High-quality integratable microlasers from scalable perovskite heterostructures enabled by solution-phase processing.

High-performance transferable and integratable microlasers hold great promise to construct the integrated photonics and optoelectronics. However, the qualified candidates are still being pursued. Herein, a mass-production of low-threshold and wavelength-tunable microlasers that is readily integratable with the optical fiber platform is realized by a two-step solution-phase approach. The demonstration is enabled by the formation of a novel semiconductor heterostructure from halide perovskites featuring the quasi-free-standing and highly emissive properties. Corroborated by the in-situ optical characterization, we reveal that the lateral perovskite heterostructures are constructed through a sequential reaction driven by the surface energy contrast. These perovskite heterostructures exhibit low-threshold and broadband tunable lasing action thanks to the efficient spatial light conversion nature and the facile composition tunability. Taking the merits together, the heterostructure microlasers can be the competitive applicants for photonic integration as demonstrated by the laser-on-fiber configuration.

Discovery, characterization and mechanism of a Microbacterium esterase for key d-biotin chiral intermediate synthesis.

Esterases are crucial biocatalysts in chiral compound synthesis. Herein, a novel esterase EstSIT01 belonging to family V was identified from Microbacterium chocolatum SIT101 through genome mining and phylogenetic analysis. EstSIT01 demonstrated remarkable efficiency in asymmetrically hydrolyzing meso-dimethyl ester [Dimethyl cis-1,3-Dibenzyl-2-imidazolidine-4,5-dicarboxyate], producing over 99% yield and 99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) for (4S, 5R)-monomethyl ester, a crucial chiral intermediate during the synthesis of d-biotin. Notably, the recombinant E. coli expressing EstSIT01 exhibited over 40-fold higher activity than that of the wild strain. EstSIT01 displays a preference for short-chain p-NP esters. The optimal temperature and pH were 45 °C and 10.0, with Km and kcat values of 0.147 mmol/L and 5.808 s- 1, respectively. Molecular docking and MD simulations suggest that the high stereoselectivity for meso-diester may attribute to the narrow entrance tunnel and unique binding pocket structure. Collectively, EstSIT01 holds great potential for preparing chiral carboxylic acids and esters.

Construction of a nomogram for predicting catheter-related bladder discomfort in patients with end-stage renal disease after renal transplantation: a retrospective study.

Background: The incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) is relatively high in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who underwent renal transplantation (RT). This study was designed to establish a nomogram for predicting CRBD after RT among ESRD patients. Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected 269 ESRD patients who underwent RT between September 2019 and August 2023 in our hospital. The patients were divided into training set (n = 215) and test set (n = 54) based on a ratio of 8:2. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to identify the risk factors associated with CRBD after RT, and then a nomogram model was constructed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the predicting efficiency of the established nomogram. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that aberrant body mass index (BMI) (underweight: OR = 5.25; 95% CI [1.25-22.15], P = 0.024; overweight: OR = 2.75; 95% CI [1.17-6.49], P = 0.021), anuria (OR = 2.86; 95% CI [1.33-5.88]) and application of double J (DJ) stent with a diameter of >5Fr (OR = 15.88; 95% CI [6.47-39.01], P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for CRBD after RT. In contrast, sufentanil utilization (>100 µg) [OR = 0.39; 95% CI [0.17-0.88], P = 0.023] was associated with decreased incidence of CRBD. A nomogram was then established based on these parameters for predicting the occurrence of CRBD after RT. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) values and calibration curves confirmed the prediction efficiency of the nomogram. Conclusion: A nomogram was established for predicting CRBD after RT in ESRD patients, which showed good prediction efficiency based on AUC and calibration curves.

The treatment of oily wastewater by thermo-responsive calcium alginate capsules immobilized Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A microfluidic strategy of smart calcium alginate (CA) capsules is presented to immobilize Pseudomonas aeruginosa to treat oil slicks effectively. The capsule wall is embedded with poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) sub-microspheres as thermo-responsive switches. CA capsules, with a diameter of 3.26 mm and a thin wall thickness about 12.8 µm, have satisfying monodispersity, cavity structure, and dense surface structures. The capsules possess excellent encapsulation of bacteria, which are fixed in a restricted space and become more aggregated. It overcomes the disadvantages of a long fermentation production cycle, easy loss of bacteria, and susceptibility to shear effect. The smart CA capsules immobilized with bacteria treat model wastewater containing soybean oil or diesel and display favorable fermentation ability. The capsules can effectively treat oil slicks with high concentration, and it is an economical way for processing oily wastewater. PRACTITIONER POINTS: A thermo-responsive calcium alginate capsule was prepared by microfluidic strategy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is environmentally friendly in treating oil slicks. The capsules, immobilized bacteria, treat oil slicks effectively. This study provides an economical way for processing different oily water.

Spatiotemporal co-optimization of agricultural management practices towards climate-smart crop production.

Co-optimization of multiple management practices may facilitate climate-smart agriculture, but is challenged by complex climate-crop-soil management interconnections across space and over time. Here we develop a hybrid approach combining agricultural system modelling, machine learning and life cycle assessment to spatiotemporally co-optimize fertilizer application, irrigation and residue management to achieve yield potential of wheat and maize and minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the North China Plain. We found that the optimal fertilizer application rate and irrigation for the historical period (1995-2014) are lower than local farmers' practices as well as trial-derived recommendations. With the optimized practices, the projected annual requirement of fertilizer, irrigation water and residue inputs across the North China Plain in the period 2051-2070 is reduced by 16% (14-21%) (mean with 95% confidence interval), 19% (7-32%) and 20% (16-26%), respectively, compared with the current supposed optimal management in the historical reference period, with substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions. We demonstrate the potential of spatiotemporal co-optimization of multiple management practices and present digital mapping of management practices as a benchmark for site-specific management across the region.

Exploration of wound-related complications post-kidney transplantation.

An essential intervention for patients with end-stage renal disease is kidney transplantation. Nonetheless, patient outcomes are substantially affected by complications associated with postoperative wounds. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence, risk factors and repercussions of wound-related complications among kidney transplant recipients. A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Department of Organ Transplantation, China. Included in the study were 118 patients who had undergone kidney transplantation during the specified time period. Medical record evaluations, questionnaires and patient interviews were utilized to collect data, with an emphasis on demographics, transplant information, postoperative care and wound complications. Infection, dehiscence, lymphocoele, delayed wound healing, seroma formation and haematoma were classified as complications. The presence of comorbidities, age over 50 and living donor transplants were identified as significant risk factors for postoperative complications. The most prevalent complications observed were delayed wound healing (21.2%) and infections (16.9%) (p < 0.05). Antibiotics were found to be effective in managing infections, while prolonged conservative management was necessary for delayed wound healing. Prominent complications that recurred were infections and wound healing delays. No statistically significant correlation was observed between gender, BMI and prior transplants with the occurrence of complications (p > 0.05). The research highlighted the significance of taking into account patient-specific variables, including age and concurrent medical conditions, when conducting post-kidney transplantation treatment. The results supported the use of individualized strategies in postoperative care, particularly for populations at high risk, in order to reduce the incidence and severity of complications associated with wounds in pursuit to enhancing clinical practices and formulating focused intervention strategies to improve patient outcomes following transplantation.

Psychological Status, Influencing Factors and Intervention Countermeasures of Hospital Pharmacists in Extreme Working Environments in the Post-Pandemic Era--An Embedded Mixed Study.

Objective: The study explores the psychological state and related influences of hospital pharmacists enclosed in extreme work environments in the post-epidemic era, and also explores potential measures to alleviate negative emotions. Methods: An embedded mixed research methodology was used. In the qualitative research phase, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 pharmacists consistently confined to their work environments. The data were managed and analyzed using NVivo12 software. In the quantitative research phase, 146 pharmacists with experience in extreme work environments were selected, and the data were collected through questionnaires (GAD-7 and CD-RISC-25) and self-administered questions generated during the qualitative phase. The Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized to assess data normality. Spearman correlation was conducted to evaluate correlations among self-designed questions, resilience, and anxiety. Results: The results from interviews with 30 pharmacists revealed four factors influencing the psychological state of pharmacists in the post-epidemic era: personal factors, interpersonal relationships, environmental factors, and policy and public opinion. Mitigation measures for negative emotions encompass material security, life adjustment, epidemic prevention policy, public opinion information, and organizational management. The results of a quantitative study of 146 pharmacists showed that only 1% had severe anxiety, but the psychological resilience scores were generally low, and 62% had poor psychological resilience, with scores below 73. Simultaneously, it was observed that, except religious beliefs, factors influencing psychological status in extreme work environments were significantly negatively correlated with personal anxiety levels and significantly positively correlated with psychological resilience. Conclusion: Our study holds significance in unraveling the psychological aspects of pharmacists as healthcare workers. It also offers insights into how healthcare organizations respond to the negative emotions experienced by healthcare workers in emergencies or extreme environments.

Superconductivity and phase transitions in Kagome compound Pd3P2S8from first-principles calculation.

Pd3P2S8is a semiconductor that contains Kagome lattices, which exhibits various physical phenomena. Structural searches of Pd3P2S8in the pressure range from 0 to 120 GPa have revealed two phases of the space groupP3‾m1(designated asP3‾m1-1 andP3‾m1-2) and two phases of the space groupC2/m(designated asC2/m-1 andC2/m-2), with all butC2/m-2 phase being dynamically stable. Electron-phonon calculations combined with Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer's argument have shown that both phases are superconductors. Notably, theP3‾m1-1 phase undergoes a semiconductor-to-superconductor transition, with superconducting critical temperature (Tc) increasing up to a maximum of 9.13 K at 70 GPa. BothC2/m-1 andP3‾m1-2 phases exhibit superconductivity at 0 GPa. Our calculations demonstrate several new superconducting phases of Pd3P2S8, providing a pathway and platform for exploring superconductivity in materials with Kagome lattices and expanding the options for studying such lattices.

Norepinephrine alleviates cyclosporin A-induced nephrotoxicity by enhancing the expression of SFRP1.

Norepinephrine (NE) has a certain effect on the improvement of renal function. However, whether NE can alleviate cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced nephrotoxicity needs further study. The effect of CsA (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 µM) on the human renal epithelial cell vitality, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, apoptosis, and secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) level was examined by cell counting kit-8, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometer, and western blot. The effect of NE on the LDH activity, apoptosis, and SFRP1 level of human renal epithelial cells induced by CsA was examined again. After silencing of SFRP1 in human renal epithelial cells, the SFRP1 level, cell vitality, and apoptosis were examined again. CsA (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 µM) attenuated the cell vitality and SFRP1 level but enhanced the LDH activity and apoptosis in human renal epithelial cells, while the above effects were reversed by NE. Moreover, SFRP1 silencing reversed the regulation of NE on the SFRP1 level, cell vitality, and apoptosis in human renal epithelial cells induced by CsA. In conclusion, NE relieved CsA-induced nephrotoxicity via enhancing the expression of SFRP1.

A content-aware corpus-based model for analysis of marine accidents.

In the past decades, marine accidents brought the serious loss of life and property and environmental contamination. With the accumulation of marine accident data, especially accident investigation reports, compared with subjective reasoning based on expert experience, data-driven methods for analysis and accident prevention are more comprehensive and objective. This paper aims to develop a content-aware corpus-based model for the analysis of marine accidents to mine the accident semantic features. The general research framework is established to combine accident data, expert prior knowledge, and semi-automated natural language processing (NLP) technology. The NLP models are optimized, fused, and applied to the case study of ship collision accidents. The results show that the proposed model can accurately and quickly extract hazards, accident causes, and scenarios from the accident reports, and perform semantic analysis for the latent relationships between them to extend the accident causation theory. This study can provide a powerful and innovative analysis tool for marine accidents for maritime traffic safety management departments and relevant research institutions.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted MRI of renal parenchyma and its clinical significance in patients with untreated acute leukemia: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate quantitative parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted MRI (IVIM) of renal parenchyma in patients with untreated acute leukemia (AL) and analyze its prognostic significance and probable pathological mechanism. METHODS: From March 2019 to November 2021, 67 newly diagnosed AL patients and 67 healthy controls matched in age and sex were recruited. All participants underwent IVIM in the kidneys, and D, D*, f, standard ADC values were measured. The differences of all parameters between AL and controls were analyzed. The relationship between imaging parameters and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was studied. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to investigate prognostic significance of possible indicators. RESULTS: The f and D value of renal medulla and D value of renal cortex in AL patients were lower than those in the healthy control group (t = - 2.173, t = - 3.463, t = - 2.030, respectively, all P < 0.05). The cortical f, cortical standard ADC, medullary f, and medullary standard ADC were correlated with the eGFR (r = 0.524, r = 0.401, r = 0.415, r = 0.325, respectively, all P < 0.05) in patients with AL. A medullary f value ≤ 9.51% (hazard ratio: 0.282; 95% confidence interval: 0.110, 0.719; P = 0.008) was associated with overall survival in a multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: The f and standard ADC values in renal parenchyma were the probable imaging markers of renal function in patients with newly diagnosed de novo AL. Lower renal medullary f value was a potential independent predictor for overall survival.

Investigation of multicolor emitting Cs3GdGe3O9:Bi3+,Eu3+ phosphors via energy transfer for WLEDs.

Bi3+/Eu3+ doped Cs3GdGe3O9 luminescent materials were prepared by a solid-state reaction. The energy band and density of states of Cs3GdGe3O9 were calculated by density functional theory. The Cs3GdGe3O9 host presents a broadband emission peaking at 520 nm. Systemic measurement and analysis of luminescence properties were performed to confirm the energy transfer in Cs3GdGe3O9:Bi3+,Eu3+. The multicolor modulated emission from blue (0.1678, 0.1568) to red (0.5931, 0.3251) can be achieved by varying the doping ratio of bismuth to europium. A white light-emitting diode (WLED) was produced by combining the Cs3GdGe3O9:0.05Bi3+,0.1Eu3+ phosphor, a commercial green phosphor, and a 310 nm ultraviolet chip. The color rendering index of the WLED driven by 20 mA bias current is 89.6 with the CIE coordinates of (0.3520, 0.3626). The results reveal that the Cs3GdGe3O9:Bi3+,Eu3+ phosphor is a potential material that can be used in multicolor tunable luminescence and WLEDs.

Joint Resource Management and Trajectory Optimization for UAV-Enabled Maritime Network.

Due to the lack of places to employ communication infrastructures, there are many coverage blind zones in maritime communication networks. Benefiting from the high flexibility and maneuverability, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been proposed as a promising method to provide broadband maritime coverage for these blind zones. In this paper, a multi-UAV-enabled maritime communication model is proposed, where UAVs are deployed to provide the transmission service for maritime users. To improve the performance of the maritime communication systems, an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the minimum average throughput among all users by jointly optimizing the user association, power allocation, and UAV trajectory. To derive the solutions with a low computational complexity, we decompose this problem into three subproblems, namely user association optimization, power allocation optimization, and UAV trajectory optimization. Then, a joint iterative algorithm is developed to achieve the solutions based on the successive convex approximation and interior-point methods. Extensive simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and demonstrate that UAVs can be used to enhance the maritime coverage.

Superconductivity in CeBeH8and CeBH8at moderate pressures.

High-pressure structural searches of superhydrides CeBeH8and CeBH8were performed under ambient pressure up to 300 GPa. We identifyFm3‾m-CeBeH8with a superconducting transition temperatureTcof 56 K at 10 GPa. Two more phases with spacegroupR3‾mandC2/m, were investigated within the increasing pressures. CeBH8shows a similar phase transition process as CeBeH8but with higher transition pressures and higherTc.Fm3‾m-CeBH8is predicted to be superconducting above 120 GPa with a maximumTcof 118 K at 150 GPa.R3‾m-CeBH8andC2/m-CeBH8are dynamically stable above 120 GPa and 100 GPa, respectively. The maximumTcis 123 K at 195 GPa forR3‾m-CeBH8, and 115 K at 350 GPa forC2/m-CeBH8. Our work enriches the family of ternary hydrides and may provide a useful guideline for further search for superconducting hydrides at low and moderate pressures.

Enhanced photonic spin Hall effect of reflected light from a doubly linear gradient-refractive-index material.

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE), manifesting itself as spin-dependent splitting of light, holds potential applications in nano-photonic devices and precision metrology. However, the photonic SHE is generally weak, and therefore its enhancement is of great significance. In this paper, we propose a simple method for enhancing the photonic SHE of reflected light by taking advantage of the gradient-refractive-index (GRIN) material. The transverse shifts for a normal (homogeneous) layer and linear GRIN structure with three different types (singly increasing, singly decreasing, and doubly linear ones) are theoretically investigated. We found that the doubly linear GRIN materials exhibit the prominent photonic SHE of reflected light, which is mainly due to the Fabry-Perot resonance. By optimizing the thickness and the lower (higher) refractive index of the doubly linear GRIN layer, the transverse shift for a horizontally polarized incident beam can nearly reach its upper limitation (i.e., half of the beam waist). These findings provide us a potential method to enhance the photonic SHE, and therefore establish a strong foundation for developing spin-based photonic devices in the future.

Multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor nanoparticle delivery systems for cancer therapy.

Multi-target Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (MTKIs) have drawn substantial attention in tumor therapy. MTKIs could inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by blocking the activity of tyrosine kinase. However, the toxicity and drug resistance of MTKIs severely restrict their further clinical application. The nano pharmaceutical technology based on MTKIs has attracted ever-increasing attention in recent years. Researchers deliver MTKIs through various types of nanocarriers to overcome drug resistance and improve considerably therapeutic efficiency. This review intends to summarize comprehensive applications of MTKIs nanoparticles in malignant tumor treatment. Firstly, the mechanism and toxicity were introduced. Secondly, various nanocarriers for MTKIs delivery were outlined. Thirdly, the combination treatment schemes and drug resistance reversal strategies were emphasized to improve the outcomes of cancer therapy. Finally, conclusions and perspectives were summarized to guide future research.

Invasive Aspergillus outbreak in inhalation injury: a case presentation and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis often occurs in patients with poor immune function, who abuse steroids or broad-spectrum antibiotics, or who use intravenous drugs. Among the Aspergillus genus of pulmonary infection, Aspergillus fumigatus is the most important pathogen, followed by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus. Inhalation injury complicated by Aspergillus infection has atypical clinical manifestations. Diagnosis is difficult, and it is easy to make mistakes in treatment. Moreover, there are few cases of burn inhalation injury complicated with pulmonary Aspergillus. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of severe burns combined with severe inhalation injury, early pulmonary aspergillosis, and severe respiratory failure due to treatment discontinuation. Through analyzing the processes of diagnosis and treatment in the present case and performing a literature review, we explore feasible diagnosis and treatment plans. CONCLUSIONS: Early application of a variety of diagnostic measures can be used to identify Aspergillus infection, and targeted anti-infection treatment is likely to reverse a severe adverse prognosis.

Molecular Characteristics, Clinical Significance, and Cancer Immune Interactions of Angiogenesis-Associated Genes in Gastric Cancer.

Background: Immunotherapy has evolved as a critical option to treat diverse cancers. The active response to immunotherapy relies on the unique interaction between cancer and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Angiogenesis is one of the hallmarks of cancer. However, the association between angiogenesis and clinical outcome, immune cell infiltration, and immunotherapy remains unknown in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: We systematically assessed 36 angiogenesis-associated genes (AAGs) and comprehensively identified the correlation between angiogenesis and transcriptional patterns, prognosis, and immune cell infiltration. The AAG_score was applied to quantify the angiogenesis subtypes of each patient. We then evaluated their values in prognostic prediction and therapeutic responses in GC. Results: We discussed the mutations of AAGs in GC specimens from genetic levels and identified their expression patterns from TCGA and GEO cohorts. We determined two different molecular subtypes and observed that AAG mutations were related to patients' clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis, and infiltrating TME. Next, an AAG_score for predicting overall survival (OS) was established and its reliable predictive ability in GC patients was confirmed. Furthermore, we created a highly reliable nomogram to facilitate the clinical viability of the AAG_score. A low AAG_score, characterized by elevated microsatellite instability-high, mutation burden, and immune activation, demonstrated a superior OS. Additionally, the AAG_score was remarkedly correlated with the cancer stem cell index and drug susceptibility. Conclusion: Collectively, we identified a prognostic AAG signature for GC patients. This signature may contribute to clarifying the characteristics of TME and enable the exploration of more potent immunotherapy strategies.

Manganese oxide nanomaterials for bacterial infection detection and therapy.

Bacterial infection has received substantial attention and poses a serious threat to human health. Although antibiotics can effectively fight against bacterial infection, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance has become increasingly serious in recent years, which tremendously hinders its clinical application. Consequently, it is urgent to explore novel strategies to achieve efficacious treatment of bacterial diagnosis and detection. Manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanomaterial has been extensively reported in tumor therapy. Nevertheless, there are few antibacterial reviews of MnO2. Herein, we will discuss the applications of MnO2 in the detection and treatment of bacterial infection, including photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, improvement of hypoxia, dual-modal combination therapy, reactive oxygen species scavenging, magnetic resonance imaging, optical application of acoustic imaging, and so forth. This review is expected to provide meaningful guidance on further research of MnO2 nanomaterial for antibacterial applications.

Hollow Mesoporous Manganese Oxides: Application in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

The precision, minimal invasiveness, and integration of diagnosis and treatment are critical factors for tumor treatment at the present. Although nanomedicine has shown the potential in tumor precision treatment, nanocarriers with high efficiency, excellent targeting, controlled release, and good biocompatibility still need to be further explored. Hollow mesoporous manganese oxides nanomaterials (HM-MONs), as an efficient drug delivery carrier, have attracted substantial attention in applications of tumor diagnosis and therapy due to their unique properties, such as tumor microenvironment stimuli-responsiveness, prominent catalytic activity, excellent biodegradation, and outstanding magnetic resonance imaging ability. The HM-MONs can not only enhance the therapeutic efficiency but also realize multimodal diagnosis of tumors. Consequently, it is necessary to introduce applications based on HM-MONs in cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this review, the representative progress of HM-MONs in synthesis is discussed. Then, several promising applications in drug delivery, bio-imaging, and bio-detection are highlighted. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of the anticancer applications are summarized, which is expected to provide meaningful guidance on further research.