Perovskite solar cells based on screen-printed thin films.

One potential advantage of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is the ability to solution process the precursors and deposit films from solution1,2. At present, spin coating, blade coating, spray coating, inkjet printing and slot-die printing have been investigated to deposit hybrid perovskite thin films3-6. Here we expand the range of deposition methods to include screen-printing, enabled by a stable and viscosity-adjustable (40-44,000 cP) perovskite ink made from a methylammonium acetate ionic liquid solvent. We demonstrate control over perovskite thin-film thickness (from about 120 nm to about 1,200 nm), area (from 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 to 5 × 5 cm2) and patterning on different substrates. Printing rates in excess of 20 cm s-1 and close to 100% ink use were achieved. Using this deposition method in ambient air and regardless of humidity, we obtained the best efficiencies of 20.52% (0.05 cm2) and 18.12% (1 cm2) compared with 20.13% and 12.52%, respectively, for the spin-coated thin films in normal devices with thermally evaporated metal electrodes. Most notably, fully screen-printing devices with a single machine in ambient air have been successfully explored. The corresponding photovoltaic cells exhibit high efficiencies of 14.98%, 13.53% and 11.80% on 0.05-cm2, 1.00-cm2 and 16.37-cm2 (small-module) areas, respectively, along with 96.75% of the initial efficiency retained over 300 h of operation at maximum power point.

Well-Paired-Seq2: High-Throughput and High-Sensitivity Strategy for Characterizing Low RNA-Content Cell/Nucleus Transcriptomes.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a transformative technology that unravels the intricate cellular state heterogeneity. However, the Poisson-dependent cell capture and low sensitivity in scRNA-seq methods pose challenges for throughput and samples with a low RNA-content. Herein, to address these challenges, we present Well-Paired-Seq2 (WPS2), harnessing size-exclusion and quasi-static hydrodynamics for efficient cell capture. WPS2 exploits molecular crowding effect, tailing activity enhancement in reverse transcription, and homogeneous enzymatic reaction in the initial bead-based amplification to achieve 3116 genes and 8447 transcripts with an average of ∼20000 reads per cell. WPS2 detected 1420 more genes and 4864 more transcripts than our previous Well-Paired-Seq. It sensitively characterizes transcriptomes of low RNA-content single cells and nuclei, overcoming the Poisson limit for cell and barcoded bead capture. WPS2 also profiles transcriptomes from frozen clinical samples, revealing heterogeneous tumor copy number variations and intercellular crosstalk in clear cell renal cell carcinomas. Additionally, we provide the first single-cell-level characterization of rare metanephric adenoma (MA) and uncover potential specific markers. With the advantages of high sensitivity and high throughput, WPS2 holds promise for diverse basic and clinical research.

Modular Design and Self-assembly of pH-Responsive Multidomain Peptides Incorporating Non-natural Ionic Amino Acids.

Stimuli-responsive peptides, particularly pH-responsive variants, hold significant promise in biomedical and technological applications by leveraging the broad pH spectrum inherent to biological environments. However, the limited number of natural pH-responsive amino acids within biologically relevant pH ranges presents challenges for designing rational pH-responsive peptide assemblies. In our study, we introduce a novel approach by incorporating a library of non-natural amino acids featuring chemically diverse tertiary amine side chains. Hydrophobic and ionic properties of these non-natural amino acids facilitate their incorporation into the assembly domain when uncharged, and electrostatic repulsion promotes disassembly under lower pH conditions. Furthermore, we observed a direct relationship between the number of substitutions and the hydrophobicity of these amino acids, influencing their pH-responsive properties and enabling rational design based on desired transitional pH ranges. The structure-activity relationship of these pH-responsive peptides was evaluated by assessing their antimicrobial properties, as their antimicrobial activity is triggered by the disassembly of peptides to release active monomers. This approach not only enhances the specificity and controllability of pH responsiveness but also broadens the scope of peptide materials in biomedical and technological applications.

Preclinical 3D model screening reveals digoxin as an effective therapy for a rare and aggressive type of endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma (DDEC) characterized by SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex inactivation is a highly aggressive type of endometrial cancer without effective systemic therapy options. Its uncommon nature and aggressive disease trajectory pose significant challenges for therapeutic progress. To address this obstacle, we focused on developing preclinical models tailored to this tumor type and established patient tumor-derived three-dimensional (3D) spheroid models of DDEC. METHODS: High-throughput drug repurposing screens were performed on in vitro 3D spheroid models of DDEC cell lines (SMARCA4-inactivated DDEC-1 and ARID1A/ARID1B co-inactivated DDEC-2). The dose-response relationships of the identified candidate drugs were evaluated in vitro, followed by in vivo evaluation using xenograft models of DDEC-1 and DDEC-2. RESULTS: Drug screen in 3D models identified multiple cardiac glycosides including digoxin and digitoxin as candidate drugs in both DDEC-1 and DDEC-2. Subsequent in vitro dose-response analyses confirmed the inhibitory activity of digoxin and digitoxin with both drugs showing lower IC50 in DDEC cells compared to non-DDEC endometrial cancer cells. In in vivo xenograft models, digoxin significantly suppressed the growth of DDEC tumors at clinically relevant serum concentrations. CONCLUSION: Using biologically precise preclinical models of DDEC derived from patient tumor samples, our study identified digoxin as an effective drug in suppressing DDEC tumor growth. These findings provide compelling preclinical evidence for the use of digoxin as systemic therapy for SWI/SNF-inactivated DDEC, which may also be applicable to other SWI/SNF-inactivated tumor types.

In Situ Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Peptide-PEG Conjugates: A Facile Method for the Construction of Fibrous Hydrogels.

Peptide-based hydrogels have gained considerable attention as a compelling platform for various biomedical applications in recent years. Their attractiveness stems from their ability to seamlessly integrate diverse properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, easily adjustable hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, and other functionalities. However, a significant drawback is that most of the functional self-assembling peptides cannot form robust hydrogels suitable for biological applications. In this study, we present the synthesis of novel peptide-PEG conjugates and explore their comprehensive hydrogel properties. The hydrogel comprises double networks, with the first network formed through the self-assembly of peptides to create a ß-sheet secondary structure. The second network is established through covalent bond formation via N-hydroxysuccinimide chemistry between peptides and a 4-arm PEG to form a covalently linked network. Importantly, our findings reveal that this hydrogel formation method can be applied to other peptides containing lysine-rich sequences. Upon encapsulation of the hydrogel with antimicrobial peptides, the hydrogel retained high bacterial killing efficiency while showing minimum cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells. We hope that this method opens new avenues for the development of a novel class of peptide-polymer hydrogel materials with enhanced performance in biomedical contexts, particularly in reducing the potential for infection in applications of tissue regeneration and drug delivery.

Maternal and Perinatal Factors Associated With Childhood Brain Tumors: A Case-Control Study in Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children and the majority of childhood brain tumors are diagnosed without determination of their underlying etiology. Little is known about risk factors for childhood brain tumors in Vietnam. The objective of this case-control study was to identify maternal and perinatal factors associated with brain tumors occurring in young Vietnamese children and adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Cases consisted of children with brain tumors aged 0-14 years old admitted to the hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 while the controls were age and sex-matched hospitalized children diagnosed with head trauma. Perinatal characteristics were abstracted from hospital medical records and maternal medical, behavioral, and sociodemographic factors were collected through in-person interviews. Conditional logistic regression models were used to examine maternal and perinatal factors associated with childhood brain tumors. RESULTS: The study sample included 220 children (110 cases and 110 controls) whose average age was 8.9 years and 41.8% were girls. Children born to mothers aged greater than 30 years at the time of the child's birth had a higher risk of childhood brain tumors compared to those born to mothers aged from 18 to 30 years old (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.13-5.75). Additionally low maternal body mass index prior to the current pregnancy of <18.5 kg/m2 significantly increased the odds of having a child with a brain tumor in relation to normal maternal body mass index from 18.5-22.9 kg/m2 (OR = 3.19; 95% CI: 1.36 - 7.50). CONCLUSION: Advanced maternal age and being markedly underweight were associated with an increased odds of having a child with a brain tumor. A population-based study with larger sample size is needed to confirm and extend the present findings.

Reaction mechanism of the ethynylation of formaldehyde on copper terminated Cu2O(100) surfaces: a DFT study.

1,4-Butanediol (BDO) is an important chemical raw material for a series of high-value-added products. And the ethynylation of formaldehyde is the key step for the production of BDO by the Reppe process. However, little work has been done to reveal the reaction mechanism. In this work, the reaction mechanism for the ethynylation of formaldehyde process on copper-terminated Cu2O(100) surfaces was investigated with density functional theory (DFT). The reaction network of the ethynylation of formaldehyde was constructed first and the adsorption properties of the related species were calculated. Then the energy barrier and reaction energy of the related reactions and the geometric configuration were calculated. It is a consecutive reaction including two processes. For the propargyl alcohol (PA) formation process, the most favorable pathway is the direct addition of acetylene to formaldehyde followed by a hydrogen transfer reaction. And the rate control step is the hydrogen transfer reaction with an energy barrier of 1.43 eV. For the 1,4-butynediol (BYD) formation process, the most competitive pathway is the addition of PA to CH2OH, including formaldehyde hydrogenation to form CH2OH, coupling addition, and dehydrogenation reaction. The rate control step of this pathway is the dehydrogenation reaction with an energy barrier of 1.51 eV.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of Al3+ ion-suppressed phase-separation structures in rare-earth-doped high-phosphorus silica glasses.

Rare-earth-doped silica-based composite glasses (Re-SCGs) are widely used as high-quality laser gain media in defense, aerospace, energy, power, and medical applications. The variable regional chemical environments of Re-SCGs can induce new photoluminescence properties of rare-earth ions but can cause the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions, limiting the application of Re-SCGs in the field of high-power lasers. Here, topological engineering is proposed to adjust the degree of cross-linking of phase-separation network chains in Re-SCGs. A combination of experimental and theoretical characterization techniques suggested that the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions originates from the formation of phase-separated structures in glasses. The decomposition of nanoscale phase separation structures to the sub-nanometer scale, enabled by incorporating Al3+ ions, not only maintains the high luminescence efficiency of rare earth ions but also increases light transmittance and reduces light scattering. Furthermore, our investigation encompassed the exploration of the inhibitory mechanism of Al3+ ions on phase-separation structures, as well as their influence on the spectral characteristics of Re-SCGs. This work provides a new design concept for composite glass materials doped with rare-earth ions and could broaden their application in the field of high-power lasers.

Riboflavin-loaded carbon cloth aids the anaerobic digestion of cow dung by promoting direct interspecies electron transfer.

Cow dung generates globally due to increased beef and milk consumption, but its treatment efficiency remains low. Previous studies have shown that riboflavin-loaded conductive materials can improve anaerobic digestion through enhance direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). However, its effect on the practical anaerobic digestion of cow dung remained unclear. In this study, carbon cloth loaded with riboflavin (carbon cloth-riboflavin) was added into an anaerobic digester treating cow dung. The carbon cloth-riboflavin reactor showed a better performance than other two reactors. The metagenomic analysis revealed that Methanothrix on the surface of the carbon cloth predominantly utilized the CO2 reduction for methane production, further enhanced after riboflavin addition, while Methanothrix in bulk sludge were using the acetate decarboxylation pathway. Furthermore, the carbon cloth-riboflavin enriched various major methanogenic pathways and activated a large number of enzymes associated with DIET. Riboflavin's presence altered the microbial communities and the abundance of functional genes relate to DIET, ultimately leading to a better performance of anaerobic digestion for cow dung.

What is the impact of microbiota on dry eye: a literature review of the gut-eye axis.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye is a chronic and multifactorial ocular surface disease caused by tear film instability or imbalance in the microenvironment of the ocular surface. It can lead to various discomforts such as inflammation of the ocular surface and visual issues. However, the mechanism of dry eye is not clear, which results in dry eye being only relieved but not cured in clinical practice. Finding multiple environmental pathways for dry eye and exploring the pathogenesis of dry eye have become the focus of research. Studies have found that changes in microbiota may be related to the occurrence and development of dry eye disease. METHODS: Entered the keywords "Dry eye", "Microbiota", "Bacteria" through PUBMED, summarised the articles that meet the inclusion criteria and then filtered them while the publication time range of the literature was defined in the past 5 years, with a deadline of 2023.A total of 13 clinical and 1 animal-related research articles were screened out and included in the summary. RESULTS: Study found that different components of bacteria can induce ocular immune responses through different receptors present on the ocular surface, thereby leading to an imbalance in the ocular surface microenvironment. Changes in the ocular surface microbiota and gut microbiota were also found when dry eye syndrome occurs, including changes in diversity, an increase in pro-inflammatory bacteria, and a decrease in short-chain fatty acid-related bacterial genera that produce anti-inflammatory effects. Fecal microbiota transplantation or probiotic intervention can alleviate signs of inflammation on the ocular surface of dry eye animal models. CONCLUSIONS: By summarizing the changes in the ocular surface and intestinal microbiota when dry eye occurs, it is speculated and concluded that the intestine may affect the occurrence of eye diseases such as dry eye through several pathways and mechanisms, such as the occurrence of abnormal immune responses, microbiota metabolites- intervention of short-chain fatty acids, imbalance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, and release of neurotransmitters, etc. Analyzing the correlation between the intestinal tract and the eyes from the perspective of microbiota can provide a theoretical basis and a new idea for relieving dry eyes in multiple ways in the future.

Pseudolaric acid B exerts an antifungal effect and targets SIRT1 to ameliorate inflammation by regulating Nrf2/NF-κB pathways in fungal keratitis.

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a vision-threatening infection. We aimed to explore the antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on FK and the underlying mechanisms involved. Network pharmacology utilized to acquire the potential target genes, and silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) was consistently downregulated in Gene Expression Omnibus dataset and clinical samples. Molecular docking analysis showed that PAB and SIRT1 had good binding activity. No toxicity was observed in vivo and in vitro with a PAB concentration below 0.3 µM. PAB exerted its antifungal activity by destroying the integrity of hyphae, and alleviated the severity of FK in rats by decreasing clinical scores, fungal burden and inhibiting inflammatory cell infiltration. PAB increased SIRT1 to regulate the crosstalk between nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), decreasing the levels of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6; and pattern recognition receptors, C-type lectin domain containing 7A (Dectin-1), lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX-1), toll like receptor (TLR)-2, and TLR4 both in vivo and in vitro. However, this anti-inflammatory effect of PAB was abolished by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX527. This study provides new evidence that PAB has antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects in FK and may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of FK.

Detection of multiple biomarkers associated with satellite cell fate in the contused skeletal muscle of rats for wound age estimation.

From the perspective of forensic wound age estimation, experiments related to skeletal muscle regeneration after injury have rarely been reported. Here, we examined the time-dependent expression patterns of multiple biomarkers associated with satellite cell fate, including the transcription factor paired box 7 (Pax7), myoblast determination protein (MyoD), myogenin, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), using immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR in contused skeletal muscle. An animal model of skeletal muscle contusion was established in 30 Sprague-Dawley male rats, and another five rats were employed as non-contused controls. Morphometrically, the data obtained from the numbers of Pax7 + , MyoD + , and myogenin + cells were highly correlated with the wound age. Pax7, MyoD, myogenin, and IGF-1 expression patterns were upregulated after injury at both the mRNA and protein levels. Pax7, MyoD, and myogenin protein expression levels confirmed the results of the morphometrical analysis. Additionally, the relative quantity of IGF-1 protein > 0.92 suggested a wound age of 3 to 7 days. The relative quantity of Pax7 mRNA > 2.44 also suggested a wound age of 3 to 7 days. Relative quantities of Myod1, Myog, and Igf1 mRNA expression > 2.78, > 7.80, or > 3.13, respectively, indicated a wound age of approximately 3 days. In conclusion, the expression levels of Pax7, MyoD, myogenin, and IGF-1 were upregulated in a time-dependent manner during skeletal muscle wound healing, suggesting the potential for using them as candidate biomarkers for wound age estimation in skeletal muscle.

Structure-function analysis of DEAD-box helicase DDX43.

DDX43 (DEAD-box helicase 43), also known as HAGE (helicase antigen gene), is a member of the DEAD-box protein family. It contains a K homology (KH) domain in its N terminus, a helicase core domain in its C terminus, and a flexible linker domain in between. DDX43 expression is low or undetectable in normal tissue, but is overexpressed in many tumors; therefore, it is considered a potential target molecule for cancer therapy. We, along with other groups, have shown that DDX43 is an ATP-dependent RNA and DNA helicase, and the KH domain is required for its ATPase and unwinding activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq, crosslinking immunoprecipitation (CLIP)-seq, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed that the KH domain prefers to bind pyrimidine-rich ssDNA and ssRNA, such as TTGT in the promoter regions of genes. Moreover, the KH domain facilitates the substrate specificity and processivity of the DDX43 helicase. No animal model has been generated for DDX43; cellular studies have revealed that DDX43 has roles in piRNA amplification, tumorigenesis, RAS signaling, and innate immunity. Structural and functional studies of DDX43 will not only advance our understanding of DEAD-box helicases and KH domains, but also shed light on the application of DDX43 as therapeutics, where its key binding sites can be targeted by small molecules and natural products as an alternative approach in treating DDX43 overexpressed cancers.

Comparison of CT Values between Thrombus and Postmortem Clot Based on Cadaveric Pulmonary Angiography.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the difference in CT values between pulmonary thromboembolism and postmortem clot in postmortem CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to further improve the application value of virtual autopsy. METHODS: Postmortem CTPA data with the definite cause of death from 2016 to 2019 were collected and divided into pulmonary thromboembolism group (n=4), postmortem clot group (n=5), and control group (n=5). CT values of pulmonary trunk and left and right pulmonary artery contents in each group were measured and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The average CT value in the pulmonary thromboembolism group and postmortem clot group were (168.4±53.8) Hu and (282.7±78.0) Hu, respectively, which were lower than those of the control group (1 193.0±82.9) Hu (P<0.05). The average CT value of the postmortem clot group was higher than that of the pulmonary thromboembolism group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CT value is reliable and feasible as a relatively objective quantitative index to distinguish pulmonary thromboembolism and postmortem clot in postmortem CTPA. At the same time, it can provide a scientific basis to a certain extent for ruling out pulmonary thromboembolism deaths.

Transcriptome changes associated with boron applications in fruits of watercore-susceptible pear cultivar.

BACKGROUND: Watercore is a common physiological disorder in pear and is closely related to the excessive accumulation of sorbitol and sucrose. Our previous research found that the incidence of watercore in 'Akibae' (Pyrus pyrifolia cv. Akibae) fruit significantly decreased after boron application (BA). Moreover, the foliar spray of boric acid also significantly improved fruit quality. However, the mechanisms underlying the pear fruit response to BA was still limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: A comprehensive transcriptome analysis of BA treatment 'Akibae' pear fruit was performed in this study. Transcriptome results revealed a total of 3146 up-regulated and 1145 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and treated fruits of 'Akibae' pear. BA significantly induced the expression of sorbitol metabolism and sucrose metabolism genes. In addition, BA also increased the expression of starch degradation, fatty acid synthesis, IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) degradation, and GA (gibberellin acid) synthesis genes and inhibited the expression of ethylene synthesis genes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that BA probably alleviates 'Akibae' watercore occurrence and improves fruit quality by regulating the decrease in sorbitol and sucrose, the increase in fatty acids and the balance of plant hormones. Our results provide further information for understanding the molecular mechanism of the effect of BA on pear fruit.

Identification of 8 Feature Genes Related to Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression Based on Co-Expression Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to screen biomarkers related to clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) progression and prognosis. METHODS: 1,026 ccRCC-related genes were dug from 494 ccRCC samples in TCGA based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and 7 modules were identified. Afterward, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were conducted on modules of interest. Genes in these modules were taken as the input to construct a protein-protein interaction network. Thereafter, 30 genes with the highest connectivity were taken as core genes. Univariate Cox regression, LASSO Cox regression, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on core genes. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on patients' clinical characteristics and risk scores. RESULTS: Stage displayed significantly strong correlations with green module and red module (p < 0.001). Genes in modules participated in biological functions including T-cell proliferation and regulation of lymphocyte activation. GSEA showed that high- and low-risk groups exhibited significant enrichment differences in pathways related to immunity, cell migration, and invasion. Immune infiltration analysis also presented a strong correlation between the expression of these 8 genes and immune cell infiltration in ccRCC samples. It was displayed that risk score could be an independent factor to assess patients' prognosis. CONCLUSION: We determined biomarkers relevant to ccRCC progression, offering candidate targets for ccRCC treatment.

Research on the Identification Model of Medical Damage.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the perceptions of doctors, patients and forensic examiners on the current situation of medical disputes and medical damage identification in China, and to explore the medical damage identification model that is more conducive for the resolution of medical disputes. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed, and in-service clinicians, forensic examiners and inpatients in Sichuan Province and Chongqing City were randomly selected from April to November 2019. SPSS 22.0 software was used to analyze the data of various survey results. RESULTS: Compared with patients (24.92%), doctors (61.72%) believed that the current doctor-patient relationship was more tense than before; both doctors and patients were more inclined to choose voluntary consultation and people's mediation to resolve medical disputes; forensic examiners have the highest level of cognition of medical and health-related laws and regulations, followed by doctors and patients; 66.72% of doctors and 78.41% of patients believed that medical damage identification was necessary, and they were more inclined to entrust forensic identification institutions; different groups all believed that forensic examiners and doctors should participate in the identification together, 80.94% of doctors believed that the appraisal institutions should be responsible for the forensic opinion, not the appraiser. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the Medical Association identification and forensic identification should learn from each other and formulate basic unified rules for the identification of medical damage. It is suggested to standardize the behavior of medical damage forensic identification institutions and appraisers, to improve their own appraisal level, actively invite clinical medical experts for consultation in identification, and promote the standardized, scientization of forensic identification.

Logistic Regression Analysis of the Mechanism of Blunt Brain Injury Inference Based on CT Images.

OBJECTIVES: To study the correlation between CT imaging features of acceleration and deceleration brain injury and injury degree. METHODS: A total of 299 cases with acceleration and deceleration brain injury were collected and divided into acceleration brain injury group and deceleration brain injury group according to the injury mechanism. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and Glasgow coma scale (GCS), combined with skull fracture, epidural hematoma (EDH), subdural hematoma (SDH) and brain contusion on the same and opposite sides of the stress point were selected as the screening indexes. χ2 test was used for primary screening, and binary logistic regression analysis was used for secondary screening. The indexes with the strongest correlation in acceleration and deceleration injury mechanism were selected. RESULTS: χ2 test showed that skull fracture and EDH on the same side of the stress point; EDH, SDH and brain contusion on the opposite of the stress point; SAH, GCS were correlated with acceleration and deceleration injury (P<0.05). According to binary logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of EDH on the same side of the stress point was 2.697, the OR of brain contusion on the opposite of the stress point was 0.043 and the OR of GCS was 0.238, suggesting there was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EDH on the same side of the stress point, brain contusion on the opposite of the stress point and GCS can be used as key indicators to distinguish acceleration and deceleration injury mechanism. In addition, skull fracture on the same side of the stress point, EDH and SDH on the opposite of the stress point and SAH were relatively weak indicators in distinguishing acceleration and deceleration injury mechanism.

Automatic Identification of Brain Injury Mechanism Based on Deep Learning.

OBJECTIVES: To apply the convolutional neural network (CNN) Inception_v3 model in automatic identification of acceleration and deceleration injury based on CT images of brain, and to explore the application prospect of deep learning technology in forensic brain injury mechanism inference. METHODS: CT images from 190 cases with acceleration and deceleration brain injury were selected as the experimental group, and CT images from 130 normal brain cases were used as the control group. The above-mentioned 320 imaging data were divided into training validation dataset and testing dataset according to random sampling method. The model classification performance was evaluated by the accuracy rate, precision rate, recall rate, F1-value and AUC value. RESULTS: In the training process and validation process, the accuracy rate of the model to classify acceleration injury, deceleration injury and normal brain was 99.00% and 87.21%, which met the requirements. The optimized model was used to test the data of the testing dataset, the result showed that the accuracy rate of the model in the test set was 87.18%, and the precision rate, recall rate, F1-score and AUC of the model to recognize acceleration injury were 84.38%, 90.00%, 87.10% and 0.98, respectively, to recognize deceleration injury were 86.67%, 72.22%, 78.79% and 0.92, respectively, to recognize normal brain were 88.57%, 89.86%, 89.21% and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Inception_v3 model has potential application value in distinguishing acceleration and deceleration injury based on brain CT images, and is expected to become an auxiliary tool to infer the mechanism of head injury.

Modular Design of Supramolecular Ionic Peptides with Cell-Selective Membrane Activity.

The rational design of materials with cell-selective membrane activity is an effective strategy for the development of targeted molecular imaging and therapy. Here we report a new class of cationic multidomain peptides (MDPs) that can undergo enzyme-mediated molecular transformation followed by supramolecular assembly to form nanofibers in which cationic clusters are presented on a rigid ß-sheet backbone. This structural transformation, which is induced by cells overexpressing the specific enzymes, led to a shift in the membrane perturbation potential of the MDPs, and consequently enhanced cell uptake and drug delivery efficacy. We envision the directed self-assembly based on modularly designed MDPs as a highly promising approach to generate dynamic supramolecular nanomaterials with emerging membrane activity for a range of disease targeted molecular imaging and therapy applications.