Michael Addition Inducing Self-Assembly to Construct Mechanochromic BP Film.

Liquid crystalline blue phase (BP) with 3D cubic nanostructure has attracted much interest in the fields of photonic crystals due to their unique optical properties and the ability to control the flow of light. However, there remains a challenge for simultaneously achieving self-assembly and mechanochromic response of soft 3D cubic nanostructures. Herein, a scalable strategy for the preparation of soft 3D cubic nanostructured films using oligomerization of the Michael addition reaction, which can induce the assembly of double-twisted cylinders for collective replication, remodeling, recombination, and growth, with a phase transition from BPII to BPI, and to chiral nematic phase, is presented. The prepared BP patterns can be obtained by Michael addition oligomerization reaction and composite mask photopolymerization, which present distinct mechanochromic sensitive due to patterns derived from different BP state, and the pattern can be reversibly erased and recurred by mechanical force and temperature. The average domain size of BPII prepared using this strategy can achieve 96 µm, which is 2.5 times larger than that obtained using the conventional cooling approach. This work provides new insights into the self-assembly and selective chemochromism of functional materials and devices.

Effect of early preventive supplementation with calcium and phosphorus on metabolic bone disease in premature infants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the effect of early preventive calcium and phosphorus supplementation on metabolic bone disease in preterm infants. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 234 preterm infants with a gestational age < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g who were hospitalized in the Neonatology Department of the Second Hospital of Shandong University from 01.2018 to 12.2020 was conducted. One hundred thirty-two premature infants hospitalized from 01.2018 to 06.2019 did not receive prophylactic calcium and phosphorus supplementation in the early postnatal period. These infants received calcium or phosphorus supplementation at the time of hypocalcaemia or hypophosphatemia diagnosis. One hundred two premature infants hospitalized from 07.2019 to 12.2020 received early preventive calcium and phosphorus supplementation after birth. The levels of serum calcium and phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcitonin, and parathyroid hormone at different time points and growth indicators at six months of age were compared between the two groups of infants. The number of cases of metabolic bone disease and fracture between the two groups was compared. RESULTS: 1) A total of 12 infants (5.13%) among the 234 preterm infants were diagnosed with metabolic bone disease, including 2 (1.96%) in the prophylactic supplementation group and 10 (7.58%) in the nonprophylactic supplementation group. Fractures occurred in 3 premature infants (25.0%) with metabolic bone disease, all of whom were in the group that did not receive prophylactic supplementation. 2) There was no significant difference in serum calcium and calcitonin levels between the two groups. The levels of serum phosphorus and 25 hydroxyvitamin D in the prophylactic supplementation group were higher than those in the nonprophylactic supplementation group (P < 0.05). In comparison, alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone levels were lower in the prophylactic supplementation group than in the nonprophylactic supplementation group (P < 0.05). Preterm infants in the prophylactic supplementation group had higher weight, length, head circumference, and bone density values than those in the nonprophylactic supplementation group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Preventive supplementation with calcium and phosphorus after birth can effectively improve calcium and phosphorus metabolism, and reduce the incidence of metabolic bone disease and fractures in premature infants. This can be further publicized and used clinically.

Predictive Value of Amplitude-Integrated Electroencephalogram Combined with General Movements for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Neonates with Severe Hyperbilirubinemia.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) combined with general movements (GMs) for neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia. Methods: A total of 115 infants with severe hyperbilirubinemia admitted to our hospital from December 2021 to February 2024 were enrolled. All the subjects were tested using aEEG, GMs, cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or auditory brainstem response (ABR), and followed up for 12 months to evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcomes. Results: Among the 100 children who received follow-up, 19 had adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. They had significantly higher levels of total serum bilirubin (P < .05) than those with positive neurodevelopmental outcomes. The examination results of abnormalities in aEEG, GMs, ABR, aEEG + GMs, aEEG + ABR, and MRI + ABR are all correlated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes (P < .05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that abnormal aEEG, GMs, and ABR were predictors of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The aEEG + GMs method significantly outperformed the individual use of aEEG or GMs in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Conclusion: The aEEG + GMs technique can predict the neurodevelopmental outcomes of neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia and outperforms the individual use of aEEG or GMs in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. As a result, the combined technique merits broader clinical use.

Gastric cancer cell-originated small extracellular vesicle induces metabolic reprogramming of BM-MSCs through ERK-PPARγ-CPT1A signaling to potentiate lymphatic metastasis.

Tumor microenvironment and metabolic reprogramming are critical for tumor metastasis. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are widely involved in the formation of tumor microenvironment and present oncogenic phenotypes to facilitate lymph node metastasis (LNM) in response to small extracellular vesicles (sEV) released by gastric cancer (GC) cells. However, whether metabolic reprograming mediates transformation of BM-MSCs remains elusive. Herein, we revealed that the capacity of LNM-GC-sEV educating BM-MSCs was positively correlated with the LNM capacity of GC cells themselves. Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) metabolic reprogramming was indispensable for this process. Mechanistically, CD44 was identified as a critical cargo for LNM-GC-sEV enhancing FAO via ERK/PPARγ/CPT1A signaling. ATP was shown to activate STAT3 and NF-κB signaling to induce IL-8 and STC1 secretion by BM-MSCs, thereby in turn facilitating GC cells metastasis and increasing CD44 levels in GC cells and sEV to form a persistent positive feedback loop between GC cells and BM-MSCs. The critical molecules were abnormally expressed in GC tissues, sera and stroma, and correlated with the prognosis and LNM of GC patients. Together, our findings uncover the role of metabolic reprogramming mediated BM-MSCs education by LNM-GC-sEV, which presents a novel insight into the mechanism underlying LNM and provides candidate targets for GC detection and therapy.

Multi-aptamer-mediated hairpin allosteric and aptamer-assisted CRISPR system for detection of S. pneumoniae and S. aureus.

A novel nucleic acid aptamer nanoprobes-mediated hairpin allosteric and aptamer-assisted CRISPR system for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus is presented. In this fluorescence assay system, utilizing the hairpin allosteric effect caused by the aptamer binding to the target bacteria, the detection of S. pneumoniae is first achieved through changes in fluorescence due to FRET. Subsequently, a Cas12a protein mixture is added to detect S. aureus. The amplified output signal is triggered by two methods to ensure the sensitivity of the method: the synergistic FRET effect is achieved by the assembly of multi-aptamer through the conjugation of streptavidin-biotin, and the trans-cleavage function of CRISPR/Cas 12a. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed hairpin allosteric aptasensor could achieve high sensitivity (a detection limit of 135 cfu/mL) and broad-concentration quantification (dynamic range of 103-107 cfu/mL) of S. pneumoniae. The aptamer-assisted CRISPR system for S. aureus detection showed good linearity (R2 = 0.996) in the concentration range 102-108 cfu/mL, with a detection limit of 39 cfu/mL. No cross-reactivity with other foodborne pathogenic bacteria was observed in both systems. Taking only 55 min, this method of multiple pathogen detection proved to be promising.

Gene therapy of yeast NDI1 on mitochondrial complex I dysfunction in rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease models in vitro and vivo.

PURPOSE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease without cure or effective treatment. This study explores whether the yeast internal NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDI1) can functionally replace the defective mammalian mitochondrial complex I, which may provide a gene therapy strategy for treating sporadic PD caused by mitochondrial complex I dysfunction. METHOD: Recombinant lentivirus expressing NDI1 was transduced into SH-SY5Y cells, or recombinant adeno-associated virus type 5 expressing NDI1 was transduced into the right substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of mouse. PD cell and mouse models were established by rotenone treatment. The therapeutic effects of NDI1 on rotenone-induced PD models in vitro and vivo were assessed in neurobehavior, neuropathology, and mitochondrial functions, by using the apomorphine-induced rotation test, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blot, complex I enzyme activity determination, oxygen consumption detection, ATP content determination and ROS measurement. RESULTS: NDI1 was expressed and localized in mitochondria in SH-SY5Y cells. NDI1 resisted rotenone-induced changes in cell morphology, loss of cell viability, accumulation of α-synuclein and pS129 α-synuclein, mitochondrial ROS production and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. The basal and maximal oxygen consumption, mitochondrial coupling efficiency, basal and oligomycin-sensitive ATP and complex I activity in cell model were significantly increased in rotenone + NDI1 group compared to rotenone + vector group. NDI1 was efficiently expressed in dopaminergic neurons in the right SNpc without obvious adverse effects. The rotation number to the right side (NDI1-treated side) was significantly increased compared to that to the left side (untreated side) in mouse model. The number of viable dopaminergic neurons, the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, total and maximal oxygen consumption, mitochondrial coupling efficiency and complex I enzyme activity in right substantia nigra, and the content of dopamine in right striatum were significantly increased in rotenone + NDI1 group compared to rotenone + vector group. CONCLUSION: Yeast NDI1 can rescue the defect of oxidative phosphorylation in rotenone-induced PD cell and mouse models, and ameliorate neurobehavioral and neuropathological damages. The results may provide a basis for the yeast NDI1 gene therapy of sporadic PD caused by mitochondrial complex I dysfunction.

Characteristics of a capnophilic small colony variant of Escherichia coli co-isolated with two other strains from a patient with bacteremia in China.

Small colony variants (SCVs) are a slow-growing subpopulation of bacteria characterized by their atypical colony morphology and distinct biochemical properties, which are known to cause chronic persistent infections. Here, we investigated the characteristics of three phenotypes of Escherichia coli, including a capnophilic SCV, co-isolated from a 64-year-old patient with bacteremia in China. The three strains were identified as a capnophilic strain (EC1), a capnophilic SCV (EC2), and a normal colony strain (EC3). The EC1 and EC2 strains did not grow in the absence of CO2, while the EC2 colonies were pinpoint in appearance and had the ability to revert to the normal colony phenotype. The growth of the SCV was slow and not enhanced in the presence of thymidine, hemin, thiamine, and menadione. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility among the three strains showed similar sensitivity to cefoxitin and imipenem, but resistant to most of the other antimicrobials tested. Whole-genome sequencing showed that no genetic mutational variations associated with SCVs were observed, while EC1, EC2 and the revertible strains of EC2 lacked the can gene. Multi-locus sequence typing showed that all strains belonged to ST457 and nucleotide similarity analysis indicated that they had high homology. In conclusion, we report rarely described co-isolated forms of three phenotypes of E. coli that included a capnophilic SCV in a patient with bacteremia. The capnophilic SCV strain had atypical morphology and biochemical characteristics in the absence of can gene. Based on our findings, we have discussed the laboratory identification, characterization, mechanisms, and clinical treatment of capnophilic SCV strains.

Mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium alleviates oxidative stress injury induced by hydrogen peroxide via regulating miR143 and its target protein in hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of miRNA (microRNA) on hepatic oxidative stress damage under the human mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium (MSC-CM) and explore the roles of the beta-1 adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) in this process. METHODS: Hydrogen peroxide was used to induce oxidative stress injury in the human normal liver cell line L02. MSC-CM was separately prepared. After treatment with MSC-CM, the protective effects of MSC-CM on oxidative stress injury were assessed by changes in apoptosis, cell viability, cell cycle, and mitochondrial membrane potential. According to the microarray analysis, 19 disparately expressed miRNAs were selected for RT-PCR and miR143 identified as having significant differential expression in MSC-CM against oxidative stress injury. Subsequently, the predicted target proteins of miR143 were selected by bioinformatics software, and verified by western blot. In addition, down-regulation and up-regulation of miR143 expression and hydrogen peroxide induced hypoxia injury were carried out on L02 cells to study the role of miR143. RESULTS: MSC-CM significantly attenuated H2O2 induced oxidative stress injury. The expression of miR143 was increased following oxidative stress injury whereas it decreased after MSC-CM treatment. The expression levels of HK2 and ADRB1 regulated by miR143 and Bcl-2 decreased under H2O2 treatment but were restored following MSC-CM treatment. However the expression levels of Bax and BMF increased after H2O2 injury and decreased after MSC-CM treatment. Moreover over-expression or down-regulation of miR143 aggravated or alleviated hepatocyte apoptosis respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MSC-CM may alleviate H2O2 induced oxidative stress injury by inhibiting apoptosis and adjusting miRNA expression. Moreover down-regulation of miR143 protects L02 cells from apoptosis and initiates an adaptive process by adjusting the expression of HK2 ADRB1 and apoptosis-related proteins.

Effects of simvastatin on serum adiponectin: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Effects of simvastatin on serum level of adiponectin, a protein conferring benefits in both cardiovascular and metabolic system, are not fully determined. METHODS: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed. Studies were identified by searching of Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. Heterogeneity among the RCTs was determined by Cochrane's Q test and I2 statistics. Meta-analysis was performed with random-effect model or fixed-effect model according to the heterogeneity. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to analyze the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Twelve RCTs with 16 comparisons and 1042 patients were included. Overall, serum adiponectin was not significantly affected by simvastatin (WMD: 0.42 µg/mL; 95% CI, -0.66-1.50 µg/mL). However, significant heterogeneity was detected (Cochrane's Q test: p < 0.01; I2 = 83%). Subsequent meta-regression analyses indicated that treatment duration was a significant determinant of the effects of simvastatin treatment on serum adiponectin (Coefficient 0.04, p = 0.03). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that simvastatin treatment was associated with increased adiponectin in studies with treatment duration of 12 weeks (WMD: 3.65 µg/mL; p < 0.01), but not in studies with treatment duration of ≤ 8 weeks (WMD: -0.20 µg/mL; p = 0.38). The different between the two stratums was significant (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with simvastatin of 12 weeks may increase the serum level adiponectin in patients at risk for cardiovascular diseases, but not for the short term treatment of ≤ 8 weeks.

Corrigendum: The Associations Between Maternal Factors During Pregnancy and the Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Meta-Analysis.

Because of the erroneous application of multiple publications, the conclusions of our recent paper (Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:1162-70) were not reliable. The corrected results show that coffee drinking during pregnancy was risk factor for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (OR = 1.44, 95% confidence interval = 1.07-1.92).

Clonal dissemination of KPC-2 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11 clone with high prevalence of oqxAB and rmtB in a tertiary hospital in China: results from a 3-year period.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) strains have emerged as a major problem for healthcare systems. The aim of this study was to determine the circulating clones and analyze the clinical and molecular characteristics of CPKP in our hospital. METHODS: A total of 74 carbapenemase producers collected from our hospital from 2012 to 2014 were analyzed for the prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes (PMQRs), exogenously acquired 16S rRNA methyltransferase (16S-RMTase), and plasmid-mediated AmpC enzyme (pAmpCs) by PCR and DNA sequencing. The sequence types (STs) of the carbapenemase producers were analyzed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). And Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to investigate the genetic relationship of KPC-2 producing strains. Clinical data were retrieved from the medical records. RESULTS: KPC-2 (n = 72) was the predominant enzyme followed by NDM-1 (n = 2); The genes blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM-1, blaDHA-1, rmtB, armA, oqxA, oqxB, and qnrB were present in 29 (39.2 %), 27 (36.5 %), 46 (62.2 %), 2 (2.7 %), 25 (33.8 %), 1 (1.4 %), 60 (81.1 %) and 56 (75.7 %), 6 (8.1 %) isolates, respectively. MLST analysis revealed 10 different STs. The most dominant ST was ST11 (78.4 %, 58/74), followed by ST15 (8.1 %, 6/74). PFGE patterns of the KPC-2 producing K. pneumoniae isolates exhibited clonal dissemination of ST11 and ST15 clones as well as a genetic diversity of the remaining strains. CONCLUSION: The intra- and inter-hospital cross-transmission of KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae ST11 co-carrying oqxAB and rmtB in our hospital strongly suggested that rapid identification of colonized or infected patients and screening of carriers is quite necessary to prevent a scenario of endemicity.

sPLA2-IIA Augments Oxidized LDL-Induced MCP-1 Expression in Vitro Through Activation of Akt.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Group IIA secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) has an important role in atherosclerosis. In this study, we explored whether sPLA2-IIA overexpression could promote atherosclerosis in normal environment alone or with other inflammatory factors. METHODS: Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were transduced with Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA, a plasmid containing sPLA2-IIA coupled with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Cells were incubated in the presence or absence of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), sPLA2 inhibitor LY315920 or PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002. The mRNA expression and protein secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Phosphorylation of Akt was examined by western blotting. RESULTS: Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA-transduced HASMCs remained fluorescent during 72 h of the study period with infection ratio of around 80%. The mRNA expression and protein secretion of MCP-1 was not altered in groups of HASMCs, Lv-GFP transduced and Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA-transduced HASMCs (p>0.05), but was significantly increased in the presence of oxidized LDL especially in Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA transduction group (p<0.01). However, with the addition of LY315920, this enhancement was notably decreased (p<0.05). This enhancement was also markedly abolished by co-incubation with LY294002, paralleled with suppressed Akt phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of sPLA2-IIA does not alter MCP-1 level at baseline, but could enhance the atherogenic effect of oxidized LDL in HASMCs, at least partly due to activation of Akt. These findings may provide a strategy for treatment of inflammatory cardiovascular diseases.

The associations between maternal factors during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although genetic and environmental factors are considered to be the main causes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the associations between maternal factors during pregnancy and the childhood ALL is still unclear. PROCEDURE: In this study, meta-analysis was used. Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched. The result was assessed based on pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The pooled ORs showed that there were associations between childhood ALL and the birth order (The first vs others, OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 1.00-1.16), the education of pregnant woman (>high school vs ≤ high school, OR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.77-0.86), smoking (Ever vs never, OR = 1.10, 95%CI = 1.02-1.19). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis showed that there were important associations between childhood ALL and the birth order, the education of pregnant woman, smoking.

Molecular characterization of clinical multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent nosocomial pathogen, with the multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae being a major public health concern, frequently causing difficult-to-treat infections worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular characterization of clinical MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. METHODS: A total of 27 non-duplicate MDR K. pneumoniae isolates with a CTX-CIP-AK resistance pattern were investigated for the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes including extended spectrum ß-lactamase genes (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes, 16S rRNA methylase (16S-RMTase) genes, and integrons by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and DNA sequencing. Plasmid replicons were typed by PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT). Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were carried out to characterize the strain relatedness. RESULTS: All the isolates co-harbored 3 or more resistance determinants. OqxAB, CTX-M-type ESBLs and RmtB were the most frequent determinants, distributed among 19 (70.4%),18 (66.7%) and 8 (29.6%) strains. Fourteen isolates harbored class 1 integrons, with orfD-aacA4 being the most frequent gene cassette array. Class 3 integrons were less frequently identified and contained the gene cassette array of blaGES-1-blaOXA-10-aac(6')-Ib. IncFII replicon was most commonly found in this collection. One cluster was observed with ≥80% similarity among profiles obtained by PFGE, and one sequence type (ST) by MLST, namely ST11, was observed in the cluster. CONCLUSION: K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing ST11 was the main clone detected. Of particular concern was the high prevalence of multiple resistance determinants, classs I integrons and IncFII plasmid replicon among these MDR strains, which provide advantages for the rapid development of MDR strains.

Clinical value of coagulation parameters in predicting the severity of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Introduction: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel bunyavirus infection with a high lethality rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in coagulation parameters in patients with SFTS, aiming to provide clinical evidence for early diagnosis, treatment, and disease analysis. Methods: A total of 40 patients with SFTS attended from April 1, 2020 to May 21, 2022 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were selected and grouped according to the duration of the disease, mild and severe disease, cure and death, with 50 healthy physical examiners as controls, and the risk of severe and death disease was predicted using ROC curves. Results: Comparison between the healthy, mild and severe groups revealed that PT, INR, APTT, TT, D-D and vWF levels were higher than those in the healthy control group, and FII, FIX, FX, FXI, FXII, PC and PS levels were lower than those in the healthy control group, the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Comparing the results of SFTS patients with different course times, the results of Fib, FV, FVII, FVIII, FIX, FX, FXI were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Among the survived and deceased patients, the PT, INR, DD and PS results of the deceased patients were higher than those of the survived patients, and the FVIII, FIX, FXI, FXII and PC were lower than those of the survived patients. The area under the ROC curve showed that D-D had higher predictive ability for the risk of severe disease (AUROC 0.93, sensitivity and specificity at a Cut-off value of 1.50 mg/L were 90.0 and 86.5%, respectively) and the risk of death occurring (AUROC 0.84, sensitivity and specificity at a Cut-off value of 3.39 mg/L were 87.5 and 80.0%, respectively). Discussion: The monitoring of the coagulation parameters in patients with SFTS is great significance for identifying the severity and death of the patient's condition, and it is of great clinical value to provide early attention, timely intervention and maximum reduction of the mortality rate for patients at risk of severe disease.

Rapidly responsive and highly selective NIR fluorescent probe for detecting hydrogen sulfide in food samples and living cells.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a pungent gas that is one of the key mediators of signal transduction in biological systems, and its presence is related to the freshness of some protein foods. Using phenothiazine derivatives as fluorophores and 2, 4-dinitrobenzene sulfonate (DNBS) fragments as reaction groups, a near-infrared (NIR) probe WX-HS for H2S identification was designed. With the addition of H2S, WX-HS appeared a strong fluorescence signal at 660 nm with short reaction time (90 s) and high sensitivity, and fluorescence state change from non-fluorescent to orange-red. In addition, WX-HS could effectively detect H2S produced during food oxidation. Based on its low cytotoxicity, the WX-HS probe further enabled the detection and imaging of H2S in A549 cells.

Using machine learning algorithms based on patient admission laboratory parameters to predict adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, the urgent need for timely and precise patient prognosis assessment underscores the significance of leveraging machine learning techniques. In this study, we present a novel predictive model centered on routine clinical laboratory test data to swiftly forecast patient survival outcomes upon admission. Our model integrates feature selection algorithms and binary classification algorithms, optimizing algorithmic selection through meticulous parameter control. Notably, we developed an algorithm coupling Lasso and SVM methodologies, achieving a remarkable area under the ROC curve of 0.9277 with the use of merely 8 clinical laboratory parameters collected upon admission. Our primary contribution lies in the utilization of straightforward laboratory parameters for prognostication, circumventing data processing intricacies, and furnishing clinicians with an expeditious and precise prognostic assessment tool.

Behavioral evidence of impaired self-referential processing in patients with affective disorders and first-episode schizophrenia.

Despite the critical role of self-disturbance in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, its diverse behavioral manifestations remain poorly understood. This investigation aimed to elucidate unique patterns of self-referential processing in affective disorders and first-episode schizophrenia. A total of 156 participants (41 first-episode schizophrenia [SZ], 33 bipolar disorder [BD], 44 major depressive disorder [MDD], and 38 healthy controls [HC]) engaged in a self-referential effect (SRE) task, assessing trait adjectives for self-descriptiveness, applicability to mother, or others, followed by an unexpected recognition test. All groups displayed preferential self- and mother-referential processing with no significant differences in recognition scores. However, MDD patients showed significantly enhanced self-referential recognition scores and increased bias compared to HC, first-episode SZ, and BD. The present study provides empirical evidence for increased self-focus in MDD and demonstrates that first-episode SZ and BD patients maintain intact self-referential processing abilities. These findings refine our understanding of self-referential processing impairments across psychiatric conditions, suggesting that it could serve as a supplementary measure for assessing treatment response in first-episode SZ and potentially function as a discriminative diagnostic criterion between MDD and BD.

Suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese adolescents: Predictive models using a neural network model.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide attempts (SA) are a significant contributor to suicide deaths, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) can increase the risk of SA. Many adolescents experience both NSSI and SA, which are affected by various factors. This study aimed to identify the risk factors and essential warning signs of SA, establish a predictive model for SA using multiple dimensions and large samples, and provide a multidimensional perspective for clinical diagnosis and intervention. METHODS: A total of 9140 participants aged 12-18 years participated in an online survey; 6959 participants were included in the statistical analysis. A multilayer perceptron algorithm was used to establish a prediction model for adolescent SA (with or without); adolescents with NSSI behavior were extracted as a subgroup to establish a prediction model. RESULTS: Both the prediction model performance of the SA group and the NSSI-SA subgroup were strong, with high accuracy, and AUC values of 0.93 and 0.88, indicating good discrimination. Decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated that the clinical intervention value of the prediction results was high and that the clinical intervention benefits of the NSSI-SA subgroup were greater than those of the SA group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that the predictive model has a high degree of accuracy and discrimination, thereby identifying significant factors associated with adolescent SA. As long as adolescents exhibit NSSI behavior, relative suicide interventions should be implemented to prevent future hazards. This study can provide guidance and more nuanced insights for clinical diagnosis as well as a foundation for clinical treatment.

Effects of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on prospective memory in patients with schizophrenia: A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

AIMS: To investigate effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the prospective memory (PM) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). METHODS: Fifty of 71 patients completed this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial and compared with 18 healthy controls' (HCs) PM outcomes. Bilateral 20 Hz rTMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at 90% RMT administered 5 weekdays for 4 weeks for a total of 20 treatments. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and PM test were assessed before and after treatment. RESULTS: Both Event-based PM (EBPM) and Time-based PM (TBPM) scores at baseline were significantly lower in patients with SCZ than that in HCs. After rTMS treatments, the scores of EBPM in patients with SCZ was significantly improved and had no differences from that in HCs, while the scores of TBPM did not improved. The negative symptom scores on PANSS and the scores of almost all subscales and total scores of SANS were significantly improved in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that bilateral high-frequency rTMS treatment can alleviate EBPM but not TBPM in patients with SCZ, as well as improve the negative symptoms. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide one therapeutic option for PM in patients with SCZ.