Molecular mechanism of bovine Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis.

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by cell swelling, pore formation in the plasma membrane, lysis, and releases of cytoplasmic contents. To date, the molecular mechanism of human and murine Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis have been fully investigated. However, studies focusing on molecular mechanism of bovine Gasdermin D (bGSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis and its function against pathogenic infection were unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that bovine caspase-1 (bCaspase-1) cleaves bGSDMD at amino acid residue D277 to produce an N-terminal fragment (bGSDMD-p30) which leads to pyroptosis. The amino acid residues T238 and F239 are critical for bGSDMD-p30-mediated pyroptosis. The loop aa 278-299, L293 and A380 are the key sites for autoinhibitory structure of the full length of bGSDMD. In addition, bCaspase-3 also cleaves bGSDMD at residue Asp86 without inducing cell death. Therefore, our study provides the first detailed elucidation of the mechanism of bovine GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. The results will establish a significant foundation for future research on the role of pyroptosis in bovine infectious diseases.

Carbon dots as a promising therapeutic approach for combating cancer.

With advances in nanotechnology and the development of emerging therapeutic modalities, a surge in research on the use of nanomedicines for biomedical applications has occurred over the past three decades. Carbon dots (CDs) are new members of carbon-based nanomaterials that can be used in cancer treatment to reduce side effects of drugs and improve treatment efficiency, offering new medical opportunities for further research. Urged as such, we are encouraged to classify CDs-based cancer treatments, including photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), chemotherapy (CT), and synergistic therapy. The advantages of these approaches are summarized, as well as ways to improve certain shortcomings. Meanwhile, this review highlights the feasible practice of CDs in cancer treatment, which is further developed and widely used in the biomedical field.

Sensing performance and mechanism of carbon dots encapsulated into metal-organic frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be combined with nanomaterials and the combined composites have excellent optical properties. Carbon dots (CDs) with tiny particle size, non-toxic and rich surface functional groups are novel fluorescent materials. Carbon dots@metal-organic frameworks (CDs@MOFs) are synthesized by encapsulating CDs into MOFs. CDs@MOFs are promising composites for the preparation of a new generation of fluorescence sensors, which combine the hybrid properties of MOFs and the special optical properties of CDs. Urged as such, we are encouraged to categorize according to the sensing mechanisms. These include fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), static quenching, dynamic quenching, photo-induced electron transfer (PET), inner filter effect (IFE) and so on. Based on the above mechanisms, CDs@MOFs can specifically interact with target analytes to generate fluorescence quenching. This review covers the research progress of CDs@MOFs in recent five years (with 103 refs), synthetic design of CDs@MOFs and introduces the sensing mechanism. The current challenges and future research directions are discussed briefly. The sensing mechanism and applications of CDs@MOFs.

Nurse-led telephone follow-up according to the revised nursing outcomes classification for laryngeal carcinoma surgery patients: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study used the revised nursing outcomes classification (NOC) outlined in our previous study, "Core nursing outcomes for otorhinolaryngology head-neck," for telephone follow-up of patients who had laryngeal carcinoma surgery in China. This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare nurse-led telephone follow-up according to the revised NOC with traditional telephone follow-up. METHODS: A total of 100 postoperative patients were recruited from March 2018‒March 2020. Patients were randomly assigned to nurse-led telephone follow-up groups as either revised NOC follow-up (n = 51) or traditional follow-up (n = 49). The investigated outcomes included nursing outcomes, quality of life, and self-care abilities. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of patients were well balanced. We noted that improvements in nursing outcomes in the intervention group were significantly better than for those in the control group (P = 0.018), primarily regarding psychosocial health (P < 0.001) and health knowledge and behavior (P < 0.001). Moreover, patient outcomes in the intervention group were associated with greater improvements in quality of life than those in the control group (P < 0.001), especially for social conditions (P < 0.001), emotional health (P < 0.001), functional status (P < 0.001), and additional attention (P = 0.001). Finally, compared with the control group, significant improvements were observed in self-care abilities in the intervention group (P = 0.002), mainly regarding general self-care abilities (P = 0.016) and development self-care abilities (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study found that nurse-led telephone follow-up according to the revised NOC improved nursing outcomes, quality of life, and self-care abilities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100045941.

Value of serum miR-21, HE4 and CA125 in surveillance for postoperative recurrent or metastatic ovarian cancer.

Objectives: To study the value of serum miR21, human epididymal secretory protein 4 (HE4) and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) in the surveillance for postoperative recurrent or metastatic ovarian cancer. Methods: A total of 169 patients diagnosed with ovarian conditions in Luanzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine during January 2016 and March 2019 were divided into a benign lesion (BL) group and an ovarian cancer (OC) group by pathological findings and assigned to a good prognosis (GP) group and a poor prognosis (PP) group according to the follow-up results. A real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-fqPCR) system was utilized to detect the serum level of miR-21; an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to determine the serum level of HE4; electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based imaging analysis was performed to measure serum CA125. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was depicted to analyze the predictive value of serum miR-21, HE4, and CA125 for poor postoperative prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. Results: Compared with the control group, the BL and OC groups had substantially elevated expression of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 in serum, and the serum levels of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 in the OC group were significantly higher than in the BL group. In the OC group, the serum levels of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 were independent of age and pathological patterns and associated with the clinical staging, degree of transformation and lymphatic metastasis of ovarian cancer; after laparoscopic ovarian tumorectomy, the serum levels of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 were markedly reduced in comparison with the preoperative levels. Compared with the GP group, the PP group experienced a dramatic increase in serum miR-21, HE4, and CA125 expression. The ROC curve showed that the detection of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 was a highly sensitive and specific method to predict the poor prognosis in ovarian cancer; a patient with ovarian cancer was at high risk of a poor prognosis when the serum levels of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 exceeded 1.536, 157.004 pmol/L and 175.243 kU/L, respectively, in which case early intervention should be made to prevent recurrent or metastatic ovarian cancer. Conclusion: Elevated expression of miR-21, HE4, and CA125 in serum is closely associated with the disease status of ovarian cancer. Therefore, the simultaneous detection of these tumor markers has some diagnostic value for postoperative recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer.

Self-quenching-resistant solid-state carbon dots for mechanism and applications.

Solid-state carbon dots (SCDs) have been widely investigated by scholars owing to their stability, environmental friendliness, and their good optical properties. The current studies on carbon dots (CDs) are mainly focused on the solutions of CDs, while the researches on SCDs are relatively few in comparison. Nowadays, the fabrication and design of high-performance SCDs have attracted much interest. However, due to resonance energy transfer and π-π interactions, CDs undergo aggregation-induced quenching (ACQ) phenomena. This poses an obstacle to the acquisition of SCDs and affects their luminescence performance. Publications of the past 5 years are reviewed on how to suppress the ACQ phenomenon and improve the fluorescence and phosphorescence emission of CDs (Ref. 87) and about the mechanism of achieving the luminescence of SCDs. Then, the applications of SCDs in the fields of luminescent devices, anti-counterfeiting, and detection are outlined. The concluding section analyzes the current challenges faced by SCDs and provides an outlook. Mechanism of photoluminescence from solid state carbon dots.

Evaluation and revision of core postoperative nursing outcomes for laryngeal carcinoma in China.

BACKGROUND: The core nursing outcomes for laryngeal carcinoma in China needed further screening and revision. This study aimed to evaluate and revise a questionnaire according to the "Core Nursing Outcomes for Otorhinolaryngology Head-Neck" of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC, 5th Edition), and determine suitable postoperative nursing outcomes for patients with laryngeal carcinoma in China. METHODS: The commonly used postoperative nursing outcomes for laryngeal carcinoma were screened using a questionnaire given to 93 nurses. An initial expert consultation questionnaire was constructed to discuss the indicators for each nursing outcome. A total of 20 experts were identified using the Delphi method, and their recommendations and revisions on the selected nursing outcomes were collected. RESULTS: A total of 14 postoperative core nursing outcomes and 69 indicators were identified for postoperative patients with laryngeal carcinoma, which are subordinate to 4 domains of the NOC: "Physiologic Health", "Psychosocial Health", "Health Knowledge & Behavior", and "Perceived Health". CONCLUSIONS: The screening and revision of the NOC outcomes and indicators of the Delphi method could be applied to assess the effect of nursing intervention and the quality of the nursing service in China.

Mitochondria transfer via tunneling nanotubes is an important mechanism by which CD133+ scattered tubular cells eliminate hypoxic tubular cell injury.

Renal CD133 + scattered tubular cells (STCs) have been regarded as progenitor-like cells in the kidney and participated in ischemic renal injury repair. However, the mechanism of this effect is not fully elucidated yet. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that the protective effect of CD133 + STCs depends on the transfer of mitochondria to injured tubular cells in vitro. In this study, renal ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) rat model was established with one side kidney ischemic for 45 min and animals were sacrificed at 48 h after operation. Tubular cells were isolated and cultured in vitro, and then CD133 + STCs were selected from the cultured cells. Then, CD133 + STCs were co-cultured with CD133-tubular cells (TECs) to detect the tunneling nanotubes like structures, and the transfer of mitochondria from CD133 + STCs to injured tubular cells were detected by fluorescent imaging and flow cytometry. Further, cellular protective effects of CD133 + STCs were tested when cultured with TECs under hypoxic conditions. In results, renal CD133 + STCs were scattered throughout the normal kidney and increased upon ischemic injury. Nanotube formations were commonly found between CD133 + STCs and TECs, and the transfer of mitochondria was detected from CD133 + STCs to TECs. Further, CD133 + STCs exist significant anti-apoptosis and pro-proliferation effects for TECs under hypoxic culture conditions. Thus, this study was first described that renal CD133 + STCs could transfer mitochondria to injured TECs in vitro for its protective effects, which revealed an important novel mechanism for renal repair after ischemic injury.

Enhanced performance of In2O3 nanowire field effect transistors with controllable surface functionalization of Ag nanoparticles.

Indium oxide (In2O3) nanowire field effect transistors (FETs) have great potential in electronic and sensor applications owing to their suitable band width and high electron mobility. However, the In2O3 nanowire FETs reported previously were operated in a depletion-mode, not suitable to the integrated circuits result of the high-power consumption. Therefore, tuning the electrical properties of In2O3 nanowire FETs into enhancement-mode is critical for the successful application in the fields of high-performance electronics, optoelectronics and detectors. In the work, a simple but effective strategy was carried out by preparing Ag nanoparticle functionalized In2O3 NWs to regulate the threshold voltage (Vth) of In2O3 NW FETs, successfully achieving enhanced-mode devices. The threshold voltage can be regulated from -6.9 V to +7 V by controlling Ag density via deposition time. In addition, the devices exhibited high performance: huge Ion/Ioff ratio > 108, large maximum saturation current ≈ 800 mA and excellent carrier mobility ≈ 129 cm2 Vcs-1. The enhanced performance is attributed to the surface passivation by Ag nanoparticles to reduce the density of traps and the charge transfer between traps and the nanowires to regulate the Vth. The result indicates the application of metal nanoparticles significantly improve oxide NW for low-power FETs.

WS2 quantum dots-MnO2 nanosheet system for use in ratiometric fluorometric/scattered light detection of glutathione.

Based on WS2 quantum dots (QDs) as fluorescent signals and MnO2 nanosheets as second-order scattering (SOS) signals, a combination of fluorescence and scattered light was used to construct a ratio sensing platform for glutathione (GSH) detection. When MnO2 nanosheets are added to WS2 QDs, the fluorescence of WS2 QDs is quenched by MnO2 nanosheets through IFE. Large-sized MnO2 nanosheets increase the SOS of the system and gradually approach the fluorescence. After adding GSH to WS2 QDs-MnO2, the MnO2 nanosheets were decomposed into Mn2+. The disappearance of the characteristic absorption peak of the MnO2 nanosheets suppressed the IFE to WS2 QDs, resulting in the fluorescence recovery of WS2 QDs. The reduction in size of MnO2 nanosheets after decomposition results in a decrease in the SOS of the system. Therefore, the ratio detection of GSH is obtained through the fluorescence and SOS dual signal response. Under optimal experimental conditions, the value of F406/S648 is linearly related to the GSH concentration in the range 0 to 60 µM, and the limit of detection (LOD) of GSH is 0.12 µM. In addition, the system is also used for the determination of GSH in real water samples and human serum, with good analytical results. Graphical abstract Schematic principle of fluorescence/scattered light system based on WS2 QDs-MnO2 for GSH ratiometric detection.

The long noncoding RNA ST7-AS1 promotes laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by stabilizing CARM1.

The laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) represents a malignant cancer and contributes largely to head and neck tumorigenesis. The molecular mechanisms for LSCC progression are poorly understood. In current work, we identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) termed suppressor of tumorigenicity 7 antisense RNA 1 (ST7-AS1) as an oncogenic factor in LSCC. ST7-AS1 is frequently overexpressed in LSCC tissues and cell lines. ST7-AS1 is required for the malignancy of LSCC cells through migration, tumor sphere formation assay and in vivo implantation. Mechanistically, ST7-AS1 could interact with CARM1, a well characterized protein arginine methyltransferase and protect CARM1 from ubiquitin-dependent degradation. CARM1 can methylate Sox-2, a pluripotent transcription factor. Thus, ST7-AS1 might mediate its oncogenic effect by signaling through CARM1-Sox-2 axis to enhance Sox-2 self-association and transactivation activity. Collectively, we have unraveled a ST7-AS1/CARM1/Sox-2 signaling axis in LSCC and may have created novel interconnections between noncoding RNAs and cancer development.

Enhance the Discrimination Precision of Graphene Gas Sensors with a Hidden Markov Model.

Sensors are the key element to enable smart electronics and will play an important role in the emerging big data era. In this work, we reported an experimental study and a data-analytical characterization method to enhance the precision of discriminating chemically and structurally similar gases. Graphene sensors were fabricated by conventional photolithography and measured with feature analysis against different chemicals. A new hidden Markov model assisted with frequency spectral analysis, and the Gaussian mixture model (K-GMM-HMM) is developed to discriminate similar gases. The results indicated that the new method achieved a high prediction accuracy of 94%, 27% higher than the maximum value obtained by the conventional methods or other feature transient analysis methods. This study indicated that graphene gas sensors with the new K-GMM-HMM analysis are very attractive for chemical discrimination used in future smart electronics.

Comparative study of the effects of PM1-induced oxidative stress on autophagy and surfactant protein B and C expressions in lung alveolar type II epithelial MLE-12 cells.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong link between smaller air pollution particles and a range of serious health conditions. Thus, there is a need for understanding the impacts of airborne fine particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of <1µm (PM1) on lung alveolar epithelial cells. In the present study, mouse lung epithelial type II cell MLE-12 cells were used to examine the intracellular oxidative responses and the surfactant protein expressions after exposure to various concentrations of PM1 collected from an urban site and a steel-factory site (referred as uPM1 and sPM1 hereafter, respectively). METHODS: Physicochemical characterization of PM1 was performed by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Cytotoxicity and autophagy induced by PM1 were assessed by using comprehensive approaches after MLE-12 cells were exposed to different concentrations of PM1 for various times. Expression of surfactant proteins B and C in MLE-12 cells was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: All of the tested PM1 induced cytotoxicity evidenced by significant decrease of cell viability and increase of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in the exposed cells compared with the unexposed cells. A similar pattern of increase of intercellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities was also observed. PM1-induced autophagy was evidenced by an increase in microtubule-associated protein light chain-3 (LC3) puncta, accumulation of LC3II, and increased levels of beclin1. Data from Western blotting showed significant decrease of surfactant protein B and C expressions. Relatively high concentrations of transition metals, including Fe, Cu and Mn, may be responsible for the higher toxicity of sPM1 compared with uPM1. Moreover, pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or Chelex (a metal chelating agent, which removes a large suite of metals from PM1) prevented the increase of PM1-inudced ROS generation and autophagy, and down-regulated the expression of surfactant proteins B and C. CONCLUSION: PM1, particularly PM1 with high concentrations of transition metals, such as Fe, Cu and Mn, induces oxidative damage and autophagy, as well as inhibits surfactant protein B and C expressions in lung alveolar type II epithelial cells. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study will help to understand the mechanism underlying the toxicological effects of PM1 in lung alveolar type II epithelial cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Air Pollution, edited by Wenjun Ding, Andrew J. Ghio and Weidong Wu.

Mycobacterial PE12 protein promotes bacterial survival through inhibiting cell apoptosis.

Mycobacterial PE_PGRS family proteins play key roles in pathogen-host interaction. However, the function of most PE_PGRS proteins remains unknown. In this study, we characterized the role of PE12 of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) on bacterial growth, bacterial survival, and host cell apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing of infected THP-1 cells was also performed. Compared to Ms_Vec, we found that M. bovis PE12 did not alter the colony morphology of M. smegmatis. The survival of Ms_PE12 was obviously higher than that of Ms_Vec. Furthermore, PE12 significantly suppressed the apoptosis of THP-1 induced by M. smegmatis infection. Transcriptome analysis results showed that there were 70 downregulated genes in the Ms_PE12 infection group in comparison with the Ms_Vec infection group, and these differentially expressed genes were enriched in 240 downregulated GO terms and 6 KEGG pathways. The downregulated expression genes are involved in cell adhesion, phagocytosis, apoptosis, inflammatory response, glycolysis and transmembrane transporter activity. Taken together, our study reveals that PE12 can suppress apoptosis and inhibit proinflammatory cytokine response. We propose that PE12 is related to macrophage phagocytosis and apoptosis, providing useful information to the pathogenic mechanisms of M. bovis.

Sensitivity-Enhanced, Room-Temperature Detection of NH3 with Alkalized Ti3C2Tx MXene.

A layered Ti3C2Tx MXene structure was prepared by etching MAX-phase Ti3AlC2 with hydro-fluoric acid (HF), followed by alkalization in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions of varying concentrations and for varying durations. Compared to sensors utilizing unalkalized Ti3C2Tx, those employing alkalized Ti3C2Tx MXene exhibited enhanced sensitivity for NH3 detection at room temperature and a relative humidity of 40%. Both the concentration of NaOH and duration of alkalization significantly influenced sensor performance. Among the tested conditions, Ti3C2Tx MXene alkalized with a 5 M NaOH solution for 12 h exhibited optimal performance, with high response values of 100.3% and a rapid response/recovery time of 73 s and 38 s, respectively. The improved sensitivity of NH3 detection can be attributed to the heightened NH3 adsorption capability of oxygen-rich terminals obtained through the alkalization treatment. This is consistent with the observed increase in the ratio of oxygen to fluorine atoms on the surface terminations of the alkalization-treated Ti3C2Tx. These findings suggest that the gas-sensing characteristics of Ti3C2Tx MXene can be finely tuned and optimized through a carefully tailored alkalization process, offering a viable approach to realizing high-performance Ti3C2Tx MXene gas sensors, particularly for NH3 sensing applications.

Microencapsulated essential oils alleviate diarrhea in weaned piglets by modulating the intestinal microbial barrier as well as not inducing antibiotic resistance: a field research.

Microencapsulated essential oils (MEO)have been used as antibiotic alternatives that can be applied to alleviate diarrhea in weaning piglet. We examined a large group of weaned piglets and incorporated essential oil containing thymol (2%), carvacrol (5%) and cinnamaldehyde (3%) in the feed of weaned piglets on an intensive production farm. The piglets were divided into four groups; Control (no additions) and chlortetracycline (Chl), essential oil (EO) and microencapsulated essential oil (MEO) were fed ad libitum over a 28-day trial period. We found MEO significantly reduced the incidence of diarrhea in the piglets that was also accompanied by increased average daily weight gains from days 14-28 (p < 0.05). MEO enhanced the antioxidant capacity in the piglets and serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05). MEO also significantly reduced expression of genes related to ileal inflammation (IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-ß1) (p < 0.05) and significantly (p < 0.05) increased in sIgA antibody levels. MEO influenced the composition of the intestinal microbiome and reduced Bacteroidota (p < 0.05) and thus altered the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio. However, none of the treatments produced significant changes in the most common tetracycline resistance genes (p > 0.05). Metagenomic analysis indicated that MEO impacted DNA expression, virulence factors, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity. Metabolomic analysis of the intestinal content also indicated that MEO impacted tyrosine metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis suggesting improved intestinal health and nutrient absorption. This study paves the way for further research into the development and optimization of MEO-based interventions aimed at improving piglet health and performance while also providing a reference for reducing reliance on antibiotics in animal agriculture.

Serum cell division cycle 42 in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients: Linkage with clinical characteristics and immune checkpoint inhibitor-related treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) facilitates immune escape and drug resistance towards immunotherapy in several malignancies. This prospective study aimed to explore the predictive value of serum CDC42 for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-treatment response and survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: Thirty advanced HCC patients scheduled for ICI or ICI-based treatment were enrolled in this prospective study, whose serum CDC42 was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before therapy initiation. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) of serum CDC42 level was 766.5 (605.0-1329.5) pg/mL. Serum CDC42 was related to increased tumor size but decreased programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive score (PD-L1 CPS). With respect to ICI or ICI-based treatment outcomes, elevated serum CDC42 was associated with decreased disease control rate, but did not link with objective response rate. Patients with high serum CDC42 (vs. low, cut by its median level) had shortened progression-free survival (PFS), while overall survival (OS) only disclosed a reduced trend (lacked statistical significance) in patients with high serum CDC42 (vs. low). In detail, the median (95%CI) PFS and OS were 3.0 (0.0-6.0) months and 11.7 (2.7-20.7) months in patients with high serum CDC42, while they were 11.1 (6.6-15.6) months and 19.3 (14.5-24.1) months in patients with low CDC42. After adjusted by multivariate cox regression analysis, high serum CDC42 (vs. low) was independently associated with shortened PFS, but not OS. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum CDC42 possesses a potential value in predicting worse ICI or ICI-based treatment outcomes in advanced HCC.

Carbon dots modified/prepared by supramolecular host molecules and their potential applications: A review.

Supramolecular host molecules are used as tools in the design of multifunctional nanoparticles for sensors, catalysts, biometric elements, etc. Combining with carbon dots (CDs) has excellent host-guest recognition properties and fluorescence characteristics, which can precisely capture and identify target analytes. Consequently, supramolecular host molecules-based CDs can significantly improve the detection performance of ions and molecules with different structures or intrinsic chemical properties. This currently responds to a wide range of analytes including metal cations, anions, organic compounds and other biomolecules, yielding fascinating achievements in the field of chemistry. Therefore, the present review summarizes outstanding supramolecular host molecules-based CDs reported in the past ten years. The focus is on elucidating the mechanisms, methodologies, advantages and disadvantages of modifying or preparing CDs with supramolecular host molecules. Current challenges encountered and outlooks are also be discussed.

The negative impact of increasing temperatures on rice yields in southern China.

China is the main producer and consumer of rice in the world, and rice is a major staple food grain for more than half of the world's population. Reduced rice yields caused by climate factors not only affect the food security of China, but also has global repercussions. Thus, it is vital to assess the potential impact of climate warming on rice production. Using daily temperature and phenology records of double-cropping rice from agro-meteorological stations in southern China, the influence of increased temperatures on rice yields during the last several decades was investigated. Associated with an increase in average daily mean temperatures by 0.7 °C during 2009-2018 relative to 1961-1970, Killing Degree Days (KDD), an indicator for damaging high temperature, for early and late rice increased by 110% and 88.6% respectively. However, the negative influence of KDDs on yields was mainly evident for early rice, because high temperatures occurred frequently during the sensitive grain-filling period; early-rice yields showed a decrease of 8% per 1 °C increase in mean growing season air temperature. Late rice yields, on the other hand, were not as negatively influenced by increasing temperatures as early rice, because high temperature usually occurred during the vegetative growth stage, which was not so sensitive to high temperature.

Tenofovir alafenamide in blocking mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus: a multi-center, prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Data of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TAF for preventing MTCT. METHODS: Pregnant women with chronic HBV infection, positive for HBeAg and high-level HBV DNA, received oral TAF from gestational weeks 24-28 until postpartum week 4. All infants received HBV immunoprophylaxis. All mothers and infants were followed up until postpartum seven month. The primary outcome was the rate of MTCT at seven month. RESULTS: Eighty-nine mothers delivered and 91 infants were born. All were followed up to postpartum seven month. TAF was initiated at a mean gestational age of 25.0 (±1.0) weeks with the mean treatment duration of 14.3 (±1.2) weeks before delivery; 92.1% (82/89) mothers discontinued TAF, the median [IQR] time was 5.9 [4.7] weeks postpartum. The HBsAg positive rate was 0% at seven months in 91 infants, no growth retardation and congenital defects. All mothers were tolerated during TAF treatment. At delivery, 82.02% (73/89) mothers achieved HBV DNA < 200,000 IU/ml, 21.35% (19/89) achieved HBV DNA < 500 IU/ml. No significant changes on the mean (±SD) serum phosphate between baseline (1.20 ± 0.10 mmol/L) and at delivery (1.21 ± 0.13 mmol/L, p > .05). Serum creatinine at delivery (52.23 ± 8.50 µmol/L) was higher than baseline (45.97 ± 5.60 µmol/L, p < .05), but within normal range. Nine of 82 mothers stopped TAF treatment after delivery had mild ALT elevation. CONCLUSION: TAF therapy initiated during the second trimester was effective in preventing MTCT with no safety concerns for mothers and infants (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04065230).