Correlation Analysis and Comparison of Adult CE-Chirp ABR Response Threshold and Pure Tone Hearing Threshold.

OBJECTIVES: To study the application of CE-Chirp in the evaluation of hearing impairment in forensic medicine by testing the auditory brainstem response (ABR) in adults using CE-Chirp to analyze the relationship between the V-wave response threshold of CE-Chirp ABR test and the pure tone hearing threshold. METHODS: Subjects (aged 20-77 with a total of 100 ears) who underwent CE-Chirp ABR test in Changzhou De'an Hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were selected to obtain the V-wave response threshold, and pure tone air conduction hearing threshold tests were conducted at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kHz, respectively, to obtain pure tone listening threshold. The differences and statistical differences between the average pure tone hearing threshold and V-wave response threshold were compared in different hearing levels and different age groups. The correlation, differences and statistical differences between the two tests at each frequency were analyzed for all subjects. The linear regression equation for estimating pure tone hearing threshold for all subjects CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold was established, and the feasibility of the equation was tested. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance in the CE-Chirp ABR response threshold and pure tone hearing threshold difference between different hearing level groups and different age groups (P>0.05). There was a good correlation between adult CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold and pure tone hearing threshold with statistical significance (P<0.05), and linear regression analysis showed a significant linear correlation between the two (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold can be used to evaluate subjects' pure tone hearing threshold under certain conditions, and can be used as an audiological test method for forensic hearing impairment assessment.

In situ hydrodeoxygenation of heavy bio-oil using a Ce/Fe-based oxygen carrier in methanol-zero valent aluminum media.

Resource recovery from solid organic wastes, such as degradable plastics, and upgrading raw bio-oil are important ways for reducing carbon and pollution emissions. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a common thermochemical treatment to upgrade crude bio-oil. In this study, in order to realize in situ HDO during the hydropyrolysis of heavy bio-oil and degradable plastics, a reduced Fe/Ce oxygen carrier (OC) was used to catalytically remove oxygen from organics under the methanol-zero valent aluminum (ZV Al) media, where the hydrogen was produced during pyrolysis instead of a direct hydrogen supply. The results showed that the reduced OC captured the oxygen from the pyrolysis products of heavy bio-oil and degradable plastic, representing the multi-selectivity of reduced OC to phenols, ketones, etc. The ZV Al system promoted the production and utilization of hydrogen, as evidenced by the increased hydrogen content in gas phase and hydrocarbon content in liquid phase. The hydrocarbon component distribution in the liquid phase increased clearly when hydropyrolysis with degradable plastics addtion, but the excess degradable plastics addition caused increasing of the liquid product viscosity, and decreasing of the liquid products yield for the higher ash content in degradable plastic, and a higher ZV Al amount was required to maintain the hydropyrolysis. Molecular dynamics simulations verified the synergistic effect of degradable plastics and bio-oil by the pyrolysis behavior in different systems and temperatures, and the pyrolysis pathways were proposed. This non-autocatalytic system realized the resource recovery and heavy bio-oil upgrading using an Fe/Ce OC.

Efficient adsorption of phosphorus by macroscopic MOF/chitosan composites and preliminary investigation of subsequent phosphorus recovery through electrochemically-driven struvite precipitation.

The proper management of phosphorus (P) from wastewater is crucial for sustainable development consideration. Herein, we developed a strategy which combines adsorption via tailored adsorbents and electrochemically-driven struvite precipitation (ESP) for P recovery. Novel polydopamine-modified Ce-MOF/chitosan composite beads (PDA@Ce-MOF-CS) were prepared by a facile in situ growth of Ce-MOF crystals incorporated natural polymers and PDA coating. The physicochemical properties of PDA@Ce-MOF-CS were characterized. Both batch and fixed-bed column experiments were conducted to evaluate its adsorption performances. Representatively, PDA@Ce-MOF-CS performed good selectivity for P removal and exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 161.13 mg P/g at pH 3 and 318 K. Meanwhile, the developed adsorbent showed great reusability after ten regeneration cycles as well as good adsorption stability. The dominant mechanism for efficient P adsorption included electrostatic attraction, surface precipitation and ligand exchange. Interestingly, PDA@Ce-MOF-CS exhibited a remarkable adsorption capacity of 92.86 mg P/g by treating real P-rich electroplating wastewater, and the desorbed P in the eluate could be effectively recovered and converted into a solid fertilizer as struvite via ESP. Overall, this work provided a new research direction for P recovery from wastewater as struvite by combined technologies with the help of macroscopic MOF architectures.

Characterization of mAb size heterogeneity originating from a cysteine to tyrosine substitution using denaturing and native LC-MS.

Upon assessing the comparability between a biosimilar mAb and its reference product by non-reducing CE-SDS, increased levels of a heavy-heavy-light chain (HHL) variant, present as a low molecular weight (LMW) peak, were observed. RPLC-MS applied at top, middle-up and bottom-up level revealed the existence of Cys-to-Tyr substitutions, predominantly at position HC226 involved in connecting LC and HC, explaining the abundant HHL levels. Antigen binding was not impacted by the presence of this size variant suggesting a non-covalent association of Tyr substituted HHL and LC. The latter complex is not maintained in the denaturing conditions associated with CE-SDS and RPLC-MS. Its existence could, nevertheless, be confirmed by native SEC-MS which preserves non-covalent protein interactions during separation and electrospray ionization. Amino acid analysis furthermore demonstrated a depletion of Cys during the fed-batch process indicating that the observed size/sequence variant is not of genetic but rather of metabolic origin. Native SEC-MS showed that supplementing the cell culture medium with Cys halts misincorporation of Tyr and promotes the formation of the desired mAb structure. To the best of our knowledge, Cys-to-Tyr substitutions preventing interchain disulfide bridge formation have not been described earlier. This observation adds to the impressive structural heterogeneity reported to date for mAbs.

Jungian Analysis of the Chinese Mythological Image of Sun Wukong.

This paper examines the symbolism of the cultural image Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), a Chinese legendary hero, and how it influenced an eight-year-old boy's psychic development. Through an analysis of Sun Wukong's life from his birth to attaining Buddhahood, a three-phase healing process is identified in Sun Wukong's tale and the psychotherapeutic process: "naming and initiating," "nurturing and taming," and "transforming and transcending," proposed by Dr. Heyong Shen. Sandplay visually highlighted these key clinical changes in conscious awareness and developmental behaviour influencing the boy's individuation process. Images found either in cultural traditions or spontaneously emerging from the unconscious in individuals are of significance in human life, offering pathways to psychic healing and development. Further, myths and cultural resources used in clinical work demonstrate that having cultural competency is invaluable in Jungian analysis. Pathogenic and health-maintenance factors of culture can be explored in future clinical practice and research.

Cet article étudie le symbolisme de l'image culturelle d'un héros légendaire chinois; Sun Wukong (le roi singe). L'article explore comment cette image a influencé le développement psychique d'un garçon de huit ans. À travers une analyse de la vie de Sun Wukong depuis sa naissance jusqu'à ce qu'il atteigne la bouddhéité, un processus de guérison en trois phases est identifié dans le conte de Sun Wukong et dans le processus psychothérapeutique, et proposé par le Dr Heyong Shen : « nommer et initier ¼, « apprivoiser et nourrir ¼ et « transformer et transcender ¼. La thérapie par le jeu de sable a ensuite mis en évidence visuellement ces changements cliniques clés dans la prise de conscience et le comportement développemental, qui ont influencé le processus d'individuation du garçon. Les images trouvées dans les traditions culturelles ou qui émergent spontanément de l'inconscient chez les individus sont importantes dans la vie des êtres humains : elles fournissent des voies de guérison et de développement psychiques. De plus, les mythes et les ressources culturelles utilisés dans le travail clinique montrent que la compétence culturelle est inestimable dans l'analyse jungienne. Les facteurs pathogènes et les facteurs de maintien de la santé - présents dans la culture - peuvent être explorés dans la pratique clinique et la recherche futures.

Este artículo explora el simbolismo de la imagen cultural de Sun Wukong (el Rey Mono), un héroe legendario chino, y cómo influyó en el desarrollo psíquico de un niño de ocho años. A través de un análisis de la vida de Sun Wukong desde su nacimiento hasta alcanzar la Budeidad, se identifica un proceso de curación en tres fases en el cuento de Sun Wukong y en el proceso psicoterapéutico: "nombrar e iniciar", "domar y nutrir" y "transformar y trascender", propuestos por el Dr. Heyong Shen. A continuación, el juego de arena puso de relieve visualmente estos cambios clínicos en la conciencia y en el desarrollo del comportamiento, influyendo en el proceso de individuación del niño. Las imágenes que se encuentran tanto en las tradiciones culturales, como las que que emergen espontáneamente del inconsciente de los individuos son importantes en la vida humana, ya que ofrecen vías para la curación psíquica y el desarrollo. Además, los mitos y los recursos culturales utilizados en el trabajo clínico demuestran que tener competencia cultural es inestimable en el análisis junguiano. Los factores patógenos y de mantenimiento de la salud de la cultura pueden explorarse en la práctica clínica y la investigación futuras.

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction to C2H4 via Unconventional Hybridization: High-Order Ce4+ 4f and O 2p Interaction in Ce-Cu2O for Stabilizing Cu.

Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added materials and feedstocks, powered by renewable electricity, presents a promising strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and close the anthropogenic carbon loop. Recently, there has been intense interest in Cu2O-based catalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), owing to their capabilities in enhancing C-C coupling. However, the electrochemical instability of Cu+ in Cu2O leads to its inevitable reduction to Cu0, resulting in poor selectivity for C2+ products. Herein, we propose an unconventional and feasible strategy for stabilizing Cu+ through the construction of a Ce4+ 4f-O 2p-Cu+ 3d network structure in Ce-Cu2O. Experimental results and theoretical calculations confirm that the unconventional orbital hybridization near Ef based on the high-order Ce4+ 4f and 2p can more effectively inhibit the leaching of lattice oxygen, thereby stabilizing Cu+ in Ce-Cu2O, compared with traditional d-p hybridization. Compared to pure Cu2O, the Ce-Cu2O catalyst increased the ratio of C2H4/CO by 1.69-fold during the CO2RR at -1.3 V. Furthermore, in situ and ex situ spectroscopic techniques were utilized to track the oxidation valency of copper under CO2RR conditions with time resolution, identifying the well-maintained Cu+ species in the Ce-Cu2O catalyst. This work not only presents an avenue to CO2RR catalyst design involving the high-order 4f and 2p orbital hybridization but also provides deep insights into the metal-oxidation-state-dependent selectivity of catalysts.

Performance and mechanism of phosphorus adsorption removal from wastewater by a Ce-Zr-Al composite adsorbent.

With the increasingly serious eutrophication of global water bodies and the strict discharge standards of tail water in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), there is an urgent technology need for efficient deep phosphorus removal from wastewater. A composite cerium-based adsorbent (Ce-Zr-Al) was synthesized by coprecipitation method for the adsorption of low concentration phosphorus in water. The performance of the Ce-Zr-Al composite adsorbent was explored, and the mechanism was also revealed through the analyses including SEM, BET, XPS, and FT-IR. The results showed that the composite adsorbent had excellent phosphorus removal performance. The phosphorus removal rate reached up to 92.6%, and the phosphorus concentration in effluent was less than 0.074 mg/L. The phosphate adsorption capacity of saturation was 73.51 mg/g. The adsorption process of phosphate was in accordance with pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model. In addition, the composite adsorbent had a high zero potential point (pH PZC= 8) and a wide range of pH application. After the repeated desorption for 10 times in NaOH solution, the composite adsorbent still maintained good adsorbability (adsorption rate > 94%). The ligand exchange and electrostatic adsorption played the main role for the phosphorus removal from water using the composite adsorbent.

Optimization of adsorption performance of cerium-loaded intercalated bentonite by CCD-RSM and GA-BPNN and its application in simultaneous removal of phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen.

Excessive phosphorus (P) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) in water bodies can lead to eutrophication of the aquatic environment. Therefore, it is important to develop a technology that can efficiently remove P and NH3-N from water. Here, the adsorption performance of cerium-loaded intercalated bentonite (Ce-bentonite) was optimized based on single-factor experiments using central composite design-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) and genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network (GA-BPNN) models. Based on the determination coefficient (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE), the GA-BPNN model was found to be more accurate in predicting adsorption conditions than the CCD-RSM model. The validation results showed that the removal efficiency of P and NH3-N by Ce-bentonite under optimal adsorption conditions (adsorbent dosage = 1.0 g, adsorption time = 60 min, pH = 8, initial concentration = 30 mg/L) reached 95.70% and 65.93%. Furthermore, based on the application of these optimal conditions in simultaneous removal of P and NH3-N by Ce-bentonite, pseudo-second order and Freundlich models were able to better analyze adsorption kinetics and isotherms. It is concluded that the optimization of experimental conditions by GA-BPNN has some guidance and provides a new approach to explore adsorption performance after optimizing the conditions.

Which stimulus should be used for auditory brainstem response in newborns; CE-Chirp® level specific versus Click stimulus.

OBJECTIVES: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), the electrical responses in the neuronal pathways extending from the inner ear to the auditory cortex, are evaluated with auditory stimuli. ABR analysis evaluates waves I, III and V's absolute-latencies, amplitude values, interpeak-latencies, interaural-latency differences, and morphologies. This study aims to reveal the advantages of CE-Chirp® LS stimulus and its clinical uses to increase by comparing the amplitude, latency, and interpeak-latency differences of waves I, III, and V at 80 dB nHL and wave V at 60, 40, 20 dB nHL by using click and CE-Chirp® LS stimuli. METHODS: 100 (54 boys, 46 girls) infants with normal hearing were included in the National Newborn Hearing Screening Program. With the click and CE-Chirp® LS ABR, the absolute latency and amplitude values of wave V at 20, 40, and 60 dB nHL, and the absolute-latency, interpeak-latency, and amplitude values of waves I, III, and V at 80 dB nHL are determined between stimuli and right-left ear. RESULTS: When the wave V latency and amplitudes obtained at 80, 60, 40, and 20 dB nHL levels were examined between genders, and according to the risk factor, no significant difference was found between click and CE-Chirp® LS stimuli (p > 0.05). Waves I, III, and V absolute-latency, amplitudes were compared at 80 dB nHL and wave V absolute-latency, amplitudes at 60, 40, and 20 dB nHL; the amplitudes measured with CE-Chirp® LS were significantly higher than the click stimulus (p < 0.05). When two stimuli were compared for I-III and III-V interpeak-latency values at 80 dB nHL level, no significant difference was found between the two stimuli (p > 0.05). However, the I-V interpeak-latency value was statistically significantly decreased for two stimuli, regardless of the ear (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested to increase the use of CE-Chirp® LS stimulus with better morphology and amplitude in clinics, believing that it facilitates clinicians' interpretation.

Construction of PEGylated chlorin e6@CuS-Pt theranostic nanoplatforms for nanozymes-enhanced photodynamic-photothermal therapy.

Multifunctional nanoagents with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) functions have shown great promise for cancer treatment, while the design and synthesis of efficient nanoagents remain a challenge. To realize nanozyme-enhanced PDT-PTT combined therapy, herein we have synthesized the Ce6@CuS-Pt/PEG nanoplatforms as a model of efficient nanoagents. Hollow CuS nanospheres with an average diameter of âˆ¼ 200 nm are first synthesized through vulcanization using Cu2O as the precursor. Subsequently, CuS nanospheres are surface-decorated with Pt nanoparticles (NPs) as nanozyme via an in-situ reduction route, followed by modifying the DSPE-PEG5000 and loading the photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6). The obtained Ce6@CuS-Pt/PEG NPs exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency (43.08%), good singlet oxygen (1O2) generation ability, and good physiological stability. In addition, Ce6@CuS-Pt/PEG NPs show good catalytic performance due to the presence of Pt nanozyme, which can effectively convert H2O2 to O2 and significantly enhance the production of cytotoxic 1O2. When Ce6@CuS-Pt/PEG NPs dispersion is injected into mice, the tumors can be wholly suppressed owing to nanozyme-enhanced PDT-PTT combined therapy, providing better therapeutic effects compared to single-mode phototherapy. Thus, the present Ce6@CuS-Pt/PEG NPs can act as an efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for tumor therapy.

Morphological and transcriptional effects of crude oil and dispersant exposure on the marine sponge Cinachyrella alloclada.

Marine sponges play important roles in benthic ecosystems. More than providing shelter and food to other species, they help maintain water quality by regulating nitrogen and ammonium levels in the water, and bioaccumulate heavy metals. This system, however, is particularly sensitive to sudden environmental changes including catastrophic pollution event such as oil spills. Hundreds of oil platforms are currently actively extracting oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. To test the vulnerability of the benthic ecosystems to oil spills, we utilized the Caribbean reef sponge, Cinachyrella alloclada, as a novel experimental indicator. We have exposed organisms to crude oil and oil dispersant for up to 24 h and measured resultant gene expression changes. Our findings indicate that 1-hour exposure to water accommodated fractions (WAF) was enough to elicit massive shifts in gene expression in sponges and host bacterial communities (8052 differentially expressed transcripts) with the up-regulation of stress related pathways, cancer related pathways, and cell integrity pathways. Genes that were upregulated included heat shock proteins, apoptosis, oncogenes (Rab/Ras, Src, CMYC), and several E3 ubiquitin ligases. 24-hour exposure of chemically enhanced WAF (CE-WAF) had the greatest impact to benthic communities, resulting in mostly downregulation of gene expression (4248 differentially expressed transcripts). Gene deregulation from 1-hour treatments follow this decreasing trend of toxicity: WAF > CE-WAF > Dispersant, while the 24-hour treatment showed a shift to CE-WAF > Dispersant > WAF in our experiments. Thus, this study supports the development of Cinachyrella alloclada as a research model organism and bioindicator species for Florida reefs and underscores the importance of developing more efficient and safer ways to remove oil in the event of a spill catastrophe.

Medium-chain fatty acid production from thermal hydrolysed sludge without external electron donor supplementation.

In this study, medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) generation from mixed sludge (including primary sludge and waste activated sludge) was investigated without additional electron donors (EDs). 0.5 g COD/L of MCFAs was produced and the in situ generated ethanol could serve as the EDs during the anaerobic fermentation of mixed sludge without thermal hydrolysis process (THP) pretreatment. THP increased the MCFA production by approximately 128% in the anaerobic fermentation. During 102 days of operation, the fermentation of THP pre-treated mixed sludge stably generated 2.9 g COD/L MCFAs. The self-generated EDs could not maximize MCFA production, and external addition of ethanol improved MCFA yield. Caproiciproducens was the dominant chain-elongating bacteria. PICRUST2 revealed that both fatty acid biosynthesis and reverse ß-oxidation pathways could participate in MCFA synthesis, and ethanol addition could enhance the contribution of the reverse ß-oxidation pathway. Future studies should focus on the improvement of MCFA production from THP-assisted sludge fermentation.

Antitumor Effect of Photodynamic Therapy/Sonodynamic Therapy/Sono-Photodynamic Therapy of Chlorin e6 and Other Applications.

Chlorin e6 (Ce6) has been extensively researched and developed as an antitumor therapy. Ce6 is a highly effective photosensitizer and sonosensitizer with promising future applications in photodynamic therapy, dynamic acoustic therapy, and combined acoustic and light therapy for tumors. Ce6 is also being studied for other applications in fluorescence navigation, antibacterials, and plant growth regulation. Here we review the role and research status of Ce6 in tumor therapy and the problems and challenges of its clinical application. Other biomedical effects of Ce6 are also briefly discussed. Despite the difficulties in clinical application, Ce6 has significant advantages in photodynamic therapy (PDT)/sonodynamic therapy (SDT) against cancer and offers several possibilities in clinical utility.

[Determination of glutathione in cells by capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence].

Glutathione (GSH) is vital for oxidative stress resistance and heavy metals detoxification. It is significant to develop a sensitive and accurate quantitative GSH approach for the toxicity mechanism for studying heavy metals in cells. A high-sensitive capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection approach was proposed in this study to detect GSH content in cells. The approach employed HepG2 cells as an object and 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) with the active group of aromatic o-dialdehyde as a labeling reagent. The effects of buffer solution types, pH, additives on the GSH reaction rate with NDA, and the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were systematically investigated. The sensitivity of NDA-GSH and the reaction rate of GSH with NDA were compared in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) buffer solution at pH 7.4 or 9.2 and borate-Tris buffer solution at pH 9.2. The results revealed that the NDA-GSH sensitivity was the highest and the reaction rate of GSH and NDA was the fastest in borate buffer solution at pH 9.2. The effects of the four additives on the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were further compared. The best additive was revealed to be ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD). GSH reacted with NDA to reach equilibrium within 5 min under the optimal experimental conditions, and the electrophoretic signal of NDA-GSH could be seen in 3 min. Quantitative analysis of GSH in HepG2 cells was performed using an external standard approach by determining a series of GSH standard solutions. The results revealed that the approach had a good linear relationship with the peak area vs. concentration (0.01-20.00 mmol/L) of GSH. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of GSH were determined using signal-to-noise ratios of 3 (S/N=3) and 10 (S/N=10), which were 0.006 µmol/L and 0.020 µmol/L, respectively. The approach's spiked recoveries were 95.7%-112.6%, with relative standard deviations of the approach being 3.8%-5.0% (n=3). This approach offers high sensitivity, good stability, accuracy, and reliability. To study the relationship between the toxicity of arsenic and chromium on HepG2 cells and the content of GSH in HepG2 cells, the effects of arsenic and chromium with different valences on cell viability were analyzed. The results illustrated that the cytotoxicity of potassium dichromate (Cr(Ⅵ)) was the strongest. The variations of GSH content in HepG2 cells stimulated with arsenite (As(Ⅲ)), arsenate (As(Ⅴ)), chromium chloride (Cr(Ⅲ)), and Cr(Ⅵ) were analyzed by the proposed approach and analysis of intracellular GSH imaging. The results revealed that the stimulation group i. e. analyzed doses (low-dose 2 mg/L, high-dose 5 mg/L) of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), and Cr(Ⅲ) had no obvious effect on GSH content in HepG2 cells compared with the control group, whereas high-dose Cr(Ⅵ) can significantly reduce GSH content in HepG2 cells. Considering the analysis of cytotoxicity of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), Cr(Ⅲ), and Cr(Ⅵ), it shows that the content of GSH in HepG2 cells is related to cytotoxicity, and the content of GSH will decrease with the increase in cytotoxicity.

Acupuncture for brain diseases: Conception, application, and exploration.

The brain is probably the most complex organ in the human body. It has been the hot spot and direction of brain science research all over the world to deeply study the pathogenesis of various kinds of brain diseases and find effective treatment methods. Acupuncture is a nonpharmacological therapy of traditional Chinese medicine originating from ancient clinical practice. The research on the treatment of brain diseases by acupuncture has been constantly enriched and updated with the promotion of interdisciplinary research. In order to account for the current achievements in the field of acupuncture for brain diseases, this article reviews it in terms of conception, application, and exploration. Based on the literature review, we found that in the past decades, acupuncture has received widespread attention worldwide and many literatures have reported the clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of brain diseases. Presently, the conception, application, and exploration of acupuncture in the treatment of brain diseases have evolved from empirical medicine to evidence-based medicine and precision medicine, and are experiencing a deeper understanding of the information about acupuncture regulating the brain function based on interdisciplinary research.

HMGB1/PTEN/PI3K axis participates in the peripheral immune cell differentiation in two representative TCM syndromes of chronic hepatitis B patients.

Liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome (LDSDS) and spleen-gastric damp-heat syndrome (SGDHS) are two major traditional Chinese medicine syndromes observed in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Both syndromes exhibit significant differences in the pathogenesis and prognosis, and are closely related to the immune system. However, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the immunoregulatory mechanisms of the two syndromes and promote the differentiation precision between the two syndromes. Thirty-six patients with CHB (18 LDSDS patients and 18 SGDHS patients) and 14 healthy controls were recruited into this study and blood was collected from all the subjects for testing. We studied the contents of T lymphocytes by flow cytometry and the expression levels of HMGB1/PTEN/PI3K axis proteins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks among HMGB1/PTEN/PI3K axis were constructed for functional enrichment. The correlations between T lymphocytes and proteins were analyzed by constructing multiple regression equations. The results revealed that the CD8+ T cells level in the two syndromes were lower than that in healthy controls, and the levels of Th17, Treg cells, and HMGB1, PI3K, PDK1, Akt were higher than those of the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of CD4+ T, Th17 cells, and HMGB1, PTEN, PI3K in LDSDS were higher than SGDHS (p < 0.05). PPI network indicated that HMGB1/PTEN/PI3K axis participated in T cell activation and liver pathology. Our results revealed that HMGB1/PTEN/PI3K axis may play an important role in regulating the formation of peripheral immune differences between the two syndromes. CD4+ T and Th17 are two representative immune cells that may serve as potential biological markers for LDSDS and SGDHS in CHB.

Heterostructures of polyaniline and Ce-ZnO nanomaterial coated flexible PET thin films for LPG gas sensing at standard environment.

The n-type Ce doped ZnO (Ce-ZnO) and p-type polyaniline (PANI) heterojunction were successfully synthesized via simple chemical solution method for sensing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at standard environment. The morphology and structures of as-prepared Ce-ZnO & PANI nanoparticles were analyzed by numerous kinds of techniques. Ce-ZnO & PANI nanoparticles were mixed with n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) which is coated over the gold coated PET electrode by doctor blade method and dried overnight at 60 °C to form p-n junction. The as-formed p-n junction is to be driven with the help of 1.5 V potential at ambient temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results of Ce-ZnO nanoparticles confirmed the existence of Ce4+ and the improved amount of both chemisorbed oxygen and oxygen vacancy after the formation of Ce-ZnO heterojunction. The maximum response of 80% was realized for hollow Ce-ZnO/PANI sensor at 100 ppm. The proposed material is a novel candidate to detect the LPG even at low (30) ppm and this study reveals the possibility of developing a potentially inexpensive hollow Ce-ZnO/PANI sensor for sensing LPG efficiently.

Oxygen-boosted biomimetic nanoplatform for synergetic phototherapy/ferroptosis activation and reversal of immune-suppressed tumor microenvironment.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) induces apoptosis of cancer cells by generating cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, the therapeutic effect of which, however, is impeded by intrinsic/inducible apoptosis-resistant mechanisms in cancer cells and hypoxia of tumor microenvironment (TME); also, PDT-induced anti-tumor immunity activation is insufficient. To deal with these obstacles, a novel biomimetic nanoplatform is fabricated for the precise delivery of photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6), hemin and PEP20 (CD47 inhibitory peptide), integrating oxygen-boosted PDT, ferroptosis activation and CD47-SIRPα blockade. Hemin's catalase-mimetic activity alleviates TME hypoxia and enhances PDT. The nanoplatform activates ferroptosis via both classical (down-regulating glutathione peroxidase 4 pathway) and non-classical (inducing Fe2+ overload) modes. Besides the role of hemin in consuming glutathione and up-regulating heme oxygenase-1 expression, interestingly, we observe that Ce6 enhance ferroptosis activation via both classical and non-classical modes. The anti-cancer immunity is reinforced by combining PEP20-mediated CD47-SIRPα blockade and PDT-mediated T cell activation, efficiently suppressing primary tumor growth and metastasis. PEP20 has been revealed for the first time to sensitize ferroptosis by down-regulating system Xc-. This work sheds new light on the mechanisms of PDT-ferroptosis activation interplay and bridges immunotherapy and ferroptosis activation, laying the theoretical foundation for novel combinational modes of cancer treatment.