X-ray-to-visible light-field detection through pixelated colour conversion.

Light-field detection measures both the intensity of light rays and their precise direction in free space. However, current light-field detection techniques either require complex microlens arrays or are limited to the ultraviolet-visible light wavelength ranges1-4. Here we present a robust, scalable method based on lithographically patterned perovskite nanocrystal arrays that can be used to determine radiation vectors from X-rays to visible light (0.002-550 nm). With these multicolour nanocrystal arrays, light rays from specific directions can be converted into pixelated colour outputs with an angular resolution of 0.0018°. We find that three-dimensional light-field detection and spatial positioning of light sources are possible by modifying nanocrystal arrays with specific orientations. We also demonstrate three-dimensional object imaging and visible light and X-ray phase-contrast imaging by combining pixelated nanocrystal arrays with a colour charge-coupled device. The ability to detect light direction beyond optical wavelengths through colour-contrast encoding could enable new applications, for example, in three-dimensional phase-contrast imaging, robotics, virtual reality, tomographic biological imaging and satellite autonomous navigation.

Interfacial Passivation Engineering for Highly Efficient Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes via Aromatic Amine-Functionalized Dipole Molecules.

Blue quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) exhibit unsatisfactory operational stability and electroluminescence (EL) properties due to severe nonradiative recombination induced by large numbers of dangling bond defects and charge imbalance in QD. Herein, dipolar aromatic amine-functionalized molecules with different molecular polarities are employed to regulate charge transport and passivate interfacial defects between QD and the electron transfer layer (ETL). The results show that the stronger the molecular polarity, especially with the -CF3 groups possessing a strong electron-withdrawing capacity, the more effective the defect passivation of S and Zn dangling bonds at the QD surface. Moreover, the dipole interlayer can effectively reduce electron injection into QD at high current density, enhancing charge balance and mitigating Joule heat. Finally, blue QLEDs exhibit a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 21.02% with an operational lifetime (T50 at 100 cd m-2) exceeding 4000 h.

Charge Carrier Regulation for Efficient Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Via a High-Mobility Coplanar Cyclopentane[b]thiopyran Derivative.

The performance of blue quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) is limited by unbalanced charge injection, resulting from insufficient holes caused by low mobility or significant energy barriers. Here, we introduce an angular-shaped heteroarene based on cyclopentane[b]thiopyran (C8-SS) to modify the hole transport layer poly-N-vinylcarbazole (PVK), in blue QLEDs. C8-SS exhibits high hole mobility and conductivity due to the π···π and S···π interactions. Introducing C8-SS to PVK significantly enhanced hole mobility, increasing it by 2 orders of magnitude from 2.44 × 10-6 to 1.73 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1. Benefiting from high mobility and conductivity, PVK:C8-SS-based QLEDs exhibit a low turn-on voltage (Von) of 3.2 V. More importantly, the optimized QLEDs achieve a high peak power efficiency (PE) of 7.13 lm/W, which is 2.65 times that of the control QLEDs. The as-proposed interface engineering provides a novel and effective strategy for achieving high-performance blue QLEDs in low-energy consumption lighting applications.

Arabidopsis mRNA decay landscape shaped by XRN 5'-3' exoribonucleases.

5'-3' exoribonucleases (XRNs) play crucial roles in the control of RNA processing, quality, and quantity in eukaryotes. Although genome-wide profiling of RNA decay fragments is now feasible, how XRNs shape the plant mRNA degradome remains elusive. Here, we profiled and analyzed the RNA degradomes of Arabidopsis wild-type and mutant plants with defects in XRN activity. Deficiency of nuclear XRN3 or cytoplasmic XRN4 activity but not nuclear XRN2 activity greatly altered Arabidopsis mRNA decay profiles. Short excised linear introns and cleaved pre-mRNA fragments downstream of polyadenylation sites were polyadenylated and stabilized in the xrn3 mutant, demonstrating the unique function of XRN3 in the removal of cleavage remnants from pre-mRNA processing. Further analysis of stabilized XRN3 substrates confirmed that pre-mRNA 3' end cleavage frequently occurs after adenosine. The most abundant decay intermediates in wild-type plants include not only the primary substrates of XRN4 but also the products of XRN4-mediated cytoplasmic decay. An increase in decay intermediates with 5' ends upstream of a consensus motif in the xrn4 mutant suggests that there is an endonucleolytic cleavage mechanism targeting the 3' untranslated regions of many Arabidopsis mRNAs. However, analysis of decay fragments in the xrn4 mutant indicated that, except for microRNA-directed slicing, endonucleolytic cleavage events in the coding sequence rarely result in major decay intermediates. Together, these findings reveal the major substrates and products of nuclear and cytoplasmic XRNs along Arabidopsis transcripts and provide a basis for precise interpretation of RNA degradome data.

Circ_0004851 regulates the molecular mechanism of miR-296-3p/FGF11 in the influence of high iodine on PTC.

The prevalence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has been rising in recent years. Despite its relatively low mortality, PTC frequently metastasizes to lymph nodes and often recurs, posing significant health and economic burdens. The role of iodine in the pathogenesis and advancement of thyroid cancer remains poorly understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recognized to function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that modulate gene expression and play a role in various cancer stages. Consequently, this research aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which circRNA influences the impact of iodine on PTC. Our research indicates that high iodine levels can exacerbate the malignancy of PTC via the circ_0004851/miR-296-3p/FGF11 axis. These insights into iodine's biological role in PTC and the association of circRNA with the disease could pave the way for novel biomarkers and potentially effective therapeutic strategies to mitigate PTC progression.

Potential molecular mechanisms and clinical implications of piRNAs in preeclampsia: a review.

Preeclampsia is a multisystem progressive condition and is one of the most serious complications of pregnancy. Owing to its unclear pathogenesis, there are no precise and effective therapeutic targets for preeclampsia, and the only available treatment strategy is to terminate the pregnancy and eliminate the clinical symptoms. In recent years, non-coding RNAs have become a hotspot in preeclampsia research and have shown promise as effective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of preeclampsia over conventional biochemical markers. PIWI-interacting RNAs, novel small non-coding RNA that interact with PIWI proteins, are involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of PIWI-interacting RNAs in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia remain unclear. In this review, we discuss the findings of existing studies on PIWI-interacting RNA biogenesis, functions, and their possible roles in preeclampsia, providing novel insights into the potential application of PIWI-interacting RNAs in the early diagnosis and clinical treatment of preeclampsia.

Reversibility of Impaired Large-Scale Functional Brain Networks in Cushing's Disease after Surgery Treatment: A Longitudinal Study.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic exposure to excessive endogenous cortisol leads to brain changes in Cushing's disease (CD). However, it remains unclear how CD affects large-scale functional networks (FNs) and whether these effects are reversible after treatment. This study aimed to investigate functional network changes of CD patients and their reversibility in a longitudinal cohort. METHODS: Active CD patients (N = 37) were treated by transsphenoidal pituitary surgery and reexamined 3 months later. FNs were computed from resting-state fMRI data of the CD patients and matched normal controls (NCs, N = 37). A pattern classifier was built on the FNs to distinguish active CD patients from controls and applied to FNs of the CD patients at the 3-month follow-up. Two subgroups of endocrine-remitted CD patients were identified according to their classification scores, referred to as image-based phenotypically (IBP) recovered and unrecovered CD patients, respectively. The informative FNs identified by the classification model were compared between NCs, active CD patients, and endocrine-remitted patients as well as between IBP recovered and unrecovered CD patients to explore their functional network reversibility. RESULTS: All 37 CD patients reached endocrine remission after treatment. The classification model identified three informative FNs, including cerebellar network (CerebN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), and default mode network. Among them, CerebN and FPN partially recovered toward normal at 3 months after treatment. Moreover, the informative FNs were correlated with 24-h urinary-free cortisol and emotion scales in CD patients. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that CD patients have aberrant FNs that are partially reversible toward normal after treatment.

Platelet Internalization Mediates Ferroptosis in Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial cell death is the hallmark of myocardial infarction. In the process of myocardial injury, platelets contribute to the pathogenesis by triggering intense inflammatory responses. Yet, it is still unclear if platelets regulate cardiomyocyte death directly, thereby exacerbating myocardial injury in myocardial infarction. METHODS: We describe a mechanism underlying the correlative association between platelets accumulation and myocardial cell death by using myocardial infarction mouse model and patient specimens. RESULTS: Myocardial infarction induces platelets internalization, resulting in the release of miR-223-3p, a platelet-enriched miRNA. By targeting the ACSL3, miR-223-3p delivered by internalized platelets cause the reduction of stearic acid-phosphatidylcholine in cardiomyocytes. The presence of stearic acid-phosphatidylcholine protects cardiomyocytes against ferroptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our work reveals a novel mechanism of platelet-mediated myocardial injury, highlighting antiplatelet therapies could potentially represent a multimechanism treatment of myocardial infarction, and implying ferroptosis being considered as novel target for therapeutics.

Discrete-Time Adaptive Control for Three-Phase PWM Rectifier.

This paper proposes a dual-loop discrete-time adaptive control (DDAC) method for three-phase PWM rectifiers, which considers inductance-parameter-mismatched and DC load disturbances. A discrete-time model of the three-phase PWM rectifier is established using the forward Euler discretization method, and a dual-loop discrete-time feedback linearization control (DDFLC) is given. Based on the DDFLC, the DDAC is designed. Firstly, an adaptive inductance disturbance observer (AIDO) based on the gradient descent method is proposed in the current control loop. The AIDO is used to estimate lump disturbances caused by mismatched inductance parameters and then compensate for these disturbances in the current controller, ensuring its strong robustness to inductance parameters. Secondly, a load parameter adaptive law (LPAL) based on the discrete-time Lyapunov theory is proposed for the voltage control loop. The LPAL estimates the DC load parameter in real time and subsequently adjusts it in the voltage controller, achieving DC load adaptability. Finally, simulation and experimental results show that the DDAC exhibits better steady and dynamic performances, less current harmonic content than the DDFLC and the dual-loop discrete-time PI control (DDPIC), and a stronger robustness to inductance parameters and DC load disturbances.

Evolution of Local Structural Motifs in Colloidal Quantum Dot Semiconductor Nanocrystals Leading to Nanofaceting.

Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have shown remarkable promise for optoelectronics, energy harvesting, photonics, and biomedical imaging. In addition to optimizing quantum confinement, the current challenge is to obtain a better understanding of the critical processing steps and their influence on the evolution of structural motifs. Computational simulations and electron microscopy presented in this work show that nanofaceting can occur during nanocrystal synthesis from a Pb-poor environment in a polar solvent. This could explain the curved interfaces and the olivelike-shaped NCs observed experimentally when these conditions are employed. Furthermore, the wettability of the PbS NCs solid film can be further modified via stoichiometry control, which impacts the interface band bending and, therefore, processes such as multiple junction deposition and interparticle epitaxial growth. Our results suggest that nanofaceting in NCs can become an inherent advantage when used to modulate band structures beyond what is traditionally possible in bulk crystals.

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in China.

The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of Chinese patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) who were treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) blockade therapies. We retrospectively analyzed patients who were admitted to our hospital between October 1, 2020, and October 1, 2022, diagnosed with PML and treated with PD1 blockade therapies. Four patients with PML who were treated with PD1 blockade therapies were identified. All patients were male, and their ages ranged from 19 to 54 years old. One patient (Case 2) exhibited mild pleocytosis, while three patients (Cases 2-4) had markedly reduced T lymphocyte cell counts prior to treatment. The time interval between symptom onset and treatment initiation ranged from six to 54 weeks. All patients received pembrolizumab treatment, with a total of two to four doses administered. Three patients who responded to pembrolizumab treatment showed clinical improvement starting around 8 weeks after the initiation of therapy. Although one patient did not show clinical improvement, they ultimately survived until the last follow-up. None of the patients in this study exhibited immune-related adverse events or immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. PD1 blockade appears to be a promising novel therapeutic option for PML; additional prospective studies are necessary to confirm its efficacy.

Widespread Exon Junction Complex Footprints in the RNA Degradome Mark mRNA Degradation before Steady State Translation.

Exon junction complexes (EJCs) are deposited on mRNAs during splicing and displaced by ribosomes during the pioneer round of translation. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) degrades EJC-bound mRNA, but the lack of suitable methodology has prevented the identification of other degradation pathways. Here, we show that the RNA degradomes of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa), worm (Caenorhabditis elegans), and human (Homo sapiens) cells exhibit an enrichment of 5' monophosphate (5'P) ends of degradation intermediates that map to the canonical EJC region. Inhibition of 5' to 3' exoribonuclease activity and overexpression of an EJC disassembly factor in Arabidopsis reduced the accumulation of these 5'P ends, supporting the notion that they are in vivo EJC footprints. Hundreds of Arabidopsis NMD targets possess evident EJC footprints, validating their degradation during the pioneer round of translation. In addition to premature termination codons, plant microRNAs can also direct the degradation of EJC-bound mRNAs. However, the production of EJC footprints from NMD but not microRNA targets requires the NMD factor SUPPRESSOR WITH MORPHOLOGICAL EFFECT ON GENITALIA PROTEIN7. Together, our results demonstrating in vivo EJC footprinting in Arabidopsis unravel the composition of the RNA degradome and provide a new avenue for studying NMD and other mechanisms targeting EJC-bound mRNAs for degradation before steady state translation.

Multidelay MR Arterial Spin Labeling Perfusion Map for the Prediction of Cerebral Hyperperfusion After Carotid Endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Multidelay arterial spin labeling (ASL) generates time-resolved perfusion maps, which may provide sufficient and accurate hemodynamic information in carotid stenosis. PURPOSE: To use imaging markers derived from multidelay ASL magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine the optimal strategy for predicting cerebral hyperperfusion after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). STUDY TYPE: Prospective observational cohort. SUBJECTS: A total of 79 patients who underwent CEA for carotid stenosis. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: A 3.0 T/pseudo-continuous ASL with three postlabeling delays of 1.0, 1.57, and 2.46 seconds using fast-spin echo readout. ASSESSMENT: Cerebral perfusion pressure, antegrade, and collateral flow were scored on a four-grade ordinal scale based on preoperative multidelay ASL perfusion maps. Simultaneously, quantitative hemodynamic parameters including cerebral blood flow (CBF), arterial transit time (ATT), relative CBF (rCBF) and relative ATT (rATT; ipsilateral/contralateral values) were calculated. On the CBF ratio map obtained through dividing postoperative by preoperative CBF map, regions of interest were placed covering ipsilateral middle cerebral artery territory. Three neuroradiologists conducted this procedure. Cerebral hyperperfusion was defined as a CBF ratio >2. STATISTICAL TESTS: Weighted κ values, independent sample t test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, multivariable logistic regression analysis, receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, and Delong test. Significance level was P < 0.05. RESULTS: Cerebral hyperperfusion was observed in 15 (19%) patients. Higher blood pressure (odd ratio [OR] = 1.08) and carotid near-occlusion (NO; OR = 7.31) were clinical risk factors for postoperative hyperperfusion. Poor ASL perfusion score (OR = 37.33), decreased CBF (OR = 0.74), prolonged ATT (OR = 1.02), lower rCBF (OR = 0.91), and higher rATT (OR = 1.12) were independent imaging predictors of hyperperfusion. ASL perfusion score exhibited the highest specificity (95.3%), while CBF exhibited the highest sensitivity (93.3%) for the prediction of hyperperfusion. When combined with ASL perfusion score, CBF and ATT, the predictive ability was significantly higher than using blood pressure and NO alone (AUC: 0.98 vs. 0.78). DATA CONCLUSIONS: Multidelay ASL can accurately predict cerebral hyperperfusion after CEA with high sensitivity and specificity. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 5.

Three-Dimensional Fast Spin Echo Pituitary MRI in Treatment-Naïve Cushing's Disease: Reduced Impact of Reader Experience and Increased Diagnostic Accuracy.

BACKGROUND: In patients with Cushing's disease, the preoperative identification of pituitary adenomas is crucial to treatment. However, increasing diagnostic accuracy remains an unresolved issue. PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and the impact of readers' experience regarding high-resolution contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (hrMRI) for identifying pituitary adenomas in comparison with conventional contrast-enhanced MRI (cMRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (dMRI). STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Sixty-five patients (median age, 39 years; interquartile range [IQR], 28-53 years; 60% females) with treatment-naïve Cushing's disease. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3-T, seven fast spin echo sequences. ASSESSMENT: The diagnostic accuracies of identifying pituitary adenomas on cMRI, dMRI, combined cMRI and dMRI (cdMRI), and hrMRI were independently evaluated by six readers with three experience levels (high: >20 years, modest: 10-20 years, low: <10 years; two readers for each experience level). Readers were asked to localize the lesion, and measure its diameter on the sequence where identified. The reference standard was postoperative histopathology. The impact of readers' experience and interobserver agreement were assessed. Image quality was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale, including overall image quality, sharpness, and structural conspicuity. STATISTICAL TESTS: McNemar's test, Cochran's test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, and κ statistics for interobserver agreement. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: For identifying pituitary adenomas (median diameter, 5 mm; IQR, 4-5 mm), hrMRI had significantly higher sensitivity (87.7%-93.8%) than cMRI, dMRI, and cdMRI (52.3%-75.4%) for readers with different experience levels. The interobserver agreement was moderate (κ = 0.461-0.523). The sensitivity for hrMRI was comparable between readers with different experience levels (P = 0.371). All image quality scores on hrMRI were significantly higher than cMRI and dMRI (5.0 vs. 4.0). DATA CONCLUSION: For identifying pituitary adenomas in patients with treatment-naïve Cushing's disease, hrMRI may show high diagnostic accuracy and seems not to be affected by readers' experience. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

High-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI with three-dimensional fast spin echo improved the diagnostic performance for identifying pituitary microadenomas in Cushing's syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic performance of high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI (hrMRI) with three-dimensional (3D) fast spin echo (FSE) sequence by comparison with conventional contrast-enhanced MRI (cMRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (dMRI) with 2D FSE sequence for identifying pituitary microadenomas. METHODS: This single-institutional retrospective study included 69 consecutive patients with Cushing's syndrome who underwent preoperative pituitary MRI, including cMRI, dMRI, and hrMRI, between January 2016 to December 2020. Reference standards were established by using all available imaging, clinical, surgical, and pathological resources. The diagnostic performance of cMRI, dMRI, and hrMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas was independently evaluated by two experienced neuroradiologists. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs) were compared between protocols for each reader by using the DeLong test to assess the diagnostic performance for identifying pituitary microadenomas. The inter-observer agreement was assessed by using the κ analysis. RESULTS: The diagnostic performance of hrMRI (AUC, 0.95-0.97) was higher than cMRI (AUC, 0.74-0.75; p ≤ .002) and dMRI (AUC, 0.59-0.68; p ≤ .001) for identifying pituitary microadenomas. The sensitivity and specificity of hrMRI were 90-93% and 100%, respectively. There were 78% (18/23) to 82% (14/17) of the patients, who were misdiagnosed on cMRI and dMRI and correctly diagnosed on hrMRI. The inter-observer agreement for identifying pituitary microadenomas was moderate on cMRI (κ = 0.50), moderate on dMRI (κ = 0.57), and almost perfect on hrMRI (κ = 0.91), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The hrMRI showed higher diagnostic performance than cMRI and dMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas in patients with Cushing's syndrome. KEY POINTS: • The diagnostic performance of hrMRI was higher than cMRI and dMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas in Cushing's syndrome. • About 80% of patients, who were misdiagnosed on cMRI and dMRI, were correctly diagnosed on hrMRI. • The inter-observer agreement for identifying pituitary microadenomas was almost perfect on hrMRI.

Assessment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy using a deep learning method for muscle T2 mapping segmentation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the utility of an automatic deep learning (DL) method for segmentation of T2 maps in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) against healthy controls, and also the association of quantitative T2 values in patients with laboratory and pulmonary findings. METHODS: Structural MRI and T2 mapping of bilateral thigh muscles from patients with IIM and healthy volunteers were segmented using dedicated software based on a pre-trained convolutional neural network. Incremental and federated learning were implemented for continuous adaptation and improvement. Muscle T2 values derived from DL segmentation were compared between patients and healthy controls, and T2 values of patients were further analyzed with serum muscle enzymes, and interstitial lung disease (ILD) which was diagnosed and graded based on chest HRCT. RESULTS: Overall, 64 patients (27 patients with dermatomyositis, 29 with polymyositis, and 8 with antisynthetase syndrome (ASS)) and 10 healthy controls were included. By using DL-based muscle segmentation, T2 values generated from T2 maps accurately differentiated patients from those of controls (p < 0.001) with a cutoff value of 36.4 ms (sensitivity 96.9%, and specificity 100%). In patients with IIM, muscle T2 values positively correlated with all the serum muscle enzymes (all p < 0.05). ILD score of patients with ASS was markedly higher than that of those without ASS (p = 0.011), while dissociation between the severity of muscular involvement and ILD was observed (p = 0.080). CONCLUSION: Automatic DL could be used to segment thigh muscles and help quantitatively assess muscular inflammation of IIM through T2 mapping. KEY POINTS: • Muscle T2 mapping automatically segmented by deep learning can differentiate IIM from healthy controls. • T2 value, an indicator of active muscle inflammation, positively correlates with serum muscle enzymes. • T2 mapping can detect muscle disease in patients with normal muscle enzyme levels.

A pathogenic and recombinant infectious bronchitis virus variant (CK/CH/GX/202109) with multiorgan tropism.

Despite vaccine use, novel strains and variants of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) have emerged continuously, leading to economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. This study aimed to characterize the IBV isolate CK/CH/GX/202109 from three yellow broilers in Guangxi, China. Recombination was shown to have occurred in regions of the 1ab gene. Compared to the whole genome of ck/CH/LGX/130530, which is genotypically related to tl/CH/LDT3-03, the 202109 strain had 21 mutations. The pathological assessment showed that this variant caused 30% and 40% mortality in 1-day-old chicks infected with oral and ocular inoculum, respectively. Nephritis, enlarged proventriculus, inflammation of the gizzard, and atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius were also observed at both 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Viral loads in the trachea, proventriculus, gizzard, kidney, bursa, and cloacal swabs were higher at 7 dpi than at 14 dpi. Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that this virus exhibited multiple organ tropisms capable of infecting the trachea, proventriculus, gizzard, kidney, bursa, ileum, jejunum, and rectum. Almost none of the 1-day-old infected chicks seroconverted until 14 dpi. While the virus was found in the ileum, jejunum, and rectum in the 28-day-old ocular group, the majority of 28-day-old infected chickens seroconverted at 10 dpi. These study findings demonstrate that recombination events and mutations during the evolution of IBV may greatly alter tissue tropism and emphasize the need for the continued surveillance of novel strains and variants in order to control this infection.

ABC-Type, Bola-Form Giant Surfactants: Synthesis and Self-Assembly.

Due to the fast phase separation kinetics and small feature size, the self-assembly of giant molecules has attracted lots of attention. However, there is not much study on multicomponent giant surfactants. In this work, through a modular synthetic strategy, different polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based molecular nanoparticles are installed with diverse functionalities (hydrophobic octavinyl POSS (VPOSS), hydrophilic dihydroxyl-functionalized POSS (DPOSS), and omniphobic perfluoroalkyl-chain-functionalized POSS (FPOSS)) on the ends of one polystyrene (PS) chain to build up a series of triblock bola-form giant surfactants denoted as XPOSS-PSn -FPOSS (X represents V or D). The target molecules are prepared by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), esterification, as well as Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and thiol-ene "click" reactions. These macromolecules are thoroughly characterized by combined technologies including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analyses. It is revealed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that VPOSS-PSn -FPOSS adopts a two-phase separation scenario where VPOSS and POSS are segregated in one phase. DPOSS-PSn -FPOSS with a third hydrophilic DPOSS shows a three-phase separation scenario, where highly ordered phase structures are difficult to develop owing to the competition of mutual phase separation processes and may be trapped in kinetically metastable states.

Characterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies.

Multiple studies across global populations have established the primary symptoms characterising Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long COVID. However, as symptoms may also occur in the absence of COVID-19, a lack of appropriate controls has often meant that specificity of symptoms to acute COVID-19 or long COVID, and the extent and length of time for which they are elevated after COVID-19, could not be examined. We analysed individual symptom prevalences and characterised patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms across nine UK longitudinal studies, totalling over 42,000 participants. Conducting latent class analyses separately in three groups ('no COVID-19', 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks', 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago'), the data did not support the presence of more than two distinct symptom patterns, representing high and low symptom burden, in each group. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks' and 'no COVID-19' groups we identified symptoms characteristic of acute COVID-19, including loss of taste and smell, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath and muscle pains or aches. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago' and 'no COVID-19' groups we identified symptoms characteristic of long COVID, including fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain or aches, difficulty concentrating and chest tightness. The identified symptom patterns among individuals with COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago were strongly associated with self-reported length of time unable to function as normal due to COVID-19 symptoms, suggesting that the symptom pattern identified corresponds to long COVID. Building the evidence base regarding typical long COVID symptoms will improve diagnosis of this condition and the ability to elicit underlying biological mechanisms, leading to better patient access to treatment and services.

Association of hepatic/pancreatic iron overload evaluated by quantitative T2* MRI with bone mineral density and trabecular bone score.

BACKGROUND: Iron-overloaded patients are recognized as presenting an increased risk of osteoporosis. However, studies on the correlation between osteoporosis and organ iron overload are controversial or scarce. The aim of this study is to assess bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS) in correlation with hepatic and pancreatic iron overload. METHODS: Forty-one patients diagnosed with hemoglobinopathies, were studied. BMDs of the lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH) were analyzed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. LS bone quality was derived from each spine DXA examination using the TBS analysis. Hepatic and pancreatic iron overload were obtained with a multi-echo gradient echo T2* technique. RESULTS: Abnormal microarchitecture and abnormal bone mass were observed in 19/41 (46.3%) and 9/41 (22.0%) patients, respectively. For 26 males, BMD, T-score and Z-score of LS were significantly lower among subjects with moderate-severe hepatic iron-overload than their counterparts, as it is between no- and pancreatic iron-overload groups. For 15 females, patients with moderate-severe hepatic iron-overload had significantly lower BMD and T-score of FN and TH, and patients with pancreatic iron-overload had significantly lower BMD, T-score of FN, and lower BMD, T-score and Z-score of TH than their counterparts. Moreover, pancreatic T2*-value was positively correlated with BMD and T-score at all analyzed sites and Z-score at TH. CONCLUSION: These data showed lower bone mass in patients with organ iron overload, particularly for LS in males, FN and TH in females. TBS may well represent a complementary tool for the evaluation of bone quality and the risk of fracture in iron-overloaded patients.