Monitoring longitudinal antimicrobial resistance trends of Staphylococcus aureus strains worldwide over the past 100 years to decipher its evolution and transmission.

Staphylococcus aureus inhabits diverse habitats including food waste and wastewater treatment plants. Cases of S. aureus-induced infection are commonly reported worldwide. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of S. aureus is a growing public health threat worldwide. Here, we longitudinally monitored global trends in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) of 586 S. aureus strains, isolated between 1884 and 2022. The ARGs in S. aureus exhibited a significant increase over time (P < 0.0001). Mobile genetic elements play a crucial role in the transfer of ARGs in S. aureus strains. The structural equation model results revealed a significant correlation between the human development index and rising antibiotic consumption, which subsequently leads to an indirect escalation of AMR in S. aureus strains. Lastly, a machine learning algorithm successfully predicted the AMR risk of global terrestrial S. aureus with over 70% accuracy. Overall, these findings provided valuable insights for managing AMR in S. aureus.

Horizontal gene transfer in activated sludge enhances microbial antimicrobial resistance and virulence.

Activated sludge (AS) plays a vital role in removing organic pollutants and nutrients from wastewater. However, the risks posed by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between bacteria in AS are still unclear. Here, a total of 478 high-quality non-redundant metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were obtained. >50 % and 5 % of MAGs were involved in at least one HGT and recent HGT, respectively. Most of the transfers (82.4 %) of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) occurred among the classes of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. The bacteria involved in the transfers of virulence factor genes (VFGs) mainly include Alphaproteobacteria (42.3 %), Bacteroidia (19.2 %), and Gammaproteobacteria (11.5 %). Moreover, the number of ARGs and VFGs in the classes of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria was higher than that in other bacteria (P < 0.001). Mobile genetic elements were important contributors to ARGs and VFGs in AS bacteria. These results have implications for the management of antimicrobial resistance and virulence in activated sludge microorganisms.

Advances of Strategies to Increase the Surface Charge Density of Triboelectric Nanogenerators: A Review.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have manifested a remarkable potential for harvesting environmental energy and have the prospects to be utilized for various uses, for instance, self-powered sensing devices, flexible wearables, and marine corrosion protection. However, the potential for further development of TENGs is restricted on account of their low output power that in turn is determined by their surface charge density. The current review majorly focuses on the selection and optimization of triboelectric materials. Subsequently, various methods capable of enhancing the surface charge density of TENGs, including environmental regulation, charge excitation, charge pumping, electrostatic breakdown, charge trapping, and liquid-solid structure are comprehensively reviewed. Lastly, the review is concluded by highlighting the existing challenges in enhancing the surface charge density of TENGs and exploring potential opportunities for future research endeavors in this area.

Dynamic construction of refractive index-dependent vibrations using surface plasmon-phonon polaritons.

One of the fundamental hurdles in infrared spectroscopy is the failure of molecular identification when their infrared vibrational fingerprints overlap. Refractive index (RI) is another intrinsic property of molecules associated with electronic polarizability, but with limited contribution to molecular identification in mixed environments currently. Here, we investigate the coupling mode of localized surface plasmon and surface phonon polaritons for vibrational de-overlapping. The coupling mode is sensitive to the molecular refractive index, attributed to the RI-induced vibrational variations of surface phonon polaritons (SPhP) within the Reststrahlen band, referred to as RI-dependent SPhP vibrations. The RI-dependent SPhP vibrations are linked to molecular RI features. According to the deep-learning-augmented demonstration of bond-breaking-bond-making dynamic profiling in biological reaction, we substantiate that the RI-dependent SPhP vibrations effectively disentangle overlapping vibrational modes, achieving a 92% identification accuracy even for the strongly overlapping vibrational modes in the reaction. Our findings offer insights into the realm of light-matter interaction and provide a valuable toolkit for biomedicine applications.

Distinct increase in antimicrobial resistance genes among Vibrio parahaemolyticus in recent decades worldwide.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common pathogen, and has emerged with multiple antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, few studies have conducted large-scale investigations of AMR and virulence trends of V. parahaemolyticus worldwide. This study longitudinally monitored antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) trends of 1540 V. parahaemolyticus isolates isolated from 1951 to 2021. The number of ARGs in V. parahaemolyticus isolates distinctly increased over the years (P = 5.9e-10), while the number of VFGs decreased significantly (P < 2.2e-16). However, the number of VFGs of isolates isolated from humans has not changed significantly over the years (R = 0.013, P = 0.74), suggesting that the pathogenic risk to humans has not been reduced. Besides, mobile genetic elements are important contributors to ARGs in V. parahaemolyticus (R = 0.34, P < 2.2e-16), but have no promoting effect on VFGs (P = 0.50). The structural equation model illustrated that the human development index promoted the consumption of antibiotics, thereby indirectly promoting an increase in the AMR of the V. parahaemolyticus isolates. Finally, the random forest was performed to predict the ARG and VFG risks of global terrestrial V. parahaemolyticus isolates, and successfully map these threats with over 80% accuracy. This study aimed to evaluate the global risks posed by AMR and virulence, which helps to develop methods specifically targeting V. parahaemolyticus to mitigate these threats.

Proteomic Profiling and Tumor Microenvironment Characterization Reveal Molecular and Immunological Hallmarks of Left-Sided and Right-Sided Colon Cancer Tumorigenesis.

Left-sided and right-sided colon cancer (LSCC and RSCC) display different biological and clinical characteristics. However, the differences in their tumorigenesis and tumor microenvironment remain unclear. In this study, we profiled the proteomic landscapes of LSCC and RSCC with data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) using fresh tumor and adjacent normal tissues from 24 patients. A total of 7403 proteingroups were primarily identified with DIA-MS. After quality control, 7212 proteingroups were used for further analysis. Through comparing the difference in proteomic profiles between LSCC and RSCC samples, 2556 commonly and 1982 region-type-specific regulated proteingroups were characterized. During the development of LSCC and RSCC, metabolic, growth, cell division, cell adhesion, and migration pathways were found to be significantly dysregulated (P < 0.05), which was further confirmed by transcriptome data from TCGA. Compared to RSCC, most parts of the immune-related signatures, immune cell infiltration scores, and overall immune scores of LSCC were higher. The systematic elucidation of proteomic and transcriptomic profiles in this work improves our understanding of tumorigenesis and immune microenvironment characteristics of LSCC and RSCC.

A hybrid graphene metamaterial absorber for enhanced modulation and molecular fingerprint retrieval.

Surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) has proven its ability to improve the detection performance of traditional infrared spectroscopy at unprecedented levels. However, the resonant frequency of the metamaterial absorber (MA) lacks tunability once the structure is fabricated, which poses a challenge for broadband fingerprint retrieval of molecules. Here, we propose a pixelated and electric tunable hybrid graphene MA with a broadband response for molecular fingerprint retrieval. Loss engineering is employed to optimize the sensing sensitivity of MA. The resonant frequency of MA is approximately linearly modulated with a change in the graphene Fermi level. This design allows a meta-pixel to match multiple characteristic absorption spectra, thereby establishing a one-to-many mapping relationship between spatial and spectral information. The one-to-many mapping relationship greatly reduces the number of meta-pixels. As a concept demonstration, we integrate 9 meta-pixels to achieve full spectral coverage from 1000 cm-1 to 2000 cm-1. Based on the broadband spectral properties of the sensor, we demonstrate its potential for multi-fingerprint detection, quantitative detection, chemical identification, and compositional analysis. Our proposed hybrid graphene MA can be easily integrated with other on-chip devices, providing a potential platform for optical sensing, infrared spectroscopy, and photodetection.

Synthesis and chemiluminescent characteristics of two new acridinium esters.

Two new acridinium esters with a 2-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)ethyl side arm, namely, 9-(2,6-dibromophenoxycarbonyl)-10-methyl-2-(2-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)ethyl)acridinium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 9-(4-(2-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)ethyl)phenoxycarbonyl)-2,7-dimethoxy-10-methylacridinium triflate, have been produced and characterized. The chemiluminescent properties and hydrolytic stabilities of the new acridinium esters have been investigated.

A Highly Sensitive Triboelectric Quasi-Zero Stiffness Vibration Sensor with Ultrawide Frequency Response.

Sensors based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have gained worldwide interest owing to their advantages of low cost and self-powering. However, the detection of most triboelectric vibration sensors (TVS) is restricted to low frequency, whereas high-frequency vibration signals are successfully measured in recent studies; their sensitivity still requires improvement. Hence, a highly sensitive vibration sensor based on TENG (HSVS-TENG) with ultrawide frequency response is presented. This study is the first to introduce a quasi-zero stiffness structure into the TENG to minimize the driving force by optimizing the magnetic induction intensity and the weight of the moving part. The results show that the HSVS-TENG can measure vibrations with frequencies ranging from 2.5 to 4000 Hz, with a sensitivity ranging from 0.32 to 134.9 V g-1 . Moreover, the sensor exhibits a good linear response versus the applied acceleration, and the linearity ranges from 0.08 to 2.81 V g-1 . The self-powered sensor can monitor the running state and fault type of the key components with a recognition accuracy of 98.9% by leveraging machine-learning algorithms. The results reach a new height for the ultrawide frequency response and high sensitivity of the TVS and provide an idea for a follow-up high-resolution TVS.

Ultrasensitive Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval Using Strongly Detuned Overcoupled Plasmonic Nanoantennas.

Tailoring light-matter interactions via plasmonic nanoantennas (PNAs) has emerged as a breakthrough technology for spectroscopic applications. The detuning between molecular vibrations and plasmonic resonances, as a fundamental and inevitable optical phenomenon in light-matter interactions, reduces the interaction efficiency, resulting in a weak molecule sensing signal at the strong detuning state. Here, it is demonstrated that the low interaction efficiency from detuning can be tackled by overcoupled PNAs (OC-PNAs) with a high ratio of the radiative to intrinsic loss rates, which can be used for ultrasensitive spectroscopy at strong plasmonic-molecular detuning. In OC-PNAs, the ultrasensitive molecule signals are achieved within a wavelength detuning range of 248 cm-1 , which is 173 cm-1 wider than previous works. Meanwhile, the OC-PNAs are immune to the distortion of molecular signals and maintain a lineshape consistent with the molecular signature fingerprint. This strategy allows a single device to enhance and capture the full and complex fingerprint vibrations in the mid-infrared range. In the proof-of-concept demonstration, 13 kinds of molecules with some vibration fingerprints strongly detuning by the OC-PNAs are identified with 100% accuracy with the assistance of machine-learning algorithms. This work gains new insights into detuning-state nanophotonics for potential applications including spectroscopy and sensors.

Synthesis, structure elucidation, and chemiluminescent activity of new 9-substituted 10-(ω-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)alkyl)acridinium esters.

Several new acridinium esters 2-9 having their central acridinium ring bearing a 9-(2,5-dimethylphenoxycarbonyl), 9-(2,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenoxycarbonyl) or 9-(2,6-dinitrophenoxycarbonyl) group, and a 10-methyl, 10-(3-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)propyl), 10-(5-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)pentyl), or 10-(10-(succinimidyloxycarbonyl)decyl) group, have been synthesized and their chemiluminescent properties have been tested. The 2,5-dimethylphenyl acridinium esters emit light slowly (glow) when treated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide, while the 2,6-dinitrophenyl and 2,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl esters emit light rapidly (flash). The substituent at the 10 position affects the hydrolytic stabilities of the compounds.

Monitoring Longitudinal Trends and Assessment of the Health Risk of Shigella flexneri Antimicrobial Resistance.

Shigella flexneri infection is the main cause of diarrhea in humans worldwide. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of S. flexneri is a growing public health threat worldwide, while large-scale studies monitoring the longitudinal AMR trends of isolates remain scarce. Here, the AMR gene (ARG) profiles of 717 S. flexneri isolates from 1920 to 2020 worldwide were determined. The results showed that the average number of ARGs in isolates has increased significantly, from 19.2 ± 2.4 before 1970 to 29.6 ± 5.3 after 2010. In addition, mobile genetic elements were important contributors to ARGs in S. flexneri isolates. The results of the structural equation model showed that the human development index drove the consumption of antibiotics and indirectly promoted the antibiotic resistance. Finally, a machine learning algorithm was used to predict the antibiotic resistance risk of global terrestrial S. flexneri isolates and successfully map the antibiotic resistance threats in global land habitats with over 80% accuracy. Collectively, this study monitored the longitudinal AMR trends, quantitatively surveilled the health risk of S. flexneri AMR, and provided a theoretical basis for mitigating the threat of antibiotic resistance.

A Gas Flow Measurement System Based on Lead Zirconate Titanate Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer.

Ultrasonic flowmeter is one of the most widely used devices in flow measurement. Traditional bulk piezoelectric ceramic transducers restrict their application to small pipe diameters. In this paper, we propose an ultrasonic gas flowmeter based on a PZT piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) array. Two PMUT arrays with a resonant frequency of 125 kHz are used as the sensitive elements of the ultrasonic gas flowmeter to realize alternate transmission and reception of ultrasonic signals. The sensor contains 5 × 5 circular elements with a size of 3.7 × 3.7 mm2. An FPGA with a resolution of ns is used to process the received signal, and a flow system with overlapping acoustic paths and flow paths is designed. Compared with traditional measurement methods, the sensitivity is greatly improved. The flow system achieves high-precision measurement of gas flow in a 20 mm pipe diameter. The flow measurement range is 0.5-7 m/s and the relative error of correction is within 4%.

Surface Plasmon Effect Dominated High-Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture.

Available, effectively converting low-frequency vibration into available electricity, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is always research hot nowadays. However, the enhancing effect of the existing methods for the output have all sorts of drawbacks, i.e., low efficiency and unstable, and its practical applications still need to be further explored. Here, leveraging core-shell nanoparticles Ag@SiO2 doping into tribo-materials generates the surface plasmon effect to boost the output performance of the TENG. On one hand, the shell alleviated the seepage effect from conventional nanoparticles; on the other hand, the surface plasmon effect enabled the core-shell nanoparticles to further boost the output performance of TENG. We circumvent the limitations and present a TENG whose output power density can be up to 4.375 mW/cm2. Points is that this article novelty investigate the high-performance TENG applicating for traditional Chinese medicine and develop a pratical self-powered acupuncture system. This technology enables rapid, routine regulation of human health at any age, which has potential applications in nearly any setting across healthcare platforms alike.

Preparation of a novel group of chemiluminescent N-substituted acridinium esters.

Several novel N-substituted acridinium esters 7-16 containing a 10-methyl, 10-dodecyl, or 10-(ω-[succinimidyloxycarbonyl]alkyl) group have been synthesized and their chemiluminescent properties have been tested. Their chemiluminescent efficiencies and hydrolytic stabilities have been found to be affected by the characteristics of the group on the nitrogen atom. Dibromo-substituted leaving groups slightly accelerate the chemiluminescence process.

Solvation Free Energy for Selection of an Aqueous Two-Phase System: Case in Paeonol Extraction from Cortex Moutan.

Aqueous two-phase system(s) (ATPS) has/have been widely employed in the extraction and separation of bioactive molecules from herbs due to its various advantages such as high efficiency and good selectivity. For selecting the type and amount of organics and salts in ATPS, onerous experimental trials are required to ensure the reliability. We intended to develop a theoretical method to select ATPS in the case of paeonol extraction from cortex moutan. The solvation free energies (E solv) of paeonol in the top phase of 54 ATPS (ATPS-acetone, ATPS-acetone-EA, ATPS-THF, ATPS-THF-EA, ATPS-EtOH, and ATPS-EtOH-EA) were calculated with Gaussian 09, and the extraction yields with 54 ATPS were determined. By comparison of E solv and yield, the E solv rank was effective to select the optimal organic type and organic solvent fraction and aqueous salt concentration. With each series of 18 ATPS (ATPS-acetone plus ATPS-acetone-EA; ATPS-THF plus ATPS-THF-EA; or ATPS-EtOH plus ATPS-EtOH-EA), the paeonol yield was correlated with E solv, suggesting that the optimal organic type and fraction and the aqueous NaH2PO4 concentration could be selected by using theoretical E solv, or at least, the theoretical E solv rank could offer effective guidance for experimental design, and thus, tedious and onerous experimental work for optimization in ATPS extraction can be significantly reduced.

Effects of Moxibustion Combined with Ultrashort Wave on Pain and Oxidative Stress in Elderly Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Objective: To explore the effect of moxibustion instrument combined with ultrashort wave on pain and oxidative stress in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Method: 84 elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis treated in our hospital from May 2020 to June 2021 were randomly divided into observation group (n = 42) and control group (n = 42). The observation group was treated with moxibustion instrument combined with ultrashort wave, while the control group was treated with moxibustion instrument. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared, and the pain of the two groups was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS). Lysholm knee joint score scale and osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) scale of Western Ontario and McMaster University were used to evaluate the knee joint function of the two groups, and the levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), serum malondialdehyde (MDA), serum miR-155, and NLRP3 were detected in the two groups, and the comprehensive quality of life assessment questionnaire-74 was used, and the adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of observation group (90.48%) was higher than that of control group (69.05%) (P < 0.05). After treatment, VAS, Lysholm knee joint, WOMAC, quality of life scores, IL-1ß, TNF-α, SOD, MDA, miR-155, and NLRP3 in the observation group were better than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were no obvious adverse reactions in both groups. Conclusion. Moxibustion instrument combined with ultrashort wave can effectively improve knee joint pain, knee joint function, inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress reaction, and quality of life in elderly KOA patients, and the therapeutic effect is good.

An Energy Harvester Coupled with a Triboelectric Mechanism and Electrostatic Mechanism for Biomechanical Energy Harvesting.

Energy-harvesting devices based on a single energy conversion mechanism generally have a low output and low conversion efficiency. To solve this problem, an energy harvester coupled with a triboelectric mechanism and electrostatic mechanism for biomechanical energy harvesting is presented. The output performances of the device coupled with a triboelectric mechanism and electrostatic mechanism were systematically studied through principle analysis, simulation, and experimental demonstration. Experiments showed that the output performance of the device was greatly improved by coupling the electrostatic induction mechanisms, and a sustainable and enhanced peak power of approximately 289 µW was produced when the external impedance was 100 MΩ, which gave over a 46-fold enhancement to the conventional single triboelectric conversion mechanism. Moreover, it showed higher resolution for motion states compared with the conventional triboelectric nanogenerator, and can precisely and constantly monitor and distinguish various motion states, including stepping, walking, running, and jumping. Furthermore, it can charge a capacitor of 10 µF to 3 V within 2 min and light up 16 LEDs. On this basis, a self-powered access control system, based on gait recognition, was successfully demonstrated. This work proposes a novel and cost-effective method for biomechanical energy harvesting, which provides a more convenient choice for human motion status monitoring and can be widely used in personnel identification systems.

Resonant Magnetometer for Ultralow Magnetic Field Detection by Integrating Magnetoelastic Membrane on Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator.

Here, we report on a composite nanomechanical resonant magnetometer with magnetoelastic thin film integrated on the surface of a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). By exploiting the delta-E effect of magnetoelastic thin film and resonance characteristic in piezoelectric thin film, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the capability to realize ultrahigh resonance frequency and excellent magnetic field sensitivity in such composite configuration, thereby greatly improving the limit of detection of weak magnetic field. The proposed FBAR-based resonant magnetometer achieves maximum magnetic sensitivity of 137 kHz/Oe in a proof-of-concept device without structural optimization, corresponding to a noise equivalent power as low as 7 nT/Hz1/2. Further study indicates that by optimizing the thicknesses of the magnetic sensitive layer and piezoelectric layer, an unprecedented sensitivity of 5 GHz/Oe with an exceptional limit of detection of weak magnetic field down to 190 [Formula: see text]/Hz1/2 could be potentially achieved. Our work provides a forward new and exciting route toward ultralow magnetic field detection in civilian and military applications.

Boosting Output Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerator via Mutual Coupling Effects Enabled Photon-Carriers and Plasmon.

Boosting the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators via some unique methods is always a meaningful way to speed up their commercialization. However, the available approach to boost performance is mainly restricted to one physics effect based and the basic research of boosting performance via mutual coupling effects is little research. Herein, a new strategy is creatively proposed based on charge traps from mutual coupling effects, generated from g-C3 N4 /MXene-Au composites, to further promote the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator. It is found that photon-generated carriers coupling surface plasmon effect enables composites filled into tribo-material with visible light is an excellent value in boosting performance. The charge traps from mutual coupling effects for boosting performance are analyzed theoretically and verified by experiments. The output power of boosting-triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) achieves a sixfold enhancement (20 mW) of normal TENG with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in ambient conditions. This work provides a profound understanding of the working mechanism of mutual coupling effects boosting the performance of TENG and an effective way for promoting TENG output.