Rice ILI atypical bHLH transcription factors antagonize OsbHLH157/OsbHLH158 during brassinosteroid signaling.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of steroid hormones that play crucial roles in plant growth and development. Atypical bHLH transcription factors that lack the basic region for DNA binding have been implicated in BR signaling. However, the underlying mechanisms of atypical bHLHs in regulation of rice (Oryza sativa) BR signaling are still largely unknown. Here, we describe a systematic characterization of INCREASED LEAF INCLINATION (ILI) subfamily atypical bHLH transcription factors in rice. A total of 8 members, ILI1 to ILI8, with substantial sequence similarity were retrieved. Knockout and overexpression analyses demonstrated that these ILIs play unequally redundant and indispensable roles in BR-mediated growth and development in rice, with a more prominent role for ILI4 and ILI5. The ili3/4/5/8 quadruple and ili1/3/4/7/8 quintuple mutants displayed tremendous BR-related defects with severe dwarfism, erect leaves, and sterility. Biochemical analysis showed that ILIs interact with OsbHLH157 and OsbHLH158, which are also atypical bHLHs and have no obvious transcriptional activity. Overexpression of OsbHLH157 and OsbHLH158 led to drastic BR-defective growth, whereas the osbhlh157 osbhlh158 double mutant developed a typical BR-enhanced phenotype, indicating that OsbHLH157 and OsbHLH158 play a major negative role in rice BR signaling. Further transcriptome analyses revealed opposite effects of ILIs and OsbHLH157/OsbHLH158 in regulation of downstream gene expression, supporting the antagonism of ILIs and OsbHLH157/OsbHLH158 in maintaining the balance of BR signaling. Our results provide insights into the mechanism of BR signaling and plant architecture formation in rice.

Effects of physical activity on the levels of remnant cholesterol: A population-based study.

Physical activity (PA) has the potential to bring about favourable changes in plasma lipid profile. However, the relationship between PA and remnant cholesterol (RC) remains unclear. We aimed to study the link between PA and RC using the database of the 2007-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). PA was categorized based on Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. A multivariate linear regression model was used to determine the correlations between PA and RC. The study involved a total of 18,396 participants and revealed that individuals whose PA met the guidelines by engaging in moderate-intensity PA at least 150 min per week had lower body mass index and showed decreased levels of triglyceride, TC, and haemoglobin A1c compared to those who were physically inactive, exercising <150 min per week. Participants whose intensity of PA meets PA guidelines had a lower level of RC than those who did not met PA guidelines (ß = -1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.9 to -0.7, p < 0.001), even after adjusting for confounders. During subgroup analysis, we observed that race (pinteraction = 0.0089) emerged as a significant factor of interaction.

The dynamics of B-cell reconstitution post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A real-world study.

BACKGROUND: The immune reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is crucial for preventing infections and relapse and enhancing graft-versus-tumor effects. B cells play an important role in humoral immunity and immune regulation, but their reconstitution after allo-HSCT has not been well studied. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed the dynamics of B cells in 252 patients who underwent allo-HSCT for 2 years and assessed the impact of factors on B-cell reconstitution and their correlations with survival outcomes, as well as the development stages of B cells in the bone marrow and the subsets in the peripheral blood. RESULTS: We found that the B-cell reconstitution in the bone marrow was consistent with the peripheral blood (p = 0.232). B-cell reconstitution was delayed by the male gender, age >50, older donor age, the occurrence of chronic and acute graft-versus-host disease, and the infections of fungi and cytomegalovirus. The survival analysis revealed that patients with lower B cells had higher risks of death and relapse. More importantly, we used propensity score matching to obtain the conclusion that post-1-year B-cell reconstitution is better in females. Meanwhile, using mediation analysis, we proposed the age-B cells-survival axis and found that B-cell reconstitution at month 12 posttransplant mediated the effect of age on patient survival (p = 0.013). We also found that younger patients showed more immature B cells in the bone marrow after transplantation (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: Our findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the management of B-cell reconstitution and improving the efficacy and safety of allo-HSCT.

Association of non-insulin-based insulin resistance indices with disease severity and adverse outcome in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: a multi-center cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown that diabetes mellitus and impaired lipid metabolism are associated with the severity and prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). However, the relationship between IR and pulmonary hypertension is poorly understood. This study explored the association between four IR indices and IPAH using data from a multicenter cohort. METHODS: A total of 602 consecutive participants with IPAH were included in this study between January 2015 and December 2022. The metabolic score for IR (METS-IR), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio, triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index, and triglyceride-glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) were used to quantify IR levels in patients with IPAH. The correlation between non-insulin-based IR indices and long-term adverse outcomes was determined using multivariate Cox regression models and restricted cubic splines. RESULTS: During a mean of 3.6 years' follow-up, 214 participants experienced all-cause death or worsening condition. Compared with in low to intermediate-low risk patients, the TG/HDL-C ratio (2.9 ± 1.7 vs. 3.3 ± 2.1, P = 0.003) and METS-IR (34.5 ± 6.7 vs. 36.4 ± 7.5, P < 0.001) were significantly increased in high to intermediate-high risk patients. IR indices correlated with well-validated variables that reflected the severity of IPAH, such as the cardiac index and stroke volume index. Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that the TyG-BMI index (hazard ratio [HR] 1.179, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.020, 1.363 per 1.0-standard deviation [SD] increment, P = 0.026) and METS-IR (HR 1.169, 95% CI 1.016, 1.345 per 1.0-SD increment, P = 0.030) independently predicted adverse outcomes. Addition of the TG/HDL-C ratio and METS-IR significantly improved the reclassification and discrimination ability beyond the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) risk score. CONCLUSIONS: IR is associated with the severity and long-term prognosis of IPAH. TyG-BMI and METS-IR can independently predict clinical worsening events, while METS-IR also provide incremental predictive performance beyond the ESC risk stratification.

Enhancement of silicon vacancy fluorescence intensity in silicon carbide using a dielectric cavity.

Over the past decades, spin qubits in silicon carbide (SiC) have emerged as promising platforms for a wide range of quantum technologies. The fluorescence intensity holds significant importance in the performance of quantum photonics, quantum information process, and sensitivity of quantum sensing. In this work, a dual-layer Au/SiO2 dielectric cavity is employed to enhance the fluorescence intensity of a shallow silicon vacancy ensemble in 4H-SiC. Experimental results demonstrate an effective fourfold augmentation in fluorescence counts at saturating laser power, corroborating our theoretical predictions. Based on this, we further investigate the influence of dielectric cavities on the contrast and linewidth of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). There is a 1.6-fold improvement in magnetic field sensitivity. In spin echo experiments, coherence times remain constant regardless of the thickness of dielectric cavities. These experiments pave the way for broader applications of dielectric cavities in SiC-based quantum technologies.

Safety of embryo cryopreservation: insights from mid-term placental transcriptional changes.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, with benefits from the continuous improvement of clinical technology and the advantage of fertility preservation, the application of embryo cryopreservation has been growing rapidly worldwide. However, amidst this growth, concerns about its safety persist. Numerous studies have highlighted the elevated risk of perinatal complications linked to frozen embryo transfer (FET), such as large for gestational age (LGA) and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Thus, it is imperative to explore the potential risk of embryo cryopreservation and its related mechanisms. METHODS: Given the strict ethical constraints on clinical samples, we employed mouse models in this study. Three experimental groups were established: the naturally conceived (NC) group, the fresh embryo transfer (Fresh-ET) group, and the FET group. Blastocyst formation rates and implantation rates were calculated post-embryo cryopreservation. The impact of FET on fetal growth was evaluated upon fetal and placental weight. Placental RNA-seq was conducted, encompassing comprehensive analyses of various comparisons (Fresh-ET vs. NC, FET vs. NC, and FET vs. Fresh-ET). RESULTS: Reduced rates of blastocyst formation and implantation were observed post-embryo cryopreservation. Fresh-ET resulted in a significant decrease in fetal weight compared to NC group, whereas FET reversed this decline. RNA-seq analysis indicated that the majority of the expression changes in FET were inherited from Fresh-ET, and alterations solely attributed to embryo cryopreservation were moderate. Unexpectedly, certain genes that showed alterations in Fresh-ET tended to be restored in FET. Further analysis suggested that this regression may underlie the improvement of fetal growth restriction in FET. The expression of imprinted genes was disrupted in both FET and Fresh-ET groups. CONCLUSION: Based on our experimental data on mouse models, the impact of embryo cryopreservation is less pronounced than other in vitro manipulations in Fresh-ET. However, the impairment of the embryonic developmental potential and the gene alterations in placenta still suggested it to be a risky operation.

The grapevine miR827a regulates the synthesis of stilbenes by targeting VqMYB14 and gives rise to susceptibility in plant immunity.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is an economically important fruit crop cultivated worldwide. In China, grapevine cultivation is very extensive, and a few Vitis grapes have excellent pathogen and stress resistance, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the grapevine response to stress remain unclear. In this study, a microRNA (miRNA; miR827a), which negatively regulates its target gene VqMYB14, a key regulatory role in the synthesis of stilbenes, was identified in Vitis quinquangularis (V. quinquangularis) using transcriptome sequencing. Using overexpression and silencing approaches, we found that miR827a regulates the synthesis of stilbenes by targeting VqMYB14. We used flagellin N-terminal 22-amino-acid peptide (flg22), the representative elicitor in plant basal immunity, as the elicitor to verify whether miR827a is involved in the basal immunity of V. quinquangularis. Furthermore, the promoter activity of miR827a was alleviated in transgenic grape protoplasts and Arabidopsis thaliana following treatment with flg22 and Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000), respectively. In addition, yeast one-hybrid and dual luciferase reporter assay revealed that the ethylene transcription factor VqERF057 acted as a key regulator in the inhibition of miR827a transcription. These results will contribute to the understanding of the biological functions of miR827a in grapevine and clarify the molecular mechanism of the interaction between miR827a and VqMYB14.

Nomogram for hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism among patients with cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Identifying venous thromboembolism (VTE) is challenging for patients with cardiovascular diseases due to similar clinical presentation. Most hospital-acquired VTE events are preventable, whereas the implementation of VTE prophylaxis in clinical practice is far from sufficient. There is a lack of hospital-acquired VTE prediction models tailored specifically designed for patients with cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to develop a nomogram predicting hospital-acquired VTE specifically for patients with cardiovascular diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with cardiovascular diseases admitted to internal medicine of Fuwai hospital between September 2020 and August 2021 were included. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were applied to identify risk factors of hospital-acquired VTE. A nomogram was constructed according to multivariable logistic regression, and internally validated by bootstrapping. RESULTS: A total of 27,235 patients were included. During a median hospitalization of four days, 154 (0.57%) patients developed hospital-acquired VTE. Multivariable logistic regression identified that female sex, age, infection, pulmonary hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, acute coronary syndrome, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, immobility, central venous catheter, intra-aortic balloon pump and anticoagulation were independently associated with hospital-acquired VTE. The nomogram was constructed with high accuracy in both the training set and validation (concordance index 0.865 in the training set, and 0.864 in validation), which was further confirmed in calibration. Compared to Padua model, the Fuwai model demonstrated significantly better discrimination ability (area under curve 0.865 vs. 0.786, net reclassification index 0.052, 95% confidence interval 0.012-0.091, P = 0.009; integrated discrimination index 0.020, 95% confidence interval 0.001-0.039, P = 0.051). CONCLUSION: The incidence of hospital-acquired VTE in patients with cardiovascular diseases is relatively low. The nomogram exhibits high accuracy in predicting hospital-acquired VTE in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Identifying symptom clusters and temporal interconnections in patients with lung tumors after CT-guided microwave ablation: A network analysis.

PURPOSE: To explore symptom clusters and interrelationships using a network analysis approach among symptoms in patients with lung tumors who underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided microwave ablation (MWA). METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted, and 196 lung tumor patients undergoing MWA were recruited and were measured at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after MWA. The Chinese version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and the Revised Lung Cancer Module were used to evaluate symptoms. Network analyses were performed to explore the symptom clusters and interrelationships among symptoms. RESULTS: Four stable symptom communities were identified within the networks. Distress, weight loss, and chest tightness were the central symptoms. Distress, and weight loss were also the most key bridge symptoms, followed by cough. Three symptom networks were temporally stable in terms of symptom centrality, global connectivity, and network structure. CONCLUSION: Our findings identified the central symptoms, bridge symptoms, and the stability of symptom networks of patients with lung tumors after MWA. These network results will have important implications for future targeted symptom management intervention development. Future research should focus on developing precise interventions for targeting central symptoms and bridge symptoms to promote patients' health.

Unlocking the mysteries of VLDL: exploring its production, intracellular trafficking, and metabolism as therapeutic targets.

Reducing circulating lipid levels is the centerpiece of strategies for preventing and treating atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Despite many available lipid-lowering medications, a substantial residual cardiovascular risk remains. Current clinical guidelines focus on plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Recent attention has been given to very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), the precursor to LDL, and its role in the development of coronary atherosclerosis. Preclinical investigations have revealed that interventions targeting VLDL production or promoting VLDL metabolism, independent of the LDL receptor, can potentially decrease cholesterol levels and provide therapeutic benefits. Currently, methods, such as mipomersen, lomitapide, and ANGPTL3 inhibitors, are used to reduce plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels by regulating the lipidation, secretion, and metabolism of VLDL. Targeting VLDL represents an avenue for new lipid-lowering strategies. Interventions aimed at reducing VLDL production or enhancing VLDL metabolism, independent of the LDL receptor, hold promise for lowering cholesterol levels and providing therapeutic benefits beyond LDL in the management of ASCVD.

The serum soluble ASGR1 concentration is elevated in patients with coronary artery disease and is associated with inflammatory markers.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current research has suggested that asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 (ASGR1) is involved in cholesterol metabolism and is also related to systemic inflammation. This study aimed to assess the correlation between the serum soluble ASGR1 (sASGR1) concentration and inflammatory marker levels. Moreover, the second objective of the study was to assess the association between sASGR1 levels and the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: The study subjects included 160 patients who underwent coronary angiography. Ninety patients were diagnosed with CAD, while seventy age- and sex-matched non-CAD patients served as controls. We measured the serum sASGR1 levels using an ELISA kit after collecting clinical baseline characteristics. RESULTS: Patients with CAD had higher serum sASGR1 levels than non-CAD patients did (P < 0.0001). sASGR1 was independently correlated with the risk of CAD after adjusting for confounding variables (OR = 1.522, P = 0.012). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that sASGR1 had a larger area under the curve (AUC) than did the conventional biomarkers apolipoprotein B (APO-B) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In addition, multivariate linear regression models revealed that sASGR1 is independently and positively correlated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) (ß = 0.86, P < 0.001) and WBC (ß = 0.13, P = 0.004) counts even after adjusting for lipid parameters. According to our subgroup analysis, this relationship existed only for CAD patients. CONCLUSION: Our research demonstrated the link between CAD and sASGR1 levels, suggesting that sASGR1 may be an independent risk factor for CAD. In addition, this study provides a reference for revealing the potential role of sASGR1 in the inflammation of atherosclerosis.

Causal impact of gut microbiota and associated metabolites on pulmonary arterial hypertension: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) exhibit a distinct gut microbiota profile; however, the causal association between gut microbiota, associated metabolites, and PAH remains elusive. We aimed to investigate this causal association and to explore whether dietary patterns play a role in its regulation. METHODS: Summary statistics of gut microbiota, associated metabolites, diet, and PAH were obtained from genome-wide association studies. The inverse variance weighted method was primarily used to measure the causal effect, with sensitivity analyses using the weighted median, weighted mode, simple mode, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO), and MR-Egger methods. A reverse Mendelian randomisation analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Alistipes (odds ratio [OR] = 2.269, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.100-4.679, P = 0.027) and Victivallis (OR = 1.558, 95% CI 1.019-2.380, P = 0.040) were associated with an increased risk of PAH, while Coprobacter (OR = 0.585, 95% CI 0.358-0.956, P = 0.032), Erysipelotrichaceae (UCG003) (OR = 0.494, 95% CI 0.245-0.996, P = 0.049), Lachnospiraceae (UCG008) (OR = 0.596, 95% CI 0.367-0.968, P = 0.036), and Ruminococcaceae (UCG005) (OR = 0.472, 95% CI 0.231-0.962, P = 0.039) protected against PAH. No associations were observed between PAH and gut microbiota-derived metabolites (trimethylamine N-oxide [TMAO] and its precursors betaine, carnitine, and choline), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), or diet. Although inverse variance-weighted analysis demonstrated that elevated choline levels were correlated with an increased risk of PAH, the results were not consistent with the sensitivity analysis. Therefore, the association was considered insignificant. Reverse Mendelian randomisation analysis demonstrated that PAH had no causal impact on gut microbiota-derived metabolites but could contribute to increased the levels of Butyricicoccus and Holdemania, while decreasing the levels of Clostridium innocuum, Defluviitaleaceae UCG011, Eisenbergiella, and Ruminiclostridium 5. CONCLUSIONS: Gut microbiota were discovered suggestive evidence of the impacts of genetically predicted abundancy of certain microbial genera on PAH. Results of our study point that the production of SCFAs or TMAO does not mediate this association, which remains to be explained mechanistically.

Circulating acetylcholine serves as a potential biomarker role in pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: An increased acetylcholine (ACh) level in the right ventricle tissue of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was revealed, which indicated the important role of ACh in disease pathogenesis. However, the relationship between plasma ACh levels and disease conditions and patients' prognosis has not been investigated. We aimed to explore the association between plasma ACh levels and the prognosis of patients with PH. We also discussed the feasibility of plasma ACh as a biomarker, which may contribute to the management of PH patients in the future. METHODS: Patients with confirmed PH in Fuwai Hospital from April 2019 to August 2020 were enrolled. The primary clinical outcome in this study was defined as a composite outcome, including death/lung transplantation, heart failure, and worsening of symptoms. Fasting plasma was collected to detect the ACh levels. The association between ACh levels and patients' prognosis was explored. RESULTS: Finally, four hundred and eight patients with PH were enrolled and followed for a mean period of 2.5 years. Patients in the high ACh group had worse World Health Organization Functional Class (WHO-FC), lower 6-minute walk distance (6 MWD), and higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Notably, echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters in the high metabolite group also suggested a worse disease condition compared with the low ACh group. After adjusting for confounders, compared with low ACh patients, those with high metabolite levels still have worse prognoses characterized as elevated risk of mortality, heart failure, and symptoms worsening. CONCLUSION: High circulating ACh levels were associated with severe PH conditions and poor prognosis, which might serve as a potential biomarker in PH.

The management pattern and outcomes of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: rationale and design for a Chinese real-world study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a progressive pulmonary vascular disorder with substantial morbidity and mortality, also a disease underdiagnosed and undertreated. It is potentially curable by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with surgically accessible thrombi. Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and targeted medical therapy are options for patients with distal lesions or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension after PEA. There is an urgent need to increase the awareness of CTEPH. Qualified CTEPH centers are still quite limited. Baseline characteristics, management pattern and clinical outcome of CTEPH in China needs to be reported. METHODS AND DESIGN: The CHinese reAl-world study to iNvestigate the manaGEment pattern and outcomes of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CHANGE) study is designed to provide the multimodality treatment pattern and clinical outcomes of CTEPH in China. Consecutive patients who are ≥ 14 year-old and diagnosed with CTEPH are enrolled. The diagnosis of CTEPH is confirmed in right heart catheterization and imaging examinations. The multimodality therapeutic strategy, which consists of PEA, BPA and targeted medical therapy, is made by a multidisciplinary team. The blood sample and tissue from PEA are stored in the central biobank for further research. The patients receive regular follow-up every 3 or 6 months for at least 3 years. The primary outcomes include all-cause mortality and changes in functional and hemodynamic parameters from baseline. The secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients experiencing lung transplantation, the proportion of patients experiencing heart and lung transplantation, and changes in health-related quality of life. Up to 31 December 2023, the study has enrolled 1500 eligible patients from 18 expert centers. CONCLUSIONS: As a real-world study, the CHANGE study is expected to increase our understanding of CTEPH, and to fill the gap between guidelines and the clinical practice in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of patients with CTEPH. REGISTRATION NUMBER IN CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT05311072.

3D printing assisted MIPO for treatment of complex middle-proximal humeral shaft fractures.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to explore the clinical efficacy of 3-dimensional (3D) printing assisted minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) technique by comparing the clinical outcomes with traditional open reduction and internal plating fixation (ORIF) for treating complex middle-proximal humerus fractures (AO 12C fracture type). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 42 participants who received a complicated middle-proximal humerus fracture from the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were assigned to two groups: MIPO with detailed preoperative planning assisted by 3D printing technique (MIPO group), and traditional ORIF (ORIF group). RESULTS: This study included 21 patients in the ORIF group and 21 patients in the MIPO group. All patients were followed-up for at least one year (mean: 16.12 ± 4.13 months), and no difference was observed in the range of shoulder joint motion (ROM), Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) scores and Constant scores between the two groups. However, the occurrence of complications (surgical incision site infection, implant loosening, bone nonunion and radial nerve palsy) in ORIF group was remarkably higher compared to the MIPO group. All the cases achieved bone union within the MIPO group. Significant differences were found in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss and fracture healing time between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Preoperative 3D printing assisted MIPO technique exhibits obvious advantages in high operational efficiency and low occurrence of complications, which is worthy of clinical application for treating complex middle-proximal humeral shaft fractures.

Effect of prehabilitation on postoperative outcomes in the frail older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The study investigates the impact of preoperative rehabilitation on the surgical prognosis of frail older patients. METHOD: The effect sizes of all studies retrieved and included by the nine databases were analyzed and expressed as RR and WMD. RESULTS: 8 studies with 902 participants met the criteria for inclusion. A significant reduction in total complications (RR = 0.84, 95 % CI = 0.73 to 0.97, P = 0.021) and the 6MWT after surgery (WMD = 74.76, 95 % CI = 44.75 to 104.77, P = 0.000) was observed in the prehabilitation group. But it had no differences in mortality(RR = 1.89, 95 % CI = 0.75 to 4.72, P = 0.176), readmission rates(RR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 0.56 to 1.91, P = 0.906) and LOS(WMD = -0.24, 95 % CI = -1.00 to 0.52, P = 0.540). CONCLUSIONS: Prehabilitation had positive effect on postoperative complications and functional recovery in frail older patients.

Multicolor Biosensor for Trypsin Detection Based on the Regulation of the Peroxidase Activity of Bovine Serum Albumin-Coated Gold Nanoclusters and Etching of Gold Nanobipyramids.

The detection of trypsin is significantly important for both clinical diagnosis and disease treatment. In this study, an innovative multicolor sensor for trypsin detection has been established based on the regulation of the peroxidase activity of bovine serum albumin-coated gold nanoclusters (BSA-Au NCs) and efficient etching of gold nanobipyramids (Au NBPs). BSA-Au NCs have slight peroxidase enzyme activity and can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to generate TMB+, while trypsin can hydrolyze BSA ligands on the surface of BSA-Au NCs, thus exposing more catalytic active sites of BSA-Au NCs and resulting in the enhancement of the peroxidase activity of BSA-Au NCs, hence more TMB+ is generated. Under acidic conditions, TMB+ can etch Au NBPs efficiently, consequently affecting the aspect ratio of Au NBPs accompanied by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra blue shifting of the system. Furthermore, this also results in color variations that can be distinguished and recognized by naked eyes without any expensive and sophisticated instruments. This multicolor sensor has an available linear relationship with the logarithm of the trypsin concentration in the range of 0.1-100 µg/mL, and the detection limit is 0.045 µg/mL. The designed sensor has been used to detect the concentration of trypsin in human serum samples from healthy individuals and pancreatitis patients with satisfactory results.

Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in patients with hematological malignancies: A multicenter, prospective cohort study.

Little is known about antibody responses to natural Omicron infection and the risk factors for poor responders in patients with hematological malignancies (HM). We conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study during the latest Omicron wave in Chongqing, China, aiming to compare the antibody responses, as assessed by IgG levels of anti-receptor binding domain of spike protein (anti-S-RBD), to Omicron infection in the HM cohort (HMC) with healthy control cohort (HCC), and solid cancer cohort (SCC). In addition, we intend to explore the risk factors for poor responders in the HMC. Among the 466 HM patients in this cohort, the seroconversion rate was 92.7%, no statistically difference compared with HCC (98.2%, p = 0.0513) or SCC (100%, p = 0.1363). The median anti-S-RBD IgG titer was 29.9 ng/mL, significantly lower than that of HCC (46.9 ng/mL, p < 0.0001) or SCC (46.2 ng/mL, p < 0.0001). Risk factors associated with nonseroconversion included no COVID-19 vaccination history (odds ratio [OR] = 4.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.75-12.00, p = 0.002), clinical course of COVID-19 ≤ 7 days (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.31-6.25, p = 0.008) and severe B-cell reduction (0-10/µL) (OR = 3.22, 95% CI: 1.32-7.88, p = 0.010). Risk factors associated with low anti-S-RBD IgG titer were clinical course of COVID-19 ≤ 7 days (OR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.59-4.18, p < 0.001) and severe B-cell reduction (0-10/µL) (OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.57-5.24, p < 0.001). This study reveals a poor antibody responses to Omicron (BA.5.2.48) infection in HM patients and identified risk factors for poor responders. Highlights that HM patients, especially those with these risk factors, may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, and the postinfection vaccination strategies for these patients should be tailored. Clinical trial: ChiCTR2300071830.

Fiber-coupled silicon carbide divacancy magnetometer and thermometer.

Divacancy in silicon carbide has become an important solid-state system for quantum metrologies. To make it more beneficial for practical applications, we realize a fiber-coupled divacancy-based magnetometer and thermometer simultaneously. First, we realize an efficient coupling between the divacancy in a silicon carbide slice with a multimode fiber. Then the optimization of the power broadening in optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of divacancy is performed to obtain a higher sensing sensitivity of 3.9 µT/Hz1/2. We then use it to detect the strength of an external magnetic field. Finally, we use the Ramsey methods to realize a temperature sensing with a sensitivity of 163.2 mK/Hz1/2. The experiments demonstrate that the compact fiber-coupled divacancy quantum sensor can be used for multiple practical quantum sensing.

Effect of atom diffusion on the efficiency of Bragg diffraction in atom interferometers.

The transition efficiency of atomic Bragg diffraction as mirrors and beam splitters in Bragg atom interferometers plays an essential role in impacting the fringe contrast and measurement sensitivity. This can be attributed to the properties of atomic sources, Bragg pulse shapes, the pulse duration, and the relative position deviation of the atoms and Bragg pulses. Here, we investigate the effect of the atomic source's diffusion and velocity width on the efficiency of Bragg diffraction of the moving cold atomic cloud. The transfer efficiency of Bragg mirrors and beam splitters are numerically simulated and experimentally measured, which are well consistent in comparison. We quantify these effects of atomic diffusion and velocity width and precisely compute how Bragg pulses' efficiencies vary as functions of these parameters. Our results and methodology allow us to optimize the Bragg pulses at different atomic sources and will help in the design of large momentum transfer mirrors and beam splitters in atom interferometry experiments.