Electronic-Structure-Modulated Cu,Co-Coanchored N-Doped Nanocarbon as a Difunctional Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction Reactions.

To alleviate the problems of environmental pollution and energy crisis, aggressive development of clean and alternative energy technologies, in particular, water splitting, metal-air batteries, and fuel cells involving two key half reactions comprising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction (ORR), is crucial. In this work, an innovative hybrid comprising heterogeneous Cu/Co bimetallic nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed on a nitrogen-doped carbon layer (Cu/Co/NC) was constructed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst toward HER and ORR via a hydrothermal reaction along with post-solid-phase sintering technique. Thanks to the interfacial coupling and electronic synergism between the Cu and Co bimetallic nanoparticles, the Cu/Co/NC catalyst showed improved catalytic ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.865 V and an excellent stability of more than 30 h, even compared to 20 wt% Pt/C. The Cu/Co/NC catalyst also exhibited excellent HER catalytic performance with an overpotential of below 149 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and long-term operation for over 30 h.

Exploring the efficacy of subwavelength gratings as short-wavelength infrared filters.

Advancements in nanofabrication technology have greatly facilitated research on nanostructures and their associated properties. Among these structures, subwavelength components have emerged as promising candidates for ultra-compact optical elements, can potentially supplant conventional optical components and enable the realization of compact and efficient optical devices. Spectral analysis within the infrared spectrum offers a wealth of information for monitoring crop health, industrial processes, and target identification. However, conventional spectrometers are typically bulky and expensive, driving an increasing demand for cost-effective spectral sensors. Here we investigate three distinct subwavelength grating structures designed to function as narrowband filters within the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range. Through simple adjustments to the period of grating strips, these filters selectively transmit light across a wide wavelength range from 1100 to 1700 nm with transmission exceeding 70% and full width at half maximum (FWHM) down to 6 nm. Based on a simple design, the results present great potential of subwavelength grating filters for multiband integration and developing ultra-compact spectral sensors.

Enhanced Recovery Protocol Versus Conventional Care in Patients Undergoing Esophagectomy for Cancer: Advantages in Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to compare the clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol and conventional care in patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer, which have not previously been compared. METHODS: This single-center retrospective study included prospective PRO data from August 2019 to June 2021. Clinical outcomes included perioperative complications and postoperative length of stay (PLOS). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed by using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ-C30) and esophagus-specific module (QLQ-OES18) preoperatively to 6 months postoperatively. Mixed-effects models were used to longitudinally compare quality of life (QOL) scores between the two modes. RESULTS: Patients undergoing conventional care and ERAS were analyzed (n = 348 and 109, respectively). The ERAS group had fewer overall complications, pneumonia, arrhythmia, and a shorter PLOS than the conventional group, and outperformed the conventional group in five functional QLQ-C30 domains and five symptom QLQ-OES18 domains, including less dysphagia (p < 0.0001), trouble talking (p = 0.0006), and better eating (p < 0.0001). These advantages persisted for 3 months postoperatively. For the cervical circular stapled anastomosis, the initial domains and duration of benefit were reduced in the ERAS group. CONCLUSIONS: The ERAS protocol has significant advantages over conventional care in terms of clinical outcomes, lowering postoperative symptom burden, and improving functional QOL in patients who have undergone esophagectomy. Selection of the optimal technique for cervical anastomosis is a key operative component of ERAS that maintains the symptom domains and duration of the advantages of PROs.

Cold-chain free nucleic acid preservation using porous super-absorbent polymer (PSAP) beads to facilitate wastewater surveillance.

The instability of viral targets including SARS-CoV-2 in sewage is an important challenge in wastewater monitoring projects. The unrecognized interruptions in the 'cold-chain' transport from the sample collection to RNA quantification in the laboratory may undermine the accurate quantification of the virus. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-modified porous superabsorbent polymer (PSAP) beads were applied to absorb raw sewage samples as a simple method for viral RNA preservation. The preservation efficiency for SARS-CoV-2 and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) RNA were examined during storage for 14 days at 4 °C or room temperature against the control (no beads applied). While a non-significant difference was observed at 4 °C (∼80 % retention for both control and PSAP-treated sewage), the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations was significantly lower in sewage retrieved from PSAP beads (25-40 % reduction) compared to control (>60 % reduction) at room temperature. On the other hand, the recovery of PMMoV, known for its high persistence in raw sewage, from PSAP beads or controls were consistently above 85 %, regardless of the storage temperature. Our results demonstrate the applicability of PSAP beads to wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) projects for preservation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage, especially in remote settings with no refrigeration capabilities.

The imbalance of pulmonary Th17/Treg cells in BALB/c suckling mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus-mediated intestinal immune damage and gut microbiota changes.

The immune response induced by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is closely related to changes in the composition and function of gastrointestinal microorganisms. However, the specific mechanism remains unknown and the pulmonary-intestinal axis deserves further study. In this study, the mRNA levels of ROR-γt and Foxp3 in the lung and intestine increased first and then decreased. IL-17 and IL-22 reached the maximum on the third day after infection in the lung, and on the second day after infection in the small intestine and colon, respectively. RegⅢγ in intestinal tissue reached the maximum on the third day after RSV infection. Moreover, the genus enriched in the RSV group was Aggregatibacter, and Proteus was reduced. RSV infection not only causes Th17/Treg cell imbalance in the lungs of mice but also leads to the release of excessive IL-22 from the lungs through blood circulation which binds to IL-22 receptors on the intestinal surface, inducing RegⅢγ overexpression, impaired intestinal Th17/Treg development, and altered gut microbiota composition. Our research reveals a significant link between the pulmonary and intestinal axis after RSV infection. IMPORTANCE: RSV is the most common pathogen causing acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, but the complex interactions between the immune system and gut microbiota induced by RSV infection still requires further research. In this study, it was suggested that RSV infection in 7-day-old BALB/c suckling mice caused lung inflammation and disruption of Th17/Treg cells development, and altered the composition of gut microbiota through IL-22 induced overexpression of RegⅢγ, leading to intestinal immune injury and disruption of gut microbiota. This research reveals that IL-22 may be the link between the lung and gut. This study may provide a new insight into the intestinal symptoms caused by RSV and other respiratory viruses and the connection between the lung and gut axis, as well as new therapeutic ideas for the treatment of RSV-infected children.

Enhanced Piezocatalytic Performance of Li-doped BaTiO3 Through a Facile Sonication-Assisted Precipitation Approach.

Piezocatalysis-induced dye degradation has garnered significant attention as an effective method for addressing wastewater treatment challenges. In our study, we employed a room-temperature sonochemical method to synthesize piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles (BaTiO3: BTO) with varying levels of Li doping. This approach not only streamlined the sample preparation process but also significantly reduced the overall time required for synthesis, making it a highly efficient and practical method. One of the key findings was the exceptional performance of the Li-doped BTO nanoparticles. With 20 mg of Li additive, we achieved 90 % removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye within a relatively short timeframe of 150 minutes, all while subjecting the sample to ultrasonic vibration. This rapid and efficient dye degradation was further evidenced by the calculated kinetic rate constant, which indicated seven times faster degradation rate compared to pure BTO. The enhanced piezoelectric performance observed in the Li-doped BTO nanoparticles can be attributed to the strategic substitution of Li atoms, which facilitated a more efficient transfer of charge charges at the interface. Overall, our study underscores the potential of piezocatalysis coupled with advanced materials like Li-doped BTO nanoparticles as a viable and promising solution for wastewater treatment, offering both efficiency and environmental sustainability.

SEA Anemone-inspired Conducting Polymer Sensing Platform for Integrated Detection of Tumor Protein Marker and Circulating Tumor Cell.

Combining the detection of tumor protein markers with the capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represents an ultra-promising approach for early tumor detection. However, current methodologies have not yet achieved the necessary low detection limits and efficient capture. Here, we introduced a novel polypyrrole nanotentacles sensing platform featuring anemone-like structures capable of simultaneously detecting protein biomarkers and capturing CTCs. The incorporation of nanotentacles significantly enhanced the electrode surface area, providing abundant active sites for antibody binding. This enhancement allowed detecting nucleus matrix protein22 (NMP22) and bladder tumor antigen (BTA) with 2.39 and 3.12 pg/mL detection limit, respectively. Furthermore, our developed sensing platform effectively captured MCF-7 cells in blood samples with a detection limit of fewer than 10 cells/mL, attributed to the synergistic multivalent binding facilitated by the specific recognition antibodies and the positive charge on the nanotentacles surface. This sensing platform demonstrated excellent detection capabilities and outstanding capture efficiency, offering a simple, accurate, and efficient strategy for early tumor detection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Utility of polygenic scores across diverse diseases in a hospital cohort for predictive modeling.

Polygenic scores estimate genetic susceptibility to diseases. We systematically calculated polygenic scores across 457 phenotypes using genotyping array data from China Medical University Hospital. Logistic regression models assessed polygenic scores' ability to predict disease traits. The polygenic score model with the highest accuracy, based on maximal area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), is provided on the GeneAnaBase website of the hospital. Our findings indicate 49 phenotypes with AUC greater than 0.6, predominantly linked to endocrine and metabolic diseases. Notably, hyperplasia of the prostate exhibited the highest disease prediction ability (P value = 1.01 × 10-19, AUC = 0.874), highlighting the potential of these polygenic scores in preventive medicine and diagnosis. This study offers a comprehensive evaluation of polygenic scores performance across diverse human traits, identifying promising applications for precision medicine and personalized healthcare, thereby inspiring further research and development in this field.

Melatonin suppresses TLR4-mediated RSV infection in the central nervous cells by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome formation and autophagy.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects neuronal cells in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in neurological symptoms. In the present study, we intended to explore the mechanism of RSV infection-induced neuroinflammatory injury from the perspective of the immune response and sought to identify effective protective measures against the injury. The findings showed that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was activated after RSV infection in human neuronal SY5Y cells. Furthermore, TLR4 activation induced autophagy and apoptosis in neuronal cells, promoted the formation of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, and increased the secretion of downstream inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Interestingly, blockade of TLR4 or treatment with exogenous melatonin significantly suppressed TLR4 activation as well as TLR4-mediated apoptosis, autophagy and immune responses. Therefore, we infer that melatonin may act on the TLR4 to ameliorate RSV-induced neuronal injury, which provides a new therapeutic target for RSV infection.

Dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) coated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane for simultaneously removing emulsified oils and anionic dyes.

Developing high-efficiency membrane for oil and dye removal is very urgent, because wastewater containing them can cause great damage to human and environment. In this study, a coated membrane was fabricated by applying DAC and PEI onto the commercial PVDF microfiltration membrane for supplying the demand. The coated membrane presents superhydrophlic and superoleophobic properties with a water contact angle of 0o and underwater oil contact angle exceed 150°, as well as excellent low underwater oil adhesion performance. The coated membrane shows high separation efficiency exceeded 99.0% and flux 350.0 L·m-2·h-1 when used for separating for six kinds of oil including pump oil, sunflower oil, n-hexadecane, soybean oil, diesel and kerosene in water emulsions. Additionally, the coated membrane can effectively remove anionic dyes, achieving rejection rates of 94.7%, 93.4%, 92.3%, 90.7% for the CR, MB, RB5, AR66, respectively. More importantly, the membrane was able to simultaneously remove emulsified oil and soluble anionic dyes in wastewater containing both of them. Therefore, this novel coated membrane can be a promising candidate for treating complex wastewater.

XIOSIS: an X-ray-based intra-operative image-guided platform for oncology smart material delivery.

Image-guided interventional oncology procedures can greatly enhance the outcome of cancer treatment. As an enhancing procedure, oncology smart material delivery can increase cancer therapy's quality, effectiveness, and safety. However, the effectiveness of enhancing procedures highly depends on the accuracy of smart material placement procedures. Inaccurate placement of smart materials can lead to adverse side effects and health hazards. Image guidance can considerably improve the safety and robustness of smart material delivery. In this study, we developed a novel generative deep-learning platform that highly prioritizes clinical practicality and provides the most informative intra-operative feedback for image-guided smart material delivery. XIOSIS generates a patient-specific 3D volumetric computed tomography (CT) from three intraoperative radiographs (X-ray images) acquired by a mobile C-arm during the operation. As the first of its kind, XIOSIS (i) synthesizes the CT from small field-of-view radiographs;(ii) reconstructs the intra-operative spacer distribution; (iii) is robust; and (iv) is equipped with a novel soft-contrast cost function. To demonstrate the effectiveness of XIOSIS in providing intra-operative image guidance, we applied XIOSIS to the duodenal hydrogel spacer placement procedure. We evaluated XIOSIS performance in an image-guided virtual spacer placement and actual spacer placement in two cadaver specimens. XIOSIS showed a clinically acceptable performance, reconstructed the 3D intra-operative hydrogel spacer distribution with an average structural similarity of 0.88 and Dice coefficient of 0.63 and with less than 1 cm difference in spacer location relative to the spinal cord.

TLR4 TIR domain and nucleolin GAR domain synergistically mediate RSV infection and induce neuronal inflammatory damage in SH-SY5Y cells.

Previous research results of our group showed that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nucleolin synergistically mediate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in human central neuron cells, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. Here we designed and synthesized lentiviruses with TIR (674-815 aa), TLR4 (del 674-815 aa), GAR (645-707 aa), and NCL (del 645-707 aa) domains, and obtained stable overexpression cell lines by drug screening, and subsequently infected RSV at different time points. Laser confocal microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation were used for the observation of co-localization and interaction of TIR/GAR domains. Western blot analysis was used for the detection of p-NF-κB and LC3 protein expression. Real-time PCR was used for the detection of TLR4/NCL mRNA expression. ELISA assay was used to measure IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α concentrations and flow cytometric analysis was used for the study of apoptosis. Our results suggest that overexpression of TIR and GAR domains can exacerbate apoptosis and autophagy, and that TIR and GAR domains can synergistically mediate RSV infection and activate the NF-κB signaling pathway, which regulates the secretion of downstream inflammatory factors, such as IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α, and ultimately leads to neuronal inflammatory injury.

Deformable registration of preoperative MR and intraoperative long-length tomosynthesis images for guidance of spine surgery via image synthesis.

PURPOSE: Improved integration and use of preoperative imaging during surgery hold significant potential for enhancing treatment planning and instrument guidance through surgical navigation. Despite its prevalent use in diagnostic settings, MR imaging is rarely used for navigation in spine surgery. This study aims to leverage MR imaging for intraoperative visualization of spine anatomy, particularly in cases where CT imaging is unavailable or when minimizing radiation exposure is essential, such as in pediatric surgery. METHODS: This work presents a method for deformable 3D-2D registration of preoperative MR images with a novel intraoperative long-length tomosynthesis imaging modality (viz., Long-Film [LF]). A conditional generative adversarial network is used to translate MR images to an intermediate bone image suitable for registration, followed by a model-based 3D-2D registration algorithm to deformably map the synthesized images to LF images. The algorithm's performance was evaluated on cadaveric specimens with implanted markers and controlled deformation, and in clinical images of patients undergoing spine surgery as part of a large-scale clinical study on LF imaging. RESULTS: The proposed method yielded a median 2D projection distance error of 2.0 mm (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.1-3.3 mm) and a 3D target registration error of 1.5 mm (IQR: 0.8-2.1 mm) in cadaver studies. Notably, the multi-scale approach exhibited significantly higher accuracy compared to rigid solutions and effectively managed the challenges posed by piecewise rigid spine deformation. The robustness and consistency of the method were evaluated on clinical images, yielding no outliers on vertebrae without surgical instrumentation and 3% outliers on vertebrae with instrumentation. CONCLUSIONS: This work constitutes the first reported approach for deformable MR to LF registration based on deep image synthesis. The proposed framework provides access to the preoperative annotations and planning information during surgery and enables surgical navigation within the context of MR images and/or dual-plane LF images.

Analysis of Risk Factors for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency and Palatal Fistula After Sommerlad-Furlow Palatoplasty.

This study aimed to introduce a surgery technique-Sommerlad-Furlow palatoplasty (SFP) and analyze the risk factors of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and palatal fistula after SFP. Cases after SFP under the age of 5 between 2011 and 2021 were reviewed, and the cases with complete follow-up information were included. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the effects of surgical age, surgery technique, surgeon's experience, and cleft type on velopharyngeal function and the occurrence of palatal fistula. SFP is a safe and effective procedure to increase the palatal length and reconstruct the levator veli palatini sling. The speech outcome after SFP was associated with cleft type and age at operation. Age = 1.285 years is the best cutoff value. The fistula occurrence was associated with cleft type only.

Identification of Sulfur-Containing Chlorinated Paraffin Structural Analogues in Human Serum: Origination from Biotransformation or Bioaccumulation?

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are manufactured and used in high quantities and have diverse structural analogues. It is generally recognized that sulfur-containing structural analogues of CPs are mainly derived from sulfate-conjugated phase II metabolism. In this study, we non-targeted identified three classes of sulfur-containing CP structural analogues (CPs-S) in human serum, including 44 CP sulfates (CPs-SO4H/CPs-SO4H-OH), 14 chlorinated benzene sulfates (CBs-SO4H), and 19 CP sulfite esters (CPs-SO3/CPs-S2O6), which were generated during the production of commercial mixtures of CPs and, thus, bioaccumulated via environmental exposures. We first wrote a program to screen CPs-S, which were baseline-separated from CPs according to their polar functional groups. Then, mass spectral analyses of alkalization-acidification liquid-liquid extracts of serum samples and Orbitrap mass spectrometry analyses in the presence and absence of tetraphenylphosphonium chloride (Ph4PCl), respectively, were performed to determine the ionization forms ([M + Cl]- or [M - H]-) of CPs-S. The presence of fragment ions (SO4H-, SO3-, SO2Cl-, and HSO3-) revealed the structures of CPs-S, which were validated by their detections in commercial mixtures of CPs. The estimated total concentrations of CPs-S in the human serum samples were higher than the concentrations of medium- and long-chain CPs. The profiles of CPs-S in human serum were similar to those detected in CP commercial mixtures and rats exposed to the commercial mixtures, but CPs-S were not detected in human liver S9 fractions or rat tissues after exposure to CP standards. These results, together with the knowledge of the processes used to chemically synthesize CPs, demonstrate that CPs-S in humans originates from environmental bioaccumulation.

A critical size volumetric muscle loss model in mouse masseter with impaired mastication on nutrition.

Orofacial muscle defect due to congenital anomalies, tumour ablation or traumatic accident that exceeds endogenous regeneration capacity may lead to sustained deficits in masticatory function and nutrition intake. Functional recovery has always been the goal of muscle tissue repair, but currently, there is no suitable model for quantitative analyses of either functional consequences or treatment efficacy of orofacial muscle defect. This study proposed a critical size volumetric muscle loss (VML) model in mouse masseter with impaired mastication on nutrition. Full-thickness VML defects in diameter of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 mm were generated in the centre of the mouse masseter using a biopsy punch to determine the critical size for functional impairment. In the VML region, myogenesis was dampened but fibrogenesis was activated, as long with a reduction in the density of the neuromuscular junction and an increase in vascular density. Accordingly, persistent fibrosis was observed in the centre region of VML in all diameters. The 2.0 mm diameter was the critical threshold to masticatory function impairment after VML in the masseter. VML of 3.0 mm diameter led to a significant impact on nutrition intake and body weight gain. Autologous muscle graft effectively relieved the fibrosis and functional deficit after VML injury in the masseter. This model serves as a reliable tool in studying functional recovery strategies for orofacial muscle defects.

Theory of Defect-Induced Crystal Field Perturbations in Rare-Earth Magnets.

We present a theory describing the single-ion anisotropy of rare-earth (RE) magnets in the presence of point defects. Taking the RE-lean 1∶12 magnet class as a prototype, we use first-principles calculations to show how the introduction of Ti substitutions into SmFe_{12} perturbs the crystal field, generating new coefficients due to the lower symmetry of the RE environment. We then demonstrate that these perturbations can be described extremely efficiently using a screened point charge model. We provide analytical expressions for the anisotropy energy that can be straightforwardly implemented in atomistic spin dynamics simulations, meaning that such simulations can be carried out for an arbitrary arrangement of point defects. The significant crystal field perturbations calculated here demonstrate that a sample that is single phase from a structural point of view can nonetheless have a dramatically varying anisotropy profile at the atomistic level if there is compositional disorder, which may influence localized magnetic objects like domain walls or skyrmions.

Integrative Metabolomics and Proteomics Allow the Global Intracellular Characterization of Bacillus subtilis Cells and Spores.

Reliable and comprehensive multi-omics analysis is essential for researchers to understand and explore complex biological systems more completely. Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) is a model organism for Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria, and in-depth insight into the physiology and molecular basis of spore formation and germination in this organism requires advanced multilayer molecular data sets generated from the same sample. In this study, we evaluated two monophasic methods for polar and nonpolar compound extraction (acetonitrile/methanol/water; isopropanol/water, and 60% ethanol) and two biphasic methods (chloroform/methanol/water, and methyl tert-butyl ether/methanol/water) on coefficients of variation of analytes, identified metabolite composition, and the quality of proteomics profiles. The 60% EtOH protocol proved to be the easiest in sample processing and was more amenable to automation. Collectively, we annotated 505 and 484 metabolites and identified 1665 and 1562 proteins in B. subtilis vegetative cells and spores, respectively. We also show differences between vegetative cells and spores from a multi-omics perspective and demonstrate that an integrative multi-omics analysis can be implemented from one sample using the 60% EtOH protocol. The results obtained by the 60% EtOH protocol provide comprehensive insight into differences in the metabolic and protein makeup of B. subtilis vegetative cells and spores.