Application of coronarin enhances maize drought tolerance by affecting interactions between rhizosphere fungal community and metabolites.

Coronarin (COR), an analog of jasmonic acid, has been shown to enhance the tolerance of plants to drought. However, the effects of COR on the interactions among microorganisms associated with plant roots and their implications for enhancing the drought tolerance of plants remain unclear. Here, we studied the effects of applying COR on the microorganisms associated with plant roots and the rhizosphere metabolome. Treatment with COR affected the fungal community of the rhizosphere by inducing changes in the rhizosphere metabolome, which enhanced the drought tolerance of plants. However, treatment with COR had no significant effect on root microorganisms or rhizosphere bacteria. Specifically, the application of COR resulted in a significant reduction in the relative abundance of metabolites, such as mucic acid, 1,4-cyclohexanedione, 4-acetylbutyric acid, Ribonic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, in maize roots under drought conditions; COR application also led to increases in the abundance of drought-resistant fungal microorganisms, including Rhizopus, and the assembly of a highly drought-resistant rhizosphere fungal network, which enhanced the drought tolerance of plants. Overall, the results of our study indicate that COR application positively regulates interactions between plants and microbes and increases the drought tolerance of plants.

Feasibility and safety of 1-min sit-to-stand test in acute decompensated heart failure confirmed by lung ultrasound.

Aim: This study innovatively proposed the 1-min sit-to-stand test (1-min STST) as an assessment tool for functional capacity in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), in which its feasibility and safety were investigated. Methods: This was a prospective, single-center cohort study. The 1-min STST was performed after the first 48 h of admission when vital signs and Borg score were collected. Lung ultrasound was used to measure pulmonary edema by B-lines before and after the test. Results: Seventy-five patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 40% were in functional class IV on admission. The mean age was 58.3 ± 15.7 years and 40% of the patients were male. 95% patients accomplished the test and the average number of repetitions was 18 ± 7. No adverse event was recorded during or after the 1-min STST. Blood pressure, heart rate, and degree of dyspnea were increased after the test (all p < 0.001), while oxygen saturation was slightly decreased (97.0 ± 1.6 vs. 96.3 ± 2.0%, p = 0.003). The degree of pulmonary edema (χ2 = 8.300, p = 0.081) was not significantly changed, while there was a reduction in the absolute number of B-lines [9 (3, 16) vs. 7 (3, 13), p = 0.008]. Conclusion: The application of the 1-min STST in early stage of ADHF appeared to be safe and feasible, which induce neither adverse event nor pulmonary edema. It may serve as a new tool of functional capacity assessment, as well as a reference of exercise rehabilitation.

Prognostic values of B-lines combined with clinical congestion assessment at discharge in heart failure patients.

AIMS: We aim to investigate the additive effect of B-lines on lung ultrasound (LUS) for predicting outcome in patients with heart failure (HF) when combined with conventional assessment of clinical congestion. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study prospectively enrolled 117 hospitalized HF patients (61 ± 16 years, 70.1% males) who underwent congestion assessment by the 'wet/dry' status, clinical congestion score (CCS), and B-lines on LUS. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality or hospitalization for HF during the 180-day follow-up after discharge. The 'Wet', CCS ≥ 3, and B-lines >5, indicators of congestion positive (+), were observed in 83.8%, 76.1%, and 70.1% of the patients on admission, respectively; and the numbers significantly decreased to 41.9%, 41.9%, and 35.9% at discharge, respectively. The agreement between the 'wet/dry' status and B-lines (58.1%) or between CCS and B-lines (56.4%) was moderate at discharge, in terms of both positive and both negative. By incorporating the B-lines with assessment of clinical congestion, the patients at discharge were divided into three phenotypes as clinical congestion (+), clinical congestion (-) with B-lines (+), and clinical congestion (-) with B-lines (-). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a better survival in the both (-) group ('wet/dry' with B-lines: Chi-square 10.591, P = 0.005; CCS with B-lines: χ2 6.239, P = 0.031). When the 'wet' patients (n = 49) being taken as the reference, the 'dry' patients with B-lines (+) (n = 21) had an identical risk of the composite endpoint (hazard ratio [HR] adjusted for clinical covariates 1.021, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.480-2.134, P = 0.974), while the 'dry' patients with B-lines (-) (n = 47) had a lower risk (HR 0.264, 95% CI 0.113-0.617, P = 0.002). When the CCS (+) patients (n = 49) being regarded as the reference, similar results were obtained in the patients with CCS (-) but B-lines (+) (n = 22) (HR 1.348, 95% CI 0.627-2.896, P = 0.444) as well as in those with both CCS (-) and B-lines (-) (n = 46) (HR 0.447, 95% CI 0.202-0.992, P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of B-lines on LUS and conventional assessment helped to identify new phenotypes of congestion that aid in the risk stratification of discharged HF patients. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether this strategy could be adopted as a guide for decongestion therapy.

A label-free photoelectrochemical sensor of S, N co-doped graphene quantum dot (S, N-GQD)-modified electrode for ultrasensitive detection of bisphenol A.

S, N co-doped graphene quantum dot (S, N-GQD) materials have been composited via a one-pot pattern and used as photosensitive materials to construct a label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor. The PEC experiments show an enhanced photocurrent response toward Bisphenol A (BPA) sensing due to the increased charge transfer rate and the enhanced absorption of visible light. Compared with dark conditions, the photocurrent signal (- 0.2 V vs. SCE) is greatly increased because of the effective oxidation of BPA by photogenerated holes and the rapid electron transfer of S, N-GQDs on the PEC sensing platform. Under optimal conditions linear current response to BPA is in two ranges of 0.12-5 µM and 5-40 µM. The limit of detection is 0.04 µM (S/N = 3). The designed sensor has enduring stability and admirable interference immunity. It  provides an alternative approach for BPA determination in real samples with recoveries of 99.3-103% and  RSD of 2.0-4.1%.

Pt nanoclusters embedded Fe-based metal-organic framework as a dual-functional electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and alcohols oxidation.

Design and construction of high-efficiency and durable dual-functional electrocatalyst for clean energy electrocatalytic reaction is urgently desirable for mitigating the energy shortage and environmental deterioration issues. Herein, we prepared Pt nanoclusters with exposed (111) face plane embedded Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOF, MIL-100(Fe)) catalyst for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR). It is noted that the available oxygen sites on the surface of MIL-100(Fe) would form Pt-O interaction with Pt nanoclusters to acquire strong interfacial interaction, which endows Pt/MIL-100(Fe) electrocatalyst effective electron transfer, increasing catalytic active sites, accelerating proton-electron coupling, and improving conductivity. Benefitting from the desirable metal-supports interaction and derive merits for catalysis, the high electrocatalytic activity and durability for HER and EGOR were achieved as expected. Impressively, superior HER performance with higher current density, lower overpotential (46/29 mV in acidic/alkaline electrolyte) and smaller Tafel slope (19.7/37.8 mV dec-1 in acidic/alkaline electrolyte) were acquired compared to commercial Pt/C. Moreover, Pt/MIL-100(Fe) electrode exhibits a rather high mass activity of 11826 mA mg-1Pt and long-term stability for EGOR. The present investigation demonstrates the promise of active metal/MOF combination for the interfacial strategy and rational design of dual-functional electrocatalyst, which has potential applications for future electrocatalysis field.

[A Case of Congenital Gastroschisis Repair of a Newborn Following the Cesarean Section].

A 21-year-old woman was admitted at 35 +4 weeks due to disappearance of fetal movement for one day. The ultrasound from other hospital indicated fetal gastroschisis. Abdominal ultrasound in our hospital confirmed that the discontinuity of the fetal abdominal wall by 4.5 cm. The stomach and part of the intestine were herniating into the amniotic cavity. Considering the possibility of gastroschisis and fetal distress, electronic fetal monitoring was implemented continuously and consultations of relevant departments were called immediately, including anesthesiology, neonatology and general pediatric surgery. After Cesarean section under general anesthesia, pediatric surgeons performed an intrapartum surgery for the neonate. The tension of abdominal wall was slightly higher after the operation, but had no significant negative effect on ventilation. After surgery, the neonate was transferred to neonatal pediatrics for further treatments. The abdominal distention of the neonate relieved gradually. The patient was discharged after receiving full enteral nutrition without any discomfort. It was found in the follow-up that the patient had no discomforts such as infection, wound dehiscence, intestinal necrosis, abdominal hernia or other complications. The prenatal examinations should be completed and the pregnant mother of gastroschisis fetus should be transferred to the experienced center where the intrapartum surgery or early stage I repair surgery is possible for the neonate.