Interfacial modulation of nicotinamide additive enables 9700 h Zn metal batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have recently been paid great attention due to their robust safety features, high theoretical capacity, and eco-friendliness, yet their practical application is hindered by the serious dendrite formation and side reactions of Zn metal anode during cycling. Herein, a low-cost small molecule, nicotinamide (NIC), is proposed as an electrolyte additive to effectively regulate the Zn interface, achieving a highly reversible and stable zinc anode without dendrites. NIC molecules not only modify the Zn2+ solvation structure but also preferentially adsorb on the Zn surface than solvated H2O to protect the Zn anode and provide numerous nucleation sites for Zn2+ to homogenize Zn deposition. Consequently, the addition of 1 wt% NIC enables Zn||Zn symmetric cells an ultra-long lifespan of over 9700 h at 1 mA cm-2, which expands nearly 808 times compared to that without NIC. The advantages of NIC additives are further demonstrated in NaVO||Zn full cells, which exhibit exceptional capacity retention of 90.3 % after 1000 cycles with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.9 % at 1 A/g, while the cell operates for only 42 cycles without NIC additive. This strategy presents a promising approach to solving the anode problem, fostering advancements in practical AZIBs.

Quantifying irregular pulsation of intracranial aneurysms using 4D-CTA.

Recent studies have suggested that irregular pulsation of intracranial aneurysm during the cardiac cycle may be potentially associated with aneurysm rupture risk. However, there is a lack of quantification method for irregular pulsations. This study aims to quantify irregular pulsations by the displacement and strain distribution of the intracranial aneurysm surface during the cardiac cycle using four-dimensional CT angiographic image data. Four-dimensional CT angiography was performed in 8 patients. The image data of a cardiac cycle was divided into approximately 20 phases, and irregular pulsations were detected in four intracranial aneurysms by visual observation, and then the displacement and strain of the intracranial aneurysm was quantified using coherent point drift and finite element method. The displacement and strain were compared between aneurysms with irregular and normal pulsations in two different ways (total and stepwise). The stepwise first principal strain was significantly higher in aneurysms with irregular than normal pulsations (0.20±0.01 vs 0.16±0.02, p=0.033). It was found that the irregular pulsations in intracranial aneurysms usually occur during the consecutive ascending or descending phase of volume changes during the cardiac cycle. In addition, no statistically significant difference was found in the aneurysm volume changes over the cardiac cycle between the two groups. Our method can successfully quantify the displacement and strain changes in the intracranial aneurysm during the cardiac cycle, which may be proven to be a useful tool to quantify intracranial aneurysm deformability and aid in aneurysm rupture risk assessment.

Application of high-resolution MRI in evaluating statin efficacy on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of statins on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques using high-resolution 3.0 T MR vessel wall imaging (HR-MRI). METHODS: Patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques (cerebral ischemic events within the last three months) confirmed by HR-MRI from July 2017 to August 2022 were retrospectively included in this study. The enrolled patients started statin therapy at baseline. All the patients underwent the follow-up HR-MRI examination after statin therapy for at least 3 months. A paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to evaluate the changes in plaque characteristics after statin therapy. Multivariate linear regression was further used to investigate the clinical factors associated with statin efficacy. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients (37 males; overall mean age = 60.2 ± 11.7 years) were included in this study. The follow-up time was 7.0 (5.6-12.0) months. In patients treated with statins for > 6 months (n = 31), plaque length, wall thickness, plaque burden, luminal stenosis and plaque enhancement were significantly reduced. Similar results were found in patients with good lipid control (n = 21). Younger age, lower BMI and hypertension were associated with decreased plaque burden. Lower BMI, hypertension and longer duration of statin therapy were associated with decreased plaque enhancement. Younger age and hypertension were associated with decreased luminal stenosis (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HR-MRI can effectively evaluate plaques changes after statin therapy. Statins can reduce plaque burden and stabilize plaques. The effect of statin may have a relationship with age, BMI, hypertension, and duration of statin therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: High-resolution MRI can be applied to evaluate the efficacy of statins on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques. Long-term statin use and well-controlled blood lipid levels can help reduce plaque burden and stabilize plaques. KEY POINTS: High-resolution MRI provides great help evaluating the changes of plaque characteristics after statin therapy. Efficacy of statins is associated with duration of use, controlled lipid levels, and clinical factors. High-resolution MRI can serve as an effective method for following-up symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis.

Precranial artery calcification burden: a potential indicator of the clinical outcome of reperfusion in patients with acute large artery occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: With mechanical thrombectomy (MT), we investigated the prognostic importance of aortic arch calcification (AoAC) and carotid sinus calcification (CaSC) for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and poor outcome in acute large artery occlusion (LAO). METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we calculated pre-cranial artery calcification burden (PACB) scores (burden score of AoAC and CaSC) using the AoAC grading scale score plus Woodcock visual score. The outcome measure was sICH per the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study III definition. A 3-month modified Rankin scale score 3-6 was designated as poor outcome. RESULTS: Compared with patients who had PACB <3, those with PACB ≥3 showed substantially higher risks of sICH (odds ratio [OR] = 2.567, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.187-5.550) and poor outcome (OR = 4.777, 95% CI = 1.659-13.756). According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, adding PACB to the regression model enhanced the predictive value for poor outcome (area under the ROC curve [AUC]: 0.718 vs. 0.519, Z = 2.340) and in patients receiving MT (AUC: 0.714 vs. 0.584, Z = 2.021), independently. CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to PACB were consistent with common risk factors of systemic atherosclerosis. Low PACB scores indicated better prognosis. In patients with LAO following MT, PACB was useful in predicting sICH and poor clinical outcome.

Positive impacts of green finance on environmental protection investment: Evidence from green finance reform and innovations pilot zone.

After long-term development, the global economic level has improved significantly, but environmental issues generated by early extensive development seriously threaten the survival of human beings. China, in particular, urgently needs to promote sustainable development through green finance policies. For this reason, this paper regards the 2017 eight pilot zones in five provinces for green finance reform and innovations (GFRIs) as a quasi-natural experiment, and explores whether it can encourage investment in environmental protection in heavily polluting enterprises by using difference-in-differences-in-differences (DDD) model. The paper finds that: First, GFRIs can bolster investment in environmental protection in heavy polluting enterprises. The results remain consistent after several robustness checks, covering the placebo test, PSM-DID test and so on. Second, mechanism tests find that the policy promotes environmental protection investment by alleviating financing constraints and cutting financing costs. Third, heterogeneity analysis shows that the promotion effect of GFRIs on environmental protection investment is more pronounced for provinces with higher percentages of secondary industry GDP, large-scale enterprises, and enterprises with better ESG management. This paper demonstrates the beneficial influence of GFRIs on promoting the transformation of heavy polluting enterprises and provides suggestions for the improvement of such policies.

The changes prediction on terrestrial water storage in typical regions of China based on neural networks and satellite gravity data.

Accurate prediction of regional terrestrial water storage change (TWSA) is of great significance for water resources planning and management, and early warning of extreme climate disasters. Aiming at the problem that the conventional methods on prediction of TWSA time series are difficult to be accurate, the six typical regions are selected in China as examples, including the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (UYR), the southwest region (SWR), the Liaohe River Basin (LRB), the North China Plain (NCP), the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and the Pearl River Basin (PRB). The mascon product from GRACE/GRACE-FO provided by CSR is used to extract TWSA time series in six typical areas. The improved Back Propagation (BP) neural network, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network and the latest Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM-attention) neural network model based on attention mechanism are proposed to predict and analyze the regional TWSA. In the experiment, the selection of the optimal model parameters such as the number of hidden layer nodes and the number of hidden units of the neural network model is tested and analyzed in detail. Meanwhile, the model prediction results are compared with the traditional least squares method and random forest (RF) prediction method. The root mean square error (RMSE), determination coefficient (R2), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the predicted results. The results show that the improved BP, LSTM and Bi-LSTM-attention neural network models all achieve higher prediction accuracy in UYR and SWR areas. RMSE is less than 2.641 cm, R2 is as high as 0.8 or more, NSE is above 0.6, and MAPE is within 0.1. Compared with the least square method, the RMSE of the predicted results from three neural network decreased by 0.998 cm, 0.700 cm and 0.7563 on average, and the R2 increased by 81.75%, 69.89% and 72% on average. Compared with RFML method, the RMSE from three neural network is reduced by 0.601 cm, 0.316 cm and 0.360, and R2 is increased by 38.20%, 24.60% and 27.06% on average. NSE and RMSE are improved to varying degrees in the above regions. It shows that the improved BP, LSTM and BiLSTM-attention model used can effectively predict TWSA. The research methods and results in this paper can provide important reference for the rational utilization of regional water resources and disaster risk assessment.

A Decision Tree Model to Help Treatment Decision-Making for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Multi-center, Long-Term Follow-up Study in a Large Chinese Cohort.

Chinese population have a high prevalence of unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA). Clinical and imaging risk factors predicting UIA growth or rupture are poorly understood in the Chinese population due to the lack of large-scale longitudinal studies, and the treatment decision for UIA patients was challenging. Develop a decision tree (DT) model for UIA instability, and validate its performance in multi-center studies. Single-UIA patients from two prospective, longitudinal multicenter cohort studies were analyzed, and set as the development cohort and validation cohort. The primary endpoint was UIA instability (rupture, growth, or morphological change). A DT was established within the development cohort and validated within the validation cohort. The performance of clinicians in identifying unstable UIAs before and after the help of the DT was compared using the area under curve (AUC). The development cohort included 1270 patients with 1270 UIAs and a follow-up duration of 47.2 ± 15.5 months. Aneurysm instability occurred in 187 (14.7%) patients. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed hypertension (hazard ratio [HR], 1.54; 95%CI, 1.14-2.09), aspect ratio (HR, 1.22; 95%CI, 1.17-1.28), size ratio (HR, 1.31; 95%CI, 1.23-1.41), bifurcation configuration (HR, 2.05; 95%CI, 1.52-2.78) and irregular shape (HR, 4.30; 95%CI, 3.19-5.80) as factors of instability. In the validation cohort (n = 106, 12 was unstable), the DT model incorporating these factors was highly predictive of UIA instability (AUC, 0.88 [95%CI, 0.79-0.97]), and superior to existing UIA risk scales such as PHASES and ELAPSS (AUC, 0.77 [95%CI, 0.67-0.86] and 0.76 [95%CI, 0.66-0.86], P < 0.001). Within all 1376 single-UIA patients, the use of the DT significantly improved the accuracy of junior neurosurgical clinicians to identify unstable UIAs (AUC from 0.63 to 0.82, P < 0.001). The DT incorporating hypertension, aspect ratio, size ratio, bifurcation configuration and irregular shape was able to predict UIA instability better than existing clinical scales in Chinese cohorts. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: IARP-CP cohort were included (unique identifier: ChiCTR1900024547. Published July 15, 2019. Completed December 30, 2020), with 100-Project phase-I cohort (unique identifier: NCT04872842, Published May 5, 2021. Completed November 8, 2022) as the development cohort. The 100-Project phase-II cohort (unique identifier: NCT05608122. Published November 8, 2022) as the validation cohort.

Deep Learning Denoising Improves CT Perfusion Image Quality in the Setting of Lower Contrast Dosing: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Considering recent iodinated contrast shortages and a focus on reducing waste, developing protocols with lower contrast dosing while maintaining image quality through artificial intelligence is needed. This study compared reduced iodinated contrast media and standard dose CTP acquisitions, and the impact of deep learning denoising on CTP image quality in preclinical and clinical studies. The effect of reduced X-ray mAs dose was also investigated in preclinical studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve swine underwent 9 CTP examinations each, performed at combinations of 3 different x-ray (37, 67, and 127 mAs) and iodinated contrast media doses (10, 15, and 20 mL). Clinical CTP acquisitions performed before and during the iodinated contrast media shortage and protocol change (from 40 to 30 mL) were retrospectively included. Eleven patients with reduced iodinated contrast media dosages and 11 propensity-score-matched controls with the standard iodinated contrast media dosages were included. A residual encoder-decoder convolutional neural network (RED-CNN) was trained for CTP denoising using k-space-weighted image average filtered CTP images as the target. The standard, RED-CNN-denoised, and k-space-weighted image average noise-filtered images for animal and human studies were compared for quantitative SNR and qualitative image evaluation. RESULTS: The SNR of animal CTP images decreased with reductions in iodinated contrast media and milliampere-second doses. Contrast dose reduction had a greater effect on SNR than milliampere-second reduction. Noise-filtering by k-space-weighted image average and RED-CNN denoising progressively improved the SNR of CTP maps, with RED-CNN resulting in the highest SNR. The SNR of clinical CTP images was generally lower with a reduced iodinated contrast media dose, which was improved by the k-space-weighted image average and RED-CNN denoising (P < .05). Qualitative readings consistently rated RED-CNN denoised CTP as the best quality, followed by k-space-weighted image average and then standard CTP images. CONCLUSIONS: Deep learning-denoising can improve image quality for low iodinated contrast media CTP protocols, and could approximate standard iodinated contrast media dose CTP, in addition to potentially improving image quality for low milliampere-second acquisitions.

Optimizing timing for quantification of intracranial aneurysm enhancement: a multi-phase contrast-enhanced vessel wall MRI study.

OBJECTIVES: Aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) on high-resolution contrast-enhanced vessel wall MRI (VWMRI) is an emerging biomarker for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) stability. Quantification methods of AWE in the literature, however, are variable. We aimed to determine the optimal post-contrast timing to quantify AWE in both saccular and fusiform IAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with unruptured IAs were prospectively recruited. VWMRI was acquired on 1 pre-contrast and 4 consecutive post-contrast phases (each phase was 9 min). Signal intensity values of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and aneurysm wall on pre- and 4 post-contrast phases were measured to determine the aneurysm wall enhancement index (WEI). AWE was also qualitatively analyzed on post-contrast images using previous grading criteria. The dynamic changes of AWE grade and WEI were analyzed for both saccular and fusiform IAs. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients with 42 IAs (27 saccular IAs and 15 fusiform IAs) were included. The changes in AWE grade occurred in 8 (30%) saccular IAs and 6 (40%) in fusiform IAs during the 4 post-contrast phases. The WEI of fusiform IAs decreased 22.0% over time after contrast enhancement (p = 0.009), while the WEI of saccular IAs kept constant during the 4 post-contrast phases (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When performing quantitative analysis of AWE, acquiring post-contrast VWMRI immediately after contrast injection achieves the strongest AWE for fusiform IAs. While the AWE degree is stable for 36 min after contrast injection for saccular IAs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The standardization of imaging protocols and analysis methods for AWE will be helpful for imaging surveillance and further treatment decisions of patients with unruptured IAs. KEY POINTS: Imaging protocols and measurements of intracranial aneurysm wall enhancement are reported heterogeneously. Aneurysm wall enhancement for fusiform intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is strongest immediately post-contrast, and stable for 36 min for saccular IAs. Future multi-center studies should investigate aneurysm wall enhancement as an emerging marker of aneurysm growth and rupture.

Raman Monitoring of the Electro-Optical Synergy-Induced Enhancements in Carbon-Bromine Bond Cleavage, Reaction Rate, and Product Selectivity of p-Bromothiophenol.

Electro-optical synergy has recently been targeted to improve the separation of hot carriers and thereby further improve the efficiency of plasmon-mediated chemical reactions (PMCRs). However, the electro-optical synergy in PMCRs needs to be more deeply understood, and its contribution to bond dissociation and product selectivity needs to be clarified. Herein, the electro-optical synergy in plasmon-mediated reduction of p-bromothiophenol (PBTP) was studied on a plasmonic nanostructured silver electrode using in situ Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. It was found that the electro-optical synergy-induced enhancements in the cleavage of carbon-bromine bonds, reaction rate, and product selectivity (4,4'-biphenyl dithiol vs thiophenol) were largely affected by the applied bias, laser wavelength, and laser power. The theoretical simulation further clarified that the strong electro-optical synergy is attributed to the matching of energy band diagrams of the plasmonic silver with those of the adsorbed PBTP molecules. A deep understanding of the electro-optical synergy in PBTP reduction and the clarification of the mechanism will be highly beneficial for the development of other highly efficient PMCRs.

Distribution patterns and origins of organophosphate esters in soils from different climate systems on the Tibetan Plateau.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are extensively applied in various materials as flame retardants and plasticizers, and have high biological toxicity. OPEs are detected worldwide, even in distant polar regions and the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, few studies have been performed to evaluate the distribution patterns and origins of OPEs in different climate systems on the TP. This study investigated the distribution characteristics, possible sources, and ecological risks of OPEs in soils from the different climate systems on the TP and its surroundings. The total concentrations of OPEs in soil varied from 468 to 17,451 pg g-1 dry weight, with greater concentrations in southeast Tibet (monsoon zone), followed by Qinghai (transition zone) and, finally, southern Xingjiang (westerly zone). OPE composition profiles also differed among the three areas with tri-n-butyl phosphate dominant in the westerly zone and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate dominant in the Indian monsoon zone. Correlations between different compounds and altitude, soil organic carbon, or longitude varied in different climate zones, indicating that OPE distribution originates from both long-range atmospheric transport and local emissions. Ecological risk assessment showed that tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate and tri-phenyl phosphate exhibited medium risks in soil at several sites in southeast Tibet. Considering the sensitivity and vulnerability of TP ecosystems to anthropogenic pollutants, the ecological risks potentially caused by OPEs in this region should be further assessed.

Polyoxometalate-based plasmonic electron sponge membrane for nanofluidic osmotic energy conversion.

Nanofluidic membranes have demonstrated great potential in harvesting osmotic energy. However, the output power densities are usually hampered by insufficient membrane permselectivity. Herein, we design a polyoxometalates (POMs)-based nanofluidic plasmonic electron sponge membrane (PESM) for highly efficient osmotic energy conversion. Under light irradiation, hot electrons are generated on Au NPs surface and then transferred and stored in POMs electron sponges, while hot holes are consumed by water. The stored hot electrons in POMs increase the charge density and hydrophilicity of PESM, resulting in significantly improved permselectivity for high-performance osmotic energy conversion. In addition, the unique ionic current rectification (ICR) property of the prepared nanofluidic PESM inhibits ion concentration polarization effectively, which could further improve its permselectivity. Under light with 500-fold NaCl gradient, the maximum output power density of the prepared PESM reaches 70.4 W m-2, which is further enhanced even to 102.1 W m-2 by changing the ligand to P5W30. This work highlights the crucial roles of plasmonic electron sponge for tailoring the surface charge, modulating ion transport dynamics, and improving the performance of nanofluidic osmotic energy conversion.

A Versatile Synthesis Platform Based on Polymer Cubosomes for a Library of Highly Ordered Nanoporous Metal Oxides Particles.

Polymer cubosomes (PCs) have well-defined inverse bicontinuous cubic mesophases formed by amphiphilic block copolymer bilayers. The open hydrophilic channels, large periods, and robust physical properties of PCs are advantageous to many host-guest interactions and yet not fully exploited, especially in the fields of functional nanomaterials. Here, the self-assembly of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene block copolymers is systematically investigated and a series of robust PCs is developed via a cosolvent method. Ordered nanoporous metal oxide particles are obtained by selectively filling the hydrophilic channels of PCs via an impregnation strategy, followed by a two-step thermal treatment. Based on this versatile PC platform, the general synthesis of a library of ordered porous particles with different pore structures 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ , tunable large pore size (18-78 nm), high specific surface areas (up to 123.3 m2 g-1 for WO3) and diverse framework compositions, such as transition and non-transition metal oxides, rare earth chloride oxides, perovskite, pyrochlore, and high-entropy metal oxides is demonstrated. As typical materials obtained via this method, ordered porous WO3 particles have the advantages of open continuous structure and semiconducting properties, thus showing superior gas sensing performances toward hydrogen sulfide.

ZNF554 Inhibits Endometrial Cancer Progression via Regulating RBM5 and Inactivating WNT/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC), a kind of gynecologic malignancy, poses a significant risk to women's health. The precise mechanism underlying the development of UCEC remains elusive. Zinc finger protein 554 (ZNF554), a member of the Krüppel-associated box domain zinc finger protein superfamily, was reported to be dysregulated in various illnesses, including malignant tumors. This study aimed to examine the involvement of ZNF554 in the development of UCEC. METHODS: The expression of ZNF554 in UCEC tissues and cell lines were examined by qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. Cells with stably overexpressed or knocked-down ZNF554 were established through lentivirus infection. CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays were employed to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Propidium iodide (PI) staining combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) flow cytometer was utilized to detect cell cycle distribution. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were conducted to examine relative mRNA and protein levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and luciferase reporter assay were used to explore the regulatory role of ZNF554 in RNA binding motif 5 (RBM5). RESULTS: The expression of ZNF554 was found to be reduced in both UCEC samples and cell lines. Decreased expression of ZNF554 was associated with higher tumor stage, decreased overall survival, and reduced disease-free survival in UCEC. ZNF554 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while also inducing cell cycle arrest. In contrast, a decrease in ZNF554 expression resulted in the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ZNF554 transcriptionally regulated RBM5, leading to the deactivation of the Wingless (WNT)/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, the findings from rescue studies demonstrated that the inhibition of RBM5 negated the impact of ZNF554 overexpression on ß-catenin and p-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (p-GSK-3ß). Similarly, the deliberate activation of RBM5 reduced the increase in ß-catenin and p-GSK-3ß caused by the suppression of ZNF554. In vitro experiments showed that ZNF554 overexpression-induced decreases in cell proliferation and migration were counteracted by RBM5 knockdown. Additionally, when RBM5 was overexpressed, it hindered the improvements in cell proliferation and migration caused by reducing the ZNF554 levels. CONCLUSION: ZNF554 functions as a tumor suppressor in UCEC. Furthermore, ZNF554 regulates UCEC progression through the RBM5/WNT/ß-catenin signaling pathway. ZNF554 shows a promise as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for UCEC.

Comparison of efficacy of acupuncture-related therapies in treating Acute Gouty Arthritis: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: and purpose: Acupuncture and moxibustion, as a complementary and alternative therapy, has been widely used in the treatment of acute gouty arthritis (AGA). However, there are various forms of acupuncture and moxibustion, and the curative effect of different forms is different. This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of different acupuncture therapies in treating AGA by network meta-analysis. Methods: Computer searches of English databases (including PubMed, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Embase) and Chinese databases (including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, Wanfang Database and China Biomedical Literature Database) were conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture therapies in treating AGA. We set the search time from the database establishment to May 2022. Data analysis was performed using Stata14.2 software. Results: Thirty-two RCTs involving 2434 patients with AGA were screened out. The results showed that in terms of the improvement of pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, the top ones were acupoint application (100%), electroacupuncture + Western medicine (73.5%) and acupuncture + Western medicine (69.2%); In terms of total effective rate, acupoint application (85.2%), acupuncture (75.2%) and acupuncture + Western medicine (63%) ranked the top; In terms of reducing serum uric acid (SUA) levels, the top ones were acupoint application (95%), acupuncture + Western medicine (87.5%) and acupuncture (66.2%); In terms of the reduction of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), acupuncture (95%), acupoint application (84.7%), and electroacupuncture + Western medicine (52.8%) were the most prominent. Conclusion: The existing evidence shows that acupoint application has more advantages in improving the total effective rate, improving pain and reduce SUA levels, and acupuncture has an advantage in reducing ESR levels and adverse events. However, due to the low qualities of the original studies, the quality of this evidence is poor. Therefore, it is recommended that more scientific research be performed to confirm the efficacy of acupuncture.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius induces pyroptosis of canine corneal epithelial cells by activating the ROS-NLRP3 signalling pathway.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (S. pseudintermedius) is a common pathogen that causes canine corneal ulcers. However, the pathogenesis remained unclear. In this study, it has been demonstrated that S. pseudintermedius invaded canine corneal epithelial cells (CCECs) intracellularly, mediating oxidative damage and pyroptosis by promoting the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activating the NLRP3 inflammasome. The canine corneal stroma was infected with S. pseudintermedius to establish the canine corneal ulcer model in vivo. The intracellular infectious model in CCECs was established in vitro to explore the mechanism of the ROS - NLRP3 signalling pathway during the S. pseudintermedius infection by adding NAC or MCC950. Results showed that the expression of NLRP3 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) proteins increased significantly in the infected corneas (p < 0.01). The intracellular infection of S. pseudintermedius was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescent 3D imaging. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that ROS and pyroptosis rates increased in the experimental group in contrast to the control group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, NAC or MCC950 inhibited activation of the ROS - NLRP3 signalling pathway and pyroptosis rate significantly, by suppressing pro-IL-1ß, cleaved-IL-1ß, pro-caspase-1, cleaved-caspase-1, NLRP3, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, and HMGB1 proteins. Thus, the research confirmed that oxidative damage and pyroptosis were involved in the process of CCECs infected with S. pseudintermedius intracellularly by the ROS - NLRP3 signalling pathway. The results enrich the understanding of the mechanisms of canine corneal ulcers and facilitate the development of new medicines and prevention measures.

Tailoring Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticle Surface Coating for Macrophage-Affinity Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, while macrophages as key players in plaque progression and destabilization are promising targets for atherosclerotic plaque imaging. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) has emerged as a powerful noninvasive imaging technique for the evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques within arterial walls. However, the visualization of macrophages within atherosclerotic plaques presents considerable challenges due to the intricate pathophysiology of the disease and the dynamic behavior of these cells. Biocompatible ferrite nanoparticles with diverse surface ligands possess the potential to exhibit distinct relaxivity and cellular affinity, enabling improved imaging capabilities for macrophages in atherosclerosis. In this work, we report macrophage-affinity nanoparticles for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of atherosclerosis via tailoring nanoparticle surface coating. The ultrasmall zinc ferrite nanoparticles (Zn0.4Fe2.6O4) as T1 contrast agents were synthesized and modified with dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid, and phosphorylated polyethylene glycol to adjust their surface charges to be positively, negatively, and neutrally charged, respectively. In vitro MRI evaluation shows that the T1 relaxivity for different surface charged Zn0.4Fe2.6O4 nanoparticles was three higher than that of the clinically used Gd-DTPA. Furthermore, in vivo atherosclerotic plaque MR imaging indicates that positively charged Zn0.4Fe2.6O4 showed superior MRI efficacy on carotid atherosclerosis than the other two, which is ascribed to high affinity to macrophages of positively charged nanoparticles. This work provides improved diagnostic capability and a better understanding of the molecular imaging of atherosclerosis.

The analysis on groundwater storage variations from GRACE/GRACE-FO in recent 20 years driven by influencing factors and prediction in Shandong Province, China.

Monitoring and predicting the regional groundwater storage (GWS) fluctuation is an essential support for effectively managing water resources. Therefore, taking Shandong Province as an example, the data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) is used to invert GWS fluctuation from January 2003 to December 2022 together with Watergap Global Hydrological Model (WGHM), in-situ groundwater volume and level data. The spatio-temporal characteristics are decomposed using Independent Components Analysis (ICA), and the impact factors, such as precipitation and human activities, which are also analyzed. To predict the short-time changes of GWS, the Support Vector Machines (SVM) is adopted together with three commonly used methods Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA), Auto-Regressive Moving Average Model (ARMA), as the comparison. The results show that: (1) The loss intensity of western GWS is significantly greater than those in coastal areas. From 2003 to 2006, GWS increased sharply; during 2007 to 2014, there exists a loss rate - 5.80 ± 2.28 mm/a of GWS; the linear trend of GWS change is - 5.39 ± 3.65 mm/a from 2015 to 2022, may be mainly due to the effect of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The correlation coefficient between GRACE and WGHM is 0.67, which is consistent with in-situ groundwater volume and level. (2) The GWS has higher positive correlation with monthly Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) considering time delay after moving average, which has the similar energy spectrum depending on Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) method. In addition, the influencing facotrs on annual GWS fluctuation are analyzed, the correlation coefficient between GWS and in-situ data including the consumption of groundwater mining, farmland irrigation is 0.80, 0.71, respectively. (3) For the GWS prediction, SVM method is adopted to analyze, three training samples with 180, 204 and 228 months are established with the goodness-of-fit all higher than 0.97. The correlation coefficients are 0.56, 0.75, 0.68; RMSE is 5.26, 4.42, 5.65 mm; NSE is 0.28, 0.43, 0.36, respectively. The performance of SVM model is better than the other methods for the short-term prediction.

Delayed Enhancement of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaque Can Better Differentiate Culprit Lesions: A Multiphase Contrast-Enhanced Vessel Wall MRI Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intracranial plaque enhancement (IPE) identified by contrast-enhanced vessel wall MR imaging (VW-MR imaging) is an emerging marker of plaque instability related to stroke risk, but there was no standardized timing for postcontrast acquisition. We aim to explore the optimal postcontrast timing by using multiphase contrast-enhanced VW-MR imaging and to test its performance in differentiating culprit and nonculprit lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with acute ischemic stroke due to intracranial plaque were prospectively recruited to undergo VW-MR imaging with 1 precontrast phase and 4 consecutive postcontrast phases (9 minutes and 13 seconds for each phase). The signal intensity (SI) values of the CSF and intracranial plaque were measured on 1 precontrast and 4 postcontrast phases to determine the intracranial plaque enhancement index (PEI). The dynamic changes of the PEI were compared between culprit and nonculprit plaques on the postcontrast acquisitions. RESULTS: Thirty patients with acute stroke (aged 59 ± 10 years, 18 [60%] men) with 113 intracranial plaques were included. The average PEI of all intracranial plaques significantly increased (up to 14%) over the 4 phases. There was significantly increased PEI over the 4 phases for culprit plaques (an average increase of 23%), but this was not observed for nonculprit plaques. For differentiating culprit and nonculprit plaques, we observed that the performance of IPE in the second postcontrast phase (cutoff = 0.83, AUC = 0.829 [0.746-0.893]) exhibited superior accuracy when compared with PEI in the first postcontrast phase (cutoff = 0.48; AUC = 0.768 [0.680-0.843]) (P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: A 9-minute delay of postcontrast acquisition can maximize plaque enhancement and better differentiate between culprit and nonculprit plaques. In addition, culprit and nonculprit plaques have different enhancement temporal patterns, which should be evaluated in future studies.

Pressure-driven dome-shaped superconductivity in topological insulator GeBi2Te4.

The discovery of new superconductors based on topological insulators always captures special attention due to their unique structural and electronic properties. High pressure is an effective way to regulate the lattice as well as electronic states in the topological insulators, thus altering their electronic properties. Herein, we report the structural and electrical transport properties of the topological insulator GeBi2Te4by using high-pressure techniques. The synchrotron x-ray diffraction revealed that GeBi2Te4underwent two structural phase transitions fromR-3m(phase I) toC2/m(phase II) and then intoIm-3m(phase III). Superconductivity was observed at 6.6 GPa to be associated with the first structural phase transition. The superconducting transition temperatureTcreached a maximum value of 8.4 K, accompanied by theRHsign changing from negative to positive at 14.6 GPa, then gradually decreased with increasing pressure in phase III, showing a dome-shaped phase diagram. The present results provide a platform for understanding the interplay between the crystal structure and superconductivity by the regulation of pressure in the topological insulator materials.