in Breast Cancer Tissues Based on Label-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type worldwide. Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an important subtype of breast cancer and results in an increased risk of recurrence and metastasis in patients. At present, immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used to detect the expression of HER2 in breast cancer tissues as the golden standard. However, IHC has some shortcomings, such as large subjective impact, long time consumption, expensive reagents, etc. In this paper, a combined morphological and spectroscopic diagnostic method based on label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for HER2 expression in breast cancer is proposed. It can not only quantitively detect HER2 expression in breast cancer tissues by spectroscopic measurements but also give morphological images reflecting the distribution of HER2 in tissues. The results show that the consistency between this method and IHC is 95% and achieves the annotation of tumor regions on tissue sections. This method is time-consuming, quantifiable, intuitive, scalable, and easy to understand. Combined with deep learning approaches, it is expected to promote the development of clinical detection and diagnosis technology for breast cancer and other cancers.

[Advances in the Study of Chemokine-like Factor Superfamily Members in Tumors]

Chemokine-like factor-like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing member/chemokine-like factor superfamily member (CMTM/CKLFSF) including CKLF and CMTM1-CMTM8 are a new family of proteins linking chemokines and transmembrane superfamilies. CMTM not only have broad chemotactic activities, but also associate with hematopoietic system, immune system, and tumor development and metastasis closely. CMTM proteins are involved in key biological processes of cancer development, which include activation and recycling of growth factor receptors, cell proliferation and metastasis, and regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment. This is a new focus of research on the relationship between CMTM and tumors, because CMTM4/CMTM6 can be considered as a regulator for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). This paper reviews the role of CMTM family members on cancer, especially in tumor growth, metastasis and immune escape, summarize the latest findings on the relationship between CMTM and non-small cell lung cancer, and explores the potential clinical value of CMTM as a novel drug target or biomarker.
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High-Throughput Assay for Characterizing Rpn11 Deubiquitinase Activity

Rpn11 is an essential metalloprotease responsible for the en bloc removal of ubiquitin chains from protein substrates that are targeted for degradation by the 26S proteasome. A unique feature of Rpn11 is that its deubiquitinase (DUB) activity is greatly stimulated by the mechanical translocation of the substrate into the proteasomal AAA+ (ATPase Associated with diverse cellular Activities) motor, which delivers the scissile isopeptide bond between a substrate lysine and the proximal moiety of an attached ubiquitin chain to the DUB catalytic active site. As a consequence, Rpn11 cleaves at the base of ubiquitin chains and lacks selectivity towards specific ubiquitin-chain linkage types, which is in contrast to other DUBs, including the related AMSH that selectively cleaves Lys63-linked chains. Prevention of Rpn11's deubiquitinase activity leads to inhibition of proteasomal degradation by stalling substrate translocation. With the proteasome as an approved anticancer target, Rpn11 is therefore an attractive point of attack for the development of new inhibitors, which requires robust biochemical assays to measure DUB activity. Here we describe a method for the purification of the Rpn8/Rpn11 heterodimer and ubiquitin-GC-TAMRA, a model substrate that can be used to characterize the DUB activity of Rpn11 in isolation without the need of purifying 26S proteasomes. This assay thus enables a high-throughput screening platform for Rpn11-targeted small-molecule discovery.

Collision-System and Beam-Energy Dependence of Anisotropic Flow Fluctuations

Elliptic flow measurements from two-, four-, and six-particle correlations are used to investigate flow fluctuations in collisions of U+U at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV, Cu+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and Au+Au spanning the range sqrt[s_{NN}]=11.5-200  GeV. The measurements show a strong dependence of the flow fluctuations on collision centrality, a modest dependence on system size, and very little if any, dependence on particle species and beam energy. The results, when compared to similar LHC measurements, viscous hydrodynamic calculations, and trento model eccentricities, indicate that initial-state-driven fluctuations predominate the flow fluctuations generated in the collisions studied.

Integrative Analysis of Necroptosis-Related Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Osteosarcoma.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2241039/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common and malignant bone tumor among children and adolescents worldwide. Over decades, clinical treatment for osteosarcoma has proven to be intractable. Novel approaches, such as immunotherapy, face immune escape. Thus, exploring potential therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma is an urgent need. Method Gene expression data and clinical information were downloaded from Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify prognostic necroptosis-related genes (NRGs). A non-negative matrix factorization algorithm (NMF) was used to cluster patients into various molecular subgroups with NRGs. We dealt with multi-collinearity with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Multivariate Cox regression was used to construct the prediction model that divided OS patients into two risk groups. The model's validity was assessed by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Different expression genes (DEGs) between these two groups were conducted for functional analysis, including gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA). Eight algorithms were carried out to evaluate the tumor microenvironment. These marker genes on the single-cell transcriptome were further labeled to explore whether their expression was cell-specific. Results Based on the model constructed by 5 NRGs (TLR4, STAT5A, IFNGR1, PYGM, CHMP4C), the patients were divided into two risk groups. Patients in the high-risk group suffered a poorer prognosis than those in the low-risk group. The nomogram was constructed and integrated with clinical features and gene signatures, demonstrating better predictive ability in training and testing cohorts. Immune cell infiltrations were highly associated with the risk score generated by Multivariate Cox. All 5 NRGs can be successfully marked on the feature plot of single-cell RNA-Seq, and two NRGs were associated with cell-specific genes of osteosarcoma pluripotency with statistical significance. Conclusion This study can provide a reference for diagnosing molecular subtyping and treating patients with OS.

Synthesis of the Oil-Based Nanoblocker Poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) and the Study of the Blocking Mechanism

Well wall instability is one of the problems that seriously affect the efficiency of oil and gas drilling and extraction, and the economic losses caused by accidents due to well wall instability amount to billions of dollars every year. Aiming at the fact that well wall stabilization is the current technical difficulty of drilling shale gas horizontal wells with oil-based drilling fluids, the oil-based nanoplugging agent poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) was synthesized by the Michael addition reaction with compounds such as styrene, methyl methacrylate, and butyl methacrylate as raw materials. The structure and characteristics of the oil-based nanoblocker poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, particle size analysis, and thermal weight loss analysis. The particle size distribution of poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) is 80.56-206.61 nm, with an average particle size of 137.10 nm, and it can resist the high temperature of 372 °C. The effects of poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) on the performance parameters of oil-based drilling fluids were investigated by rheological experiments, electrical stability tests, and HTHP filtration loss experiments. The results show that when poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) is added at 0.5 wt %, it has less influence on the rheological parameters of drilling fluids, the breaking emulsion pressure remains basically unchanged, the stability of the drilling fluid is better, the dynamic-plastic ratio of the drilling fluid is higher than 0.27, the filtration loss is the lowest, and it shows good rock-carrying properties. The results of mud cake experiments and artificial lithology experiments show that poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) has the best sealing effect, with a mud cake permeability of 1.12 × 10^-4 mD and a sealing rate of 30.00% when added at 0.5 wt %; the artificial core permeability was 4.0 × 10^-4 mD, and the sealing rate was 91.23%. Poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) showed good sealing performance. The oil-based nanoplugging agent poly(MMA-BMA-BA-St) has good dispersion in oil-based drilling fluids and can enter the nanopore joints to form a dense plugging layer under the action of formation pressure to prevent the intrusion of drilling fluids, thus reducing the impact of drilling fluids on the formation, maintaining the stability of the well wall and reducing downhole complications.

Pancreatic paraganglioma with multiple lymph node metastases found by spectral computed tomography: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Primary pancreatic paraganglioma is exceedingly rare. Most patients with pancreatic paraganglioma lack a typical clinical presentation, and the tumor is difficult to accurately differentiate from other pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, making the misdiagnosis rate extremely high. Surgical excision is the primary treatment modality but is considered high risk. Because of its rich vascularity, the tumor easily bleeds during surgery, especially malignant paragangliomas invading large blood vessels. Thus, a thorough preoperative evaluation of the tumor is necessary. Here, we report a primary malignant pancreatic paraganglioma, the second such case in a young patient that was successfully resected surgically.

CASE SUMMARY

A 26-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with unexplained abdominal pain. Dual-layer spectral-detector computed tomography (DLCT) revealed a mixed density mass in the pancreatic body and tail. The patient was transferred to our hospital after previous failed surgical resection at other hospitals. The patient and her family strongly desired surgery. After a thorough preoperative evaluation and adequate preparation, a large mass with the greatest dimension of 8.0 cm was successfully resected. The final pathological diagnosis was malignant paraganglioma. The patient was discharged in good condition 2 wk postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

The rare malignant pancreatic paraganglioma reported here was difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Early filling of the draining vein may be a crucial diagnostic imaging feature. DLCT can provide more precise information for surgical resection through dual-energy imaging.

Recyclable Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Cyclization of Aryl Iodides and 2-Hydroxyacetophenones towards Flavones

A highly efficient heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of aryl iodides and 2-hydroxyacetophenones is developed. The reaction proceeds efficiently in DMSO at 120 °C under 3 bar of carbon monoxide by using 2 mol% of an MCM-41-immobilized bidentate phosphine palladium complex [MCM-41-2P-Pd(OAc)2] as the catalyst and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as the base, providing a general, efficient and practical approach for the assembly of a wide variety of flavones in mostly good to high yields from readily available starting materials. This supported palladium catalyst can be easily recovered via centrifugation of the reaction mixture and recycled more than nine times without any significant loss of its catalytic efficiency.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify novel genetic mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a highly heritable complex disease with unknown etiology. Multi-ancestry genetic research of RA promises to improve power to detect genetic signals, fine-mapping resolution and performances of polygenic risk scores (PRS). Here, we present a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of RA, which includes 276,020 samples from five ancestral groups. We conducted a multi-ancestry meta-analysis and identified 124 loci (P < 5 × 10-8), of which 34 are novel. Candidate genes at the novel loci suggest essential roles of the immune system (for example, TNIP2 and TNFRSF11A) and joint tissues (for example, WISP1) in RA etiology. Multi-ancestry fine-mapping identified putatively causal variants with biological insights (for example, LEF1). Moreover, PRS based on multi-ancestry GWAS outperformed PRS based on single-ancestry GWAS and had comparable performance between populations of European and East Asian ancestries. Our study provides several insights into the etiology of RA and improves the genetic predictability of RA.

Radiomics-based infarct features on CT predict hemorrhagic transformation in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objective

To develop and validate a model based on the radiomics features of the infarct areas on non-contrast-enhanced CT to predict hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in acute ischemic stroke.

Materials and methods

A total of 118 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke in two centers from January 2019 to February 2022 were included. The radiomics features of infarcted areas on non-contrast-enhanced CT were extracted using 3D-Slicer. A univariate analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to select features, and the radiomics score (Rad-score) was then constructed. The predictive model of HT was constructed by analyzing the Rad-score and clinical and imaging features in the training cohort, and it was verified in the validation cohort. The model was evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve and decision curve, and the prediction performance of the model in different scenarios was further discussed hierarchically.

Results

Of the 118 patients, 52 developed HT, including 21 cases of hemorrhagic infarct (HI) and 31 cases of parenchymal hematoma (PH). The Rad-score was constructed from five radiomics features and was the only independent predictor for HT. The predictive model was constructed from the Rad-score. The area under the curve (AUCs) of the model for predicting HT in the training and validation cohorts were 0.845 and 0.750, respectively. Calibration curve and decision curve analyses showed that the model performed well. Further analysis found that the model predicted HT for different infarct sizes or treatment methods in the training and validation cohorts with 78.3 and 71.4% accuracy, respectively. For all samples, the model predicted an AUC of 0.754 for HT in patients within 4.5 h since stroke onset, and predicted an AUC of 0.648 for PH.

Conclusion

This model, which was based on CT radiomics features, could help to predict HT in the setting of acute ischemic stroke for any infarct size and provide guiding suggestions for clinical treatment and prognosis evaluation.

Producer practices and attitudes: Non-replacement male calf management in the Australian dairy industry

Currently, there is no standardized rearing method or production guidelines for non-replacement male dairy calves that maximizes their economic viability. Producers have highlighted the need to match consumer expectations, but even with broadscale welfare improvement across the dairy industry, challenges remain at providing reliable and valuable pathways for non-replacement male dairy calves for beef production. A key consumer concern has been the use of on-farm euthanasia. Euthanasia has been a catalyst for change in the industry from a human and animal welfare perspective. The practice of euthanasia can lead to a decline in personnel wellbeing. To investigate the relationship between on-farm management practices of non-replacement male dairy calves and producer perceptions of their value proposition, an online questionnaire was provided to Australian dairy producers between June and October 2021. The aim was to identify supply-chain profitability of non-replacement male calves and investigate the attitudes and effects of euthanasia on producer wellbeing as part of managing these calves. A total of 127 useable responses were obtained, and a Bayesian network (BN) was utilized to model the interdependencies between management practices and wellbeing among participants. The results indicated that in general, dairy producers desired high welfare standards in their enterprises with regard to non-replacement male calves as well as expressed a desire to meet industry and consumers' expectations. In line with anecdotal reports of a reduction in practice, euthanasia was not identified as common practice in this group; however, producers were still accessing early-life markets for non-replacement male calves with operational requirements and environmental factors influencing their decisions. Producers expressed dissatisfaction with market access for their calves, as well as the lack of suitability of Australian beef grading standards for dairy-bred carcasses. Australian dairy managers and owners identified that euthanasia influenced employee wellbeing; however, they did not acknowledge euthanasia had an effect on their own wellbeing. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that all non-replacement male calf breeds had the potential to access profitable markets, and avoidance of euthanasia is a strong driver of change among dairy beef production systems in Australia.

[Clinical analysis of 7 children infected with Talaromyces marneffei]

Objective: To investigate the clinical manifestations, treatments, and prognosis of pediatric patients with Talaromyces marneffei infection. Methods: In this retrospective study, 7 children diagnosed with Talaromyces marneffei infection in Shenzhen Children's Hospital from July 2017 to October 2021 were recruited. The clinical features, radiology, pathogen detection, immunological evaluation, treatments, and prognosis were analyzed. Results: In 7 cases, 5 were male, 2 were females. The age was from 0.75 to 8.75 years. The main clinical manifestations were fever in 7 cases, cough in 6 cases, malnutrition in 4 cases, papules in 2 cases and medical history of recurrent infection in 3 cases. Physical examination showed that all 7 patients had hepatosplenomegaly, 4 had superficial lymphadenopathy. Laboratory examination showed that 6 cases had decreased hemoglobin and 3 cases had decreased platelet. Chest CT showed that 4 cases had patchy shadows, pleural effusion, mediastinal or axillary lymph node enlargement, 3 had nodular shadows and 2 had cavities. The positive ratio of Talaromyces marneffei culture was 2/2 with tissue samples, 4/5 with bone marrow. The positive ratio was 3/4 by metagenomic next generation sequencing. The fungus was detected in 3 cases by smear microscopy of bone marrow and (or) peripheral blood. All patients were negative for human immunodeficiency virus by the immune function assay. However, 5 cases were confirmed as primary immunodeficiency disease, including 2 cases with high IgM syndrome, 2 with STAT1 gene variation, and the last with severe combined immunodeficiency (IL2RG gene variation). Exclude 1 case which gave up treatment due to acute intracranial infection, and the other patients received effective treatments along with amphotericin B, voriconazole, and itraconazole alone or in combination. Two cases relapsed after medication withdrawal, but 1 case got complete rehabilitation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conclusions: The clinical manifestations involve multisystem, the common charateristics are fever and cough. The chest CT imaging manifestations are diverse, it should be considered in differentiating tuberculosis. The amphotericin B, voriconazole and itraconazole are effective, but it will easily relapse when withdrawing those antifungal agents.