Entanglement of two quantum memories via fibres over dozens of kilometres.

A quantum internet that connects remote quantum processors1,2 should enable a number of revolutionary applications such as distributed quantum computing. Its realization will rely on entanglement of remote quantum memories over long distances. Despite enormous progress3-12, at present the maximal physical separation achieved between two nodes is 1.3 kilometres10, and challenges for longer distances remain. Here we demonstrate entanglement of two atomic ensembles in one laboratory via photon transmission through city-scale optical fibres. The atomic ensembles function as quantum memories that store quantum states. We use cavity enhancement to efficiently create atom-photon entanglement13-15 and we use quantum frequency conversion16 to shift the atomic wavelength to telecommunications wavelengths. We realize entanglement over 22 kilometres of field-deployed fibres via two-photon interference17,18 and entanglement over 50 kilometres of coiled fibres via single-photon interference19. Our experiment could be extended to nodes physically separated by similar distances, which would thus form a functional segment of the atomic quantum network, paving the way towards establishing atomic entanglement over many nodes and over much longer distances.

A nitroaromatic cathode with an ultrahigh energy density based on six-electron reaction per nitro group for lithium batteries.

Organic electrode materials have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional inorganic materials because of their structural diversity and environmental friendliness feature. However, their low energy densities, limited by the single-electron reaction per active group, have plagued the practical applications. Here, we report a nitroaromatic cathode that performs a six-electron reaction per nitro group, drastically improving the specific capacity and energy density compared with the organic electrodes based on single-electron reactions. Based on such a reaction mechanism, the organic cathode of 1,5-dinitronaphthalene demonstrates an ultrahigh specific capacity of 1,338 mAh⋅g-1 and energy density of 3,273 Wh⋅kg-1, which surpass all existing organic cathodes. The reaction path was verified as a conversion from nitro to amino groups. Our findings open up a pathway, in terms of battery chemistry, for ultrahigh-energy-density Li-organic batteries.

Neuroprosthesis for Decoding Speech in a Paralyzed Person with Anarthria.

BACKGROUND: Technology to restore the ability to communicate in paralyzed persons who cannot speak has the potential to improve autonomy and quality of life. An approach that decodes words and sentences directly from the cerebral cortical activity of such patients may represent an advancement over existing methods for assisted communication. METHODS: We implanted a subdural, high-density, multielectrode array over the area of the sensorimotor cortex that controls speech in a person with anarthria (the loss of the ability to articulate speech) and spastic quadriparesis caused by a brain-stem stroke. Over the course of 48 sessions, we recorded 22 hours of cortical activity while the participant attempted to say individual words from a vocabulary set of 50 words. We used deep-learning algorithms to create computational models for the detection and classification of words from patterns in the recorded cortical activity. We applied these computational models, as well as a natural-language model that yielded next-word probabilities given the preceding words in a sequence, to decode full sentences as the participant attempted to say them. RESULTS: We decoded sentences from the participant's cortical activity in real time at a median rate of 15.2 words per minute, with a median word error rate of 25.6%. In post hoc analyses, we detected 98% of the attempts by the participant to produce individual words, and we classified words with 47.1% accuracy using cortical signals that were stable throughout the 81-week study period. CONCLUSIONS: In a person with anarthria and spastic quadriparesis caused by a brain-stem stroke, words and sentences were decoded directly from cortical activity during attempted speech with the use of deep-learning models and a natural-language model. (Funded by Facebook and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03698149.).

Diagnostic value of a novel salivary gland ultrasound scoring system in IgG4-related sialadenitis.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a novel ultrasound scoring system for the major salivary glands in patients with immunoglobulin G4-related sialadenitis (IgG4-RS) and assess its diagnostic value in a multicenter cohort of Chinese patients. METHODS: Twenty clinicians (rheumatologists, stomatologists, and radiologists) participated. The study was conducted in four steps: (1) defining the ultrasonography (US) elements, (2) developing a novel ultrasound scoring system for US of the salivary glands, (3) evaluation of inter- and intra-reader reliabilities using the new ultrasound scoring system, and (4) assessing the diagnostic value of this novel ultrasound scoring system in IgG4-RS patients in a Chinese multicenter cohort. RESULTS: A novel ultrasound scoring system for the salivary glands was developed, with total scores ranging from 0 to 34. The inter- and intra-reader reliabilities of the ultrasound scoring system were excellent (0.972 and 0.940, respectively). A total of 470 people were recruited in this study; 187 patients were diagnosed with IgG4-RS, and the remaining 283 people were diagnosed with non-IgG4-RS. Patients with IgG4-RS had significantly higher US scores than the non-IgG4-RS group (mean US score=16 vs. 4, P < 0.001). The calculated area under the curve (AUC) for the total US score was 0.852 (95% CI: 0.814-0.891). The total US scores≥9 showed a sensitivity of 75.4% and a specificity of 91.9%. Association analysis showed a positive correlation between total US scores and serum IgG4 levels and hypocomplementemia (r=0.221, r=0.349; P = 0.002) and a negative correlation between total US scores and serum C3 and C4 levels (r=-0.210, r=-0.303; P = 0.005, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A novel semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system for patients with IgG4-RS was developed, with good diagnostic performance. The inter- and intra-reader reliabilities were excellent. US scores were correlated with IgG4, C3, and C4 levels and hypocomplementemia.

HAIC Combined with lenvatinib plus PD-1 versus lenvatinib Plus PD-1 in patients with high-risk advanced HCC: a real-world study.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients exhibiting high-risk characteristics (Vp4, and/or bile duct invasion, and/or tumor occupancy ≥ 50%) lacks standardized approaches and yields unfavorable results. This study endeavors to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and prognostic impacts of employing hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), lenvatinib, and humanized programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) in the treatment of high-risk HCC patients. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, HCC patients with high-risk features were treated with either lenvatinib combined with PD-1 (LEN-PD1) or a combination of HAIC, lenvatinib, and PD-1 (HAIC-LEN-PD1). The study assessed the antitumor efficacy by calculating overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were analyzed to assess the safety profiles. RESULTS: Between June 2019 and September 2022, a total of 61 patients were included in the LEN-PD1 group, while 103 patients were enrolled in the HAIC-LEN-PD1 group. The OS was 9.8 months in the LEN-PD1 group, whereas the HAIC-LEN-PD1 group exhibited a significantly longer median OS of 19.3 months (HR = 0.43, p < 0.001). Furthermore, PFS was notably extended in the HAIC-LEN-PD1 group compared to the LEN-PD1 group (9.6 months vs. 4.9 months, HR = 0.48, p < 0.001). Patients in the HAIC-LEN-PD1 group had a higher ORR and DCR according to the modified RECIST (76.7% vs. 23.0%, p < 0.001; 92.2% vs. 72.1%, p = 0.001). HAIC-LEN-HAIC group led to more adverse events than LEN-PD1 group, most of which were tolerable and controllable. CONCLUSION: Lenvatinib, HAIC and PD-1 showed safe and promising anti-tumor activity compared with lenvatinib alone for HCC with high-risk features.

A multifunctional switching bidirectional optical absorber based on a titanium nitride metamaterial.

In this paper, a novel type of tunable ultra-wide band and double-narrow band artificial electromagnetic absorption device is studied. This work uses a titanium nitride-titanium-tungsten (TiN-Ti-W) composite ring array, a TiN reflector layer, and a silver-titanium dioxide-silver (Ag-TiO2-Ag) three layer composite structure to prepare the absorption layer. The simulation results illustrate that the absorption rate can reach 96.6% when the absorption wavelength is 300-2800 nm. When the light source is backward incidence, ultra-narrow band absorption can occur at specific wavelengths of 465 nm and 932 nm. This proves that the absorber is in good agreement with the impedance matching theory. The research results of this work will provide a theoretical basis for the design and application of solar thermal energy conversion.

Chemical synthesis of a 28 kDa full-length PET degrading enzyme ICCG by the removable backbone modification strategy.

Chemical protein synthesis offers a powerful way to access otherwise-difficult-to-obtain proteins such as mirror-image proteins. Although a large number of proteins have been chemically synthesized to date, the acquisition to proteins containing hydrophobic peptide fragments has proven challenging. Here, we describe an approach that combines the removable backbone modification strategy and the peptide hydrazide-based native chemical ligation for the chemical synthesis of a 28 kDa full-length PET degrading enzyme IGGC (a higher depolymerization efficiency of variant leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC)) containing hydrophobic peptide segments. The synthetic ICCG exhibits the enzymatic activity and will be useful in establishing the corresponding mirror-image version of ICCG.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolics from Sargassum carpophyllum - A kinetics study.

The species of the brown macroalgal genus Sargassum are distributed globally and contain many bioactive compounds. In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was applied to obtain phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity from Sargassum carpophyllum collected along the coastline of Weizhou Island in the South China Sea. The influence of different variables such as the solid-liquid ratio (1:5-1:30 g · mL-1), ultrasonic power (160-280 W), duty circle ratio (DCR, 1/3-1/1), and ethanol concentration (30% to ~90%) were studied using a single factor design. The extraction kinetics were investigated using the Peleg model and second-order kinetics model, and the second-order model described the extraction procedure better than the Peleg model. Total phenol content (TPC) values of 3.316, 2.964, 2.741, and 3.665 mg phloroglucinol (PHG) · g-1 algae were achieved at a higher solid-liquid ratio (1:30 g · mL-1), higher ultrasonic power (280 W), a higher DCR (1/1), and a moderate ethanol concentration (50%), respectively. However, a slightly different result was observed in the extract obtained, with total phenol contents (TPCextract) of 52.99, 65.00, 46.22, and 55.10 mg PHG · g-1 extract and DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50) of 0.096, 0.066, 0.131, and 0.136 mg extract · mL-1 observed at 50% ethanol, 1:5 g m· mL-1, 2/3 DCR, and 200 W respectively. All variables studied influenced the extraction kinetics by altering the extraction rate and the TPC at equilibrium. As for the bioactivities in the extract, a larger solid-liquid ratio and greater ultrasonic power may not contribute because of their ability to extract non-phenolic components simultaneously, leading to reduced overall bioactivities. The results of the present study provide essential information for future UAE process design and optimization for extracting phenolics from S. carpophyllum through mathematical modeling and could be regarded as important reference for obtaining value-added products from other macroalgae species.

A thermoresponsive nanocomposite integrates NIR-II-absorbing small molecule with lonidamine for pyroptosis-promoted synergistic immunotherapy.

Photothermal immunotherapy is regarded as the ideal cancer therapeutic modality to against malignant solid tumors; however, its therapeutic benefits are often modest and require improvement. In this study, a thermoresponsive nanoparticle (BTN@LND) composed of a photothermal agent (PTA) and pyroptosis inducer (lonidamine) were developed to enhance immunotherapy applications. Specifically, our "two-step" donor engineering strategy produced the strong NIR-II-absorbing organic small-molecule PTA (BTN) that exhibited high NIR-II photothermal performance (ε1064 = 1.51 × 104 M-1 cm-1, η = 75.8%), and this facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of deep tumor tissue. Moreover, the fabricated thermally responsive lipid nanoplatform based on BTN efficiently delivered lonidamine to the tumor site and achieved spatiotemporal release triggered by the NIR-II photothermal effect. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the NIR-II photothermal therapy (PTT)-mediated on-demand release of cargo effectively faciliated tumor cell pyroptosis, thereby intensifying the immunogenic cell death (ICD) process to promote antitumor immunotherapy. As a result, this intelligent component bearing photothermal and chemotherapy can maximally suppress the growth of tumors, thus providing a promising approach for pyroptosis/NIR-II PTT synergistic therapy against tumors.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of MAKO robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty versus conventional manual total knee arthroplasty in uncomplicated unilateral total knee arthroplasty a single-centre retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of MAKO robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (MA-TKA) with conventional manual total knee arthroplasty (CM-TKA) in patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis (KOA) during the early postoperative period. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 22 patients with KOA who underwent MA-TKA and 26 patients who underwent CM-TKA from April 2023 to July 2023. Hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), American Knee Society Score (AKSS), Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12), visual analogue scale (VAS), and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULT: Both groups successfully completed the surgeries. In terms of radiographic parameters, postoperative one month LDFA and HKA in the MA-TKA group were significantly lower than those in the CM-TKA group (P < 0.05). At the one month follow-up, 19 patients (86.4%) in the MA-TKA group had an HKA less than 3°, compared to 20 patients (76.9%) in the CM-TKA group. Clinically, VAS scores at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h postoperatively were lower in the MA-TKA group both at rest and during activity. At one month and three months postoperatively, AKSS Function Scores and FJS-12 scores in the MA-TKA group were significantly higher than those in the CM-TKA group (P < 0.05). Regarding postoperative complications, no complications occurred in the MA-TKA group, while one patient in the CM-TKA group experienced postoperative knee stiffness, which resolved after physical therapy, with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional manual total knee arthroplasty, MAKO robot-assisted TKA demonstrates better short-term clinical efficacy, achieves better alignment planning, and maintains good safety.

An Asian-specific MPL genetic variant alters JAK-STAT signaling and influences platelet count in the population.

Genomic discovery efforts for hematological traits have been successfully conducted through genome-wide association study on samples of predominantly European ancestry. We sought to conduct unbiased genetic discovery for coding variants that influence hematological traits in a Han Chinese population. A total of 5257 Han Chinese subjects from Beijing, China were included in the discovery cohort and analyzed by an Illumina ExomeChip array. Replication analyses were conducted in 3827 independent Chinese subjects. We analyzed 12 hematological traits and identified 22 exome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)-trait associations with 15 independent SNPs. Our study provides replication for two associations previously reported but not replicated. Further, one association was identified and replicated in the current study, of a coding variant in the myeloproliferative leukemia (MPL) gene, c.793C > T, p.Leu265Phe (L265F) with increased platelet count (ß = 20.6 109 cells/l, Pmeta-analysis = 2.6 × 10-13). This variant is observed at ~2% population frequency in East Asians, whereas it has not been reported in gnomAD European or African populations. Functional analysis demonstrated that expression of MPL L265F in Ba/F3 cells resulted in enhanced phosphorylation of Stat3 and ERK1/2 as compared with the reference MPL allele, supporting altered activation of the JAK-STAT signal transduction pathway as the mechanism underlying the novel association between MPL L265F and platelet count.

Real-world practice of conversion surgery for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma - a single center data of 26 consecutive patients.

AIM: To understand the proportion of uHCC (unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma) patients who achieve successful conversion resection in a high-volume setting with state of the art treatment options. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all HCC patients hospitalized to our center from June 1st, 2019 to June 1st, 2022. Conversion rate, clinicopathological features, response to systemic and/or loco-regional therapy and surgical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1,904 HCC patients were identified, with 1672 patients receiving anti-HCC treatment. 328 patients were considered up-front resectable. Of the remaining 1344 uHCC patients, 311 received loco-regional treatment, 224 received systemic treatment, and the remainder (809) received combination systemic plus loco-regional treatment. Following treatment, one patient from the systemic group and 25 patients from the combination group were considered to have resectable disease. A high objective response rate (ORR) was observed in these converted patients (42.3% under RECIST v1.1 and 76.9% under mRECIST criteria). The disease control rate (DCR) reached 100%. 23 patients underwent curative hepatectomy. Major post-operative morbidity was equivalent in the both groups (P=0.76). Pathologic complete response (pCR) was 39.1%. During conversion treatment, grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were observed in 50% of patients. The median follow-up time was 12.9 months (range, 3.9~40.6) from index diagnosis and 11.4 months (range, 0.9~26.9) from resection. Three patients experienced disease recurrence following conversion surgery. CONCLUSIONS: By intensive treatment, a small sub-group of uHCC patients (2%) may potentially be converted to curative resection. Loco-regional combined with systemic modality was relative safe and effective in the conversion therapy. Short-term outcomes are encouraging, but long-term follow-up in a larger patient population are required to fully understand the utility of this approach.

Demystifying the Role of Surfactant in Tailoring Polyamide Morphology for Enhanced Reverse Osmosis Performance: Mechanistic Insights and Environmental Implications.

Surfactant-assisted interfacial polymerization (IP) has shown strong potential to improve the separation performance of thin film composite polyamide membranes. A common belief is that the enhanced performance is attributed to accelerated amine diffusion induced by the surfactant, which can promote the IP reaction. However, we show enhanced membrane performance for Tween 80 (a common surfactant), even though it decreased the amine diffusion. Indeed, the membrane performance is closely related to its polyamide roughness features with numerous nanovoids. Inspired by the nanofoaming theory that relates the roughness features to nanobubbles degassed during the IP reaction, we hypothesize that the surfactant can stabilize the generated nanobubbles to tailor the formation of nanovoids. Accordingly, we obtained enlarged nanovoids when the surfactant was added below its critical micelle concentration (CMC). In addition, both the membrane permeance and selectivity were enhanced, thanks to the enlarged nanovoids and reduced defects in the polyamide layer. Increasing the concentration above CMC resulted in shrunken nanovoids and deteriorated performance, which can be ascribed to the decreased stabilization effect caused by micelle formation. Interestingly, better antifouling performance was also observed for the surfactant-assisted membranes. Our current study provides mechanistic insights into the critical role of surfactant during the IP reaction, which may have important implications for more efficient membrane-based desalination and water reuse.

Metamaterial ultra-wideband solar absorbers based on a multi-layer structure with cross etching.

In this paper, we design a solar absorber based on the Si3N4-W-Ti-SiO2 insulator-metal-insulator structure and demonstrate it using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The absorption rate of the absorber consisting of a multi-layer structure with cross etching is over 90% in the bandwidth of 500 nm to 2995 nm with an average absorption rate of 98.3%. There are three peaks at 620 nm, 1002 nm and 1761 nm with peak heights of 99.8%, 99.8% and 99.0%, respectively. By analyzing the distribution of electric and magnetic fields in different sections of the absorber, it is found that the physical mechanism of the structure with high absorptivity is due to the interaction of propagating surface plasmon resonance and local surface plasma resonance. The effects of different structural parameters and the angle of incidence of a light source on the absorber absorption are discussed. The absorber can be used in solar thermal systems, thermal photovoltaics and thermoelectronic devices.

Large-scale surface water-groundwater origins and connectivity in the Ordos Basin, China: Insight from hydrogen and oxygen isotopes.

The sustainability of water resources is a major challenge for the Ordos Basin and Loess Plateau of China. The basis of effective water management is an understanding of the water cycle process. This study investigated the surface water-groundwater origins and connectivity using stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) of surface water and groundwater in 11 river basins in the Ordos Basin. It was found that the surface water-groundwater origins and hydraulic connection were characterized by regional differences, mainly induced by climatic characteristics, hydrogeological conditions and human activities. Specifically, the impact of thick loess deposits caused surface water and groundwater to take long time to produce a hydraulic connection. In contrast, areas with thin loess deposits and frequent human activities showed a good connectivity between surface water and groundwater. As for water origins, summer precipitation was a common source of surface water and groundwater in the study area, and groundwater discharge was another source of surface water. However, surface water and groundwater were subjected to different degrees of evaporation during receiving precipitation recharge. Notably, thick loess deposits had an impact on groundwater evaporation because both the recharge of precipitation to groundwater and the discharge of groundwater to surface water took a long time. In addition, it was found that frequent human activities (mining, irrigation and urban construction) could weaken the impact of evaporation. This large-scale analysis provided new insights into the origins and connectivity of surface water and groundwater in areas with thick unsaturated zones for water resources management.

Quasi-dendritic sulfonate-based organic small molecule for high-quality NIR-II bone-targeted imaging.

The visualization of bone imaging in vivo is of great significance for the understanding of some bone-related diseases or physiological processes. Herein, a bone-targeted NIR-II small molecule (TTQF-SO3), which was modified with multiple sulfonate groups, was successfully fabricated for the second near-infrared (NIR-II) bone imaging. In vitro studies revealed that TTQF-SO3 showed high affinity for hydroxyapatite and excellent macrophage accumulation ability. In in vivo assays, TTQF-SO3 displayed high bone uptake ability and high NIR-II bone imaging quality, demonstrating the specific bone-targeting ability of the sulfonate-containing probe. In addition, the noninvasive NIR-II imaging detection in bone calcium loss was successfully verified in osteoporosis mice models. Moreover, the negative charge characteristic of TTQF-SO3 showed efficient lymphoid enrichment in living mice by intravenous injection. Overall, these warrant that our TTQF-SO3 is an optimal bone-targeted diagnostic agent for high-quality NIR-II imaging, highlighting its potential promise for clinical translation.

Near infrared II excitation nanoplatform for photothermal/chemodynamic/antibiotic synergistic therapy combating bacterial biofilm infections.

Drug-resistant bacterial biofilm infections (BBIs) are refractory to elimination. Near-infrared-II photothermal therapy (NIR-II PTT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) are emerging antibiofilm approaches because of the heavy damage they inflict upon bacterial membrane structures and minimal drug-resistance. Hence, synergistic NIR-II PTT and CDT hold great promise for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of BBIs. Herein, we propose a biofilm microenvironment (BME)-responsive nanoplatform, BTFB@Fe@Van, for use in the synergistic NIR-II PTT/CDT/antibiotic treatment of BBIs. BTFB@Fe@Van was prepared through the self-assembly of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified small-molecule BTFB, vancomycin, and the CDT catalyst Fe2+ ions in DSPE-PEG2000. Vancomycin was conjugated with BTFB through a pH-sensitive PBA-diol interaction, while the Fe2+ ions were bonded to the sulfur and nitrogen atoms of BTFB. The PBA-diol bonds decomposed in the acidic BME, simultaneously freeing the vancomycin and Fe2+ irons. Subsequently, the catalytic product hydroxyl radical was generated by the Fe2+ ions in the oxidative BME overexpressed with H2O2. Moreover, under 1064 nm laser, BTFB@Fe@Van exhibited outstanding hyperthermia and accelerated the release rate of vancomycin and the efficacy of CDT. Furthermore, the BTFB@Fe@Van nanoplatform enabled the precise NIR-II imaging of the infected sites. Both in-vitro and in-vivo experiments demonstrated that BTFB@Fe@Van possesses a synergistic NIR-II PTT/CDT/antibiotic mechanism against BBIs.

Delivery of Mir-196c-3p with NIR-II light-triggered gel attenuates cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ferroptosis plays an important role in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced cardiac injury and there are many defects in current targeted delivery of miRNAs for the treatment of ferroptosis. We herein report a unique hydrogel (Gel) that can be triggered by a near-infrared-II (NIR-II) light with deep tissue penetration and biocompatible maximum permissible exposure (MPE) value for in situ treatment after I/R. The mir-196c-3p mimic (mimics) and photothermal nanoparticles (BTN) were co-encapsulated in an injectable Gel (mimics + Gel/BTN) with NIR-II light-triggered release. Using 1064 nm light irradiation, local microenvironment photothermal-triggered on-demand noninvasive controllable delivery of miRNA was achieved, aiming to inhibit I/R-induced ferroptosis. Consequently, declined ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes and improved cardiac function, survival rate in rats was achieved through the controlled release of Gel/BTN mimics in I/R model to simultaneously inhibit ferroptosis hub genes NOX4, P53, and LOX expression.

Pathogenic Genes for Congenital Microtia: A Bioinformatics Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to accurately find the pathogenic genes of congenital microtia, so as to lay a theoretical foundation for genetic screening, diagnosis, and gene therapy of congenital microtia in the further stage. METHODS: In this study, the authors used public data from the Mouse Genome Informatics database. The authors used the String database ( https://string-db.org/ ) to construct the Protein-Protein Interaction network. Then Gene Ontology classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were performed for the pathogenic genes. RESULTS: The authors searched the Mouse Genome Informatics database and found 84 pathogenic genes of congenital microtia. The Protein-Protein Interaction network for pathogenic genes was constructed, which contained 81 nodes and 148 lines with MCM5, CDT1, POLA1, CDC45, CDC6, EFTUD2, ORC1, ORC4, ORC6, and TCOF1 . The authors conducted a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis on pathogenic genes, and the results showed that pathogenic genes were involved in O-mannan biosynthesis, cell cycle, RNA polymerase, and other signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' results indicated that the occurrence of congenital microtia is attributed to a variety of genes. Furthermore, the interactions of pathogenic genes were further elucidated by using a bioinformatics approach. This study will help to reveal the pathogenesis of congenital microtia and lay the foundation for accurate diagnosis and treatment of congenital microtia in the future.

How do Plastic Surgeons use the Metaverse: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: In 2021, metaverse became a buzzword. The metaverse is a digital virtual world in which people can live as a digital virtual identity. In the metaverse, people can participate in making rules and create their own worlds. As plastic surgeons in the new era, we have been thinking about the application of the metaverse in plastic surgery. Therefore, we carried out this study to systematically review the current published articles on the application of metaverse in medicine, so as to provide a reference for the rational and effective application of metaverse by plastic surgeons in the future. METHODS: The researchers searched the Wanfang, Weipu, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the Embase database. The retrieval time was set from the database establishment to April 2022. All studies on the use of the metaverse in medicine were included in our study. RESULTS: A total of 4 studies were included in this study. According to our study, the metaverse is mostly used for skill training for residents and medical students. The metaverse was used for the first time to train doctors in lung cancer surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Korea. Augmented reality in the metaverse has also been used to aid surgery and to address a variety of medical and mental health problems for patients. CONCLUSION: At present, the application of metaverse is still in the preliminary stage of exploration, and the practical effect of metaverse on plastic surgery needs to be observed and evaluated. Although there are still many problems in the metaverse, the new medical model of plastic surgery supported by the metaverse is worth looking forward to.