Separator engineering: Assisting lithium salt dissociation and constructing LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphases for high-rate lithium metal batteries.

Challenges associated with lithium dendrite growth and the formation of dead lithium significantly limit the achievable energy density of lithium metal batteries (LMBs), particularly under high operating current densities. Our innovative design employs a state-of-the-art 2500 separator featuring a meticulously engineered cellulose acetate (CA) coating (CA@2500) to suppress dendrite nucleation and propagation. The CO functional groups in CA enhances charge transfer kinetics and triggering the decomposition of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), which leads to the formation of a more robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) composed primarily of LiF. Moreover, the introduction of polar functional groups in the CA enhances the separator's hydrophilic properties, facilitating the uniform Li+ flux and creating a conductive pathway for efficient lithium migration. As a result, the CA@2500 separator exhibits a high lithium-ion transfer number (0.88) and conductivity. The lithium symmetric cell assembles with the CA@2500 separator displays a stable cycling performance over 5500 h at a current density and capacity of 10 mA cm-2 and 10 mAh cm-2, respectively. Additionally, LPF battery with CA@2500 separator shows an excellent capacity retention at 0.2 C with an average decay of 0.055 % per cycle. Moreover, a high capacity of 105 mAh g-1 is maintained after 500 cycles at 5 C with an average decay of only 0.027 % per cycle. This work achieved high stability of LMBs through simplified engineering.

Clinical significance of the modified Naples prognostic score in patients with stage II-III colon cancer undergoing curative resection: a retrospective study from the real world.

Background: The Naples prognostic score (NPS) determined by the nutritional and inflammatory condition of an individual is attracting growing attention for predicting postoperative outcomes in a variety of malignancies. The study aimed to assess the clinical significance of a modified NPS (M-NPS) and establish and validate nomograms incorporating M-NPS in curative stage II-III colon cancer patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 328 stage II-III colon cancer patients receiving radical surgical resection at our hospital from January 2011 to December 2016. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were executed for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Independent predictive indicators were applied to develop nomograms. The model's performance was evaluated using many different methods. Results: Of a total of 328 cases, 153 cases were in group 0, 145 in group 1, and 30 in group 2. In terms of OS or CSS, there were obvious differences between groups 0 and 1, and between groups 0 and 2. Age, obstruction, N stage, gross tumor type, and M-NPS group were independent prognostic indicators for OS, while obstruction, gross tumor type, M-NPS group, and N stage were independent predictive parameters for CSS. Furthermore, the training and validation sets were randomly allocated among a cohort of 328 patients. OS and CSS prediction nomograms were developed. In the training and validation cohort, the C-index and ROC analysis showed good discrimination, calibration curves exhibited an excellent level of consistency between model-predicted survival and actual survival outcomes, and DCA curves demonstrated good clinical performance. Conclusion: M-NPS is a reliable survival predictor in patients with curative stage II-III colon cancer. Nomograms incorporating M-NPS for OS and CSS have good predictive performance and clinical utility.

Bias-aided DD-LMS equalizer for optical multipath-interference-impaired high-speed PAM4 transmission systems.

Multipath interference (MPI) noise induces drastic fluctuations in high-speed 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) intensity modulation direct detection (IMDD) systems, severely degrading the transmission performance. Here, we propose a bias-aided decision-directed least mean square (DD-LMS) equalizer to eliminate the MPI noise. In the simulation, the proposed bias-aided DD-LMS equalizer could adeptly track and compensate the MPI-impaired PAM4 signal, markedly improving the bit error rate (BER) performance under different MPI levels and laser linewidths. Within a 112 Gbps PAM4 transmission system, the proposed equalizer achieves a MPI tolerance over 4 dB at the KP4-forward error correction (FEC) threshold (2.4 × 10-4), outperforming existing MPI suppression techniques.

Social isolation promotes tumor immune evasion via ß2-adrenergic receptor.

Social isolation is a recognized risk factor for tumor initiation and mortality, but the role and mechanisms responsible for social isolation on tumor progression are poorly understood. In this study, we found that social isolation contributed to accelerated tumor growth and induced a remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in immunosuppression. Mechanistically, social isolation triggered the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to impaired CD8+ T cell antitumor immune responses by activating ß-adrenergic receptor 2 (ß2-AR), which highly expressed on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Pharmacological inhibition of ß2-AR signaling effectively enhanced CD8+ T cell anti-tumor immune responses and improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in the context of social isolation. Thus, our study uncovers a mechanism through which social isolation induces tumor immune evasion and offers potential directions for cancer immunotherapy in socially isolated patients.

A UAV Thermal Imaging Format Conversion System and Its Application in Mosaic Surface Microthermal Environment Analysis.

UAV thermal infrared remote sensing technology, with its high flexibility and high temporal and spatial resolution, is crucial for understanding surface microthermal environments. Despite DJI Drones' industry-leading position, the JPG format of their thermal images limits direct image stitching and further analysis, hindering their broad application. To address this, a format conversion system, ThermoSwitcher, was developed for DJI thermal JPG images, and this system was applied to surface microthermal environment analysis, taking two regions with various local zones in Nanjing as the research area. The results showed that ThermoSwitcher can quickly and losslessly convert thermal JPG images to the Geotiff format, which is further convenient for producing image mosaics and for local temperature extraction. The results also indicated significant heterogeneity in the study area's temperature distribution, with high temperatures concentrated on sunlit artificial surfaces, and low temperatures corresponding to building shadows, dense vegetation, and water areas. The temperature distribution and change rates in different local zones were significantly influenced by surface cover type, material thermal properties, vegetation coverage, and building layout. Higher temperature change rates were observed in high-rise building and subway station areas, while lower rates were noted in water and vegetation-covered areas. Additionally, comparing the temperature distribution before and after image stitching revealed that the stitching process affected the temperature uniformity to some extent. The described format conversion system significantly enhances preprocessing efficiency, promoting advancements in drone remote sensing and refined surface microthermal environment research.

The relationship between CYP2C9 gene polymorphisms and azilsartan metabolism in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The gene polymorphisms of the CYP2C9, as well as the substrate specificity of the enzyme, result in different clearances for different substrates by CYP2C9 variants. RESEARCH DESIGNAND METHODS: The CYP2C9 wild type and 38 CYP2C9 variants, expressed in insectmicrosomes, were incubated with azilsartan. The resulting metabolite,O-desethyl azilsartan, was determined by HPLC-MS/MS. The enzyme kineticparameters of the 38 variants were calculated and compared with the wild type.Subsequently, we selected CYP2C9*1, *2, and *3 as target proteins for molecular docking with azilsartan to elucidate the mechanisms underlying changes in enzyme function. RESULTS: Compared with CYP2C9*1, three variants (CYP2C9*29, *39, and *49) exhibited markedlyincreased CLint values (from 170%-275%, *p < 0.05), whereas 28 variants exhibited significantly decreased CLint values (from 3-63%,*p < 0.05). The molecular docking results showed that the binding energy of CYP2C9*2 and *3 was lower than that of the wild type. CONCLUSION: Thisassessment revealed the effect of CYP2C9 gene polymorphisms on azilsartan metabolism, establishing a theoretical basis for further in-vivo studies and clinical applications. This study will help expand the database of CYP2C9 gene-drug pairs and identify appropriate treatment strategies for azilsartan, contributing to the field of precision medicine.

Exploring the Mechanism of 4-Hydroxy-1,3,5-triazine-6-thiol Collector on Depressant-Free Flotation Separation of Galena from Sphalerite.

The flotation separation of galena from sphalerite was commonly implemented under pH > 10.5, which led to the consumption of lime. In this paper, 2-diethylamine-4-hydroxy-1,3,5-triazine-6-thiol (DEHTT) was synthesized and introduced as a highly selective collector to perform the depressant-free flotation separation of Pb/Zn sulfide minerals. The microflotation results indicated that 8.0 × 10-7 mol/L DEHTT recovered 94.17% galena and 26.67% sphalerite from their mixture at pH 8.5 regulated by Na2CO3, and under the same conditions, sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) floated out 94.94% galena and 50.41% sphalerite, deducing a superior flotation selectivity of DEHTT in comparison to SIBX. In situ AFM images displayed the more preferable adsorption of DEHTT on galena in comparison to that on sphalerite. The results of adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics inferred that the adsorption of DEHTT onto the galena surface was a spontaneous endothermic chemical process. XPS further indicated that DEHTT combined with interface Pb atoms to form the -S-Pb and -O-Pb bonds. The special affinity of DEHTT to galena achieved the selective flotation separation of galena from sphalerite without the addition of lime and depressants.

Association between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D on early stage diabetic kidney disease in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: This study aimed to analyse the association between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) and early diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and evaluate the potential roles of these two biomarkers in the clinical diagnosis of DKD. Methods: A total of 422 inpatients with T2DM were retrospectively enrolled between January 2018 and March 2022 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. The baseline clinical parameters of each patient were determined, and their demographic characteristics were extracted from the hospital information system. The patients were separated into groups according to serum Lp-PLA2 and 25(OH)D levels and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors of early DKD incidence. Results: Levels of Lp-PLA2 significantly increased and those of 25(OH)D significantly decreased with DKD progression (both P < 0.001). Lp-PLA2 concentrations were positively correlated with albuminuria levels (r = 0.37, P < 0.001), whereas 25(OH)D levels were negatively correlation (r = -0.34, P < 0.001). The incidence of DKD was higher in the Lp-PLA2 elevated and 25(OH)D deficient groups (all P < 0.001). Body mass index, systemic immune-inflammatory index, serum uric acid, C-peptide, and triglyceride-glucose indices were positively associated with Lp-PLA2 levels (all P < 0.001) and negatively associated with 25(OH)D (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, Lp-PLA2 was an independent risk factor (OR = 1.003, P = 0.015), and 25(OH)D was an independent protective factor (OR = 0.937, P = 0.008) for early DKD occurrence in binary logistic regression analysis. The area under the curve for the combination of Lp-PLA2 and 25(OH)D for diagnosing DKD was 0.867, with a sensitivity of 70.4 % and a specificity of 89.5 %. Conclusions: Increased serum Lp-PLA2 and decreased 25(OH)D levels are risk factors for early DKD in patients with T2DM. The combined detection of Lp-PLA2 and 25(OH)D may enhance the diagnostic efficacy of DKD.

Search for Cosmic-Ray Boosted Sub-MeV Dark-Matter-Electron Scattering in PandaX-4T.

We report the first search for the elastic scatterings between cosmic-ray boosted sub-MeV dark matter (DM) and electrons in the PandaX-4T liquid xenon experiment. Sub-MeV DM particles can be accelerated by scattering with electrons in the cosmic rays and produce detectable electron recoil signals in the detector. Using the commissioning data from PandaX-4T of 0.63 tonne·year exposure, we set new constraints on DM-electron scattering cross sections for DM masses ranging from 10 eV/c^{2} to 3 keV/c^{2}.

Development and Assessment of a Predictive Model for Ki-67 Expression Using Ultrasound Indicators and Non-Morphological Magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters Before Breast Cancer Therapy.

To formulate a predictive model for assessing Ki-67 expression in breast cancer by integrating pre-treatment ultrasound features with non-morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters, encompassing functional and hemodynamic indicators. A retrospective study was conducted on 167 patients. All patients underwent a breast mass biopsy for histopathological and Ki-67 analysis prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) treatment. Additionally, all patients underwent ultrasonography and MRI examinations prior to the biopsy. The recorded variables were Ki-67, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, Max Slope, time to peak (TTP), signal enhancement ratio (SER), early enhancement rate (EER), time-signal intensity curve (TIC), tumor maximum diameter, tumor margins and boundaries, aspect ratio, microcalcification, color Doppler flow imaging grading, resistance index (RI), and axillary lymph node metastasis. Statistical analysis was performed using the R software package. Normally distributed continuous data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD), skewed continuous data as median, and categorical variables as frequency or percentage. The dataset was randomly divided into a modeling group and a validation group following a 7:3 ratio, employing a predetermined random seed. The selection of variables was conducted using the random forest algorithm. Specifically, in the initial analysis, we trained a random forest model using all available variables. By evaluating the Gini importance scores of each variable, we identified those that contributed the most to predicting Ki-67 expression. The predictive model for Ki-67 expression was constructed using selected variables: Maximum Diameter, ADC value, SER value, Max Slope value, TTP value, and EER value. Within the validation group, the evaluation metrics demonstrated an Area under the curve of 0.961 with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.865 to 0.995. The model achieved a kappa score of 1.00, precision of 0.949, recall of 1, an F1 score of 0.974, sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 85.71%, a positive predictive value of 94.87%, and a negative predictive value of 100%. The combination of non-morphological MRI parameters and pre-treatment ultrasound features in a breast cancer prediction model powered by RF machine learning demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes and improved diagnostic performance.

Comparative research on monitoring methods for nitrate nitrogen leaching in tea plantation soils.

Great concern has long been raised about nitrate leaching in cropland due to its possible environmental side effects in ground water contamination. Here we employed two common techniques to measure nitrate leaching in tea plantation soils in subtropical China. Using drainage lysimeter as a reference method, the adaptability of estimating drainage and nitrate leaching by combining the water balance equation with the suction cup technique was investigated. Results showed that the final cumulative leachate volume for the calculated and measured method was 721.43 mm and 729.92 mm respectively during the study period. However, nitrate concentration exerted great influence in the estimation of nitrate leaching from the suction cup-based method. The cumulative nitrate leaching loss from the lysimeter and suction cup-based method was 47.45 kg ha-1 and 43.58 kg ha-1 under lysimeter nitrate concentrations ranging from 7 mg L-1 to 13 mg L-1, 156.28 kg ha-1 and 79.95 kg ha-1 under lysimeter nitrate concentrations exceeding 13 mg L-1. Therefore, the suction cup-based method could be an alternative way of monitoring nitrate leaching loss within a range of 7-13 mg L-1 of nitrate concentrations in leachate. Besides, lower results occurred in suction cup samplers due to lack of representative samples which mainly leached via preferential flow when in strong leaching events. Thus, it is advisable to increase sampling frequency under such special conditions. The results of this experiment can serve as a reference and guidance for the application of ceramic cups in monitoring nitrogen and other nutrient-ion leaching in tea plantation soils.

Comparisons of Inverse Dynamics Formulations in a Spatial Redundantly Actuated Parallel Mechanism Constrained by Two Point Contact Higher Kinematic Pairs.

A spatial redundantly actuated parallel mechanism (RAPM) constrained by two point contact higher kinematic pairs (HKPs) has been designed, arising from the inspiration of mastication in human beings: the end effector is the lower jaw, the six kinematic chains are the primary chewing muscles, and the constraints at HKPs are the temporomandibular joints. In this paper, firstly, the constrained motions of the mechanism are described in detail; thereafter, five models are formulated by the well-known Newton-Euler's law, the Lagrangian equations, and the principle of virtual work, to explore its rigid-body inverse dynamics. The symbolic results show that the model structures based on these approaches are quite different: the model via the Newton-Euler law well reflects the nature of the mechanism in terms of the constraint forces from HKPs with six equations and eight unknowns, and the existence of reaction forces at the spherical joints is tightly dependent on the number of kinematic chains. In comparison, from the latter two methods, the constraint forces and the reaction forces at spherical joints do not appear in the four models in which there are only four equations and six unknowns. Further, by using the dynamics model of the non-redundantly actuated counterpart as the core in both the second models from the energy and virtual work-related methods, their computational cost is only about 16.7% and 36.63% of the two first models, respectively. Finally, the comparisons between the dynamics models of the RAPM and its counterpart clarify that the HKP constraints greatly alter the model structures and raise the technical difficulties.

Effect of heat-treated flaxseed lignan macromolecules on the interfacial properties and physicochemical stability of α-linolenic acid-enriched O/W emulsions.

Flaxseed lignan macromolecules (FLMs) are important polyphenols present in flaxseeds with interfacial adsorption behavior. However, FLMs are easily degraded during thermal treatment in emulsions, which further influences their interfacial properties and application. In this work, the interfacial properties of FLMs between oil and water were evaluated using compression isotherms and interfacial tension to investigate the regulation mechanism of FLMs and their heat-treated products on the stability of O/W emulsions. Furthermore, the improvement mechanism of FLM heat-treated products on the physicochemical stability of flaxseed oil emulsions was clarified. Studies showed that thermal degradation occurred on terminal phenolic acids in FLMs when treated under 100 and 150 °C (FLM-100 and FLM-150) without any decrease in antioxidant activity. FLM-100 and FLM-150 improved the physicochemical stability of sunflower lecithin (S90)-stabilized flaxseed oil emulsions and reduced the concentration of hydroperoxides and TBARS by 26.7% and 80% (p < 0.05), respectively, during storage. This was due to the high interfacial anchoring of FLM-100 and FLM-150, which further strengthened the interface of oil droplets and improved the interfacial antioxidant effect of FLMs. This implies that FLM-100 and FLM-150 could act as new efficient antioxidants for application in food emulsions.

Partially amorphous NiFe layered double hydroxides enabling highly-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction at high current density.

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) serves as an innovative catalyst for water electrolysis, showcasing outstanding performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under alkaline conditions. However, it faces challenges due to its low electrical conductivity and limited accessibility to active sites. In this work, the flexibility advantages of disordered amorphous and ordered crystals in NiFe LDH were combined to improve OER performance and maintain long-term stability. This combination induces a variety of effects, including improving the intrinsic activity, changing the OER mechanism from adsorb evolution mechanism (AEM) to lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM), and promoting the reaction kinetics of the catalyst. Moreover, the porous structure of NiFe LDH can efficiently alleviate the issue of local acidic environment induced by prolonged OER reaction, satisfying the criteria for long-term stability. Therefore, the NiFe-2.0 LDH catalyst only requires an ultralow overpotential of 189 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 with Tafel slope of 43 mV dec-1. More importantly, the catalyst not only displays excellent electrocatalytic activity with an overpotential of 289 mV but also represents an outstanding stability over 80 h at an ultra-high current density of 1 A cm-2. This study provides a promising strategy for optimizing the catalytic activity and stability of catalyst at ampere current density, which is expected to achieve commercial applications.

Reversible Oxygen Redox With Enhanced Structural Stability Through Covalency Modulation for Layered Oxide Cathodes.

P2-type Mn-based layered oxides have emerged as one of the most promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries owing to their advantages of facile preparation and high theoretical capacity. However, challenges such as phase transition and irreversible oxygen release during cycling often lead to rapid structural distortion and the formation of oxygen vacancies, ultimately resulting in rapid capacity decay. Herein, a covalency modulation strategy is adopted to address these challenges and successfully achieved a stable P2-type Mn-based layered oxide by introducing strong covalent Ni─O bonds. The robust Ni─O motif plays a crucial role in maintaining the rigidity of transition metal (TM) layered frameworks, which efficiently alleviates the structural distortion and degradation of the coordination environments of local TM sites, thereby achieving durable structural stiffness over extended cycles. In addition, the strong covalent Ni─O bonds can also stabilize the local oxygen environment, effectively suppressing the irreversible oxygen release. Benefiting from these advancements, the as-designed Na0.6Mg0.15Mn0.7Ni0.15O2 cathode displays a full solid-solution behavior with a low volume change of only 0.9% and an enhanced reversibility of lattice oxygen redox (OR) reaction. This investigation emphasizes the crucial role of covalency modulation in regulating OR chemistry and structural integrity to achieve high-energy-density Mn-based layered oxides.

Improving Sexual Function through Penis Enlargement: Comparing Silicone Pearls Implantation and Fat Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Although current penile enlargement techniques can improve appearance, it remains unclear whether these procedures increase sexual function. We aimed to systematically compare the surgical outcomes, with a particular focus on sexual function, in patients and their partners following silicone pearls implantation and fat grafting for penis enlargement. METHODS: A single-site, retrospective study reviewed patients who underwent silicone pearls implantation or fat grafting for penis enlargement. In the operation, silicone pears were connected to form a ring-shaped implant, which was then implanted under the dartos fascia. For patients underwent fat grafting, a total of 40-55 ml of fat was injected for penis enlargement. Preoperative and 6-month postoperative data of patients and their partners were collected. The penis diameter, penis appearance score (PAS) and treatment satisfaction scale (TSS) were evaluated. RESULTS: Both pearls implantation (n = 28) and fat grafting (n = 27) led to an increase in penis diameter. The TSS scores of patients who underwent pearls implantation increased by 11.96%, and the partners' scores increased by 9.17%. Specifically, Confidence, Pleasure from Sexual Activity, and Satisfaction with Orgasm scores of partners showed significant improvements. Partners' Satisfaction with Orgasm increased most. The total TSS scores of patients with fat grafting increased by 16.7%; meanwhile, scores of their partners had not obvious improvement. CONCLUSION: Silicone pearls implantation was found to effectively improve the sexual function of men and the sexual satisfaction of their partners compared to fat grafting. Therefore, pearls implantation is possible to enhanced sexual experiences both for man and their partners. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Exploring barriers to physical activity participation among female nursing students adhering to specific social-cultural norms in Indonesia: A qualitative study.

Background: The prevalence of insufficient physical activity is common among nursing students and impacts their academic performance. Research on obstacles to physical activity (PA) among religious women, notably Muslims, is limited. Objectives: This study aimed to explore barriers to PA among Indonesian Muslim female nursing students and gather suggestions for overcoming those barriers. Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Two focus groups were conducted with 12 Muslim female nursing students in Makassar, Indonesia. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were collected from May and July 2019. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify core themes and sub-themes. Results: Thematic analysis identified barriers to PA across four main themes: intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and social-cultural related to religious context. Each theme included two to three sub-themes, totaling nine categories of PA participation barriers. Intrapersonal barriers consisted of low motivation, emotional states, and a sedentary lifestyle. Interpersonal challenges included a lack of family or friend support and family obligations. Institutional barriers involved academic workload prioritization, school environment inaccessibility, and absence of athletic curriculum policy. Socio-cultural barriers posed by religious expectations included gender-related concerns and modest dressing. Drawing from their perspectives as Muslim female nursing students, study participants proposed six strategies to address these barriers. Proposed solutions include promoting PA through Apps, forming female team-up clubs, providing designated exercise spaces, and implementing mandatory athletic courses for nursing students at the institutional level. Additionally, offering female instructors and private exercise rooms could reduce the barriers from a socio-cultural perspective caused by religious expectations. Conclusions: The study found that Muslim female nursing students with dual roles face increased barriers to PA participation, driven by intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, nursing learning load, and religious norms. Schools could build environments to meet the religious expectations within Indonesian society to promote PA for Muslim female nursing students. For example, the practical strategies include offering private rooms or female instructors when they physically exercise in school.

CFTR Inhibitors Display Antiviral Activity against Herpes Simplex Virus.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a cAMP-dependent Cl- channel, is closely associated with multiple pathogen infections, such as SARS-CoV-2. However, whether the function of the CFTR is involved in herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection has not been reported. To evaluate the association of CFTR activity with HSV infection, the antiviral effect of CFTR inhibitors in epithelial cells and HSV-infected mice was tested in this study. The data showed that treatment with CFTR inhibitors in different concentrations, Glyh-101 (5-20 µM), CFTRi-172 (5-20 µM) and IOWH-032 (5-20 µM), or the gene silence of the CFTR could suppress herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) replication in human HaCaT keratinocytes cells, and that a CFTR inhibitor, Glyh-101 (10-20 µM), protected mice from HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection. Intracellular Cl- concentration ([Cl-]i) was decreased after HSV infection via the activation of adenylyl cyclase (AC)-cAMP signaling pathways. CFTR inhibitors (20 µM) increased the reduced [Cl-]i caused by HSV infection in host epithelial cells. Additionally, CFTR inhibitors reduced the activity and phosphorylation of SGK1 in infected cells and tissues (from the eye and vagina). Our study found that CFTR inhibitors can effectively suppress HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection, revealing a previously unknown role of CFTR inhibitors in HSV infection and suggesting new perspectives on the mechanisms governing HSV infection in host epithelial cells, as well as leading to potential novel treatments.

"Warrior who transcends adversity": A qualitative examination of resilience among mothers caring for adolescents with congenital heart disease.

PURPOSE: Parenting resilience is essential for the well-being and development of children with chronic illnesses. Given the importance of parenting resilience in this context, this study explored the nature of parenting resilience among mothers caring for adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD). DESIGN AND METHODS: We adopted Husserl's phenomenological approach and conducted semistructured in-depth interviews. In addition, we conducted purposive sampling at the pediatric cardiology outpatient departments of 2 medical centers in Taiwan to recruit 11 mothers of adolescents with CHD; all of these adolescents had received open-heart surgery. Furthermore, we analyzed data by using Colaizzi's approach, and we adhered to the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research checklist. RESULTS: Mothers caring for adolescents with CHD was a dynamic process involving problem solving. The 11 mothers in this study employed resilience to remain strong, provided a sense of normalcy for their children, and approached challenges calmly and bravely. We uncovered three major themes among these mothers: "providing support for the child, "facing challenges with equanimity," and "overcoming adversity through positivity and gratitude." CONCLUSIONS: The present results provide a deeper understanding of how mothers caring for adolescents with CHD can cultivate resilience. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The study's findings can inform transitional programs for adolescents with CHD and their families, with nursing professionals supporting mothers' resilience.