Trimatch comparison of the prognosis of hypochloremia, normolchloremia and hyperchloremia in patients with septic shock.

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is a lethal disease, and identifying high-risk patients through noninvasive and widely available biomarkers can help improve global outcomes. While the clinical impact of chloride levels on critically ill patients remains unclear, this study aims to investigate the association between hypochloremia and mortality following ICU admission among septic shock patients. METHODS: This is an analysis of data stored in the databases of Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV). The initial chloride levels were classified ashypochloremia, normal chloraemia, and hyperchloraemia. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied, adjusting for age, lactate, pH, PO2, urine volume, RDW, creatinine, and liver disease, to assess the association between the three categories of chloride levels and mortality. RESULTS: Of 3726 patients included in the study, 470 patients (12.6%) had hypochloremia on ICU admission. During the follow-up period, 1120 (33.5%) patients died. Hypochloremia was significantly associated with increased mortality and the incidence of AKI after adjusting for several variables. CONCLUSIONS: Hypochloremia is independently associated with higher hospital mortality, AKI incidence among septic shock patients. However, further high-quality research is necessary to establish the precise relationship between hypochloremia and septic shock prognosis.

Application of 3D printing technology in tumor diagnosis and treatment.

3D printing technology is an increasing approach consisting of material manufacturing through the selective incremental delamination of materials to form a 3D structure to produce products. This technology has different advantages, including low cost, short time, diversification, and high precision. Widely adopted additive manufacturing technologies enable the creation of diagnostic tools and expand treatment options. Coupled with its rapid deployment, 3D printing is endowed with high customizability that enables users to build prototypes in shorts amounts of time which translates into faster adoption in the medical field. This review mainly summarizes the application of 3D printing technology in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including the challenges and the prospects combined with other technologies applied to the medical field.

Co-Doping of Al3+ and Ti4+ and Electrochemical Properties of LiNiO2 Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

LiNiO2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries has the advantages of high specific capacity, abundant resources, and low cost, but it suffers from difficulties in preparation, structural instability, and serious capacity decay. In this work, highly pure and layered structural LiNi0.95 Ala Ti0.05-a O2 (a=0, 0.025, 0.05) cathode materials were synthesized by a simply sol-gel method. The cation mixing of Ni2+ and Li+ , structural deterioration, irreversible conversion between H2 and H3 phases and unstable surface and CEI (Cathode-electrolyte interface) film can be effectively suppressed by co-doping with Al3+ and Ti4+ . A preferred LiNi0.95 Al0.025 Ti0.025 O2 sample provides a discharge specific capacity of 223 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and 148.32 mAh g-1 at 5 C, a capacity retention of 72.7 % after 300 cycles at 1 C and a Li+ diffusion coefficient of about 2.0×10-9 cm2 s-1 .

Assessing the impact of transfusion thresholds in patients with septic acute kidney injury: a retrospective study.

Background: Sepsis is a severe condition that often leads to complications such as acute kidney injury, which significantly increases morbidity and mortality rates. Septic AKI (S-AKI) is common in ICU patients and is associated with poor outcomes. However, there is no consensus on the optimal transfusion threshold for achieving the best clinical results. This retrospective study aims to investigate the relationship between different transfusion thresholds during hospitalization and the prognosis of septic AKI. Methods: Data from patients with S-AKI was extracted from MIMIC-IV. Based on the lowest hemoglobin level 24 h before transfusion, patients were divided into high-threshold (≥7 g/L) and low-threshold (<7 g/L) groups. We compared the outcomes between these two groups, including hospital and ICU mortality rates as primary outcomes, and 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days mortality rates, as well as duration of stay in ICU and hospital as secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 5,654 patients were included in our study. Baseline characteristics differed significantly between the two groups, with patients in the low-threshold group generally being younger and having higher SOFA scores. After performing propensity score matching, no significant differences in survival rates were found between the groups. However, patients in the low-threshold group had a longer overall hospital stay. Conclusion: A lower transfusion threshold does not impact the mortality rate in S-AKI patients, but it may lead to a longer hospital stay.

Intratumoral microbiota: implications for cancer onset, progression, and therapy.

Significant advancements have been made in comprehending the interactions between the microbiome and cancer. However, prevailing research predominantly directs its focus toward the gut microbiome, affording limited consideration to the interactions of intratumoral microbiota and tumors. Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), the intratumoral microbiome and its associated products wield regulatory influence, directing the modulation of cancer cell properties and impacting immune system functionality. However, to grasp a more profound insight into the intratumoral microbiota in cancer, further research into its underlying mechanisms is necessary. In this review, we delve into the intricate associations between intratumoral microbiota and cancer, with a specific focus on elucidating the significant contribution of intratumoral microbiota to the onset and advancement of cancer. Notably, we provide a detailed exploration of therapeutic advances facilitated by intratumoral microbiota, offering insights into recent developments in this burgeoning field.

Correction: Critical size effect for the surface heat capacities of nano-CdS: theoretical and experimental studies.

Correction for 'Critical size effect for the surface heat capacities of nano-CdS: theoretical and experimental studies' by Shengjiang Zhang et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 6193-6207, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CP04619E.

The Lineage Differentiation and Dynamic Heterogeneity of Thymic Epithelial Cells During Thymus Organogenesis.

Although much progress has been made recently in revealing the heterogeneity of the thymic stromal components, the molecular programs of cell lineage divergency and temporal dynamics of thymic epithelial cell (TEC) development are largely elusive. Here, we constructed a single-cell transcriptional landscape of non-hematopoietic cells from mouse thymus spanning embryonic to adult stages, producing transcriptomes of 30,959 TECs. We resolved the transcriptional heterogeneity of developing TECs and highlighted the molecular nature of early TEC lineage determination and cortico-medullary thymic epithelial cell lineage divergency. We further characterized the differentiation dynamics of TECs by clarification of molecularly distinct cell states in the thymus developing trajectory. We also identified a population of Bpifa1+ Plet1+ mTECs that was preserved during thymus organogenesis and highly expressed tissue-resident adult stem cell markers. Finally, we highlighted the expression of Aire-dependent tissue-restricted antigens mainly in Aire+ Csn2+ mTECs and Spink5+ Dmkn+ mTECs in postnatal thymus. Overall, our data provided a comprehensive characterization of cell lineage differentiation, maturation, and temporal dynamics of thymic epithelial cells during thymus organogenesis.

Critical size effect for the surface heat capacities of nano-CdS: theoretical and experimental studies.

The unique physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials are closely related to their surface thermodynamic functions, which mainly depend on their sizes. In this study, the thermodynamic properties of nano-cadmium sulphide (nano-CdS) were investigated by solubility technology. The nano-CdS powders with different particle sizes were prepared via a traditional solvothermal method, and the electrical conductivities of nano-CdS aqueous solutions at different temperatures were measured. The standard dissolution equilibrium constants of nano-CdS at different temperatures were calculated using the theory of dissolution thermodynamics. The standard molar dissolution thermodynamic functions, the molar surface thermodynamic functions and the specific surface thermodynamic functions of nano-CdS with different particle sizes were calculated by combining the thermodynamic functions of bulk-CdS, the principle of the thermodynamic cycle and the principle of electrochemical equilibrium. The experimental results show that the critical size values for the molar surface heat capacity and the specific surface heat capacity for approximately spherical nanoparticles are 9.3 nm and 8.7 nm, respectively. Within an acceptable range of error, the thermodynamic functions have linear and curved relationships with particle sizes and temperatures. Based on these results, it is disclosed that the critical size effect on surface heat capacities of nano-CdS is valuable to understand the energy storage processes of nanomaterials.

Electrochemical Performance and Behavior Mechanism for Zn/LiFePO4 Battery in a Slightly Acidic Aqueous Electrolyte.

The electrochemical performances and process mechanisms of Zn/LiFePO4 cells in a slightly acidic 1.9 m Li2 SO4 -0.5 m ZnSO4 aqueous solution were investigated. The results showed that the hydrogen depletion side reaction on the surface of the zinc sheet led to an increase in pH of the electrolyte and fluctuations in specific capacity of the cells, and that the dissolution of Fe2+ ions and the lamination of LiFePO4 particles resulted in a decrease in the specific capacity of the cells. At pH 5.0, the initial discharge specific capacity of the Zn/LiFePO4 cell was about 120.0 mAh g-1 at 0.25 C, about 64.4 mAh g-1 at 3 C, with about 60.9 % capacity retention rate after 200 cycles at 1 C, and the Li+ ions diffusion coefficient was about 7.75×10-12  cm2 s-1 .

ZIF-8 encapsulated upconversion nanoprobes to evaluate pH variations in food spoilage.

A novel nanoassembly was constructed through encapsulating upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) into a metal-organic framework structure (ZIF-8), in which doxorubicin (DOX) was absorbed into pores of ZIF-8. The blue emission of UCNPs was quenched by DOX through the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) strategy. When the nanoprobe was exposed to food samples with different pH values, ZIF-8 collapsed to release DOX molecules, resulting in upconversion recovery. The porous structure of ZIF-8 provides abundant space for DOX absorption, which significantly improves the detection capacities and accuracy. It is shown that the probe has a good linear relationship when pH values vary from 2.5 to 7.4, and can distinguish pH variations as low as 0.5 in real samples. This strategy has been successfully used to determine food spoilage by determination of pH variations.

Luminescence Nanoprobe in the Near-Infrared-II Window for Ultrasensitive Detection of Hypochlorite.

Sensitive and selective detection of hypochlorite is in great demand for food safety, especially in fresh cold chain products. However, the detection limit of traditional visible emission-based strategies cannot satisfy the requirement of ultrasensitive analysis in practical applications. In this work, we explored a novel luminescent nanoprobe in the near-infrared-II (NIR-II) window to greatly improve the hypochlorite detection limit for analysis of real milk samples, which was based on the fluorescence resonance energy-transfer process between the hypochlorite-responsive dye (FD1080) and the lanthanide-doped downconverted nanoparticles. Specifically, the NIR-II luminescence from Yb ions was first suppressed by FD1080 due to the energy-transfer mechanism. In the presence of hypochlorite, FD1080 was bleached to recover the luminescence. As a proof-of-concept, the optimal nanoprobe exhibited a linear luminescence recovery in the range of 0.1-1 nM with the detection limit of 0.0295 nM for hypochlorite. Real milk sample detection experiments showed that the probe had good accuracy and precision.

Ratio-Adjustable Upconversion Luminescence Nanoprobe for Ultrasensitive In Vitro Diagnostics.

The development of precise medicine requires diagnostic probes to simultaneously satisfy an excellent detection limit and a wide linear analysis range because of enormous individual-discrepancy of disease biomarker concentrations, yet it remains challenging. Herein, an upconverison nanoprobe with a luminescence ratio flexibly tailored was designed for ultrasensitive monitoring exhaled nitric oxide to indicate the clinical course of asthma. Two independent emissions from the same nanoprobe can be discretionarily modulated to vary their intensity ratios for adapting different analysis requirements. Delightfully, this novel nanoprobe demonstrated a 100-fold lower detection limit compared with the traditional ratiometric fluorescence manner and a more broad linear detection range from the subpart per billion (ppb) level to hundreds of ppb. This ratio-adjustable fluorescence detection strategy holds great potential for miscellaneous disease diagnosis applications.

Spatzle4 gene of silkworm, Bombyx mori: identification, immune response, and the effect of RNA interference on the antimicrobial peptides' expression in the integument.

Insects, including silkworms, can protect themselves from exotic invasions by innate immune responses. In the immune response of Drosophila, the activation of Toll receptors is strictly dependent on the product of Spatzle. In this study, we cloned the 1567 bp BmSpz4 cDNA which contained a complete 1386 bp open reading frame, encoding 461 amino acids, out of which the forgoing 19 residues were signal peptide. The result of the cDNA sequencing showed that we found a longer transcript than the one included in large scale full-Length cDNA sequencing data by Yoshitaka Suetsugu et al. in 2013. Several spliced variants of BmSpz4 have been found, based on our preliminary results. It was shown by the RT-PCR that BmSpz4 was expressed highest in the head, lower in the integument and testis. The expression of BmSpz4 in the integument of silkworm was upregulated by formalin-inactivated Gram-positive bacteria and fungi but not by Gram-negative bacteria, when compared to the control group of PBS injection. This phenomenon was the same as the one found in the Toll signaling pathway of Drosophila. In addition, the result of double-stranded RNA interference of BmSpz4 also demonstrated that it had a corresponding interference effect on the expression of the integument antimicrobial peptides induced by bacillus and yeast. Thus, it may be concluded that BmSpz4 plays an important role in the innate immunity against microbe infection in the integument of silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Experimental modulation and computational model of nano-hydrophobicity.

We demonstrate that nano-hydrophobicity, which governs the biological aggressiveness of nanoparticles, is determined by the outermost regions of surface ligands. We have also successfully modulated nano-hydrophobicity using systematic surface ligand modifications and built the first computational model of nano-hydrophobicity.

Peptidoglycan recognition protein S2 from silkworm integument: characterization, microbe-induced expression, and involvement in the immune-deficiency pathway.

Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) binds specifically to peptidoglycan and plays an important role as a pattern recognition receptor in the innate immunity of insects. The cDNA of a short-type PGRP, an open reading frame of 588 bp encoding a polypeptide of 196 amino acids, was cloned from Bombyx mori. A phylogenetic tree was constructed, and the results showed that BmPGRP-S2 was most similar to Drosophila melanogaster PGRP (DmPGRP-SA). The induced expression profile of BmPGRP-S2 in healthy Escherichia coli- and Bacillus subtilis-challenged B. mori was measured using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of BmPGRP-S2 was upregulated at 24 h by E. coli and Ba. subtilis challenge. In addition, in the integument of B. mori, RNAi knockdown of BmPGRP-S2 caused an obvious reduction in the transcription expression of the transcription factor Relish and in antibacterial effector genes Attacin, Gloverin, and Moricin. The results indicated that BmPGRP-S2 participates in the signal transduction pathway of B. mori.

[Study of pH measuring based on i-motif DNA conformation switch and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy of gold nanoparticles].

A fast, sensitive, colorimetric method for the detection of pH based on the differentiate effect of gold nanoparticles to the configuration of DNA was developed in this study. The UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy of the i-motif DNA-Au NPs system has been investigated, and the effect of the concentration of salt and i-motif DNA, reaction time and DNA sequence on the pH response of the system have been also optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy of the Au NPs is changed regularly with pH in the range of 5.3 - 7.0, the absorbance at 520 nm is increased gradually while at 700 nm decreased. Correspondingly, the color of the Au NPs is varied from violet to red. The pH sensor is no need to modification, low cost, fast and can be carried out by naked eyes. It is promising to use in monitoring some life process which associated with pH variation.

Sensitive turn-on fluorescent detection of melamine based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

We here report a novel fluorescent method for the detection of melamine based on the high fluorescence quenching ability of gold nanoparticles. The fluorescence was significantly quenched via fluorescence resonance energy transfer when fluorescein molecules were attached to the surface of gold nanoparticles by electrostatic interaction. Upon addition of melamine, the fluorescence was enhanced due to the competitive adsorption of gold nanoparticles between melamine and fluorescein. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence enhancement efficiency [(I-I(0))/I(0)] showed a linear relationship with the concentration of melamine in the range of 1.0 × 10(-7) mol L(-1)~4.0 × 10(-6) mol L(-1), and the detection limit was calculated to be 1.0 × 10(-9) mol L(-1). The proposed method showed several advantages such as high sensitivity, short analysis time, low cost and ease of operation.

Visual detection of melamine in milk products by label-free gold nanoparticles.

A simple, rapid, field-portable colorimetric method for the detection of melamine based on melamine-induced color change of label-free gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) was developed in this study. Melamine can induced the aggregation of Au NPs and results in the color change from wine-red to purple, which provided a platform for rapid and field-portable colorimetric detection of melamine. The proposed method can be used to detect melamine in liquid milk and infant formula with a detection limit of 1.0 and 4.2ppm, respectively, within 30min by naked eyes observation without the aid of any advanced instrument and the need of any complex pretreatment, and detect as low as 0.15ppm of melamine in liquid milk and 2.5ppm of melamine in infant formula with UV-vis-spectroscopy. The proposed method is promising for on-site screening of melamine adulterant in milk products.

Molecular mechanisms regulating expression and function of transcription regulator inhibitor of differentiation 3.

The transcription factor antagonist inhibitor of differentiation 3 (Id3) has been implicated in many diverse developmental, physiological and pathophysiological processes. Its expression and function is subjected to many levels of complex regulation. This review summarizes the current understanding of these mechanisms and describes how they might be related to the diverse functions that have been attributed to the Id3 protein. Detailed understanding of these mechanisms should provide insights towards the development of therapeutic approaches to various diseases, including cancer and atherogenesis.

Regulation of inhibitor of differentiation gene 3 (Id3) expression by Sp2-motif binding factor in myogenic C2C12 cells: downregulation of DNA binding activity following skeletal muscle differentiation.

Id3 is a member of the Id family of transcriptional regulators that have been implicated in the development of multiple tissues. Altered expression of the Id genes and proteins contribute to carcinogenesis and atherosclerosis. Id3 is highly expressed in proliferating skeletal muscle cells but becomes downregulated upon terminal differentiation. We have identified several DNase I protected footprints within a proximal region of the mouse Id3 promoter that has been shown previously to support high levels of transcriptional activity in proliferating skeletal muscle cells. Two of these sites interacted, respectively, in vitro with Sp2 and Egr-1 proteins present in muscle cell nuclear extracts. Mutation analysis revealed that the Sp2 site accounted for a major part of the Id3 promoter activity in proliferating muscle cells whereas the Egr-1 site was dispensable. Consistent with the previously observed downregulation of the endogenous Id3 gene, protein binding to the Sp2 site was substantially reduced with extracts from differentiated muscle cells. Our results reveal Id3 as a potential target for Sp2 and raise the possibility that acute activation and the chronic and maintained expression of Id3 gene might be regulated by different mechanisms.