Preoperative Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Levels and Three-Year Mortality in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients: Insights from a Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether preoperative thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level is correlated with long-term mortality in the elderly after hip fracture surgery. We aimed to assess the association between TSH levels and 3-year mortality in these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS We enrolled patients aged 65 and above who had hip fracture surgery and thyroid function tests upon admission from 2018 to 2019. Patients were categorized based on TSH median value, quartiles, or thyroid function status. The median follow-up time was 3.1 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the correlation between TSH levels and mortality, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS Out of 799 eligible patients, 92.7% (741/799) completed the follow-up, with 20.6% (153/741) of those having died by the end of the follow-up. No statistically significant differences in mortality risks were found when stratified by TSH median value (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.64-1.22, P=0.448) or quartiles (HR ranging from 0.90 to 1.13, P>0.05). Similarly, when categorized based on admission thyroid function status, patients who presented with hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism upon admission did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in mortality risk compared to those who were considered euthyroid (HR 1.34, 95% CI 0.72-2.49, P=0.359; HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.38-1.60, P=0.489; HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.16-8.30, P=0.890; HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.34-3.38, P=0.913, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Admission TSH is not significantly associated with 3-year mortality in geriatric patients after hip fracture surgery.

Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) as an Independent Predictor of 3-Year Postoperative Mortality in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture: A Post hoc Analysis of a Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been reported as a significant predictor in various diseases. However, the prognostic value of the PNI in geriatric hip fracture patients has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the association between admission PNI and 3-year mortality in those patients. METHODS: In this post hoc analysis, we included patients aged ≥65 years who underwent surgery for hip fracture between 2018 and 2019. The admission PNI was calculated as serum albumin (g/L) +5 × total lymphocyte count (×109/L). Patients were categorized into four groups based on PNI quartiles (≤ 43.55, 43.55-46.55, 46.55-49.20, and >49.20, respectively). The median follow-up duration was 3.1 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was conducted for using PNI to predict mortality. RESULTS: Of the 942 eligible patients, 190 (20.2%) patients died during the follow-up. Compared to patients in the first quartile (Q1), those in the second (Q2), third (Q3), and fourth (Q4) quartiles had significantly lower mortality risks (HRs 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.74; 0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.64; and 0.26, 95% CI 0.15-0.45, respectively). The optimal cutoff of PNI for predicting mortality was set as 45.275 (sensitivity, 0.674; specificity, 0.692; area under the curve (AUC), 0.727). Patients with higher PNI (>45.275) had a significant lower mortality risk (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.55) compared to those with lower PNI (≤ 45.275). CONCLUSION: PNI is a reliable and independent predictor of 3-year mortality after hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

The cost-effectiveness of a co-managed care model for elderly hip fracture patients in China: a modelling study.

Background: The clinical effectiveness of multidisciplinary co-managed care for hip fracture patients in China has been demonstrated in a multicenter non-randomized controlled study. This study aims to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the co-managed care. Methods: The study is based on a multicenter clinical trial (n = 2071) in China. We developed a state transition microsimulation model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the co-managed care compared with usual care for hip fracture patients from healthcare system perspective. The costs incorporated into the model included hospitalization costs, post-discharge expenses, and secondary fracture therapy costs. Effectiveness was measured using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs and effects were discounted at 5% annually. A simulation cycle length of 1-year and a lifetime horizon were employed. The cost-effectiveness threshold was established at USD 37,118. To address uncertainties, one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted. Findings: In the base case analysis, the co-managed care group had a lifetime cost of USD 31,571 and achieved an effectiveness of 3.22 QALYs, whereas the usual care group incurred a cost of USD 27,878 and gained 2.85 QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was USD 9981 per QALY gained; thus the co-managed care model was cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness was sensitive to the age of having hip fractures and hospitalization costs in the intervention group. Interpretation: The co-managed care in hip fracture patients represents value for money, and should be scaled up and prioritized for funding in China. Funding: The study is supported by Capital's Funds for Health Improvement and Research (2022-1-2071, 2018-1-2071).

Probing rotaxane dynamics with 19F NMR/MRI: Unveiling the roles of mechanical bond and steric hindrance.

BACKGROUND: Deciphering the molecular dynamics (MD) of rotaxanes is crucial for designing and refining their applications in molecular devices. This study employed fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance (19F NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to unveil the interplay between mechanical bonds and steric hindrance in a series of fluorinated rotaxanes. RESULTS: 1H/19F NMR revealed stable "Z"-shaped wheel conformations minimizing steric clashes and favoring π-π interactions with the axle. Utilizing fluorines and axle protons as reporters, 1H/19F relaxation rates and solid-state 19F NMR studies demonstrated that mechanical bond primarily governs wheel motion, while steric hindrance dictates axle movement. Intriguingly, mechanical bond mainly affects local axle groups, leaving distant ones minimally impacted. MD simulations corroborated these findings. Temperature-dependent 19F NMR indicated that energy input enhances rotational motion and wheel conformational transitions. Furthermore, the drastic increase in 19F relaxation rates upon mechanical bond formation and steric hindrance enables sensitive and selective 19F MRI visualization of MD changes. SIGNIFICANCE: This study, by elucidating the roles of internal and external factors on rotaxane molecular dynamics using 19F NMR/MRI, offers valuable insights that can advance the field of rotaxane-based molecular devices.

Enhanced Room-Temperature NO2 Sensing through Deep Functional Group Hybridization in Nitrogen-Doped Monolayer Ti3C2Tx.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a significant environmental and human health hazard. Current NO2 sensors often lack sensitivity and selectivity under ambient conditions. This study investigates ammonia pyrolysis modification of monolayer Ti3C2Tx MXene to enhance NO2 detection at room temperature. Nitrogen-doped Ti3C2Tx demonstrates a substantial improvement in sensitivity, with a response of 8.87% to 50 ppm of NO2 compared to 0.65% for the original sensor, representing a 13.8-fold increase. The nitrogen-doped sensor also exhibits superior selectivity and linearity for NO2 under ambient conditions. Theoretical analysis shows that nitrogen incorporation promotes enhanced interaction between Ti3C2Tx and its surface oxygen-containing functional groups through electronic hybridization, resulting in improved adsorption energy (1.80 |eV|) and electron transfer efficiency (0.67 |e|) for NO2, thereby enhancing its gas-sensing performance. This study highlights the potential of ammonia pyrolysis-treated Ti3C2Tx MXene for advancing NO2 sensor technologies with heightened performance at room temperature.

Nitrogen-Doped Indium Oxide Electrochemical Sensor for Stable and Selective NO2 Detection.

Efficient gas sensors are critical for environmental monitoring and industrial safety. While metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors are cost-effective, they struggle with poor selectivity, high operating temperatures, and limited stability. Electrochemical sensors, though selective and energy-efficient, face high costs, and stability issues due to precious metal catalysts like platinum on carbon (Pt/C). Herein, a novel, cost-effective electrochemical sensor using nitrogen-doped indium oxide In2O3- xN2 x /3Vx /3 (0.01≤x≤0.14), synthesized with varying nitriding times is presented. The optimized In2O3 N-40 min sensor demonstrates a remarkable response current of 771 nA to 10 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at ambient temperature, with outstanding long-term stability (over 30 days) and rapid response/recovery times (5/16 s). Compared to Pt/C sensors, it shows 84% and 67% reductions in response and recovery times, respectively, and maintains 98% performance after a month, versus 68% for Pt/C. This cost-effective sensor presents a promising alternative for electrochemical gas sensing, eliminating the need for precious metal catalysts.

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV-1 co-infections in Ethiopia: Implications for disease burden and intervention strategies.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) exhibits high prevalence rates within Ethiopia. The genetic diversity of HBV, marked by mixed genotype infections, may hold significant implications for the trajectory of disease and responses to treatment. Ethiopia grapples with a substantial public health challenge posed by co-infections involving HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), particularly among vulnerable populations. METHODS: A comprehensive investigation into HBV, HCV, and HIV-1 co-infection was conducted. A total of 7,789 blood samples were meticulously analyzed, among which 815 exhibited HBV positivity. Among the HBV-positive samples, 630 were subjected to genotyping procedures, resulting in the identification of a prevalent trend of mixed infections characterized by HBV genotypes A/E/F (67.30%). Serological assessments were performed on 492 specimens to ascertain the presence of HCV and HIV-1 co-infections, revealing respective co-infection rates of 13.02% for HBV/HIV, 3.31% for HBV/HCV, and 2.07% for triple infection. RESULTS: The investigation revealed the intricate prevalence of co-infections in Ethiopia, notably underlining the continued transmission of viruses. The prominent occurrence of mixed HBV genotypes A/E/F suggests dynamic viral interactions and ongoing transmission pathways. These findings accentuate the necessity for targeted interventions and enhanced patient care, as co-infections carry significant clinical complexities. CONCLUSIONS: This study furnishes crucial insights into the molecular epidemiology of HBV, HCV, and HIV-1 co-infections in Ethiopia. The acquired knowledge can contribute to the advancement of strategies for clinical management and the formulation of public health interventions aimed at ameliorating the burden of viral infections within the nation.

Signal amplification strategies in photoelectrochemical sensing of carcinoembryonic antigen.

Early detection of cancer markers is critical for cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy since these markers may indicate cancer risk, incidence, and disease prognosis. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a type of non-specific and broad-spectrum cancer biomarker commonly utilized for early cancer diagnosis. Moreover, it serves as an essential tool to assess the efficacy of cancer treatment and monitor tumor recurrence as well as metastasis, thus garnering significant attention for precise and sensitive CEA detection. In recent years, photoelectrochemical (PEC) techniques have emerged as prominent methods in CEA detection due to the advantages of PEC, such as simple equipment requirements, cost-effectiveness, high sensitivity, low interference from background signals, and easy of instrument miniaturization. Different signal amplification methods have been reported in PEC sensors for CEA analysis. Based on these, this article reviews PEC sensors based on various signal amplification strategies for detection of CEA during the last five years. The advantages and drawbacks of these sensors were discussed, as well as future challenges.

Women's experience of adopting lateral positions during the second stage of labour compared with conventional lithotomy positions: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: Maternal positions during childbirth play an important role in safe vaginal births and might also influence women's childbirth experiences greatly. Lateral positions, as a potential position to reduce negative maternal and neonatal outcomes, have become popular in recent years, especially in China where the adoption of conventional lithotomy positions is still common. However, the childbirth experience of those who gave birth in lateral positions has been rarely studied. This study aimed to describe and compare women's childbirth experiences of adopting the newly introduced lateral positions and the conventional lithotomy positions during the second stage of labour. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in China involving a total of 658 primiparous and parous women who adopted lateral and lithotomy positions during the second stage of labour from July to November 2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, maternal and neonatal outcomes as well as childbirth experience assessed by the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) were collected. This study followed the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: Women who once adopted lateral positions during the second stage of labour had better positive childbirth experiences compared with those in the lithotomy positions group, as demonstrated by their overall higher CEQ scores. Women in the lateral position group also reported better participation and perceived safety, and a greater sense of control during childbirth. Lateral positions remained an influential factor in CEQ scores after controlling for potential confounders. In this study, adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were rare. Women in lateral positions had comparatively better perineal outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study described and compared women's childbirth experiences of adopting conventional lithotomy positions and lateral positions during the second stage of labour using a valid instrument. Women who adopted lateral positions during the second stage of labour reported better childbirth experiences than those giving birth in the conventional lithotomy positions. Thus, assisting women in giving birth in lateral positions might be a promising way to improve women's childbirth experience.

Enhanced Outcomes in Femoral Subtrochanteric Fractures Using Long INTERTAN Nails with Titanium Cable Cerclage: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND The evidence on use of supplementary titanium cable cerclage (TCC) in treating femoral subtrochanteric fractures (FSF) remains scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic effects for FSF patients using TCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study of 68 FSF patients treated by a long intramedullary (IM) nailing with (Observation group, n=41) or without (Control group, n=27) TCC was conducted from January 2020 to December 2021. The primary outcome measure was time to postoperative full weight-bearing. Secondary outcome measures were operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of blood transfusions needed, varus angle loss, excellent and good rate of fracture reduction, Harris score, and survival rate. RESULTS Patients were followed up for 13 to 36 months. The excellent and good rate of fracture reduction was 100% in the Observation group versus 92.6% in the Control group (P=0.013), and the varus angle loss and time to postoperative full weight-bearing in the Observation group were significantly less than in the Control group (P<0.05). The intraoperative blood loss in the Observation group was significantly higher than in the Control group (P<0.001). No differences were noted between groups for Harris scores and survival rates at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS TCC fixation combined with IM nailing can improve the excellent and good rate of fracture reduction and reduce varus angle loss, as well as shorten the time to full weight-bearing and promote early functional exercise, which offers an effective treatment option for FSF patients who have failed closed reduction.

Evaluating three internal fixation techniques for Pauwels III femoral neck fractures via finite element analysis.

The selection of implants for fixing unstable femoral neck fractures (FNF) remains contentious. This study employs finite element analysis to examine the biomechanics of treating Pauwels type III femoral neck fractures using cannulated compression screws (3CS), biplane double-supported screw fixation (BDSF), and the femoral neck system (FNS). A three-dimensional model of the proximal femur was developed using computed tomography scans. Fracture models of the femoral neck were created with 3CS, BDSF, and FNS fixations. Von Mises stress on the proximal femur, fracture ends, internal fixators, and model displacements were assessed and compared across the three fixation methods (3CS, BDSF, and FNS) during the heel strike of normal walking. The maximum Von Mises stress in the proximal fragment was significantly higher with 3CS fixation compared to BDSF and FNS fixations (120.45 MPa vs. 82.44 MPa and 84.54 MPa, respectively). Regarding Von Mises stress distribution at the fracture ends, the highest stress in the 3CS group was 57.32 MPa, while BDSF and FNS groups showed 51.39 MPa and 49.23 MPa, respectively. Concerning implant stress, the FNS model exhibited greater Von Mises stress compared to the 3CS and BDSF models (236.67 MPa vs. 134.86 MPa and 140.69 MPa, respectively). Moreover, BDSF displayed slightly lower total displacement than 3CS fixation (7.19 mm vs. 7.66 mm), but slightly higher displacement than FNS (7.19 mm vs. 7.03 mm). This study concludes that BDSF outperforms 3CS fixation in terms of biomechanical efficacy and demonstrates similar performance to the FNS approach. As a result, BDSF stands as a dependable alternative for treating Pauwels type III femoral neck fractures.

Rainstorm-induced flood risk assessment in developed urban area using a data-driven approach with watershed units.

Rainstorm flooding in developed urban areas has become a global focus. This study proposes a data-driven approach to urban rainstorm flood risk assessment. In contrast to the existing research, this study focuses on terrain watersheds as an assessment unit. Using Changsha as the study area, an inventory of 238 historical rainstorm flood locations was produced using automatic web crawling and literature data mining. Subsequently, an assessment model was developed based on a Bayesian algorithm and 16 influencing factors, and its accuracy was verified using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Because underground infrastructure is prone to backflow at its entrances and exits during rainstorms, the developed model was used to assess the backflow risk of two typical underground structures subjected to three rainstorm return periods: 5 (scenario 1), 10 (scenario 2), and 100 years (scenario 3). The conclusions are as follows: (1) The proposed method has a prediction accuracy of 88 % for flood risk. The most influential factors were H11 (proportion of impervious surface), H4 (mean elevation), and H1 (rainfall), contributing 52 %, 14.3 %, and 11.9 %, respectively. (2) Watersheds are classified into "Very Low," "Low," "High," and "Very High" based on the degree of flooding impact, accounting for 83.6 %, 11.9 %, 3.9 %, and 0.7 %, respectively. Watersheds classified as "Very High" are mainly distributed in the central region. (3) A total of 48 subway stations (7.9 % of the total) and 148 underground parking lots (6.5 % of the total) in the study area are located in "Very High" risk areas. (4) Compared to that in scenario 1, the proportion of underground entrances and exits with a "Very high" protection level in scenario 3 increased by approximately 10 %. In conclusion, this framework can assist urban planners in understanding the risks of urban flooding and mitigating potential flooding impacts.

Evaluation of adrenal vein anatomy by adrenal venous sampling in patients with primary aldosteronism in Chinese.

Accurate cannulation of the adrenal vein is challenging during adrenal venous sampling (AVS) because of the variations in adrenal vein anatomy. This study aimed to investigate the adrenal venous morphology in Chinese and improve the success rate of AVS. A total of 221 participants with primary aldosteronism (PA) who underwent AVS were enrolled. Compare the morphology among subgroups divided according to sex, body mass index (BMI), and with or without adenoma. The success rate of right, left, and bilateral AVS was 98.60%, 97.20%, and 96.85%, respectively. The triangular pattern was the most common (39.37%) on the right side, while the glandlike pattern (70.14%) on the left. The proportion of adrenal venous morphology varies among patients with different sexes (χ2 = 21.335, P < .001), BMI (χ2 = 10.642 P = .031), and with or without adenoma (χ2 = 10.637, P = .031) on the right side, and the male, obese and adenoma group showed a higher proportion of glandlike pattern than triangular pattern. If only dependent on computed tomography, 9.05% of patients incorrectly diagnose the dominant side, 14.48% of patients would have inappropriate surgery meanwhile 25.34% of patients would miss the surgical opportunity. In conclusion, the most common types of right and left adrenal venous morphology were triangular pattern and glandlike pattern, respectively. Sex, BMI, and the presence of adenoma affected right adrenal venous morphology. Adequate knowledge of the adrenal venous morphology is critical for improving the success rate of AVS and making an appropriate treatment for PA.

Association rule mining of aircraft event causes based on the Apriori algorithm.

To reveal complex causes of aircraft events, this paper aims to mine association rules between the trigger probability and relative strength via a modified Apriori algorithm. Clustering is adopted for data preprocessing and TF-IDF value calculation. Causative item sets of aircraft events are obtained based on the accident causation 2-4 model and are coded to establish code indicators. By avoiding the use of statistical methodologies to resolve not-a-number (NaN) values for altering the interrelations among causes, an enhancement in the Apriori algorithm is proposed by considering frequent items. By extracting frequent patterns, in this paper, all the association rules that satisfy three perspectives (support, confidence and lift) are determined by constantly generating and pruning candidate item sets. A network graph is used to visualize the association rules between different unsafe events and all types of causes. Finally, 9835 representative pieces of data, including general unsafe events, general incidents and serious incidents from the Southwest Air Traffic Management Bureau, are selected for analysis. The results show that improper energy allocation, poor conflict resolution ability, inadequate onsite management duties, adoption of a luck mentality, and occurrence of controller oversight are highly correlated with general unsafe events, and failure to rectify incorrect recitation is notably correlated with general incidents, while inadequate manual promotion, lack of conflict judgement and insufficient safety management are strongly correlated with serious incidents. This study quantitatively reveals the potential patterns and characteristics of mutual interactions among various types of historical aircraft events and highlights directions for controllable prevention and prediction of aircraft events.

The Disulfide Bond-Mediated Cyclization of Oral Peptides.

'Structure determines function' is a consensus in the current biological community, but the structural characteristics corresponding to a certain function have always been a hot field of scientific exploration. A peptide is a bio-active molecule that is between the size of an antibody and a small molecule. Still, the gastrointestinal barrier and the physicochemical properties of peptides have always limited the oral administration of peptides. Therefore, we analyze the main ways oral peptide conversion strategies of peptide modification and permeation enhancers. Based on our analysis of the structure of natural oral peptides, which can be absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, we believe that the design strategy of natural stapled peptides based on disulfide bonds is good for oral peptide design. This cannot only be used to identify anti-gastrointestinal digestive structural proteins in nature but also provide a solid structural foundation for the construction of new oral peptide drugs.

Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Using Metastable Zirconium Suboxide.

Strategies for discovery of high-performance electrocatalysts are important to advance clean energy technologies. Metastable phases such as low temperature or interfacial structures that are difficult to access in bulk may offer such catalytically active surfaces. We report here that the suboxide Zr3O, which is formed at Zr-ZrO2 interfaces but does not appear in the experimental Zr-O phase diagram exhibits outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance surpassing that of benchmark Pt/C and most transition metal-based catalysts. Addition of Fe3C nanoparticles to give a Zr-Zr3O-Fe3C/NC catalyst (NC=nitrogen-doped carbon) gives a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.914 V, outperforming Pt/C and showing only a 3 mV decrease after 20,000 electrochemical cycles. A zinc-air battery (ZAB) using this cathode material has a high power density of 241.1 mW cm-2 and remains stable for over 50 days of continuous cycling, demonstrating potential for practical applications. Zr3O demonstrates that interfacial or other phases that are difficult to stabilize may offer new directions for the discovery of high-performance electrocatalysts.

Detection of alkaline phosphatase activity with a CsPbBr3/Y6 heterojunction-based photoelectrochemical sensor.

An ultra-sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor based on perovskite composite was developed for the determination of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in human serum. In contrast to CsPbBr3 or Y6 that generated anodic current, the heterojunction of CsPbBr3/Y6 promoted photocarriers to separate and generated cathodic photocurrent. Ascorbic acid (AA) was produced by ALP hydrolyzing L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate trisodium salt (AAP), which can combine with the holes on the photoelectrode surface, accelerating the transmission of photogenerated carriers, leading to enhanced photocurrent intensity. Thus, the enhancement of PEC current was linked to ALP activity. The PEC sensor exhibits good sensitivity for detection of ALP owing to the unique photoelectric properties of the CsPbBr3/Y6 heterojunction. The detection limit of the sensor was 0.012 U·L-1 with a linear dynamic range of 0.02-2000 U·L-1. Therefore, this PEC sensing platform shows great potential for the development of different PEC sensors.

Efficient and durable seawater electrolysis with a V2O3-protected catalyst.

The ocean, a vast hydrogen reservoir, holds potential for sustainable energy and water development. Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen production under harsh seawater conditions is challenging. Here, we propose incorporating a protective V2O3 layer to modulate the microcatalytic environment and create in situ dual-active sites consisting of low-loaded Pt and Ni3N. This catalyst demonstrates an ultralow overpotential of 80 mV at 500 mA cm-2, a mass activity 30.86 times higher than Pt-C and maintains at least 500 hours in seawater. Moreover, the assembled anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) demonstrate superior activity and durability even under demanding industrial conditions. In situ localized pH analysis elucidates the microcatalytic environmental regulation mechanism of the V2O3 layer. Its role as a Lewis acid layer enables the sequestration of excess OH- ions, mitigate Cl- corrosion, and alkaline earth salt precipitation. Our catalyst protection strategy by using V2O3 presents a promising and cost-effective approach for large-scale sustainable green hydrogen production.

Sugar delivery at the tomato root and root galls after Meloidogyne incognita infestation.

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) infect host plants and obtain nutrients such as sugars for their own development. Therefore, inhibiting the nutrient supply to RKNs may be an effective method for alleviating root-knot nematode disease. At present, the pathway by which sucrose is unloaded from the phloem cells to giant cells (GCs) in root galls and which genes related to sugar metabolism and transport play key roles in this process are unclear. In this study, we found that sugars could be unloaded into GCs only from neighboring phloem cells through the apoplastic pathway. With the development of galls, the contents of sucrose, fructose and glucose in the galls and adjacent tissue increased gradually. SUT1, SUT2, SWEET7a, STP10, SUS3 and SPS1 may provide sugar sources for GCs, while STP1, STP2 and STP12 may transport more sugar to phloem parenchyma cells. At the early stage of Meloidogyne incognita infestation, the sucrose content in tomato roots and leaves increased, while the glucose and fructose contents decreased. SWEET7a, SPS1, INV-INH1, INV-INH2, SUS1 and SUS3 likely play key roles in root sugar delivery. These results elucidated the pathway of sugar unloading in tomato galls and provided an important theoretical reference for eliminating the sugar source of RKNs and preventing root-knot nematode disease.

Fast collective motions of backbone in transmembrane α helices are critical to water transfer of aquaporin.

Fast collective motions are widely present in biomolecules, but their functional relevance remains unclear. Herein, we reveal that fast collective motions of backbone are critical to the water transfer of aquaporin Z (AqpZ) by using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A total of 212 residue site-specific dipolar order parameters and 158 15N spin relaxation rates of the backbone are measured by combining the 13C- and 1H-detected multidimensional ssNMR spectra. Analysis of these experimental data by theoretic models suggests that the small-amplitude (~10°) collective motions of the transmembrane α helices on the nanosecond-to-microsecond timescales are dominant for the dynamics of AqpZ. The MD simulations demonstrate that these collective motions are critical to the water transfer efficiency of AqpZ by facilitating the opening of the channel and accelerating the water-residue hydrogen bonds renewing in the selectivity filter region.