Triple-junction solar cells with cyanate in ultrawide-bandgap perovskites.

Perovskite bandgap tuning without quality loss makes perovskites unique among solar absorbers, offering promising avenues for tandem solar cells1,2. However, minimizing the voltage loss when their bandgap is increased to above 1.90 eV for triple-junction tandem use is challenging3-5. Here we present a previously unknown pseudohalide, cyanate (OCN-), with a comparable effective ionic radius (1.97 Å) to bromide (1.95 Å) as a bromide substitute. Electron microscopy and X-ray scattering confirm OCN incorporation into the perovskite lattice. This contributes to notable lattice distortion, ranging from 90.5° to 96.6°, a uniform iodide-bromide distribution and consistent microstrain. Owing to these effects, OCN-based perovskite exhibits enhanced defect formation energy and substantially decreased non-radiative recombination. We achieved an inverted perovskite (1.93 eV) single-junction device with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.422 V, a VOC × FF (fill factor) product exceeding 80% of the Shockley-Queisser limit and stable performance under maximum power point tracking, culminating in a 27.62% efficiency (27.10% certified efficiency) perovskite-perovskite-silicon triple-junction solar cell with 1 cm2 aperture area.

IgG antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and its influencing factors in lymphoma patients.

BACKGROUND: The ability of generating effective humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been clarified in lymphoma patients. The study aimed to investigate the antibody (Ab) production after SARS-Cov-2 infection and clarify the factors affecting the Ab generation in these patients. PATIENTS & METHODS: 80 lymphoma patients and 51 healthy controls were included in this prospective observational study. Clinical factors and treatment regimens affecting Ab positive rate (APR) and Ab levels were analyzed by univariate and multivariate methods. RESULTS: The anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG APR and Ab levels in lymphoma patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls. Lymphoma patients with COVID-19 vaccination had significantly higher APR and Ab levels compared with those without vaccination. Additionally, the use of dexamethasone for COVID-19 treatment had a negative impact on Ab levels. For the impact of treatment regimens on the APR and Ab levels, the results showed that patients treated with ≥ 6 times CD20 monoclonal Ab (mAb) and patients treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) prior to infection produced a statistically lower APR and Ab levels compared with those treated with 1-5 times CD20 mAb and those treated without ASCT, respectively. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis indicated that the number of anti-CD20 treatment was an independent predictor for both APR and Ab levels. CONCLUSIONS: Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection was impaired in lymphoma patients partly due to anti-CD20 and ASCT treatment. COVID-19 vaccination may be more needed for these patients.

Identification and validation of anoikis-related genes to clarify the prognosis and immune mechanisms of patients with low-grade glioma.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade glioma (LGG) has an extremely poor prognosis, and the mechanism leading to malignant development has not been determined. The aim of our study was to clarify the function and mechanism of anoikis and TIMP1 in the malignant progression of LGG. METHODS: We screened 7 anoikis-related genes from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to construct a prognostic-predicting model. The study assessed the clinical prognosis, pathological characteristics, and immune cell infiltration in both high- and low-risk groups. Additionally, the potential modulatory effects of TIMP1 on proliferation, migration, and anoikis in LGG were investigated both in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: In this study, we identified seven critical genes, namely, PTGS2, CCND1, TIMP1, PDK4, LGALS3, CDKN1A, and CDKN2A. Kaplan‒Meier (K‒M) curves demonstrated a significant correlation between clinical features and overall survival (OS), and single-cell analysis and mutation examination emphasized the heterogeneity and pivotal role of hub gene expression imbalances in LGG development. Immune cell infiltration and microenvironment analysis further elucidated the relationships between key genes and immune cells. In addition, TIMP1 promoted the malignant progression of LGG in both in vitro and in vivo models. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that TIMP1 promoted the malignant progression of LGG by inhibiting anoikis, providing insights into LGG pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.

Breast Cancer Growth on Serial MRI: Volume Doubling Time Based on 3-Dimensional Tumor Volume Assessment.

BACKGROUND: The volume doubling time (VDT) of breast cancer was most frequently calculated using the two-dimensional (2D) diameter, which is not reliable for irregular tumors. It was rarely investigated using three-dimensional (3D) imaging with tumor volume on serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PURPOSE: To investigate the VDT of breast cancer using 3D tumor volume assessment on serial breast MRIs. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. SUBJECTS: Sixty women (age at diagnosis: 57 ± 10 years) with breast cancer, assessed by two or more breast MRI examinations. The median interval time was 791 days (range: 70-3654 days). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3-T, fast spin-echo T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), single-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and gradient echo dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. ASSESSMENT: Three radiologists independently reviewed the morphological, DWI, and T2WI features of lesions. The whole tumor was segmented to measure the volume on contrast-enhanced images. The exponential growth model was fitted in the 11 patients with at least three MRI examinations. The VDT of breast cancer was calculated using the modified Schwartz equation. STATISTICAL TESTS: Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-squared test, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Fleiss kappa coefficients. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The exponential growth model was evaluated using the adjusted R2 and root mean square error (RMSE). RESULTS: The median tumor diameter was 9.7 mm and 15.2 mm on the initial and final MRI, respectively. The median adjusted R2 and RMSE of the 11 exponential models were 0.97 and 15.8, respectively. The median VDT was 540 days (range: 68-2424 days). For invasive ductal carcinoma (N = 33), the median VDT of the non-luminal type was shorter than that of the luminal type (178 days vs. 478 days). On initial MRI, breast cancer manifesting as a focus or mass lesion showed a shorter VDT than that of a non-mass enhancement (NME) lesion (median VDT: 426 days vs. 665 days). DATA CONCLUSION: A shorter VDT was observed in breast cancer manifesting as focus or mass as compared to an NME lesion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Deep Learning Radiomics of Preoperative Breast MRI for Prediction of Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Breast Cancer.

The objective of this study is to develop a radiomic signature constructed from deep learning features and a nomogram for prediction of axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) in breast cancer patients. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging data from 479 breast cancer patients with 488 lesions were studied. The included patients were divided into two cohorts by time (training/testing cohort, n = 366/122). Deep learning features were extracted from diffusion-weighted imaging-quantitatively measured apparent diffusion coefficient (DWI-ADC) imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) by a pretrained neural network of DenseNet121. After the selection of both radiomic and clinicopathological features, deep learning signature and a nomogram were built for independent validation. Twenty-three deep learning features were automatically selected in the training cohort to establish the deep learning signature of ALNM. Three clinicopathological factors, including LN palpability (odds ratio (OR) = 6.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.06-12.54, P = 0.004), tumor size in MRI (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.18-1.80, P = 0.104), and Ki-67 (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00-1.02, P = 0.099), were selected and combined with radiomic signature to build a combined nomogram. The nomogram showed excellent predictive ability for ALNM (AUC 0.80 and 0.71 in training and testing cohorts, respectively). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 65%, 80%, and 75%, respectively, in the testing cohort. MRI-based deep learning radiomics in patients with breast cancer could be used to predict ALNM, providing a noninvasive approach to structuring the treatment strategy.

T Follicular Helper Cells in Tertiary Lymphoid Structure Contribute to Renal Fibrosis by IL-21.

Tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) represents lymphocyte clusters in non-lymphoid organs. The formation and maintenance of TLS are dependent on follicular helper T (TFH) cells. However, the role of TFH cells during renal TLS formation and the renal fibrotic process has not been comprehensively elucidated in chronic kidney disease. Here, we detected the circulating TFH cells from 57 IgAN patients and found that the frequency of TFH cells was increased in IgA nephropathy patients with renal TLS and also increased in renal tissues from the ischemic-reperfusion-injury (IRI)-induced TLS model. The inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS) is one of the surface marker molecules of TFH. Remarkably, the application of an ICOS-neutralizing antibody effectively prevented the upregulation of TFH cells and expression of its canonical functional mediator IL-21, and also reduced renal TLS formation and renal fibrosis in IRI mice in vivo. In the study of this mechanism, we found that recombinant IL-21 could directly promote renal fibrosis and the expression of p65. Furthermore, BAY 11-7085, a p65 selective inhibitor, could effectively alleviate the profibrotic effect induced by IL-21 stimulation. Our results together suggested that TFH cells contribute to TLS formation and renal fibrosis by IL-21. Targeting the ICOS-signaling pathway network could reduce TFH cell infiltration and alleviate renal fibrosis.

An artificial intelligence system using maximum intensity projection MR images facilitates classification of non-mass enhancement breast lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To build an artificial intelligence (AI) system to classify benign and malignant non-mass enhancement (NME) lesions using maximum intensity projection (MIP) of early post-contrast subtracted breast MR images. METHODS: This retrospective study collected 965 pure NME lesions (539 benign and 426 malignant) confirmed by histopathology or follow-up in 903 women. The 754 NME lesions acquired by one MR scanner were randomly split into the training set, validation set, and test set A (482/121/151 lesions). The 211 NME lesions acquired by another MR scanner were used as test set B. The AI system was developed using ResNet-50 with the axial and sagittal MIP images. One senior and one junior radiologist reviewed the MIP images of each case independently and rated its Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category. The performance of the AI system and the radiologists was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The AI system yielded AUCs of 0.859 and 0.816 in the test sets A and B, respectively. The AI system achieved comparable performance as the senior radiologist (p = 0.558, p = 0.041) and outperformed the junior radiologist (p < 0.001, p = 0.009) in both test sets A and B. After AI assistance, the AUC of the junior radiologist increased from 0.740 to 0.862 in test set A (p < 0.001) and from 0.732 to 0.843 in test set B (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our MIP-based AI system yielded good applicability in classifying NME lesions in breast MRI and can assist the junior radiologist achieve better performance. KEY POINTS: • Our MIP-based AI system yielded good applicability in the dataset both from the same and a different MR scanner in predicting malignant NME lesions. • The AI system achieved comparable diagnostic performance with the senior radiologist and outperformed the junior radiologist. • This AI system can assist the junior radiologist achieve better performance in the classification of NME lesions in MRI.

Low-Carbohydrate-Diet Score and Mortality in Adults With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease: Results From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term safety of consuming low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) remains controversial. As high protein and high fat might accelerate chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, the impact of LCD on mortality might be different in subjects with CKD and subjects without CKD. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the association of LCD with mortality among individuals with and without CKD. METHODS: Data from 1158 subjects with CKD and 9523 subjects without CKD in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. The LCD score was calculated based on a 24-hour dietary recall interview. Mortality was from baseline until 31 December 2015. Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 24 years, 751 (65%) deaths and 2624 (28%) deaths were recorded in the CKD group and the non-CKD group, respectively. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality comparing the highest versus lowest quarters of LCD score was 1.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.25, P for trend = 0.045) in the CKD group. However, there were no association between the LCD score and all-cause mortality in the non-CKD group. CONCLUSIONS: The LCD scores were found significantly positively associated with all-cause mortality in adults with CKD, but not in adults without CKD.

LRG1 Mitigates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis through Alleviating Capillary Rarefaction and Inhibiting Inflammatory and Pro-Fibrotic Cytokines.

INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence has demonstrated that loss of peritubular capillaries plays a critical role in renal interstitial fibrosis. Leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1) has been observed promoting angiogenesis in the ocular disease mouse model and myocardial infarction model. We aimed to explore the role of LRG1 in renal interstitial fibrosis. METHODS: We analyzed the expression of LRG1 in the plasma and kidney of CKD patients by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. Relationships between the expression of LRG1 in plasma and kidney and renal fibrosis and inflammation were analyzed. Tube formation assay was used to detect the angiogenesis in the human umbilical vein endothelial cell lines (HUVECs). And real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of LRG1, inflammatory factors, renal tubular injury indicators, pro-fibrotic cytokines, and CD31. We examined the effects of genetic ablation of LRG1 on renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice model at day 7. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the expression of LRG1 in renal tissues and plasma samples was upregulated in CKD patients. And the expression of LRG1 was elevated in human renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) cells in response to the stimulation of TNF-α in vitro, and in kidney after UUO in vivo. The deficiency of the LRG1 gene aggravated renal fibrosis, inflammatory cells infiltration, and capillary rarefaction after UUO. In vitro, LRG1 promoted the tube formation of HUVEC cells. LRG1 inhibits fibronectin secretion induced by TGF-ß1 in HK-2 and overexpression of LRG1 in HK-2 cells decreased fibronectin secretion. CONCLUSION: LRG1 may prevent renal fibrosis by inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines and promoting angiogenesis.

A deep learning model integrating mammography and clinical factors facilitates the malignancy prediction of BI-RADS 4 microcalcifications in breast cancer screening.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of full-field digital mammography-based deep learning (DL) in predicting malignancy of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4 microcalcifications. METHODS: A total of 384 patients with 414 pathologically confirmed microcalcifications (221 malignant and 193 benign) were randomly allocated into the training, validation, and testing datasets (272/71/71 lesions) in this retrospective study. A combined DL model was developed incorporating mammography and clinical variables. Model performance was evaluated by using areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared with the clinical model, stand-alone DL image model, and BI-RADS approach. The predictive performance for malignancy was also compared between the combined model and human readers (2 juniors and 2 seniors). RESULTS: The combined DL model demonstrated favorable AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.910, 85.3%, and 91.9% in predicting BI-RADS 4 malignant microcalcifications in the testing dataset, which outperformed the clinical model, DL image model, and BI-RADS with AUCs of 0.799, 0.841, and 0.804, respectively. The combined model achieved non-inferior performance as senior radiologists (p = 0.860, p = 0.800) and outperformed junior radiologists (p = 0.155, p = 0.029). The diagnostic performance of two junior radiologists was improved after artificial intelligence assistance with AUCs increased to 0.854 and 0.901 from 0.816 (p = 0.556) and 0.773 (p = 0.046), while the interobserver agreement was improved with a kappa value increased to 0.843 from 0.331. CONCLUSIONS: The combined deep learning model can improve the malignancy prediction of BI-RADS 4 microcalcifications in screening mammography and assist junior radiologists to achieve better performance, which can facilitate clinical decision-making. KEY POINTS: • The combined deep learning model demonstrated high diagnostic power, sensitivity, and specificity for predicting malignant BI-RADS 4 mammographic microcalcifications. • The combined model achieved similar performance with senior breast radiologists, while it outperformed junior breast radiologists. • Deep learning could improve the diagnostic performance of junior radiologists and facilitate clinical decision-making.

Recovery of new-onset kidney disease in COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a major global health threat with a great number of deaths worldwide. Despite abundant data on that many COVID-19 patients also displayed kidney disease, there is limited information available about the recovery of kidney disease after discharge. METHODS: Retrospective and prospective cohort study to patients with new-onset kidney disease during the COVID-19 hospitalization, admitted between January 28 to February 26, 2020. The median follow-up was 4 months after discharge. The follow-up patients were divided into the recovery group and non-recovery group. Descriptive statistics and between-groups comparison were used. RESULTS: In total, 143 discharged patients with new-onset kidney disease during the COVID-19 hospitalization were included. Patients had a median age was 64 (IQR, 51-70) years, and 59.4% of patients were men. During 4-months median follow-up, 91% (130 of 143) patients recovered from kidney disease, and 9% (13 of 143) patients haven't recovered. The median age of patients in the non-recovery group was 72 years, which was significantly higher than the median age of 62 years in the recovery group. Discharge serum creatinine was significantly higher in the non-recovery group than in the recovery group. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the new-onset kidney diseases during hospitalization of COVID-19 patients recovered 4 months after discharge. We recommend that COVID-19 patients with new-onset kidney disease be followed after discharge to assess kidney recovery, especially elderly patients or patients with high discharge creatinine.

Strong Electronic Oxide-Support Interaction over In2O3/ZrO2 for Highly Selective CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol.

Metal oxides are widely employed in heterogeneous catalysis, but it remains challenging to determine their exact structure and understand the reaction mechanisms at the molecular level due to their structural complexity, in particular for binary oxides. This paper describes the observation of the strong electronic interaction between In2O3 and monoclinic ZrO2 (m-ZrO2) by quasi-in-situ XPS experiments combined with theoretical studies, which leads to support-dependent methanol selectivity. In2O3/m-ZrO2 exhibits methanol selectivity up to 84.6% with a CO2 conversion of 12.1%. Moreover, at a wide range of temperatures, the methanol yield of In2O3/m-ZrO2 is much higher than that of In2O3/t-ZrO2 (t-: tetragonal), which is due to the high dispersion of the In-O-In structure over m-ZrO2 as determined by in situ Raman spectra. The electron transfer from m-ZrO2 to In2O3 is confirmed by XPS and DFT calculations and improves the electron density of In2O3, which promotes H2 dissociation and hydrogenation of formate intermediates to methanol. The concept of the electronic interaction between an oxide and a support provides guidelines to develop hydrogenation catalysts.

Kidney disease is associated with in-hospital death of patients with COVID-19.

In December 2019, a coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease outbreak occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and rapidly spread to other areas worldwide. Although diffuse alveolar damage and acute respiratory failure were the main features, the involvement of other organs needs to be explored. Since information on kidney disease in patients with COVID-19 is limited, we determined the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with COVID-19. Further, we evaluated the association between markers of abnormal kidney function and death in patients with COVID-19. This was a prospective cohort study of 701 patients with COVID-19 admitted in a tertiary teaching hospital that also encompassed three affiliates following this major outbreak in Wuhan in 2020 of whom 113 (16.1%) died in hospital. Median age of the patients was 63 years (interquartile range, 50-71), including 367 men and 334 women. On admission, 43.9% of patients had proteinuria and 26.7% had hematuria. The prevalence of elevated serum creatinine, elevated blood urea nitrogen and estimated glomerular filtration under 60 ml/min/1.73m2 were 14.4, 13.1 and 13.1%, respectively. During the study period, AKI occurred in 5.1% patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with kidney disease had a significantly higher risk for in-hospital death. Cox proportional hazard regression confirmed that elevated baseline serum creatinine (hazard ratio: 2.10, 95% confidence interval: 1.36-3.26), elevated baseline blood urea nitrogen (3.97, 2.57-6.14), AKI stage 1 (1.90, 0.76-4.76), stage 2 (3.51, 1.49-8.26), stage 3 (4.38, 2.31-8.31), proteinuria 1+ (1.80, 0.81-4.00), 2+∼3+ (4.84, 2.00-11.70), and hematuria 1+ (2.99, 1.39-6.42), 2+∼3+ (5.56,2.58- 12.01) were independent risk factors for in-hospital death after adjusting for age, sex, disease severity, comorbidity and leukocyte count. Thus, our findings show the prevalence of kidney disease on admission and the development of AKI during hospitalization in patients with COVID-19 is high and is associated with in-hospital mortality. Hence, clinicians should increase their awareness of kidney disease in patients with severe COVID-19.

Paper-Based Strip for Ultrasensitive Detection of OSCC-Associated Salivary MicroRNA via CRISPR/Cas12a Coupling with IS-Primer Amplification Reaction.

As the most common malignancy in humans, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) not only harms the people's health but also undermines their confidence after facial surgery. Early detection and treatment can effectively reduce these damages. The unique collateral trans-cleavage nuclease activity of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas12a system was utilized to realize the detection of nucleic acid with high sensitivity. So, in this work, we designed a point-of-care testing (POCT) platform for the detection of OSCC-associated salivary hsa-miRNA 31-5p (miR-31) via the cascade signal amplification of "invading stacking primer" (IS-primer) amplification reaction (ISAR), CRISPR/Cas12a, and dual-mode paper-based strip (dm-Strip). To amplify the detection signal of trace miR-31, the cascade signal amplification of CRISPR/Cas12a system coupling with ISAR was designed in a one-pot reaction at a constant temperature. The target miR-31 could activate the ISAR to generate numerous DNAs, which would further trigger the trans-cleavage effect of Cas12a to catalyze the nonspecific single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) cleavage. This ssDNA was labeled with digoxin and biotin at the 5' and 3' termini (digoxin/ssDNA/biotin), respectively, which led to generate the naked-eye signal and fluorescent signal of the designed dm-Strip. The whole detection time was 90 min with limit-of-detection (LOD) down to aM level. This ISAR/Cas12a-based dm-Strip (ISAR/Cas12a-dmStrip) allowed for the portable and ultrasensitive detection of miRNA, an important step in early diagnosis of OSCC and biomedical research.

Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Mortality in CKD: A 1999-2012 NHANES Analysis.

BACKGROUND: For patients with CKD, evidence on the optimal dose of physical activity and possible harm with excessive exercise is limited. This study aimed to analyze the dose-response association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and mortality in those with CKD and explore the optimal dose or possible harm associated with increased levels of LTPA. METHODS: 4,604 participants with CKD from the 1999 to 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys with linked mortality data obtained through 2015 were classified into 6 groups: 0, 1-149, 150-299, 300-599, 600-899, and ≥900 min/week based on the total duration of the self-reported LTPA. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine dose-response associations between LTPA and mortality. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 114 months, 1,449 (31%) all-cause deaths were recorded. Compared to the inactive group (0 min/week), we observed a 22% lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.97) among participants who performed 1-149 min per week for LTPA. The corresponding HRs and 95% CIs for all-cause mortality for 150-299 and 300-599 min/week of LTPA were 0.79 (0.64-0.97) and 0.74 (0.56-0.98). The benefit appeared to reach a threshold of a 43% (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.36-0.91) lower risk of all-cause mortality among individuals performing 600-899 min/week for LTPA. Importantly, for ≥900 min/week of LTPA, the continued benefits were observed (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44-0.87). CONCLUSION: LTPA was associated with lower mortality in those with CKD. The optimal dose was observed at the LTPA level of approximately 600-899 min/week, and there were still benefits rather than the excess risk with LTPA levels as high as ≥900 min/week. Therefore, clinicians should encourage inactive CKD patients to perform LTPA and do not need to discourage CKD patients who already adhere to long-term physical activity.

Metal-Free ß-Amino Alcohol Synthesis: A Two-step Smiles Rearrangement.

A novel method for the synthesis of ß-amino alcohols has been demonstrated under mild reaction conditions with a broad scope via a two-step Smiles rearrangement. What is more, theoretical calculations have been performed to confirm the rationality of the mechanism. The method has been proved to be notably effective for N-arylated amino alcohols, which are difficult to synthesize by traditional methods.

Bi3+-Doped BaYF5:Yb,Er Upconversion Nanoparticles with Enhanced Luminescence and Application Case for X-ray Computed Tomography Imaging.

In this work, BaYF5:20%Yb3+/2%Er3+/x%Bi3+ (abbreviated as BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix, where x = 0-3.0) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with various doping concentrations of Bi3+ were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method. The influence of the doping amount of Bi3+ on the microstructures and upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties of the BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix UCNPs was studied in detail. The doping concentration of Bi3+ has little influence on the microstructures of the UCNPs but significantly impacts their UCL intensities. Under excitation of a 980 nm near-IR laser, the observed UCL intensities for the BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix UCNPs display first an increasing trend and then a decreasing trend with an increase in the ratio x, giving a maximum at x = 2.5. A possible energy-transfer process and simplified energy levels of the BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix UCNPs were proposed. The potential of the BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix UCNPs as contrast agents for computerized tomography (CT) imaging was successfully demonstrated. An obvious accumulation of BaYF5:Yb,Er,Bix in tumor sites was achieved because of high passive targeting by the enhanced permeability and retention effect and relatively low uptake by a reticuloendothelial system such as liver and spleen. This work paves a new route for the design of luminescence-enhanced UNCPs as promising bioimaging agents for cancer theranostics.

Leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein-1 upregulation in plasma and kidney of patients with lupus nephritis.

BACKGROUND: Increased leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1) has been observed in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We aimed to explore the expression and role of LRG1 in lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: Plasma LRG1 (pLRG1) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 101 patients with renal biopsy-proven LN and 21 healthy controls (HC). Relationships between pLRG1 and clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed. The expression of LRG1 in peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney was detected by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, respectively. Further cell experiments were focused on the role of LRG1. RESULTS: We found that LRG1 was expressed in plasma, some peripheral blood leukocytes, proximal tubule and several inflammatory cells. The levels of LRG1 in plasma, peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney were elevated in LN patients as compared to HC. Plasma expression levels of LRG1 correlated positively with renal function and renal disease activity, and reflect specific pathologic lesions in the kidneys of patients with LN. Interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6, not tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon γ induced the LRG1 expression in human renal tubular epithelial cell line. Moreover, stimulation of recombinant human LRG1 could inhibit late apoptosis, promote proliferation and regulate expression of inflammatory factors and cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma expression levels of LRG1 were associated with renal function, disease activity, and pathology in LN. It might also be involved in renal inflammation, proliferation and apoptosis of endothelial cells. LRG1 might be a potential prognosis novel predictor in LN patients.

Tamibarotene inhibit the accumulation of fibrocyte and alleviate renal fibrosis by IL-17A.

Renal fibrosis is a common pathological process in the progression of chronic kidney disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and fibrocytes play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. However, the role of IL-17A in the regulation of renal fibrocytes in renal fibrosis has rarely been reported. Here, we report that the plasma IL-17A level is increased in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) patients and is correlated with clinical parameters. Using a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), we found that both IL-17A expression and fibrocyte infiltration were increased in the kidneys of UUO mice. Besides, IL-17A enhanced fibrosis and fibrocyte-associated chemokine and activator expression in vitro. Furthermore, inhibition of IL-17A using Am80 (Tamibarotene) decreased fibrocytes and fibrocyte-associated chemokine and activator expression and significantly attenuated renal fibrosis in the UUO mice. Our findings suggest that Am80, which inhibits the accumulation of fibrocytes and alleviates renal fibrosis mediated by IL-17A, maybe a novel therapeutic drug for renal fibrosis.

Effects of Temperature, Solution pH, and Ball-Milling Modification on the Adsorption of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs onto Biochar.

This study explored the adsorption of representative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (AP), ibuprofen (IB), and salicylic acid (SA) by biochars. The sorption kinetics were fitted with six commonly used kinetic models, and the isotherm data was well described by both Langmuir and Freundlich models. Biochars of longer pyrolysis time showed better performance with the Langmuir maximum sorption capacities for AP, IB, and SA of 196 mg/g, 132 mg/g, and 48.8 mg/g, respectively. Variation in temperature hardly affected the adsorption performances, while the influence of pH exhibited pronounced dependency on physicochemical properties of both NSAIDs and biochars. Eighteen ball-milled (BM) biochars were then produced under different ball-milling conditions and examined for NSAIDs removal. Compared with unmilled biochars, BM-biochars produced under optimum conditions showed higher removal efficiencies. Electrostatic interaction and pore width of biochars greatly affected the NSAIDs adsorption onto biochars.