Prevalence and related factors for neck pain in military personnel: a systematic review.

Purpose: In the military, neck pain is second to low back pain among musculoskeletal disorders. However, the prevalence and related factors of neck pain in military personnel have not been systematically investigated, which may lead to the lack of neck pain prevention and the generation of additional medical expenses, posing challenges to medical care. This review aimed to obtain the prevalence and related factors for neck pain in military personnel in an attempt to provide directions for prevention and intervention. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases in December 2021. Two researchers independently screened studies according to eligibility criteria and assessed study quality. Results: We screened titles and abstracts of 503 articles, and 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen articles received moderate to high-quality evaluations. Neck pain is common in the military, with 1-year prevalence as high as 83% and lifetime prevalence as high as 78%. Old age (OR = 5.0), poor neck mobility (OR = 3.61), shoulder pain (OR = 4.9), low back pain (OR = 2.3), high-G pilots (OR = 1.6), longer flight time (OR = 2.53), type of aircraft (OR = 3.93), and use of helmets and night vision systems (OR = 1.9) may be associated with the prevalence of neck pain. Conclusion: Neck pain is highly prevalent in military personnel and exhibits a substantial lifetime prevalence rate. The high prevalence rate of neck pain in the military is related to many individual-related factors and work-related factors. The in-depth assessment and prevention of specific factors is an important direction of future research.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency for the inclined-sidewall-shaped AlGaN-based DUV LED by using an omni-directional reflector with a thin hybrid dielectric layer.

In this Letter, an omni-directional reflector (ODR) with a thin hybrid dielectric layer (hybrid-ODR) is proposed to enhance the light extraction efficiency (LEE) for inclined-sidewall-shaped AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diode (DUV LED) by inserting a thin diamond with high refraction index into a conventional Al/Al2O3-based ODR. The three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D FDTD) simulation results show that the LEE of TM-polarized light for the DUV LED with hybrid-ODR is enhanced by 18.5% compared with Al/Al2O3-based ODR. It is because the diamond can transform the evanescent wave in Al2O3 into the propagating light wave in diamond, thereby preventing effective excitation of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) on the surface of the metal Al. Moreover, the Brewster's angle effect causes the TM-polarized light in diamond to propagate effectively into AlGaN. Furthermore, decreasing the total thickness of the dielectric layer also improves the scattering effect of the inclined sidewall. However, the utilization of hybrid-ODR results in a slight reduction in the LEE for transverse electric (TE) polarized light because the light is confined to the diamond layer and eventually absorbed by the metal Al.

Adpressins A-G: Oligophenalenone Dimers from Talaromyces adpressus.

Nine new oligophenalenone dimers, adpressins A-G (1-9), together with nine known compounds (10-18), were isolated from the fungus Talaromyces adpressus. Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic and mass spectral analyses. Their relative and absolute configurations were identified by 1H and 13C NMR calculations followed by DP4+ analyses, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and ECD spectra comparison with related compounds. Compound 1 is the first example of a duclauxin derivative featuring an unusual 6/6/6/5/6/6/6 ring system, while compounds 6 and 7 contained a novel pyrrolidine ring. Compounds 5, 9, and 18 exhibited moderate inhibition against LPS-induced B lymphocyte proliferation with IC50 values ranging from 1.6 to 8.6 µM. Additionally, compounds 9 and 18 exhibited moderate inhibition against Con A-induced T lymphocyte proliferation with IC50 values of 9.3 and 2.6 µM, respectively.

Ten ring-B aromatized ergosterols from Aspergillus spectabilis.

Spectasterols F-O (1-10), ten interesting ergosterols with an aromatized B ring, were obtained from Aspergillus spectabilis. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined using a combination of high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Structurally, these aromatic ergosterols feature versatile side chains. Notably, compound aromatic ergosterols featured versatile side chains, and compound 4 is an unusual C23 ergosterol characterized by a shorter side chain due to oxidative cleavage between C-23 and C-24. All compounds were evaluated for their neuroprotective activities, with compound 8 showing a dose-dependent ability to reduce apoptosis and protect mitochondrial function in glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y cells.

Oxygen Vacancy Enabled Electronic Structure Engineering of Pt-WO3 Nanosheets toward Highly Efficient BTEX Sensing.

A Pt nanoparticle-immobilized WO3 material is a promising candidate for catalytic reactions, and the surface and electronic structure can strongly affect the performance. However, the effect of the intrinsic oxygen vacancy of WO3 on the d-band structure of Pt and the synergistic effect of Pt and the WO3 matrix on reaction performance are still ambiguous, which greatly hinders the design of advanced materials. Herein, Pt-decorated WO3 nanosheets with different electronic metal-support interactions are successfully prepared by finely tuning the oxygen vacancy structure of WO3 nanosheets. Notably, Pt-modified WO3 nanosheets annealed at 400 °C exhibit excellent benzene series (BTEX) sensing performance (S = 377.33, 365.21, 348.45, and 319.23 for 50 ppm ethylbenzene, benzene, toluene, and xylene, respectively, at 140 °C), fast response and recovery dynamics (10/7 s), excellent reliability (σ = 0.14), and sensing stability (φ = 0.08%). Detailed structural characterization and DFT results reveal that interfacial Ptδ+-Ov-W5+ sites are recognized as the active sites, and the oxygen vacancies of the WO3 matrix can significantly affect the d-band structure of Pt nanoparticles. Notably, Pt/WO3-400 with improved surface oxygen mobility and medium electronic metal-support interaction facilitates the activation and desorption of BTEX, which contributes to the highly efficient BTEX sensing performance. Our work provides a new insight for the design of high-performance surface reaction materials for advanced applications.

Undobolins A-L, Ophiobolin-Type Sesterterpenoids from Aspergillus undulatus.

Twelve previously undescribed ophiobolin-type sesterterpenoids, undobolins A-L (1-12), were isolated from Aspergillus undulatus, and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, ECD calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Compound 1 was the second example of 20-nor-ophiobolin reported, while compounds 2-6 were notable for oxygenation of C-2, and compound 6 showed significant inhibitory activity against ConA-induced T lymphocyte proliferation with an IC50 value of 2.3 µM, which suggests a promising new direction in the quest for immunosuppressive agents.

Discovery of Cytotoxic Nitric Oxide-Releasing Piperlongumine Derivatives Targeting Wnt/ß-Catenin in Colon Cancer Cells.

Piperlongumine (1) increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and induces apoptosis in cancer cells through various pathways. Nitric oxide (NO) donors have demonstrated potent anticancer activities with exogenous NO being oxidized by ROS in the tumor microenvironment to form highly reactive N-oxides (RNOS). This amplifies oxidative stress cascade reactions, ultimately inducing cancer cell apoptosis. To exploit this synergy, a series of NO-releasing piperlongumine derivatives (2-5) were designed and synthesized. These compounds were expected to release NO in cancer cells, simultaneously generating piperlongumine derivative fragments to enhance the anticancer effects. Compound 6, structurally similar to compounds 2-5 but not releasing NO, served as a control. Among these derivatives, compound 5 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity against HCT-116 cells and efficiently released NO in this cell line. Further investigation revealed that compound 5 inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation by modulating ß-catenin expression, which is a pivotal protein in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. These findings highlight compound 5 as a promising candidate for colon cancer treatment targeting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Eurochevalierines A-I, Sesquiterpene Alkaloid Hybrids with Anti-Triple Negative Breast Cancer Activity from Penicillium sp. HZ-5.

Nine new sesquiterpene alkaloids, eurochevalierines A-I (1-9), were separated from the rice cultures of the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. HZ-5 originated from the fresh leaf of Hypericum wilsonii N. Robson. The structures' illumination was conducted by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, extensive spectroscopic analysis, alkaline hydrolysis reaction, and Snatzke's method. Importantly, the antitumor activities screen of these isolates indicated that 1 could suppress triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell proliferation and induce apoptosis, with an IC50 value of 5.4 µM, which is comparable to the positive control docetaxel (DXT). Flow cytometry experiments mentioned that compound 1 significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of TNBC cells. In addition, 1 could activate caspase-3 and elevated the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expressions of suppressive cytokines and chemokines. Further Western blot analysis showed that 1 could selectively induce mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in TNBC cells via the BAX/BCL-2 pathway. Remarkably, these finding provide a new natural product skeleton for the treatment of TNBC.

Spirohypertones A and B as potent antipsoriatics: Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors with unprecedented chemical architectures.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a promising target for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Spirohypertones A (1) and B (2), two unprecedented polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols with highly rearranged skeletons, were isolated from Hypericum patulum. The structures of 1 and 2 were confirmed through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Importantly, 2 showed remarkable TNF-α inhibitory activity, which could protect L929 cells from death induced by co-incubation with TNF-α and actinomycin D. It also demonstrated the ability to suppress the inflammatory response in HaCaT cells stimulated with TNF-α. Notably, in an imiquimod-induced psoriasis murine model, 2 restrained symptoms of epidermal hyperplasia associated with psoriasis, presenting anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. This discovery positions 2 as a potent TNF-α inhibitor, providing a promising lead compound for developing an antipsoriatic agent.

Diterpenoids with Antibacterial Activities from the Fungus Trichoderma harzianum.

A new fusicoccane diterpenoid, harziaderma A (1), two novel harziane diterpenoids, harzianones G and H (2 and 3), one revised harziane diterpenoid (4), and two known diterpenoids (5 and 6) were isolated from the fungus Trichoderma harzianum and established via NMR, HRESIMS, Mo2(OAc)4-induced circular dichroism (ICD) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. It is worth noting that compound 1 represents the first instance of a fusicoccane-type diterpenoid derived from T. harzianum. The structure of furanharzianone B was revised to 4 via careful spectroscopic analyses. Additionally, compounds 2 and 5 could suppress the overall growth of the foodborne bacterial pathogen Bacillus cereus. Compound 4 showed a moderate suppressive impact on NO generation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. The discoveries from the current study not only expanded the structural variety of diterpenoids isolated from T. harzianum but also laid a robust foundation for the development of harziane diterpenoids as anti-foodborne pathogen agents.

Atranones and dolabellanes with cardiomyocyte protective activity against cold ischemic injury from a coral-associated fungus Stachybotrys chartarum.

Five undescribed atranones, namely atranones V-Z (1-5), three undescribed dolabellane-type diterpenoids, namely stachatranones D-F (7-9), together with four known congeners (6 and 10-12), were obtained from a coral-associated strain of the toxigenic fungus Stachybotrys chartarum. Their structures were elucidated via extensive spectroscopic analyses, mainly including the HRESIMS and NMR data, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, electronic circular dichroism calculation, and [Mo2(OAc)4] induced circular dichroism spectrum. The cardiomyocyte protective activity assay revealed that compound 9 significantly ameliorated cold ischemic injury at 24 h post cold ischemia (CI) in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, compound 9 prevented CI induced dephosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and RAC-α serine/threonine-protein kinase at 12 h post CI in a dose-dependent manner. In this work, the undescribed compound 9 could significantly protect cardiomyocytes against cold ischemic injury, highlighting the promising potential to be designed and developed as a novel cardioprotectant in heart transplant medicine.

Wave type fiber SPR sensor for rapid and highly sensitive detection of hyperoside.

The fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor used for the detection of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine has the problems of low sensitivity and difficult specific recognition. This paper proposed a wave type fiber SPR sensor, which reduced the mode of transmitted light through a periodic wave structure and caused concentrated and total reflection of the transmitted beam at the interface between the bent peak cladding and the air. A 50 nm gold film was coated on the surface of the cladding in the wave structure area to form the SPR sensing area. By controlling the width and height of the wave structure to control the total reflection angle of the transmitted light, i.e., the SPR incidence angle, the sensitivity of the fiber SPR sensor was effectively improved to 4972 nm/RIU. Furthermore, HSP90AA protein was modified on the gold film of the sensor to achieve specific detection of hyperoside. The longest single detection time was only 3 minutes, and the detection sensitivity was 0.53 nm/(µg/ml), with a detection limit as low as 0.68µg/ml, which is comparable to liquid chromatography. The proposed wave type fiber SPR sensor is fast in production and has high structural mechanical strength, providing a new approach for the rapid, highly sensitive, and specific detection of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine.

Agar-gelatin Maillard conjugates used for Pickering emulsion stabilization.

A few protein- and polysaccharide-based particles have shown promising potential as stabilizers in multi-phase food systems. By incorporating polymer-based particles and modifying the wettability of colloidal systems, it is possible to create particle-stabilized emulsions with excellent stability. A Pickering emulsifier (AGMs) with better emulsifying properties was obtained by the Maillard reaction between acid-hydrolysed agar and gelatin. Laser confocal microscopy imaging revealed that AGMs particles can be used as solid emulsifiers to produce a typical O/W Pickering emulsion, with AGMs adsorbing onto the droplet surface to form a dense interfacial layer. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that AGMs self-assembled into a three-dimensional network structure, which prevented droplets aggregation through strong spatial site resistance, contributing to emulsion stabilization. These emulsions exhibited stability within a pH range of 1 to 11, NaCl concentrations not exceeding 300 mM, and at temperatures below 80 °C. The most stable emulsion oil-water ratio was 6:4 at a particle concentration of 0.75 % (w/v). AGMs-stabilized Pickering emulsion was utilized to create a semi-solid mayonnaise as a replacement for hydrogenated oil. Rheological analysis demonstrated that low-fat mayonnaise stabilized with AGMs exhibited similar rheological behavior to traditional mayonnaise, offering new avenues for the application of Pickering emulsions in the food industry.

Enhancing light extraction efficiency of the inclined-sidewall-shaped DUV micro-LED array by hybridizing a nanopatterned sapphire substrate and an air-cavity reflector.

In this work, we hybridize an air cavity reflector and a nanopatterned sapphire substrate (NPSS) for making an inclined-sidewall-shaped deep ultraviolet micro light-emitting diode (DUV micro-LED) array to enhance the light extraction efficiency (LEE). A cost-effective hybrid photolithography process involving positive and negative photoresist (PR) is explored to fabricate air-cavity reflectors. The experimental results demonstrate a 9.88% increase in the optical power for the DUV micro-LED array with a bottom air-cavity reflector when compared with the conventional DUV micro-LED array with only a sidewall metal reflector. The bottom air-cavity reflector significantly contributes to the reduction of the light absorption and provides more escape paths for light, which in turn increases the LEE. Our investigations also report that such a designed air-cavity reflector exhibits a more pronounced impact on small-size micro-LED arrays, because more photons can propagate into escape cones by experiencing fewer scattering events from the air-cavity structure. Furthermore, the NPSS can enlarge the escape cone and serve as scattering centers to eliminate the waveguiding effect, which further enables the improved LEE for the DUV micro-LED array with an air-cavity reflector.

Spiral cone fiber SPR sensor for detecting ginsenoside Rg1.

The conical fiber SPR sensor is easy to manufacture and has been used in biochemical detection research, but it has the problem of structural fragility. This article proposes a spiral cone fiber SPR sensor, which introduces a spiral structure on the 76µm fiber coarse cone, achieving good coupling of the core mode into the cladding mode, and improving the physical strength and practicality of the cone-shaped fiber SPR sensor. By modifying the target protein on the surface of the sensor gold film, specific detection of ginsenoside Rg1, an active ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine ginseng, was achieved. The detection sensitivity was 0.138 nm/(µm/ml) and the detection limit was 0.22µm/ml. The proposed spiral cone fiber SPR sensor provides a new scheme for the specific detection of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, which is structurally stable and physically strong.

Elastic Droplet-Based Magnetoelectric Generator for High-performance Energy Collection.

Conventional magnetoelectric generators are regarded as effective devices for harvesting concentrated hydraulic power but are ineffective for dispersed hydropower (e.g., raindrops) due to their bulkiness and immobility. Here, we propose a superhydrophobic magnetoelectric generator (MSMEG) based on an elastic magnetic film that can efficiently convert the energy of lightweight water droplets into electricity. The MSMEG consists of five parts: a superhydrophobic magnetic material-based film (SMMF), a coil, a NdFeB magnet, an acrylic housing, and an expandable polystyrene (EPS) base. The SMMF with coil can deform/recover when droplets impact/leave the MSMEG, resulting in a peak current, peak charge density, and peak power density of ∼13.02 mA, ∼1826.5 mC/m2, and ∼1413.0 mW/m2, respectively, with a load resistance of 47 Ω. Related working mechanism is analyzed through Maxwell numerical simulation, which is used for further guidance on increasing the electrical output of the MSMEG. Furthermore, the MSMEG can quickly charge a commercial capacitor with 2.7 V/1 F to 1.18 V within 200 s and power diverse electronic devices (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), fans) with constant excitation by water droplets. We believe that such an MSMEG is expected to provide a promising strategy for efficiently harvesting dispersed raindrop energy.

Discovery of 23,24-diols containing ergosterols with anti-neuroinflammatory activity from Penicillium citrinum TJ507.

Citristerones A-E (1-5), five new 23,24-diols containing ergosterols, along with three known analogues, were isolated from the endophytic fungus Penicillium citrinum TJ507 obtained from Hypericum wilsonii N. Robson. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by NMR, HRESIMS, Snatzke's method, X-ray diffraction analyses and ECD calculation. Subsequently, the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of these isolates were screened using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglial cells, and citristerone B (2) showed outstanding anti-neuroinflammatory activity, with IC50 value of 0.60 ± 0.04 µM. Moreover, immunofluorescence and western blot analysis suggested that citristerone B not only reduced the release of nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced BV-2 microglial cells, but also significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-α, iNOS and NF-κB, along with the production of cellular ROS.

A Flexible Hybrid Generator for Efficient Dual Energy Conversion from Raindrops to Electricity.

Electromagnetic generators are conventionally used to harvest energy from large water bodies, but they are ineffective for harvesting low hydro-energy, such as raindrops or fogs, due to their bulky, heavy and immovable. Unfortunately, developing new strategies that are lightweight, small, and have high conversion efficiency to convert such low hydro-energy into electricity remains a challenge. Herein, a flexible droplet-based hybrid electricity generator (DHEG) consisting of a droplet-based electricity generator (DEG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) is proposed to convert the dual energy of water droplets into electricity simultaneously. The DHEG is assembled by facilely merging DEG and EMG using conductive elastic multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane (MWCNTs/PDMS) film. The MWCNTs/PDMS film can not only serve as a bottom electrode for switching on the DEG, but also as an elastic component for the EMG to vibrate the coil when impacted by water droplets. Activated by a single 58.2 µL droplet falling from a height of 50 cm, the peak voltage, current and power generated by the DHEG are ≈84.6 V, ≈19.85 mA, and ≈595.8 µW, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency of the DHEG is up to ≈13.8%. This flexible hybrid generator may provide a promising strategy for effectively harvesting energy from raindrops.

On the origin of the enhanced light extraction efficiency of DUV LED by using inclined sidewalls.

It is known that light extraction efficiency (LEE) for AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be enhanced by using an inclined sidewall of mesa. However, the reported optimal inclined angles are different. In this work, to explore the origin for enhancing the LEE of DUV LED by using inclined sidewalls, we investigate the effect of an inclined sidewall angle on the LEE for AlGaN-based DUV LEDs with different mesa diameters by using ray tracing. It is found that when compared to large-size DUV LEDs with inclined sidewall, the LEE of small-size DUV LEDs with inclined sidewall is enhanced from both the bottom and side surfaces due to the reduced scattering length and material absorption. Additionally, the optimal inclined sidewall angle is recommended within the range of 25°-65°, and the optimal angle for DUV LEDs decreases as the chip size increases. It can be attributed to the fact that there are two scattering mechanisms for the inclined sidewall. For smaller chip sizes, most of the light is directly scattered into escape cones by the inclined sidewall, resulting in a larger optimal angle. For larger chip sizes, the light firstly experiences total internal reflections by the out-light plane and then is scattered into escape cones by the inclined sidewalls, leading to a smaller optimal angle.

Effects of different observed datasets on the calibration of crop model parameters with GLUE: A case study using the CROPGRO-Soybean phenological model.

Suitable combinations of observed datasets for estimating crop model parameters can reduce the computational cost while ensuring accuracy. This study aims to explore the quantitative influence of different combinations of the observed phenological stages on estimation of cultivar-specific parameters (CPSs). We used the CROPGRO-Soybean phenological model (CSPM) as a case study in combination with the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) method. Different combinations of four observed phenological stages, including initial flowering, initial pod, initial grain, and initial maturity stages for five soybean cultivars from Exp. 1 and Exp. 3 described in Table 2 are respectively used to calibrate the CSPs. The CSPM, driven by the optimized CSPs, is then evaluated against two independent phenological datasets from Exp. 2 and Exp. 4 described in Table 2. Root means square error (RMSE) (mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R2), and Nash Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE)) are 15.50 (14.63, 0.96, 0.42), 4.76 (3.92, 0.97, 0.95), 4.69 (3.72, 0.98, 0.95), 3.91 (3.40, 0.99, 0.96) and 12.54 (11.67, 0.95, 0.60), 5.07 (4.61, 0.98, 0.93), 4.97 (4.28, 0.97, 0.94), 4.58 (4.02, 0.98, 0.95) for using one, two, three, and four observed phenological stages in the CSPs estimation. The evaluation results suggest that RMSE and MAE decrease, and R2 and NSE increase with the increase in the number of observed phenological stages used for parameter calibration. However, there is no significant reduction in the RMSEs (MAEs, NSEs) using two, three, and four observed stages. Relatively reliable optimized CSPs for CSMP are obtained by using at least two observed phenological stages balancing calibration effect and computational cost. These findings provide new insight into parameter estimation of crop models.