Endowing Three-Dimensional Porous Wood with Hydrophobicity/Superhydrophobicity Based on Binary Silanization.

Wood, as a natural biomass material, has long been a research focus. Superhydrophobic modified wood, in particular, has shown great promise in a myriad of engineering applications such as architecture, landscape, and shipbuilding. However, commercial development has encountered significant resistance due to preparation difficulties and sometimes unsatisfactory performance. In this study, hydrophobic/superhydrophobic wood comodified with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrimethoxysilane (PFDTMS) was fabricated by a one-step sol-gel method that uses an in situ growth process. Low-molecular-weight MTMS was allowed to permeate the three-dimensional porous wood interior. Then, acid-base catalysts were used to regulate the hydrolytic condensation process of MTMS and PFDTMS composite silanes to generate micro/nano hierarchical structures with low surface energy on the wood surface. The physicochemical characteristics of modified wood were investigated and the reaction mechanism established. The modified wood displayed excellent internal hydrophobicity/surface superhydrophobicity, water-moisture resistance, and dimensional stability at low fluorine concentrations. The resulting superhydrophobic surface provided stain resistance, self-cleaning ability, and loading capacity in water while exhibiting good mechanochemical stability; wood mechanical strength was also enhanced. This methodology created a superhydrophobic surface and bulk hydrophobization of wood in one step. Beyond wood, this approach is expected to provide a promising approach for functional modification of other porous composite materials.

Metagenomic insights into the influence of pH on antibiotic removal and antibiotic resistance during nitritation: Regulations on functional genus and genes.

The changes in pH and the resulting presence of free nitrous acid (FNA) or free ammonia (FA) often inhibit antibiotic biodegradation during nitritation. However, the specific mechanisms through which pH, FNA and FA influence antibiotic removal and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are not yet fully understood. In this study, the effects of pH, FNA, and FA on the removal of cefalexin and amoxicillin during nitritation were investigated. The results revealed that the decreased antibiotic removal under both acidic condition (pH 4.5) and alkaline condition (pH 9.5) was due to the inhibition of the expression of amoA in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and functional genes (hydrolase-encoding genes, transferase-encoding genes, lyase-encoding genes, and oxidoreductase-encoding genes) in heterotrophs. Furthermore, acidity was the primary inhibitor of antibiotic removal at pH 4.5, followed by FNA. Antibiotic removal was primarily inhibited by alkalinity at pH 9.5, followed by FA. The proliferation of ARGs mediated by mobile genetic element was promoted under both acidic and alkaline conditions, attributed to the promotion of FNA and FA, respectively. Overall, this study highlights the inhibitory effects of acidity and alkalinity on antibiotic removal during nitritation.

Supramolecular assembly activated single-molecule phosphorescence resonance energy transfer for near-infrared targeted cell imaging.

Pure organic phosphorescence resonance energy transfer is a research hotspot. Herein, a single-molecule phosphorescence resonance energy transfer system with a large Stokes shift of 367 nm and near-infrared emission is constructed by guest molecule alkyl-bridged methoxy-tetraphenylethylene-phenylpyridines derivative, cucurbit[n]uril (n = 7, 8) and ß-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid. The high binding affinity of cucurbituril to guest molecules in various stoichiometric ratios not only regulates the topological morphology of supramolecular assembly but also induces different phosphorescence emissions. Varying from the spherical nanoparticles and nanorods for binary assemblies, three-dimensional nanoplate is obtained by the ternary co-assembly of guest with cucurbit[7]uril/cucurbit[8]uril, accompanying enhanced phosphorescence at 540 nm. Uncommonly, the secondary assembly of ß-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid and ternary assembly activates a single intramolecular phosphorescence resonance energy transfer process derived from phenyl pyridines unit to methoxy-tetraphenylethylene function group, enabling a near-infrared delayed fluorescence at 700 nm, which ultimately applied to mitochondrial targeted imaging for cancer cells.

TransFOL: A Logical Query Model for Complex Relational Reasoning in Drug-Drug Interaction.

Predicting drug-drug interaction (DDI) plays a crucial role in drug recommendation and discovery. However, wet lab methods are prohibitively expensive and time-consuming due to drug interactions. In recent years, deep learning methods have gained widespread use in drug reasoning. Although these methods have demonstrated effectiveness, they can only predict the interaction between a drug pair and do not contain any other information. However, DDI is greatly affected by various other biomedical factors (such as the dose of the drug). As a result, it is challenging to apply them to more complex and meaningful reasoning tasks. Therefore, this study regards DDI as a link prediction problem on knowledge graphs and proposes a DDI prediction model based on Cross-Transformer and Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) in first-order logical query form, TransFOL. In the model, a biomedical query graph is first built to learn the embedding representation. Subsequently, an enhancement module is designed to aggregate the semantics of entities and relations. Cross-Transformer is used for encoding to obtain semantic information between nodes, and GCN is used to gather neighbour information further and predict inference results. To evaluate the performance of TransFOL on common DDI tasks, we conduct experiments on two benchmark datasets. The experimental results indicate that our model outperforms state-of-the-art methods on traditional DDI tasks. Additionally, we introduce different biomedical information in the other two experiments to make the settings more realistic. Experimental results verify the strong drug reasoning ability and generalization of TransFOL in complex settings.

Detection and Prediction of the Early Thermal Runaway and Control of the Li-Ion Battery by the Embedded Temperature Sensor Array.

Sorts of Li-ion batteries (LIB) have been becoming important energy supply and storage devices. As a long-standing obstacle, safety issues are limiting the large-scale adoption of high-energy-density batteries. Strategies covering materials, cell, and package processing have been paid much attention to. Here, we report a flexible sensor array with fast and reversible temperature switching that can be incorporated inside batteries to prevent thermal runaway. This flexible sensor array consists of PTCR ceramic sensors combined with printed PI sheets for electrodes and circuits. Compared to room temperature, the resistance of the sensors soars nonlinearly by more than three orders of magnitude at around 67 °C with a 1 °C/s rate. This temperature aligns with the decomposition temperature of SEI. Subsequently, the resistance returns to normal at room temperature, demonstrating a negative thermal hysteresis effect. This characteristic proves advantageous for the battery, as it enables a lower-temperature restart after an initial warming phase. The batteries with an embedded sensor array could resume their normal function without performance compromise or detrimental thermal runaway.

Inclusion-Activated Reversible E/Z Isomerization of a Cyanostilbene Derivative Based on Cucurbit[8]uril under 365 nm Ultraviolet Irradiation.

The photoisomerization behavior of cyanostilbene molecules is a hotspot in supramolecular configuration transformation research. Here, we reported a cyanostilbene derivative that converted from the Z,Z-isomer to the E,E-isomer under UV light irradiation at 365 nm. This process can be reversibly converted only in the presence of cucurbit[8]uril under the same light source, accompanied by the reversible conversion of fluorescence from green to yellow. No effective configuration transformation occurred with guest molecules only or upon the addition of cucurbit[7]uril. The photoisomerization was fully characterized by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. This work provides a new method for the supramolecular macrocyclic-activated configuration transformation.

Immunosuppression, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in pig kidney caused by ammonia: Application of transcriptome analysis in risk assessment of ammonia exposure.

Ammonia (NH3) is a recognized environmental contaminant around the world and has adverse effects on animal and human health. However, the mechanism of the renal toxicity of NH3 is not well understood. Pigs are considered an ideal model for biomedical and toxicological research because of the similarity to humans in physiological and biochemical basis. Therefore, in this study, twelve pigs were selected as research objects and randomly divided into two groups, namely the control group and the NH3 group. The formal experiment lasted 30 days. The effects of excessive NH3 inhalation on the kidney of fattening pig were evaluated by chemical analysis, ELISA, transcriptome analysis and real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) from the renal antioxidant level, renal function, blood ammonia content and gene level. Our results showed that excessive NH3 exposure could cause an increase in blood NH3 content, a reduction in renal GSH-Px, SOD and GSH, as well as an increase in MDA levels and an increase in serum creatinine, urea and uric acid levels. In addition, transcriptome analysis showed that NH3 exposure caused changes in 335 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (including 126 up-regulated DEGs and 109 down-regulated DEGs). Some highly expressed DEGs were enriched into GO terms associated with immune function, oxidative stress, and apoptosis and were verified by qRT-PCR. The qRT-PCR results were comsistent with the transcriptome results. Our results indicated that NH3 exposure could cause changes in renal transcriptional profiles and kidney function, and induce kidney damage in the fattening pigs through oxidative stress, immune dysfunction and apoptosis. Our present study provides novel insights into the immunotoxicity mechanism of NH3 on kidney.

Helicobacter pylori reinfection and its risk factors after initial eradication: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection is a common health problem, which is closely related to peptic ulcers, gastric cancer, and extragastric diseases. Drugs can successfully eradicate it. However, the recurrence of H pylori often occurs after initial eradication. To confirm the global incidence of H pylori reinfection and systematically evaluate its risk factors. METHODS: We will search for the relevant literature through Chinese and English databases, with the retrieval deadline being November 2021. Databases include PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database. Stata14.0 will be used to conduct this systematic review. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis protocols statements are followed in this protocol, and the PRISMA statement will be followed in the completed systematic review. RESULTS: The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review will provide evidence regarding the rate of H pylori reinfection and its risk factors after successful eradication. It can guide the management of patients with H pylori infection.

Effectiveness of Banxia Xiexin Decoction in the treatment of precancerous lesions: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastric precancerous lesion (GPL) is a necessary stage in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer. At present, the incidence of gastric cancer is increasing year by year. It is important to prevent and control gastric cancer through early detection and intervention. Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD) has a good effect in improving symptoms, reducing inflammation, promoting the repair of gastric mucosa, reversing its atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. BXD may be a foreground choice for the treatment of GPL. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of BXD for GPL will be searched in the relevant database, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database). The studies of electronic searches will be exported to EndNote V.9.1 software. We will run meta-analyses using the Review Manager (RevMan) V.5.3 software. Any disagreement will be solved in consultation with a third reviewer. RESULTS: Our study aims to explore the efficacy of BXD for GPL and to provide up-to-date evidence for clinical of GPL. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence for the efficacy of BXD on GPL. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY 202130102.

Feature Selection Using Approximate Conditional Entropy Based on Fuzzy Information Granule for Gene Expression Data Classification.

Classification is widely used in gene expression data analysis. Feature selection is usually performed before classification because of the large number of genes and the small sample size in gene expression data. In this article, a novel feature selection algorithm using approximate conditional entropy based on fuzzy information granule is proposed, and the correctness of the method is proved by the monotonicity of entropy. Firstly, the fuzzy relation matrix is established by Laplacian kernel. Secondly, the approximately equal relation on fuzzy sets is defined. And then, the approximate conditional entropy based on fuzzy information granule and the importance of internal attributes are defined. Approximate conditional entropy can measure the uncertainty of knowledge from two different perspectives of information and algebra theory. Finally, the greedy algorithm based on the approximate conditional entropy is designed for feature selection. Experimental results for six large-scale gene datasets show that our algorithm not only greatly reduces the dimension of the gene datasets, but also is superior to five state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of classification accuracy.

Enriched environment housing improved the laying hen's resistance to transport stress via modulating the heat shock protective response and inflammation.

An enriched environment can promote adaptability of animals to cope with complex environments. A total of 18-week-old 216 laying hens were randomly divided into 2 groups; of which, one group was housed in conventional battery cages (CC, n = 36), and the others were housed in furnished cages (FC, n = 180). At the end of 64 wk of age, 24 chickens of each group were selected for 4-hour transport treatment. The spleen tissues of laying hens were collected before transportation (BT), immediately after transportation, and at 48 h after transportation to detect the expression of the heat shock protective response signaling pathway and inflammatory factors. Serum samples were collected to detect the content of immune cytokines. Transport stress decreased heat shock proteins (HSP; including Small HSP, HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HS70, HSP90, HSP110) in the CC group (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in the expression of HSP (except for Small HSP and HSP40) in the FC group (P > 0.05) immediately after transportation. At 48 h after transportation, mRNA levels of HSP (except for Small HSP and HSP40) in the FC group were upregulated, which were higher than those at BT (P < 0.05). The changes in HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 protein levels had similar tendencies. The results showed that housing in furnished cages alleviated the inhibition of expression of HSP in the hens' spleen induced by transport stress. In addition, the hens housed in the FC group had lower expression levels of proinflammatory factors (nuclear transcription factor-kappa B, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, prostaglandin E synthase, inflammatory cytokines [IL-1ß and IL-6], and tumor necrosis factor alpha) (P < 0.05). We suggest that the enriched environment can reduce transport stress damage in laying hens and improve resistance to transport stress by regulating expression of heat shock response proteins and inflammatory cytokines.

Efficacy and safety of pricking-blood therapy for acute gouty arthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute gouty arthritis is a joint inflammatory reaction that affects the daily quality of patients. Previous reviews of pricking-blood therapy for acute gouty arthritis have been growing, but a systematic review is not available. This study aimed to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of pricking-blood therapy in treating acute gout arthritis. METHODS: We will search for relevant literature through Chinese and English databases, with the retrieval deadline being December 2020. Databases include PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database. We will also manually search Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Acupuncture Research, Chinese Clinical Trial Register, and unpublished studies or references. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature will be screened, and the data are extracted independently by the 2 researchers. The primary outcomes were the total effective rate and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score. RevMan 5.3.5. software will be used for statistical analysis. According to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), each evidence of outcome quality will be appraised. RESULTS: This study will provide a comprehensive review of current evidence for a pricking-blood therapy treatment for acute gouty arthritis. CONCLUSION: The efficacy and safety of picking-blood therapy in treating acute gout arthritis will be evaluated. UNIQUE INPLASY NUMBER: INPLASY2020100094.

Guest-induced supramolecular chirality transfer in [2]pseudorotaxanes: experimental and computational study.

To reveal the factors governing the chirality transfer from a chiral unimolecule to a supramolecular assembly, we constructed a series of [2]pseudorotaxanes through the intermolecular noncovalent interaction of a pair of chiral binaphthalene crown ethers with achiral secondary ammonium salts with different chromophores, and found that the binaphthalene groups can induce new circular dichroism (CD) signals only in the [2]pseudorotaxane structures between the host crown ethers and the guest molecule with the anthryl group. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations show that the generation of the new CD signal is mainly due to the intermolecular chiral induction between the anthryl group in the guest and the naphthalene groups in the host.

A highly efficient light-harvesting system with sequential energy transfer based on a multicharged supramolecular assembly.

A supramolecular assembly was constructed by the nonconvalent interaction of pillar[5]arene (WP5) with a pyridinium modified tetraphenylethene (Py-TPE) derivative, in which Py-TPE/WP5 acted as a donor, and sulforhodamine 101 and sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine acted as acceptors to realize a highly efficient light-harvesting system with two-step sequential energy transfer.

Photo-controlled chirality transfer and FRET effects based on pseudo[3]rotaxane.

The use of light to regulate the chirality of supramolecular assemblies in a non-invasive manner remains a challenge. Herein, we report a novel photochromic pseudo[3]rotaxane based on a (R/S)-2,2'-binaphthyl secondary ammonium salt guest (2) and anthracene-bridged bis(dibenzo-24-crown-8) (1), which features a chirality transfer and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from 2 to 1. Benefiting from the photo-oxidation of anthracene, the induced circular dichroism (ICD) signals of (R/S)-2@1 can be switched off/on by irradiation with 365 nm UV light and heating. This noncovalent supramolecular assembly strategy provides us with unique opportunities to design and construct further smart photo-responsive chiral molecular switches.

Photocontrolled morphological conversion and chiral transfer of a snowflake-like supramolecular assembly based on azobenzene-bridged bis(dibenzo-24-crown-8) and a cholesterol derivative.

A snowflake-like supramolecular clockwise-helical assembly was fabricated via the host-guest interaction of trans-azobenzene-bridged bis(dibenzo-24-crown-8) (trans-1) and a cholesterol derivative, while a snowflake-like supramolecular non-helical assembly can be obtained upon complexation of cis-1 after UV-irradiation, accompanying the disappearance of circular dichroism signals from the azobenzene zone of 1.

Tissue-engineered trachea from a 3D-printed scaffold enhances whole-segment tracheal repair in a goat model.

Traditional treatment therapies for tracheal stenosis often cause severe post-operative complications. To solve the current difficulties, novel and more suitable long-term treatments are needed. A whole-segment tissue-engineered trachea (TET) representing the native goat trachea was 3D printed using a poly(caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold engineered with autologous auricular cartilage cells. The TET underwent mechanical analysis followed by in vivo implantations in order to evaluate the clinical feasibility and potential. The 3D-printed scaffolds were successfully cellularized, as observed by scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical force compression studies revealed that both PCL scaffolds and TETs have a more robust compressive strength than does the native trachea. In vivo implantation of TETs in the experimental group resulted in significantly higher mean post-operative survival times, 65.00 ± 24.01 days (n = 5), when compared with the control group, which received autologous trachea grafts, 17.60 ± 3.51 days (n = 5). Although tracheal narrowing was confirmed by bronchoscopy and computed tomography examination in the experimental group, tissue necrosis was only observed in the control group. Furthermore, an encouraging epithelial-like tissue formation was observed in the TETs after transplantation. This large animal study provides potential preclinical evidence around the employment of an orthotopic transplantation of a whole 3D-printed TET.

Slide tracheoplasty in 81 children: Improved outcomes with modified surgical technique and optimal surgical age.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of slide tracheoplasty.Eighty-one patients who underwent slide tracheoplasty were retrospectively reviewed. Before and after operation, all patients were examined by computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy regularly.There were 8 deaths and the mortality was 9.9%. They all died of respiratory failure associated with the formation of granulation tissue in the airway postoperatively. The mortality was 15.8% from 2009 to 2012 and decreased to 8.1% from 2013 to 2016. The mortality of patients aged 10 to 24 months was 5.7%, which was significantly lower than those younger than 10 months and those older than 24 months. After surgery, 11 patients had granulation tissue growing at anastomosis edges and 8 of them died eventually. Twenty patients had mucosa varus at the site of anastomosis which mainly happened in the early time. Between different time periods and different age groups, there was significant difference in the incidence of granulation tissue and mucosa varus (P < .01). Clinical symptoms of tracheal stenosis disappeared and the results of CT were satisfactory after operation.Slide tracheoplasty is an effective surgical method for congenital tracheal stenosis associated with congenital heart disease. With the continuous improvement of surgical technique, the mortality has been reduced and the incidence of granulation tissue and mucosa varus also has been reduced. The period of 10 to 24 months of age is the optimal cure time.

Tissue-engineered trachea from a 3D-printed scaffold enhances whole-segment tracheal repair.

Long segmental repair of trachea stenosis is an intractable condition in the clinic. The reconstruction of an artificial substitute by tissue engineering is a promising approach to solve this unmet clinical need. 3D printing technology provides an infinite possibility for engineering a trachea. Here, we 3D printed a biodegradable reticular polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold with similar morphology to the whole segment of rabbits' native trachea. The 3D-printed scaffold was suspended in culture with chondrocytes for 2 (Group I) or 4 (Group II) weeks, respectively. This in vitro suspension produced a more successful reconstruction of a tissue-engineered trachea (TET), which enhanced the overall support function of the replaced tracheal segment. After implantation of the chondrocyte-treated scaffold into the subcutaneous tissue of nude mice, the TET presented properties of mature cartilage tissue. To further evaluate the feasibility of repairing whole segment tracheal defects, replacement surgery of rabbits' native trachea by TET was performed. Following postoperative care, mean survival time in Group I was 14.38 ± 5.42 days, and in Group II was 22.58 ± 16.10 days, with the longest survival time being 10 weeks in Group II. In conclusion, we demonstrate the feasibility of repairing whole segment tracheal defects with 3D printed TET.

Light-controlled reversible self-assembly of nanorod suprastructures.

Nanorod suprastructures constructed by the coordination of zinc ions with the inclusion complex of 4,4'-dipyridine in ß-cyclodextrin can dissociate and rebuild repeatedly via alternate visible light irradiation in the presence of photoacid merocyanine in aqueous solution.