Epidemiological features and temporal trends of the co-infection between HIV and tuberculosis, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

BACKGROUND: The co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and tuberculosis (TB) poses a significant clinical challenge and is a major global public health issue. This study aims to elucidate the disease burden of HIV-TB co-infection in global, regions and countries, providing critical information for policy decisions to curb the HIV-TB epidemic. METHODS: The ecological time-series study used data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. The data encompass the numbers of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY), as well as age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), prevalence rate (ASPR), mortality rate (ASMR), and DALY rate for HIV-infected drug-susceptible tuberculosis (HIV-DS-TB), HIV-infected multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (HIV-MDR-TB), and HIV-infected extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (HIV-XDR-TB) from 1990 to 2021. from 1990 to 2021. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) of rates, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), was calculated. RESULTS: In 2021, the global ASIR for HIV-DS-TB was 11.59 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 0.37-13.05 per 100,000 population), 0.55 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 0.38-0.81 per 100,000 population), for HIV-MDR-TB, and 0.02 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 0.01-0.03 per 100,000 population) for HIV-XDR-TB. The EAPC for the ASIR of HIV-MDR-TB and HIV-XDR-TB from 1990 to 2021 were 4.71 (95% CI: 1.92-7.59) and 13.63 (95% CI: 9.44-18.01), respectively. The global ASMR for HIV-DS-TB was 2.22 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 1.73-2.74 per 100,000 population), 0.21 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 0.09-0.39 per 100,000 population) for HIV-MDR-TB, and 0.01 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 0.00-0.03 per 100,000 population) for HIV-XDR-TB in 2021. The EAPC for the ASMR of HIV-MDR-TB and HIV-XDR-TB from 1990 to 2021 were 4.78 (95% CI: 1.32-8.32) and 10.00 (95% CI: 6.09-14.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that enhancing diagnostic and treatment strategies, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, increasing access to quality medical care, and improving public health education are essential to combat HIV-TB co-infection.

Capsaicin exerts synergistic pro-apoptotic effects with cisplatin in TSCC through the calpain pathway via TRPV1.

Capsaicin (CAP) exerts significant anti-tumor effects on a variety of tumors, with low intrinsic toxicity. Cisplatin (DDP) is currently the first-line drug for the treatment of oral cancer; however, its clinical efficacy is impeded by chemoresistance and negligible side effects. Whether the combined use of CAP and DDP has a synergistic antitumor effect on tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) cells and its underlying mechanisms remains unclear. The present study revealed that CAP reduced the activity of TSCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also observed changes in the mitochondrial functional structure of TSCC cells, along with the induction of mitochondrial apoptosis. Moreover, when CAP was combined with DDP, a synergistic cytotoxic effect on TSCC cells was observed, which had a significant impact on inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, and disrupting the mitochondrial membrane potential in TSCC cells compared to the single-drug treatment and control groups. These effects are associated with TRPV1, a high-affinity CAP receptor. The combined use of CAP and DDP can activate the TRPV1 receptor, resulting in intracellular Ca2+ overload and activation of the calpain pathway, ultimately leading to mitochondrial apoptosis. This potential mechanism was validated in TSCC xenograft models. In conclusion, our findings clearly demonstrate that CAP exerts synergistic pro-apoptotic effects with DDP in TSCC through the calpain pathway mediated by TRPV1. Thus, CAP can be considered an effective adjuvant drug for DDP in the treatment of TSCC.

Rumen microbiota helps Tibetan sheep obtain energy more efficiently to survive in the extreme environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Introduction: T-sheep and H-sheep exhibit different environmental adaptability and production performance. The rumen microbiome has co-evolved with hosts and plays a vital role in nutrient digestion and energy metabolism. In our previous study, we found that T-sheep have a higher efficiency in energy metabolism than H-sheep, but the rumen microbial community remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we determined the rumen bacterial profile and rumen fermentation parameters to reveal the bacterial profiles and predictive functions among breeds and diets with four different energy levels, as well as the correlation between bacterial profiles and rumen fermentation characteristics. Results: The results showed that the rumen total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), acetate, butyrate, total branched-chain VFAs, iso-butyrate, and iso-valerate were higher in T-sheep than H-sheep. The alpha diversity of ruminal bacteria is not affected by dietary energy, but it shows a distinction between the sheep breeds. Specifically, T-sheep rumen bacteria exhibit higher alpha diversity than H-sheep. The beta diversity of ruminal bacteria is not influenced by dietary energy or sheep breeds, indicating similar communities of ruminal bacteria between different diets and sheep breeds. The phyla of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes predominate in the rumen, with a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes observed in T-sheep than H-sheep. The two most abundant genera in the rumen were Prevotella 1 and Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group. Prevotella 1 is the predominant bacterial genus in the rumen of H-sheep, while the Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group dominates in the rumen of T-sheep. Microbial co-occurrence network analysis reveals that variations in rumen fermentation characteristics result from differences in module abundance, with a higher abundance of VFA-producing modules observed in the rumen of T-sheep. Microbial function prediction analysis showed that dietary energy rarely alters the functional composition of rumen bacteria. However, there were differences in the functions of rumen bacteria between sheep breeds, with T-sheep showing a greater emphasis on energy metabolism-related functions, while H-sheep showed a greater emphasis on protein metabolism-related functions. Discussion: These findings provide evidence of the special rumen microbial community that helps T-sheep efficiently obtain energy from low-protein and low-energy diets, enabling them to survive in the extreme environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Finite immune imprinting on neutralizing antibody responses to Omicron subvariants by repeated vaccinations.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of repeated vaccination with ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan-hu-1)-based inactivated, recombinant protein subunit or vector-based vaccines on the neutralizing antibody response to Omicron subvariants. METHODS: Individuals who received four-dose vaccinations with the Wuhan-hu-1 strain, individuals who were infected with the BA.5 variant alone without prior vaccination, and individuals who experienced a BA.5 breakthrough infection following receiving 2-4 doses of the Wuhan-hu-1 vaccine were enrolled. Neutralizing antibodies against D614G, BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 were detected using a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay. Antigenic cartography was used to analyze cross-reactivity patterns among D614G, BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 and sera from individuals. RESULTS: The highest neutralizing antibody titers against D614G were observed in individuals who only received four-dose vaccination and those who experienced BA.5 breakthrough infection, which was also significantly higher than the antibody titers against XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86. In contrast, only BA.5 infection elicited comparable neutralizing antibody titers against the tested variants. While neutralizing antibody titers against D614G or BA.5 were similar across the cohorts, the neutralizing capacity of antibodies against XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 was significantly reduced. BA.5 breakthrough infection following heterologous booster induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers against the variants, particularly against XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1, than uninfected vaccinated individuals, only BA.5 infected individuals, or those with BA.5 breakthrough infection after primary vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that repeated vaccination with the Wuhan-hu-1 strain imprinted a neutralizing antibody response toward the Wuhan-hu-1 strain with limited effects on the antibody response to the Omicron subvariants.

Intervention portfolios analysis of Plasmodium vivax control in central China.

BACKGROUND: The effects of a diverse spectrum of malaria interventions were evaluated through a deterministic Plasmodium vivax transmission model. This approach aimed to provide theoretical evidence of the performance of these interventions once implemented for achieving malaria elimination. METHODS: An integrated intervention portfolio, including mass drug administration, insecticide treatment, and untreated bed nets, was analyzed through modeling. Additionally, data-driven calibration was implemented to infer coverages that effectively reproduced historical malaria patterns in China from 1971 to 1983. RESULTS: MDA utilizing primaquine emerged as the most effective single intervention, achieving a 70% reduction in malaria incidence when implemented at full coverage. Furthermore, a strategic combination of MDA with primaquine, chloroquine, untreated bed nets, and seasonal insecticide treatments effectively eradicated malaria, attaining elimination at a coverage level of 70%. It was conclusively demonstrated that an integrated approach combining MDA and vector control measures is essential for the successful elimination of malaria. CONCLUSION: High coverage of mass drug administration with primaquine and chloroquine before transmission was the key driver of the malaria decline in China from 1971 to 1983. The best-fit intervention coverage combinations derived from calibration are provided as a reference for malaria control in other countries.

Regulating Surface Metal Abundance via Lattice-Matched Coordination for Versatile and Environmentally-Viable Sn-Pb Alloying Perovskite Solar Cells.

Narrow-bandgap Sn-Pb alloying perovskites showcased great potential in constructing multiple-junction perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with efficiencies approaching or exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit. However, the uncontrollable surface metal abundance (Sn2+ and Pb2+ ions) hinders their efficiency and versatility in different device structures. Additionally, the undesired Pb distribution mainly at the buried interface accelerates the Pb leakage when devices are damaged. In this work, a novel strategy is presented to modulate crystallization kinetics and surface metal abundance of Sn-Pb perovskites using a cobweb-like quadrangular macrocyclic porphyrin material, which features a molecular size compatible with the perovskite lattice and robustly coordinates with Pb2+ ions, thus immobilizing them and increasing surface Pb abundance by 61%. This modulation reduces toxic Pb leakage rates by 24-fold, with only ∼23 ppb Pb in water after severely damaged PSCs are immersed in water for 150 h.This strategy can also enhance chemical homogeneity, reduce trap density, release tensile strain and optimize carrier dynamics of Sn-Pb perovskites and relevant devices. Encouragingly, the power conversion efficiency (PCEs) of 23.28% for single-junction, full-stack devices and 21.34% for hole transport layer-free Sn-Pb PSCs are achieved.Notably, the related monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar cell also achieves a PCE of 27.03% with outstanding photostability.

Nonlinear adaptive robust control of tank bidirectional stabilizers with dead zone compensation based on extended state observer.

In this paper, the problem of highly performance motion control of tank bidirectional stabilizer with dead zone nonlinearity and uncertain nonlinearity is addressed. First, the electromechanical coupling dynamics model of bidirectional stabilizer is developed finely. Second, the dead zone nonlinearity in bidirectional stabilizer is characterized as the combination of an uncertain time-varying gain and a bounded disturbance term. Meanwhile, an adaptive robust controller with dead zone compensation is proposed by organically combining adaptive technique and extended state observer (ESO) through backstepping method. The adaptive technique is employed to reduce the impact of unknown system parameter and dead zone parameter. Furthermore, the ESO is constructed to compensate the lumped uncertainties including unmodeled dynamics and dead zone residual, and integrated together via a feedforward cancellation technique. Moreover, the adaptive robust control law is derived to ensure final global stability. In stability analysis, the asymptotic tracking performance of the proposed controller can be guaranteed as the uncertainty nonlinearities in tank bidirectional stabilizer are constant. It is also guaranteed to achieve bounded tracking performance when time-varying uncertainties exist. Extensive co-simulation and experimental results verify the superiority of the proposed strategy.

Two nickel-added poly(polyoxometalate)s built of Keggin-type {Ni6PW9} and Anderson-type NiW6O24via WO4/Sb2O bridges and Ni-O-W linkages with efficient hydrogen evolution activity.

Two Ni-added poly(polyoxometalate)s built of Keggin-type {Ni6PW9} and Anderson-type NiW6O24 units via WO4/Sb2O bridges and Ni-O-W linkages, Na4H8[Ni(enMe)2][(Sb2O)2(NiW6O24)-{Ni12O2(OH)4(enMe)4(H2O)3(WO4)2(B-α-PW9O34)2}2]·39H2O (1) and H9[Ni(en)2(H2O)][Ni0.5(en)2(H2O)][Ni-(enMe)2(H2O)][(Sb2O)2(NiW6O24){Ni12O2(OH)4(en)2(enMe)2(H2O)3(WO4)2}-{Ni12O2(OH)4(en)4(H2O)3(WO4)2}(B-α-PW9O34)4]·45H2O (2), have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized, in which the {Ni12(WO4)2(PW9)2} subunit was obtained by the synergistic directing effect of 2 lacunary PW9O34 (PW9) fragments and further linked by a central Anderson-type (Sb2O)2(NiW6O24) bridge. Both compounds represent the first example of Ni-added polyoxometalates (POMs) simultaneously based on Keggin-type and Anderson-type POM components. Photocatalytic studies revealed that 2 can work as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst towards a light-driven H2 evolution reaction, achieving a hydrogen evolution rate of as high as 19 214 µmol g-1 h-1 (TON = 1500), which is superior to most of the reported POM-based heterogeneous catalysts.

Global, regional, and national burden of HIV-negative tuberculosis, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease with significant public health implications. Its widespread transmission, prolonged treatment duration, notable side effects, and high mortality rate pose severe challenges. This study examines the epidemiological characteristics of TB globally and across major regions, providing a scientific basis for enhancing TB prevention and control measures worldwide. METHODS: The ecological study used data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. It assessed new incidence cases, deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and trends in age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), mortality rates (ASMRs), and DALY rates for drug-susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB), multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) from 1990 to 2021. A Bayesian age-period-cohort model was applied to project ASIR and ASMR. RESULTS: In 2021, the global ASIR for all HIV-negative TB was 103.00 per 100,000 population [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 92.21, 114.91 per 100,000 population], declining by 0.40% (95% UI: - 0.43, - 0.38%) compared to 1990. The global ASMR was 13.96 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 12.61, 15.72 per 100,000 population), with a decline of 0.44% (95% UI: - 0.61, - 0.23%) since 1990. The global age-standardized DALY rate for HIV-negative TB was 580.26 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 522.37, 649.82 per 100,000 population), showing a decrease of 0.65% (95% UI: - 0.69, - 0.57 per 100,000 population) from 1990. The global ASIR of MDR-TB has not decreased since 2015, instead, it has shown a slow upward trend in recent years. The ASIR of XDR-TB has exhibited significant increase in the past 30 years. The projections indicate MDR-TB and XDR-TB are expected to see significant increases in both ASIR and ASMR from 2022 to 2035, highlighting the growing challenge of drug-resistant TB. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the ASIR of MDR-TB and XDR-TB has shown an upward trend in recent years. To reduce the TB burden, it is essential to enhance health infrastructure and increase funding in low-SDI regions. Developing highly efficient, accurate, and convenient diagnostic reagents, along with more effective therapeutic drugs, and improving public health education and community engagement, are crucial for curbing TB transmission.

Impact of COVID-19 on the neglected tropical diseases: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence, management, and control of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) highlighting the current or prospective impact of COVID-19 on research and development funding for, and execution of, NTD programmes. This review was conducted to determine if, and how, NTDs were affected by COVID-19, and whether those effects will delay the elimination goals of the Sustainable Development goals. METHODS: Using open-source available data from policy and documentation from official websites of the relevant stakeholders including but not limited to World Health Organization (WHO) documents and policies, government foreign aid documents, and the Policy Cures G-Finder reports, this scoping review explored ongoing challenges to supporting research and development (R&D) for the NTDs and in maintaining NTD control programs; examined the constraints posed for NTD management by the pandemic from disruptions to healthcare services, reduction of finance and explored the potential long-term implications and consequences for those poorer, neglected populations in low and middle income-countries (LMICs). This was done by a scoping review literature search, publications were subject to an initial practical screening step to ensure the most relevant publications were selected for full screening, with the focus on scoping the designated topic of the impact of COVID-19 on NTDs. We further undertook an evaluation of the socio-economic factors exacerbating the impact of COVID-19 on NTD burden. RESULTS: Multiple disruptions and setbacks, likely to affect NTD programmes and progress towards their elimination targets were identified in this study. R&D funding for the NTDs and AIDs and TB has declined since the funding high point of 2019, and for malaria since the high point of 2018. Significant changes in allocation of R&D funding within the NTDs are observed post pandemic, likely because of prioritization among donors. Diseases for which the least R&D investment was reported in place, prior to the pandemic (mycetoma, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma and Buruli ulcer) have been particularly impacted post pandemic. We identified specific NTDs including schistosomiasis, leprosy, and rabies that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions caused to on ongoing NTD control and elimination programs. Pandemic restrictions disrupted essential medical supply manufacturing and distribution impacting immunization programs and hindered efforts to control the spread of infectious diseases. NTD programmes have experienced numerous setbacks including delays in mass drug administration programs (e.g. for schistosomiasis), cancelled or delayed vaccination programs (e.g. for rabies) and closure of testing facilities has resulted in reduced diagnosis, treatment, and disease elimination for all NTDs. Lockdowns and clinic closures causing disruption to essential healthcare services restricted NTD surveillance and treatment programs. Community fears around contracting COVID-19 exacerbated the constraints to service delivery. Disparities in global vaccine distribution have widened with LMICs facing limited access to vaccines and disruption to immunization programs. Finally, the pandemic has led to increased poverty with poor and marginalized communities, impacting nutrition, healthcare access and education all of which have long term implications for NTD management and control. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted global health research and global health equity. Attention and funding were diverted from all sectors, significantly affecting research and development efforts set out in the World Health Organization's NTD elimination Roadmaps. Ongoing changes to funding, economic crises, logistics and supply chain disruptions as well as deepening poverty has put a strain on already weak healthcare systems and exacerbated LMIC healthcare challenges. In particular, the delays and constraints to NTD management and elimination programs will have long-reaching consequences highlighting the need for global cooperation and renewed investment to put the NTD roadmap back on track. Targets and milestones are unlikely to be met without significant investment for recovery, in place.

Feasibility of 129I groundwater dating calibrated by both 81Kr and 4He for the assessment of deep geological repositories in Japan.

Iodine-129, which is a promising tracer for dating old groundwater, has been used as a tracer for deep upwelling groundwater. The nuclide is expected to be one of the key factors for site selection for high-level radioactive waste disposal, which is a global societal issue. The pre-anthropogenic 129I/127I ratio for marine iodine is (1.50 ± 0.15) × 10-12, which could be considered the initial value for 129I dating. This study identifies the challenges in groundwater age dating using 129I/127I. We measured the ratios of 129I/127I and 81Kr/Kr and concentration of 4He in groundwater from boreholes on the northern coast of Japan. The 129I dating results were not coincident with the other groundwater dating results. The iodine in the groundwater was inferred to be released in situ from marine organisms in sediments of various ages. We estimated that the primordial iodine ratio originating from seawater was ~ 1 × 10-13 (8 × 10-14 ~ 2 × 10-13). The groundwater age deduced from the 129I/127I ratio using this value agrees with other groundwater dating results.

Tropism-shifted AAV-PHP.eB-mediated bFGF gene therapy promotes varied neurorestoration after ischemic stroke in mice.

ABSTRACT: AAV-PHP.eB is an artificial adeno-associated virus (AAV) that crosses the blood-brain barrier and targets neurons more efficiently than other AAVs when administered systematically. While AAV-PHP.eB has been used in various disease models, its cellular tropism in cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the tropism of AAV-PHP.eB for different cell types in the brain in a mouse model of ischemic stroke and evaluate its effectiveness in mediating basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene therapy. Mice were injected intravenously with AAV-PHP.eB either 14 days prior to (pre-stroke) or 1 day following (post-stroke) transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Notably, we observed a shift in tropism from neurons to endothelial cells with post-stroke administration of AAV-PHP.eB-mNeonGreen (mNG). This endothelial cell tropism correlated strongly with expression of the endothelial membrane receptor lymphocyte antigen 6 family member A (Ly6A). Furthermore, AAV-PHP.eB-mediated overexpression of bFGF markedly improved neurobehavioral outcomes and promoted long-term neurogenesis and angiogenesis post-ischemic stroke. Our findings underscore the significance of considering potential tropism shifts when utilizing AAV-PHP.eB-mediated gene therapy in neurological diseases and suggest a promising new strategy for bFGF gene therapy in stroke treatment.

Underlying Mechanism of Fluoride Inhibits Colonic Gland Cells Proliferation by Inducing an Inflammation Response.

The integrity of colonic gland cells is a prerequisite for normal colonic function and maintenance. To evaluate the underlying injury mechanisms in colonic gland cells induced by excessive fluoride (F), forty-eight female Kunming mice were randomly allocated into four groups and treated with different concentrations of NaF (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg F-/L) for 70 days. As a result, the integrity of the colonic mucosa and the cell layer was seriously damaged after F treatment, as manifested by atrophy of the colonic glands, colonic cell surface collapse, breakage of microvilli, and mitochondrial vacuolization. Alcian blue and periodic acid Schiff staining revealed that F decreased the number of goblet cells and glycoprotein secretion. Furthermore, F increased the protein expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and ERK1/2 and decreased IL-6, interfered with NF-κB signaling, following induced colonic gland cells inflammation. The accumulation of F inhibited proliferation via the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, as characterized by decreased mRNA and protein expression of JAK, STAT3, STAT5, PCNA, and Ki67 in colon tissue. Additionally, the expression of CDK4 was up-regulated by increased F concentration. In conclusion, excessive F triggered colonic inflammation and inhibited colonic gland cell proliferation via regulation of the NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways, leading to histopathology and barrier damage in the colon. The results explain the damaging effect of the F-induced inflammatory response on the colon from the perspective of cell proliferation and provide a new idea for explaining the potential mechanism of F-induced intestinal damage.

An Unusual Crystalline Porous Framework Constructed from Multitypes of Cages with Proton Conduction Property and Heterogeneous Catalytic Activity for Pyrazole Synthesis.

An unusual crystalline porous framework constructed from four types of cages, including all-inorganic Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) cages [H3W12O40]5-, organic hexamethylenetetramine (Hmt) cages, nanosized silver-Hmt coordination cages, and giant POM-silver-Hmt cages, was hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. The framework features a highly symmetrical structure with one-dimensional nanoscale channels and holds good thermal/solvent stability, which endow it with proton conduction properties and heterogeneous catalytic activity for pyrazole. This paper not only contributes to broadening the structural diversity of cage-based crystalline porous framework materials but also sheds new light on the design of new functional framework materials.

Covalent Organic Frameworks Meet Titanium Oxide.

In order to expand the applicability of materials and improve their performance, the combined use of different materials has increasingly been explored. Among these materials, inorganic-organic hybrid materials often exhibit properties superior to those of single materials. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are famous crystalline porous materials constructed by organic building blocks linked by covalent bonds. In recent years, the combination of COFs with other materials has shown interesting properties in diverse fields, and the composite materials of COFs and TiO2 have been investigated more and more. These two outstanding materials are combined through covalent bonding, physical mixing, and other methods and exhibit excellent performance in various fields, including photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, sensors, separation, and energy storage and conversion. In this Review, the current preparation methods and applications of COF-TiO2 hybrid materials are introduced in detail, and their future development and possible problems are discussed and prospected, which is of great significance for related research. It is believed that these interesting hybrid materials will show greater application value as research progresses.

High-Nuclear Co-Added Polyoxometalate-Based Chain: Electrocatalytic Oxygen Production.

A high-nuclear Co-added polyoxometalate (CoAP) was synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction: H14.5K9Na7.5-{[Co8(µ2-OH)(µ3-OH)2(H2O)2(Co(H2O)GeW6O26)(B-α-GeW9O34)2][BO(OH)2][Co12(µ2-OH)(µ3-OH)5(H2O)3(Co(H2O)GeW6O26)(GeW6O26)(B-α-GeW9O34)]}·46H2O (1). The polyoxoanion of 1 contains a large Co20 cluster gathered by lacunary GeW6O26 and GeW9O34 subunits. 1 represents a one-dimensional (1D) chain formed by adjacent polyoxoanions coupling through a CoO6 double bridge, showing the first example of a high-nuclear CoAP-based inorganic chain. 1 served as an efficient electrocatalyst in oxygen evolution reactions (OERs).

Blade-Coating (100)-Oriented α-FAPbI3 Perovskite Films via Crystal Surface Energy Regulation for Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Photoactive black-phase formamidinium lead triiodide (α-FAPbI3) perovskite has dominated the prevailing high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs), normally for those spin-coated, conventional n-i-p structured devices. Unfortunately, α-FAPbI3 has not been made full use of its advantages in inverted p-i-n structured PSCs fabricated via blade-coating techniques owing to uncontrollable crystallization kinetics and complicated phase evolution of FAPbI3 perovskites during film formation. Herein, a customized crystal surface energy regulation strategy has been innovatively developed by incorporating 0.5 mol % of N-aminoethylpiperazine hydroiodide (NAPI) additive into α-FAPbI3 crystal-derived perovskite ink, which enabled the formation of highly-oriented α-FAPbI3 films. We deciphered the phase transformation mechanisms and crystallization kinetics of blade-coated α-FAPbI3 perovskite films via combining a series of in-situ characterizations and theoretical calculations. Interestingly, the strong chemical interactions between the NAPI and inorganic Pb-I framework help to reduce the surface energy of (100) crystal plane by 42 %, retard the crystallization rate and lower the formation energy of α-FAPbI3. Benefited from multifaceted advantages of promoted charge extraction and suppressed non-radiative recombination, the resultant blade-coated inverted PSCs based on (100)-oriented α-FAPbI3 perovskite films realized promising efficiencies up to 24.16 % (~26.5 % higher than that of the randomly-oriented counterparts), accompanied by improved operational stability. This result represented one of the best performances reported to date for FAPbI3-based inverted PSCs fabricated via scalable deposition methods.

Variant-specific antibody response following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection.

The ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses challenges to the immunity induced by infections and vaccination. We conduct a 6-month longitudinal evaluation of antibody binding and neutralization of sera from individuals with six different combinations of vaccination and infection against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86. We find that most individuals produce spike-binding IgG or neutralizing antibodies against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 2 months after infection or vaccination. However, compared to ancestral strain and BA.5 variant, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 exhibit comparable but significant immune evasion. The spike-binding IgG and neutralizing antibody titers decrease in individuals without additional antigen exposure, and <50% of individuals neutralize XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 during the 6-month follow-up. Approximately 57% of the 107 followed up individuals experienced an additional infection, leading to improved binding IgG and neutralizing antibody levels against these variants. These findings provide insights into the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immunity following repeated exposure.