A Viscous-Biofluid Self-Pumping Organohydrogel Dressing to Accelerate Diabetic Wound Healing

Viscous biofluids on wounds challenge conventional "water-absorbing" wound dressings in efficient drainage due to their poor fluidity, generally causing prolonged inflammation, anti-angiogenesis, and delayed wound closure. Herein, it is reported that a self-pumping organohydrogel dressing (SPD) with aligned hydrated hydrogel channels, prepared by a three-dimensional-templated wetting-enabled-transfer (3D-WET) polymerization process, can efficiently drain viscous fluids and accelerate diabetic wound healing. The asymmetric wettability of the hydrophobic-hydrophilic layers and aligned hydrated hydrogel channels enable unidirectional and efficient drainage of viscous fluids away from the wounds, preventing their overhydration and inflammatory stimulation. The organogel layer can adhere onto the skin around the wounds but can be easily detached from the wet wound area, avoiding secondary trauma to the newly formed tissues. Taking a diabetic rat model as an example, the SPD can significantly downregulate the inflammation response by ≈70.8%, enhance the dermal remodeling by ≈14.3%, and shorten wound closure time by about 1/3 compared with the commercial dressing (3M, Tegaderm hydrocolloid thin dressing). This study sheds light on the development of the next generation of functional dressings for chronic wounds involving viscous biofluids.

RAP80 Phase Separation at DNA Double-Strand Break Promotes BRCA1 Recruitment and Tumor Radio-Resistance

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

RAP80 has been characterized as a component of the BRCA1-A complex and is responsible for the recruitment of BRCA1 to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, we and others found that the recruitment of RAP80 and BRCA1 are not absolutely temporally synchronized, indicating that other mechanisms, apart from physical interaction, may be implicated. Recently, we and other groups have reported that liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a pivotal mechanism underlying DNA repair factors condensation at DSBs and their function. In this study, we aim to disclose whether RAP80 undergoes LLPS at DSBs and whether it is required for BRCA1 recruitment.

MATERIALS/METHODS

To verify RAP80 is an LLPS protein and its function in DNA damage response (DDR): (1) candidate-mEGFP fusion protein formed condensates in cells and showed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP); (2) candidate protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified with GST; (3) intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of RAP80 were predicted and tested in cell and in vitro; (4) lentivirus were used to construct RAP80-Knock out (KO) and RAP80 re-expression cell lines; (5) length gradient K63 poly-ubiquitin chains were chemically synthesized and incubated with RAP80 protein in vitro; (6) BRCA1 and RAP80 location were determined through immunofluorescence; (7) RAP80 protein expression in tissue was determined by IHC staining.

RESULTS

Thin layer scanning and 3D reconstruction of the RAP80-mEGFP-expressing cells under a fluorescence microscope showed that RAP80-mEGFP formed spherical condensates with fast FRAP. Observation of purified proteins revealed that GST-RAP80-mEGFP protein formed liquid-like droplets, presenting as a FRAP and the fusion event among adjacent droplets. PEG-8000 and Ficol-400 strengthened the formation of GST-RAP80-mEGFP droplets in vitro. Later, we used a previously developed optoIDR tool to verify that IDR1 (1-254aa) is critical for RAP80 LLPS. To investigate whether the interaction between RAP80 and K63 poly-ubiquitin chains could enhance the condensation of RAP80, we chemically synthesized K63 ubiquitin chains and incubated them with purified GST-RAP80-mCherry proteins. The results showed that supplementation of ubiquitin multipolymer (poly-ubiquitin) significantly induced the LLPS of RAP80, and the ability of RAP80 condensates formation potency was positively correlated with the length of the ubiquitin chain. Consistent with their LLPS capacity, RAP80-WT-mEGFP, RAP80-(IDR1+AIR)-mEGFP groups showed prominent BRCA1 foci, while RAP80-IDR1-mEGFP and RAP80-(SIM+UIM)-mEGFP groups showed delayed BRCA1 recruitment. In rectal cancer tissues, positive staining of the RAP80 protein was mainly observed in the nucleus of cancer cells and high RAP80 expression was correlated with a shorter overall survival time.

CONCLUSION

RAP80 undergoes LLPS to form liquid-like condensates at DSB sites, which is important for BRCA1 recruitment and enhances tumor radio-resistance.

Ubiquitinated H2A.X-Induced RNF168 Condensation Promotes DNA Double-Strand Break Repair and Tumor Radioresistance

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Ubiquitination of histone is an essential process involved in DNA damage response (DSB) serving as scaffolds for DNA repair proteins, but how these factors are recruited so quickly and regulated in a spatiotemporal manner remains poorly understood. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has recently emerged as a mechanism for membraneless condensation driven by multivalent interactions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the LLPS potential of RNF168, an E3 ligase essential for DSB repair, and the mechanism underlying its-mediated tumor radio-resistance.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The intrinsic disordered domain (IDR) of RNF168 was determined by the PONDR website. The LLPS properties were validated by droplet formation in vivo and in vitro. RNF168-mEGFP were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified with GST tag. The synthesized K63-linked ubiquitin chains were added to mimic the interactions between RNF168 and radiation-induced ubiquitinated-histone. Effects of RNF168 LLPS on downstream proteins were verified by immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

RNF168-mEGFP recombinant protein formed liquid-like droplets in vivo and co-localized with γ-H2A.X foci after irradiation. The droplet's fluorescence recovered quickly after photobleaching, which could be abolished by 1,6-hexanediol treatment or ATP deprivation. Purified RNF168-mEGFP protein also condensed in vitro, and the size and number of droplets were related to protein concentration, salt concentration, pH, and temperature. Condensation of RNF168 was dependent on the IDR (323-459 amino acid), and more importantly, enhanced by synthesized K63-linked ubiquitin chains. LLPS of RNF168 was required for recruitment of RNF168 to DSB and RNF168-mediated γ-H2A.X ubiquitination. LLPS deficiency of RNF168 resulted in decreased recruitment of 53BP1, BRCA1, and RAP80 proteins, resulting in impaired DSB repair and genomic instability. Notably, higher expression of RNF168 was correlated with a poorer response to neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in rectal cancer patients. Finally, RNF168 condensate-induced tumor radioresistance was further verified in the xenograft model.

CONCLUSION

RNF168 undergoes LLPS at the DSB site, which is determined by both the IDR domain and the interaction with K63-linked ubiquitin chains. Radiation-induced RNF168 condensation accelerates the accumulation of RNF168 and promotes the recruitment of downstream effectors to DSB, resulting in enhanced DSB repair and tumor radioresistance.

[CIC-rearranged sarcoma: a clinicopathological analysis of four cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and differential diagnosis of CIC-rearranged sarcoma (CRS). Methods: Five CRSs of 4 patients (2 biopsies of pelvic cavity and lung metastasis from case 4) diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were enrolled from 2019 to 2021. All cases were evaluated by clinical presentation, H&E, immunohistochemical staining and molecular analysis and the related literature was reviewed. Results: There were one male and three females, the age at diagnosis ranged from 18 to 58 (mean 42.5) years. Three cases were from the deep soft tissues of the trunk and one case from the skin of foot. Grossly, the tumor size ranged from 1 to 16 cm. Microscopically, the tumor was arranged in nodules or solid sheets. The tumor cells were typically round or ovoid, with occasional spindled or epithelioid morphology. The nuclei were round to ovoid with vesicular chromatin and prominent nucleoli. Mitotic figures were brisk (>10/10 HPF). Rhabdoid cells were seen in four of five cases. Myxoid change and hemorrhage were observed in all samples and two cases showed geographic necrosis. Immunohistochemically, CD99 was variably positive in all samples, while WT1 and TLE-1 were positive in four of five samples. Molecular analysis showed CIC-rearrangements in all cases. Two patients succumbed within 3 months. One had mediastinal metastasis 9 months after surgery. One underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and remained tumor-free 10 months after diagnosis. Conclusions: CIC-rearranged sarcoma is uncommon and shows aggressive clinical course with dismal prognosis. The morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics can largely overlap with a variety of sarcomas; hence, knowledge of this entity is vital to avoid potential diagnostic pitfalls. Definitive diagnosis requires molecular confirmation of CIC-gene rearrangement.

Wetting-Enabled Three-Dimensional Interfacial Polymerization (WET-DIP) for Bioinspired Anti-Dehydration Hydrogels

Anti-dehydration hydrogels have attracted considerable attention due to their promising applications in stretchable sensors, flexible electronics, and soft robots. However, anti-dehydration hydrogels prepared by conventional strategies inevitably depend on additional chemicals or suffer from cumbersome preparation processes. Here, inspired by the succulent Fenestraria aurantiaca a one-step wetting-enabled three-dimensional interfacial polymerization (WET-DIP) strategy for constructing organogel-sealed anti-dehydration hydrogels is developed. By virtue of the preferential wetting on the hydrophobic-oleophilic substrate surfaces, the organogel precursor solution can spread on the three-dimensional (3D) surface and encapsulate the hydrogel precursor solution, forming anti-dehydration hydrogel with 3D shape after in situ interfacial polymerization. The WET-DIP strategy is simple and ingenious, and accessible to discretionary 3D-shaped anti-dehydration hydrogels with a controllable thickness of the organogel outer layer. Strain sensors based on this anti-dehydration hydrogel also exhibit long-term stability in signal monitoring. This WET-DIP strategy shows great potentialities for constructing hydrogel-based devices with long-term stability.

From Nanoscopic to Macroscopic Materials by Stimuli-Responsive Nanoparticle Aggregation

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticle (NP) aggregation plays an increasingly important role in regulating NP assembly into microscopic superstructures, macroscopic 2D, and 3D functional materials. Diverse external stimuli are widely used to adjust the aggregation of responsive NPs, such as light, temperature, pH, electric, and magnetic fields. Many unique structures based on responsive NPs are constructed including disordered aggregates, ordered superlattices, structural droplets, colloidosomes, and bulk solids. In this review, the strategies for NP aggregation by external stimuli, and their recent progress ranging from nanoscale aggregates, microscale superstructures to macroscale bulk materials along the length scales as well as their applications are summarized. The future opportunities and challenges for designing functional materials through NP aggregation at different length scales are also discussed.

Leaf-Inspired Patterned Organohydrogel Surface for Ultrawide Time-Range Open Biosensing

Droplet arrays show great significance in biosensing and biodetection because of low sample consumption and easy operation. However, inevitable water evaporation in open environment severely limits their applications in time-consuming reactions. Herein, inspired by the unique water retention features of leaves, it is demonstrated that an open droplet array on patterned organohydrogel surface with water evaporating replenishment (POWER) for ultrawide time-range biosensing, which integrated hydrophilic hydrogel domains and hydrophobic organogel background. The hydrogel domains on the surface can supply water to the pinned droplets through capillary channels formed in the nether organohydrogel bulk. The organogel background can inhibit water evaporation like the wax coating of leaves. Such a unique bioinspired design enables ultrawide time-range biosensing in open environment from a few minutes to more than five hours involving a variety of analytes such as ions, small molecules, and macromolecules. The POWER provides a feasible and open biosensing platform for ultrawide time-range reactions.

Interfacial Instability-Induced (3I) Adhesives through "Mediator" Solvent Diffusion for Robust Underoil Adhesion

Underoil adhesives are intensively needed in case of oil spill caused by pipeline rupture, but remain a challenge owing to the obstruction of oil layer or their swelling in oil. Herein, a general solvent diffusion principle is demonstrated by introducing dual-soluble "mediator" solvents to develop a new type of interfacial instability-induced (3I) adhesives, achieving effective underoil adhesion on various substrates and blocking the oil leakage within seconds. Microscopic characterization reveals a fast and dynamic solvent exchange process that destroys the oil layer by liquid-liquid interfacial diffusion between the "mediator" solvent and oil, enabling 3I adhesives to contact the solid surfaces directly. The principle of interfacial instability-induced liquid replacement is quite different from typical immiscible liquid replacement and is not restricted by the surface tension of solvents, surface energy, and roughness of solid surfaces, successfully directing the construction of a series of effective 3I adhesives with commercially available feedstocks. This study provides a unique clue for the design of next-generation adhesives in complex environments.

Self-Pumping Janus Hydrogel with Aligned Channels for Accelerating Diabetic Wound Healing

Excessive exudate secreted from diabetic wounds often results in skin overhydration, severe infections, and secondary damage upon dressing changes. However, conventional wound dressings are difficult to synchronously realize the non-maceration of wound sites and rapid exudate transport due to their random porous structure. Herein, a self-pumping Janus hydrogel with aligned channels (JHA) composed of hydrophilic poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel layer and hydrophobic polyurethane (PU)/graphene oxide (GO)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer is designed to rapidly export exudate and accelerate diabetic wound healing. In the design, the ice-templating process endows the hydrophilic hydrogel layer with superior liquid transport ability and mechanical strength due to the formation of aligned channel structure. The hydrophobic layer with controlled thickness functions as an effective barrier to prevent exudate from wetting the skin surface. Experiments in diabetic rat model show that JHA can significantly promote re-epithelialization and collagen deposition, shorten the inflammation phase, and accelerate wound healing. This unique JHA dressing may have great potential for real-life usage in clinical patients.

[Progress in research of determinants of healthy life expectancy]

Objective: To analyze the influencing factors of healthy life expectancy (HLE). Methods: Seven Chinese and English databases were used for the retrieval of related literatures published by May 7, 2022 to identify influencing factors of HLE, including diseases and injuries and their risk factors. Based on the ecological model of health determinants, this study classifies the risk factors of diseases and injuries into five levels: personal characteristics, individual behavior and lifestyle, social network, living and working conditions, and macroscopic socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. Contents of research area, HLE indicators, research population, influencing factors, data sources and results were extracted. The frequencies of reported documents of different HLE indicators and influencing factors of different dimensions were visualized by using evidence map, and the empirical studies of four authoritative English medical journals and Chinese core medical journals were further compared and described. Results: A total of 90 studies were selected, in which 26 were conducted in China (28.9%). Fifty-three studies are about diseases and injuries in the first dimension, and all of them have studied non-communicable diseases, accounting for the highest proportion (58.9%). There were 77 studies about the analysis on the determinants of health at five levels by an ecological model, all the studies reported multi-level results. Among them, 53 studies reported personal characteristics (58.9%), 47 studies reported individual behavior and lifestyle (52.2%), 10 studies reported social networks (11.1%), 35 studies reported living and working environment (38.9%), 8 studies reported social economy, culture status and environment condition (8.9%). The literatures about HLE published by 4 authoritative English medical journals and 21 Chinese core medical journals in recent three years were selected. Non-communicable diseases and personal characteristics were the top two most commonly studied factors of HLE, and 11 (52.3%) and 12 (57.1%) studies reported these two kinds of factors respectively. The most important factor contributing to the global disability-adjusted life years of non-communicable diseases was individual behavior and lifestyle, which was the most changeable factor. Conclusions: In recent three years, studies involving influencing factors of HLE were mainly non-communicable diseases and personal characteristics. In the future, individual behavior, lifestyle and working environment should be strengthened.

Prediction of the Lotus Effect on Solid Surfaces by Machine Learning

Superhydrophobic surfaces with the "lotus effect" have wide applications in daily life and industry, such as self-cleaning, anti-freezing, and anti-corrosion. However, it is difficult to reliably predict whether a designed superhydrophobic surface has the "lotus effect" by traditional theoretical models due to complex surface topographies. Here, a reliable machine learning (ML) model to accurately predict the "lotus effect" of solid surfaces by designing a set of descriptors about nano-scale roughness and micro-scale topographies in addition to the surface hydrophobic modification is demonstrated. Geometrical and mathematical descriptors combined with gray level cooccurrence matrices (GLCM) offer a feasible solution to the puzzle of accurate descriptions of complex topographies. Furthermore, the "black box" is opened by feature importance and Shapley-additive-explanations (SHAP) analysis to extract waterdrop adhesion trends on superhydrophobic surfaces. The accurate prediction on as-fabricated superhydrophobic surfaces strongly affirms the extensionality of the ML model. This approach can be easily generalized to screen solid surfaces with other properties.

[Analysis on liver cancer mortality and cause eliminated life expectancy in key areas of 4 provinces, China, 2008-2018]

Objective: To explore the changes of liver cancer mortality and the effect of liver cancer on life expectancy in key areas of four provinces in China from 2008 to 2018 and provide the basis for the evaluation of comprehensive prevention and control of cancer and promotion of the rational allocation of health resources. Methods: Based on the national cause-of-death surveillance in key areas of the 4 provinces from 2008 to 2018, we analyzed the mortality of liver cancer, cause eliminated life expectancy (CELE) and potential gains in life expectancy (PGLEs). Software Joinpoint 4.9.0.0 was used to calculate the average annual percentage change (AAPC). Arriaga's decomposition method was used to estimate the contribution of the changes of liver cancer mortality in each age group to life expectancy. Results: The standardized mortality of liver cancer in key areas of the 4 provinces showed a downward trend from 2008 to 2018 (AAPC=-4.37%, P<0.001). The changes of liver cancer mortality had a positive effect on the increase of life expectancy, with a contribution value of 0.240 years and a contribution degree of 5.62%. The positive effect was greatest in age group 45-49 years (0.041 years, 0.96%), and the negative effect was greatest in age group 50-54 years (-0.015 years, -0.35%). Compared with 2008, the life expectancy increased by 4.27 years (AAPC=0.59%, P<0.001), the liver cancer CELE increased by 4.20 years (AAPC=0.58%, P<0.001), the PGLEs decreased by 0.07 years (AAPC=-0.62%,P<0.001), and life loss rate decreased by 0.13% (AAPC=-1.18%, P=0.001). The liver cancer PGLEs increased in Yongqiao district, Anhui province (0.09 years), and decreased in other districts (counties), with the largest decline was in Fugou county, Henan province (-0.21 years). Conclusions: From 2008 to 2018, the standardized mortality rate of liver cancer in key areas of the 4 provinces decreased gradually, contributing to the growth of life expectancy. The life loss caused by liver cancer decreased gradually, but the PGLEs varied with districts (counties).

[Progress in research on redistribution methods for garbage codes in causes of death data]

The existence of garbage codes in death cause surveillance data sets could influence the accuracy of the death cause statistics, and subsequently affect the precision and effectiveness of public health policy making. International and domestic researchers have studied the characteristics of garbage codes in various death cause data sets from different countries or regions in the world. They proposed several approaches for redistributing garbage codes, such as expert consultancy, fixed proportional reassignment, using the information about death cause chain, building statistical models, and so on. This paper summarizes and compares the principles, applications and limitation of application scenarios of currently common methods for garbage code redistribution in order to provide some references for improving the accuracy and usefulness of the death cause data in China.

Space-Confinment-Enhanced Fluorescence Detection of DNA on Hydrogel Particles Array

Fluorescent biosensors have been widely applied in DNA detection because of their reliability and reproducibility. However, low kinetics in DNA hybridization often brings out long test terms, thus restricting their practical use. Here, we demonstrate unexpected fast DNA fluorescence detection on the confined surface of hydrogel particles. When the pore size and surface charge of hydrogel particles are tailored, DNA molecules can be confined in the outer water layer of hydrogel particles. We fabricated a fluorescence-on DNA sensor based on the hydrogel particle array by utilizing the fluorescence quenching property of graphene oxide and its different adsorption behaviors toward single-strand DNA or double-strand DNA. Benefiting from the confinement effect of hydrogel particle surface and the enrichment effect of water evaporation, the DNA-recognition time was descreased significantly from 3000 s to less than 10 s under the target concentration of 400 nM. Moreover, rapid detection can be achieved at concentrations between 50 and 400 nM. The study provides another insight to fabricate fast biosensors and shows great potential in DNA diagnostics, gene analysis, and liquid biopsy.

WET-Induced Layered Organohydrogel as Bioinspired "Sticky-Slippy Skin" for Robust Underwater Oil-Repellency

Underwater superoleophobic surfaces featuring anti-oil-fouling properties are of great significance in widespread fields. However, their complicated engineering process and weak interfacial adhesion strength with underlying substrates severely hamper these ideal surfaces toward practical applications. Here, a moss-inspired sticky-slippy skin composed of layered organohydrogel is reported through a one-step wetting-enabled-transfer (WET) strategy, which unprecedentedly integrates robust inherent adhesion with durable anti-oil-fouling properties. The sticky organogel layer can be simply attached to various substrates, from metals and plastics to glass, independent of any surface pretreatment. The slippy hydrogel layer enables stable underwater superoleophobicity and ultralow oil adhesion for diverse kinds of oils. The sticky-slippy skin features outstanding comprehensive properties including easy-pasting, anti-swelling/anti-bending, compatibility with commercial adhesives, acid/alkali resistance, environmental friendliness, and substrate universality. The design strategy with integrated functions provides a clue to accelerate the development of bioinspired multifunctional interfacial materials toward real-world applications.

Thermo-Responsive Jamming of Nanoparticle Dense Suspensions towards Macroscopic Liquid-Solid Switchable Materials

Nanoparticle aggregation for constructing functional materials has shown enormous advantages in various applications. Most efforts focused on ordered nanoparticle aggregation for specific functions but were often limited to irreversible aggregation processes due to the thermodynamic equilibrium. Herein, we report a reversible disordered aggregation of SiO₂ -PNIPAAm nanoparticles (SPNPs) through thermo-responsive jamming, obtaining smart liquid-solid switchable materials. The smart materials can display a switch between liquid-like state and solid-like state responding to a temperature change. This unique macroscopic behavior originates from the reversible disordered aggregation modulated by temperature-dependent hydrophobic interactions among the SPNPs. Notably, the materials at the solid-like state show anti-impact properties and can withstand the impact of a steel sphere with a speed of 328 cm s^-1 . We envision that this finding offers inspiration to design smart liquid-solid switchable materials for impact protection.

[ELF4 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of human insulinoma cells by activating Akt signaling]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor ELF4 on proliferation and apoptosis in human insulinoma cells and explore the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

A human insulinoma BON cell line with stable overexpression of ELF4 (BON-ELF4 cells) was constructed using a recombinant retrovirus vector and the expression of ELF4 protein was verified using Western blotting. MTT assay was used to assess the proliferation of BON-ELF4 cells and BON-Vector cells, and the cell apoptosis induced by treatment with epirubicin (0.1 μmol/L for 24 h) was analyzed by detecting the expressions of cleaved caspase-8, caspase-9, and PARP using Western blotting. Flow cytometry with Annexin VFITC/PI staining was performed to analyze the numbers of apoptotic BON-Vector or BON-ELF4 cells. The expressions of phosphorylated Akt and total Akt in the cells were detected using Western blotting.

RESULTS

BON-ELF4 cell line with stable overexpression of ELF4 was successfully established. ELF4 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation (P < 0.05) and obviously suppressed epirubicin- induced apoptosis in BON cells, resulting also in significantly reduced expressions of cleaved caspase-8, caspase-9 and PARP (P < 0.05). The results of flow cytometry showed a significantly lower apoptotic rate in BON-ELF4 cells than in BON-Vector cells following epirubicin treatment (6.03% vs 22.90%). The phosphorylation levels of Akt (Thr308 and Ser473) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) while the level of total Akt remained unchanged (P>0.05) in ELF4- overexpressing cells.

CONCLUSION

ELF4 overexpression enhances the proliferation and suppresses apoptosis of insulinomas cells by activating Akt signaling.

A Wetting-Enabled-Transfer (WET) Strategy for Precise Surface Patterning of Organohydrogels

The ability to manipulate water and oil phases in a designable manner is of great significance in widespread fields from art paintings to materials science. However, achieving precise and stable surface patterns for two immiscible phases of water and oil remains a challenge. Herein, a general wetting-enabled-transfer (WET) strategy is reported to construct discretionary shape-defined surface patterns of organohydrogels along with their monolithic formation either from flat to curved surfaces or from the microscale to the macroscale. Locally differentiated wettability induces hydrophilic monomers and hydrophobic monomers from an emulsion system onto the wettability-matching regions of the prepatterned substrates, subsequently forming corresponding hydrogel and organogel patterns on the organohydrogel surface after in situ photopolymerization. The precision of the surface patterns can be controlled by optimizing the gel monomers, emulsion droplet size, and surface chemical composition of the prepatterned substrates. This finding may provide a feasible strategy for precisely patterning functional materials from two-immiscible-phase systems.

A Spider-Silk-Inspired Wet Adhesive with Supercold Tolerance

Conventional adhesives often encounter interfacial failure in humid conditions due to small droplets of water condensed on surface, but spider silks can capture prey in such environment. Here a robust spider-silk-inspired wet adhesive (SA) composed of core-sheath nanostructured fibers with hygroscopic adhesive nanosheath (poly(vinylpyrrolidone)) and supporting nanocore (polyurethane) is reported. The wet adhesion of the SA is achieved by a unique dissolving-wetting-adhering process of core-sheath nanostructured fibers, revealed by in situ observations at macro- and microscales. Further, the SA maintains reliable adhesion on wet and cold substrates from 4 to -196 °C and even tolerates splashing, violent shaking, and weight loading in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C), showing promising applicability in cryogenic environments. This study will provide an innovative route to design functional wet adhesives.

Does Tea Drinking Promote Health of Older Adults: Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

OBJECTIVE

This study selects the health indicators of older adults to analyze the impact of tea drinking on health.

DESIGN

This is a panel data.

SETTING

This study uses data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), which covers nine provinces and ten waves, between 1997 and 2015.

PARTICIPANTS

a total of 706 old adults are consistently surveyed in six surveys on issues such as health and nutrition.

MEASUREMENTS

Health of old adults is assessed by self-reported health (SRH), tea drinking is 0-1 dummy variable, and also analyze with the frequency of tea drinking. This study uses ordered probit model to analyze the influence of tea drinking on SRH.

RESULTS

Findings reveal a significant negative correlation between tea drinking and SRH of older adults. It is shows that the significant positive correlation exists between the tea drinking frequency and SRH, but the quadratic term of tea frequency shows the significant negative correlation. It means drinking tea benefits older adults in terms of improved health, but excessive consumption of tea is not healthy for them. The heterogeneity analyses reveal that there are no significant geographic, tea-drinking pattern or gender differences in the conclusion that tea drinking is good for older adults' health.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we find correlation between tea drinking and SRH of older adults, and tea drinking is beneficial toward the improvement of SRH, but drinking tea in excess is not good for older adults' health.

Effects of environmental cleaning bundles on reducing healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Environmental contamination with Clostridioides difficile plays an important role in the transmission of C. difficile infection (CDI) in healthcare and long-term care facilities, which results in prolonged length of stay, higher risk of mortality and increased healthcare costs. Environmental cleaning bundles are introduced to improve environmental cleanliness. This study aimed to evaluate whether environmental cleaning bundles applied in hospital, community and long-term care settings reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated CDI compared with conventional cleaning practices. Relevant databases, websites and trial registration platforms were searched. Two reviewers conducted study screening and selection, data collection, risk of bias assessment and evidence quality assessment independently. Meta-analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.3. Ten eligible studies [one randomized controlled trial (RCT) and nine non-RCTs] were included. No significant effect of environmental cleaning bundles on the CDI incidence rate was found [risk ratio (RR)=0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-1.29; studies=2; I²=49%; very low quality]. However, the removal of surface markers was improved significantly (RR=1.55, 95% CI 1.30-1.84; studies=3; I²=98%; very low quality), and the percentage of CDI rooms with positive cultures of C. difficile (RR=0.16, 95% CI 0.08-0.31; studies=4; I²=7%; moderate quality) was reduced significantly after the implementation of environmental cleaning bundles. Environmental cleaning bundles may consequently be helpful in improving the thoroughness of cleaning of environmental surfaces in hospital and long-term care settings. More well-conducted RCTs are expected to provide stronger evidence.

[Efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib in the salvage treatment of chronic graft versus-host disease]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose Ruxolitinib in the treatment of patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and refractory to the first-line and/or second-line drugs after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: The clinical data was retrospectively analyzed of patients diagnosed with cGVHD in Anhui Provincial Hospital from July 9, 2018 to May 23, 2019. They were refractory to first-line and second-line drugs and were given a low-dose of Ruxolitinib (a dose of 5 mg twice daily if body weight ≥ 25 kg and 2.5 mg twice daily if body weight<25 kg). There was 2.5 mg reduction per week or every two weeks if the condition improved until withdrawal. The efficacy and safety of Ruxolitinib were retrospectively analyzed weekly or biweekly. If the condition improved, the dosage would be reduced by 2.5 mg weekly or biweekly until discontinuance. Results: A total of 47 patients were included in the study,and the median time of taking Ruxolitinib was 55 (21-154) days. The median time of taking effect was 14(7-28) days. The overall response rate was 87.2% (41/47). The complete response rate was 63.8% (30/47) and the partial response rate was 23.4%(11/47). Among them, 13 cases were mild and the overall response rate was 100%(13/13). Twenty one cases were moderate and the overall response rate was 90.5%(19/21). Thirteen cases were severe and the overall response rate was 69.2%(9/13). The highest overall response rate of all organs the was 100% in the gastrointestinal tract (7/7), and it was 95.8%(23/24) for the skin, 83.3%(5/6) for the liver and 76.9%(10/13) for the lung. The highest rate of complete organ response was 95.8% for skin. Eight patients (17%) developed cytopenia, of which 2(4.2%) were with a decrease of 3-4 degree hemoglobin. Recrudescence of cytomegalovirus occurred in 3 patients (6.4%). After withdrawal of Ruxolitinib, 6 patients (12.7%) had recurrence of cGVHD. The median time to relapse was 35.5(7-90) days. All of their conditions were improved after addition of Ruxolitinib. The median time of response was 7(5-14) days. The median follow-up was 208(33-412) days. Three patients(6.4%) died, and all of them died of severe pulmonary infection. Three patients (6.4%) had relapse of primary disease. The 6-month overall survival rate was 95.7%. Conclusion: Low-dose Ruxolitinib has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of cGVHD.

[Effect of KIR/HLA receptor-ligand mode on prognosis of single unrelated cord blood transplantation in patients with hematological malignancies]

目的

探讨自然杀伤细胞免疫球蛋白样受体（KIR）与人类白细胞抗原（HLA）受配体模式对血液病患者单份非血缘脐血移植（sUCBT）预后的影响。

方法

回顾性分析2012年7月至2018年6月270例接受sUCBT的血液病患者。移植前脐血及患者均进行HLA12个位点高分辨配型，选择移植物（脐血）的KIR均同时表达2DL1和2DL2/2DL3抑制性基因，根据患者KIR配体情况分为缺失组（C1/C1或C2/C2）和无缺失组（C1/C2）。

结果

270例血液病患者中男146例（54.1％），女124例（45.9％），中位年龄13（1～62）岁；缺失组174例（64.4％），无缺失组96例（35.6％）。全部患者均采用不含抗胸腺细胞球蛋白（ATG）清髓性预处理方案。缺失组、无缺失组粒细胞植入率均为98.9％（172/174、95/96），中位植入时间分别为16（10～41）d、17（11～33）d（P＝0.705）；血小板植入率分别为88.5％（154/174）、87.5％（84/96），中位植入时间分别为35（11～113）d、38.5（13～96）d（P＝0.317）；缺失组、无缺失组Ⅱ～Ⅳ级急性GVHD发生率分别为38.7％（95％CI 31.4％～45.9％）、50.0％（95％CI 39.6％～59.6％）（P＝0.075），多因素分析显示KIR配体缺失是影响Ⅱ～Ⅳ度急性GVHD发生的独立保护性因素（P＝0.036）。移植后3年累积复发率分别为17.7％（95％CI 11.7％～24.9％）、22.7％（95％CI14.4％～32.2％）（P＝0.288）。中位随访时间742（335～2 512）d，缺失组、无缺失组3年总生存率分别为72.1％（95％CI 64.1％～78.6％）、60.5％（95％CI 47.9％～69.2％）（χ²＝3.629，P＝0.079），3年无病生存率分别为64.9％（95％CI 56.2％～72.3％）、55.4％（95％CI 44.4％～65.0％）（χ²＝3.027，P＝0.082），移植后180 d 非复发死亡率分别为12.1％（95％CI 7.7％～17.4％）、16.7％（95％CI 10.0％～24.8％）（P＝0.328）。

结论

在不含ATG清髓性预处理sUCBT血液病治疗体系中，缺失抑制性KIR配体患者移植后急性GVHD发生率更低。

Diversity and abundance of comammox bacteria in the sediments of an urban lake

AIMS

Although comammox have been discovered in a variety of ecosystems, there are few studies in urban lakes. This paper attempted to confirm whether this ammonia-oxidizing microbe exists in urban lakes and to determine the factors influencing its existence.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study investigated the diversity and abundance of comammox bacteria in sediments of a typical urban lake in China, and their ecological relationship with other ammonia-oxidizing micro-organisms. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that comammox clade A existed in the sediment of Lake Donghu, and the comammox bacteria co-existed with ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria in the sediment of this lake. The abundances of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes for comammox, AOA, AOB and anammox 16S rRNA were 2·43 × 10⁸ , 1·07 × 10⁸ , 3·24 × 10⁷ and 3·21 × 10¹¹ copies per gram dry sediment respectively. Moreover, the amoA gene abundance of comammox was positively correlated with that of AOA and AOB. The redundancy analysis showed that the abundance of the comammox amoA gene was negatively correlated with the concentration of main indicators for nitrogen status in both the sediment and the water column, indicating that eutrophication may inhibit the growth of comammox bacteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Comammox bacteria play an important ecological role in the nitrogen cycle of urban lake sediments.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our results indicated comammox bacteria were widespread in urban lakes and eutrophication may inhibit their growth.

Bioinspired Janus Textile with Conical Micropores for Human Body Moisture and Thermal Management

Excessive sweat secreted from the skin often causes undesired adhesion from wetted textiles and cold sensations. Traditional hydrophilic textiles such as cotton can absorb sweat but retain it. A hydrophobic/superhydrophilic Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile embedded with a conical micropore array with a hydrophilic inner surface that can achieve directional liquid transport (with an ultrahigh directional water transport capability of 1246%) and maintain human body temperature (2-3 °C higher than with cotton textiles) is demonstrated. When the hydrophobic polyester layer with large opening of hydrophilic conical micropores contacts the liquid, the Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile can pump it to the superhydrophilic nitrocellulose layer through the hydrophilic conical micropores driven by capillary force. The Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile can weaken undesired wet adhesion and heat loss due to the removal of liquid. The water wicking and air permeability of the Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile is comparable to those of traditional cloths. This study is valuable for designing of functional textiles with directional water transport properties for personal drying and warming applications.