Dual-Ligand Europium-Organic Gels as a Highly Efficient Anodic Annihilation Electrochemiluminescence Emitter for Ultrasensitive Detection of MicroRNA.

In this study, a novel europium dual-ligand metal-organic gel (Eu-D-MOGs) with high-efficient anodic annihilation electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was synthesized as an ECL emitter to construct a biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of microRNA-221 (miR-221). Impressively, compared to the ECL signal of europium single-ligand metal-organic gels (Eu-S-MOGs), the ECL signal of Eu-D-MOGs was significantly improved since the two organic ligands could jointly replace the H2O and coordinate with Eu3+, which could remarkably reduce the nonradiative vibrational energy transfer caused by the coordination between H2O and Eu3+ with a high coordination demand. In addition, Eu-D-MOGs could be electrochemically oxidized to Eu-D-MOGs•+ at 1.45 V and reduced to Eu-D-MOGs•- at 0.65 V to achieve effective annihilation of ECL, which overcame the side reaction brought by the remaining emitters at negative potential. This benefited from the annihilation ECL performance of the central ion Eu3+ caused by its redox in the electrochemical process. Furthermore, the annihilation ECL signal of Eu3+ could be improved by sensitizing Eu3+ via the antenna effect. In addition, combined with the improved rolling circle amplification-assisted strand displacement amplification strategy (RCA-SDA), a sensitive biosensor was constructed for the sensitive detection of miR-221 with a low detection limit of 5.12 aM and could be successfully applied for the detection of miR-221 in the lysate of cancer cells. This strategy offered a unique approach to synthesizing metal-organic gels as ECL emitters without a coreactant for the construction of ECL biosensing platforms in biomarker detection and disease diagnosis.

Functional TET2 gene polymorphisms increase the risk of neuroblastoma in Chinese children.

The 5-methylcytosine (m5C) is the key chemical modification in RNAs. As one of the demethylases in m5C, TET2 has been shown as a tumor suppressor. However, the impact of TET2 gene polymorphisms on neuroblastoma has not been elucidated. 402 neuroblastoma patients and 473 controls were genotyped for TET2 gene polymorphisms using the TaqMan method. The impact of TET2 gene polymorphisms on neuroblastoma susceptibility was determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. We also adopted genotype-tissue expression database to explore the impact of TET2 gene polymorphisms on the expression of host and nearby genes. We used the R2 platform and Sangerbox tool to analyze the relationship between gene expression and neuroblastoma risk and prognosis through non-parametric testing and Kaplan-Meier analysis, respectively. We found the TET2 gene polymorphisms (rs10007915 G > C and rs7670522 A > C) and the combined 2-5 risk genotypes can significantly increase neuroblastoma risk. Stratification analysis showed that these significant associations were more prominent in certain subgroups. TET2 rs10007915 G > C and rs7670522 A > C are significantly associated with reduced expression of TET2 mRNA. Moreover, lower expression of TET2 gene is associated with high risk, MYCN amplification, and poor prognosis of neuroblastoma. The rs10007915 G > C and rs7670522 A > C are significantly related to the increased expression of inorganic pyrophosphatase 2 mRNA, and higher expression of PPA2 gene is associated with high risk, MYCN amplification, and poor prognosis of neuroblastomas. In summary, TET2 rs10007915 G > C and rs7670522 A > C significantly confer neuroblastoma susceptibility, and further research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Verteporfin regulates corneal neovascularization through inhibition of YAP protein activation.

Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is a vision-threatening disease that is becoming a growing public health concern. While Yes-associated protein (YAP) plays a critical role in neovascular disease and allow for the sprouting angiogenesis. Verteporfin (VP) is a classical inhibitor of the YAP-TEAD complex, which is used for clinical treatment of neovascular macular degeneration through photodynamic therapy. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of verteporfin (VP) on the inhibition of CNV and its potential mechanism. Rat CNV model were established by suturing in the central cornea and randomly divided into three groups (control, CNV and VP group). Neovascularization was observed by slit lamp to extend along the corneal limbus to the suture line. RNA-sequencing was used to reveal the related pathways on the CNV and the results revealed the vasculature development process and genes related with angiogenesis in CNV. In CNV group, we detected the nuclear translocation of YAP and the expression of CD31 in corneal neovascular endothelial cells through immunofluorescence. After the application of VP, the proliferation, migration and the tube formation of HUVECs were significantly inhibited. Furthermore, VP showed the CNV inhibition by tail vein injection without photoactivation. Then we found that the expression of phosphorylated YAP significantly decreased, and its downstream target protein connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) increased in the CNV group, while the expression was just opposite in other groups. Besides, both the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and cofilin significantly increased in CNV group, and decreased after VP treatment. Therefore, we conclude that Verteporfin could significantly inhibited the CNV without photoactivation by regulating the activation of YAP.

DNA Methylation of the Autonomous Pathway Is Associated with Flowering Time Variations in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plant flowering time is affected by endogenous and exogenous factors, but its variation patterns among different populations of a species has not been fully established. In this study, 27 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions were used to investigate the relationship between autonomous pathway gene methylation, gene expression and flowering time variation. DNA methylation analysis, RT-qPCR and transgenic verification showed that variation in the flowering time among the Arabidopsis populations ranged from 19 to 55 days and was significantly correlated with methylation of the coding regions of six upstream genes in the autonomous pathway, FLOWERING LOCUS VE (FVE), FLOWERING LOCUS Y (FY), FLOWERING LOCUS D (FLD), PEPPER (PEP), HISTONE DEACETYLASE 5 (HAD5) and Pre-mRNA Processing Protein 39-1 (PRP39-1), as well as their relative expression levels. The expression of FVE and FVE(CS) was modified separately through degenerate codon substitution of cytosine and led to earlier flowering of transgenic plants by 8 days and 25 days, respectively. An accurate determination of methylated sites in FVE and FVE(CS) among those transgenic plants and the recipient Col-0 verified the close relationship between the number of methylation sites, expression and flowering time. Our findings suggest that the methylation variation of these six key upstream transcription factors was associated with the gene expression level of the autonomous pathway and flowering time in Arabidopsis. The FVE(CS) and FVE genes in transgenic plants tended to be hypermethylated, which could be a protective mechanism for plants. However, modification of gene sequences through degenerate codon substitution to reduce cytosine can avoid hypermethylated transferred genes in transgenic plants. It may be possible to partially regulate the flowering of plants by modified trans-epigenetic technology.

Functional polymorphisms of the TET1 gene increase the risk of neuroblastoma in Chinese children.

Common genetic mutations are absent in neuroblastoma, one of the most common childhood tumours. As a demethylase of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification, TET1 plays an important role in tumourigenesis and differentiation. However, the association between TET1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to neuroblastoma has not been reported. Three TET1 gene polymorphisms (rs16925541 A > G, rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C) in 402 Chinese patients with neuroblastoma and 473 cancer-free controls were assessed using TaqMan. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between TET1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to neuroblastoma. The GTEx database was used to analyse the impact of these polymorphisms on peripheral gene expression. The relationship between gene expression and prognosis was analysed using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the R2 platform. We found that both rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C were significantly associated with increased neuroblastoma risk. Stratified analysis further showed that rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C significantly increased neuroblastoma risk in certain subgroups. In the combined risk genotype model, 1-3 risk genotypes significantly increased risk of neuroblastoma compared with the 0 risk genotype. rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C were significantly associated with increased STOX1 mRNA expression in adrenal and whole blood, and high expression of STOX1 mRNA in adrenal and whole blood was significantly associated with worse prognosis. In summary, TET1 gene polymorphisms are significantly associated with increased neuroblastoma risk; further research is required for the potential mechanism and therapeutic prospects in neuroblastoma.

Aggregation-Induced Electrochemiluminescence of Copper Nanoclusters by Regulating Valence State Ratio of Cu(I)/Cu(0) for Ultrasensitive Detection of MicroRNA.

In this work, Cu nanoclusters (Cu NCs) with strong aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) as emitters were used to construct an ECL biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of microRNA-141 (miR-141). Impressively, the ECL signals enhanced with the increased content of Cu(I) in the aggregative Cu NCs. When the ratio of Cu(I)/Cu(0) in aggregative Cu NCs was 3.2, Cu NCs aggregates showed the highest ECL intensity, in which Cu(I) could enhance the cuprophilic Cu(I)···Cu(I) interaction to form rod-shaped aggregates for restricting nonradiative transitions to obviously improve the ECL response. As a result, the ECL intensity of the aggregative Cu NCs was 3.5 times higher than that of the monodispersed Cu NCs. With the aid of the cascade strand displacement amplification (SDA) strategy, an outstanding ECL biosensor was developed to achieve the ultrasensitive detection of miR-141, whose linear range varied from 10 aM to 1 nM with a detection limit of 1.2 aM. This approach opened an avenue to prepare non-noble metal nanomaterials as robust ECL emitters and provided a new idea for detection of biomolecules for diagnosis of disease.

Hantaviruses use the endogenous host factor P58IPK to combat the PKR antiviral response.

Hantavirus nucleocapsid protein (NP) inhibits protein kinase R (PKR) dimerization by an unknown mechanism to counteract its antiviral responses during virus infection. Here we demonstrate that NP exploits an endogenous PKR inhibitor P58IPK to inhibit PKR. The activity of P58IPK is normally restricted in cells by the formation of an inactive complex with its negative regulator Hsp40. On the other hand, PKR remains associated with the 40S ribosomal subunit, a unique strategic location that facilitates its free access to the downstream target eIF2α. Although both NP and Hsp40 bind to P58IPK, the binding affinity of NP is much stronger compared to Hsp40. P58IPK harbors an NP binding site, spanning to N-terminal TPR subdomains I and II. The Hsp40 binding site on P58IPK was mapped to the TPR subdomain II. The high affinity binding of NP to P58IPK and the overlap between NP and Hsp40 binding sites releases the P58IPK from its negative regulator by competitive inhibition. The NP-P58IPK complex is selectively recruited to the 40S ribosomal subunit by direct interaction between NP and the ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19), a structural component of the 40S ribosomal subunit. NP has distinct binding sites for P58IPK and RPS19, enabling it to serve as bridge between P58IPK and the 40S ribosomal subunit. NP mutants deficient in binding to either P58IPK or RPS19 fail to inhibit PKR, demonstrating that selective engagement of P58IPK to the 40S ribosomal subunit is required for PKR inhibition. Cells deficient in P58IPK mount a rapid PKR antiviral response and establish an antiviral state, observed by global translational shutdown and rapid decline in viral load. These studies reveal a novel viral strategy in which NP releases P58IPK from its negative regulator and selectively engages it on the 40S ribosomal subunit to promptly combat the PKR antiviral responses.

Autoantibodies against angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) after COVID-19 infection or vaccination.

Autoantibodies against angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are frequently reported in patients during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with evidence for a pathogenic role in severe infection. However, little is known of the prevalence or clinical significance of ACE2 autoantibodies in late convalescence or following COVID-19 vaccination. In this study, we measured ACE2 autoantibodies in a cohort of 182 COVID-19 convalescent patients, 186 COVID-19 vaccine recipients, and 43 adolescents with post-mRNA vaccine myopericarditis using two ACE2 enzymatic immunoassays (EIAs). ACE2 IgM autoantibody EIA median optical densities (ODs) were lower in convalescent patients than pre-COVID-19 control samples with only 2/182 (1.1%) convalescents testing positive. Similarly, only 3/182 (1.6%) convalescent patients tested positive for ACE2 IgG, but patients with history of moderate-severe COVID-19 tended to have significantly higher median ODs than controls and mild COVID-19 patients. In contrast, ACE2 IgG antibodies were detected in 10/186 (5.4%) COVID-19 vaccine recipients after two doses of vaccination. Median ACE2 IgG EIA ODs of vaccine recipients were higher than controls irrespective of the vaccine platform used (inactivated or mRNA). ACE2 IgG ODs were not correlated with surrogate neutralizing antibody levels in vaccine recipients. ACE2 IgG levels peaked at day 56 post-first dose and declined within 12 months to baseline levels in vaccine recipients. Presence of ACE2 antibodies was not associated with adverse events following immunization including myopericarditis. One convalescent patient with ACE2 IgG developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, but causality was not established. ACE2 autoantibodies are observed in COVID-19 vaccine recipients and convalescent patients, but are likely innocuous.

Capsule-epithelium-fibre unit ultrastructure in the human lens.

This study aimed to investigate the capsule-epithelium-fibre unit ultrastructure of the human lens, particularly the interfaces of the epithelium with the capsule and the epithelium with the fibre cell. A total of 12 lenses from donor humans who died of trauma without systemic and ocular diseases were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), combined with immunofluorescence staining for localising certain specific proteins. Some of the results were further studied in the anterior lens capsules of cataract patients. Our results revealed capsule protrusion into the epithelium in some areas and potential processing of capsule components. The young elongating fibre cells directly adjacent to the epithelium with a high stain density strongly expressed CD24. Numerous extracellular vesicles could be seen in the space between human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) and between HLECs and the capsule. Mitophagy and autophagy were also observed in the HLECs. Our research may be beneficial in better understanding the function of the human lens.

Accuracy of newer generation intraocular lens power calculation formulas in pediatric cataract patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of newer generation intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas (EVO 2.0 and Kane) with established formulas (Barrett Universal II, Haigis and SRK/T) in pediatric cataract patients. METHODS: Retrospective study. We enrolled 110 eyes (110 patients) in Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. All patients underwent uneventful cataract surgery and implanted with posterior chamber IOL in the bag. We calculate the mean prediction errors (PE) and percentage within 1 diopter (D) at 1 month to assess the accuracy, and percentage > 2D was defined as prediction accident. Then, we performed subgroup analysis according to age and axial length (AL). RESULTS: The mean age and AL were 37.45 ± 23.28 months and 21.16 ± 1.29 mm. The mean PE for all patients was as follows: Barrett (- 0.30), EVO (0.18), Haigis (- 0.74), Kane (- 0.36), and SRK/T (0.58), p < 0.001. In addition, EVO and SRK/T formulas were relatively accurate in patients younger than 24 months and with AL ≤ 21 mm, while EVO got lower prediction accident rate than SRK/T (3/41 vs 8/41, 4/52 vs 5/52). Moreover, Barrett, EVO, and Kane formulas achieved better accuracy and lower prediction accident rate in patients older than 24 months and with AL > 21 mm (both > 51/69 and 43/58, and < 3/69 and 3/58). CONCLUSIONS: In patients older than 24 months and with AL > 21 mm, Barrett, EVO, and Kane formulas were relatively accurate, while in patients younger than 24 months and with AL ≤ 21 mm, EVO was more accurate, followed by SRK/T formula.

A Novel Tactile Function Assessment Using a Miniature Tactile Stimulator.

Several methods for the measurement of tactile acuity have been devised previously, but unexpected nonspatial cues and intensive manual skill requirements compromise measurement accuracy. Therefore, we must urgently develop an automated, accurate, and noninvasive method for assessing tactile acuity. The present study develops a novel method applying a robotic tactile stimulator to automatically measure tactile acuity that comprises eye-opened, eye-closed training, and testing sessions. Healthy participants judge the orientation of a rotating grating ball presented on their index fingerpads in a two-alternative forced-choice task. A variable rotation speed of 5, 10, 40, or 160 mm/s was used for the tactile measurement at a variety of difficulties. All participants met the passing criteria for the training experiment. Performance in orientation identification, quantified by the proportion of trials with correct answers, differed across scanning directions, with the highest rotation speed (160 mm/s) having the worst performance. Accuracy did not differ between vertical and horizontal orientations. Our results demonstrated the utility of the pre-test training protocol and the functionality of the developed procedure for tactile acuity assessment. The novel protocol performed well when applied to the participants. Future studies will be conducted to apply this method to patients with impairment of light touch.

Applying lysozyme, alkaline protease, and sodium hypochlorite to reduce bioclogging during managed aquifer recharge: A laboratory study.

Alleviating bacterial-induced clogging is of great importance to improve the efficiency of managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Enzymes (lysozyme and alkaline protease) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) are common biological and chemical reagents for inhibiting bacterial growth and activity. To investigate the applicability of these reagents to reduce bioclogging, percolation experiments were performed to simulate a weak alkaline recharge water infiltration through laboratory-scale sand columns, with adding 10 mg/L lysozyme, alkaline protease, and NaClO, respectively. The results showed that, with the addition of lysozyme, alkaline protease, and NaClO, the average clogging rates (the reduced percentages of relative saturated hydraulic conductivity of the sand columns per hour during the percolation experiments) were 0.53%/h, 0.32%/h and 0.06%/h, respectively, which were much lower than that in the control group (0.99%/h). This implied that bioclogging could be alleviated to some extent following the treatments. For further analyzing the mechanisms of the regents on alleviating bioclogging, the bacterial cell amount and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentration were also measured to study the effects of lysozyme, alkaline protease, and NaClO on bacterial growth and EPS secretion. Lysozyme and alkaline protease could disintegrate bacterial EPS by hydrolyzing polysaccharides and proteins, respectively, while they had little effect on the bacterial cell amount. The addition of NaClO significantly decreased the bacterial cell amount (P < 0.05) and thus greatly alleviated bioclogging. Although the lowest average clogging rate was achieved in the NaClO group, it can generate disinfection by-products that are potentially harmful to the environment and human health. Therefore, the biological-based method, i.e., enzyme treatment, could be a promising option for bioclogging control. Our results provide insights for understanding the mechanisms of lysozyme, alkaline protease, and NaClO to alleviate bioclogging, which is of great importance for addressing the clogging problem during MAR activities and achieving groundwater resources sustainable utilization.

Variant rs8400 enhances ALKBH5 expression through disrupting miR-186 binding and promotes neuroblastoma progression.

Objective: AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) has been proven to be closely related to tumors. However, the role and molecular mechanism of ALKBH5 in neuroblastomas have rarely been reported. Methods: The potential functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ALKBH5 were identified by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) dbSNP screening and SNPinfo software. TaqMan probes were used for genotyping. A multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effects of different SNP loci on the risk of neuroblastoma. The expression of ALKBH5 in neuroblastoma was evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), plate colony formation and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to compare cell migration and invasion. Thermodynamic modelling was performed to predict the ability of miRNAs to bind to ALKBH5 with the rs8400 G/A polymorphism. RNA sequencing, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) sequencing, m6A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and a luciferase assay were used to identify the targeting effect of ALKBH5 on SPP1. Results: ALKBH5 was highly expressed in neuroblastoma. Knocking down ALKBH5 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. miR-186-3p negatively regulates the expression of ALKBH5, and this ability is affected by the rs8400 polymorphism. When the G nucleotide was mutated to A, the ability of miR-186-3p to bind to the 3'-UTR of ALKBH5 decreased, resulting in upregulation of ALKBH5. SPP1 is the downstream target gene of the ALKBH5 oncogene. Knocking down SPP1 partially restored the inhibitory effect of ALKBH5 downregulation on neuroblastoma. Downregulation of ALKBH5 can improve the therapeutic efficacy of carboplatin and etoposide in neuroblastoma. Conclusions: We first found that the rs8400 G>A polymorphism in the m6A demethylase-encoding gene ALKBH5 increases neuroblastoma susceptibility and determines the related mechanisms. The aberrant regulation of ALKBH5 by miR-186-3p caused by this genetic variation in ALKBH5 promotes the occurrence and development of neuroblastoma through the ALKBH5-SPP1 axis.

Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Variant-Associated Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Mutations on the Susceptibility to Serum Antibodies Elicited by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection or Vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages with mutations at the spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) have reduced susceptibility to antibody neutralization, and have been classified as variants of concern (VOCs) or variants of interest (VOIs). Here we systematically compared the neutralization susceptibility and RBD binding of different VOCs/VOIs, including B.1.617.1 (kappa variant) and P.3 (theta variant), which were first detected in India and the Philippines, respectively. METHODS: The neutralization susceptibility of the VOCs/VOIs (B.1.351, B.1.617.1, and P.3) and a non-VOC/VOI without RBD mutations (B.1.36.27) to convalescent sera from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients or BNT162b2 vaccinees was determined using a live virus microneutralization (MN) assay. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to wild-type and mutant RBDs were determined using an enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The geometric mean neutralization titers (GMT) of B.1.351, P.3, and B.1.617.1 were significantly lower than that of B.1.36.27 for COVID-19 patients infected with non-VOCs/VOIs (3.4- to 5.7-fold lower) or individuals who have received 2 doses of BNT162b2 vaccine (4.4- to 7.3-fold lower). The GMT of B.1.351 or P.3 were lower than that of B.1.617.1. For the 4 patients infected with B.1.351 or B.1.617.1, the MN titer was highest for their respective lineage. RBD with E484K or E484Q mutation, either alone or in combination with other mutations, showed greatest reduction in serum IgG binding. CONCLUSIONS: P.3 and B.1.617.1 escape serum neutralization induced by natural infection or vaccine. Infection with 1 variant does not confer cross-protection for heterologous lineages. Immunogenicity testing for second generation COVID-19 vaccines should include multiple variant and "nonvariant" strains.

Neutralization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron Variant by Sera From BNT162b2 or CoronaVac Vaccine Recipients.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant, designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, carries numerous spike mutations that are known to evade neutralizing antibodies elicited by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. A deeper understanding of the susceptibility of omicron variant to vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies is urgently needed for risk assessment. METHODS: Omicron variant strains HKU691 and HKU344-R346K were isolated from patients using TMPRSS2-overexpressing VeroE6 cells. Whole genome sequence was determined using nanopore sequencing. Neutralization susceptibility of ancestral lineage A virus and the omicron, delta and beta variants to sera from 25 BNT162b2 and 25 CoronaVac vaccine recipients was determined using a live virus microneutralization assay. RESULTS: The omicron variant strain HKU344-R346K has an additional spike R346K mutation, which is present in 8.5% of strains deposited in the GISAID database. Only 20% and 24% of BNT162b2 recipients had detectable neutralizing antibody against the omicron variant HKU691 and HKU344-R346K, respectively, whereas none of the CoronaVac recipients had detectable neutralizing antibody titer against either omicron isolate. For BNT162b2 recipients, the geometric mean neutralization antibody titers (GMTs) of the omicron variant isolates (5.43 and 6.42) were 35.7-39.9-fold lower than that of the ancestral virus (229.4), and the GMTs of both omicron variant isolates were significantly lower than those of the beta and delta variants. There was no significant difference in the GMTs between HKU691 and HKU344-R346K. CONCLUSIONS: Omicron variant escapes neutralizing antibodies elicited by BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. The additional R346K mutation did not affect the neutralization susceptibility. Our data suggest that the omicron variant may be associated with lower COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness.

Probable Animal-to-Human Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta Variant AY.127 Causing a Pet Shop-Related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect human and other mammals, including hamsters. Syrian (Mesocricetus auratus) and dwarf (Phodopus sp.) hamsters are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the laboratory setting. However, pet shop-related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks have not been reported. METHODS: We conducted an investigation of a pet shop-related COVID-19 outbreak due to Delta variant AY.127 involving at least 3 patients in Hong Kong. We tested samples collected from the patients, environment, and hamsters linked to this outbreak and performed whole genome sequencing analysis of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-positive samples. RESULTS: The patients included a pet shop keeper (Patient 1), a female customer of the pet shop (Patient 2), and the husband of Patient 2 (Patient 3). Investigation showed that 17.2% (5/29) and 25.5% (13/51) environmental specimens collected from the pet shop and its related warehouse, respectively, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR. Among euthanized hamsters randomly collected from the storehouse, 3% (3/100) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR and seropositive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody by enzyme immunoassay. Whole genome analysis showed that although all genomes from the outbreak belonged to the Delta variant AY.127, there were at least 3 nucleotide differences among the genomes from different patients and the hamster cages. Genomic analysis suggests that multiple strains have emerged within the hamster population, and these different strains have likely transmitted to human either via direct contact or via the environment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated probable hamster-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. As pet trading is common around the world, this can represent a route of international spread of this pandemic virus.

Boosting the Quantum Yield of Oxygen-Doped g-C3N4 via a Metal-Azolate Framework-Enhanced Electron-Donating Strategy for Highly Sensitive Sulfadimethoxine Tracing.

Two of the most persistent challenges for the sensing applications of luminescent carbon nitride-based materials are poor quantum yields and aggregation-induced luminescence quenching in aqueous environments. Herein, a highly emissive oxygen-doped carbon nitride composite (OCNP@M7) was synthesized, with a metal-azolate framework (MAF-7) serving as a luminous booster. Both experimental studies and theoretical calculations suggest that the MAF-enhanced electron-donating effect dramatically promoted the electron density on the π-structure of oxygen-doped carbon nitride. In addition, the structural rigidity of MAF-7 effectively inhibits both aggregation and nonradiative energy dissipation. Consequently, OCNP@M7 exhibits strong and stable blue emission under UV light irradiation and an absolute quantum yield up to 95.2%, which is, as far as we know, the highest value among fluorescent carbon nitride materials in solution ever reported. OCNP@M7 could further function as a high-efficiency fluorescent probe for the sensitive detection of sulfadimethoxine residues in complex environments. It is anticipated that this strategy can be extended to fabricate various carbon nitride-based antibiotic monitoring systems with tailor-made functions.

Enhancing erythrocyte-influenza virus specificity by glycan-conjugated gold nanoparticle: Validation of hemagglutination by aptamer and neuraminidases.

This study demonstrated the terminated sialo-sugar chains (Neu5Acα2,6Gal and Neu5Acα2,3Gal)-mediated specificity enhancement of influenza virus and chicken red blood cell (RBC) by hemagglutination assay. These glycan chains were immobilized on the gold nanoparticle (GNP) to withhold the higher numbers. With the preliminary optimization, a clear button formation with 0.5% RBC was visualized. On the other hand, intact B/Tokio/53/99 with 750 nM hemagglutinin (HA) displayed a nice hemagglutination. The interference on the specificity of RBC and influenza virus was observed by anti-influenza aptamer at the concentration 31 nM; however, there is no hemagglutination prevention was noticed in the presence of complementary aptamer sequences. Spiking GNP-conjugated Neu5Acα2,6Gal or Neu5Acα2,3Gal or a mixture of these two to the reaction promoted the hemagglutination to 63-folds higher with 12 nM virus, whereas under the same condition the heat-inactivated viruses were lost the hemagglutination. Neuraminidases from Clostridium perfringens and Arthrobacter ureafaciens at 0.0025 neuraminidase units are able to abolish the hemagglutination. Other enzymes, Glycopeptidase F (Elizabethkingia meningoseptica) and Endoglycosidase H (Streptomyces plicatus) did not show the changes with agglutination. Obviously, sialyl-Gal-terminated glycan-conjugated GNP amendment has enhanced the specificity of erythrocyte-influenza virus and able to be controlled by aptamer or neuraminidases.

Kalman-Filter-Based Learning of Characteristic Profiles of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The main analyzed aspect of lithium-ion battery (LIB) degradation so far has been capacity fading. On the other hand, interest in efficiency degradation has also increased in recent years. Battery aggregation, which is expected to absorb the surplus of variable renewable energies such as photovoltaic energy, is affected by efficiency degradation in terms of the decreases in the economic gain and renewable energy use. Reusable LIBs could be used as aggregation components in the future; naturally, the variety of charge-discharge efficiencies might be more complex. To improve the operation efficiency of aggregation, including that obtained using reusable LIBs, we propose the Kalman-filter-based quasi-unsupervised learning of the characteristic profiles of LIBs. This method shows good accuracy in the estimation of charge-discharge energy. It should be emphasized that there are no reports of charge-discharge energy estimation using the Kalman filter. In addition, this study shows that the incorrect open-circuit voltage function for the state of charge, which is assumed in the case of a reused battery, could be applied as the reference for the Kalman filter for LIB state estimation. In summary, it is expected that this diagnosis method could contribute to the economic and renewable energy usage improvement of battery aggregation.

High-Precision Automatic Identification of Fentanyl-Related Drugs by Terahertz Spectroscopy with Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Spectral Similarity Mapping.

Fentanyl is a potent opioid analgesic with high bioavailability. It is the leading cause of drug addiction and overdose death. To better control the abuse of fentanyl and its derivatives, it is crucial to develop rapid and sensitive detection methods. However, fentanyl-related substrates undergo similar molecular structures resulting in similar properties, which are difficult to be identified by conventional spectroscopic methods. In this work, a method for the automatic identification of 8 fentanyl-related substances with similar spectral characteristics was developed using terahertz (THz) spectroscopy coupled with density functional theory (DFT) and spectral similarity mapping (SSM). To characterize the THz fingerprints of these fentanyl-related samples more accurately, the method of baseline estimation and denoising with sparsity was performed before revealing the unique molecular dynamics of each substance by DFT. The SSM method was proposed to identify these fentanyl analogs based on weighted spectral cosine-cross similarity and fingerprint discrete Fréchet distance, generating a matching list by stepwise searching the entire spectral database. The top matched list returned the identification results of the target fentanyl analogs with accuracies of 94.48~99.33%. Results from this work provide algorithms' increased reliability, which serves as an artificial intelligence-based tool for high-precision fentanyl analysis in real-world samples.