Electrocardiogram Parameters Associated With the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension in High-Altitude Tibetan Populations: A Retrospective Single-Centre Study.

BACKGROUND: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a commonly used diagnostic method for pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Tibetan areas, but its sensitivity and specificity are not good enough. This study aimed to investigate the ECG parameters associated with the diagnosis of PH in Tibetan areas. METHODS: Ninety-four PH patients of Tibetan ethnicity who were treated at the hospital between March 2019 and October 2020, and 52 Tibetan individuals as controls, were included. The ECG parameters were compared between groups. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to identify the ECG parameters that can be used for the diagnosis of PH. The univariate significances of ECG parameters were included in the multivariate analyses, whereas those exhibiting opposite trends between different PH subtypes were excluded. RESULTS: Two ECG parameters were significant in multivariate analysis. The final model included S wave amplitude in lead V3 (OR 5.81; 95% CI 2.79-12.11; p<0.001) and a negative T wave in leads V1-V3 (OR 0.05; 95% CI 0.01-0.41; p=0.005). The ROC curve analysis on the final model yielded an AUC of 0.830 (95% CI 0.766-0.894; p<0.001), indicating good diagnostic performance. A nomogram for diagnosis of PH was also established using S wave amplitude in lead V3 and a negative T wave in leads V1-V3. CONCLUSION: The ECG parameters S wave amplitude in lead V3 and a negative T wave in leads V1-V3 were independent factors associated with the diagnosis of PH in high-altitude Tibetan populations.

Apolipoprotein B is associated with CT-angiographic progression beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence indicated that apolipoprotein B (apoB) was the principal lipid determinant of coronary artery disease (CAD). Nevertheless, the connection between apoB and angiographic progression of CAD remained undetermined. METHODS: Five hundred and forty-four CAD patients with twice coronary computed tomography angiography experiences were enrolled. The Gensini scoring system was used to assess angiographic progression. Incident angiographic progression was defined as an annual change rate of the Gensini score of > 1 point. The predictive efficacy of baseline apoB levels for angiographic progression was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. For comparative purposes, patients were categorized into three groups according to their baseline apoB tertiles. Furthermore, discordance analyses defined by the median were performed to assess the superiority of apoB over lipoprotein cholesterol in predicting angiographic progression of CAD. RESULTS: Angiographic progression was observed in 184 patients (33.8%) during a follow-up period of 2.2-year. The area under the ROC curve was 0.565 (0.522-0.607, P = 0.013). The incidence of angiographic progression was elevated with increasing apoB tertile after adjusting for confounding factors [odds ratio (OR) for the medium apoB tertile: 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-3.19, P = 0.012; OR for the high apoB tertile: 2.05, 95%CI:1.17-3.60, P = 0.013]. Additionally, discordance analyses showed that the higher apoB group had a significantly higher risk of CAD progression in the fully adjusted model (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ApoB could be used as an accurate and comprehensive indicator of angiographic progression in patients with CAD.

Association of serum sclerostin and osteoprotegerin levels with the presence, severity and prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Bone-related proteins (such as sclerostin and osteoprotegerin [OPG]) are involved in the development of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between bone-related proteins and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been extensively evaluated. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of serum sclerostin and OPG with the presence, severity and prognosis in patients with AMI. METHODS: This study prospectively enrolled 152 patients attacked by acute chest pain. Serum sclerostin and OPG were detected within the first 24 h after AMI diagnosis by ELISA kits. The AMI predictive efficacy of sclerostin and OPG were analyzed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association between bone-related proteins and scores indicating the severity of coronary artery occlusion. Moreover, prognostic values were assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 92 patients in AMI group, 60 in non-AMI group. Serum levels of sclerostin and OPG were significantly higher in AMI group than in non-AMI group (all p < 0.001), which showed predictive value for the presence of AMI (all p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve values of sclerostin and OPG were 0.744 and 0.897, respectively. A multivariable linear regression analysis demonstrated that Ln-transformed sclerostin (ß = 0.288, p = 0.009) and Ln-transformed OPG (Ln-OPG: ß = 0.295, p = 0.019) levels were associated with GENISINI score, independently of conventional clinical parameters. In addition, Ln-OPG levels were still positively associated with GRACE score after adjustments (ß = 0.320, p = 0.001). During a 1-year follow-up, patients above the median of sclerostin levels had higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) than those below the median (p = 0.028). It was also observed that the MACE rates were higher in patients above the median of OPG levels, though no statistic importance (p = 0.060). After adjusting conventional risk factors by multivariate Cox regression, Ln-OPG was associated with incident MACE (hazard ratio = 2.188 [95% confidence intervals 1.102-4.344], p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Bone-related proteins could exert a potential role in early risk stratification and prognosis assessment in patients with AMI.

Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors for the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Ablation　- A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence remains a tricky problem in patients undergoing ablation. This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the current literature to clarify whether renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASIs) prevent AF recurrence after ablation.Methods and Results:Relevant studies were searched on Pubmed and EMBASE through December 2019. Pooled relative risk (RR) of AF recurrence was calculated. Subgroup analyses according to study design, race, and follow-up duration were further performed. A total of 15 studies examining 4,300 patients were included, with 3 randomized controlled trials and 12 cohort studies. Overall analysis showed that RASIs significantly reduced AF recurrence after ablation (RR=0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-0.98, P=0.028; I2=68.9%). Subgroup analysis further indicated that positive results were found in randomized controlled trials (RR=0.51, 95% CI 0.37-0.70, P<0.001; I2=4%), studies conducted in Asia (RR=0.59, 95% CI 0.46-0.76, P<0.001; I2=30.7%), and studies with follow-up duration ≥1 year (RR=0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.95, P=0.01; I2=59.1%); negative results were found in cohort studies, studies conducted in Europe or the USA, and studies with follow-up duration <1 year. CONCLUSIONS: RASIs can potentially prevent AF recurrence after ablation under selected conditions. However, more studies are required to confirm this finding due to the variation in current evidence.

Predictive value of P wave terminal force in lead V1 for atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have explored the association between P wave terminal force in lead V1 (PTFV1) and risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) occurrence, but the results were controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to examine whether abnormal PTFV1 could predict AF occurrence. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published before August 25, 2018. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) of AF occurrence were calculated using random-effects models to explore the significance of PTFV1. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies examining 51,372 participants were included, with 9 studies analyzing PTFV1 as a categorical variable and 4 studies analyzing PTFV1 as a continuous variable. As a categorical variable, abnormal PTFV1 (>0.04 mm s) was significantly associated with AF occurrence with a pooled OR of 1.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.79, p = .01). Subgroup analysis found that ORs of studies in hemodialysis patients (OR = 4.89, 95% CI 2.54-9.90, p < .001) and acute ischemic stroke patients (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.14-2.25, p = .007) were higher than general population (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.03-1.29, p = .01). Studies from Europe (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.91-1.20, p = .51) yielded lower OR of endpoints compared with Asia (OR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.38-2.60, p < .001) and United States (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.19-1.72, p < .001). As a continuous variable, PTFV1 was also significantly associated with AF occurrence with a polled OR per 1 standard deviation (SD) change of 1.27 (95% CI 1.02-1.59, p = .03). CONCLUSIONS: PTFV1 was significantly associated with the risk of AF and was considered to be a good predictor of AF occurrence in population with or without cardiovascular diseases.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of human sapovirus associated with sporadic acute gastroenteritis in South China from 2013 to 2017.

Human sapovirus (SaV) is an important viral agent for acute diarrhea worldwide, but timely prevalence data of human SaV in South China are still lacking. In this study, a 4-year surveillance was conducted to characterize the prevalence and genetic characteristics of the circulating SaV associated with sporadic diarrhea in South China. From November 2013 to October 2017, 569 fecal samples from patients with acute diarrhea were collected. SaV was detected in 11 samples with a positive rate of 1.93%. Three human genogroups of GI, GII, and GIV were identified, including five GI.1 strains, three GI.2 strains, one GI.3 strain, one GII.8 strain, and one GIV strain. Furthermore, multiple alignments of complete capsid protein VP1 genes of five local GI.1 strains and other available GI.1 strains in GenBank were performed. Average pairwise identities were calculated at 95.33% and 99.36% at nucleotide and amino acid levels, and only six variable amino acid sites were found during its 36-years' evolution process. GI.1 strains could be further phylogenetically divided into four clusters with an approximate temporal evolution pattern, and local strains belonged to Cluster-d with other four strains from China and Japan. In summary, SaV was identified as an etiological agent responsible for sporadic gastroenteritis in Guangzhou with a low prevalence rate as in other Chinese cities, but its high genetic diversity suggested the necessity of continuous SaV surveillance in the future.

The resurgence of the norovirus GII.4 variant associated with sporadic gastroenteritis in the post-GII.17 period in South China, 2015 to 2017.

BACKGROUND: Human norovirus is regarded as the leading cause of nonbacterial acute diarrhea in developing and developed countries. Among all genotypes, GII.4 has been the predominant genotype, but in East Asia, it was replaced by the GII.17 in 2014/2015. However, after the prevalence of new GII.17 variant in South China, a sharply increase in the number of norovirus infections associated with sporadic acute diarrhea was detected. In this study, we would investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of noroviruses in the sporadic acute gastroenteritis cases in the post-GII.17 period in South China. METHODS: Norovirus was screened from 217 patients with sporadic acute gastroenteritis from August 2015 to October 2017 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Then, two regions including the partial RNA polymerase and the capsid gene of positive samples were amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to determine norovirus genotypes. Complete VP1 sequences of GII.4 strains detected in this study were also amplified and subjected into evolutionary tracing analyses. RESULTS: A total of 43 (19.82%) norovirus samples were confirmed from 217 stool specimens, and it was found that GII.4 resurged as the new predominant variant, accounting for 76.74% (33/43) of positive samples. Only one local strain GZ2015-L550 was clustered with the contemporary GII.P16/GII.4-2012 recombinant variant, and other 32 local strains belonged to the clade with the GII.Pe/GII.4-2012 variant. Other genotypes including GII.17 (n = 4), GII.3 (n = 4), GII.8 (n = 1) and GI. 6 (n = 1) were also detected. Furthermore, all GII.4 strains were phylogenetic analyzed based on their capsid P2 subdomains. Combined with other reported 754 strains, the GII.4-2012 variant could be divided into two clades. Most GII.4 strains collected in 2016 and 2017 in this study (7/8) formed a new cluster A in Clade II with additional 103 contemporaneous strains. In addition, evolutionary tracing of the capsid P2 subdomain of this variant was also analyzed, and one specific amino acid substitutions (N373) was identified for Cluster A. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study confirmed a norovirus infection peak in the post-GII.17 period in South China, which was caused by the resurgence of the GII.4 variant.

A molybdenum disulfide@Methylene Blue nanohybrid for electrochemical determination of microRNA-21, dopamine and uric acid.

Development of novel nanomaterials for biosensors has intrigued widespread interest. Here, we report a method to graft the redox-active dye Methylene Blue (MB) onto molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheet surface via electrostatic and π-stacking interaction. The adsorption of MB on nanosheets was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), which proved that the adsorption isotherm fits a Temkin not a Langmuir model. After studying the electrochemical properties of MB-decorated MoS2 nanocomposite (MoS2@MB) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), an electrochemical sensor for microRNA-21 detection was designed. The modified GCE can quantify microRNA-21 in concentrations as low as 68 fM, typically at a working potential of -0.28 V (vs. SCE). The same modified electrode also shows outstanding electrocatalytic ability towards individual and simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) with electrochemical peaks at 0.16 V (DA) and 0.45 V (UA). The detection limits for simultaneous determination are 0.58 µM for DA and 0.91 µM for UA, respectively. Graphical abstract A powerful sensing electrode was obtained by grafting Methylene Blue (MB) on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2@MB) nanosheet surface. Such MoS2@MB-based electrochemical sensor was used to label-free detect microRNA and simultaneously determine dopamine and uric acid.

Immunogenicity and Safety of a Chemically Synthesized Divalent Group A Streptococcal Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Group A streptococcus (GAS) infections and poststreptococcal sequelae remain a health problem worldwide, which necessitates searching for an effective vaccine, while no licensed GAS vaccine is available. We have developed a divalent peptide vaccine composed of 84 amino acids to cover the main GAS serotypes (M1 and M12 streptococci) in China, and herein, we aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and safety of this vaccine. METHODS: Mice were immunized with the vaccine. ELISA, indirect bactericidal test, and immunofluorescent assay were used to study immunogenicity. GAS challenge assay was used to test the protective effect. Safety was tested by histopathological analysis. RESULTS: Immunized group mice (n=16) developed higher titer antibody after immunization than nonimmunized group mice (n=16) did. This antibody can deposit on the surface of GAS and promote killing of GAS, resulting in 93.1% decrease of M1 GAS and 89.5% of M12 GAS. When challenged with M1 and M12 streptococci, immunized group mice had a higher survival rate (87.5% and 75%) than nonimmunized group mice (37.5% and 25%). No autoimmune reactions were detected on organs of mice. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that this vaccine shows fair immunogenicity and safety, which will lead our research on GAS vaccine into clinical trial.

Molecular epidemiology of noroviruses associated with sporadic gastroenteritis in Guangzhou, China, 2013-2015.

Norovirus diarrhea is a great threat to public health worldwide. To characterize the prevalence of circulating noroviruses associated with sporadic gastroenteritis cases in Guangzhou, 215 stool specimens were collected during two consecutive cold seasons in 2013-2015. Noroviruses were detected in 25 (11.63 %) samples, and GII.4 (6/9) and GII.17 (10/16) were identified as the most predominant variants of each of those seasons. The remaining strains belonged to the genotypes GII.P12/GII.3, GII.2, and GI.Pb/GI.6. The phylogenetic relationships of the GII.17 strains were analyzed based on their capsid protein sequences. This study suggests a significant shift of predominant variants associated with sporadic gastroenteritis in Guangzhou.

Preprocedure and Postprocedure Predictive Values of Serum ß2-Microglobulin for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography: A Comparison With Creatinine-Based Parameters and Cystatin C.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the values of serum ß2-microglobulin to predict contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) before and early after coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), comparing with creatinine-based parameters and cystatin C. METHODS: A total of 424 patients were enrolled. Serum ß2-microglobulin, cystatin C, and creatinine were measured at 0, 24, and 48 hours of CCTA. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as an elevation of serum creatinine level by 25% or higher or 0.5 mg/dL or greater from baseline within 48 hours. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation. Receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to detect the efficiency of biomarkers in predicting CIN. RESULTS: Fifty-two subjects (12.26%) developed CIN. Before CCTA, CIN was predicted by both baseline ß2-microglobulin (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.791; P < 0.001) and cystatin C (AUC, 0.781; P < 0.001), whereas creatinine and eGFR were not predictive. After CCTA, CIN was predicted by both the absolute post-CCTA levels of ß2-microglobulin, cystatin C, creatinine, and eGFR (AUC, 0.842 vs 0.961 vs 0.691 vs 0.688 at 24 hours, P < 0.001; and 0.937 vs 1.000 vs 0.908 vs 0.898 at 48 hours, P < 0.001) and their relative changes (Δ) to baseline (AUC, 0.677 vs 0.846 vs 0.850 vs 0.844 at 24 hours, P < 0.001; and 0.731 vs 0.968 vs 0.984 vs 0.966 at 48 hours, P < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that baseline ß2-microglobulin (odds ratio, 2.137; 95% confidence interval, 1.805-3.109; P < 0.001) and cystatin C (odds ratio, 1.873; 95% confidence interval, 1.667-2.341; P = 0.003) were independent predictors for CIN. CONCLUSIONS: Serum ß2-microglobulin, with values superior to creatinine-based parameters and similar with cystatin C, was a useful biomarker for the prediction of CIN at pre-CCTA and early post-CCTA.

[Qualitative and quantitative diagnostic performance of 320-slice computed tomography for detecting coronary artery disease with respect to atherosclerotic plaque characteristics].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate qualitatively and quantitatively the diagnostic performance of 320-slice CT for detection of coronary artery disease with respect to different atherosclerotic plaque characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective search was performed for inpatients underwent both coronary CT and further coronary angiography (CAG) from December 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012. The diagnostic performance of 320-slice CTA for detecting significant stenosis ( ≥ 50% diameter) with respect to atherosclerotic plaque characteristics were analyzed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy, kappa index (κ), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Chi-square test was used to evaluate whether there were significant differences of the true-case frequency (true positive + true negative) and false-case frequency (false positive + false negative) among groups. Bland-Altman analysis was used to determine limits of agreement between CTA and CAG. RESULTS: A total of 454 patients and 6 779 segments were analyzed. Diagnostic accuracy was higher in non-calcified segments; whereas they decreased in the presence of both mild-moderately and heavily calcified plaques. Excellent agreement (κ = 0.810) between CT and CAG was observed for non-calcified segments, while good agreement was observed for both mild-moderately (κ = 0.701) and heavily calcified segments (κ = 0.750). Both mild-moderate (P = 0.000) and heavy (P = 0.000) calcification decreased the true-case frequency and increased the false-case frequency when compared to non-calcification. There were no significant underestimation or overestimation for non-calcified (P = 0.087) and mild-moderately calcified (P = 0.704) segments, while there was significant overestimation for heavily calcified segments (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Great qualitative and quantitative diagnostic performances of 320-slice CT were observed in non-calcified coronary segments. However, qualitative diagnostic performance decreased in both mild-moderately and heavily calcified segments, and quantitative overestimation were observed in heavily calcified segments.

Coronary Sinus Metabolite 12,13-diHOME Is a Novel Biomarker for Left Atrial Remodeling in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (12,13-diHOME) has shown potential in protecting against heart disease, but its relationship with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unknown. METHODS: Coronary sinus (CS) and femoral vein blood samplings were synchronously collected from AF and non-AF subjects (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia or idiopathic premature ventricular complexes) who underwent catheter ablation. First, untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed in a discovery cohort (including 12 AF and 12 non-AF subjects) to identify the most promising CS or femoral vein metabolite. Then, the selected metabolite was further measured in a validation cohort (including 119 AF and 103 non-AF subjects) to confirm its relationship with left atrium remodeling and 1-year postablation recurrence of AF. Finally, the biological function of the selected metabolite was validated in a rapid-paced cultured HL-1 atrial cardiomyocytes model. RESULTS: Metabolomic analysis identified CS 12,13-diHOME as the most pronounced change metabolite correlated with left atrium remodeling in the discovery cohort. In the validation cohort, CS 12,13-diHOME was significantly lower in patients with AF than non-AF controls (84.32±20.13 versus 96.24±23.56 pg/mL; P<0.01), and associated with worse structural, functional, and electrical remodeling of left atrium. Multivariable regression analyses further demonstrated that decreased CS 12,13-diHOME was an independent predictor of 1-year postablation recurrence of AF (odds ratio, 0.754 [95% CI, 0.648-0.920]; P=0.005). Biological function validations showed that 12,13-diHOME treatment significantly protect the cell viability, improved the expression of MHC (myosin heavy chain) and Cav1.2 (L-type calcium channel α1c), and attenuated mitochondrial damage in the rapid-paced cultured HL-1 cardiomyocytes model. CONCLUSIONS: CS metabolite 12,13-diHOME is decreased in patients with AF and can serve as a novel biomarker for left atrium remodeling.

Genetic analysis of noroviruses associated with sporadic gastroenteritis during winter in Guangzhou, China.

Noroviruses are regarded as the major causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, but their prevalence in sporadic diarrhea in South China remains unclear. This study was performed to characterize the genotypes of circulating norovirus strains associated with sporadic diarrhea cases in Guangzhou from November 2010 to January 2011. Among fecal specimens collected from 89 patients with acute diarrhea, nine samples (10.11%) were norovirus positive and 32 samples (35.96%) were rotavirus positive. The partial polymerase and the capsid regions of these norovirus samples were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. Three genotypes (GII.4, GII.6, and GII.b/GII.3) were identified, among which GII.4-2006b was the most predominant genotype (4/9, 44.4%), followed by GII.6 (3/9, 33.3%). A novel GII.4-2010 variant was first detected in China. Furthermore, the near full-length genome of the GZ2010-L26 strain, which belonged to GII.4-2006b, was sequenced and analyzed. Thus, the results of this study suggested that, second to rotavirus, noroviruses are the important pathogens responsible for sporadic acute gastroenteritis during winter in Guangzhou, and the GII.4-2006b variant remains the predominant genotype.

Basic Amino Acids Modulated Neutral-pH PEDOT:PSS for Stable Blue Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

State-of-the-art external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) have exceeded 20% for near-infrared, red, and green perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) so far. Nevertheless, the cutting-edge blue counterparts demonstrate an inferior device performance, which impedes the commercialization and industrialization of PeLEDs in ultrahigh-definition displays. As the most popular hole transport layer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) bears the acidic and hygroscopic drawbacks, which deteriorates the device efficiency and long-term stability of blue PeLEDs. In this work, the basic amino acids with zwitterionic characteristics are proposed to modulate the pH of PEDOT:PSS, which are arginine, lysine, and histidine. It is found that they play a triple function to the blue perovskite films: modulating the acidity of PEDOT:PSS, controlling the crystalline process, and passivating the defects at the PEDOT:PSS/perovskite interface. As a result, the utilization of neutral PEDOT:PSS leads to a significant enhancement in stability and photoluminescence quantum yield. Eventually, the pure-blue PeLEDs achieve a record EQE of 5.6% with the emission peak at 467 nm. This research proves that the interfacial engineering of hole transport layers is a reliable strategy to enhance the device efficiency and operation stability of blue PeLEDs.

Phosphomolybdic Acid-Modified Monolayer Graphene Anode for Efficient Organic and Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Graphene is a promising flexible transparent electrode, and significant progress in graphene-based optoelectronic devices has been accomplished by reducing the sheet resistance and tuning the work function. Herein, phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) is proposed as a novel p-type chemical dopant for graphene, and the optical and electrical properties of graphene are investigated systematically. As a result, the monolayer graphene electrode with lower sheet resistance and work function are obtained while maintaining a high transmittance. The Raman spectrum proves the p-type doping effect of PMA on graphene, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal the mechanism, which is that the electrons transfer from graphene to PMA through the Mo-O-C bond. Furthermore, using the PMA-doped graphene anode, organic and perovskite light-emitting diodes obtained the maximum efficiencies of 129.3 and 15.6 cd/A with an increase of 50.8 and 36.8% compared with the pristine counterparts, respectively. This work confirms that PMA is a potential p-type chemical dopant to achieve an ideal graphene electrode and demonstrates the feasibility of PMA-doped graphene in the practical application of next-generation displays and solid-state lighting.

Stable and Efficient Red Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Ca2+-Doped CsPbI3 Nanocrystals.

α-CsPbI3 nanocrystals (NCs) with poor stability prevent their wide applications in optoelectronic fields. Ca2+ (1.00 Å) as a new B-site doping ion can successfully boost CsPbI3 NC performance with both improved phase stability and optoelectronic properties. With a Ca2+/Pb2+ ratio of 0.40%, both phase and photoluminescence (PL) stability could be greatly enhanced. Facilitated by increased tolerance factor, the cubic phase of its solid film could be maintained after 58 days in ambient condition or 4 h accelerated aging process at 120°C. The PL stability of its solution could be preserved to 83% after 147 days in ambient condition. Even using UV light to accelerate aging, the T50 of PL could boost 1.8-folds as compared to CsPbI3 NCs. Because Ca2+ doping can dramatically decrease defect densities of films and reduce hole injection barriers, the red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) exhibited about triple enhancement for maximum the external quantum efficiency (EQE) up to 7.8% and 2.2 times enhancement for half-lifetime of LED up to 85 min. We believe it is promising to further explore high-quality CsPbI3 NC LEDs via a Ca2+-doping strategy.

Genome characteristics and molecular evolution of the human sapovirus variant GII.8.

Human sapovirus is regarded as an important viral agent for acute diarrhea worldwide. GII.8, a recently reported genotype, has been detected in a few countries and regions. In this study, we obtained the first genome sequence of a sapovirus GII.8 strain isolated in mainland China, and comprehensively analyzed the genetic diversity and evolutionary process of this genotype. The viral genome of the new GII.8 Guangzhou strain GZ2014-L231 comprised 7433 nucleotides, including two ORFs. Pairwise alignments of the new genome with representative sequences of different genotypes showed inconsistent homology between different protein-encoding regions, of which NS1 and VP2 were found as the variable proteins, and NS3, NS5, and NS6/7 were found as the conserved ones. Compared with other reported GII.8 genomes, the Guangzhou strain introduced 34 new nucleotide changes and one new amino acid change. Phylogenetic analysis based on full-length VP1 sequences demonstrated that 11 GII.8 strains could be divided into 4 clusters A-D, with 88 SNP and 10 SAP spots occurred during their evolutionary process. The Guangzhou strain has higher homology with seven GII.8 strain detected after 2014, especially the US and Peruvian strains of 2015/2016, which have the identical VP1 amino acid sequences. Using a Bayesian coalescent method based on VP1 sequences, GII.8 was predicted to emerge in 2001 with the evolution rate of 1.45 × 10-3 nucleotide substitutions/site/year (strict clock). In summary, the data in this study not only provided reference data from mainland China for sapovirus researches in future, but also firstly described the evolutionary process of the GII.8 genotype.

The association between plasma homocysteine and ambulatory blood pressure variability in patients with untreated hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Both homocysteine (Hcy) and blood pressure variability (BPV) are independent predictors of stroke, however, their relationship is rarely evaluated before. This study aimed to investigate the association Hcy and ambulatory BPV in subjects with untreated primary hypertension. METHODS: A total of 252 eligible patients were recruited. Plasma Hcy was measured and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed for each subject. The systolic and diastolic BPV values were calculated as the SD of individual blood pressure values during 24h, daytime and nighttime, and then stratified by the tertiles of Hcy concentration (T1 to T3). Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the relationships between Hcy tertiles and BPV variables. RESULTS: The mean values of Hcy from T1 to T3 were 7.51±1.21µmol/l, 11.09±1.07µmol/l and 19.14±6.26µmol/l, respectively. Systolic and diastolic mean blood pressures were similar among subjects with different Hcy tertiles. However, both systolic and diastolic BPV variables, no matter in 24-h, daytime or nighttime, were increasing significantly along with the rises in Hcy tertiles (all p<0.05 for linear trends analysis). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that Hcy tertiles were significantly associated with BPV variables, independently of mean blood pressures other confounding factors. In subgroup analysis, the associations between Hcy tertiles and BPV variables were enhanced by the increased risk stratification of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma Hcy was positively and independently associated with ambulatory BPV in patients with untreated hypertension.

Comparative phylogenetic analyses of recombinant noroviruses based on different protein-encoding regions show the recombination-associated evolution pattern.

Noroviruses are the major cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, and recombination is recognized as the important mechanism for its continuous emergence. In this study, for the common GII.P12 and GII.3 recombinants, phylogenetic relationships based on different proteins in three ORFs were comparatively analyzed, focusing on the influence of intergenic recombination. By using newly designed primers, genomes of two GII.P12/GII.3 Guangzhou recombinants were firstly amplified. Combined with other reported sequences of GII.P12_ORF1 (n = 20), GII.3_ORF2 (n = 131), GII.3_ORF3 (n = 36), all GII.P12 and GII.3 strains could be divided into 6, 8, and 7 clusters based on different ORFs, which showed an obvious recombination-associated and temporally sequential evolution pattern (with the exception of GII.P12/GII.13 recombinants). Based on multiple alignments, 126 informative sites were identified in three ORFs (44, 54, and 28), and four proteins (p48, p22, VP1, and VP2) were found under positive selection. Furthermore, by using homology modeling, predicted epitopes were mapped on the P proteins of seven GII.3 representative strains, without one (Epi: 353-361) specific to the GII.4 VA387 strain. In summary, via the genome analyses, phylogenetic relationships of GII.P12 and GII.3 recombinants based on the different proteins presented a special temporally sequential evolution process associated with their recombinant types.